Groundhog day

With all the choice in the world some people like to stick to the tried and tested, old reliable, familiar comfort foods. The Graci's seem to have this trait. Like grandfather and granddaughter they have spaghetti every day! It is tough to beat as they enjoy it while the rest of us pick and push at the exotic item that has landed on our plates. I once got a quarter of a pineapple with pink colored coconut sprinklings over top of a banana as an appetizer?! Maybe this is the Caribbean way? Mind you it was good - it just felt wrong to have at the start of my meal.

At least the waiter knew her order each night! The maitre d' loved her so much he always came around to give her a kiss, ask about her meal and make the rest of us gag at the love-bond. After a few nights of constant 'bella, bella' comments we plotted to throw her overboard so that we would perhaps receive some compliments the next evening. The plan failed so we listened to more sickly sweet comments about our braided little friend....admittedly, she is cute.

Back from the Love Boat
The boat docked and after going through serious security checks with Homeland Security - it is finally back to shore. Many thx to my guest bloggers Annu and Clara!! I enjoyed reading your posts and other readers have said so too.

I brought you a souvenir - tacky as can be am sure you will love it! Cruise ship ports are famous for their tacky souvenir stalls...

The rum was cheap, the sun was fabulous and the cruise was full of the most active, fab dancing and singing and high energy retirees I have ever met in my life. I hope that I can rock the dance floor like that when I am that age! More posts to come on cruising food - which, when you are cooking for 3,000+ people is a bit of a task.

Ahoy!

Arepa Arepa!

Guest post by Annu:
While traveling in Latin America, I wanted to sample as much of the local authentic food as I could and one of my favourites turned out to be the arepa. This delicious little thing was everywhere in various forms. Essentially, you start with a corn-based meal cake, split it in half and fill it with cheese, meat, or nothing! It can be eaten at breakfast, lunch, dinner, or even as a snack after a late night out on the town.


An interesting side note about the arepa is its history- Columbians claim they created the arepa while Venezuelans say they created it! I tried both and I must admit, the Venezuelan arepa was much better than the Columbian version (no disrespect intended!)... so if taste is any indication of who created the arepa I will have to side with Team Venezuela!

If you want to read more, check out the Wikipedia entry for Arepa.

Adiós amigos!

What NOT to Eat

Guest poster: Clara (no I did not have a son since you last saw me -although he is a doll!)
No coffee...no sushi...no medium rare steak...no aspartame...no wine....no..no..no. During pregnancy the list of what you should not eat is endless. Not only is your body out of control for 10 months but you are also deprived of all of your favourite foods during the process. No refined sugar...no chocolate...no hot dogs...no cold cuts...no tap water...no unpasteurized cheeses (gouda, feta, goat, brie, blue)...fish must only be consumed once a week and watch your intake of Vitamin A as that causes issues as well. Like most women I was under the misconception that during pregnancy this is the one time that you can throw away your diet manual and start eating for two. But in reality you are only "supposed" to eat an additional 500 calories. This equates to about 2 glasses of milk which you should be drinking anyway because your want your baby to have strong bones. So after 42 weeks (I was over due by 2 weeks) of deprivation, 19 hours of labour, stitches in my abdomen, and excessive hair loss, I am now a proud mother of a beautiful baby boy Andrew Vincent Power. So now that pregnancy is all over, bring on the coffee...sushi...medium rare steak.....

Be my guest
There will be some mystery guest-posters this week so look out for their pieces...
Thx to the volunteers.

I will be probably eating from a buffet as shown in the pic. Am a little scared as I do not usually fare well with buffets, but am also interested to see what it will be like. Until next week!

Feed-back

I was just chatting at the pub with two enlightened, beautiful and talented friends of mine and we were discussing feedback. Everyone wants feedback in their lives whether it is from a new love interest, co-workers, friends, family, acquaintances and more. What we need more of is feedback! Mish is someone who is very good at this and she tells people the truth and what she likes, dislikes and more - all done in a very simple and sensitive way. After she writes her book 'Leakage from my brain' she should bottle her open and honest ways into a seminar.

So what I want from you is feedback. It is very simple feedback. I am sure all of you have bought a cookbook for a friend, Nonna/Nonno (grandparents), Mom, Dad or food fanatic in your lifetime and I want some of your feedback from that experience. Or if you have never done this then...if you were to receive a cookbook as gift what would you like it to contain?

• lots of pictures or no pics?
• pics of just food or pics of other things with food (people, landscape etc.)?
• lots of stories and small tidbits or just recipes?
• hardcover or softcover?

-one you can lay on the table while cooking/baking or one you can slide into those fancy plastic things (and do you have one of those?)

-lots of extra pages on utensils, food history and other pieces related to the recipes or none of that extra stuff?

-how much would you spend on a cookbook? for a gift, for yourself etc. $CAD & £GBP

-the name of the last cookbook you bought or want to buy?

-names of some of the cookbooks you have (Jamie Oliver collection etc.)


And anything else that you may feel relevant to someone who is looking at all of these aspects for a cookbook. Your help would be greatly appreciated!!!! You can drop this in an email to me allthingsdolce@gmail.com
or post it on the blog in a short simple manner.

I will be away for a week for a floating food adventure and will post when I am back, in the meantime you can send me some feed-back.

(the pic is of the feeback equation for engineering and applied science)

Ciao, ciao

New Year detox
It is the New Year and time to clean out and detox, you could shed a few pounds, old food, clothing, friends, family members or anything that is in the way of having a fab new year.

People have been asking, 'Have you recovered from all the food that you ate over the holidays?' I have said, 'Of course,' - because I enjoyed every last bit of it!

There are still lots of boxes of chocolates to be consumed but all in due course.
Perhaps when you go to people's homes they will have run out of the goodies and may serve you a cup of tea and some fruit to get you ready for a great new year. A favourite Sicilian detox tea is camomile, in Italian, Camomilla which as children was rare to find in many places but now is very popular at cafes and restaurants.

Soft serve gelato?! = Jolatti
This new website and concept 'Jolatti' was sent to me from lovely Nat in London who studied with the Damaso son. The Damaso's are the ones who started this soft serve gelato concept and are in Phoenix, Arizona. Check out their website jolatti.com
Latte. Zucchero. Uova.
Milk. Sugar. Eggs.
Three simple ingredients produce the rich, creamy texture of the world’s most savored dessert: gelato -yum!

I want one of these machines (maybe for my b-day?) and am curious to know how they make gelato 'soft' hmmm...may ask Nat to find out the secret.

Happy New Year!














Year MMVII (2007) is year of the pig in the Chinese calendar.

In China, the Pig ( 亥 ) (a more correct form would be the Boar) is associated with fertility and virility. To bear children in the year of the pig is considered very fortunate, for they will be happy and honest. I actually had a dream 2 nights ago that I had a pet pig and that my sister and I couldn't get enough of hugging and squeezing it. I did not know it was year of the pig until today so that is v. odd, non?!

Well Happy New Year - get out and get some exercise as am sure you all ate more than usual!

x

Micky Dees
I know we over indulge at Christmas but some people are trying and going to the gym to burn off extra calories. Some are also taking a pit stop after the gym at McDonald's...not mentioning any names?! Am sure it was a one off and they enjoyed it while they were eating it but as long as it is done in moderation....the famous saying for everything.

This pic was taken in Leicester Square in Nov. 2005 when there was a protest outside of McDonald's. I love the way the guy inside is causually eating his grub. I didn't get all the info on the protest but am sure it was something to do with Micky D's being a multi-national congolomorate that exploits everything from farmers to workers. Anyhow to each his own, it is not on my list of places to eat. I prefer to have fresh, whole food that I know what the ingredients are or how to pronounce them. Am going to rent the video Fast Food Nation soon and may have an interesting post for that too.

Get ready for the new year and detox!

Sugo with soul
Sugo (tomato sauce) as made in the Dolce kitchen.
The basis of all Italian cooking, tomato sauce. From the lonely red tomato you can make an abundance of recipes that are traditional to Italian cooking. Boiled, peeled, fried, baked, sliced and diced the tomato provides the base for some of my favourite Italian foods -pizza, pasta and bruschetta. The meatballs are also ones that were made by Momma Dolce and have been in demand in the UK and Canada. They were almost frozen and delivered by airplane to some demanding customers, but I wasn't sure if I could explain to customs if I did get caught what I was doing with frozen meatballs in my case?! Meatball secrets will come in another post.

Anyway -tomatoes are supposed to be great for your health. So learn how to make a nice tomato sauce, it is easy - just use fresh ripe tomatoes or buy canned tomatoes from the shop (with no extra ingredients) saute some onion and garlic, add the tomatoes a little bit of water, salt, pepper, basil and oregano and let simmer until smooth (about an hour)....you may need to add a little sugar to remove some of the acidity but try and buy good quality canned tomatoes and voila, a great sauce is ready for all your cooking needs.

Hard to believe but tomatoes came to Europe in the sixteenth century and were generally avoided because they were believed to be poisonous...luckily the Europeans figured out what to do with the little red rounders.

A Pig's Tale

The much awaited 'Palazzolo pig' was served on Christmas Day. There was a pregnant woman craving it on Christmas Eve and others providing hype to the pig that was roasted specifically for the occasion.

A pig in the trunk story was told and then finally on Christmas Day the pig was unveiled. I felt a bit sick at the initial unveiling, others commented on the pig's tail or what they initially thought was a roasted shriveled up pig-penis. It was quite a laugh - the apple was not red as all had imagined and the electric knife did not work initially but after plugging in the cord, the machine roared to life and our pig was carved.

I think the pig should've been cut behind closed quarters as it would've made eating it more enjoyable. My issue with meat is that I do not like to see it raw in any format - I somehow like to just see it magically cooked!

Anyhow, the roasted pig or 'porchetta' as said in Italian was delicious. Final last words of the evening,

'I am waiting for my parents, they are in the basement cutting the pig!'

That said by a tired 8 year old is quite funny! Hope you all had a Christmas filled with family and great food.

The Apprentice
We got him making us Christmas dinner too...
He is getting good at rolling pizza dough, watch out Terroni!

Merry Christmas and Happy Hannukah to all!

x

Eat, drink and be merry
Now this is a wine cellar! This space churns out several bottles of wine which are consumed all year long. This is a pic taken at my Uncle Vince's home. This part of the house smells wonderful and feels just like a winery - all cold and musty with the smell of grapes, wine and fermentation...can you smell fermentation? Anyhow, eat, drink and be merry this time of year! Try some Sicilian wine from the shops or find an Uncle Vince type who may make you try some home brew.

Tis the Season
Fa, la, la, lah! Well have you made your gingerbread house or train yet? We did so last week and so did some other family members, ours miraculously still has 99% of its candies still attached to the frosting, but theirs has about one poor candy holding on for dear life!

I have to tell you we are becoming a lazy society as an easy to make gingerbread house is now so pre-packaged you can almost make it with your eyes closed. Also, there is no imagination to creating your own home, you are following instructions to create a simple structure. Hmmm...four walls and a roof, how do I assemble that? I have to admit that this year I got the easy to assemble fool proof package, with icing already made (isn't icing just sugar and water?) but next year the home made gingerbread is coming out fresh from the oven!

Secret Gingerbread Recipe
225g Self Raising Flour
110g Brown Sugar
110g. Butter
½ Egg (Beaten)
1 Large Tablespoon Golden Syrup
2 Teaspoon Ground Ginger
2 Teaspoon Rum or Brandy

Breed for dish washing
The downside to cooking is the washing up. My sis always said she wanted to breed so she could get her kids to cook and clean...the pic is scary then non?
My nephew is a gem and is so helpful when it comes to cooking, he is doing well at stirring, beating and licking the spoons after making cookies and he also loves to splash with the water when washing the dishes. Don't you love his makeshift apron? It is a table cloth so he is not completely soaked.

Am sure once he gets older and realises it is work he will not be volunteering in the kitchen so much...the breeding must then continue.

The Daily Gorgeosity

As Lainey sometimes chooses the 'Daily Gorgeosity' this is today's gorgeosity. Not only is the boy in the pic tres handsome, the cookie he is holding is gorgeous as it just melts in your mouth. It is made with such basic ingredients but it melts in your mouth and it is covered in a thick layer of frosting. It is in the cookbook, but also being made by Terroni Restauraunt (Queen St.West).

Yum, check out their food and gorgeous staff!

Cookbook advice



Thx to my friend Stefano who gave me some great advice tonight on cookbook writing, publishing and more...He co-wrote the Grazie restaurant http://www.grazie.ca/ cookbook to commemorate their 15th anniversary at the corner of Yonge and Eg. He self-published and they have sold a large amount of copies so far which is great news! I have been collecting recipes for the last few weeks and have not thought about some of the other elements that Steve got me thinking about...so still collecting recipes but the next phase is about working on the writing bits.

Any Sicilian kids with any stories of their Nonna's feeding (or rather stuffing them!) with food please contact me so I can write down some funny little stories.

Am going to start with my cousins and am sure our charismatic and funny grandmother will give me enough content but would be good to hear about other spunky and fun grandmothers giving their grandkids big hunky paninis with several types of meat and cheese while the other kids at school had pbj-(peanut butter and jelly) sandwiches on thin white bread. I know we did a lot of swapping--mmmmmm!

We never had those nor any canned pasta which my mother would sometimes indulge us with but I think she also had to hide that from our Nonna too as pasta from a can is a definite no, no in any Italian family. But Chef Boyardee was sooo good to us -the MSG and chemicals were a treat!

Recipe Books

There is a common theme when I am collecting recipes from family members, either they

a) do not have them written down and know them from memory or
b) they have their recipes written on pieces of paper like the one in the picture - these papers come from drawers, from filing cabinets, dirty envelopes, found inside photo albums, books and other mysterious places like cookie jars and other containers of the sort.

It is actually quite entertaining to see where the recipes emerge from!

Ricotta -ree-kawt-tah
Ricotta is an Italian dairy product/cheese made from the whey which is left over from making cheeses such as mozzarella or provolone. The term "ricotta" means "cooked again" ("re-cooked") in Italian, referring to the second processing of the liquid to produce it. It is also great on toast with some sugar sprinkled on top!

In Canada and the UK it is usually made from cow's milk but in Sicily it is made from sheep and goat's milk. So when you taste a cannoli in Sicily it tastes very different from one bought elsewhere. It seems to have a different flavour and taste better, not sure if it is the atmosphere or that you are having it at the mecca of cannoli land.

So what is a cannoli? It is a tubular pastry shell stuffed with a sweetened filling of whipped ricotta, sugar and it often contains nuts (like pistaccios in pic), orange rind/lemon or bits of chocolate.

Here is a pic of a gigantic one that was served to dozens at a wedding in Sicily earlier this year. It is an easy recipe, most people who make them now buy the shells as they are easy to find and purchase. Some old-schoolers do make the shells which is a long process, includes deep frying and using special moulds.

A great xmas treat and sooo delicious -get one if you can at an Italian bakery or make it yourself. Below are pics of bite sized ones served at a b-day party in Sicily a few days after the wedding- ah food glorious food and Sicilan hospitality!

Fashion Designer Bruschetta

Made by my talented, pharmacist by day - fashion designer by night, friend (she also made Santa's belt!) this bruschetta was a twist on the original recipe, it had marinated eggplant.

So delicious!

The recipe:
-finely chopped tomatoes
-finely chopped garlic and onion
-basil or parsley as desired
all marinated in olive oil & use salt & pepper to taste
serve on crusty bread

See pic-although I think someone took a bite of one of those pieces and put it back...that is how good it was.

Marinated eggplant is another recipe collected from Aunty Elenor so that will be posted soon!

Thx Fashion Design-armacist!

x

East coast Santy rocks the halls
Ladies and Gents, boys and girls yesterday was a great day in history, Mr Claus was tall and skinny (I think a first) he did some odd version of the running man (see pic -must've been training for the big trip on the 24th -or recently watched Napoleon Dynamite), the food was in abundance (as usual) and I think almost everyone (or their mammys) MADE what they brought.

And even though it was hard to manage, the twinkling, tree formed, dutch braided and even the joker inspired Christmas hats were worn in a larger percentage this year! I know shocking - I had some lame excuses about people being pregnant and not being able to bring boiling water or strawberry salad but everyone did well -good work laydees!

And the hostesss with the mostess (is that a word?) was as usual the star of the show, for each year without the help of (CGA-add a few letters for real name)Momma Dolce the event would not be even close to what it was - she is a natural Martha with matching candles, napkins and decor which made the place sparkle.
I will post more but here are a few pics...

Crazy christmas eating

Let the fun begin! It is fat December a time to eat a lot and not feel guilty b.c. for those of us lucky enough to be in colder climates we can cover up our Christmas bulges with the latest chunky knit sweaters we get for xmas! I find the new low slinging models are great as they focus on the neck line and not the bulging muffin tops coming off the side of your jeans.
So girls eat and be merry!

Tomorrow is December 1st, and Sunday is my first xmas party of the season so should have some holiday food pics to post... Rosi makes an excellent strawberry, raspberry salad so hope she is bringin it again this year! My sister is bringing water -I hope she was joking?! (of course someone will bring some fatty-liscious stuff too!)

Irresistible beach berries
Pic from our June trip to Sardinia, I devoured a gross amount of loganberries from a tree in the beach parking lot. I had purple fingers for a few days but they were delicious!!!!

My partner in crime had a laugh at me but also delighted in their sweet taste!
Plant a tree in your garden if you can, these trees are plentiful and provide lots of berries, they do make a red mess but that's the fun of it!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Loganberry

Eggplant Parmigiana
From this...













...To this

In a few simple steps with a Sicilian Eggplant/Aubergine. No frying involved and the only ingredients are: bread crumbs, olive oil, salt, pepper, egg, fresh tomato sauce, cheese -mozzarella/Parmesan and seasoning. Simply divine and it melts in your mouth!!!

It is the best eggplant parmigiana you will ever taste, recipe courtesy of Momma Dolce-drop me a line if you want it.

The aubergine is an important food crop grown for its large, pendulous, purple or white fruit. It has been cultivated in southern and eastern Asian countries since prehistory but appears to have become known to the Western world no earlier than ca. 1500 CE. The numerous Arabic and North African names for it, along with the lack of ancient Greek and Roman names, indicate that it was introduced throughout the Mediterranean area by the Arabs in the early Middle Ages. The scientific name melongena is derived from a 16th-century Arabic term for one kind of aubergine.

There is a lot of Arab influence in Sicily and in Italian eggplant is called melanzana. Read more on the purple plant/fruit's interesting history: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aubergine

Can Struction 2006

A pic of a lovely whale created by AM and her associates at ARK architecture firm. The title of the sculpture made out of cans (I think they were tuna cans!): Hunger is Huge. Huger is invisible.

ARK Architecture Inc. received an Honourable Mention at this year's Can Struction awards for this creation. Canstruction is a National Charity of the Design and Construction Industry. All cans are then donated to the Daily Bread Food Bank. This year's event collected a record 62,000 pounds of food!

In the past seven years, 232,000 pounds of food have been donated to The Daily Bread Food Bank to help people struggling with hunger.

http://www.canstruction.org/indexn.html -you can see some of the entries from other cities that have participated -some are truly creative and unique.

http://www.dailybread.ca/

Good work AM & Co.!

Cooking with Tempo


More cookbook testing which is turning out to be fun. This recipe is one from Zia Elenora's kitchen. For many years she and her husband ran one of the best Italian bakeries in the city (and my cousins were always there to entertain customers young and old!). Not only could you get a great cappuccino but you could come in for some comfort food, fantastic bread, a warm welcome and an ear to chat to.

Am sure my aunt knew the gossip of the whole Italian population within a 15km radius of the bakery! Uncle Vince and his team of bakers including his entertaining son BP, made the most divine breads and pastries which each week my Dad and I went to buy. We would have to buy double of most things as due to its freshness and warmth, the bread was half eaten by the time we got home. Yum!

So in retirement, the kitchen at home comes alight with a continuation of baked and cooked, salted and preserved delicacies (all documented for the book).
Last week on our testing morning, Zia made this succulent and divine Osso Buco with red wine and a lemon marinade - it is all well documented and digested. Also soo simple and easy to make, even the kids loved it - hands in the air -yay!!!

Thx for having Momma Dolce and I document another few un-documented recipes! And folks the pictures are all from the little Canon camera I have -pls advise if the food styling is getting better.
xo

Cookbook testing
For those of you who like Embanata some visuals from some cookbook testing last week. Thx to the chefs for their patience in trying to write it down and measure out a recipe that has never been measured.

Some quick steps: all you need is some Swiss chard-wash it well as we found a large worm in ours!(ick)


A hubby who will chop onions - and he did so without a tear while the rest of us had stinging tears (not sure if he cut onions in a past life?!)


Add all ingredients, roll it tightly and bake



Et voila here is the final product -magnifique - right Miyuki?



If you want the full recipe send me a line...

Now this is fresh

Although there is no regard for 'health and safety' (I love the cigarette) this is truly fresh fish from the sea being cut and sold in a market in Palermo. Am sure these men have been doing this for ages so I would not doubt the freshness. It was a delight walking through this market with J-Lo, the sights and sounds were great -and am sure they were not selling any brown edged salmon!

(from BestofSicily.com) This market called Mercatto Vucceria (from the Norman French "boucherie"), is perhaps the favourite Palermitan market for visitors. It begins at Piazza San Domenico toward Piazza Caracciolo and Corso Vittorio Emanuele, branching off along Via Argenteria. Read more here about Sicilian markets here http://www.bestofsicily.com/mag/art85.htm

Technorati Profile

On the Road Cooking

Watching a bit of daytime TV lately, I have seen a lot of programs targeted at middle class women who are juggling homes, careers and children all the while trying to watch their weight and feed their families something healthy.

So a lot of these women's programs have a cooking section. The last one I was lucky enough to catch was a woman from Oshawa providing recipes for a host of things that you can cook in a plastic bag -dee-lish! She was a Girl Guide leader (Juicy, Ranoush and I were also GGs in our younger years) and had to create recipes her girls could eat in the forest or wherever they went - the farthest we went was Kortright Conservation Park only 10km away, so no bears or anything wild in our troupe.

Oshawa Guide-lady made a cake in a bag and it looked gross but the crowd ooohed on cue -Mom and I said eeew on cue. And she made other things that she threw in a bag, squished around and then dumped the bag into boiling water to make a tasty meal. To each his own I guess – I prefer my meals not created in a freezer bag but I guess the women of America crave convenience?!

Anyhoo, I know someone who just bought a campervan and is planning to spend summer 07 in it. This is the cooking gear it comes with (see pic). I guess I will have to pass on boil in a bag recipes to her or bring lots of tinned mackerel and hope for fresh bakeries or local eateries nearby –or rely on the bbq for some yummy grilled meat and veg. Am sure the waist will be slimmer after the trip.

If anyone has any camper van recipes please do share....am sure that could be another cook book in itself, should've kept Girl Guide lady's details.

xo

Should smoked salmon ever be brown?

Not sure of the answer but I did once know a Tasmanian salmon trout farmer's son. Not sure if sending a question like this to him out the blue would be appropriate, so am asking you if you know anything about this?

Having lunch with the wonderful and smile inducing Cousin G -she lights up the room with her aura, personality and energy - we order some food from a very welcoming Dean and Deluca style restaurant.

I order the smoked salmon-open faced sandwich and she the tuna delight something or other. When mine arrives all toasty and warm -there are several odd bits of brown around the edges of the salmon. I try to cut them all off but there is too many....

G's sandwich arrived with the waiter's finger stuck in her decorative sauce (maybe it was mayonnaise?) and we sent it back with the draggy-footed waiter.

After I slice and dice to remove all brown bits to no avail we send it back and a few min later the chef -or chief sandwich maker comes out and tries to explain to me that that piece was from the tail -hence why it is brown. I look a little bewildered but if the chef/sandwich man says so I kinda believe him - with doubt.

So he brings me another sandwich and fruit salad and says this one should be better but leaves rather quickly as this one too is brown around the edges. I eat it thinking it still isn't right as it is hard and smells a little fishy and fish should never smell like fish unless it is off. Anyhoo, tried to Google brown edged smoked salmon but the web didn’t give me any info, shocking non? I still think it was wrong but any suggestions from the peanut gallery???? The chef man was nice as, so won't mention the restaurant's name.

Fish fiends pls. reply!

Swiss Chard anyone?

In Sicily it is calleld Imbanata and in the rest of Italy it is called Impanata...anyhow not sure how to translate it in English. But this recipe is divine, it is spinach or Swiss chard stuffed between a pizza like crust -top and bottom and usually has various combinations depending on your likes:

Swiss chard/spinach and onion

Swiss chard/spinach, onion and mozzarella

Swiss chard/spinach, onion and ground beef

Swiss chard/spinach, onion and hot dog slices (odd, I know!? but they did this in Sicily which I thought was gross-see pic)

Or you can make your own variation...it is fantastic and you can make a large batch and have it for lunch or snacks for a few days after it is made. I prefer it with artic chard as it gives it a different flavor. Aunt Susie will make this for us to sample! And of course to document for the book.

Read more on www.foodnetwork.com about the Swiss chard.
It is one of the healthiest of the super-nutritious "dark, leafy greens".

Fush N Chups

This fish and chip dinner bought in Maida Hill two weeks ago is what some may call dinner. I call it grease/heart attack central. Although it tastes good it is just deep fried and not providing any omega 3 or anything else your health book may recommend.

And not sure if you can see the scale in the picture the fish was enormous!

It was an apres journalism class snack for one kiwi writer....

But the brits do love their fish and chips, especially on Friday. The shop in Strutton Ground market near Victoria usually has a queue out the door....

Sweet times ahead

Am making appts with some very important people to teach me some of their secrets for making Italian sweets / dolci -in Italian. My grandmother never wrote any down and did everything from memory and used this odd, small plastic green cup which must've came from a child's tea set or some other sort of toy set... hopefully the aunties will have proper measurements and standard utensils so I can properly document for the book.

Will also visit Cousin G on her farm and take a peek at her neighbours dairy cows! Hee, haw...

So stay tuned for some cookie making adventures and a farm visit in Nobleton.

And speaking of sweet, my comment for today is that I am not used to it but everyone is soooo nice in Toronto it is shocking! In every part of your day people are kind, polite, considerate and sugary sweet. Don't get me wrong, it is a nice change but when fellow joggers and dog walkers salute you - it is strange!
At Paddy Rec I have never been saluted by anyone -unless it is Bun lapping me on the track and even then it is mocking!

A lot of friendly banter from strangers and store clerks -I they must think I am moody or strange as each time I think I look a little shocked and perplexed. I brace myself when I am in a busy area but instead there is not the usual preparation for a shoulder check instead people move out of your way...I think I like a little edge so may keep up the London attitude (not sure how it will go down though)

My sis is making dinner tonight so may fill up on a bagel beforehand...will take a pic if it is an excellent creation or an odd ball!

Land of the Hot Dog

Back in T.O. which is the land of the hot dog stands or as my nephew calls out each time we pass one...'Haaaamburrrrgers... like papa makes!' in the cutest 2 yr old voice ever. Well these hot dog stands are everywhere and are a part of Toronto culture. I saw several people today at lunch grabbing a dog and then walking around on their lunch hour. We opted for an indoor establishment in Yorkville called Tony Bulonis, which was good but they serve portions that I am not used to -super size!

Coming from the smaller portions in India to the regular European sizes in London, Toronto now is going to be my winter fat accumulation time. This is where shopping for a big bulky sweater comes in then...

Anyhow, I will def have street meat (a veggie dog) soon from the street vendors perhaps even toinight. The pic is of Ernie the hot dog vendor who sold hot dogs for over 30years at Ryerson University in the same spot rain or shine, cold or scorching hot. I think someone from the business school did a business case on him and found out that he made over 100K a year!
Not bad for doing a job you love -they even did a mini musical on his life http://www.ryerson.ca/news/news/General_Public/20061004_hd.html as he was a fixture at Ryerson for all those years. He was a jolly smiling man each time you saw him. I wonder where he is today -maybe selling hot dogs in Florida...enjoying his retirement.