Author Archive: My Kitchen Wand

Having something that young people will enjoy making to offer at celebrations is usually a good thing and I try to post at least one option at these times. That is not to say that someone under the age of majority has to be around to make these tasty treats. You can take this idea […]

A quick and simple side for Summer Solstice Brunch. The Salmon Florentine Benedicts are filling so something light such as these shooters can be a good balance if hashbrowns are feeling like too much. Strawberries are local here right now and raspberries arrived the day after I took these pictures. Apricots are from the Okanagan […]

Round shapes, warm colours and spicy flavours are all aspects to consider incorporating in your celebration of solstice. This brunch favourite checks all the boxes and with the solstice falling on a Sunday this year, you can organize ahead of time and poach the eggs when everyone is back from greeting the morning sun. Enough […]

Each visit to Jean’s garden brings fresh delights, a new plant bursting forth in full colour to feed the hummingbirds and bees. The lovage is the light green in the centre of the picture, behind the delphiniums, now taller than I am and the mint filled pots are ready for a project of some kind. […]

One of the wonderful things about celebrating Summer Solstice in years past was the abundance of fresh things to use as ingredients for preparing meals; tasty herbs, late spring berries, baby salad leaves. Summer would bring excitement for warmth and light but also for having more choices and no longer needing to draw only from […]

Every time I visit Jean’s garden there is something new that I am delighted by, a flower has come into bloom, a new project is underway, some new nurturing thing has been completed to keep the garden feeling cared for. This week it was wizards and irises. With heads gently poking through the blackberry bushes, […]

I believe I mentioned I like (make that love) rhubarb and that is sometimes an issue when others in the house do not, so I take every opportunity to bake with it when I am doing anything that involves a pot luck. This is my “go to” for spring get togethers if I am on […]

I had the joy of visiting the well tended garden of the father of a friend of mine the other day. His roots go back to Italy so, basil, rosemary, fig and plum trees and of course tomatoes along with nine types of arugula are a must. He gardens with seeds brought over from the […]

During the decades that I had students living in my home, summer meals that were light and fresh didn’t always hit the spot for young men with bigger appetites. I usually solved that issue with a filling dessert of some sort. This warm quinoa pudding would fit into that category. Not a traditional creamy pudding, […]

Welcome! Welcome! Jean’s garden is going wild. The chives have popped open and the flowers will make a lovely, colourful addition to salads. The comfrey is in full bloom and will make the compost very happy in future weeks. Everywhere there is life and busily growing plants. The first of the roses are out, the […]