Patio Drinks: Pimm's Cups

I don't think I'd ever even heard of Pimm's before I moved to England. I think the first time I noticed it was while watching 30 Minute Meals, and Jamie Oliver drizzled some Pimm's over sliced strawberries that were waiting to be spooned on top of cream and meringue to become Eton Mess (I haven't tried this myself but it sounds like a solid idea if you ask me).

I was intrigued. Then summer rolled around and Pimm's Cups started to become a "thing". I was keenly aware of all the signs at pubs and restaurants advertising pitchers of Pimm's and lemonade (i.e. 7-Up or Sprite, to us North Americans). I knew enough to piece together that Pimm's No. 1 is gin-based, and I like gin, and therefore I should probably hop on this sweet, sweet Pimm's train ASAP.

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French Market N'Awlins Salad

 

This past February, at the ripe old age of 26, I went to Disneyland for the first time. I have to admit I was hesitant about the idea at first, thinking I'd be overwhelmed by the crowds and underwhelmed by the food - and, as you can probably guess, food is pretty much the most important part of any trip I ever go on.

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Millionaire's Shortbread

Can you think of anything more boring than having to go to a philosophy seminar on a Friday afternoon, after a long week of classes and assignments and trying to make sense of the dry, dry texts you were supposed to read? Then, even worse, having to discuss those dry texts, trying desperately to sound like you have a clue about what's going on. That's how I felt before I had my first Friday seminar when I was going to school in London a few years ago - total dread.

... But then I actually went, and it wasn't that bad. We were just a small group of girls having a conversation for a couple hours before the weekend. Our instructor was awesome and made us feel like there were no stupid questions, and gently led us in meaningful, interesting conversations. I started to really look forward to Friday afternoons. It didn't hurt, of course, that we all started bringing wine and chocolate and cookies to these little seminars of ours.

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Fresh Mascarpone with Balsamic Cherries

Recently I took a Continuing Education course at NAIT called "Young Cheesemaking Fundamentals" - after attending Eat Alberta in April, I knew I wanted to come back to the NAIT kitchens as soon as I could. Chef Allan Roote welcomed our tiny class and got started right away. There were only eight of us, which I thought was perfect, as there was lots of hands-on learning and we could easily crowd around Chef Allan and watch his demos closely. Over the course of the night, we tasted and made yogurt, mascarpone, ricotta, mozzarella, and cheese fondue.

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Duck Egg Sponge Cake with Rhubarb Compote and Cream

  

One of my very favourite things is receiving unexpected food gifts... I swear I'm not trying to sneakily demand presents, I'm just stating a fact! The last time my mom came to visit, she brought homemade apricot jam and beef from my uncle's farm. Beautiful! My dad often brings artisan sausages back from Saskatchewan when he visits, and I've gotten some pretty nice treats from my brother and sister when they've come back from travelling. People must just think, "Lindsay likes food" and assume it's a safe bet ...and they are correct. ;)

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