entertaining
Seafood Soup
Just when you think the frigid weather is behind us, mother nature shakes her head and delivers a polar vortex. Usually the polar vortex stays in the Arctic but this year it’s paying Canada and the United States a visit…a very cold one! Here in the Maritimes, we’re not going to be as hard hit…
Read MoreFennel and Blood Orange Salad
There’s something alluring and mysterious when you spot a sign in your grocery store for blood oranges. Will it bleed when cut? Will it taste vastly different from an ordinary orange? Yes, the juices are more defined because of the visual red pigment, and yes, it’ll taste slightly bitter but not as acid. But look…
Read MoreHalibut Ceviche with Watermelon
Ceviche (seh-BEE-chay), popular in Central and South America, is a seafood dish and consists of raw fish marinated in citrus juice and seasoned with chilies and chopped coriander. The citric acid in the juice cooks the fish making the flesh opaque and firm just as if it had been cooked over heat. The first time…
Read MoreCrostini with Beetroot Jam and Goat’s Cheese
Holiday parties are in full swing now and we all have our favorite dishes we like to make that tend to be specific for this time of year. I, too, find myself repeating appetizers especially those that are given the two thumbs up by my family. So it can be daunting to want to step…
Read MoreAsian-style Rice Noodle Beef Salad
Our Asian experience seems like a lifetime ago but whenever we have a dish that reminds of food from that side of the globe, it almost feels like we’re back there. Almost. I’ve made this Asian-style rice noodle beef salad many times in Hong Kong and Bangkok but last night, as we sat around the…
Read MoreSausage Stuffed Mushroom Caps
There are oodles of recipes for stuffed mushrooms but most require too much cooking for my liking. I want a simple yet mouth-watering appetizer to whip up while I chat to my friends. Sausage and mushrooms are perfect companions and pair them with garlic and fennel…it becomes a snack your guests will find hard to…
Read MoreBarley Salad with Roasted Squash and Fennel
It can be a challenge keeping your kids healthy when they live at home but when they leave the nest for university or boarding schools this can be a bigger challenge. We’re happy to be back in Nova Scotia for many reasons and one of those is that Laura is able to hop on a…
Read MorePepperoni Pesto
When I think of pesto my mind immediately sees plump basil leaves, pine nuts, a mound of freshly grated Parmesan cheese and smashed garlic bound together with olive oil. But when we think ‘outside the box’, a funny thing happens…we tend to experiment. There are oodles of options out there when rethinking the term pesto. …
Read MoreOven Roasted Rutabaga Fries
Confession time. I always thought the word rutabaga was a fancy term for a turnip. So for clarity, here’s the scoop on both – I know you want to get to the bottom of this. While surfing the web I found out that a rutabaga (aka swede or yellow turnip) is the cross between a…
Read MorePersimmon Apple Radicchio Stacks
I intimidate people. I remember the first time I was told this and was floored! It wasn’t said in a negative way nor aimed at my personality. It happened to pertain to my style of cooking. We love to entertain and our friends enjoy coming to our house for dinner. The issue tends to…
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