Month: November 2008
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Resto Review: My Favourite Restaurants outside Canada
I have itchy feet. Can’t stay in one place too long without booking my next trip. As will become increasingly clear through my blog, I have a particular devotion to Paris – which I’ve visited four times. French food, in my opinion, is the best in the world. Most people who’ve never stepped foot…
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Dare I dream? My Christmas wish list
If money was no object, if time was limitless, if I had my own butler to cater to my every whim, my Christmas wish list would look something like this. But one can dream. Should any of you deign to cross any of the following off my list, however, don’t let me stop you. …
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Top 5 treats you can make, and what not to share!
Handmade gifts are a heartfelt way to pass on the sentiments of the season, especially when they’re edible. And best of all — they’re budget friendly. Cater to the culinary cravings of your friends by reading my story about CTV.ca’s top five edible gift ideas for the holidays. Find out more in CTV.ca’s annual holiday…
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Caramel pecan cheesecake bars
This recipe is courtesy of Kraft Kitchens, I’ve made it time and time again when I’m in a bind for time and I’ve promised to bring dessert. It’s ideal for buffet-style parties, like baby showers and Christmas pot-luck dinners, because guests can grab the bars and eat them over a napkin. Ingredients: 1-1/2 cups graham…
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Espresso yourself
What do you get the man who has everything? That was the question I was asking myself before my husband turned 30. I wanted to do something memorable, something that couldn’t easily be picked out of the latest Holt’s catalogue, and something we could share. I’d already bought him a fiery-red Gaggia machine last Christmas.…
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Red-and-green speckled Christmas salt
This year for Christmas I am making baskets. I’ll be writing a story about it for my employer, so I’ll link to that once I am done.In the meantime, though, check out one of my basket items. There’s something about these mini jars of salt that makes me want to break into song (“What…
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Coconut madeleines (and lemon-scented ones too)
Marcel Proust forever immortalized the madeleine in his book “Remembrance of Things Past” and it has since penetrated pop culture references in everything from “The Simpsons” to “The Sopranos.” Even Starbucks is selling these scallop shell-shaped French cookies at the counter. That’s enough to make even the most ambitious pastry chef cower at the…
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French chocolate bark
This recipe is from Ina Garten’s “Barefoot Contessa Back to Basics” cookbook. Ingredients:1 cup whole salted, roasted cashes6 to 7 ounces very good semisweet chocolate, finely chopped6 to 7 ounces very good bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped1/4 cup dried crystallized ginger, 1/2-inch diced1/2 cup dried cherries1/2 cup dried apricots, 1/2-inch diced1/4 cup golden raisins Directions…
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Crepes and Apple Brown Betty
As a young bibliophile, receiving the Scholastic book club newsletter was my idea of a great time.After putting in my order, I’d surreptitiously pass by the secretary’s desk at lunch every day to see if the book club orders had come in. When I caught a glimpse of that brown paper package, it was…
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My First Food Memory
I must have been about nine when I got my first urge to create a meal. I remember proudly boiling white rice and chopped up carrots. I carried it from the pot to the table and distributed it to my parents and grandparents. My mother had a spoonful and pushed it to the side of…