It was on a warm June day that I set out to create this recipe and soon discovered that eggnog was not readily available in any grocery store. Go figure. Well, I wouldn’t let a little thing like that stop me, so I forged ahead. The result was fantastic, if I do say so myself. Eggnog, who needs ya?
The smell of this loaf baking will attract people from miles around. So think long and hard before you make it, just in case you don’t feel like having anyone over that day.
I’m just going to say it: this is the best macaroni and cheese I’ve ever eaten - better than the macaroni and cheese I ate as a child; better than the macaroni and cheese I brought my own children up on when they were little (they don’t agree); better than any fancy restaurant macaroni and cheese with white truffle or lobster; better than any macaroni and cheese I have loved in my life thus far, and there have been many.
I don’t feel it’s boastful to say as much, as the greatness lies not in any brilliance on my part, but in the simple tastes of the ingredients as they fuse in the heat. That’s home cooking for you.
I do rather love the way these little macaroni and cheeses, with their pixie-penne, look like they’ve been made with artificially colored, cheap squeezy cheese or out of a box, when in fact their exotic glow comes courtesy of the earthy goodness of a sweet potato.
This brightly hued statuesque cocktail is inspired by the famous wheat-sheaf bearing Golden Boy sculpture that overlooks Winnipeg from the Manitoba Legislative Building. The complex flavours of this drink are almost as intriguing as this building's architectural mysteries, secrets and symbols that are hidden in plain view; you can even take a tour on the topic.
Taste the rainbow: Carrots come in an array of beautiful colors. For this striking side dish, we blanched a variety of colors just until tender and bright, then tossed them with a lemon vinaigrette and the color-coordinated stems of rainbow chard.
My younger daughter, Madison, loves banana bread, so I always keep extra bananas on hand and let them get super ripe (almost black!) just to make it for her. Overripe bananas are very sweet, which means you can cut back on the sugar without missing any sweetness. The first time I tried making a quick bread in my slow cooker, I was blown away! I couldn’t believe how perfectly it turned out. It’s really great during the warmer months when I don’t want to heat up my kitchen by turning the oven on.
Kitchen wisdom holds that produce that’s in season at the same time will taste great on the same plate (what grows together, goes together, as the saying goes). Here, sweet potatoes, apples, and Vidalia onion are roasted along with pork chops for an autumnal one-pan supper. The tubers soak up the pan juices—flavored with apple cider vinegar, apple cider, and caraway seeds—that are also drizzled over each serving.
Aloo gobi means “potato cauliflower” in India, where it’s a very common vegetable dish. It’s so easy to make and such a hit at my table that I’m constantly creating variations of the original. This recipe replaces the firm potatoes with equally durable butternut squash. Apples add a delicious burst of sweetness, and you’ll love the aromatic spice seeds.
Ever order up garlic mash at a restaurant with the promise of big flavour only to be disappointed by the vaguest hint of garlic, leaving you craving more? Not when you’re the cook in charge! These spuds are packed with enough garlicky goodness to satisfy your appetite for real flavour while establishing your credentials as the real deal in the kitchen.
The classic pastry cream is the standout element in these simple tarts. The graham cracker crust and fresh berry on top are there merely to accentuate the smooth, creamy texture of a well-made custard.