To do..

A 'to do' list of recipes from a some blogs to make once we're in our new house on Nov 1. I can't wait til I have my own kitchen again!

- Maple syrup and Pumpkin muffins
- Whole wheat and spinach tortilla wraps
- Caramelised onion, goats cheese and spinach strudel
- Ricotta leek herb tart
- Strawberry banana bread
- Holiday Soap

Since arriving in Canada recently I gave myself a bit of homework in figuring out, what exactly is Canadian cooking? What does it look like? What food is used/favoured? A few things Ive noticed so far having lived through my first thanksgiving and heading into my first North American Halloween season, is everyone LOVES their white meat (chicken, turkey); maple syrup is used at any chance possible for savoury and sweet food and the presence of all things pumpkin (again used both for savoury and sweet things).

Even though we're a long way from Mexico, their food culture are well and truly present up here and quite frankly - I love it. You can go to Walmart and buy el de paso products in bulk with spare change. Mindyou, Ive seen more european eateries here in Vancouver, but in the grocery store, Mexican reigns supreme in the 'International' aisle. My mother in law is a vegetarian and specifically buys lots of healthy food and the one thing shes got me hooked onto is whole wheat spinach tortillas. Their my new favorite food since their so versatile with what you can do with them. And with thanksgiving just past, the hubby and me have been more than willing with throwing turkey dinner leftovers onto a tortilla, sprinkling a bit of cheese on top and microwaving it YUM!!

With thanksgiving gone and Halloween coming up, theres one food item that doesn't go away - pumpkins!
In New Zealand we of course have pumpkin season as well in Autumn (Fall), and like here in autumn it is cheap to buy pumpkins. But thats where the similarities end. In NZ our food culture largely stems from our British ancestors. Many of us still have relatives particularly Grandparents who are still staunchly British by birth and culture. And while Canada reacts to being a part of the Commonwealth like a cat thrown in water, I believe New Zealand still largely embraces it whether they know it or not particularly in regards to the food culture back home. Back to pumpkins, in NZ we treat pumpkins as a savoury food not a sweet food. Here in Canada its the opposite. Every time I check out the food magazines here theyre all about the turkey (of course) and turning every dessert into a pumpkin themed hip hip hooray. When I mentioned pumpkin soup I got a couple of quizzical looks from people as if turning pumpkin into soup is a complete waste. Oh well..