Spring BBQ

If you've ever been to Halifax, you know that the weather can best be described as...spastic. It can start off cold in the morning, be boiling in the afternoon, and freezing by night time. Similarly (as is currently happening), there can be a snow day, followed by a couple blistering hot days, followed by more cold and snow. It seems that every spring we are teased with a little hope of summer, only to have our dreams dashed away when the cold wind comes whipping back. Even knowing that it won't last, these small blotches of warmness after a cold and wet winter will always be celebrated with cute summer dresses, shorts, and most importantly beers and BBQ on a friends balcony.

I love BBQ's because they require very little patience and table manners. You bring you food, find a spot on the grill, and when it's ready you take it off and eat it. No waiting for everything to be done and everyone to have food before you can start digging in, no fear of being out of food when others still have tasty treats in front of them. The BBQ is about sharing, sharing food, and chocolate and beer so no one is ever empty handed. The BBQ meal is a delicious art that allows for hours of continuous eating and fun. This is my kind of meal.

Very fittingly, on the first day of spring (and my birthday!) we had a couple of these lovely summer days amidst a cold and rainy winter. So following tradition I trekked over to my friends place with a bag full of salmon, eggplant, shitake mushrooms, pineapple and fudge to kick off the season.

My first project was the eggplant. I've never made grilled eggplant myself but I do know it is delicious, so I chopped it up and put it on the grill. Others had made sausage that I munched on while I waited for more room to clear for the same. It was that cheese filled salmon that is usually only good over the campfire or for a hungover morning, but it was perfect for the occasion and  filled my grease quadrant for the night. A bit of space freed on the grill so I through on the salmon and mushrooms. I nudged the eggplant right on top of the big fire in hopes it would cook faster- the munchies were beginning to set it.

The eggplant looked a little dry on the outside, and it was very hard to bite into. The inside was nice and juicy but not very flavourful. My grilled eggplant was definitely a fail.  Pro tip: next time wrap in foil and throw some sauce in.

Next were the mushrooms, which I made a last minute decision to stuff with blue cheese. These certainly made up for the dryness of the eggplant, they were squishy and juicy and filled with cheesy mushroomy goodness. The juices leaked all over my shirt, but that's what barbecues are all about!

I got one of those pre-spiced salmon fillets, and it didn't grill the greatest. I remember it not cooking in the oven that nicely either, it does flake up the nice way that normal salmon does and it makes me wonder what they actually put on it... I still finished it though, fish is fish and I am a fish girl through and through.

It started to get dark so I brought out the fudge and pineapple. Everyone was extremely full but the fudge made it around the circle twice. So sweet yet so addictive nobody could say no. The pineapple came off the grill tasting meaty, another pro tip: clean the grill before putting on fruit. But we devoured it nonetheless, for people had started to get a little buzzed, and it was still nice and warm out even though it was now dark. The stars were out and we tried to name constellations. I can name about zero. We talked about movies we were excited to see, books we had just read, next semesters, and new degrees. It was a lazy summer night in the middle of spring. And then I got a text, asking me to go back to the office to sign a few things, and the dream was over, I had to head back to reality.

Friday morning was cold and dreary but that nice summer night was enough to get me through to July...hopefully.

Eggs on Tostadas

In honour of St. Paddy's Day I would like to introduce a segment of the blog called "inebriation food". We all know a glass of red wine every now and then can stop heart disease along with other endless health benefits, but sometimes it leaves one a little hungry later on that evening or early the next morning. Halifax is a very student friendly city (5 universities) and the options for late night foods and weekend brunches are vast and varied. I've nailed down a few of the best spots, but there are still many more to discover that I will share with you here!

Today me and my roommates headed to the coastal for brunch. It is a small joint in the North End that I had never heard of, but I had been told it was the best 'hipster breakfast place in town', so I was willing to give it a try. They also listed some gluten free options so things were really looking up. There's only about 5 or 6 tables in the place, so three of us had to squeeze around one tiny table, and the menus were just plain pieces of paper in plastic bags. So far it had all the signs of either a hipster haven or a disappointment. The menu is ever changing, but I went for their staple item: Heuvos Rancheros. Fried eggs and cheesy Tostadas. I had just eaten my first Tostada at the Farmers Market a few weeks ago and it was messy and delightful so I was anxiously awaiting round two.

First came the orange juice, straight from the Tropicana carton and pulp free, my first disappointment. My thirst made me chug it down anyways, but I jealously glanced at the fresh smoothie and chai latte my roommates had gotten that looked much tastier.

Our food arrived in less than ten minutes- which was imperative for our hungover greediness, and the wafts of spicy and greasy food we kept getting  were not helping the situation.

Meanwhile...just as our food arrived about 10 or 15 new customers were piling in the door with no empty tables and only 2 staff working out front. They somehow managed to turn over a few tables and get out a bunch of take out orders by the time we were done eating...very impressive.

Back at the table...my plate was a saucy, gooey mess with runny eggs on cheesy Tostadas topped with salsa, guacamole and black bean paste. Being a half finger food and half not finger food kind of dish the tight space made eating, and trying not to drop my cutlery or get sauce all over me quite the challenge, but I was ready to face anything this morning after St. Paddys! The combination of the eggs and salsa had just the right amount of spice and oily goodness and the Tostadas soaked in all of the sauces and egg and cheese juices still maintained some crunch, though they served less as a flavourful shell, and more as a vessel to get more guacamole to my mouth.

Now that the desperate hunger was gone we noticed some of the neat pictures, and 50's style memorabilia around the room, but we didn't stick around for too long, a new rush of customers was coming in and they had to get the tables turned over.

Info:
The Coastal can be found at 2731 Robie Street and is open  Mon-Sat 8-3 and Sunday 10-3

Gluten Free: Some options (my choice included) Dairy Free: Unlikely on the original menu but they try to accommodate food allergies as best they can.

The Eternal Search for a Perfect Meal

Like opening a book for the first time and getting a whiff of new book smell, the first post on a brand new blog is also a special thing. The glow of the screen, the short scroll bar on the side, I could just scroll up and down for hours! So with this weight of importance, how do I begin? How do I introduce readers to a blog that will be life changing, heart wrenching, edge of your seat entertaining? Do they know what it's about? Have they already read the sidebar?

After staring at the screen blankly trying to bring out my inner writer, I have begun my blog by circumventing my topic: food. Why haven't I begun talking about food yet? For one, I haven't had any life changing food experiences this past week, so it felt like a very fraudulent time to start writing. But then I remembered what had happened when I ordered my lunch today, it is something that happens almost every day when I get lunch so I barely even noticed. I eat lunch at the same place almost every day- I know everything that is on the menu, and yet every time I stand for 5 or 10 minutes, staring at it, trying to decide what I want to eat. When it comes to choosing food, I am as indecisive as they come. I'm the kind of person who makes the waiter take my order last so I can have a few more moments to deliberate, I open every cupboard, open and close the fridge for hours before I decide what I want to make for dinner. I have an innate fear of choosing the wrong food.

At first this seemed a little crazy, how much of my life has been wasted deliberating between 'soup or salad'? But then I remembered the times when I made the wrong choice. I can only describe those times as nightmarish and catastrophic. It's as if my body is trying to say' THIS IS NOT WHAT I WANTED, and in return you will feel hungry, unsatisfied and bloated all day'. But when you find that really perfect meal that just 'hits the spot' nothing else seems to matter anymore, and the fact that you are going to have to go back to work in a few minutes is just a far off dream as you revel in the gloriousness of good food.

so that is my mission with this blog, to search for that perfect meal every day in all corners of the world, and take you along for the ride. Thanks for reading!