This is the story of a woman who had BIG PLANS to bake something for her family, but she forgot to check her pantry for all the ingredients — like brown sugar, which was missing — and then the stores were closed.
What’s a baker to do? No need to panic! Just make your own brown sugar.
Eyes are bigger than stomachs. It’s a scientific fact, or at least it’s a family dinner overindulgence ohmygod I can’t eat another bite but I’m going to anyway fact. We sit down to share a meal, vowing to watch our portion sizes so that we can enjoy all the dishes, rich with carefully combined flavours, but it’s one more bite of this and another taste of that and then BAM! dessert arrives. Good luck finding room for Great Aunt Felicity’s apple pie now.
Ontario has had an exceptional apple season this year and it's been apples all day, every day around here and, well, I’ve gone a little crazy with my apple menu.
I make no apologies because clearly I’m not alone considering all the recipes floating around, and it can’t be a bad thing that my children reach into the bushel sitting on the kitchen floor for their afternoon snacks instead of into a cookie jar. Is there such a thing as an apple overdose? Because we’re probably close.
A favourite fall tradition in many parts of Canada is to head out to a local orchard to pick apples. We do the same every year and always come home with a bushel because — like many moms — I have PLANS and TO-DO LISTS and a skewed idea of just how much I can get done in a limited time. Hands up if this sounds familiar.
No matter how much we try to deny it and refuse to remove our flip-flops from the front closet, the cold weather is heading our way. This is when Canadians, traditionally, begin to enter hibernation mode and stock the kitchen with comfort foods. Comfort foods like onion soup covered in melted cheese or spicy chili or warm croissants or cheese. Baked goods and cheese pretty much cover the basics and I don’t play favourites.
This past summer was the summer of what the hell and sure I’ll have another piece of pie and now I’m paying for it, friends. The old metabolism isn’t what it used to be and while skipping one or two runs doesn’t matter much in the grand scheme of having healthy lungs and a perky tush, skipping several months of running does. Add in a sweet tooth that took over and I’m back to zipping up jeans with a wire coat hanger. You remember those days, right?
Besides having to reluctantly wear socks again or risk potential frostbite, fall brings all kinds of good things. It’s time for sweaters and boots and crisp, autumn colours and visits to the apple orchard. My local orchard doesn’t boast pony rides or corn mazes; there’s no posing behind farmer cut-outs.
I think many of us can agree that bacon makes life better, or at least it makes certain recipes better. My daughter’s sole argument against becoming a vegetarian is the existence of bacon, and pancakes cooked in bacon leavings are dangerously good. I didn’t even like pancakes until I tried them this way. The health experts will argue that this method of cooking isn’t food guide approved, but it’s not as though eating pancakes cooked in bacon fat five or six times a year is any worse than eating the occasional cupcake.
When I decided to attend a social media conference in 2012, I had no idea what I was walking into. I knew no one. I’d barely begun navigating the waters of social media. I hardly knew what I was doing with my blog, or why I was doing it. But I went with a clear idea of what my plan of attack would be.
Every year I plant a vegetable garden and every year I'm a bit ambitious about just how many tomatoes, cucumbers, and zucchini a family of four can eat. One year, I planted 8 different types of vegetables, started a strawberry patch — which is paying off nicely this year, so booyah to planning ahead (or accidental luck) — and grew my own watermelon. Our lawn still hasn't recovered. Who can relate?
The most common tags on Instagram are food-related. Food and Instagram are a match made in heaven (or in a kitchen), and it’s now common to spot diners and café goers snapping a quick photo of their food. I’ve done it on occasion, when I wanted to mark the occasion.
Chefs, food writers, and food lovers are playing along, and while some photos go horribly wrong — you’ve all seen the photos of delicious meals that resemble congealed fish chum — there are many Instagrammers taking drool-worthy photos.
From the ancient French word for delicious. Actually it’s from an old French word whose definition is, to cover an area with something (like pebbles on a pathway), or in this case raspberries covered with a creamy batter, so it does mean delicious.
Summer comes quickly, but stays for a short time, so little things hold a larger meaning: the smell of tomatoes ripening in the garden, vegetables warmed by the morning sun on market days, kids running through sprinklers on a dusty afternoon…Canadians appreciate their summers. Many summer memories are tied to our senses and when those involve food there’s often a story associated with them.
The meals I make are based on cravings, whims, and energy level. There’s not a lot of weekly planning that happens. Part of the reason stems from my love of grocery aisles and local markets. I like discovering new foods and walking past fresh produce and cheese and warm breads — and more cheese — which inspires me to make something.
Summer is imminent and that means harvesting the bounty of our backyard vegetable gardens or enjoying delicious, locally grown produce finally available in stores. One of the easiest vegetables/fruits — tomEHto/tomAHto — to grow and enjoy are tomatoes. There are dozens of varieties and I try new ones every year, along with replanting a few favourites. Besides planting medium-sized tomatoes perfect for salads or ratatouille, I add one or more types of bite-sized ones. Sometimes these even make it back to the kitchen. It's difficult, they're so good.
Several years ago we travelled to British Columbia. During our trip west we made a stop in Pemberton to visit family and friends and fell in love. Beyond the beauty of a valley surrounded by mountains and crisscrossed by clear rivers, beyond ranches and wildlife and towering trees, beyond one of the most beautiful places in Canada, we found … the best burger in the history of hamburgers.
This meal only sounds complicated. The truth is that it’s ridiculously simple and quick to prepare, but don’t tell anyone. Let your family think it took hours to make when the reality is far less than that. I dare you to serve this and have any leftovers. Not going to happen.
The asparagus alone is so good I sat alone at my kitchen counter eating and rhapsodising out loud about it. Really loudly. So loudly that I probably frightened our new neighbours and expect to see a For Sale sign any day now.
While many of us are willing and able to tackle even the most outlandish recipes—there was the great garlic soup debacle of 2011—making jam remains a bit scary for amateur chefs.
All that cleaning and boiling and sterilizing, and what purpose does pectin even serve? For the record: pectin, a natural plant substance, shortens the cooking time when making jam, as it helps the fruit and sugars bind. Less cooking time, more fruitiness.
Is there anything more reminiscent of summer than the scent of peaches warming in the sun on your kitchen counter? Maybe peaches baked into a favourite dessert can top that smell.
I take my cheese eating very seriously. There are so many varities and I've only scratched the rind of the cheese world wheel, even though I'm a dedicated enthusiast for ever.
