spring archive

brown butter rhubarb ginger bars – spring, finally.

Spring came to a slow start here in Vancouver. April and May were cold and rainy with only a couple sunny days to spare. The sad thing is that the past few months have been so busy that I haven’t made it out to our local farmer’s markets and so I felt that all the bounty of spring produce: asparagus, ramps and rhubarb were passing me by. Luckily, I found some gorgeous stalks of rhubarb in my local Chinatown market and remembered a recipe…

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lemon & cucumber salad

Growing up I was a picky eater. I remember on more than one occasion being held back at the table because I didn’t finish my plate. So I’d sit and wait until everything was quiet and then I’d fill up…

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baking with booze: scotch whiskey oat cake

I’m no stranger to baking with booze. I’ve used a red dark ale in cake and some Jack Daniels in a batch of vegan chocolate cupcakes. But I’ve never poured a decent, peaty-tasting scotch into something I was going to…

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easier than you think: lemon roasted chicken & vegetables

One of my favorite meals is a roasted chicken. I’m always shocked when I hear that people just don’t make it from scratch. Sure it’s easy to pick up a roasted bird from Whole Foods, but c’mon, this doesn’t take…

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penne carbonara with garlic scapes

I just wrote about casesar salads being a mainstay in my late teen years. Carbonara was another favorite. I grew up in a university town so there was an entire strip made up of bars and in between those bars,…

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make like it’s spring: bowties with spinach & asparagus

If you live somewhere that already feels like summer, maybe you can just stop reading right now and go outside and enjoy a sunny patio somewhere. Maybe it already feels like springtime in your part of the world. How nice…

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quick n’ easy pan-roasted chipotle salmon

I LOVE springtime. It means skirts and light jackets and a lot more bike riding in my life. However, springtime in the kitchen is also a major highlight. Pea shoots, rhubarb, and asparagus are all things that I look forward…

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finger foods for a crowd: goat cheese stuffed dates & green bean/asparagus bundles

Last week, my mother-in-law asked if I wouldn’t mind making some appetizers as she was having a garden party to launch her latest book. Although I responded enthusiastically, I was a bit worried since I don’t really have much experience…

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