The Foodie Files

I've been thinking for quite some time about what else I want to talk about on my blog. I've long discussed my love of travel and I've talked about my adventures in recipe testing, but something I've been playing around with in my mind is finally coming to fruition.

As someone who loves food and dining out, I've been lucky enough to try a number of restaurants in and around St. John's. With the Newfoundland food scene really having taken off over the past few years, there is a diverse selection of restaurants out there, offering all sorts of food. I thought it was time I added my thoughts on restaurants around town. Will anyone read them? Maybe. Will anyone care? Maybe not. Is it an excuse to dine out? ...Maybe again. But as someone who is curious about food and how flavours blend together, and as someone who is always looking to try out the next big thing in town, why not??

That's why I'm going to really launch the Foodie Files part of my blog. While I'll still talk about recipe successes or favourite cupcake shops, I'm going to begin writing about my experiences with restaurants around town - my favourite dishes, apps that are must-tries, desserts that are to die for and so on. As someone with food allergies and sensitivities, I also think I'll bring a bit of a fresh perspective when it come to dining out, and the must-ask questions that one should bring up when dining out with a food sensitivity.

So stay tuned, the first Foodie File is coming up soon. Watch this space!

Because I'm all about the crepes

As I mentioned in my Year in Review post, I jetted off to Europe for a couple of weeks back in November with a friend of mine. It was so good to get away from home and experience a different city, different people, even a different language. I'm ashamed to say my French isn't as good as I'd like it to be, but we still had a nice few days in Nice. Even in November, the south of France is lovely.
When travelling, I think it's a good idea to try some of the local cuisine, so while in France, I wanted to eat French food! This included fresh french bread and scrumptious cheeses, crisp wine and amazing pastries, and of course, crepes. 

If you don't know, crepes are very thin pancakes that you can eat sweet or savoury. I've always preferred the sweet crepes, filled with fresh fruit and cream, but savoury crepes are quite good too.


While walking through Nice one day, we passed a cafe where they were making crepes in the window, and I knew I had to have one. Especially since the filling of the crepe was one of my favourite dessert spreads: Nutella. Now, some people I know go absolutely bananas over Nutella (actually, banana and Nutella crepes are really tasty, now that I think about it...) but I can't say I've ever been a huge fan. It's not that I don't like it, it's just not something that was a staple in my pantry growing up. But that day in Nice, nothing sounded more delicious than a warm, fresh crepe filled with rich, creamy chocolate hazelnut spread. 

When I returned home to Newfoundland a few weeks later, longing for days spent wandering foreign cities and eating wonderful food, I decided to try my hand at making my own crepes, and luckily, I knew just the person to ask for an authentic recipe. One of my good friends has spent a couple of years living in France and is well-acquainted with French cuisine, so I texted her one Saturday morning, and thanks to the magic of Skype, she provided me with the instructions to make my own crepes.





I had previously picked up a jar of Nutella in preparation of my crepe-making session, and once fresh from the pan, ate my homemade crepes with some of that chocolate deliciousness and a couple of clementines. Chocolate and oranges? A magical combination. 

The recipe for crepes is not difficult, but the execution of making them can take a few tries before you make a successful crepe. Just remember: hot pan, lightly greased with butter, and as soon as you ladle in some batter, swirl it around your pan to evenly coat the bottom to form a thin layer. Once the edges go a little crispy, flip and you'll see a lovely pattern on your crepe. Give it another 30 seconds on the pan and then, voila! Your treat is ready!

I really like making crepes and have made them a number of times since returning from Nice. With a recipe so simple and a dish so tasty, give it a try and treat yourself to a little taste of France!