tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-366405752024-03-07T13:12:45.925-05:00Grub ScoutBite-sized portions of information on everyone's favourite topic - FOOD!Zahrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14442058541228266915noreply@blogger.comBlogger186125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36640575.post-63168979516920687502011-09-20T20:05:00.000-04:002011-09-20T20:05:27.792-04:00When life gives you green tomatoes...... you make green tomato salsa!
I will admit, I had low hopes for our tomato crops this year. The fact that any of them grew at all was a pleasant surprise. The fact that most of them thrived and gave lots of fruit was astounding.
That fruit, however, is still green on the vine and with the warmer days now fading behind us I know the chance of them ripening soon is slim.
So tonight I picked Zahrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14442058541228266915noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36640575.post-14870071267576376142011-09-11T18:16:00.000-04:002011-09-11T18:16:07.052-04:00Help me identify these berries!These berries came from bushes on our hillside, but we're not sure exactly what they are. Can anyone help?
Zahrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14442058541228266915noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36640575.post-49740911422360180772011-07-26T16:58:00.000-04:002011-07-26T16:58:20.131-04:00Growing Radishes = Gratifying
Thank goodness for the radish. I was beginning to think I had black thumbs, but those tiny seeds have renewed my hope! They are so easy to grow and mercifully quick as well. If there's one thing I am learning from my gardening adventure this summer it is patience. Things are growing out there, but they are doing it at their own pace. So each time I check on the radishes and they've come up Zahrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14442058541228266915noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36640575.post-44273760424814822902011-05-11T08:41:00.000-04:002011-05-11T08:41:26.994-04:00Homemade brownies from cocoa powderI am almost ashamed to admit that, until last night, I had never made homemade brownies from scratch. I knew it could be done, but had never done anything other than mix up a batch from a box.
Never again... the brownies I made last night were fantastic, with a rich chocolate taste and a dense, cake-like consistency.
Here's my recipe:
1/2 cup unsalted butter
1 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup plus Zahrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14442058541228266915noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36640575.post-10909911568809824202011-04-12T13:01:00.000-04:002011-04-12T13:01:20.540-04:00Black Radish and Walnut Slaw
photo courtesy www.uniprix.com
Last week we came to acquire some black radishes.
I had never seen nor cooked with these before, so I did a little research and found out that they are a winter favourite in places like Russia and France.
Some sites suggested cooking them like a turnip, but that didn't sound terribly appealing.
Instead, I decided to make a salad. First I peeled the radishes, Zahrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14442058541228266915noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36640575.post-6496493657259048192011-03-23T16:01:00.000-04:002011-03-23T16:01:06.695-04:00Judging a recipe by its coverI have stacks - and I mean STACKS - of cookbooks. But I haven't cracked any of them open in ages. They're neatly packed away in boxes in the basement, waiting till we move to a home where I can get them up on to shelves.
In the meantime, I turn to the internet when I need a recipe. My mother had a recipe box where she filed away her favourites. I have a folder of bookmarks in my browser. There Zahrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14442058541228266915noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36640575.post-66191762196341488092011-02-28T11:29:00.000-05:002011-02-28T11:29:05.888-05:00Quiche, from scratch, in less than an hour
I've made quiche loads of times before but before today had never attempted my own crust. But high on the success of my sfeeha (middle eastern meat pies) last week, I thought I'd give it a go and soon found out it is super easy!
I took one cup of flour and forked it together with 1/2 teaspoon of salt in a large mixing bowl. Then, using the same cup measure, I whisked together 1/4 cup olive oil Zahrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14442058541228266915noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36640575.post-1241555446768740572011-02-16T18:15:00.000-05:002011-02-16T18:15:34.298-05:00Quick and easy pickled carrots
For a jar this size (20 oz), use about 2 cups of white vinegar.
Add salt and sugar to taste and dissolve completely before pouring over the carrots. I used about 4 tablespoons of sugar and 1 1/2 tablespoons of sugar, but play around with it to get it just right for you.
Optional: add sliced chili peppers and/or julienned ginger.Zahrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14442058541228266915noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36640575.post-61249592019845482912011-01-20T09:12:00.000-05:002011-01-20T09:12:24.934-05:00My favourite cheesesIn honour of National Cheese Lovers Day, here is a selection of my favourite cheeses:
Zahrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14442058541228266915noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36640575.post-54120550537807281182011-01-07T13:38:00.000-05:002011-01-07T13:38:57.670-05:00The smell of zucchini bread on a snowy day
I'm not ashamed to say I frequent the discount produce rack at the supermarket. There are often things on there that are clearly past their sell-by dates, but just as often there are perfectly usable, if ugly, fruits and vegetables.
Two days ago I bought a bag of zucchinis that were not too beautiful. I used two in a vegetable soup and two more today in a nice and easy zucchini bread. One of Zahrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14442058541228266915noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36640575.post-41525207065222497872011-01-07T13:20:00.000-05:002011-01-07T13:20:34.165-05:00Non-non-dairy creamerUm.... FAIL!
"Non-Dairy Coffee Creamer. Contains: Milk"
Zahrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14442058541228266915noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36640575.post-87744426118920073402010-08-16T18:29:00.001-04:002010-08-27T08:59:35.110-04:00Frangipane and mixed berry tart
Last weekend we picked masses of wild blackberries from our seaside property in Riverport, N.S. We also managed to scrape up the last of the season's wild blueberries and a few raspberries.
With friends coming over for a Sunday dinner, we searched for an interesting way to serve the berries and came up with this fabulous frangipane tart, which is now my favourite new recipe. I plan to make it Zahrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14442058541228266915noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36640575.post-69218498228873822502010-06-24T08:13:00.000-04:002010-06-24T08:13:56.512-04:00Tips from 1940s Maritime HomemakersThe Nova Scotia Public Archives do an incredible job of preserving historical documents and making them publicly available on the web. This morning I came across a wonderful 30-page book of wartime recipes for Maritime homemakers.
Although we don't have to live on war rations these days, some of the tips and recommendations in this book are as sound today as they were in 1945.
- stretch peanut Zahrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14442058541228266915noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36640575.post-91383802611740795982010-03-31T12:51:00.002-04:002010-04-02T18:05:32.687-04:00Barbecue Tonight Lives Up to Its Promise
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mso-pagination:Zahrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14442058541228266915noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36640575.post-40400306737094624902010-01-21T07:53:00.002-05:002010-01-21T07:53:43.277-05:00Blast from the PastZahrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14442058541228266915noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36640575.post-58341888822646401902009-12-20T10:13:00.003-05:002009-12-20T10:14:37.470-05:00The Myth of 'Healthy' FoodsIn more interesting news out of Britain, a recent survey showed that nine out of ten mothers were misled by labelling on food packaging.
The BBC reports that the survey, conducted by the British Heart Foundation, found that "mothers believe claims such as 'a source of calcium, iron and six vitamins' mean a product is likely to be healthy." The truth, the foundation revealed, is that an average Zahrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14442058541228266915noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36640575.post-80786416593138826502009-11-19T08:40:00.001-05:002009-11-19T09:07:39.047-05:00Death By Popcorn
If you're like me, a big part of the fun of going to the movies is having a bucket of popcorn. I'm under no illusions that it's not the healthiest of treats, but I didn't realize just how bad it was till now.
The Center for Science in the Public Interest, a consumer advocacy group, just released a review of movie theater treats showing that a medium popcorn and medium soft drink has 1,200 Zahrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14442058541228266915noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36640575.post-44856524664247120272009-11-16T09:14:00.001-05:002009-11-16T23:37:20.615-05:00As World Leaders Tackle Hunger, What About Obesity?
As world leaders gather in Rome to discuss a new strategy to combat world hunger, a few news stories this morning highlighted the problems at the other end of the hunger spectrum: obesity and poor nutrition even in countries where food is plentiful.
America is already a world leader in obesity and Type 2 diabetes, and a story in The Times Online says that the country may be doomed to remain theZahrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14442058541228266915noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36640575.post-40776252284403247892009-11-10T10:40:00.005-05:002009-11-10T11:13:04.563-05:00Easy Ways to Reduce Food Waste"Willful waste makes woeful want," as the old saying goes. Use your resources wisely and you'll save yourself from wanting -- and needing -- more than you can provide.A new report in Britain quantifies the amount of food and drink wasted by consumers in the United Kingdom. It is estimated that 8.3 million tons of food and drink waste is generated by British households every year -- much (Zahrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14442058541228266915noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36640575.post-80102341181506332552009-11-08T11:00:00.003-05:002009-11-08T11:07:32.980-05:00Remembering the true ThanksgivingThe New York Public Library has embraced social media, with a Facebook page, a Twitter feed and online galleries of their holdings. Now, to usher in Thanksgiving, they've posted a gallery of vintage Thanksgiving menus, holiday postcards and seasonal posters from their colorful visual collections.The images are a quaint reminder of what the holiday once was -- the culmination of an "extremely Zahrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14442058541228266915noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36640575.post-35616361979827429932009-09-16T16:53:00.006-04:002009-09-17T09:14:24.946-04:00Dinner at Le BernardinWhat a treat we had last night. We celebrated our eighth anniversary at Le Bernardin, a fantastic New York restaurant that was awarded four stars when it opened in 1986 and has never let go of them.The service at a restaurant like that is almost as impressive as the food. I think there were as many people working the floor as there were dining and they were all in constant motion, like a Zahrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14442058541228266915noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36640575.post-40774254170312474922009-08-30T21:04:00.036-04:002009-08-30T22:05:00.283-04:00Live Blogging: Iron Chef Coconut Battle9:59pm -- Wow, close score. Good exposure for Mehta, no doubt, but I think the Iron Chef deserved it based on his original ingredients. But I'll still take dinner at Nobu over dinner at Graffiti... Maybe it's just spite. Thanks for reading!9:54pm -- Well, Jehangir seemed to have impressed them with his desserts, which is not surprising since he was a pastry chef. But was it enough to edge out theZahrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14442058541228266915noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36640575.post-53147224010245587502009-08-23T10:00:00.003-04:002009-08-23T12:37:14.269-04:00How to Make Italian TaralliZahrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14442058541228266915noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36640575.post-80022848785422656332009-08-11T22:45:00.003-04:002009-08-11T22:49:55.533-04:00Up close and very personal with the tomato blightMartha Stewart has posted a slideshow on her blog that shows a detailed account of the late blight that has affected so many gardeners and farmers this year. The results are, sadly, not "a good thing."Link: The tomato blight in my gardenZahrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14442058541228266915noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36640575.post-61292714415605080312009-08-11T14:59:00.002-04:002009-08-11T15:08:24.215-04:00When The Heat Is On, Soup Is The ThingSummer has finally settled in to New York – with a vengeance. After a nice long period of cool temperatures and sunny, breezy days, we're now having the hot, humid weather we usually expect this time of year.Soup may not be the first thing that comes to mind in this weather, but the truth is that it can be the perfect solution for a quick meal – even when the sun is shining. Warmer weather Zahrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14442058541228266915noreply@blogger.com0