Roast Pork from the Spit

Croatians love roast pork from the spit. My family and I enjoyed this delicacy at a recent Croatian church luncheon.

Good Friday Lunch

Baba Marija has the best Good Friday Lunch every year. This year she cooked for 14 people! She made prawns, breaded sole and ustipke (a popular Croatian dessert like a donut hole).

Everyone loves her clam chowder! It is in the large pot in the photo below.  It was the first to be eaten! So it was hard to get a photo of it since we were all hungry! Maybe next year!

 

Food Product Review

I received this box full of cookies in the mail the other day from Queen B Kitchen! Inside the box there four flavours of gluten-free dairy free and Non-GMO and whole-grain cookies!

The flavours are double chocolate, chocolate chip, lemon coconut, and orange pumpkin seed.  My favourite is the chocolate chip and the lemon coconut but this is my taste, which one is your favorite? I recommend these cookies because they are crispy and delicious.

A Salad Made in Croatia

We stopped in a town called Krapina, famous for its Roman Baths. In this small town, we discovered a nice restaurant near the museum where the neanderthals are displayed. After enjoying this lovely salad, wine and chicken, we went to explore the caves, a short climb from the restaurant. We stood in the caves and pretended we were back in time and wondered what it was like for the cave dwellers.

A Date for Dessert

Date Nut Bar Cake  with drizzled Bernard Callebaut Chocolate and Rosca De Reyes Ring Cake with Dates

The date nut bar cake was enjoyed  by my family. My son Jure is cutting out sugar from his diet so this inspired me to create a recipe where there was mostly natural sugar. The third photo  of the Rosca de Reyes Cake was made by my friend Male  to her house for a lovely coffee and other goodies to share in the celebration of this wonderful Mexican tradition. The celebration involves finding a baby Jesus in the cake. If you find the baby jesus then you need to host a party. Well I found the baby Jesus and now I’m getting ready to celebrate the epithany.

 

Kraft’s What’s Cooking Magazine

What’s Cooking magazine included my recipe “Philly Italian Lemon Ice” in their magazine. Here is the article.

A Dinner with Anna Olson!

A Dinner with Anna Olson

 

By Lily Erlic

 

I had the pleasure of dining with Anna Olson at the London Chef in Victoria, BC on a Thursday evening in 2012. Anna welcomed us like she would have if we had come to her home. She said she wanted to chat and answer questions just as though you had come to her own house.

We began by seating ourselves on stools in front of a large island. Anna showed us how to make a Sweet Potato Soup with Coconut Milk & Ginger. She also showed us how to make the filling for Warm Chocolate Orange Truffle Tarts. Later on, we moved over to the dining area where we enjoyed a three course meal with wine pairings. While she demonstrated, she talked about how her TV show comes together. She works 12-15 hour days! Wow!

The highlight of the evening was when she signed her book for me! It’s called Back to Baking 200 Timeless Recipes to Bake, Share, and Enjoy. I am looking forward to making the recipes in this book. The Hazelnut Ricotta Cake sounds inviting! I also gave her a copy of my book Finger Rhymes for Manners! I signed a copy for her!

I was so happy to meet her especially since I was not able to make the RWOP  (Real Women of Philadelphia) dinner last year in Toronto. My husband discovered the event in Victoria and encouraged me to go; I’m so glad he did!