Frittata - A Perfect Breakfast

If you ask me what to make for dinner when I a) have unexpected guests; b) am exhausted and don't even have the energy to check out a cookbook or the web; c) am plain brain dead... I'd say pasta, but if you ask me for the perfect breakfast/brunch I'd have to say...

A Delay in Posting - Blame it on Knee Surgery

Sorry for the double post, and I'll blame it ... and my tardiness in sharing the latest Presto Pasta Night news on having some knee surgery done last week.  My grandson said it best..."I'm still  foggy" and having some difficulty sitting at my computer for long.   So I apologize to the wonderful Alicia of Cook. Craft. Enjoy for hosting last week and for those of you who shared delicious pasta dishes with us, for not writing about it sooner.   You can check them out here.... Presto Pasta Night #264

And, hopefully you will all be sharing another tasty pasta with Rachel, The Crispy Cook, who is hosting yet again, this coming Friday...only two sleeps from now!.  Send your entries to oldsaratogabooks (at) gmail (dot) com and cc ruth (at) 4everykitchen (dot) com by Thursday, May 24 and check back for the roundup on Friday, May 25.  Once again, my apologies for the delay in sharing. 

 And I promise to share what a challenged cook and her assistant (AKA My Honey) eat during my hobbling about - a lovely scramble (similar to this one) with goat cheese (from my favorite Ran-Cher Acres) , roasted asparagus (peeking in the background), roasted red peppers (admittedly from a jar) and some fresh arugula and herbs from my daughter's garden.

Supper was simple... Shrimp, More Roasted Asparagus and Arugula over basil pesto from my freezer (similar to this one). .  


And now it's time for a nap.   More good food to come.... Please don't forget to share a pasta with Rachel.  Send your entries to oldsaratogabooks (at) gmail (dot) com and cc ruth (at) 4everykitchen (dot) com 

Scramble Solution for those Scrambling-around Days before the Holidays

It is the final countdown for Christmas and Hanukkah and still in the middle of, what is officially known as the Holiday Season.   And that means lots of scrambling around.... scrambling for last minute gifts,  scrambling to whip up those holiday dishes, scrambling to get the house in holiday order... in general... scramble is the best way to describe our rushing about.

And since my day is looking pretty harried, I made the perfect breakfast,  AFTER the trip to physiotherapy, AFTER shopping for groceries, AFTER putting everything away, BEFORE heading out to the stores, BEFORE... well, everything else.

My perfect late breakfast/early lunch - a giant scramble.  You'll find a few variations HERE, but this one really looked like the holidays... a handful of fresh parsley, and some roasted red peppers rounded out the usual... chopped onion, mushroom and chorizo sausage with some fresh thyme.  

No time to chat, but I do want to wish everyone a joyous Holiday Season!   Now.... take a deep breath, exhale slowly and ....  enjoy the days ahead.

Fall Market Score

Yesterday started early and didn't stop until dinner so none of my usual Market Score photos.  I went to two farmers markets, starting off with the Historic Brewery Market or as we all call it ... the Old Market and bought humungous garlic and giant spears of rosemary... not as easy to come by as you think.   Stopped by my favorite "lamb guy" in Halifax - Bill of Wood 'n Hart Farms and got not only some delicious lamb sausages that will be part of a pasta dish this week, and some lamb stewing meat for.... not sure, but it will be delicious, whatever I decide.

 I also got some wonderful eggs that made the delicious scramble (along with some of the chopped rosemary leaves) which is what we enjoyed for breakfast this morning - Potato Pancetta & Rosemary Scramble.

Onward to the Seaport Farmers Market (how lucky am I to have two superb farmers markets) where I knew I'd be heading over to The Fish Shop at Pier 20 (open all week) for some scallops to skewer on those glorious rosemary sprigs... at $1 each for the rosemary you know I'd have to put something wonderful on them.  Grilled Scallop Rosemary Skewers... nothing could be simpler or easier to fix... a quick 15 minutes (just long enough to heat up the BBQ) to marinate in some lemon juice, chopped rosemary, garlic...and you're ready to rock and roll.

More delicious things from various farmers - beets and new potatoes (with more garlic and rosemary) rounded out dinner - Rosemary Potato & Beet Rosti.   Another simple dish, thanks to a food processor and everything ready at the same time with minimal cleanup - double bonus!

Lots more purchases, including some awesome looking beef short ribs, that Graeme of Getaway Farm (also open all week) cut to the thickness I wanted (this time about 1 1/2 inches thick to make some sort of fantastic beef stew... Fall is coming even if the temperature seems like summer today.

The rest of the day was spent enjoying a diner style breakfast with kids and grandkids, more fun all afternoon with little boys. Rain outside didn't stop us from enjoying each other.

But the real purpose of writing this diary style entry is to spark you to enjoy local food, family and friends.  What's your favorite way to spend the weekend?  I hope it includes lots of the above.

Weekend Frittata

There's something magical about a weekend frittata. I love lazy weekend mornings...staying in PJs until... well, until whenever! And I love the whole surprise factor of frittatas. In fact, I can't remember the last time I actually made one from a recipe, although I have been inspired by many. It's all about opening the fridge and seeing what "jumps out" and says "PICK ME!!!". And the truth is, they all look more or less the same when they come out of the oven... eggs and something smothered in cheese.
So the second surprise is when you cut into one... or make that BITE into one and see how well the surprise ingredients come together.
The basic recipe...

• Preheat the oven to 400F/200C and use a small skillet (serves one or two people... bigger pan for more people);
  


• Heat a little olive oil in the pan over medium high heat;
  


• in a bowl whisk eggs (2 per person plus one for the pan) and set aside;



• Chop interesting ingredients - today 1/2 red onion, sliced mushrooms, 1/2 Cajun smoked sausage, handful of spinach leaves, left over roasted & marinated sweet red pepper, fresh rosemary & oregano leaves (from my window sill garden), some freshly ground pepper;



• Sautee the veg etc., until soft and starting to brown, cover with egg mixture, stirring to incorporate all the filling and let set over medium heat (about 4 minutes in a small pan - a bit longer in a larger one) until only the center looks moist and not quite set;



• Add a handful of grated or crumbled cheese - sometimes I use goat cheese, other times Dragon's Breath Blue, Feta or Swiss... today was the last of the Kraft grated Quatro Fromaggio. Sprinkle a little paprika - today it was smoked;



• Bake for 15 minutes or until golden and set.

And then let that first bite sit on your tongue for a minute and enjoy the marriage of flavors.

Now that you know my weekend breakfast treat... what's your favorite weekend breakfast?

Sunday Morning Frittatas

I always know when I'm almost back to normal... still slept too late to get to the Farmers' Market yesterday (I really hate feeling like a salmon heading upstream for its last journey, not to mention many of my favorite things have already gone... early bird catches the ... well in this case... delicious smoked turkey and who knows what else). But enough whining... I know when I'm on the mend, because I want to cook. And there's nothing like a frittata... especially when there are still plenty of delicious ingredients hiding in my fridge to whip one up for an effortless, tasty brunch for me and my Honey. Today... last of the smoked turkey from last week's market visit, sun dried tomatoes in oil, cured black olives, a baby leek, PC artichoke Asiago tapenade, a few artichoke hearts, sautted until the leeks are soft and the rest of the ingredients are warm, evenly add six wahisked eggs, and some Borgonzola cheese sprinkled on top along with a pinch of smoked paprika. Once the frittata is somewhat set, pop it into the oven at 375 F and let it do its thing for about 15-20 minutes. And how do I really know when I'm on the mend? When I take the time to whip up some Blueberry Cornmeal Muffins, which I did while the frittata was baking. But more about them tomorrow.

Two On One Pizza & Amazing Leftover Scramble

It's been many months since I made my own pizza dough. Ridiculous, really since I found an awesome recipe that is so easy, even a clutz like me can make one - a little "free form" I admit, but I call it "Artisan" Pizza and none of the toppings end up on the bottom of my oven. My recipe for California-style Pizza Dough , from James McNair's New Pizza (my review) is simple, ends up being crispy - just the way I like it and freezes well. My suggestion to you is to make a double batch, cut into 4 pieces and freeze each separately for that last minute craving. Well... it will need time to defrost, but if you take it out around lunch time, it's ready for dinner.

Wandering through my many new iPad apps and foodily.com, potatoes on pizza kept being offered up. And while they all sparked my attention, I just did my own thing. I wasn't sure if my Honey - carnivore and meat eater pizza lover that he is - would like it so I did a half and half thing.

Two On One Pizza

top of post

In fact, he loved them both. That said, I still had potato slices and onion slices, not to mention some mushrooms and chopped rosemary in the fridge this morning. Plus some pancetta I've been craving and some farm fresh eggs. Naturally I was compelled to whip up this tasty scramble...

What's your favorite pizza topping? And what do you do with the left over, unused ingredients?

A Two For One Delight - Hot Spinach Dip + Eggs = Great Brunch

Friends were over last night for dinner and before we actually sat down for the meal, we nibbled on a new dip - born of not reading the recipe through before I wrote "spinach" on my grocery list. The recipe called for 2 pounds (make that 1 kilogram for my metric friends) and my Honey bought... as I requested 1 bag of spinach and "oh, please get some Swiss chard for another recipe I plan on making". Well, the bag of spinach weighed 4oz and even with the Swiss chard added to the mix, the greens came to less than a pound. Still... the weather was blustery, and I didn't have the heart to send him out again... or to go myself, for that matter. So... a creamier but still very delicious dip was created. In no small part to the kick that the Cholula Chipotle Hot Sauce gave it.

Hot Spinach & Swiss Chard Cheese Dip

As you can see from the photo, we dug in before I had a chance to take one of the bubbling, straight-from-the-oven dish.

There was still a bit left this morning and, along with some very excellent smoked turkey from Sweet Williams Country Sausage at the farmers market, it made an awesome breakfast this morning.

Cheesy Spinach & Smoked Turkey Frittata

I can't think of anything better than eggs to change up yesterday's delight into an entirely different dish. Pasta is the second best option for me. What's your choice?

Segue .... don't forget to share your pasta dish - leftover inspired or not for this week's Presto Pasta Night. Claire of Chez Cayenne is hosting. Send your entries to cdmcculloch7 (at)gmail (dot)com and cc me - ruth (at) 4everykitchen (dot) com

Summer in January

Most of the time, I need hearty comfort food in the dead of winter to combat the cold, like yesterday's dinner of Mushroom, Beef & Barley Soup served with my favorite Frozen Butter Biscuits and a simple chunky salad.

But sometimes I need to take a mental vacation to sunny, hot climates... like Mexico or Spain... or even Florida (less exotic, but equally delicious and warm this time of year).
I made this Fennel Citrus Salad for a pot luck New Year's Eve Party we went to and it was delicious. In fact, I almost felt like I needed sun glasses and sunscreen just looking at it.

This morning we went further south and had a tortilla wrap filled with a scramble of chopped chorizo, red peppers, fresh cilantro and Dragon's Breath Cheese with a sprinkling of smoked paprika. And the sun came out!
What's your favorite Winter Escape dish?

Comfort Foods

On Sunday, I spoke at the Word On the Street Literacy Festival here in Halifax. It was great fun, talking about "How Every Kitchen Tells Its Stories",
and I even had a helper... Boaz and his family were there to cheer me on and...as they often do, anyway...listen to me tell my stories. But this post is not about them, or even my stories...it's about one of the questions that came up after the readings. "What's my favorite comfort food?"

It was a hard question to answer...not because I can't think of foods I eat when I'm feeling sickly or sad or frustrated or crazed, but because I have so many comfort foods to choose from.

I blurted out Shepherd's Pie...and actually made some the night before. And, because it was damp and cold...I said any thick and hearty soup. And in point of fact...weather being what it is here...still foggy, damp and rainy...I'll be making a new recipe for Pumpkin & Mushroom Soup - check back tomorrow for it.

But the question got me thinking. First...other than when I'm really sick and need a "food hug from MY Mummy", why do I never think of comfort food in the summer? And frankly, from September to April, at least, just about every meal I make could be called comfort food. Is it just me, or are you the same?
The next question is what exactly constitutes the term "comfort food"?. One of my favorites, on those days when I feel blah..like the weather, or just in a mood, is scrambled eggs and baked beans. This dish was served often when I was a kid. And it did not start with homemade beans either.
Don't get me wrong, I make an awesome Chorizo & Bean Chili - which, by the way, is another favorite comfort food saved for AFTER a cold & dreary day of running around doing errands.

But I digress...I love eggs and make scrambles or frittatas just about every weekend. But that's not the same as scrambled eggs and baked beans. The comfort food version is just beaten eggs gently fried in lots of butter. No fancy goat cheese, I don't even add salt or pepper during cooking. I need that bright, buttery yellow on my plate. And I need baked beans from a can with a dash or two of Worcestershire sauce, some garlic powder and a teaspoon or two of brown sugar.

Back to the question "what's your favorite comfort food? " What's yours and when do you need it?

Easy Long Weekends in Nova Scotia

Long weekends are always nice, but particularly wonderful when the sun is shining and the temperatures are warm...and even better if great road trips are only minutes away. The difference between living in Toronto and heading out to for a country-side adventure is all about the time it takes to get there...and the ocean, of course (That's Queensland Beach above).

This weekend was the Annual Indian Point/Mahone Bay Mussel Festival and under an hour from Halifax on the loveliest ocean route, passing quaint fishing villages, artistic centers and lots of beaches (at least 10) along the way. The Lighthouse Route is my favorite day trip, as you can see here. You are in the country, on windy country roads within 15 minutes of downtown Halifax and the views are spectacular - Atlantic Ocean view on the left and lakes and mountains on the right. But I digress and you check out my earlier raves by just doing a search here.

Saturday was an attempt to spend the day at Queensland Beach, but the winds blew us toward a more sheltered picnicking spot down the road.
And yesterday it was a jaunt to Mahone Bay to participate in the Mussel Festival and for a lunch of delicious mussels. Frankly it was hard to choose - every restaurant was selling them and every restaurant had at least three options. We ended up at the Gazebo Cafe (a charming spot with lots of patio space and lots of wonderful dishes) and ate some Spanish styled with Chorizo and, my favorite, these Provencal with shrimp in a Pernod cream sauce.
Today is still a lovely day, and to give us some quick energy...or rather, energy quickly...I made this tasty

Asparagus & Cheese with Spicy Walnut Pesto Omelet

with local asparagus - here at last!

I'm not sure where our adventures will take us today, but I am sure it will be wonderful.

Sunday Scramble

Scramble - when I say the word, two thoughts come to mind...rushing about, beating deadlines. Dictionary.com defines it as "collecting things in a hurried or disorderly manner....however you define it, it makes my shoulders hit my ears and my heart race. Needless to say, I prefer the other thought...whipping up some eggs with ...well...with whatever you smile and slows down your heart, drops your shoulders from your ears and makes you smile.

I do love Sunday mornings...I've written about them a million times, I'm sure. Typically they start out with my Honey brewing some coffee - today it was from The Smiling Goat Organic Espresso Bar - one of my favorite coffee bars in a city with quite a few good ones. You can even read their blog that highlights some of the latest and greates coffee finds. The coffee, a direct trade from Finca Matalapa, Puerta Zapa called Los Inmortales, El Salvador. The label says " bright & supple with a round mouthfeel, lush with orange and melon. Notes of maple syrup and cherry transform to an apricot finish"...seriously, it even sounds awesome...but I digress.

After snuggling in bed with coffee and the news of the day (on-line, of course), tummies start to grumble and it's time to make some sort of breakfast. Often...very often, I just whip up some sort of frittata or scramble (you can find many an option here). They always start out the same way...me standing at the fridge and making a last minute choice based on... sometimes a particular ingredient to add...sometimes it's a particular ethnic flavor.

Today (top of page photo)...the cured black olives, roasted red peppers, fingerling potatoes and some fresh arugula called to me. That and the thought of the pancetta that started the whole thing on my way from the bedroom. Add the last of the smoked applewood cheese, left over from yesterday afternoon's baguette (from Boulangerie La Vendeenne purchased at the Farmers Market).

What's your favorite scramble combination...and I am talking about the egg variety?

Leftover Pasta + Eggs = A Perfect Frittata

There is no question that pasta plus any other ingredient - often just a little oil & garlic - makes a great meal. From the quick and easy to the more elaborate, time consuming, multiple pot varieties, pasta wins the day for versatility.

Even better, is the fact that pasta leftovers turn magically into something new and entirely different. So, typically I make enough to feed a small army (my father said I learned the skill from my mother, who obviously in another life, fed the great armies of the world). That way, I'm sure of another wonderful dinner by just adding a touch more sauce, perhaps some chopped vegetables, a little cheese or garlicky breadcrumb mixture on top and a bake in the oven.

Cavatelli Frittata

I'll be honest though, my favorite remake is the frittata and yesterday that meant sauteeing some chopped pancetta until almost crispy, tossing in Thursday's Cavatelli with Cauliflower until heated through, adding the eggs....and just a short wait until we ate a heavenly, leisurely weekend brunch.

What's your favorite pasta remodel? And don't forget to share your pasta - new or recycled versions with Presto Pasta Night. This week Kirsten, From Kirsten's Kitchen to Yours, is hosting for the first time – so glad to have you host the first PPN for year #4.

Just send an email to kirstenmlindquist AT gmail DOT com and a cc to me ruth (at) 4everykitchen (dot) com.

Sometimes It's the Little Things...

Sometimes in life, it's the little things that really make the difference. For weeks now, I've been looking for the little non stick skillet that I can make my favorite frittatas for two in. I love frittatas, that perfect, fluffy egg dish, started on top of the stove and ending in a hot oven. My problem is that my pans are too big for just the two of us and our frittatas come out looking like pancakes. Not that they taste bad, just that...well if I wanted an omelet, I'd make it on top of the stove, flip it and voila! See how skinny...and this is a "fat" one.
So lately, I've been making "scrambles" - just sauteing whatever I fancy like this Diner Scramble that I make often. In fact I just made it last weekend.

And so lies the seeds of the story...

I need a nonstick 8" pan that can withstand 400F/200C. Not easy to find. Most of them seem to require 350F max! I did find an All Clad one that even on sale was $59 at Cucina Moderna and so over my budget. Since I was in a mall, with Stokes - mid range kitchenware store, always with bargains/sales of one product or other. In fact, this week it was 20% off (of course I didn't read the fine print that said "over $50, but hey) even so The Remy Olivier 8" ceramic coated pan that can stand a 400F oven was only $25! Naturally, I snapped it up.
Sunday came and it was time to use it...I realized as soon as I picked it up that perhaps it wasn't heavy enough. I usually go for heavy bottomed pans -even heat and no burning, so I was leery. But it was fantastic. No burnt bottom, no sticking to the pan, and wonderful. In fact, my Honey kept telling me how fantastic it was. When I told him, we had exactly the same thing as a scramble the week before and a flatter frittata version not long before that...he was surprised.
See what a difference a little thing makes? What's your favorite "little thing makes a difference" item?

New Twist on an Old Favorite

Growing up in Montreal I had an all time favorite breakfast bagels, lox and cream cheese with a slice of onion. It's still my favorite. And truly, it's not my favorite breakfast without the Montreal bagel. And another truth I'll ashamedly share...it wasn't until quite recently I figured out that "lox" was just short for gravelox. I just thought it was the only kind of smoked salmon there was....silly, silly me.

Last weekend I was at the Halifax Saturday Farmers Market and naturally stopped at Mikes Fish Shop - one of the very few places to get great fresh fish and seafood in Halifax, but I digress. They sell St Mary River's Smokehouses smoked fishes. They all looked awesome - at least six varieties of salmon, mackerel, and others and I couldn't decide. The two people in front of me both asked for the maple smoked salmon, so naturally I had to have some.

And that's when it really dawned on me that not all smoked salmon was dry smoked like gravelox. This maple smoked (and not just maple wood), texture wise was more like a roasted or grilled salmon fillet - cooked and actually coated with maple syrup in the roasting/smoking process. And the flavor - awesome! No wonder it's the most popular smoked fish they sell.

Still this was not turning out to be my typical bagel, lox & cream cheese breakfast. I mean, I now CAN actually make Montreal Bagels, thanks to Marcy Goldman, and even though they really don't take that long to make...well it's a crazy busy time of year and my list of things to get done - none of which separately take a lot of time...all of them together take up more than the 24 hours allotted us in a day.
So I did something totally typical - made a quick scramble and yet totally new - took the idea of lox and cream cheese and turned my scramble into a totally different yet totally awesome taste sensation. Just add about 1/4 cup of my favorite Ran-Cher Goat Cheese with chives to 5 beaten eggs, add about a half cup of flaked maple smoked salmon and scramble it over medium heat (a little butter to the pan first wouldn't hurt either).

True, it tastes nothing like my bagel, lox and cream cheese breakfasts of old, but it was still heaven on a plate.

I do hope you get to take some simple, quiet moments out of this busy, frantic season to enjoy something easy to prepare and delicious to savor.

Saturday Special - Diner Scramble

Every once in a while, my Honey and I love to do a diner breakfast. Get in the car, drive to some little diner and order breakfast. It doesn't really matter where we go...the one around the corner - Johnny's, run by a Greek family (we're sort of regulars) I even wrote about them at Foodtv.ca/blog. We even tried a new (well new to us) diner - The Armview Restaurant which still has that 1950's feel to it.

But no matter where we go, our orders remain constant - 2 eggs (scrambled for my Honey and lightly poached for me), bacon, hash browns and toast. After all, we we changed anything, how would we know which was the best diner?

What's a girl to do when we don't actually get to a diner? Well, this weekend I made a fantastic scramble by just frying up some diced potatoes and pancetta - Italian bacon and my new favorite ingredient. I even named it Diner Scramble and I think I'll be making it often and serving it with some homemade rye toast.

Now you know our favorite guilty pleasure....what do you order for your diner delight...and is it breakfast or lunch?

Real Food Doesn't Get Better Than This

It's the last long weekend of the summer and the weather here is fantastic...sunny skies, cool temperature...my kind of day. And since I'd rather be outdoors, I thought I'd share a couple of highlights of this weekend, before heading out, and it's only half done!

Last night our in-laws invited us to a lobster dinner, Nova Scotia-style. The in-laws, in-laws are in from the Barbados, getting their kids set up for university, so that meant twenty plus for dinner. And because lobster is a messy thing to eat...we had ours on the lovely patio. Notice the "table cloth" ....newspapers so we can just throw the empty shells on the table and at the end of the meal, you just wrap it all up and ...voila, the easiest clean up ever.

Community lobster dinners are common here in the Maritimes. One particularly Nova Scotian way to eat lobster is to serve it cold with plenty of potato salad, and coleslaw. In fact ours were purchased live and then cooked for us right at the dockside. Then again, imagine the size of the pot you'd need for twenty lobsters. I'll be writing all about it (with a video!) soon for Foodtv ...here's the one I shared last year at the Pictou County Lobster Carnival. So you'll have to wait for the full story.

This morning, before heading out to a beach somewhere close, we had a luscious frittata....the best thing to make on a leisurely Sunday morning. This one had some of the roasted new potatoes I whipped up during the week...before the three day migraine. I also used my newest market find last weekend...lamb pepperoni. My intention was to make a pizza with homemade pizza dough from a new cookbook and mushrooms also from the market.

SIGH...none of that happened, but the frittata was perfect. There are lots of frittata options here...no time now for writing recipes....bottom line...put your favorite things together, start it on top of the stove and end in the oven.

Yesterday I missed mentioning the Eastern Canadian Eat Local Challenge. That of course, didn't stop me from eating local....I do it as much as possible. So...lobster from lobster men who docked in the Bedford Basin (end of the Halifax Harbour), potatoes, mushrooms, lamb pepperoni, and eggs all from the Annapolis Valley.

How "local" has your weekend been? Signing off for now...go and enjoy your last long weekend for a while.

Summer Must Be Here - Awesome Market Score

True...it's been a cool, damp, dreary, foggy, rainy ....(you get the message) summer, so far out here in Nova Scotia. But you'd never know it at the market. I guess all the fruit and veggies love the weather.

I had every intention of driving out to Wolfville for their farmers market, which is lovely any day, but I'm sure is over the top wonderful today. In celebration of Mud Creek Day and Wolfville's 114th birthday, 20 valley chefs will be cooking up a storm using valley fresh ingredients. What can I say...it's rainy and dreary, so we're staying in town.

Naturally I had to head over to the Halifax Farmers Market and I thought I'd take you on a partial tour.

Normally, I like to do a quick "go-round" to all the vendors to see who has what and then go back and do my real shopping. But I've learned over time, that sometimes, what I'm craving is gone by the time I'm done browsing.
So.... I quickly bought some gorgeous blueberries - wild and tame from Foster Farm. Their first crop of strawberries were already gone, and the last box of the raspberries was swooped up even before I could take this blurry photo.
Cherries and raspberries are out at a few vendors including these beauties from Noggin Corner Farms. Having some that I picked up yesterday at the Partners in Care market, these just had their picture taken.
And what is a trip to the market without picking up some fresh and fabulous things from the sea at Mike's Fish Shop. This time around...thick, gorgeous salmon fillets, perfect for grilling and Digby scallops - nothing better.
Around the corner and down the hall...is one of the most popular stands...they won Coast Magazine's Readers' Award for best stall at the Halifax Farmers' Market. Ted Hutton and the gang bring the most beautiful produce every week. I bought the most aromatic fennel root with tons of wispy, feathery leaves that I'll be using on the salmon. Aren't those purple spring onions (they're sort of hidden behind the radishes) too cute for words?
These gorgeous kohlrabi and the radishes above are for the slaw recipe I saw in a recent magazine that, naturally I can't find so I will spend the dreary afternoon watching a movie and flipping obsessively through every one until I find it...but I digress.
These beauties are fresh shitake mushrooms, although they remind me more of porcini, but what do I know...
Well, I do know that they will be awesome with these local cremini mushrooms in a frittata I'm planning for brunch.
Note to self: save some mushrooms for these strip loin steak medallions from VanOostrum Farms naturally raised, grass & grain fed beef.

And I did pick up some wonderful spicy mixed greens and cilantro from the certified organic Waldegrave Farm. And check out this very awesome "Summer Free School" program.

And speaking of wonderful programs to support local producers and educate the rest of us about how awesome buying locally grown produce, meat, fish and chicken really is....

The Hellmann's sponsored Eat Real Eat Local Project is having a great charity event. On Wednesday, July 29th, they will be increasing the donation made to Evergreen to one dollar each time someone tags their tips with the term #realfood. This is part of a Summer-long initiative seeing twenty-five cents donated to Evergreen for every use of #realfood (up to a maximum of $25,000 before September 30th).
Obviously I was starving by the time I got home. The Savory Chicken & Mushroom Frittata was made with organic free range eggs I picked up at yesterday's market adventure and the local free range chicken I roasted on Thursday.

And I thought I'd leave you with a little bowl of thick yoghurt and fresh blueberries topped with a little drizzle of local honey.