The Yum Yum Factor

Chef Shawn Murphy and Quiet Acres Okay, things have gotten off to a a late start this year, what with the wonky long weekend dates, but here we are. The Kid is back in school (GRADE 11 FOR THE LOVE OF PEARL AND SPORTING VIABLE FACIAL HAIR) and TIFF started last night. These two events have been intertwined since the kid started going to school. Every year I felt like I was the only mom who missed the welcome picnic, who didn't get to walk her kid to school or even say hello to her child until the film festival finally ended. Now, he doesn't need me for much more than making his lunch and I no longer work the entire festival and life has settled down. Okay, enough of that. I had a great week in Yum, starting with my food demo at The Hot and Spicy Festival as part of the "Ten for the Next Gen" program. Ten chefs shared something that they would like to pass on to the next generation, something that was passed on to them. For my presentation, I chose to make my...

As one of the ten chefs participating in the Ten for the Next Gen Series at Harbourfront's Hot and Spicy Food Festival   I was tasked with coming up with something that would fit the themes of sustainability and passing traditions on to the next generation. Since I can't really draw on my own family traditions, unless I wanted to pass along my mom's delicious Sherif's lemon meringue pie and, don't get me wrong, she made a mean Sherif's lemon meringue pie, I was going to think outside the box and come up with something of my very own. photo: Shack Shackleton Some of my Blend and Extend Recipes: Blend and Extend Beef Patty Pops Shroomy Beef Keftedes Spicy Mushrooms with Pork Chicken Mushroom Salsa Verde Besides coming up with recipes for Mushrooms Canada and their Blend and Extend program, I have totally embraced the philosophy in my own kitchen and you will almost never find me using any sort of ground meat without adding in a huge whack of grou...