Love to Cook Weekend

Spend the weekend sharing experiences and new flavors.

One of my favorite parts of this house is the kitchen - gas range, good pans and sharp knives make it a joy to cook together. It was such fun to stock my favorite staples for cooking, entertaining to design my custom spice jars and I loved experimenting with the new layout of this kitchen.

Now it's ready for friends to come by and whip up a batch of cookies or slowly create an entire holiday feast. Simple or complex menus, the best part of cooking is to be together. I like to start by browsing the cookbooks we have on the shelf - Date Night In by Ashley Rodriquez is an obvious winner with amazing flavors and seasonal menus - and to get inspired by the produce and fresh foods here on the island.

Date Night In by Ashley Rodriquez is an obvious winner with amazing flavors and seasonal menus - check out her follow up cookbook Let's Stay In for more ideas.

My favorite little place on the Island to shop for fun ingredients is the Star Store in Langley and next door there is a pop-up bakery called Salt & Sea provisions. Perfect to grab cheese, crackers and a bottle of wine. Lots of little treats and snack for a pre-dinner cheeseboard or enough to skip dinner and just charcuterie your heart out.

If you want to impress yourself with your cheese and cracker skills take a look on the bookshelf for a small book with a long title -- That Cheese Plate Will Change Your Life: Creative Gatherings and Self-Care with the Cheese By Numbers Method by Marissa Mullen. It's a title with quite a lofty claim but I found it to be a fun little book with a simple path to beautiful appetizers that will make you smile.

Cheers to tasty food and time spent together.