Latest Posts

Blog Post Inner Harbour, Victoria, B.C
My Stories

While Visiting Victoria

Last weekend we made a quick trip over to Vancouver Island.  It’s been about three years…far too long! Back in the day, before we really got the travel bug and when we still had a mortgage to pay off, we used to go over quite often.  Vancouver Island is very beautiful and if you get […]

Blog Post Photo, Freezer Usage with Vintage Ad
My Stories

My Freezer

We’ve always had a stand-alone freezer. And…FYI…I’ll freeze just about anything that isn’t standing still!  I don’t know how we would live without one! Do you freeze whipping cream? Are you crazy you might ask…hang on…I do all the time and it’s proven to come in handy. Thawed out in the fridge, it can be […]

Cooked Meatballs Cooling on Rimmed Baking Sheet. Recipe Post Has a Number of Different Meatball Recipes. Also Used in Make Some Meatballs.
My Stories

Make Some Meatballs

You’ve just have to say yes to these juicy, succulent morsels!   When a friend posted that she was making meatballs,  I figured I’d better get busy and make some too! I’ve probably made  hundreds if not thousands of different meatballs in my former chef life! The big plus being, they are easy to eat from […]

Blog Post Photo, Del Rey Living Room with Christmas Tree
My Stories

Christmas Spirits?

We’ve got our tree!  We love going to our favourite “lot” every year and picking out the “perfect” tree. The first year my Husband and I were together we drove all over town looking for “that” tree! Oops… the law was laid down and “we will never be doing that again”. Did I mention that we […]

Blog Post Photo, Cherry Tree in Bloom
My Stories

Escape Hatch

“A Change Is Gonna Come.”   Aah!  Nothing like listening to a little Otis Redding!  Some of us of “boomers”, you know the group, where 60 is the new 40, are on a mission; that’s to create the next chapter of our lives. We’ve  watched our parents’ age and here’s a little secret, while they were […]

Blog Post Photo, Phyllis, Red Wine Toast, La Carbonara, Monti, Rome, Italy
My Stories

Thanksgiving and Giving Thanks

Over last weekend we were sitting by our little antique electric fireplace with its glowing glass “coals” reminiscing, sipping wine and reading the entries in my Rome journal from last October.  We spent our Thanksgiving  there wandering the Jewish Ghetto and having lunch at Da Giggetto.  Quite honestly, we are missing being there so much. […]

Blog Post Photo, Thanksgiving in Umbria, Wood Burning Oven
My Stories

A Canadian Thanksgiving

2008 was our first Thanksgiving away from home!   We had travelled to Italy with two friends and our plan was to celebrate Thanksgiving by cooking dinner in the “villa” near Lago Trasimeno in Umbria. My husband and I had  grocery shopped in Tuscany and Umbria two years earlier and knew beforehand that Italians eat […]

Blog Post Photo, Colourful Winter Squash
My Stories

Fall – What’s In Season??

There’s just a few short days left until…I know, I know.   Summer is coming to an end and we move towards the end of the year.  But it’s not all bad news! If you check out the list below of the goodies making their appearances at our Farmer’s Markets, we can actually jump for […]

Blog Post Photo of Green Tomato Relish in Canning Jars
My Stories

There’s Something About Canning

It’s the season once again to haul out our jars and get canning and preserving! And I am so glad to see a resurgence of interest in people taking it up!  Domenica Marchetti has recently published a new book “Preserving Italy” that’s filled with delicious recipes. The household I grew up in had a pantry […]

Borsch in Fancy Bowl with Dark Blue Trim, CN Spoon. Used in Blog Post Borsch
My Stories

Borsch

It’s Russian Soul Food!  Borsch is a part of my family heritage. During the year there are times when “I just gotta have some”. When I eat borsch, my Husband says it’s like I am having a religious experience! The version in  my recipe posts is not the purple, beety one, it is more of a […]