NEAROF

Well, it’s Halloween. In the off chance you’re not completely put off by everything chocolate by the end of the night, why not warm up with a mug of hot cocoa to mark the end of another ghoulish evening full of kids dressed as princesses, Dora, and, um, The Situation. Carnation hot chocolate is the [...]

I came late in life to balsamic vinegar, but I’ve grown to adore it. I’m also a long-time fan of salt and vinegar chips, something we used to get on Hot Dog Day at my Winnipeg elementary school, along with honey-glazed donuts and steamed hot dogs smeared with ketchup and mustard. (Is such a thing [...]

Halloween is right around the corner, and you haven’t stocked up on Halloween candy yet. It happens. We won’t judge. But you might want a few candy selection tips before heading out to your local grocery store, and we’re here for you. Have we ever not been here for you? First off, NEAROF! has a [...]

I have happy childhood memories of picking rosehips, the shrivelled little berries that grow on rose bushes in the fall, after the flowers have wilted and died. They can be used to make jellies, syrup and, apparently, a drink that is available at Ikea’s food store. If you’d like to get better acquainted with this [...]

Cloudy beer scares most North Americans. Why? Who knows. Maybe folks here are so used to micro-filtered megabrews that they can’t fathom beers you can’t see through. Even wheat beers, a category where all sorts of amazing beers are murky with yeasty goodness, are often pressed through a filter before they’re bottled. Note Big Rock’s [...]

Vegetarians are used to limited pizza choices. In a pizza party setting with only a token vegetarian or two, a sympathetic host will either order a “vegetarian” special (tomatoes, peppers, mushrooms, maybe olives, etc.) or a cheese pizza. It’s always the same. Granted, vegetarians have their own secret orders (I discovered pineapple and onion while [...]

Last I checked, aloe vera is used for a whole lot of other things, but I’ve never once thought of drinking it. I have absolutely no idea what aloe tastes like, so this is going to be a curious experience. The Pitch: “You’ve probably used aloe vera to soothe sunburns and help heal cuts, but [...]

Pita is great, isn’t it? Whether used as the shell for grilled chicken souvlaki or a delicious sweet-and-spicy donair, pita bread is both useful and yummy. But pita chips? I haven’t had much experience with these. Are they supposed to be more healthy than regular chips? Less greasy, perhaps? One look at the nutritional info [...]