It's been said over and over that there are two types of people; those who eat to live and those who live to eat. I can say with absolute certainty that I fall into the latter category.
Many of my strongest memories are tied up with food. I'll forever associate Christmas not with turkey and trimmings but with pavlova and my mother's rum pie. I learned how to make my aunt's hamburger soup in her kitchen and it's now one of my go too comfort foods for cold winter days.
I remember picking fresh raspberries and blackberries in the Laurentians at the family cottage and having my grandmother make them into sugar crusted pocket pies. I can still smell the wood smoke from the outdoor grill and the char of meat; remember how good toasted marshmallows tasted when shared amongst cousins, all burnt sugar fingers and scalded tongues.
Australia is a myriad of memories - lemon squash, Freddo Frogs and Flake bars. It's passion fruit picked straight from the vine and scooped out onto vanilla ice cream. Frozen chocolate dipped bananas from the Big Banana and pineapple picked right in front of you, cut open and the tart burst of it on your tongue at the Big Pineapple. It's my dad ordering a burger with everything only to find out that everything included not only all the normal burger fixings but a fresh pineapple ring, a huge slice of pickled beet and, of all things, a fried egg.
L.A. was my first taste of authentic Mexican and the 12 hour layover there gave me a life long love of heat. I developed a cast iron stomach - the hotter the better.
The Maritimes was the abundance of the sea - fresh lobster, plucked out the water literally hours before, boiled in sea water over a camp stove. It was clamming on the beach in PEI and mussels steamed in white wine.
Toronto, the melting pot, was my time to explore new-to-me cuisine that was centuries older than Canada - authentic Chinese, Thai, Indian, Japanese, Greek, Ethiopian, Italian.... I've literally traveled the world thanks to food. And there are plenty of adventures yet to come.
So this blog is going to be a little of this, a little of that. It'll be my favorite recipes from family, friends, and some I've come up with all on my own. It'll be pictures and thoughts and favorite quotes, wine and song and friends and family. This blog is going to be me.
Tracey.
