nellyglass studioA good summer for the garden meant Monica was inspired for pickling season ’26. She worked steadily over several days gathering and processing the fruits of her labor. I was her sous chef and official photographer. My compensation is I get to enjoy all these wonderful preserves over the coming months.
SALSA
BEETS
CHUTNEY
MUSTARD PICKLES
THE LARDER
We were delighted to host friends, Judy and Glenn from St. George, for an afternoon visit on our back deck followed by a wonderful seafood meal prepared by Chef Monnie.
Inspired by our recent trip to Les Iles de la Madelaine (Magdalen Islands), Monica planned a traditional French seafood feast of Pot en Pot as the main attraction. She framed the main course with delicious appetizers and desserts, all of which I tried to capture in photos. Here is the menu board for reference:
Chef Monnie began her planning days before friends arrived. Always the adventurous chef, she worked with both confidence and trepidation (at times) on all stages of the menu. Here is the prep sequence for the Tiramisu which needed 24 hours of refrigeration before serving.
Next, Chef Monnie prepared the Pot en Pot featuring lobster, scallops and shrimp. Here are the process pics:
And not to forget the Twice Baked Potatos and Mezzaplatter prep, featuring three types of cheese (two from Pied de Vent Fromagerie on the Magdalen Islands plus a hot-honey halloumi).
A beautiful sunny afternoon welcomed our guests to the back yard. They arrived with thoughtful gifts… a bouquet of flowers (hand-picked by Glenn from around their property in St. George), a set of 4 sunflower coasters and a trivet for the table (handmade by Judy), and a worm bag for my rug hooking to catch the yarn clippings called “worms” (Judy is also a “hooker” and was my inspiration for getting into the craft).
It’s always engaging to catch up with Glenn and Judy… we go so far back together (40 years now) and old stories always bring an emotional surge of memories.
It was a wonderful evening. The weather was perfect, the story telling was animated, the food was delicious, and we all expressed gratitude for our good fortunes.
Ryan is on vacation and home for the week leading up to Easter. Sporting fresh spring hair cuts, we went uptown for lunch and headed straight to the City Market for Kim’s Korean Food. The bulgogi and bibimbap were tasty indeed. Then we strolled to the Saint John Arts Center to take in the exhibition by Korean artist (living in Riverview), Ji Hyang Ryu. Very talented lady!
Double the enjoyment on this double-Korean afternoon.
It was a wonderful weekend of family frolic and great food to celebrate Valentine’s Day, Ryan’s 40th birthday and Family Day all at the same time. First up, Ryan, Monica and I enjoyed a delicious ramen meal at Umami Kid restaurant in Saint John. Then we joined with Sarah’s family for a one-night get away to the Delta Beausejour Hotel in Moncton. The heated pool and water slide were so was much fun but the highlight was the dining experience at Osaka Hibachi restaurant (right across the street from the hotel). The chef was brilliantly entertaining and the food amazing.
Leaving Moncton next morning, we all enjoyed one final breakfast meal together at Jean’s Restaurant on Mountain Road. I have wonderful memories of bringing my parents to this restaurant years ago. How fortunate we are to be full of good food, family love and these memories captured in photos.
It was a beautiful hot August day and equally beautiful night; full moon, calm and quiet except for the excited story telling on Glenn and Judy’s deck. It was good to see them and be treated to excellent homemade food and wine. As night descended, the fire was lit and the bats came out to entertain us. Talk about tranquil… Thank you Glenn and Judy. Looking forward to returning the hospitality.
For a change of view, Monica and I went uptown today for our daily walk. The sun was out and the wind was calm. We parked our car at the Brunswicker (frigate terminal) and walked to the Saint John Arts Center to take in two exhibitions: Delights (Fabric Art) and High Schools Student Art. Then a stroll through the city market and some window shopping along the streets. Lunch was at Ta-Ke Sushi and then the walk back to the car. Total walking distance was 5 kms.
I floated through 66 with joyful ease, buoyed by a loving family. These pics will prove it.
July was all about good friends and good food. Monica and I hosted back to back company events to finish out the month. First Judy and Glenn from St. George and then Maneau and Jake from Moncton. I love company… it’s always nice to connect and it always includes good food. Too bad laughter with friends can’t be canned and sold… we’d be millionaires!
Monnie’s garden is growing well this summer. Her garlic scapes were ready to harvest so she made some pesto. Then she made a delicious seafood pasta dinner.
To top it off, she picked rhubarb and made a fantastic strawberry-rhubarb pie.
Then I passed out.
It was a doozy of a day in Saint John. I worked all morning in the cool of my basement studio. Working on something special for a gift coming up in a few days. Hint: 40 years … 3 years longer than Vincent made it.
When I stepped outside, it hit me… like walking through a thick cobweb. Mon and I tried to sit out for a bit but soon retreated to our cool livingroom. Today is the solstice so the day and the heat will linger. Stay cool.
Monica and I enjoyed three major events this weekend at home in Saint John:
Around all that, we also enjoyed each other’s company and got a little exercise around our yard and garden. If a picture is worth 1000 words, here is the short story of our weekend:
Monica and I enjoyed a light-hearted Friday evening of cocktails, great food and healing laughter in uptown Saint John with longtime friends, Maneau and Jake. We discovered a new watering hole, Kakuteru (highly recommended but difficult to pronounce… so don’t try), and then we enjoyed fine dining at a familiar favorite, Port City Royal restaurant.
We ♥️ Saint John.
We can all agree that winter ’24 was an easy one in Atlantic Canada. I fared especially well as you will see in the following photo gallery. From Christmas to Easter, Monica took me on a winter’s journey through a culinary landscape. My happy place!
Yummy in my tummy. These photos capture special and delicious moments of Monica’s baking skills.
Our friends, Glenn and Judy, visited from St. George to pick up some commissioned glass. Then the four of us went to lunch at Ta-Ke Sushi for Glenn and Judy’s inaugural meal. Always such a treat to watch newbies experience their first sushi. They were very brave. We laughed. Nobody got sick. It was great to see them.
Monica and I, along with Maneau and Jake, enjoyed a wonderful 2-day circuit around the western half of Nova Scotia. We stayed at the luxurious White Point resort near Liverpool, ate fantastic food, enjoyed the beautiful coastal scenery, and visited twelve breweries/distilleries to sample some of Nova Scotia’s finest beverages. They say ‘laughter is the best medicine’. Well, we were fully medicated by the time we got home.
Here is a photo gallery of highlights.
Monica and I enjoyed another Christmas gift (this one from our daughter, Sarah) on this fine Friday evening in Saint John…. tickets to the Imperial Theater to see Classic Albums Live perform The Beatles: Let It Be in concert. We started the evening off with an incredible authentic Indian meal at Royal King: A Taste of India. Then a walk through the park to the theater and two hours of music nostalgia. The Beatles certainly are music royalty. It was a glorious evening. Thank you, Sarah!
Monica has chef skills and we eat very well. Life is good!
The following gallery is from Dec 21st/’22 to March 21st/’23.
Monica outdid herself this St. Patrick’s Day 2023 and created a phenomenal dinner of Herbed Lamb Chops with Irish Colcannon and Spring Asparagus. Every time I look at these photos, my mouth waters.
Here is a photo gallery showing the making of this wonderful meal:
