I was sitting in front of my computer getting ready to blog a new recipe when I started thinking about Fathers and the one day we celebrate them.
There are good and bad all over, but let me share a few things with you….
My Dad was special in ways I never truly looked at until he passed away. I adored him but not in the same way I do now. Sounds strange? It’s not.
My Pop was born to Irish parents and took great pride in it. When St. Patrick’s Day was upon us, he always wore a little green. Once we even went to a local pub to drink green beer. My mom always tinted our food green back when we were small…and he would just beam.
He was a man of his word and his word was bond. One never needed a contract to seal the deal..his handshake said it all.
Pop was a Mason of long standing and also a member of the Eastern Star, and when he retired from the railroad, he did a shift in the store at the local hospital because someone was ill and couldn’t do it. From that day…he worked in the office in the records dept. for the next 17 years and had over 10,000 hours in volunteering.
I also never knew one person who didn’t love my Pop. I could go on and on but I digress….this week my husband’s two sons, Trevor and Maurice will be coming out here to go on a golf weekend with their Dad.
They go with a group of about 12 other men and have been doing this for about the last 3 years, I believe. They will never know just how much their Dad looks forward to this, until they share something like this with their kids on a regular basis. This is a real highlight for him and I am sure for the boys as well.
These are memories they will never forget and to me also….I miss my Pop more than ever but now I can sit on the sidelines and watch the same kind of bond with my husband and his sons.
God Bless Dads all over….I sure miss mine.
Fresh Cantaloupe Mousse
Looking for new ways to eat fresh summer fruits such as cantaloupe…..here is a nice refreshing dessert (or you could use it as a first course).
- 2 tbsp. of unflavoured gelatin
- 1/4 cup cold water
- 1/2 medium cantaloupe, seeded, pared and pureed
- 2 cups whipping cream
- 4 egg whites at room temperature
- 2 cups berry sugar
To soften the gelatin, sprinkle over the cold water. Stir this over a double boiler with bottom pan full of hot water to dissolve.
Cool and add to the cantaloupe (already pureed). Beat the cream until soft peaks form and add 1 cup of sugar and continue beating until stiff peaks form.
Beat egg whites until fluffy and add the remaining sugar gradually. Fold this into the cream mixture and put into 8 of your prettiest dessert dishes.
Chill for at least 1 hour before presenting to the table.
Add some diced cantaloupe on top . Yummy!
Mixed Berry Crisp
Summer brings on wonderful dishes and this is one of them.
Serves 8
- 1 cup flour
- 1 cup rolled oats
- 3/4 cup packed brown sugar
- 1/2 tsp each cinnamon and nutmeg
- 1/2 cup melted butter
Sauce
- 3/4 cup berry sugar
- 2 tbsp cornstarch
- 1 cup cold water
- 1 tsp grated orange rind
Filling
- 1 1/2 cups blackberries
- 1 cup sliced strawberries
- 1 cup peeled and sliced peaches
- 1 cup fresh blueberries
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
In a bowl combine first five ingredients and press one half of the mixture in a greased nine inch cake pan.
To make the sauce, combine the sugar and cornstarch, whisk in the cold water and orange peel until smooth. Bring to a boil then reduce the heat to low and cook for five minutes or until thick and clear, whisking constantly.
Toss the fruit together and arrange over the base. Pour sauce on top and sprinkle with the remaining flour mixture and bake for fifty-five-sixty minutes until fruit is tender and top is golden in colour. Serve warm with sweetened whipped cream.
This is a nice take on the apple crisp recipes everyone has.
Pulled Pork Pizza
A couple of days ago, Don made Pulled Pork Sandwiches and we had some meat and sauce left over.
Sometimes for lunch we will have little pizzas. We make them with tortillas as the base. (1 each). We had run out of pepperoni so we thought we should try using the pork.
Soooooooooooooooo we loaded up the tortilla with pulled pork and topped with shredded cheese. Baked it off and then…and then…we drizzled the top with some of the extra sauce.
This was the best pizza we have ever tasted, I kid you not…I have had that now for 3 days (waste not, want not or something…..).
If you want to try the best, use his recipe for pulled pork and sauce and have at it.
Pear and Ginger Jam
This will get you prepared for the summer delights coming from the orchards such as perfect pears. Yummmmm I can taste them now.
- 3 lbs. ripe pears, peeled, cored and chopped
- 3 cups sugar (I prefer the Berry sugar)
- 1/2 lb. candied ginger, finely chopped
- juice and grated peel from 1 1/2 limes
When chopping the ginger, make sure you spray pam on the knife or scissor blades. This way, they won’t stick. Just sayin’.
Put the pears, ginger, sugar and lime juice in a heavy bottom saucepan. Bring this slowly to a boil and boil for about 10 mimutes WITHOUT stirring.
Stir and let cool. Place in sterilized jars and tightly seal. Store in a cool, dark place (pantry?)
If you can keep your hands off, leave them cool completely and try a jar tomorrow. this makes 6 pints.
Okay, okay…I can hear the moans of delight from here. Yum yum…
Half Ironman Race, Oliver, B.C.
Today we spent at the race….half Ironman, that is. My friend, Laura, is in the race so we were down at the water by 6:45 a.m. to watch them hit the water. All 750 swimmers.
Wow…then I was going to help with the transition area where the swimmers leave the water and run to their bikes. We count the bikes left over to find out who didn’t continue with the race, Then I took the looooooong way home having to walk all the way, that is. Ouch!
We went back the race at about 1:00 p.m. to wait at the finish line with homemade cookies (2 kinds) for the racers when they finished.
They asked me why I did this, and I told them that the deal was Laura does the Half Ironman and I will be there with cookies. Don, of course, is there as well. They promised to save some cookies for her and the rest were gone in seconds.
It is fun and all the racers are to be commended and all the volunteers did a great job. All over now…..next year!
Fresh Melon and Proscuitto ‘Salad’
This is a delightful salad to put up
Serves 4- 6
- 1 small, seedless Watermelon, cut into wedges
- 1 cantaloupe, cut into wedges
- 1 package (50 g) of lean prosciutto (I use the metric measure here, as that is how we have to order it)
- 1 small head of iceberg lettuce, shredded
- 1/3 cup toasted pecans, chopped
- Balsamic Vinegar
Cut the outer rind off the watermelon and cut into bite size wedges. Cut the cantaloupe in half, seeds removed and cut into bite size wedges.
In a fry pan, over medium heat, cook the prosciutto until crisp. Cover and keep in the refrigerator until ready to serve. On salad plates, arrange the wedges on top of shredded lettuce. Toast the pecans in a fry pan for a couple of minutes, turning often so they don’t burn, remove from heat and chop. This is not science, has been around for a very long time but it is good, refreshing and it is a little different. Drizzle a little Balsamic Vinegar over the salad.
Sun is shining, relaxing on the deck/patio, glass of chilled white wine and this!