Foodie Facebook: Shaina

I'm slowly working my way though interviewing each of my contributors for Simple Bites and featuring them here on Foodie Facebook. There's been Cheryl, and Cheri, also Elizabeth, and more recently, Shannon.

Today I'm honored to introduce (although she hardly needs an introduction, she's like, the hottest thing right now) Shaina from Food for My Family. And by family we means four kids!

How Shaina finds the time to blog (and all that goes with it), write, tweet, fly around the country, run a photography business, AND mother an extremely adorable brood, is beyond me.

There must be something about that iced tea...some secret ingredient. You think she'll ever tell?

Name: Shaina Olmanson
Place: Twin Cities, MN
Occupation: Freelance writer, recipe developer, photographer

UtHC: What is your earliest childhood food memory?

When I was one my mom was making pie crust in my grandma's kitchen. Tornado sirens were going off. My aunt and I sat huddled on the stairs. My aunt kept taunting my mom for not coming downstairs during the tornado, but my mom insisted she finish her pie crust.

I know. Everyone wants to know whether or not the pie crust turned out and what kind of pie the crust was to hold. I have not a clue, but my mom still stresses when she makes pie crust, which is probably why I'm the cook in the family.

UtHC: What did you eat today?

For breakfast I had a latte and Greek-style yogurt with fresh fruit. Lunch was a sushi roll while out finishing up school clothes shopping with my girls, and dinner returned to breakfast. My husband graciously made me a rolled egg filled with tomatoes and peppers and onions from our garden.


UtHC: What will your kids never be allowed to eat?

I try not to set unbending limits for my kids. While there are things I'd rather they didn't eat (HFCS, over-processed food), I know that they will be exposed to them. My goal is to raise my children to make the correct choices and to inform them of the reasons for doing so. I have already seen them pass on bags of potato chips and cheap hot dogs at birthday parties and supposedly kid-friendly fare at the buffet table. It's those moments where I know I'm making a difference and teaching them how to eat in this world.

UtHC: What do you always have on hand in your fridge?

So many things, but I try to keep at least 2-3 types of cheese on hand, eggs, milk, butter, sour cream, mustard and iced tea. Yes. Iced tea. It is my friend. I also like to have cream in my fridge.

UtHC: What is your beverage of choice?

Funny that this question should be next. I live primarily off water, but my grandma introduced me to coffee when I was only two years old. There is also, of course, my love affair with iced tea. Unsweetened with a lemon.

UtHC: If you could have dinner with anyone in the history of man, who would it be?

My grandma. I have learned so much since she passed, and I'd love to pick her brain, ask her for a few more of her recipes and have the chance to be the one to serve her.

UtHC: OK, it’s your last meal ever, what do you have?

Food. Really, I'm terrible at favorites. I would rather not imagine my last meal ever and instead look forward to all the meals I have still left to eat.


Thanks for your time, Shaina! Now I know you have Lemon Frozen Yogurt to eat and an evening of work, so I'll leave you to it.

Foodie Facebook: Shannon

Meet Shannon, of the inspiring blog, Nourishing Days!


I first 'met' Shannon when she applied to be one of my contributors on Simple Bites. Naturally, it was an easy decision to bring her on board and she continually enriches our content over there with thought-provoking posts like

• Why Food Sustainability Matters and 10 Things You Can Do About It

and

• How to Spring Clean Your Body With Real Foods

Great stuff! Here's a little bit more about Shannon....


Name: Shannon
Place: Midwest, US
Occupation: Resident Mama, Homemaker, Cook, and Blogger

What is your earliest childhood food memory?

When I was probably about four years old my parents took me blueberry picking where we lived in northern Minnesota. They were wild blueberries and we went out and picked them with ice cream buckets. It was lovely.

What did you eat today?
For breakfast I had a green smoothie + a coconut flour pancake. Lunch was a big salad with avocado, leftover roasted chicken, homemade mayonnaise, and a whole bunch of homegrown lettuce. Dinner was chicken liver pate with zucchini and cucumber "crackers" along with a roasted butternut squash with butter. We also had a big mug of coconut milk hot cocoa after our boys went to bed.

What will your kids never be allowed to eat?

Margarine or anything that might resemble butter but isn't.

What do you always have on hand in your fridge?

Kerrygold butter, organic carrots, at least two kinds of mustard, raw blue cheese (can't get enough of this lately), and homemade yogurt.

What is your beverage of choice?

Since the heat has returned it would have to be kombucha. It's a fermented sweet tea that gets really bubbly and is super refreshing on a warm day.

If you could have dinner with anyone in the history of man, who would it be?

The foodie in me wants to say Julia Child. I bet both the food and the conversation would be fabulous.

OK, it’s your last meal ever, what do you have?

A really good steak with mashed potatoes and gravy, green beans almondine, a huge salad, and some sort of ice cream dessert that involves chocolate and peanut butter (my two favorite foods).


Shannon, thanks so much for your interview! I agree, dinner with Julia Child would be scintillating. One would have to hope that she cooked the meal as well!

Foodie Facebook: Elizabeth

Today I'm very happy to welcome Elizabeth from the gorgeous Guilty Kitchen for our regular Foodie Facebook interview series.

Liz and I have plenty in common. We're both:

• British Columbia girls (yes, I was once, long ago)
• Young mothers (she's expecting her second baby in June)
• Food bloggers (that one's pretty obvious)
• Former professional chefs (turned WAHM's)
• Writers for Simple Bites (she contributes monthly)
  
• Lovers of fresh seasonal food (as well as heaps of butter and cream)

Thank goodness we met on Twitter ages ago!

Name: Elizabeth Nyland
Place: Just Outside Victoria, BC
Occupation: Stay at Home Mom and food Blogger Extraordinaire

What is your earliest childhood food memory?

My earliest good child food memory has to be Christmas. At my house, there was scores and scores of food out on every available surface from morning to evening. There were mandarins, nuts, cheeses and meats, smoked oysters, chocolate mints, Turtles. You name it; it was there for your enjoyment.

Let’s face it, I like to eat and Christmas was the perfect excuse for all of us. My Mother and I would spend the day cooking dinner and by dinnertime, we were exhausted but happy. I loved every minute of it.

What did you eat today?

Being pregnant with my second child, I am very conscious of the food that enters my body. This morning, I had fruit, yogurt and bran flakes with a nice cup of coffee.

Lunch was a spinach and turkey bacon wrap (whole wheat) with avocado and tomatoes.

Dinner was a bed of Quinoa, simmered in chicken broth and herbs with a spinach, goat feta and sun dried tomato stuffed Portobello mushroom all lovingly served on top of a pool of my own tomato sauce. Delicious and healthy! I snacked on cottage cheese and the leftovers from my son’s meals (every mother’s guilty pleasure!)

What will your kids never be allowed to eat?

So far, it is fast food. Our 2 year old son has never been to a fast food restaurant, save for a cookie or two at a coffee shop. We don’t go ourselves, so we don’t encourage that behaviour. I’m not saying he’s never had fries, but he doesn’t really like them anyway. I have always been pretty against fast food restaurants, so I will stave off his eating there for as long as possible.

What do you always have on hand in your fridge?

Oh, a lot of things. Here’s a small list:
Dijon mustard, Fish sauce, Cream, lemons and limes, yogurt, sour cream, Parmesan cheese, Avocados, eggs, real mayonnaise, buttermilk and when I was not pregnant we always had white wine or vermouth.

What is your beverage of choice?

I will always say a nice bottle of white wine, but now that I am pregnant, I drink mostly water and natural sparkling spring water with a squeeze of lemon or lime. Sometimes I add a teaspoon of Ribena. Remember that stuff?

If you could have dinner with anyone in the history of man, who would it be?

I’ve been reading Jeffrey Steingarten’s “The Man Who Ate Everything” so he immediately comes to mind as a very interesting food personality I would love to have dinner with.

Outside of the food world, I think I would really like to talk to George Orwell. He seems like such an interesting historical figure, and I love his novels.

OK, it’s your last meal ever, what do you have?

I hate to be cliché, but I think there is a reason so many people list off similar items. To start, I would have my mother’s fantastic Caesar salad with homemade sourdough croutons.

Then for the entrée I’d go for a fantastic plate of hand cut kennebec fries, dipped in old fashioned full-fat mayo, served alongside a full steamed Dungeness crab with drawn butter and garlic AND a nicely grilled porterhouse steak (rare of course) with blue cheese and caramelized onion sauce poured over top. I won’t be needing those arteries anymore!

For dessert I would go for death by chocolate please! A wonderfully moist dark chocolate mocha cake, drenched in ganache and a lush mocha frosting dotted with coffee bean bits.

If I am allowed a beverage, I will go for a Grey Goose vodka martini with lots of vermouth and olives. I’m full just thinking about it.


Thank you for taking the time to chat with us, Elizabeth!

You can follow Guilty Kitchen on Twitter and be sure to check out Elizabeth's post today on Simple Bites! She shares a killer recipe for buttermilk chicken strips that is guaranteed to please the whole family.

Foodie Facebook: Cheri

It was Cheri's stunning photography that first drew me to her blog, Kitchen Simplicity, but her warm and friendly nature that kept me coming back.

For a self-professed kitchen 'amateur', Cheri certainly can turn out some gorgeous food. There are days when I think about hopping on a plane to Oslo just so I can get in on some of it.

Hey, it can't be that much colder in Norway than it is now in Canada, right?






Name: Cheri

Place: Oslo, Norway

Occupation: Mom


UtHC: What is your earliest childhood food memory?

When I was 3 or 4 my imagination got the better of me and I could not get myself to eat scrambled eggs. To me all the shapes looked like little animals. A plate full of little sheep, puppies and kitties. How could my mom expect me to eat such cute little creatures? Eventually, I was able to get it out of my head and now I enjoy eggs almost daily.

UtHC: What did you eat today?

Breakfast: Eggs and Toast (see daily!)
Lunch: Shrimp and Asparagus Penne
Supper: Tacos
And a couple of truffles sprinkled throughout. :)

UtHC: What will your kids never be allowed to eat?

Can their own feces be an answer? I cannot count the number of times that I have had to stop my son from putting his hands in his mouth after waving them around in the forbidden poopy zone while I change his diaper. So far no feces has been eaten.. that I know of.

Other then the obvious, I don't know if there is anything that I wouldn't allow my kids to eat EVER, but on a daily basis we keep things fairly healthy. And, homemade is always best. :)

UtHC: What do you always have on hand in your fridge?

My fridge is pretty tiny. I am 5'4" and can see over the top of it, and it includes a freezer! So my fridge does not stay stocked with too much outside of the basics, like milk and eggs. I shop every couple days to last only a couple of days. It took me a while to get used to it but on the bright side, nothing goes to waste! :)

UtHC: What is you beverage of choice?

Water. I know, how boring! I wish I could say something else, but I am just not that exciting. Nothing quenches thirst to me like water and it is not very often that I crave something different.

UtHC: If you could have dinner with anyone n the history of man, who would it be?

I would have to say Jesus. Anyone who can turn water into wine and make a meal for one stretch to thousands is very welcome at my table.
Besides, I love Him and would love to see His smile.


UtHC: OK, it's your last meal ever, what do you have?

Hands down my mothers Turkey dinner. Nothing beats a classic.


Ed Note: Thanks so much, Cheri!! A very Happy New Year to you, with side of turkey & cranberry sauce, too!

Foodie Facebook: Sue

Sue is hardly in need of an introduction; however, if you don't know her from her smart and unpretentious blog Foodie Suz, you may remember her from our tasty food tour of Montreal last August.

I think she's swell.



Name: Sue

Place: Edmonton, Alberta

Occupation: Freelance writer



What is your earliest childhood food memory?

Spaghetti and meat sauce – made with stewing meat complete with a pig’s feet, allspice and bay leaves – made by my mom, who is half Italian.


What did you eat today?

Oatmeal with raisins and brown sugar for breakfast. Rice crackers with applewood smoked cheddar for lunch. Oh how I love applewood smoked cheddar! And Tuscan lemon chicken legs and tortellini for dinner. I stopped at Leva, my favourite Edmonton coffee shop for a latte later that evening and regretted it with insomnia later that night.


What are your kids never allowed to eat?

Nothing is forbidden food, but pop is saved for ‘parties’ only. I want to save their teeth!


What do you always have on hand in your fridge?

Lemons, lime, garlic, basil, Pom pomegranate juice for martinis, anchovy paste, capers, goat cheese and turkey pepperoni.


What is your beverage of choice?

Red wine – Syrah or Meritage. And chai.


If you could have dinner with anyone in the history of man, who would it be?

I campaigned for Obama in Virginia, so I’d have to say the man himself. He owes me, so he should pick up the tab.


OK, it’s your last meal ever, what do you have?

Pasta with Italian sausage and fennel made by my husband…a key lime pie made by my daughter, and a bag of chips and dip put out by my two boys. The food is about the love, always.


Thanks so much Sue! Take care of that sweet family of yours and start saving so Ella can go to culinary school...

Foodie Facebook: Cheryl

If Backseat Gourmet isn't the cutest name for a blog, then maybe Naptime Quilter is, anyway, they are both written by the illustrious Cheryl. Yep, the same Cheryl with whom I swapped mothering and cooking stories over dinner last month.
Find out about her fondness for ale and more in this edition of Foodie Facebook.

Name: Cheryl

Place: Calgary, Alberta

Occupation: Mama, Environmental Program Manager, Quilter, Aspiring Writer and Teacher, Bestest Wife Ever



What is your earliest childhood food memory?

It may seem cliche for a Prairie girl, but the first food memories I have all involve Ukrainian food. It is arriving at my Baba and Dido's after a long drive and being served hot raspberry tea and fresh pyrohy, loading up the car with Baba's vegetables from her enormous garden, or sitting down to a traditional Christmas Eve feast. They all blend into one big ball of fried dough in my memory bank.


What did you eat today?

A fresh peach and cottage cheese, shared with Smilosaurus (my youngest daughter) for breakfast. Berry Crumble Squares (thank-you Dinner with Julie), apples, and raspberry lemonade at a playdate. A salad with nectarine, feta, and leftover pork shoulder at lunch. And spaghetti pie made with more leftovers for dinner.


What will your kids never be allowed to eat?

Never say never. There are things I will never serve them (KD, packaged oatmeal and pre-packaged luncheons), but I won't deny them the crap anymore than I would deny them the exotic. That being said, we once ordered mac and cheese a snooty private club and when they served KD my toddler refused to eat it. That's my girl!


What do you always have on hand in your fridge?

Feta (sheep), cottage cheese, Liberté Mediterranean yoghurt, this week's CSA delivery, maple syrup, fresh eggs, and butter.


What is your beverage of choice?

That depends on the time of day! I like water and tea at work, milk for dinner, and when it comes to alcohol I really, really enjoy my scotch. But give me a G & T or a Traditional Ale on a hot day and I'll be your friend forever.


If you could have dinner with anyone in the history of man, who would it be?

I would do anything to sit down for a family meal with my father-in-law. He passed away before we had kids and I would do anything to have him sit at the table with us as a family, just once, and revel in the raucousness. I guarantee he could win the roaring contests.


OK, it’s your last meal ever, what do you have?

If is is truly my last meal I plan to do it up Roman style, so this is a long menu. Slow roasted tomatoes with goat cheese, my Hubby's hamburgers, guacamole and my Dad's salsa with chips, fresh corn on the cob, brownies, mint chocolate chip ice cream, peaches and still warm raspberries, Traditional Ale to wash it all down, and a smoky scotch (don't make me pick which one now) with an assortment of dark chocolates.


Thanks for taking time out from quilting to chat with us, Cheryl! I've had the pleasure of dining on those burgers of your hubby's, so I know full well why they made this list.

Foodie Facebook: Julie

Julie is one of those people you wish was your neighbor; you know, the kind with whom you can share a batch of cookies, swap a recipe or trade babysitting on occasion. Her scrumptious blog Dinner with Julie is a constant reminder that we live way too far apart.


Name: Julie

Place: Calgary, Alberta, Canada

Occupation: Writer/Eater/one who cooks and eats on radio & TV (this is always difficult to define!)



What is your earliest childhood food memory?

I'm not sure what would classify as my earliest... my Mom likes to tell the story of a 3 year old Julie asking when I could cook by myself - she said when I could read a recipe by myself, I could cook by myself. So I went off for awhile, and when I came back I asked her what a "Tbsp" was (pronounced as spelled). "Use it in a sentence," she said. "Add 2 Tbsp of sugar to.." and so on. I don't remember that myself, but awww, isn't it cute? So I guess cooking has always been my thing. I also have a memory of trying to make homemade cereal out of the long grasses in our back yard that looked just like the fields of blowing wheat on TV commercials. I doused it in sugar and made my sister eat it, and she cried. (That wasn't as bad as the time I invented -and built- a toilet for our fort out back, to save us having to come inside to go to the washroom.)


What did you eat today?

My days always start out well - granola, oatmeal (I mix barley flakes with oat flakes or pot barley with steel-cut oats when I make porridge, which ups my fiber intake - I have officially turned into my dad) or grainy toast with peanut butter, and an Americano (which has far less caffeine than regular coffee!). Then they inevitably go downhill as I progress into the day. I'm trying to get off the bread and boost my vegetable intake, so for lunch I made an asparagus-chick pea and brown rice dish with lemony tahini dressing from 101 Cookbooks that was pretty fab. Dinner was at my Mom's tonight (to celebrate being honoured for her contributions to arts and culture in Calgary) - we ordered in Thai food, which was tasty but a little too spicy - made my nose run.


Is there anything your kids aren’t allowed to eat?

Pop (regular and diet) for sure, but my son is still only 3, so that's sort of a given. All the overly manufactured candies and sugary cereals out there, and anything that still contains man-made trans fat. Although there are some things I won't give him (generally overprocessed food, McDonald's and the like), I have a hard time saying "you're not allowed to have that", because anytime anyone has said that to me I want it even more! I used to spend my allowance on stuff I wasn't allowed to have, or sneak over to my friends' houses for bowls of Strawberry Shortcake cereal and such. I was obsessed! I can only hope that by teaching him why things are unhealthy choices he may understand why he can't have some things, or shouldn't!


What do you always have on hand in your fridge?

Milk, butter, eggs from my sister's coop or from the goat guys at the farmer's market, half & half for coffee, a dozen or so pots of jam, pure maple syrup, tahini, a tub of spring greens, tons of apples and pears for W, and if I'm lucky, a bottle of prossecco.


What is your beverage of choice?

Depends on time of day and my mood. Probably a really good espresso/Americano/latte, or wine - red or prossecco or muscato. Or gin and tonic with lots of lime. Or a milkshake.


If you could have dinner with anyone in the history of man, who would it be?

It would be hard to not choose my Grandparents. Otherwise, John Cusack. Which may sound lame considering I have everyone in the history of man to choose from, but let's just be honest here - he is the very best man in the history of. And tall. And from what I've seen, a great conversationalist. While I'm dreaming, I'd have a 28 inch waist and he would fall madly in love with me over dinner.


OK, it’s your last meal ever, what do you have?

It's hard to say - I would answer this differently every day of the week! In fact, to demonstrate, I'm going to come back to this over the next few days and add to the list what I would choose for my last meal at that exact moment. Today I think I'd go for some very well-prepared butter chicken, garlicky, buttery naan, samosas with chutney, peas and paneer... my Grandma's brownies for dessert, warm, topped with vanilla ice cream.

Today - nothing is better than spinach sauteed in olive oil with garlic, with two good eggs cracked into the pan once the spinach is pushed off to the side, and served with the very best bread, with butter from Vital Green Farms (while we're talking last meal here) and coarse, flaky salt. And a hot fudge sundae from Peter's Drive-In.

Wait - I've just remembered two meals I had at SoBo in Tofino (on the very west coast of Vancouver island - about as far west as you can get in Canada - I highly recommend a visit) - SoBo stands for Sophisticated Bohemian. Everything they have there is stellar, but a few weeks ago I ate Honestly, this dinner was perfection on a plate; crispy-edged just-caught halibut over perfectly mashed potatoes, with roasted asparagus, red, purple and orange carrots and beets and wilted greens. But the sauce - a deep, intense, burnt orange sauce that was at once familiar and elusive; when I asked what it was again, I was told it was fresh carrot juice and just a hint of orange, cooked down and then enriched with butter and cream. It was neither creamy nor buttery, but rich, complex and brilliantly intense. Had I known what it was in advance, an orange-carrot sauce would never ever sell me, but this was pure genius. With a butter tart for dessert, this could be my ideal meal. Would a nap count as part of dinner?


Thank for taking the time to be interviews, Julie! It's was a great read. I could never decide between those choices for my last meal--hopefully I'll never have to!

Foodie Facebook: Michele

A writer and a foodie, Michele has got it going on and I was thrilled when she said yes to this interview. If you haven't yet checked out her blog Fine Furious Life believe me when I say this is the one blog you need to subscribe to in 2009. Get started by catching yourself up with her eventful and entertaining 2008 Year in Review and you'll see what I mean about got it going on. If you're like me and get tired of stalking her blog, you can always catch up with her on the ever-popular Serious Eats.


Name: Michele Humes
Place: Brooklyn, NY
Occupation: Writer


What is your earliest childhood food memory?

Eating three or four lemon popsicles on one sweltering Hong Kong afternoon. My tongue turned bright yellow, and I ran around showing everyone. I've always gone for the tangy desserts over the creamy or chocolatey ones.


What did you eat today?

I have a bad cold today so I'll tell you what I ate yesterday instead. I had a piece of leftover chocolate semifreddo for breakfast, which is typical of the improbable things I eat early in the day, while there's still good light for taking photos for my blog. Then I ordered some regrettable Thai at the office and had a monosodium glutamate attack. To console myself, I had a piece of diner apple pie, also regrettable. When I got home, I felt so guilty about having had pie and semifreddo that I boiled some shelled edamame for dinner.


What will your kids never be allowed to eat?

"Fast food style" items at home. I'd be fine with chicken nuggets in the context of a McDonald's meal, but there's something repellent about the idea of buying and thawing huge frozen bags of the stuff in one's own kitchen. Is this irrational?


What do you always have on hand in your fridge?

Eggs. I am a maniac for poached eggs. There are few things to which I will not add a poached egg. And when the mood takes me, I may even hard-boil one. Also, I get nervous if I don't have peas in the freezer.


What is your beverage of choice?

I drink absurd amounts of seltzer. I thin juices with seltzer. I like bourbon, and I like thin, sharp wines-- Spanish whites and red Burgundy. I don't drink that much Dr. Pepper but I do use Bonne Bell Dr. Pepper lipgloss.


If you could have dinner with anyone in the history of man, who would it be?

Can it be a whole group of us? I'd have the Baron de Montesquieu, Colin Firth in character as Mr. Darcy in the BBC adaptation of 'Pride and Prejudice', Gordon Ramsay, Agatha Christie (specifically so I could ask her where on earth she went when she disappeared for 11 days in 1926), and Anne Boleyn.



OK, it's your last meal ever, what do you have?

Well, it would have to be spread out over several courses, to delay the executioner.

I'd start with a really good, clear, beef consommé, the kind no restaurant serves anymore, with a splash of sherry.

Next, I'd have a little bowl of raw cauliflower florets with a French-style cocktail sauce (mostly mayo with dashes of ketchup and cognac), and a hand-cut steak tartare, the kind that comes with a 10 or 12 condiments so you can season it yourself.

Then I'd have some poor fool remove the skin from two or three whole roast chickens and serve me just the skin, in big, crisp sheets.

After that, a really well-charred steak haché (sounds nicer to call it that than "hamburger patty", doesn't it?), rare on the inside, slathered in globs of English mustard, with grilled asparagus on the side. I really like beef, can you tell?

Finally, a little bowl of full-cream yogurt with honey, and a single diamond of baklava.

Despite recently having quit, my last meal would probably be an appropriate time to start smoking again! I'd have a cigarette or three with my espresso.

(By the way, before I started filling this out, I had insisted to my boyfriend that I wasn't hungry and didn't want to go out for dinner. Now, everything's changed.)


Ed Note: Thanks Michele! I've had a lengthy crush on Mr Darcy myself. Fortunately I own the series on VHS and can reacquaint myself as often as needed. Oh, and I had two poached eggs for lunch today.

Foodie Facebook: Kevin

When he's not standing in line at Cafe Art Java (far right guy in the photo) brushing up on his coffee geek skills or destroying spice grinders while cooking Indian, Kevin can usually be found packing around his three-month-old son, Owen. We're glad he took some time out to be interviewed and you will be too, as soon as you check out his answers.
Oh, and today happens to be his birthday.
Happy Birthday, Kevin!


Name: Kevin

Place: Montreal

Occupation: Clean Energy Engineer



Under The High Chair: What is your earliest childhood food memory?

Kevin: I don't really know if I have a single distinct "earliest" memory about food. I remember awesome birthday cakes (cars! spiderman! pumpkins and Halloween!) I remember returning home from church on Sunday morning and stopping by the bakery to buy a fresh, hot miche and passing it around to all my brothers and parents, pinching off a two-bite piece and devouring it until the loaf was mostly gone. We called this "pinch bread". On special occasions, the timing of which was an eternal mystery -- not birthdays, holidays or any other calendar-related day -- we would get one pastry each. I guess today I would call them "petit gateaux", but the most memorable part was the animals made from pastry cream and covered in coloured fondant. There was pink (pigs), yellow (birds) and more I'm sure. I was partial to the green frog petit gateaux. My parents bought rum balls which we were NOT allowed to eat. To this day rum balls are mysterious to me.

UTHC: What did you eat today?

Kevin:
Breakfast: I would love to say that I had fresh croissants from the bakery around the corner. Or my wife's incredible Scottish Oat Scones with apple jelly or peach preserves. Instead, I have an embarrassing admission. Ahem. McDonald's Egg McMuffin. But I must explain. This is highly unusual. I woke up with 5 minutes 'til my first bus and rushed out the door. The bus ended up being about 15 minutes late, meaning I would soon be waiting over an hour for my second bus. With only 4 minutes to spare, and a McDonald's coupon in my bag which I found in the mail and must have forgotten to throw it out, I knew that this was my last chance to put something in my tummy for the next hour. I'd already been awake on public transportation for 50 minutes and I caved. As soon as I got to work I made myself some wonderfully strong steaming press-pot coffee from freshly ground beans. This erased all memories of McDonald's and (sorta) redeemed my morning.

Lunch: Toasted pumpernickel sandwich with Dijon mustard, cilantro, smoked turkey and Montery Jack cheese melted on top. Two yogurts, a banana and some yummy homemade chocolate chip banana bread my wife made me (as a snack in the late afternoon).

Dinner: Indian dal (bean and lentil-based curry) on steamed basmati rice and gratin cauliflower with Dijon and melted-leek sauce.

Before-bed snack: Chocolate-chip cookie dough. Home made. Straight out of the container. With a spoon. Oh yeah!
UTHC: What will your kids never be allowed to eat?

Kevin: Nothing. Everything's fair game and will be a personal option at least once. Now I'm not promoting root beer at age 2, but I want them to know and experience everything, from bad to good. Also, I won't be promoting or serving anything and everything. But I love food, and like most foodies, enjoy the good, the unusual, the special, the unique, the one-off. I believe that part of truly enjoying these things also means knowing what the unspecial, the usual, the downright basic Belle Province hot dog and poutine is like. It's a question of setting benchmarks. I don't want my kids to become food snobs. Kraft Dinner is consumed by millions, and although I don't want them to eat it weekly, I think it would be good for them to know what it's like so that they learn what the good stuff is. Ever make your own macaroni and cheese? It's out of this world!

UTHC: What do you always have on hand in your fridge?

Kevin: Chilled white wine, chilled beer, Dijon mustard, strong cheddar cheese, olives, capers, yogourt. Also, I usually have wilted lettuce, some slimy spring onions, eons-old hoisin sauce, simple syrup and a 3-year-old frozen French Onion soup in the freezer. Hey, at least I'm honest; I know you all have these embarrassing items in your fridge too, or some equivalent!

UTHC: What is your beverage of choice?

Kevin: Gin and tonic, always. Red wine is a close second, but lately I'm on a wheat beer (white beer on lees) kick. I could go on and on about gin. But perhaps that is for another post.

UTHC: If you could have dinner with anyone in the history of man, who would it be?

Kevin: Sir Isaac Newton, Charles Darwin or Henri Poincaré. Mainly for the conversation and the ideas. If it had to be food-related, as in a foodie bonanza, I think I'd love to have a dinner party with the loudest, most obnoxious food-celebrities out there: Gordon Ramsay, Anthony Bourdain, Martin Picard, Rocco, serve a few martinis to warm everyone up, then let them duke it out and just sit back and observe. Man, that would be wild! However, if the dinner party was to be more enjoyable, just for me and some close family and friends, I think Jamie Oliver. I have a serious guy-crush on Jamie Oliver.

UTHC: OK, it's your last meal ever, what do you have?

Kevin: Boy, this is a scary thought. I find I'm focusing more on the fact that I'm about to die, or at least never eat again, rather than what I would actually like to eat. I think I'd have to go with spaghetti with meat sauce, hot garlic bread (not gratiné), spicy red wine -- like some deep, complex Shiraz -- and vanilla ice cream with caramel, or fudge, sauce. Or both, 'cause hey, it's my last meal.



Thanks Kevin! Interesting fact about Jamie. Oh, and let's get together and demystify rum balls sometime, OK?
You can read more about Kevin at his (seldom updated) blog.

Foodie Facebook: Miranda

Name: Miranda

Place: Montreal, Quebec, Canada

Occupation: Student and Animal Care Worker

What is your earliest childhood food memory?

Being forced to eat liver, which I couldn’t stand. I would cut it up into the tiniest pieces and hide it in my mashed potatoes, so I could swallow it without tasting it. Liver still makes me shudder.

What did you eat today?

Toast with jam for breakfast, Asian fried rice for lunch, and for supper fettuccine with sautéed shrimp in an artichoke and roasted garlic cream sauce, with a side of green salad.

What will your kids never be allowed to eat?

Anything that’s too over processed, such as cheese whiz, or something that’s hard to identify as a food product such as bologna. Sugary foods like pop will be limited but allowed on special occasions. I mean you have to have marshmallows when you’re camping!

What do you always have on hand in your fridge?

Fresh herbs, lemon, garlic, good olive oil, Parmesan cheese, and plenty of fresh veggies.

What is your beverage of choice?

For non- alcoholic drinks I like San Pellegrino, Limonata, and iced tea

For alcoholic I like Lychee Martinis and Daiquiris

If you could have dinner with anyone in the history of man, who would it be?

It would be interesting to have dinner with Jean Donaldson and Karen Pryor. I would love to pick their brain about dog training and hear their theories.

Right now though, I would love to just have dinner with my whole family. We’re so far apart and it would be amazing to be together even for a night.

Ok, it’s your last meal ever, what do you have?

It would have to be a lot of food! I would start with a fresh oyster with some kosher salt and lemon. The appetizer would have to be a nice fresh green salad with avocado. The main course would be filet mignon, cooked to medium rare and served with grilled baby potatoes, carrots and beets. Desert would be a sampler of a small molten chocolate cake, a lemon tartlet, and a raspberry sorbet.

Foodie Facebook: Amanda

This edition of Foodie Facebook is with the delightful Amanda of Little Foodies. If you haven't checked out her cheery, young-at-heart food blog, get cracking!

Thank you, Amanda. I'm with you on drinking more water. Why is it so hard?!

Name: Amanda
Place: South East, England
Occupation: Brain!

1. What is your earliest childhood food memory?
   Mushrooms in gravy from the Chinese Take Away; it seemed very exotic then. Chips in proper newspaper (no thoughts to hygiene in those days) from the fish and chip shop with scratchings as a treat. Scratchings were the small bits of batter that had fallen off the fish into the fryer.

2. What did you eat today?
   No breakfast. I don't like eating so early (please don't tell my children, I want them to grow up loving breakfast). Brunch is a much more civil time to eat.
   Lunch: a soft tortilla wrap with hummus, grated carrot and spinach.
   Dinner: Homemade chicken curry, using leftover chicken from Sunday.

3. What will your kids never be allowed to eat?
   Tricky one. I don't think I'd stop them from trying much. Only because I think you can make some foods more appealing if you say they're not allowed to eat it. I don't want them eating overly processed food and I'm quite pleased that both of them would choose a restaurant over Macdonald's. If you'd asked me a few years ago I'd have reeled off a list.

4. What do you always have on hand in your fridge?
   In no particular order: Cheddar Cheese, Parmesan, Milk, Unsalted Butter, Salted Butter, Organic Eggs, Wine, Cucumbers, Carrots and various Condiments.

5. What is your beverage of choice?
   Oloroso Sherry, or a cold glass of Cava, or a really good cup of coffee with hot milk. Which reminds me, I must start drinking more water!

6. If you could have dinner with anyone in the history of man, who would it be?
   My Nana, with my husband and children who she never got to meet. If she had got to meet them then, Roald Dahl? or Stephen Fry? or maybe some Royalty, but only after they'd had a few to loosen up a bit.

7. OK, it's your last meal ever, what do you have?
   So difficult, if I really could have anything, then I'd like lots of little dishes from around the world, Thai, Chinese, Italian, Spanish, Japanese, Indian, British. I'd like there to be some dim sum and definitely some trifle, but it would have to taste just like the ones served every New Years Day while I was growing up. I can never recreate that same taste. There was obviously some secret ingredient.

Foodie Facebook: Haidi

Name: Haidi
Place: White Rock, New Mexico
Occupation: Stay-at-home mother of two

1. What is your earliest childhood food memory?
Picking warm, soft, juicy plums out of the sandbox from the plum tree in our backyard, 816 Jubilee Ave, Winnipeg, Manitoba.

2. What did you eat today?
Breakfast: Coffee (French press) homemade yogurt with fresh local white peaches, wholegrain toast with butter and homemade wild strawberry jam. Lunch: Greek salad with cucumbers, feta, onions, and my own tomatoes and basil. Supper: Beet Risotto with greens (beets from my garden), baby arugula with balsamic dressing and toasted walnuts. After the kids went to bed, dark chocolate. Mmmm.

3. What will your kids never be allowed to eat?
Never? I don't think I put those kinds of limitations on them, but there are lots of things they are not allowed access to at this time... Pretty much any kind of candy bar, candy (though my 4 yr old daughter definitely has a thing for chocolate, and I occasionally share my stash), no fast food, though they do have the odd French fry. I'm very adamant about no soft drinks for kids. They get hooked so fast! Hmmm, I don't have the typical kid’s snacks around -- goldfish crackers, cheerios, juice boxes. I guess I'm pretty strict, but there's so much great food out there!

4. What do you always have on hand in your fridge?
Butter, a lump of Parmesan cheese, good mustards(several), corn tortillas, the freshest eggs I can find, a variety of grains and flours, and usually several quarts of homemade yogurt.

5. What is your beverage of choice?
Wine, wine, wine. This time of year, I favor whites, whether a floral Viognier from Australia or a tart clean Sauvignon Blanc from New Zealand. I get thirsty just talking about it.

6. If you could have dinner with anyone in the history of man, who would it be?
I don't know. So many people, it would be kind of uncomfortable. Like what would I really have to say to Anais Nin? I'd rather just sit down with an old friend I haven't seen in a while. Charity Austin. I KNOW we wouldn't lack for good conversation.

7. OK, it’s your last meal ever. What do you have?
Wow. It definitely would have to be summer. Fresh oysters accompanied by "La Grande Dame" champagne. Fresh Alaska king crab with lemon grass butter with a New Zealand semi-dry Riesling. Warm crusty bread and butter. Baby lettuces with the most delicate vinaigrette, some shavings of parrano or semi-hard cheese. Roast rack of lamb, medium rare with some delectable crust, potato gratin, baby beets. A lovely Cote de Nuits red with maybe a dozen or so years on it. French cheeses I've never tried before with fresh figs. Summer-ripe peach tart with loads of whipped cream. The darkest of chocolate desserts with raspberry puree and espresso. A vintage port decanted to sip late into the night.

Ed. Note: Thank you, Haidi! I am so with you on that last meal; I got hungry just reading your description.
Foodie Facebook is a regular feature on UtHC. Stay tuned--it could be you!

Foodie Facebook: Mati

Name: Mati
Place: Montreal, Quebec
Occupation: Financial Analyst

1) What is your earliest childhood food memory?

I am ambivalent. It is either Dairy Queen in Cyprus or fried calamari, also in Cyprus

2) What did you eat today?

I am ashamed, but I ate a club sandwich.

3) What will your kids never be allowed to eat?

Never ever any kraft dinner in my house!!!!

4) What do you always have on hand in your fridge?

Fruit juice. It enlightens my day at the first sun rays of the morning

5) What is your beverage of choice?

A good espresso with a beautiful milk foam and some sugar into it. It is a morning delight.

6) If you could have dinner with anyone in the history of man, who would it be?

That one is a tough one. I would like to eat with somebody that appreciates eating, lounging through a meal, a good talk, good laughs, food elements that make the meal, the décor, …If it was a one to one, it has to be with the one I love. If I get to be in a group of people, it would the knights in the middle age, Churchill, Baden Powel (he must have some great stories), … It is really difficult to pinpoint one in particular. I guess If I had the possibility, I would aim for an historical trip through ages, tribes/groups/… and cultures. It would be a fantastic opportunity.

7)Ok, it’s your last meal ever, what do you have?

Above it must be a full course multiple dishes meal.
There’s got to be some tartare, even possibly fish tartare, in entrée.
In a second entrée, I would go for a grilled fish with coarse sea salt and dill. The skin must be on it still. White fish would be great.
Des pommes de terre risolés is a must with a juicy, tender and flavourful piece of meat medium rare. Add in some green peas or asparagus and I have reached the 3^rd sky.
For cheese part, I would aim for a simple baguette and a creamy cheese, a goat cheese and a reblochon. I would love to see the face of the people accompanying me when I unwrap the Reblochon. By the way, the cheeses should be wrapped ;)
For desert, the only thing that would matter would be a tiramisu. Just a fantastic tiramisu. The best ever done in the entire world. If it has to be shipped overnight from Italy, so be it ;)
As you can see, nothing is really set cause the one thing I should add is that my last meal should involve a great chef that would surprise me all along with great dishes and presentations.

Ed Note: Merci, Mati!! Foodie Facebook is a regular feature on UtHC. Stay tuned, it could be you!

Foodie Facebook: Dana

Name: Dana

Place: Pentiction, British Columbia, Canada

Occupation: Chef/Owner Joy Road Catering

1. What is your earliest childhood food memory? I remember my mom would spread a sheet of brown paper over the table, sit my brother and me down, and give us each a pomegranate. We would amuse ourselves for a long time breaking them apart, eating them and squirting juice at each other.

2. What did you eat today? B) Korean Kimche soup with tofu; L) Goat Roti; D) Serano ham with olives and almonds, salad of beets, Roquefort and watercress.

3. What will your kids never be allowed to eat? Pre-made nasty plastic lunch snackables; unripe fruit from halfway around the world when we live in the Okanogan Valley.

4. What do you always have on hand in your fridge? Homemade pickles, salted butter

5. What is your beverage of choice? Campari and Orangina, Organic apple juice from Joie

6. If you could have dinner with anyone in the history of man, who would it be? Alice Waters

7. Ok, it’s your last meal ever, what do you have? Dim Sum Feast and really ripe Red Haven Peaches

Foodie Facebook: Cameron

Cameron with girlfriend, Dana, in one of the Okanagan's many cherry groves

Name: Cameron
Place: Pentiction, BC, Canada
Occupation: Chef/Owner Joy Road Catering

1. What is your earliest childhood food memory? My mom made me a Darth Vader birthday cake once. That was pretty cool.

2. What did you eat today? An almond and chocolate croissant, a plain croissant, a plum doughnut and tea for breakfast. For lunch I had steak tartar with fries and a warm spinach and poached egg salad. For supper, Swiss fondue; feta and roasted Portobello salad with sherry-braised shallots, and for dessert, lemon almond polenta cake.

2. What will your kids never be allowed to eat? Spammy white bread and margarine

4. What do you always have on hand in your fridge? Grainy mustard, farm fresh eggs

5. What is your beverage of choice? Organic beer

6. If you could have dinner with anyone in the history of man, who would it be? Ernest Hemmingway

7. Ok, it’s your last meal ever, what do you have? Oysters in the half shell, foie gras torchon, steak tartar, and cheese course.

Foodie Facebook: Tammy

NAME: Tammy
LOCATION: Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
OCCUPATION: Writer, Web and Graphic Designer

1. What is your earliest childhood food memory?

Hotdog Roasts in the country - flame-grilled dogs, several salad varieties, and chocolatey s'mores for dessert. Every time I eat a s'more, I remember my younger self sitting by the fire - sideways ponytail, stirrup pants, sticky hands, and delicious dessert.

2. What did you eat today?
Breakfast: Coffee, Vanilla Yogurt, Fresh Pineapple | Lunch: Toasted bacon, pesto, roasted red pepper and goat cheese open-face sandwich with a side of cucumber slices | Supper: Rotini topped with Putanesca sauce, green olives and light ricotta with a side of mixed greens and balsamic vinaigrette

3. What will your kids never be allowed to eat?
Crayons, Play-Doh, Gum on the sidewalk

4. What do you always have on hand in your fridge?
Lots of fruits and veggies, 3 types of cheese, yogurt, black and green olives, banana peppers, Sweet & Spicy Thai sauce

5. What is your beverage of choice?
Coffee, Iced Tea, Strawberry Margarita

6. If you could have dinner with anyone in the history of man, who would it be?
The entire cast of "The Office" - and we would not have soft pretzels.

7.Ok, it's your last meal ever, what do you have?
I would fly to Mexico for authentic beef enchiladas, guacamole and margaritas. For dessert, I would inhale an insanely rich chocolate truffle dessert with Cafe Americano at an outdoor Paris cafe.

Foodie Facebook:Josh

Name: Josh
Location: Smithers, BC
Occupation: VP/CEO His Electric

1. What is your earliest childhood food memory?
Nothing sticks out in my mind earlier than some wild game that I ate at a friend's place in grade five. His dad was a hunter/trapper. I remember roasting a beaver tail on a stick over a fire and eating at least a bite. ( true story) We also ate portions of moose tongue and other organs...

2. What did you eat today?
Coffee, two fresh scones with strawerries inside.
Roast pork sandwich, lime pelegrino. Coffee.
Dinner was a Carlsburg beer, turkey soup, and leftover pumpkin pie.

3. What will your kids never be allowed to eat?
The word never is a bit strong, but processed foods and
soft drinks will not be encouraged.

4. What do you always have on hand in your fridge?
Oh, lots! Staples, wholegrain mustard, Kalamata
olives, fresh veggies

5. What is your beverage of choice?
How about three? Water, beer, and juice

6. If you could have dinner with anyone in the history of man, who would it be?
My grandfather.

7. Ok, it’s your last meal ever, what do you have?
Homemade soup and a coffee


Ed Note: Thanks Josh! Foodie Facebook is a regular feature on this blog. Stay tuned, it could be you!

Foodie Facebook: Melanie

Name: Melanie
Location: Montreal
Occupation: Designer, Event Planner

1. What is your earliest childhood food memory? I was three years old, my brother was just born and my parents took me out for a ‘big girl’ meal. My mother ordered me escargot, which I loved, and it became a tradition: I ordered them every time I ate out, up to about age ten.

2. What did you eat today? An omelet and a strawberry smoothie for breakfast; grilled ham and cheese for lunch; and for dinner, roast chicken with rosemary, mashed potatoes, asparagus and a green salad.

3. What will your kids never be allowed to eat? KD! Hamburger Helper.

4. What do you always have on hand in your fridge? Dijon, Clamato, wasabi, extra-old cheddar, olives, chicken broth

5. What is your beverage of choice? Pineapple juice or if we’re talking alcoholic, a Black Russian

6. If you could have dinner with anyone in the history of man, who would it be? Hmmm, I’d have to say Georgia O’Keeffe. Or Frank Lloyd Wright. It’s tough.

7. Ok, it’s your last meal ever. What do you have? Lobster, definitely. Rice, asparagus with aioli, raspberry and white chocolate cheesecake, San Pellegrino and a bottle of Bordeaux,
Entre deux Mer.

Ed note: Thanks Mel! Foodie Facebook will be a regular feature of Under the High Chair. Stay tuned, it could be you!