back to reality

so it's official, vacation is much better than working.

those 10 days just flew by. i ate tons of delicious food & caught up with tons of great friends. when in ottawa you must check out some of my favourite places.

the whalesbone 

(lobster atop green papaya salad with pickled veg)

supply & demand

(salmon tail stuffed with shrimp salad, celery hearts, pea shoots & grilled lemon)

the wellington gastropub

(crispy pork terrine, poached egg, mustard hollandaise & green tomato chow)

also town, murray street, the manx, union 613 where i neglected to take pictures...

and you must eat some of pascale's ice cream along the way.

i miss this so much. she sells at the landsdowne farmer's market on sundays & we worked together at beckta eons ago. she's a great business woman and a bit of an inspiration.

it was a very peculiar feeling to not be at the farmer's market last weekend. in all honesty i missed being there and seeing all of my regulars & little cupcake customers. i was in on wednesday to take stock of my freezer and set things back up so tomorrow morning won't be such a shock to the system.

i'm easing my way back in to the kitchen. this week i focused on replenishing my bbq sauces. yesterday i made huge batches of maple bourbon & chipotle lime. there is still lots of mustard & beer so my selection will be back to normal.

small jars 250 ml for $5

large jars 500 ml for $7.50

i skipped making a new main course but there's plenty of selection in the freezers.

getaway farm beef shepherd's pie with cheddar mashed potatoes, peas, corn, carrots & tangy gravy     small $10 large $20

red wine braised beef brisket with blue cheese gnocchi, cremini mushrooms & spinach

large $20

moroccan meatballs with harissa quinoa, almonds, lemon, dates, sumac & piquant tomato sauce

    small $10 large $20

asian inspired pulled pork with sesame roasted broccoli, garlic, ginger, chillies & rice

large $20

sweet & sour pork meatballs with pineapple, peppers, lime & rice

small $10 large $20

chile verde pork with hominy, tomatillos, cilantro, pickled jalapenos & pepperjack potatoes

small $10 large $20

chicken, leek & bacon pies with root vegetables, rich gravy & a puff pastry lid

small $10 large $20

grilled chicken with white bean ragout, roasted garlic, parmesan, lemon & grilled summer veggies

small $10 large $20

fish cakes & baked beans with salt cod & molasses. 

4 fishcakes & 500ml of beans for $15

lobster mac & cheese with foxhill cheese curds, roasted tomatoes, leeks & a panko crust

small $12 large $24

and vegan curry with potatoes, sweet potatoes, green beans, roasted cauliflower, chickpeas, basmati & quinoa

small $9 large $18

there's also a wide variety of soups & i'll be making the salads today. i've got quinoa, beet, broccoli & sweet potato on the docket. the broccoli & sweet potato will be the same as usual. the quinoa will feature fennel, grapefruit & olives. and the beet will have local strawberries, baby kale, balsamic & goat cheese.

now it's time for baking. there will be the usual assortment of cupcakes, cookies, bars, cheesecakes & minis. i also have wedding cupcakes on order for tomorrow so my little oven will be getting quite the workout today.

now i'm off to the races. 

ps: market hours have changed slightly. from now on, i will be there from 7am-3pm on saturdays & 9-3pm on sundays. i'm really looking forward to seeing everyone again this weekend :)