The other day it hit a very warm +27 degrees here in the ‘Peg.

I was outside with my family and both my daughters were tugging at my shorts asking for something cold to cool them down.

We let them have popsicles, which for us means pouring fruit juice into popsicle moulds and freezing them, so they think it’s a big treat and we feel good about letting them have one too.

As I watched them both sit in the shade and focus on the frozen treat in front of them, I wondered what us parental units should be munching on to cool us down.

Popsicles weren’t going to do the trick–the ones we give the girls aren’t very big so they’d be devoured way too fast, so I started to think of a treat for more developed palates.

The recipe I found is borrowed straight from Janina Oleary, pasty chef at TRACE restaurant at the W Austin. A granita, or water ice, is simply a mix of flavored water and sugar that is not allowed to freeze completely solid, with the texture of a grainy slush. It is incredibly refreshing in warm weather and is worthy of making all summer long.

The recipe is called Cucumber Ice with Dr. Pepper Reduction–it’s easy, full of flavour and almost guaranteed to become a staple in your kitchen for years to come.

The picture above is just one, yes, just one, of four bookcases I have devoted to cookbooks.

I remember at an interview I had the interviewee asked me a pretty typical question: What was the name of the book or books I’ve recently read.

It’s one of those questions that usually pop up during one of these Q&A sessions but it honestly caught me aback.

It wasn’t that I didn’t know the names of the books I had my nose in recently, I knew them well, but, well, there were all of a particular genre.

I looked at the lady and said, “Larousse Gastronomique, The French Laundry cookbook and Kitchen Confidential.”

She said she wasn’t familiar with these titles and once I explained they were all from the culinary genre, she looked a little puzzled.

“Anything else on the list?” she said.

All I could answer was, “Bon Appetit magazine.”

When I was younger, I spent oodles of time reading a wide variety of books but as I grew up, my interests began to narrow.

Now, when I pack a bag for the beach or catch a flight somewhere, I’ve got at least one or two cooking related books with me.

On vacation this year, I sat with Wiley’s The Professional Chef on my lap as I watched the ocean waves lap on the beach.

Don’t worry, I wasn’t missing the point of vacation–I had a perfectly tart lime margarita in the other hand.

I just love cooking. And learning about cooking too because even if it sounds a little cliche, it’s impossible not to learn something new everyday.

Maybe it’s an ingredient you’ve snubbed for years or the purchase of a particular pot/dish/cooking instrument that inspires you to create a paella, fresh pressed tortillas or a slowly-briased meal.

The latter will always cure my cooking ennui–I simply find a new dish or instrument to use in the kitchen and for the next couple of weeks, I’m riffing on a ton of classic recipes creating new (and in my opinion, better) ones.

The other way to stay fresh in the kitchen is by picking up, yes, you knew it was coming, a cookbook–each one I own has taught me something.

So if you’re stuck and looking for inspiration, head down to your local kitchenware store or bookseller–both places will get you back in the kitchen with a smile.

What’s your favourite cookbook? Anything I should be reading this summer?

Those who know me know I love food and if there’s one ingredient I crave quite often, it’s the spud.
Yes, the humble potato is one of my all time favourite items to consume and yes, I do find myself actually craving it.
My wife does that share my enthusiasm for said spud so I don’t eat them as often as I like.
Still, when I do, I try to make sure the version I’m serving is something sublime (so she doesn’t make a face at me when I serve them to her).
As the weather starts to get warmer, the simple starch cries out (at least to me) to become part of a magnificent potato salad.
There’s something just so comforting and summery about a potato salad that, even for my lovely, is hard to resist.
Sure, you can use any potato you’d like to create one, but my favourite is assembling a variety of baby potatoes for the task.
Red-skinned, Yukon gold and if you can find them, purple potatoes, add a great deal of flavour to the mix, not to mention a lovely colour too.
I’m not a huge fan of dill, but when combined with luscious mayo, a bright splash of lemon, garlic and other fresh herbs, I think it’s a wonderful addition.
To wit, here’s my go-to potato salad recipe that may just become your go-to recipe going forward.
Baby Potato Salad with Sweet Peppers in a Dill Garlic Aioli
3 lb baby potatoes
2 heads of garlic, slowly-roasted until golden and soft
3/4 cup mayo
1 lemon, zest and juice
2 coloured sweet bell peppers, cored, seeded and diced
1 cup peas
2 tbsp fresh dill, minced
2 tbsp fresh basil, thinly sliced
2 tbsp fresh Italian parsley, minced

DIRECTIONS:
Place potatoes in a pot of cold salted water and bring to a boil; when boiling, reduce heat to a simmer, cover and cook for about 15 minutes or until potatoes are soft (but not mushy).
Remove potatoes from water and let cool for about 20 minutes; slice in half, place in a large bowl and toss with lemon juice.
Add peppers and peas to potatoes.
Squeeze garlic into a food processor and process until smooth.
In a separate bowl, combine garlic, mayo, lemon zest and all herbs and whisk to combine.
Toss potatoes with dressing and season with salt and pepper to taste.
Cover and refrigerate for 2 hours before serving.
Enjoy!

Yesterday as I was shopping at the grocery store, I heard a couple chatting with the cashier as they were paying for their items.
They were speaking quite loudly so it was impossible not to overhear their conversation.
In their hands was a plastic clamshell package that held six muffins.
The topic of discussion was that these pre-made ones were so good, they stopped making homemade.
I, without being too dramatic, think my heart broke.
I took a look at they package and went to the bakery department to get a better look at said magnificent muffins.
Having found the ones these people were happily leaving the store with, I flipped it over to get a peek at the ingredients.
Heart break part deux.
The list was long and included everything from high fructose sugar to a silly amount of preservatives, artificial colours and flavours.
These were the muffins that were good enough to shut the door on homemade?
I think not.
That got me thinking–how horrible were the muffins these people were making for them to think these were the better choice?
While I’m not a professional baker, I know the ones I make at home kill the pre-made stuff–no question at all.
As I stood there for a minute, the only thing I wanted to do was to bake a batch of homemade muffins and give them to this couple to show them that real food, made with real, fresh ingredients will always trump the fake stuff any day, any time.
What do you think?
If you don’t want to bake, I can understand that, but have we gotten to a point where people are OK to consume fake food instead of trying to find a real alternative?
Let me know your thoughts.

You really have to hand it to Latin America–the creation of the taco has got to be one of the best kinds of food in the world.

At it’s core, it’s simple street food served unassumingly in a deep fried corn tortilla.

But while it’s basic premise is simple, the ingredients that can go within do not have to be.

I think many people are lulled into the simplicity of pre-packaged taco kits and I can see why.

They offer an easy way to put a meal together that requires only that the ‘cook’ stand in front of the stove and stir.

Simple-yes. Creative? No. Inspired? Nope. Awesome to eat the next day? Hardly.

When I make tacos, I make tacos.

For the filling, I love to go with marinated chicken thighs (with the skin pulled off -c’mon, you can do it) on the bone.

From there I add perfectly ripe chopped avocado, julienned Romaine, Roma tomato pieces and sour cream laced with lime juice, cilantro and chives.

The key here is the chicken as it is what transforms this dish from good to great.

I use an ingredient in this dish called achiote paste–don’t run away screaming, it’s nothing too crazy.

It’s a paste, kind of like Thai red chili paste, used to flavour a wide variety of Latino dishes.

You can buy it pre-made at places like Scoop N Weigh or a quick Google search will provide you with a decent make-your-own version.

If you’re thinking about making some soon, here’s the recipe I go with:

2 lbs (1 kg) bone-in chicken thighs, skin removed

3/4 cup freshly squeezed orange juice

1/3 cup freshly squeezed lime juice

1/3 cup achiote paste*

3 jalapeños, stemmed and seeded

1 head of garlic, cloves peeled

1 bunch of cilantro

DIRECTIONS:

In a food processor, combine paste, jalapeños, garlic and cilantro. Process until finely chopped. Place mixture into a bowl and add juices; whisk to combine.

Place chicken thighs in a large dish and cover with marinade. Cover and refrigerate for a couple of hours (overnight is even better).

Preheat oven to 350 F (convection if possible) and bake chicken until very tender, about 1 hour. Remove from oven, reserving juices, and let cool. When cool to the touch, remove chicken from the bone and shred into small pieces; discard bones.

Place chicken back into reserved juices and keep warm in the oven at 200 F.

From there, the possibilities are endless. In the photo above, I’ve used tostado shells as the base but feel free to use taco shells or wraps or whatever.

Makes enough chicken for many, many tacos.

Late this afternoon, my wife and I are meeting with an architect to talk about potential renovation ideas for our house.

As baby number three will arrive within the next couple of months, our thoughts about how to arrange the living space between us and our two daughters plus baby has come to the forefront.

But what does this have to do with food right?

Good thing you asked.

For the past couple of days I’ve been consumed with trying to figure out what I should offer, or not offer, to the person coming to chat with us.

In years past, it was customary to offer a refreshment and snack to people who visited your home.

Now it’s more like, “can I get you a glass of water?”

How boring.

Plus, the person making the house call knows she’s coming to the home of a person who cooks, eats and drinks for a living.

I’m assuming that she may be looking for something a little nicer than tap water.

But what should I have waiting?

Cupcakes? Coffe cake? Muffins?

Brownies, cookies or a slice of cake?

Truth be told, up to this point, I’ve only spoken with her once on the phone and wouldn’t know her face if we passed on the street so I have no idea what she may or may not like.

So what do you suggest my friends? What would you serve in this situation?

Ingredients

Crust:
1, 9” (23 cm) unbaked pie crust

Filling:
3/4 cup (175 mL) sugar
1/3 cup (75 mL) cornstarch
Pinch of salt
1 3/4 cups (425 mL) freshly squeezed orange juice
4 egg yolks (reserve egg whites)
1 tbsp (15 mL) grated orange zest
1/2 cup (125 mL) canned mandarin orange segments, drained and chopped

Meringue:
Reserved egg whites
1/2 cup (125 mL) white sugar
1/4 tsp (1 mL) cream of tartar
Seeds from 1 vanilla bean

Directions

Crust:
Preheat oven to 400 F (200 C). Line pastry with aluminum foil and a layer of pie weights or dried beans. Bake in the preheated oven until edge of crust is golden, about 10 minutes. Carefully remove the foil and weights; bake about 5 minutes more.

Filling:
Preheat the oven to 350 F (170 C). In a saucepan, combine sugar, cornstarch and salt, stirring to mix. Slowly whisk in orange juice, then egg yolks, one at a time, then zest. Cook over medium-high heat, whisking constantly, until thickened and bubbling, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in chopped oranges. Pour into the crust.

Meringue:

In the bowl of an electric mixer, whip egg whites and cream of tartar until foamy. Gradually add sugar, 1 tbsp (15 mL) at a time, and then the vanilla bean seeds, continuing to beat until stiff peaks form. When you lift the beater out of the bowl, the egg whites should make a sharp peak that holds its shape. Spread meringue evenly over the entire pie making sure it attaches to the crust edge to prevent shrinking while baking. Place in preheated oven and bake for about 15 minutes or until meringue is golden brown.

Serves 8

Recipe by Miles Thatcher

March is a busy month around here as not only do I celebrate a birthday, my lovely sister does as well a few days after mine.

That usually results in a couple of birthday parties at various places not to mention a big family get-together at some point so my parents can see us and wish us well.

But now that I’m a Dad of two little girls (with number three child right around they corner), choosing a restaurant that serves good food and is accommodating to little kids is incredibly challenging.

Why is that?

Why must we have to choose one or the other?

Having been in the hospitality industry for more than a decade, I can understand the trepidation managers and waiting staff would have when they spied our small entourage of little ones arriving as sometimes it can turn out to be a real gong-show.

Thing is, even though our girls have their moments just as any four-year-old and 1 1/2 year old would have, they are quite well-behaved in restaurants.

Not to mention, since we’ve walked many miles in hospitality shoes, we come packed with enough distractions to ensure that we and the people around us can eat in peace.

We ended up at a family run Italian joint close to where we live that supposedly made pretty good food and had enough space for our little ones to roam around before dinner.

Since they’ve been in business for forever and a day, all this might actually be true.

So we pack up the family to meet the sibling and parents at the restaurant.

I start off with an order of calamari and a bowl of carbonara to follow.

As the first plate is put in front of me, each calamari ring is exactly the same size and shape with perfectly uniform crust.

Sigh.

Sysco pre-made frozen squid rings. Great.

The carbonara to follow was so bland and flavourless (even with the bacon!), a bowl of Elmer’s glue tossed with spaghetti would have tasted better.

My kids had a decent order of buttered noodles with a side of house made marinara to add, so they managed to slurp a decent amount down.

Too bad Dad didn’t get so lucky.

So here we were, in a place that served pre-made frozen calamari and awful carbonara in a space neither of our girls were really allowed to explore and for this, we got to pay close to $90 (gratuity already included in the bill).

So again I ask, why isn’t there a place, or should I say places, that serve great food and are happy to see kids?

I’m not asking for a jungle gym to be set up on site, but at least a smile and a willingness to help their patrons have a good meal.

What do you think?

Is there such a thing as a great restaurant that is happy to welcome parents and their little ones?

Hard. Core. Carnivore.

That’s me in a nutshell.

For as long as I can remember, the thought of tearing into a big juicy steak, pulling the bones from a slow-smoked piece of baby-back ribs, or thinly slicing a rotisserie leg of lamb has caused me to salivate.

I still remember clearly the time, maybe about 25 years ago or so, at our family’s garage sale, when I brought out a big bag of Lego to sell.

It was a stupid huge bag of the stuff and I had reached a point where it’s spell over me had faded and it was time for it to go.

My Mom had told me to come up with a price for it since it was mine to sell and as I thought about what to sell it for, the only number I could come up with was one that would allow me to bike down to the butcher and buy the biggest T-bone steak I could find.

True story.

Back then, I think all it took was about $10 bucks to purchase one of those monsters and much to my parents horror, that’s the number I put on the bag.

Needless to say, the first parent of little children who spied my garbage bag of the stuff snapped it up before I even let go of it.

My parents to this day still remind me that I could have sold it for five, many 10 times the amount, but all I remember was that I got to go to the butcher afterwards.

I bought that big ol’ steak and my Dad grilled it for me, nice and medium-rare and I sat there, in the summer sun, with my giant T-Bone steak and a baked potato in total and complete bliss.

My wife does not sure the same ‘enthusiasm’ for grilled steak as I do, which is actually good, because if left to my own devices, I’d most likely try and eat it everyday.

So, as I turn older today, without, thankfully, feeling old, I sit here contemplating what to make for my celebratory dinner and guess what’s going to make it on the menu?

Oh gawd yes–a T-bone steak and baked potato.

This time, it will be me in front of the ‘cue grilling it to medium-rare perfection and I can honestly say, I can’t hardly wait.

JP Vives, co-chef of La Bodega in Regina, is a self-described “meat and potatoes” lover. Here’s his preferred sturdy Italian-inspired approach to the subject

Ingredients

1 cup (250 mL) virgin olive oil
1/2 cup (125 mL) minced garlic
4, 16 oz (500 g) T-bone steaks, each about 1” (2.5 cm) thick
7 rosemary sprigs
Sea salt and freshly cracked pepper to taste

Directions

Combine olive oil and garlic. Rub half the mixture over the steaks and place in a container with 4 rosemary sprigs. Refrigerate for 2 to 8 hours. Combine the remaining garlic-infused olive oil with the remaining rosemary sprigs. Refrigerate overnight to develop aroma and flavour. Remove the meat from the fridge and wipe off excess oil and garlic to avoid burning; let sit for 10 to 15 minutes to come to room temperature. Preheat the grill at high heat. Generously season both sides of the steak with salt and fresh-cracked pepper. Cook, turning once, to your preferred degree of doneness, occasionally brushing the steaks with the rosemary twigs. Remove steaks from the heat and let rest for 2 to 4 minutes. Serve with your favourite potatoes and vegetables.

Serves 4

Recipe by JP Vives