Spotted at the Table: Duck Pot Pie

"Duck Pot Pie Collage" © 2010 Flora R. Powell. All rights reserved.

A country style duck pot pie made by Brome Lake Ducks from Quebec, Canada. This is possibly the best store-bought pie we have ever had. The crust is rich and flaky, quite close to rivalling my mother-in-law's favorite pie crust recipe. The filling is generously meaty, with distinguishable chunks of duck while the vegetables retain their crispness and provide a nice contrasty texture to the meat. It's such a quick and easy lunch, hearty and filling without being greasy and sitting like a stone in the pit of your stomach for hours after. I throw together a cold salad (lettuce, cucumbers, tomatoes and radishes) while waiting for the pie to heat up in the oven and we usually finish up with some cut-up fruit after. Great no fuss, no muss meal and a much healthier (not to mention cheaper!) alternative to eating out. Would definitely buy this again!

You can view the detailed photos here:
Duck Pot Pie 1
Duck Pot Pie 2
Duck Pot Pie 3
Duck Pot Pie 4 (Vintage)

Blog post © 2011 Flora R. Powell. All rights reserved.

Green Giving: Herb Planter

"Herb Planter" © 2010 Flora R. Powell. All rights reserved.

This is a wonderful gift idea for anyone who loves to cook. Not only is it economical but it is extremely easy to put together, and offers infinite variations to suit any cuisine and palate. I put together this combo for under C$20 for a friend, and she couldn't be happier with the gift!

I started off by getting a round, red ceramic planter from Ikea, which cost me C$8.99. Then I bought three small potted herbs from Wal-Mart for C$1.99 each. (I chose thyme, oregano and rosemary for their Mediterranean flavors.) Since I had some potting soil and quite a few plastic containers in my backyard shed from last year's planting season, I decided to repot the herbs from the 3.5 inch containers they had come in and into the 4.5 inch plastic pots I had so the herbs would fit a little more snugly in the ceramic planter. Once I had finished repotting, I just set the three plastic containers into the planter, rearranged the leaves to hide most of the plastic and that was it! How easy was that?

There are so many ways to make this even more cheaply. I love thrift stores like Value Village, flea markets and out-of-the-way country antique stores for picking up used planters that I can re-purpose for container gardening and as gifts for friends and family. Also, if you have a little kitchen garden, you can always dig up some of your existing plants, divide them and send them out into the world as fresh culinary gifts. You'd be amazed how many people love getting something like this to sit in their kitchen window or dining nook or even as a centerpiece for their dining or kitchen table. Try putting together an herb planter the next time someone has a birthday, housewarming, anniversary or dinner party. You'll truly be sharing a living gift that will keep on giving.

Blog post © 2011 Flora R. Powell. All rights reserved.