Take Your Food to Another Level with Sea to Sky Seasonings Salts

Do you get into a routine where everything you make tastes the same?

I certainly do. I tend to rely on the same spices, do the same 10 dishes again and again and fall into the same pattern at mealtime because I'm rushed for time.

I've recently discovered however, that all it takes is a little salt. Not just any salt, of course. I'm talking about Sea to Sky Seasonings Salts.

These Canadian-inspired infused seasonings & salts enhance flavours way beyond simple table salt. The goal of Sea to Sky Seasonings is "to elevate your taste experience to a new level," and they have most certainly reached it.

By  using as many locally grown, ethical and organic ingredients as possible, you get the freshest, most vibrant taste. And you won't find any food colourings or other flavour enhancers here - just natural ingredients that will enliven both your food and your palates.

New flavours are introduced seasonally - I tried some earlier this season such as Vancoucer Coast & Mountains Berry & Honey Salt (try rimming your Margarita glass with this one - heaven), Vancouver Island Seaweed Salt (so good a top of salmon!), Thompson Okanagan Apple Salt, Cariboo Chilcotin Coast Garlic Salt (I shook this all over my homemade sweet potato fries), Northern BC Wild Mushroom Salt (so decadent on eggs!) and for the every day, I quickly became addicted to Kootenay Rockies Spring Skiing Salt (so fresh!).

And now I want to try these from Sea to Sky Seasoning core lineup:

Bacon & Tomato Salt - Smokey Oyama bacon, concentrated sundried tomatoes and sea salt all packaged into one delicious ingredient?  Oh my!

Cabernet Sauvignon Salt - This Cab Sav from the Niagara region is sure to intensify your evening's menu.

Cinnamon, Chocolate & Chipotle - How sexy is this combination? Just think of all you can use it on!

Silk Spice - Created by Chef Silke Seiler, this seasoning is fascinating and completely unique. What a fabulous gift for the food lover in your life!

Shop the entire Sea to Sky Seasonings Store and rev up your cooking - naturally!

Celebrate Summer with Porch Parties: Cocktail Recipes & Easy Ideas for Outdoor Entertaining

The summer goes by so quickly. 

Before you know it, it's Fall, the kids are back in school and the heavy coats and wool tights come out. So celebrate the season with Porch Parties: Cocktail Recipes & Easy Ideas for Outdoor Entertaining by Denise Gee.

This is more than just drinks on a porch. It's about, as Denise says, "the joy of architecture and neighbourly camaraderie." Doesn't that sound good right about now? No running errands, no cleaning the bathroom - just getting together with friends and family.

Denise lives in Dallas, but she writes, "But what really shaped my design aesthetic was being raised in one of Mississippi’s most beautiful, historic and hospitable cities: Natchez. It was there, growing up downtown in a four-story Victorian house/clothing store owned by my mother and grandmother—and being a young docent at several antebellum houses—that I learned the joy of cooking, entertaining, storytelling, architecture, interior decorating and garden design." 

It's true that there's something instantly relaxing about a porch. I think it's that no one works out on the porch - it's where you talk and commune and you automatically unwind and decompress like you would on vacation.  

So in order to throw your own Porch Party, Denise gives you some great pointers like planning your buffet, how to stock the bar, garnish ideas and even includes a handy (and extensive) checklist.

And you're going to love her drink ideas - Blood Orange Martini, Prosecco Mojito and something called a Gumby Slumber. For these truly sweltering days, cooling off is easy with Denise's Watermelon Cooler, Blackberry Smash and a fascinating drink called the Michelada that calls for beer, hot sauce and soy sauce.

I love her "Punch" section and learned so much - for example, that Punch should have "at least three but preferably five ingredients and serve a boatload of people (or at least a small crowd)." And doesn't Lemon Sherbet, Ice Ring Finesse and Bourbon Slush Punch sound good right about now?

There is also a ton of non-alcoholic offerings, or as Denise calls 'em, Frocktails, as well as little bites to offer along with the drinks (you don't want the neighbours falling off the porch) such as Greek Crostini, Shrimp & Tomato Salad and Creamy Orange Fruit Dip.

Whether you live in a condo or have a sprawling house in the country, isn't it time you threw a porch party? You've got all you need right here, thanks to Porch Parties.

If You Love Good Food, You're Going to Love Southern Living Off the Eaten Path

One of my many, many dreams for the near future is to have a Southern food counter or truck or restaurant.

Though I've never even been to the South, I am enamoured by the food, ingredients and people. I can think of nothing more comforting than shrimp n' grits, a muffaletta sandwich (a specialty of New Orleans), fried chicken, collard greens and cornbread.

So when I heard about the brand new, just released Southern Living Off the Eaten Path by Morgan Murphy, I knew it would have to find a place amongst my very carefully selected cookbooks.

It's the subtitle after the colon that really got me - Favourite Southern Dives and 150 Recipes That Made Them Famous - and the fact that award-winning travel writer Murphy drove 15,000 miles in his 1959 Cadillac last summer and picked 75 places to include.

It is so jam-packed with photos, recipes and backstory, that it's more of an intimate scrapbook or personalized tour of the South than a mere cookbook. If I could somehow manage it, I'd like to do what Murphy did, and visit every single one of these places in one fell swoop. Now that's what I call a vacation!

And what is so surprising is that the recipes are not your average "dive" dishes. Krazy Kat's in Delaware for instance offers Vanilla-Cognac Brined Pork Tenderloin with a Gingersnap Jus! You'd better believe that's joining my regular rotation of dinners. And Lobster and Brie Mac and Cheese from Cabana in Nashville and Red Wine-Braised Short Ribs from The Local in Virginia? Ooh la la. I think I just found my dinner party menu items. And I've got to make the  PCP Pie (Pineapple-Coconut-Pecan) from Ed & Kay's in Arkansas at the next do or potluck. Can you imagine the kinds of  hoots and hollers that will get?

Of course the book is teaming with the kind of comfort food dishes that are famous in the South - Hush Puppies, Crawfish Pie, Beignets, Shrimp and Crab Etoufee, Sweet Potato Casserole, Chicken-Fried Steak with Country Gravy, Southern Fried Catfish, Pecan Pie, Cornbread, Candied Yams, Chiles Rellenos, Buttermilk Biscuits  - and a heckuva lot more (My mouth filled with saliva as I wrote these. I'm heading into the kitchen to make some of these treasures as soon as I'm done here).

Go ahead and check out the preview here.

Thank you, Mr. Murphy, for bringing the South up here to me in the North via Southern Living Off the Beaten Path. I am so grateful to be surrounded by all of this great food  made by great folks from these great places. 

I hope you don't mind, I've gone ahead and doggeared the whole darn book.

My New Favourite Party Go-To Dessert is Kari's Malva Pudding

One of the biggest headaches for me when it comes to planning a dinner party is worrying about what to serve for dessert.

As I don't bake too often, I am always wondering what to offer people after the dinner dishes have been cleared. Chocolates seem too mundane and anything like cupcakes or macarons seem overdone. I want to serve something original and exciting, but truthfully, I'm not quite at the level of being able to do it myself.

So I looked to the pros, searching for an exhilarating choice. And I found it all in Kari's Malva Pudding.

These handmade cakes come way of the Mansfeld Family in Aptos California. Most notably by Miss Kari herself.  Using fresh "cage-free eggs from the Glaum chicken ranch just up the road and fresh apricot jam from the local farmer's market with no corn syrup in it," you'll appreciate all the wholesome, natural ingredients as well as the fact that one serving is only 230 calories!

Each pudding is spongy, light and moist and is like no other dessert I've ever had.  Slightly caramelly, it has a dulce de leche, creme brulee kind of feel, mixed with moist, fresh-from-the-oven cake. You serve it warm with custard, fruit or a complete showstopper - ice cream.

The pudding is is hand-poured and packaged and frozen fresh. You wouldn't believe how easy it is to:

- defrost

- heat up and serve in an instant

- store (up to 4 days at room temperature, in the fridge for up to 2 weeks)

- pass off as your own, if you want to (I never would, but I won't judge you if you do)

I am stunned that something that was shipped to me frozen can taste so out-of-the-oven fresh and homemade!

Be sure to get both Kari's Malva Pudding and the Chocolate Pudding because if you share these with your dinner guests, they are going to go like lightning.  

Of course, you could keep Kari's Malva Pudding all to yourself. But something tells me as much as you'll want to covet it for yourself, you won't be able to resist sharing it with friends and family!

A Love Letter to Dorie Greenspan For Around My French Table

There is such a glut of cookbooks out there. How do you find one that's right for you?

In the last months, one that's been receiving a lot of attention is Around My French Table by Dorie Greenspan.

There are a lot of new cookbooks that get a lot of praise, but I knew this one was worth it when food store owners, home cooks and professional chefs were saying how much they got from it. That to me is a sign that it can work for everyone from novice to pro.

And in case you have the notion that French food is difficult to make, laden with fat and extremely heavy on the palate, this book is about to change that.

I don't know how Dorie makes French food finally seem so accessible and unintimidating, but she does.On her website she writes:

"This is an extremely personal book – you'll meet my French friends and learn a lot about my life in Paris – and so it's not a by-the-rules book, not Escoffier and not Mastering The Art of French Cooking (nothing else could be, or should be). I think of it as a snapshot of French home cooking today, a look at what my friends and I are cooking at home in France. And, since French people are as busy as we are, it's also a surprising look at how simple today's home cooking is." 

And that is just the kind of warm, encouraging tone throughout the book. 

Perhaps I've seen too many movies with French chefs yelling about perfection and being extremely meticulous, but I've always been intimated by both the methods and ingredients. But Dorie 's gentle words brought me off the ledge and into the kitchen again. I am excited by the ease of making her Savory Cheese and Chive Bread and Socca from Vieux Nice, things I wouldn't even attempt in another French tome - but here it actually seems possible.

And 23 soups to choose from? That alone makes it a keeper.  

I am eternally grateful for her Chicken and Duck Section. I have only made duck a few times, so I am still getting to know how it works, how it responds. But I've recently found a place not too far from home that offers duck for a great price, so I've really wanted to learn how to handle and cook it like a pro. Dorie has a whole page dedicated to duck basics and her recipe, Twenty-Minute Honey-Glazed Duck Breasts completely demystified the whole genre for me, in just a few minutes.

And being such a big meat eater, I am grateful for the robust Beef, Veal, Pork and Lamb Sections. In this cold weather, what could be more comforting than Bistrot Paul Bert Pepper Steak, Osso Buco a l'Arman, Cola and Jam Spareribs and Lamb and Dried Apricot Tagine?  And these are all dishes that you can absolutely make after you rush home from the office with ease.  

Isn't that fabulous?

I will return to these recipes again and again because they are wonderfully delicious and easy to make. I will forever be indebted to Dorie Greenspan for changing  my opinions about French cooking and changing my own cooking. I now make French food at home. And it's really, really good. I can't believe it (Will there be a French restaurant in my future? I wouldn't have thought so before, but now...)!

These are just some of the reasons Around My French Table is an must-have in your cookbook collection (I didn't even get to the sections on Fish & Shellfish, Vegetables & Grains and Desserts - I thought I'd leave a few surprises for you to discover on your own!).

Buy your copy - or 10 - now!

p.s. Thank you, Dorie Greenspan. You have changed everything.

The Book You Need This Holiday? Chewy Gooey Crispy Crunchy Melt-in-Your-Mouth Cookies

Today is National Cookie Day.

To celebrate, I've got the cookie book to beat all cookie books - Chewy Gooey Crispy Crunchy Melt-in-Your-Mouth Cookies by Alice Medrich.

Just in time too. The holidays have arrived and the cookie exchanges have begun. Home cooks are scouring through their cookbook collections to find the perfect recipe to make their cookies stand out.

I think you'll find everything you need right here.

See, Alice believes that we should look beyond the recipe on the bag of chocolate chips:

"What if cookies reflected our modern culinary sensibility  - our spirit of adventure and passion for flavors and even our dietary concerns - without losing their universal friendly appeal? What if cookies were hip (but not too hip)? And why not celebrate the physical and sensual appeal of cooking by grouping them by texture?"

Alice took a good hard look at her own cookie recipes to see if they held up to the test of time. She writes:

"I tuned up cookie classics like snicker doodles, sugar cookies, coconut macaroons, even brownies, with a shower of grated cinnamon stick or nutmeg, or with fragrant sugars spiked with cardamom, garam masala, chili powder, or star anise."

Because the recipes are organized by texture, you can really make what you're in the mood for. However, if you're looking for something other than texture, go to the Smart Search section. You can look for your cookies there.

And as you know, I'm no baker, so I was a little worried about this - would it be above my head? Would I be the worse cookie maker known to man?

Of course I worried over nothing. First of all, Alice gives us pages and pages of helpful hints and directions (apparently, I have been measuring flour wrong all of this time). Also, there are a range of different levels here so I can feel comfortable making Goldies, Fruit and Nut Bars, Flaky Chocolate Triangles and Peanut Butter Cookies. And I can work my way up to Cocoa Tuiles, Chunky Hazelnut Meringues, Pecan Tassies and French Macarons.

This is why this makes a fantastic holiday gift: Everyone will be able to create delicious, memorable cookies, thanks to Alice Medrich.

Buy copies now and get your shopping list over and done with!

The Holidays Just Got A Whole Lot Brighter Thanks to mt masking tape

When it comes to the holidays, I always want to do crafty, homemade things like make cards for friends or give them jam I've made in pretty decorated jars.

The fact that I've never made jam or that I really can't make things look like nice enough to give them as gifts has always stopped me. But now that I've discovered mt masking tape, it's so lovely looking that I just can't go wrong!

I love the variety of ways you can use it:

- highlight text in a journal or on a homemade booklet
- create art on canvas, a wall, furniture, fabric - wherever inspiration takes you

- as an arty label  (so much nicer than those plastic ones!)

- embellish your correspondence and envelopes

- label your food in the freezer

- frame and display photos

- wrap gifts  with flair

- keep things in sight - on your bulletin board, calendar, etc.

One of the most superb features is that there is no reside left behind when you use it, so the list of possibilities of places to use it really opens up.  And in case that's not amazing enough (it absolutely is), you can write on it with a pen and you don't need scissors in order to cut it.

Gasp. Where has this been all of my life?!

And let's not forget is that there are so many to choose from - 20 "light colours" and 20 "elegant colours" - and many ways in which to purchase them.

There is something so lovely about these embellishing tapes that you will no doubt find yourself putting them on everything, as I have done. My notebooks and journals, whiteboard, calendar and stationery are all a little prettier now, thanks to mt masking tape in border pale blue, warabi (pictured above - the olive coloured one above aotake) and stripe sakuranezu (pictured below - third from left)

Order enough for you and your entire holiday gift list.

Perhaps you'll make that jam after all, now that you've got the goods to go with it.

The Emile Henry Lightweight Flame-Top Stewpot Is a Cook's Dream!

Cooking is one of my joys in life and how I relax, but thanks to carpal tunnel, it can be tough.

Chopping and tossing can really wreak havoc on my hands, but it's about the tools too. I've never had any ceramic cookware - what I deem essential in any cook's kitchen - because they are all way too heavy. I have spent the last 2 decades trying to find cookware that can go both on top of the stove and inside the oven and that I can actually lift. Each season, I truck on out to the kitchen supply stores, lifting various pots and brands, hoping for something can manage. Until now, I have been using 2 pots to cook one dish - a pot on the stove and then a pot in the oven.

That is, until I discovered Emile Henry's Flame-Top Stewpot.

It is a full 30% lighter than all cast iron, which makes it perfect for me or those with arthritis (46 million folks suffer from arthritis and related conditions) and other ailments.

Made from Burgundy Clay, it feels solid, but never unwieldy. And because it's easy to handle - lug handles are easy to grip, even if you're wearing BBQ/oven mitts - I use it all the time! Even with your ingredients filled up inside, it is still manageable to get from oven to tabletop with ease.

Ahhh.

You can make everything in it from soup to cornbread and even use it on the grill ("Unlike metal cookware, the flame-top pot can sit on a very hot open flame, empty, for an extended period of time and it won’t crack, discolor or break.").

As you may know, I love comfort dishes, such as One Pot Dinners. And this is the perfect dish for them. In addition to the clay offering a gentle, even cook, the raised dots on the lid's interior allow the juices to stay in with the food, so you get an exceptional roast, casserole, etc with tender, moist meat.

And just look at how much food I was able to get into the pot (pictured below) - there's 4 chicken legs in here, plus vegetables, wine and stock!

Other than how beautifully it cooks everything, I am thrilled with how easy it is to clean. It's naturally non-stick, so you don't have to scrub it, just simply wipe with soap and water. Or go ahead and throw it in the dishwasher, if you like.

You can use the Flame-Top on gas, electric, halogen, barbeque grills and in the microwave. And here's your holiday saving grace - you can take it from the freezer or fridge right into the oven! 

[Play celebratory angelic choral music here]

I had no idea such an amazing product existed. I can now live like regular folks, cooking up a storm, thanks to Emile Henry's Flame-Top Collection.

Shop it now.

Fruit Features First in Farmers' Market Desserts

Recently, I have been trying my hand at baking.

Now that I've made a few things, I wanted to expand my horizons, but let me be clear - I can't do anything difficult yet. I've got to work my way up.

So I went in search of a cookbook that has a range of levels. Since I'm still learning how to make sweet stuff, I can't handle most dessert cookbooks with their 3 page recipes and hours of prep and masterful skills.

I'm so not there yet.

Farmers' Market Desserts: Gorgeous Fruit Recipes from First Prize Peach Pie to Chocolate Cherry Cupcakes however, offers a bunch of manageable recipes that start at easy and work their way up to manageable.

One thing I've learned through my journey so far is that fruit desserts always wow the crowd.

I love the idea of shopping at the farmers' market for the fresh ingredients (I go to Phil's and The St. Lawrence Market usually and then others occasionally) and then coming home to make a memorable dessert.

There are so many choices and thankfully, author Jennie Schacht has categorized them for me - Stone Fruits; Berries; Autumn Harvest; Winter Citrus; Vegetables & Tropical Fruits; Honey, Maple Syrup & Market Jam; Dried Fruits, Nuts & Herbs.

There are more than 50 recipes for pies, puddings, cupcakes, tarts and cakes, with sumptuous photos by Leo Gong, so don't be surprised if you get really, really hungry looking for the perfect recipe for that get together you're having next week.

I can totally make Roasted Peach Melba, Easy Chocolate Cherry Cupcakes, Individual Summer Berry Puddings, Grilled-Fig Sundaes with Balsamic "Fudge," and Mojito Melon Balls.

For those of you far less intimidated by the whole baking process, you'll probably want to tackle Farmer's Secret Chocolate Bundt Cake, Roasted Pumpkin Pie in a Maple-Pecan Crust, Tangerine-sickle Ice Cream and Strawberry Buckwheat Tea Cake.

I told you it'd make you hungry!

Buy the book, shop your local market for ingredients and then post a comment below about what you made, for whom, the occasion, etc. We can have our own little recipe club!

Create Beautiful, Memorable Meals with Heart of the Artichoke

You probably know David Tanis one of two ways:

- by his critically-acclaimed book A Platter of Figs and Other Recipes

- as the chef at Chez Panisse for over 25 years

His new book, Heart of the Artichoke and Other Kitchen Journeys, takes you through the seasons in a very personal way. David gives you not just superb recipes, but the stories behind them. He also gives you help along the way - the squid lesson alone is invaluable.

There is much to love about this cookbook:

- For one, it is uncluttered. It has beautiful photos and lots of white space, so it is easy to read (and follow) the recipes within.    

- Secondly, his chapter on Rituals what many of us want in food writing - personal moments and stories that we'll remember and share with friends - except perhaps the tripe!  

- And as someone who loves to throw dinner parties, I have to thank David for creating wonderfully rich, yet simple seasonal menus that allow me to cook a fabulous meal without having to spend 85 hours pouring over cookbooks, my recipe binders and scrolling online trying to assemble a chic dinner for friends. 

- There are recipes for small, medium and large groups, so you can cook to the number of people, without having to quadruple recipes (that never works) or do hard math (how could you have forgotten how to add fractions at this young age?).

- You can actually make the stuff here. It's not the highfalutin dishes of a world-renowned celebrity chef, but down to earth plates that you can absolutely make. Even things that I would have considered hard to make like Italian Spice Cake and Flat-Roasted Chicken with Rosemary are easy here (p.s.I have 4 recipes for flat-roasted chicken and never has it been as easy as just removing the breastbone and pushing down on the breastbone. This is life-changing!).

Get the book and finally pull it together every night. You can, thanks to Heart of the Artichoke.

Which menu will you make tonight - Cooking for Tomorrow Today (terrine, duck confit, salad, homemade bread and spiced pears) or Dead-of-Winter Dinner from the Supermarket (salad, steak, potato gratin, broiled pineapple)?

Mmm...

Mother's Best Cookbook - Comfort Food, Just Like Mom Used to Make

If I could only have one kind of food for the rest of my life, it would have to be comfort food.

So when I saw the new release, Mother's Best: Comfort Food That Takes You Home Again by Lisa Schroeder with Danielle Centoni, I knew this was my new go-to dinner bible.

Lisa is Chef/Owner of Mother's Bistro & Bar and Mama Mia Trattoria in Portland, Oregon. 

What I think is amazing about her story is that she switched careers at the age of 35 and enrolled at The Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park (follow your dreams, people!). And it's clear this is what she is meant to do.

Not just the restaurants, but choosing to serve comfort food of all things.

And that's how the book was born, she says:

"I have gathered many of the best recipes from my two restaurants into this book and seasoned them generously with advice gleaned from all my years behind the stove. Like the restaurants from which it evolved, this book pays homage to mothers and their cuisine from around the world."

Lisa goes onto explain that she takes these classic recipes and adds the "love" - instead of a can of mushroom soups, she makes a mushroom sauce, instead of margarine, she uses butter.

Just like you'd do at home.

And while I can't wait to try all 150 recipes, I was so pleased to read through the "Love Notes," where Lisa tells how she does it up - canned garbanzo beans instead of dried (surprise!), choosing bones for stock (the meatier, the better) and why she prefers C&H brown sugar. There is so much education in these lovely sections. It will no doubt change the way you shop, prepare and cook dinner. It has for me!

So what do you feel like making? Appetizers, soups and salads, main courses, sides, breakfast, sandwiches, desserts and/or baked goods?

The 60 mouth-watering, full-color photographs will probably help sway you a bit.  

Mmm, how can you resist Mama's Italian Chopped Salad? And Salmon Chowder is perfect on chilly days such as this!

Pot Roast, Mother's Beef Brisket  Grandma Mary's Meatballs and Sunday Gravy are the ultimate Sunday dinners, and Coq Au Vin is one of my favourite meals of all time.

I can't wait to try the $15,000 Crab Cakes with Creole Mustard Sauce - how can they not be better than my current recipe?   And one of my favourite all-time restaurant meals was caribou and Spaetzle - I would love to create that at home! And for those of you mac & cheese fiends (I'm talking to you, Mum!), there's an entire section, including different variations. Ooh, that's going to be a fall and winter stand-by, I just know it!

And the Breakfast and Dessert sections are so decadent, I'll let you discover those on your own. I don't want to ruin the surprise...

Look, there are a ton of cookbooks out there. I know. I review 'em. But you've gotta make room for this one. 

Because every home deserves comfort food made with love.

It's as simple as that.

Buy Mother's Best.

Take Your Dinner Party Up a Notch with Japanese Cocktails

I have always loved Japanese culture.

I studied it for about 10 years back in the day and still immerse myself in it whenever I can - yesterday my Dad and I went to the Japan Foundation's Winter Garden Show and right now I'm halfway through a great book about modern Japanese women.

Now I am completely obsessed with Yuki Kato's Japanese Cocktails: Mixed Drinks with Sake, Shochu, Whisky & More.

Cocktail expert Yuri Kato shows you how to find the key ingredients to these most original concoctions in this richly illustrated guide. Even if you've never tried any of the spirits mentioned in the book before, Yuri guides you with engaging, informative and entertaining tips on how to make these exhilarating cocktails. And as a bonus, you'll learn about Japan's rain season, why the Japanese are so smitten with baseball and the oldest Japanese cocktail.

The names alone are priceless (Butter of the Forest, Zen Milk Bath and Meet Me at Hachiko) but you'll see that these libations are completely accessible - you can absolutely make them at home!

I am going to be hosting a lot of dinner parties in the next few months and you'd better believe that I'm going to rock the hell outta this little book!

I simply cannot wait to wow the crowd with Love Hotel, Tokyo Sidecar, Aloe Margarita and many, many more.

Ooh, I'm excited!

In fact, I think I'm going to start working on the menus to match right now...

Send a Letter of Real Beauty With the French General Stationery Box

French General is one of those lines that once you see it, you can identify forever.

Just think - Laura Ashley, Ralph Lauren, Fog Linen. They are instantly distinguishable from the rest of the crowd. You know them upon first look. There is a style to their fabrics and products that flows throughout the entire line.

You probably know the line best through the best-selling books, such as Home Sewn, which I wrote about back in January.

Kaari Meng, shop owner, scours the French countryside and Parisian flea markets for beautiful vintage fabrics in classic palettes for her store, French General.

I think that what she has created is a wonderful oasis to the French countryside all in the comfort of our very own homes.

How incredible is that?

And that's why I am loving the French General Stationery Box. You can send someone the classic patterns of vintage French fabrics in a beautiful letter that they will always cherish (and if they're smart, frame).

The box includes 30 writing sheets and 30 envelopes, with 6 designs to choose from.

Oh, and don't throw out the box - it's too pretty! Put all that clutter on your desk in there and be inspired by French General all day long.

We can't all live in the French countryside, but it's nice to think about, isn't it?

Sigh.

Boost Your Energy With Super-Charged Smoothies!

As soon as the warm weather arrives, I cannot get enough of smoothies.

They are a delicious, filling way to not only cool down, but max out on fruits and vegetables.

I like them because it's an easy way to consume lots of fruit without having to do a lot of prep.

But buying them on the go can be awfully expensive. Sometimes it's almost $7 for just one.

Better to make them at home.

That's why you should get yourself a copy of Super-Charged Smoothies: More Than 60 Recipes for Energizing Smoothies.

And you need a guide, because although I'm sure you can make a basic blend of fruit, juice and ice, you'll want to know how to maximize your smoothies with "the nutrient-packed, disease-fighting, life-changing superfoods that promote energy and vitality," as authors (and twin sisters!) Mary Corpening Barber and Sara Corpening Whiteford illustrate.

You'll be able to cater your smoothies to your lifestyle and dietary needs. Want more energy but in a truly unique blend? Thai Bubble Tea Slush is a fun and exciting way to add zest and vigour to your day. Need more probiotics in your diet? Sippin' on Jasmine Honey Lassi oughtta do it!

I like that there's a whole section dedicated to ailments, so if you're suffering from nausea or arthritis, there's a smoothie that will help.

There is a section especially for kids and then for the adults only, alcoholic concoctions such as Cucumber Sake-Tinis and Orange Whiskey Sours that will delight your summer dinner party guests.

And a really comprehensive section on binders and ingredients shows you how to use and incorporate each into your smoothies. You'll learn about intriguing products such as agave nectar, Irish moss, cacao nibs and bee pollen. And use the hottest new items such as Kombucha, matcha powder and goji berries to give you the energy you need to get through your busy day.

Stop wasting your money on mass-made smoothies filled with sugars and fillers and make your own exciting blends at home!

Thanks to Mary Corpening Barber and Sara Corpening Whiteford, you can now get the energy you've been craving, in a healthy, convenient drink.

Just in time, too. We've still got a couple of months of hot weather ahead of us!

That's Hungarian's in My Kitchen! Brings Old World Comfort to Your Modern Kitchen

I am all for modern fare when I go out to eat. I'll savour Octopus Carpaccio, Bison Tenderloin and Stuffed Rabbit Saddle all night long. But when I'm at home, I tend to favour comfort food dishes. Things made with simple ingredients and a lot of heart.

That's Hungarian's in My Kitchen! by Linda Foster Radke is a great place to start, because even if you've never cooked Hungarian food before, you'll soon realize how easy it is, thanks to Linda's recipes and layout.

The book offers simple 125 Hungarian American Kosher recipes that require few ingredients (that you no doubt already have in that pantry of yours) and a short paragraph of directions. The simplicity of it doesn't take away from the beauty of it, but certainly makes it easy to get a hang of the recipes quickly.

Many of the recipes originated in Hungary (so you're getting the real deal here) so that Beef Goulash is going to taste like the old country back home and the Chicken and Dumplings will soon become one of your go-to dishes because of the rave reviews you'll receive from the table.

You're going to want to try Sweet and Sour Herring and Apple Pecan Pancakes (your mouth's watering just reading this, isn't it?) because they are simply like nothing you've had before and what about Carrol Tzimmes? It's a sweet stew made with carrots, sweet potato and beef brisket or pot roast. That'll be a nice change from the plain ol' roast you've been doing all these years!

It doesn't get much better than Potato Latkes, Apple Strudel and European Kolacky (cookies made with cream cheese), but then keep going on in the cookbook - desserts abound like you wouldn't believe. And they all sound so good that you'll no doubt want to try making each and every one.

Linda has created the kind of cookbook I think suits everyone from novice to grand chef - great recipes that require little fuss and result in cries for seconds and probably thirds.

Isn't that what you want from your cookbooks?

Get your copy of That's Hungarian's in My Kitchen now.

Mmmm - P.o.p. Candy Butter Crunch Treats Are Superb! And Addictive...

As my Mom would say, "Good grief, these are good!"

P.o.p. Candy's Butter Crunch Treats not only are divine tasting, but are made in a variety of artisanal flavours and contain no additives or preservatives!

They are handmade with love in small batches with quality, whole, local ingredients, so while these wonderful treats may taste incredibly decadent, they are made with pure ingredients at an insanely affordable price!

I absolutely love the variety of butter crunches available - Almond Butter Crunch, Pecan and Pistachio. And for those of you who like a little extra oomph when it comes to your candy, you're going to fawn over the P.o.p. Mix (a multi-nut blend), Rosemary Almond and Thyme Walnut 'n Cherries, just as I did.

In fact, just to be safe, you'd better order one of everything. No, make that two of everything. You don't want to run out....