Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp
From Ancient Remedy to Beloved Dessert – A Spice Route Treasure – Rhubarb’s roots stretch back thousands of years to the mountainous regions of northern and central Asia (China, Mongolia, and Siberia), where it was cultivated primarily for medicinal purposes. The Chinese prized it as a digestive tonic and laxative,
Rosemary Shortbread
I’ve come to the conclusion that tattooed baristas along with body piercings are the ones who really make great cappuccinos! TIBS, Just Us, Smiling Goat, Culture Espresso Bar, Joe to name a few all make some of the best cappuccinos I have ever tasted outside of Italy! Making flawless coffee is an art in itself…
The Best Way To Treat A Cold!
When I was three months pregnant with my daughter, my doctor said I had a touch of sinusitis…it was painful but not as much as a full-on sinusitis (experienced this 2 years later). Medication was out of the question so I decided to make myself a cup of hot water mixed with lemon juice and…
Roasted Cauliflower
After a five day visit to Canada’s Ocean Playground, I was happy to get back into my kitchen and cook! Don’t get me wrong, the meals we had at Bicycle Thief, Sushi Nami, Seasons, Woody’s Bar-B-Q and La Perla were scrumptious but 5 days of dining out morning, noon and night had a toll on…
Soy and Ginger Shrimp Packets
This type of cooking is one of my favorites as the food cooks in its own juices. Cooking in packets (en papillote) basically means steaming small portions of food in a wrapper in a hot oven. You can use parchment paper or tin foil – I’ve used both. Click here to see how to make…
Fresh Fruit Cake
I had a craving for something sweet and because it’s just the two of us, making a cake doesn’t make sense as we would be eating it for days to come. This super easy dessert stays moist even on day three! It’s so easy to whip up and I like the idea of baking it…
Sautéed Endive and Apple with Warm Goat Cheese
I’ve been eyeing this recipe a few weeks but every time I ‘thought’ I was going to make it, my dinner menu would change so yesterday I was bound and determined to finally make this. Belgian endive (pronounced on-deev) is part of the chicory family which includes radicchio, escarole and curly endive (pronounced en-dive). Endive…
roasted tomato & mozzarella salad
This recipe knows no time. It’s just as perfect for brunch, lunch or dinner. With an introduction like that, it’s a winner to serve any time of the day! This dish is from her latest cookbook Fast, Fresh, Simple. I became an instant fan of Donna Hay with her book, The New Cook back in…
Quinoa & Avocado with Dried Fruit & Lemon-Cumin Vinaigrette
Quinoa (keen-wa) is one of those grains that I love to use and it’s so versatile. I first used this ancient grain back in 2007 and since then its been a staple in my cupboard. Nutritionally, these grains are supercharged! Antioxidant and anti-inflammatory rank high in nutrient richness and quinoa provides over twice the amount…
Mango Sorbet – an ode to summer!
With the days becoming shorter and the nights cooler, summer is slowly saying goodbye. However, this sunny-looking mango sorbet will always remind me of summer no matter what time of year it is. Sorbet is basically frozen water or juice sweetened with fruit or even fresh herbs and can be sweet or savory. Use the…
Potato Skins Stuffed with Egg, Bacon and Cheese
As a youngster growing up, baked potatoes were a staple and my siblings would carefully remove the flesh of the potato, lather it with butter and then place the potato flesh back in with salt and pepper. I don’t think as kids we really knew about the variations potato skins came in. We were just…
Handmade Cavatelli with Sausage & Browned Sage Butter
This is the first recipe from The Frankies Spuntino Cooking Manual and I love, love, love it! The kitchen aromas perfumed the house with the sautéed sausage and the sage cooked in butter. I was in my element (happy face). Sage is an aromatic herb with strong spice flavors and sometimes smells a bit like…
Handmade Ricotta Cavatelli Pasta
Last month we were cruising the Adriatic and one of the ports of call was Bari, Italy. I had done my obligatory research on ‘top things to do’ list for each port and Bari was no exception. There is, however, something to be said when you communicate with the locals – no matter how limited…