It’s that time of year again, isn’t it? It’s hard to believe this is the third annual NEAROF! gift guide. Every year, it’s getting harder to write this thing, probably because I’ve included all sorts of great stuff in prior […]
Tag: essential
Arbitrary: Why I love my balcony garden
Until moving to Calgary, the closest I came to balcony gardening was the flower bed in front of our old apartment in Edmonton’s Belgravia neighbourhood, which the owners actively encouraged us to plant with veggies and herbs. Try as we […]
Review: Mr. Christie’s Arrowroot Biscuits
Who in Canada doesn’t have childhood memories of chomping on Arrowroot cookies, possibly while sipping from a plastic tumbler of apple juice? For some reason, Arrowroot cookies have become the toddler snack of choice. How this connection between children and […]
Arbitrary: So, you’re a vegetarian. Why buy a BBQ?
I’m a pretty half-hearted carnivore. Sure, I like the occasional steak (cooked to well done), and I quite like kebabs, satay, souvlaki, shawarma, donair, gyro, and all manner of marinated chicken breasts, especially cooked on a grill. And chicken tikka? […]
Review: Red Racer India Pale Ale
I’d heard great things about Red Racer India Pale Ale from beer-loving friends, but my first sip of the stuff was at Bottlescrew Bill’s, a great Calgary watering hole that caters to the seriously beer-obsessed. How good was it? Here’s […]
Review: Hazer Baba Turkish Delight
I feel silly saying this, but the I think the first time I tried real, honest-to-goodness Turkish delight (a.k.a. lokum) was around five years ago, at Edmonton’s Heritage Festival. I bought a small baggie full of jellied Turkish delight cubes […]
Arbitrary: The First Slurpee of the Season
There’s something magical about the first Slurpee of the season, isn’t there? The sweet, frosty, icy, slushy soft drink is a staple of the summer season in this part of the world, and there is much to celebrate on the […]
Gear: Parchment paper
I only started using parchment paper a couple of years ago, when a recipe for macarons requested it be put down on a baking sheet before piping on mounds of sticky almond egg goop. How clueless was I? I’d […]