With so many years of putting together a Thanksgiving feast for friends and family, and double doses for this Canadian-American family. I finally feel I have a handle on how to get the meal on the table without too much chaos, and with some semblance of grace.   First tip: make as much as you… Continue reading

As the summer winds down, I usually do a mental inventory of all the seasonal foods we have cooked and enjoyed to make sure we haven’t missed out. With all the usual suspects all accounted for: tomatoes, corn, zucchini, leafy greens, and more tomatoes, I cast a larger net and discovered I had not made… Continue reading

I know there are legions gnocchi fans out there, sadly though, I have never been one.  If given a choice for a Italian carbohydrate it would always be spaghetti for me.  With spicy tomato sauce, carbonara, aglio e olio peperoncino, or just butter and parmesan cheese, each one my favorite. However my daughter sent me… Continue reading

Many, many lifetimes ago my husband worked in the dinning room of a big fancy hotel.  There, they made a “classic” caesar salad, that he still maintains contained no mayo, mustard, and heaven forbid no worcestershire. Looking at the picture you may surmise that this is clearly not that “classic” recipe, with the additions of… Continue reading

On any given day if I ask my Husband what he wants for dinner most of the time the response will be “Chicken? Maybe fish?  Or we haven’t had a steak in a long time”.  Never does he lead with “how about eggplant? or broccoli?”.   Therefore I sometimes have to be sneaky when it comes… Continue reading

Lately, it seems that everyone is talking about Shirataki Noodles.  If you haven’t heard they are: gluten free, vegan, paleo, keto, and contain negligible calories. No wonder all the talk huh? I made the spaghetti/noodle variety last week for lunch with a spicy tomato sauce and olives.  It was great for a quick lunch, so… Continue reading

Most summers I tend to obsess over one specific salad.  A salad that circulates through pot-lucks, bbq’s or just dinner at home.  Last summer I made this Quinoa Lentil Salad many, many times.  The previous summer, my garden was bursting with vegetables, which inspired this Summer Squash Salad with Feta and Herbs. This year a… Continue reading

Last month I enthusiastically shared my interest in Skinny Pasta, now one of my new go-to’s for a quick lunch.  As I previously told you; these noodles are virtually calorie free, carb free, no sodium, grain free, gluten free, vegan, full of fiber, oh and they come in different shapes too!  A lot of hype… Continue reading

As you can imagine, I am perpetually on the hunt for new food trends.  Anything that can be adaptable here in my gluten free/vegan/sometimes vegetarian/meat lovers kitchen is a win.  However, it was my daughter who introduced me to Shirataki Noodles by Skinny Pasta- chip off the old block perhaps? Shirataki or Konjac noodles are… Continue reading

Last Saturday, we invited a few friends over for dinner.   Naturally, we were really excited and planned a fabulous meal – Asian salmon, sticky rice, steamed baby bok choy with garlic sauce.  We even had fantastic kimchi from the Asian store that’s not even remotely close to home, but so good that I drive there… Continue reading

I picked up a tin of Za’tar Za’tar while traveling a while back, such a while back that I don’t remember where.  It seemed like serendipity when I found a recipe for Socca – a grilled chickpea flatbread made frequently in the south of France. A Middle Eastern spice blend of marjoram or thyme, oregano, dried… Continue reading

Every summer there seems to be a salad that I gravitate to, and tend make again and again.  The criteria is usually that it’s super easy to whip up, no ingredients that are strange or hard to procure. Extra points if it contains local, in season produce, doesn’t need extended refrigeration, can pair well with most… Continue reading

I am not going to pretend that I haven’t posted these muffins previously, I have.  The reason to share them with you again is because they are so versatile.  I made them the first time because I was traveling and needed them to be hearty enough to last in my carryon without being squashed too… Continue reading

Some of the best dishes I have ever created have were developed, not because I followed the recipe correctly (I am really not good at that) but rather because I didn’t have all the ingredients listed, and had to just wing it.  For all you recipe followers, I know that is a tough concept – just call me… Continue reading

My daughter was home from university last weekend and noticed a small container of ricotta cheese in the fridge.  Lately, I have been spreading it on toast, then showering it with lemon zest and capers, adding few slices of smoked salmon, and finishing with tons of fresh chopped dill for a fabulous and easy lunch…. Continue reading

In these dwindling December days filled with endless parties full of punch bowls laden with egg nog, bacon wrapped scallops on fancy trays, and entire tables devoted to artistic cheese displays, I thought you might appreciate something a bit lighter to ingest between Fêtes. This one simple soup may be the thing we all need… Continue reading

I certainly have developed a newfound respect for cornstarch.  It usually hangs out way in the back of that cabinet that houses the baking powder and various exotic spices rarely used – until today that is. Sure, most of us already know it can be used to thicken soups, sauces and stew.  But used alone… Continue reading

As I was putting together these BLT Deviled Eggs for a party last weekend, my daughter noted “very 50’s housewife, mom.”  What?  Since when?  A few years back I made these Kimchi Deviled Eggs for a dinner party – even the kimchi skeptics gobbled them up. I think more often than not, the tried and true… Continue reading

I know this time of year you would expect me to be posting all kinds of light, refreshing, don’t you even think about turning that oven on, type of recipes.  Thing is, it’s cold and rainy here today and I wouldn’t dream of turning on the heat in July to warm up – the oven… Continue reading

I have noticed that every summer I seem to gravitate to a go-to salad, one I can quickly whip up for a impromptu BBQ at a neighbors,  a dish to pass for a picnic, or maybe just for a quick fix dinner here.  Last year it was this Summer Squash with Feta and Herb Salad, the… Continue reading

Luckily, everyone here loves coleslaw, and, in my quest to make sure we all get enough veg in our diet – that certainly helps.  While fish tacos usually get a traditional savoy cabbage slaw –  other meals are ripe for different versions of coleslaw. The beauty of coleslaw is that you can julienne almost any vegetable and… Continue reading