I remember I used to hate spinach as a child. I used to hate lots of vegetables as a child but especially spinach. But at some point I grew to really like my mom's creamed spinach, probably after I watched Popeye. :) I'm not sure creamed spinach is a traditional Romanian dish, but I know my mom has made it ever since I can remember. We used to eat it with a scrambled egg, and I think that was my favorite th ...

So it's almost the middle of April and while other places are enjoying wonderful warm spring weather, we are going through a snow storm. That's Calgary for you, yesterday was warm, beautiful and sunny and today it looks like Christmas outside. If you don't believe me, check out the picture I just took outside. I struggled a bit with taking the picture because I wanted to capture the large snowflakes. They a ...

Since I was a little girl, this version of roasted potatoes with garlic sauce has been my favorite and it was such a popular side dish, I think we had these potatoes every Sunday for dinner. Pair this with a roasted chicken and you've got an awesome dinner. Just the thought of these potatoes and this delicious garlic sauce makes my mouth water. Whenever people ask me about traditional Romanian cuisine, this ...

Mashed Potatoes! One of the easiest side dishes you could probably ever make. It is also probably one of the first things I learned to make as a little girl helping my mom out in the kitchen. Although my mom's version is very simple, but tastes great nonetheless, I like to experiment with my recipes a bit. My mom's mashed potatoes are made with milk and butter and she'd whip them up in a mixer so they were ...

I've had this cauliflower in the fridge for a week now, not knowing what to do with it. I like cauliflower a lot and I've recently made a great recipe with cauliflower, my cauliflower poppers which turned out great. However, I wanted something different this time so I decided to make this recipe I once saw on TV, cauliflower au gratin with bechamel sauce. Gratin is a French word, and it is a culinary techni ...

It's a crazy week this week. I'm conducting training this week, something which I don't normally enjoy, being the introvert that I am, however I have to say this week I am enjoying it a bit. Something different than my normal day to day work activities. The part that I'm enjoying is chatting with people all day long, versus being in my office all day long programming. The part I don't enjoy so much is that ...

These roasted red peppers are truly one of my all time favorites. I can't wait for this time of the year to buy these sweet pointed red peppers, so I can roast them and serve them in garlic sauce. I love them. For as long as I can remember, every year my mom made these (and still does) and it was always my job growing up to clean them up after they were grilled, and I have to say I loved every minute of it, ...

I love these zucchini patties.  These patties are an excellent way to use up those extra zucchinis that you have and have no clue what to do with.  My patties are a bit different because I'm using provolone cheese, but of course if you don't have provolone you can use mozzarella cheese.  These cheesy patties are so delicious and decadent, they'll become a staple in your home.  Once I made these with a chees ...

I always say eggplant is not my friend and the only thing I love with eggplant is my eggplant salad, but today I was proud of myself, I gave eggplant a chance and I am glad I did. Not in my wildest dreams did I ever think I would love to eat grilled eggplant. As a matter of fact, I can't even remember why I don't like eggplant. How silly is that. Maybe I didn't like the texture, maybe because I thought it w ...

I'm continuing on with my salad recipes that I got from a friend of ours and I think I hit the jackpot with this cabbage and sesame seed salad. I am putting this on my favorites list because I just loved it. Normally I'm not a big fan of cabbage, and I will avoid it at any cost, unless I'm making cabbage rolls. This salad was so delicious I could not stop eating it. The sesame seeds give it a nice crunchine ...

Everyone loves potato chips, I haven't met a single person who doesn't love them.  We may try and stay away from them because they are fried and hence not good for us, but how about if they were baked.  Sounding better, eh? Well it is possible, and they still as delicious, and need I say very easy to make. [amd-zlrecipe-recipe:117] Pay attention to them as you are baking them, because they do tend to brown ...

I make mashed potatoes a lot, especially when I need a quick side dish.  This recipe is really simple and the mashed potatoes turn out wonderful. [amd-zlrecipe-recipe:114] Enjoy! ...