Hard to believe that 8 years have passed since I birthed this blog. I had not foreseen that it would help me land work as a food writer – work that triggered a period of blog neglect. In 2022 – only two blog entries and four recipes! I have so many more recipes that have been perfected and need to be added. Ah, the road of good intentions…
Last fall I chose to step away from my writing for the Hamilton Spectator. After 4 years, a column every week was wearing me down plus my recovery from knee replacement surgery was not going as expected. Readers were wishing me well with my next venture – as if I knew what it was. There’s a saying that when one door closes another opens. Magically in December, I connected with Hamilton City Magazine as a Contributor. Watch my first column on Hot Sauce in their March/April edition. (Don’t worry, I’ll remind you!)
Meanwhile, I’ve been having fun with my weekly newsletter which has become “This Week in Food”.
2022 Highlights? I’m glad I have photos and notes because my first thought was that there was little to say. Not so. Many interesting food experiences!!
Paprika. The two recipes I managed to add to the blog were Chicken Paprikas and Creamed Peas. No surprise that any dish using paprika benefits from the quality of the paprika. Check out my notes on this. Sadly the product available at Denningers is not worth getting, compared with what I found at Starsky’s. A terrific gift was paprika right from Budapest from a friend who visited there on a river cruise.
Subscriptions. Last February I experimented with and wrote about food subscriptions. The only one I have continued is Eat Porta affiliated with Terroni in Toronto. Their pastas especially are marvellous and dinner is a snap with those in the freezer.
Eating adventures. I had Baked Alaska for the first time. “I had never eaten Baked Alaska but coincidentally had just seen Jacques Pépin make it on his cooking show. He encased cold ice cream in slices of sponge cake and then covered it all with beautifully piped meringue. Traditionally, the next step is to place it in a super-hot oven long enough for the meringue to be beautifully browned, but not long enough for the ice cream to melt. Lighting an alcohol pour-over transforms it into Bombe Alaska. Eating it was on a sort of dining bucket list.” What I had at the restaurant I visited was not quite authentic. The ice cream was perched on a chocolate biscuit and covered with meringue that was torched to achieve the toasted highlights. When delivered to the table, a Grand Marnier pour-over was set alight. It was still fun.
Breakfast. Mr. KB and I have been making the rounds of Hamilton/Burlington breakfast spots – a project that is not yet over. At each eatery, we order a classic breakfast. So far Rose Garden has attracted us back more than once for their lovely bargain-priced breakfast.
Blissing in the kitchen. I had fun sessions with friends and family making rice pudding, scones, decorating cookies, gnocchi, biscotti, soup and amazing turmeric bread. My kitchen adventures often focus on resurrecting a family recipe. I managed that with Szekely Gulyas (which features sauerkraut and pork, rice and paprika). Will be making that again with a few modifications and hope to have it up on the blog soon.
I experimented with Noodle Bowls, was successful in making challah bread (still not on the blog) and tried to make kefir from a starter gifted by a friend.
Sometimes kitchen bliss is linked to throwback nostalgia. There was a point in the year when Spam kept showing up on social media. We made (and sort of enjoyed) a supper we often had when first married – fried Spam and beans!
Flops and Firsts. I’d prefer Spam any day over the chicken that was served to me in one restaurant. The chicken breast had an off texture and was hard to cut. It was likely “woody breast.” I did not send it back to the kitchen but resolved that in future I will be more assertive.
Not really a first since I’ve had it before, I nonetheless learned much about Bubble Tea and enjoyed becoming better informed about origins and options. Some “firsts” were enjoyed at Afrolicious – amazing food. Newest snack? Nooch Popcorn.
Local Shops. I’ve been happy about the opening of the British Pride Bakery where I can get fresh Garibaldi Biscuits any time (and meat pies, Cadbury’s etc.). Some entrepreneurs I’ve written about graduated to bricks-and-mortar operations – Madam Bonbon (which I have now visited often), Hanma, and Kitchen Island. I am still recovering from the sad super silent closing of the Crown Point Market. The best place to point a car on Thursday or Friday is towards Jordan and the RPM (Restaurant Pearly Morissette) Bakehouse. We often leave with Spicebush Knots, sourdough bread and liver pate. It is open on weekends but mobbed with tourists and people who work M-F.
Less fancy pants, but super satisfying have been the sandwiches from Venetian Meats. They closed their Burlington Street facility and reopened nearby in Stoney Creek. They have some great products and we love their Porchetta sandwich and the Full Venetian.
Toronto food and dining adventures included some things new and some not - St. Lawrence Market, Eataly, Terroni and Cheese Boutique (which gets better and better all the time)! Kettleman Bagels; dining at Cluny, 1Kitchen, Aloette, Spaccio, Alder, Miku and Parallel – which has the best hummus, tahini, falafels and quiche – available for dining in or takeaway!!
Locally the standout restaurant was Isabelle’s at Pearle Hotel. We ate there often and/but were not surprised when they finally increased their prices. I’m now waiting for the Taste of Burlington’s Prix Fixe event to dine there within my means. Have not yet reported on the new Plank restaurant and the changes at Good Earth under new ownership. Had a great meal at The Arlington in Paris, ON. Not a great meal in Stratford - they have some top-notch restos but most do not open for lunch.
Treasured food memories of 2022 include the meals and treats delivered by caring friends during my knee surgery recovery.
Blog Traffic. Since I have not monetized my blog I care little about blog traffic, and in the world of blogs, I am very much on the lower end of traffic receiving only around 200 visits per day. My most visited recipes have been Hungarian Hurka (liver sausage), Portuguese Muffins, Broiled Pork Tenderloin - and just recently ItalianTarrone.
My love of cooking, eating, storytelling and writing continues – even though I lost my mojo for a bit. That’s back in my weekly newsletters. Meanwhile, I’m promising to pay more attention to this little blog.
P.S. This little miss (grandniece) has been the highlight of my year and it was fun making teething cookies for her.