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By AnnieMar 6Mar 60

Turkish Eggs (Çılbır) with Roasted Chickpeas

I’m not going to write a long story about how I visited Istanbul and fell in love with Turkish Eggs. I’m not ashamed to say that I fell in love with Turkish Eggs because of Nigella Lawson (and if you prefer, you can watch her BBC video and then come back here for my recipe!). The truth is, I did visit...

Restaurants

By AnnieFeb 1Feb 20

Toronto: The Poet Café

Once upon a time, I used to work at an unusual law firm that insisted that each associate, student and partner take turns choosing poetry to kick off each...

Asia

By AnnieJan 17Feb 10

The Best Things I Ate in 2019

From beef burgers to beef tartare, this year saw a lot of fantastic beef dishes in a lot of different area codes. Speaking of tartare, I apparently ate a...

It has been an exhilarating and unpredictable bird

It has been an exhilarating and unpredictable birds vs. humans race every morning this cherry season. Good thing @31anc4 likes climbing trees. 🍒
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#cherryseason #cherrypicking #cherrytree #cherryseason🍒 #chuonthis #fbcigers #freshfood #backyardgarden #backyardorchard #lifeandthyme #eatfresh #plantbased #ChuonBC #beautifulbritishcolumbia

Simmered spicy Manila clams, pork belly and tofu d

Simmered spicy Manila clams, pork belly and tofu drizzled over a fresh herb salad with thinly sliced, crunchy buttered toast. This is a dish by @almostfamouschef that perfectly represents him, @melange.nanaimo, and the laid-back style and mixed flavours of Vancouver Island. If any of you are planning to visit the Island in the near future (either to Nanaimo or through Nanaimo on your way to another city or town), you have to visit Mélange! I can’t guarantee you will see this dish on the menu as it changes all the time, but you’ll definitely taste something you haven’t had before. PS. If you order the “YUK”, it’s an inside joke seasonal chef’s creation. Check out Kellie describing the dish better than me in Story Highlights!

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#MelangeNanaimo #Nanaimo #ExploreNanaimo #ManilaClams #nanaimobc #ChuonThis #exploreBC #tourismnanaimo #seasonalfood #eatlocal #supportlocal #fbcigers #foodblogger #ChuonBC

The simple joy of drinking a cup of coffee in a ca

The simple joy of drinking a cup of coffee in a café was something I definitely took for granted pre-COVID. I asked @candacechu13 to snap a photo of my first (socially-distanced) restaurant experience since the start of Quarantine, and honestly, the excitement was about the same as the first day back for an elementary school year (and I really loved school!). Location: @monpetitchouxbakery in Nanaimo, British Columbia. Anyone else experience any new (old) joys this week? .

#MonPetitChoux #nanaimo #nanaimobc #exploreBC #helloBC #chuonthis #cafe #ChuonThisCafe #Phase3 #VancouverIsland #coffeeshop #coffeedaily #frenchcafe #fbcigers #foodbloggers #explorenanaimo #simplepleasures #cautiouslyoptimistic #ChuonBC

Happy #DragonBoatFestival! For those who live in o

Happy #DragonBoatFestival! For those who live in or come from China or Taiwan, the Dragon Boat Festival or 端午節 (Duan Wu Jie) is a holiday celebrated on the 5th day of the 5th month of the Chinese Lunar Calendar (which happens to be June 25, 2020 this year). .

粽子 (zong zi) is a dish that goes hand in hand with this holiday. Although loosely translated to a form of rice dumpling, I really think that we ought to start calling it its actual name in the West (like, this dish is as much a “rice dumpling” as a tamale is a “corn dumpling”). It’s made with large bamboo leaves and filled with glutinous rice, and can be either savoury (often filled with pork belly, chestnuts, mushrooms and salted duck egg yolk) or sweet (red adzuki beans or green mung beans). This was the first year anyone in my immediate family attempted to make it from scratch and it was fun but actually way harder than it looks! I’ll definitely appreciate all the amazing store-bought versions in the future lol. .
#zongzi #duanwujie #端午節 #端午節快樂 #粽子 #dragonboatfestival2020 #chuonthis #chuonthiskitchen #fbcigers #foodbloggers #feedfeed @thefeedfeed #lifeandthyme #foodphotography #foodstagram

If you’re looking for a last-minute #FathersDay

If you’re looking for a last-minute #FathersDay meal idea, might I suggest giving this Pork Belly Banh Mi a try? It’s a pretty easy recipe and you could even adapt it for the BBQ instead of the oven if you’re keen to keep up that tradition. Full recipe and a little more info on this Vietnamese-French sandwich can be viewed on the @ontariopork blog at: https://ontariopork.on.ca/recipes/our-blog/banh-mi-sandwich.

#PorkBelly #OntarioPork #porkonyourfork #BanhMi #PorkBellyBanhMi #ChuonThis #ChuonThisKitchen #PorkRecipes #Fbcigers #foodbloggers #eeeats

Like most of you, I’ve been trying stay home, an

Like most of you, I’ve been trying stay home, and trying to listen. But watching the news and reading books all the time can also be very draining on the eyes, not the mention, the heart and mind. So I’ve been turning to my podcasts like never before these days. Do you listen to podcasts? If so, I would love to know what you’ve been listening to as well!

A few podcasts that have been keeping me informed and thinking:
@thedailyzeitgeist - Witty American comedians with informed hot takes on pop culture and news.
@nprcodeswitch - (NPR) direct and important conversations about race.
Freakonomics Radio - Yes, like the book. Uncovering and exploring the hidden side of everything that affects our economy.
Ça s’explique - (In French) @radiocanada podcast that breaks down the news into short topics, one question at a time.
@canadaland - Independent Canadian journalism that picks up where many other platforms leave off.
Revisionist History - If you like Malcolm Gladwell, you will like this.
And here are a few that have been a good distraction from the news:
@replyall - A show about the internet.
The Baby-Sitter’s Club Club (@bsccpodcast on Twitter) - Two grown men going through the entire children’s book series with a take that’s 1 part Buzzfeed and 1 part Russian Literature Professor.
@potterlesspodcast - A grown man’s journey through the Harry Potter books for the first time (who gets by with a little help from his friends).
@myfavoritemurder - If you know you know. A murder comedy podcast (and they do touch on current news from time to time).
@jordanharbinger - The “self-improvement “ podcast that hates the world self-improvement; Jordan is just a great interviewer overall.

#podcastplaylist #Canadaland #listeningandlearning #podcastlife #podcastsofinstagram #torontoblogger #mfmpodcast #revisionisthistory

Guys, I’m not going to lie. Tonight’s #takeout

Guys, I’m not going to lie. Tonight’s #takeoutday dinner at on my balcony was most excellent. @mirarestaurant is one of my favourite downtown restaurants to celebrate special occasions at (I had my birthday there last year!). I was a little concerned about how they were going to transfer their King Street modern Peruvian food energy to takeout form, but tonight’s delivery gave me a great taste of their creativity. If you’ve never ordered from them before, the $60 Prix Fixe Dinner for 2 is a good option. I went for the “Anticucho” upscale Peruvian street meat platter (an additional cost) and really enjoyed it! More info in my Stories. Thanks for the fun weekday treat @mirarestaurant! || #hosted #balconydinner #MiraRestaurant #MiraatHome #takeout #Peruvianfood #anticucho #anticuchos #cucinaperuviana #TorontoRestaurants #ChuonToronto #ChuonThis #TorontoLife #BlogTO #takeoutdaycanada #alfresco

Sharing some love for one of my favourite bakeries

Sharing some love for one of my favourite bakeries in Toronto today on the blog: @brodflour (link in bio). Yes, their products come with a bit of a price tag, but the flours and process they use are tip top quality. Anyone who has tried to take up baking for the first time during Quarantine will appreciate this! As retail starts to open slowly in Ontario this week, I’m observing and continue to be impressed by all the different ways small businesses are creatively offering their goods to customers. If you know of any bakeries who are doing cool things in Toronto (I’m still on the lookout for the perfect “ready to bake” at home croissant), please let me know! PS. Photos taken from quite awhile back. ||
#Brodflour #scandinaviandesign #ChuonToronto #scandinavianbakery #brodflourtoronto #torontorestaurants #torontobakery #foodblogger #supportsmallbusiness #torontolife #blogTO #LibertyVillage #libertyvillagetoronto

French Onion Soup. I remember the first time I ord

French Onion Soup. I remember the first time I ordered this dish as a kid at our local @thekegsteakhouse. I felt sooo fancy and sophisticated. For a long time, I continued to paint this dish as a magical thing; one of those creations that only a restaurant could make properly. Fast forward to today and I finally took a crack at making it myself. Turns out, making fancy can actually be pretty easy with enough patience and an Edith Piaf playlist. More or less the recipe below:
- Chop and fully caramelize 4-5 yellow and/or sweet onions in butter (with a splash of oil to prevent burning.
- Add a tablespoon of flour, a tiny bit of salt, and black pepper.
- Add a glass of dry white wine (or a few tablespoons of apple cider vinegar). Reduce for awhile.
- Add enough beef (or mushroom) stock to fill about half the pot.
- Throw in thyme and bay leaves. Cook on medium-low heat for about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Resist urge to add more salt until the end of the simmer. Turn off heat and let settle. Spoon into heatproof bowls.
- Cut off pieces of baguette and rub with fresh garlic. Place carefully on soup to cover top of bowls.
- Top generously with Gruyère (or Comté) and a bit of mozzarella if you’re down for a little cheat to get more cheese pull. Add a bit of thyme or chives.
- Broil until cheese is violently bubbly. Remove from oven and enjoy!
#ChuonThis #ChuonThisKitchen #frenchonionsoup #frenchfood #comfortfood #quarantinefood #quarantinebingo #quarantinefoodbingo #soupealoignon #fbcigers #thefeedfeed @thefeedfeed #frenchrecipe #eatwell #lifeandthyme @lifeandthyme #eeeeeats #foodphotography #foodblogger

Finished this illustration of Bergen’s Bryggen (

Finished this illustration of Bergen’s Bryggen (a @unesco World Cultural Heritage Site) just in time for Norway’s National/Constitution Day! On May 17, you can find most Norwegian families dressing up in traditional clothing (bunad) celebrating with hotdogs (especially good wrapped in a potato flour flatbread called lompe) and patrioticly-decorated sponge cake (check out the #bløtkake feed to see what I mean). It’s going to be a little less festive in the streets this year but hopefully still as colourful. Sending all my friends in Norway a #gratulerermeddagen! #gratulerermeddagennorge🇳🇴 .
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#bergen #bergennorway #illustration #norway #visitnorway #norwegiancity #norge #visitbergen #citypostcard #travelblogger #chuonthisstudio #chuonthisart #bergenart #bergenillustration #bryggen #tyskebryggen

Tuna of nothing...is just as tough. Today’s new

Tuna of nothing...is just as tough. Today’s new quarantine art and mood inspired by the @spicegirls and my lack of random pantry ingredients. Seriously, how is there no canned tuna on the shelves?? 🧐
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#ChuonThis #ChuonThisArt #ChuonThisStudio #QuarantineFood #QuarantineFoodBingo #foodillustration #childrensillustration #CannedTuna #foodpuns #spicegirls #fooddrawing

Adding a touch of spring to the bookshelves to hel

Adding a touch of spring to the bookshelves to help brighten the apartment (and another week of Zoom meeting backgrounds)! .

PS. @vanhaarfagre told me that the Norwegian name for pussywillow is “gåsunge” which means goose child (gosling) and I think that is so adorbs.
#pussywillow #pussywillows #gåsunge #interiordesign #foodart #gilmoregirls #eq3 #billybookcase #chuonthis #spring #springflowers #quarantineideas #homeinspo #currenthomeview #foodbloggers #torontolife #blogTO #torontoblogger

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