Pasta & Lentil Soup

My wife and I were sitting around the other day and talking about new ways to introduce healthier foods in our routine. It's always a great idea supplementing your daily meals with healthy, fresh ingredients, especially when you're induldging in baked goods made for the house and put on the blog. So we talked about our favourite ingredients that we don't use as often as we should. Things like legumes and root vegetables.

I love legumes. I especially like lentils and yet I've completely neglected them recently. It wasn't that long ago when I first fell in love with them and seemed to be experimenting with them all the time. I used them as a side dish with herbs and a yogurt sauce to accompany salmon. I've made them with chorizo in soups and added them in salads. It's time to bring it back again.

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Caramelized Onion & Goat Cheese Tartlet

If our moods are predicated on the weather, than today was a very good day. It's still winter and we're knee deep in February but somebody pulled back the curtain on spring and gave us a glimpse of what's to come. I love all that winter has to offer but after a day like today I remember how fond I am of new beginnings.

Just as I appreciate the changes that winter brings, from the routines we dig into and the foods available for a few months, spring gives us a chance to breathe in the lighter fare for a while. It brings renewed optimism, locally produced goods and recipes that are fresh and new again.

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Rustic Vegetable Soup

When I was a kid I used to live at the hockey arena. I'm Canadian, it's our birthright. I would wake up at the crack of dawn and slide my skates through my stick, throw it over my shoulder and start walking towards the local outdoor rink. When the rickety caged fence would open up I'd be the first one through it. I would nod at the the gate keeper like I was on my way to to work. Once inside I would skate and play until my toes threatened to fall off.

I used to spend hours upon hours honing my skills and working on my game. Most kids dream of being a firefighter or policeman but in this country everybody dreams of being in the NHL. One day my dream would be crushed but that didn't stop me from spending the better part of my youth on a sheet of ice playing with strangers who quickly became friends.

It didn't matter how cold it was or how harsh the winds were, I would be there. You could set my $2 watch by it. My toque (yes, that's what we call a hat) would cling to my ears as if my bigger brother protecting me from the weather. I didn't care about the wind chill or frost warnings. I didn't care about anything back then. I had an ace in the hole.

A big pot of soup.
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Gourmet Popcorn 3 ways

This is the story about a little kernel that could. Gourmet popcorn that sums up my love for all things savoury and delicious. It's made with the finest and freshest ingredients, like premium butter and fresh herbs, Parmigiano Reggiano and caramel sauce. Real flavour and real ingredients. Irresistible snack food.

The combinations of flavours and styles are boundless. My wife still loves classic popcorn with premium melted butter, sea salt and fresh cracked pepper. Simple but fresh and addictive. It's a throwback to drive-in movies and a tub of popcorn that barely lasts the previews. I still fall for the classics but I'm equally satisfied with the sweet and salty fusions and creations today. The new classics.

I like mixing and matching flavour profiles depending on my mood. The all-time favourite caramel popcorn with luscious butter notes and sticky brown sugar sweetness. The taste will hook you for life. Why stop there? We can take it up another level with a few other ingredients that will let the caramel really sing.

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