Recipes

It's unusually cold here and it snowed tonight! This only happens once or twice a year in Vancouver.

Time for some comfort food I thought to myself as I drove home. Gulay (my Filipino stew of tomotaes, cabbage and pork) seemed to be the ticket. I guess my brain must have been frozen because I forgot the cabbage that I had bought for the gulay at the supermarket!

Rather than venture out into the cold, I looked into the fridge to see what I could use instead.

Christmas is when I go crazy baking, so here's another festive recipe. These butterballs are a delicious variation on Mexican Wedding Cakes with the addition of chocolate chips!

Don't be fooled by the name! Although this poor man's tapenade lacks the traditional anchovies and capers, it has a rich flavour! It is excellent stuffed into a whole brie as we served it at our winter warm up party and is also delicious with pasta.

Based on Tree's feedback that the cookies did not flatten (but still tasted great thank goodness!), Barb has revised the recipe to include a line about flattening the cookies with the bottom of a glass dipped in sugar.

Flat or not flat, these cookies are delicious as Teresa can attest to.

Thanks Tree for trying out the cookies!

As Roland mentioned earlier this week (on December 6th and December 7th), peanut butter is a favourite for lots of people. These peanut butter bonbons will satisfy any peanut butter lover's cravings! And they're great to make for Christmas giving...just place them in little paper candy cups and wrap them in a little box. They won't last long under the Christmas tree!

Here's a yummy chocolate cookie recipe which you can make the dough ahead of time and store in your fridge for up to 2 weeks. I like rolling them in icing sugar before baking because they have a gorgeous black and white effect.

Teresa found the Skipjack's clam chowder recipe which she mentioned on November 2nd! It looks good! We'll definitely have to try it out.

Darnell, who operates a website with his recipes and info about the Vancouver Swing Dance scene, sent us a link to Akiba, which has tons of recipes. Thanks Darnell!

I love the combination of raspberries and white chocolate! Here's my recipe for White Chocolate Raspberry Brownies. You can substitute almonds for the macadamia nuts or leave out the nuts entirely. Or for a festive touch, substitute shelled, unsalted natural (undyed!) pistachios.

I've been doing a lot of holiday food and party planning lately. Along with great food, good beverages are an important part of entertaining.

Last year I was served a fabulous glogg at the home of my friends, Jack and Siobahn. Some may find this recipe a bit unusual, but it's delicious and really hits the spot on a cold winter day. I'll be serving this at our Winter Warm-Up on December 3!