The Yum Yum Factor

It's Good Friday so most people have the day off, they are off hanging with family so I will keep this one light. We were thrilled to have these two visitors all the way from Iceland! I did NOT have the day off, instead, I taught a "That's a Wrap! Wonton Hacks" class as part of the Depanneur's Lunch and Learn series. I guided 12 people through a morning of cooking and eating a bunch of things with dumpling/wonton wrappers. We made a traditional pork dumpling in mushroom broth, deep fried edamame dumplings with spicy togorashi oil, cacio e pepe ravioli, little quiches in a dumpling wrapper crust as well as some baked crisps. If you missed this one, worry not because I have another class coming in on June 21 Get tickets here Other than that, I spent most of the week visiting family out of town because I wasn't going to be able to visit them over the Easter weekend since on Sunday, The Kid is turning TWENTY DAMNED YEARS OLD!!  How in the ...

Tulum Ruins Hello there, my peoples! Just want to check in to let anyone who is paying attention that I am alive and well and am home after, what feels like, non stop travelling since the New Year. I have soooo much more to share about my two trips to Mexico City and my recent week near Playa del Carmen - yes, I have been to Mexico three times so far this year. Yes, I love Mexico. In the meantime, my upcoming Peruvian supper club at the Depanneur has sold out but  There are still spots left for my next Instant Pot Class  so if you are in the Toronto area, click that link and grab one before it sells out. These daytime classes are a bit of a new addition to the Depanneur and they are proving to be quite popular. So, I had to let my Friday roundup feature, The Week in Yum, lapse for the last couple of years because I was insanely busy cooking. I was working with the Kingston Social for their first 6 months, I was teaching regularly, doing recipe features for Vita...

Meet Luisa. Luisa grew up in Portugal, went to school in Belgium, lived in Spain and France and spent a large chunk of her life travelling the world while she worked in advertising before she quit to become a dressmaker, working out of her stunning former ship part warehouse space directly facing the Tagus River in Lisbon. Then, this past February, Luisa decided to change course yet again, built a beautiful kitchen in her warehouse and launched her newest venture, Mesa Luisa. Offering her version of the more typical market shop followed by a cooking class and lunch, upcoming workshops and private evening dinners by appointment  , Luisa has reinvented herself as a chef, hostess, guide and story teller in her hometown of Lisbon. Oh, did I forget to mention that Luisa's two children are famous musicians? Her son is Salvador Sobral, the 2017 Eurovision winner (Portugal's first ever win) and he won by singing a song penned by his equally famous sister, musician Luisa Sob...

I don't know about you, but the first thing I do when I get to a new country is visit a grocery store or outdoor market because I truly feel that our first connection to other cultures and their people is through food.  It follows that the next thing I try to make happen is a cooking class. It’s a great toe dip into the food you will be eating for the remainder of your trip and if you are wise, you will suck up to the instructor and hit them up for restaurant recommendations, their favourite markets and shops that sell spices etc. Choosing a class to take in Barcelona took me a day or two of research because there are quite a number of highly rated schools as well as popular, private instructors who will make paella for you on their rooftop patio while you get lit on Vermouth. On my next trip, I will try one of those rooftop classes but for my first trip, I wanted to make more than one dish and ultimately, I chose Cook and Taste Barcelona.  ...

Wow, October is a crazy month for me and if you live in the Toronto area, I hope you can join me for at least one of these great events! I have been super busy working for the last month at my catering bootcamp and have barely had time to think and now, this month looks like it's not going to let up. Cooking workshops, a drop in dinner and a Beau's Supper Club at The Kingston Social will keep me busy so I apologize in advance for the lack of new recipes to share with you but I will be back online in November with lots of new recipes to share. Drop in Dinner @ The Deppaneur Next Friday, Oct 13 I will be offering my latest drop in dinner at The Dep featuring a trio of very different ceviches - Octopus Aguachile, Asian Citrus Shrimp Ceviche and Vegan Hearts of Palm Ceviche with guacamole on a tostada. If you can't decide, get a flight of all three! Service starts at 6pm and we go until we sell out. Grab a bowl of Mexican Street Corn Chowder ...

As I edit my Paris/Rome photos like a maniac and get ready to start sharing my trip with you, I thought I would just let everybody know that I have two fun things to share for my Toronto peeps: Next week, on Thursday April 6, I will be cooking up a storm at The Kingston Social but this time, it will be my menu only that night! There will be plenty of goodness for meat eats and vegetarians alike and full bar service so make sure to stop by, grab a bite and say hi On Monday April 10, I will be holding my latest Instant Pot workshop at the Deppaneur and you can book a spot, online, here For this class I will show you how to make a tasty Potato Leek Soup, Mushroom Risotto, Spicy White Bean on polenta and what is probably the most popular Instant Pot (any brand of electric pressure cooker is welcome so don't let not owning an actual Instant Pot stop you from coming), the cheesecake. Also, hold June 15 for my next Loblaws class - Healthier Mexican 

It's a brand new year and that means it's time to get that electric pressure cooker out of the box, dust it off, put on your big girl panties and start pressure cooking.