Travel, like most things in life, looks a lot different in hindsight than in real time. It’s now been over a month since arriving home from our adventure in Ireland and looking back through the lens of everyday life, I’m happy to have these oh-so-special experiences tucked safely into my memory bank. Not that this was a huge surprise, but Ireland was an unexpected gem in my travel jewel box. That’s why travel is so valuable, as you just don’t know where it’s seemingly random edges or shiny surfaces will leave its lasting marks on you. Those marks often reveal themselves long after returning ho ..read more

Oh man, now how hard was that? Getting a post up should not be this hard, but I swear I do have a reason (I try not to use the word excuse anymore). The truth is, we all have our reasons. Reasons for doing this or that. Reasons for not doing this or that. The reality of life is we all choose our priorities whether we do so intentionally or not, and regardless of what we say, our real priorities always show up in what we do. So, I haven’t been great at posting here in recent months. And as much as I say I love blogging, there’s definitely something that has been holding me back. In all honesty ..read more

Years ago I never would have imagined I’d one day have a food blog. It’s true! This project started as a means to entertain me while waiting to get another project off the ground. I first started sharing recipes online in an effort to provide resources for struggling families, as part of getting a non-profit off the ground, aimed at providing hunger relief for those marginalized in our community. I’m generally terrible at patience so this was a way of staying occupied while I waited to do what I thought was the ‘real work’. As the months rolled on, I became acquainted with who I saw as the rea ..read more

The other night was the first official ‘deck’ night of the 2018 summer season. Our little yard is a space we cherish come the warmer months, and we welcome friends and neighbours, new and old, and folks of all kinds to chill with us and enjoy a meal and a drink or two. Since my eldest left home in April, I (quite honestly) haven’t had much of a chance to miss her, with life continuing in its usual fast-paced way and the new space in the house with one less person offering a pleasant sense of openness we’ve all frankly been really enjoying. I’m slowly adjusting to the new grocery shopping proto ..read more

I’m so excited to share this recipe not just because it’s delicious, but because it also comes to us courtesy of my precious eldest daughter. She created this tasty snack while ‘chilling’ in preparation for a much-anticipated flight to England yesterday. Yes! It’s hard to believe just yesterday my little 20-year-old kid departed on her very own to start an epic adventure, one that her family – along with our close friends and extended family too – here at home couldn’t be more excited about. She’s gone to the UK to be with her love, a move that’s been 3 months in the making and first germinate ..read more

This recipe is so easy, I’m hesitant to even to call it by that name, but if there’s one thing I know it’s that every household needs a few easy meal hacks like this up its sleeves, and this (I’m happy to tell you) is one of my faves. I’ve made no secret of the fact that I’m a massive fan of soaking and steaming lentils, especially if they are fresh. Why do I do this? Well, for textural reasons mainly, as no one likes a mushy French lentil for salads, especially since that is why we love them so much – for their tender and delicate texture! So if you’re tired of over-cooking lentils, I highly ..read more

This recipe is one of my all-time favourites and brings back many happy memories from when my eldest daughter was little (and truth be told I was kind of little too). I made these often in my 20’s with whatever old bread I had on hand, making breadcrumbs by toasting bread and then creating ‘crumbs’ by giving the toasted bits a wizz in my food processor. You can easily go that route here, or opt to keep it simple and buy breadcrumbs at the grocery store. I find grocery store breadcrumbs to be a little hit and miss though, so be sure to smell them if you can to give them a little rancidity test ..read more

So it seems that folks just never tire of new meals featuring chickpeas and deliciously spiced vegetables. Though I must say, I am not at all surprised by this! Judging by a recent poll I *unofficially* conducted on Instagram stories (I just LOVE asking you guys questions there!) – a hearty chickpea and vegetable-based curry will get upvoted almost 2-1 over other recipe options almost always! Turns out you guys definitely share my tastes. I definitely need more easy curry recipes in my life too. This recipe was first rolled out here at home as a new option for our family Christmas Eve dinner ..read more

As I mentioned in last week’s newsletter, when I’m not well stocked with pre-cooked legumes, I like to keep a selection of easy to cook tofu or tempeh in the fridge, for when the mood strikes, or for just when dinner needs to happen fast and I’m just not prepared. This past weekend, I visited my parents at their homestead on Gabriola Island, and after three full days away, I arrived back home midday (fresh from a seaplane ride I might add!), starving. I was craving comfort food and took a quick peek inside the fridge, and was so pleased to find two blocks of tofu happily sitting there wai ..read more

It’s safe to say I usually have more than one homemade dressing or sauce in the house, given that I’m basically allergic to store-bought dressings, though from time to time I still find myself needing to remind myself of this with an ill-advised bottle purchase when I’m harried and rushing through the grocery store. In my last post, I mentioned my latest efforts to stay inspired in the kitchen, by providing some parameters which I can play (in this instance I am talking about the kitchen). I started with limiting, or rather, allowing myself to settle in and enjoy one cookbook from my collectio ..read more