Chili Pepper (Nutmeg’s Dad) loves the “wedge” salad.  Essentially, a large wedge of iceberg lettuce with blue cheese dressing.  This salad can be found in every steak restaurant in North America,  if they do not have it on the menu you may want to check their credentials.  There are of course variations on the classic theme; add bacon bits (real or not so real) or add tomato pieces (mostly for color) or nuts (way too healthy).  In the end there is very little nutritional value, although who really cares as it will most likely be followed by a rare steak and fully garnished baked potato.  The wedge salad is truly a classic, there are historical references to the lettuce from the 1920s and to the salad mixture from the 1950’s and 1960’s.
Print Iceberg Wedge a Classic Salad Recipe type: Salad Prep time:  5 mins Total time:  5 mins …

Recipes & Travel:
Healthy Salads, Wedge Salad Recipe

As you might have gathered Nutmeg is in the desert and it is not that warm so she has some time to add to all the really useful food information in this blog.  So the question about dates came to mind… Here are the facts:
The Date Palm (scientific name Phoenix dactylifera), also known as the Medjool palm is a tall, beautiful and majestic tree that is known for its edible sweet fruits, the dates. The tree belongs to the Arecaceae family and the genus Phoenix. The Date palm produces true real dates. It is the second most known and most useful palm tree in the world after the Coconut palm tree.
The Phoenix Dactylifera is one of the world’s oldest trees. It has been grown for thousands of years in hot, dry, desert regions throughout the world. It is an important multi­purpose tree in the Middle East, Asia and North Africa. The Date palm tree is a holy symbol. It was historically mentioned…

Recipes & Travel:
Easy healthy snack recipes, Healthy Granola Bars, healthy snack bar recipes, Recipes with Dates

Nutmeg could not be happier to discover some coffee options in the land of Starbucks.  The alternative coffee-house options much like really good restaurant options in Palm Springs, Palm Desert and most of Riverside County are limited.  There are of course the ubiquitous Starbucks outlets in almost every second strip mall.  However, as you may have gathered that is almost the land of last resort for Nutmeg.  (more…)

Recipes & Travel:
Koffi Palm Springs, palm desert coffee shops, Palm Desert Restaurants, Things to do in Palm Desert, Travel Palm Springs

If you were stuck on a desert island what would you eat?
If you are visiting Palm Desert what would you eat??
The choices on an island are slim and in Palm Desert are vast, although far from fantastic.  In Palm Desert (and most of the surrounding area) it is a safe bet you will find lots of food chains, big restaurants, large menus, sizable helpings and mediocre food.  Nutmeg says this may sound terrible and although it is not a crisis, you need to try hard to find the gems – don’t worry this is one challenge she is always up for!
One of these gems is NO DA TE on El Paseo in Palm Desert .  This small sushi restaurant has never disappointed.  The sushi chef and owner Shin is very involved, if he is not making sushi he is in the restaurant making sure the quality is just so.  Ideally, try to sit at the sushi bar to catch…

Recipes & Travel:
Palm Desert, Restaurant Reviews, restaurants, Things to do in Palm Desert

Hot Sauce has a milestone birthday this week.  Although, she does not want to advertise the specifics, let us just say that it starts with a “7”.  So in order to celebrate Nutmeg’s family converged in Toronto for a weekend of celebration.  Nutmeg’s sister Bernaise decided that they would host the weekend event.  This is no small undertaking as the family is well practiced in the art of consumption on many levels.  In fact there was an emergency run to the LCBO  (“Large Central Booze Organization”  or as Nutmeg calls it the Ontario liquor monopoly) to refill the stock of wine.  It was almost a national emergency!!!   There is no question that the LCBO has been able to position themselves well in the marketplace – some might call it a monopoly….the Avenue road store is impressive with a two-level underground, heated parkade and four freight elevators to make sure you are not restricted by what you can carry. …

Recipes & Travel:
Travel with Family

Harvest is tucked way on 9th Street in downtown Canmore.  This place is not flashy in any way.  They have a small sunny patio for the days that allow for sitting outside.  Inside is pretty rustic decor but clean and generally not too crowded.  They have daily specials; usually two soups and a couple hot dishes.  On top of that they have a great selection of yummy baked goods and cookies, including some gluten-free options.  They have a standing list of delicious breakfast items (breakfast parfait, homemade granola, french toast), salads and lunch sandwiches (grilled cheese!).  Pretty much everything is made to order.  The coffee is good and there is little waiting (see Coffee Mine).
So what is the problem?  They make no bones about catering to the local crowd.  They are only open Monday through Friday, starting at 10am (too bad for the early risers).  So if you are only Canmore on your days off (i.e. Saturday and Sunday)…

Recipes & Travel:
Canmore Restaurants, Harvest Cafe, Restaurant Reviews

Just in case it is not already obvious, if there is one thing Nutmeg is very serious about, it is coffee.  If there is one thing that brings out Mace (Nutmeg’s evil twin), it is bad coffee or inefficient coffee service.  The Coffee Mine in Canmore has long been OFF Nutmeg’s list because the service is slow.  After years in the location on 7th Avenue they have very recently moved “up-town” to Main Street.  This is good news for Main Street as it fills in some of the dreadful empty retail space (a whole other blog topic) and possibly good news for The Coffee Mine.
So Nutmeg (and Mace) decide to put the old demons aside and check out the new location on Main Street.  The problem is the first attempt was a failure…they only open at 9am on Saturdays and Sundays – too bad for early risers.  This past Sunday with Ginger in town it was no problem arriving…

Recipes & Travel:
Canmore, Coffee Shops, Restaurant Reviews, restaurants

For those of you who are no longer under thirty years old “First Street Village” is 1st street between 17th Avenue and 12th Avenue SW.  This used to be a dance bar scene in the late 1990s with Mescalero’s and the Crazy Horse which enjoyed regular patronage from Nutmeg and Ginger.  In the past several years a dramatic change has occurred in this area the result is the emerging “First Street Village”.  The transformation of an old Holiday Inn into the contemporary Hotel Arts started a construction frenzy with an expansion of the hotel and two nearby condo developments (Union Square, Colors by Battistella).  The area now boasts some reasonable men’s clothing, boutique women’s clothing, coffee shops, a wine bar and Giuseppe’s Italian Market.  Nutmeg has wanted to try this place for awhile.  This location used to be a night club as well (possibly called the lizard or some equally appealing name).  They have rid the place of the…

Recipes & Travel:
Calgary Restaurants, Restaurant Reviews

For eight years running Ginger and Nutmeg and a crew of very spicy friends have trudged up the Lake O’Hara access road in March.  The conditions have varied every year from deep winter to nearly spring.  The equipment ranges from light to touring to teli and alpine touring – this year the gals got really smart and went in on snow shoes.  Everyone arrives parched, hungry and feeling like they have accomplished something and they have – 11kms of hills!!  This year’s crew included Cilantro and Mr. High Maintenance, Curry Murray and Mr Curry, Mountain Pepper and Cayenne, Cinnamon, the salsa twins, Oregano and his lovely wife.
Why is Lake O’Hara a slice of paradise?  So many reasons;

An endless amounts of great BC wine – the group tried very hard to get to the bottom of the supply
Gluten free offerings included a flour-less dark chocolate cake on arrival from Mrs Oregano
Arrival snacks including; salt/pepper/lime chicken wings and mini croque monsieurs…

Recipes & Travel:
Backcountry safety, Backcountry Skiing, Lake O'Hara Lodge, Skiing in British Columbia, Travel British Columbia

Nutmeg says hands down Vienna is the best Coffee Capital.  You will find decent coffee in all three locations, Paris has already been mentioned (02/23 Don’t tell the French Italian coffee is better), Brussels is decent with many options for Italian expresso or café au lait.   However, the Viennese have created an entire culture around the “coffee-house” which generally involves a smoky bar or quieter lounge. Legend has it that soldiers of the Polish-Habsburg army, while liberating Vienna from the second Turkish siege in 1683, found a number of sacks with strange beans that they initially thought were camel feed and wanted to burn. The Polish king Jan III Sobieski granted the sacks to one of his officers named Jerzy Franciszek Kulczycki, who started the first coffee house. After some experimentation, he added some sugar and milk, and the Viennese coffee tradition was born.
In Vienna, there are plenty of sweet choices to go along with your coffee.  The two…

Recipes & Travel:
Austria, Brussels, Coffee, Europe, Vienna Travel Tips