Six foodie must-haves the Chatelaine Kitchen is loving now
Roberto Caruso
Fancy up your cheese
When unexpected guests drop by (and, trust us, they will), here's a quick and delicious snack you can serve along with a nice bottle of wine. All you need is a 16-oz log of plain soft goat cheese, drizzled with 2 tsp extra-virgin olive oil, then sprinkled with 1 tbsp fresh thyme leaves, 1/4 tsp chili flakes, 1 tbsp lemon zest and freshly cracked black pepper. Serve with crackers, for a fresh take on the seasonal cheese ball.
Trust the contessa
We've always found Ina Garten's recipes to be easy, impressive and totally delicious, but, most importantly, they work. Now Garten (a.k.a. the Barefoot Contessa) is putting her good name(s) to the test by calling her new cookbook Foolproof. Try her Crispy English Potatoes, Lamb Shanks & Orzo and Perfect Pound Cake, and we think you'll agree.
Foolproof, Ina Garten, $40, amazon.ca.
Get crunchin'
New Drizzled Cinnamon Sugar Kettlecorn by Popcorn, Indiana is like breakfast and a late-night snack all rolled into one addictive handful after another, after another...
$25/6 bags, popcornindiana.com.
Shop local on the web
The tasty new foodiepages.ca is an online hub for carefully curated Canadian-made food products. The collection includes everything from Buckshots, a stone-milled buckwheat snack from Manitoba, and Vancouver's Monkey Butter salted-caramel peanut butter to P.E.I. Juice Works' pure wild-blueberry juices and chutney from Ottawa's Major Craig's. Let's hear it for Can-Con yumminess.
Chutney, $9. Snack, $2, foodiepages.ca.
Spice up your lunch with seasoing to go
Empty Tic Tac container + Favourite spice = Adorable, portable flavour boost
Keep it fresh
So simple, so smart: Cuisipro's Date Dots are suction-cupped adjustable date dials that fit most food containers. No more sniff tests to keep track of leftovers!
$10/3, cuisipro.com.
