A Humble Dish
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A Humble Dish

Daycare has been open for about a month now, and soon school will be too. At the moment, however, things are pretty homebound here, as they have been since mid-March. That means my attention and energy are still directed toward more domestic pursuits. I’m generally OK with this, but I do feel some pressure to get out there and seize the day, too.

Comfort Foods
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Comfort Foods

There are glimmers of hope as I write: peaks are passing, curves are flattening, and intensive care units are not overwhelmed. At least in my neck of the woods. Even still, not all the headlines are good at the moment – and they never will be, this side of the veil – and surely there’s more bad news to come. Bad news is a bitter pill. But bitter pills are best swallowed on a full stomach, and so I’d like to teach you how to make another dish which bears gustatory and psychological benefits in equal measure.

Eat and remember
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Eat and remember

We all have memories associated with food. Sometimes the very first bite of a certain dish will transport us back to time spent with a loved one or a special event or vacation.

‘Sugaring’

‘Sugaring’

Is there anything more Canadian than maple syrup?

Silver and Gold
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Silver and Gold

It was recently my turn to bring in snacks for the staff at my workplace. This is no small feat, as every Wednesday, just before 10:00 a.m., a small army of piranhas – er, I mean people – begin to hover around a 4’x3’ island in the staff room, eagerly awaiting to devour this week’s offering.

Perfectly real

Perfectly real

Sometimes when you are searching for something your heart desires, the best place to start is at home.

A classic drink for heedless times
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A classic drink for heedless times

And that reminds me: I need a drink. Not because I’m some escapist sot who reaches for the medicine any time the world seems to tilt off its axis. Instead, I draw inspiration from Chesterton: the “dipsomaniac and the abstainer are not only both mistaken, but they both make the same mistake

New Years’ herring
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New Years’ herring

Herring is one of the very best food sources of vitamin D. Our bodies make this vitamin in sunlight, but in our climate it’s not easy to get enough. There seems to be more to vitamin D than strong teeth and bones. It’s now thought that vitamin D deficiency might be a factor in many diseases, such as multiple sclerosis and diabetes.

Just deserts
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Just deserts

A few Christian Courier issues ago, my proofreader’s eye caught, with the satisfaction only a proofreader can understand, what I was sure was a mistake. One of our writers used the term “just deserts” in their column. I promptly added my comment that “desserts” was spelled with two “s’s” because I had learned a little trick long ago to remember the difference – desserts are better than deserts and so the word gets an extra letter.

Palatable Goodness

Palatable Goodness

Not only have school lunches reared their ugly heads, but along with this dreaded chore comes the annual desire to make some healthy changes to the brown-bag contents.

Playing with fire

Playing with fire

There was a time when even the word “jalapeño” used to scare me.

New delights

New delights

It might be hard to believe, but I was an extremely picky eater as a child. I, who am fascinated by all manner of delicious foods and read cook books for pleasure, used to turn my nose and literally gag at simple things like vegetable soup, onions, almonds, spinach and many, many more things.