sautéed purple cabbage with pasta

Do you ever wish you could turn back time?  I do, not to alter events but to be more inquisitive with my elders thus being able to pass the story-telling torch onto my children.  My great, great paternal grandmother, Anna Marie Schmeltzer (Nanny Kent), died when I was 11 – she was 86.  My memories…

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fiddleheads and baby gnocchi

Fiddleheads are the unfurled fronds of a young fern and are collected in the wild before the frond has opened.   A spring-time vegetable, you’ll find them in food shops and outdoor markets.  They are called fiddleheads because they resemble the curled end of a stringed instrument such as a fiddle.  If you’re from the Maritimes…

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Roasted Haddock and Bacon

I really try to incorporate fish into our diet (read: lay off the meat for a while).  Sometimes that can be a challenge for me as my childhood memories of fish and tiny bones play havoc with my mind.  I can’t tell you how many times I choked on fish bones!  Yuck!  The only way…

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Barley and Bacon Risotto

Stir. Stir. Stir. This is my cheats version of risotto and does not require frequent visits to the stove top.  A typical risotto recipe involves going back to the pot to stir in each ladleful of stock when the last one has been absorbed.  Although it doesn’t take long to cook (roughly 30 minutes), you…

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Fried Green Tomato Sandwich

Although fried green tomatoes (no, I’m not referring to the movie) might be a dish hailing from the southern United States, in the Maritimes we enjoy them, too.  My father loved the sight of green tomatoes in our vegetable patch.  His favorite way to eat them?  Fried with bacon and eggs, of course! TweetFacebookLinkedInTumblrStumbleDiggDelicious

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Aussie Meat Pies

Meat pies in Australia and New Zealand are what apple pie is to North America – iconic. Years ago John and I visited Australia and everyone kept telling us to try the Aussie meat pies.  Not one to turn down an opportunity to see what all the fuss was, we tried our very first meat…

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Beans, Bacon & Blue Cheese Vinaigrette

Making a plate of food come alive with a variety of colors not only is visually appealing but healthy.  Think in terms of the rainbow when deciding on what to serve – many colors are already represented by vegetables. You’ll get a good mix of vitamins, minerals and antioxidants. Keep this in mind next time…

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Inside Out Burger

America is considered the true home of the hamburger, but chopped beef had been a staple of Eastern European cuisines for centuries.  German immigrants from Hamburg arrived in America in the 19th century bringing their Hamburg-style beef with them.  Burgers are all about the toppings and this recipe focuses on the topping you can’t see. …

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Roasted Squash & Apple Soup with Goat’s Cheese & Bacon

Soup. It needs no explanation – everyone knows what it is and it’s been around for a millennia.  There are so many variations.  I love the combination of vegetables and fruit.  There’s something so opposite about the two that you’d think there’s no way they belong together in the same pot…but trust me, the two…

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Broccoli and Bacon Salad

Broccoli is a veggie I cannot get enough of and when I see a recipe that includes bacon, it has to be a winning combo. Broccoli is so nutrient-rich I can’t imagine not having it in my diet.  This is a light dish as it doesn’t have a heavy sauce nor does it call for…

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