Food & Drink

The Yukons are in town

He says: I don’t know if you have noticed, but the Yukons have arrived! Now before I start let me tell you, I make part of my living serving the Yukons, Escalades and Hummers. Yes I am referring to the nice people of Alberta who come and spend their well-earned oil money here in our beautiful Oka

I am...happy

In recent years we seem to have transcended the stereotype that paints Canadians as almost-like Americans but with a colder climate and a funny accent, thanks in no small part to those beer ads that advertise all the passions Canadians have. All the wonderful pastimes we enjoy are certainly part of

Cool Dads like it hot!

She says: With Father’s Day this weekend, it seemed the perfect thing to write an ode to the barbecue. Certainly in this part of the world anyway, Dads are generally the ones who own the grill in most houses. I know my Dad was the grill master when I was growing up, and Martin has taken things t

The wisdom of Pooh

She says: Isn’t it funny how some things keep coming back to you throughout your life? I have a good friend who says that life keeps presenting lessons to us until we learn from them as much as sometimes I wish I wouldn’t remember her words, they are true. Times when you do that silly thing yo

Lazy Days of Summer?

She Says: I was fortunate this week to have a day off that was pleasant and so I took to the garden to do some general upkeep. Having moved to a new place, we have lots of work to do to make it our own, and even just to clean it up from the general neglect it suffered in past years. I don’t think

Elephant’s footprints

She says: I know that news in general is not a pleasant thing, but do we have to listen to seemingly endless variations on a theme of doom and gloom? I think that is why reality shows are so popular – people want to say that they are not escaping from reality, but they don’t really want to loo

Are you my Mother?

With Mother’s Day approaching this Sunday, I was remembering times with my Mom and thinking of all the things I loved. I will admit here that I was most fortunate as my Mom loved being a Mom and she was able to stay home while my brother and I were small so we got lots of quality time with her. On

Cook often and be happy

She says:   Every day, we are constantly being pushed and pulled by influences in our lives and all of those influences change how our lives go and how long they last. The quality of life you have is not only about where in the world you live, but how you live. If you “super-size” your meals to

My coffee has aftertaste

She says: We talked last week about the idea of food snobs and how the youth of today might be spoiled with all the exotic fusion fare and specialty artisanal products. It seemed that perhaps we were just experiencing an evolution. That got me to thinking about the difference between hip undergroun

Are you a food snob?

She says: I read an article this week in the New York Times that mentioned university students are now checking out the quality of the cafeteria as another way to decide which campus to attend. I know I am getting older when I read that and remember that my favourite cafeteria food at university wa

Have""s and have-not""s

She Says: The past week has been full of the simple pleasures of life: quality time with the family. We had my Mom come out to share her birthday and then came Martin’s daughter (my stepdaughter and good friend). We had time to show off with the dogs too – my pup and I finished obedience classe

Foolish food

She says: April Fool’s Day is coming up this week, and so I thought I would use that as inspiration to be a bit goofy. Perhaps that is in part due to spring seeming to be ahead of itself this year, what with Easter so early and the weather being so topsy-turvy – snow in the morning and warm sun

Chicks, bunnies and tulips

She says: Well, here we are, already at Easter. I feel better knowing that the date this year is almost as early as Easter can be (March 22 being the earliest, the first day after the Spring Equinox – if it falls on a Sunday after the spring full moon.) It won’t be this early again until 2160.

One hour extra

She says: “Springing forward” is a great thing once you’ve done it but man, I always feel like I was robbed of that hour of sleep on the Monday afterwards! Once I got home on Monday night however, and went outside to train the puppy in the continuing daylight, that was when it made me smile.

Okanagan Restaurant insight

I am proud to be living in the beautiful Okanagan and this area is often talked about by the media and business real estate world as a place of major economic growth. Yes, we are growing super fast and it is often seen by many as the land of opportunities where you can just open your doors and your

Why does food taste better on holidays?

They say that February is the toughest month of the year to get through, what with winter blues and the lack of holidays to create so much as a long weekend. Apparently there is some scientific proof now that the lower levels of sunlight through the winter do reduce the levels of melatonin and serot

Food in the headlines

She says: Nowadays you can see all kinds of things advertised, and food is certainly something that we talk about often. For some reason this week it struck me just how bizarre our culture can be, and how what gets our attention is not always a flattering reflection on our intelligence but perhaps

""Ile Flottante""

Food is Life, and what a good life it is! She says: With Valentine’s Day this past week, I suppose decadence was on my mind so that seemed to be a valid topic for this week. Often we speak of the importance of everyday food that is more about comfort than luxury but there is nothing wrong with a

All you need is love

She says: Okay, I suppose this week’s title is less than subtle, but what do you expect for the most commercialized festive occasion of them all? Valentine’s Day falls in a season full of festivities, with Mardi Gras and Chinese New Year right next to it on the calendar, and yet it has become o

Salt of the earth

She says:   I was reminded recently while talking at the water cooler that the simplest things in life can often be the most important. I am not talking of saving the world with a new message for peace I am speaking of seasoning your food with salt. (Okay, pepper is good too.) Even water with some