Confessions of a Cardamom Addict

Feast: Gung Hei Fat Choi! Kung Pao Prawns and Squid

2012-01-23T00:00:00.001-05:00

Welcome to the Year of the Dragon!According to this cbc.ca article, the Dragon brings optimism, as well as high amounts of energy and prosperity, and specifically movement.Whether or not you believe in zodiacs, is truly beside the point. It's a cause for celebration...and with celebrations come food. (Really...I don't know of any joyous moment where food is not present).This year I decided to

Happy Birthday Edna: Butter-Fried Chicken with Milk Gravy

2012-01-15T14:42:00.006-05:00

Happy Birthday, our Dear Edna!Edna Staebler was a local gem who introduced the world to Waterloo County Cooking. Good, hearty fare that's very much rooted in country and Mennonite traditions.When I was deciding upon which dish to present, my copy of Food That Really Schmecks literally fell open to page 57. I think that's a sign.Three recipes were on this page: a variation of Stuffing forRoast

Egg Nog Croissant Pudding

2012-01-08T00:00:00.002-05:00

In as much as I love the holidays with all the food and drink that come in tow, at times my fridge, overburdened with leftovers can be a bit of a challenge.I don't want to waste anything (although, admittedly, some things to end up in the bin), but at the same time I do get tired of reliving meals over and over again.Every December a carton or two of egg nog finds itself in my shopping trolley.

Feast: Twelfth Night Cake

2012-01-05T00:00:00.009-05:00

I know what you're thinking. Fruitcake.You managed to avoid your great Auntie Ermintrude's (rest her soul) infamous Christmas fruitcake-cum-doorstop for yet another year (or the first year...ever). You swerved cellophaned fruitcake in the office free-for-all of the gift basket teardown, and took the last bit of stale candy-coated nutty popcorn, leaving the fruitcake for the guy who was at an

Happy New Year: Ricotta Pancakes

2012-01-01T00:00:00.004-05:00

Happy New Year!All the best to you and yours in and I wish you a happy and healthy 2012, filled with good people, amazing adventures and (of course) good food.And how best to start off a new year than with a good breakfast? My appreciation of all things breakfasty isn't that much of a secret. Breakfast for supper is a regular occurrence, meeting friends (old and new) over brunch (which is just

Happy Christmas!: Caramel Cup Cookies

2011-12-25T00:30:00.002-05:00

Happy Christmas and happy holidays to all my friends and followers. I hope you spend these days, surrounded by thosewhom you hold dear, with tables ladened with delicious foods and drinks.I know I've been remiss in posting my kitchen adventures these past few weeks. Lots of things have kept me busy...and out of the kitchen. I hope to get back into the swing of things in the new year...but

22 Years on...

2011-12-06T20:19:00.002-05:00

...and not forgottenGeneviève BergeronHelene ColganNathalie CroteauBarbara DaigneaultAnne-Marie EdwardMaud HaviernickBarbara Klucznik-WidajewiczMaryse LaganièreMaryse LeclairAnne-Marie LemaySonia PelletierMichèle RichardAnnie St-ArneaultAnnie Turcotte22 years later, women are still a target for violencecheers!jasmineI'm a quill for hire!var _sttoolbar = {}stBlogger.init("http://w.sharethis.com/

Happy Hallowe'en: Chocochocochip pumpkin cupcakes with orange cream cheese icing

2011-10-30T17:16:00.003-04:00

Happy Hallowe'en to all ghosties and ghoulies, big and little alike.Regardless of what you think of the day and how it's evolved into from its long-past roots, I think it's a day where we can have a little fun, let our alter egos become our real egos and...of course...eat chocolates and cakes and cookies. As if I need an excuse to eat chocolate and cakes and cookies.As if I need an excuse to

Pumpkin scones

2011-10-23T20:36:00.006-04:00

I find it amazing how hyperpriced, underqualitied and overroasted beans can set the standard for coffee. Now it seems that purveyor sets the standard for pastries too.As you can tell, I'm not their fan.Time and time again I've heard people wax lyrical about said purveyor's red velvet cake and recently their cakepops. At this time of year, it seems as if their pumpkin scones have won lauds and

Happy Thanksgiving! Double Chocolate Whisky'd Pumpkin Pie

2011-10-10T17:34:00.002-04:00

Happy Thanksgiving to all my fellow Canadians.I know I've been remiss in posting my foodie adventures (and yes, there have been some), but *gasp* I've been going out! and having fun! More about that later.Today is Thanksgiving Day in Canada. Yes. Canada celebrates Thanksgiving. We've been doing so since 1578 when the English explorer Martin Frobisher was absolutely thrilled he didn't become a

Balsamic glazed duck with lentils

2011-09-19T23:07:00.000-04:00

The palate worm struck again. This time the craving monster wanted duck. Simple enough--no real curveballs -- just a lovely duck breast with lovely crispy skin with a lovely pink centre. The only problem? It's not duck season (for that matter, it may not be rabbit season, either). Oh, palate worm, you are a sneaky one...making me believe that you can be easily satisfied I called my

Chocolate chip pecan toffee cookies

2011-09-11T21:29:00.000-04:00

Oops! I mean Lacey Chocolate chip pecan toffee cookies Even though it's only been about five or six weeks since I last posted, it feels longer...much longer. I fully admit to a bit of sheepishness about the length of this past break. My usual two or so week break stretched to three...and then a month...and then it became...umm...a wee bit longer. I think I have good reason. The fact

My Darling One: Four Years

2011-07-26T21:13:00.002-04:00

Four years ago today I lost the man I loved. In as much as I imagine Michael's long suffering sigh as (yet again) the volume goes up when Depeche Mode, The Cult or Amy Winehouse comes on, I also hear his little clucky noise as (yet again) I serve something that isn't beef, chicken or pork. I giggle when I remember his enthusiasm at wonderful things and I smile when I think of how strong and

Mmm...Canada: Vietnamese-inspired steak salad

2011-07-18T20:15:00.004-04:00

I know I get on a bit of a soap box when I talk about Canadian cooking. The fact is it's a cuisine so heavily influenced by all the cultures who come here, that it's hard not to like it.Yes, I know...many people would argue that there is no Canadian cuisine, save the usual: maple syrup, beer, poutine, smoked salmon and butter tarts. But I think a lot of Canadian cuisine is about how people come

Mmm...Canada: Saskatoon Berry Salad

2011-07-10T18:52:00.005-04:00

Punnets of deep blue awaited me at Trevor's. No, not blueberries, but Saskatoon berries.Little, midnight blue and bursting with flavour, Saskatoon berries are a fleeting summertime treat. A fleeting summertime treat made even moreso as I'm not in Saskatchewan.My Most Marvelous Manager told me about them ages ago--they sounded wonderful, but I thought I'd never see them here. Never say never.I

Mmm...Canada: Crabcakes

2011-07-06T20:03:00.004-04:00

Pattycake, pattycake, Baker's man!Bake me a crabcake as fast as you can.I knew I wanted to continue my Canadian food journey with something from the East Coast, but I really didn't want anything big. I just wanted something to nibble on, along side some leafy greens.When I think of the Maritimes, lobster is the first food to come to mind. Maybe one year I'll boil a lobster but not this year. I

Mmm...Canada: Quick Rhubarb Chutney

2011-07-01T15:12:00.003-04:00

Happy Canada Day to all my fellow countrymen and women! My month of Canada-focussed cooking kicks off with a seasonal, local ingredient, prepared in a way borrowed from a couple of cultures that have shaped and are shaping Canadian culture--English and East Indian. What makes this lovely is that the finished condiment goes well with another (in my eyes) quintessentially Canadian ingredient,

Plum Rhubarb Custard Pie

2011-06-26T20:35:00.005-04:00

I bought an obscene amount of rhubarb these few weeks. To me they are like Cadbury Easter Eggs or Hallowe'en Kisses: Load up on as many as you can because they will disappear before long.As a result, bundles of scarlet stems pack my fridge, they jut here and there and balance precariously on yoghurt tubs and containers of leftovers. Every time I open the door my ideas and experiments flood my

Rhubarb Bread

2011-06-19T20:00:00.001-04:00

Rhubarb rhubarb rhubarb.One thing springs to mind:The theatre.Yes, I know. You were probably expecting me to wax lyrical about how rhubarb is a harbinger of spring--it's vibrant scarlet stalks shooting from the earth, it tarty tang crying to be be paired with sweet strawberries or perhaps coated in sugar and roasted until tender in syrupy pink juices.Nope. I think of the theatre...and more

Strawberry Rhubarb Mini Buckles

2011-06-12T20:27:00.003-04:00

Strawberries.Seeing that word on my favourite country market's sign means one thing: summer.Even though summer officially arrives in about two weeks, to me and other food-loving locals, hearing Trevor's shop is open for the season means that summer is for all intents and purposes...here.In amongst onions, peppers, apples and other fruits and vegetables which winter well, were signs of warmer

Key Lime Poppy Seed Loaf Cake

2011-06-05T20:00:00.007-04:00

Yesterday I awoke with two words running through my head: key lime.Yes. It's an odd thought. At least it's an odd thought for me. I usually awake with a running commentary based on things I must do that day: get out of bed, take care of my ablutions, find something to wear, feed the cats, feed me, find my car keys, return this call, send out that email, rough out this project, book a meeting

Roast Vegetable and Tuna Salad

2011-05-29T16:31:00.002-04:00

The sun, I fear, is nothing more than a myth. A rumour. A figment of some deluded soul's imagination.I honestly don't know how much rain has fallen here since the beginning of April. I don't know how many days of dreariness we've had. Sun beams that actually reached the ground in two months? I'll guess three. The final numbers aren't out yet, but I won't be surprised if 2011 turns out to be

Happy Victoria Day! Bleu cheese stuffed burgers

2011-05-23T13:40:00.002-04:00

It's the end of the world, as we know it...and I feel fine.I'm sure I'm not the only one who had REM's music trilling through their brain yesterday morning as we (*gasp*) awoke and found life to be business as usual.For those of you who don't know, or have forgotten, an end-of-the-world obsessed Harold Camping (an American radio evangelist) rejigged his calculations (notice the "re") and

Mango-ginger muffins with cashew-coconut streusel

2011-05-08T20:00:00.002-04:00

We've all heard of drunk dialing and drunk texting...but sleep dialing?The other night My Dear Little Cardamummy gave me a call. Nothing truly out of the usual...except she's currently back in India and our usual routine is to chat on Sunday mornings, unless something's wrong.No, nothing was wrong.She told me of the trip to the Ashram, how uncle was doing, visiting the book store, how My Big

Red Prince apples: Apple scones

2011-05-01T20:00:00.001-04:00

Disclosure: The apples used in this recipe were provided by the grower.When my friend Peter of Martin's Fruit Farms told me he had a prince of a prezzie for me, how could I not be intrigued? What arrived was a series of white hat boxes bound by a festive red ribbon, reminiscent of St. Bride's spire. And inside? A package to help celebrate the marriage of William and Catherine, Duke and Duchess

Dessert for Breakfast: Breakfast Berry Crisp

2011-04-17T20:00:00.000-04:00

The difference a week makes.The sun shone last Sunday, the temps were within spitting distance of 20C and the plants in my little front garden were poking through the soil.Today's clouds block the sun, the mercury barely touches the freezing point and I can almost see little green shoots for the lightest dusting of snow.Welcome to spring in southwestern Ontario.A week ago I was bouncing about the

Maple-berry apple crisp

2011-04-10T19:38:00.004-04:00

It's cold. It's warm. It's cold. It's warm.It's maple syrup season.Cold nights and above freezing days mean sugar shacks are in full boil. And for those of us luck enough to know someone with a sugar bush, visions of golden, mapley goodness dance in our heads...and our palates.I'll pour it on sweet fritters, warm corn bread, ice cream and yes...pancakes.Unlike "table syrup" in all its cloying

Corned beef Hash

2011-04-03T15:36:00.003-04:00

Even though I was careful to not have a whopping huge hunk of corned beef, I had more than enough for a couple of suppers and sandwiches. The most obvious solution to my embarrassment of cured beef riches was, as you've probably guessed by this post's title, corned beef hash.Then again, I may have embarked on a 14-day brining adventure just to make this crisped potatoey-beefy-oniony

Colcannon

2011-03-27T20:00:00.006-04:00

I love it when I find an incredibly easy and tasty dish. Don't get me wrong: for the most part I still love spending a couple of hours in my kitchen, carefully dosing out ingredients, slowly folding and rubbing and waiting for volatile oils to release and scent the air. The truth is I don't always have that sort of time to devote to feeding myself (sad, isn't it?). I'm normally on the lookout for

Corned Beef

2011-03-20T20:00:00.001-04:00

It all started off innocently enough.Visions of home made corned beef and cabbage along with the inevitable sandwiches and hash danced in my head, in the same way that sugar plums make their obligatory appearances at Christmas.Recipes abound online and it all looked simple: let a beef brisket soak up a spiced brine for a week or two, boil it up and then eat.Easy, right?Wrong.Well...not really

Irish Cream Swirled Guinness Brownies

2011-03-13T18:00:00.004-04:00

Or, to use the colloquial, "Irish Car Bomb" Brownies.Undaunted with my less than stunning first attempt at a Guinness-inspired dessert of the year, my next attempt at a stout-soused sweet took me down a more familiar path.What started as a quest for a simple Irish cream swirled brownie ended with a bit of a bang.Not literally.I think every recipe I found was replicated from our dear Peabody's.

Guinness-braised apples with Dubliner crumble and Guinness caramel sauce

2011-03-06T21:00:00.003-05:00

I suppose if I were to subtitle this post it would be: an oopsie made better.A few weeks ago I began thinking about my March posts. I rarely put that much forethought into this blog (hate to break it to you), but to me March means St. Patrick's Day, which means finding a new Guinness recipe to try. Stephanie at Little Mushroom Catering mentioned a Guinness-braised apple appetiser she makes and

The carbonnade that wasn't: Chicken and Ale Stew

2011-02-27T21:00:00.005-05:00

It all started with beer. And beef.No, this isn't a wayward tale that begins in a pub and finishes with me communing with a herd of Waygu, pouring Methuselahs of Sapporo into their four-chambered gullets...Although that could be fun...if a brewer or a beef farmer wanted to sponsor me on such a journey, I'm open to discussion...But I digress.It's winter, in Canada. Snow blankets the ground and at

Vanilla Pudding

2011-02-20T19:50:00.003-05:00

Like a mighty oak, I have been felled.Okay...I'm not that tall...Like a just-just-as-mighty jasmine shrub, I've toppled over.Something--and I'm not sure what--wheedled its way by my immune system and left me flat on my back for a couple of days, unable to keep anything down. Augh.I'll be kind and save you from reading a detailed diary of my biological functions, but suffice it to say, I am not

Happy Valentine's Day!: Red Velvet Marbled Cupcakes

2011-02-13T21:00:00.003-05:00

Hearts and flowers. Hearts and flowers. Hearts and flowers.Bah.I've never been a fan of Valentines Day. Yes, I wrote and made gaudily frilly, and later bought gaudily frilly cards for my school chums (and in return, I received equally gaudily frilly cards). When there's a man in my life, we mark the day with food, cards and whatever else we feel. But really, I could do without the day. I've said

Roasted Carrot and Parsnip Soup with Coriander

2011-02-06T17:08:00.004-05:00

If necessity is the mother of invention then, leftover food is the mother of...well...different food.It's winter and I cocoon in the warmth of my home. Enough food to feed a hockey team rolls out of my kitchen: Beelzebub's maw offers breads, casseroles, roast chicken, baked chops and lots and lots of roast veggies every few days. It all gets eaten, sometimes frozen for a rainy day. Leftovers

Gung hei fat choy! Salt & Pepper Squid with Garlic and Chillies

2011-01-30T18:42:00.005-05:00

Every time I go for dim sum I hope the trolley offers salt and pepper squid. Golden and crunchy, spiky and salty I could probably devour a basket all on my own.The other day I found the same dish on local Vietnamese restaurant's menu. I ordered it and, yes, it was pretty much the same dish as wheels by me, nestled betwixt and between steamers of siu mai and har gao.This got me wondering of the

Milk chocolate pecan toffee cookies

2011-01-23T16:48:00.006-05:00

A couple of years ago I heard about Blue Monday.No, not the very fabulous song by New Order that hit the charts back in the day, but what feels to me like very suspect "research" to pinpoint when "we" are at our psychological low points.Heh...I guess I was right to be suspect. When I did my own fleeting research, I found this probably-soon-to-be-removed Wikipedia article, claiming it was part of

Happy Birthday Edna: Cabbage Rolls

2011-01-16T14:34:00.005-05:00

Regular readers know I take January 15 aside to remember my friend Edna Staebler, a remarkable person in my life. She was kind and sweet with an effervecent charm. Although best known in foodish circles as a cookbook writer, she also wrote about the lives of regular Canadians.When I trawled through her recipes in search of this year's Day That Really Schmecks tribute I stumbled upon Pam Noonan's

Sauteed Cabbage, Potatoes and Bacon

2011-01-09T17:03:00.004-05:00

Savoy cabbages make me smile.I can't help it. There's something about those deeply lined leaves and their crinkled edges. There's also something to be said about the colour: graded blue-green tones with stark palid veining that remind me of pine trees' boughs laidened with snow.There's also a bit of whimsy there and I can't help but to see if Peter Rabbit is hopping about the grocery store bins

Banana muffins with nut streusel topping

2011-01-03T15:40:00.003-05:00

Here in Canada, New Year's Day pretty much marks the end of what's essentially a month-long modern Bacchanalian feast with meats and wines and cakes and whiskys and shortbreads and brandies and trifles and punches and loaves and cheeses and chocolates. Lots of food, lots of frivolity and lots of leftovers.Chances are on 1 January (and 2 January and 3 January), fridges and pantries are still

Twas the week before Christmas

2010-12-19T11:47:00.004-05:00

And all through these weeks,I've been up to my eyeballs,In cookies and treats.Okay...that's all I can muster.Needless to say December has been a whirl of lunches and dinners (some less edible than others), gatherings, treats and nights in the kitchen fighting with Beelzebub to procure 500 cookies. The next few weeks will bring much the same (except no more cookies--if you've not received any...

21 years...

2010-12-06T21:07:00.002-05:00

...and not forgottenGeneviève BergeronHelene ColganNathalie CroteauBarbara DaigneaultAnne-Marie EdwardMaud HaviernickBarbara Klucznik-WidajewiczMaryse LaganièreMaryse LeclairAnne-Marie LemaySonia PelletierMichèle RichardAnnie St-ArneaultAnnie TurcottePoliticians mark Montreal massacre with calls to end violence against womenjasmineI'm a quill for hire!var _

On My Rickety Shelves: Kitchen

2010-11-29T00:00:00.005-05:00

Thanks to the lovely people at Random House Canada, a copy of this month's cookbook selection was delivered to my doorstep. KitchenBy Nigella LawsonAlfred A. Knopf/Random House Canada512 pages; $55There’s a small number of authors whose new works I eagerly await: AS Byatt, Christopher Brookmyre, Stephen Fry, Nigella Lawson and Nigel Slater. Their words are smart, engaging so incredibly well honed

Copyright and Cooks Source

2010-11-21T00:00:00.003-05:00

It’s been a few weeks since the online masses raised a hue and cry against Cooks Source and its publisher/editor Judith Griggs. In case you weren’t caught in the crossfire—or need a refresher—here’s its Wikipedia entry.Griggs’ Cooks Source web site is gone. That doesn’t mean her content has disappeared into the ether forever: for now, her final post is preserved in Google’s cache and either in

Blush: Butternut Squash and Apple Soup with Bacon

2010-11-08T20:20:00.003-05:00

The thing about foodblogging--or many other types of blogging, I suppose--is it's quite a solitary endeavour. I sit here, alone, in my basement TV temple, my laptop perched on my lap, unfurling my thoughts as I type away into the ether. I never quite ask "is there anyone out there?" I know there is. Who you are is mostly a mystery to me. Some of my regular visitors are known to me--they

Sponge Toffee

2010-10-31T11:28:00.002-04:00

If you ask me, I'm not a Hallowe'eny person. I don't carve pumpkins, I don't decorate the house with cobwebs and I generally don't give out candy.But the thing is if you give me the opportunity to appear in fancy dress, I plan and dream for weeks. It could be one of my foofy tafetta gowns for a swanky doo or it could be an opportunity to don my red sequinned devil horns, striped leggings or

Baba Ganouj

2010-10-24T15:04:00.003-04:00

I treat election nights as many others do the Oscars, Grammys, or World Cup or Stanley Cup Finals. I barricade myself in the TV temple, a friend or two at my side watching names and numbers scroll across the screen as talking heads and experts try to explain how things will be different in the morning.I yell at the television when the other side looks as if they'll win. I try and physically

Hobble. Cough. Sniffle

2010-10-17T11:15:00.003-04:00

If you've followed my Twitter feed for the past couple of weeks, you know that I've spent more time wrapped in cuddly blankets and an ankle propped on a pillow than causing the usual chaos and mayhem (not to mention hunger pangs for those all around me).Yup. I've turned my ankle--not as badly as a few years ago, but bad enough that carrying out my usual kitchen business just isn't happening.

Happy Thanksgiving: Starved for Attention

2010-10-11T13:27:00.003-04:00

A very happy Thankgiving to all my fellow Canadians. I hope you'll share a meal with whomever means the most to you and share some joy.A couple of weeks ago Médecins Sans Frontières/Doctors Without Borders (Canada/USA)asked me to let you know about their Starved For Attention campaign. For purposes of disclosure, I've previously donated to them and, as such, I support the work they do.Given

Dirt and Worms Cupcakes

2010-10-09T17:47:00.002-04:00

This weekend was one of foodbloggerdom's biggest annual hootenanies (yup, you guessed it, BlogHer Food '10). Many are in San Francisco at panels and outings. Those of us not in SF are left to press our cybernoses against the windowpanes of online culinary kewlery. Many delegates tweet what they're up to. It goes something like this:"Oh SQUEE! I'm having so much FUN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The contraption: slow cooked vanilla poached peaches

2010-10-03T15:25:00.005-04:00

After a summer off from my slow cooker to contemplate the contraption I'm back, determined to see this blogging project through to the end.Every attempted recipe has been meat-focussed...and maybe that's the problem. Apart from pulled pork and ribs, nothing it's done has made me cotton to it, and only leaves me to wonder why so many people are enamoured with the beast and its kin.With this in

Happy birthday to me: Nigella's margarita ice cream for five food bloggers

2010-09-29T21:54:00.004-04:00

Being a food blogger means you are part of a large food-loving community, brought together by pixels, LANs and wireless connections. Over the past five years I've corresponded with hundreds of food bloggers. I've been lucky enough to meet a couple dozen of them, here at home or in transit. Some have become dear friends and we try and get together a few times each year, but there are others whom

Peach-almond upside down cake

2010-09-20T22:48:00.006-04:00

I’m not the only one who hates being photographed.I can’t really point to a reason for this neurosis: There’s the once-natural smile, held too long; being at the mercy of a once-enthusiastic and creative soul reduced to crutches of standard poses against unimaginative backdrops; the once-hidden moment that is now forever captured. At some level, it’s the blunted truth captured by a mechanical eye

A Cake is Announced: Delicious Death

2010-09-12T20:30:00.018-04:00

I always find my blog’s inbox completely irresistible.Here are grouped together, all higgledy-piggledy, notes from readers and stoppers-by with questions or comments, frenzied appeals to publicise charitable events, PRs and marketers looking for a cheap and easy way to gain pixel space for their clients, and subject lines asking me if my Mr. Winkie needs improving.This particular Wednesday,

Now I am five: Plus ca change...

2010-09-08T00:52:00.006-04:00

Now I am five.Well…no: I am older than five…but this blog, one of my current online personae, is five years old.In a world where half of blogs wither and die on their electronic vines within three months, that makes me—to borrow Kate’s phrase–officially old.I tapped out my inaugural post late at night on the same laptop I use today. Then The Fussy Eater snacked away at the other end of the couch,

Zeus, jabby-jabs and Toddtinis

2010-08-29T15:43:00.014-04:00

What do you see when you look at the image on the left?Do you see a pussycat, tuckered out after long day of eating, lounging and splashing in the water dish?Or do you see a content feline, happy knowing he's got it good: food, water, warmth, a sister who actually likes having him around, and a cushy (if not colourful) snoozing spot?Me? I see neither.I see conspiracy. I see vengence. I see barf

Lemon-Blueberry Buckle

2010-08-15T14:11:00.006-04:00

Good gravy, I think I'm getting old.I could have sworn I posted this recipe in July, but apparently I didn't. Maybe I should be eating whatever it is is that improves memory. Or is it a supplement? Can't remember right now.I think blueberry lovers have been especially lucky this summer. Pretty much each and every punnet of (local) blueberries I've had this season has been bursting with plump

Garlic shrimp on toast

2010-08-06T23:12:00.003-04:00

When the weather gets unbearably hot, I don't necessarily flip into salad mode. Even though satisfaction can be found in leafy greens, tossed with a bit of this, bedding that and lightly tossed with that other thing, I rarely head that way.I want something that's easily prepared, usually forgiving and can easily morph into a couple of different light meals, or perhaps a snack or two.This

Mmm...Canada: Food Day: Blueberry-apricot frangipane tart

2010-08-01T15:46:00.006-04:00

I heart July. It starts with Canada Day and, this year, it ends on Food Day. It celebrates what we eat and how we eat it. It highlights what's here naturally, from fish and shellfish, to beasts and birds to crops and wild fruits and veggies. It recognises each crop and herd brought by waves of immigrants from cows and pigs to wheat and from indigenous foods to crops and herds brought over with

My Darling One: Three years

2010-07-26T00:00:00.001-04:00

Three years ago today, my Dearest one died.I'll always miss him, some days more intensely than others. There are always things that bring my mind to him: Jaws, the Spamalot soundtrack, pennies found on the ground.It's never easy...but it gets easier...sort of.Michael and I were very different people in many respects--most of the music I listened to was noise to him, he could easily sleep until

Mmm...Canada: Maple Chipotle Barbecue Sauce

2010-07-20T21:23:00.004-04:00

Mmm...Canada. We are so known for our fiercely spiced foods and peppers whose mere mention bring tears to our eyes and droplets of persperation to our brows.Mmm...no.As a nation, I fear we have a reputation for being spice-adverse, the old joke being KFC is too spicy for those of us north of the 49th parallel.And really, I think it's deserved. It's not been that long since the spice aisle's heat

Mmm...Canada: Maple pecan butter tarts

2010-07-10T00:00:00.001-04:00

A quick business trip north of the border brought our dear Glamah of Coco Cooks to my fair land. I knew through years of bloggy (and now more often than not non-bloggy) conversation, she's a kindred kitchen spirit, willing to try pretty much anything at least once.In real life she didn't disappoint. She sparkles...and not in a contrived Meyeresque way...she's stylish, astute, sharp-tongued and

Mmm...Canada: Roasted Fiddleheads

2010-07-05T00:00:00.004-04:00

When I was six years old I took violin lessons. My teacher's name was "Mr. T" (shortened because his surname was long and hard to pronounce...I easily relate). He was old. Like 30 or maybe 35. He had a Tom Selleck-like mustache and the whole 1970s groovy thing happening...or at least he tried to. Violin just wasn't my thing. I couldn't get the fingering right and even at that young age I knew

Mmm...Canada: Newfoundland Fries

2010-06-30T23:27:00.005-04:00

Happy Canada Day!Has it really been two years since our dear Jennifer of The Domestic Goddess and I cohosted a Canadian food event called Mmm...Canada (she, with sweet entries and I with savoury entries)? Really?We tried to organise it this year, but our lives are turvey-topsey, bisy backson with barely a chance to sit down and have a cup of tea. And really...if we can't set the time aside for a

Lemon-Cherry Muffins

2010-06-20T11:11:00.008-04:00

Sunday morning baking is a not-so-secret pleasure of mine. Apart from lazily leafing through books and magaines for an inspriational recipe, there's a sense of calm that comes from weighing out flour, grating zest and whisking eggs with milk. This is the time when I play with ingredients and flavours, tweak an old favourite and dare I say it...gild the lily. Sometimes things work, sometimes

Food to mend a bruised heart: Part Three: Maple-glazed peppered bacon

2010-06-15T19:03:00.006-04:00

There's nothing like a good breakfast to start a new adventure.Granted, I'm not trekking through deepest, darkest Peru in search of the spectacled bear (or any other of Paddington's relatives); I'm not off to Tanzania to climb Mt. Kilimanjaro, and I've not applied to CSIS (but really, if they need an accusedly adorable short chick who can not only string words together well but bring in the

The contraption: Olive and lemon meatballs with tomato sauce

2010-06-06T15:09:00.002-04:00

Computers. I love them and hate them all at once.As a writer and editor I love how they can make my lot a bit easier—distributing drafts, tracking changes, sending off the final version—its all easy, peasey, pudding and pie. Add the Web and all the electronic loveliness that comes with it, and there’s little doubt that this collection of plastic and wires is rather spiffy.But when things go awry

Food to mend a bruised heart: Part Two: Choco-fudge Cake with peanut butter icing

2010-05-29T17:40:00.005-04:00

I can't eat chocolate when I'm truly and utterly upset. At my most heartbroken, the mere thought of anything that resembled chocolate or cocoa makes my stomach turn. When Michael died it took more than a year before I could enjoy a little square of dark chocolate. When I started eating it again...in small, sporadic doses...I knew I was climbing out of my deepest trenches of grief.With my more

Happy Victoria Day: Blueberry Scones

2010-05-23T16:04:00.004-04:00

Happy Victoria Day to all my fellow Canadians.Whether or not you call it the May Two-Four or The May Long Weekend, I hope you're having a lovely weekend, the weather cooperates and you've marked the unofficial beginning of summer in a delicious way. There really isn't an official food to celebrate the Queen's birthday. Along with opening up their cottages, and giving serious thought to their

Food to mend a bruised heart: Part One: Poutine

2010-05-16T16:23:00.006-04:00

It doesn't matter if you're 16 or 36 or 56 a bruised heart is still a bruised heart. Those of you who know the story, know the story. For those of you who don't, all I'll say is that a cycle is complete, probably not to replay with the same cast. The full story is not yet known...and I suspect I'll never truly know...but hindsight offers interesting glimpses.Like many, I choose to take my solace

The Contraption: Pulled Pork Sandwiches - Redux

2010-05-09T15:04:00.003-04:00

Last month's slow cooker cooking adventure was less than spectacular. It was also too good to be true. A minimal amount of prep time, combined with soft drinks and a bit of this and that amounted to a sickly sweet and totally underwhelming mound of sandwiches.My call for alternative recipes were heard. Between emails, conversations and comments, I had a number of options from which to seek

Happy Birthday, Michael

2010-05-05T00:00:00.001-04:00

Today would have been My Darling One's 43rd birthday.Gone, but not forgotten.Michael adored desserts and cheesecake was one of his favourite treats. He never had an opportunity to eat the April 2009 Daring Baker's version, but I can assure you that he would have whole-heartedly approved.My time has not been mine own, and as such I don't have a new recipe to post, but instead am leaving you with

Butternut squash, bacon and apple soup

2010-04-12T19:47:00.005-04:00

Apologies to those who are looking for one of my usual life-based missives. The fact is said life, such as it is, has taken over and I've been left flicking through photographs and recipes to find something to offer. Quite honestly, if I didn't, you'd be left with that not-so-exciting slow cooker pork sandwich recipe I'm not-that-excited about.Earlier this year when I reviewed Jennifer McLagan's

The Contraption: Slow Cooker Pork Sandwiches

2010-04-09T22:12:00.006-04:00

Hmmm...I'm not sure what I can say about this one. Last month's successful ribs experiment made me hopeful that my slow cooker wasn't an unfortunate acquisition.Now, I'm back to doubting things.After hearing a number of people tell me how delicious their slow cooker pulled pork sandwiches are, I thought that would be an excellent next adventure with the contraption.Well...not so much. My friend

Happy Easter! - Cupcakes for all

2010-04-04T13:37:00.004-04:00

For those who observe, a very joyous Easter; for those who celebrate, Happy Pesach. Regardless of your beliefs, I hope all of you are enjoying all the best of this time of year.Over here, right now, we're enjoying a lovely warm spell with temperatures more like early June than early April. My teeny little flower bed is waking up with a few icicle pansies in bloom and bleeding hearts poking

Estonian Lenten Buns...and bunnies and duckies and tap-dancing Barneys

2010-03-28T21:12:00.005-04:00

When I saw our dear Pille's recipe for Vastlakuklid (Estonian Lenten Buns I knew I had to make them. Rich, tender and flavoured with cardamom, how could I not make them?Well, that was three or four years ago.Just before each subsequent Easter I have every hope and intention of making her perfect buns. But then...well...I forget. Yes, even though I can recall many conversations word-for-word (ask

Spinach, Mushroom and Tomato Tart

2010-03-24T00:00:00.001-04:00

I am horrible at this Facebook thing. I resisted getting an account for ages--my friends know where I am (and if they don't I'm easily found), and I know where they are; between work, this blog and my Twitter account I spend enough of my life staring into an illuminated screen, tapping madly away at a well-worn keyboard; my innate distrust of social networking sites and the horrid marketers that

Irish Cream Cupcakes

2010-03-20T19:31:00.006-04:00

If I had my camera with me the look would have been captured for all to see.Not just any look, but the silent glare that simply says "Must you speak so loudly, human?"No, I didn't get that look from someone wearing a green beer stained "Kiss me I'm Irish" T-shirt.I got it from my cat. On the floor, a few feet away from Hagia, two items told a story: to the left were cupcake wrappers, traces of

Potatoes and bacon and cheese oh my!: Panhaggerty

2010-03-16T20:16:00.006-04:00

My bibliophilia is not a secret. I love well chosen words, committed to paper, bound in paper or cloth. I love the scent a recently-printed book releases as I flick through it. I love the light texture of the paper fibres on my fingertips as turn each page. Even though my collection numbers in the four-digits (and that's after I lost a few hundred because of a tragic-to-me flood two Christmases

Guinness onion soup with bleu cheese croutons

2010-03-12T21:23:00.006-05:00

My liquor cubby betrays me. Friends' collections of wines and scotches are on show. Some have bar selections that allows them to live out their mixologist fantasies.Me? I have a tiny little cubby behind a teak door. Gin, vodka and cognac always have their places; at least one can of Guinness is in the fridge. That's it. That's all. Quite utilitarian in a way. Everything else is incidental and

Peach-cranberry upside down cake

2010-03-08T00:00:00.000-05:00

The dregs of winter.Neither cold nor warm. More wet than dry. Icy when I leave for work, muddy when I return. Lazy winter weekends where I clatter pans, meander through books and generally potter about the house no longer satisfy.I fantasize about plantings for my wee front garden—in my mind it is the Hanging Gardens of Babylon of the north, but in reality it is a plot not quite as wide as I am

The Contraption: Slow Cooker Ribs in Barbecue Sauce

2010-03-04T19:41:00.008-05:00

For better or for worse we are attracted to types. And for better or worse, types are attracted to us.Give me a single, smart (verging on geeky), well-read, musical man who’s interested in politics, science and art and I simply swoon…I, unfortunately, collect men who would be better off with someone who will simply acquiesce to their officious, ill-informed prattle…or someone easily flattered

When you give a mouse a cookie II: Lamb, prune and almond tagine with honeyed caramelized onions and couscous

2010-02-25T00:00:00.003-05:00

Tag-ine. You’re it.Sorry. I couldn’t resist.There was one rule for the potluck: bring something from a cuisine from which you normally don’t eat. Okay. There were two: list the ingredients beside the dish.I suppose the challenge was easier said than done.In the week prior to the lunch, I’d already partaken in Scandinavian, Italian, French, Mexican, Southern US, Thai and Vietnamese, along with the

If you give a mouse a cookie Part I: Roasted pepper, chickpea and feta salad

2010-02-21T16:14:00.007-05:00

If necessity is the mother of invention, then an inability to sleep is the upstairs neighbour of a busy kitchen.Which is probably why a caffeine-fuelled evening that led to my inability to sleep, combined with my natural (and I would argue genetic) completionist tendencies, transformed a single-dish potluck offering to a multi-part supper in itself.It all started when the Toronto panel session I

BloggerAid: H20 Hope for Haiti

2010-02-20T15:12:00.004-05:00

When our dear Val from More Than Burnt Toast announced a fundraiser to assist with providing potable water for those impacted by last month's Haitian earthquake I immediately offered her the use of my space to help publicise this endeavour.BloggerAid's online raffle will take place from 21-28 February 2010; $10/£6.50 tickets can be purchased through their JustGiving page. There's no pressure to

Black Bean and Back Bacon Soup

2010-02-15T12:38:00.004-05:00

I love retreating to my kitchen at any point in the year, but in mid-winter's depths, it's particularly satsifying. Even in a winter as mild as our current one, pottering in a warmed kitchen, aromas from slower-cooked foods wafting throughout the house is more than comforting.There's a sense of accomplishment to be had when making a meal that requires a number of steps and components. Take

Bordello Red Velvet Cupcakes

2010-02-10T21:49:00.001-05:00

I love romance. I love love. I love the giddy excitement that overtakes you body, mind and soul at the prospect of being near that special person.It's just that I dislike the artifice that surrounds 14 February. I loathe its commercialism and expectations. I sneer at forced restaurant menus and scowl at the gasoline-like price hikes for flowers and chocolates. I avoid storefronts designed by

The contraption: Slow Cooker Chicken Cacciatore

2010-02-05T00:00:00.001-05:00

I asked Santa for a slow cooker. My thinking, of course, was since I'm doing more pot lucks where I can neither pop home to get my prepared dish, nor have access to a proper stove, a slow cooker was the obvious option. I can either cook it during the day in some accessable space, or keep whatever I've made the night before warm enough to be palatable.Santa heard. Santa bought. Santa

On My Rickety Shelves: Fat

2010-01-25T00:00:00.005-05:00

Thanks to the lovely people at Random House, a copy of this month's cookbook selection was delivered to my kitchen.Fat: An appreciation of a misunderstood ingredient with recipesBy Jennifer McLaganMcLelland & Stewart/Random House Canada240 pages; $37.95Fat is vilified. Whether it’s a woman’s natural curves or a recipe’s call for lard, this basic stuff which of which we’re made and need is the

I is a grown up: removing marrow from beef bones

2010-01-20T00:00:00.001-05:00

I first felt adult when I set up my first Registered Retirement Savings Plan. I guess that says a lot about me. It wasn’t when I passed my driver’s test. It wasn’t when I cast my first vote. It wasn’t when I could legally drink.In my mid-20s and in my first real job I knew I didn’t want to be one of those grannies who subsist on tea and toast, with only the government pension scheme keeping me

Happy birthday Edna: Cranberry-ginger swirly buns

2010-01-15T19:18:00.007-05:00

A few years ago I, along with a number of bloggers, celebrated the life of my dear friend Edna Staebler with an event called A Day That Really Shmecks.I wanted to continue celebrating her life, on her birthday, but life happened and continues to do so. This year I may have not resurrected the event, but I am event this year but I'm celebrating Edna today. Maybe next year I'll get my act together

Chocolate Mint Pots de Creme

2010-01-10T11:19:00.005-05:00

When self-induced self-improvement’s constant hum turns into January’s roar of nicotine patches, head-hunter appointments and gym memberships, it’s time to take matters into my own hands.New Year resolutions aren’t my thing. It’s not that I can’t do with a bit of self-improvement—Heaven knows that unfurled laundry list is longer than I am tall--it’s just that replacing a calendar doesn’t urge me

While I had my pre-, on- and post-Christmas nightcaps...

2009-12-22T19:32:00.002-05:00

...Hagia settled, nose-first, for a long winter's nap.Keep warm.Share a meal or two.Make and keep a new friend.Be kind.I'll be pottering about, enjoying the loveliness of the season, but will be back in January. Sorry--as much as I'd love to have it done, this month's Daring Baker Challenge shall be like sugar plums: only a vision, dancing in my head...All the best to you and those you hold

Menu for Hope 6: Comfort and Restoration

2009-12-13T22:53:00.005-05:00

Menu For Hope has reached out help to the world's needy since 2004. What started as a relief effort by Pim of Chez Pim to help those affected by the devastating South East Asian Boxing Day Tsunami, has grown to an annual fundraiser, raising more than a US$250,000; in recent years the funds have been given towards the United Nations World Food Programme. These six years food and drinks bloggers

20 years...

2009-12-06T11:13:00.003-05:00

...and not forgottenGeneviève BergeronHelene ColganNathalie CroteauBarbara DaigneaultAnne-Marie EdwardMaud HaviernickBarbara Klucznik-WidajewiczMaryse LaganièreMaryse LeclairAnne-Marie LemaySonia PelletierMichèle RichardAnnie St-ArneaultAnnie TurcotteCBC: Montreal Massacre events mark 1989 shootings and Montreal Massacre victims jasmine

Daring Bakers: Cannolo

2009-11-26T22:49:00.003-05:00

Recipe origins: Italy (UK)Inspirations and References: Lidia Matticchio Bastianich, Allen Rucker, Michelle ScicoloneHostess: Lisa Michele of Parsley, Sage, Desserts and Line DrivesThe November 2009 Daring Bakers Challenge was chosen and hosted by Lisa Michele of Parsley, Sage, Desserts and Line Drives. She chose the Italian Pastry, Cannolo (Cannoli is plural), using the cookbooks Lidia’s

Comfort & Restoration: Peanut Butter Chocolate Brownies

2009-11-22T23:15:00.000-05:00

Stress eating. If stress eating were a military rank, I'd be the Commander-In-Chief. If stress-eating were a popstar thing, I'd have a fragrance, cookware set and shoes baring my signature. If stress eating were an Olympic sport (a real Olympic sport--not one of those namby-pamby ones where artistic merit marks are bought/sold), I'd be a platinum medallist. Yeah. I'm *that* good. Stressors come

Granola-topped pumpkin bread

2009-11-08T10:54:00.005-05:00

For years I thought pumpkins were only good for two things: Jack-o-lanterns and halva. Eventually soups and pies were added to the list.There it stood for years: four uses, take 'em or leave 'em.That is, until this year.Mum handed me a 796ml tin of pumpkin purée, with the expectation of a Thanksgiving pie. The pie (well, tarte, if we want to be all foofy about it) was made...but that left

Comfort and Restoration: Chicken Broth

2009-11-03T19:33:00.007-05:00

School's back in, the weather's turned cold and sniffles are everywhere. Add the current H1N1 meme to the mix and people are queued for injections, emptying shop shelves of antibacterial everything and screens of e-mails proffering "helpful hints" as to how to spot and avoid the 'flu, including giving up hugging and handshaking in hopes of "staying healthy." (Bah to that I say. Bah) Watercooler