parmesan tuiles
The other day I was all gung-ho to make parmesan tuiles. The recipe was from a trusted name in the cooking industry but as I was dishing out the ingredients, something inside me was saying the quantities, oven temperature and method seemed off. But, because it was from a trusted source, I shrugged off my…
Read More
pasta and fiddleheads – hello spring!
Ever take a walk in the forest in the Spring and notice young shoots of unfurled ferns? If you have, it’s a fern getting ready to open up. Before the fern opens it’s called a fiddlehead (resembles the scroll end of a violin). It is at this stage when the fiddleheads are picked and cooked. …
Read More
shrimp and avocado salad
Shrimp and avocado salad is a follow up from last month’s post. The inspiration for this dish comes from the caesar granita I made; it was placed over freshly shucked oysters. However, not everyone is a fan of oysters and I get that. This is another way to enjoy my Caesar granita thus giving you,…
Read More
pakoras and chicken tandoori – a taste of India
Mr. S recently came back from India and while he was there, he taunted me with photos of the food he was eating. He’s been to India numerous times for work and I have yet to go. His trip was the inspiration for pakoras and chicken tandoori skewers.
Read More
porchetta – Italian Street Food
Porchetta (por-ketta) is an Italian meat dish made from pork belly, wrapped around a pork loin, and roasted for several hours. This is my first time making this and decided to leave the pork loin out for two reasons; it was my first time and I purchased a small piece of pork belly (750g). I’ve…
Read More
tomato and mozzarella salad
I was trying to think of what to call this dish. It’s not a true Caprese salad as I did not include basil. Tomato and mozzarella salad sounds so blah but there’s an ingredient that most definitely does not make this any way shape or form, blah! The other day I posted Caesar granita atop…
Read More
oysters with caesar granita
A Caesar, a classic Canadian cocktail, is as popular as its American counterpart the Bloody Mary. So what’s the difference, you ask? The ingredients include Clamato juice, Worcestershire sauce, Tabasco, salt (and perhaps celery salt), black pepper and vodka. The addition of clam juice is what gives the Canadian Caesar its umami flavor. Canadian bartenders…
Read More
monkfish stew – a taste of the med
As a cook, one needs to be flexible. The other day I was cleaning out a cubby hole where a pile of paper with scribbled recipes waited; some were tossed either because the dish was made or it wasn’t something I wanted to make. I cook according to my mood and when I am at…
Read More
stuffed and rolled pork tenderloin
Easter is fast approaching and if you have young children, chances are you have an Easter egg hunt all planned out. It was a ritual in our home as it was when I was a child. The thing is, though, as you grow older you begin to wonder what an egg-laying bunny had to do…
Read More
portobello mushroom primavera
When one lives in a geographical location with four distinct seasons, Spring is the one I look forward to the most. It signals a time of rebirth and a hint of what lies ahead…warmer weather and longer days equals more time spent outdoors. Spring officially began in Canada on March 20th. The weather in the…
Read More
sicilian doughnuts – light & fluffy!
My paternal grandmother was the queen of doughnuts! Hers was the precursor to what Canadian’s lovingly call timbits. The only part of a doughnut my grandfather liked was the hole left behind from the doughnut cutter. I can’t recall if he felt it was too much to eat a whole doughnut or he just preferred…
Read More
eight 30-minute weekday meals
Ah, meal planning…it’s a daily necessity and while some don’t have an issue with it, a good portion of us do. The days when a single income family was the norm is all but an anomaly. My generation might have been able to squeak by on one salary but these days that’s not the case.…
Read More
spaghetti and meatballs (my cheater’s version)
After a long day, the last thing you want to think about is what to make for dinner. If you live alone or have a family, cooking a meal most probably isn’t at the top of the to-do list. Compound this with work, perhaps picking up the kids from daycare and arriving home after six…
Read More