Food Notes for March 4, 2013

We had a great time in Calgary, as we always seem to. I’ll get to writing about the trip in more detail at some point, but the highlight was a meal at the new hotspot, Market. On to this week’s food notes:

Want to try Sailin’ On’s food before their truck hits the streets? Head to the Vegans and Vegetarians of Alberta’s potluck on March 10, 2013. Sailin’ On will be handing out free burritos!
The Culinary Arts Cookoff is fast approaching! The fundraiser for Mt. Royal Elementary takes place on March 16, 2013. Keep up to date with participant bios and other developments on the website.
Help a new farm-to-table initiative celebrate their first event this month!. The Ten Mile Meal debuts in Calmar, Alberta on March 23, 2013. Tickets are $50.
I had no idea 4th and Vine had even closed until I saw a review of Bistro Saisons (11358 104 Avenue), the new restaurant that has taken its place.
It looks like the Elephant & Castle in Edmonton City Centre is now a Fionn MacCool’s.
It was the week of lists! First up, Western Living Magazine released their annual round up of Top 40 Foodies Under 40. Congrats to the Edmonton contingent, including the founders of Famoso, Jacob Pelletier of Duchess, Emily and Sean Superkoski of Mighty Trio Organics, the chefs of Staff Meal Edmonton, the men behind Three Boars, and Blair Lebsack of RGE RD.
To celebrate their 100th issue, The Tomato compiled a list of the Top 100 Best Things to Eat or Drink in Edmonton. #1 on the list was the spaghetti Bolognese from Corso 32.
Last but not least, Avenue Edmonton published their Best Restaurants list. Corso 32 again topped the list, with The Marc, Wildflower, Three Boars and MRKT rounding out the top 5. Although I really liked MRKT when it first opened, the fact that their menu has remained unchanged after two years hasn’t encouraged many repeat visits. Given Corso was praised for their “balance between consistency and change”, I’m a little surprised MRKT had such a high standing for essentially the opposite.
Avenue Calgary released their milestone 10th annual food issue this month as well. I love their idea for the “best potluck ever” – with dishes from 33 of the city’s best restaurants. What would be on your ultimate potluck list?
I would never have guessed that the horse meat scandal in Europe would cause a spike in sales.
I love this Travel Alberta video, where some of the city’s notable food writers share what they consider to be “Edmonton’s dish”.
Though it was unfortunately not a surprise, City Council passed the Horse Hills Area Structure Plan on Tuesday.
I was a little disappointed to find out that Lay’s wouldn’t be selling their Chicken and Waffles flavour chips in Canada, but apparently, there is a reason why (on a side note, I can’t believe the statistic that Canadians consume almost twice as much vegetables as the average American).
Have you seen the chocolate ad featuring a CGI-recreated Audrey Hepburn? Do you think it is classic or creepy?
The rumours are true! A cheese shop is opening up on 104 Street in the Phillips Lofts. It turns out The Cavern will also serve up coffee and small plates.

The Cavern

After a meeting in the area last week, Mack and I headed to The Next Act for dinner. I had been thinking about their Cajun fish sandwich for a while – and it certainly hit the spot!

Cajun fish sandwich

Pulled pork sandwich

Fringe Dishes: Kobe Japanese Bistro

When Mack and I eat at a Japanese restaurant, we feel a little like a vegetarian would dining at a steakhouse. Although there are typically items that suit our taste (i.e., cooked items), they’re always the periphery of the menu, and really, a last resort meant for Western palates. In many ways, that was one of the reasons I was so excited for the appearance of Edmonton’s first izakaya – all of the flavours of Japanese cuisine that I enjoy featured at the forefront of the menu instead of being an afterthought.

Anyway, to celebrate Kim’s birthday on the weekend, we headed to Kobe Japanese Bistro in the Callingwood. It was the ideal restaurant for the rest of Mack’s family, who all love sushi. Kim had ordered takeout from Kobe many times, but this was her first time dining in, as it was for the rest of us.

It was moderately busy on the Sunday evening, though to be honest, from the privacy of the high-backed booth, we couldn’t monitor the activity of the restaurant save the parties walking directly past our table. The booth felt almost as exclusive as those private rooms found at other Japanese eateries, without the fuss.

The rest of the party ordered an array of sushi, while Mack and I stuck to the rice bowls and udon. All of our food arrived lightning fast – the kitchen certainly wasted no time! No doubt, the sushi platter dazzled when delivered to the table.

Deluxe combination

Unfortunately, the same could not be said for the cooked dishes – presentation was far from their strength. Some visually appealing garnish would have been welcome, but the separate components turned out to be positive at least for the agedashi tofu ($5.50) – with a tempura sauce served on the side (instead of with the tofu), it remained impossibly hot and crispy, batter adherence and all.

Agedashi tofu and chicken teriyaki udon

I enjoyed the broth and udon well enough ($9), though the chicken was on the dry side. Mack’s chicken teriyaki donburi ($9) was similarly dry. Warned by Kim that the bowl came without any accompanying vegetables, he also ordered a side of pan-fried vegetables ($5). It turned out to be a generous serving enough for two or three people; it’s curious why a smaller portion of these vegetables wouldn’t be a standard part of the rice bowls to start with.

Chicken teriyaki donburi

Pan-fried vegetables

Service was excellent; when our server found out it was Kim’s birthday, to end our meal, he brought two scoops of green tea ice cream topped off with a candle.

Happy birthday, Kim!

While we can’t speak to the quality of the sushi, for our Western palates, Kobe Japanese Bistro did all right. I’d still sooner head to Izakaya Tomo for my Japanese food fix, but in a pinch, Kobe would do.

Kobe Japanese Bistro
#516, 6655 178 Street
(780) 444-7878

The Cooking Chronicles: Random Recipes

I do my best to try and group the random series of recipes that I decide to make from week to week, and sometimes it is a great stretch to connect two seemingly diverse dishes. This time, I won’t even try!

Tuscan Kale and Farro Soup

I think I’m in love. With farro that is. We had great success with a salad recipe that incorporated the chewy, nutty grains together with a variety of fresh produce, but even better was a Rachael Ray recipe that called for farro to be served in broth.

This Tuscan kale and farro soup was not only healthy, but substantial, packed with white beans, tomatoes and kale. But it was the farro that made the dish – it was hard to think about serving this soup without the grain that added texture and a depth that no pasta or rice could accomplish. Like farro, this recipe is a keeper!

Tuscan kale and farro soup (yes, that is steam fogging up the camera lens…)

Swedish Meatballs

In the fall, I made a loose commitment that 2013 would be the year of the slow cooker for me. I had bought a copy of Slow Cooker Revolution by America’s Test Kitchen, which, unlike most slow cooker bibles, features colour photographs of every recipe. Unfortunately, what I didn’t realize until I took a closer look at the book was that many of their recipes involved several steps that preceded the use of the slow cooker, or, a technique of cooking part of the dish in a foil packet that would rest on top of the bubbling mass. I wasn’t too comfortable with the latter; baking in parchment is one thing, but cooking for a prolonged period of time in foil is another.

I finally attempted a recipe that fell into the first category – even though I resented it almost the whole way through (why was I “slaving away”? how many dishes is this going to take? wasn’t the slow cooker supposed to do the heavy lifting for me?). The recipe for Swedish meatballs involved browning the meatballs in a hot oven first, and preparing a gravy. I halved the recipe – 60 meatballs seemed a little much for two people, even for leftovers. After the fact, I found that it was a great technique to help render out some of the fat, and it wasn’t as time consuming as I originally thought.

Baked meatballs

In hindsight, I should have kept the originally specific amount of gravy – the final product was a little dry. The meatballs themselves had a good flavour profile – the allspice and nutmeg really came through – though both Mack and I commented that they didn’t have that telltale processed “springiness” of Ikea’s Swedish meatballs.

Swedish meatballs, made with First Nature Farms beef, served with Erdmann’s mashed potatoes

I’m not sure the time in the slow cooker really showed, though I’d have to compare it with a straight baking technique to be sure. This recipe might come in handy for entertaining, but otherwise, I will be sticking to other meatball recipes in the future!

Food Notes for February 25, 2013

It may only be Monday, but I’m already looking forward to the weekend! Mack and I are planning to head down to Calgary to celebrate a special occasion, but it really couldn’t have come at a better time – I think we’re both more than ready for a mini-break! On to this week’s food notes:

It might be too late to enter, but this Great Chocolate Chip Cookie Bakeoff on February 26, 2013 sounds like it will be a lot of fun (especially for the judges!).
Mark your calendar: this year’s Downtown Dining Week will run from March 15-24, 2013. Thirty restaurants are participating.
Da Capo tweeted that their 109 Street location will be re-opening on March 1 as Pizzeria Rosso. Expect wood fired pizza!
Nearby, Vancouver-based Waves Coffee House is opening an Edmonton location in the old KFC on 109 Street.
I was sorry to hear about the flood at Colonel Mustard’s last week that has now left the restaurant uncertain whether or not they can recover.
I missed linking to this post last week, about an upcoming eatery in Belgravia which promises a locally-focused, seasonal menu.
Great to see Michelle Peters-Jones profiled in the Journal! I had no idea she snapped over 100 shots before settling on *the* photo, but it would make sense given her visuals are consistently stunning.
NAIT announced that this year’s Hokanson Chef in Residence will be San Francisco-based Chris Consentino. Enter to win tickets to a four-course tasting menu here.
Apple month is coming to an end, but if you needed a hit of inspiration, check out Valerie’s post which captures the creativity of the NAIT Culinary Arts students who participated in the BC Tree Fruits apple cooking challenge.
Given the meteoric rise of yogurt (doesn’t there seem to be a new probiotic product available every month?), it’s not surprising that there’s now a type of yogurt targeting men.
I haven’t been to Roast in a while, but this weekend, noticed their new coffee display. It turns out they are now serving Fratello-roasted coffee (a Calgary-based roaster).

Roast coffee

I’ve been craving fish and chips for a while, so on Thursday, Mack and I headed to the Kelly’s Pub on 104 Street to satisfy that craving. It was my first time inside the pub, though I’ve passed it enough times to know it is always busy. With its low-key vibe and casual menu, I could see how it has become the post-work spot of choice of many. Mack enjoyed his burger and the fish and chips hit the spot, but Kelly’s might want to re-think their serving dishes. The burger was served on a narrow, flimsy board, while the accompanying fries could not maintain their crispness piled in a bucket. My fish and chips were served in a paper-lined basket, which, grease-soaked, was easy to cut through with my knife and fork. It reminded us a bit of Mercer Tavern’s awkward serving platter for fish and chips – hopefully this doesn’t speak to a trend of form over function.

Bacon cheddar burger

Fish and chips

Mack’s Dad was in town on the weekend, and with time on Saturday for dinner, we thought it was time to introduce him to Tres Carnales. It was packed, as expected, but the wait wasn’t unmanageable, especially with a sangria in hand. Martin gave two thumbs up to the tacos, and commented that they were better than those he sampled in San Diego recently. We will have to make sure our next visit is sooner rather than later!

Guac & chips

Pescado

Carnitas

Portland: To Market, To Market

Whenever we’re travelling, we make it a point to visit the city’s markets – they are not only great places to shop for memorable souvenirs (edible or otherwise), but it is also a wonderful opportunity to learn about the range of produce that can be grown, and the unique artisans and artists that call that city home. Things were no different when we vacationed in Portland.

Farmers’ Market @ Portland State University

I had been looking forward to visiting the Portland Farmers’ Market located at Portland State University since we arrived. It was easily among the first things to go on our itinerary, and with over 200 food vendors, we knew we would need a bit of time to explore the grounds.

Portland Farmers’ Market

Tempting

It was a beautiful location to start with, the paths lined with mature trees. Vehicle access was limited (as it is on our own campus), so it made the shopping experience even more pleasant.

I loved the trees

Mack enjoyed the didgeridoo

Peppers being roasted on site

We started our visit off with breakfast at Pine State Biscuits, an institution in Portland (I remember Filistix’s first What the Truck?! menu featured a Pine State-inspired dish). They had quite the set-up for a food vendor, complete with a griddle and an oven (they had to keep those biscuits warm somehow!).

Pine State Biscuits

Each oversized biscuit was a buttery indulgence, flaky and perfectly soft on the inside. The additional cheese and bacon was probably overkill at that point, but I can’t say we didn’t enjoy every calorie.

Bacon and cheese biscuit sandwich

Satiated, we joined the throngs in exploring aisle after aisle of harvest goodness. Mack got a little sick of me fawning over all of the produce, but it seemed around every corner, there was another gorgeous display of heirloom tomatoes, greens, or fruit.

Fresh collard greens!

Gorgeous squash

Artichokes

Many varieties of apples I’ve never encountered before (including a sweet red-fleshed one)

Ginger

I heart heirloom tomatoes

Given the vast majority of vendors seemed to offer fresh produce (instead of prepared food), aesthetics were even more important, as a means to lure customers in and away from the competition. As a result, vendors used quantities and colours to their advantage, and I have to say, it was even harder for me to look and not buy everything around me!

More greens than we could handle

Tomatoes

So much colour

More tomatoes

In addition to the vendors, the Farmers’ Market had organized cooking demos, spread throughout the day, and had a “veggie valet” as an option (something that has been employed by the City Market for the last few years).

Chef in the market

If you’re visiting Portland, the PSU market is a must!

Portland Saturday Market

The farmers’ market at PSU did not feature any non-food vendors, so for our arts and crafts fix, we headed over to the Portland Saturday Market immediately after.

Portland Saturday Market

Located under the Burnside Bridge in Old Town, the market looked like tourist central, with attention-grabbing buskers and summer fair food stands vying for our attention in and amongst the great variety of jewellery, paintings and other handicrafts available for sale.

Busy place

It was certainly a festive atmosphere, and a great place to browse. I ended up with a beautiful acid-etched necklace from Heartstrings Studio.

Portland Farmers’ Market @ Pioneer Courthouse Square

Unlike Edmonton’s farmers’ markets, which are all individually-run, the Portland Farmers’ Market runs six different markets that take place in the urban core (not all of the area’s markets, but a significant number). We had the chance to visit a smaller collection of vendors run by the Portland Farmers’ Market at Pioneer Courthouse Square on Mondays from June to September.

Monday farmers’ market

The hours of 10am-2pm seemed a bit unusual to us, as only those who worked in the immediate area would be able to partake, but perhaps that was their target demographic after all.

Vendors

It was a modest market to be sure, but with several produce and meat vendors on hand, staples were well covered. We were also happy to see Olympic Provisions on hand again – we would never turn down an opportunity to sample their salumi!

“Meat Here”

There were also quite a few hot food vendors, so later that day, we were certain the business crowd would be descending to take advantage of the al fresco lunch possibility.

The markets all provided a peek into Portland’s agricultural and creative wealth. Make sure to check them out if you have a chance!

IllumiNITE 2013

Similar to Deep Freeze, IllumiNITE is another grassroots, community-led festival that celebrates winter (in this case, its darkness), and provides a great opportunity for people to engage with art outdoors.

Last weekend, the festival took over the pocket park on 104 Street, lining the paths with fourteen different light sculptures.

Pocket Park

Like last year, it was wonderful to see the creativity and imagination from the different artists. The life-sized Street Brite by Chris van der Hoek and Bobby Harris was a fun example of interactive art – kids and adults alike were having a blast playing with the display.

Street Brite

I also appreciated the installations that took the park itself into consideration, whether that meant a projection and enhancement of a pine tree, or the use of trees as a structural element.

Untitled by Laurissa Kalinowsky and team

Lighting was used in different ways too – I loved the eye-catching Morse code display, as well as the ethereal piece strung up on the hill.

Though we didn’t partake, bannock making was in full swing as well! Fires and food are always a good cold weather combination.

Bannock making

A pop-up shop was also set up in former 29 Armstrong space, and after the fact, we heard that there was an ice bar outside of Cask & Barrel. It wasn’t evident on the street that there was anything south of Jasper Avenue, so a minor improvement for next year would be to include a small map on the program. But otherwise, another fantastic event by the organizing committee – bravo on a second successful year!

Date Night: Pasta Pantry and Jacek Chocolate Couture Tasting

The weekend prior to Valentine’s Day, Mack and I headed to Sherwood Park for dinner and a paired wine and chocolate tasting. The latter was the primary reason that drew us to the suburb, but we decided to take advantage of that excuse and have dinner nearby as well.

I had heard of Pasta Pantry through work colleagues, and a quick gander on their website gave me the impression that dinner would be an inexpensive affair (a small pasta was advertised at $7.95). Given the $65 tickets to the tasting were on the high end of the spectrum, we thought this dinner would help balance things out.

We arrived at a non-descript strip mall just after 5pm, and were surprised to find an absolutely frenzied restaurant. I would not have guessed that a cafeteria-style cantina would be the most hopping place in Sherwood Park on a Saturday night, but I was wrong. We queued up, doing our best to scan the whiteboard menu quickly, and eyed our options on the other side of the glass. I probably should have taken more time to consider the possibilities, but I didn’t want to hold up the growing line behind me, and hastily chose a small pasta topped with alfredo sauce and one meatball. Mack ordered a large pasta with the four cheese sauce and two meatballs. Our total bill was just under $25.

Pasta Pantry

As we had dinner, we couldn’t believe the number of people streaming in – the line was consistently out the door for the duration of our meal. Most were take-out customers, but given the very basic sauce over pasta in front of us, we had to wonder if there was something we were missing. Mack’s four cheese sauce was the better of the two, and sure, the meatballs were tasty, but we were hard pressed to say the fare at Pasta Pantry was much better than dishes found at an Italian food court kiosk (we heard later that their pasticcio is their specialty, but they were out when it was our turn to order).

Pasta with alfredo sauce

Pasta with four cheese sauce

Service was speedy, and the owner made the rounds to check in with diners. We appreciated that personal touch, but what stood out most from our dinner was actually the live music. A young duo, led by Jordan Kaminski, played an assortment of pop covers and originals during our visit, and really helped elevate an otherwise bland experience. Given most of the customers didn’t stay, I would imagine the entertainment wasn’t the primary draw for the restaurant, but it should have been. Though we likely won’t be returning to Pasta Pantry anytime soon, we will be keeping an eye out for the talented young singers!

Following dinner, we headed over to Baseline Wines. About a year ago, the store moved from Baseline to a brand new space on Athabascan Avenue, and before the tasting, we wandered the store to peruse their displays and inventory.

Baseline Wines

We also couldn’t help but admire the glassed-in tasting room, minimally decorated but stunning. Mack and I had to restrain ourselves from indulging right then and there!

Beautifully set table

After all the guests had arrived. we took our seats. Ryan, Manager of Baseline Wines and Jacqueline, the Jacek Chocolate Couture Cocoanista herself, would be leading the tasting. As the evening went on, we found out how fortunate we were to have a wine and a chocolate expert at our disposal, as each of them shed insight on how each pairing worked. Ryan explained that chocolate was inherently difficult to pair with wine (contrary to popular belief) because the amount of tannins in the cocoa most often react negatively with wine. As a result, Ryan shared that he tried to either complement or contrast with the flavours in each piece of chocolate.

Jaqueline Jacek

We were served a total of seven wines (one reception wine, and six to be paired with the six chocolate pieces in front of us). Ryan and Jacqueline guided us through each pairing, providing background on the chocolate and wine, and then encouraged us to sample each individually, then together.

The spread

Though this wasn’t my first time sampling Jacek chocolates, it was the first time I’ve been able to listen to Jacqueline speak about her creative and production process in a detailed way. Her attention to detail absolutely blew me away, and was something I wouldn’t have appreciated without such a measured opportunity to learn about her chocolates. Her current Spring 2013 collection is all about nostalgia, so it is no surprise to find childhood throwbacks like old fashioned root beer celebrated. But what I didn’t expect was for Jaqueline to tell us that instead of reducing down store-bought root beer, she sourced the needed roots like sassafras from Chinatown herbal stores for the syrup. And to simulate the froth of a root beer float, she sprinkled each truffle with citric acid for a pop on the tongue – genius.

Mack takes a whiff of the root beer syrup ingredients

My favourite truffle that we sampled that night was the Shirley Temple. I loved the bright and creamy citrus flavour, but even better was the way the grenadine drop bled into the ganache. For Jacqueline, this was a representation of the coloured layers blending together when one stirs up a Shirley Temple.

Our favourite pairing was a Quinta de La Rosa Port with a single-origin Mokaya Mexican chocolate (unfortunately, not available for sale). I’m not a fan of port, but I found the dark chocolate complemented the smooth port perfectly.

Baseline Wines and Jacek Chocolate Couture partner for these tastings on the release of every new collection (this was their third pairing event). Based on our experience, we thought the tickets were well worth the price (we even got to take home a box of chocolate each!), and was a wonderful way to learn about chocolate and wine. Sign up for Jacek’s mailing list to keep informed, and make sure to reserve your tickets early!

Pasta Pantry
305, 101 Granada Boulevard, Sherwood Park
(780) 467-3777

Baseline Wines
11 Athabascan Avenue, Unit 172, Sherwood Park
(780) 449-4448

Jacek Chocolate Couture
406 Kaska Road, Sherwood Park
(780) 464-5200

Food Notes for February 18, 2012

On Sunday, February 24, 2013, at 1:30pm I’ll be joining the Edmonton Public Library Writer in Residence, Omar Mouallem and Daveberta’s Dave Cournoyer in a conversation about what makes a successful blog. I was honoured to be asked – I hope you’ll think about dropping by! On to this week’s food notes:

The Alberta Canola Producers Commission presents Taking it to Heart on February 25, 2013, a fundraiser for the Heart and Stroke Foundation. The event features 10 dishes crafted by five female chefs. Tickets are $75. Check out the menu and event page here.
Dishcrawl announced two new food crawls: one in Oliver on March 12 and 13, and another in Chinatown on March 26 and 27.
It looks like One One Eight (which replaced Suede on Jasper Avenue) didn’t last long – it will be replaced by Japonais Bistro, to open March 8, 2013.
The Journal had a disappointing experience at the Italian Centre’s Massimo’s Italian Cucina.
Edmonton bars were in the spotlight in a recent article in the Journal.
In case you missed it, here’s a video of Jennifer Crosby and Liane Faulder’s conversation about the changing landscape of restaurants in Edmonton.
The Greater Edmonton Alliance is collecting signatures for a petition against the proposed Horse Hill Area Structure Plan.
The nominations for The Yeggies (Edmonton New Media Awards) are out! Congrats to my fellow nominees in the Food category, and thanks to those who nominated my blog!
Chopped is now casting for the Canadian version of the show.
Speaking of the Food Network, the list of contestants for the third season of Top Chef Canada was released last week. Again, no Edmonton representation, but there are three Calgary-based chefs. The season premieres on March 18, 2013.
Fans of Earls might want to know that a human rights complaint has forced the company to drop the word “albino” from their Albino Rhino brand of beer.
We stumbled across a new vendor at the City Market on Saturday. Cravings Artisan Gelato has been at the market for three weeks, and offers a rotating list of flavours that change with the seasons.

Charlynn of Cravings Gelato

Pangea (10150 104 Street) now carries a local line of organic milk. Rock Ridge, we were told by Pangea owner Vincent Halwa, processes the milk provided by Van Os Dairy (a vendor at the City Market up until January of last year). It’s great to have easy access to locally-produced organic milk again!

Rock Ridge Dairy

Our family friends held our annual Chinese New Year potluck on the weekend. I contributed a dish of chicken meatballs served over butter lettuce. Can you spot them in the spread below?

The Chinese New Year spread

The Cooking Chronicles: Grab and Go Salads

My preference for both dinner and lunch are hot meals, but I have to say, throw together room temperature salads full of fresh vegetables, legumes and grains are really starting to grow on me. It’s not only a nice change-up, but they do make for an easy lunch – no need to queue for the microwave (maybe not an issue at your workplace, but it usually is at mine!), and in warmer weather, they would make the ideal portable picnic lunch.

Orzo Salad with Chickpeas, Spinach, Lemon and Feta

I bookmarked this recipe for orzo salad from Spilling the Beans (which has seemed to be my go-to book lately for dinner inspiration). It was perfect as a throw-together meal on a busy weeknight, taking less than thirty minutes from stove to table.

It combines silky orzo, chickpeas, slivered spinach, red onion and feta cheese with a dressing of lemon, olive oil and rice vinegar. The spinach was a bit of a pain to slice, chiffonade-style, but it was worth it in the end, the ribbons adding some visual appeal to the salad. I was also surprised how great the rice vinegar tasted as part of the dressing – I’ve never used it like this before in such a prominent way, and the flavour was refreshing but not overwhelming. Mack definitely approved – his serving was gone by the time I turned around to look. We’ll definitely be making this again!

Orzo salad with chickpeas, spinach, lemon and feta

Lentil and Farro Salad

We turned again to Spilling the Beans later in the week when I was hunting for a recipe to use up the rest of the feta I had in the fridge. The lentil and wild rice salad was appealing in a different way, featuring a laundry list of fresh vegetables, plus an opportunity to substitute my new favourite grain into the mix.

The salad tosses celery, bell pepper, tomatoes, cucumber, grated carrots, dill and parsley together with du puy lentils and farro (in my case). Everything is dressed with lemon, olive oil and a dash of sugar, leaving the vegetables to sing for themselves.

This took a little longer to put together, as I didn’t have any cooked lentils or farro to turn to, but I was able to prep the produce while they simmered away on the stove. The final product was enjoyable – even Mack, ever the salad-hater, gave a thumbs up! My only improvement would have been to double the grain content – but then again, I love the chewy nuttiness that farro brings to any dish.

Lentil and farro salad

Given our success with these salads, I think more grab and go salads will be in our future!

Valentine’s Day Disco Skate

On one of the most commercially-driven days in the year, it was great that the City of Edmonton was offering a free, family-friendly alternative. Their Valentine’s Day Disco Skate was scheduled a bit early, running from 4-7pm, but the time did allow for kids to fit in a visit right after school, and for couples to have dinner following the event.

City Hall

Mack and I headed over to City Hall after work. At dusk, the spotlights were getting to be more noticeable, but the disco music was certainly casting a net of attention – pedestrians wanted to see what all the fuss was about!

Beautiful night for an outdoor skate

Free skate and helmet rentals were offered, alongside bannock roasting. To add to the festivities, stilt-walkers danced around the rink, and costumed actors roamed the perimeter, handing out red carnations as they went.

Mack with our carnation

I am a tenuous skater at best, but Mack was patient with me, and we managed to make it around the rink several times (more than a few children raced circles around us).

Look Ma, I’m standing!

It was wonderful to see families, couples and friends enjoying themselves on and off the ice. Given the Winter Strategy would like to see more people taking advantage of the outdoors in the season of snow, I think a few more events like this would definitely be a step towards making that happen! Kudos to the organizers for a wonderful night.

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