Between Close Friends

What a wonderful combination Gay Lea has put together for this Holiday Season. It is a must to include in your Christmas baking! The Chai floating islands add just that little extra pizzaz to an already delicious treat! Enjoy! Happy Holidays everyone!
Ingredients:

Shortbread:

1 cup
Gay Lea® Butter (Unsalted), softened

½ cup
Redpath® Instant Dissolving Sugar

1 tsp
Vanilla extract

1 3/4 cups
all-purpose [...]

Like my mother, I have always had a bountiful crop of tomatoes. More so than our surrounding neighbours.
This year, I experimented with planting some heritage tomato varieties, including a beautiful yellow-orange one that tastes remarkably like the blood-red beefsteak tomatoes that my mother used to grow in the 1950’s.
Extremely tasty! And low acid, too! I [...]

‘Herbes de Provence’ a la California
This specialty ‘Herbes de Provence’ a la California mixture is especially versatile for a ‘California’ flavour to all your dishes, from soups to savory dishes. You can use it on fish, poultry and meats, with your vegetables, casseroles….virtually any dish you wish to spice up reminiscent of a little [...]

‘Herbes de Provence’ is used in most French cooking to season chicken, meats, fish, soups and vegetables. It generally combines oregano, rosemary, thyme, savory, marjoram and French Lavender. Several variations of this classic herb mixture have developed over the years, with two favourites listed here.
Both of these delightful recipe-combinations utilize your pesticide-free home-grown herbs beautifully…For [...]

With the fall season upon us, and many jack-o-lanterns being readied for Halloween, there are many tasty and innovative recipes for the pumpkin flesh. These wonderful Gingered Pumpkin Caramels are a tasty alternative to the traditional Halloween Kisses to hand out to your neighbourhood ‘trick or treaters’. For more pumpkin recipes, both cosmetic and cooking [...]

Do you need to reduce your salt intake? This herbal salt-substitute recipe is wonderful, and will meet all the salt cravings you may have. Keep it in small shaker bottle on the table next to your pepper, and use it as you would the salt shaker. For more herbal recipes, remedies, etc please check the [...]

This ‘Herbes de Provence’ a la California mixture is especially versatile for a ‘California’ flavour to all your dishes, from soups to savory dishes. You can use it on fish, poultry and meats, with your vegetables, casseroles, stews….virtually any dish you wish to spice up reminiscent of a little California sun! (A delightful combination in [...]

One of my favourite salad dressing is this easy to make Green Goddess Dressing. I first tasted, and subsequently literally ‘fell in love’ with it when I was working for the VSE, and because of the impending blizzard, the keypunch operators stayed at Vancouver Hotel for the night so we would be able to open [...]

In this recipe for a Nourishing Avocado Smooothie, the avocado benefits work from the inside and are aided with the addition of the cucumber and parsley! If you are recuperating from an illness and are trying to regain your strength, consume an avocado daily. (Herbal remedies using avocado are available in betweenclosefriends.com along with [...]

This is my favourite salad dressing for a spinach salad! This Buttermilk Herb Dressing reminds me so much of the delectable dressing that Cultures uses. The parsley and wine vinegar are so healthy!
Sometimes I will add a few cut up strawberries to my salad as well, just for a little variation. Or, sprinkle a few [...]