Love it or hate it, February 14 is today. So hug your sweetie or give yourself a special treat.  Here is some background:
Saint Valentine’s Day (commonly shortened to Valentine’s Day) is always on February 14 (yes, boys, that is TODAY) to celebrate love and affection. The holiday is named after one or more early Christian martyrs named Valentine and was established by Pope Gelasius I in AD 496. Traditionally, lovers express their love for each other by presenting gifts (flowers, candy, cards). The holiday first became associated with romantic love in the circle of Geoffrey Chaucer in the High Middle Ages, when the tradition of courtly love flourished.  Aphrodite was the mythical goddess of love.  Aphrodisiacs were first sought as a remedy for sexual anxieties.

(more…)

Recipes & Travel:
Aphrodisiac Foods, Food Ideas of Valentines Day, food info, Food Nutritional Facts

Nutmeg is off to join Ginger on a school trip. She really hopes that a school trip in your mid-40’s looks a lot different then it might of in high school. Anyway, watch for updates from the coffee and chocolate capitals: Paris, Vienna and Brussels.

Recipes & Travel:
Brussels, Chocolate Guide to Europe, Coffee in Europe, European coffee and chocolate capitals, European Travel Tips, Paris Coffee Shops, Paris Food, Vienna Coffee House, Vienna Travel Tips

Nutmeg was convinced when she moved to Calgary that she would never see swordfish or good ahi tuna again.  Without disclosing how long she has been in Calgary let’s just say the seafood scene is much improved.  There are some very good places to buy seafood now.  Calgary will never rival the likes of Vancouver’s Granville island, Seattle’s Pikes Place, Fisherman’s wharf or any of the other amazing places to buy really fresh seafood.

(more…)

Recipes & Travel:
Blu Seafood and Market, Calgary Area Markets, Seafood in Calgary, Seafood Recipes

Nutmeg would like to express her gratitude to her fabulous spicy friends and family.  The 20 plus days on crutches in January was pretty ugly.  However, the incredible group of people in my life made it all bearable.  Hot Sauce and Chili arrived from Florida and took over dog duty, laundry, compost, garbage and all the other boring and unsatisfying chores.  There were countless phone calls, emails, skype chats, text messages, candles, hair dryers, yoga magazines, books and much much more.  Thank you all for being so wonderful.

Recipes & Travel:
Travel with Family

Phil and Sebastian Coffee Roasters has recently opened a street front outlet in Marda Loop.  Nutmeg is now mobile, after ditching the crutches, so she thought that she would go and soak in the Saturday experience at the new location.  This group is pretty serious about their coffee as evidenced by the line-ups at the Farmer’s Market and new retail location.  The baristas get the orders out pretty quickly and the coffee is hot, so that deserves a check mark in Nutmeg’s books.  The design of the location is bright, clean and there is ample seating.  Marda Loop continues to evolve as a “go-to” retail strip and great inner city neighborhood, so the addition of Phil and Sebastian Coffee Roasters is welcome.
(more…)

Recipes & Travel:
Calgary Restaurants, Coffee Shops in Calgary, Phil and Sebastian, Restaurant Reviews

OK so the story about Nutmeg is her activity level has been cut to zero by knee surgery.  The surgery was supposed to be minor but….not so much so she is house bound on crutches for 4 weeks.  The great news is there is lots of time for the blog and for trying new recipes.

(more…)

Recipes & Travel:
Recipes with Mushrooms, Recipes with Nuts, Vegeterian Recipes

Nutmeg has already described some of her spicy friends in and earlier post. She thought it was time to provide some detail on some of the others and a bit of history at the same time.

(more…)

Recipes & Travel:
food info, Food Nutritional Facts, Health Benefits of Spices

Curry Murray loves beets and asked Nutmeg specifically for an article on beets.
So here are some of the facts right from Wikipedia:
The beet (Beta vulgaris) is a plant in the amaranth family. It is best known in its numerous cultivated varieties, the most well known of which is probably the red root vegetable known as the beetroot or garden beet. However, other cultivated varieties include the leaf vegetables chard and spinach beet, as well as the root vegetables sugar beet, which is important in the production of table sugar, and mangelwurzel, which is a fodder crop.
The beet has a long history of cultivation stretching back to the second millennium BC. The plant was probably domesticated somewhere along the Mediterranean, whence it was later spread to Babylonia by the 8th century BC and as far east as China by 850 AD. Available evidence, such as that provided by Aristotle and Theophrastus suggests that the leafy varieties of the beet were…

Recipes & Travel:
Food Nutritional Facts, Recipes with Beets, Side Dish Recipes

Nutmeg loves this idea for an open house – invite people over for a bowl of soup and a drink on New Year’s day.  It is a great way to hear all the stories from the night before and toast the New Year with your friends.  One additional bonus, is there is a very good chance no one will stay late as they were up the night before…

(more…)

Recipes & Travel:
Dinner Parties, Recipes with Lentils, Seafood Curry, Seafood Recipes, Soup Recipes

Nutmeg has tested this chocolate desert recently and confirms it is quick and easy to make.  Great for the holidays with seasonal ingredients (nuts and dried fruit) and Nutmeg is very happy to confirm it is nothing like traditional fruit cake.

Print Chocolate Nut and Fruit Tart Recipe type: Dessert Prep time:  2 hours 15 mins Cook time:  12 mins Total time:  2 hours 27 mins Serves: 6-8   Try this quick chocolate dessert and you are bound to impress your friends and family. Enjoy! Ingredients 1 Pie crust, refrigerated ¼ Cup Raspberry preserves, or jam of choice ½ Cup Heavy whipping Cream 12 oz Bittersweet Chocolate Chips 1 Cup Assorted nuts (pecans, sliced almonds, pistachios and hazelnuts) toasted, chopped coarsely 1 Cup Assorted dried fruit (cherries, raisins, cranberries and blueberries) 1 Large pinch Kosher Salt ½ Cup Toffee bits, for…

Recipes & Travel:
Chocolate recipes, Easy healthy desserts, Recipes with Dried Fruit, Recipes with Nuts