Kitchen Operas

Cinnamon, star anise, nutmeg, cloves & cardamom are instant bringers of festive cheer. This is a warming holiday beverage that will make your entire home smell like joy.

I hope all of you are enjoying your holidays as much as we are enjoying ours around here! We woke up this morning to our first snow in our new house: Our first tree in our new house and my first real tree: (Yes, that’s a cheese grater on top. It’s our angel and we […]

In case you should need a last-minute homemade holiday gift, I’ve got you covered! Did you know you can make your own vanilla extract? It’s truly truly simple, all you need is some alcohol, some vanilla beans, a container, and some time. The magic formula is 3 vanilla beans for each cup (250 ml) of […]

Ohhhhhhhh I have found my most favourite brownies of all time — and they are gluten-free! The lovely Nicole and I had a dinner and a movie night, and after dinner we wanted a little something sweet. I’ve had my eye on a dark chocolate brownie recipe from gluten-free goddess ever since I started eating […]

Be sure to take a moment to yourself when you first open the jar. The anise-cinnamon combination will instantly make your home more festive.

Hobbits have a tradition that they give other people gifts on their birthday — and in that tradition I present you with a cake recipe for my upcoming birthday (on Sunday).  This is the cake I make for birthdays in my family — we call it: “That Chocolate Cake Linz Makes” and the original recipe […]

I’m still savouring the wonderful Thanksgiving dinner we had Sunday evening. The food, the company, it was all just perfect. I proclaimed this morning that we should celebrate American Thanksgiving as well, just so we can do it again next month. Michael did such a wonderful job as our host. We all had individual place […]

For all the Canadians in the crowd — Happy Thanksgiving!!!! We were so thankful to be able to celebrate with family and friends last night. And our wonderful host, Michael, was sweet enough to accommodate all of our food challenges: one gluten-free vegetarian-blogging-vegan-for-the-month (me!), one vegetarian, two omnivore mushroom-haters, and two omnivores who will eat […]

Blueberry Whole Wheat Pancakes of Love

This pie is based on my WWII Woolton Pie.  As back during WWII, the British were eating under food rationing, they often made pies with a lid and no bottom crust.  We’ve gotten used to it around here, and do most of our savoury pies with only a top crust.  If you want a double […]