"From the holy land - the home of olive tree, where ancient traditions and age old farming methods guarantee ideal, high quality olives known for their superior taste & aroma, to make Al‘Ard (The Land) one of the best produced olive oil in the world."I really couldn't get a photo that does the bottle or the oil justice, but from the photo above you can see how golden and yet tinged with a hint of green the oil is. And the taste..... frankly, I can't find the words to describe how delicious it is... earthy and rich are two adjectives that come to mind. Bottom line... the aroma, texture and taste are truly sensual.
What do you do when your evening plans change at the last minute? My Honey just got back from Israel last night. It's six hours ahead of us, so I wasn't quite sure how awake he'd be by supper. Plan A was to spend supper and bath time with little ones... and their parents. After all, Poppa's been away for a week and it's always fun to get together.
And since I spent another great afternoon at doing Kidz Magic Cupboard with some fantastic 7-10 year olds and some amazing volunteers, I knew I'd be too tired to cook. I promise to tell you all about the program one day soon. But back to tonight's dinner plans. Since supper time in Nova Scotia is around midnight in Israel, guess who was asleep when I got home? Good thing I had Plan B in mind yesterday. 
Another Roasted Spatchcock Chicken (done in the morning before it got hot). It only needs to roast at 500 degrees F/260 degrees C for 35 minutes or so. This time I made a paste of olive oil, garlic and Tlalelolco Rub from Epices de Cru to rub under and over the skin. It was the centerpiece of an awesome salad of romaine hearts, sweet red peppers, avocado, oil cured black olives, red onions and grated Manchego cheese with a white wine vinegar and avocado oil vinaigrette. 
It's been a wonderful, insanely busy couple of weeks with little time for writing here. I've been developing a fantastic kids cooking program called Kidz Magic Cupboard for Feed Nova Scotia and I promise to write all about it soon. That said, I'm rushing out in a few minutes - it's week one of the pilot project and so far it's terrific.
Actually, my perfect Sunday started on Saturday... I was too lazy to get out of bed at the crack of dawn to go to the market (naturally I'm regretting that now... with a mostly empty vegetable bin and other market staples... oh well, there's always next week and perhaps I can find what I need at Local Source Market that carries lots of fresh local produce). But I digress.... we got to do our other Saturday ritual... breakfast at The Canadiana Restaurant - diner, family style cooking with a big aquarium and a DVD store attached to entertain the boys while we grown ups chat.
Later, my Honey and I took advantage of decent weather and wandered around downtown Halifax, checking out new shops and found The World Tea House where, since I couldn't decide between the two ... picked up some Spring Jasmine tea as well as Blueberry Jasmine Green tea. Brewing a pot of loose tea is my favorite pastime, especially on a dreary afternoon. I don't remember where I read the quote, but I loved it..."Tea is to procrastination as coffee is to work"
One of the boys' highlights was playing at the Lunenburg playground before we headed home.
Needless to say, Poppa & Grandma were pooped out by the time we got home. Good thing I prepared most of dinner the night before. All I needed to do was have my Honey fire up the BBQ for the kebabs, take the coleslaw out of the fridge, and whip up the chickpea salad, which took less time than grilling the lamb. 
It's Thursday and I'm still in awe of how crisp and tasty my Saturday farmers market purchases are. No soggy, wilted, slimey produce here! The spicy salad greens from Hutten Family farm make the base for this salad. The homemade croutons are from the Asiago Baguette we didn't actually get to eat on Saturday and is from Julien's Cafe & Bakery. The mint was from Riverview Herbs and the arugula and green garlic from Taproot Farms. The crumbled Dragons Breath Blue Cheese is hard to spot in the photo, but definitely added to the taste. The shrimp (with the "certified best aquaculture practices" logo) is from Sobeys, but there's always a stash in my freezer.
Remember that childhood game of Broken Telephone that ended in hilarious messages so distorted and removed from the original? Well, this dish turns Broken Telephone to a much lovelier (not to mention more delicious) game.
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. 
What's your favorite Winter Escape dish?
Last weekend, I shared my great score from the Halifax Farmers Market, so I thought I'd share some of my tasty, easy to do meals. And the emphasis is on "EASY". When you use fresh ingredients - and I'm talking, within a day from purchase, it's amazing how intense the flavor is. It's also amazing fresh they are even later in the week. Normally, after a couple of days in the fridge, the greens are wilting and, I'm ready to start craving...well...just about anything else!
But fresh mixed greens and herbs from my friends at the market, mean that every bite is fantastic and unique and needs so little to make each mouthful pop. The salad above, served with grilled lamb steak (this recipe has been a standard here since before I first posted it in 2005) from Wood 'n Hart, was just drizzled with a little good olive oil, a spritz of lemon juice, some freshly ground pepper and grated Parmesan cheese.
These seared scallops, served over the wonderful sauteed flowering mustard greens from Ted Hutton Family Farm, (just a little oil and some chopped green garlic) was all drizzled with Citrus-Balsamic Glaze, which may not be totally South Beach Diet friendly, but a little bit goes a long way and it's packed with flavor. So good, in fact, I used it as a baste for roasted salmon served with roasted cherry tomatoes and asparagus.
Oh...the skirt steak...gobbled up within hours of my last visit. I'm already counting down to this Saturday to see what I can find.
The truth is, Friday was a little crazy, as a day with Boaz often is. We were so busy playing that there wasn't a lot of time to prepare dinner. We would be nine around the table, so I needed to think of something that wouldn't be too demanding. For all those busy mothers out there...and grandmothers too...or fathers for that matter....here are two simple pointers that make cooking dinner less stressful.
And the vegetable was Baby Bok Choy & Shitake Mushroom Stir Fry.
This is what the left overs looked like... a perfect pasta to share with Presto Pasta Nights.
. I've written about it here, and interviews with Chef Craig here and here. 
I've already shared breakfast after shopping at the farmers market this week. Now it's time for some lunch and dinner.
Dinner was even Passover friendly. I made Breaded Bluefish Fillets with plump and fresh bluefish from Mike's Fish Shop. Although I think I'll love them more with Panko crumbs once Passover is done. I roasted fingerling potatoes from Ted Hutton's Farmstand . I love their very earthy flavor especially when roasted with fresh rosemary. Stir Fried Pak Choi from Free Spirit quickly sauteed with some ginger, garlic and Asian garlic chili sauce to kick it up a bit had my Honey looking for seconds. Too bad I only bought one bunch. He said it was so good he would have been happy just eating that....major kudos for a die hard carnivore.
Yesterday was actually my very first outing since coming down with a cold last Saturday. I really know it's practically over because I wanted something other than soup or scrambled eggs and toast. That said after a couple of hours with my daughter and two very energetic toddlers, followed by a couple of errands (more about that on the weekend), I was pooped.
I promise to make it sooner than later.
We've set a new record....hottest it's been in 39 years. Frankly, I'm not impressed. This is one record I could do without.
My most favorite of all...Blueberry Minty Custard Tart 
Quick Berry Sauce (great over anything...especially wonderful over ice cream)
Blueberry Pecan Bran Muffins (a perfect mid-morning snack)
And who says blueberries are just for dessert...check out this Blueberry Salsa...one of my favorite ways to serve grilled fish and steak.
or this awesome salad...Scallops on Mixed Greens & Blueberries
There are more, but this is a good start. Happy Blueberry Season, everyone.
