September 14, 2012

Walnut Cookies

Melt-in-your-mouth four ingredients cookies that everyone who likes to cook should have in their repertoire. They are quick to make and so sweetly delicious. I believe these cookies hail from the mediterranean and you see versions of them in many middle east cuisines. The dough has to be chilled first and then baked at low temperature (I use convection mode at 320℉. ) You can roll the dough into a log, refrigerate until cold and... View Article

September 13, 2012

Parmesan Fries

Call them French fries, pommes frites, freedom fries, chips, patatas fritas or oven fries, who doesn’t like them one way or another. Granted, whether long or short,  some like them matchstick-thin and crispy, other like them thick cut, crispy on the outside and soft inside. I like them any way they come and tend to make them at home every now and then. Today I was in the mood so I made some oven fries... View Article

September 12, 2012

Eggplant “Spaghetti” with Far East and Mid-East Sauces

I know that eggplant is not for everyone but I love it and maybe someone out there does as well so here it goes (why am I appologizing?). I have had these three Japanese (or are these chinese?) eggplants in my fridge for a few days now. They are the long skinny eggplants with purplish skin that are available every now and then in our markets. They have thin, edible skin and their flavour is... View Article

September 11, 2012

Blueberry Buttermilk Muffins

I mentioned that with the abundance of blueberries in the markets I have been cooking with them a lot lately. Blueberry muffins are one of our favourites and I make these often so I thought I’d share the recipe today. These muffins are a please-everybody muffins, large and fluffy and made with eggs and dairy but I also have another way of making them, fat free vegan style that is also very good. Maybe I... View Article

September 11, 2012

Potato Cakes with Smoked salmon

I made these potato cakes as part of a breakfast selection when I had non-vegetarian friends visiting, hence the smoked salmon. If I remember correctly I poached a few eggs and offered them along with this dish. The potato cakes can be made in advance and reheated at breakfast. I made them as little cakes but they can also be made thinner and larger, pancake-like (see image below). When grating potatoes I prefer to use... View Article

September 9, 2012

Come Over for a Glass of Wine

On my last evening in kelowna I invited two of Kelowna’s food bloggers Val and Laura (www.morethanburnttoast.com and www.anuneducatedpalate.com, respectively) for a glass of wine on the patio. It’s fun to be with foodies who can talk about food and blogging. There are a few food people I’d like to get to know better in Kelowna and I hope to have more of these evenings as time goes on. I was busy enjoying other company... View Article

September 8, 2012

Roasted New Potatoes

Whenever I make these potatoes (which is quite often), my guests love them and ask how I make them. It is an embarrassingly simple recipe but in the spirit of full disclosure, here is how I do it. The potatoes in the image are a German variety called Sieglinda butter Potatoes that I get from Little Church Organics in Kelowna (see post about Kelowna for Foodies). They are so delicious and flavourful that I wish they... View Article

September 7, 2012

Grilled Salad: Romaine and Queso Fresco (or haloumi)

Have you used haloumi cheese in your kitchen? It features prominently in middle east cuisine and used for frying or grilling thanks to its high melting point (it begins melting only at very high temperature). It originates in Cyprus and is made from goat, sheep or cow’s milk. I have been looking for haloumi cheese here for a while and not finding any. I tried the Italian stores, the Greek shop and our Janice Beaton... View Article

September 6, 2012

Pasta with Olives and Pistachios

Although I cook pasta all year round I find that I tend to cook it more frequently in the fall and winter seasons. Not that I think of pasta as winter food but in the summer I like to take full advantage of the beautiful fresh vegetables that you find at the markets and finding myself cooking with a variety of summer potatoes for the starch component of dinner. We are now nearing the end... View Article

September 5, 2012

Yellow Bean, Cherry Tomatoes and Feta Salad

Beans, green or yellow, are one of the joys of summer cooking. Buttery and tender they feature regularly on the summer menu here and then disappear not to be seen again until the following spring. Sometimes during the winter we get haricot vert, the thin crisp green beans, imported from somewhere and I do get tempted if they look good, but really for me beans is summer cooking and I mostly try to keep it... View Article

September 3, 2012

Roasted or Fried Chickpeas

Here is a simple and fun little appetizer to serve with drinks when you have company. I use canned chickpeas (garbanzo beans) for this but you can certainly cook the chickpeas yourself. If you do, put a little baking soda into the cooking water. Chickpeas tend to stay hard outside and the baking soda helps soften them as they cook. This is a flexible recipe, you can fry them in oil or roast them in... View Article

September 2, 2012

Roasted Beet Salad with Balsamic Crema, Honey and Gorgonzola

Summer beets are completely different from what we get here year round. Summer beets are soft and sweet and take hardly any time to cook, whether roasted in the oven or cooked on top of the stove. I make all kinds of things with beets (even pickled beets) and will post a few of them over the next while. I am trying to limit myself to a post a day for now so I have a... View Article