See that big dollop of SCD Whip Cream on top of this pie?  There is a reason for such extravagance.  I made this delicious Peach and Blueberry Crumble Pie as a deep dish pie.  There should have been more fruit added.  So my rationale was to add extra whipping cream.  Mercy...it was yummy- however, most definitely a once in a while treat!
I love to combine fresh peaches with blueberries...plain Blueberry Pie has never been one of my favorites.  However, with fresh Peaches as the main component - it is a marriage made in heaven.  Add a gluten free crumble on top - to die for!
1 Gluten Free Pie Crust for a deep dish pie plate - I use Bette Hagman's Dream Pastry Recipe
6 - 8 large fresh Peaches
1 Tblsp. fresh Lemon juice
1/2 cup of Organic Cane Sugar
3 Tblsp. Corn Starch
2 handfuls of Blueberries
Crumble:
1/2 cup Almond Meal
2 Tblsp. Quinoa Flakes
1/2 tsp. dried Ginger and Cinnamon
1/2 cup of crushed Gluten Free Corn Flakes
3 Tblsp. Coconut Palm Sugar
4 Tblsp. Butter
Line a deep dish pie pan with your Gluten Free Pastry, poke holes in the bottom of the pie with a fork and set aside.
I peeled the peaches with a soft peeler, then slice adding to a bowl and pour in the lemon juice tossing to coat.  In a smaller bowl, whisk together the cornstarch and sugar.  Sprinkle this throughout the peaches tossing to coat, then add to the pie crust.  Add in a few handfuls of blueberries.
Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 450 degrees.
To a small bowl, add all of the crumble ingredients, mixing well, then sprinkle over the pie.  Bake the pie at 450 degrees for 10 minutes, then turn the oven down to 350 degrees and continue to bake for another 35-40 minutes.
Allow to cool, but can be served slightly warm with lots of SCD Whip Cream.  Yummy deliciousness!

This past week has been very busy for me at work.  Usually I will pack a lunch with me, which I did this particular day.  I ended up working an extra 3 hours this day which I had not anticipated, so I stopped by a deli to buy a vegetable salad.  Dang....it was awful.  Big chunks of raw broccoli, cauliflower, and red pepper.  I thought I can do better than this, and so -  here it is.
One thing I did was to very lightly blanch the broccoli, carrots, green and yellow beans.  They were still vibrant, with good crunch...but now they were no longer rock hard, and as a result absorbed the dressing much more nicely.  So much better in my humble opinion.  All of these vegetables came from our local Organic Farmer's market....super fresh and organic will always make a huge difference to any recipe.
3 1/2 cups of vegetables - I used broccoli, carrots, green and yellow beans - sliced
2 diced celery stalks
1/4 cup diced red onion
1 large garlic clove finely minced
18 English Shelling Peas
2 big Tblsp. finely minced fresh Basil
Dressing:
4 1/2 Tblsp. Rice Wine Vinegar
1 Tblsp. White Vinegar
3 Tblsp. Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 Tblsp. Dried Greek Oregano
Salt and Pepper to taste
Here is a picture of the sliced vegetables for a light blanching:
Bring a pot of salted water to a boil.  First add in the broccoli stems and carrots - blanch 1 minute.  Then add in the broccoli florets and blanch 1 minute.  Then add in the yellow and green beans and blanch 1 more minute.  Drain, and add the vegetables to an ice bath.  Allow to sit for five minutes.  They will still be nice and vibrant, and have some good crunch.  Then allow to drain until dry.
Meanwhile, chop up the red onion, celery, minced fresh Basil and minced garlic adding to a bowl.  In another bowl whisk together the Rice Wine Vinegar, Extra Virgin Olive Oil, white Vinegar, Greek Oregano, salt and pepper.
Add the blanched vegetables to the bowl, with the shelled English peas.  Pour over the dressing, tossing to coat well.  Refrigerate at least 2 hours so all of the flavors can come together.  I tossed the salad a few times throughout the marinating time.  A great salad to accompany any summer time meal.

This was one plate of supreme summer freshness!  This is a recipe I will patiently wait for all winter long...then when the peak of summer arrives...we will dive in.  This is also a recipe our son Jarrod and his wife Anook would love - a raw pasta sauce and Vegetarian too.
In the meantime...today was the first Weekend where I have finally been able to get to the Sooke's Farmer's Market.  Wooo Hooo....check out this abundance - such great color don't you think?
I have really missed going to the Farmer's Market.  DH has kindly been going for me when I have had to work.  Let me tell you, he was not exaggerating when he talked about the aggressive older folks!  Mercy, I was shocked!  I was standing in line, people behind me, and once the bell rings one can then go purchase the fresh produce.  As I was collecting this beautiful organic produce, three Elder people...yes they were actually Elder people, budged right in front of me, elbows out sideways to go pay for the fresh produce.  It is so true, do not get in their way - they will steam roller you.  And yes they do have very pointy elbows!  Despite that, I can't wait for next Saturday...with summer coming to a close we want to pack in as much fresh deliciousness as we can.
On another note:  I also found a great second hand blender - for $15.00!  Brand new I believe they sell for around $69.99 Canadian.  As you may know, I am also a huge fan of any Cuisinart kitchen appliances.  Now my kitchen is completely complete with all Cuisinart appliances.  (no paid advertisement here - just lots of love)
This blender has 500 watts, holds up to 5 cups and has 7 different features, from chopping, stirring, pureeing etc. to crushing ice.  Not bad for $15.00 bucks.
Then recently I found an awesome blog called Donna Schwenk's Cultured Food Life.  With our family new to Fermented Foods - this is a great blog for information, and recipes.  Donna also has a most inspiring life changing story on how she and her newborn regained their health through Cultured Foods, you can check out this story here...a blog so worth looking into.
Now for some ITALIAN:  Donna based her recipe for Checca Sauce on a recipe from Giada De Laurentis.  I then made a few extra changes, but for Donna's recipe you can check here.
1 Pkg. Tinkyada Gluten Free Brown Rice Spaghetti
Checca Sauce:
3 garlic cloves roughly chopped
1 very large green onion - or 2-3 small ones, chopped
a handful of Fresh Italian Flat Leaf Parsley
1/2 cup of roughly chopped fresh Basil
4 Tblsp. Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil
3 cups of mixed cherry tomatoes - cut in half
2/3 cup Parmesan Cheese
1/4 tsp. dried ground Fennel
1/2 tsp. dried Italian Seasoning
1/2 tsp. dried Greek Oregano
salt and pepper to taste
grated Asiago Cheese
CHECCA SAUCE:
Slice the mixed cherry tomatoes in half...is this not a most beautiful site to behold?  I may just swoon....mercy! Do people now a day's actually swoon... LOL,???
Roughly chop the green onions, garlic, parsley and basil.
Then add all of the ingredients to your blender or food processor, except the Asiago Cheese.  Pulse on Chop until all of the ingredients are fine.  Add in the finely grated Parmesan cheese and mix well.  Refrigerate for 1/2 to 1 hour so all of the flavors can come together.  Then remove from the refrigerator 1/2  an hour before adding to the pasta.
Bring a large Pasta Pot filled with water and lots of Sea Salt to a boil.  Add in the gluten free pasta, stirring, then turn down the heat to medium high, continuing to boil.  Stir fairly frequently, for about 14 minutes or until eldente.
Drain the pasta and transfer to a large bowl.  Add in the Checca Sauce stirring to combine.
Serve with grated Asiago cheese and steamed vegetables.  Enjoy - we sure did, so a big thank you Donna!

Wow, were these ribs super tender - falling off the bone, melt in your mouth deliciousness!  Originally we were going to do them on the BBQ, but with not a lot of BBQ experience behind us, using a slow cooker was the way to go.
I made a dry rub and let the ribs sit in the refrigerator for 3 hours.  Also, using homemade BBQ sauce made these tasty ribs all the better.  This BBQ sauce is so easy to make, takes no cooking time, and is super flavorful!  This meal was one easy, delicious, no fuss meal to make.
Dry Rub:
1 tsp. Garlic Powder
1 tsp. Smoked Paprika
1 tsp. Corriander
1/2 tsp. Cumin
Mix up the dry rub in a small bowl and set aside.
Salt and Pepper
2 racks of pork ribs
2/3 cup BBQ Sauce - or your favorite BBQ Sauce
1/2 an onion, sliced
Sprinkle the dry rub over the ribs, and rub in the spice all over.  Refrigerate for at least 3 hours.
Then season each side with salt and pepper.  Slice the ribs 2-3 ribs each slice.
Add the ribs to your slow cooker, then scatter the onions throughout.
Pour the BBQ sauce over each of the ribs.
Turn onto low and cook 6-7 hrs.
Once cooked, transfer the ribs to a platter.
Add extra BBQ sauce over each section of ribs.  Serve hot - and dive in!
Warning:  they are going to melt in your mouth with deliciousness.

After all these years of having fresh herbs in the garden, I finally decided to dry fresh lemon balm and mint.  I can not believe with a garden full of these lovely herbs I have not done this sooner!
Lemon Balm is said to have many healing qualities - you can read about lemon balm here.
I cut some stalks of lemon balm, and stalks of mint - mine is not true mint - it tastes like peppermint and spearmint - but either would work well here.
This not a good picture because of the lighting, but what I did do was to attach an elastic band around the bottom edges of the stalks of herbs.  Then I hung them by string upside down on a curtain rod in the kitchen.  My kitchen always has a window or two open so there is always a breeze.  It is important to have good air flow when drying these herbs.

I did loose track of time.  This is a guess here but I think they hung for at least 2 weeks.  I did two other batches, and between warm weather, some wind through the windows, they were dry in one weeks time.
Then I picked off each leaf, making sure not to include the tough stems.  Then chop until you have a small consistency - wow does it ever smell luscious :
Method:
2 cups dried lemon balm, chopped fine
1 1/2 cups dried mint - spearmint or peppermint
boiling water
fresh lemon
Process:
Cut your dried herbs - you want them fairly small - similar to tea  leaves.  Add to a bowl and combine the two herbs.
Mix up until well combined and transfer to a mason jar, to store in a dark cupboard.
To make the tea, add 3 Tblsp. of dried tea mixture to 1 1/2 cups of boiling water.  Allow to steep for 5-10 minutes.  Squeeze in the juice of a fresh lemon wedge and a tad bit of honey, stirring to combine.  Refreshing homemade tea at it's best!

Mercy...I am ruined...I will never want fresh store bought wild salmon ever again.  I must give a huge shout out, a huge THANK YOU to our neighbours.  They brought over this lovely salmon that was caught, fresh out of the ocean yesterday...
We had one fillet for dinner which was perfect for the two of us, and then I froze the other for another day.  This was so delicious there are no words to describe this beautiful fish.  It is the fish I remember eating as a child, when my brothers came home from a days fishing.  This is the fish I remember buying off the docks from our Native Aboriginal Peoples.  This is what true Salmon looks like, and if you could have one bite, you would know that this is what true Salmon should taste like.  Wish you all were here to enjoy a plate of pureness.
When I try to compare this fresh fish to what I buy in the stores - there is no comparison.  I used to think I did not like Sockeye Salmon.  I used to think it was too fishy tasting.  Well let me tell you - when it is this fresh - it is light, flavorful, and delectable.  Fresh fish should never taste "fishy".  If it does, it is not fresh - period!
Thank you neighbor...you not only gave me a plate of supreme deliciousness, but you also gave me a piece of heaven from my childhood.  🙂
Now for another wonderful Summer Side Dish:  Sauted Thyme Basil Summer Vegetables:
I will show you this meal from the start - Salmon, and then this lovely summer fresh side dish of fresh vegetables from our local Sooke Farmer's Market.
FOR THE SALMON:
Normally with such fresh fish I would never do anything to it except to add salt, pepper, fresh lemons, and a few knobs of butter wrapped tightly in foil and cooked over a BBQ on high heat.  It is so delicious, you do not need any other flavors.  Tonight, I sliced up some of my Compound Butter only because I have leftovers, then I sliced some fresh lemons on top, wrapped in foil and cooked on the BBQ.
Here is this beautiful salmon baked:
Unbelievable deliciousness is the only way I can describe this Fresh Salmon.
Now onto the Sauted Thyme Basil Summer Vegetable Side Dish:
3 Tblsp. Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 Tblsp. butter
2-3 sliced fresh garlic cloves
12 yellow/red cherry tomatoes
6-8 slices of zucchini about 1/8th of an inch
a good handful of blanched fresh green beans (I blanched the beans for 1 minute on a full boil)
3 green onions, sliced on the diagonal
2 rounded Tblsp. fresh minced Basil
3/4 tsp. fresh minced Thyme
salt and pepper to taste
juice of half a fresh lemon
Heat up a frying pan on medium heat with the EVOO and butter.  Add the garlic to the pan and saute.  Saute until golden - watch carefully or it will burn.
Transfer to a plate and set aside.  To the pan add in the zucchini - saute until each side is golden, about 2 minutes per side.
Then remove the zucchini adding to the plate of garlic.  To the pan add in the blanched green beans, green onions, Thyme, Basil, and fresh lemon juice.  Saute a minute or two.  Then add in the sliced cherry tomatoes, check for seasonings - salt and pepper.
Return the zucchini and garlic to the pan sauteing  2-3 more minutes to heat the tomatoes through, then serve on a platter.  Serve along side any main dish...fresh deliciousness awaits!

We have recently had our annual Weekend Getaway to Salt Spring Island - a little bit of paradise.  We once again stayed at The Cottage Resort, and with the warm weather finally here, we got to swim in that gorgeous lake - it was fabulous!  One of these summers I so want a full week stay at this lovely resort - three days is just not enough!
Last year I did a similar post, and discovered I had to do some innovative cooking with a two burner cook top and no oven.  Did I remember this?  I totally forgot.
Did I remember to bring my sharp Wusthof Knives and pepper mill with a Gourmet blend of peppers?  No I did not.  Dang.  This is our third year staying at the Cottage Resort - you would think I would remember.
Despite that, we had some amazing food cooked on this little cook top.  Usually we will go out for dinner at least on one night.  However, we found a grocery store that sells:  Hormone Antibiotic Free beef, pork, chicken and even cut up turkey legs and breasts!  The turkey sizes were too large for the two of us - wish we could have brought some home for the freezer.  With such a great selection of wonderful meat and all the fresh vegetables we were able to get at the Farmer's market - we ate like kings!
I have a new recipe to share - it will be at the end of this post.  The first night we had Triple AAA steaks, with steamed vegetables - to die for.
Then on the second night, I decided to make a simple Teriyaki Ginger Marinade for the chicken breasts and more lovely steamed vegetables.  I'd like to share with you dear readers, the process of these vegetables - so so good.But first - check this out:
We found some beautiful Sweet Red Peppers at a local Farmer's Market on Salt Spring.  Normally I shy away from peppers - I love them, but my body does not.  The farmer gave us a slice to taste - mercy - the sweetest tasting pepper I have ever had in my life!  And no adverse reaction.  We did bring home some of these lovely organic sweet peppers - what a difference from regular store bought sweet peppers.
First marinate the chicken in a Teriyaki Ginger marinade for a good 7-8 hours. Remove from the refrigerator 30 minutes before cooking.  I fried the chicken in a little olive oil, just to brown nicely on each side.  While that was happening, I had some new potatoes on the simmer, and once they were almost cooked, I added in the fresh carrots, patti pan squash, green and yellow beans to cook until eldente.  Then I removed the carrots, squash and beans from the pot, and set aside in cold water.
Then after the chicken was browned nicely, I added a lid.  Well, you make do with what you have - it worked well.
After 35 minutes total cooking time for the chicken, I removed the chicken to a platter.  To the frying pan on medium heat, add in sliced red peppers, and a few slices of garlic sauteing for about 3 minutes.
Then add in the drained carrots squash and beans sauteing to heat through.
Season with salt and pepper and serve along side the steamed potatoes and chicken.  The sauted vegetables picked up the flavor of the chicken - so so good.  I love all that color - super healthy deliciousness.

Now the third night - another yummy dinner and a recipe.
This dish is Seared Pork Chops in a Garlic Mustard Red Pepper sauce reduction.  Oh my word was it tasty!  Often times when looking for a grainy mustard, I find it it too grainy or the grains are too big.  Then I found this which was absolutely perfect:
What a beautiful tasting seed style mustard - not too strong, not too grainy and not too big seeds - just right.  I know, I sound like Goldilocks from the Three Bears....but it is so so true.
SEARED PORK CHOPS IN A GARLIC RED PEPPER MUSTARD SAUCE:
2 pork chops
6-8 slices of fresh organic red pepper
3 fresh garden grown garlic cloves, sliced
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Salt and Pepper to taste
1/2 - 2/3 cup steamed vegetable water - from the potatoes, fresh beans, carrots and patti pan squash
1 heaping Tblsp. Light Seed Mustard
First I steamed some fresh organic beets in some water and a few good splashes of balsamic vinegar.  They cooked until eldente, then I removed them from the heat - so I could use the burner to cook the other vegetables - once again fresh new potatoes - almost cooked through then I added the carrots, beans, patti pan squash. Once these vegetables were done, I removed from the heat and returned the beets to the burner to simmer hard for another 5 minutes.
During the cooking time for the vegetables I also started the Pork Chops:  I simply drizzled Extra Virgin Olive Oil over the pork chops and seasoned with salt and pepper on each side.  Add them to the frying pan, then turn on the heat to medium - cook about 5 minutes per side once you start to hear the sizzle. (the time will depend on the thickness of the chops, so if yours are bone in and thick add an extra minute or two)
Remove to a plate and cover with foil, allowing to rest.
Meanwhile slice up 6-8 slices of red pepper, and slice up 2 garlic cloves.  Add them to the pan and saute for about 3-4 minutes.
Then, using the water from the cooked potatoes, carrots, beans, and squash - add a good splash to the pan - about 1/2 - 2/3 of a cups worth. (I had no stock with me)
Bring to a simmer and season with salt and fresh cracked pepper.
Once simmering, add in a heaping Tablespoon of Seed Mustard, whisking well, and reduce to half.
Check for seasonings, then pour over the seared pork chops.
We had a lovely weekend with beautiful weather, great music, and fabulous food.  I leave you with one gorgeous picture of Maiya.  Maiya's sister Mia had an owie and was not allowed to run around like her sister visiting all of the cottages. These sisters have the most beautiful, soft, loving energy...how sweet is this?
Here is a picture from last year of these two sweet sisters.  Can't wait to go back next year.

This was a flavorful packed meal.  Having said that, with our relatively new experience with BBQ'ing (is that a word?) we did learn for this dish, to cook the kebabs on high heat for 5 minutes per side...not 8.  Nevertheless the flavors were there in a big way!
Both the vegetables and the beef really picked up the flavors of the marinade, then add the creamy lemon mustard sauce - mighty tasty.
For a few days now, we have been in a heat wave - not sure of the temperature, but honestly, I did not even want to steam those lovely Red French Fingerling Potatoes.  We don't have Air Conditioning in our neck of the woods...we are lucky to get a few days each year of intense heat.  The windows are open, the blinds are shut, and the fans are a whirling!  These past few days the majority of cooking in this house has been on the BBQ.
1 lb. or 20 pieces of round steak cut into 2 inch pieces
1 yellow zucchini - cut into 1/4 inch thick pieces
10 button crimini mushrooms
1 red pepper cut into 1 1/2 sized pieces
Marinade:
6 Tblsp. Balsamic Vinegar
3 Tblsp. Tamari Sauce
2 Tblsp. Extra Virgin Olive Oil
2 minced garlic cloves
1 Tblsp. Dried Greek Oregano
Fresh cracked pepper
Creamy Lemon Mustard Sauce:
5 Tblsp. Real Mayonnaise
1 tsp. Seed Style Mustard
1 Tblsp. finely minced Italian Flat Leaf Parsley
1 finely minced green onion
juice of 1/2 a small lemon
Prepare the marinade and divide in half.  Then add the beef cubes to a container, pour in half of the marinade stirring to coat well.  Then add the sliced zucchini and mushrooms to another container, pouring over the marinade mixing well to coat well.  Refrigerate 8 hours, stirring a few times during the day.
Meanwhile, make up the Creamy Lemon Mustard sauce - adding all the ingredients into a bowl, mix well and refrigerate.
We used metal and soaked bamboo skewers - there were six in total.  Add the meat and veggies any way you like.
Place on a lightly oiled BBQ over high heat, and cook lid off about 5 minutes per side.  Serve with the Creamy Lemon Mustard Sauce and steamed rice or potatoes.