It isn’t often that I am stumped when it comes to cooking dinner, but it was the end of a long week and the grocery supply was getting pretty low. I had a few proteins: shrimp, vegetarian meat balls, salmon, a small piece of chorizo, but not enough of anything to make a meal. A quick hunt through the pantry revealed; a sweet potato, more spices than I could count, jasmine rice and some organic vegetable stock. As I was setting my culinary treasures on the counter I could see dinner shaping before my eyes, a one pot rice style dish.

I love a challenge and Maria, the host of Breakfast Television here in Atlantic Canada, called me up with a great one! She asked if I could prepare a 3 course “gourmet” style meal for 4 people, under $40? I was pretty confident that it was certainly possible, especially since I was allowed the basics such as salt, pepper, oil, and vinegar - everyday ingredients that would already be in a home kitchen pantry.

This time of year it is hard to remember summer, with fall wrapping up and winter having shown its self already with a couple of good "Nor Easters." Our friends, Heidi and Anders, were passing through town on their way home so Jana and I had them in for dinner. Trying to remember summer to help shake off the chills of winter, I decided to slowly BBQ some of the wild Pacific Chinook Salmon; I caught off the shores of the Queen Charlotte Islands last summer on the fishing trip of a lifetime!

You never quite realize how much you appreciate simple things like electricity and water until you don’t have them! Tropical Storm Noel blew through Atlantic Canada Saturday night leaving my family and thousands of others without any water, heat or electricity until Tuesday night! It made for long cold nights, but life had to go on!