August 30, 2014
I was told off (gently) by the waiters in Spain. While traveling around this beautiful country for a couple of months recently I needed to get off the caffein train. We ate out a lot and lingered in cafes every day and the caffein was starting to get to me. I thought I’d change to herbal tea. Easy? not so fast. I annoyed many waiters in the beginning trying to order “camomile tea”. I soon... View Article
August 3, 2014
John Skinner stood me up before we even met:). Laura (the culinary travel guide) and I attended the chic Visa Infinite dinner a couple of weeks ago and the name tag for the seat across from me and beside Laura was John’s and he was a no show. Fortunately he sent a stand in, Painted Rock 2011 Red Icon, who proved to be spectacular company that evening, so we forgive John for his absence. I... View Article
July 26, 2014
On July 19th I was invited by my friend and fellow blogger Laura of The Culinary Travel Guide to join her at the sold out Visa Infinite event at Quail’s Gate winery. This was the place to be that night for culinary and wine enthusiasts and the place was packed. Visa Infinite holds more than 60 events across Canada throughout the year featuring anything from dinners to wine country events to hotel collection and... View Article
July 14, 2014
I must say it was easier the second time around. For the second year in a row hundreds of local food and fun aficionados from around the province and beyond converged on a secret location in Kelowna dressed in the whitest of whites to participate in the international ritual of the now famous Diner en Blanc. This “by invitation only” event has swept through the Okanagan in the past two years generating requests for invitations... View Article
June 11, 2014
Dana Ewart of Joy Road catering is ringing a dinner bell. She is summoning guests scattered around the garden sipping Blue Mountain Brut to the table. Joy Road Catering, a unique local catering company with an expanding reach is owned and run by the lovely young duo of Dana Ewart and Cameron Smith. Both Dana and Cameron are trained under some of the best chefs in Toronto. After meeting in culinary school, working at top... View Article
May 15, 2014
A bunch of tall and slim asparagus is resting on my cutting board while I get the vegetable peeler. I plan to gently peel away the skin from the root end, third of the way up. I don’t always peel the spears but since I like the look of the light green part that is hidden below the skin I thought I’d peel it this time. I am preparing lunch for a few of my... View Article
May 3, 2014
There is an art to travelling as a vegetarian. You would think that with the abundance of gorgeous produce in the markets, especially around the Mediterranean, it would be easy to find vegetarian dishes on restaurants menus but somehow it is not. Now, I am interested in food and culture and certainly will try other things even if they are not vegetarian, especially the local and traditional. I am certainly not going to travel without experiencing... View Article
April 26, 2014
What do you make for a quick dinner? For me it’s pasta hands down. It goes with just about anything and I can almost make it with my eyes closed. You know where the pot is and you just need to scoop a piece to taste if it’s al dente, right? For this dish I combined red pepper penne with sautéed onion, cabbage and kale, a little white wine and then some mascarpone to round... View Article
April 8, 2014
One thing I enjoy about blogging is the instant community it opens up for you. You become part of a global community of like-minded people who tend to like the same things you do: eat, cook, write, photograph and travel. Before leaving for Spain my friend Val of More than Burnt Toasts, whom I met through blogging, introduced me to Núria from Barcelona. Núria is a blogger and you can find her cooking, travelling and... View Article
April 3, 2014
My culinary “must do” list while traveling in Spain included a visit to a cava bodega in Penedes. Penedes is the Spanish Cava region in Catalunya, located just outside beautiful Barcelona, easily accessible by car or by train. Cava, a.k.a. Spanish Champagne, has been produced in this region since 1872 when a local wine maker produced the first sparkling wine made in the traditional champagne method. The wine was called Spanish champagne until fairly recently when... View Article
March 30, 2014
One of the foods on my “culinary must do” list while in Spain was eggplant fritters with honey. It is seemingly an unusual dish, I have never had it before and never really thought of serving a savoury eggplant with honey but it did sound good. I imagined it crispy on the outside, soft inside, a little savoury with a sweet honey drizzle, surely it would be delish. According to Claudia Roden (the Julia Child... View Article
March 20, 2014
When we travel I watch for and try to learn about local customs, especially in food and culture. One of the customs I noticed here in Spain is that the locals stop at a bar for a glass of vermut (vermouth) on tap as an aperitivo before lunch or dinner. Bars here by the way are not just for drinks. It’s a general term for places where you can stop by for coffee, lunch or dinner,... View Article
