love well prepared food (reversed my cholesterol through diet, exercise and lifestyle-that's why I started my blog to share learnings). Veg since birth, experimenting with local north american veg foods ever since my move here about 15 years ago..
AnnieNT I love condensed milk with chai & had forgotten all about the taste. THanks for the reminder. Annzee, Amandarama, those are great ideas which I can use when I'm making chai sans milk.. TYpically though I like to simmer my spices with milk, water & sugar, so the flavours are all infused in everything & roll into all the ingredients seamlessly.. I'm guessing that milk may not quite work the same way.
Luckychickpea, I might go the enameled cast iron way, do you have any staining on the saucepan & is it easy to clean without any major scrubbing.
thanks everyone for taking the time to help with your ideas.
agree with all of you fresh cilantro has a soapy texture.. But i like to saute it with mint for a mint cilantro chutney & suddenly no more soapiness..
thanks everyone for chiming in with your thoughts. big help to someone who's fairly new to this site..
My list is similar to Traveler's. Mostly around cream of wheat. The time I heard old people's food was when an aunt was helping make it as we had a lot of guests --before she started , her first question was is it going to be "old people style"--meaning well cooked and porridgy versus grains standing apart. My father in law also likes his food well cooked, al dente never impressed him....
Can you maybe cook for a coworker. I feel for one coworker who barely ever cooks & is eternally grateful when I bring him food. It motivates me and makes me feel useful when he enjoys, seriously relishes my food and gives me all kinds of compliments. Are you maybe part of some social group, I used to teach sunday school & would take cupcakes every sunday for the 25 boys I taught and the look in their eyes when they asked for a second was all I needed to find the best cupcake recipe and make it for them, even if it meant staying up all night to decorate and ice the cupcakes since I'm no expert at those, just self taught.. I've even brought extra food so I can share some with the homeless man who sits on a downtown street besides the train station. and this is the most discerning of serious eaters, so I;d have to take extra care to prepare. And while focussed on preparation I would lose any thoughts of self or feeling low or lonely..just a few ideas that worked for me...good luck..
that's how I usually make my vegetarian version of pasta sauce, sans the curry powder, and the beef.. but I add turmeric & ginger too & I'm sure that would offend those who like their pasta with an italian slant. Also I'd heat the turmeric, cayenne & ginger in the oil first before adding the tomatoes to give a more robust sauce..I love heat in my food so much that I even carry a small jar of chopped jalapeno peppers in lemon juice, and sprinkle liberally when I travel.. Esp. in western canada restaurant food can be bland & my heat jar does wonders to wake up an elegant pasta or pizza..and pretend I'm just using hand sanitizer when helpful waiters hover.. just so no one is offended that I've transformed their exquisite creation !!
I'm with Msecondo. why use V8 if your sauce simmers beautifully for 3-4 hours.. otherwise you have my wholehearted approval for experimenting ..with a classic..
as a fellow vegetarian I know how you feel. Restaurant veg food can often be unexciting. But don;t lose hope just yet. Believe it or not there are way more options for a veg than a meat eater, --I'm speaking from having grown up on a completely plant based diet..
Since its fall now, look out for squash, root vegetables that lend themselves beautifully to roasting. seek colour in your food to get your visual appetite up. Marry lentils with spinach to get protein in your diet.
Its a misnomer to think that veg food takes longer to prepare.. it does require some planning though. TO have basics stocked in your pantry.
Here's a recipe I shared that friends found real easy & delicious. http://soulofspice.wordpress.com/category/stews/
If I think of more ideas I'll let you know. good luck, you're in the right place, everyone in this site is super helpful.
thanks you all @coconutstreamside, you opened my eyes to more possibilities, @teachertalk thanks for your wishes, its nice to see my recipes being used.
thanks TeacherTalk & everyone for taking the time to read. I published my first post.. and went with SoulOfSpice so I could shorten it to SOS for my tips...here's the link.. I don't know wordpress very well hoping to learn as I go.. appreciate your feedback.. http://soulofspice.wordpress.com/2012/09/11/saffron-ginger-tea-2/
everyone! spice odyssey is taken by a couple of guys who've laid claim to it a few years ago .. and they haven't bothered writing any posts:( a few more ideas when I asked some more friends. I'm getting a bit worried, I have all these pix of food I made, recipes I make for everyone and posts I have written. Just waiting for the name.. here goes.. the other suggestions.. sorry to be taking so much of your time. name sets the tone & I really appreciate your help..forgot to tell you all that a friend & I are writing this blog/cooking together, she's great at baking, I like to cook savoury foods--
thisSpicethatHerb
bitofspice
Spicecentral
WhiffofSPice
Letstalkspice
Oneofakindspice
Allthespices
Whenspicemeetstoronto
TouchOfSpicy
southernindiaMeetToronto
TanjoreMeetsToronto
Aspicyworld
Dabospice
NudgeofSpice
BrushofSpice
thanks all, snappy gourmet, I loved that. but spice of life is taken. smsingram lots of great ideas, esp. words in pairs. Mr Nick, I don't know about the logo though I like your garlic selection. AnnietNT spicyspice is a nice option. Merstar, I like SPice Odyssey very much -I can play on that journey taking readers through various provinces. Coconutstreamside another winner thanks so much!
I need my coffee super hot. Extra hot at Starbucks & I request coffee shops to nuke my milk before adding coffee. I think its such a waste to drink what's supposed to be hot coffee cooled down with cold milk.
I like flavour in my food. Often times when Im traveling I;ll carry a tiny tupperware container with sliced jalapenos in lime juice, whip it out in fancy restaurants, and my food tastes so much better with the hot sprinkles:)
Toast with butter, creamcheese & hot pepper flakes for breakfast. Yummy
But my coffee making at work has to take the cake
heat milk for 20s in microwave. Let coffee machine brew & deliver a cup of coffee. Mix hot milk with coffee 100 metre style. then place coffee back in microwave for another 20 seconds for a steaming hot cup of coffee!
omnomnom seriously :)
seriously though,.. does it seem more about me & less about my cooking if I go about calling myself the spice mistress??
spice wench has a delicious tingle to it.. however a coworker pointed out I might have to change cooking career even before I start becoz of folks anticipating something else Lol:)
merstar -allspice was something I was seriously thinking about or even
SpiceEveryDay
that's a great idea blitzcheetah. a pun on words :)
good idea bkozel that another friend validated. but..its taken on wordpress.. SIGH! any other ideas??
loco_food_guy j'aime votre take! I hope to have a french version too since I'm a little bit bilingual & canada has a lot of french canadian influence...
I loved spice girl coconutstreamside my fellow blogger thought we might get lost in all the spice girls hits :) what about SpiceEveryDay a take on SpiceSpy. I'd like to present southern indian food sensibility towards north american living.. Foods which are lightly sauted, beautifully presented, never boring and use spice lightly not liberally. and on the side I;ll list health benefits of those spices.. hope that helps. Appreciate your advice..
LOL I meant catchy :)
I've been using a non stick saucepan & because its thin, my chai comes to a boil very quick. .But i'm not sure of its reaction with non stick.. since I have to scrub to remove chai residue..
What do you use? non stick, or cast iron, or stainless steel or enamel so chai boils fast & clean up is fuss free?
I just bought a Well equipped cook cast iron frying pan, never heard of this brand before. Asked the Home Sense store folks if it was 100% cast iron & they said yes. BUt when I got home I could see the surface was uneven.
Now I want to return it & get this http://www.canadiantire.ca/AST/browse/8/KitchenBath/1/Cookware/PotsFrypans/PRD~0428590P/KitchenAid+Cast-Iron+Skillet%2C+10-in.jsp?locale=en Is the kitchen aid brand good.
I also need to get a round cast griddle for crepes(indian style called dosa)..and these are very hard to find in regular stores. appreciate any suggestions for both fry pan & skillet as well as care ideas.. thanks a lot!
Hi everyone.
I love the community on this site. It helped me articulate a name for my own blog.
However I;m not 100% sure of protocol & wonder why some of think its ok to share your blog post link and some others think its in dreadful taste.
Personally I love to share what's helped me health wise with the rest of the world enthusiastically.
I feel that others are adult enough to decide whether my enthusiasm is justified when they read my posts or try out my recipes. I feel that if it doesn't suit them they might not come back for a second look, but if it appeals, then I've helped someone with my shares.. what are your thoughts. Am I on track or am I completely off center?
Hi Everyone,
I'm new to food blogging, though I've been cooking, testing and serving food for a long time.
I'm struggling with a name for my blog. Its all about using spice in western cooking.. food that's delicious, easy to make & sensuous to taste & look at :)
here are some names I started with
Spice Mistress(there are already 2 chefs out there who call themselves mistress of spice)
Spice Haven
Eastern spice western living
vintage spice kitchen
I want it to be simple and catching so asking for your help!
thanks so much
the spice mistress..
spice hasn't favorited a post yet.
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bread, pasta, fresh vegs, oranges, dark chocolate, walnuts--does that mean I'll start looking like these foods soon:) you know what they say about couples that have been together a long time & start looking like each other :)