Homemade and Healthy in a Hurry I don’t really do New Year’s “Resolutions.” They’re vague, usually ignore the many steps needed for completion, and don’t really come with any sort of self-accountability. And because of this, they are easy to abandon when instant results aren’t achieved. Goals are more my cup of tea: realistic (if […]
Author Archives: Briana Goodall, CPC
The last twelve months have been so full of big happenings for me, it’s hard to believe it all fit into one year! Some events were terribly challenging: strings of trials that tested every ounce of my patience, peace, and perseverance. But these were offset by many things that were incredibly awesome and expansive. And […]
An original take on a traditional Italian cheesecake. I’ve always been a fan of cheesecake—at least, the more familiar American-style, made with cream cheese and a graham cracker crust. The richness, the dense texture, the combination of tart and sweet… I’m really not sure what took me so long to get with the program, but […]
Anyone who’s been reading my blog over the years knows I hold a distinct fondness for lamb. It’s a sentimental thing for me, and a main staple of the island where I grew up. We didn’t eat a whole lot of red meat in my family—mostly poultry and fish and the occasional roast. For most […]
A Moroccan-inspired holiday hors d’oeuvre The final month of the year has arrived, and with it an abundance of fresh, vibrant energy and seasonal cheer! I love so many things about this time of year. As a mother, it is fun to see the joy and awe in my daughter’s eyes when we decorate the […]
Fool-proof tricks for juicy chicken breast, every time I sure am enjoying the slow-down of the season this year. Last fall, I barely had a chance to breathe in that sliver of time between the bustle of summer and holiday preparations. I had a lot going on then—family obligations, unexpected traveling, tons of gardening—and simply […]
Repurposing leftovers from the holiday meal that keeps on giving… I love celebrating Thanksgiving for many reasons: Savoring a wonderful meal in thanks to the harvest: Check! Spending a relaxing day off in the company of people I love: Check! Pie: Check! But one of my favorite things about Thanksgiving is that it usually comes […]
I’ll never forget the first Thanksgiving I spent in the United States, away from my Canadian family. Though we feasted for the Canadian celebration each year (about a month earlier), nothing prepared me for the smorgasbord of food at my first Thanksgiving with a family of mid-westerners. It was a huge affair, upwards of two […]
I’ve been writing this blog for years now, and it recently dawned on me that I’ve never shared my recipe for one of the most quintessential dishes of Thanksgiving: pumpkin pie. Maybe I wanted to be unique and opt for more exotic desserts (Chocolate, Pumpkin, and Peanut Butter Cheesecake, I’m looking at you). Or maybe […]
An upscaled version of a familiar classic, perfect for your holiday table. Once Halloween passes and we hit that first week in November, my mind shifts gears from fall wind-down to fall ramp-up as I contemplate the holiday season ahead. Thus starts a series of delicious holiday-themed recipes to share with you all. These last […]
Rice pudding will always hold a special place in my heart. I loved to prepare it as a child. I’d always ask my mum to make extra basmati rice for dinner just so I could make dessert with the leftovers. The creamy, custard-like texture, the aroma of the spices and vanilla, and the chew of […]
Last week, I was seeking inspiration for dinner. The weather had changed a bit. After months of hot and dry days, it was crisp and cool, and I couldn’t shake the yearning for a pot of stew or chili. Browsing through some of my old favorites, I remembered a dish I’d always loved but hadn’t […]
Now that the equinox has passed, fall is officially in full swing. And with that, so is football season. I’ve never been much of a sport spectator, and I don’t really understood the intense passion that people have for football. There, I said it. Sorry, guys. But! I do get the camaraderie of sitting around […]
I first came across the spiralizer—that nifty contraption that quickly creates long strands of julienned vegetables and fruit—at a trade show years ago, well before the thing became a regular item in households. At that time, to be honest, it seemed like just another bulky item to add to my list of one-use devices that […]
I never thought I’d welcome fall as much as I do this year. See, I’m that girl that holds on to every last bit of daylight, sunshine, and heat from the summer, refusing to admit the seasons are changing as I freeze my butt off in flip-flops on a November morning. Yet here I am, […]
Over the summer, I spent some time up in Canada visiting my family, an annual tradition of relaxing beach days, big, boisterous family affairs, and long hikes through the forests and along the coastlines. This year, we also had the fortune to visit just in time for my stepfather’s sixty-first birthday—an occasion that, obviously, needs a cake of some sort, and that I, of course, volunteered/was ordained to oversee. My […]
Here we are, halfway through September, and I just realized I’ve gone the entire summer without a single post on tackling the bane of many a gardener’s season: the pervasive, prodigious, ever-so-fertile zucchini. Whether you’re a home gardener yourself or you have friends that grow, chances are at this time of the year you’re pretty […]
It’s been a weird year for growing edibles in my part of the world. Between the hailstorms we had at the beginning of the season, midsummer cold snaps and atypical rain, and dicey air quality thanks to the many ranging fires, this may be the strangest growing season I’ve ever seen. Obviously a psychic fairy […]
Salad rolls, spring rolls, summer rolls, crystal rolls. Whatever you want to call them, I call them delicious! Honestly, I don’t know if there is a “correct” English translation for the name of these colorful, crunchy concoctions. I’ve referred to them as all of the above, sometimes within the same week. For today’s post, however, […]
I’ve always been a pie person, ever since I was a kid. In fact, when I was growing up, much of my family preferred pie over cake, and it was not uncommon to have “birthday pie” in honor of someone’s special day. I always ate mine with milk poured over it, an unusual custom I […]