The End Of ChefButler

Today I came home to an email from ChefButler, explaining that their subscription box program will be ending (their last box will go out in July). I feel a strange sort of guilt that I haven't taken the time lately to show off all the amazing meals I've made thanks to their boxes, but as neither their main website or their Facebook page give any other explanation, I can make no other assumption other than that yes, they are shutting down because I didn't post enough pictures. (If I learn anything more in the next few days, I'll update.)

Now, I enjoyed this subscription a lot. It was fun, the customer service was great, and they really loved food. Regardless, I would have probably stuck with them even if they were mediocre, because as far as I know, there is no other similar program in Canada at this time. I hope that a few other companies will start up to fill the void - the various food subscriptions in the US seem to be doing well.

Thanks for the good times, ChefButler. We'll miss you!

Review: BumbleBerry Honey Maple Creme

Before I get started on the review, here's a bit about BumbleBerry Farms, from their website:

Here at BumbleBerry Farms, we take our lead from
the bees – one hive can collectively travel as many as 55,000 miles visiting more than two million flowers to
gather the nectar needed for one single pound of our Heritage Select Honey! With that same care and diligence, our honeycomb is hand-spun to gently release the sweet honey we offer up to you – bottled in vintage-inspired, cork-stoppered glass bottles.

We’re a small operation, located in the foothills of Pennsylvania’s Laurel Mountains, and as such, we craft everything ourselves in small batches. We hand-select the ingredients for our delectable honey-based spreads from a dairy farm and a maple sugar camp just down the road. Our skin care products are kept simple, using fair-trade, organic butters whenever we can get them…like our shea butter, which is harvested by women, the sole supporters of their communities in the Burkina Faso region of West Africa.

We are forever grateful to family and friends who have helped us along the way, lending their children for photo shoots, helping us in our festival booths, volunteering as testers for products in the making. With that same nod toward giving others a lift up, we follow their lead and offer
a Honey Bee Good jar of our yummiest nectar with profits benefitting a local charity. Currently we’re supporting Outdoor Odyssey at Roaring Run, a youth mentoring and leadership development program.

We hope you enjoy your BumbleBerry goods and that
you will do as we attempt to do:

Spread a little sweetness on the planet. Bee happy. ^TM

                         .                                                                                                           Sounds great, doesn't it? I have a special place in my heart for bees, and a special place in my stomach for honey. I adore both and am happy to do what I can to help keep bees (and honey) around for years to come, especially in light of the drastically declining number of bee colonies. And supporting charity, of course, is always fantastic.

Which is why it makes me feel a bit down about writing a less-than-stellar review. But, in the interest of providing an unbiased opinion, here we go:

The big, bad problem here was graininess. Why was it grainy? I don't know. What were the grains, anyway? Again, I don't know. They were a tiny bit sweet, but definitely not sugar. Some sort of strange combination of milk proteins and maple syrup crystals, perhaps? If they were properly sweet, like, say, pure maple sugar, I'd probably have just enjoyed it. Graininess itself, while not what I expect in a spread, doesn't inherently bother me. However, these Mystery Grains took ages to melt in my mouth, had no real flavour or sweetness, and were all around more suited for some sort of sticky bath exfoliant than a food item.

Not to be deterred, I decided that despite the lack of sweetness, the Mystery Grains were probably sugar-based in some way - clearly they had crystallized, and could, theoretically, be melted down again. So I tried microwaving some of the spread, in two batches: one, in a quick hot burst, and another over several short bursts, stirring thoroughly in between. Both ended up bubbly and sticky. And both remained as grainy as ever. Now, it's possible that if I scooped the spread out into a saucepan, and simmered and stirred it slowly for an hour or so, that the Mystery Grains would eventually melt down. But in that case, I might as well be making my own, thus removing the main benefit of a prepared spread in the first place.

Then, there was the taste. It was fine, a nice milky caramel sort of flavour. If I'd ordered a plain caramel spread, I'd be delighted. But there was very little, if any, maple taste, which was what I'd been wanting in the first place. Perhaps all the maple flavour was eaten up by the Mystery Grains.

Anyway, thinking that the creme might have been near expiry, I checked the date on the bottom, which said: BEST BY 111315. Originally I'd assumed that it was good until November 13th, 2015. I don't see how it could mean 2013, since the 13 is in the middle, but it seems possible somehow, especially since I ordered it at the beginning of the year and it came from a secondary supplier (Mouth). Who knows how long it's been sitting in a warehouse? Plus, BumbleBerry's website features the creme with a distinctly different label. I don't know. It didn't taste off, but... those damned GRAINS!

I may be making a big deal out of a simple thing. If there's a quick way to fix the weird graininess, let me know, and I'll try it out. If it works, I'll adjust the review accordingly! But until then:

5/10. Decent taste (but a bit bland and not what I expected); texture made unpalatable by millions of Mystery Grains.

If you want to give it a go anyway (I'm so perplexed that I think I might order it directly from the website and see if the new batch is any better) you can buy it from BumbleBerry Farms at $8.50/5oz plus shipping, or from Mouth, as I did originally, at $13/10oz plus shipping.

March ChefButler

So, I started subscribing to something called ChefButler. Every month, ChefButler assembles all the ingredients (except for meat, produce, and very basic pantry staples) needed to create a full meal for four people - a main dish, an appetizer or side, and a dessert. The theme changes each time, inspired by cuisine from around the world. Apparently, this sort of thing has been available in the States for a while, but this is one of the first available in Canada. Anyway, this month's theme was Pakistani food: Beef Qeema, Vegetable Biryani, and Coconut Ladoo.

Before I get into the box itself, I want to make a note of their great customer service. I realized (after I'd been sent a notice that my box was about to be shipped!) that I'd somehow messed up my address when I'd first signed up, using some sort of weird combination of my last and current address. I called ChefButler up, and the lady who talked to me was friendly and competent, assuring me that I'd called just in time to have it changed. And sure enough, I received a new shipping notice almost immediately, and my box arrived with no problems. As another side note, they also provide a tracking number, which is awesome for people like me who obsessively refresh the UPS tracking page every hour.

Now, on to the box itself:

First look.

I smelled spices the moment I opened the box, and for days, until I actually got around to cooking the meal, our apartment smelled like a Middle-Eastern marketplace. Everything is packed into a nice, solid silver box - great for re-use, as long as you don't mind the lingering scent of spices. I may send a package in it soon, actually.

Second look.

Everything in the envelope.

The envelope included an introduction, the recipes, and a shopping list for everything perishable required to make the meal. It felt very well thought-out, from the convenience of the shopping list, to the recipes being printed on cards, in a perfect size for a large recipe box (I may have to actually get one someday).

The edible contents: spices, coconut, apricots, condensed milk, and basmati rice.

Everything (except, obviously the can of sweetened condensed milk) was packaged individually in sealed plastic envelopes. Each was also labeled with the contents of the quantity included. ChefButler sends their spices freshly-ground for the best and most vibrant flavour, which explains the power of the aroma. I was a little afraid that the smell would have gotten into the coconut, but everything turned out fine.

The spices for the Beef Qeema main.

The spices for the Vegetable Biryani.

This was my first time cooking with either tumeric and un-ground cinnamon bark. I found that I loved the spicy sweetness of the cinnamon bark, which seems more intense than just ground cinnamon, and I'm considering trying to find some for the next time I make rice pudding. Maybe cinnamon sticks would work?

Vegetable Biryani, Beef Qeema, and naan bread.

I only remembered to take a picture of the finished product because my partner reminded me. Unfortunately, I hadn't staged it to look pretty, so this is the best I could do. The biryani is actually very attractive in real life. The qeema, not so much, but it tastes (and smells) incredible.

My partner and I both hate cooked peas, so I replaced them with zucchini (slices in the biryani, wedges in the qeema). Additionally, since the spices are packaged individually, I could choose to add only a little of the chili powder, thus sparing my partner's delicate palate from too much spiciness. The food was very reminiscent of Indian cuisine, which I must admit is the only variation of Middle-eastern/South Asian food I've tried before now. I love that the box gave me the opportunity to cook, well, outside the box, introducing me to recipes I might ordinarily be unlikely to try.

Everything needed for Coconut Ladoo.

The ladoo (ladoos? I kept pluralizing it to ladoos) were delicious! The cardamom isn't a spice I very seldom find in Western desserts - they were, again, something I would never have made on my own, but now I think I'll be adding them to my go-to recipe files. Unlike most desserts, which we tend to eat large servings of, it took only one small ball to satisfy everyone's sweet tooth. My partner's mother and sister, who were visiting a few days later, both liked them, too!

Aren't they beautiful?

I'm very pleased with my first ChefButler experience, and will be continuing the subscription. Being an impatient person, I wish I could find some sort of clue about what themes are coming (they usually provide only tiny hints via their Twitter), but I must admit that the surprise is part of the fun. I'm looking forward to the next month!

The ChefButler site can be found here. At this time, they deliver only to Canada, for C$35 (including shipping anywhere in Canada!) per month.

Review: February Tea Sparrow

Here she is!

So, my Tea Sparrow package arrived a few days ago. They're apparently all shipped out on the 17th every month, but it took about three days to reach me, two hours' drive away. Got to love the Canadian postal system!

Anyway, for my very first Tea Sparrow review, I'll go over the packaging. After this, unless I mention any changes, just assume it's the exact same.

The back of the box, with the cute logo.

There were two cards in the box: one (the green) with the introduction on the front, and Tea Sparrow Tea Tips on the back, and a coupon for $15 towards any purchase from pantybypost.com. I checked it out, and it's apparently a subscription service that "delivers premium panties for about $15 a month... right to your door." On the actual website, I did find underwear for men, but they were quite boring. Additionally, after I'd been on the site for 5 minutes, it all inexplicably turned to Russian. Same site, only... Russian. I hadn't done anything to request this change so I suppose it's something they do to keep things exciting, or maybe it's a glitch. Anyway, I decided that pantybypost is not for me at this time. Still, it's a nice thought, I suppose. Discounts and freebies are always appreciated.

From left to right: Organic White Rose by Numi; Lavender Earl Grey by Rishi; Strawberry Champagne by Tea Desire, and Organic Chai Rooibos by Gathering Place.

The tea packets were nicely and economically wrapped in brown tissue, and arrived in perfect condition. I didn't smell anything upon opening the box, but sniffing the tops of the envelopes, I caught some scent, particularly of the Strawberry Champagne, which smelled absolutely amazing. Of course, that was the tea I chose to try first.

Note: Both my partner and I tried all the teas except for the Lavender Earl Grey, as my partner, who normally has pretty good taste, for whatever reason does not like Earl Grey. Well, more for me. Anyway, we tried them over several days, so that each one was tried fairly. The results are our compiled notes (well, mainly mine; my partner mostly said, "Mmm, nice.")

Strawberry Champagne by Tea Desire:

Look at this. Gorgeous!

Ingredients: Sencha green tea, carrot pieces, pineapple pieces (pineapple, sugar), strawberries, cornflowers, sunflowers, natural flavour.

The scent of this tea is mouth-watering. It's an effervescent, sweet, floral strawberry. And the taste, fortunately, reflects that. 

From the scent, I thought it would be 'Summery' for me, but it's a slightly darker taste than that. There is definitely a champagne flavour that comes through more while drinking - a slightly boozy sweetness. It's not fizzy but it tastes like it could be. A very well done strawberry champagne. My partner in particular likes it. 

9/10.

This tea can be purchased at teadesire.com at $6 per 50g.

Organic White Rose by Numi Organic Tea:

Smells just like a memory.

Ingredients: Fair trade certified organic white tea and organic rose.

Both my partner and I had the same reaction to smelling this: a strange and happy reminiscent feeling. For me, I'm reminded of my grandparents' cabin by the lake, where big untamed rose bushes bloomed every summer, smelling exactly like this tea. For my partner, it's the memory of walking down the country trails in the forest by the house, and the scent of the wild roses that grew there. This smells of true rose, a light and green, nostalgic floral. It's not perfume-y, more like standing in a rose garden on a summer day. And no wonder, with the generous amount of rose petals in the mix. 

It tastes as it smells - delicately floral. It's not heavy at all, and tastes lovely with a bit of honey.

9/10.

This tea can be purchased at numitea.com at $29 for 4 oz. If you want to try it before committing, a 16 count box of the tea bag version is only $6.99.

Organic Chai Rooibos by Gathering Place:

Warning: complete tease.

Ingredients: Rooibos tea, ginger, cinnamon, fennel, cardamom, cloves and black pepper.

Oh, Organic Chai Rooibos, you tricked me good. When I opened your envelope, you smelled absolutely amazing: spicy, warm, fragrant in a wonderful warm way reminiscent of ornate brass tea pots and silks in gold and red. I suppose that's a lot to live up to. But where did all that promise go?

It tastes like chai, yes, but it was very... faint, especially considering the strong scent. Perhaps I shouldn't have added cream to my tea, but that's how I've always drunk chai, and I haven't found it to dull spices much in the past. In fact, a few years ago, my very favourite chai was another herbal version, which stood up admirably to my additions of cream and honey. After tasting this one the first time, I thought that maybe it needed more steeping. I must have left it for a good fifteen minutes all together. The package does say that it takes 10 minutes to steep. Maybe, if I'd used more than the generous tablespoon I did, and left it for twenty minutes, it would have lived up to its promise. But by then, my tea would be cold. Is this meant to be an iced tea? Possibly, but I'm not an iced tea drinker, and there was no indication of that on the package.

I think that in the future, I'll make it the old-fashioned way: simmered in milk on the stovetop for at least half an hour. I suspect that it will be excellent this way. However, used as directed, it was a bit of a let-down.

7/10 - but if it does turn out to be great the old-fashioned way, I'll be sure to edit this.

This tea can be purchased at gatheringplacetrading.com at $8.05 for 100 g.

Lavender Earl Grey by Rishi Tea

The lavender buds weren't very, well, lavender, but they sure packed a punch.

Ingredients: Organic Fair Trade Certified black tea, organic lavender flowers, natural essential oils of bergamot and lavender.

The interesting thing about lavender, for me, is that it always has had the faintest hint of citrus to it. It's not surprising, then, that the scents of the lavender and bergamot blended completely to my nose. In fact, it smelled mostly lavender. Not that I minded, it was very nice indeed.

During drinking, the bergamot came out slightly more, but the taste was still that of lavender with a trace of citrus. However, the overall impression was still somehow that of an Earl Grey, making me wonder if I noticed more of the bergamot subconsciously, or if lavender was simply very Earl Grey in nature anyway. I've had the Tazo Tea version of Earl Grey with lavender, but I must say that this one beats it by far. Yes, this tea was delightful. It's a fragrant, floral, elegant Earl Grey, but just a little bit fun. It makes one feel like the type of person who reads a rollicking adventurous travel tale while sipping their tea from a china cup in their garden on a quiet, warm summer afternoon. Or, in other words, it makes a very good cup of tea.

9/10.

This tea can be purchased at rishi-tea.com at $4 per oz, or $13 per the quarter-pound.

Overall, I'm very impressed, and have found several teas that might become staples in my tea cupboard. I hope next month goes as well!

Note: Obviously I loved a lot of these teas, so why only 9/10? Well, I'm reserving that for something that is well and truly the best thing ever - something I can't live without, something irreplaceable. However, 9/10 is still considered pretty damn good. Any of them might be that 10/10 for you - give them a try!

Tea Sparrow costs $20 a month, with free shipping to Canada and the continental US.

Mushroom and Thyme French Toast

Thyme for dinner.

This recipe is from a copy of the Fall 2013 Cuisine Tonight magazine. It's amazingly filling! I always end up with leftovers, which are just as delicious (maybe more?) reheated the next day.

For the toast:

- 4 slices challah (or any light, egg-based bread - I usually use German egg braid)
- 2 eggs
- 1/2 c. heavy cream
- 2 tsp. chopped fresh thyme
- salt and back pepper to taste
- 1 tbsp. unsalted butter

For the sauce:

- 8 oz. cremini mushrooms, sliced
- 3.5 oz. shiitake mushrooms, stemmed and sliced
- 2 tbsp. vegetable oil
- 1/2 c. sliced onion
- 2 tbsp. unsalted butter
- 2 1/2 tsp. tomato paste
- 2 1/2 tsp. all-purpose flour
- 1/4 c. dry sherry
- 3/4 c. low-sodium vegetable broth (or, if you aren't going for vegetarian, chicken broth works very nicely)
- 2 tbsp. cream cheese
- 1 tsp. chopped fresh thyme

1. Preheat broiler with rack 6 inches from element.

2. Broil the bread until golden on both sides, about 5 minutes. Let bread cool.

3. Whisk eggs, cream, and 2 tsp. thyme in a shallow dish; season with salt and pepper. Add bread; soak 10 minutes, turning often.

Pro tip: be more efficient at mealtimes by utilizing a thyme vortex!

4. Saute mushrooms in oil in a saute pan until browned, 6-7 minutes. Transfer mushrooms to a bowl. Saute onion in the same pan in 2 tbsp. butter, 1-2 minutes.

5. Stir in tomato paste and flour; cook 1 minute. Whisk in sherry until thickened. Stir in broth and mushrooms and cook about 2 minutes. Whisk in cream cheese and 1 tsp. thyme; keep warm.

6. Fry bread in 1 tbsp butter in skillet until browned on both sides, about 5 minutes. Serve French toast with mushroom sauce.

I like to fry the toast in the same pan I cooked the sauce in - more flavor, less washing up.

Enjoy!

Spinach Salad with Honey Bacon Dressing

The Salad.

After the heavy dinner we had on Valentine's Day, I decided to make something a litter fresher and lighter the next evening. This is our favourite salad. I adapted the dressing from Alton Brown's Warm Bacon Dressing - I found his version a little to vinegary for me, so I cut the vinegar down a bit and replaced the sugar with a generous dollop of sweet, warming honey.

This recipe feeds two people pretty well all on it's own. With the addition of fresh bread with butter and a side like soup or sliced chicken breast, it could easily be extended to feed four.

The Salad:

- about four loose handfuls' worth of spinach, leaves washed and stems trimmed

- 6 strawberries, sliced (3 strawberries per portion)

- 2 hard-boiled eggs, peeled and sliced (one egg per portion)

- 6 strips of thick-cut bacon, diced

Nice additions: in the past I've added sliced chicken breast and avocado. Really, with salad, almost anything goes. I imagine toasted almonds would blend nicely with the honey in the dressing.

The Dressing:

- 3 tbsp of warm bacon grease
- 2 tbsp red wine vinegar
- 2-3 tbsp honey, warmed
- 1/2 tsp dijon mustard
- salt and pepper to taste

The smell of freshly-sliced strawberries is Summer to me.

1. Start frying the bacon. While it fries, slice strawberries and eggs in preparation for salad assembly. Warm
the honey in the microwave (15-20 seconds should do) just before bacon is finished.

2. Once bacon is done, remove with a slotted spoon and place in a paper-towel lined dish. Remove pan from heat and carefully measure out 3 tbsp of the grease. Be sure to scrape up and include as many cracklings as you can - that's where the majority of the flavour is.

Yummy yummy cracklings.

3. In a bowl, combine the bacon grease, vinegar, and mustard. Whisk thoroughly. Whisk in the honey, beginning with 2 tbsp, and adding more until it is to your taste. I usually end up with 3 tbsp, since I like a sweet vinaigrette. Add salt and pepper.

It should look like this. But if it doesn't, don't worry, I'm sure it's still delicious!

4. Assemble salad ingredients however you like, and drizzle the dressing over top. Enjoy!

And in case you weren't hungry yet...

Lobster

So, as I mentioned in 'What's The Plan?', I wanted to make lobster for Valentine's Day. And I did! Unfortunately, I neglected to take pictures.

Anyway, it was... okay? I followed the directions and boiled the frozen lobster tails for about 4 or 5 minutes. They really were very pretty afterwards. I served them along with twice-baked potatoes and teriyaki steak. And then, my partner announces that they have never had lobster before. And, it turns out that my partner does not, in fact, actually like lobster.

To be fair, though, it wasn't amazing lobster. Like I said, it was just okay. The middle had the sweet mild flesh I love, but most of it was a bit dry and tasteless - maybe I boiled it for too long? The melted garlic butter I served it with helped save it, but evidently it wasn't tasty enough to convert my partner to lobster (my partner does not, apparently, like crab either, so maybe that's just that).

However, the steak was a big hit!

Pear and Apple Oatmeal Crisp

Straight out of the oven.

I had some fruit to use up, so I decided to try my hand at making a crisp. I adapted it from this recipe.

For the filling:

My eclectic bunch of fruit: three Gala apples, two Bartlett Pears, and one Bosc pear.

3 medium apples
3 medium pears
The zest of one lemon
1 tbsp lemon juice
1/3 c. granulated sugar
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1 tbsp brandy

For the topping:

3/4 c. all purpose flour
3/4 c. old-fashioned rolled oats
1/2 c. brown sugar
1/2 c. butter, melted

1. Heat oven to 350'F. Butter a 9" square baking dish.

2. Core the fruit and cut into 3/4" pieces. Combine in a large bowl, then add the zest, lemon juice, sugar, spices, and brandy. Stir until thoroughly coated, and pour into the baking dish.

3. Combine flour, oats, and sugar. If you're going to use unsalted butter, add a generous pinch of salt. Slowly pour in the melted butter, then stir until all the flour is moistened and mixture is crumbly. Sprinkle over the filling.

Mixing the topping.

4. Bake the crisp for 1 hour to 1 1/2 hours, until juices have thickened and fruit has become tender. If topping begins to get too brown, cover with aluminum foil and continue baking until done.

Crisp!

Note: I ended up with a lot of juice. This could be because a) I had to use a smaller pan, and therefore the filling wasn't as spread out as it should have been; b) I could only bake the crisp for about an hour; or possibly c) pears might have more juice in them. Now, I don't mind the juice in the least, and when I heat my crisp up and stir it, the juice blends right in, but it isn't the most attractive look if you want to serve it at a luncheon or something. If you want to ensure you avoid it, do what my mother does when she bakes apple crisp: mix a bit of flour in with the sugar when making the filling, and it will absorb the excess juices.

Original recipe credit goes to Joanne Gallagher at www.inspiredtaste.net.

TeaSparrow

I hope I'm not breaking copyright law here.

So, I just ordered my first TeaSparrow package. What is it, exactly? It's a monthly subscription: every month they send four samples of tea (enough for 35-40 cups of tea, according to the website). The tea samples are carefully curated by their expert team of tea-fanciers and delivered right to my house, er, minuscule apartment. Apparently they always include a mix of both caffeinated and non-caffeinated blends to try, which is awesome as I can try one kind in the morning and another before bed, which is when I always have my tea.

They don't sell the teas from their website - they are entirely unaffiliated with the products they send out - but if you're interested in buying more of something they can direct you to the source from their website.

The site says that the orders will be sent out on the 17th. If everything goes according to plan, I will have a review of the service and the teas up by the end of February.

If you want to check them out, their website is: http://www.teasparrow.com/. They also have a blog on tumblr where they post recipes and such: http://tea-sparrow.tumblr.com/.

Recipe: Garlic Roasted Butternut Squash

Roasted squash with prawns and honey whole-grain bread.

I'd never cooked squash from scratch before. I'd once bought some pre-peeled and cubed butternut squash to make soup with, and that was it for experience with it. However, the other day I bought one on a whim, determined to change that.

It was surprisingly easy. Even with the peeling and cutting, the prep took maybe five minutes - and the result was delicious. Anyway, here is the recipe, taken from Allrecipes.com:

Ingredients:

1 butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and cut into 1-inch cubes

2 tbsp olive oil

2 cloves garlic, minced

salt and ground black pepper to taste

Minced garlic and peeled, cut squash, ready to go.

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).

2. Toss butternut squash with olive oil and garlic in a large bowl. Season with salt and black pepper. Arrange coated squash on a baking sheet. (I used coarse sea salt.)

Okay, I didn't follow the rules exactly - I put the squash in a lightly greased baking dish instead. Still turned out awesome!

3. Roast in the preheated oven until squash is tender and lightly browned, 25 to 30 minutes.

Fresh from the oven!

It was very tasty for a simple dish. And really, with so few ingredients, it makes for a very flexible side that could be served with almost any main. It's definitely worth a try!

The recipe can be found here: http://allrecipes.com/recipe/simple-roasted-butternut-squash/. Credit goes to Allrecipes user MChele.

Review: Nicola Valley Honey

I'd been lusting after this honey from the moment I first saw the gorgeous, hand-crafted pots at Hoffstead's about five months ago. Today I finally gave in and bought it (mainly because I had my partner with me to give permission to spend $20 on a little pot of honey).

How did I even resist this long? Just look at this beauty:

According to the tag, the honey pot is "individually hand-crafted on the potter's wheel by master potter Bruce Nyeste at Sorrent, B.C. It has been fired to 1300'C and is non-toxic, oven-proof and dishwasher safe." There were other colours, too - blues and browns mostly, but this one was my favourite.

In addition, this is a local product. The pottery is from Sorrent, and the honey is from an apiary in Merritt, British Columbia, a few hours from where I live in the Fraser Valley. Local, hand-crafted, and gourmet - what's not to love?

To open, the tag instructed me to hold the pot under warm water to soften the wax, then pull the string.

Freshly opened.

I did this, and the entire lid came right up. For some reason I was expecting the string to sort of cut through the wax and open it that way. I don't know if I did it right, but this seems more convenient for re-sealing it anyway, so in the end I prefer it. The lid is completely flat across, and while it fits snugly with the beeswax, I wonder how tight it would be without it. I'm thinking I'll have to keep the wax if I want to store anything edible later.

Yum.

As you can see, the honey had crystallized a bit. The tag advised liquefying it by placing the pot in warm water, but I much prefer creamed honey over liquid, so I just stirred it all in, and if it crystallizes any more, awesome.

After stirring. Hungry yet?

Now, for the real test: the taste.

I happened to still have some of my no-name brand creamed honey to compare it to. The Nicola Valley was tangibly more delicious: a little more sharply sweet, hitting high and hot at the roof of my mouth in that marvelous way that pure honey does. There was the faintest muskiness, as in the scent of roses. It was a bit more complex and flavourful than the ordinary stuff, but still very mild. After the initial tasting, I had it in lemon-ginger tea. It performed as it should, and though the delicate musk disappeared (making it good for cooking, I imagine), I fancied that it still tasted somehow the tiniest bit better than normal.

Was it amazing? No, but it was good. I wouldn't spend $20 on just the honey, but with the hand-crafted pot, I think it's worth the price. It would make an excellent gift for many occasions (especially for oneself), and it looks great on the kitchen table. Would I buy it again? Maybe, but mostly for the pot, or as a gift. For honey, there are too many other varieties to try first.

10/10 for presentation, and 7/10 for taste: 8.5 out of 10.

Note: Nicola Valley Honey does have a website, but it's honestly terrible. If you feel like frustrating yourself, you can find it at:  http://nicolavalleyhoney.com

The gorgeous honey pots are made by Mud Sweat and Tears, and their website, which is perfectly fine, can be found at: http://www.mudsweatandtears.ca.

My Favourite Sauce, or, Why I Need A Kitchen Garden

Tonight, I made my favourite sauce. It's the ultimate in uncomplicated decadence: Alfredo. A classic and nearly impossible to get wrong, it nevertheless took me a few years to find the recipe that I prefer. It is the antithesis of low-calorie, and that's exactly how I like it. None of those healthier versions ever really did it for me.

Here's the recipe:

Alfredo Sauce

- 1/4 c. butter
- 1 1/2 c. freshly grated Parmesan
- 1 c. heavy cream
- 1 clove garlic, crushed
- 1/4 c. chopped fresh parsley
- 1/4 tsp. pepper

1. Melt butter in medium saucepan over medium low heat.

Melting the butter.

2. Add cream and simmer for 5 minutes, then add garlic and cheese and whisk quickly, until cheese is melted.

Whisking in the cream. I usually use 18% - so, basically, table/coffee cream.

Adding the garlic and Parmesan.

3. Stir in parsley and pepper and serve.

I like to use freshly-ground pepper from the Simple Organics Peppercorn Blend mill.

Chopping the garlic.

Notes: I always use three cloves of garlic instead of just the one. My partner adores garlic and so do I, but even with the three cloves the garlic isn't overwhelming. Additionally, I use a whisk for every step, and I find it ensures a much velvetier sauce than using a spoon at all. I always try and whisk the sauce for a minute or so off the heat after it's done, too, so that it can thicken nicely before I pour it over pasta.

This is the final product. Notice anything missing?

Hint: There's nothing green.

That's right, no damn parsley. Why? Because I didn't have any. This happens to me with ridiculous frequency - I go to make something quick for dinner, and I realise that either a) I haven't got the herbs at all or b) it's been a week since I used them, so they're too wilted to be much good.

Which is why I'm finally making myself a kitchen garden. I have suffered needlessly for far too long.