Bonjour Brioche…. and yummy croissants

Wooow…. if there’s a place that really deserves the praise that Toronto Life gives it on a regular basis, Bonjour Brioche is definitely it. Located in the east end of town, in a very inconspicuous and currently slightly grungy area, this little locale is a true gem. The decor is uninspiring to say the least. …

Inspiring Our Kitchen

I’ve been in and around restaurants since I was 12 years old and washing dishes at my parents resto on the south shore of Nova Scotia. I have worked in downtown Toronto, uptown Toronto, in PEI, Collingwood and now out west and I gotta say, no matter where you go some things never change and yet others …

The Black Hoof

This little restaurant has been attracting a lot of buzz in Toronto in the past few years. The chef, Grant van Gameren, is a veteran of Lucien, Canoe and Amuse Bouche and is very adamant about challenging his customers’ taste buds with cured meats and offal. His restaurant is always packed, they don’t take reservations …

A starter of my very own!

One of the best aromas in the world, is the smell of freshly baked bread. This new year has been filled with simple white loaves, whole wheat bread and even flax seed and oat bread… but nothing really quite hit the spot. I was searching for that true tasting bread, and I luckily discovered that …

Simple Strawberry Shortcake

Hello all and a very Happy New Year!!! Welcome to a new decade hopefully filled with scrumptious food and yummy num nums…. Anyways, so over the Christmas break I perfected a cake I enjoy very much and that is Strawberry Shortcake. Although winter is generally not a season to be making anything involving fresh strawberries, …

First night of the $20 Challenge

Last night we created a meal from scratch that was both economical and extremely tasty. Our asian inspired meal included a spicy vegetable stir-fry (zucchini, snow peas, broccoli, botton mushrooms and green peppers), coconut chicken and a serving of rice. The chicken was sauteed off with onions and then simmered with coconut milk and cream. …

We made it through…

To make a long story short… this weekend, two of us fed 40 people a wonderful elaborate meal! I’m very very proud of our accomplishments and the ease with which we overcame our slight obstacles… I’ll jot down the menu and some comments on all the items, if recipes are needed or wanted, just ask…. …

Baking with Julia

So I got this neat new recipe book “Baking with Julia” which is a collection of recipes based on Julia Child’s PBS series and written with the help of various “hip” pastry chefs. The book is phenomenal since it explains the basics of every recipe and any/all problems that may arise while making each particular …