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Sometimes the best plans are
the ones that you don’t actually plan! Right now my
family and I are supposed to be in Arizona enjoying a few
days of sunshine while visiting the in-laws. But after pulling
out the passports the day before we were set to leave, I was
surprised to find my oldest son’s passport expired.
With a long Easter weekend ahead of us and no government office
open, chances of renewal in time for our flight was non-existent.
So we postponed the flights and found ourselves with 4 days
of no plans (and no fresh food) until the office opened on
Tuesday morning. I decided to do the “loaves and fishes”
route from my pantry and refrigerator because it was still
Easter after all and I wanted to give my family a nice meal.
It’s amazing the meal you can pull together if you have
a well stocked pantry. Plus, there is something truly cathartic
about cleaning out the cupboard and I found myself with the
time to do it. Once I started I couldn’t stop! Even
though I had a pretty good idea what was in there I was still
amazed at a few items I had forgotten about. So here is a
list of items that helped me pull together our “smorgasbord”
Easter that was met with rave reviews from everyone in the
family. We ate from big platters of a mixture of different
cultures, textures, tastes and colours. It’s a great
way to eat every once in a while and even though our original
plans of an Easter BBQ in Arizona didn’t turn out, this
meal will certainly be remembered by all as something for
everyone.
- Haloumi Cheese
– A semi-hard cheese that originated in Cypress, this
cheese keeps for up to one year in your refrigerator, can
be frozen, grilled, sautéed or eaten as is! A truly
versatile cheese. I grilled thick slices in a hot pan, squeezed
some lemon over them and served it with the hot bread.
- Frozen Bread –
Heated them up in the oven from frozen, sliced them thickly
and felt like I had just baked bread! I love the Ace Bakery
brand as well as President Choice Naan Bread.
- Canned Escargot –
I sautéed garlic in butter and tossed the escargot
in for a few minutes, hit them with some sea salt, black
pepper and a splash of sparkling wine. My husband thought
he had died and gone to heaven!
- Canned or Fresh Whole Mushrooms
– I had a few fresh ones that were on the edge but
it didn’t matter once I sautéed them whole
in some butter and garlic. Similar to the escargot, I added
sea salt, black pepper and a splash of sparkling wine. Using
the hot bread to soak up all the yummy juices was my favourite
part of this dish!
- Canned Hearts of Palm and Artichoke
Hearts - Drained and roughly chopped these canned
vegetables make a great salad with a drizzle of lemon flavoured
olive oil and black pepper.
- Frozen Smoked Salmon –
De-thaws quickly which leaves me just the right amount of
time to prepare all the other ingredients. I drizzled the
salmon with lemon juice (even from the bottle!!), sprinkled
some dried dill and popped a few capers on top. For some
reason this is always my 6 year old’s favourite dish.
- Sparkling Wine
– Even though it’s my drink of choice, it always
makes any occasion feel extra special. Plus it matches all
these different flavours the best!
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Nadine Hughes is a mother of two and
a Home Entertainer with a vibrant personality and memorable
cooking style. As the owner of The Cook’s Companion,
Nadine offers lifestyle cooking and entertaining classes
for adults, teens and private at home classes. She is
also a food writer, guest speaker and television presenter.
For more information on these services or The Menu Companion
– dinner party menu planners, visit www.thecookscompanion.ca
and www.themenucompanion.com. |
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