-
Pesto pasta with portobello mushrooms
As per its original namesake, pesto alla Genovese is a sauce originating in Genoa, Italy. During the Middle Ages, Genoan cuisine commonly featured a predecessor of pesto known as agliata, a mashed paste of garlic and walnuts. It was not until the mid-19th century that basil was introduced into the modern recipe. The best pesto…
-
Carrot cake with cream cheese frosting
‘Tis the season of holiday parties and potlucks, so the big decision in our kitchen these days is what to make and bring to these gatherings. By popular demand, Mr. Chuckles has been assigned dessert duty at Christmas Day dinner and will be preparing a carrot cake. We found this recipe from the manual that…
-
Boozy aged eggnog
It’s December 1st! Mr. Chuckles and I put up our tree in mid-November, but we can now openly start our official Christmas countdown. It has been snowing and miserable outside all day, so this evening is an opportune time cuddle up on the sofa to begin our holiday movie festival. Tonight’s viewing is The Family…
-
A budget break in London, England
Back in 2017, a visit to London, England was my first self-planned European vacation (pre-Brexit). My sister and I booked our one week getaway to the English capital when we saw a super cheap flight deal on WestJet. At the time, they were marketing roundtrip airfare to London Gatwick at about $500 CAD from Toronto.…
-
Rosemary and thyme pot roast
According to my cursory research on Wikipedia, the concept of the pot roast is thought to have originated from French immigrants to New England, who brought their cooking method of à l’étouffée (braising) for tenderizing meats. The Americanized pot roast – sometimes known as the ‘Yankee pot roast’ – is a variation of the French…
-
Rosewater meringue cookies
The first time I remember having a meringue based dessert was during a prix-fixe lunch, where the included dessert was a pavlova cake. Usually topped with whipped cream and fruit, pavlova is a popular dish in Australia and New Zealand (another place on my travel bucket list!) often served during celebratory and holiday meals. Meringue…
-
Classic Thai iced tea
Today’s recipe is one of mine, so it’s super quick and easy. We may be in the dead of winter, but a sweet iced tea is always enjoyable in my books. The best Thai iced tea I’ve found in Toronto is at Pai, where I tried it for the first time. There’s also Nam Wan,…
-
Heirloom tomato and prosciutto salad
One of our favourite new restaurants in town is Bar Piquette, which I wrote about in my post about what Mr. Chuckles and I have been up to in Toronto lately, in between our travels. This little neighbourhood bar restaurant specializes in small plates and wine, with a menu updated daily. A plate we really…
-
Gâteau Basque with warm sherry cream
Gâteau Basque is a traditional dessert originating from the Northern Basque region of France, with a variation also common in the Southern Basque region of Spain. Constructed from layers of a wheat flour based cake, it is typically filled with black cherry jam or pastry cream. We were introduced to Gâteau Basque at Bar Isabel,…
-
A view of Mount Fuji from Lake Kawaguchiko
Looking back at my trip to Japan in 2018, I thought it would be worthwhile to create a separate post about our visit to Mount Fuji. We had tried to get a view of this iconic peak while riding the bullet train from Kyoto to Tokyo but missed it, so a day trip was in…
I've Bean Travelling
A travel and food blog.
I've Bean Travelling 