Author: Charmian Christie

Recipe: Butter Rum Pound Cake

Recipe: Butter Rum Pound Cake

I was going to post this on Monday, September 19th, official Talk Like a Pirate Day. But I used up all my lame pirate jokes back in 2006 when I needed a tie-in for my rumball recipe. Despite getting so tipsy spliced t’mainbrace sampling the rum-laced glaze 

Three Farmers Camelina Oil and a Give Away

Three Farmers Camelina Oil and a Give Away

Update: Since The Three Farmers won their bid on Dragon’s Den, I have been getting a lot of questions about this oil. If you are interested in buying some, there is a list of retail outlets on the Three Farmers’ site. Click here to see 

Recipe: Green Beans with Smoked Paprika and Marcona Almonds

Recipe: Green Beans with Smoked Paprika and Marcona Almonds

I’ve created a monster. Or half a dozen monsters to be precise. Seems I’ve become the unofficial pastry chef for potlucks. In the past month alone I’ve made three fruit galettes, two rounds of pavlova, a gigantic chocolate-orange torte, a double batch of ginger cookies, 

Black Cherry and Raspberry Galette with Walnut Frangipane and Ginger

Black Cherry and Raspberry Galette with Walnut Frangipane and Ginger

Do you really need me to write out the instructions with a recipe title like that? Clearly I didn’t name the dish with Twitter in mind. Instead, I created this for my parents’ anniversary. When asked what he wanted for dessert, Dad requested a “red 

Schwartz’s Deli

Schwartz’s Deli

No one guessed the meaning of yesterday’s mystery sign. Via Facebook, email and other sources, readers hazarded the following guesses: clackers “dual hose bibs for firefighters when looking for water in downtown areas…also known as a Siamese connection” “a place where you could plug something 

Montreal Mystery Sign

Montreal Mystery Sign

Huh? Andrew and I saw this sign in Montreal. Often. It appeared in a wide variety of locations which only made its meaning more perplexing. While we came up with some creative interpretations, none of them made any sense. Got any ideas? Post your suggestions 

Peach Mango Soup Shooters

Peach Mango Soup Shooters

I don’t think of soup when it comes to pairing wine. And I don’t think of peaches when it comes to soup. And I don’t think of tart when it comes to sweet, sweet peaches. So a cayenne-kissed, very tangy-yet-sweet peach-mango soup designed to go 

Recipe: Roasted Radishes

Recipe: Roasted Radishes

  To observe my mother eating radishes is to understand that over-used phrase “living in the moment.” They are not munched like baby carrots or popped into her mouth like grapes. They are consumed with quiet, focused deliberation. To begin, she sets a small bowl 

Recipe: Pavlova

Recipe: Pavlova

If you asked me to describe my father’s taste in desserts, I’d tell you he’s a lemon man. When he turned 65, Mom and I baked 13 lemon meringue pies for his party. He squeezes fresh lemon juice into his tea and sometimes even orders