Hi! Welcome to my kitchen! I am Shelley, or Shel as I am often called. For as long as I can remember, I have loved being in the kitchen. Both my Nana and my dad were great cooks and one of my takeaways from them was food was their love language and it is also mine! My kitchen has always felt like the best part of whatever home I lived in, and I also love writing and photography, so a food blog seems like a good match for me. I am retired and now have the time to devote to it. I am a bit late on the food blog front; it seems everyone has one these days, but this is just my little happy corner of the web to post recipes and photos as well as share what I know and learn from others as well.
I grew up on the prairies with a “meat and potatoes” mentality, and it wasn’t until I moved to Vancouver in 1987 (Was it that long ago? Am I dating myself?) that my mind exploded with possibilities. Vancouver is on the Pacific Rim and the local cuisine is greatly influenced by the Asian culture and the incredible array of ingredients used in the different ethnic fare. Organic foods (which we all grew in gardens at home but we didn’t call it “organic”), different grains, fresh herbs and spices, and wide variety of fruits and vegetables that we just did not have as a regular part of our cuisine when I grew up. There was just SO MUCH in the local markets that was so inspiring to me.
WHAT YOU WON’T FIND ON THIS BLOG
Vancouver, being a waterfront city, has an abundance of fish and seafood at the ready – anything a chef or home cook would desire – but unfortunately, you will not find those recipes here. I have a huge aversion to fish and seafood, and aside from perhaps halibut or a tuna salad, it is not in my repertoire. Believe me, it grieves me that I do not like the beautiful salmon, the fish, crabs, lobster… but a palate is a palate and even though I have tried different varieties many times over the years, I still do not like it. If it lived in the water, on the water or in the water, I probably don’t eat or cook it! But… I cook pretty much everything else!
WHERE I USED TO LIVE
For the most part, I lived smack in downtown Vancouver from 1987 through to 2017. If you know Vancouver, you know what a wonderful place it would be to live. If you don’t know Vancouver, google it. It’s one of the most beautiful cities and backdrops in the world. I loved living right in the thick of it – right beside world famous Stanley Park and the Sea Wall – riding my bike on the sea wall was a great pleasure. On Sundays I used to ride all around the sea wall and continue riding until I got to Granville Island Market… a cornucopia of exotic ingredients, fresh produce, meat, seafood, homemade sausage and cured meats, fresh flowers and bakeries. This market played a big role in my education in cooking and using fresh, local and if possible, organic ingredients. I would ride ten miles on my bike and then purchase a big, yummy, soft and pillowy cinnamon bun from the bakery and then grab a few dried honey garlic pepperoni for a snack when I got home! That was not healthy but it was two of my favourite things from the market vendors, and hey, I earned it with the bike ride!
WHERE I LIVE NOW AND WHO I LIVE WITH
I got (re)married in 2017 to David, a wonderful man that I met at my mom’s church in Rosedale, a little town about 75 miles away from Vancouver (my parents and brother followed me to BC in the mid 1990’s). My dad passed away in 2014 (a very difficult time for us all) and my mom starting attending a church at that time. One day she dragged this big bear of a man over and introduced me to “David” and well, here we are. There is more to the story and one day I will share the role of cancer in our courtship and how God did a miracle in our lives. David is truly a miracle! He is also my taste tester and unequivocally my biggest fan. He is a blessing in my life. You will see and hear a lot about him on this blog as time goes on. You can’t not love David. He’s bigger than life and has the best smile in the world. Bar none.
I love to hear from you so drop me an email and let me know the things you would like to see on his blog. The kinds of foods you struggle with or are intimidated by and even share recipes with me! I am particularly interested in vintage recipes, the ones handed down in families. In my own family we have a few of them and I will be sharing them as time goes on.
Hugs,
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