June 7, 2012

Fudgy Cream Cheese Brownies with Baileys

For adults only, these creamy, fudgy, chocolaty cream cheese brownies are so good and so easy to make I am sure you will add them to your favourite brownies collection. I have been experimenting with brownies for a few days with different results in textures. Some were cake-like with a crackly top layer, some were  light, others heavier. A lot of chocolate came and went through my kitchen this week. This one seems to have... View Article

June 6, 2012

Silky Puree of Asparagus Soup with Baby Potatoes

I made this soup a while ago, early in the asparagus season, but I thought I’d post it now. It’s a simple soup to make and requires only cooking the asparagus in boiling stock and then puréeing it in a blender. The cooked potato blended with the soup adds body and natural creaminess without adding any cream. You can however  enhance it with cream for a creamed soup version or just add a dollop of... View Article

June 5, 2012

Peasant Pasta with Herbed Crumbs

What can be more satisfying and comforting than a bowl of pasta? okay, maybe there are a couple of things but a bowl of pasta is certainly among them. Here is a simple pasta to make when you are low on ingredients or just feel like something good and quick. The herbed bread crumbs are one of the things I usually have in the freezer, ready to be incorporated into many different dishes. Of course... View Article

June 5, 2012

Roasted Acorn Squash with Quinoa, Apricots, Ginger and cumin

Acorn squash along with other squashes are fall and winter vegetables and I cook with them often as soon as summer is over. I do however like to use squash as a “container” and stuff it with various grains and vegetables and I can do that any time of the year. Being the starch lover that I am, I can never have too much starch (read The Starch Solution by Dr. John McDougall). Acorn squash... View Article

June 4, 2012

About Cheese

I think of cheese as one of the most exquisite culinary pleasures.  Whether served with fruit after a meal, paired with a glass of wine, enjoyed on its own with a chunk of crusty bread or included in the process of preparing a dish, cheese is a captivating flavour and texture element in culinary experience. Wine and cheese have a lot in common. Both in a way are living organisms, created by their own Terroir... View Article

June 3, 2012

Baguette with Brie and Tomato chutney

Baguette sandwiches are such a treat. They have bread, they have cheese, what more does one need? I recently had a couple of good ones on great bread, one in Seattle at Le Panier and another in Calgary at La Boulangerie bakery cafe on 4th street. I bought a baguette from them yesterday and I am making baguette sandwich  for lunch with their sourdough baguette today. I happen to have tomato chutney in the fridge... View Article

June 3, 2012

Watermelon and Feta Cheese Salad with Raspberries and Mint

I am ignoring the not-spring-enough weather outside and pretending it’s nice and warm. It’s not too bad, at least it’s sunny outside. So I am making a cool-looking salad today. On my last trip to the market watermelons were looking pretty good, probably grown in a green house somewhere but yet sweet enough to enjoy them until the real sun-ripened crops arrive later in the season. I have always combined watermelon with feta, have you... View Article

June 3, 2012

Rice Pudding with Rhubarb Compote

Oh-so-delicious rice pudding with tangy rhubarb compote at the bottom. I saw this offered for sale at the Okanagan Grocery Artisan Bakery in Kelowna over the long weekend in May and for the next few days went there every day and purchased a couple of jars of this delicious pudding to serve after dinner. I must admit that not all of them made it to dinner, as we enjoyed them just for fun while sitting... View Article

June 2, 2012

Spinach Salad with Coconut-Lime Cream

Our place in Mexico has gorgeous coconut trees swaying right in front of our second floor covered patio. They provide shelter for birds perched on their branches and are heavy with large coconuts hanging in clusters, green and heavy with coconut juice. While on vacation there, I try to use coconut in my cooking and have developed a bit of repertoire incorporating it into dishes, both sweet and savoury. One of those creations is this... View Article

May 31, 2012

Seattle Excursion

Those of you who read my blog know that I was in Kelowna on a little vacation. My husband left early to take his staff on an annual weekend in Vegas and I stayed behind to enjoy a few days on my own (my specialty). I cooked happily for a few days but by mid-week my adventurous spirit was tugging at my apron urging me to go exploring. I considered going to the west coast... View Article

May 31, 2012

Corn and Feta savoury Cakes

I have a few different ways of making corn cakes, some lighter, like this recipe, some more substantial that I will post later. Serve them for breakfast, lunch or dinner with creme fraiche, beans or on their own. In spite of the salty feta, they are also good with maple syrup. Makes about 8-10 pancakes. Ingredients: 2 cup white corn kernels 1 cup buttermilk 2 eggs 1/4 cup feta cheese, crumbled 1 tablespoon corn oil... View Article

May 30, 2012

Grilled Asparagus with Warm Macadamia Pesto and Asiago

Asparagus is a lovely spring treat and when it is in season I try to use it often. Read more about asparagus in my article under What’s in Season here. Grilling asparagus brings out beautiful flavor elements that are simply not present when boiling or steaming. The natural sugars caramelize as the asparagus roast and a lovely sweetness emerges that compliments the macadamia pesto nicely. I prefer to roast fat spears as they have a... View Article