I know I’ve been pretty half-assed about recipes on here lately. I don’t promise that I’ll always get a recipe typed up (although I did manage it today) — part of what I love doing here on Island Vittles is inspiring others to put something tasty together on the fly.
When you use instinct, you don’t always need a recipe to cook dinner. Sometimes, it’s enough to start with some quality ingredients and an idea of where you’re headed. Continue reading
I know its pink colour lends it more to a Mother’s Day Dessert, but if your Dad loves gin, he’ll love this light, slushy dessert.
I used this recipe, with just few adaptations, of course.
First of all, I used the rhubarb leftover from my last batch of Rhubarb Gin. The gin strips all the colour from the rhubarb, so I added 2 tsp of grenadine to boost up the pink. I also added 1/2 a handful of mint, and substituted 1/2 tsp vanilla extract for the vanilla bean. I added both of those after I had taken the syrup off the heat, and allowed the mint to steep for about 5 minutes, before I strained the mixture.
After the syrup had cooled in the fridge, I added 1 Tble of rhubarb gin to prevent it from freezing solid, then poured it into my ice cream maker. Thirty minutes later, it was all done!
Next time, I’ll reduce the sugar to 2/3 of cup. This was a little too sweet, so I just diluted it with a little more of the rhubarb gin…you know, for balance.
Happy Father’s Day to all the Dads out there!
I had never heard of a garlic scape until I moved to Pender. In fact, I’d never seen a garlic plant still in the ground until I moved here.
But growing garlic is a very popular pastime here on Pender, and those with the biggest bulbs always cut away the curly-cues at the top of their garlic plants at this time of year. Cutting away the green top, and the unopened flower at its end, is the best way to force all of the plants energy into producing the biggest bulb possible. Continue reading
Although I don’t have a paid job on Pender anymore (aside from the odd catering gig), I still manage to do quite a bit of cooking for the masses. One of my favourite volunteer positions is as a member of the fire department’s Kitchen Crew. I cook lunch or dinner for a group of firefighters once every couple of months. Continue reading