Dining al fresco

Some of the best food I've enjoyed has been eaten outside in the great outdoors. A cappuccino and a buttery pastry on the patio of an Italian cafe, mussels boiled up in a pot of salt water over an open fire on a beach in Trinity Bay, or crisp and golden calamari at a harbourfront eatery in Halifax -- there's just something about fresh air that makes food taste better.
On Saturday, knowing that Sunday would be spent cooking Mother's Day dinner for my mom and dad and other family members, my husband and I decided to make a break for it when the weather turned fair and hike in the Marine Drive area, just outside St. John's.
He packed our knapsack with food and water for us and our dog, and off we went.
The new section of East Coast Trail off Doran's Lane is spectacular, and you can walk for hours or minutes, depending on how energetic you feel. The scenery is awesome, with sheer cliffs and pounding waves, sea caves, gnarled trees, and points of rock jutting out into the ocean like the splayed fingers of some giant creature.
The weather was perfect for us, warm but with a refreshing breeze. The trail is in excellent shape and includes some exhilirating climbs. It's boggy in places but the boardwalk prevents you from running amok, unless you're a little grey dog whose nose sometimes gets the better of him.
Once we found a suitable location, my husband used a plank that just happened to be lying around to fashion a primitive bench for us at the base of a huge sun-warmed boulder that we could rest our backs against.
He unpacked the knapsack: barbecued chicken he'd grilled the night before, deliciously sweet grape tomotoes, a little smoked Gruyere, and cold spicy sweet potato wedges. Best of all, he'd tucked in a tetrapak of Australian Cabernet Shiraz, which washed everything down.
We sat and sipped wine from little metal cups and watched the waves pound the shore, and marvelled at how relaxing it was and how lucky we are to have free access to such a wonderful trail system.
The dog enjoyed his cooked baby carrots and chicken livers, along with a nice bowl of ice water. We spent three hours soaking up the sun and breathing in the salty air before heading home.
What a great pre-Mother's Day -- like a rejuvenating spa experience without the nasty bill at the end. The end of Mother's Day on Sunday had a sweet finish, too, when the kids made me a cake.

We make these spicy sweet potato wedges hot out of the oven as a side dish with steak, but they're good cold, or reheated the next day. I also like to throw in some chunks of sweet potato when we're making regular oven-roasted baby potatoes, too, just because I like the contrasting flavours.
I can't even remember where I found this recipe, but I sure hope you enjoy it if you give it a try. It's easy and sweet potato is high in Vitamin A, which is an added plus.

Spiced Sweet Potato Wedges (makes 4 servings)

1 1/2. lbs. sweet potatoes (2-3 medium, peeled, washed and cut into quarters or eighths, lengthwise, depending on the size of the potato)
1/2 tsp. each of cumin seed, coriander seed and peppercorns
1 tsp. coarse salt
1 tbsp. olive oil

Preheat oven to 450 F.
In a small skillet over medium-high heat, combine cumin and coriander seeds and peppercorns and toast until just fragrant and they start to pop -- about 3 minutes. Grind seeds with a mortar and pestle or in a spice grinder until smooth. In a large bowl, combine sweet potatoes, spices half the salt and all of the olive oil. Toss to coat.
Arrange in a single layer on a heavy-duty baking sheet and roast, turning once, until potatoes are golden and tender, about 30 minutes.
Sprinkle with remaining salt and serve immediately.

My husband has also grilled these on the barbecue and they turned out just as well, with nice spots of carmelization and light charring from the sugar in the sweet potatoes.