29 - 30/52

 

week 29

 

kai: a week long fun fest with his cousins in parksville, a beautiful area on the east coast of vancouver island.  this pic was taken on rathtrevor beach as the tide was coming in.



 

 

week 30

 

kai: watching the koi fish.  dr. sun yat-sen garden, a traditional chinese garden in the middle of downtown vancouver, even has a calming effect on my otherwise very active boy.

 



zalm salade

stefan has agreed to share one of his favourite childhood 'party' foods.  i remember marion first making this when i visited holland with stefan many years ago.  whenever she visits she whips one up.  yum!

 

btw, as you read this my boys and i will be in parksville enjoying family time with stefan's family.  his parents i'm sure are overjoyed to have everyone - children and grandchildren - under one roof.  and i hope to convince marion to make another zalm salade dish!

 

now, over to stefan...

 

 

zalm salade recipe

 

everyone must have a favorite food memory from parties and other social gatherings at home during their childhood. for me it is 'zalm salade', a hearty dish made from salmon, potatoes, apples and eggs.  it is a classic northern/eastern european dish and each country will have their own version and each chef their own twist.  this particular recipe is from my mother. she has made this one many times over the years.  it is great with crusty bread and sure to be a hit at any party, picnic or other gathering.  there are many ways to improvise on this recipe based on what you have available or feel like but the basic recipe is great just as is.

 

ingredients you will need:

2 cans of your favorite salmon, drained and flaked

3 yukon gold or other firm potatoes, peeled and cubed

3 eggs, hard boiled. 2 chopped, 1 sliced for decoration

2 sweet apples, peeled, cored and diced.

5-8 small sweet pickles, chopped

a couple of large pickles sliced lengthwise (for decoration)

tomato sliced (for decoration)

sweet paprika powder

1 head of boston or butter lettuce

mayonnaise

salt & pepper

 

what to do:

boil the potatoes for 15-20 minutes until very tender.  in a large bowl, combine potatoes, salmon, chopped eggs, and two tablespoons of mayonnaise. mash to a smooth, creamy mixture.  add more mayonnaise to get the consistency you want.  mix in the apples and chopped pickles. season with salt and pepper.

 

cover a serving dish with lettuce leaves.  spoon the salad onto the leaves and shape to your liking, a dome is the classic shape.  cover with a thin layer of mayonnaise and sprinkle with paprika powder.  decorate with sliced egg, sliced tomato and sliced pickle.  refrigerate for a couple of hours before serving with crackers or a fresh sourdough baguette. 

 

stefan

 

note: i will be back in this space next week.  have a lovely time.  fingers crossed the sun keeps shining :)

canadiana gifts

when searching for a gift for my in-laws, i wanted something canadiana that they could take back home with them.  my favourite thing when travelling is finding something perfect to bring back home.  souvenirs allow me to remember my time away and i love littering my home with them.

i considered these lovely gifts and ended up purchasing the cheese board - my in-laws are cheese fiends :)  


pendleton blanket available at ahoy



native art like this red cedar bentwood box available at the lattimer gallery





totem bowls by imm





province shaped cheese board by love my local

hudson bay umbrella

what canadiana products are you coveting?  i wouldn't mind a pendleton blanket of my own :) 

28/52 weeks

 

kai: the only place i could indulge in and share my childhood love of soft serve ice cream with kai was at ikea (the ice cream trucks in toronto serve them but sadly not the ones here in vancouver).  so, kai tolerated the visits we've made to ikea over the years knowing there was a treat at the end.  and then, just recently, we learned that dairy queen serves them too. with a chocolate dip!  both kai and i are super excited with this discovery but perhaps me most :)



cats in style

stefan has littered our home with cat scratchers.  they have certainly worked in curbing jude's desire to ruin our sofas.  however, they are ugly.

so guys, i am on the prowl for cat scratchers with style.  what do you think?  aren't these so much nicer than this fish bone or this cheese wedge that currently reside in my home?  go on, you agree with me, right?





 

 

 

cat scratchers 1, 2, 3, 4.  and this rabbit scratcher is pretty cute.

 





weekend pics, home and away

my boys were on the sunshine coast for a boys get-away this weekend while i stayed behind.  the weather was fantastic and i had a strong desire to join them but then i remembered how i lament that i don't really get to enjoy vancouver during the summer months so i appeased myself with promises of dipping my toes into kits pool.  i've mentioned kits pool before on this blog and i will keep doing so, it really is the perfect summer spot. 

saturday

while my boys called homesite creek home for a night and two days, playing in the woods and the lake, i played with the cats.  it was nice to have company at home :)



it feels like a well spent summer day when your toes can be in water :) 

for my boys, they drove straight to katherine lake to get their water fix.  kai loves that lake - small beach, two jetties to jump from, paddleboards to rent, and fish to try to catch.  kai was in his element. 

while by boys were frolicking at the lake, i went to kits pool just as i promised myself.  i swam some laps, soaked up some sun, and read through the latest kinfolk magazine.  look at that scenery - kits beach, downtown, stanley park and the north shore mountains!  bliss.

 



 

stefan discovered the painted boat marina where they had lunch and enjoyed the gorgeous view.  while they ate, i stopped by beaucoup bakery for a london fog and their melt in your mouth chocolate chip cookie. i did a bit of shopping too and came home with a dress - on sale and only one left, in my size :)



 

 

 

they explored the trails behind their campground and built their fire while i ate an early dinner at rocky road flatbread.  i have been obsessing over their fig and goat cheese salad and could easily eat it daily.  yes, it's that good! 

 

kai spent a couple of hours that evening chopping wood and tending to the fire.  love that pic of him standing by the fire he built, so proud.  he was all smiles telling me about it.





while kai roasted sausages for dinner (all on his own!) and marshmallows for dessert, i was attending the last show of my arts club theatre season.  the musical, red rock diner, was fun and entertaining.  i think i may have been the youngest one in attendance - it's based on red robinson's early years - the 1950s - as a disc jockey in vancouver.  i loved the energy and sheer joy of the woman sitting next to me as she sang and smiled throughout the entire performance :)

 

 

 

sunday

 

while they hiked sunday morning, i was still in bed, cuddling with loki.  then i remembered i picked up raspberries for breakfast (just add them to a bowl of ricotta, yum!). 

 

they spent the afternoon back at katherine lake while i went back to kits pool.  i can't believe that i was once just happy to be near water and not necessarily in it.  well, that changed for me when i trained for my first mini triathlon a few years ago.  swimming is calming and meditative and i would swim daily if time allowed. 

 

i headed to go fish, a shack by the fisherman's wharf that serves the freshest and most delicious albacore tuna sandwich (among other seafood items).

 

 

 

they headed to the ferry to start their journey home while i went to granville island to stock the cupboards and fridge with breakfast and lunch necessities for my boys.  and as luck would have it, the charming french singing busker was there. it's as if he is singing just to you.  swoon!

 
i received the biggest and warmest hug from kai upon their arrival home.  probably the best thing about the whole weekend.  then we ate sushi :) 

it was fun sorting through stefan's photos and putting this they did / she did post together.  thanks so much for stopping by and reading!  hope you had a lovely weekend too.



canada day + anniversaries

i would be remissed if i didn't share a couple of celebrations that occurred last week. on canada day - july first - granville island celebrated 35 years and my in-laws celebrated 49 (49!) years of marriage. 

granville island is vancouver's beloved public space.  we have lived in its neighbourhood since we first moved here over a decade ago and couldn't imagine living someplace else.  we are there weekly if not more sometimes.  it's a pleasure to pick up groceries, find gifts, or just hang out.  love.

harm and marion have one of the sweetest marriages.  for example, they always hold hands; it's my favourite thing.  they do everything together - chores, groceries, travel.  i think this doing things together reminds them both that they work together as a team.  and at the core of their marriage is forever and ever red wine and bread :)  

anyway, after a lavish breakfast at home we walked to granville island to listen to live jazz, gather with friends, and watch the parade.  definitely a lazy summer afternoon in good company.  a good scene, indeed.

 





 

 

 





 

have a lovely weekend.