Beet and Carrot Salad - Guest Chef: Mom

Recently up at my parent's place my mother allowed me to irritate her by photographing her making a tasty beet and carrot salad. I thought it was a nice salad to make, and you do it in advance, so that the flavours have time to permiate. It also uses beets raw, which is a bit of a change when you think of beets they are usually pickled or roasted. (see Roasted Beet Salad)




My mother was smart, and before starting the salad she put on her painting shirt and some rubber gloves. I love beets but they really can stain your hands and your cutting board, and if you have gloves it might be a good idea to use them, if not you can look like an extra in Dexter!


Once she had peeled the carrots and beets, and cut them into a more reasonable size, she pulled out the trusty Cuisinart and attached the shredding blade. They say to do the beets first - i don't really know why, i guess it has to do with the dye, but that's how it was done.


When the carrots and beets were ready my mother went on to make the dressing which was a nice simple one with slightly unusual ingredients. It contained the usual suspects: olive oil, juice of a lemon, honey, but also cumin, cinnamon, corriander seeds, cayanne pepper and a little bit of pepper.


As i mentioned she made this salad an hour or so before the dinner and left it at room tempeture. This was actually a good decision because when we tasted it after she had just mixed it, there was a slight powdery flavour to the salad. I think it takes a while for the beets to absorb the falvors.


Unfortunately my final picture dosent' really give justice to the colours of this meal, it was quite a unique one. The only thing i would try is perhaps replacing some of the lemon juice with (fresh) orange juice. (Warning: that is just a thought, i haven't tried it).

Thanks Mommy!

Changing of the Guard - New Plates!!!

I used to be a huge thrift shopper - i've had a little personal intervention - and over the years i was able to collect a set of dishes which i have always loved - The Stonehenge Midwinter series, in particular sun and earth. (the sun are the yellow ones and the earth brown). My mother always envied them, and so i began to collect the spring ones for her, along with the help of my father's credit card and ebay we got her a substantial collection and gave it to her as a gift.

I've always coveted my mom's spring dishes (quietly of course) and recently when she informed me that she was "fickle" i knew they would eventually be mine. My mother found a few of the Denby midnight plates at the thrift store she volunteers at, and decided that this would be her new plate set. Getting right into ebay she has received plates from all over north america, and i think a couple from the UK. Of course she doesn't have room for the old spring plates, so over the long weekend she packaged them up and gave them to me.

I didn't replace my dishes right away, i sort of felt a little guilty about how much i liked the spring ones. There was really nothing wrong with mine, but the other ones are prettier. My mom had a lot less large dinner plates than i did, so i kept a few of mine, she also didn't have a lot of the accessories (salt and pepper, creamers, butter dishes) but i never really used them. Finally this weekend i put my old dishes in the same box the new ones came in and committed myself to the spring collection. I must admit they look amazing. Perhaps i am fickle too!

I do quite well in benefiting in my mother's new appliance/kitchen alterations. Some of the stuff ends up at the cottage, but what doesn't or what is now not good enough for the cottage is mine! Its an awesome way for me to "upgrade" my gadgets, plates, what-have-yous. Thank goodness for a "fickle" mom.

Now if only i could get her to replace her Lagostina pot set.....

Above:

Changing of the guard
Box of spring
Mugs - they look so good in my cupboard!

Valentine's Steak Dinner

This Valentine's day, which was also the family day long weekend AND Chinese New Year, i spent up at my parents place. Instead of heading out to a restaurant and having a rushed meal with a bunch of couples who hate each other we decided to eat in. (this also allowed me to save face and not third-wheel with my parents like last year).

Now that i am a meat eater, my mother picked up some HUGE steaks which i seasoned with a mixture of almost any spice i could get my hands on. Instead of digging out the bbq from the snow bank we did them on my mom's indoor grill/sandwich maker. My mom also made a really cool sweet potato and pear side dish along with sauteed king oyster mushrooms, asparagus with Parmesan and a beet and carrot salad.

The meal as lovely, and a lot better than going out!

Above:

Dinner (and my mom's new/vintage Denby plates
Mushrooms
Adding the pears to the potatoes
Steaks
Beet and Carrot Salad
Asparagus