Clingen Crowned Canadian Cocktail Queen

The 2008 Grey Goose competition for best Canadian drink ended in Toronto, Ontario when Renata Clingen from the Rushton Restaurant was named best mixologist. Semifinalists were chosen from Vancouver, Calgary, Toronto and Montreal to compete in the Arbiter of Cool national final held in Vancouver, B.C. last Tuesday.
Renata claimed the title of Best Mixologist with [...]


Posted in Drinks, The Foodie-file, Tue, 30/09/08 | 0 comments

What to do About Flat Cookies

This week’s question is about cookies.
Sandra asks me: “What can I do/add to keep my cookies from flattening and spreading too much? I like them a little more domed.”
My Answer: When Sandra says “cookies”, I am assuming she means a drop cookie, like a chocolate chip or oatmeal cookie. In this case, she should try [...]


Posted in Foodie's Ask, The Foodie-file, Mon, 29/09/08 | 3 comments

The Myriad View Moonshine

This week’s Foodie-find is brought to you by our bleary eyed web editor Collen Tully who brought back this artisan moonshine (yes I said artisan and moonshine) from the lovely idyllic PEI (now that’s shattering the Anne of Green Gables’ image I’d say)!
Paul Berrow of The Myriad View is creating this heady distillation in Rollo [...]


Posted in Foodie-finds, The Foodie-file, Fri, 26/09/08 | 3 comments

Cookbook Winner Week 8

Week eight and the subscription drive has been a resounding success. Thanks for all of your great comments, glad you are liking the Foodie-file content. My favourite comment is from Gloria who tells me;
“Living out of the country makes this Canadian girl very homesick. This blog is like a letter from home. Thank you!”
Happy that [...]


Posted in Free Foodie Stuff, The Foodie-file, Thu, 25/09/08 | 1 comment

Canadian Truffles?

I heard on the radio this morning that truffles are being grown in British Columbia. Actually, I should say that they are attempting to grow truffles in British Columbia.
Until recently, truffles have only grown in the wild and their subterranean existence makes them elusive and pricey. Black Perigord truffles, one of the most coveted truffle [...]


Posted in The Foodie-file, Wed, 24/09/08 | 3 comments

When is curry really curry?

Candycanejane e-mailed this week with this question:

Can red curry be used in place of curry for a recipe. Whats the difference? Thanks, Candy.
The word curry really refers to a blend of spices and aromatics and really could be based on an number of different spices. Asian countries tend to have curry blends that are particular [...]


Posted in Foodie's Ask, The Foodie-file, Mon, 22/09/08 | 4 comments

Cowichan Wine and Culinary Festival

The 4th annual Cowichan Wine and Culinary Festival, a celebration of Vancouver Island’s food and wine, takes place this Saturday and Sunday, September 20-21. The Cowichan Valley is 45 minutes north of Victoria, B.C. and boasts the longest growing season in Canada; it’s name actually means “warm land.”
At the festival you will find wine tasting [...]


Posted in Events, The Foodie-file, Fri, 19/09/08 | 1 comment

Greenbeltfresh.ca; Eating Local in Ontario

Ontario’s Greenbelt is 1.8 million acres of protected countryside that wraps around lake Ontario from Niagara to Cobourg and as far North as Tobermory. The designation of this land was created in 2005 to protect the countryside, environmentally sensitive land and farmlands from urban development and sprawl.
The Friends of the Greenbelt Foundation began in June [...]


Posted in The Foodie-file, Thu, 18/09/08 | 1 comment

Cookbook Winner Week 7

Only two weeks left to get a fabulous cookbook from me here at the Foodie-file. This week’s cookbook recipient is Nicole Berry from Lake Cowichan, BC. Congratulations, Nicole!
Thanks to all who subscribed this week, and remember, I still have two more cookbooks to give way – so, keep signing up to win.
Click here to sign [...]


Posted in Free Foodie Stuff, Uncategorized, Wed, 17/09/08 | 2 comments

Home Baking in PEI

Heading out from our hotel in Charlottetown, P.E.I. I had the brilliant plan that we would skip breakfast and find a bakery shop where we would buy fresh baked breakfast treats, maybe a cinnamon roll or fresh currant studded scones. After many wrong turns and seeing almost all of the interior farm country of P.E.I., [...]


Posted in The Foodie-file, Tue, 16/09/08 | 4 comments