not long enough

Another long weekend has come and gone; how precious they are during the summer. We spent this past Canada Day away from the maddening crowd (Ottawa really does get crazy on Canada Day), at a friend's cottage. Dan is a local filmmaker who currently calls Gracefield his home; it's about an hour's drive from Ottawa and what a perfect weekend to be sitting by a lake with a bottomless glass of wine.

When we weren't popping corks, we managed to amuse ourselves cooking with fire.

We dug an oven in the ground. As it turns out, there are all kinds of fun things you can do with a makeshift oven: roasted peppers, beef brisket, potatoes, baked beans, garlic, roasted pork. At one point in the weekend I toyed with the idea of pizza, but then opted to just fill my wine glass and roll into the lake instead... a project for next time, perhaps.

If you are in need of something light and not too complicated for afternoon sipping in the sun, you could try this bottle from Serbia. We had no problem drinking it.

A fruity Riesling with ripe peach, pear and apple aromas highlighted by hints of minerality and honeysuckle; light on the palate, it finishes off with a touch of sweetness. At only 11% alcohol you could almost drink this for breakfast, so perfect for afternoon sipping ($8.35).

Instructions for a makeshift oven:

1. dig a big hole
2. line it with rocks
3. make a very hot fire by stoking and letting it burn all day
4. create a ledge (we used an old barbecue form turned upside down)
5. lower various sundry foodstuffs in to the hole (be careful)
6. cover the hole with a piece of metal
7. go have a glass of wine while you wait for dinner