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Lifestyle, travel, and dining out

Okonomiyaki

Okonomiyaki

I love this Japanese pancake. When we had them in Japan, they also had meat or seafood in them. This the basic recipe with cabbage only, and you can add what you like into the batter to make it your own. This recipe calls for shredded cabbage, I do a cheat’s version and buy the coleslaw mix at the grocery store. Whatever I don’t use in the Okonomiyaki, can be sauteed for dinner, or thrown into a soup. The toppings is what makes it special. I like to drizzle Japanese Kewpie ma

Pan banging cookies

Pan banging cookies

The ripple cookies, with crisp edges, and chewy centres are the ultimate chocolate chip cookie. Made famous by author Sarah Kieffer, when her recipe appeared in the New York Times, the cookie became an internet sensation. I decided to try my favourite recipe, but just added her technique. It worked and they have turned into my favourite way to make chocolate chip cookies. Cookie recipe by The Joy of Cooking, technique by Sarah Kieffer. Sarah’s recipe makes giant cookies, four

Chanel Beauty

Chanel Beauty

First my disclaimer, I am not a beauty expert or a beauty blogger. I’m a forty something woman who wants her skin to be healthy and use products that smell good. For me, Chanel Beauty products work well, now. I say now, because our skin is always changing as we age. As a teenager, I was fine doing Formula Ten-O-Six on a cotton ball. I didn’t even moisturize or do face masks back then. I didn’t have any acne or breakouts, so I figured it was good for me. In retrospect, it p

Focaccia Art

Focaccia Art

I always love pretty food, plating a dish so it looks appealing is half the fun for me. While I can’t draw or paint, today I discovered I can make Focaccia Art. With a very simple focaccia recipe, I set out to use only edible plants as my toppings. Without cheese, this is a vegan dish, perfect for hosting guests one day, or for us as a snack during a family round of Bananagrams. Focaccia Gardens is an Internet thing at the moment, not as popular as Dalgona Coffee, Sourdough,

Sourdough bread

Sourdough bread

Sourdough bread is one of the most satisfying foods to make. It is literally only flour, water, and salt. For it to work you will need a levain, also known as a sourdough starter, which is simply flour and water that’s turned into wild yeast. My sourdough starter recipe, and tips can be found here. Essentially, feed it the night before you bake. And the amount you feed it is half the amount you’ll need for the bake, but should be same weight or more than the starter itself.

Sourdough starter

Sourdough starter

New skills are never too late to learn and I‘m proud to say that I can now make Sourdough. Like many, I explored this during the Covid-19 Pandemic, while we all stayed at home. Instagram and the web have so many resources, but more importantly, inspiration. I am definitely no expert, and I’ve only been doing this for a very short time. Please consider my recipe and advice as a friend’s advice, I am not and won‘t ever be a professional. There, that’s my disclaimer. Here is my

Pizza night

Pizza night

We love a good pizza night. One of our favourites is Cibo 17th avenue, but while we can’t eat on premise, we can order hot pies or make our own with fully stocked kits. Thanks to PARKER PR and the kind folks at Cibo, we were generously provided a pizza kit for two ($30). I chose the Wild Boar kit and the Pear and Gorgonzola. The kits came with absolutely everything and they were super generous with toppings. Included is a tip sheet for preparing the pizza, including how to st

Scallion pancakes

Scallion pancakes

A Chinese snack, but loved by all. This recipe is for two large pancakes, but can easily be doubled to make four pancakes. I prefer to use a scale, but have adapted to approximate cup measurements if you don’t have a scale. If you have any left over or want to prepare these a day ahead, they reheat very easily in a non stick or cast iron pan without any oil. Ingredients 1 bunch of green onions (aka scallions), small chop, mostly green part. 200 g flour (all purpose) or 1 1/4

Giada’s Strawberry Rosemary Scones

Giada’s Strawberry Rosemary Scones

In February of this year, we had a long weekend in Las Vegas with another couple. Our kids stayed back in Calgary together with a babysitter. It was a weekend of indulgent food and shopping. None of the four of us gamble, but we all agree on eating well and nice hotels. One of our favourite meals was Sunday Brunch at Giada’s in the Cromwell Hotel, that’s Giada De Laurentiis, the gorgeous TV presenter, chef, and author from Food Network. It’s quite unlike many of the other ca

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