Shelly Wutke

New Year’s Eve – for millions of people around the world it’s a time of renewal, when everything old is washed away and there’s nothing but fresh new days ahead. But how do you kick off the New Year in a way that will bring the most peace, prosperity, and happiness to both you and your family?   The answer really depends on where you live.  

Are you tired of sugar cookies yet? Does the idea of one more piece of shortbread make your stomach lurch? Do you get a headache at the thought of consuming yet another snickerdoodle? If so, you might just be suffering from Christmas cookie overload.   But don’t worry, help is here – when you’re tired of the same old, same old treats on the table, you need to try something different. And by different I mean from an entirely different country.

Have you ever wondered how the Holidays are celebrated in a different country? Although we always spend our Christmas close to home, I’ve always wondered what it would be like to hop on a plane and immerse myself in another culture in December. After all, that would be the best time to really see, smell, and taste all of the different goodies that are truly authentic to the places they come from.

Canada is a country that can’t be defined by any one way of life. We’re a country based on multiculturalism, and you can easily see that whether you’re on the East Coast in Prince Edward Island and Quebec, steadfastly in the middle of central Canada, or on the West Coast and way up North.   

If you do a search for Montreal online, you’re almost always going to pull up the term ‘food’ on the first page. That’s because as far as Canadian cuisine is concerned, Montreal really is in a league of its own.

When I was a kid, almost every vacation involved driving for 24 hours from Saskatchewan to central British Columbia. We came for the scenery – mountains, icy blue lakes, and Bedrock City in Kelowna (why they would close that place I’ll never know). We also came for a few other reasons, namely salmon, blackberries, and peaches. Oh and throw a few apples in there and you’ve got a nice pile of souvenirs for people from the prairies.

Maybe because I’ve always been a fan of a good, old fashioned haunted house and am one of those people who can become unglued by a really scary movie, but Halloween ranks right up there with Christmas as one of my favourite times of year.   I’ve always been slightly envious of people who live in warmer climates during Halloween, because they are almost always guaranteed a nice night for trick or treating and great weather for getting outside and having some scary Halloween fun. But the one great thing about living in a place where the fog and chill sets in around mid-October? You have the opportunity to cook up and really enjoy some delicious hot food to get your Halloween night off to a great start.

When you’re throwing a big party for Halloween, there’s a lot of prep involved. Not only do you have to decorate your party area, you have to come up with a variety of food, drinks, and munchies to keep your guests happy.   This past month I’ve been talking about different Halloween treats you can whip up if you’re having a Halloween party or just need snacks to feed a few ghosts and goblins on All Hallows Eve. From sugar cookies to some seriously gross treats, there are so many different things you can serve. But the one treat I absolutely rely on when it comes to the snack table? Cupcakes!