The Other Man in my Kitchen

As some of you noticed, I did not post last week.  Things have been crazy around my kitchen and I just didn’t have one minute to myself.  But to make it up to you, I want to introduce you to THE other man in my life.  This affair  has been going on for over 10 years and my husband knows all about him.  Being the confident husband that he is, he is not jealous, in fact he encourages me to seek advice and comfort from my other man.  And I’m not the only woman that has this other man in her life.  He is loved by thousands of women and men and his name is: Ricardo Larrivée… I call him Ricardo.  He is the inspiration to so many recipes. He makes me discover new foods and ways of doing things…in the kitchen.  I will guarantee that any recipe of his, will become an instant favourite.  His familiar smile and his easy recipes (even the most complex) will make you feel like the Chef of all Chefs.  Most of the time, when I try a new recipe, my husband, mother-in-law or even friends will say: “Is this from Ricardo?" and I will be so proud to answer “YES!”. Even my cooking is giving him away!  Yesterday when I told my husband this weeks's post was about my “other man”, he replied “Oh, you’re writing about Ricardo”. You see? This could happen to you too!

The thing that I absolutely adore from Ricardo is that all of his recipes are good, easy to prepare and they give you room to grow.  You know sometimes a chef can have good, not-so-easy and/or bad recipes, but Ricardo’s are just simple, tasty and appetizing.  Ricardo gave me the confidence to try new things. Things like fish. I know it sounds silly, but I didn't grow up eating fish. But now, it's part of my life thanks to him.  And don't get me started on avocados! I think I bought my first avocado only four years ago!  My mother has a family recipe for Banana Bread that’s been passed on from mother to daughter for generations. And it was the most A-M-A-Z-I-N-G Banana Bread... until I decided to try Ricardo's double chocolate banana bread. Oh my, what have I done? I broke the family legacy because I’ll be passing down his recipes to my children! Don’t tell my mom, I haven't told her yet!  But head on over to Ricardo's website for that recipe.

Thanks to Ricardo, I also discovered ratatouille.  No, not the cute Disney movie, the recipe!  This dish with a funny name is a mix of vegetables generally served as a side dish.  I had tried to make it many times before, but it was just so mushy. It came out looking like a clear soup with a few chunks in it and didn't really taste like anything.  But after reading Ricardo's recipe, I recognized my error.  In order to have a good ratatouille, the vegetables need to be prepared and cooked separately so each will taste truly of itself. Then you combine them.  Ricardo explained it to me (well on his website - I suppose it wasn't just for me!) and since then, his recipe is my favourite.  I use it to top a low-calorie pizza where I just add chicken and cheese.  I use it instead of pasta sauce and I add feta cheese and Kalamata Olives. And of course I use it as a side dish.  You have to try this recipe you’ll love it!



Picture from Ricardo's Website

The last thing I want to mention is his website.  It is full of interesting and educational information, how-to videos, etc.  You can create a menu for a specific meal or gathering and save it in your account.  You can even produce a list of your favourite recipes and create your grocery list from it.  His website is just very user-friendly and has earned the number one spot in my food-related bookmarks.  What can I say? He is my go-to guy!  Also, all of his recipes are available in French and English, which makes them even easier to share. And to top it all off, you can sign up for Ricardo's weekly newsletter, with over 10 recipes (generally along the same "theme") and other useful information.

So, there you have it! The (not-so) secret ingredient in most of my recipes and the inspiration for all of my cooking.  I’m sharing my man with you and I honestly hope that you’ll enjoy him!