Gearing Up For Camp Cooking
Whether it’s car-camping, RV-ing, paddling or hiking, you can plan and execute the perfect dish while away from home. Heard of cornbread?
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Let Fibre Put A Spring In Your Step
The Buddha Bowl, Glory Bowl, Poke Bowl; or, more simply, “Bowl” way of eating is a trend now so established that it could be called a norm.
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Cooking Up Connections
Always, a direct way to connect with people is by exploring their cuisine. To read through a recipe, find and assemble ingredients…
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Sourdough woes
Hands up, anyone who has forgotten to save a bit of sourdough starter for the next time when they’re making a batch of bread.
The Right Snack
Now that the days are getting longer, it’s easier to spend more time outside. We cover more miles on the trail…
Chocolate on valentine’s day
One morning in late January I woke up with the phrase pot au feu resounding in the canyons of my mind, accompanied by tantalizing…
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Quick Blueberry Cinnamon Rolls
Three feet of snow, a thaw that turned streets and sidewalks into sheer ice, crazy mad news from south of the border…
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A really ‘Fricking’ Special Gift of Corn
My roommate and I have these friends who used to live here, Philip Adams and Yvette Nolan, who still call the Yukon “home,” and…
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Crowd-Sourced Christmas Breakfast
Christmas breakfast—ask someone what they eat now or ate as children on Christmas morning and the stories come tumbling out.
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Mushroom Madness
Discover the amazing Morel Mushroom Frittata recipe that highlights the intense flavors of pine mushrooms and chanterelles.
Movie-Night Pizza
Miche walks us through movie-night pizza and Spinal Tap in this easy recipe that can be adapted to suit any occaision
When You’ve Got A Lot Of Carrots …
Miche shares the bounties of her garden along with her incredible Roasted Carrot Soup, plus a tip of the hat to everyone who shared knowledge
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Harvest Season Tarte Tatin
During harvest season every fall, Miche re-learns all of the tips and tricks to making the perfect Tarte Tatin using local apples
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Blueberry Season
Miche takes us on a journey into the White Pass with her blueberry gang to find to find the best blueberries for her Blueberry Cornbread
Summer And Fall Camping: Hot Sandwiches
We ventured into Monte Cristo territory, that glorious variation on a grilled cheese and ham sandwich. Remember those?
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Listen To Your Friend (Thin The Carrots!)
Miche walks us through thinning the carrots and making a tasty Carrot Top Chermoula plus Salmon Tagine with New Potatoes, Tomatoes and Olives
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Two Dips For Summer
Miche shows us how a couple of appropriate summertime dips were born—both shareable, with dipping accoutrements and a beverage
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Pineapple Weed (Wild Chamomile) — the Friendliest Herb
Of all the wild herbs I’ve cooked with in the Yukon, I like pineapple weed or wild chamomile the best. It tastes like pineapple and chamomile
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Grasping At (Cheese) Straws
These are perfect whizzkid treat to pull out of the cupboard when someone drops by to hang out on the deck with a beverage
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Stepping Into Rhubarb Season
Miche Genest shares her recipes for stewed rhubarb, rhubarb parfait and ‘Pelly Button Cocktails’ just in time to step into rhubarb season.
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Wind, Sun & Sangria
Miche Genest walks us through her harrowing experience on Atlin Lake, followed by a sunny afternoon on the deck at home drinking Sangria
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On The Culinary Trail In Scotland
On our last several visits to Scotland, my roommate and I have grown accustomed to eating well in Glasgow restaurants.
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A Walk In The Woods
We ate nettle and wild garlic pesto on our second night in Scotland, accompanied by garlic bread (why not?) and salad. It was one of the best pestos I’ve ever had.
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Old Memories, New Dishes
Forty-five years ago, I stood in a small kitchen on a Greek island and watched an elderly man do something crazy.
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The Sap Is Running
On the evening of April 6, the Whitehorse Nordic Centre announced its grooming season was over, which meant that cross-country skiing on the trails at
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Ketchup IS A Vegetable
Mine is the lone dissenting voice in a family that loves ketchup. When we were growing up, my four siblings slathered ketchup over everything —
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Gnocchi – Out Of Old Cookbooks
A cookbook purge turns into a culinary rediscovery! Michele Genest rediscovers forgotten recipes, including a perfect homemade gnocchi.
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Do You Dare Soufflé?
A few weeks ago, my roommate and I had the conversation common to people in their 60s and 70s: it’s time to divest. We must
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Leek and Morel Risotto, Roasted Cabbage and Cheddar
Cozy up with Michele’s leek and morel mushroom risotto recipe. Perfect for winter, this dish combines Yukon flavors with creamy comfort.
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Party Season
Hosting a holiday gathering? Michele Genest shares recipes for wild mushroom pâté and seedy crackers that pair perfectly with cozy Yukon evenings.
Too Much Kale? Never!
Every year at this time we wish we had staggered our kale planting. It’s all ready at once. We are smothered in kale.
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Celebration Salad
I returned to Whitehorse from travels in Greece in late June, just in time to go on a successful morel mushroom hunt. My neighbour…
Camping Snacks
It’s road-trip, car-camping, paddling and hiking time, everyone! Time to rev up the snacks. A big fat breakfast cookie will fuel you…
At The End Of The Yellow Brick Road
When you’re driving along the Mud Bay Road in Haines, Alaska, just before you turn onto the Chilkat State Park Road malarky…
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Shrimp Saganaki — A Summery Treat
Who remembers the Greek restaurants of the ’80s, when Saganaki Opa! was on the menu? The waiter would arrive tableside…
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Ice Cream Or Gelato?
The runners on the Millennium Trail are wearing shorts, the big sleepy mosquitoes have hatched and, today, a caterpillar…
Ice Cream Or Gelato? Read More »
Spring Flavours
Two fortuitous culinary events coincided in recent weeks. The first was an offering of last year’s Taku River Coho salmon…
Have Your Cake and Virtue Too
April is a month of birthdays for my immediate family, most of whom are scattered in the semi-wilds of Ontario.
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The Many Uses Of Whey
In last month’s column I mentioned my roommate has discovered yogurt-making and the subsequent, luminous introduction…
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A Warming Stew For Cold Winter Nights
When the winds of winter howl, it’s time to welcome the warming flavours of South Asia and the Middle East. This recipe came about…
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Eggnog, Rum Sauce And Cheesecake!
I am chagrined. I missed our neighbour’s open house. Not only is this party the best place to catch up with friends that we only see here…
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Pasta Extravagances
In my house we take liberties with pasta sauce. Left to his own devices, my roommate will throw in juniper berries, birch syrup, preserved…
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Sautéed Ruffed Grouse Breasts In Madeira And Cranberry Sauce
We met Roger Kempanien in a youth hostel on the outskirts of Gällivare, an iron-mining town in northern Sweden. My husband and I…
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The Cookie Solution
Earlier this year, I asked a lawyer friend for a favour: I needed help navigating the legal system for another friend…
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The Pumpkin Eaters
Every fall, for the past several years, my sister has said to me, “Sister! Have you made a pumpkin pie from scratch…
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Moose Stew
The hunters are returning the leaves have gone and there’s snow in them hills—it’s the season for big pots of stock simmering on the stove…
How To Cook a Large Zucchini
Who among us has not received a large zucchini from a neighbouring gardener, at the end of the summer? I was gifted a two-pound…
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Shore Lunch With Mario
The tip of my rod jerked and dipped toward the dimpled grey water, and I glanced up at our guide. He shook his head.
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Meatloaf is Marvellous, Hot or Cold
A couple of weeks ago we dropped in on a friend on our way to Pine Lake, near Haines Junction. Just as we were leaving, he said…
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Life After S’mores: New Camping Dessert Options
S’mores are great, there’s no doubt about it. Melted marshmallows and creamy chocolate sandwiched between graham wafers…
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One More Rhubarb Apple Crumble Recipe
A couple of weeks ago, the oil tank guys were coming to take out our old tank and pour a cement pad for the new one.
One More Rhubarb Apple Crumble Recipe Read More »
Green It Up! It’s Dandelion Season!
About a month ago I visited the first place I ever picked dandelions: a small, pebbly beach on the Greek island of Alonissos…
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Horiatiki (a.k.a. The Greek Salad)
I’m sitting in an apartment just off Syntagma Square in Athens. Motorcycles roar by and a woman drags a big garbage bag to the corner.
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Tower of Beauty: Homemade ‘Lamburgers’
At the end of August 2021, I picked up a lamb shoulder roast from the Takhini River Ranch booth at the Fireweed Community Market…
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Springy Flavours
Low-bush cranberries and lemon are two flavours that shout out “Spring!” at this time of year. The swans are flying overhead…
The Venerable Pork Belly
I love cooked fresh pork belly, the exquisite combination of crispy skin, luscious fat and tender meat that chefs in the Yukon do so well.
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Fibre, Fibre, Fibre!
In January I stopped eating fresh vegetables, and my roommate quit his granola habit. We just didn’t feel like it anymore.
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Soup Season
Soup is just the best for the busy cook, especially in February when the light’s coming back and we’re rushing in from…
Finger Food For Dark Nights
The MI5 agents came into the house by stealth, wrapped in worn, crinkled purple tissue paper. The package nestled under the tree…
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Road Snacks For White Line Fever
On November 26, my sister and I pulled into the Husky gas station at Hope, just off the Trans-Canada Highway.
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Final Suppers
My husband and I are on our last visit to my sister’s house in Parksville, on Vancouver Island. She is moving across the country…
How To Cook A Moose
I want to share with you a success I had this weekend. But first, hands up anyone who has ever overcooked a moose roast.
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Barley Converts
My old friend Julie called to me from the back of her car, where she’d just finished loading her groceries.
Taku River Sockeye Salmon and Atlin Lake Trout: Preserving the Harvest
Together we admired the colour and texture of trout and salmon, contrasting them with each other, enjoying handling this beautiful resource.
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Go Wild With Greens
There are few wild greens easier to enjoy than lamb’s quarters (Chenopodium album) also known as white goosefoot and, sometimes, pigweed. A member of the populous Amaranthaceae family, which includes amaranth, quinoa, beets and spinach, among thousands of other plants, the leaves can be eaten fresh or cooked and have a flavour somewhere between spinach and kale.
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Raspberry Fool With Wild Chamomile Shortbreads
Nothing is assured about wild food gathering. If you find butter & whipping cream try this dessert recipe.
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Gather: All The Spruce Tip Things
Spruce tip season is short. There’s anxiety about getting out soon enough. Once picked and processed, you can experiment with abandon.
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Bright Flavours for Spring
Lemon yogurt cake. With the addition of tangy low-bush cranberries, this cake will provide a burst of bright flavours
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Pyrizhky (or piroshky) is a Much Beloved Dish in Eastern Europe
I found comfort in honouring the people of Ukraine by making pyrizhky (or piroshky), a hand pie beloved in both countries.
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When Gatherers Become Gardeners
Mid-winter Potato, Kale and Cheddar Pie. A hearty, cheesy, main course that only needs a side salad for a satisfying mid-winter meal.
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Dandelion season
Dandelions are delicious in fritters, cakes, wine, or jelly and the greens are great in salad. Try this Cheesy Dandelion Quesadillas recipe.
A Hubbub of Rhubarb
Rhubarb is a good producer to just keep harvesting, resulting in a pile-up of chopped rhubarb in bags in the freezer. A hubbub of rhubarb!
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Foraging in local markets for cheese pie makings
A forage around town in supermarkets and small shops for local and locally available foodstuffs to bring home and play with
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Wild Strawberry jam
The berry season is still months away, but a close friend gave me a small jar of jam for Christmas. And so, I made cheesecake.
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The Easter Moose
Why not celebrate Easter with this Easter Moose recipe that connects you to the landscape; that reminds you of where you live.
Adaptive Recipe strategies
When key ingredients for a recipe simply areen’t available, we acquired new competencies. We became masters of substitution.
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Post-holiday baking projects
I’ve wanted to make savoury thumbprint cookies forever, so once the cookie tins fully emptied, I decided to give them a try.
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An old favourite with a smoky twist
Sometimes, in the midst of celebratory foods, we just feel like something simple. Like a melty, comforting, satisfying mac and cheese!
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Freezer candy
There is a famous vegetarian restaurant in New York City called Dirt Candy. Someday I will get there, but, in the meantime, I love the
Tall tales and fish cakes
This Smoked Salmon Patties with Wasabi Mayo recipe is a stepped up Fish Cakes recipe. Dig in the freezer for summer fish and whip up a batch
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Morels and rascals
My father had a favourite expression when he came home from work late because he’d stayed downtown for a drink with his friends. “I fell
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Juniper—Not Just for Gin
In my Yukon world, ‘Juniper’ is a name that has been given to kittens and new babies; in the world of musician Donovan Leitch it
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Blueberry Pilgrims
I don’t believe I’ve ever seen so many berry pickers as this year in the White Pass near Fraser, B.C., southern Yukon’s favourite place to
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Sage Advice
I find one of the best ways to calm the spirit and focus the mind is to go out foraging. When foraging for wild plants we enter the landscape on an intimate scale, we’re down on our knees, looking, exploring, paying attention, the microcosm engages us and the macro shrinks away.
It’s Spruce Tip Season!
For those as yet uninitiated, spruce tips are one of those truly magical wild northern foods. They’re packed with Vitamin C and have been used by Indigenous people to soothe sore throats and combat flu for centuries.
It’s Spruce Tip Season! Read More »