“There’s an app for that.”

It’s a saying that is increasingly becoming more common. There are apps for music, stargazing, and bird watching. You name it, there’s an app for it. But as with food, and as with wine, quantity doesn’t always equal quality.

Not to say that there isn’t an abundance of great apps for food and wine out there, because there are.

Here’s one cool app that won’t disappoint - Nat Decants Mobile App. It’s charming, user-friendly, and has a ton of features. Among the most impressive:

There are 380,000 “professionally tested” wine/food pairings at your fingertips, done by real people for real people; all the wine lingo and definitions you could possibly want are easily accessible, so you will always be in the loop; and, my personal favourite, there are thousands (yes, you read it right, thousands) of recipes.

Oh, did I mention that it’s free?

This app is a wine, food, and entertaining-lover’s paradise. Check out Natalie MacLean’s website, Nat Decants, for more info (and wine, and food, and all the goodness that goes with it!).


So give it a try and let me know what you think. What other food and wine apps can you not live without?
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If you need a quick dinner, or just want something fresh and easy to eat, a pasta salad is often the answer. They don't require many ingredients, are quick to make, and often contain a variety of food groups. One great option for any night is Tuna-Pasta salad.

Tweak it how you like it, add ingredients, take some out. It's a versatile recipe that is sure to please, and goes great with a bottle of white (try Mission Hill Sauvignon Blanc) or a light beer (a glass of Big Rock Lime will do the trick!). It also makes great leftovers.

Here's a rough outline of ingredients. Remember to change them as you please!

2 cups fusilli, uncooked
2 cups baby spinach
4 stalks celery, leaves on
3 large carrots
2 scallions
3 cans chunk light tuna in water, drained
3 tbsp light mayonnaise
1/2 tsp lemon juice
salt and pepper, to taste

Cook pasta according to directions on box. While it's cooking, chop spinach coarsely, dice celery into 1/2 cm chunks, and slice carrots thinly. Chop scallions to desired size (larger if you like a stronger onion flavour), add tuna, and mix well. When pasta is cooked, rinse with cold water until the pasta is cold. Add to veggie-tuna mixture, then stir in mayo, lemon juice, and salt and pepper to taste.

Tip: If using the salad as leftovers, you may have to add more mayo before eating as it tends to dry out!

Now that Easter Weekend is over, and we're all recovering from chocolate-overdose induced comas, it's time to reflect on the delicious delicacies we've all indulged in over the past few days.

Everyone has a cookbook that they can't live without.

I've got three.

First, the Bravo! Best of Bridge Cookbook. It's got an amazing assortment of recipes and one-liners to keep you entertained throughout the book. My favourites? Overnight Raspberry French Toast (just picture it...), and the Thai Chicken and Mango Stir-Fry. The stir-fry is lighter than you'd think, but delightfully saturated by a gentle coconut flavour. The recipes are very simply laid out, the ingredients are common, and there are handy tips and variations for many of the recipes. I use it regularly, and imagine that you would as well.

Second, Donna Hay's Modern Classics Book 2. What makes it so wonderful are the photographs. There's a photo for each recipe, and they're done in natural light. They're absolutely beautiful. The Orange and Poppyseed Cake is delicious, and absolutely gorgeous with candied orange rind and orange syrup on top. Another beauty: Blueberry Swirl Cheesecake. It's as yummy as it is easy on the eyes.