Spring flowers
Every spring I get a boatload of emails from gardeners wondering what went wrong with their bulbs and flowering plants. Spring more than any other time seems to have more tension when it comes to things not going as planned. I think this is because we wait all winter for a shot of colour in […]
When in Rome
When in Rome you should eat their most famous pastas. The four classic Roman pastas are Carbonara, Cacio e Pepe, Gricia, and Amatriciana. We had all four on different nights, not all at the same time and my son loved the Amatriciana. I can’t believe that I had never cooked it for him because it […]
I spy with my jelly bean eye
As I write this it’s been one week since “Chocolate Sunday”. Now, before you get all Easter-y on me, my granddaughter gave Easter that name many years ago. It made sense to her and, besides, I like it—Chocolate Sunday. It’s more or less what the day is, ultimately, about. Today, seven days later, I’m not […]
Tannat Day
April 14 marks Tannat Day—a fitting moment to revisit a grape that, while still under the radar for many, carries a story as compelling as the wines it produces. Native to southwest France, tannat finds its historic home in Madiran, where it gives rise to some of the most structured and age-worthy wines in the […]
A taste of Italy
We didn’t eat a lot of meat while in Italy. We ordered a bunch of plates to share that represented the specialities of the area we were in. We had the obligatory bistecca alla Fiorentina—a 3 pound porterhouse steak that took about three days to digest. Unfortunately it was our most expensive meal and the […]
Spring lawn care
We have officially hit the time of year when everyone starts asking me about his or her lawns. I’m not sure when the grass became an obsession, but Canadians have it bad! It’s almost as if many homeowners feel like a failure if their lawn isn’t a healthy shade of green and free of all […]
A taste of Italy
We just returned from 12 glorious days in Italy. Beautiful sunny skies, 20 degrees most days, really delicious coffee and dining al fresco every night. I didn’t take many pictures; my camera wouldn’t do it justice, so I just enjoyed the view. We made a point to try the food specialities of each area we […]
Excuse me?
Recently I read an article about Boomers who own, and live in, their “forever home”. The children have grown and flown. According to that article Baby Boomers are considered, by some, to be “a significant contributor to current housing shortages and high prices”. Excuse me? The logic behind this is Boomers, like me, are staying […]
Care chaos
It doesn’t happen very often but it’s, Thursday the 19th as I’m writing this column. I usually have a pile of notes and on Sundays I sit down with my cup of Joe, CBS Sunday Morning on the telly and pull everything together. But I’ll be stuffed inside an MRI tunnel on Sunday and I […]
County uncorked
In early December, a group of PEC winemakers gathered to talk about their 2024 pinot noirs. More recently, in March, we got together to taste and discuss their chardonnays. Both are quintessential signature grapes of Prince Edward County, and the similarities were hard to miss. There is most certainly a regional style that is easy […]