tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-73806580512429995312012-02-14T06:17:38.659-05:00An amateur cook's journey discovering foods of her culture (and the rest of the world) and the healing power of nutritious food as a caregiver to a brain tumour survivor - her husband.Beverley Annhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06855251107564323627noreply@blogger.comBlogger1521100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7380658051242999531.post-91363364626743709932012-01-24T21:39:00.000-05:002012-01-24T21:39:54.610-05:00

Dinner at The Prune, Stratford I've always maintained that the one thing that excites me about the culinary world is having the opportunity to talk to the players behind the scenes. The passion and  hard work that encompasses the stories that chefs, producers and restauranters share never fails to bring a smile to my face. Luckily for working in the media, you're never too far from getting some

Beverley Annhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06855251107564323627noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7380658051242999531.post-4870067363685244782011-12-11T16:58:00.000-05:002011-12-11T16:58:20.776-05:00

Hello Italy! Since moving downtown, I've been lucky to have so many amazing neighbourhoods to discover. I'm not far from Little Italy but until October, when I was invited to join The Culinary Adventure Company's walking tour, it remained unexplored. Of course, when you think Little Italy, you immediately think pizza, pasta and cannoli. But hanging with Chef Scott Savoie who runs the tour

Beverley Annhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06855251107564323627noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7380658051242999531.post-59009309259525835982011-12-05T19:20:00.000-05:002011-12-05T19:20:31.120-05:00

After six months of moving, we finally had my aunt and cousins over for a meal yesterday. We've gone from living in the same neighbourhood and seeing each other every couple of days, to seeing each other once in a blue moon for family occasions. To mark their first visit to our new place in Toronto, I decided to try my hand at making an Indian-inspired brisket from chef Floyd Cardoz's One

Beverley Annhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06855251107564323627noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7380658051242999531.post-9285454088759036292011-11-28T23:17:00.002-05:002011-11-29T15:42:41.049-05:00

Fidel Gastro sammies on the go So I've been doing a lot of eating instead of cooking since Sean's mom got here. I've been meaning to tell you about a curious trend that has been keeping Toronto foodies busy the past couple months - pop-up food events. You pretty much have to be tuned to the Twitter and Facebook grapevine to get in on the action. Over the summer it was all about the food trucks,

Beverley Annhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06855251107564323627noreply@blogger.com1Toronto, ON, Canada43.653226 -79.3831842999999843.4546455 -79.70155329999999 43.851806499999995 -79.06481529999998tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7380658051242999531.post-12141346253525641892011-11-03T13:55:00.000-04:002011-11-03T13:55:41.823-04:00

The CakeStar Girlz - Barbara (left) and Monja The first thing that strikes you about Barbara Accogli and Monja Chiaravalloti is their smiles. That’s something worth remembering because as you get them talking about their edible art business, CakeStar, those smiles get wider as they describe the gorgeous cakes and pastries they conjure up each day. Heavily influenced by their dad, master baker

Beverley Annhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06855251107564323627noreply@blogger.com53431 Lake Shore Blvd W, Toronto, ON M8W 1N2, Canada43.595469 -79.5289753000000143.595461 -79.52897880000002 43.595477 -79.52897180000001tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7380658051242999531.post-5243850103117733342011-10-19T21:29:00.000-04:002011-10-19T21:29:40.030-04:00

Celebration meal A telltale sign that I am stressed is forgetfullness. It usually dawns on me when I am reminded about something by a third party. Ashamed about my state of mind, this then manifests into hurridley written 'post it' notes taped all over my work monitor or several reminders on my cellphone, which I miss anyway because my phone is always on silent. So why, you're probably

Beverley Annhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06855251107564323627noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7380658051242999531.post-51594438459551880312011-10-10T14:17:00.000-04:002011-10-10T14:17:31.932-04:00

Hello pancake! One of the biggest perks of having help taking care of Sean is being able to just laze around and do what I enjoy - i.e. read, go jogging and generally not do much around the house. I've been consumed with a whole load of food-inspired books with a  heavy helping from the neighbourhood library. I've wolfed down Big Night (I'm a big fan of the movie), just finished The Food of Love

Beverley Annhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06855251107564323627noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7380658051242999531.post-27323134425989330662011-10-09T12:41:00.000-04:002011-10-09T12:41:22.036-04:00

The hostess with the mostest This weekend everyone will be giving thanks and gratitude during the Thanksgiving long weekend. We celebrated on Saturday at our friend's Liz and Ken's home in Mississauga along with our fellow Bombayiites Caroline, Nick and their little son Izak. It was a lovely intimate evening that for once was well coordinated so we had just the right amount of food and a menu

Beverley Annhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06855251107564323627noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7380658051242999531.post-36983422273489430152011-10-04T20:39:00.000-04:002011-10-04T20:39:42.627-04:00

Can you tell there is a resemblance? So I forgot to mention that Sean's mother was flying in from Bombay to give us a hand with his treatment and care. That pretty much means that I have been out of the kitchen with nothing to do but go to work and the gym. I'm not complaining, but it's been a month and I've been getting itchy since I haven't been cooking. I miss it, but completely understand

Beverley Annhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06855251107564323627noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7380658051242999531.post-19206109938021528372011-09-20T17:11:00.000-04:002011-09-20T17:11:43.061-04:00

The seafood boil gang (From left to right: Dennis, Mary Luz, Mario, Christine and Sean) I've mentioned before that Sean and I are blessed with the support system we have back in Bombay and here as well. Case and point, the two lovely couples in the picture above with Sean. A couple of weeks ago, Christine and her husband Dennis hosted a little party for Sean in her gorgeous garden with the

Beverley Annhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06855251107564323627noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7380658051242999531.post-884051577801784942011-08-21T18:38:00.000-04:002011-08-21T18:38:49.824-04:00

Breakfast Television getting a taste. I cheated! And I'm not sorry for it. This past Saturday was the second Food Truck Eats, which I was unable to attend. Fortunately, there was a special preview held on Friday morning from 6am to 9am, as City TV was coming down to shoot a segment for Breakfast Television. Obviously Sean and I seized the opportunity to go down to the Distillery District and

Beverley Annhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06855251107564323627noreply@blogger.com055 Mill St, Toronto, ON M5A, Canada43.6506689 -79.3598326999999712.225743899999998 -139.12545769999997 75.0755939 -19.59420769999997tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7380658051242999531.post-61219103541346681802011-08-16T20:45:00.000-04:002011-08-16T20:45:45.182-04:00

Reason to get out of bed The one thing that Sean and I miss the most is having a sleep in. You know, having a night on the town, tumbling into bed during the early hours and then sleeping until noon (or later) and having a lazy remainder of the day. Unfortunately with anti-seizure medication needed to be taken every 12 hours (specifically 8:20am) for the past four years, it's a luxury we have

Beverley Annhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06855251107564323627noreply@blogger.com2825 Dundas St W, Toronto, ON M6J, Canada43.6515867 -79.409002343.1547642 -80.34284029999999 44.1484092 -78.4751643tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7380658051242999531.post-11501813221714140982011-08-07T20:16:00.001-04:002011-08-07T20:17:32.584-04:00

Memories of Sunday lunch When I was growing up having chicken was a treat. It was still pretty pricey in Bombay so it was reserved for a special occasion and the big Sunday lunch with the family. My mother usually made a different curry every week ranging from the devilishly red Pickle Chop to the more continental fricassee. And every once in a while she went all out with a day-long preparation

Beverley Annhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06855251107564323627noreply@blogger.com1West Queen West, Toronto, ON, Canada43.6432143743967 -79.4116302123779343.6355668743967 -79.42443271237794 43.650861874396696 -79.39882771237792tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7380658051242999531.post-2564965496921238782011-07-31T15:10:00.000-04:002011-07-31T15:10:11.375-04:00

It's not all flowers and light right now... For the past week I've been toying with the idea of whether I should post this or not. Sean's brain tumour has recurred and has now morphed from an astrocytoma grade II to the extremly serious and aggressive glioblastoma multiforme, also known as GBM IV. If you remember, I mentioned during the Canada Day weekend that Sean wasn't feeling too well when

Beverley Annhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06855251107564323627noreply@blogger.com8Toronto, ON, Canada43.653524 -79.383906943.4549435 -79.7022759 43.852104499999996 -79.0655379tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7380658051242999531.post-16303953936223048672011-07-31T13:28:00.002-04:002011-07-31T22:40:27.545-04:00

Picture this. A really cold day in April, during a surprisingly wet and chilly spring in Toronto. Sean and I were house hunting for an apartment in the downtown area and were just stood up by the real estate agent at around 6pm in the evening, in a neighbourhood, West Queen West, that was completely alien to us. We weren't mad, oh no. Try more of a so angry and annoyed that we were snapping at

Beverley Annhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06855251107564323627noreply@blogger.com0Toronto, ON, Canada43.653524 -79.383906943.4549435 -79.7022759 43.852104499999996 -79.0655379tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7380658051242999531.post-92220711787167620222011-07-03T16:24:00.001-04:002011-07-03T16:34:02.546-04:00

And the line ups begin... Crazy would be an understatement to describe yesterday, Saturday, July 2. It was a gorgeous, sunny day and could not have been a better day for the first Food Truck Eats event at the Distillery District in Toronto. Apparently, another three thousand people ( or more!) shared my sentiments making this first of a kind event a roaring success, complete with snaking line ups

Beverley Annhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06855251107564323627noreply@blogger.com2Distillery District, Toronto, ON M5A, Canada43.650762 -79.3597419999999812.225876500000002 -139.12536699999998 75.0756475 -19.594116999999983tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7380658051242999531.post-57673534867155906692011-07-01T13:19:00.001-04:002011-07-02T10:38:00.669-04:00

Loving the colours. Did I give the fact away that I'm thrilled summer is here? I'm thinking the picture was what probably did it. Would you blame me? Unfortunately, here in Ontario we haven't been blessed with the best of Spring (what was with all that rain????), but  it's finally gotten dry and warm and I'm loving it! The transition in people's wardrobe colours has also put a smile on my face.

Beverley Annhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06855251107564323627noreply@blogger.com1Toronto, ON, Canada43.653524 -79.383906943.4549435 -79.7022759 43.852104499999996 -79.0655379tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7380658051242999531.post-59482954142682586992011-06-19T16:31:00.001-04:002011-06-19T19:44:23.777-04:00

Will wait for food It's impossible not to put on a few kilos/pounds during summer in Greater Toronto Area. Just this past weekend the city played host to the Luminato festival's 1000 Tastes of Toronto, Taste of Italy and other food-laden events like Films that Move: Hungry for Change. Honestly, I'm not complaining. But for someone like myself who has always struggled with maintaining a healthy

Beverley Annhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06855251107564323627noreply@blogger.com2Toronto, ON, Canada43.653524 -79.383906943.4549435 -79.7022759 43.852104499999996 -79.0655379tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7380658051242999531.post-81931531474827683572011-06-17T21:39:00.000-04:002011-06-17T21:39:22.398-04:00

Fresh and feisty We're pretty much settled in. I say 'pretty much' because we still have some boxes to unpack. But, for me the most important room is functional - the kitchen. It's been a slow start but I've finally started cooking again and enjoying working in the new kitchen. It's an open concept kitchen and a lot smaller than our apartment in Mississauga but it just made me realise that we

Beverley Annhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06855251107564323627noreply@blogger.com1Toronto, Ontario, Canada37.09024 -95.7128910000000110.70899 -156.97250350000002 63.47149 -34.45327850000001tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7380658051242999531.post-70989419842244825962011-06-14T19:32:00.002-04:002011-06-14T23:31:54.415-04:00

The iconic Space Needle There's been a lot going on with Sean and I moving to Toronto and part of the chaos was caused by my quick vacation to Seattle. I surprised my parents for their birthdays and we ended up having a great time, thanks to six days of gorgeous sunshine. It was my first trip to the US and I fell in love with Seattle. I could not get over the abundant greenery and all the great

Beverley Annhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06855251107564323627noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7380658051242999531.post-14378069245503893842011-05-28T18:26:00.002-04:002011-05-28T18:41:55.149-04:00

Tea time treats We have just three days left in our apartment before we move into the new rental in downtown Toronto. Unfortunately, the packing and mess surrounding the whole process has sapped all the excitement out of moving. Standing amidst boxes and bubble wrap, this Saturday has been quite tiring and stressful trying to get things together. And I know the one that perks me up is something

Beverley Annhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06855251107564323627noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7380658051242999531.post-8816188301876258292011-04-21T19:14:00.000-04:002011-04-21T19:14:55.022-04:00

 My bedtime buddy I'm offically in love. Not with a new ingredient or the warmer temps. I'm in love with Anthony Capella, the author. I was introduced to him by a dear friend (and fellow foodie) Mary Luz Mejia last month and have already breezed through The Empress of Ice Cream and am almost at the end of The Wedding Officer. You see the book on my bed? I've been retiring to the bedroom with it

Beverley Annhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06855251107564323627noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7380658051242999531.post-21323824782252527142011-04-04T15:54:00.000-04:002011-04-04T15:54:28.409-04:00

The lovely Nu You remember Nu, my cooking buddy and cousin's girlfriend from the fabulous Easter dinner last year. A little over a week ago, this lovely young lady and fabulous cook, treated my parents to a sumptuous dinner at my aunt's place since they were visiting Toronto for the first time. I had told my parents about the feasts Nu used to put together for my cousin's, aunt and me last year

Beverley Annhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06855251107564323627noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7380658051242999531.post-2991344284187866502011-04-03T10:36:00.000-04:002011-04-03T10:36:00.654-04:00

Now that's a well laden table What's the best part of having my parents visit? I had to do absolutely nothing in the kitchen or around the house. Their two week sojourn ended quickly and I have been happily stuffed with all my favourites - potato chops, vindaloo, sorpatel, fugiyas...the list goes on and on. I have fallen off the wagon and have indulged in meat but continue to maintain my reserve

Beverley Annhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06855251107564323627noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7380658051242999531.post-2026470186464068622011-03-13T16:15:00.000-04:002011-03-13T16:15:52.574-04:00

Gone corny Can you tell I'm dreaming about summer? Would you blame me with the wet, gloomy weather we have been having? The groundhog predicted an early spring, where is it??? When I moved last year (PS - March 11 marked one year since I moved from Bombay) it was gorgeous at this time with erratic bouts of rain and no need for heavy jackets. I'm ready for some warm sunshine and patio lounging

Beverley Annhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06855251107564323627noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7380658051242999531.post-83864217367605486692011-03-10T21:41:00.000-05:002011-03-10T21:41:41.213-05:00

One bowl supper Getting back to eating right has been easier than I thought. I can see you wiggling your eyebrows at me like I'm mad thinking, “Eating healthy is never easy!!”. It’s so clichéd to say that it takes a bit of planning but it honestly just falls into place if you do. Being strategic about what to make in advance has also allowed me to get to the gym regularly and I’m feeling really

Beverley Annhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06855251107564323627noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7380658051242999531.post-37463802975038830432011-03-05T21:56:00.000-05:002011-03-05T21:56:01.988-05:00

Food, glorious food I mentioned a couple of posts ago that our weekends are become one large excuse to keep stuffing ourselves. To be honest, we had some friends, a husband and wife duo Jaydeep and Radhika, returning to India on March 1st after five years in Toronto so every weekend was a chance to spend time with them and celebrate the good times we’ve had together. This weekend is quiet one and

Beverley Annhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06855251107564323627noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7380658051242999531.post-56990188603893933422011-02-26T21:00:00.000-05:002011-02-26T21:00:42.524-05:00

Bubbly in hand and ready to cook! It started something like this. Me: “I’ve got a great invite to do something special on Valentine’s Day.” Sean: “Does it involve eating?” Me: “Even better, cooking and eating.” Sean (looking bewildered): “What? I have to cook my own food?” Me: “It’s a couples class where you cook with each other and share the meal with other couples as well.” Sean: “

Beverley Annhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06855251107564323627noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7380658051242999531.post-71854694321515407002011-02-16T20:34:00.000-05:002011-02-16T20:34:05.487-05:00

Hello, I'm 'The Monster' You’re probably wondering why my posts have gotten erratic. It’s all good I promise. It’s just that I finally managed to get myself a full-time job, albeit just a one-year contract but with a brilliant company and in journalism as well. That’s a lot more than I could ask for and I am extremely grateful that I have got the opportunity. So I’ve been trying my darndest to

Beverley Annhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06855251107564323627noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7380658051242999531.post-32617080644866231852011-02-09T21:27:00.000-05:002011-02-09T21:27:57.205-05:00

It's dessert time! You see this picture above? It's of two very dear friends all the way back in Dubai. Actually, they are two work colleagues who turned into very close friends. Here they are happy that I've finally let them get into the tiramisu during the lunch hour sometime in November 2009 - the last month that I worked there. Now why is this tiramisu so special? Not only is it easy to put

Beverley Annhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06855251107564323627noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7380658051242999531.post-26057769874161941272011-01-29T15:42:00.002-05:002011-02-16T22:20:24.873-05:00

The setting at The Old Prune One of the reasons I love my writing job is because I get the chance to meet and interact with different people on a daily basis. Having an interest in food means that I have the advantage of talking with people in the culinary industry like chefs and restaurant owners and really get an insider's view of what drives their passion and creativity for their jobs. The

Beverley Annhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06855251107564323627noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7380658051242999531.post-72703417102322467512011-01-26T20:01:00.002-05:002011-01-26T20:03:20.563-05:00

Spiced to perfection I have a confession to make. I've put on a whole lot of weight. To be precise six whole kilogrammes. This was the result of my physical last Saturday with our new family doctor. No I'm not happy but I know that I definitely enjoyed the whole festive season and the trip to Cuba. I knew I was taking a risk not being regular at the gym. Well, that's going to have to change now.

Beverley Annhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06855251107564323627noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7380658051242999531.post-55188700134380301692011-01-17T12:29:00.000-05:002011-01-17T12:29:02.157-05:00

Downtown Havana We took off. Quite literally. On September 6th, two days before our first wedding anniversary, we decided to be spontaneous and do something special on the 8th. That plan took us all the way to Havana, where we spent a fabulous week walking around the old city, sitting in cafes enjoying rum-laced cocktails and, of course, eating whatever we could get our hands on. There seems to

Beverley Annhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06855251107564323627noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7380658051242999531.post-9246287852490586932011-01-04T19:26:00.000-05:002011-01-04T19:26:27.853-05:00

 Cheers to 2011 Happy New Year everyone! Hope you had a great time ushering it in, surrounded by people you love. Sean and I watched the ball drop (okay, I actually missed it) in Times Square on television along with my parents and sister and family in Seattle over Skype. I worked a crazy eight days straight since December 27th, so I didn't even have time to make something for us to nibble on. We

Beverley Annhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06855251107564323627noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7380658051242999531.post-66434944252507516982010-12-26T11:28:00.001-05:002010-12-26T13:24:42.490-05:00

The birthday boy Compliments of the season! Trust your Christmas was a lovely day filled with laughter, happiness and, of course, loads of food. I'm still comatose from the fabulous meal we enjoyed yesterday. There was turkey, ham, beef, yams...yum, yum, yum! But best of all, it was a day spent with family. Although my parents and sister are far away in Seattle, my aunt and cousins made the day a

Beverley Annhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06855251107564323627noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7380658051242999531.post-63905590079492348302010-12-21T22:56:00.001-05:002010-12-21T22:59:15.884-05:00

Packed and ready to go Are you feeling festive yet? It's just five sleeps until Christmas arrives. And you know what that means. Your big Christmas lunch and dinner is coming up soon, real soon. I'm completely looking forward to cooking up a big lunch and then laying around completely stuffed after. 'Tis the season of overindulgence and I plan to have an extra helping or two whenever I can.

Beverley Annhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06855251107564323627noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7380658051242999531.post-12683947375078270682010-12-16T23:48:00.000-05:002010-12-16T23:48:39.533-05:00

A cuppa before bed Picture this: Late evening. Post-dinner on Christmas day. You're sitting with your feet up (hopefully) feeling nice and  stuffed with the festive meal - turkey, cranberry sauce, mashed potatoes ....you get the picture. Now you're feeling like a cup of tea before bed. Or you could be thinking of having a glass of port. How about some Brandy? Why not? But if you really want to

Beverley Annhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06855251107564323627noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7380658051242999531.post-41313584212680394412010-12-14T20:35:00.001-05:002010-12-14T23:00:00.555-05:00

Score one for my right arm If I was asked what my favourite Christmas sweet is, I would probably say milk cream. It's fudge-like consistency and nutty flavour is always a winner with me. And of course, my mother makes it best (I'm sure all my friends would agree the same about their own moms) and spends hours making batch after batch because it disappears fairly quickly in our home. It's a

Beverley Annhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06855251107564323627noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7380658051242999531.post-16313991782967920612010-12-10T18:10:00.000-05:002010-12-10T18:10:37.659-05:00

 Aromatic, succulent and easy! There's nothing more comforting than a roast chicken. It says Sunday dinner for many and brings back memories of family sitting around the table and catching up on the week. However, this isn't a tradition that I grew up with when I lived in Bombay, India. We did have  big family dinners but it was usually a biryani or a special curry. Sunday dinners/roasts were

Beverley Annhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06855251107564323627noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7380658051242999531.post-90921104287547348512010-12-08T17:42:00.000-05:002010-12-08T17:42:09.105-05:00

Snack time Less than two weeks to go until Christmas. Have you got your shopping done? Is your tree up? Menu all planned? Cookies baked for Santa? It's not like I'm super excited about the day (yeah right!), just asking whether you are more organized than I am because I have clearly not got anything listed above done. But I am thinking (dreaming actually) about what I can make for Christmas lunch

Beverley Annhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06855251107564323627noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7380658051242999531.post-19838059947258737022010-12-06T23:15:00.000-05:002010-12-06T23:15:09.806-05:00

A delightful and easy dinner. Are you upset with the fleeting daylight? I am. It seems like you hardly finish your cup of late afternoon tea and then it's time to have dinner. That obviously means if you're one of the many bloggers like myself, the best natural light you depend on for shooting has vanished. Poof, gone, finito. So I've pretty much stopped blogging about what we have for dinner.

Beverley Annhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06855251107564323627noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7380658051242999531.post-28059103479027260642010-12-04T20:37:00.000-05:002010-12-04T20:37:28.464-05:00

Colourful, delicious and light. Don't judge me, please don't. I know it's winter. That is supposed to equate to comforting and rib-sticking fare like root vegetable stews, roasts and pies with buttery pastry. But the heart (and the tastebuds) wants what it wants right? And today, I was in the mood for rice paper rolls. Maybe with the dipping temperatures I'm just yearning for the heat of

Beverley Annhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06855251107564323627noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7380658051242999531.post-63561362094922137902010-12-02T10:57:00.000-05:002010-12-02T10:57:46.569-05:00

A shot of espresso is a perfect partner. The countdown to Christmas has begun! Only 23 days to go and, although I'm excited, there's a tinge of sadness as well as I will be away from my parents for the celebrations for the first time in five years. But instead of staying down in the dumps, I've decided to enjoy my first Christmas back in Canada. So I'm going to try and make some of the sweet

Beverley Annhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06855251107564323627noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7380658051242999531.post-45176506783446409072010-11-28T18:57:00.000-05:002010-11-28T18:57:36.102-05:00

Getting its glaze on. How many of you panic when you're hosting a dinner party? Hands up. I have both my arms up and readily admit that I get nervous and frazzled. This is why I fear hosting a sit down. So many courses and everything has to be cooked to perfection and be at the right temperature? Forget it. I would be the clumsy one on Dinner Party Wars with a bottle of gin under the table

Beverley Annhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06855251107564323627noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7380658051242999531.post-8511146738072108432010-11-26T14:56:00.000-05:002010-11-26T14:56:27.513-05:00

A special addition to my cook book collection. I've been waiting over a month to finally see the Foodista Best of Food Blogs Cookbook. When it arrived two days ago I ripped through the box like a child on Christmas morning. And I was thrilled with the whole production. It is absolutely gorgeous and filled with personal stories from each blogger, which gives every recipe so much of personal

Beverley Annhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06855251107564323627noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7380658051242999531.post-26995188653106061392010-11-21T12:46:00.000-05:002010-11-21T12:46:07.522-05:00

Casserole of warmth. Have you felt the nip in the air? My ears are still hurting from the walk I did from the bus stop to our apartment building last night after work. And it's just a two minute walk. I know, I know the cold actually hasn't hit completely. Mississauga hasn't seen any flurry action yet either. But with my last real winter being five years ago, my body is in a bit of shock with the

Beverley Annhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06855251107564323627noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7380658051242999531.post-48866490837564009462010-11-13T21:38:00.000-05:002010-11-13T21:38:45.525-05:00

Temple of yogurt goodness There's nothing more satisfying than travelling a good distance for something edible and then have it hit all the right spots. That's precisely what happened at Menchie's Frozen Yogurt at 511 Bloor Street West today. Now I love anything with yogurt. I love it plain straight from the carton or with just a dash of flavoured agave syrup and nuts. So it's no surprise that

Beverley Annhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06855251107564323627noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7380658051242999531.post-79839017208512504382010-11-12T00:06:00.000-05:002010-11-12T00:06:41.960-05:00

Food paparazzi at work. That's my one of my dearest friends Rashmi. We met in Dubai through work in 2006 and have remained buddies ever since. She is currently visiting her husband Daegal's sister and family in Canada so I was extremely excited to have them all over for a meal. Rashmi has always been a big supporter of my cooking so it went without saying that I had to cook for her before they

Beverley Annhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06855251107564323627noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7380658051242999531.post-11791072431372775002010-11-09T23:40:00.001-05:002010-11-09T23:42:16.241-05:00

I attended the Women’s Culinary Network’s annual food trends meeting this evening, which I thought was especially significant as it was themed on Food and New Media. As bloggers we're always trying to increase our readership and stay active in the community to keep abreast of trends and most current information. It was my first WCN event and I was really looking forward to it because close

Beverley Annhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06855251107564323627noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7380658051242999531.post-59966887454635055522010-11-04T16:46:00.000-04:002010-11-04T16:46:41.539-04:00

Last of the market basket. It's been a glorious five months of eating fresh, local produce from the Square One's farmer's market in Mississauga. But alas, all good things come to an end. The last weekend of October was time to bid farewell to all the lovely farmers that have been feeding us with their delicious, lovingly harvested goodies over the summer and fall. Sean and I made the final

Beverley Annhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06855251107564323627noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7380658051242999531.post-61579825018232926692010-10-31T12:16:00.001-04:002010-10-31T12:17:21.048-04:00

Flaky and tender. Sean and I like to pretend some times. You know, that there is no brain tumour in our lives. And that means so nutritional restrictions so we can eat and drink whatever we fancy. There's no need to wake up at 7.30am daily, 365 days a year to make sure anti-seizure tablets are taken. It's a nice fantasy where we can also have sleep in late, order every possible fatty, sugary and

Beverley Annhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06855251107564323627noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7380658051242999531.post-50042829676297364802010-10-22T00:08:00.000-04:002010-10-22T00:08:03.218-04:00

Shining like little edible jewels. This recipe is like a hot titbit of gossip. So juicy and delicious that you can’t wait to share it. Trust me, it’s in the category of being so good that you just have to get on the phone and tell your BFFs, mother or partner about it. And it's a beautiful salad. Might I add, perfect for sharing with other girlies as its easy on the eyes and light on the

Beverley Annhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06855251107564323627noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7380658051242999531.post-75207157420105900322010-10-21T15:44:00.001-04:002010-10-21T15:58:17.725-04:00

Skillet of eggy goodness. Few things make me happier than a good breakfast. What’s even better, is when it’s a hot one like thick oatmeal porridge or whole wheat toast topped with melting peanut butter and bananas. It’s no secret I’m a big advocate of eating a proper breakfast, as research has proved it sets you up for the day and influences performance in a big way. Making sure it’s loaded with

Beverley Annhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06855251107564323627noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7380658051242999531.post-19732323648722407442010-10-18T19:59:00.000-04:002010-10-18T19:59:56.409-04:00

A very English start to Sunday. I have a confession to make. I have a massive sweet tooth. I’m the kind of person who will have a large portion of dessert and be content with it as my main meal – something that I take after my mother for. So basically bring on the macarons, crème brulee, gulab jamuns, ras malai, kheer, panna cotta, chocolate mousse, bread pudding, cupcakes and chocolate fondant.

Beverley Annhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06855251107564323627noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7380658051242999531.post-36623850742169435102010-10-15T22:03:00.000-04:002010-10-15T22:03:57.226-04:00

Snack or side - they're perfect.  I never intended to blog about this recipe. In my books it was a complete fail. Nothing to be remembered. Move on. Try something else. Firstly, it was Brussels sprouts. And we all know the universal response to being served Brussels sprouts is a resounding “ewwww.” Don’t get me wrong, I love the little miniature cabbages when sautéed in butter until tender and a

Beverley Annhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06855251107564323627noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7380658051242999531.post-71351491293321205232010-10-09T18:21:00.000-04:002010-10-09T18:21:57.349-04:00

 Table for two please. Potato Chops and Boneless Chicken turns one today. It’s been a bumpy ride through three countries, major life changing decisions and a big fat wedding. And through it all I’ve come through smiling (although I have pulled my hair out on a couple of occasions), have made countless friends in the online food community and even managed to get a recipe published in the

Beverley Annhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06855251107564323627noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7380658051242999531.post-48181327006301032852010-10-07T20:04:00.000-04:002010-10-07T20:04:24.722-04:00

 The cook and her treat while cooking. My sister and I spent the last two weeks catching up on the past five years of our lives. A lot has happened – I got married, she had a baby, Sean went through his surgery and radiation. And all this while we’ve been lucky to communicate virtually and keep up-to-date with what has happened. Although Sean and I lived with her in Vancouver for a bit, he still

Beverley Annhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06855251107564323627noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7380658051242999531.post-54468803640701559312010-10-01T22:48:00.000-04:002010-10-01T22:48:03.671-04:00

The gorgeous Niagara Falls. We spent Wednesday being tourists at Niagara Falls. My sister was thrilled to be able to get up close on the Maid of the Mist tour and she took my little nephew along for the ride. Since it was a gorgeous day that promised copious sunshine, we packed a picnic to go. My sister did her own riff on a Vietnamese Banh Mi sandwich with fresh pork and pickled vegetables (with

Beverley Annhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06855251107564323627noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7380658051242999531.post-49411325475307690772010-09-27T17:27:00.001-04:002010-09-27T17:35:01.422-04:00

My baby nephew Benjamin. My sister is visiting me for two weeks. I'm seeing her after five years and am so thrilled as I got to meet my nephew for the first time. The best part is that I am being taken care of. My sister is a chef by profession so she has basically taken over the kitchen. I am playing sous chef when needs be but am pretty much spending time taking care of my nephew while she

Beverley Annhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06855251107564323627noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7380658051242999531.post-34769331334381643942010-09-17T16:55:00.001-04:002010-09-17T17:13:01.741-04:00

I’m often asked why I started a blog. The answer seems obvious – I love food right? But there is so much more that goes into the entire process. Writing, photography, research, curiosity…the list is endless. For me, it has become a sort of diary, helping me organise thoughts and experiences. When I really think about it, it’s more a culinary road map of my life – where I was, where I am and

Beverley Annhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06855251107564323627noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7380658051242999531.post-27067513523705218102010-09-07T18:49:00.000-04:002010-09-07T18:49:07.065-04:00

Dr Jeanne Wallace One of the driving forces behind this blog has been the fact that I have had to rethink the way I cook for my husband Sean, a brain tumour survivor. He is under nutritional counselling by Dr Jeanne Wallace (pretty lady pictured above) who specialises in complementary nutritional and herb therapy for cancer patients through her company Nutritional Solutions. She has been an

Beverley Annhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06855251107564323627noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7380658051242999531.post-9316827469913184362010-09-01T22:22:00.000-04:002010-09-01T22:22:16.000-04:00

Sharing recipes with the world...one potato chop at a time. I've been waiting with bated breath since Saturday. That's because I knew the winners of the The Foodista Best of Food Blogs Cookbook were being announced at the International Food Blogger Conference in Seattle. I'm not going to lie, I was checking the Foodista website every day since hoping for the list to be revealed. And today, it

Beverley Annhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06855251107564323627noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7380658051242999531.post-18724097385434744012010-08-30T20:53:00.000-04:002010-08-30T20:53:37.643-04:00

Sharing our passion...one bite at a time. This past weekend was a special one for many food bloggers. It was finally time for the International Food Blogger Conference in Seattle, something I wanted to attend but was unable to. Luckily for many of us who were stuck at home, the live discussions could actually be streamed live for us to hear words of wisdom from speakers like Morgan Spurlock (

Beverley Annhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06855251107564323627noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7380658051242999531.post-33711745385647940542010-08-26T21:11:00.001-04:002010-08-26T22:45:52.999-04:00

Fresh paint and a fresh meal. We are both excited, very excited. Since I've had a couple of days off we have been in the process of setting up our rented home. That means scouting out furniture, waiting anxiously for delivery and painting, yes painting. We decided we needed a 'statement' wall because the white paint and beige carpet made the house look extremely bland. So what you see above is

Beverley Annhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06855251107564323627noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7380658051242999531.post-16541994336009864312010-08-24T22:17:00.000-04:002010-08-24T22:17:31.847-04:00

Garlic, lemon, thyme = yum! It's no secret I've been struggling to balance my work and kitchen life. I really miss cooking because I'm either too tired or am awake at an odd hour (like 3am) to actually be trying out something new. So it was great on Saturday night to be able to put something light and flavourful together for dinner. Sean is currently obsessed with Laura Calder's buttered cabbage

Beverley Annhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06855251107564323627noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7380658051242999531.post-90386434558461013892010-08-21T11:03:00.000-04:002010-08-21T11:03:34.053-04:00

...I promise you I am. Although it has been very occasionally because of the shifts that I have been working. We've also been dealing with limited ingredients at home, hence potatoes have been cooked so often - not that we are complaining. Here's just a quick round up of what I have been up to in the kitchen. Will post the recipes soon as well. Thanks for being patient. Roasted potatoes and

Beverley Annhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06855251107564323627noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7380658051242999531.post-31204198725307966922010-08-07T22:16:00.000-04:002010-08-07T22:16:17.170-04:00

Crowds and food - that's what good festivals are made of. I’ve been waiting for the past three months to go to Taste of the Danforth – in short the city’s Greekfest. It’s one of Toronto’s biggest street festivals that welcomes over a million people each year. And trust me, it was packed (I’m talking so many people that you would be hard pressed not to bump into someone every couple of seconds).

Beverley Annhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06855251107564323627noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7380658051242999531.post-76207161475009007852010-08-02T12:24:00.000-04:002010-08-02T12:24:23.479-04:00

Simple and delicious. We pretty much have set roles in our home. I cook, Sean eats. It’s not that Sean can’t cook. He does very good omelettes and his tomato pasta sauce is better than mine. He also plays sous chef chopping and prepping things that I need. But for most part, we have our set duties (if that’s what you call them) and kind of keep it that way. However, looks like things will have to

Beverley Annhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06855251107564323627noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7380658051242999531.post-6471967076436753692010-07-27T22:07:00.000-04:002010-07-27T22:07:10.221-04:00

One of the naughty additions to our pantry is potato chips. Sean and I love having a handful with our tea in the evening. But we’re well aware it isn’t a healthy indulgence so we try to spread a bag over a couple of weeks. Now if we only could find something healthy and crisp…cue our friend Cheryl Gomes. Cheryl recently saw a cooking demonstration for kale chips on a popular daytime talk show.

Beverley Annhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06855251107564323627noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7380658051242999531.post-76735021197345874232010-07-25T17:35:00.000-04:002010-07-25T17:35:54.942-04:00

And the cookie crumbles... I’ve mentioned before that baking is my first love. But with Sean’s diet calling for an elimination of sugar and white flour, I’ve pretty much ceased baking. So from making something sweet every week, it’s become a rare occasion when someone’s birthday rolls around or if I’m baking for someone else. That was pretty much the case today – but with a massive

Beverley Annhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06855251107564323627noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7380658051242999531.post-45453421309748631482010-07-18T19:37:00.000-04:002010-07-18T19:37:39.176-04:00

Welcome to the hogfest. Sean and I need a time-out on the naughty step today. We've been bad, very, very bad. We deliberately put thoughts of brain tumours and healthy food aside and headed down to the Mississauga Ribfest today. Smoke bellowed from ribber's grills, stalls served funnel cakes and roasted corn and we walked around smiling like two clowns just ecstatic that we were finally

Beverley Annhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06855251107564323627noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7380658051242999531.post-89542588558724748922010-07-11T20:19:00.000-04:002010-07-11T20:19:09.495-04:00

Almost ketchup. One of the biggest makeovers our pantry got when Sean had to switch around his diet was getting rid of all our condiments. Pickles, flavoured mustards, relish – we were alarmed by how many of our favourite things contained high fructose corn syrup, heaps of sugar and several unpronounceable ingredients. As we handed the bottles over to friends and family (who were cautioned about

Beverley Annhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06855251107564323627noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7380658051242999531.post-59403769620546999842010-07-01T20:02:00.000-04:002010-07-01T20:02:36.403-04:00

Our very own rib fest. The original plan for celebrating our first Canada Day was a day out in the sun at Ribfest, which ends with a fireworks display. However, since we are dependent on public transportation, it was not possible as the bus that runs the route there was off today. Instead, we decided to satisfy our cravings for some ribs right here at home. It didn’t matter that we don’t have a

Beverley Annhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06855251107564323627noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7380658051242999531.post-46123497195642549572010-06-30T21:22:00.000-04:002010-06-30T21:22:27.251-04:00

Working that arm action. Tomorrow is our first Canada Day! It's been a long journey getting here and sometimes I can't believe that we have managed to settle down so quickly. Now if we just click some full time journalism jobs and Sean's health stays on track, things will be perfect. Sean and I are already prepping for tomorrow. For a sneaky peak, we'll let you know that one of our lunch items

Beverley Annhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06855251107564323627noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7380658051242999531.post-86650193740077534182010-06-28T21:07:00.000-04:002010-06-28T21:07:56.176-04:00

Still hot from the oven. I was in an experimental mood today. I've been watching a lot of braising on cooking shows like lamb shanks and short ribs so I was inspired to try the low and slow cooking process. Granted, it is definitely more of a 'winter' style of cooking. However, I couldn't resist a small pack of short ribs that were glaring at me from the supermarket shelf - all so beautifully

Beverley Annhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06855251107564323627noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7380658051242999531.post-22381291243638849292010-06-18T18:36:00.036-04:002010-06-18T19:13:30.785-04:00

Yummy for the tummy. Today was Sean's first trip to the farmer's market. Between you and me, I think he went a little crazy. Like a little boy he wanted everything (and luckily everything was good for him) and I had to keep reminding him we couldn't buy so much because we're just two of us. We still landed up with a nice basket-full of zucchini, peaches, peppers, radish, vine ripe tomatoes,

Beverley Annhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06855251107564323627noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7380658051242999531.post-21184733275319271852010-06-15T22:20:00.000-04:002010-06-15T22:20:19.739-04:00

Door to the inner sanctum. Today marks one month since Sean and I moved into our own apartment. While the kitchen is better equipped unlike the first week, we're still sans any furniture or even our bed frame, which is delayed until June 21 (it was ordered May 6). Nonetheless, time really has flown and we can't believe that it's already been over a month since Sean moved to Mississauga as well

Beverley Annhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06855251107564323627noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7380658051242999531.post-52437415753113423862010-06-11T14:46:00.000-04:002010-06-11T14:46:20.487-04:00

Welcome! Today was Square One Farmer's Market day and I was excited, so excited. As the bus neared the terminal that overlooks the market it was almost like first date jitters. My stomach started feeling funny (you know, like you don't know what you're getting yourself into). Then as the tops of the stalls cams into view and I relaxed and felt a surge of happiness (almost like you realise you've

Beverley Annhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06855251107564323627noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7380658051242999531.post-43121950942477144822010-06-04T19:50:00.000-04:002010-06-04T19:50:37.383-04:00

Tender steak and juicy oranges - yum! Summer is almost here! We've been having some great weather apart from the occasional dull days and showers. But it is definitely flip flop and sunscreen time and Sean and I are loving it. It's been busy with Sean now enrolled in COSTI and me finishing up some freelance work. Re-starting my thrice-weekly jogging routine has rendered me exhausted by 5pm so

Beverley Annhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06855251107564323627noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7380658051242999531.post-79585680633180182302010-05-28T18:49:00.001-04:002010-05-28T18:54:06.546-04:00

We made it! Three weeks ago six of us had no idea what we were getting into at COSTI. Today, we're more confident than ever about finding work in our fields and making a success of our careers in Canada. Of course, we had a feast to celebrate (like the last time) and represent each of our countries, or where we had formerly lived. It's been a pleasure working with my five colleagues and I can't

Beverley Annhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06855251107564323627noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7380658051242999531.post-86498858399283088662010-05-26T00:51:00.000-04:002010-05-26T00:51:05.320-04:00

A nutritional powerhouse to kick off the day. I love breakfast. Starting the morning with a good meal really does dictate how well your brain and body will function for the rest of the day. For Sean, it means another meal to up his intake of vegetables, which can be hard to translate into something that is delicious first thing in the morning. He's fed up of his steel cut oat porridge and

Beverley Annhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06855251107564323627noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7380658051242999531.post-75351852382239830752010-05-25T00:05:00.000-04:002010-05-25T00:05:12.295-04:00

Picture by Red Atendido.The delicious spread. For the past two weeks I've been enrolled in an intensive job search workshop at COSTI in Mississauga. The aim of the program is to educate newcomers like myself about finding employment opportunities in our own professional fields. However, the best part of course has been meeting new people. We've been lucky to have just six people in our batch (

Beverley Annhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06855251107564323627noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7380658051242999531.post-44778042665451585892010-05-23T22:58:00.000-04:002010-05-23T22:58:07.465-04:00

The iconic CN Tower Sean had his first trip downtown today after two years. We strolled around the entire afternoon and stopped off for a snack and dinner when we got peckish. It goes without saying, it was a cheat day for Sean and we'd like to think the three hours we walked around worked well for a bout of exercise. Here's a peek at some sights - both architectural and culinary.  Nathan

Beverley Annhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06855251107564323627noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7380658051242999531.post-43218261287517613402010-05-22T22:30:00.001-04:002010-05-22T22:32:04.146-04:00

William Li: Can we eat to starve cancer? | Video on TED.com This is primarily the approach we follow for Sean and I thought it would be of help to anyone who is fighting cancer.Let me know what you think. Thanks to Jeff, one of our friends from journalism school in Ottawa for sending us the link.

Beverley Annhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06855251107564323627noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7380658051242999531.post-1957916608572304272010-05-19T16:38:00.000-04:002010-05-19T16:38:17.534-04:00

The new kitchen. It's been over two months since I've moved to Canada and Sean finally joined me on May 8. On May 15, we moved into our own apartment and are finally happy to call a place our own. Unfortunately, the first couple of days we couldn't even cook since we had no utensils or plates to eat on.  Breakfast is served. Both issues have been rectified and yesterday we finally had the

Beverley Annhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06855251107564323627noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7380658051242999531.post-68516838048570335652010-05-08T17:10:00.000-04:002010-05-08T17:10:59.042-04:00

Sean is arriving today. To mark the occasion I made a few of his favourites for lunch. The menu: Roast chicken with garlic, lemon and chilli on sweet potato and Yukon Gold coins. Avocado and orange salad with orange-ginger dressingYoghurt and Orange pudding cake. (This was a new recipe, which flopped - shhhh!) His flight is currently four and a half hours late so he didn't make it in time for

Beverley Annhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06855251107564323627noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7380658051242999531.post-91791501202085451472010-05-06T10:07:00.000-04:002010-05-06T10:07:04.233-04:00

Appetising to the eyes and tastebuds. Okay, I'm not really on a diet. I enjoy eating far too much to deprive my tummy of the naughty stuff. However, the leniency of allowing myself a bit of chocolate every day and an extra glass of wine in the evening is definitely showing a bit on my hips. So in a bid to eat a bit healthily, my aunt and I decided to start eating more fruit and vegetables and

Beverley Annhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06855251107564323627noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7380658051242999531.post-36660593286400480152010-05-04T17:20:00.001-04:002010-05-04T17:26:45.806-04:00

Simple and delicious. I was so pleased with my cookies and weekend away that I kind of jumped the gun and forgot to write about the Thursday dinner Nu and I cooked together last week. We both happened to be e-mailing each other regarding what we could prepare when we realised that we were also both glued to Food Network Canada at the same time, and specifically watching Laura Calder's French

Beverley Annhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06855251107564323627noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7380658051242999531.post-65450598231528151282010-05-03T09:55:00.000-04:002010-05-03T09:55:44.070-04:00

Personalised cookies. I mentioned earlier that I spent the weekend in Scarborough with my friends' sister and her family. As I was visiting them for the first time, I made butter cookies from a recipe I found on Epicurious.com. My mother always said you can't go to someone's house empty handed and insisted making something from scratch really shows you cared enough to make the effort. Now I

Beverley Annhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06855251107564323627noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7380658051242999531.post-47406740921049367812010-05-02T18:52:00.000-04:002010-05-02T18:52:02.123-04:00

I had the privilege of spending the weekend with the sister of two of my dearest friends and her family that includes three angelic children in Scarborough. They spoiled me rotten and we ate a lot obviously, from pancakes to fried potato sticks. The weather was lovely so they grilled on Friday evening as we sat outside and sipped on wine. We went out to feed the ducks on Saturday, followed it

Beverley Annhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06855251107564323627noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7380658051242999531.post-40857454996312680292010-05-02T17:14:00.000-04:002010-05-02T17:14:56.643-04:00

Home-made gyros sandwiches. I had a craving on Wednesday. And no, it wasn't for something dessert-related surprisingly. I wanted tzatziki. Thick, cold and faintly aromatised with dill. Now I've never made it before so it was really weird. Then my aunt said she was making a meatball curry for dinner. Perfect. I told her that I was going to make tzatziki and then load it into the pita bread with

Beverley Annhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06855251107564323627noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7380658051242999531.post-18289446563571012682010-05-02T16:35:00.000-04:002010-05-02T16:35:10.228-04:00

Almost there. Last Monday I met with my sister's friend Kirsten who moved to Toronto last year from Vancouver. She's a trained chef like my sister, with a specialisation in pastry, and she gave me a little tour of The Annexe and Korea Town in downtown Toronto. Obviously, the highlight was a meal at Live Food Bar, an all-organic restaurant, which she picked since she was on a cleanse and needed

Beverley Annhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06855251107564323627noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7380658051242999531.post-57124656389498158042010-04-27T18:07:00.002-04:002010-04-28T11:39:03.206-04:00

The goodies In an attempt to do some networking and get out of the house I volunteered at the Green Living Show this past weekend. The first day was the the BioVino section (very aptly) where for the first time they were showcasing biodynamic wines from across the world. It was very interesting with talks by winemakers and local sommelier celebrity Jamie Drummond on hand. The next day I

Beverley Annhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06855251107564323627noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7380658051242999531.post-37524133256911293152010-04-20T21:20:00.000-04:002010-04-20T21:20:46.010-04:00

The laden table. Last night was almost a complete family dinner, that was until my younger cousin grabbed a quick bite and ran away to meet his friends. Since my aunt was away for almost four months vacationing in India, it had been some time since Nu had seen her as well so she came over for dinner. As Nu is always pampering us at home with her delicious meals, I decided to cook something

Beverley Annhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06855251107564323627noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7380658051242999531.post-63637388595753693062010-04-19T20:58:00.001-04:002010-04-19T21:34:08.034-04:00

Pinot Grigio sangria - Cin Cin. Honestly, I'm the last person to toot my own horn but this is something worth sharing since it is completely food-related and ties back to this blog. I've been a contributor to the Foodista website for a couple of months now and really enjoy contributing to the site. It's an online encyclopaedia of recipes, cooking techniques and culinary Q&As that is edited by its

Beverley Annhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06855251107564323627noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7380658051242999531.post-90181683030447900662010-04-13T10:38:00.001-04:002010-04-13T10:44:45.660-04:00

The best bun my sister has ever baked. This isn't food-related at all but something that I just needed to share.  At 11.08pm last night my sister (who is a professional chef as is her husband - there's your food connection) gave birth to this beautiful baby boy whom Sean and I will be godparents to. A couple of hours after, Sean also called me with the results of his latest MRI scan and it's all

Beverley Annhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06855251107564323627noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7380658051242999531.post-24136414672190060412010-04-08T16:16:00.002-04:002010-04-08T16:40:31.368-04:00

These make me smile - every time. I have a confession to make. I'm addicted to Chinese egg custard tarts. I mean what's not to like? They're aesthetically pleasing with the sunshine yellow custard sitting on a buttery flaky pastry base with its perfectly frilled edges. As your teeth sink in you're first met by the dense, sweet custard that's accompanied by the surrounding pastry crumbling

Beverley Annhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06855251107564323627noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7380658051242999531.post-91371188888587105992010-04-05T20:07:00.005-04:002010-04-16T13:52:17.110-04:00

Nu with her cheesecake As promised, here's a look at what we indulged in at my cousin's Easter potluck this past Saturday. We landed up with a great deal of food (not that we were complaining) and everyone enjoyed themselves. Extra entertainment provided was a magic show by one of the guests and karaoke that kept a couple of us awake until 4.30am. But now about the food. Nu outdid herself

Beverley Annhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06855251107564323627noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7380658051242999531.post-19213541513145575282010-03-31T10:59:00.001-04:002010-03-31T11:01:06.498-04:00

Want a bite? Hot cross buns from Cobs Bread. Easter is just around the corner and I'm getting excited. My cousin Nigel and his girlfriend Nu are hosting an Easter potluck dinner on Holy Saturday. Our kitchen responsibility includes some appetisers and the lamb main course. I'm looking forward to helping them with the cooking and (obviously) my first glass of wine after three weeks of abstinence.

Beverley Annhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06855251107564323627noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7380658051242999531.post-85362715536812670852010-03-29T19:33:00.002-04:002010-04-11T21:19:54.692-04:00

One slice = instant satisfaction. Like many people I know, I reward myself with food when I do something productive. Today was one of those days as I got some freelance writing done (operative word being 'free') and then decided I was in need of something comforting for dinner. Since Sean and I are in separate continents that means I can take as much store-bought help as I need and not bother too

Beverley Annhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06855251107564323627noreply@blogger.com2