There are a few common misconceptions about jam-making that I don't quite get. And I'd like to clear them up now, if possible.

1) you must make an enormous batch, requiring pounds of fruit, an enormous pot and every square inch of counter space available.

2) you must use proper canning equipment, buy jars with sealable lids, and process your jam at so many pounds per inch for a precise length of time, lest you give someone botulism.

3) you must buy packaged pectin, be exact with your measurements and then feel some degree of panic over the possibility that your jam might not set.

4) it will take you all day, or at least most of the afternoon.

Really guys, it's just not that big a deal. Jam is just fruit cooked down with sugar and acid (ie. lemon juice). So … Read More

Afternoon tea isn't just for Mothers' Day. It just so happened that we went for Afternoon Tea at the Banff Springs Hotel on Mothers' Day weekend, so I can pretend that was orchestrated on my behalf, in honour of my most excellent motherness.

But really, I'd take a tower of tea sandwiches and sweets, warm scones with clotted cream and a mountain view on any afternoon of the year.

Having lived in Calgary since grade 2, I've made my share of day trips to Banff. But over the past year I've rediscovered the place, newly appreciative of the fact that it's an easy hour's drive away, and enough of a change of scenery to make a regular weekend seem like a long weekend, even if you bring your blackberry and laptop with you. Friday afternoon we threw our stuff … Read More

For some reason, a bag of Cheezies (the real, Hawkins kind - they're Canadian, did you know?) with a bottle of big red wine has become my idea of heaven on a Friday night. (Achievable dreams are important-yes?) It occurred to me awhile ago that I could in fact make something similar. These are easy, snacky, and a great way to use up the last of the cheese ends (any kind, really) in your fridge. I'm not sure revisiting these cheesy bits (which were oh-so-popular in the 80s, often made with frozen puff pastry) was altogether a good idea. (It might be better to save this recipe for occasions at which more than one person is present, if that person is you.)

They also, it turns out, make a great nibble alongside a bowl of soup, if you need a sort of ballast that doesn't … Read More

SHUT UP.

A Nutella latte.

deVille on first street.

I went for elevenses today; Pierre, author of the (award winning!) cookbook Kitchen Scraps, made crumpets. I know! For real! Crumpets! Only the very best butter transport system ever created!

Crumpets are made out of a wet, yeasty batter - thicker than pancake batter but thinner than bread dough - cooked in a hot skillet in crumpet rings (or cookie cutters, or cleaned-out tuna tins opened on both ends) until they're set enough to flip and cook until crusty gold on the other side. Why pancakes and waffles are so commonly made on Sunday mornings but crumpets aren't I have no idea. It's totally unfair. Maybe I'll go to the UK and ask them. Over crumpets.

The recipe isn't quite done yet. Pierre deemed the batter too sticky. They were quite fabulous, even … Read More