Brunch with the Girls

   

  One Sunday morning in April my friends took me out for Brunch at the Beachy Cove Cafe. It was a farewell gathering. I am very grateful that I have such good friends who have been very supportive emotionally and spiritually. There were 29 of us in attendance. The cafe is located in Portugal Cove - St. Philips (a community nearby St. John's) across from the Bell Island ferry terminal. The ferry travels about 20 minutes across to Bell Island and returns several times a day.

We had a large section on the second floor.
The table was set beautifully.

     Since we were on the second floor we could see out the windows and watch the ferry come in. We also could see various small icebergs that were close to shore. Looking across to Bell Island you can see the typical Newfoundland landscape. The rock formations are a good example of the rock formations that you see across the province. 

Icebergs seen from Beachy Cove Cafe

A plate of Newfoundland food -- toutons, cooked bologna, fish cakes, baked beans, bacon

Friends at farewell brunch. What a wonderful group of ladies! 

I will miss them all!

Picture of friends before going for the food

     As a parting gift, I was given a recipe book with each friend's favourite recipe. What a wonderful idea! Al and I have experienced so much Newfoundland food over the year so this was the perfect gift. The recipe book was accompanied with napkins and a Jelly Bean House Apron.

Recipe book filled with favourite recipes

Napkin with Newfoundland sayings

Here is a sample of a recipe given to me

Seafood Chowder
1 1/2 pounds cod fillets
1 pound salmon, and shrimp
1/2 cup diced bacon
1 medium onion finely chopped
1/2 cup celery diced
1 chicken bouillon cube
2 cups boiling water
2 cups potatoes diced
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp thyme
pepper to taste
1 cup 10% light cream
1 cup milk

Cut cod fillets plus salmon into 1 1/2 cubes.
Fry bacon until crisp. Reserve until later.
Saute onion and celery in bacon fat.
Dissolve bouillon cube in boiling water and add veggies and seasonings.
Cover and simmer until potatoes are tender (about 10 minutes)
Add chunks of fish. Cook until fish is tender (about 5-10 minutes)
Add cream and milk -- do not boil. The chowder may curdle.
Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary.
Serve with garnish of bacon bits.

     A nice hearty dish for a cold day which is many days of the year here.

     Thank you, ladies, for a wonderful morning, memories and of course, the recipes.