homemade shawarma
Shawarma is a traditional Turkish dish (originating in the Ottoman Empire) in which the meat is slowly roasted on a spit, then shaved off and wrapped in pita bread. In Canada, especially in Nova Scotia, it’s called a donair. While donairs are topped with a sweet, tangy sauce, a shawarma is typically topped with tahini.…
stromboli
Pizza night just became a bit more interesting. Stromboli is an Italian-American dish that originated in Philadelphia in the 1950s. Restaurant owner, Nazzareno Romano, started selling rolled-up pizza dough filled with ham, cheese, and peppers. It is a pizza derivative and named after the Italian Isle of Stromboli. This rolled pizza is the bee’s knees!
carrot cake with whipped cream cheese
The popularity of carrot cake was revived in the United Kingdom because of the rationing during World War II and also because of the promotion of carrots’ consumption operated by the government. According to National Today, many historians believe the cake originated in the Middle Ages when sugar and other sweeteners were scarce (carrots were…
homemade irish cream
When Baileys Irish cream debuted in 1971, I was a preteen. Move forward 10 years and I ‘think’ I had my first sip. It was sweet enough for a young adult to enjoy. It has been years, dare I say decades, since I last had a sip of Irish cream until now. I didn’t have…
pastitsio (greek lasagna)
Pastitsio is a Greek-style lasagna that was influenced by a recipe from the 16th century. Pasticcio di Maccheroni was a creation for the Grand Duchy of Ferrara and was very popular with Italian nobility. During that time, the Balkans and the Greek coastal regions were occupied by the Republic of Venice.
mini shortbread tarts
Shortbread, for me, is always a Christmas holiday treat. Baking these during the month of December makes it very special. I was going through my blog looking for inspiration for dinner when I stopped at my recipe for thumbprint cookies. I love these!
sheet pan lasagna
Lasagna is the quintessential Italian comfort food. Originating in Naples, it’s been around since the middle ages. Traditional lasagne has layers of meat ragù, béchamel sauce, lasagne sheets, and cheese. Up until a few years ago, this layered approach was the standard.
lemon sponge pudding
Are you a lemon fan? If yes, then you are going to absolutely LOVE this dessert! A light and fluffy sponge pudding with the most decadent lemon sauce hiding on the bottom. That’s why this dish is sometimes called lemon surprise pudding. It’s a classic vintage winter dessert that my mom and her mom used…
parsnip and carrot soup
The fridge needed cleaning. I am always amazed at how much stuff accumulates at the back of the refrigerator! Things get shifted (read pushed) around and the old stuff finds its way to the back of the bus. The crisper drawers, well I have an excuse in that area for stuff being pushed to the…
reverse puff pastry pizza
We love homemade pizza. Who doesn’t? And many have their favourite ways to prepare one but none, in my humble opinion, are as ingenious as a reverse puff pastry pizza! This is a Jamie Oliver creation. I recall the first time watching The Naked Chef when it first aired back in 1999. We were living…
no-knead bread
As I prepare this post, I am on my third try at no-knead bread. The first attempt was relatively good but I felt the instruction of ‘hot water’ was a bit suspect. The result? The bread was smaller than I thought and I doubted it would rise. And, I was right in my assumptions. The…
steamed chicken dumplings
The humble dumpling has been around for centuries and was considered the perfect way to stretch a small amount of meat to feed more people. Many cuisines worldwide include dumplings in some form be they stuffed, boiled, or steamed. Filled dumplings have been around in China for more than 1,800 years! While some recipes call…
thai omelette with minced chicken
Food memories. They are more sensory than any other memories. I remember first watching the food series, Kylie Kwong: Heart and Soul in 2003. Kylie’s style was eclectic with a touch of bohemian. When she demonstrated her Chinese homestyle eggs, I was intrigued. Back then, as a westerner living in an Asian city, the omelette…