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You are here: Home / Archives for The Cluttered Kitchen

Beat the Heat with Frozen Blueberries

July 3, 2015 By canadianmom Leave a Comment

Beat the Heat with Frozen Blueberries

It’s 1 a.m. and again, I cannot sleep. During these hot, dog days of summer I can barely muster an attempt to lay down my sweaty head on my sweaty bed. Instead, I park myself in a kitchen chair facing off against the portable air conditioner, sinking my teeth into yet another dish of frozen blueberries.  Oh, what […]

Filed Under: Dirty Laundry, Food, Life In Style Tagged With: air conditioning, frozen blueberries, heat wave, summer

Taco Filling Omelet

July 27, 2014 By canadianmom Leave a Comment

Taco Filling Omelet

  There’s nothing better than the weekend breakfast.  Funny I should say this, because I hate breakfast.  I never eat breakfast during the week, unless you want to count downing a bottle of Boost on the way out the door.  So, technically, I drink breakfast. But weekend breakfast is awesome.  Because I get to sleep […]

Filed Under: Food, Recipes Tagged With: breakfast, eggs, omelet, tacos

Grilled Greek Salad

July 15, 2013 By canadianmom Leave a Comment

Grilled Greek Salad

I first made this a couple years ago when family came to visit. Chop veggies and feta cheese and marinate in vegetable oil, salt, pepper, oregano, crushed garlic, red wine vinegar and a bit of sugar. (Note:  I don’t use cucumber in my Greek salad due to an allergy, but you go right ahead and […]

Filed Under: Food, Recipes, The Cluttered Kitchen Tagged With: greek salad, grilled, grilled salad, grilled vegetables, vegetables

Seven Layer Halva

December 22, 2012 By canadianmom Leave a Comment

Seven Layer Halva

Halle-lu-jah!  Halva-lu-jah!  One of my favourite Christmas time treats is halva! When I was a kid, there were three flavours – vanilla, chocolate and marbled. How exciting it was to see my mother unwrap the brown paper from the halva block and slice off small chunks for us to slowly savour. I really had no idea […]

Filed Under: Food, Holidays, The Cluttered Kitchen Tagged With: Christmas, desserts, halva, sesame seeds, seven layer halva

Cake Pops

December 10, 2012 By canadianmom Leave a Comment

Cake Pops

Filed Under: Recipes, The Cluttered Kitchen

‘B’ Day

November 9, 2012 By canadianmom Leave a Comment

‘B’ Day

It’s “B” day!  Yaaay!  That’s when the kids get to go to school dressed up as something that starts with a ‘B.’ Booooo!  That’s when parents have to Beg, Borrow and Buy stuff so the kids can go to school dressed up as something that starts with ‘B.’ My son decided to go as a […]

Filed Under: Food, Recipes Tagged With: baking, brownies, dessert

Hairy Melon – Big, Hairy Deal!

November 26, 2009 By canadianmom Leave a Comment

Hairy Melon – Big, Hairy Deal!

As I’m peeling the skin from a Hairy Melon, I realize what a long way I’ve come from my childhood staples of carrots, corn and peas. More importantly, I realize what a long way my kids have come from where I had been at their ages. They eat more variety of vegetables and fruits than […]

Filed Under: Roots & Fruits, The Cluttered Kitchen Tagged With: hairy melon

Chayote – Out of Your Gourd

November 11, 2009 By canadianmom

Chayote – Out of Your Gourd

If one didn’t know better, one could easily mistake a Chayote (Chy YOH Tee) for a pear having a major meltdown. While it shares the pear’s shape, size and colouring, this Mexican gourd’s skin is fraught with folds of what could be misunderstood for fatigue and worry. But once you peel back the furrowed, light-green […]

Filed Under: Roots & Fruits Tagged With: chayote, Mexican gourds, squash

Okra – My Pod

November 7, 2009 By canadianmom

Okra – My Pod

Seedy and slimy are not my usual favourite qualities in friends or food, but I’ve made an exception for Okra. A flowering plant in the mallow family (related to cotton and cocoa), Okra produces beautiful green fruit in long, slender, curved pods. Sometimes referred to as lady fingers, Okra is also known as ‘gumbo’ particularly […]

Filed Under: Roots & Fruits Tagged With: gumbo, ladyfingers, okra

Yuca – Bark is Worse Than the Bite

October 26, 2009 By canadianmom

Yuca – Bark is Worse Than the Bite

I have food sensitivities – not just lactose intolerance or a curious allergy to cucumbers; I mean I’m queasy about the appearance, texture, and even names of certain foods. By my early 20s, I overcame most of my childhood food aversions, but occasionally some still crop up. Like yuca. It sounds so bad; it has […]

Filed Under: Roots & Fruits Tagged With: cassava, Mexican potato, yuca

Baby Bananas – The Best of the Bunch

October 20, 2009 By canadianmom

Baby Bananas – The Best of the Bunch

  It was about 12 years ago in Rome when I first spotted them at an outdoor produce market. Amidst the vibrant shades of red, purple, green and orange, my gaze centred on the little fruit with bright yellow skin, sparsely flecked with tiny brown dots. Baby bananas! How adorable! What is it about miniatures […]

Filed Under: Roots & Fruits Tagged With: baby banana, Cavendish, ladyfinger, manzano-apple, orito, pisang mas

Ataulfo Mango – Just in Case

June 6, 2009 By canadianmom

Ataulfo Mango – Just in Case

I love this time of year when my beloved mangoes are readily and affordably available by the case.  But if I had one complaint about mangoes, it would be the stringy flesh.  And if I had another complaint, it would be the large pit.  Not that I am complaining, because I would pick a mango […]

Filed Under: Roots & Fruits Tagged With: ataulfo mango, chutney, exotic fruit, fruit, mango smoothie, recipes

Nuts About Lychee

May 27, 2009 By canadianmom

Nuts About Lychee

  It wasn’t exactly love at first sight when my sister brought home a plastic bag of small, round, bumpy-encased fruits called lychee. And even after peeling open the reddish-brown shell to discover a translucent-white glossy fruit, I still wasn’t exactly smitten. But at first bite, it was a different story. Its sweet, juiciness was […]

Filed Under: Roots & Fruits Tagged With: exotic fruit, fruit, fruit salad, lychee nut, recipes

I Heart Artichokes

May 20, 2009 By canadianmom

I Heart Artichokes

If ever there were a vegetable so full of intrigue, it could be the centrepiece of a steamy romance, a potboiler and a hotbed of controversy, the globe artichoke would take the prize. With its ties to mafia, royalty, celebrities and even the gods, the artichoke has been called a monstrosity, rhapsodized in poetry by […]

Filed Under: Roots & Fruits Tagged With: artichoke hearts, artichoke recipe, exotic vegetables, globe artichoke, the artichoke king, vegetables

Kohlrabi – Down to Earth

May 7, 2009 By canadianmom

Kohlrabi – Down to Earth

Often described as a little Sputnik, Kohlrabi may look like something from out of this world, but this member of the cabbage family is very down to earth. Growing just above-ground, Kohlrabi is an easy and prolific vegetable to grow, adapting well to various climates and geographic areas. Some say Kohlrabi was popularly grown throughout […]

Filed Under: Roots & Fruits Tagged With: cabbage, gardening, german vegetables, kohlrabi, kohlrabi recipe, vegetable

Say Yes to Ya Pear

April 30, 2009 By canadianmom

Say Yes to Ya Pear

When I find a new food, it is always surprising to discover its history, and how it has been enjoyed by cultures around the world for thousands of years. I don’t like missing out on the good things in life, and foods from around the world are definitely some of the best things to enjoy. […]

Filed Under: Roots & Fruits Tagged With: antioxidant fruit, Chinese White pear, exotic fruit, fruit salad, Ya pear, ya pear recipe

Kale – Turn Over a New Leaf

April 23, 2009 By canadianmom

Kale – Turn Over a New Leaf

While kale is anything but new, it’s not exactly the most popular green to populate a plate. You may have been served a leaf or two as a garnish at your favourite restaurant, but that doesn’t do this versatile leafy green justice. Kale may look frilly, but these colourful leaves are hardy stuff. Tough enough […]

Filed Under: Roots & Fruits Tagged With: kale

Strawberry Papaya – Fruit of the Angels

April 16, 2009 By canadianmom

Strawberry Papaya – Fruit of the Angels

Reportedly declared, “the fruit of the angels” by Christopher Columbus, papayas, like explorers, have made their way from Central America and the Indias to Hawaii, Mexico and Florida. I never much liked this fruit, preferring a deliciously sweet mango over the blandness of papaya. Then I encountered the strawberry papaya. Sweeter and less acidic than […]

Filed Under: Roots & Fruits Tagged With: antioxidant fruit, exotic fruit, fruit salad recipe, papaya recipe, strawberry papaya

Honk If You Love Gooseberries

April 9, 2009 By canadianmom

Honk If You Love Gooseberries

Thanks to my Grade Six ‘scary berry’ training, which taught me to never trust a wild berry, not once have I strayed from the safety of the familiar strawberry, blueberry, blackberry or raspberry bush. Despite tempting, vibrant-coloured berries bursting from shrubs, with branches reaching over fences as though they were beckoning, ‘pick me, pick me’, […]

Filed Under: Roots & Fruits Tagged With: antioxidant fruit, cape gooseberry, exotic fruit, gooseberry, gooseberry recipe

Belgian Endive – A Mistake Worth Making

March 31, 2009 By canadianmom

Belgian Endive – A Mistake Worth Making

  What do potato chips, Popsicles and chocolate chip cookies have in common with a leafy vegetable from the chicory family? They were all discovered by accident. The difference is, Belgian endive is a much healthier choice than the other three. Whether you pronounce it, EN-dive or on-DEEV, Belgian endive was one of history’s better […]

Filed Under: Roots & Fruits Tagged With: Belgian endive, witloff

Prickly Pear – From Desert to Dessert

March 19, 2009 By canadianmom

Prickly Pear – From Desert to Dessert

While the thought of eating a cactus plant sounds more perilous than pleasurable, the prickly pear cactus is one plant that provides a triple whammy of healthy edible fruit, vegetable and flower. Grown widely in the United States, Mexico and South America, the prickly pear cactus also proliferates in the Mediterranean and some areas of […]

Filed Under: Roots & Fruits Tagged With: anti-inflammatory fruits, exotic fruit, prickly pear, prickly pear recipe

Celeriac – The Life of the Party

March 10, 2009 By canadianmom

Celeriac – The Life of the Party

Celery is one of the last picks I would ever reach for on a vegetable platter. I’ve always considered it as nothing more than filler amidst the tasty crunch of peppers, carrots and broccoli. And yes, I am aware of its good qualities such as high-fibre content, negative calories (it takes more calories to consume […]

Filed Under: Roots & Fruits Tagged With: celeriac, celery, negative calories, roots and fruits

Here Comes The Sunchoke

March 3, 2009 By canadianmom

Here Comes The Sunchoke

  It’s been a long, cold winter. Having endured the teasing of the sun occasionally poking through the clouds only to be followed with more snow, more wind and more cold, I was happy to snatch a little ball of sun from the produce market. Actually, a little ball of sunchoke. Also known as the […]

Filed Under: Roots & Fruits Tagged With: Jerusalem artichoke, sunchoke, tuber

Enter the Daikon

February 24, 2009 By canadianmom

Enter the Daikon

I have a love-hate relationship with radishes. As a child, I loved to watch them grow in our garden. It was always the little green radish leaves that were the first to poke up through the soil. I knew I didn’t have to wait long before I could wrap my little hands around a bundle […]

Filed Under: Roots & Fruits Tagged With: chinese radish, daikon, white radish

Persimmon – The Sweet Sensation

February 17, 2009 By canadianmom

Persimmon – The Sweet Sensation

Known to the ancient Greeks as the ‘fruit of the gods’ a persimmon can be a bitter bite or sweet sensation depending on the variety of fruit you are eating. In North America, the two most popular types are the astringent Hachiya and the non-astringent Fuyu. While both contain tannins, the Hachiya tannins are more […]

Filed Under: Roots & Fruits Tagged With: persimmon

Welcome to Jicama!

February 10, 2009 By canadianmom

Welcome to Jicama!

I wouldn’t have given it a second glance if the name hadn’t popped out at me like a flashing neon light through the bleak, wintry darkness. Maybe it was the fluorescents playing tricks on my already failing eyes, but I thought the label said “Jamaica.” What a coincidence as that was exactly where I wanted […]

Filed Under: Roots & Fruits Tagged With: jicama, Mexican potato

The Future of Taro Root

February 3, 2009 By canadianmom

The Future of Taro Root

When I think of my favourite vegetable, the potato doesn’t immediately come to mind. Yet, it is the most widely-consumed vegetable in North America. Even the United Nations touted 2008 as the International Year of the Potato. But the potato isn’t the only tuber that can show its starch. Its tropical counterpart, the taro root, […]

Filed Under: Roots & Fruits Tagged With: taro root

Star Fruit – In the Spotlight

January 27, 2009 By canadianmom

Star Fruit – In the Spotlight

With the parade of red carpet celebrations taking place – the Golden Globes, Screen Actors Guild awards and upcoming Oscars – the time is ripe to shine the spotlight on star fruit. Also known as carambola, star fruit is a berry ranging in size from two to six inches long, with five ribs along the […]

Filed Under: Health & Wellness, Roots & Fruits, The Cluttered Kitchen Tagged With: star fruit

The Pummelo – Worth the Wait

January 25, 2009 By canadianmom

The Pummelo – Worth the Wait

Although Christmas is over, there’s still something special you may want to unwrap, and it coincides with the upcoming two-week celebration of Chinese New Year that starts January 26. As part of Chinese New Year festivities, special foods are not only eaten, but also used to decorate homes as a sign of prosperity, and to […]

Filed Under: Roots & Fruits Tagged With: chinese grapefruit, pummelo

The Princess and the Dragon Fruit

January 12, 2009 By canadianmom

The Princess and the Dragon Fruit

  My little Princess has always been a good shopper. Contentedly sitting in the cart she’s quick to point out what I’m looking for, but can’t seem to find. Perhaps the relaxed view from the front buggy seat while being escorted about, puts things in just the right perspective for discovery. Our experiences at the […]

Filed Under: Roots & Fruits Tagged With: dragon fruit, exotic fruit

Visions of Sugarplums

December 24, 2008 By canadianmom

Visions of Sugarplums

I never liked Fig Newtons. They were nothing more than sad excuses for cookies that looked like tar folded into cardboard strips. They weren’t just unappealing, they were downright annoying, taking up valuable space in the cookie cupboard. How I longed to run them down with a box of Wagon Wheels. Although my Mother always […]

Filed Under: Food, Health & Wellness, Holidays Tagged With: Christmas, dates, figs, sugarplums

Hugs & Knishes

December 23, 2008 By canadianmom

Hugs & Knishes

  Why, when I have 364 days of the year to prepare for this, am I always drowning in a last-minute wave of Yuletide? I thought for once that this year would be different, as we have dramatically scaled down our festivities. With half of the family out of town, it should be quite a […]

Filed Under: Diet & Weight Loss, Entertainment, Food, Health & Wellness, Holidays Tagged With: Christmas

Watermelon Christmas Trees

December 19, 2008 By canadianmom

Watermelon Christmas Trees

Use a mini watermelon for these festive trees. Cut crosswise into rounds. Slice each round into 8 wedges. Trim rind off bottom, leaving a 1/2 inch piece in the middle for the tree trunk. Score branches on wedges.

Filed Under: The Cluttered Kitchen Tagged With: Christmas, fruit, watermelon

Santa Hats

December 18, 2008 By canadianmom

Santa Hats

Oh what fun for the little grade ones! Just pipe blended whipped cream, icing sugar and cream cheese around the edges of a vanilla wafer. Pop a strawberry in the middle and pipe a pompom on top.

Filed Under: The Cluttered Kitchen

Monday Morning Meltdown

December 2, 2008 By canadianmom

Monday Morning Meltdown

Save the yogurt for Tuesday! Hold the oatmeal for doomsday! It’s time for me to get back on the burner for hot meal Monday. Although I’ve never been a champion of breakfast, these days I never leave the house without a nibble of this and a swallow of that. And no longer do I start […]

Filed Under: Diet & Weight Loss, Food, Health & Wellness

New Year’s Greens

December 2, 2008 By canadianmom

New Year’s Greens

If you’ve had enough White Christmas, or perhaps Red Christmas from blowing your budget, your luck is about to change. Now you can look forward to a Green New Year. While across the globe, an economic crisis has put a damper on spirits and bank accounts, there is a glimmer of hope this New Year, […]

Filed Under: Roots & Fruits Tagged With: collard greens

The Pitfalls and Pleasures of Pomegranates

November 19, 2008 By canadianmom

The Pitfalls and Pleasures of Pomegranates

“Can we get one of these?” she asked, pulling a deep pink orb from a large box. My 8-year-old niece and 10-year-old nephew were spending a week with us this past September and I had taken them grocery shopping to make sure we were well equipped with their favourite foods. “It comes with a book,” […]

Filed Under: Roots & Fruits, Uncategorized

The Chatty Fatty

November 18, 2008 By canadianmom

The Chatty Fatty

I could go on about food forever. When I am on a typical diet all I can do is talk about food, think about food, look at recipes, and plan what I will eat when I get off my diet. It would be like Day 28 on “Survivor” when the few remaining emaciated contestants see […]

Filed Under: Diet & Weight Loss, Food, Health & Wellness

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Diet & Exercise

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Zumb and Zumba

December 2, 2014 By canadianmom Leave a Comment

Tonight was the last of my Zumba classes.  For the rest of the class, that is.  I had my last dance six weeks ago. I contemplated showing up for the final class, you know, just to show I am not a total quitter. But then I got sidetracked by my teriyaki chicken dinner, and my son’s […]

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Roots & Fruits

Hairy Melon – Big, Hairy Deal!

Hairy Melon – Big, Hairy Deal!

November 26, 2009 By canadianmom Leave a Comment

As I’m peeling the skin from a Hairy Melon, I realize what a long way I’ve come from my childhood staples of carrots, corn and peas. More importantly, I realize what a long way my kids have come from where I had been at their ages. They eat more variety of vegetables and fruits than […]

Read more Roots & Fruits

  • Chayote – Out of Your Gourd
  • Okra – My Pod
  • Yuca – Bark is Worse Than the Bite

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