Category Archives: Kale

“Many’s the long night I’ve dreamed of cheese – toasted, mostly.” Robert Louis Stevenson

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If I was told by a doctor that I could never have another piece of red meat it would hurt, but I could do it. If he told me that I could never have another glass of wine it would hurt, but I could live with it. If he said that I could never have another piece of #cheese, I would say, “How much time do I have left.”

Cheese is wonderful! Cheese is glorious! Cheese is my favourite food! Every kinds, every texture, the stinkier  the better!

Here is what I came up with last night, Roasted Squash rigatoni using #TreStelle mascarpone and Grana Padano with pancetta and kale.

The Butternut squash was roasted over coals with garlic and rubbed with olive oil and seasoned with salt and pepper. The warm, soft squash was blended with the garlic, mascarpone, Grana Padano, and cream.

I wilted the kale by adding it to the freshly boiled pasta.

Once tossed with the rigatoni, the pan fried pancetta was mixed in with the luxurious sauce and baked for 20 minutes.

Did I say I love cheese! This mixture with the pasta is sweet, sticky, and so tasty that your kids won’t know they’re eating squash and kale.

Be well and eat well!

Scott

Cheese and squash! Happy, Happy, Happy!

Cheese and squash! Happy, Happy, Happy!

“Forget about the consequences of failure. Failure is only a temporary change in direction to set you straight for your next success.” Denis Waitley

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Great weather, great weekend, and as Phil Robertson says, Happy, Happy, Happy!

Life has a way of just happening. No warnings, you just wake up and stuff is there to deal with. You can plan your best to make sure the bumps and the pitfalls are minimum, but in the long run, stuff happens.

Keeping a positive outlook is hard sometimes, but the flip is a negative one and going down that road is a soul sucking defeatist route that brings you to your knees.  Accomplishing even the smallest goals becomes overwhelming! Stay positive! Stay on your path! Don’t let the naysayers take control of your thoughts. Do what you know is right and stay away from the “realistic people”.

Everyone has heard the comment” I’m just being realistic,” and then someone lists off all their realistic points. Pay attention to their comments and see how many of them are negative. Most realistic people are actually just negative thinkers. Being realistic means looking at both sides positive and negative and dealing with them as elegantly and effectively as you can.

This weekend the food was fun. Having experienced the deliciousness of rotisserie chicken on the gas grill, we decided that to try a cousin of Mr. Chicken and introduced Mr. Duck to the Napoleon. Simply rubbed with ground coriander, salt and pepper and stuffed with lemons. I had duck bones in my freezer, (doesn’t everyone) so Mr. Duck had a Pinot Noir and duck stock reduction to complete him.

Red rice made an introduction too. Prepared in the duck stock instead of water and finished with toasted almonds and grated apple.

Since the trolls had friends over and we needed to stretch the quantity, over the charcoal short ribs in a honey/soya/sesame blend hit the Weber.

Vicky created a wonderful Kale and Grapefruit salad to complete the meal.

Weekend good! Week to come will be good, after all it’s not what your dealt, it how you deal with it.

Be well and eat well!

Scott

Duck,Duck, Pork!

Duck,Duck, Pork!

“Life is partly what we make it, and partly what it is made by the friends we choose.” Tennessee Williams

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Hello again. Hope all had a great weekend. Mine was full thus the absence of posts. Family, friends and stuff prevailed.

Today I had beers with an old friend. Neil was an English teacher in my high school. Though I never had him as a teacher, we became good friends through our appreciation of photography.  Sometimes it’s funny how life pulls people from your past back into the present.  Really, have you ever wondered why things happen? Are they on purpose? Is it to ground you again? Is there a life lesson that is needed? Or is it just coincidence? It’s probably a combination of all but sometimes it leaves you wondering?  Names, times, events all came rushing back and reminded me of where I had come from and left me proud of where I am. Thanks Neil!

Turkey thighs! No I’m not insulting someone; I prepared my favourite cut of the bird on the grill. Thighs (turkey or chicken) have the best taste and moistness of the bird. Dark meat rules! All the emphasis on white and the breast pales in comparison to the flavor that’s imparted from the thighs. So if you were guessing, I admit, I’m a thigh man!

Garlic and Chilli grilled Turkey thighs with Kale chips and roasted beets.  The chips and beets were dressed with a chèvre mayo. Yes I said chèvre mayo with chives.  It was wonderful.  I brought the goat cheese to room temperature and blended the mayo into it with chives, garlic, and salt and pepper ahead of time and let it cool down in the fridge.

The thighs were marinated in chilli powder, garlic, olive oil, and pepper for 4 hours to marry the the flavours. Just before I took them off the BGE I glazed with some honey for a little sweet to the pepper.

Troll rating 8 out of 10.

Be well and eat well.

Scott

Yup! I'm a thigh man!

Yup! I’m a thigh man!