Got frozen sauce? Got random bits of cheese and spinach in the fridge? Got 9 pieces of Lasagna sheets left in your dry storage? Why not make a lasagna, instead of spending 20 dollars to buy it already made. You're going to say Katrina, obviously I don't feel like making it, that's why I'll buy it. That's fair, but I also just want to point out how easy it really is to make it. These days you don't want to be throwing out any food you buy. With the the rising prices on everyt

The learning never ends My best attempt so far. Pictures below are from the first to the most current tries at a loaf. As a chefs we sometimes have a problem with patience. By sometimes I mean all the time. If someone is taking too long to do something, we may just take over and do it ourselves. Part of that is because we are against the clock all the time and part of it I think is because we are so hot. We expect to get everything on the first try because it's food and we ge

Reflecting on International Women's Day 2026 I'm not sure when it happened that women became known as the minority in the kitchen, but we have all heard it for years. Maybe because it's a physical job or it could be because women were not allowed to have a job and get a salary when cooking became a profession. Whether it's this reason or that reason, it has been challenging for women to find representation in successful kitchens and get the recognition of others over the year

Things to do in Porto for 1 night

What I love to do around the Holidays I married into a family full of traditions and I love it. I also grew up with many traditions that I still keep to this day. Christmas is a special time of year for traditions and it got me thinking of some of my favourite ones today. Decorating the Tree together : We always buy a real tree with my family and decorate it with ornaments that are both handmade and store bought. Each one has significance and a story, which usually gets broug

Over 15 years ago, I had a chance to travel to Portugal and stay with a Portuguese family I grew up with. This December I will be returning to that country again, to see it with a different set of eyes. I wanted to post the story of my first visit there so I can compare it after I return the second time. so full of youth, so full of promise Most people are not lucky enough to go to a European city once. I however am one of the lucky ones who has travelled to many cities in Eu

Enjoying the Tastes of the Season Summer has gone away and its finally sweater weather. Time to cozy up and take on some fall activities and cook delicious food. I always hear chef's say fall is their favourite time to cook. I think I tend to agree with that. The produce is good; the air is a bit cool and I think we lay down some quality time to actually stop for a second. I myself have done some hard thinking the past 2 months and have prioritized my time and life a little b

Getting to know the many place to enjoy wine in our province This past week I took a trip down memory lane. I went back to the first...

When I was a kid, rhubarb was around every summer. My grandmother used to make the best rhubarb pies and muffins and would bring them...

I love pasta, in all different shapes and forms. Stuffed, made with cornmeal or just dry out of the package. It's one of the best and...

Over the past 2 months, I have had the pleasure of taking a food writing course at the Good Egg cookbook store in Kensington Market. I...

Try this new recipe for these easy to make Lemon Thyme Sparkle Cookies

Sausage and White Bean Soup

Trying to decipher what to do and eat in this transitional period before festive season What day is it? As far as I know it's November...

On this sunny day, I am beginning to think of harvest food. The seasons move pretty fast in this country so you look forward to your...

Planting by trial and error Who said growing stuff was easy? So you have a bunch of earth and you decided that you will plant something...

Bruschetta-the perfect food of summer When you think about summer, you think sunshine and beautiful produce. Nature offering it's best...

Bringing back the fine dining PTSD and reflecting on the why part of being a chef

Is it worth it? Living in this day and age is expensive. Cooking at home is great, but sometimes you really want someone else to do it...

The trend we love to hate I don’t have tik tok. Should I get it? I think I may be too old. Just like Snapchat or twitter, I never latched...