When was the last time you ate the candy you loved as a kid?

I picked some up this past week and couldn't believe how fun it was. Yes. Candy is fun. Just try putting some poprocks on your tongue and then make some noise. And then there was the fun dip. Did you know that double-dipping with a foodie is always allowed and sometimes a requirement?

Relish life
with
fun dip
gobstoppers
and
poprocks
Lick and
double-dip
in
pink
purple
orange
sugar
Pop
fizz
crackle
laugh
Taste test
Froot Loops
and
eat the rainbow
Be
loopy.


History of Lasagna

Lasagna, a beloved comfort food, is often associated with Italian cuisine, but its origins are a subject of debate. The term "lasagna" comes from the Greek word lasana (or Lasanon), meaning "trivet" or "stand for a pot," and was later adopted by the Romans as lasanum, meaning "cooking pot." This term was likely used to describe the dish, as the recipe evolved over time. While Italy is now renowned for lasagna, the first recorded recipe appeared in an English cookbook, leading to some disagreement about its true origin.

Despite the debate, lasagna has become a classic in many households around the world. In Canada, it's a particularly cherished dish and is often a go-to recipe for family gatherings, offering comfort and warmth.

Story of Lynda’s Evolving Lasagna

"Have you ever thrown a fistful of glitter in the air?"

I've loved that Pink! song since I saw it on the Grammy's this year.
It still sends shivers when I watch the video.

So, after I learned I had thyroid cancer and before the surgery, I bought some glitter and took it to a field, made a wish and threw a fistful in the air. Then, another evening after telling my three girls about my cancer, we took some more glitter to a field and threw fistfuls in the air and
made our wishes.

It's a good memory.

Blow the dandelion
Toss the glitter
Light a candle
Make a wish
Dream
Hope
Someday I'll be healthy
Someday I'll be happy
...One day...
But today I'll trust life
Breathe
Be
Love
Live

Recipe: Traditional (Evolving) Family Borscht Recipe

Makes: 10 servings

 Lately, I've decided I need to "try something new" every day.

Last week, I had a water balloon fight with my kids. At one point, I had to be a non-moving target for Jennifer, the youngest, since she was getting frustrated not being able to hit anyone with her water balloons. We had lots of laughs. And I was soaked.  
Another night, after watching the movie Step Up 3 with my kids, we were walking back to my place, and we were dancing in the parking lot. Anna, my middle child, was laughing, embarrassed by my attempts at dancing. But it was fun. I wouldn't have done that...probably before being diagnosed with cancer. It's funny how it changes you. Jennifer and I jumped on a park bench, leaped from it, and we all skipped, danced and enjoyed lots of giggles and laughter.

Yesterday I did a somersault.

When was the last time I did a somersault?
A head over heels tumble
A heels over head routine
Forwards, backwards, sideways, in the air
In my room
On the grass
In a crowd
360
Dizzy, disoriented, confused
Now
Leap
Jump
Tumble through air
Stick the landing
No more fear
Cartwheel next


This is one of the easiest recipes I've made in a long time. And right now, my life demands easy. With three kids, their activities and camps, work, blog, restaurant reviewing, and all the other stresses on my time, cooking dinner at home lately isn't first on my list. But I'd make this recipe again. My sister sent it to me after she'd made it many times for family and friends. It comes from the July 2006 edition of Gourmet, and it's a keeper.


Recipe for Shrimp or Salmon with Lime Butter Sauce

Recipe for Grilled Corn with Herb Butter


This salmon paired well with Inniskillin's Winemaker's Series 2008 Chardonnay (LCBO/Vintages #105379 $16.95) that was medium-bodied, with a touch of oak but not buttery.

More to Explore:

• Index of Recipes
• Visual Recipe Index

As the story goes, Caprèse Salad was first created in the 1950s in Italy.

So I imagine myself sitting in a little restaurant in Italy, in the region of Campania, perhaps, and before my meal, I order a Caprèse Salad. I know that to prepare this dish, the Chef will pick a top-quality tomato in its prime—ripened on the vine. He will then lift some Mozzarella di bufala (buffalo mozzarella) out of the liquid in the special place he stores it. The buffalo mozzarella will be fresh and springy—even a little juicy and creamy and definitely delicious.

To this, the Chef will add the other simple ingredients, always ensuring that the quality of each individual item is top-notch. The Extra Virgin Olive Oil (or Balsamic vinegar).The fresh basil from the Chef’s own herb garden. Using dried basil from a spice jar would be irreverent. Even the salt the Chef sprinkles on the salad as a final touch is special sea salt.

And so the simple, yet exquisite ingredients come together to create a salad delicious, yet deceiving in its simplicity. The same salad made with lesser ingredients would be ordinary, even mundane. But something magical happens in the fusion of these fine flavours and textures and the salad becomes a dish fit for royalty.

Paired with a medium bodied white wine, somewhat aromatic and fruity, Caprèse Salad is perfection on a summer plate.

I finish my Caprèse Salad, take a sip of wine, and order dinner.

Actually, that's not far from what I experienced in June -- only the location was Paris, not Italy.

I enjoyed a Caprèse Salad on the patio of a quaint café called Camille in Le Marais, Paris. While people-watching and sipping wine, I marveled at the melding of these three perfect elements on my plate. Summer is the perfect time to enjoy this salad when you can get two of the key ingredients from your own garden or the local farmer's market.

Buffalo mozzarella is a type of mozzarella cheese that's made from water buffalo's milk, not from cow's milk. In Ottawa, you can get this cheese at La Bottega Nicastro Fine Food Shop or House of Cheese in the Byward Market.
When I returned home from Paris, a friend made this simple salad at his cottage using a drizzle of some fine Balsamic vinegar to dress it.


This salad pairs well with a fruity, light sipping wine such as Inniskillin's Winemaker's Series 2008 Pinot Gris (LCBO/Vintages #177766 $19.95) that's barrel aged. With its slightly crisp, tropical tones, it's a perfect afternoon-on-the-patio sipping wine.



Recipe: Caprèse Salad

Serves: 1

Today, much of the salmon we enjoy comes from Canada, Alaska, the Pacific Northwest, Greenland, and Norway. In Canada, where I live, salmon is readily available and widely popular for its versatility and health benefits.

Health Benefits of Salmon
Salmon isn't just delicious; it's a nutritional powerhouse: