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Paracombe Palate & Pocket White Hot
Category: White Tasting Notes
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Concha y Toro Winemaker's Lot 14 Chardonnay Hot
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De Loach Russian River Valley Pinot Noir Hot
Category: Red Tasting Notes
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Kitchen Mama Blog

Basta Pasta Print

Written by Rosemary Mantini | 07 April 2011
Posted in KitchenMama

quinoa_pasta__almond_sauceI can't really get enough pasta. It's comfort food for me, warm or cold, any season of the year. This week, my gluten-free-dairy-free pledge has caused a little consternation in the pasta department. Most of the time, I've been cooking meat-vegetables-grain-type meals for dinner. Those kinds of recipes are, by far, the quickest and easiest to toss together. They make great lunches, and, if you have some crêpes or rice paper on hand, meat and veggies are great breakfast fixings, too. But, going gluten-and-dairy-free has its challenges. What do you do when you're craving bread, cake, pasta … you know, all of those gluten-laden foods you used to depend on? Remember, challenges are surmountable if you look at them from a different angle. Right … enough with the platitudes. Sometimes, alternatives just don't come close to the real thing. Rice pasta in tomato sauce just doesn't work for me. So, while nothing will have that same subtly sweet, biscuity taste of wheat pasta, I can find a way to make alternative pasta taste just as good. Packaged gluten-free pasta can work if you match it to the right sauce. If you're more inclined to try experimenting and making your own pasta, I'd love to hear about what kind of flour combinations or recipes have worked for you.

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Gluten-Free-Dairy-Free Recipes - The Experiment Print

Written by Rosemary Mantini | 28 March 2011
Posted in KitchenMama

I have issues with gluten and dairy. I wish I didn't. I dream about the days when I could enjoy any kind of cheese that took my fancy. Though, if truth be told, I still do sometimes and gladly suffer the consequences. For me, my problem with dairy is the lactose. Gluten just makes my head hurt. Literally. So, I thought I'd try a gluten-free-dairy-free (GFDF) diet for a while and see what happens.

Recently, I received a copy of Everyday Grain-Free Gourmet written by Jodi Bager and Jenny Lass. So, I thought that reviewing it would be a good jumping-off point for launching into a GFDF diet. Grain-free obviously goes beyond GF (and doesn't necessarily encompass DF). But, I thought I'd give the book a try regardless. Both of my criteria — gluten- and dairy-free — could be easily integrated in the concept behind the recipes in the book. The authors actually base the book on something called SCD (Specific Carbohydrate Diet). Recommended for people who have Crohn's disease, ulcerative colitis, celiac disease and lots of other conditions, the authors claim that their cookbook "uses only whole, natural foods that are free of fillers and refined sugar."
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Do You Love Waffles? Print

Written by Rosemary Mantini | 25 March 2011
Posted in KitchenMama

Happy 75th birthday, Eggo Waffle! In honour of that achievement, today has been named International Waffle Day.

According to Wikepedia, waffles go back to Medieval times when people baked cake-like dough between two hot irons. The resulting waffle probably more closely resembled an Italian pizzelle cookie than a modern-day waffle. Popular in Switzerland, Belgium and Canada, they can probably be found in varying forms all over the world. Eggo brand, developed specifically for toasters, has been popping up for three quarters of a century. What's your favourite topping? I admit I'm partial to butter and real maple syrup. But, people have been known to top their waffles with all manner of stuff -- fruit, jam, yogurt, honey ….
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Maverick Chef Chuck Hughes Wins Iron Chef Challenge Print

Written by Rosemary Mantini | 21 March 2011
Posted in KitchenMama

Chef Chuck Hughes, owner of Garde-Manger in Montreal has accomplished a first: he's the first Canadian to beat Chef Bobby Flay on Iron Chef America.

I had the opportunity to interview Hughes for Tidings "Maverick Chefs" series. All around nice guy and totally passionate about food (evidenced by his numerous food-related tattoos), Hughes wowed the Chairman and the judges with his interpretations of lobster (the prized kind from Nova Scotia that chefs around the world love), the secret ingredient. Sous chefs, James Baran and Jean-François Methot, were on hand to help him out and make the win happen.

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Sweet Decadence Print

Written by Rosemary Mantini | 14 March 2011
Posted in KitchenMama

chocolate_statueRecently, I had the opportunity to attend Decadence at Niagara College. The purpose of this event was a competition pitting student pastry chefs from across Canada against each other. The room was packed with supporters, and not just family. Visitors and product sponsors from around the world were there taking in the sights, smells and tastes. I really liked that the student chefs, themselves, wandered about critiquing and tasting all of the food. Sometimes, the chefs who do the cooking for these kinds of events are kept far removed from the people enjoying their creations. Or, they're visible only as servers behind food-laden tables. Seeing them participate in the event in various ways was refreshing.

There were so many people milling about at Decadence that if you stayed perfectly still you could catch snippets of conversation. So, I did. What better way to gain insights about people? The passion that flowed from these students was awesome. I saw it in the food they produced. But, it also came through their words. Talking to each other and to the visitors, I could clearly see the pride they take in their work. I heard one student telling another that she was excited about possibly becoming a contestant on Recipes to Riches. Another student told a visitor that she aspired to become like Michael Bonaccini -- a top executive chef who still spends his days cooking in his restaurant kitchens, in touch with the ingredients, staff and customers. Good for them: these students are following through on their dreams.

 

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Brand New Genes Print

Written by Rosemary Mantini | 07 March 2011
Posted in KitchenMama

The Alberta Livestock and Meat Agency has handed Genome Alberta $4.5 million in funding for nine research projects to help improve the quality, reputation and health of Alberta's livestock. Researchers will look at why E. Coli reaches high levels inside healthy cattle and why those microorganisms are then shed becoming a serious problem for people.

I know that applying simple solutions to complex problems doesn't usually work. But, I have to scratch my head here. Tossing $4.5 million after genome research when there are probably a few other, perhaps less expensive, ideas that might help mitigate the problem seems a little suspicious to me. Before I rant any further, here's a little glossary of terms that might shed some light on what this is all about.
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