My Favorite Summertime Dinner

Autumn Equinox marks the first day of Fall which happens to fall on September 22nd this year.  Supposedly, this is when day and night are of equal length worldwide.  So there is only one more day of summer this year until it is officially over. 

What a better way to finish the season with one of my favorite summertime dinners.  My summer dinners usually consist of something lighter, like salads, fresh fruit and vegetables, accompanied by some type of protein cooked on the barbeque.  So after running errands all day, we stopped by one of our favorite oyster bars for something light and refreshing.

Sauce for the oysters - mignonette sauce, cocktail sauce, vodka with hot peppers and horseradish, and Tabasco

Denman Island oysters (BC), Kaipara oysters (New Zealand), and Qualicum Bay scallops

Round #2

Steaming Salt Spring Island mussels!

These were huge and so plump and juicy!

I've had oysters and mussels in so many different places around the world, but I have to say for me, the sweetest and tastiest oysters are from BC.  

With summer almost over, I am looking forward to turning on my oven again and making comfort food that comes with colder weather!

Harvest Time

I love this time of year. Not because it’s Christmas or my birthday but because now is one of the best times to eat tasty, delicious meals if you are cooking with local and seasonal fruit and veggies!  So many things are at their peak right now so you can see an abundance of fresh tomatoes, corn, peppers, leafy greens, green beans, peaches, apricots, plums, and so much more, at the local farmers market and in your grocery store now.  The beautiful and vibrant colors that these fruit and veggies give off, along with their slightly imperfect look and shape, and ‘bursting-with-flavor taste’ is a reminder that these items aren’t imported from overseas or altered in some unnatural way but are grown locally and often organically.

Just over the past weekend at the farmer’s market, I was surrounded by all of this:

 

So I am trying to savor the taste of summer by putting in a little effort right now to preserve my favorite items so I can enjoy them all year long.  

Organic white Okanagan peaches

After removing the skin, slice them and lay them flat to freeze

After being in the freezer for 1-2 hours, they don't stick and are ready to be packaged

Fresh frozen peaches to enjoy all winter!