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Standardby Julie60 Comments

It seems everyone loves a good squash soup recipe. While I’m out in Jasper, I thought I’d share a really simple soup I made last week – roasted pumpkin and pear – not earth-shattering, but simple and delicious, especially topped with crumbled goat cheese, which kept its shape and then melted into the hot soup. This version is sweet and plain, but you could spice it up with a spoonful of curry paste, and of course swap any thick-skinned winter squash for the pumpkin. Butternut’s nice, and easy to peel. If you find yourself with a particularly nubbly-skinned squash, roast it in wedges – the flesh will peel away easily once cooked.

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Standardby Julie59 Comments

I love what I learn from Twitter. I toss out questions into the Twitterverse and see what comes back. I ask how people use ingredients, what their favourite things to eat are, and settle dinnertime debates – the most recent: do they call it Kraft Dinner in the states, or just macaroni & cheese? The answer: KD is all Canadian – and we eat more of it than they do. My mind = blown.

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Standardby Julie162 Comments

We did it! Remember back in February, when I put out a call for help to come make soup to be photographed for a cookbook to benefit the Soup Sisters? (It’s a Calgary organization (now national) that brings together groups who along with a guest chef instructor, gather to cook together, eat together, then package up the pots of soup they’ve prepared to deliver to women’s and children’s shelters.) You came. You chopped. One of you brought ski goggles to protect yourself from the onions. And look what happened – we helped make a book! It’s beautiful, and full of delicious soups contributed by chefs and volunteers who have helped with Soup Sisters events. I made 10 L of soup this morning – sweet potato, carrot and red lentil – for the book launch at Model Milk Bistro this afternoon, but this recipe seemed seasonally appropriate to share, what with its cabbage and beets and carrots and green beans – and because it needs moreContinue reading

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Standardby Julie62 Comments

It’s going to be all soup all the time for the rest of this month, so what’s another pot among friends? Tomorrow is Soupapalooza (you should see the shopping list in front of me), so there will be plenty to share. But I made this one two days ago and sipped the last out of a mug at my desk this afternoon, and it’s almost better than coffee. The chickpeas make it thick, and pureeing them make it sippable. Peanut butter enriches it – peanut butter may be my new favourite soup ingredient – but you can leave it out. It’s soup – you can do anything you want. Also? It’s even better the next day.

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Standardby Julie75 Comments

Sometimes the soup just isn’t as photogenic as the flowers. But yet: a pot of homemade soup exemplifies nourishment, comfort and sharing, doesn’t it? (Deep Thoughts for a Sunday night.) You may have heard of Soup Sisters, an organization that started in Calgary in 2009 (and has since grown to operate 15 events in 9 cities across Canada every month), where participants gather in local professional kitchens for a soup-making event under the guidance of a chef facilitator, producing 150-200 servings of nourishing soup that are packaged in reusable lidded glass bowls and delivered to a local shelter. It’s half class, half kitchen party – events are social evenings with lively conversation, chopping, laughter and warm kitchen camaraderie that culminate in a simple, sit-down supper of soup, salad, bread and wine. Since March 2009, Soup Sisters has delivered over 60,000 containers of soup to 20 shelter recipients across Canada. I’ve been a Soup Sisters chef/facilitator myself, and it’s fun. And now I’ve been asked toContinue reading

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Standardby Julie59 Comments

So. Christmas. It didn’t wind up being the healthiest holiday season. I thought I’d be back with too many photos to sort on Boxing Day – but as it turns out there hasn’t been much food to report. On Friday morning (our anniversary!) on which day we planned to head downtown and walk, do the last of our Christmas shopping, have a fancy coffee, then go for dinner and wrap presents, I walked in the door from my early morning BT spot feeling a little woozy. I spent the day in bed and the bathroom, and W joined in that evening – luckily I already had a barf bucket at the ready by the couch. We spent our anniversary evening mopping the floor, doing laundry, cuddling W and watching old episodes of Arrested Development. It wasn’t bad, actually, but no food to report. Saturday we had Christmas at my parents’ house, and the big turkey dinner. It was beautiful – the setting and the meal,Continue reading

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Standardby Julie153 Comments

I’m home. Sorry I’ve been MIA – I just spent 10 days at the Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge for their oh-so-awesome annual Christmas in November event. Hanging with the most amazing Anna Olson and her equally amazing husband, Michael. And of course Michael Smith and his new family. And Karl Lohnes, and so many others.. not least of all the 300+ guests who came up for a good time in each of the three packages – one last weekend, one midweek, and one this past long weekend, including Monday. It was, as it always is, a total blast. It included 13 cooking demos, buffets, fancy meals, wine & martinis, breakfast pastries with coffee served out of silver urns, forest walks, wine & martinis, warm cookies, turndown service, enormous stone fireplaces, wine & martinis, gala dinners with live bands and dancing and conga lines (I led one that gathered over a hundred the other night!) and singing Christmas carols and an outdoor swimming pool under theContinue reading

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Standardby Julie66 Comments

Ale soup was far from my radar. But then three things happened, in this order: 1) on my flight to (or from?) Vancouver last week I watched Michael Smith, whom I’m going to see in a few days in Jasper, make cheddar and ale soup on the little TV in front of me. It looked good, even though I’m not a beer fan. It reminded me of something we got once upon a time at a pub. That might have been the fantasy me in which I live in London with a rugby player. 2) I met a food writer from the Yukon for lunch yesterday. She brought me, among other things, halloumi cheese made by a blind goat herder, and a bottle of Whitehorse-brewed ale. 3) upon my return home I received an email request for all things warm and cheesy and loaded with carbs for CBC this morning. David asked specifically for cheddar and beer soup, please. He had never had it. AllContinue reading

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Standardby Julie56 Comments

Having spent the past three days eating very well in Saskatoon, on a ranch (where we had pitchfork fondue – yes, that’s exactly what it sounds like it is) and in some fab new restaurants, I came home tired yet inspired to cook, yet wanting something simple and green. Also, my spinach has gone to seed. Meaning I needed to come up with a way of using large quantities of it as I pulled out the entire garden to replant. Also, I watered the spinach before coming to this conclusion, spattering it with mud in the process, and so I needed to swish the lot around in a big bowl of water in order to thoroughly clean it, and didn’t much feel like spinning it dry. Also, if you are Calgarian or running with Calgarians this week, you could likely use a bowlful of greens to offset the effects of Stampede. All good reasons, don’t you think? I wound up tossing in bits of otherContinue reading

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