The cats are away so this mouse spent a busy afternoon testing recipes. After, I slipped out on to the patio (leaving my kitchen disaster behind me) and treated myself to a simple but sumptuous dinner: a Snow Crab Cake from Michael-Angelo’s grocery store. I like it cold on a bed of mixed greens with herbs, topped with chopped avocado, and squirted with lemon.

A dollop of cocktail sauce adds a classic, tangy bite. Amp up the wow factor even more with a hit of zingy cilantro pesto (Jamie Oliver’s Coriander and Cashew Pesto is brilliant) mixed with crème fraiche (both sold at Michael-Angelo’s) or mixed with creamy labneh (Middle Eastern strained yogurt that you can make yourself or purchase from Adonis).

Michael-Angelo’s Snow Crab Cakes are made in-store. A thin layer of light, crunchy breading embraces a generous mound of delicate, sweet crab flecked with minute pieces of sweet peppers and parsley.

Snow Crab Cakes are available year round in Michael-Angelo’s prepared food counter. The quality has been consistently great. The ladies behind the counter tell me that their Portuguese Cod Cakes are also delicious. Well done ladies!

Have a hankering for some freshly baked, homemade cookies? No problem if you live in Port Credit, thanks to the drive of Bridget Leon, a self-professed foodie and first year University of Guelph Food & Nutrition student. Bridget and her siblings (Madeline, Mary Frances, and Justin) are building up their own business from scratch. Their tools of the trade? Mom’s signature oatmeal chocolate chip cookie recipe, their bicycles, and some creative business savvy.

A simple phone call or e-mail order is all it takes to have a batch of freshly baked oatmeal chocolate chip cookies arrive at your doorstep, delivered with a warm smile and a sense of nostalgia by Bridget or her siblings on their bicycles.

Baked by Bridget using her Mom Marg’s family-favourite recipe, these soft and chewy oatmeal cookies with hits of rich, dark chocolate and hints of coconut are seriously addictive. Marg’s recipe has always been the hit of the ‘hood. Neighbor Cobi Ladner confessed “The cookies are so amazing that I hide them if Marg sends them over to our house. We’ve been eating them at every school event, birthday, and neighbourhood party for years.  Everyone loves them and requests them.”

The presentation is beautiful: packaging is labeled with a charming old-fashioned bicycle sticker and tied with gorgeous Tiffany-blue ribbon. Order by the dozen and choose from one of three attractive packaging options. A handwritten bicycle-stamped card is included with Option 3.

Perfect to celebrate life’s milestones, cheer up life’s rainier days, surprise a special someone, or act as the secret weapon in a promposal. Beautifully packaged, baked-from-scratch goodness can be delivered to your door, when you want, in the Port Credit area seven days a week. Special arrangements and customer orders are possible. Amendments can be made to the ingredients listed on the website. Click here for ordering instructions and contact information.

I adore Georgetown Farmers’ Market. It is a vibrant, bustling farmers’ market that runs right down the middle of scenic Main Street in historic downtown Georgetown, Ontario.

The market offers plenty of fresh, seasonal produce from some of my favourite local farmers, such as Allison’s Farm Market (who are literally located just down the road). I love everything from Allison’s; I am crazy about their corn, which they expect will be ready mid-July.

Andrews’ Scenic Acres, another one of my favourites, brings in their delicious produce from their farm in Halton Hills. The air around this booth was perfumed with the sweet fragrance of these juicy strawberries. Mmm, I could be happy with a baguette, a wedge of St. Andre’s cheese, a basket of cherries, and a shady spot to share at a river’s edge.

There is lots of really good baking, including butter tarts from Andrews’ Scenic Acres and fruit strudel from The Strudel Lady.

Even the Glen Oven Tea Room gets into the spirit and spills out onto the sidewalk with their scones, cookies, and artisanal bread. A friend told me their Whole Wheat Muesli – a breakfast bread with raisins, cranberries, walnuts, and sunflower seeds – is “sooo delicious”. My son loves their Hearty Seed bread so much, he polished off a loaf in one day (we do feed him regularly, I promise).

Georgetown Farmers’ Market is the only market west of Toronto where I can find Toronto-based Saha International Cuisine products (though they are available at a few stores in the region). Made following traditional recipes, Saha’s sauces and marinades are all-natural, additive-free, preservative-free, gluten-free, trans fat-free, and cholesterol free.

Mixed with a bit of yogurt their Shish Taouk marinade yields succulent, flavourful chicken (I use boneless, skinless chicken thighs). Thai Red Curry is a warm, fragrant base for a delicious chicken stir fry; simmer with some coconut milk for a little taste of heaven – Thai style.

Here’s another reason why I love Georgetown Farmers’ Market. There is a great little butcher shop, McMaster’s Meats & Deli, right beside the market on Main Street. Old fashioned butcher, friendly service, great range of fresh meats, deli meats (they cook their own preservative-free beef, turkey, pork, and ham), and gourmet products. Their Stuffed Chicken Breasts are wonderful.

And midway through the market, just a couple of steps down a side street, is the fabulous Mill Street Cheese Market. Read why I love this pretty little fromagerie here. Be sure to stroll in on market day for samples of their wonderful products. Pick up some cheese and bread to go along with those cherries and you’ve got the makings of a great picnic.

Georgetown Farmers’ Market

Every Saturday, from 8:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., June 7th to October 18th, 2014.

Located on Main Street South between Church Street and James Street, in historic downtown Georgetown (Halton Hills). Please note: the East lane is empty because the Fire Department requires a Fire Lane for access to buildings and quick response routes. DO NOT BLOCK the lane for any reason or amount of time. You can be ticketed.

www.downtowngeorgetown.com

Longing to take your taste buds on a culinary adventure? Oakville’s Machu Picchu serves delicious Peruvian and Latin fusion cuisine. Don’t let the industrial strip of Speers Road mislead you – discovering the food at Machu Picchu may be as delightful as discovering the cloud-shrouded, ancient Incan, mountaintop city it is named after. My Peruvian friend, Pilar, recently took us on an expedition there for a fun girls’ night out – and since then, we haven’t stopped talking about how good the food was.

Frothy and tangy Pisco Sours (Peruvian brandy, lime juice, simple syrup, egg white, and bitters) and other Latin cocktails are a great way to start off the evening. Toasted Peruvian corn, “cancha”, is a complimentary crunchy nibble served with drinks.

Peruvian cuisine has an Incan base, fused with Spanish, Basque, African, Japanese, Chinese, and Italian influences. Peru’s signature dish is ceviche. Machu Picchu offers several ceviches on their menu.

Machu Picchu’s Ceviche Mixto is utterly delectable: tender chunks of fresh shrimp, calamari, squid strips, and diced white fish cured in lime juice and Peruvian peppers and marinated in a sparkling dressing that is a delicious balance of tangy, spicy, and slightly sweet flavours with hits of fresh cilantro. Mouth-watering! Served with Peruvian corn (larger kernels), thinly sliced purple onion, luscious chunks of yam, and banana chips.

Photo thanks to Eleonora Roberts.

The aromas of the meat dishes passing by our table were so enticing that we shared Ceviche Mixto as a starter and ordered meat as an entrée. Seco de Carne is a slow-simmered stew with big chunks of fork-tender, full-flavoured beef in traditional Peruvian gravy laced with cilantro and beer. It’s served with nicely seasoned rice and delicious stewed beans.

Photo thanks to Eleonora Roberts

There is so much to choose from on Machu Picchu’s extensive menu. Perhaps the Lomito Saltado (marinated filet mignon sautéed with onions and peppers) that my friend said was really good? Or the beautiful Arroz con Mariscos (Peruvian-style seafood rice dish prepared with a mixture of Peruvian peppers) that Pilar enjoyed?

Photo thanks to Eleonora Roberts

Or Papa a la Huancaína (a traditional appetizer of sliced cold potatoes covered in a spicy cheese sauce)? Chupe de Camarones (shrimp chowder, only available Wednesdays through Sundays)? Or Chifa (Peruvian Chinese food served every Wednesday, starting July 16th)?

Go with an appetite for good food and fun: English and Latin karaoke on Friday nights, starting at 8:00 p.m. Live Latin music starts at 8:00 p.m. on Saturday nights.

There aren’t any Peruvian cookbooks on the shelves at my Indigo, which astonishes me because it is such a flavourful cuisine created by a culture that loves food and cooks from scratch. I have just started to follow a blog on Pinterest, Peru Delights; the recipes look so good. Can’t wait to try the Seco de Carne recipe. The authors (Morena Cuadra and Morena Escardo) have written a cookbook, The Everything Peruvian Cookbook, which is available on-line at Indigo and Amazon but I haven’t seen a hard copy yet. Check out my Grocery/Gourmet Store Directory under Grocery/Gourmet Markets/Ethnic/Latin American for a listing of Latin American markets in our region. Don’t be shy to ask questions; the owners would be more than happy to share their cooking tips. Of course, the best way to learn about Peruvian food is to make a Peruvian friend – they’ll enrich your life and your cooking!

Kick off summer with a Canada Day celebration featuring Olive’s finger lickin’ Kansas City-style Barbeque Chicken. We used to steer away from barbeque sauce and chicken – a combo that left the poor bird burnt on the outside and flavourless on the inside. But over the years I have researched, tested tips, tweaked my method, and ended up with a recipe that we love (scroll to the bottom).  Hope you will too.

Finish off your barbeque with the quintessential Canadian dessert: the all-Canadian butter tart. I overheard some American tourists wondering why we Canadians love these gooey, runny tarts so much (they don’t have them in the US). I suggested they head straight to Kate’s Town Talk Bakery for the answer. Small batch, baked from scratch, using a tried and true recipe passed down from Kate’s Grandma Doris. A tasty crust that doesn’t collapse and spill filling all over you. Filling that isn’t all drippy nor cloyingly sweet, but caramelizes around the edges into chewy, toffee bliss. Now that’s my idea of a great butter tart! Available plain or with raisins or pecans; mini or regular sized.

Olive’s Kansas City-style Barbeque Chicken

Serves 4 (2 small pieces of chicken each – recipe easily doubled)

Part of my method comes from a recipe clipping that I think appeared in one of my favourite cooking magazines, Cuisine At Home, a few years ago (Root Beer Barbeque Chicken). The chicken is fully roasted in the oven first and then dipped in the barbeque sauce to absorb the flavours, and then grilled immediately.

I pour my Kansas City-style Barbeque Sauce recipe over the hot roasted chicken, put it in the fridge for several hours to marinate and chill the meat, then grill it cold out of the fridge, dipping it back into the sauce each time I turn it on the grill, building up a caramelized crust while I warm the meat. Most of the work is done ahead; it just takes a few minutes on the grill. The end result is flavourful meat with a lovely caramelized crust. The perfect barbeque party chicken.

If you want to serve my Kansas City-style Barbeque Chicken with my Kansas City-style Barbeque Ribs, make my Big Batch Kansas City-style Barbeque Sauce and prepare the ribs in the oven the day before. The next morning roast the chicken and chill it in the sauce. Just before serving, take the ribs and chicken out of the fridge and put them straight on the grill for a few moments, as directed.

Ingredients:

4-5 chicken drumsticks (bone-in, skin-on)
4 chicken thighs (bone-in, skin-on)
1 tablespoon olive oil
Coarse salt
Freshly ground black pepper
2 cups Olive’s Big Batch Kansas City-style Barbeque Sauce (see August 2013 post)

Directions:
Two to six hours before grilling:

1. Preheat oven to 375°F. Arrange chicken pieces on a parchment-lined, rimmed baking sheet. Brush oil on chicken to coat evenly. Season well with coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper. Roast chicken at 375°F until juices run clear and skin is golden brown, about 40 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan over low heat, heat the barbeque sauce gently, stirring occasionally.
3. As soon as chicken is cooked, put the hot chicken in a heat-proof casserole dish; immediately pour warm barbeque sauce over hot chicken to coat evenly (use all of the sauce). Cover. Chill in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours but preferably up to 6 hours.

Just before serving:

1. Preheat grill to medium-high. When ready to grill, place chicken in sauce next to grill. Remove each piece with tongs, let excess sauce drip off, and place directly on a clean, well-oiled grill (keep tray of sauce beside grill to dip again). Grill for a few minutes.
2. Remove each piece from grill and dip in sauce again. Return chicken to grill, turn over, and grill for a few minutes. Grill just until sauce has caramelized, skin is slightly charred, and chicken is hot throughout, about 5 to 10 minutes (dip chicken back into sauce each time you turn it on grill). Serve immediately.