I was watching Jaime Oliver on TV the other day and he was making this wonderful potato crust shepherd’s pie, loved it! Simple beautiful comfort food that I just had to try making. It worked and tasted awesome! Now I know what you are thinking. He says everything tastes awesome, but really, it was. I [...]
Here’s a doable weeknight supper that leaves lots of time for an after dinner binge on something Netflix. We did a version of this in my afternoon classes at the PC Cooking Schools last week. I haven’t had perch since my fishing days a long long time ago. A popular fish, always the first one [...]
Happy Chinese New Year to my Chinese friends – and well really anyone celebrating the incoming Year of the Monkey! May it bring joy and may you find – keep – spread happiness and good health! Getting ready for the big day is a lot of work. You don’t have time to fuss over things [...]
I was at the Loblaw's PC Cooking School in Barrie a few nights ago. It was an incredible evening! Not because of my menu (although it was pretty good :) ) but because of the people attending the event. The dinner, hosted by the Canadian National Institute for the Blind (CNIB) Barrie chapter, was to thank [...]
Goan cooking is a delicate balance of spices that provide complex tastes when combined. Actually Indian cooking – in general, is like this. Until one really understands the nuances in combining spices i.e. the flavor of each spice, you truly cannot cook the food properly. Recipes are just guides, I say this all the time [...]
The first time I made duck, I made Duck a l'Orange. It must have been about 30 years ago and quite honestly, although I'd only ever tasted it once before, in a restaurant I could barely afford at the time, it turned out delicious. I'd seen it made on TV a dozen or so times [...]
Beautifully imperfect! That’s what I learned from my friend Chef Maria. The beauty of handmade pasta is in the imperfections. Oh don’t get me wrong, the rhythm and discipline of all those wonderful nonnas that use homemade gadgets to give us that perfect looking gnocchi, tortellini etc., is truly an art, a skill and something [...]
Here’s a great weeknight supper, long overdue on my list of blogs to write up for you. The secret to this dish is to sear– that’s sear, not stew, not sauté, not fry – the chicken. I used very simple seasoning on the chicken – salt, pepper and some garlic powder. Oh don’t you be [...]
You know I love salmon. Combine it with something hot, spicy/sweet and tasty, and well, let’s just say you had me at hello! It’s a great time to pick up some salmon fillets. Atlantic, Pacific or farmed, they all have their wonderful merits. But think outside of the traditional lemon and capers, or salt, pepper [...]
My friend Otis – from the land down under, put me on to this recipe for stuffed eggplant. It’s actually from a fellow who runs a restaurant and cooking school there. I like this recipe! It's Indian food but with a few simple ingredients that every kitchen should probably have, but above all I like [...]
