The thing that makes this cookbook, Canadian Living: The Vegetarian Collection, so accessible for non-vegetarians, is that (I believe) these are all recipes originally published in Canadian Living magazine, which is not a strictly vegetarian audience. I am no master chef; I am willing to take chances and try new things in the kitchen, but I’m also lazy and don’t want to have to hunt for obscure — and expensive— ingredients.

I think Canadian Living was very smart (marketing-wise) to compile a bunch of magazine recipes into a book. While you may clip something out of a magazine if you really like it, most periodicals have a high turn-over rate. Or perhaps you read a magazine waiting in a doctor’s office, but the copy was at least four months old and you didn’t bring it home. This type of collection is so smart, and I am speaking as a reader/consumer and as a person in the publishing industry.

The Vegetarian Collection is the tenth compilation that Canadian Living has published with Random House of Canada since 1999. They have a variety of cookbooks such as The Slow Cooker, Complete Baking Collection, BBQ Collection, Complete Christmas Book, and (to be reviewed soon) Create, Update, Remake full of DIY articles.

When I saw this book in Random House’s fall catalogue I immediately requested a copy for review. Two reasons: I love magazine-compilation-books. I have a huge stack of magazines that I keep meaning to cut an article or two out of to keep, but never get around to it so I love book collections. Second, I’m a vegetarian (with a number of dietary issues) so I am always eager to see new recipes.

Now, you’re sitting there, tapping your foot, scrolling down, thinking, “When is she going to get to the food? Show us the yummy pictures!” Okay! Okay! I will.

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The first inaugural Vancouver Christmas Market will hopefully become a new tradition here. After visiting the German Christmas Markets in Manchester, England I was very happy to hear we’d be getting our own.

While it’s not quite like the ones I’ve been to in England (and I’m sure even less like the ones in Germany) we still managed to have fun. Remember to bring cash!! Lots of cash because 1.) it’s expensive and 2.) you will want to eat all.the.things.

Crowds inside the Vancouver German Christmas Market

Mmm baked potatoes smothered in good stuffs

First stop (after $5 entrance and getting our alcohol wristbands) was The Potato Hut. Some of us waiting in this line up, while a few others waiting in the Sausage line-up to buy bratwurst. I got a baked poutine potato ($7.50) with cheese curds and gravy. While Hilary insisted it wasn’t real poutine, I insisted it was delicious!

Check out the awesome (and steamy) traditional potato baking oven with warming drawers. So awesome! We were so excited about this and all taking photos. The lady at The Potato Hut said we needed to get out more. Too true, too true.

Tammy enjoying her bratwurst sausage and some costumed stilt walkers at the Market.

Giant Santa on Liebrecht Lebkuchenhaus which sells traditional European treats including all types of gingerbread, marzipan and other sweet delights.

Then someone mentioned there were crepes — both fruit and meat types. Ferdy and I began chanting “crepes! crepes!” We headed towards the crepe hut but discovered they were out of apples (I was planning to get an apple cinnamon crepe).

Row of huts and baked apples at the Applehaus

So instead we lined up at the Applehaus for baked apples ($5.50) which were amazing. They were stuffed with walnuts, raisins, cinnamon and smothered in hot vanilla sauce. To.Die.For. Mmmmm

Erin the baby bee sits on Santa Janel’s lap and my steaming gluwein in commemorative mug.

Our last line up was for drinks, which some people had already had too. I got a mug of spiced apple gluwein ($6 plus $4 mug deposit). Very alcoholic! I would have been happy with just a spiced rum apple cider, but it also had mulled wine too. Wowza. I kept my commemorative mug as a souvenir, but a few people returned theirs to get their $4 back.

We also enjoyed the music of Maria in the Shower playing in the gazebo. There was all different entertainment nightly.

All in all we had a lot of fun. We were chatting in the line-ups and enjoyed the food immensely. I think they had to have a closed-site with entrance fee in order to get the liquor license. We have much stricter street-drinking laws than Europe. The site was packed with people (on a Saturday night) and I would love to see the site expanded next year to include more walking room and even more vendors!

One of the best things about summer is all the local produce available. There are many local farmers markets operating throughout the Lower Mainland, and I occasionally stop by the Main Street market after work on Wednesdays. However, it is so awesome to have the Richmond Country Farms located in the same location, every day of the week, with set hours. It makes bringing home fresh, local produce so much easier. Don’t get me wrong, I still love the variety of local businesses at the Farmers Markets.

Richmond Country Farms

Nursery at Richmond Country Farms

Selection of Local Produce

Resident Ducks at Richmond Country Farms (look at those awesome colours!!)

View all my photos on my Flickr set: Richmond Country Farms.

Richmond Country Farms is located off Highway 99 in the Steveston area of Richmond (this side of the George Massey Tunnel). It is open from April to late December with a special Pumpkin Patch in October. Most of their produce is from their own acreage but they also seasonally source from other local BC farmers. They also have a nursery and sell turf by the roll (to golf courses no less!).

Whom have you met because of something related to tea? Share something about this person and how your relationship began and blossomed.

Most people I’ve met have been through something else when we discover we both share a love for tea. My best friend in high school, Anna, introduced me to The Secret Garden which I wrote about last week. I met Chelle through a local knitting meetup that would occur at a local cafe. We soon discovered we both enjoyed visiting Steeps in Vancouver. We’ve dragged Julia (another knitting friend) there a couple times.

I met Chan and Ruth via blogging, and we connected over knitting, then pets and tea too. When Ruth and her hubby visited Vancouver last February, we got to share our love for tea as well as the West Coast. I gave her an antique tea cup… and it is the same one on the Hot Tea Month button!

This past week’s topic/discussion prompt is: If I could have my own Tea House this is how I would run things…..

I have been to several tea houses, surprisingly not that many in England though. My favourite one is The Secret Garden Tea Company in Kerrisdale, an area of Vancouver. What I like about it is the clean, bright, relaxed atmosphere of it. I think if I had a Tea House, I would run it similarly.

Their space is a mixture of sit-down and shop. In the shop you can order treats to-go, smell all the teas, and purchase accessories. If you want to sit down for lunch, a cuppa, or even high tea, there are lots of spaces. One of the really nice touches at Secret Garden is the service crockery. They’ve collected old tea cups and saucers and even have a sign on the front door saying they purchase cups and saucers.

If you’re staying in, you are seated by a member of staff and given a tea menu. You and can either choose a pot of tea to share for the table, or each order your own tea. It comes in a teapot covered in a cosy (similar to the ones available to purchase) and you can have unlimited hot water refills. If you’re doing high tea, or demi (half) high tea, the menu is set, but if you’re doing lunch there are lots of lovely salads, sandwiches, and soups for a filling yet light lunch.

I love going for high tea, which I’ve only done a handful of times. The high tea menu changes slightly, but it’s delivered on a three-tiered tray with many miniture goodies. The bottom tier is savoury sandwiches and my favourites are mini croissants with brie and roasted veggies and the egg salad pinwheels. The middle tier has scones with devonshire cream and raspberry jam. The top tier is sweets… and as full as you already are, you cannot resist the goodies up there. Favourites influde lemon tartlette, chocolate mousse cake, and various other goodies.

The few changes I would make in my own establishment would probably just relate to the different menu items and blends of tea. I think that it would be so much fun to work on making blends of tea and pairing with foods. Just give it my own personlized touch with decor as well.