Why does food taste better outside?

It’s Spring where I live, and Spring is the perfect time to break out of our regular food routines. Away with the heavy table cloths, the dark napkins, the dimmer switch in the dining room. Now is the time for long evenings, picnics, lighter meals, and candles outside. In fact, eating outside is one of the things I love most about this time of year.

Breakfast: Starting as soon as humanly possible (and this year that was at the beginning of May), I start eating breakfast on my apartment balcony every day it’s even remotely possible. My favourite breakfast is toast with butter and a layer of smoky cheese (Applewood cheddar if I can find it), topped with one lightly egg fried in a non-stick pan. And a side of green veggie (beans or spinach or bok choy). And decaf coffee.

I set myself up on the wooden patio table, with a place mat, napkin, and a magazine. I sit, facing east, reading Food Illustrated or Cook’s Country until it gets too warm and I have to go inside and get to work. If you don’t have a balcony, maybe you have a porch (verandah?), the front steps to your apartment, or a nearby park bench. I find that eating breakfast outside is a quiet, peaceful way to begin your day.

Lunch: If you work in an office, you can take your packed lunch away from your desk and head to the nearest playground. Your tuna sandwich and pickles taste magical when eaten outdoors. Use any excuse to escape your florescent environment.

If you work right downtown, you might have to hunt for a restaurant with a patio where you can order a cup of coffee and eat your homemade lunch. Some places are more friendly about you bringing in ‘outside’ food than others… search a bit until you find someplace near you.

Dinner: Plan a picnic supper, leftover Roast Chicken with Rosemary and Roast Fennel with Apple go well together. Cold roast chicken is divine, and goes well with the sweet and sour fennel side dish. Take a blanket, a good book, and settle yourself near the best view – whatever kind of view you can find: beach, mountains, prairie, duck pond.

[Members of"The Veggie Club" have unlimited access to these recipes (and lots more) as part of their monthly membership.]

And since it’s nearly a scientific fact that food tastes better outside, now is the time to find the door ‘out’ of your usual routine. Yesterday I suggested to André that we could make margaritas in glass jars with lids, pack a picnic, and head off the park for supper.

Then I thought I’d sweeten the deal by saying we could take the new laptop computer, pop in a DVD, and watch a movie outside under the stars with our mason jar drinks. He looked at me like I had a watermelon where my head should be.

OK, maybe we should leave the movie at home.

I hope you’re having a great Monday, and are enjoying safe travels if you’re celebrating the Victoria Day long weekend in Canada. Welcome this week to all of our new subscribers. And, of course, Happy Monday and welcome to those of you who’ve been here a while.
I’m glad you’re all here

Owner & Head Tomato
One Roast Vegetable / The Veggie Club

PS/ Have you registered yet for the Kill Kitchen Klutter (Extended Version) Workshop? Imagine how GREAT you’re going to feel when your kitchen is clean and organized. Do you work better when you have some support and a group working together with you? If so, this might be just what you’re looking for. You can register here:

http://www.oneroastvegetable.com/members/signup.php?price_group=-15

Kill Kitcken Klutter – Extended Version

Hi there,

Every month I hold a teleclass, and by far the most popular so far has been the class called “Kill Kitchen Klutter.”

Have you ever noticed that it’s much easier to cook in a beautifully clean and organized kitchen? In my slug-like times, when I’m feeling like having popcorn for dinner, I sometimes look around and think “I could make dinner, but I’d have to get organized first.”

Well, after holding the “Kill Kitchen Klutter” class a couple of times, I’ve had a big demand for more classes, more support, and more de-cluttering.

Sign up here

Here’s what real participants have actually said:

~ “Why can’t we meet every Friday night?”

~ “We should do this more often.”

~ “It’s amazing what I can get done in only 25 minutes.”

~ “Shelley, I even got started before the call started, so that I
could get more done ‘on the call’.”

OK. So I’ve done it. I’ve created a complete 6-week workshop designed specifically to get your kitchen organized and to get you eating better.

NOT just a 2 hour call where you work on the fridge. Or one drawer.

No, this class is the full-meal-deal

KILL KITCHEN CLUTTER – The Extended Version (6-week Workshop)

Here’s what you’ll get:

~~ WEEKLY SUPPORT: A weekly call, 1.5 hours per week for 6 weeks, where we focus on a
different part of kitchen organization each week (including meal planning,
getting the pantry stocked, grocery lists, organizing drawers, floors, cupboards, dishes, and
much more).

~~ A CLUTTER BUDDY: You’ll be specially matched up with a “Clutter Buddy” who you can email and check-in with during the week
(or maybe we’ll call them “dust buddies”)

~~ HOMEWORK, READING ASSIGNMENTS: You’ll have weekly tips by email, reading assignments, and real-live homework

~~ AUDIO FILES: All of the group calls will be audio recorded, and the MP3 files will be archived on “The Veggie Club” in a special Kitchen Klutter Korner, for one year for all class participants.

Note: If you don’t enroll in the class, you will not be able to access the audio files.

~~ ONE-ON-ONE CALL WITH SHELLEY: And as a special bonus, you’ll get one 25 minute phone call — one-on-one with Shelley — to discuss your biggest challenges and come up with ways to help you get and stay organized (I’ll even pay for the call)

Just imagine what you could get done with a little support and motivation. Here’s my list of possible things I can work on during this 6-week class:

• Clean out the fridge, including drawers and door shelves
• Clean out the freezer, empty it completely, wipe, and replace — tossing out old things and “mystery meat”
• Give a really good scrub to my stovetop, including all those yicky element liners
• Oh, and I could probably clean the oven, it’s been a while
• How about the drawers in the kitchen (cutlery, baggies/waxed paper, and the famous “junk” drawer)
• Then there’s always the pasta/oil cupboard, and all those half empty boxes and bits of leftovers
• The baking shelf, with all of the raisins and nuts that should be cleaned out, old stuff tossed
• I could empty and clean my spice jars, and then refill, or at least just wipe the outsides really well
• Maybe clean the microwave, the sink, and the drainboard (or around the dishwasher if you have one)
• And then if I’m feeling really inspired, I can gather up all the old glassware we don’t use anymore, put it in a box for charity, and then clean out that shelf. It’ll look so much better with less stuff..

The class will meet for 6 Mondays beginning June 2nd at 5:30 pm Pacific / 8:30 pm Eastern. If you need to miss a call, don’t worry, the audio will be available on the site for class members.

EARLY-BIRD PRICE – SAVE $40

This special Kill Kitchen Klutter class is limited to 16 people. The low cost to register is $163, but if you sign up before May 26th, you can sneak in for the special, low, early-bird price of only $123 (includes 3 months free in The Veggie Club).

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TO REGISTER:

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To register for the class, sign up here.

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If you have any questions or problems registering, just send me an email. But don’t wait too long. This offer is going out to the general mailing list which has 4000+ people. If 1% of you try to sign up, the class could already be full by the time you’re reading this! Remember, there are only 16 spots available.

All best,
happy Saturday (hooray, it’s a long weekend in Canada)!

Shelley

Owner & Head Tomato
One Roast Vegetable / The Veggie Club

PS/ Here’s the link to sign up now, I don’t want you to miss out.