Bullets Over Bytown

I'm back this week after a weekend getaway last week to our nation's capital, Ottawa. We had always said we wanted to someday see the fireworks over Parliament Hill and this year we made it happen. Due to the generous hospitality of loyal reader E.J. (what up, E? Thanks again!), we had a place to stay and local knowledge on our side. She took us to a great restaurant called "Zen Kitchen," which, by the way, was the inspiration for this week's recipe. All our food was so delicious, we have already added them to our list of "Restaurants We Love" below. Some dishes we really enjoyed here:

A quick word about fireworks as a celebration of our induction into nationhood... it doesn't feel right for Canada. It feels like something we stole from the Americans, with their bombs bursting in air and the red glare of their rockets. In their case, fireworks feels like a re-enactment of the violent, armed conflict that brought about their independence, right? In our case, maybe we should stage a polite debate on the merits of the case, followed by tea and document signings. Who's up for it? For now, these non-projectile bullets, in honour of Canada Day:

• All hail the municipality of Oakland, CA for passing an MM resolution!
• The Egg Marketing Board may soon have to fall back on "Eggs: They won't kill you right away" for their next slogan.
• If there was an online article called "The Ten Best and Worst Foods for Health and Longevity," there is no way you could resist clicking on it.

The pictures provided for this week's recipe come from our meal at Zen Kitchen and are not meant to represent a connection between our recipe and theirs, which they would not share with me. If you're in Ottawa for some reason (like perhaps living there), stop in to ZK on a Monday night for their special new MM menu. If you do, let me know how my recipe stacks up to theirs.