...Gonna Get Ma-a-arried!

My sister was married earlier this summer in a gorgeous ceremony over looking a quiet lake in cottage county. It was a very small fete so she and her partner decided to invite the rest of their friends and family to a celebration of their wedding at their own place in Southern Ontario.

My mother and I were the caterers and spend about 12 hours last week, cooking ourselves silly. The fruits of our labour seemed to be enjoyed by all.

The menu included:

Cheesy Grilled Corn Dip with Tortilla Chips

Potato, Beet and Carrot Latkes with Creamy Horseradish or Ginger Applesauce

Asian Sesame Slaw

Carrot, Feta and Mint Salad

Grilled Vegetable Anitpasto

4 Cheese Penne

Chicken Satay with Peanut Sauce and Thai Dressing

Grilled Flank Steak with Florentine Mayo, Peach Salsa and BBQ Sauce

Fresh Fruit with Chocolate Dipped Strawberries

Chocolate, Vanilla and Coconut Wedding Cupcakes

Cooking Club - Local, Seasonal Food

It is almost every chef's mantra to use the best quality, local and seasonal ingredients in their cooking. Our group of amateur cooking club members decided to join them in this.

Our menu included:

Imogen - Tomato "Burgers"

Tomatoes from Essex County are simply the best

and are only enhanced with basil right from the garden.

Danielle - Cumin Scented Beet Latkes with Canadian Horseradish Goat Cheese &

Carrot Latkes with Gingered Michigan Applesauce

Beets and carrots from the backyard, doesn't get more local than that.

Dana - Pasta with Five Fresh Herbs

Rosemary - Roast Pork Stuffed with Chestnuts and Apple

The ingredients were very seasonal, maybe not so local.

Jillian - Roasted Fingerlings with Red and Yellow Piperade

Melanie - Fabulous Fall Fruit Crisp

All of this was served with Walkerville Brewery beer and Pelee Island wines.

The Omnivore's Hundred

LISTS! Love them! Seriously, a good list where I can cross things off and see my progress is ever so satisfying. I am a list geek and proud of it.

Very Good Taste has come up with a list to determine just how many of 100 items bloggers have consumed. It is an omnivore's challenge, so veg people may feel a bit jilted - doesn't mean you can't come up with your own though.

Here are the instructions:
1) Copy this list into your blog or journal, including these instructions.
2) Bold all the items you’ve eaten.
3) Cross out any items that you would never consider eating.
4) Optional extra: Post a comment here at http://www.verygoodtaste.co.uk/ linking to your results.

The VGT Omnivore’s Hundred:



1. Venison
2. Nettle tea
3. Huevos Rancheros
4. Steak tartare
5. Crocodile
6. Black pudding
7. Cheese fondue
8. Carp
9. Borscht
10. Baba Ganoush
11. Calamari
12. Pho
13. PB & J Sandwich
14. Aloo Gobi
15. Hot dog from a street cart
16. Epoisses - yum! this is on my future list though
17. Black truffle
18. Fruit wine made from something other than grapes
19. Steamed pork buns
20. Pistachio ice cream
21. Heirloom Tomatoes
22. Fresh wild berries
23. Foie Gras
24. Rice and Beans
25. head cheese
26. Raw Scotch Bonnet pepper - just not worth the pain
27. Dulce de leche
28. Oysters
29. Baklava
30. Bagna Cauda
31. Wasabi peas
32. Clam chowder in a sourdough bowl
33. Salted lassi
34. Saurkraut
35. Root beer float
36. Cognac with a fat cigar
37. Clotted cream tea
38. Vodka jelly/Jell-O - more often than I'd care to admit
39. Gumbo
40. Oxtail
41. Curried goat
42. Whole insects - I wouldn't say never, but probably not
43. Phaal
44. Goat’s milk
45. Malt whisky from a bottle worth £60/$120 or more
46. Fugu - not sure I'm interested in taking the chance
47. Chicken Tikka Masala
48. Eel
49. Krispy Kreme original glazed doughnut
50. Sea urchin
51. Pickly pear
52. Umeboshi
53. Abalone
54. Paneer
55. McDonald’s Big Mac Meal
56. Spaetzle
57. Dirty gin martini
58. Beer above 8% ABV
59. poutine - of course!
60. carob chips
61. S'mores
62. Sweetbreads
63. kaolin - um, no.
64. currywurst
65. Durian
66. Frogs’ legs
67. Beignets, churros, elephant ears or funnel cake
68. Haggis
69. Fried plantain
70. Chitterlings or andouillette
71. Gazpacho
72. Caviar and blini
73. Louche absinthe
74. Gjetost, or brunost
75. Roadkill - yuck!
76. Baijiu
77. Hostess Fruit Pie
78. Snail
79. Lapsang Souchong
80. Bellini
81. Tom Yum
82. Eggs Benedict
83. Pocky
84. Tasting menu at a three- Michelin-star restaurant - WooHoo! Worth every penny
85. Kobe Beef
86. Hare - if it means rabbit then, yes
87. Goulash
88. Flowers
89. Horse
90. Criollo chocolate
91. Spam
92. Soft Shell Crab
93. Rose harissa
94. Catfish
95. Mole poblano
96. Bagel and lox
97. Lobster Thermidor
98. Polenta
99. Jamaican Blue Mountain Coffee
100. Snake

In conclusion, there are 9 items I would never eat, 24 items I have not eaten yet, and 67 I have already consumed! Not bad at all...I'll be working on those 24.

Recipe Review

I heart poutine - blog's name kinda cements this. Here are some of Bonnie Stern's latest recipes for the cheesy, gravy covered Canadian concoction - National Post

I am at work every day, which must mean the kids are back in school. Some ideas for fantastic lunches - Epicurious

Recipes for breaking the fast during Ramadan - Epicurious

My mother adores chutney. She uses it as some would ketchup. Here are some recipes to add to her arsenal. - Seasonal Ontario Food

We test it, you eat it.

Coney dogs, yum! Check out the latest article on the Food Network Canada site about my adventures in taste testing.