Officially Moved In But Where's the Kitchen?

It's official...we've moved in to our new home, but as you can see it will be a while before I get to really enjoy my awesome kitchen.
And this is the view from the kitchen to what usually is a spectacular view of The Bedford Basin and a glimmer of the mouth of Halifax Harbour where it meets the Atlantic Ocean.... Can you see our new Weber BBQ on the balcony? Look closely under the reflection of the light in the window (third from left).
This is the photo my Honey took, standing on the balcony... today it looks like we live in the clouds or some mystical land. Do you think some good fairies will come and magically unpack for us?...and perhaps massage my aching feet and back?
But I digress.... tomorrow is Friday and time for another fantastic Presto Pasta Night Roundup. We will be beyond busy handing over keys to our old place and hopefully heading out to camp to see family...mainly two delicious little boys who have been missing us as much as we've been missing them....Sooooooo.....I'm giving you all a head's up to keep checking More Than Words tomorrow where Daphne will be putting together this week's roundup. I admit that I haven't had a second (not to mention I was without the internet since yesterday) to check out the entries. I'm sure they're all wonderful and I'm looking forward to kicking off my shoes and checking them all out sometime soon. Thanks everyone for taking part, and Daphne for hosting for the FOURTH time!!!

Next week, it's my turn to host. Hopefully I will have found the pasta pot and actually take part....I'm definitely craving pasta! Please mention Once Upon a Feast and Presto Pasta Night and email your entries to - ruth (at) gmail (dot) com.

Now it's time for a long soak in my new tub...if I can find the bubbles!

Another Perfect Presto Pasta Night - #173

Thanks so much to Janet of The Taste Space for her debut in Presto Pasta Night hosting. A big thanks to all who contributed such awesome dishes...so without further ado...Presto Pasta Night #173...which one will you pick first?

Next week, Daphne of More Than Words will be hosting for the FOURTH time! She's an awesome host, so please send her your wonderful pastas. Just write a post, mention Presto Pasta Nights and More Than Words and email your link to daphnesu16 (at) yahoo (dot) com with a cc to me - ruth (at) 4 everykitchen (dot) com.

A Jumble of Goodness

Between getting ready for next week's move and the heat wave we're experiencing, my mind is as jumbled as this photo. The days have been hectic and I seem to end the day in a blur. So I thought I'd share some random thoughts, photos and recipes.
Sharron was coming into town for her day off and I needed to make something light and delicious. The beautiful salmon fillets I picked up at Mike's Fish Shop at the farmers' market were to be the stars. Although most of my cookbooks and magazines are packed (my Honey packed 38 boxes of books while I was in Montreal, probably half were food related!!!). I did see a fantastic recipe for Tea Smoked Salmon on fineCooking.com

BUT... no time or energy for the whole affair...not to mention no BBQ. So I didn't do the delicious looking citrus-cucumber relish or actually tea smoke the salmon. What I did manage was to marinate the salmon (and some extra large shrimp) as directed - 1/4 cup Chinese dark soy sauce, 1 tbsp granulated sugar, 1 tsp finely grated orange zest, 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes. I let the salmon marinate for about 20 minutes and quickly pan grilled them. When the salmon was grilling, I placed the shrimp in the marinade and as soon as the salmon was done (about 15 minutes), I grilled them too. Served over a simple mixed green salad tossed with a little apple cider vinegar and sesame seed oil.
Dessert was both simple and simply delicious. I love it when nature does all the work...strawberries (maybe the last of the season) and blueberries (definitely the first of the season), sprinkled with a tsp of granulated sugar...just enough to get the juices flowing.
And what could be more perfect on a hot, sunny summer's day than playing hooky from packing and spending it on the brand new dock at Joanna (Sharron's big sister) & Ezra's with Sharron and her friend Jasmine with a picnic lunch of leftover salmon turned into a magical salad made with fresh peppery arugula and other salad greens from Jasmine's garden and some Ran-Cher Acres Cayenne & Garlic seasoned goat cheese. Not to mention, the last of the strawberries & blueberries for dessert.
And more fun in the sun...we went strawberry picking with Boaz, Dov, Ezra (aka Daddy) and Sharron on Sunday.
That's daddy & the boys munching a little snack of homemade biscuits and cookies at Indian Garden Farms - a wonderful find for u-picking strawberries & raspberries. They were just bringing in their own green peppers to their on-site market (still warm from the field and sun) while the boys and I were identifying all the fresh produce. Dov did insist that the tomatoes were apples. Wait until he gets to pick some real apples in another month or so.
It is the end of the season so the strawberries were not that plentiful. Dov was our taste tester and he thought they were awesome. We think he ate his weight in berries.
That's Dov digging into a plate of spaghetti at Camp Kadimah, just reminding everyone that Presto Pasta Night is just around the corner. Don't forget to share your entries with Janet of The Taste Space, this week's wonderful host. Just send your link to saveur11 (at) yahoo (dot) ca with a cc to me - ruth (at) 4 everykitchen (dot) com. I just roasted a chicken (started at 7:30 am to avoid the heat that is sure to melt me later. I'm hoping to make a pasta with chicken, fresh rosemary, some mushrooms and a dash of white wine. I'm even going to cheat a little and boil up the pasta now so I only have to do a quick reheat at dinner time.

And now it's back to packing!

A Fabulous Presto Pasta Night - #172

In spite of all her other projects...like doing a kitchen reno!!!... Pam of Sidewalk Shoes did an wonderful job of hosting this week's Presto Pasta Night #172. But she couldn't have done it without all those mouth watering entries. Thank you all for your delicious dishes.

No pasta for me this week, and probably next - we're moving and everything is in upheaval...plus it's about a bazillion degrees outside and even more in here...but enough whining. I'm definitely going to be bookmarking lots of great dishes for when the weather breaks. Surely pasta will be the first dish I prepare in new and fantastic kitchen. As for the rest of you...grab a fork and dig in!

Next week Janet of The Taste Space will be hosting for the first time, so please make her feel welcome and send her your wonderful pastas. Just write a post, mention Presto Pasta Nights and The Taste Space and email your link to saveur11 (at) yahoo (dot) ca with a cc to me - ruth (at) 4 everykitchen (dot) com.

Presto Pasta Night #172 Correction

Fortunately for the rest of us Daphne caught the fact that I mentioned the wrong email address for Pam, our wonderful host this week. I do apologize and blame it all on the heat....

Here's the correct info: Pam of Sidewalk Shoes is definitely hosting! Send her all your droolingly delicious dishes by next Thursday. Just mention Presto Pasta Nights, Sidewalk Shoes and send the link to morefromscraps (at) comcast (dot) net and cc me ruth (at) 4everykitchen (dot) com.

Muggy Rainy Day, So It's Off to Camp We Go

Since Mummy & Daddy won't ship these delicious boys to us, we're heading off to visit them at camp. It's muggy, steamy and rainy here in Halifax, and we have to get out of the house which has no air conditioning and very few breezes.

It was so hot last night that even though I had prepped all the fixings for a brilliant salad....grilled some maple spice rubbed shrimps and boiled some eggs in the morning and thought to make a sophisticated adaptation of a frequent star at our summer table....Salade Nicoise.
I even picked up some beautiful new carrots, young onions and a gorgeous baguette at the Partners for Care Market outside our big teaching hospital QE II Health Science Centre.
But by suppertime, it was stifling indoors and we headed out to a favorite haunt...Boneheads BBQ...great BBQ, iced cold beer, air conditioning and good company...a perfect combo to manage a heat wave. What's your secret weapon for a heat wave?

A Brilliant Presto Pasta Night - #171 is on the Table

I know cross posting is tedious, but it's well worth the double take... Helen of Fuss Free Flavours did a super fantastic job this week hosting Presto Pasta Night #171.

There are lots of dishes for those of us sweltering in the heat wave...and lots more for those who need a sweater...I'll be bookmarking those for later, you can be assured.

Thanks everyone for a particularly stellar roundup.

Next week Pam of Sidewalk Shoes will be hosting...again! Lucky us. It's her third time!!! Send her all your droolingly delicious dishes by next Thursday. Just mention Presto Pasta Nights, Sidewalk Shoes and send the link to morefromscraps (at) comcast (dot) net and cc me ruth (at) 4everykitchen (dot) com.

Pasta Salad with Maple Smoked Salmon for the Heat Wave

The heat wave is still here with a vengeance - not complaining, just stating the facts. I'm too hot and lethargic to complain. Last night we ordered a pizza because the thought of cooking...well, it wasn't going to happen. But it's Presto Pasta Night tomorrow and Helen of Fuss Free Flavours is hosting, and I really did want to get a dish in before the deadline tonight.

One good thing about living in Halifax, even if we don't have an air conditioner, is that things cool down dramatically during the night. So this morning, before it gets crazy hot here, I cooked some Wacky Mac - not only are they cute, they're high in folic acid and 15% of the iron you need each day...not to mention that they are made from real, all-natural tomato, spinach and beet ingredients.

Non-recipe for a hot day: toss cooked, drained short pasta with 1 tbsp olive oil, handful or two of chopped fresh herbs (I used oregano and arugula today) and "dressing" (today was balsamic apple cider vinegar, honey mustard and enough olive oil - tablespoon or two) to blend. It should be quite tangy before adding to the pasta which will tame it somewhat. Then add some flaked tuna or...my favorite...maple spiced smoked salmon.

It's sitting in my fridge, just raring to go for dinner...only one problem...will I restrain myself from eating it all at lunch? Good thing I made the entire package of pasta, so it should be enough for lunch AND dinner!

It's still early, so send any pasta dish to Helen before midnight tonight and she'll add it to tomorrow's roundup. Just write a post, mention Presto Pasta Night and Fuss Free Flavours with links, and email the link to helen (at) fussfreeflavours (dot) com and cc me: ruth (at) 4everykitchen (dot) com.

Beat the Heat With Local Ingredients

It's Tuesday and last week I somehow didn't get it together to enter a post to a great little carnival. You can read all about Two for Tuesdays! Carnival here, but the bottom line...eat real food rather than instant and packaged. And, certainly when I can, I shop at farmers' markets and eat as locally as possible. It really does make a difference in taste. If you've ever been to a tropical country and tasted fresh mangos, papayas, pineapple, etc...you know exactly what I mean. The taste pales by the time it gets to your table. That said, I'm never going to be a 100 mile girl...local garlic won't be around for months and it's like air...I can't live without it. But I digress.

What I mean is, I choose locally grown and raised ingredients first and then branch out. It's so easy to do...especially this time of year when produce is so plentiful. And when the weather is brutally hot as it is here, frankly, I want to spend as little time in the kitchen as is humanly possible. My secret weapon for the heat...a bag of mixed greens from Ted Hutten Family Farm. Every bite is wonderful - interesting mix of salad greens, Asian greens (their speciality) and mustard greens. It really doesn't take much work to make it the perfect focal point of any meal. Just drizzle a little olive oil, spritz some lemon juice or your favorite vinegar and really - you're done and everyone will be in Heaven.
Another favorite of mine...Mixed Greens with Roasted Beets & Carrots with Cumin, Feta & Mint (you do the beet & carrot roasting early in the morning when it's still cool in the kitchen) . Either of these are perfect light meals on their own or great sides to go with some grilled meat...
...like this awesome Spiced Rub Skirt Steak (served here with an easy Lemon, Garlic Pasta that could be prepared in the morning and served as a salad. The skirt steak is from my very favorite meat purveyor at the market... Getaway Farm... grass fed beef at its best.
And if we weren't about to move I'd be preserving some of these gorgeous strawberries that are finally in season here. Oh well...we will be in our new home by blueberry season.

Add your REAL FOOD link at the bottom of Girlichef's post and then leave a comment so she'll know you've joined in this week! And remember, your link will show up at all 4 host sites for Two for Tuesdays!

Presto Pasta Night Roundup #170

I must admit that I'm a little surprised this week. Here in North America we're celebrating July Fourth and Canada Day, and for me it really does mean summer is here with barbecues and picnics and yet...not one pasta salad dish this week! That said the dishes below are all wonderful. Some are light, some are for those damp, rainy days, but all of them are delicious. Thanks everyone for a great feast.

First in, is Giz of Equal Opportunity Kitchen who loves Rose Reisman - me too! and made this healthy version of Beefaroni that even kids will love.
I also noticed that she made another Rose Reisman dish - Layered Tortilla, Chickpea, Tomato & Cheese Lasagna and naturally had to share.
Abby of Eat The Right Stuff brings all the green of Spring & Summer to the table with this Lemon Basil Pasta & Summer Veggies from The Modern Vegetarian: which , even the carnivore in me will appreciate. The book is now officially on my wish list ;-D.
Vicki of A Work in Progress made Fried Rice Vermicelli with Pickled Mustard Greens. I love how she switched things up a bit...a terrific lesson for all those new cooks out there who are afraid to take a leap of culinary faith.
Tigerfish of Teczcape is back with a beautiful dish of Bell Peppers, Bok Choy & (the cutest) Mushrooms Pasta. I do love it when cultures intermarry.

Bergamot of Cooking Escapes brings a fresh take to traditional basil pesto with this Tagliatelle with Basil Pesto, Olives & Jalapeno Peppers.

Kirsten of From Kirsten's Kitchen to Yours, and a recent PPN host, shared this over the top, Bacon, Kale & BLue Cheese Pasta al Forno.
Ching of This Little Corner of Mine is back with a very interesting presentation for her Minced Meat & Noodles. And even if you go the traditional route of placing your sauce over the noodles, I know it will taste wonderful.
Little Inbox of Eating Pleasure was under the weather when she whipped up this Alfredo Portobello & Spaghetti. It's obvious she wasn't herself because even with 4 cloves of garlic, she found it bland! Hope you're all better by now.
Katerina of Culinary Flavors brings a whole new meaning to Quick & Easy Lasagna - I'll let you all be surprised at the ingredients.
Cool Lassie of Pan Gravy Kadai Curry presents us with a Greek dish that we might not be able to pronounce, but will definitely want to eat! SoudZoukakia - see what I mean?
Joanne of Eats Well With Others always shares great pasta, stunning photos and a chuckle or two. This time her Roasted Green Bean & Fennel Pasta looks great in every photo...it was hard to choose which one to share. As for the story...well which camp to you fall into..."shake it off dancing" or screaming with everything you've got?
Kristin of Holy Cannoli Recipes shares this stunning Ravioli with Roasted Red Pepper Cream Sauce that has me licking the screen and craving a forkful.
Kait of Pots & Plots put two of my favorite ingredients in her Chorizo & Manchego Mac 'n Cheese. What a winning combo!
I seem to go from no pasta weeks to ones like this one with two to share with you. I used multigrain farfalle for this stunning Lemon, Garlic, Parsley & Parmesan Pasta. I served it as a side with some tasty Spiced Rubbed Skirt Steak, but it would have been awesome on its own or with some asparagus tossed in.
And I couldn't resist the name of this...Risi e Bisi Couscous, that tasted as joyful as it sounds - served here with some Pecan Breaded Haddock.
Whether your pasta is a side dish or a main, baked in the oven, cooked on the stove, hot or cold, please share with the rest of us. Next week Helen of Fuss Free Flavours is hosting, so send all your great dishes her way. Just write a post, mention Presto Pasta Night and Fuss Free Flavours with links, and email the link to helen (at) fussfreeflavours (dot) com and cc me: ruth (at) 4everykitchen (dot) com.

I know it's just the beginning of July, but just to let you know that I still have a couple of spaces open for hosting in August - the 13th & 27th, plus the Fall is wide open. If you're interested...and it is a fun way to make new food blogger friends, just drop me a line. For now...just grab a fork and dig in! Happy July 4th & Canada Day weekend to my North American Friends.

Summer's Here - Happy Canada Day & Fourth of July

(image from somewhere on the web)

In truth, Canada Day is half over, but we're taking a break from people watching at the Halifax Harbour...lots of flags gracing hair dos and face paintings, even more red shirts - it's almost a uniform, lunch on a sunny terrace ... less than memorable service, but...moving along...a brilliantly sunny day to wander about and enjoy lots of festivities. Later, perhaps we'll take in more fun and fireworks.

I'm sure most...or at least some of you North Americans will be dressed in Red & White (Canadians) and Red, White & Blue (Americans) over the weekend and doing much feasting, much of it at barbecues and picnics that will showcase red, white & blue foods. Burgers are on our menu later...at least the sauce and slices of tomatoes will be red, but I couldn't wait to share this particular recipe for BBQ sauce....you will thank me... and Anthony Sedlak, chef and host of The Main on the Food Network, author of The Main {Recipes} I will be writing more about the book, very soon.

When I was licking the spoon, I had visions of Anthony Sedak's Spicy Bourbon BBQ Sauce becoming a tradition at your house, just as it will at mine. In fact, I can already see it as the perfect slather for BBQ ribs and chicken.

Although this Smoked Mackerel & Scallion Tart, might not have the colours right, it will be remembered long after any brunch or buffet supper you serve it at. I actually had a back up plan in mind when I made this because my Honey is not that fond of fish (other than battered haddock, salmon fillets and tilapia), but I was wrong and he even had seconds! It. Is. That. Good.

And I have to show off my homemade Pate Brisee crust that enveloped it. Light, flaky and easy to work with. What more could I ask for.
As well as the homemade Creme Fraiche.
The finished tart might not be red, white & blue, but it is spectacular! It's a perfect marriage of smoked fish, fresh herbs, rich creme fraiche and light flaky crust.

No matter what you'll be serving wherever you might be - have a happy weekend. And don't forget that I'm hosting Presto Pasta Night tomorrow. Please send me your entries by midnight tonight - ruth (at) 4everykitchen (dot) com.

POST SCRIPT: Anthony's "World Famous" Burgers were pretty darn tasty, especially with his wonderful Spicy Bourbon BBQ Sauce and a double layering of sweet Vidalia onion slices.