I think, as parents, we all fear that somehow we’ve failed our children. I’m constantly haunted by some terrible decisions I made when my kids were younger. I worry that I’ve “ruined” them and the day will soon come when they will turn around and tell me that everything and anything bad that has happened is all my fault.

But as every good therapist knows… my fears are my own, and it’s not likely that my kids are ruined because of my bad decisions. In fact, I fight everyone to make sure they know that my kids are amazing, in spite of my bad decisions. Also, I’m pretty lucky to have some really self-empowered children who rarely if ever blame anyone else for their predicament.

So with one hand I’m busy flogging myself for being a terrible mom, while my other hand is busy holding back anyone who dares try to criticize my kids.

Nature-vs-Nuture; it’s as much a social debate as it is a maternal one!

When my mother passed away, the most precious items I received were a handwritten recipe book and a few other cookbooks with notes written in the margins detailing how the recipe turned out, if we [the family] liked it or whatever changes she made. I find that even with the recipes I hated; like cabbage rolls, seeing her smiley face on the recipe, or reading the note indicating that ‘Laura despises these’, makes me want nothing more than a big plate of the stuff.

I started this blog a few years ago as something I could leave my kids to read when I’m gone but somewhere along the way I got sidetracked. At first, it was because I feel like I didn’t prepare my children well enough for budgeting, but that turns out to be very untrue as both my boys are impressively responsible when it comes to money. Then I started into the reviewing of restaurants and linking up with other food bloggers, until, eventually, my initial purpose was drowned out.

So instead of reviews of restaurants or products, I’m getting back to what I had in my heart when I started out, sincere communication with the two most precious people in my life; Alan and Cameron!

What an awesome little spot! A waiter who wasn’t harsh to look at, friendly, helpful and knowledgeable with a superb “can-do” attitude. That’s the way I like to start every meal!

We started with a wonderful appetizer of Prosciutto San Daniele, cut with their very impressive prosciutto cutting machine, housed in a little glass room at the front of the restaurant. These are thin slices of pure salt-cured heaven.

I also ordered the roasted portobello mushroom which was a rather small plate with one single mushroom. That one mushroom was delicious, but I don’t think I would order this again, there are too many other tempting delights on the ever-changing seasonal and daily menu.

As a main I had a pasta (thicker than a spaghetti but not a flat or hollow pasta; the name eludes me) with roasted squid and other sea creatures. It was absolutely fantastic! I didn’t even want to share a bite of this meal! The tomato sauce was reminiscent of a rosé; rich and creamy, but this was no rosé sauce, I don’t even think there was cream in it!

Overall, this was a great experience and I am positive that I’ll be visiting this restaurant again really soon!

I have a really bad habit of over-complicating things by making plans that are just not reasonable and there is one time where this tendency really manages to rear it’s ugly head: dinner. I know I do my grocery with the best intentions in mind. I don’t buy the mayonnaise because that will take me minutes to make homemade! I skip the insta-rice because I plan to make a huge batch of “good” rice in the rice-cooker I bought. I don’t buy the cans of beans because I have tons of dried beans at home. Forget bread. Forget anything that might get dinner to the table faster, I’ll just make it all from scratch!

A noble approach, but not always effective. Sad to say, but sometimes I not in the mood to take an extra five-minutes to make mayonnaise from scratch. The results are that some weeks are wonderful, with every meal made with love and attention, other weeks, we spend a lot on take-out. Or the fact of the matter is, sometimes, I just want what’s not planned for and I wish I had bought that package of K-D or the frozen pizza that I could just throw into the oven on a whim.

I love cooking. I love preparing new recipes, trying out new-to-me produce and attempting complicated dishes. It’s the challenges that make it exciting to me. But one cannot sustain that level of enthusiasm over the long term. At least I can’t. I have to learn that not every meal has to be a knock-out, it’s okay to keep it simple most of the time and make a special meal once or twice a week.

I remember my mother as an awesome cook, though she only really made anything special on the weekends. Every night dinner was on the table, but it was never anything complicated, just simple home-cooking; chicken, mashed potatoes and carrots, shepherd’s pie, spaghetti and meat sauce. She kept it simple so she could serve us dinner every night, even after an eight-hour workday. My mother was an awesome cook and I want to be just like her.

This neighborhood cheese shop might look small at first, but Luc Gendron and Cristel Henssen keep some 100 cheeses on hand that are carefully selected to please and surprise the most discerning of palates. Aside from the specialty cheeses ones might expect to find in very good cheese
shops – such as Guinness Cheddar or the cantaloupe-like Mimolette – Fromagerie Copette & Cie also carries a wide selection of hard-to-find artisanal Quebec cheeses that have won a number of international competitions.

With such a tantalizing variety to choose from, it was very hard to stay focused and on budget, so I asked shop owner Gendron to help me pick four interesting and underrated regional cheeses that I could serve as an appetizer course for a party of six, all the while staying within a $25 budget. These were his picks totaling $24.90 with an average servingof 85g per person:

Le 14 Arpents.
This soft cheese produced by Fromagerie Médard in Quebec’s Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean region is creamy yet strong on flavor with slight hints of hazelnut. It is made from the milk of Brown Swiss cows and is named after the 14-acre road that borders the farm it is made on.
Cost: $5.14 for 120g.

Le Sabot de Blanchette.
This creamy goat cheese is made in the traditional Swiss Normandy style but is produced on a farm in Saint Roch-de-l’Achigan, Quebec. Its natural rind is speckled with blue mold that is unique to its productionand adds to its character. This cheese is low in acid, and a great accompaniment for light dry white wines or ales.
Cost: $7.99 for 100g.

El Niño.
This cheese joined Quebec’s artisanal scene shortly after the provincial government re-raised concerns over unpasteurized (raw milk) cheeses earlier this year. The Fromagerie Des Cantons in Farnham, Quebec felt it would take a big wind to blow this recurring controversy away, and thus named this cheese after these tempestuous trade winds in the south Pacific. This semi-hard cheese uses Jersey cow milk (most commonly
used in the production of milk chocolate), and is similar in style to Saint-Nectaire and Reblochon cheeses. The version of this cheese we picked up is extra special, as it’s soaked in a red wine bath for 30 days that lends a purple hue to its rind and adds the taste of wine to every bite.
Cost: $5.92 for 130g.

Le 1608.
This cheese from the Laiterie Charlevoix in Charlevoix, Quebec uses Canadian cow milk to produce a firm cheese that tastes farm fresh and has a slight hint of green apples to it. The cows used to make this cheese were first introduced to Canada in 1608 and reached 500,000 in number by the early 1900s. Unfortunately, farmers turned to other breeds that were more widely available, and this cow’s population dwindled down to the 500 that remain today. The farm behind this product is dedicated to preventing their extinction and keeping the unique taste of this cheese alive. Shop owner Gendron says this cheese is his favorite for making a more grown-up version of traditional grilled cheese sandwiches.
Cost: $5.85 for 170g.

No cheese plate is complete without some accompaniments – such as crackers, sliced baguette and grapes. Gendron suggests the addition of almonds, raisins, dried cranberries and apricots, and says he once served a cheese plate with flower-based artisanal jams and jellies made from lavender,violets, and pansies as an accompaniment. I often serve cheeses with “drunken apricots”; dried apricots soaked overnight in port.

If you are looking for a cheese plate for your party, this fromagerie can also prepare one for you (complete with signs that describe each cheese and all the accompaniments) that is presented on a reusable serving plate you can keep. The charge a very reasonable $5 fee for this service.

And if anyone at your party dislikes eating the rinds (though not all are edible), don’t throw them out – the rinds, not your guests – though I must confess I have been tempted to show some extremely picky eaters the door. Gendron suggests storing unused rinds in an airtight bag in your freezer (to stop the aging process), and grating them as needed to add a bit of cheesy zing to sauces or quiches.