A Taste Of Hawaii

The winter of 2024 has not been a typical winter by a long shot. It has felt more grey and dismal than usual, and the rollercoaster temperatures haven’t helped. One moment feels like spring, and then boom, a few hours later it’s winter again. Because of this, and because I have a goal to travel…

The Recipes Of 2023

Last year was another great year for me in the kitchen. From testing out new-to-me recipes to returning to old standards, I managed to use my kitchen adventures to significantly reduce the amount of money I spent on food and beverages while I was on campus. And although I still spent too much money ordering…

The Year That Could Be

Alright 2024 – you’re here and I’ve got my eye on you. The last few years have been challenging for a lot of people, and I’m expecting that this year will continue in that vein. Given everything that’s going on in the world, I don’t think this is an unrealistic expectation. To help me maintain…

The Year That Could Be

As is typical of this time of year, I usually begin January with a list of goals that is intended to help me shape what the next 12 months could be. I don’t identify these goals for the sake of determining the year’s worth when it inevitably winds down on December 31st – because these…

The Recipes Of 2022

After the culinary success of 2021, I decided that I would once again attempt 26 new-to-me recipes in 2022. And while I did manage to complete this task, I’m afraid that my lack of writing means that my list is incomplete or lacking detail.

Mmmm, Coffee Cake

The last two times I made coffee cake, I somehow managed to completely mess them up. In both cases, part of the cakes remained gooey and unbaked. Apparently, when I checked the cakes with a toothpick, I managed to poke them everywhere except where the gooey unbaked parts remained. And I didn’t notice my mistake…

Mmmmm, Pi

Today is March 14th, the day nerds and pie-lovers around the world celebrate Pi Day. As I am both a nerd and a lover of pie, today represents probably the most significant day of my year. To celebrate, I’ve just whipped up a blueberry, blackberry, and raspberry pie that’s currently baking in the oven. And…

All The Windows Are Open

It’s Sunday, March 6, the sun is out and the temperature climbed all the way to 13 Celsius. Every single window in the condo is wide open and it finally feels like spring is just around the corner. Obviously, I’m not going to hold my breath because I live in Canada and know that Mother…

Sweet

Last night, before settling in to rewatch Daniel Craig as James Bond in Spectre, I decided to whip up my first ever batch of pralines. I had been thinking about making pralines ever since I received some as a Christmas gift. However, since the gifted pralines were dairy-based, I had to miss out on their…

Thanks, Antoni

I’m not sure if you’ve been watching season 6 of Queer Eye on Netflix, but if you have then you might recall that in one of the episodes, Antoni Porowski (the food and wine expert) teaches one of the show’s makeover recipients how to make a cauliflower steak. I tried it tonight, and holy hell…

Mmmmuffins!

After spending several hours in the great wintery outdoors this afternoon, I came home feeling calm and a wee bit tired. I debated having a good long sit with a book, or even a nice long nap – both of which would have been perfectly cromulent – before the siren song of the kitchen called…

The Year That Could Be

Hello to 2022 – another year full of possibilities. Of course, I wouldn’t be surprised if like me, you are approaching this year with more than an ounce of hesitation and apprehension. The last few years have been tough on everyone, and I’m sure whatever lies on the road ahead will challenge us in ways…

The Recipes Of 2021

While much of 2020’s culinary adventures could best be described as rage baking, I think 2021 was far more emotionally balanced. Yes, there were several times when working in the kitchen was all I could do to manage my emotional response to <waves hands wildly about> everything, but more often than naught I happily spent…

The Year That Was

As I wrote yesterday, 2021 was a challenging year. I was absolutely crushed to say farewell to Elliott after having his constant companionship for over a decade. I also experienced significant challenges at work that negatively affected my ability to serve students at a time when they need more support than ever. At the same…

Easy Bake

Following my usual Saturday script, I sauntered down to the Guelph Farmer’s Market for some fresh air and Farmer’s Market wares. While market adventures were commonplace in the before times, they have become a rather important part of my routine during the pandemic – as much for the health and wellness benefits of getting out…