Family, Friends and Food

There’s actually a funny story behind that face full of flour!

Nico, my thoughtful son-in-law, decided to bring his soon-to-be-mother-in-law (that’s me) some flowers, or was that flour? I think something got lost in the transation somewhere, so here’s the breakdown…

French: farine, fleur
Spanish: harina, flor
English: flour, flower

See the similarities?

So, when they asked me to pick them up at the metro station because they had some flowers to carry, I was expecting…well, something that goes in a vase, not in a mixer! To my surprise, he had gotten me a 50 pound bag of organic spelt flour! What a sweetie!

Spelt flour can be used instead of regular flour in most recipes, even for thickening sauces such as bechamels… It rises well, and is surprisingly light, not to mention all the health benefits of the whole grain, it is a great alternative to white flour! However, one thing it does not do well is go in a vase!

PS: the lillies are from my garden, one of my favourite flowers. I love their scent!

Tags: General by Pauline Edward
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My last experience eating escargots dates back to one of my favorite restaurants in Cannes, France called Chez Astoux. Usually I would eat my favorite Moules provençales but on occasion I would have their superb escargots. What I love about these appetizers is dipping pieces of crusty french bread into that garlicky, cheesy butter sauce.

Just reading the ingredients for this recipe makes my mouth water. This is also a very inexpensive, impressive and surprisingly easy appetizer to make that will knock the socks off your next Family Friends and Food dinner.

Click here for recipe.

Tags: Appetizers, Recipes by Epp Luik
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It’s berry season! I have made this recipe with a combination of fresh raspberries from my garden and frozen blueberries, which I always have in my freezer! I usually make my pie crusts with whole grain organic spelt flour. It has much more flavour than regular white flour and has the added benefit of lots of fibre. I also substitute the sugar with fructose. You can use Splenda if you like, but I don’t like its aftertaste. Give it a try… it is heavenly! Click link for recipe.

Tags: Desserts and Sweets, Recipes by Pauline Edward
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I’ve posted my parsnip and apple soup on the Family Friends and Food website!

This is a great for fall, but it has such a unique flavour that I want to sneak it into my menus year round! I discovered it while researching recipes for our Nova Scotia dinner. Note that the original recipe called for light cream, but I substitute it just as successfully with soya milk. Other subsitutes for the cream include almond milk and other milks made from various blends of nuts and seeds. Just make sure they do not include any sugar! The parsnip and apple in this recipe are already sweet enough. For the broth, I always have containers of turkey broth in the freezer. I find turkey to be a healthy and lean source of protein, economical and very versatile. You get a lot of meals and lots of soups from the big bird!

After making this recipe, I realized that I had cooked a non-dessert dish that did not have either garlic or onion! I was flabergasted. I never would have considered a savoury dish without those two key ingredients!

Click here for the recipe.

Tags: Appetizers, Recipes by Pauline Edward
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Welcome to our Family, Friends and Food blog. Here we will share our experiences with the awesome cuisines of the world.

Tags: General by Pauline Edward
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