Smoked Trout Rillettes

Serve with a little spicy red pepper jelly

Following our wonderful road trip - we decided to buy a smoker!

The goal of our trip to Gaspésie was to rediscover what our wonderful province and its people have to offer in the way of food, beauty and inspiration.

We were not disappointed and find ourselves now richer with a knowledge and better understanding of a simple rural way of life that in no way limits, but rather inspires, great food and products.

Vegan Bridal Shower: Plum Tomato and Watermelon Bites, Fig and Mixed Olive Tapenade, Fennel and Basil Veganaise Dip, Carrot Cake, Mixed Berries with Vanilla Sugar

Plum tomato and Watermelon bites

As the big day approaches for Sarah and Kevin , it is time to begin the celebrations.  

One of the greatest things about an upcoming wedding is the opportunities it affords us to reconnect and catch up with people who have been and important part of Sarah and Kevin's lives.   Last weekend, my mother-in-law,  and Kat hosted a wonderful bridal shower for the future bride.  It was a beautiful event held on a beautiful day.  The theme was a traditional tea party and the ladies wore hats!  

Île d'Orléans, Charlevoix, Tadoussac

The views here are spectacular!

Absolute highlight so far - watching the whales surface repeatedly in the Bay in Tadoussac!


This region is rich with beautiful landscapes and kind, smiling people.  We have discovered some very good regional products here so far, with the most intriguing being the Emu.  Described a cross between goose and beef in taste, these large birds were brought in from Australia and are raised in St-Urbain in the Charlevoix region.  I have to admit I am a bit surprised but excited to try a few recipe ideas with this new ingredient - who knew - Emu from Québec!  We bought the Emu terrine and were guaranteed that this appetizer would be a surprising, resounding success:  cracker, cream cheese, Emu terrine, pepper jelly (or jelly of your choice), top with a local strawberry, raspberry or blueberry.  

Québec City - Quartier Petit Champlain

Summer Festival Festival d'été:  11-day music festival!

Beautiful first stop for the road trip!  We stayed in the wonderful Quartier Petit Champlain in a beautiful boutique hotel called Le 71.  They offer bikes (with baskets) to the guests for touring and the decor is beautiful.  Great spot to start from to see this beautiful city. We really love Québec City - 

Québec Maritime and Gaspé Region - Terroir and People

Roché Percé - Gaspésie

It has been almost 2 years since we returned to our native Québec - time flies!

Our time in Europe was nothing short of fabulous - and we learned so much about ourselves as a family and individuals.

It took some courage to leave what we knew and loved and venture off into different cultures and ways of life that we were unfamiliar with and were told - could be difficult.   To visit a country on vacation is one thing, but to live there is something else entirely.  Although, there were a few times that proved to be a little challenging, the many good/great moments far outweighed the few bad ones.