There are many times when my aspirations heavily outweigh my inspiration. It is times like these that I end up with 25 lbs of tomatoes that I wanted to wish away. They did not, however, turn themselves into the ketchup they were purchased to become nor did they disappear. They continued to ripen and I did not want to throw money away. I made the ketchup using a new technique that I figured out because the recipes I followed last year were, frankly, a pain in the ass. Taste wise they were fine but it was really annoying to try […]
Spiced Plum Chutney
Ordering 10 pounds of plums seemed like a really good idea at the time. When I lifted up that bag and felt the heft of what 10 pounds of plums really is my shoulders slumped with the weight and dread of the work I’d laid out for myself. I look around my and I see boxes, clutter, piles of unsorted papers, dust bunnies in the corners, unhung pictures, and yet I keep giving myself more projects. Hence, Project Plums. Next week is Project Tomatoes (25 lbs local organic San Marzanos have been ordered). I had thought I’d make a simple […]
Zucchini and Summer Squash Ribbons on Pasta with Creamy Goat Cheese Sauce
I think I will be saying, “Please excuse the mess, we just moved in,” for the next two years. The amount of junk we have is overwhelming as are the thousand small projects there are still to do to get the house up to snuff. The stress of moving seemed to have sucked all my creativity and energy from me. I didn’t want to cook, I just wanted to clean, unpack, paint, and clean some more. The previous owners of this house left it in a bit of state. At one point I thought that I was losing it because […]
Black Raspberry and Cherry Pie with a Gluten Free Crust
It is Berry Week! I’m joining with some other bloggers to celebrate one of the best parts of summer; berries! I have wanted to get this recipe up on the blog for over a year now but every time I’ve made it, it’s been for a family event so I haven’t been able to get good photos of it for the blog. I’ve made it with a regular crust and a gluten-free crust many times over the past two years. Finally, about a month ago I was able to get some half decent shots of it and I knew that […]
Maple Whisky Butter Tarts with a Gluten Free Crust
A Canadian Food Experience Project A Regional Canadian Food: Simcoe County and Waterloo Region in Ontario This month’s challenge for the Canadian Food Experience Project, which began on June 7th, is to share our collective stories through our regional food experiences. By sharing our stories we hope to bring global clarity to our Canadian culinary identity. I’ve been thinking a lot about what regional dishes I’m familiar with. There are a lot of dishes that I make that harken back to my English heritage. I now live in Waterloo Region and if you visit here, you will notice that a common […]
Creamy Pasta with Kale, Mushrooms & Pancetta
You know those days when you really don’t feel like cooking anything but you also don’t want to spend $30 on some shitty take-out dinner that the kid won’t eat anyway because he actually just wanted Honey Nut Cheerios? Yeah. That. I was very tempted to have cereal for dinner too the first night I made this but I was feeling pretty guilty about letting food go to waste in the fridge. I remembered that I had kale from Bailey’s Local Foods. I also had some Enoki mushrooms that I’d bought to use for a different recipe that was […]
Rhubarb Custard Tart with Buckwheat and Nut Crust (Gluten Free)
Five Reasons Why My Husband Cannot Plan for Dinner Guests On His Own He does not confirm with the person cooking the meal that guests will be coming until the night before. He does not confirm what time people will be arriving. He does not ask if their are any food sensitivity issues. On the day of the dinner he still isn’t sure how many people are coming to dinner. He forgets to serve the dessert when he is left to entertain his guest on his own. Who doesn’t love it when your husband reminds you at 9pm about dinner […]
Rhubarb Lemon Grass Compote
I honestly don’t know if I’m going to do any canning this summer. This might just be crazy talk because I’m in an absolute shite mood right now but I can’t seem to get the motivation to get the canning pot out, dig of the tools all while thinking ahead to the move to the new house in August. I would like to make some jam but we hardly eat any bread in this house any more; my husband never does and just uses jam in yogurt these days. I still love to indulge in some nice, well-buttered toast with […]
Roasted Spatchcocked Chicken with Za’atar and Sumac
Anyone else hate going to the dentist for cleanings even if you know your teeth are just fine? I brush 3 times a day and floss once a day. Ok, I floss most days but that is still better than a lot of people. I tolerate the scraping and even the perverse pleasure the hygienist takes at talking to you and expecting an answer while you lay there, mouth agape. For me the true torment comes when they polish my teeth. The buzzing and that foul gritty stuff they use in conjunction with that spinning tool that makes that high pitching whirring sound in your ear. […]
Summer Salad with Grilled Chicken, Bacon & Chipotle Lime Vinaigrette
I’ve been on a bit of a salad kick lately. One small part is to try and eat more greens another reason is the onset of warmer weather here in Ontario. The biggest reason is because we are in the process of selling our house so to offset the junk that we eat when we go out, I’ve been making these salads which cut down on the cooking smells in the house and the mess. I do cook the bacon in the house but the chicken goes on the grill. I must add that I had a revelation about how […]