recipes
I’ve been making chili for years with a secret ingredient: a touch of chocolate. I was initially inspired to make it this way after seeing the movie Chocolat many years ago–you know, when Vianne adds a pinch of hot chili pepper to her hot chocolate recipe? There’s something about the combination of chocolate and chili that just…works.
So, here’s my recipe. …
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I just sent the final copyedits for my latest book back to my editor, so I find myself with a little breathing room again. What to do? Ooh, I know…
I’ve been wanting to create a book club kit for
A BEAUTIFUL HEIST for a while. But I thought–why not go beyond merely providing discussion questions? Let’s take this up a notch.…
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I grew up in Ontario but moved to the west coast ten years ago. Winter for me here in British Columbia, well…let’s face it: it’s not really winter. Still, I like the excuse to indulge in a cozy winter cocktail or two. In
my books, my heroine is a cocktail lover, big-time. Me, I usually prefer wine, but I do like to mix it up from time to time (whoops–see what I did there?).…
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Sweet & Sour Meatballs
We’re into full-on winter now, so it’s time for some serious comfort food, am I right? Here’s one of my family’s favorite meals: sweet and sour meatballs. This recipe originally came from a 1995 Milk Calendar. Do you remember those? Yep, I was a university student when I first tried this recipe out, and I have been making it ever since.…
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We took a trip to Southern California this summer (which was absolutely awesome, by the way–
here’s what we did), and while we were there, I enjoyed the yummiest thing: fish tacos.
Now, I’ve had fish tacos before, but not like this. In SoCal, it’s a local specialty and they have perfected it.
So when I came home I wanted to recreate this culinary experience.…
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I think most of us would agree, summer is the best time for a big bowl of fresh salad. Here’s one of my favorites. It’s my mother-in-law’s recipe, actually (although I made a few modifications…shhh, don’t tell her!) I added baby spinach in addition to the romaine (for even more iron and antioxidants) and substituted Greek yogurt for the sour cream in her original recipe.…
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I don’t make it much of a secret that I love Starbucks. I think they put out a superb product and I have always had excellent experiences with their service. (Coffee not quite hot enough? Here, have a coupon for a free drink next time. Had to wait a few minutes too long? Coupon.)
Much of my first
novel (and the sequel, in progress as we speak…) was written in Starbucks.…
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The heroine of my
first book is a very busy gal–she mostly survives on takeout sushi and Thai food–but when she does have a little time to make something for herself, she needs it fast, tasty, and healthy. After all, scaling buildings and jumping from trains takes an AWFUL lot of energy.
The story is mostly set in Seattle, and here in the Pacific Northwest salmon reigns supreme.…
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I went to a potluck lunch the other day, and the theme of the lunch was…Italia! Something I love, to be sure. However, this particular day I had absolutely zero time to whip up anything complicated, so what I brought was about as simple as it gets.
Also as tasty as it gets.
Prosciutto-wrapped melon is a very popular primi piatti (appetizer) in Italy, and the delish factor comes from the saltiness of the prosciutto paired with the juicy sweetness of the melon.…
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It’s Easter this weekend and April begins in a matter of days…which means, as far as I’m concerned, we are fully into spring! Now, if you’re having family over for Easter–and especially if you’re going to be slaving in the kitchen cooking a full Easter dinner–you are going to need something to drink, my lovely.
So why not take a break from your usual glass of wine and try one of my favorite spring/summer drinks: Pimm’s!…
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