Category Food Businesses, Products, & Recipes

I have a favourite little spot I like to wander off to come summertime. I didn’t even know it existed until my friends brought me there one happy afternoon. Glen Williams is a peaceful little hamlet hidden amongst the trees of the meandering Credit River Valley, in the outskirts of Georgetown. The tree-lined street is dotted with just a handful of heritage buildings and homes. It is so quiet you can hear the crickets chirping.

Walk onto the porch of the Glen Oven Café and the regulars give you a nod as if to agree “yep, there is something so serene about this place”. Feel welcome in a modest but charming interior filled with vintage fine china tea cups, little British flags, a few tables, a couple of arm chairs, and a little wood stove.

Order at the counter. Choose from quiche, salad, soup, or sandwiches – all lovingly made from scratch (even the bread) with quality, wholesome ingredients. Everything I have tried has been delicious. My favourite is the Roasted Veggie sandwich: sweet potato, parsnip, red peppers, zucchini, eggplant, and red onion all roasted until tender and slightly caramelized then piled on billowing homemade bread spread with creamy chèvre.

Buy a loaf of bread to take home. This is the home of the Hearty Seed Bread, my son’s favourite flax seed bread; I have to hide it or he will polish off the whole loaf in one day. My friend loves the Whole Wheat Muesli Bread, a breakfast bread with raisins, cranberries, walnuts, and sunflower seeds. Don’t even try to resist the baking displayed in the counter – it is definitely worth giving into. I love the Lemon Squares the most: rich, buttery shortbread crust covered with a luscious layer of tart lemon filling.

Order tea: a pot and a delightful vintage tea cup will arrive at your table with the rest of your order.

Eat inside or better yet, relax in the shade of the big trees on the outdoor porch. Leaves dancing in the gentle breeze on a warm, sunny day – it just feels so summery, so carefree.

Allow enough time to poke in the antique book shop (Reeve & Clarke Antiquarian), marvel at the glassblowing (Glen Williams Glass), and shop for one-of-a-kind art by Canadian artists (Williams Mill Visual Art Centre), or get lost in booth after booth of vintage treasures at the Beaumont Mill Antiques & Collectibles Market. A stroll beside the tranquil Credit River is always good for the soul (Glen Williams Park).

The Glen Oven Café has a second location in historic downtown Georgetown, The Glen Oven Tea Room. It offers lunch and afternoon tea. Catering available.

Looking for easy but fabulous finger food nibbles to serve at your next summer party? Spoil your guests with a real Italian treat: grilled skewers of fresh Ontario Lamb Spieducci from Aurora Meat and Cheese. So succulent, so flavourful; these are the best spieducci I’ve ever eaten.

Season both sides of the lamb skewers with freshly ground black pepper and grill them over low heat for just a minute or two on both sides (they are thin); then sprinkle with crunchy sea salt and serve hot on a platter garnished with baby arugula.

Aurora sells special spieducci grills that prevent the wooden skewers from burning on the ends. We don’t own a spieducci grill but get excellent results grilling our spieducci straight on the barbeque. The ends of our skewers get a little charred but the meat is mouth-watering.

Aurora Meat and Cheese was founded in Mississauga in 1977 by Domenico Vincenzo Cristiano, a fourth generation butcher from Italy.  The family continues to operate the business under the vision, values, and traditions set forth by Domenico in a modern, expanded store. Aurora offers a wide variety of fresh meat, sausage, cheese, deli products, and gourmet specialty food products. Italian hot table and catering available. Modern setting, years of experience, friendly service, and fresh, quality products.

Want to round out the menu, Italian style? My Tomato Bocconcini Basil Skewers are the perfect finger food to serve alongside the spieducci.

Fabulous gourmet tacos from Orillia’s Fox Foods, at Gravenhurst Farmers’ Market. Be sure to arrive at the market before the lunch rush because these popular tacos, stuffed with a medley of mouthwatering flavours and wrapped in freshly made tortillas, sell out fast.

Vintage finds from Currie’s Music & Antiques in Gravenhurst. Don’t miss the back room which is an ultra cool, 1970’s vibe, recording studio filled with vintage finds.

Gourmet goodies from The Farmer’s Daughter in Huntsville, Ontario. Fresh produce, baked goods, fresh salads, gourmet pantry products, frozen goodies, ready-to-eat meals.

When in Huntsville, you must visit Belly Ice Cream’s little hut at the corner of Brunel and Main Street. Delicious, handcrafted, gourmet ice cream in creative and traditional flavours. The Blueberry Lavender ice cream is absolutely exquisite.

Hot breakfast and lunch, vintage treasures, and a few gourmet goodies (including some Farmer’s Daughter products) from Miss Nelle’s Antiques & Café in Baysville, Ontario.

Love, Olive xoxo

Have you been to Snug Harbour lately? Recently renovated, modern lux decor; spacious, open dining room and sweeping, waterside covered patio. Great new menu. Seafood and sailboats on a sparkling summer’s eve: the perfect spot for a celebration meal.

Deep-fried Calamari: golden and crunchy. Served with a gorgeous cayenne, lemon, and garlic-spiked mayonnaise.  Somebody’s fingers just couldn’t wait ‘til after the photo.

Raw Malpeque Oysters on the half shell in their own liquor: fresh, clean, pure. My first time slurping raw oysters – what took me so long? Served with traditional seafood sauce and horseradish.

Tuna Martini: stunningly presented, seared Ahi tuna, crusted in sesame pepper. Delicious dipped in soy-based sauce, hot sauce, and herb oil. Served on a bed of greens with hoisin, wasabi, pickled ginger, and seaweed salad.

Roasted Beet Salad: fresh baby arugula, tender roasted beets, crumbles of soft, creamy chèvre. Spot-on balanced, sweet honey vinaigrette. Enough to share as a starter; or add Blackened Shrimp and call it a meal. Consistently good – my favourite local beet salad!

Brown Butter Lobster Sandwich: East Coast lobster mixed with mayonnaise, red peppers, and celery. Stuffed into two toasted buns. Served with Caesar salad (or market salad or fries). Good and gobbled before I could plead for a bite.

Seafood Bouillabaisse: a steaming pot of fresh fish, shrimp, mussels, and clams poached in a flavourful and spicy roasted tomato fennel broth. Served with bread for mopping up every last drop. My husband had already dug in before I could take the photo. And who could blame him?

Sea Scallops: four East Coast sea scallops, bronzed and lightly crusted on the outside; perfectly cooked, tender sweetness on the inside. Sitting in a pool of sublime Meyer lemon lobster butter sauce: nutty richness balanced by the sweet tanginess of Meyer lemon. Served with nicely seasoned rice and flavourful julienned vegetables.

Snug Harbour doesn’t take reservations on the weekends. We arrived early (at about 5:30 p.m.) on a sunny Friday, asked for a table inside, and got one right away (outside was a different story). Though the place was bustling, the service was fast, friendly, and efficient.

I thought I’d share a little inspiration with you – some photos of edible flower ideas that I have collected and pinned to my Olive Edible Flowers board on Pinterest. I haven’t tried the recipes yet but the photos give me an idea of how I can use edible flowers in my own cooking.

They inspired me to add flowers from my garden to a simple tomato mozzarella salad I saw on a Barefoot Contessa episode, prepared by a California chef. I think the yellow pansies look so pretty against the orange and red wedges of heirloom tomatoes. I love the casualness of the torn pieces of fresh mozzarella tucked in between the tomatoes. I didn’t have time to make the basil-infused olive oil they used on the show, so I drizzled the salad with my best extra-virgin olive oil and added whole basil leaves for drama and ease. I thought a jolt of black and a touch of saltiness would be nice, so I scattered on a few sundried black olives (you can find them at Adonis or Longo’s – check my grocery store directory for locations). Don’t forget to season with salt and pepper.

Here is a taste of some of the many pins I have collected on my board. Click on the photo/link and you will be directed to the original site for recipes or instructions. If you try any of them please let me know how they worked out for you.

Spring Bouquet Popsicles by Marla Meridith www.familyfreshcooking.com

I am definitely going to try the recipe for these darling Spring Bouquet Popsicles filled with pretty blossoms and flavoured with orange blossom water (I have the fondest memories of orange blossom water en Provence). What a sweet idea for a birthday party. I just love the messages that are handwritten on the popsicle sticks (click the link to see the full post and recipe). The recipe would make lovely ice cubes too. Thanks to Marla Meridith for permission to share her gorgeous photo and recipe from www.familyfreshcooking.com.

Zucchini Blossom Mini Quiches from www.emmadime.com

How about these adorable Zucchini Blossom Mini Quiches from www.emmadime.com?  Wouldn’t these be perfect for a baby shower? Thanks to Emma Dime for permission to share her stunning photo and recipe.

Zucchini Flowers from Hutchinson Farm

Look at these beautiful zucchini blossoms from Hutchinson Farm in Burlington (thanks for permission to share your photo, David). Find out why they are picked to order at dawn (call a day ahead), plus helpful tips here. Hutchinson Farm suggests using them in cheese quesadillas. I saw a great recipe for Squash Blossom Quesadillas on one of my favourite cooking shows, Pati’s Mexican Table, and have pinned the recipe to my Olive Edible Flowers Pinterest board, along with stuffed zucchini blossom recipes. Zucchini and pumpkin blossoms will be ready at Hutchinson Farm in Burlington near the end of July. In May, Hutchinson Farm also sells nasturtiums which David says are “an awesome edible flower”.  Contact Hutchinson Farm for more information.

Last summer, I found zucchini blossoms at Mississauga Central Farmers` Market. And Longo`s carries zucchini blossoms when in season (soon) and can get edible flowers in pretty much all year round. If you don’t see them in the produce section, speak to the Produce Manager; he may be able to order them in for you.

Your own garden can be a great source for edible flowers; just be sure they are organic and verify they are edible by checking with a reliable source before serving them.

To visit my other Pinterest boards and see all the inspirational photos and recipes I have collected, click here.