Bloggers without Borders: A Beginning

UPDATE: I now have a BwoB fundraiser of my own! Head over to Simple Bites for a chance to win some gorgeous items from Le Creuset and help a good cause.

After months of dreaming, weeks of planning, days of coordinating, and hours upon hours of work, the vision of a non-profit organization for bloggers, by bloggers has become a reality for Bloggers without Borders founders, Maggy Keet and Erika Pineda-Ghanny.


You have to see it for yourself; go visit the beautiful new website, read about how the non-profit was started, and find out how you can help.

It is an honour to be working with Maggy and Erika in their endeavors to harness the good will of the blogging community for charity. You'll see the words 'Social Media Manager' next to my photo on the About Us page, which I think means -- I like to talk? Or something.

It also means I'm the voice behind our Twitter and Facebook accounts, so please, go give us some love and spread the word!

Now, our kick-off project is near and dear to my heart. You remember my post on A Pie for Mikey? Well, spearheaded by Shauna and supported by Bloggers without Borders, A Fund for Jennie has been launched.

Please take a moment to read about the project, and then either donate by clicking the button below, or from the options on the BwoB website.



Thank you! Don't forget to subscribe to the BwoB blog feed for regular updates!

A Birthday and My Favorite Things

It's a cozy, sleepy Saturday afternoon. There's a massive pear crisp bubbling away in the oven and perfuming the house with smells of cinnamon and cardamom.

I've got a few minutes to myself before birthday party prep gets underway and I wanted to point you in the direction of my birthday festivities over on Simple Bites.

What started out as a list of current favorite things, scratched onto a notebook on my bedside table, turned into a full-fledged mega-giveaway.

Yes, in celebration of my birthday, I've listed my absolute favorite things (products, mind you, not like, people or places) and then proceed to give most of them away in what has quickly become my most popular giveaway, ever.

So if you like Le Creuset, stylish knives, fine chocolate, world class spices, natural beauty products or loose-leaf tea, head over to My Favorite Things giveaway on Simple Bites and leave a comment.

That's it!

Giveaway ends Monday at midnight. Good luck to all!

Goodbye July

It's August, which means were eating corn for dinner 5 nights a week, I'm making birthday plans, and Christmas merchandise has showed up at Costco.

July sped by in a blur of pool parties, potlucks, weddings, and long afternoons spent keeping cool. I dedicated a series to frozen treats over on Simple Bites and, for the most part we survived the heat wave.

We started the month with a perfect three-day camping trip, followed by a most memorable U2 concert under warm Montreal skies. Best. Show. Ever.

The month was punctuated by our baby news! It was a thrilling discovery, but one that plunged me into exhaustion so deep I felt --and still do-- that every day was Moving Day. ‘Moving day fatigue’ is the best way I can describe to Danny how my body feels in the morning as I lie pinned to the mattress.

Fortunately, he's been off work for the last 2 weeks and has gallantly risen every morning to prepare breakfast and coffee for us, and keep the kids quiet until I can rouse myself.

I think my strength is slowly returning; hopefully my appetite is not far behind.

So yes we are expecting again, anticipating the new arrival in early March. Danny is hoping for a leap year baby again, which could easily happen. I for one, won't truly relax until the first ultrasound and they tell me there's just one baby.

As twins run in my family, the chances of doubling the number of our children with this pregnancy is definitely a possibility. I'm not sure if I'm ready for that kind of an adventure!

Central Park

At the end of July, I hopped on a plane to Jersey for Big Summer Potluck. I cemented some online friendships, made new ones, laughed myself silly, and spent a day eating New York City. It was the best of times.

In an update on our urban homestead, our backyard project of the month was finally completed and I now have 4 raised garden beds. They terrace down the hill toward the forest, framed by a massive weeping willow. I love them.

I planted a little fall garden -- lettuce, spinach, watercress and arugula-- and little sprouts are already peeking up from the earth. My herb garden is thriving, thanks to bedding plants I was able to find at a local nursery.

Next year I will plant a complete garden; it's reassuring to know that as soon as the snow melts the spring I'll have a garden space ready to plant.

August holds some canning projects, a visit from long-time friends, my birthday, back to school for Noah, and at the end of the month, a trip out to Vancouver to film a little project for TV...

But that story is for a another post.

Goodbye July.

More on Cupcakes in Montreal

Over the years I've eaten a lot of cupcakes around town, written a few posts about them, and kept my ear to the ground on the general cupcake scene.

People have both loved and hated what I've written, but the opinion is still mine to share, and I continue to do so.

Recently I had the opportunity to write an article for the popular Montreal food blog, Ici et Here. Curated by Jackson Wightman of Made Here, the Fait Ici blog (and many other online venues), Ici et Here is a blog about Montreal and the fascinating way food is woven into the fabric of life in this city.

It was my honour to contribute to the already stellar content of the blog, and I chose cupcakes as my topic. Perhaps to ruffle a few feathers. Perhaps to show that these mini confections still have a solid fan base in this town.

From the post:

"Alright, I know the cupcake is on more ‘out’ lists than Lady Gaga is on ‘in’ lists. Local Chowhounders label them as “pervasive”; food snobs scoff as they pass the (many) shops; heck, in merely mentioning on Twitter that I was writing about cupcakes, I received a snide @reply asking, “Are cupcakes still a thing?”

Granted, they really aren’t. The new sweet trend is macarons or pie, depending on whom you talk to, and the cupcake hype is a thing of the past. However, in or out, it’s my firm belief that they still hold court in the Montreal food scene."...

Head to Ici et Here to read the rest of the post and get my recommendations for the best cupcakes in town.

I had great fun contributing to Ici et Here. A big thanks to Jackson for the opportunity!

Chasseurs d'Epices: A Spicy Adventure Comes to TV

Local food & travel enthusiasts will not want to miss an exciting and unique new show that makes its debut tonight on ARTV.

Chasseurs d'Epices ('Spice Hunters' for the Anglos) follows renown Montreal spice master, Philippe de Vienne and his charming wife, Ethné, on their world travels in search of the best spices.

Last week I attended a small launch party and private screening of the show. Philippe cooked a feast for us and alongside the gracious hosts themselves, we watched the debut episode of Chasseurs d'Epices. Such fun!

Chasseurs d'Epices is like if your favourite travel show merged with your must-watch cooking show. The true personalities of our hosts shine through, making for a colourful, emotional and interesting ride. This series is going to go far.

Just take a peek:

Don't miss the first episode, airing tonight at 8 on ARTV. I'm only going to give one hint: Philippe and Ethné, wedding crashers extraordinaire.

You can also connect with Chasseurs d'Epices on Facebook.

Wordless Wednesday: Hola! A Mexico Recap

Roasted Shiitake Parmesan Pops

OK, I have to admit, I lured you in with that title. While this addicting new appetizer recipe has indeed been developed, tested, and photographed by yours truly, I will not be posting the recipe. Call me a tease, but you'll have to buy Peko Peko to get it.

Wait, Peko-what?

Peko Peko: Family Friendly Japanese Recipes is a collection of nearly 60 Japanese and Japanese-inspired recipes published by Blurb, 100% of the profits of which will be donated to charity relief in Japan. I was fortunate to be one of the food bloggers who contributed a recipe to the cookbook.

Peko Peko: Family Friendly Japanese Recipes offers 120 full-color pages packed with gorgeous photography and 59 Japanese-inspired recipes contributed by 56 food writers, bloggers and photographers.

Peko Peko also includes an indispensable guide to over 50 Japanese ingredients, including suitable substitutions for the North American home cook. If you've never cooked Japanese food, don't worry, the detailed pantry section in the book that will give you the information you need to use those new ingredients with confidence.

It's been a amazing honour to be a small part of this project, spearheaded by three talented curators.

You can read more about Peko Peko (and see some photos from the book) over on Simple Bites and yesterday the Montreal Gazette was also kind enough to give it a mention in the Applause section. The word is spreading!

Of course, you can also go directly to Blurb to purchase the book, where all of the proceeds will go to the GlobalGiving Japan Earthquake and Tsunami Relief Fund. Nobody involved in making the book will profit from Peko Peko, including Blurb. As a Peko Peko sponsor, the good folks at Blurb have agreed to waive their usual cut of book sales.

Thanks in advance for supporting our cause and happy cooking!

My New Favorite Salad

Babble asked their Top Mom Food Bloggers for a recipe a few months ago and I sent in this Smoked Salmon, Endive, & Grapefruit Salad with Dill as I was infatuated with it at the time.

Turns out it's still a favorite and I've been keeping radishes, dill and lemons on hand just so I can satiate my cravings as often as needed. Half the time I leave out the smoked salmon and grapefruit, and go with crunchier vegetables such as celery, fennel and the aforementioned, radishes.

Top with a few Quick Pickled Red Onions and you have yourself a new favorite salad. Promise.


Its delicate spring colors will entice you, while its vibrant flavors win you for keeps. Perfect for brunch, a light lunch, or a dinner appetizer, this pretty salad is a great way to stretch smoked salmon and make raw vegetables the star of the meal.

Head over to Babble Food for the Smoked Salmon, Endive, & Grapefruit Salad recipe.

Dinner at Empire State South

Restaurant reviews are something that went out the window a looong time ago around here. I posted a few at the beginning and then realized that I strongly disliked writing reviews. I just wanted to enjoy my meal, not sweat the poor lighting for photos and hour long write up upon my return home. Non merci.

Plus, with two little children added to our family, our restaurant outings have slowed to a crawl. It's not exactly like I stay on top of the local restaurant scene. And I don't pretend to.

This past weekend, however, offered the chance for a dinner out on the town - in humid Atlanta, Georgia. Danny and I were in town for a mini second honeymoon and the Blogher Food conference - of course we wanted to eat Atlanta while we had the opportunity.

You can read my full BHF'11 recap on Simple Bites -I had a marvelous time- but over here we're going to talk about dinner.

Danny & Shaina

The destination? Empire State South. A Canadian chef's modern take on Southern food, served up in style, with plenty of love.

ESS proudly considers itself a farm-to-table restaurant, which reminded me a lot of our own Toque! and the scads of in-house charcuterie bordered on Au Pied du Cochon's style.

Needless to say, I felt quite at home at Empire State South.

My dining companions? Eight fabulous rock-star food bloggers. You just may recognize a few names here: Alice & her husband Rob, Sandy, Carrie, Amanda, Tara, Jenny, Lori, Shaina.
Along with Danny and I, we invaded the small-ish Empire State South and proceeded to ordered half the menu.

Thanks to Amanda, I've got food photos from the meal. I was too busy gabbing with the girls to work the camera and was happy to hand it over to the competent Amanda.

Amanda's first oyster! This ain't no New York cupcake - The girl is fearless.

Carrie & Jenny

Soft Poached Farm Egg anson mills grits, maitake, baby celery.

Strawberry Gazpacho, pickled shrimp, asparagus, marcona almonds.

Ramp Orecchiette, carrot puree, carrots, english peas, squash and benne.

Roasted Grouper, pea broth, young zucchini.


There are no photos of desserts to speak of, save this one, snapped with my iPhone.


We ordered eight plates, but they disappeared so fast. I was sitting next to Amanda and I don't know anyone who loves sweets more that that girl!

I knew that if I wanted a fighting chance at tasting dessert, I had to put the camera down. And so I did.

Alice, myself, Amanda

We sampled:

• Coconut Cream Pie, almond brittle,
• Fried strawberry pie, pickled strawberry, buttermilk ice cream
• Coke soft serve ice cream, peanut funnel cake (pictured above)
  
• Grasshopper Terrine, candied chocolate mint

Shaina and I have since been fantasizing over the strawberry pies.I think she's going to have a recipe coming soon. Hopefully just in time for our strawberry season.

Shaina & Lori

Consensus? We loved Empire State South. The entire evening was surreal. Fantastic food. Brilliant company. Inspiring conversation. I think it lasted about three hours, and is definitely going in the books as one of my most memorable dining experiences.