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Around the World in Twelve Plates - Rugelach

Around the World in Twelve Plates – Rugelach

This post is coming to you via my sister’s basement in ‘sunny’ Vernon, British Columbia. As always, it’s the 30th of the month and though I’ve made this month’s Around the World in Twelve Plates recipe, I’ve left the post until now to complete. We had a wonderful, but quiet Christmas at home, then traveled across the Rocky Mountains to be with my family for New Year’s. It’s quite the undertaking…

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Lemon Rosemary Shortbread

After a very dry first half of winter an entire foot of snow fell all day yesterday and over night. While I am somewhat relieved that we will have a ‘white Christmas’ after all…there will always be a part of me that becomes annoyed at each snowfall. Actually it wouldn’t be too bad if no one had to go anywhere, but with 4 days left until Christmas you can bet this snow is wreaking havoc on the…

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Rockin' Bailey's Thumbprint Cookies

Rockin’ Bailey’s Thumbprint Cookies

Have you seen all the different kinds of thumbprint cookies? So many ideas, so little time… On Tuesday I managed to wheedle my way out of a very painful Christmas band concert where kid number one played trombone. Instead I joined up with some local fellow bloggers at Café Gravity for some Christmas festivities. Am I am bad mom? I don’t know…It’s not like you can actually pick him out of 45 kids…

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Christmas Eve Tourtière

In our family, there has to be Tourtière at Christmas time. It’s one of those traditions that everyone loves and expects after church on Christmas Eve. If we’re visiting my parents at the farm, church is a 45 minute drive either way so we usually begin eating the Tourtière, along with many other appetizers and treats, around 1 am. That way we will have full tummies to withstand the gauntlet of…

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Around the World in Twelve Plates - Swedish Räksmörgås

Around the World in Twelve Plates – Swedish Räksmörgås

Every month of Around the World in Twelve Plates has been a learning adventure. It’s been a journey of sorts; of flavours, techniques, and textures. I have been so fortunate to share it with my family (I know they appreciate it!) and blogger friends who I hope have gained a wealth of knowledge and appreciation for the food world around them like I have. This month’s country was…Sweden! Again, I…

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Dirty Chai Eggnog

I’m late to both the Dirty Chai and Eggnog party. It never ever occurred to me to combine both tea and coffee into one fabulously caffeinated beverage but now that I’m on that train, I don’t ever want to get off.  Cocktail recipe creation can sometimes be an arduous task and it’s becoming increasingly even more difficult to be original. Here I was on Monday, all proud of myself for coming up with…

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Chocolate Pecan Pie with Bourbon

Next to Halloween I think Thanksgiving is my favourite holiday. Ideally it takes place on a cool but clear blue sky day when there are still leaves on the trees. The kind of day that you can appreciate all the colours of fall with friends and family. The harvest is (hopefully) over and the cold room is stocked for the winter with root vegetables, pickles, and preserves of all kinds and the…

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Snappy Gingersnaps

The kids are due home from school in about an hour and I thought I would surprise them with fresh baked gingersnaps.  Who doesn’t get excited when they walk into a house filled with a sweet and spicy aroma? It’s been a long time since I’ve made gingersnaps and decades (OMG! DECADES!) since I’ve learned how to make them. Gingersnaps were the first cookie I ever learned how to make. You’d think it…

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Kabocha Squash Daal

Daal is one of those warm comforting dishes that you can eat to your heart’s content because it is so darn good for you! Don’t get me wrong, I live for homemade mac ‘n’ cheese but whipping up a steaming pot of protein-rich spiced lentils can be equally as satisfying. Daal is super easy to make and is also a cost effective meal for those days when you want to watch your spending. I’ve been making…

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Around the World in Twelve Plates - Egyptian Basbousa

Around the World in Twelve Plates – Egyptian Basbousa

I say it’s high time I bake something sweet for our little Around the World in Twelve Plates blogger collaboration. Basbousa is an Egyptian classic cake made from durum semolina and a whole lot of dairy which is also popular in many other Middle Eastern countries.  The cake is quite rich with a unique texture but it’s the syrup that provides all the flavour! What is unique about this month’s…

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Instant Pot Hungarian Chicken Paprikash on Nokedli

Instant Pot Hungarian Chicken Paprikash on Nokedli

I grew up with a Hungarian grandmother. A word of warning; don’t be expecting a warm and fuzzy ‘awww you learned this recipe by cooking in your grandmother’s warm cozy kitchen’ sort of blog post because that’s not how this story starts out. She was born in Canada and as such, followed her family’s preference to assimilate into ‘Canadian culture’ rather than keep her Hungarian roots alive. It is…

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Rocky Mountain Wine and Food Festival - Cheers to 20 Years

Rocky Mountain Wine and Food Festival – Cheers to 20 Years

On Friday, Rocky Mountain Wine and Food Festival will be gathering Calgarians to celebrate 20 years of the best wine, beer, spirits, and delectable dishes. “The Rocky Mountain Wine & Food Festival (RMWFF) got its start 20 years ago by three rag-tag friends working as beer brand reps in Ontario. After attending beverage trade shows out east, it struck them that they could do the same thing in…

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A Taste of the Heartland - Stettler Long Table Dinner

A Taste of the Heartland – Stettler Long Table Dinner

It’s that time of the year when the leaves are turning glorious colours and gardens everywhere are being harvested. The farmers can barely get in a few well earned zzzz’s before heading back out the the fields again. Long table harvest dinners are popping up in little towns everywhere, showcasing the fruits of their labours. My very first long table dinner was a few weeks ago when the leaves…

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Around the World in Twelve Plates - Japanese Chicken Curry

Around the World in Twelve Plates – Japanese Chicken Curry

I can’t even begin to tell you what these first 3 weeks of school have been like for our family. Suffice it to say that if your teen ever changes high schools, make sure that you know all the policies surrounding the switch…including those related to high school athletics. To make a really long and emotional story short, our family ended up having to appear before an appeals committee to prove…

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Olive Oil Roasted Baby Artichokes

Olive Oil Roasted Baby Artichokes

Do you have a food ‘bucket list’? Have you ever waited what seemed like forever to cook with a specific ingredient? There are quite a few on my food bucket list, including some fresh fruit and vegetables rarely seen in North America or most impossible to find in my city, Calgary. On my wish list of fruits & veggies are bergamot citrus, the delicious flavour that IMHO makes Earl Grey tea so…

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Around the World in Twelve Plates - Peru

Around the World in Twelve Plates – Peru

August has flown by in a heartbeat. I’m trying to savour these last summer moments and already dreading the cold days of winter. Fortunately we have a bit of a buffer season and I am hoping we have a nice, long drawn out Autumn with sunny, crisp days and cold nights. Just enough to throw another quilt on the bed. Until then, I’m loving the warm weather and the wonderful selection of fresh local…

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Alberta Open Farm Days - A Visit to Stettler County

Alberta Open Farm Days – A Visit to Stettler County

This past weekend I was invited to tour several farms in Stettler County, Alberta during Alberta Open Farm Days (August 19 & 20) as a guest of Destination Stettler. As I battled the city rush hour traffic heading north out of Calgary, I focused on the blue sky dotted with fluffy white clouds and knew that the same sky would be waiting for me out in the country along with open fields, fresh air,…