In this episode, cooking enthusiast and fellow podcaster, Susie Miles and I talk about how holiday traditions are different - and similar - north and south of the border. Just in time for Christmas, we talk about our favourite/favorite (see what I did there??) holiday foods.

This week I’m speaking with Jan Caruana – otherwise known as @Twolittlesandwiches on Instagram. Jan is also an accomplished actor, comedian, improv artist and writer. We talk about some of her no recipe required recipes, what got her started cooking, viral TikTok food trends, and her super popular monthly newsletter. So, without further ado, let’s get cooking with Jan!

Jay was a contestant on Season 3 of the Great Canadian Baking Show - I think this season is available on Netflix. There's even a surprise cameo in this episode by one of the co-hosts of Season 3, Carolyn Taylor (spoiler alert: she's my sister!) We go deep into nerd territory about all things baking, how he got started, his time on the show, tips he has for new bakers, and he gives us a challenge at the end for something to bake. When you make it, please tag me in your post! You can follow Jay @Zen_of_baking on Instagram.

Check out what's in store for Season 2, including a name change for the podcast! New episodes coming later this fall!

This is part 2 of the conversation Hil and I had with my sister, Carolyn Taylor, about County Wine.

Here are the links to the wineries we talked about in this episode:

Waupoos Estates Winery https://www.waupooswinery.com/ @waupoosestateswinery

Half Moon Bay Winery https://www.facebook.com/Half-Moon-Bay-Winery-100273546732026/ 

Lighthall Vineyards https://www.lighthallvineyards.com/ @lighthallvineyards

County Casual Tours https://www.countycasualtours.com/ @countycasualtour

This is the first of a two-part discussion that Hilary and I had with my sister, Carolyn Taylor, Co-creator, Producer, Writer and Actor, best known for Baroness Von Sketch Show on CBC. Carolyn is a part-time resident of The County, so I asked her on to talk about some of her favourite wines from the region.

In this episode, we tasted:

Traynor Family Vineyard, 5th Element, White wine, 12.5% alcohol, $55 [A non-vintage, skin fermented, field blend of Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc] https://traynorvineyard.com/

Rosehall Run, 2019 Small Lots Chardonnay Musqué, 12.5% alcohol, $25 https://www.rosehallrun.com/

Karlo Estates 2018 Property Grown Marquette, 13% alcohol (not currently available) https://www.karloestates.com/ 

Karlo Estates 2018 Three Witches, 12.5% alcohol, $22 (blend of Sauvignon Blanc, Sémillon and Gewurztraminer

This is our 5th and final (for now) bonus episode on wine, and the third one on the topic of splurge worthy wines. As usual, we went on lots of tangents along the way, so we hope you enjoy it! Here are the wines we talked about:

Lush Sparking Wine (Two Sisters, Niagara, ON) $53

County Cremant (Grange Winery, Prince Edward County, ON) $37

Henri Bourgeois Les Baronnes Sancerre (Loire, FR) $31

Hidden Bench Fume Blanc (Niagara, ON) $35

Three Sisters Tempranillo (Naramata Bench, BC) $30

Beronia Viñas Viejas 2017 (Rioja, ESP) $25

Maetierra Dominum QP 2009 (Tempranillo blend, Rioja, ESP) $62

Château Villa Bel Air (Graves, Bordeaux, FR) $30 (through Gargoyle wine club)

This is part 2 of my conversation with Hil (@Hilspeth on Twitter) about our favourite splurge worthy wines. The ones we talked about were:

Morgan Pinot Noir (Santa Lucia Highlands, CA) ~$65USD (not available at LCBO)

The Holy Trinity (GSM Blend, Grant Burge, Barossa Valley, AUS) ~$35 - sometimes available at the LCBO

Painted Rock Red Icon (Penticton, BC) $60 (buy in BC or through the vineyard)

Black Hills Nota Bene (Bordeaux-style blend, Osoyoos, BC) $65 (buy in BC or through the vineyard)

Ridge Lytton Springs Zinfandel (Dry Creek Valley, CA) ~$80, sometimes available at LCBO (but not currently)

Ridge Three Valleys (Red Blend, Sonoma County, CA) $50 available through Vivino

Predator Zinfandel (Rutherford, CA) ~$25 (not available at LCBO)

This is the first part of my conversation with Hilary (@hilspeth on Twitter) about our favourite "Splurge worthy" wines. I had to break this one into several episodes because we just kept going on and on about our favourite expensive wines! Here are the wines we mentioned in the episode:

Chalk Hill Cabernet Sauvignon (Sonoma, California) - not currently available at the LCBO

Silver Oak Cabernet Sauvignon (Alexander Valley, California) $120.95 - recently released at the LCBO

Far Niente Cabernet Sauvignon (Oakville Bench, Napa, California) $200 (out of stock at LCBO)

Caymus Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon (Rutherford, Napa, California) $108.95 - limited quantities at LCBO

Sbragia Family Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon (Dry Creek Valley, Sonoma, California) - not available at LCBO

Sanford Pinot Noir (Santa Rita, CA) - rarely available at LCBO, usually around $45

Meiomi Pinot Noir (California) $22.95 at LCBO

Belle Glos Clark & Telephone Pinot Noir 2018 Pinot Noir (California) $59.95

This is part 2 of my conversation with Hilary (@hilspeth on Twitter) about our favourite "cheap and cheerful" wines, which are available at the LCBO for less than $20.

Sa Solin Valpolicella Ripasso (Italy, Vintages) $19.95

The Hare Wine Company, Jack Rabbit Special Blend Baco Noir (Niagara) $19.95

Enzo Vincenzo Valpolicella Ripasso (Italy) $16.40 (currently on sale for $14.40)

Jupiter, Cotes du Rhone (France, Vintages) $17.