Everyone needs an easy dessert in their back pocket. I’ve had a series of screw-ups in the kitchen lately and I’ve been looking for something to get my head back in the game. One of the dishes I made yesterday was a huge pot of tomato soup. I don’t have a recipe for that one because it was ad hoc affair due to the overwhelming amount of tomatoes I had on hand from my little garden. To share a recipe with you, I would like to have something that is easily replicated. This dessert on the other hand, is very […]
Strawberries with Crème Fraîche and Brown Sugar
Strawberries are my first and truest love when it comes to seasonal eating. I may flirt with strawberries in the winter but I usually feel guilty about my inconstancy. When strawberry season comes to Ontario I fully embrace the experience of picking strawberries, eating strawberries, and breathing in the beautiful scent of fresh local strawberries. Local strawberries mean the true start of summer to me. They arrive when school ends for the year and it is just starting to get really hot. The kind of hot that doesn’t have the slight chill in the breeze that hot days in May can […]
Spaghetti Sauce and Buying Half a Cow
The perils of buying half a steer from an organic farmer, such as Vibrant Farms, are few but the main ones are an inordinate amount of freezer space required and the need for some really good recipes for ground beef. With a small child who has varying degrees of pickyeateritis, which is hereditary, getting the optimal amount of vegetables into the little one is also a concern of ours. This recipe for good old fashion Spaghetti Sauce is perfect for two out of three issue; using a lot of ground beef and getting several servings of vegetables into a picky kid. I […]
Pasta with Pesto, Peas, Pancetta and Grilled Chicken
This is a meal I crave in the early weeks of summer but is great any time of year if you have had the forethought to freeze pesto or just use store-bought. The thought of the flavour packed pesto combined with the hit of fresh sweet peas, salty bite of pancetta and little bits of mellow mozzarella are making my mouth water as I write this. I make the pesto in a fairly typical way – lots of basil. a clove of garlic, toasted pine nuts, fresh grated Parmigiano-Reggiano, pinch of salt and pepper and lots of olive oil. No great […]
Gluten-Free Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp
Strawberry season is in full swing here in Ontario. I was finally able to get out strawberry picking on Canada Day this past Sunday at Barrie Hill Farms and picked about 20 pounds of berries in a hour. I admit, I had help. Simon picked a few and Timothy was there in a purely supervisory role and to keep my mom in line. I was too tired to make jam on Monday since we had just returned from an extra long weekend away in Niagara Falls and then to visit family in Barrie. The dogs enjoyed their holiday at Nana […]
Acorn Squash and Kale Soup
The acorn squashes from my lovely CSA this year were so adorably tiny due to the drought in the summer. I used six little bitty squashes in this recipe where I would have normally just used 3 regular sized acorn squashes. Actually, I don’t know for sure that they are acorn squashes but they look close enough and acorn squash is very easy to find in local grocery stores so I’m sticking to calling these acorn squashes. Feel free to peel your acorn squash but the size of mine and the toughness of the skin on the little buggers made […]
Apple Spice Pancakes
This is definitely my go-to pancake recipe that I make for Timothy and me on weekends. There is a good amount of apple in the batter and they aren’t as doughy as some fluffy pancakes can be. I decided to add some barley flour for some extra taste and for something a little different. I had originally bought the barley flour because it was a main ingredient in some really nice cookies I made from Gwyneth Paltrow’s cookbook. If you don’t have barley flour, or don’t know where to get it (or can’t be bothered), then using only all-purpose flour will be […]