Columnists

Beloved dessert

Posted: Feb 26, 2026 at 9:38 am   /   Columnists

was born in Sweden and came to Canada when I was six years old. As I learned to speak English, which was my third language, we stopped speaking Swedish and only spoke Serbian at home. Our culture and diet was mostly Serbian and so we didn’t keep any Swedish customs at home. I still have […]

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Olympic wines

Posted: Feb 26, 2026 at 9:37 am   /   Columnists

I like to say that in addition to chipotle, variety is the spice of life. For sports lovers, the last two weeks of the Olympics have been a Vegas-style buffet of variety — enough events to gorge on, dramas to drink up, and simmering rivalries to savour. The athletes have been the star attractions, but […]

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Reach for the stars

Posted: Feb 26, 2026 at 9:31 am   /   Columnists

This year I am celebrating sixteen years of working out with my buddy Paul. Sixteen years is a long time. Of course someone asked if I were still going to the gym—perhaps because of my “advanced years” or “at your age”. In spite of being a wise-cracker I told them I was still going but […]

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Jazz it up

Posted: Feb 19, 2026 at 9:45 am   /   Columnists

With the price of meat, especially lamb, it’s not an ingredient we get to enjoy often, so when I see them on sale I will buy and freeze if I’m not planning on serving them right away. Some people find the bones in loin chops bothersome, but we are used to eating meat on the […]

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F-Day

Posted: Feb 19, 2026 at 9:41 am   /   Columnists

Come on! On January 1st we all hoped 2026 would be better than 2025, much better. I know I thought it has to get better because how much worse than 2025 could 2026 ever be? Now, don’t get me wrong, 2025 wasn’t a complete dumpster fire. Our families made it so much better than it […]

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Predictions from sommeliers

Posted: Feb 12, 2026 at 9:37 am   /   Columnists

It’s often said that the LCBO is the largest buyer of alcohol in the world. But when you consider that Costco serves a far larger consumer base across the United States, and Tesco reaches many more people than Ontario’s 16 million residents, that claim begins to feel less certain. Big or not, the LCBO’s sales […]

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Seasoning

Posted: Feb 12, 2026 at 9:34 am   /   Columnists

We went to Ottawa last week for my birthday and we had lunch at a little place in the market called Soup dumpling Co. Naturally we ordered a couple of baskets of steamed dumplings although we both prefer fried dumplings. Of course they were delicious— but messy. They have written instructions on the table on […]

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Warm and fuzzy

Posted: Feb 12, 2026 at 9:32 am   /   Columnists

Happy Valentine’s Week! I think of this week as the gateway to warmer weather and who among us couldn’t use a little bit of warmer weather?! A much younger me loved the snowy days. It often meant the school bus couldn’t make it from town and we’d stand at the corner of Weston Road and […]

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It’s pruning time

Posted: Feb 5, 2026 at 9:40 am   /   Columnists

Its officially time to prune your fruit trees! I know it seems like an odd time to be pruning your apple, pear, plum, and cherries, but the deep part of winter is the perfect time to start trimming. This year I have to take it one step further than just a little trim on my […]

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Seasoning

Posted: Feb 5, 2026 at 9:37 am   /   Columnists

When it comes to bagels my favourite is Montreal sesame. New York style bagels are too big and bready for me. I like the chewy, crisp taste of a well toasted Montreal bagel. I also like the Country Harvest multigrain bagels. I really don’t like everything bagel; not the taste nor the smell which is […]

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