Tag: cooking
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Julia Child’s Boeuf Bourguignon
This evening’s dinner recipe was inspired by Julia Child, the renowned chef who introduced French cuisine to the American public, best known for her debut cookbook Mastering the Art of French Cooking. People who love to eat are always the best people. Julia Child (Image: Source) In this case, Mr. Chuckles and I are two…
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Old-fashioned apple pie with gingerbread crumble
My earliest memories of apple pie were from The Big Apple, a bakery/shop that sits just off the westbound lane of Highway 401 as it passes Colborne, Ontario. My family made a point to stop here every time we were on our way home to Toronto from Ottawa to pick up a couple of their…
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Wonky festive gingerbread cookies
We are in full fledged holiday mode. Christmas tree is up (see below), gift shopping and wrapping done, Advent calendar opened, and now it’s time for holiday baking. This weekend afternoon was spent preparing homemade gingerbread. I participated by practicing my cookie decorating skills, which turned out more in line with that of a contestant…
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Italian-American meatballs in red sauce
Spaghetti and meatballs is a classic Italian-American dish, introduced by Italian immigrants in New York City sometime in the early 20th century. This dish differed significantly from the meatballs prepared back in the motherland. In Italy, meatballs known as polpette were much smaller, often no larger than the size of a marble. Unlike the Americanized…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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,…
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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…
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