Back to School Special
Strawberry Rhubarb Pie, Succession and Pu Pu Platters
YES!!! I know, I know - it’s been months and months since the last edition. Summer was busy, busy, busy…BUT! Extra extra read-all-about-it: doggy bag is BACK! Hot off the presses with my back to school/end of summer special!
This recap episode is just a few little home recipes and food moments from the late spring and summer that I wanted to pack up into everyone’s September lunchbox! <3 Your first day of school note from Hannah reads: shine bright babe, and enjoy your lunch!
Late Spring, Early Summer
In May, I went to the seniors bake sale at Trout Lake Community Centre. One superstar woman had spent the day before baking over 40 pies for the sale with her daughter and granddaughter. Each pie was packaged in its own Ziplock, the flavour type written on the bag with Sharpie. It being early summer, ofc I opted for the strawberry rhubarb. But the biggest score at the bake sale was her recipe, which I HAD to ask for. To make that many pies?! This girl simply had to know! The woman told me that she swears by the recipe on the Tenderflake box, adding in an extra tablespoon or so of butter with the shortening. While it’s not my favourite crust (I prefer all butter or even 50/50), I loved her easy peasy filling mantra:
Bake Sale Superstar’s Pie Filling:
3 cups any fruit, chopped
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup AP flour
Mix all together, and add to pie crust.
I made strawberry rhubarb pie with this filling ratio many times during the summer. It’s tangy and tasty, and I thought extra delightful with this crumble recipe on top:
Crumble:
1/2 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup AP flour
5 tablespoons melted butter
Combine flour and brown sugar. Pour in butter and mix together with a spatula. Sprinkle over pie filling.
Ok, item 2 on the late spring, early summer agenda. My Succession finale party!
Not to be passé, but I obviously hosted a Succession finale viewing party in May and my theme was corporate lunch! Sort of a tongue in cheek theme to @myself. I worked at a catering company in Vancouver until July, and I made a LOT of corporate lunches. Fruit salad, fruit skewers, sandwiches, cookies, salads….lots of boring, out of season crap. LOL. This was my sort of dream delectable corporate lunch menu, slightly Mad Men slightly Succession, very Hannah Murray ;)
Menu
Drinks: A pitcher of gin martinis!!! With olives or lemon twists for garnish, depending on how ya do it.
Appetizers: Firstly, I put out a few provisions: goat cheese from Salt Spring Island Cheese and crackers I made from a stale country loaf from Francis Bread (Nathan and I went to the island in May), plus some spicy Sicilian olives. Next, I made my favourite sour cream onion dip recipe from Mark Bittman, served with chips, fresh radishes, and turnips. Finally, devilled eggs with smoked paprika and my secret filling ingredient: pickle juice - all topped with a gherkin slice!
Main: Homemade focaccia, spread with La Bomba, mayo, and dijon, piled high with capicola, soppressata, prosciutto and provolone, sprinkled with giardiniera and peperoncini.
Dessert: Strawberry rhubarb crumble pie!! The woman knows what she likes!
Peak Summer
A non-recipe salad recipe:
When it’s stone fruit season, I’m sneaking sweet slices of fruit into whatever the hell I’m eating. A salad with plums, cherries or peaches is one of my fav ways to take advantage of the season. In July, I had some Okanagan cherries that I used in a a WOW status fridge cleaner salad. Any stone fruit could substitute cherries (now that it’s September - I’m looking at YOU peaches). The key, however, was using the end of a jar of oil packed sun-dried tomatoes to make the dressing. An almost-finished jar of oil packed olives or on of dijon (instead of the dijon tablespoon, plus a 1/4 cup of olive oil) would also be good and punchy!
Cherry and Feta Salad
To the oil at the end of a sun-dried tomato jar, add a tablespoon of grainy dijon, a few dashes of balsamic vinegar, and salt and pepper. Put the lid back on the jar and shake shake shake to emulsify the dressing.
Using whatever greens you had (I had arugula), place them into a salad bowl. Add pitted cherries (or whatever stone fruit you have), feta cheese (try blue cheese, ricotta, queso fresco…whatever soft/crumbly cheese is on hand), kalamata olives, chopped herbs (mint is killer in this, but basil, parsley or tarragon would be yummy!), and toasted walnuts (any nut could work). Season with salt and pepper, and dried oregano.
Dress salad and serve!
Popcorn
A few RHONY food-related quotes for a little weekly inspo:
“I’m still the straw that stirs the drink.” - Sonja Morgan
“Martinis are like breasts - two are good, three are too many.” - Dorinda Medley
“Whenever you can, get a tower, a pu pu platter, or anything with abundance.” - Dorinda Medley
Sexy Little Snack
Life announcement: I JUST moved to Toronto, and have officially switched from Okanagan peaches to Ontario ones! I ate one for the first time on Centre Island and it was perfect - the best Ontario welcome.
Love to all & here’s to fall :) XOXO!!