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:
Monica’s brother, Harry Taylor of North River, NB, kindly gave us two bags of pheasant meat. He and his son raise pheasants on Harry’s ranch and release them in the fall for hunting. We were very appreciative of his generosity and excited to try a new recipe. Monica searched Pinterest and chose one that looked easy/no-fail… Bacon-Wrapped Roasted Pheasant. She did the breasts in the oven with this recipe and tossed the legs in the air-fryer. The result was incredible. Thank you Harry and Monica!
Here is a photo gallery of process pics;
It’s Sunday, mid January, and we have an ice storm in Saint John. We needed some comfort food so Monica decided to make falafel. I was her sous-chef 👨🍳 and the official photographer 😁. We had a blast fooding together and mmmmmm so good!
Here is a gallery of pics capturing the process.
Are you drawn to pretty lights?… me too, like a moth.
Monica and I got out of the house on this beautiful October afternoon for a 3-hour loop drive around central Queens County. We saw the leaves in their zenith framing two splendid waterfalls… and we were quieted.
Monica and I stole away for a 2-night escape to beautiful Grand Manan Island… in search of lobster, sea glass and some quality together time. We found all that… and had our fill.
These 48 photos highlight our 48 hours on Grand Manan Island.
Our very good friends from St. George, Glenn Ketchum and Judy Barrio-Ketchum, joined us on a foggy Saint John afternoon for a long over-due jolly of drinks and stories, lots of laughing and some deeper revelations. Monica pulled out all the stops to create a wonderful southern-themed dining experience. We ended the night with Kahlua-coffee and a promise to do this more often… a promise we are honored to keep.
It’s April and time for some spring cleaning. Monica and I spent the day in Fredericton to help Ryan muck out his apartment and put on a fresh shine. To show his appreciation, he bought us take-out dinner from J’s Asian Kitchen: Unagi roll, Crazy Girl Roll, Shrimp Tempura Roll, Chicken Chow Mein and Bulgogi. Thanks Ryan, your place looks great. Love your artwork!
They say French cuisine is less about the food and more about the experience. Well, it was all that as Monica worked steadily in the kitchen for 12 hours on a dinner recipe from famous chef, Julia Child: 
Coquilles St. Jacques with authentic french bread and Cherries Clafouti for dessert.
What a fun day we had chatting and working together, taking photos of the process and clinking glasses with each successful step. It was a wonderful meal at the end of an epic day, all of it recorded in photos. Here is 12 Hours with Julia Child.
March 25th, 2022, marked the 45th anniversary of our first date (1977 – Mount Allison – movie King Kong). Our wonderful children, Sarah and Ryan, gave us as a Christmas gift this year; a one-night stay and dine package at the renowned Rothesay Shadow Lawn Inn. This included the master suite, a welcome bottle of prosecco and a 5-course meal called the “Flavours of New Brunswick”.
This 150 year old historical beauty was built in 1870 by James Robertson, partner in the MRA department store in Saint John. Today, its original grandeur is preserved as a 4.5 star inn and restaurant. We thoroughly enjoyed our stay and raised a glass to 45 years of dating.
I will miss winter, sort of. What I’ll miss is Monica’s winter recipe adventures. And I’ll miss taking photos (I often hover about while she is creating). For my own amusement I created a Google photos album. If you are bored or interested, it’s a delightful scroll down through the 68 photos in the album. If anything catches your eye, each photo has a descriptive comment you can open and read. (otherwise, I’d never remember).
Thank you for viewing our 2022 Winter Menu
Monica dreams of travelling to Vietnam to experience the culture and food. She is practicing with this delicious salmon Banh Mi recipe from NB Chef, Dennis the Prescot. The intrigue is with the strange coleslaw and spicy mayonnaise. Keep on dreaming, Monnie… keep on dreaming!
While Monica is exploring the alluring world of bread recipies, my bathroom scales are declaring a state of emergency. Here’s why… none gets wasted.
I’m supposed to be losing weight after Christmas! That’s not easy when Monica is making incredible meals like this… homemade tourtiėre using pork, veal and venison (thanks brother-in-law Leigh). Her legendary crust is matched only by my appetite and my appreciation.
Monica is at it again… searching online recipes for something interesting to try in her kitchen. This time, she followed Andy’s East Coast Kitchen for a biscuit recipe to go with her Italian turkey soup. I’m so glad Mon loves to cook… lucky me!
It is -20° and windy on this Saturday in mid-January. Definitely a day to stay inside. Monica decided a southern meal might spirit us away to warmer places. Something with a little Cajun zip… like Jambalaya! We enjoyed our afternoon adventure to the Mississippi delta. We pretended it was really nice there.
Friday night pizza is usually my claim to fame, but I can’t even pretend to do what Monica does. Here is her entire process which ended deliciously.
Monica and I, at Nellyglass Studio, wish for all of you a very Merry and Bright Christmas this year.
As this COVID pandemic develops, so does Monica’s culinary prowess. I love making these food posts … as a way of counting my blessings.
Monica and I were invited to the home of long-time friends Glenn Ketchum and Judy Barrio for a balanced evening of down-to-earth conversation and haute cuisine. Glenn’s culinary confidence! Judy’s artistic home decor! …always an extremely delightful experience. Thank you, Glenn and Judy, we are so lucky. The rest of you can just be jealous… sorry.
nellyglass studio 