Author Archives: joinmefordinner

About joinmefordinner

. . . living in the Cowichan Valley, cooking for my appreciative family and friends, and taking advantage of all this area has to offer including local organic produce, cheese, wine, artisan breads, and fresh-caught seafood.

Strawberry Feta Salad with Baby Kale

Posted on May 13, 2013

With unusually warm weather here lately, the garden is sprouting and some plants are producing already. Our kale tripled in size this week, so I decided to harvest some of the leaves while they were still unbelievably tender. Baby kale … Continue reading →

Posted in salad dressing, salads, vegetarian meals | Tagged baby kale salad, kale salad, kale salad with strawberries and avocado, lemon poppy seed dressing, strawberry feta salad with kale | 3 Comments

Gin Gingered Spot Prawns

Posted on May 1, 2013

Where do you usually get YOUR ideas for meals? Cookbooks? Food blogs? Pinterest? All of the above? Me too. But today, my idea for dinner came from an unlikely source: a quick chat before a meeting. Even before a fellow … Continue reading →

Posted in appetizers, seafood | Tagged gin gingered prawns, prawn appetizer, prawns with gin and ginger, sauteed spot prawns, spot prawns, Victoria Gin, Victoria Spirits | 4 Comments

Shaved Asparagus Salad

Posted on April 29, 2013

Guess what’s open? Eating fresh-picked asparagus from the farm is a completely different experience than eating asparagus imported from Mexico. While I usually serve it cooked: steamed, sautéed, roasted or stir-fried, tonight we had it raw. This shaved asparagus salad … Continue reading →

Posted in salad dressing, salads, side dishes, vegetables | Tagged asparagus salad, fresh asparagus, raw asparagus salad, raw asparagus salad with lemon vinaigrette, shaved asparagus | 2 Comments

Rhubarb Mint Mohito

Posted on April 28, 2013

What to do with all that rhubarb growing like crazy in the garden? Sip it! Here’s to Spring! makes 1 small cocktail Ingredients 1 oz white rum 2 oz rhubarb syrup (recipe below) 5-6 mint leaves 1 Tablespoon lime juice … Continue reading →

Posted in beverages | Tagged non-alcoholic rhubarb drink, rhubarb cooler, rhubarb mint mohito, rhubarb mohito, rhubarb simple syrup, rhubarb with mint | Leave a comment

Dungeness Crab Salad with Grapefruit and Goat Cheese

Posted on April 23, 2013

If you’re lucky enough to live in the Pacific Northwest, as I do, you likely have ready access to fresh crab. It’s always a good idea to check to see where your crab spent his last days of freedom, however. … Continue reading →

Posted in salad dressing, salads, seafood | Tagged baked goat cheese, champagne vinegar, dungenes crab salad, goat cheese medallions, grapefruit salad dressing, grapefruit vinaigrette, SeaChoice.org, seafood and citrus salad, seafood salad, sustainable seafood, warm goat cheese | Leave a comment

(I’m no) Spring Chicken

Posted on April 22, 2013

. . . but this sure is. While searching for a new idea for using chicken thighs, every recipe I found seemed so, well, wintery. When the sun is shining on the just-unfurled maple leaves and I’m harvesting the first … Continue reading →

Posted in Chicken | Tagged chicken in yogurt sauce, chicken thighs, chicken with hot paprika, miner's lettuce, turkish chicken, yogurt marinade for chicken | 1 Comment

Non-Paleo, Full of Gluten, Refined Sugar Blubarb Crumble

Posted on April 22, 2013

This one won’t meet the criteria of the paleo, gluten-free, sugar-free, vegan Pinterest boards, but it sure tastes good. I’m a firm believer that you are what you eat. I’m careful about what goes in my mouth. I do my … Continue reading →

Posted in desserts | Tagged blueberries, blueberry crumble, blueberry-rhubarb crumble, rhubarb, rhubarb crumble, rhubarb-blueberry crisp, spring dessert | 2 Comments

Warm Spinach Salad with Fried Egg and Potatoes

Posted on March 13, 2013

In between. That’s what this time of year is. It’s just in between. It’s not winter and it’s not quite spring. I went clothes shopping today and had a hard time finding much. It’s still too early for white jeans … Continue reading →

Posted in salad dressing, salads, vegetarian meals | Tagged fast and easy vegetarian meal, spinach and egg salad, spinach salad, the best warm spinach salad recipe, warm spinach salad, warm spinach salad recipe, warm spinach salad recipe stop searching now | Leave a comment

Dungeness Crab Mac ‘n Cheese

Posted on March 9, 2013

Like many of you, (I suspect) I read cookbooks like novels. Actually, I read cookbooks w-aaaa-y more often than I read novels. I found this recipe in a cookbook of sustainable seafood recipes that I picked up last year. I’ve … Continue reading →

Posted in pasta, seafood | Tagged crab with pasta and cheese, dungeness crab, macaroni and cheese, once upon a day cowichan, sustainable seafood recipes, vancouver island crab | 1 Comment

Citrus Sake-Lacquered Salmon

Posted on March 1, 2013

The last time we were in San Francisco, we stopped in at True Sake and picked up a bottle to bring home. Are we sake drinkers? No, not really. That bottle sat in our cupboard for over 2 years. Until … Continue reading →

Posted in sauce, seafood | Tagged Asian salmon, citrus sauce for salmon, honey citrus sauce for fish, sake salmon, salmon with citrus and chili paste | Leave a comment

Personalized Veggies ‘n Dip

Posted on February 24, 2013

This one definitely comes under the “Why didn’t I think of that?’ category. I pinned it last week, as I thought it was such a good idea. It makes more sense than having everyone crowd around one plate of veggies. … Continue reading →

Posted in appetizers, kid's cooking, salads, side dishes, vegetables | Tagged individual veggies and dip, personalized vegetables with dip, shot glass veggies 'n dip | 2 Comments

Crab and Avocado Bites

Posted on February 24, 2013

Ingredients 1 baguette, sliced on the diagonal extra virgin olive oil (for brushing the baguette slices) 2 avocados salt and pepper 1 Tbsp. lemon juice pinch dried chili flakes 4 ounces lump crabmeat 1 Tbsp. chopped fresh mint 2 tsp. freshly … Continue reading →

Posted in amuse bouche, appetizers, seafood | Tagged crab and avocado appetizer, crab appy, crab bites, crabmeat with avocado and mint | Leave a comment

Crab ‘n Lime Avocado Crisps

Posted on February 17, 2013

Fresh crab. Fresh lime. Smooth avocado. Crunchy jicama and celery. A hint of cilantro, and a dab of mayo just to hold it all together. Those are the makings of a great amuse bouche we had before dinner tonight. 2/3 … Continue reading →

Posted in amuse bouche, seafood | Tagged amuse bouche, avocado amuse bouche, crab amuse bouche, crab salad, crab with avocado and lime, seafood amuse bouche | 1 Comment

Fennel-Crusted Salmon with Orange and Roasted Red Pepper Vinaigrette

Posted on February 15, 2013

Fast and fancy. Fennel and salmon really do work together, despite my initial doubts. Serve the salmon with a fresh orange vinaigrette on tender greens and it makes an over-the-top quick weeknight dinner. I’ve adapted this recipe from one published … Continue reading →

Posted in salad dressing, salads, seafood | Tagged coho salmon with fennel, fennel salad, fennel-crusted salmon, orange and roasted red pepper vinaigrette, orange fennel vinaigrette, sockeye salmon with fennel | 1 Comment

Pear and Fennel Salad

Posted on February 11, 2013

Pears are humble. They don’t shout out at you with bright colours like apples do. They’re not exotic or bizarre like dragonfruit. They don’t have an intense flavour like a grapefruit. They’re just pears. They’re humble, they’re subtle, and consequently … Continue reading →

Posted in salads | Tagged fennel, fennel salad, pear salad, pears, pears with fennel and feta | Leave a comment