Poutine! Last weekend I went up to Quebec City for the Winter Carnaval and no surprise, the Poutine craving is strong still this week. I brought back cheese curds (yes, you can bring cheese into the US from across the border) so made myself this awesome lunch.
appetizers
Here is another “Superbowl Weekend” food adventure: Hot Wings! Did you know that Americans eat 1.6 BILLION chicken wings on average, on Superbowl weekend? Crazy, right? These are with a homemade Berbere paste, which is an Ethiopian spice. Plus roasted peppers, onions, garlic and other spices. The wing sauce from that has a little bit of honey in it, so while they are spicy, they aren’t “blow your head off” spicy. The paste can also be used for meats (beef, pork, chicken or even fish) or a little bit could be put in a vinaigrette. Pleased with the result!
Another little treat that works well as a snack while you’re waiting for the Thanksgiving turkey to come out of the oven, or while watching the ever-present footballs games, or even looking for a midnight snack. These Honey Glazed Mixed Nuts with Chinese Five Spice are sweet, savory, and salty, very sticky and totally delicious. And nut combo will do, but I went with almonds, cashews and pecans. Yummy.
Here’s another idea for a picnic, potluck, biergarten meetup or a quick dinner that will feed — well, I’m guessing this will easily feed 10 people as a snack, maybe 4-5 for dinner. I made a cheater version of this stomboli because I bought the pizza dough at Trader Joes, though it’s not actually difficult to make pizza dough. If you do cheat, this stromboli will be ready in under an hour. Can be eaten hot or at room temperature and can be made a day or two in advance, if needed. Easy-peasy!
Very Berry Jam Trio: Black Current + Port Wine, Cran-Strawberry and Raspberry Rhubarb Jams
So, it’s summer and I have gone berry picking a number of times. This always means that I make jam, to carry on the intense summer flavors to the rest of the year. This year, I made a few more kinds than usual, so I am putting them all in one “Triple Berry Jam” post. Pick whichever one you like and make some yourself. The Cran-Strawberry is refreshing, the Black Current + Port Wine also works well as an accompaniment to wine and cheese and the Raspberry Rhubarb? Well, that one I managed to get most of the seeds out so no picking at your teeth after breakfast. Enjoy!














