shortbread jam slices

shortbread jam slices

November 19, 2024

Becoming a grandparent truly is one of life’s sweetest joys! Mr S and I are incredibly blessed to be grandparents to two beautiful boys—our eldest, Will, who’s three, and our youngest, Lachie, is seven months.

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fried brie

fried brie with honey

November 16, 2022

I don’t know why, but Christmas always seems to sneak up on me…39 days to go!  It feels like summer and fall whizzed by. Each year I am on the hunt for new appetizers.  I had seen a recipe for pan-fried brie Half Baked Harvest posted.  Tieghan had me at fried brie and this inspired…

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thumbprint cookies

thumbprint cookies

November 9, 2022

I’ve been going through some of my vintage cookbooks.  One of my all-time favourites is the Purity Cookbook.  This cookbook was one of Canada’s earliest printed collections of recipes.  The first edition was in 1917 and my edition is from 1967.  My mom, paternal and maternal grandmothers all had this in their repertoire of cookbooks.

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lemon crinkle cookies

lemon crinkle cookies

October 27, 2022

Crinkle cookies have been around since the early 1950s and were initially made with chocolate.   Helen Fredell invented crinkle cookies in St. Paul, Minnesota. In Betty Crocker’s book, “Cooky Carnival,” Crocker talks about being served these cookies at Mrs. Fredell’s home and begging for the recipe.

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fried chicken

fried chicken

October 21, 2022

According to Wikipedia, the origin of fried chicken in the southern United States can be traced to Scottish and West African cuisine. Scottish fried chicken was cooked in fat, but unseasoned. West African fried chicken was seasoned, battered, and cooked in palm oil.

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creamy butternut squash pappardelle

creamy butternut squash papperdelle

October 14, 2022

Thanksgiving has come and gone and I am always looking for interesting ways to enhance leftover food.  Most years, I usually have turkey leftovers but this year it was my squash casserole.  Recently, I was at an Italian market and purchased a package of pappardelle rigate.  This pasta was begging to be used! 🙂  The…

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green bean casserole

green bean casserole

October 4, 2022

Canadian Thanksgiving is always celebrated on the 2nd Monday in October.  In the US, the tradition of celebrating Thanksgiving is on the last Thursday of November.  Every family has its own tradition which typically honours passed down recipes from mothers and grandmothers.  I have always liked casseroles.

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taramasalata

taramasalata dip

September 19, 2022

Twenty-six years ago, Mr. S introduced me to a Greek fish dip called taramasalata.  We had recently begun to date and at a restaurant, he ordered the dip.  I was, at first, turned off by the ingredients.  However, when one is in a new relationship, one tends to be more adventurous. 🙂 But how on…

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french omelette

french omelette

September 6, 2022

Last month Mr. S and I were heading back home after fourteen days in Italy and Greece.  I don’t mind the travel and look forward to some cooking shows on the plane’s entertainment system!  Selena & Chef was one of the programs I watched and her first guest was Chef Ludo.  He showed her how…

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no-churn ice cream

the easiest no-churn ice cream

July 26, 2022

I scream, you scream, we all scream for ice cream. Rah! Rah! Rah!  I’m an artisanal kinda gal when it comes to ice cream.  The other day I bought a small container from the farmers’ market; salted caramel with brownie chunks.  It didn’t take long to consume and I was left wanting more.

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fruit galette

fruit galette (rustic easy-to-make pie)

July 13, 2022

Want to make a pie but not sure if you can?  Let’s start with a galette; it’s a perfect introduction to making one.  Because it is a freeform shape it does not require a pan.  And, to make things even easier, purchase the pie crust.  Galette (Norman word meaning flat cake) is a term used…

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spicy chicken salad

spicy chicken rice bowl (sans the rice)

July 4, 2022

For the love of carbs!  Rice is my comfort food…yep, not potatoes.  The thing is, though, I am more conscious of carbohydrates than I was years ago.  My recipe does away with rice and piles on more veggies.  The spices help steer you away from any carbohydrate cravings.  When we lived in Asia (the early…

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grilled peppers with tapenade dressing

grilled peppers with tapenade dressing

June 3, 2022

We eat first with our eyes.  Our senses are closely interconnected.  Colour is a valuable player in the impressions we form of our food. If something looks pretty, our eyes tell us to go ahead and try that first bite.   And, if the food presented looks pretty or inviting, our eyes have already given us the…

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