Where have I been?

September 20

I’m feeling rusty. I haven’t been around this space for almost two months. I decided that instead of ignoring my absence and going straight back to posting recipes, I would update you about why it’s been so quiet here. I’ve been blogging for over four years and I have never “left” for such an extended period of time. Even though I knew that I would be away, I sort of forgot how long a couple of months actually is. At the same time, more recently, the weeks are effortlessly slipping through my fingers. As each day passes, the post that I intend to work on gets pushed further down my ever-growing to-do list.

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nachos

Nachos

August 28

It’s almost time to say goodbye to Calgary. Actually, you are probably reading this recipe
after we’ve already left. We’ll be on vacation for four weeks (yay!), before we make the actual move to New York, and I am trying to prepare some posts in advance. I suspect that most of the recipes that you will be seeing will be the perfect type of food for summer BBQs and sharing with friends. These nachos definitely fit that bill. They are just a step up from the typical chips and dips that are ubiquitous at any summer party (For good reason: everyone loves crunchy chips, guacamole and salsa!). With the addition of melty cheese, spiced beans, and pickled jalapeños, they are almost a meal in themselves. There will be a lot of goodbyes in the next couples of weeks, which is always strange and sad. But, if I have to say goodbye, I like to do it over good food.

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stone fruit salad

Stone Fruit, Hibiscus Fruit Salad

July 31

I am a fruit fiend at this time of the year. One of my favourite weekly rituals is to go the farmer’s market and choose the best-looking produce that I can find. Obviously, this includes a variety of fruit, straight from the Okanagan Valley. I tend to go for berries, which are beautiful, juicy jewels that make my oatmeal and yogurt so much better and stone fruit, which I love eating on their own, as a snack. Despite the fact that stone fruit are far less reliable than berries- is there anything worse than a mealy peach? – they are my absolute favourite. I typically don’t cook or bake with my summer fruit because they are so delicious raw but when I was faced with making a light dessert for a BBQ last week, I couldn’t think of anything more delicious than a stone fruit, hibiscus fruit salad.

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rhubarb muffins

Rhubarb Muffins

July 21

For the past few weeks we’ve been living with our friend in Calgary. We’re moving away at the end of this month but we got rid of our apartment a month too early so we were lucky enough to have a place to stay. One of the great perks of living in this house is the outdoor space. I’ve never even had a balcony, so being able to sit and work on the porch or the backyard has been amazing. Nothing beats fresh air and the neighbourhood cats that come to visit every once in a while. There was even a small family of red robins that build a nest in her tree and I got to sit and watch the babies take their first flight. Basically, the outdoors is filled with the best distractions. To top it all off, she has a small garden with some herbs and rhubarb. The rhubarb wasn’t being used, so our friend suggested that I make some rhubarb muffins so that it wouldn’t go to waste.

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