Food Challenges

Quick Wraps

Salmon Salad Wrap

Wraps are a great alternative to bread. They have become very popular in recent years and are available on luncheon menus in many restaurants. You can buy a wide variety of different types in grocery stores. Many are flavoured with herbs or special ingredients. Even the gluten free industry has created different types of wraps using corn, rice and gluten free flour combinations.  My complaint with commercial wraps has always been that they are thick, dry, tough and chewy. I have always felt that they overwhelmed the taste of the filling. I think that the wrap should be light and pliable. It should be the perfect vehicle for moving the filling from your plate to your mouth. Continue Reading…

The Pasta Primer

Pasta is the penultimate comfort food for me. I don`t think anything could replace mashed potatoes with gravy, but a good bowl of pasta comes pretty close. When I stopped eating gluten, grains and legumes, pasta became of thing of the past. Eventually, I was able to create a blend of flours that works well for me: quinoa, almond and tapioca with xanthan gum as a binder. I have used it in so many different ways. Tonight was the night! I decided to tackle pasta with the help of my youngest, Peter.
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The Chestnut Tradition

During the cold, dark months, I always look for things that bring a degree of comfort to combat the harsh realities of Canadian winter: reading in front of a roaring fire, snuggling in a soft blanket, sipping on a steaming beverage, a piping hot bowl of homemade soup and nibbling on chestnuts. Like sugarplums, chestnuts harken back to another time. They bring back the essence of an era that was simpler and slower paced. Continue Reading…

Ice Cream Season

I know it’s ice cream season because:
A) the trees now have leaves
B) we have harvested rhubarb from the garden
C) it’s hot enough to put on the air conditioner
D) the robins have nested in the gazebo
E) all of the above!

I’ll bet you didn’t guess I was a teacher, did you? Seriously, it is the time of year when I want something cold and refreshing. It seems to me that ice cream would be an excellent vehicle for bringing fresh fruit to my lips. So, I have begun to give the whole ice cream topic a bit of consideration. Continue Reading…