Tuesday, August 10, 2010

Fig...ments of my imagination

Is it just me or is this the hottest summer we have ever had here in Ontario?
I am not sure about you but I would love some cool weather right now, I just can't enjoy this heat and humidity. Then again, look at the figs this year, and fresh from my mother in law's garden too. They seem to like it.

They are ohhhhhh so sweet inside and so good for you. Just wish they got rid of hot flashes......
My husband just pops them in his mouth, but I like to peel the skin back.
My father in law who passed away last December had a passion for his garden and this summer my mother in law who is 74 is insisting on keeping it up for him. She is a stubborn Italian woman that's for sure. I am not talking a small vegetable plot either, this is a huge garden , complete with a green house that Antonio built around the fig trees to keep them safe during our Canadian winters. He lovingly raised three fig trees from seedlings that a friend brought from Italy :)

I must take a photo of this garden, maybe I have one somewhere. Not only veggies, she has pear, apple, peach, apricot and plum trees. Not to mention grape vines, but the Racoon's have been around and they seem to like them. Did I forget the blackberries?

I keep this plate on our counter all the time and just keep adding to it, I love to see fresh foods in the kitchen. Not the cucumbers though, I am sick of eating cucumbers now LOL, way too many this year. The hot peppers are for my DH, but I have grown to love Eggplant since I have been married to him for so long. My MIL made the best Eggplant Parmigiana last week and sent over a huge plate, there was enough for two meals.

Lot's of fresh parsley, and herbs in her garden too, and tons of tomatoes. (We will be jarring them in September). I love the cherry tomatoes in a salad with radicchio and endive, tossed with olive oil, balsamic vinegar and a touch of salt. The sweetness of the tomatoes is beautiful with the more bitter taste of the salad. Try it :) We are having it tonight again.

It's almost dinner time, and DH is cooking pasta right now, that's probably why I thought of food, these photos are making me hungry. It's a good thing he knows how to cook , or I probably wouldn't be eating all this good food. (For those that don't know it, I am terrible in the kitchen, unless it's to clean up.)

Cooper loves to be in the kitchen, he has his dinner first, and dad boiled some chicken for him tonight. Spoiled dog he is.
Now he is happy to take a snooze in the sunshine while we have our dinner. Look how cute he is, snug as a bug. He is there right now beside me as always.

I received a lovely gift today from Patty, take a look. I have admired her cutlery for a long time now, her husband smashes them and forges the words into them for plant pots. I love seeing them in her garden, and so she kindly gifted me these, thank you sweetie :)
Seems quite fitting, food and cutlery, I wonder who used these and what type of foods they liked. They look to be some fancy silverware to me.

Each one was wrapped in tulle with one of Patty's hand crafted flowers, are they not sweet? Something else I keep wanting to try, making flowers.

Ok, I am being called for dinner, enjoy your's too , bon appetit :)