Author: Charmian Christie

5 Basic Elements of Homemade Salad Dressing

5 Basic Elements of Homemade Salad Dressing

People roll their eyes when they hear I make my own salad dressing. From their reaction you’d think I was weaving my own linen or milling my own wheat. But homemade salad dressing is one of those ludicrously simple items that provides a suspiciously high 

Mother Tongue

Mother Tongue

Before children, my mother was an amateur actress. After parenthood, she poured all her dramatic skills into reading us stories. She provided distinct voices for each character, made sound effects and sometimes included flamboyant gestures. She was a tough act to follow. When my less-than-theatrical 

Dandelion Salad

Dandelion Salad

I am quickly cementing my reputation as the neighbourhood nut. Yesterday I sat on the grass plucking dandelion heads and tossing them into a brown paper lawn bag before they could go to seed. Today? I was out there again, only this time nibbling on 

Orange Coffee Cake

Orange Coffee Cake

So much for my vegetable-a-week promise. I look back at recent posts and see a carb-heavy, fat-laden series of desserts. Yes, I’ve been eating my greens, but not in a way that will make you beg for the recipe. I’ve been very plebeian about my 

Cookbook Roundup

Cookbook Roundup

As the reno inches to a close, items are slowly working their way back into their proper place. My bookcase, for instance, has finally emerged from the midst of the chaos and now stands in the room that has become (and will remain) my office. 

5 Things You Shouldn’t Pack During a Renovation

5 Things You Shouldn’t Pack During a Renovation

The past few weeks have been slow going. Why? Well, let’s for a moment say my contractor didn’t get a not-so-healthy dose of the Norwalk virus. And let’s say he didn’t recover only to be called to jury duty. Let’s just pretend everyone was healthy 

Wooden Spoons

Wooden Spoons

I’ve been cooking at my Mom’s the past few weeks and find myself rummaging through her wooden spoon collection in search of the one pictured above. Yes, its bowl is broken,  but I like how it can simultaneously stir and scrape the sides of a 

Lemon Meringue Pie

Lemon Meringue Pie

My father loves lemon meringue pie. Apparently, so does a certain little black cat who lives next door. I slipped the birthday pie off my mom’s counter and onto the back porch for a clandestine photo shoot before the celebratory dinner. And within seconds got 

Welsh Griddle Cakes

Welsh Griddle Cakes

At some point in every renovation, time grinds to a halt. And for us, that would be last week. Nothing happened. At least not structurally. Over Easter I painted the kitchen  — first with a soul-crushing, jail cell grey tinted primer and then with a