barley salad

barley salad

As a kid and young adult, I LOVED Campbell’s condensed beef soup with barley and vegetables.  If you were to ask me what I liked most about that soup, I would have to say barley.  It has a chewy, pasta-like consistency.  The other veggies in the can didn’t hold up as well…too mushy for my…

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breakfast wrap – ready in 10 minutes!

breakfast wrap

Looking for a new way to use eggs for brekkie?  This breakfast wrap is portable for those busy mornings when you’re eating on the run.  Once you have made these and experience just how delicious these are, you’ll never order this from a fast food drive-through again!

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how to build a charcuterie board

how to build a charcuterie board

Charcuterie has its origins in France and the word means a pork-butcher shop.  While the original translation refers to pork, today’s charcuterie can include other types of food, such as duck, cheese, pâté, fresh or dried fruit.  Think of charcuterie as a starter course or as the centerpiece when you have your family and friends…

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fiddlehead salad – simply delicious!

fiddlehead salad

What does a fiddlehead taste like? Well, in my opinion, it’s a cross between asparagus and artichoke.  Some might say spinach, too.  It’s a seasonal delicacy available now that lasts three to four weeks.  Fiddleheads are sold at farmers’ markets and grocery stores. They are the unfurled fronds of a young ostrich fern and are…

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rhubarb simple syrup

rhubarb simple syrup

It’s rhubarb season! Growing up on the east coast of Canada, it’s one of the first desserts we would eat to welcome Spring. My mom had a huge rhubarb patch.  It was so big (how big was it?) my siblings and I used it as a base to play hide and seek.  We loved its…

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farinata – genoese street food

farinata - chickpea tart

Ever heard of the saying, ‘can’t see for looking’?  This was the case on Friday night.  I wanted to make pakoras before dinner and looked in my pantry to see if I had enough chickpea flour to make them.  As a result, I noticed the farinata recipe on the back of the package.  Hmmm, what…

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pasta with olive sauce and pangrattato

pasta with olive sauce

As a kid and for that matter a young adult, I despised olives!  To me, they just tasted like salt with a whole lot of bitterness.  That food memory stayed with me for a very long time.  It was only 20 years ago that I began to enjoy these fruits.  My first bite was a…

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butterscotch custard with salted caramel sauce

butterscotch custard with salted caramel sauce

Whoa!  Hold onto your sweet tooth ’cause this dessert will have you asking for more!  It has been ages, well I mean years since I last made a custard.  On occasion, I have made custards but truthfully, I favour more of a fresh fruit kind of dessert.  Having said that, my sweet tooth does show…

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simple syrup (delicious in cocktails & desserts)

simple syrup

Making simple syrup is just that, simple!  All you need is equal parts of sugar and water.  This liquid sweetener is commonly used to sweeten cocktails, iced tea, iced coffee, lemonade, and other cold drinks.  You can buy simple syrup from specialty grocery stores but it is much more economical to make your own at…

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