Food in a flash was the title that caught my eye in the October issue of Australian Good Taste magazine.  I’m a fan of simple, wholesome food prepared with minimal time in the kitchen and this dish is ready in 15 minutes!  And, look at all the vegetables in one dish.  Did you know that…

Crème brûlée (French for “burnt cream“) is also known as crema catalana (Spanish) or Trinity cream (English).  It is a rich dessert with a custard base and a hard caramel top which is created by caramelizing sugar under the broiler or using a blowtorch. The custard base is normally flavored with just vanilla, but it…

Halloween is celebrated every October 31st and has roots in the Celtic festival, Samhain (old Irish meaning “summer’s end”).  The ancient Celts believed that the border between this world and the after world became thin on Samhain, allowing spirits (both harmless and harmful) to pass through. The family’s ancestors were honored and invited home whilst…

Apple cider is one of my favorite natural drinks and the apple season has been in full swing for a couple of months now.  Untreated apple cider is a seasonal drink and has traditionally been served at Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas.  It is sometimes heated, spiced or mulled.  Apple butter is a highly concentrated form…

Whenever I’m in a bookstore I find the first place I browse is the cooking section and then home decorating.  Occasionally, I find cookbooks in a kitchen shop that grab my attention which is what happened when I found this gem of a book at the Paderno factory store in Bayers Lake.  Molasses Inspirations is…

As I dropped my daughter off at work the other day, my mind was racing as to what I would make for dinner.  I drove by a coffee shop and decided to have a cappuccino.  It was in the coffee shop that I noticed a free publication called, “SNAP Halifax“.  I always like this type…

Gnocchi (pronounced nee-okkee), are Italian dumplings.  They’re fantastic with all sorts of sauces, from a simple summer tomato sauce to the richest winter meat sauce.  Gnocchi recipes date back to the twelfth century and are most common in the Northern regions of Italy such as Veneto.  Traditionally gnocchi is made with potatoes and flour but…

Celeriac, also known as celery root,  is an odd looking root vegetable with its knotty exterior.  Celeriac has a celery flavor and can be eaten raw or cooked.  It is often used as a flavoring in soups and stews. It can also be used on its own, usually mashed, or used in casseroles, gratins and…

Making bread is something that I really only do on occasion or when the mood hits me.  Épis de blé is a baguette that resembles a sheaf of wheat and is traditionally served during harvest time.  This bread recipe begins with a starter dough and has to be made 18 hours ahead of time.  Click…

Last weekend I was at the Farmers’ Market buying local produce and decided I wanted to make a squash soup.  I didn’t have a recipe per se so I surfed the web and found a couple recipes, BC Tree and Home Made Soups, from which I made this soup.  Winter squash has a mild, sweet…

Fall is a lovely time of the year and even though it is a sign that winter is on its way, it’s also the time when local vegetables are at their prime.  Where I grew up, September and October meant pickling, preserves, jams and jellies and this recipe is one of the ones my Mom…

I drive my daughter to school and every day I pass by one particular intersection that has four interesting and diverse corners.   On one corner is a building called FRED.  The corner across the street from Fred is Gus’ Pub and across from the pub is a shop selling Middle Eastern food.  The remaining corner…