Hello! Nick and I had the pleasure of having a late lunch with our long-time friends Niall and Leslie on Sunday.
They live in a beautiful apartment, high in the sky, facing westward. It was so bright and sunny in their place, that we quickly forgot the bitter cold and snowy winter weather we’d traveled through to get there.
For those of you who, like me, enjoy a little glimpse at the everyday lives of strangers on the internet, here, in pictures, is how the afternoon and evening went down …
↑ We began with a snack of aged cheddar cheeses served with crackers, fruit and nuts, and some delicious condiments. ↑
↑ This small-batch artisanal “Raspberry-Pepper Jelly”, made west of Toronto in Prince Edward County, by Portland Bridge Pickling Society, was delicious. ↑
↑ The pretty Chocolate Orange Cake that Leslie made deserved its own beauty shot! ↑
↑ Details in the kitchen. ↑
↑ For new visitors (welcome!), I am in plaid, pictured with our fine hosts. ↑
↑ We brought along a Tourtiere that Nick had made at Christmas. He’d made two and this one had been partially baked and frozen. We put it in the oven to finish cooking, when we arrived.
Leslie also made a baby spinach and avocado salad, braised beef with Asian spices, Jasmine rice and broccoli.
↑ Leslie offered another delicious artisanal condiment to have with the meal, this one “Madras Pickle” by County Yum Club, also from Prince Edward County. (Sorry the shot is blurry, but I took it quickly so we could all get to the eating part!) ↑
↑ By this time, the sun was going down. This is their view, with Yonge and Bloor being towards the right. The tall building would be the one shown in this post from last summer, about the old and new buildings on Yonge Street. ↑
↑ Another treat was in store, when Leslie shared a bottle of Icewine that she’d received as a gift, with us. It was made in the Niagara Region to the west of Toronto, by Reif Winery.
I’d only ever had a couple of small tastes of icewine before so this was a special and memorable experience, spent slowly sipping a glass while enjoying some homemade cake and the company of these much loved friends. ↑
The time passed quickly, and in what felt like a flash it was time to head back outside into the cold. The sky was remarkably cloud free considering this was the evening before what turned out to be the largest snowstorm that Toronto has experienced in a decade! So, please expect some photos of a city buried in snow in my next post.
In the meantime, thank you for checking out what we’ve been up to. Here’s wishing you a good weekend.
Loulou xo
