No Recipe Required with Lesley Taylor

My cousin and I went on a trip down memory lane a while ago, talking about the comfort foods of our childhood. We were both born in the mid-'60s and grew up in the '70s. Some of the things we talk about are recipes made with canned soup (always Campbell's), things with cheese (lots and lots of cheese) and why certain foods evoke such strong memories. This is part 1 of our conversation, which focus...

My guest this week is an old friend (we met back in 2001!) who started as a driver for a wine agency, and then went on to become a sommelier. James Oatway works for Halpern Wine Enterprises in Toronto. He posts on Instagram under his new account, @rockandgrapes , as well as @Somm_Thing_To_Talk_About , which is the title of his upcoming podcast about wine - and he tells me a story about the origins...

The basis of "no-recipe" cooking is knowing how to make a sauce. Think about it - a meal is often a piece of protein with some veggies and/or starch and a sauce over top, so if you know how to make a sauce, dinner is a snap! Guidelines : Roux: 1 part fat (oil, butter, etc.) 1 part flour, 16 parts liquid (broth, milk, etc.) e.g., 1 Tbsp pan drippings, 1 Tbsp flour, 1 Cup broth to make a roast gravy...

In this episode I chat with Dr. Robby Cooper, (@RealDrRobby on Twitter ) a professor at Washington State University, about his love for BBQ (bar-b-que barbecue?), particularly Kansas City Style. It's a fun chat about different styles of BBQ, how to build your own smoker (or convert your gas BBQ into a smoker,) his love of Letterkenny, and the Bills vs. Chiefs.  Here are Robby's recipes for th...

I kept calling these "food delivery boxes" in the episode because I drew a blank on what to call them, but I guess the best name for them is Meal Prep Boxes. Anyway, regardless of what you call them, I've never been a fan, so I asked my friend and fellow podcaster, Al Grego, to come on to convince me on why I should give them a try. Did he convince me? You'll have to listen to find out! You can fo...

My friend and fellow podcaster, Susie Miles and I have swapped episodes for a week. I'm sharing one of her episodes with you, and she will be sharing one of my episodes with her listeners. This episode is about Seafood - shrimp and halibut to be exact. Hope you enjoy it! You can follow Susie on Instagram and listen to her podcast on the usual platforms.

If there is a theme to Season 3 of the podcast it's "experimentation." I've done a few solo episodes, I have a cross-over episode coming up next week, and this episode is one I recorded live on my phone with my friend Leo Troy where we made Pad Thai together. I like the idea of experimentation rather than following a recipe - whether it be for cooking or podcasting. Here's a list of the ingredient...

Trying to demystify and simplify making sourdough bread at home. The recipe and method I follow is adapted from King Arthur Baking and once I switched to this method, I've never gone back to more complicated methods. I'll post photos over on my Instagram page. If you have questions you can DM me there, or by e-mail at "cook @ noreciperequired dot ca." Timing: the morning before you want to bake, m...

What's the secret to making good risotto? Do you need a recipe to make it? What ingredients do you need? Do you really have to stir it the whole time? Those questions and more will be answered in this episode, so let's get cooking!

Welcome back for Season 3! Just a short solo episode this time to share what I'm thinking about for Season 3. If you enjoyed this episode, please reach out to me on Instagram @noreciperequired.ca or by e-mail at cook@noreciperequired.ca. Keep on cooking!

This is the final episode of Season 2. Thank you so much to all my listeners for sticking with me for the last 21 weeks! I'm taking a little break before planning and recording some new episodes for Season 3. In this episode I'm talking about the 47-day experiment I just concluded with being vegetarian. I gave up all meat, chicken and fish for Lent. I still ate dairy and eggs, but I'm not really a...

This final episode of this series is a wrap-up on the 4 wines we tasted, plus a review of how well the wines held up after two days (you'll hear a little musical interlude to delineate the segments.) Yes, we both had LEFTOVER WINE!! When does that ever happen? Well, I can't always drink an entire bottle of wine myself in one evening, so I have to have a way of keeping it for 2-3 days. In the momen...

This is the continuation of my chat with Hilary talking about Merlot - this time from France, and I continue talking about Cabernet Sauvignon - this time from Chile. We hope you enjoy this episode and (spoiler alert!) there will also be a Part 3 where we ramble on some more about wine in general. If you want to taste along with us, here are the wines we selected: Chombart & Speck Cave Mystère...

In this first part of a two (or maybe three!) part series about our favourite subject - red wine - my dear friend and former podcast guest, Hilary, joins me for a taste and chat about two different grapes from four different regions. The wines we talk about in Part 1 are: Noble Vines Collection, 181 Merlot , Lodi, California $19.95 in Ontario at the LCBO (your prices may vary) Chateau Tanunda , Gr...

I was recently interviewed by my friend and fellow podcaster, Susie Miles ( Cooking and Convos ) for her podcast, and she graciously agreed to cross-post our conversation here, on my podcast. In this Bonus Episode, you'll learn a little (lot?) about me, my journey in cooking, my favourite things to cook, my favourite wines, and where I see my future in the food/wine and podcasting worlds. You can...

Julie Gauthier is a Toronto-based entrepreneur who has a line of flavour-infused olive oils and balsamic vinegars. In this episode, we chat about our mutual philosophy of cooking without a recipe, how she rescues vegetables from the "good intentions drawer" of her fridge, and how to use her oils to create a simple and tasty pasta dish. This episode was an opportunity for me to highlight a woman-ow...

Patrick Louis-Seize is a recent graduate of the sommelier program at Algonquin College in Ottawa. In this episode, we chat about the process of becoming a sommelier, how sommeliers (or product consultants) can help you find a wine that suits your taste and budget, as well as talking about some of our favourite varietals and regions. You can reach Pat at patrick.louisxvi@gmail.com At the end of the...

In this episode, I chat with professional chef and popular food blogger, Chef Dennis. We have a conversation about his background and experience in the restaurant industry, starting a culinary program at a girls' high school, and some tips on how to make restaurant-quality meals. Chef Dennis also gives me a challenge at the end to make clams or mussels, so I did that and shared my experience with...

I'm giving the last word on plant-based eating to a Registered Dietician. Jennifer Buccino (Twitter: @JenniferBuccino and IG: @jenniferbuccino ) has been practicing as a registered dietitian for over 20 years. Over this time she has held many exciting positions including working as a clinical dietitian and educator at SickKids, provincial project manager Dairy Farmers of Canada, instructor and cur...

My guest today is Stephanie Belding. Stephanie is a Montreal born, Toronto Based professional actor and personal trainer. Since becoming vegan in 2004, Stephanie's love of baking and cooking increased exponentially. Finding ways to modify and recreate favourite recipes and meals from a plant based perspective is a constant creative joy. Sharing good food and plant based eating ideas is a favourite...

In this 2nd of 4 episodes on plant-based eating I chat with Tara G., who has been vegan for 10 years and vegetarian for even longer than that. She shares her expertise and recipes on how to make plant-based eating tasty and satisfying for vegans and non-vegans alike. You can follow Tara on Instagram @_madebymads for her recipes. Here are a few that we mentioned in the episode: Tofu Ricotta : 14 oz...

The focus of the next four episodes of the podcast is about how to move toward eating a plant-based diet, how to make the switch in a healthy way, and how to make plant-based foods taste good for the whole family. The reasons WHY people eat this way are vast: health, ethical, environmental, allergies, sensitivities, and even financial reasons. But the goal of these discussions is not to preach to...

This week, my guest is Mike Wilner ( @Wilnerness on Twitter) a baseball writer for the Toronto Star, host of the weekly Deep Left Field Podcast ( @DeepLFPodcast on Twitter,) and former Blue Jays play-by-play broadcaster. Mike and I talk about what it's like to eat on the road as a member of the media, traveling with the team, how the ballplayers eat, and why he (and I) like to check out grocery st...

In this episode I chat with my friend and fellow podcaster Carolyn Hillier - aka Chilly Bakes - about how to bake without gluten. You can follow her on Instagram @ChillyBakesGF and her podcast is on all the platforms as "Chilly Bakes Gluten Free." I also mentioned that I had a recipe for gluten free chocolate cake that's made with quinoa! It's not quinoa flour, but actual cooked quinoa! I basicall...

In this episode I speak with David Antsis, the owner/operator of County Casual Tours in Prince Edward County, Ontario. He tells us about his favourite spots for drinks and food in The County. We even have a Zoom bomb from a mutual friend of ours (who was also a previous co-host on this podcast.) We talked about so many different locations for wine, beer and cider, and even a couple of restaurants!...