Eat at our House - July 23, 2008
Dorothy Eedy As I grow older, I realize friends mean more to me than ever, and the following sums up my feelings. This came through on my computer in the month of November in the year 2000. I try not to use these messages as they usually have been kicking around the e-mail world for months, but as eight years has passed and it keeps popping up in my stored away material, I thought it might be ok to bring it out. A dear friend who lives out of town sent it and she made a note that it was sent to her from a friend out west.
“If you live to be a hundred, I want to live to be a hundred minus one day, so I never have to live without you”. Who said it? Winnie the Pooh!
“True friendship is like sound health, the value of it seldom known until it be lost.”  — Charles Caleb Colton
“A real friend is one who walks in when the rest of the world walks out. Don’t walk in front of me, I may not follow. Don’t walk behind me, I may not lead. Walk beside me and be my friend.” — Albert Camus
“Strangers are just friends waiting to happen. Friends are the bacon bits in the Salad Bowl of Life.”
“Friendship is one mind in two bodies.” — Mencius
“Friends are God’s way of taking care of us.”
“If you should die before me, ask if you could bring a friend.” — Stone Temple Pilots
“I’ll lean on you and you lean on me and we’ll be okay.” — David Matthews Band
“If all my friends would jump off a bridge, I wouldn’t jump with them, I’d be at the bottom to catch them.”
“Everyone hears what you say. Friends listen to what you say. Best friends listen to what you don’t say.”
“We all take different paths in life…but no matter where we go, take a little of each other everywhere.” — Tim McGraw
“My father always used to say what when you die, if you’ve got five real friends, then you’ve had a great life.” — Lee Iacocca
“A friend is someone who knows the song in your heart and can sing it back to you when you have forgotten the words.” – Nigerian proverb
When I invited my neighbours, and their visiting daughter for dinner Barbara asked if she could bring a cold strawberry soup – a recipe given to her by a Swedish friend. If you have seen the advertisement where the lady licks the soup bowl, this soup was so delicious that is what I felt like doing. Cold soups are not new to me, I grew up on them, mine being mostly made from blueberries or Saskatoon berries.
Chilled Strawberry Soup
This rosy delicious Scandinavian soup makes a stunning first course followed by a grilled salmon plate. It also can be used as dessert, but as an appetizer it really is perfect for a hot summer night dinner on the patio beside the swimming pool or inside an air-conditioned dining room. Why not?
2 pints fresh strawberries (raspberries also can be used), washed and hulled (about 2 boxes or 4 cups)
1 cup freshly squeezed orange juice
1-1/4 tsp. instant tapioca
1/8 tsp. ground allspice
1/8 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 cup sugar (more to taste if using raspberries)
1 tsp. grated lemon peel
1 cup buttermilk
Garnish: 1 lemon, thinly sliced, or a few thinly sliced strawberries
Set aside six strawberries.
Puree remaining berries in food processor or blender and strain into saucepan. Add orange juice.
In small bowl, mix tapioca with 1/4 cup of the strawberry puree. Return to saucepan along with allspice and cinnamon. Heat, stirring constantly, until mixture comes to a boil. Cook until thickened and remove from heat.
Pour soup into large container. Add sugar, lemon peel and juice, and buttermilk. Blend well. Slice reserved strawberries and fold into soup. Cover and chill for at least eight hours.
Serve soup with lemon slice floating on top in each bowl. Serves four.
If grilled salmon doesn’t appeal you might want to try the following as a main course:
Southwest Layered Chicken Salad
An “ Express Classic” from Ontario Foodland — easy on the cottage or summer hostess since it can be made ahead and put in the refrigerator overnight.
4 cobs of sweet Ontario corn, cooked
2 green onions, chopped
1/4 cup (chopped fresh coriander leaves
2 cups cubed cooked chicken
2 tbsp. lime juice
1/4 tsp. salt
Pinch of pepper
4 medium Ontario tomatoes, seeded and diced
2 cups shredded lettuce
1 cup frozen peas
1/2 cup chopped celery
1/2 cup plain yogurt
1/4 cup light mayonnaise
Fresh coriander leaves or fresh parsley as garnish
With sharp knife, cut corn kernels from cobs to make 2 cups. Combine with green onions and coriander. Stir in chicken, lime juice, salt and pepper.
In large glass bowl, layer lettuce, chicken, corn mixture, peas, three-quarters of the diced tomatoes, and celery.
In blender, puree remaining seeded tomato, yogurt and mayonnaise. Pour over salad: cover and refrigerate for several hours or overnight. Garnish with coriander leaves. Serves four as a main course or six as a side salad.
Lemon Pudding
You will have to use the oven for the following dessert but it can be made ahead and set aside until serving time. This old fashioned recipe composed of a sponge cake topping and custard base. It is light and just the right dessert for a summer supper.
1 tbsp. unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup sugar
2 eggs separated
2 tbsp. flour
1/4 cup lemon juice
Grated rind of 1 lemon
1 cup milk
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a one-quart baking dish.
Cream butter and blend in sugar. With electric mixer, beat in the egg yolks, then the flour and the lemon juice. Stir in lemon rind and milk. Beat egg whites (which I would do first and set aside so you don’t have to wash beaters) until stiffened and fold them into batter. Turn into buttered baking dish and place in pan half filled with water. Bake for 40 minutes or until pudding shrinks from sides of pan and is lightly browned on top. Serves four.