Cooking for my kids is one of my favourite things to do. They are the perfect panel of taste testers. Varying degrees of pickiness, different like and dislikes with a sprinkling of brutal honesty. I know they're going to let me know right away whether they like a dish or not.
This dish is one I always come back to. It's simple and everyone loves it!
It’s the recipe your kids will ask you to make again and every one of your guests is going to ask you to jot down before leaving your house. It tastes a lot like some of the Chinese take-out dishes you may have tried, but you don’t need a course in Chinese cooking to make it. It’s a sweet dish so serve it alongside something like stir-fried rice and steamed vegetables to balance it out.
Visiting Washington, D.C. can be overwhelming with children. There are so many wonderful tourist sites to take in from historical sites, to museums, monuments, and the like. With all of them vying for your attention, it can be hard to come up with a kid-friendly itinerary that isn't going to overwhelm your little ones. Traveling with kids means that attention spans are limited, energy levels are high, and expectations are through the roof.
Here are some sure-fire ways to make sure you get the most out of your family visit to DC.
There are more and more options showing up in the bread aisle and the varieties can be confusing. Whole wheat, whole grain, ancient grain—it's difficult to separate the marketing spin from the actual health benefits of buying 'healthy' bread.
Buying nutritious bread will help avoid blood sugar spikes, leads to a healthy lifestyle by helpong build muscle and keeps you feeling full longer.
Here are 4 things to look out for where trying to make smarter decisions in the bread aisle:
Chicken pot pie is one of those dishes everyone loves. In our family it's always a winner at dinner time. The ultimate comfort food it arrives at the table like a delicious wrapped gift. Beautifully scored golden pie crust that when cut open reveals a delicious meal-in-a-dish that warms the soul.
This homemade version means you know exactly what is going into it. Fresh vegetables, chicken, and soup. Your kids will absolutely love it and I you'll be asking yourself how you ever bought the store-bought variety to begin with.
Traditionally my family made cabbage rolls for special holidays. My mom would set up the kitchen in the morning and start making cabbage rolls en masse. Some were served for whichever holiday was coming up that week and a bunch more were made to put in the freezer. Cabbage rolls are not an easy undertaking, and if you're already making them, you might as well make a lot!
I came up with this recipe for an easy, slow cooker take on the classic. No rolling, no boiling, or freezing cabbage. As easy as 1..2..3..
There is no doubt that beer is an acquired taste. For the non-beer drinker there can be some very overwhelming tastes in beer that send them running for the hills. Very often the hops in beer are accentuated to add a distinct bitterness that can take a while to get used to. It takes some people years before they can really appreciate the hoppier ales.
Sometimes the basics can be confounding. I get lots of questions from readers about roast chicken. How come my chicken is too dry? Why is the skin is so rubbery? How come my chicken is raw on inside while it's burnt on the outside.
Roast chicken with gravy should be an easy go-to recipe on every home cook's repetoire. It's easy to make, cost effective and feeds a crowd! Roast chicken goes with just about any side dish you decide to make and can be dressed up for a nice dinner or dressed down for simple weeknight dinners.
To tell you I didn't know a lot about RVing before I took one for a weekend recently with my kids would be a massive understatement. When I arranged to pickup my RV, arranged through Go RVing Canada, I was floored to discover that the Toronto Camping Centre was on Highway 7, literally four minutes from my house. I have probably passed it 1,000 times on my way to and from hockey and never noticed all of the RVs out there.
This biscuit recipe makes for an island of tranquility in the stormy chaos that is a weekday morning in our house. I have one child who gets up at the crack of dawn wanting to colour, skip, get dressed, and celebrate the day; I have another who clings to his pillow and every last moment of sleep he can possibly squeeze out; and finally one who is so busy making herself look just right that she couldn't possibly have time to sit down and eat breakfast in the morning ("I'm very busy Daddy don't you know?").
The weather in Las Vegas is not the only thing heating up these days. Increasingly bars and restaurants are offering spicy cocktails and martinis to patrons looking to spice things up a little. The trend has been popping up on menus all along the strip from fashionable bars to full scale restaurants. So that peron you see out on a date with a perspiring brow may not be reacting to the blistering Las Vegas sun or the pressure of being out on a first date.
On June 1st I'll be taking my kids for some camp fun at one of Toronto's most exclusive venues, The Balmy Beach Club. What they don't know is that camp plays an integral part in our family history... in fact, it's the only reason they even exist!
Last year my wife Ali and I had the opportunity to visit Ireland on a culinary-themed trip. One of our stops was at the Gort Na Nain farm where Ultan and Lucy hosted us at their B&B. Our dinner that night was something to behold: dish after delicious dish of vegetarian food cooked right there on their farm. As conversation turned to my own food writing and cooking, Ultan was confounded as to why I didn't have a vegetable garden of my own at home.
When visiting Dunedin, Florida it isn't difficult to quickly ascertain why the Blue Jays call it their Spring Training home or why Canadians flock to this sunny city on Florida's west coast every year. It's hard to argue with a locale that can have you playing golf on a PGA course in the morning, then visiting with a nearby movie star (Winter the dolphin) before catching a ball game in the afternoon. However, the best kept secret in the Grapefruit League circuit is Dunedin's culinary scene.
For those who have not yet been initiated into the world of leather wearing, bike riding, drug dealing, rival shooting, bike gangs — you're missing out. Sons of Anarchy has been building a legion of passionate fans in households across Canada and the U.S. My wife and I were so enthralled that we watched the first five season in a matter of weeks, often watching four episodes in an evening.
If I told you that you could throw all of your financial documents in a box, come back in 4 hours and your taxes would be done, you'd be amazed.
If I told you that you could throw all of your dirty laundry in a clothes hamper, come back in 4 hours and your laundry would be clean and folded, you'd be astounded.
While I can't deliver on either of those two, I can tell you that if you throw the ingredients for this recipe in your slow cooker and come back in 4 hours, I can guarantee a simple, delicious, comforting meal your whole family will enjoy.
Spring is in full swing, and that means it's time to dust off the tongs and head out to the grill. It's important to keep some recipes in your arsenal that are good for rainy days too, when you may not want to stand out with umbrella in hand to make burgers and dogs. Thank you April showers...
One of the treats of culinary tourism is learning about a place through its food. Traditional local dishes and farmer's markets can speak volumes as to the history and character of a place. While partially achieved by consuming the food and drink while abroad, it is by meeting and talking with the the people who lovingly prepare it that you really gather the essence of a place.
