Pull-Apart Bread, Three Ways

I could extol the virtues of this loaves If I thought they needed my help I would sing high praises From the top of a mountain And do a one-legged jig But they need no assistance   Call it a version Of the Cinnamon roll The Sticky Bun Chocolate Orange whirls All deconstructed No knives needed to slice a loaf Just eager hands Pulling off slice after slice after slice of deliciousness Sometimes, less (talk) is more

Fresh Ginger, Three Ways: Confit, Jam, Candy

Some realizations hit you in the still of the night – those grey hairs don’t just mean you’re getting old, they mean you have earned the right. To stand up for yourself. To say no. To be happy how you choose to be. Some realizations take you by surprise, my 9-year old is writing with a ball point, my 7-year old no longer cries when she gets up in the morning to prepare for school, my 5-year old is in his second year at school and can read. My kids are all grown/I will soon be an empty nester :-). Some realizations...

Home air quality guides

Do Air Purifiers like the winix wac9500 Work? Before we discuss if you should get an air purifier for your home, it’s best if we first tackle the question about if air purifiers really work or not. This is mainly due to poor ventilation, chemicals contained in household cleaners, mold spores, bacteria and allergens that get tracked inside. The way in which a air purifier works is by stripping the air of these bad airborne contaminants. The majority of air purifiers work in one of two ways: Using a HEPA filter, which sucks in particles and traps them so they...

Galette de Pérouges

Some call in armchair travel. I, on the other hand, think ‘belly travel’ is far more endearing, more involved, more inclusive, more embracing…of history, culture, cuisine, people.  Through cookbooks, the Food network TV channel and street conversations. This time my stomach’s compass points to France, the dial swinging around to the quaint, hilltop, cobble-stoned village of ‘Pérouges’. Pronounced ‘pay roojh’. Pérouges has been declared by the French government as “one of the most beautiful villages in France.”

Friends For Food

FFF was what we called some friends back in high school. OK, so what if where I went to school, it wasn’t called High school but  secondary school? High school sounds much cooler. Friends for Food. FFF. It does have a ring to it, kind of like BFF. I’ve been swamped with work. At home. Birthday parties. School holidays. Working parents. General fatigue and occasionally some annoyance that this body gets the better of me.

A Visit to Food52 Offices, New York

I love heroes and heroines, but I treasure mentors, coaches who unlock various doors on my personal journey of discovery and awareness, who, borne out of a deep passion to ‘make a difference’ go way beyond the call of duty, and sometimes reason. These men and women are unique. They are the ones who answer your seemingly silly questions about things that may be common knowledge, who encourage you with a smile, a word, an email. Who show you how to reach for your star, without plucking it from the heavens for you. The ones who teach you how to...

Ssam Bar, New York

How do you demonstrate a love for pork? Well, you dedicate a portion of your deep freezer to bacon and pork butts, if you are a home cook. And should you be a chef, a devotee to porcine land, you open a restaurant like David Chang or head a cabane à sucre like Montreal chef, Martin Picard. But since I am not on Canadian soil, I will limit my tales to NYC and David. I’m sensible like that. The decision to eat at the Ssam bar, one of many restaurants that chef Chang owns in New York was made for...

Kalustyan’s, New York

We finally leave 5th avenue, and Eataly and walk east to Lexington avenue. Once Niv and I arrive, I walk around in stunned silence. I don’t know the definition of superstore, nor can I be bothered to look it up. But assuming words were open to interpretation, and I say they are…. I would call Kalustyan’s a SUPERSTORE. Why, you might ask.

Eataly, New York

I make no bones about my love and admiration for Food52.com. Not only does it function as a wonderful community with great recipes, but the people behind the recipes are totally real people, not virtual/scary strangers! Once I made up my mind to spend some time in New York, I ‘dialled’ the hotline, Food52’s Q&A seeking friendly New York food52ers…..and this is the result…. A get-together at Eataly, organised by Niv of the Panfusine blog, bringing together five food52 members to feast, talk and expand horizons, culinary and otherwise.