“After improving this recipe, I started selling this in El Salvador to my friends and neighbours, motivating me to keep cooking and eventually learning savoury food,” says Chef Manuel Baharona of Calgary Meals on Wheels. Budin Latino is traditionally made with leftover bread mixed with custard and topped with bananas and raisins. But for Chef Manny, a recipe is a guide you can express yourself with, and in this case, he created Pumpkin Bread Pudding using croissants, and topp

When it comes to the holidays, Chef Anna Mandziuk at Community Kitchen Program of Calgary says anything that is considered a comfort food are her favourite things to bake. “Fruit crisps or pies, coffee cakes, and anything chocolate – simple recipes, simple ingredients, and not time-consuming.” Chocolate Pistachio Cookies check all the boxes and have a touch of nostalgia. “This recipe is from when I owned and ran a pastry shop,” she explains. “We only made these cookies at

Bread pudding is one of those desserts Chef Russ McArthur, for Ronald MacDonald House, says isn’t seen much these days, but it’s incredibly easy to make. “I’m an adamant believer in reducing food waste, and bread pudding ties into that with its use leftover bread. This is a recipe I’ve been making for years, while slowly adjusting it to be better every time.”

When it comes to holiday baking, Chef Jason Wild at Edmonton Meals on Wheels says the best thing to do is keep things simple but memorable. Leave the 50-step recipes for someone else – the ones with fewer steps are easier to adjust and make your own. Decadent Gingerbread Pudding and Caramel Sauce sounds labour-intense, but it comes together quickly with easy-to-find ingredients. “Gingerbread is a traditional item that has been around almost forever, in cakes and houses. This

Grabbing a drink from the convenience store or restaurant is as easy as pulling a bottle from the cooler, right? Even easier, why not make that choice water? Forget the pop, flavoured sparkling drinks etc. Just simple water. What a concept, right? And what if choosing water can also be about feeding hungry children around the world? Mind-boggling, but true. Sometimes simple things make the most sense. It’s that way for Edmonton friends Kori Chilibeck and Matt Moreau, found

We received an email from Judy H, who had recently attended an elevated Indigenous Experience dinner in the private dining room at Little Chief restaurant. “Given the popularity of charred cabbage and our inability to cook it well, would you be able to coax the chef at Little Chief restaurant to give us his recipe/technique for the Braised Teardrop Cabbage with Cilantro Labneh and Chorizo Sauce that we recently had at one of your Vine & Dine events,” she asked. How coul