Loving Long Weekends

This past weekend was amazing! We went up to our friends cottage for a well deserved long weekend. Their cottage is on lake Erie and where they are situated has to be on one of the best beaches on this lake. The cottaging gods were with us this weekend because we had perfect weather. It was sunny and gorgeous for three days straight. The friends we went up with probably love food just as much as we do because I don't think I ever ate so good. We organized it so that Pat and I were responsible for one dinner and one breakfast and they were responsible for the other dinner and breakfast. My husband recently got a deep fryer for his birthday so he has been trying to master the art of making fish and chips. I have to say he is getting pretty good at it. We made that for our dinner and it was a hit.The fish was tender and flaky and the french fries were awesome! I love a good french fry! I was in charge of breakfast the next morning. Here is a great tip for anyone who is having company over - make something that can be prepared the night ahead, that way in the morning when you want to socialize over coffee with your guests you can. I made egg strata and it is a perfect meal for doing just that. It's also, in my opinion, the perfect breakfast. It has all the elements you want in a breakfast, eggs, cheese, bacon, sausage and bread. When it cooks in the oven it puffs up into a really scrumptious souffle. Needless to say, it was a hit with the cottagers this weekend.

Our friends made us amazing steaks with yam frites for dinner the next night and for breakfast the next day we had crepes with fresh fruit. We definitely ate well at the cottage. With this particular couple, I love that they love to eat well. This couple lives minutes away from us and we often get together for supper and I love that they love to try new things and they appreciate a good meal. We have some friends who we call foodies and then we have other friends who are very particular to feed. (you know who you are!) We love them just as much but it can be a challenge to find a new recipe to try on them.

Paxton loved the cottage. I don't think that child has ever slept so much! Now, Paxton has been sleeping through the night for the past three weeks, but he is not a very great napper. He usually naps for 1/2 an hour to an hour a couple of times in the day, but he doesn't usually nap for long periods of time. On Saturday this was a different story. He actually had me worried because he just wouldn't stop sleeping. I think on Saturday he was only up for a solid 2 hours. I think he got used to the lake effect on Sunday because he was actually up to enjoy some of our cottage time. This weekend was his first time putting his feet in the sand and the water. He wasn't a big fan of the cold water but I'll give him time, he's only 2 and 1/2 months.

We can't wait to go back to the cottage!

Egg Strata Recipe

Ingredients
1 loaf of cheese bread
8 eggs
1 small onion
1 lb of sausage crumbled and browned
3 cups of milk
1 tsp. dry mustard
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
1 1/2 cups of cheddar cheese
4 slices of bacon crumbled
2 tbls. butter


Tear up day old cheese bread Brown sausage until it is very caramelized (the more caramelization the more flavour) Dice onion and caramelize with sausage Once the sausage is done mix in with the bread chunks. Shred cheese In a 9 x 13" pan ( You can use a Pyrex casserole dish like I did as well) layer the sausage and bread with the cheese. Save 2/3 cup of the cheese for the top of the strata. Cook bacon until it is crisp. Once it is done crumble it and add it with the remaining cheese to the top of the strata. The night before you serve this dish, beat with a whisk, the eggs, milk, mustard, salt and pepper. Pour the egg mixture over the strata. (Careful when you pour the eggs over the dish if you use a casserole dish, the egg takes a while to sink to the bottom. You don't want to pour too fast because it will just spill over the side) Dot the top of the dish with the butter Cover and put the dish in the fridge overnight. The next morning, put strata in an oven that is heated 350 degrees Celsius. Cook covered for 45 minutes. After, take lid off and cook for 15 more minutes to brown the top. The strata should puff up when its done. Make sure to check the center of the dish to make sure the eggs are cooked.
Eat and enjoy!