Birthday Dinner at Fat Cat

I was really spoiled this weekend by all of my friends and family. The cap of "birthday week" was a meal with my family at Fat Cat on Roncesvalles, a great small plates/ tapas place. They have a really lovely back patio and it was a perfect night for it.

We simply decided which things we didn't want to have (three things) and had them come as they were ready. Everything was quite good, in particular the shrimp dish which we ordered two of, and got extra bread to dip in the sauce.

For dessert i had an almond brownie - which was lovely, with whipped cream and cherries. (yum). The rest of the table had a rhubarb and strawberry couli with vanilla ice cream.

Above: spicy chorizo

Flank steak, potato salad with corn and asparagus

The delicious shrimp in cast iron
(piri piri garlic sauce)

My plate round one
(veggie curry, shrimp, rapini, chorizo and scallops)

A cute little veggie curry with sliced cucumbers and rice

The table

Rapini and potatoes

Another of my plates
(mushroom bruschetta, crostini, two salads)

Warm quinoa salad with asparagus

Poached pear sald with walnuts and extra old cheddar

A couple oysters to start

The wine
(Organic & VQA)

The menu

Fish and Chicken Tacos

Reading this, you've probably become aware of my love of the fish tacos. There were a number of us up at the cottage, along with some eating rules (of which i am totally guilty) so i thought that tacos, which are always great with a crowd would be a good option. Everyone can make there own and have as many as they want.

In order to create a little variety i also did chicken as a filling. I have never cooked chicken, so instead i took the easy route and bought one of those whole roasted chickens at the grocery store. This saved me cooking chicken and poisoning everyone, and it saved a bit of time in the kitchen, because honestly i would rather be outside on a beautiful day. Luckily Jen volunteered to take the meat off the chicken - so i got to escape handling the chicken all together!!

For the fish i just used some frozen tempura breaded haddock - the full filets and heated them up in the oven. I've made them from scratch, and really they weren't that much better - and at the cottage you don't really want to be slaving away, especially on a nice day - so frozen filets it was!

I wanted to make a few different dips or salsas so everyone could combine their own flavours and make their own meals. One of the things i made was a roasted pineapple and jalapeno salsa, so while the boys were bbqing their sausages for lunch i had them put on my veggies to roast them. I always like to make my dips in advance (except for guac) so that the flavours really combine and they create more of a liquid.

Along with the roasted pineapple and jalapeno dip, i also made my feta, corn and tomato dip which is always super popular. This time i roasted the corn for the dip instead of using canned corn. I think this would be better with peaches and cream or a corn with larger niblets, as they seemed a little anemic, but the dip was still awesome! Of course i also made a guacamole - this one was a little more rustic, but avocados are essential to fish tacos.

Chips and Dips

The spread

Jarred's Jerk Pork Loin

Jarred didn't just step up for breakfast, but he also made a fabulous dinner featuring a jerk/curry pork loin. I assisted Jarred in the kitchen, making the salad, bruschetta (my personal fav), grilled veggies and of course some bbq'd corn.

The whole meal brought up the ways to bbq corn - the different methods and our memories of it. I personally like to bbq corn with the husk on. The key is to soak the corn so the husks don't burn and the water that is trapped in there will help steam it. I had always just used water, but when i was putting them in the containers Jarred added a teaspoon of SUGAR! I had never seen that before - can't say i noticed a massive change, but it was my first corn of the season.

Pork Loins on the grill

These were marinated for a few hours in a jerk sauce

The Spread

Salad and Corn

Grilled Veggies

Waiting for the grill

Corn - almost ready

Soaking Corn

Tiny Restaurant Breakfast

The cottage i often visit is in a little town called Tiny - and they have this sweet little restaurant and mini-grocery store. The May 24th weekend was the first time it was open for this year, and we all went for a well needed greasy breakfast on our first morning there.

The menu isn't anything fancy, but they also do dinners. For breakfast they had all your standards - three egg breakfast, western on toast. I chose to get a fried egg on toast - which is a real stand-by for me when eating at this type of place. I find those breakfasts with multiple meats a little too much, and depending on place home fries can be hit and miss. (i need to see them first)


They have a little indoor area, but since it was so nice we were able to sit together on a bunch of picnic tables. It was amazing how many people were coming by for coffee and breakfast - or just to say hello to the owners - it was the first weekend.

My fried egg on toast, using the tomato garnish from someone elses' plate
(i don't know why i put ketchup down - i don't really like it)

Jen's Western

Mark's big breakfast
(and i did like the home fries - thanks Mark)

Return of Jarred - Guest Chef

Up at Mike's cottage - Jarred stepped up yet again and cheffed up a couple great meals, a great pork loin along with some vanilla french toast with a mango-maple syrup couli. We served this with some Watermelon and sweet baked ham.

Peeling the mango

Adding the "maple syrup"

Mango in the blender

The French toast mix (with real vanilla)

Slicing the ham

The spread!

Cottage Samis and Tuna Melts

I had a couple of extra pics from smaller meals i made over the last weekend. When you're hard at work a nice quick sami with some salad can be perfect. (with a beer of course) Here are a few of the snacks i made last time.

A selection of samis (poached samon, ham and swiss, tomato and arugula)

Quick store bought salads

Tuna melts with Old Dutch chips

Making the veggie samis

More Mother's Day Pictures

Adam's Fabulous Biscuts

A crowded table

Plate of Food

Bread Pudding with Vanilla Ice cream

Asparagus

Hot Water and Steak Dinner

Cottages are great fun, but they are also a lot of work, particularly when you're opening them. This year we got a surprise that the hot water tank was kaput - hence forcing my family to install a new one. On a rainy and cold saturday the men-folk spent the afternoon under the cottage installing a new one.


Not to be embracing cheesy gender roles, but i thought it would be a great opportunity to cook a stellar meal - because honestly i would rather be in the kitchen than in a damp spider filled hole under the cottage. When i was in town at the grocery store (while the men-folk were digging a ditch) i picked up some pretty good filets, and then i spotted fiddleheads, which are a lovely spring treat that one cannot pass up the opportunity since they are only around so briefly.


I went a little veggie crazy, but i managed to use up the leftovers in the following breakfast and lunch.

The menu:

Bruschetta and mushroom tapanade on crostini

Fiddleheads (which i parboiled then sauteed)

Fried mushrooms

Grilled asparagus

Grilled endive

Steak filets with a home-made rub

Roasted mini potaotes with rosemary and garlic

Cherry pie with chocolate ice cream from the Kawartha Dairy

Bruschetta, mushrooms, goat cheese and crostini

freshly rised fiddleheads

My plate

making the bruschetta

Top: Cherry pie and ice cream