October 29, 2017
I have been working on my book about our stay in Spain in 2014 and came across a picture that made me hungry. I remember that bar and the dish we had very well and also remember trying to go there again and not being able to find it. All the small street and side alleys merged into one big maze in our mind so we had to let it go. The dish was simplicity... View Article
January 14, 2017
As much as I enjoy going out for breakfast at one of the beautiful beach restaurants in this area, once in a while I have to put my cooking skills to use and make something at home other than the routine oatmeal that I usually “have to have”. Chilaquiles, a classic Mexican breakfast dish, is one of my favourite Mexican style breakfasts. Although it is seemingly a quick dish to make, it is composed of... View Article
December 19, 2016
Local fruit and granola dishes are featured on any breakfast menu on the Mayan Riviera and although I rarely order it at restaurants I enjoy making it at home now and then. Just like we have unparalleled berries, apples, pears and stone fruits in the Okanagan, local fruits here are so ripe and full of flavour that they hardly resemble the version of these same fruits that we get at home. I am yet to... View Article
December 17, 2016
Chilaquiles, meaning “broken up sombrero” in one of the native Mayan languages, is a quintessential Mexican dish that you find anywhere, from humble beach cafes to five star hotel restaurants serving local cuisine. Chilaquiles is made with fried corn tortilla triangles (or strips) that are briefly soften in red tomato or green tomatillos sauce, then topped with fried egg, queso fresco, chopped red onion, plenty of chopped cilantro (forgot to put it on before taking the... View Article
November 21, 2016
I have one more report about Amsterdam but it’s not ready and I had to share with you the recipe for these little yeast pancakes they eat all over Amsterdam. My obsession during our stay other than art were these little pancakes they call proffertjes. Once I tried them a couldn’t go a day without. Proffertjes are served anytime although it is essentially a breakfast item. They are made with a yeast dough and cooked... View Article
June 21, 2016
I have posted several pancake recipes on the blog but here is one more: a fluffy stack of peanut butter pancakes that contain no eggs or dairy. The recipe came about through necessity – I wanted to make pancakes but had no eggs, made them anyway and they turned out as fluffy as any. Peanut butter pancakes were a specialty of Rosa Park, the woman who changed the world by refusing to give up her... View Article
June 6, 2016
Baked in a cast iron skillet, these are a cross between pancake and a popover. The simple batter contains eggs, butter, flour, milk and sugar with a little vanilla flavouring. It’s best to whip it up in a blender so it’s lump free. Once it’s ready, you pour it into a heated cast iron skillet and slide it into the oven. Within minutes the batter will puff up creating it own raised sides “bowl” ready... View Article
May 13, 2016
The kitchen for me is sort of a classroom where I can venture to learn anything that interests me at the moment. Today “lesson” was scallion pancakes that have intrigued me for quite sometime. As it is with most things, once you actually do them you realize that they are not that complicated and only require curiosity, some work, skill and willingness to try. Scallion cakes are part of Asian cuisine and I have seen... View Article
February 21, 2016
Sometime I just crave these slightly savoury, slightly sweet scones so one of the first things I made when I was reacquainting with my kitchen after 100 days absence were these fluffy, pillowy creations. If you follow the blog you know I don’t like too many ingredients or too many dishes to wash so I tend to keep things rather simple. This recipe can be made in one bowl and it bakes quickly so you... View Article
November 26, 2015
I don’t know if you have access to fresh ricotta made this morning but I bought mine from the cheese maker next door while staying at the off the beaten path agriturismo Palazzo del Duca in Tavernelle. A blog post about the experience is in the making but I had to use the cheese right away so here is one of the ways I used it, simplicity itself, and in the words of Leonardo da... View Article
October 8, 2015
I made these little muffins on the spur of the moment this morning, before my Italian teacher Gian Marco Litrico came over to give G and me an overview of Italian art, history and politics in preparation for our upcoming stay in Italy. Gian Marco is educated, knowledgeable and interesting and we had wonderful time looking at and talking about works of art and historical, religious and political figures in Italian history. I served these... View Article
July 16, 2015
Do you sometimes take your breakfast to go? I am not advocating it but if you do, then an oatmeal smoothie may be the way to go. I am a big fan of oatmeal for breakfast and this smoothie incorporates the elements of a morning oatmeal into a drink. Smoothies are not an exact science so don’t get hung up on quantities. Add your ingredients to the blender and enough liquid of your choice to... View Article
