It’s a Party — Start From Scratch Summer Social!

24 May

As I’m sure you all know, I’ve been working with Start From Scratch, a Calgary-based cooking initiative, for just over a year. We are dedicated to teaching university students get back to basics in the kitchen and learn how to cook. In just over a year and a half we’ve educated over 70 students with our free 10-week program. We’re able to do so with the generous support of many local suppliers and restaurants, including some of the talent that will be cooking for you on the evening of June 21, 2012.

My SFS partner-in-crime, Dan Clapson, and I have been planning this event for months and are super stoked to now be able to share details with you of what is sure to be an amazing evening of great friends, delicious food, and superb wine pairings.

When: Thursday, June 21, 2012 – 8pm
Where: Casel Marche, J. Webb Wine Merchant, Market 17
What: Five local chefs and five local food bloggers teaming up to create five delectable, easy-to-recreate dishes for your enjoyment, along with wine pairings. As well there will be lots of awesome silent auction items to bid on.
Cost: $50

Full details can be found here.

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A little update!

4 May

I’ve taken a little hiatus it seems! April got a bit hectic with my daytime job, the wrap-up of Start From Scratch classes, the passing of my grandmother on April 10, 2012 and a spontaneous trip to Vancouver (first time I’ve ever been there!) where I met two longtime Twitter friends, Ethan Adeland and Melissa Hartfiel, in real life.

My grandma was 95.5 years old and was a constant part of my life. I remember so many things about my grandma, particularly cooking with her while she babysat me (she lived two blocks away for most of my life). I remember her friends coming over and all of us forming an assembly line for perogies (Russian-style they’re small, stuffed bread), cabbage rolls, homemade cottage cheese, borscht, and so many other things. She was of the ilk that if your plate was empty you needed more food (even if you were stuffed to the brim).

Over the next few weeks I’m going to post some of my favourite recipes from her. So stay tuned! I’m still here. :)

Testing a Gluten-Free Pie Shell and Lemon Meringue Pie Recipe

4 Apr

I was given a Piccola Cucina gluten-free pie shell to test out and decided to make one of my favourite pies – Lemon Meringue! I particularly like to make this pie when it’s cold out, to remind me of warmer times to come. It’s also perfect for the upcoming Easter weekend if you’re having company over for dinner. Give it a try with any type of pie shell.

Lemon Meringue Pie (modified from the Joy of Cooking)

Lemon Curd
1/3 cup cornstarch
1 cup Sugar
1 1/2 cup Boiling Water (1/2 cup cold, 1 cup boiling)
1/2 teaspoon Salt
4 eggs
3 tablespoon Butter
1/2 cup/~2-6 Lemons, juiced and zested

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A Summary of 6 Gluten-Free Grains

29 Mar

There are many different grains and pseudo-grains out there that support a gluten-free lifestyle and/or add variety to the usual duo of white rice and pasta. New ingredients can be a little daunting, especially when they are meant to replace such beloved (read: regularly consumed) ingredients.

I thought I’d share this list of 6 gluten-free grains/pseudo-grains from Homemakers.com. I’ve had luck with all of these and now use them regularly. I’ll add my own trials and tribulations with other grains as I try them. Keep in mind too I’m talking cooking, not baking…I have yet to delve into the world of gluten-free baking with the exception of this Chocolate Quinoa Cake that is simply amazing!

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Buckwheat & Tuna Salad

29 Mar

Here’s the latest from the Bodhi Tree’s Breathing Room Newsletter.

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I had a student ask me about gluten-free lunch ideas and as it turns out, I’ve been formulating an article to address just such a thing.

One of the most challenging things about going gluten-free is trying to recreate foods – breads, pastries, pastas – exactly how you remember them to be. It doesn’t help that the mind tends to embellish fond memories, especially when it comes to food. This presents the perfect opportunity to practice aprigraha or non-attachment. An exact replica of your favourite gluten-y food may never exist. Practice letting go, accepting what is, and move forward, in this case to other recipes (of which there are many!) that are still delicious, nutritious, and satisfying.  To read the rest of this article and see the recipe for Buckwheat and Tuna Salad, take the leap to Bodhi Tree’s blog…

Click here for my summary of gluten-free grains and how to use them.

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The Perfect Hard-Boiled Egg

20 Mar

Eggs are one of the best ways to get protein with any meal. Hard-boiled eggs in particular are easy to grab to eat with fruit or a muffin for breakfast or cut into a salad for lunch. If they are overcooked the outside of the yolk will turn slightly greenish, which isn’t very appetizing. So I thought I’d share directions for how I boil eggs that turn out perfect every time!

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Frittata to boost your morning!

6 Mar

Here’s the latest article from the Bodhi Tree’s Breathing Room Newsletter.

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Rise and shine! With the light returning minutes earlier every day, now’s a good time to start getting activity in at the very beginning of the day. Not only does exercise (mental and physical) do great things for your body, but it increases overall productivity, aids with sleep and will help you tidy up other areas of life once you see what you can accomplish.

Whether it’s yoga, the gym, or morning meditation, you may notice a voice inside your head, called the witness, that has a way of talking you out of things – a devil’s advocate, in a sense. I find the witness easiest to ignore if I hop right out of bed, throw on my clothes, and head out the door. If that doesn’t work, visualizing how I’ll feel during my chosen activity usually does the trick.

This month’s recipe is a perfect post-activity breakfast that you can double or triple, then package in smaller containers to have ready at your finger tips. So, make a promise to yourself, pick a day and before you know it, you’ll be catching the early morning Sun every day!

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Eat this! Red Pepper Cashew Paté

28 Feb

I had a hankering for hummus the other day, but only had dried beans on hand. I didn’t feel like waiting for them to soak and then cook, and in the fridge there were about 10 red peppers, so I decided to come up with something that would use some up. I looked up a few nut paté recipes in the original Moosewood Cookbook, made a few modifications, et voilà – delicious paté that I couldn’t stop eating…directly out of the food processor!

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Minestrone Soup You’ll Crave!

17 Feb

Photo by Steve Coutts

This is another of the recipes that I made for a photo shoot with my friend, Steve. It’s the perfect balance of flavours, packed full of vegetables and super yummy! I generally double or triple the recipe,  package in 250 ml containers, then freeze for easy lunch and dinner portions. Add any variety of vegetables, pasta (I actually don’t put it in all the time) and greens (I’ve been using kale). Most of the time I omit the leek and add more onion.

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Spicy Caraway Cheddar Biscotti & Food Blogger Bake Sale Wrap-Up

14 Feb

This past weekend I participated in the 2nd Annual Food Blogger Bake Sale. The event went off amazingly well with fellow food blogger, Vincci Tsui (www.cecinestpasunfoodblog.com), at the helm. I believe we raised over $2000 for Brown Bagging For Calgary’s Kids, but will follow-up with exact numbers!

I made these savoury biscotti and packaged them in twos. If you like biscotti, cheese and spice, then these are for you! A delicious base for any cheese, pickle, jam, preserve…really anything you’d usually spread on a cracker. I usually double this recipe, because for all the baking time and how delicious they are, you’ll wish you had when you’re all done!

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