House to Private Residence

Seven Spice Chili Oil

We’d heard great things about this chilli oil, and recently we came across a jar at the Italian Centre Shop – and boy are we glad! We’re now big fans, it’s everything you want it to be. After getting frustrated at the dearth of high quality chilli oil, Calgary’s Natalia Lazic went ahead and made it herself for friends and family. Her reputation spread, demand skyrocketed, and we’re not the slightest bit surprised that it’s now found all over Alberta as well as online at sevenspice.com. Hot or mild 227 g, $7-8.

Whittaker’s Chocolate

Celebrating 125 years of bean-to-bar chocolate making, Whittaker’s is expanding and has launched a website just for Canada. We’ve been sampling a taste of New Zealand, enjoying 200 g bars of Coconut Block - creamy milk chocolate with crunchy coconut; Dark Almond - rich 62 percent cocoa dark chocolate with whole roasted almonds, and 50 g Peanut Slabs – whole peanuts joined together by milk chocolate! All palm oil-free, carefully sourced, and widely available across Alberta. $2-7. See whittakerschocolate.com

111 Places in Calgary That You Must Not Miss

Depending on who you asked, the arrival of this guide from Jennifer Bain recently was either prophetic or downright unlucky. But as we gradually turn the corner on Covid19, the time is ripe to get (back) out there and explore the Stampede City. With something for everyone, and in every corner of the city, each place is skilfully expanded upon giving history, insight, or trivia and accompanied by excellent photography. Whether a newly arrived Calgarian or if you still remember the Channel 2&7 song, you’ll appreciate this. Emons: $27

Orgali

After battling some serious family health issues, Alina Muresan redirected her energy into holistic nutrition - consulting, advising, and teaching, and ultimately creating a line of nutrient-rich and allergen-free, frozen soups and stews, ready meals, snacks and desserts. We’ve tried a few of them, and they not only taste delicious, they taste “clean”, and we can confidently recommend them. Delivered to your home, or can be purchased in Calgary, Three Hills, Carstairs, and Red Deer. $5-15 orgali.ca.

Booze Cruise: A Tour of the World’s Essential Mixed Drinks

There aren’t many books like this, a mixed drink guide to the globe told entirely within the lens of the imbiber. Each drink is presented within the context of the city or country from the base spirit, the history or the rationale, or even just “why”. Somewhat fantastic, is that it truly is a tour around the world via mixed drinks. Canada is represented by Toronto, and the United States is represented by New Orleans and New York, the rest? It’s a wide wonderful world shared by author André Darlington. Running Press $30

Yves Veggie Cuisine, Veggie Chorizo Ground Sausage

We’re impressed with the new plant-powered chorizo sausage from Yves Veggie Cuisine; it’s a terrific substitute for the real thing. Chilli and paprika, along with cinnamon and cloves, provide the recognisable chorizo taste, and it has a lovely chewy texture from the non-GMO soy. The pack will tell you all about it being a great source of fibre and protein, but we just like the flavour and how well it works in our chilli, on nachos and tacos, and even on our paella! $5, widely available.

Lazy Bake

The lockdowns of last year provided more time for home baking, and Lazy Bake’s Katie Duffin took advantage of it, branching out to offer baking kits for us to make at home too. A few simple steps and maybe an egg and a little butter, will soon have tempting smells drawing everyone to the kitchen to sample your brownies, snickerdoodles, chai cookies and more. We tried the chocolate chip cookies as well as the gluten-free version – and we enjoyed them equally! Kits $8-12 at lazybake.com.

Boursin Dairy-Free Garlic & Herbs

A classic on our cheese boards, it’s hard to imagine how Boursin can offer a dairy-free version of their soft and creamy cheese – but the good news is, they’ve done it! While the texture is quite different, and more of a spread than a cream cheese, the flavour is all there, even swapping coconut oil for the milk and cream of the original, and it comes in a recyclable plastic tub instead of foil-wrapped and boxed. A very viable plant-based alternative. 170 g, $7 at Real Canadian Super Store.

Rad Cocktails

Feeling a little cooped up after a long winter and an even longer 2020? Rad cocktails might help you up your cocktail game or even get you into the game if you aren’t mixing your own drinks at home. Presented in a simple, easy to follow format, Rad Cocktails by Amanda Greenbaum has got you covered for straightforward cocktails that also look great and don’t need a lot of hard-to-find ingredients. This might be your go-to drinking guide for summer 2021. Palmetto $34