Posts by The Culinary Chase

I was introduced to cake pops by my good friend Jennifer and now my husband is a big fan of them! What are cake pops, you ask? They’re tiny cakes, rolled in melted chocolate and stuck onto a lollipop. They are the creation of Bakerella. Her site is one you should visit for baking inspiration!…

This dessert certainly catches your eye and is as delicious as it looks. Rice pudding recipes have been around since Medieval and Roman times, when boiled rice and milk porridge were associated with easy digestion and good nutrition. Serves 4recipe adapted from Australian Gourmet Travellerprint this recipeFor the rice pudding:125ml (1/2 cup) short grain rice…

I love the colors in this dish. Squid is a popular food in many parts of the world. The body can be stuffed whole, cut into flat pieces or sliced into rings. The arms, tentacles and ink are also edible. The following link has over 80 recipes dedicated to squid alone! Click here to view.…

SEASONS by Atlantica recently completed renovations to their restaurant and launched their new menu on the 27th January 2011. I was invited to sample these latest changes and I have to say I was pleasantly surprised by what I saw and ate. It seems the notion that hotel food isn’t as inspiring as stand-alone restaurants…

I love this kind of sauce as it is light, slightly sweet in flavor from the peppers and onions and full of nutrients.  It’s also a lovely substitute for tomatoes.  Bell peppers (green, red, yellow and orange) are an excellent source of vitamin C and A as well as a good source of dietary fiber.…

Belgium endive (chicory) has a small head of cream-colored, bitter leaves. It is grown completely underground or indoors in the absence of sunlight in order to prevent the leaves from turning green and opening up. Exposure to light turns it to green and bitter so store in a brown paper bag in the crisper. It’s…

Hummus is one of those dips you can make at the drop of a hat which is good for those unexpected visitors. The garbanzo bean, also known as chickpea, is an edible legume. In addition to lowering cholesterol, garbanzos’ high fiber content prevents blood sugar levels from rising too rapidly after a meal, making these…

According to food historians, the origins of carrot cake were likely a type of carrot pudding enjoyed during medieval times. Later, during the Middle Ages, sweetening agents were hard to come by in Britain and quite expensive, so as a result, carrots were often used in place of sweeteners. Even though the first carrot cake…

A simple soup to whip up after a cold day.  The health benefits of the sweet potato is surprising with its antioxidant nature (excellent source of vitamin A), anti-inflammatory nutrients, and blood sugar-regulating nutrients. Because they are very rich in beta carotene, sweet potatoes are excellent immunity boosters. A chipotle  (pronounced chi-POHT-lay) is a smoke-dried…

Mussels have been cultivated for almost 800 years and have been used as a food source for more than 20,000 years. In North America, 80% of cultured mussels are produced in Prince Edward Island in Canada. Cultured mussels are grown in mesh stockings that are suspended from longlines (ropes) in the water. Because they never…