I’ve been pretty busy lately, so I haven’t been posting as frequently as I had hoped. I am also behind in reading other blogs, so please bear with me!

• Some good friends of mine have sold their house and recently embarked on a family journey around the world. The two adults and four kids are starting off in Spain, and will also be heading to Morocco, Italy and Turkey, among other places. You can follow their adventures (including some food posts!) over at At Home in the World.
• If you didn’t already know, Cora Breakfast and Lunch is expanding further in the Edmonton area. Locations in the North and West end are already open, and other location is opening in Sherwood Park. They’re expanding in Calgary as well.
• Come Dine With Me Canada starts today. I hope it’s as good as the British version! I hope it doesn’t suck like Dinner Party Wars does. You can watch the first episode online if you don’t catch it on TV. The narrator is a bit snarky, so my fingers are crossed!
• Food Network Canada is playing the Next Iron Chef too. I have to say my first reaction was – Ming Tsai what  are you doing on there!? Does your restaurant need a boost or something?
• Interesting interview with Top Chef runner-up Bryan Voltaggio, including reasons why he turned down a spot on the upcoming Top Chef All-Stars show.
• Alberta wins a trade dispute against Ontario regarding the import of vegetable oil blended with dairy (margarine, butter, etc.).
• Incanto Executive Chef Chris Cosentino and owner Mark Pastore talk about the pros and cons of using OpenTable.
• A Florida company introduces red celery into the marketplace.
• The I Hate to Cook Book turns 50 years old and gets a new edition
• Legendary film critic Roger Ebert writes The Pot and How to Use It: The Mystery and Romance of the Rice Cooker, despite no longer being able to eat or speak due to cancer surgery
• West African children are still being exploited to make chocolate
• 25 years later, radioactive fallout from the Chernobyl is still affecting wild boars and mushrooms in Germany