Our neighbours at the cottage are this amazing couple. From Vancouver, they travel every summer with their family to the tiny strip of Georgian Bay beach we all call home come June. Now, when I say family, I mean family. They have the biggest family ever. I’m not just counting their three children. I’m talking about their extended family. Both from huge households, Elizabeth (one of 7) and Paul (one of 6) spend the summer surrounded by all their siblings, in-laws, nieces and nephews. Plus anyone else who happens by. As a result, their cottage is never quiet. It’s what makes them the best neighbours. All the activity — tightrope walking, body surfing, bows and arrows, playing clarinet or sax, shooting potato guns and boisterous camp fires — is just par for the course per weekend at the Clarks. (I swear they do this stuff. Even the tightrope. Don’t ask.) And, luckily, they invite us to jump in whenever. It makes for some great afternoons and Scarlett loves all the crazy activities.
With a lot of family around comes a lot of mouths to feed, and Liz makes preparing meals for a dozen people look easy. She’ll disappear for what seems like 10 minutes and then, viola, there’s an amazingly delicious spread available for everyone. She generally laughs off people’s comments about how efficient she is, but I think I figured out her secret. She has a great repertoire of salads, entrees and snacks that she knows are easy and crowd pleasing. This salsa is one of them, and she got our family addicted to it this summer.
Do you like the picture Scarlett drew for you? I thought it would look great with the salsa.
I made this batch for Scarlett while she was at school. When she came home I had it waiting for her along with some baked multi-grain chips as well as polenta crackers. I thought she would be excited to see the “summer” dish waiting for her but instead she said, “that again?!” I wasn’t discouraged. I took that to mean she had her fill of a lot of great moments this summer–eating as well as playing.
Grape Salsa
2 1/4 cups halved red grapes
1 large clove garlic, minced
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon fresh chopped cilantro
Method:
Wash and cut grapes as well as garlic and cilantro. In a medium bowl, mix grapes with cilantro, garlic and oil. Toss and serve with corn chips or toasted multi-grain pita.
Laura Keogh is the co-creator of Sweet Potato Chronicles.
More awesome snack ideas from Sweet Potato Chronicles:
Nuts and Seeds Granola Bars are an easy and lower sugar snack.
Wholegrain Blueberry Muffins are a wholesome version of a classic snack.
Blueberry Spelt Oat Bars — Kids will love these crumbly bars, you’ll love the antioxidant-rich blueberries.