By JAN MAIN After the festivities are over, we are faced with cold, bleak January. With three months before the first vestiges of spring, it’s time to savour steaming bowls – soups and stews- warming comfort food of all sorts, that revitalize and give us stamina. These foods help us endure the remaining winter after […]
By JAN MAIN Tourtiere, the traditional meat pie of Quebec served on Christmas Eve can do double duty during the holidays. First, as a tempting main course served throughout the festive season from open house, to Boxing Day and beyond to New Year’s Day. Second, tourtieres make an edible gift especially if accompanied by a […]
By JAN MAIN Soups are the ideal companion for cold, dreary November days. Hot, nourishing and comforting, they can be made with any variety of ingredients including a host of local vegetables. Soup serves well as a main course for an easy dinner accompanied by a salad and crusty bread. Any leftover soup is ideal […]
By JAN MAIN The pumpkin is prince from October through the winter months. Pumpkins, a member of the squash family, are rich in carotene, fiber and vitamin C. Their rich flavour and creamy texture makes them ideal for both savory and dessert recipes. With Halloween around the corner and perhaps leftover pumpkin, sweet potato or […]
By JAN MAIN A whole summer of picnics: at the beach, at the campsite, on road trips and now – now summer is over. It’s back to routine and the lunch bag. However, let the inspiration of the summer picnic linger for the weekday lunch and extend your summer as long as possible. Here are […]
By JAN MAIN Preserving means preparing foods so that it can be kept for long periods of time without spoiling or deteriorating. Originally preserving would have been done by salting or dehydrating, later various methods of pickling were used and modern methods include refrigeration and freezing. In all cases, you are preparing food to make […]
By JAN MAIN Summer! That treasured season flashes by so quickly, you want to maximize your time enjoying the out of doors and minimize your time in the kitchen preparing meals. Here are a selection of sauces with sizzle, each with a myriad of uses. Keep a jar in the refrigerator to transform the simplest […]
By JAN MAIN My rule is summer may officially begin once the first Ontario berries are ready for picking. Of course, this date varies a little from year to year with changing weather conditions. This year with the cool, rainy days strawberries are about a week later, from mid-June to July 1, just in time […]
By JAN MAIN May is the month of celebrations – Mother’s Day, Queen Victoria’s Birthday, graduations, the first trip to the cottage, not to mention, birthdays, showers, weddings and anniversaries. All of these require a cake to help in the festivities. This lemon orange cake is the chosen one. Moist, buttery and rich with the […]
Eggs have long been a symbol of fertility and new life. It seems only fitting that they should play a key role in the festivities of Easter whether religious or simply a spring celebration. As an ingredient, the egg is a powerhouse of nutrition and essential in a variety of culinary dishes. It is a […]
