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,
Whole Baked Romanesco Cauliflower with Tomato and Olive Sauce
Cauliflower is one of those vegetables that you either love straight away or it becomes an acquired taste. I always thought it was on the bland side especially when cooked too long but I have used many recipes that spice up this humble vegetable. Cauliflower is nutritious and can be eaten raw or cooked (roasted,…
The Victorian Kissing Ball
Christmas is just around the corner and many are busy preparing their favorite holiday food and decorating their homes. I’m sure we’ve all seen a kissing ball or mistletoe hanging over open doorways but do you know why? Originally, during England’s Middle Ages, “holy boughs” (made from interlocking evergreen branches) graced passages. The holy bough…
Rugalach
Rugalach (other spellings: rugulach, ruggalach, rogelach, rugalah, rugala) is a Jewish pastry and the name is a Yiddish diminutive form of the Hebrew meaning “creeping vine” perhaps because of the rolled-up shape of the cookie. It can be made with a cream cheese dough, though the dough is more typically pareve (no dairy ingredients), so…
Entertaining and By The Glass
This is the time of year when people tend to socialize more, attend parties etc. The art of entertaining takes organization, planning and execution skills. The event or party could be a formal dinner party, a casual backyard barbecue, a birthday party or a wedding reception. Entertaining is about having a good time and should…
Two-Bite Caesar Salads
Hosting a dinner party but don’t have enough dining space? One of the easiest ways to accomplish this is to set up mini food stations around your home. This way your guests can mingle and get a chance to sample the goodies at each station. This recipe says ‘two-bite‘ but I think that depends on…
Best Prawn and Parsley Frittata
Frittatas (Italian omelette) have to be one of the easiest dish to make. A meal that incorporates meat, cheeses and vegetables all in one dish. What’s the difference between an omelette and a frittata? I thought they were one in the same but omelettes traditionally have the egg mixture cooked and folded around a filling,…
Creamy Spinach-Stuffed Mushrooms
These little hors d’oeuvres taste great and are the perfect size for finger food. Mushrooms have been used for thousands of years both as food and for medicinal purposes. They are often classified as a vegetable or a herb, but they are actually fungi. While there are over 14,000 mushrooms, only about 3,000 are edible,…
Witlof Braised in White Wine
Chicory has many names of which I only knew this as Belgium endive. Common names for varieties include endive, raddicchio, Belgian endive, French endive, red endive, sugarloaf or witlof. In case you weren’t already confused enough, Belgian endive is also known as French endive witloof in Dutch, witloof in the United States, chicory in the…
Sticky Date Pudding
I’m sure we all have childhood memories of a favorite pudding our mothers made and this is one I used to enjoy especially when the cake was still warm. Of course, as a little girl, it helped that this dessert was very sweet and thus a pleasure to consume. There are some conflicting stories as…
Maritime Martini
Wow! This is what I call ceviche party style! Not only does the lime juice marinate the scallops, the alcohol also adds another delicious flavor. Digby, Nova Scotia is famous for its scallops and bills itself as the scallop capital of the world. Scallops are Nova Scotia’s most valuable seafood catch and Digby is the…