A Meme and a Nice Bowl of Soup

There's that meme bug going around and I was really surprised to be tagged by both Amy of Eggs on Sunday and Aimée of Under the High Chair. I had such a hard time trying to think of things to say about me that would be interesting to you guys who come by and read this little blog of mine once in a while. In any case, here goes (in no particular order…):

1. I know a lot of people out there don’t like the big bad Starbucks coffee, but I love it! Even before I ever tasted their coffee, I really like their designs. See, I used to work for a company that made signs and menus for them. I was in charge of layout and production drawings, so I got to see first hand what new designs would go into their stores. Eventually I even went to Seattle to visit their head office and meet all the nice people I had been working with via phone, email and fax. It was a big deal for me as I had only been out of Universtity for a few years and this was one of the company’s biggest clients. These days my life is still pretty hectic but not in the same way! Now that there are Starbucks Coffees in Quebec, I can go and relax with a nice cup of Caramel Macchiato!

2. I love to knit, sew and make some of my own jewelry. I only knit scarves mind you, I’m no expert! Sewing is not what I do best either, but I love to hand sew tiny pouches, I find the repetition of the stitches relaxing. As for the jewelry, I’ve been beading for as long as I can remember. The style of jewelry I make (and wear) has evolved over the years but one constant remains, no matter how many pieces I make, my stash of beads only gets bigger! And though I don’t have much time to do these things, they are some of my favorite things to do just the same.

3. I am not an organized person. For that reason I make lists, many, many lists. From recipes I want to try to things I have to buy, I write everything down. I have notepads, notebooks, pens and pencils all over the place, but most the time I struggle to remember which notepad I used to write down this or that recipe… Go figure!

4. My first year at University, living on my own, I ate plain rice with green peas for dinner, a LOT. What’s worse, I actually liked it!

5. When I was 8 years old my parents moved us from Montreal, Quebec to rural New Brunswick and bought a diner-style restaurant. By the age of 10 I was waiting tables and working in the kitchen. Not because I had to, because I wanted to. This love of food doesn’t come from nowhere!

6. MacGyver is my favorite TV show of all time. In high school I had posters of Richard Dean Anderson all over my bedroom walls. When the first season came out on DVD, I did a little happy dance in the middle of the living room. The kids thought I’d gone nuts!

7. I gave birth to my third child, Olivia, on my birthday. Yes, I spent my birthday last year in labor. Not exactly the way I had pictured spending my birthday but on the other hand, I got the best birthday present ever.

“7 Things” Meme How To:
1. Link to your tagger and post these rules.
2. Share 7 random facts about yourself
3. Tag 5 people at the end of your post and list their names (linking to them).
4. Let them know they’ve been tagged by leaving a comment at their Blogs
5. Have fun!

I am tagging:
Ginny of Just Get Floury
Lynn of Cookie Baker Lynn
Patricia of Technicolor Kitchen
Nic of Cherrapeno
Brilynn of Jumbo Empanadas

I hope you guys don't mind, I'm looking forward to learning new things about you!

And now for your trouble, I offer this wonderful Salmon Chowder by Ricardo. If you can get your hands on his magazine, you should, it’s gorgeous and full of wonderful recipes.

Salmon Chowder
Adapted from Ricardo, Volume 6, Number 2

2 carrots, peeled and sliced
½ of a red bell pepper, diced
1 red onion, thinly sliced
3 tbsp butter
3 tbsp flour
5 cups chicken broth
1 lb of potatoes, peeled and diced
1 cup of frozen corn kernels
1 lb of fresh salmon, without the skin, diced
½ cup of flat leaf parsley, chopped
salt and pepper to taste

In a large pot, cook carrots, bell pepper and onion in the butter. Add salt, pepper and flour, and mix well.

Add 2 cups of the chicken broth and bring to a boil stirring constantly. Add the rest of the broth, the potatoes and the corn kernels.

Bring to a boil and simmer for about 20 minutes or until potatoes are tender.

Turn off the heat, add salmon and parsley. Cover and let rest for 5 minutes, or just enough time for the salmon to cook. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Serve with a nice slice of no-knead bread.

Comfortably Sweet

Versatile, forgiving, comforting recipes are my favorite. Soup is one of them. Comfort food at its best, you can make it anything you like. Sometimes creamy, sometimes chunky, full of veggies, or not.


Chances are though, if I say “soup” you’re not thinking sweet. Needless to say, when I found this recipe for a “chocolate soup” I was intrigued. Fruit, chocolate and crème anglaise, what could be bad about that? Nothing! Except that I wouldn’t call it a soup, really. It’s more like a cross between a chocolate fondue and a crème brulée, a gratin of sorts. With each spoonful you get the creaminess of the crème anglaise, the sweet tartness of the warm fruit and gorgeous, truffle like chocolate sauce. If it’s as cold where you are as it is here right now, you’ll need this soup to get over the winter blahs.



I had fresh cherries, blueberries and oranges on hand but you could use any kind of fruit you like. Fresh strawberries would be wonderful, as would raspberries or blackberries. I must warn you though, this dessert is for someone with a serious sweet tooth. While the original recipe says it serves 4, I’m pretty sure if you use smaller gratin dishes and serve this with a cookie or two on the side, it could serve 6 easily. And if chocolate isn’t your thing (!) the crème anglaise, which is just a fancy term for custard sauce, is absolutely wonderful, warm over orange segments, or any other fruit you choose.



Food is comfort. Change things around and find what’s comforting to you, that’s what it’s all about.

Custard Sauce (Crème Anglaise)
Adapted from Allrecipes
2 cups milk
1/2 cup sugar
2 eggs
1/2 tbsp pure vanilla extract

In a heavy saucepan over low heat, cook and stir milk and sugar until sugar is dissolved. Remove from the heat. Stir in a small amount of hot milk mixture into eggs; return all to the pan, stirring constantly. Cook and stir until mixture reaches 160 degrees F or is thick enough to coat a metal spoon.

Remove from the heat; stir in vanilla. Cool to room temperature, stirring several times. Transfer to a bowl; press a piece of waxed paper or plastic wrap on top of custard. Refrigerate.

Hot fruit and dark chocolate soup
Adapted from IGA.net
1 litre (4 cups) of a variety of fruit, cut in chunks
150 g (15 squares) Lindt 70% cocoa dark chocolate
80 mL (1/3 cup) half-and-half
30 mL (2 tablespoons) butter
250 mL (1 cup) crème anglaise
60 mL (1/4 cup) brown sugar

Combine chopped fruit.

Melt chocolate, half-and half and butter in a double boiler or in a microwave oven until mixture is smooth.
Divide this chocolate mixture among 4 to 6 oven-proof bowls.
Divide fruit, crème anglaise and brown sugar equally into each bowl.
Place bowls on a baking sheet and broil under oven grill for 5 to 8 minutes. Serve immediately.