Bake with abandon!
Classic Rhubarb Pie I grew up with a scrappy patch of rhubarb in the back garden that survived the coldest, snowiest winters — despite neglect bordering on abuse. I assumed rhubarb was a hardy Canadian crop, bred for our climate. Not so. Rhubarb originated in …
Many children sport t-shirts that say, “Mother’s Little Darling.” Mine should have read, “Ruining Christmas Parties Since 1965.” I made a case for myself when I was 2 and disappeared at a Christmas open house. I sent everyone into a panic, only to be found …
Ignore the calendar. Don’t point to the red and orange maple trees or their fallen leaves that smother the grass. Pumpkins hold no proof. No, Autumn doesn’t arrive with the weather, or gourds, or the solstice. It arrives with mice. Each year, the rodents that feast on …
My Cherished Canadian Recipe Everyone in my immediate family uses the same shortbread recipe. We got it from my mother, who got it from her mother, who got it from a rather odd neighbour. My grandmother wanted the recipe so badly she dutifully wrote out …
There were no party hats. No streamers. No banner saying “Greaty at Eighty!” There wasn’t so much as a candle. There was, however, pie. Simple, classic, 100%-from-scratch lemon meringue pie. Yesterday, my father turned 80. He marked the day by going about his business as usual. …
How great is my dad? He’s so wonderful his son-in-law donned oven mitts and let his wife boss him about for 3 hours so there would be homemade pie for dessert on Father’s Day. How great is my husband? He’s so wonderful he donned …
While the daffodils have finally poked their heads through the earth, my freezer remains packed with containers of frozen fruit squirrelled away from last year’s harvest. They’re so precious to me, I save them for special occasions. Very special occasions. As along as the sooty, …
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 …
Pastry is fickle. One day you’re rolling dough like it’s a bolt of white velvet and pull a golden, bubbling dessert from the oven. The results are so fine you briefly consider embroidering “Pie Guru” on your apron. Only you don’t know how to sew, …