Calamari a good BBQ option
As we approach the midway point of our barbeque season it is nice to change up the menu a little bit.
Calamari is a relatively inexpensive, low fat, low sodium seafood that is high in lean protein. The low cost makes calamari the ideal seafood to experiment with, as you are not putting out a large sum of money in the event you do not cook it perfectly the first time …Read more
What to do with all those tomatoes?
This year’s hot, dry summer has produced amazing tomatoes, ‘a bumper crop’ according to reports. And although we’ve had tomato recipes in this column before, the ones we are referring to now are the tomatoes coming from your own backyard. So many are being produced this August that bacon sales have hit an all time high as people try for the perfect BLT sandwich …Read more
Keep a few staples on hand
Sometimes all you need is an idea. I know many people who don’t mind putting a meal on the table for family or friends, but the inevitable question always pops up: ‘What am I going to make for dinner tonight?’ Or, you can do what we do: let the refrigerator speak for itself by always having a supply of just a few key items that have a long shelf life, that most people like, and go with just about anything …Read more
There’s no time like the present
Here is the challenge. You need to make this recipe now. Do not cut it out, put it on your fridge and tell yourself that you are going to make it next month for so-and-so’s birthday or in December for a Christmas party.
Some of you may think that I am talking crazy, because this dish contains scallops and so many of us …Read more
Make the most of your Potato salad
Okay folks. It is time to put the store-bought, mayonnaise soaked, over-dressed, soggy potato salad away. In a time and region where local food is prized and cookouts are more a gathering of foodies and culinary competitions, we want you to show up with the prize.
The secret to this German Potato Salad is the pickle juice. Any potato salad that you plan on making should be dressed while the potatoes are still warm, that way the potatoes will soak up all of the flavour …Read more
You can’t beet this summer soup
I love how food becomes traditional, something you can count on year after year; something to look forward to. Christmas, Easter, Thanksgiving … all of these occasions usually present us with the same food to gather around with friends and family. But what about traditions in the summer? Well, in our family, believe it or not, the summer tradition is borscht …Read more
Local bounty makes for options
Sautéed green beans tossed with toasted almonds and butter, roasted candy cane beets, crispy cucumbers in a dill and buttermilk dressing, baby greens, baby carrots, creamy goats’ cheese tossed with a green onion vinaigrette, the first new potatoes of the season. Ontario cherries, strawberries or raspberries for dessert. These are just a few in the long list of delicious local produce items that will be available to us this …Read more
Hopping aboard a new trend
Remember when pork became ‘the other white meat’ during a series of ad campaigns? Well, we’re starting a new one: Rabbit, the new chicken.
Recently rabbit has been getting a lot of press, all of it good. New domestically raised rabbit is lean, offers white and dark meat and is mild in flavour – very similar to chicken, except that you can bet that where you get your rabbit, it has been naturally raised, without chemicals, and that definitely …Read more
Nothing like doing it yourself
It is not really difficult to run to the supermarket and grab a boxed variety of our favourite dishes. From freezers full of appetizers to crème caramel in the dairy isle, everything our hearts desire can be purchased. The problem with these conveniences is the loss of the art of cooking and the loss of control in exactly what we are eating …Read more
The bacon and eggs of pasta
On a recent trip to Italy, Kirstie noticed one common theme in all of the great food we had the pleasure of eating: simplicity. Most dishes had no more than four or five ingredients, yet everything was perfectly cooked and seasoned, and almost always drizzled with extra virgin olive oil, which gave every dish a beautiful mouth-feel …Read more
