May 4, 2014
People seem to be afraid of artichokes. They worry about how to eat them, how to trim them, how to cook them. Really, they are not any more difficult to handle and cook than anything else. Yes, it’s more work than, say, peeling a carrot, but it’s completely doable and so worth it. Needless to say I love artichokes and cook them in season (spring) whenever I can. I even wrote a post about artichokes... 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 30, 2014
This week I seem to be making foods that I don’t usually prepare. It’s nice to get out of the routine and make something new. Take this recipe. I use a lot of asparagus in the spring but tend to cook it simply, either steam, cook it in a skillet, roast in the oven or cook on a grill. As all recipes seem to happen, I took the asparagus out of the fridge to grill... View Article
April 29, 2014
We are a little past Easter but I am still into eggs. Most people know how to make deviled eggs and this is just a reminder. We were at a friend’s house for lunch a couple of weeks ago where they served deviled eggs and they stayed on my mind ever since. I prepared them to serve as a quick bite this afternoon. As you can see from some of the images I have a... 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 22, 2014
Looking outside through the expanse of windows overlooking the Okanagan in the morning is always reflective. It’s foggy and overcast at the moment, but I suspect the fog will lift as the sun breaks through in a few hours. I don’t mind foggy days, there is a mystery and romance to the silvery tones and staying home seems ever more enticing. The fireplace is warming up the room and a cup of hot camomile tea... View Article
April 21, 2014
This is adapted from a recipe I posted a couple of year ago in the spring when fresh peas were out. Fresh peas are not out yet here in the 49 parallel but I think this recipe is perfectly good with frozen peas and this time I added lima beans to the mix (also frozen). It is so simple and delicious that I wanted to remind you of the dish. Peas by themselves are wonderful... View Article
April 17, 2014
Spring is still resisting but I decided to ignore it and pretend it’s here. Wherever spring vegetables come from this time of year, they are beginning to show up in the produce section of our local stores and I am all over them (if they look good). I am also in the middle of a difficult photography course, two, really, challenging myself to learn more. Sitting next to young (twenty somethin’) group of students is... View Article
April 10, 2014
I started a photography course that promises to be very good and a lot of work. When I registered for the two classes, part of a professional course in photography, I only thought of the 6 hours a week of class time but forgot about homework and assignments for each of the two classes, due every week. We’ll see how it goes, it sounds like more work than I bargained for but it’s a good... 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 6, 2014
I posted a free form lasagna recipe a short while ago but today made another one and thought it post-worthy. I used fresh lasagna sheets from our Valoroso Italian market and used prepared tomato sauce from Alba, Italy (Cascina San Cassiano, comes in a cute round jar). If you can’t find this one try Williams Sonoma pasta sauces, they are pretty good, or of course make your own. This lasagna has to be cooked in 375F... 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
