Audrey Needs More Wooden Spoons

A Foodie's Year in Review
Best of 2008

Lauching Rouxbe Cooking School: Slow Roasted Tomatoes
Early in 2008, Rouxbe Cooking School an online cooking school launches from Vancouver and quickly becomes my favorite go to site for easy-to-follow recipes and instructional cooking videos.

The recipe for Oven Dried Tomatoes is the very essence of simple and delicious. Slow roasted roma tomatoes with Herbs de Provence, garlic, salt and pepper. Make a big batch and store in a sterile jar for up to two weeks. Delicious on salads, sandwiches or as a topping for roasted chicken or fish dishes.


Featured Recipe! Parmesan Crusted Chicken
I was not-so-secretly thrilled when this recipe was featured on The Back Burner.

Parmesan crusted chicken served with ripe tomatoes and fresh basil. A classic summer recipe that takes a full flavour advantage of the bounty of fresh basil. It's a toolkit recipe.

Caffe Pellini Top: changing the way I think about mornings.
How can I express myself in an honest, genuine way that truly describes how I feel about the Italian Pellini Caffe Top? It hasn't completely changed how I feel about drinking coffee, but almost. I can say between my new hair dryer and this newly discovered blend, I feel like a new woman.

As far as I know, here in Victoria this coffee can only be found at the Italian Deli on Blanshard Street.


Conquer and Divide: Cooking Classes in Victoria
This past year has been a terrific year for cooking classes in Victoria. What can I say? This city has an appetite to learn, a thirst for knowledge, a hunger for more.

Thrifty Foods hit the ground running with the opening of their Tuscany Village on Shelbourne Street. The new location offers a new venue and calendar of evening cooking classes. With a beautiful demonstration kitchen on the second floor, they offer classes with in-house and guest chefs.

As well, local favorite Chef Heidi Fink pulled out all stops this year offering fabulous classes around town all year long- including a spring break cooking camp for kids. She quietly launched her much anticipated website in December. I know I speak for many when I say we're looking forward to Heidi's offerings in 2009!


Improving With Age: 10 Years of EAT magazine
In 2008, EAT magazine celebrated 10 years of food and wine in British Columbia. As part of the celebrations and ever expanding interest in local gastronomy, EAT launched Tapas, a bi-weekly e-newsletter to help fill the gap in culinary news between issues of its bi-monthly print magazine.

Like its name stake, Tapas offers delightful small bites that both tantalizes and satisfies. The newsletter offers timely articles, news, event announcements and seasonal inspirations complementing its bi-monthly print magazine. Add your name to the mailing list and wait for the next serving of Tapas to arrive in your in-box soon.