This past weekend--on what should have been a nice relaxing Sunday sipping cold drinks on the back deck--the whole family pitched in to change things up at the store. New display racks, reconfigured seating, regrouped products--the comments have been very positive.

"It's much more spacious," said customer Jocelyne St-Louis. "It's really comfortable and a nice way to shop."

Why not drop in and have a look? We're open until 6:00 on weekdays and 4:00 on Saturdays. On Sundays, we sit out on the back deck sipping cold drinks. Usually.

On Friday, you rush home, pack up the car and head out to the cottage. By the time you get there, the whole family is starving. What to do?

Well, you could unpack the car, put the weekend groceries away, decide what to make, prepare everything, cook it and then-sometime around 8:30, if you're lucky-sit down to eat.

Or, you could just arrive, warm up some delicious prepared meals to go from Cuisine & Passion and eat. Or, throw some of our barbeque-ready meats on the grill. Easy as pie. (We have that, too!)

But food from Cuisine & Passion is not just about saving time at the cottage--although there is a lot less time between arrival and dinner. It's also about delicious, made-at-home flavour. That's because, unlike a lot of what you'll find in the frozen food aisle, all of our dishes are made from fresh, preservative-free ingredients.

Summer special

Purchase four packages of marinated, ready-to-BBQ meat or two packages (four pieces) of our cook-from-frozen burgers and we will give you a large container of our house-made seven-grain coleslaw absolutely FREE!

Why not stop in and pick something up for this weekend? You'll wonder why you haven't been doing it all along.

As we head into the heat of the summer, we are starting to see the fruits--or should we say the vegetables--of local farmers' labour.

Some small but sweet corn is already available at roadside stands, and the Orléans Fruit Farm is doing brisk business. We are pleased to support their efforts by visiting regularly and picking up just-picked eggplant and zucchini.

Over the coming weeks, we expect to load up on carrots, tomatoes and green beans as they become available. In the fall, there is no doubt we will feature lots of squash.

Locally available produce allows us to feature last-minute dishes and treats during the week. Make sure to follow us on Twitter to get the latest information.

Simply add a few ingredients such as ginger and mint and you have a wonderfully refreshing salad for summer.

Ingredients

(Serves six)

1 tsp. sambal oelek*

1 tbsp. fish sauce

1 tbsp. soya sauce

1 inch fresh ginger, grated

juice of three limes

4 cups seedless watermelon, diced into 3/4-inch chunks

1/3 cup fresh mint, julienned

1/2 cup peanuts, roughly chopped

2 tbsp. fried shallots**

Method

1. Put lime juice, fish sauce, soya sauce, ginger and sambal oelek into a large bowl.Whisk until well mixed.
2. Add watermelon and fresh mint and mix gently.
3. Garnish with fried shallots and peanuts.
4. Enjoy!

*A green chili paste available at most large grocery stores.

** Available in jars, already fried, at Asian grocery stores.