As a child I remember being excited for the Canada Day long weekend. School was out, summer vacation was just getting started. If the weather was nice maybe Mom and Dad would pack up the cooler and take us to Miquelon Lake. Sometimes we were joined by my aunt, uncle, and cousins. Or maybe it would be just the four of us, at home, enjoying hotdogs and running through the sprinkler. No matter how we celebrated I knew that Canada Day meant the summer had begun and we would get two months to play, have fun, and spend time with friends and family.
So, for this table setting we decided we wanted something informal and that evoked memories from those summers. Instead of focusing on the plates, cutlery, and glasses we wanted to food to be the main focal point. With that decided we knew that we had to do hotdogs like mom used to do when I was younger.
Mom always found a way to make everyday meals something special. I have so many examples, but I will be saving those for future posts. Wrapping hot dogs in bread and toasting it is just one example. It was something so simple but because it was different and took that extra bit of effort it felt like a treat to enjoy on a special occasion.
One summer day my brother and I had a few friends over and Mom decided to make us hot dogs for lunch. She wrapped them in bread using toothpicks, toasted them and we all sat down to enjoy a fun summer lunch. Two bites in we all realized something tasted off. My poor Mom, she had accidently used mint toothpicks and the mint had infused the bread. All that effort and we could barely eat the hotdogs. I can’t remember what we had instead, but we all had a good laugh, and kept laughing for years to come. Keep in mind, if you decide to wrap your hotdogs in bread, it is best to use the same number of toothpicks for each hot dog, that way when you are removing them you don’t miss any!
For this long weekend there was no flavoured toothpicks for us. Mom’s deviled eggs, baked beans and pasta salad completed the spread. I contributed to the feast by baking up some brownies. It all turned out wonderful, so much so we decided to do a post on our pasta salad recipe. Stay tuned for that post but if you thought those brownies looked good, check out the brownie recipe as well, it’s already out.
Before I wrap up this post, I will briefly talk about what we used for the table setting. Mom had found this great red and white gingham tablecloth that we thought would be perfect for a Canada Day table setting for two reasons. One, the colours, and two nothing screams summer more than a picnic. We added this great table napkin dispenser, milk glass salt and pepper shakers, mason jar cups, and cream plates. This setting was picnic meets vintage diner. It was a little bit retro and a little bit country and perfect for an informal summer table setting. Mom and I enjoyed picking everything out, laying out the spread and taking pictures. Of course, once we were done the four of us got to dig in and enjoy some time together reminiscing about summers past.
We hope that this setting like our others inspires you to think outside the box and mix and match what you have to make a fun spread to be enjoyed by your loved ones whether you are celebrating something or just spending time together.
