Hot Dog

It's springtime at Carling Avenue, and you know what that means - hot dogs!

Yes! For me, summer and hot dogs are inextricably linked. And back in April we had some really hot, sunny weather that it made my mouth water for a hot dog! I don't know where this craving came from - growing up we didn't eat hot dogs too often, and never from those enticing street carts (mystery meat doesn't go over well with Hindus); all I can say is that when the weather reaches a certain pitch, and the sun is at its zenith, I'm quite delighted if I can dig up some weiners, a bun, and some not-too-aged relish. Then I sit on the balcony, the sun in my face, and dig in.

I'm a mustard and relish kind of gal. I need ketchup, bien sur, but there must be lots of mustard and relish. Over the years I've perfected the art of distributing the ketchup, mustard and relish so that I get a bit of each condiment in every juicy bite.

My meal, above, is notable not just for its condiment perfection, but also for being entirely gleaned from the shops around Carling Avenue! The vegetarian hot dog, bun, salad fixings and fruit (papaya and kiwi) are from Produce Depot (my new favourite store), and the soda is from Shopper's Drug Mart. It looked quite enticing - "European Soda frizzante", flavoured with blood oranges. Who could resist? Alas, it tasted just like Orange Crush, albeit a bit less sugary.

No matter, it tasted just right with the hot dog, the accompanying fruits and vegetables made me feel virtuous, and with the warm sun on my face, it made for the perfect early summer meal.

Easter

The egg-stra special Easter egg hunt!

Now, as I mentioned in my last post, I find Easter to be a fairly stressful holiday. Easter dinner requires cleaning up, lots of cooking, etc etc. So this year I vowed it would be low stress. No hosting dinner - we'd go out to a restaurant with my mother. And no Easter egg hunt for my son, as he would then be nagging me for chocolate for weeks afterwards (this is what happened after Valentine's Day!)

But...but...as the stores filled up with candy, and I recovered from my V-day chocolate rush, I couldn't help but be tempted by those cute little choco eggs and bunnies. And it would be so much fun to have an Easter egg with my son...and some other little kiddies...and to make a party out of it...in our party room (so I didn't have to clean up the apartment!).

And then another thing - the Thursday before Easter my husband and I went for a dee-licious gourmet meal at Burger King with our son. Sounds guaranteed to be fun, right? Um, well, no. My little son, who usually loves french fries and soda, decided he wasn't interested in eating food, and instead amused himself climbing over the benches and tables. Perilous and eminently unsuitable for a restaurant. So my husband declared "no restaurant for Easter dinner!" Hmm...this put a wrench in my Easter dinner plans.

And then I came across a recipe for lamb. Leg of lamb! And then one for some tasty looking soup made out of leeks and young turnips. Now, I've never cooked leg of lamb before, but that's never stopped me from trying something fancy, so I decided, not only to host an Easter egg party, but to also host Easter dinner!

I don't recommend to other pregnant women that they try this.

Anyway, the Easter egg party was loads of fun (and loads of work!). The weather was warm and sunny that day so we had the egg hunt on the rooftop. My friend sent me photos and labelled it "The Sky High Easter Egg Hunt." So cute!

The spread for the Easter egg party - teacakes, mini samosas, crudités, hummus...

Easter dinner was also fun, though I hated having to clean up and cook food! (my husband did most of the cleaning, though). I made simple dishes: turnip and leek soup, scalloped potatoes, asparagus, leg of lamb, and crème caramel for dessert, but it was a lot of work!

The lovely crème caramel, garnished with cape gooseberries

But having Easter dinner at home, with my mother and a good friend, was more special than going out to a restaurant. And then I had lovely leftovers for several days!

Hope your Easter was egg-stra special too!

Shopping notes: the mini samosas, baklava, hummus and pita bread were bought from Damas Grocery on Carling Ave. (on Good Friday, no less, when all the other shops were closed. Another benefit of living in a multicultural society!). Damas also saved my crème caramel on Easter Sunday, when I ran out of sugar! I bought soda and candy for the party at Rexall Drugs on Carling Ave. (also, inexplicably, open on Good Friday).

The young turnips, leeks, asparagus and cape gooseberries were from Produce Depot on Carling Ave, while the lamb, juicy and tender, was from the Butchery in Bells Corners. The choco eggs, chicks and bunnies were from Dollarama (I love that place!), also in Bells Corners. Shopping for Easter food is fun!