December 5, 2013
While you are reading this post I will be on the plane traveling to Paris. I scheduled a few posts to be published while I am away from my kitchen and computer, en route to our destination in Paris. See? I appreciate your visit to the blog and do not want you coming here to an old post. I will post from Paris as soon as possible, sharing our adventures, culinary and otherwise through these... View Article
November 30, 2013
So, how do you get flavour into foods without adding oil? I am so used to cooking foods in a little olive oil to bring out the flavour that it seems impossible to get flavour without it. However, it is possible and this full flavour soup without any free oil or butter shows it can be done. I resisted the temptation to sauté the vegetables in oil and just steam-sautéed them in a little water... View Article
November 27, 2013
I am still in “travel” mode, getting ready for our upcoming trip to Europe, leaving next week. As I mentioned we will be in Paris first, then in Spain for a couple of months. I have never been to Spain and looking forward to explore this country’s culinary scene, history and culture. Through my blogger friend Val of More than Burnt Toast I connected with a Barcelona blogger Nuria Farregut of Spanish Recipes by Nuria who... View Article
November 11, 2013
Most people love potatoes and for some, a meal is not a meal without them. This ubiquitous veggie is of global importance being the fourth most important food grown worldwide after corn, wheat and rice. Potatoes appear in every cuisine and sustained civilizations for thousands of years (Peru, Incas). Potatoes grow in a wide range of soils, climates and geographical conditions and to this day help enhance food security because they are easy to cultivate and calorie... View Article
October 30, 2013
Sometimes I am in the mood for potato chips. It’s hard to avoid them altogether. If I happen to have a bag of good chips at home I am not beyond getting into it it once in a while. However, here is a better version of chips, using variety of vegetables to create a lovely melange of vegetable chips with or without oil. Commercial potato chips, after a few handfuls they lose the appeal and... View Article
October 20, 2013
People for some reason have a love-hate relations with brussels sprouts. They either love them or hate them. I was asked by a hostess recently to bring vegetables to a pot luck dinner and was told in no uncertain terms Not to bring brussels sprouts. Why is it I wonder that such a lovely veggie is so maligned. They are beautiful to look at, have significant health benefits, are easy to cook and at least... View Article
October 8, 2013
Chances are if you drop by there would be a soup simmering in a copper pot at the back of the stove in my kitchen, its fragrance wafting throughout the house. ‘Tis the season as they say. Fall is a perfect time for a bowl of warm, steamy soup. I love making soups and they make a lovely and satisfying simple meal at the end of the day with good bread and maybe a crisp... View Article
September 26, 2013
Inspired by dinner at Xocolat – Posh Mexican Cuisine in Calgary, Alberta We had dinner in Calgary the other day at a fabulous restaurant serving Mexican food. Don’t jump into conclusions too fast. This is not the place to go for a quick taco and refried beans under a sombrero with a Mariachi band playing Besame Mucho in the corner. As it’s name suggests Xocolat Posh Mexican Cuisine serves traditional Mexican foods but with a modern high end flare. The result is gorgeous... View Article
September 5, 2013
Pomegranates in the stores means that fall is on its way. I am excited about the change of season and the new fruits and vegetables it brings to the markets but of course I am sad to see the summer coming to an end. Spring, summer and fall seem to be so short here in Canada and the winter sooo looong. Early fall is an interesting season, where summer merges into fall. We still get... View Article
August 27, 2013
Earlier this season I planted a little flat leaf parsley seedling on the patio and somehow, in no time it grew into a huge plant with beautiful flat leaves packed with flavour. Who knew these herbs can grow like that? In Calgary I could barely make it survive. Now I have several herbs in the rooftop garden and can step outside at any time to pick fresh rosemary, thyme, sage, basil (green and purple, sorrel,... View Article
August 8, 2013
Broccoli salads were not part of my cooking repertoire until recently. I don’t know why I never made them before. Maybe it is because of the mushy broccoli salads on buffet tables, I have seen too many of those. Once I started making them though I cannot seem to stop. Broccoli can make a beautiful crunchy salad that is full of flavour and family and friends seem to enjoy it. There are never any leftovers.... View Article
July 29, 2013
My sister-in-law Tali is visiting from overseas and needless to say I put her to work in the kitchen preparing some of my favourite foods from Israel that she is an expert in making. Tali is a natural cook who knows instinctively what goes with what and how much of this or that to put in the dish. We have been having fun cooking in the kitchen for our group of 7 (vegetarian and non-vegetarians).... View Article
