egg

Bigger than breakfast, part 2: Eggs

A food with these properties can either anchor or support a dish at any time of day

It’s hard to ignore the pejorative meanings of the word “egg” lurking under the straw scattered about the henhouse. So let’s just call out a few to clear the air: “egghead” is slang for a smart person; “egg on your face” means you’ve messed up and are embarrassed; “egging someone on” is to encourage foolish […] Read more

Dusting Liège waffles with icing sugar is optional.

Bigger than breakfast, part 1: Liège waffles

Unlike for the modern waffle, this batter needs a head start of a day or two

In early May 2018, I spent a few days in Vancouver with my youngest son Dailyn and his partner Rachel. They were both running in the Vancouver marathon, and I was running my first half-marathon. I couldn’t think of a better place to enter the game: a flat, fast course, the seawall, Stanley Park. I […] Read more


Grated and diced apples can add texture to muffins.

Winter fruit, part 3: The versatility of apples

Apples add character to a dish, even when not the star ingredient

I first saw Meryl Streep in 1979 in Kramer vs. Kramer and then in Sophie’s Choice. Both earned her Oscars. A wonderful string of movies followed: Manhattan, Silkwood, The French Lieutenant’s Woman, The Hours and Out of Africa, to name a few. In 1990 at the Screen Actors’ Guild national women’s conference, Streep spoke out […] Read more



Cookie dough on sheet ready for first baking.

Metaphors in baking

First We Eat: A geologic way to think of cakes and cookies

I drove into the southern heartland of Saskatchewan last week, threading through the Qu’Appelle Valley, rolling down undulating slopes past hoodoos to the valley floor, across the bridge, then back up again to the upper deck of land that faces south. The escarpment in the south end of the province remains invisible to anyone traversing […] Read more

Where We Ate by Gabby Payton profiles 150 restaurants.

New Canadiana Cookbooks: Where We Ate

First We Eat: A look at Canadian dining over the decades, through the lens of our country’s iconic eateries

As I read Where We Ate by Gabby Peyton, I fell down a rabbit hole of memory. The book, a history of Canadian dining from pre-Confederation to COVID, profiles 150 restaurants by decades. Turns out I have eaten in 26 of them. “Almost all our restaurant food is immigrant food,” Peyton writes. “We’d be remiss […] Read more


Local cured meats are a popular taste treat at Saskatchewan book launches.

New Canadiana Cookbooks: The Miracle of Salt

First We Eat: Using an age-old technique to preserve, ferment and transform your food

One way to gauge the importance of something in culture is to look at the word’s use in everyday language. When it comes to salt, we have many linguistic idioms and turns of phrase. Salt of the earth. Salty old dog. Salty language. Rubbing salt in a wound. Taking things with a grain of salt. […] Read more

Dry roasting whole spices in a cast iron pan.

New Canadiana Cookbooks: Prairie

Seasonal, farm-fresh recipes celebrate Prairie traditions

A flurry of recent books dishes up Prairie eats, among them tawâw: Progressive Indigenous Cuisine by Shane Chartrand and Jennifer Cockrall-King; Only in Saskatchewan: Recipes and Stories from the Province’s Best-Loved Eateries by Naomi Hansen; Eat Alberta First: A Year of Local Recipes from Where the Prairies Meet the Mountains by Karen Anderson; and Vegetables: […] Read more


Place filled potstickers on a cornstarch-dusted tray and freeze.

A new Canadiana cookbook

First We Eat: ‘What We Talk About When We Talk About Dumplings’

Two things happen after I read What We Talk About When We Talk About Dumplings, an essay collection with recipes published by Coach House Books. First, I take my elderly Momsy to our favourite dim sum palace, where we eat many types of Chinese dumplings. Then I take myself into my kitchen and make some […] Read more

New Canadiana Cookbooks: Eat Alberta First

New Canadiana Cookbooks: Eat Alberta First

First We Eat: Author Karen Anderson provides insights into Alberta people, places and ingredients as well as recipes

To kick off a new series on modern Canadian cookbooks, I am happy to introduce the latest book from Alberta writer Karen Anderson, Eat Alberta First: A Year of Local Recipes from Where the Prairies Meet the Mountains. Full disclosure: Karen is a longtime friend, locavore dining companion, Slow Food stalwart and all-time great woman. […] Read more