This dish is not traditionally Italian, but the first time I made this was in Italy when I needed a dinner that was vegetarian-friendly. This dinner comes together really quickly and the sauce can be prepped while the pasta cooks. The sauce itself takes less […]

“What’s good on chicken?” Since 2008, the best place to get the answer to this question, if you live in Calgary (or Edmonton), is The Silk Road, Spice Merchants. Owners Colin and Kelsey started their specialized spice emporium. They carry over 100 different types of […]

Recently, we had a vegetarian house guest in Italy. This had me working on my meatless recipes. Pete had given me this very cool spice mix called Ras el Hanout, which he had found at “Silk Road Spice Merchant” in the Calgary Farmers Market. It […]

Did I mention that I have a thing for hot sauces? I delicately stuck my toe in the hot sauce pool when I made Jalapenôs hot sauce three different ways – cold, hot and a combination of hot and cold. After having my neighbours and […]

Today is Cinco de Mayo, a major Mexican holiday. This holiday commemorates the Mexican army‘s unlikely victory over French forces at the Battle of Puebla on May 5, 1862. It’s also a pretty good excuse to drink margaritas and beer and eat tacos. As you may […]

I have three sisters. Yes, you read that right, there were four girls in my family growing up. My father used to moan that he was outnumbered – even the cat was female. What he never mentioned, of course, was that he was (and still is) […]

  I love my older sister, Louise, but she is a real pain in the butt when she comes to visit and I want to cook for her. She is, you see, a Celiac pescatarian. Part of the problem, I admit, are my food issues. I’m allergic […]