There’s a slew of ideas of what to do with leftover food and this recipe makes use of two ingredients I had leftover: ham and homemade polenta. Use leftover food  in a stir-fry, soup, Shepherd’s pie, chili, curry or stew.  You should be able to keep leftover food in the refrigerator for up to 3…

There’s nothing so satisfying as homemade soup. It was a cold but sunny day today and soup seemed so fitting. Parsnip is a root vegetable related to the carrot. They’re high in soluble fiber, the type that helps lower cholesterol and keep blood sugar on an even keel. Parsnips contain natural sugars which impart a…

I’ve made my fair share of risottos over the years but never used barley.  Traditionally risotto is made with arborio or carnaroli rice because of their high starch content which results in a creamy consistency when combined with a broth.  Barley is a staple I seem to only use in soups or stews so I…

It never ceases to amaze me how every year we always have tons of turkey and vegetables leftover. And, each year I tell myself I’ll only make enough so that we have leftovers for one meal. So for all of you out there with leftovers, here are a few ideas. Click on the name of…

I have always wanted to make chocolate truffles and decided this Christmas I was going to tackle what I thought was going to be a task. Yes, making the balls are a bit finicky, but once I got the hang of it, I was on a roll.   My love for dark chocolate fueled the…

The earliest form of gingerbread was not a cake, but a solid block of honey baked with flour, ginger, breadcrumbs and spices. They were extravagantly and elaborately decorated in medieval England and were a popular present, the way that a box of chocolates is today. The decoration could include being colored with saffron or cinnamon,…

The Christmas season tends to make us run around doing last minute shopping and other errands which leaves little time for nourishment. This soup can be on the table in less than half an hour and I love the bit of heat coming from the curry paste. Chickpeas (aka garbanzo bean, Bengal gram) are a…

I’ve been a huge fan of Natalie McLean for a number of years.  A native of Cape Breton, NS, Natalie lives in Ottawa with her husband, Andrew, and son, Rian.  It was her husband who suggested she take a wine appreciation course and the rest, shall we say, is history.  Natalie soon studied the sommelier…

The Christmas holiday season always reminds me of how much work and effort my Mom put into baking goodies. She made fruit cakes, plum puddings, cookies of many varieties, pies, chocolates, savory tidbits. It seemed the house was forever enveloped in beautiful cooking aromas. This season I seem to be taking a page out of…

Salads (generally defined as mixed greens with dressing) were enjoyed by ancient Romans and Greeks. According to Oxford Companion to Food, salad is derived from the Latin sal (salt), which yielded the form salata, ‘salted things’ such as the raw vegetables eaten in classical times with a dressing of oil, vinegar or salt. The word…

Move over macaroni and cheese! Cavatappi is an elongated elbow macaroni with ridges which help the cheese sauce to stick to this corkscrew-style pasta. A super easy meal to make in 30 minutes, start to finish! Artichokes are an excellent source of magnesium, folic acid, fiber and vitamin C. Canned artichoke may be the easiest…