Grilled Watermelon & Halloumi Cheese Salad

Here's a beautiful way to celebrate summer!  Grilled slices of watermelon and halloumi cheese over lemony green beans.  

If you haven't tried halloumi cheese, it's a very firm, mild cheese that can be grilled or pan-fried without melting.  It has a mild, salty flavour and a firm, slightly rubbery texture that works great with fruit and vegetables.  

Here's what you need for this lovely summer salad. 

The Beer Baron - New Kids on the Block

This post comes from The Beer Baron. You can find him on Twitter at @geekcanuck

With an upcoming trip to Montreal to explore the Craft beer and cider scene in Quebec, I wasn’t quite sure whether or not to visit the London Beer & BBQ Show this year. Despite enjoying the event in the past, even beer barons have a limit to their disposable income. In the end, the Clockwatching Tart and I decided to go because I was excited to try two breweries I’d never tried before, Elora Brewing Co. and Midian Brewing – and I’m certainly glad we went, because there was more to discover than just those wonderful breweries.

The very first booth we stopped at was Strathroy Brewing Company’s. Craft beer folk tend to be wonderfully pleasant, so the fact that the Strathroy team was engaging, friendly and rightfully proud of their brews came as no surprise. The surprise to me came in the form of their full line of beers:

Tart of the Month - Strawberry Rhubarb Galettes

I think I finally discovered the key to loving rhubarb. It seems so obvious, but mixing it with strawberries makes all the difference! Strawberry and rhubarb go so wonderfully together. The tartness of the rhubarb is a great compliment to the sweet berries. 

These galettes are very easy. A galette is a free-form tart, and making these with frozen puff pastry mean you can whip them up in minutes.

Here's what you need for these yummy spring treats:

Rhubarb-Cherry Sauce for Pork Chops

Rhubarb... I just don't know. 

We signed up for our CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) box again this year. We loved it so much last year and we ate everything, except the rhubarb. This year I was determined to try to use it up so I thought I'd make this sauce to accompany pork.  

The recipe comes from Martha Stewart.  Here's what you need:

The Beer Baron - Craft Cider Cruise

This post comes from Matt, the Beer Baron. Find him on Twitter @geekcanuck

Despite not having too much of a taste for craft beer, the Clockwatching Tart has visited more breweries and craft beer shows across the continent than most beer geeks, all in the name of adventure (and being  good spot about one of my many obsessions). So, when I saw the chance to repay the favour by trying to win her tickets to the Toronto Craft Cider Cruise, I couldn’t resist. With a little luck and our thanks to Thornbury Village Cidery – who produce the lovely Thornbury Cider – we were off to Toronto to indulge our love for Ontario craft cider!

The Craft Cider Cruise took place aboard The River Gambler and before we delved into the wonderful array of Ontario craft ciders, we needed a bit of food and much to our surprise and delight, it was fresh, well made and delicious.

Tart of the Month - Quick Dessert Tarts

I was away this weekend four our third annual cousins retreat where my sister-in-law and three lady cousins and I enjoy a weekend in Blue Mountain, Ontario.  

We enjoy great food and drinks.

The Beer Baron - The Hybrid We Deserve

This post comes from Matt, the Beer Baron.  He can be found on Twitter @geekcanuck

It used to be that when I thought of the word hybrid, I'd think of orchids or drought-resistant corn or even a liger. Then I spent the last decade of my life stuck behind the soul-crushing commuter appliance that is the Toyota Prius and the word “hybrid” made me think less of awe-inspiring felines and more of the legalities of slapping someone at a stop light. Thankfully, the good folks at my city's newest and smallest craft brewery are working hard to make me think of “hybrid” as a good thing again.

Although London Brewing Co-Op doesn't yet have their brew pub or retail store, their beers are regularly available at The Root Cellar organic cafe and on occasion at Milos’ Craft Beer Emporium. While I missed their first pop-up store – which was the first chance to be able to buy bottles to take home – I didn't miss the second one and got to bring home two lovely craft beers I believe are good examples of hybrids.

Just as a liger is a hybrid of a lion and a tiger (and a Prius is a hybrid of a car and self-loathing), a hybrid craft beer is a mix of two traditional styles of beer.