and why not?! 😉
along with adorable pansies – tulips, sunflowers, and even orchids – are some of nature’s edible flowers.
cool, huh?! ❤
Tag Archives: specialty foods
{artisan salts : black lava}
22 Augperhaps you may know by now, that i have a major affinity for salt. himalayan pink salt being my top pick… in fact, i love salt so much that sometimes people buy it for me or bring it back from france as a gift… {how lucky am i!?}
this beautiful salt is called “black lava” and i recently discovered the most interesting thing about it. apparently, it is simply salt from the hawaiian shore that has been “infused” with activated charcoal… typically from coconuts. WHAT! did you know that??!! crazy! therefore, this awesome salt is also very detoxifying and has been used in spas across the country. furthermore, i discovered that it is considered a “finishing salt”… which i must’ve known instinctively {thanks to my intuitive-eating lifestyle}, because i totally just put some on this delicious tomato the other day and devoured it…
it has a slight smokey flavour and i just love the colour!
definitely nab some up if you find it in your specialty department or store. it’s worth the extra expense, and the trace mineral content is also very high in this salt, which just adds to its awesomeness.
{himalayan pink salt}
2 Apr
i love himalayan pink salt.
i love to cook with it, eat with it…
bathe with it, pray with it…
it’s one versatile salt! {and i happen to be somewhat of a connoisseur.} 😉
what makes himalayan pink salt extra special other than the awesome flavour, is its extremely high mineral content. this stuff is very high in… well, practically everything!
{fresh and crumbly parmigiano reggiano – it’s that time again!}
1 Apr
whole foods cracks a brand new fresh wheel of this crumbly gold every year around this time… and i always try to nab some up.
i look forward to it every year. there just isn’t anything like freshly cracked parmigiano reggiano. did you know in order for it to have that “stamp” or seal that says it’s the real deal, the cows can only graze on certain pastures in certain parts of italy. and that those cows are the only cows used to milk and create this wonderful cheese with?!
ain’t no fake stuff here! 🙂
nom nom…
{thirsty thursday – celebrating 33-years with pan-seared sea scallops, and my favourite beer ever}
21 Nov
my goodness do i love scallops!
pan-seared in some amazing butter… click here to see the best and only cooking method one should use to make these decadent sea-dwellers. like most good things in life, it should be done low and slow.
and i also love asparagus!
i usually do my best to eat with the seasons… which means i wouldn’t normally be eating asparagus right now, but hey – i’m the birthday girl, i can do whatever i want, right?! 😉
my birthday {which is tomorrow, actually} is always so close to thanksgiving {it was ON thanksgiving last year and the year i was born}, but i admit i’m happy that it falls in an entirely different week this year! i haven’t really been thinking of the holidays as much this year since i switched jobs {that’s a whole big, long blogpost or BOOK waiting to happen} so it’s been nice to really focus my energy on ME. i do have to work tomorrow, which is kind of a bummer – but i’m celebrating today and tonight with this amazing food and drink.
i like to spoil myself on my birthday. i started this morning with my favourite americano from my favourite coffee shop and a sinful pastry they call an “apple jesus” – can’t wait to try that! and i plan to have peach-wood-smoked salmon for lunch, followed by the above amazing meal for dinner… swallowed down gently with this :
la fin du monde – french, which translates to “the end of the world”
it is a triple-fermented golden ale that is high in alcohol content {9% : i tried to finish the whole bottle once – not a good idea for this 110-pound lass} la fin du monde is full of wonderful champagne-like bubbles which deliver hints of honey and fruit, accompanied by floral notes that linger pleasantly and round-out with a smooth, dry finish.
i have one every year on my birthday… and i always cook myself a super nice meal, usually consisting of seafood, since it’s my ultimate fav. i am already salivating, just thinking about my day full of amazing food…
happy birthday to me! 🙂
{stunning and scrumptious squash blossoms}
19 Aug
i mean, these are just gorgeous… right?!
i’ve always wanted to make something with squash blossoms, but due to the fact that they are hard to find and have a small window of availability, i often miss my opportunity…
…but not this time 🙂
goat cheese stuffed squash blossoms… stunning and scrumptious.
i could’ve had full-on foto shoot with them, but i got hungry… so this will have to suffice…
…for now 😉 Continue reading
{“fancy” french salt}
25 Juni love specialty foods, in case you haven’t yet discovered that about me…
and i happen to LOVE salt – in all its varieties.
so when a friend brought me this adorable jar of salt back from her trip to france, i was totally excited!!
when i said to her, “ohhh i’m so excited to blog about this fancy french salt…” she was like, “wellllll – it’s just salt. the only thing fancy about it is that i carried it all the way back home in my backpack… just for you.”
i fancy that, i say. Continue reading
{balsamic bellavitano cheese}
30 Maysooooo – my stats have suddenly started dropping lately. i don’t really want to focus on it too much, but i find it odd that out of nowhere, i’m getting less and less “likes” when for a good while there i was getting more and more and people were finding and following my blog… i just find it odd… any insight you all may have is appreciated.
meanwhile, i’m going to keep writing amazing blogs. i love doing it for me, but i also do this as i hope to inspire others to try new foods and recipes and to create their own! food is fun.
this blog is about another specialty cheese that i discovered at whole foods market a couple weeks ago called balsamic bellavitano. it is one of the most delicious cheeses i’ve ever had – and i’ve tried a lot of cheeses! this is a reserve cheese with a little nuttiness and hints of fruit in the flavour. i love how they wrap it in special paper…
… just makes it so fun to open up 🙂 Continue reading
{ugli fruit AKA “uniq fruit”}
19 Marhave you ever seen or heard of an ugli fruit?!
this is an ugli fruit. also known as “uinq” fruit, because apparently the name “ugli” wasn’t very PC.
i mean, either way i think it’s beautiful. look at that colour!
ugli {uniq} fruit is from jamaica and is similar to a grapefruit. it’s more like a pomelo but the skin isn’t quite as thick. the flesh of an ugly fruit is super sweet and juicy. i add mine in smoothies as well as eat them as a snack. when throwing it into my vitamix, i keep the white part included – it’s loaded with extra fiber. or just juice it – yummy!
the tree that produces this fruit has been around since the early 1900s! their season is just about over, so grab yours today! you can find ugli fruit at many health food stores like whole foods market nationwide.
i am audrey michelle
i am a minimalist
i am a ritualist
f&f on your boards
food & foto 