Words Allison Smith, Editor-in-Chief
I didn’t really start to enjoy cooking until I was in my early 20s and had left home. While growing up, it was my younger sister that my mom left in charge of chopping vegetables for the salad, putting dinner in the oven at a set time, or being the sous chef to our mother as she whipped up a homemade meal.
But when I moved out on my own, all of a sudden there was nothing waiting in the oven for me at the end of the day. Takeout was a once-in-a-while luxury on my part-time worker / full-time student budget, so I had no choice but to learn to cook for myself.
At first, dinner was often grilled cheese or something simple … let’s face it: it’s not much fun to cook dinner for one. But as romantic relationships entered the picture and I began to experience the joy of cooking for someone else, I realized how much I enjoyed the magic of watching seemingly disconnected ingredients come together with just time and a recipe.
Inspiration for these recipes came from the Food Network, magazines (Canadian Living is still a favourite for this!) and the occasional cookbook. I branched out beyond what I ate growing up and started really exploring different flavours and cultures, creating dishes that sometimes were a hit, sometimes a miss, but always worth trying.
Whether you’re an expert chef or just starting out on your kitchen journey, we hope there is something for everyone in our annual culinary issue.
If corn is one of your chosen veggies, Tracie Zahavich and Ross Bowles of Fox and Monocole have three great ideas for how you can use this flexible favourite (pg 32). Maybe you’re looking for something to pair with a late-summer meal; in Off the Vine (pg 26) Richard Hope shares the best of what Italy has to offer. Or if you love to cook but the functionality of your kitchen just isn’t working, Jessica Kwasnica might have some ideas for you (pg 44). This is just a sampling of everything we have for you this issue; happy cooking, and enjoy!
