I found the recipe for Plum Candy on Married With Dinner by way of Punk Domestics. I was intrigued so I read through the instructions and the story of how the candy came to be and thought that I could do this. I had plums in my fridge that were going bad and I still had some peaches (which I was loathing since I was still sick of peeling). I went through the plums and a lot of them had gone funky and the recipe called for 4 pounds of plums which is how some peaches got tagged in. I thought that […]
Blueberry Maple Ice Cream
I bought an ice cream maker earlier this week and I have now discovered what will replace last month’s obsession with making jam. I bought the ice cream maker out of the goodness of my heart because my husband is going gluten free for a little while and also giving up beer, so I thought I would give him a treat. I continue to enjoy a cold beer now and then on our newly minted patio and I felt bad for him that he couldn’t have a treat. The ice cream maker that I got is a Cuisinart that I […]
Black Raspberry and Chambord Jam
Each new jam recipe that I come up with becomes my new favourite. I think Timothy particularly enjoyed this one as well which makes sense since he devoured half a pint of black raspberries in one sitting. In the same sitting, he ate about a cup of cherries. I knew I wanted to put in some type of booze into this jam but I wasn’t sure what I should use, so I hit the internet. It became very clear that Chambord was going to be the winner. There are two reasons for this: the first reason was that I thought […]
Preserved Cherries with Brandy
I ordered a box of cherries from Bailey’s last week but unfortunately due to the wet spring their supplier wasn’t able to come through. It was too bad but I ended up getting a bunch of cherries from Martin’s Family Fruit Farm instead. It was my first visit out there and I came home with a flat of black raspberries too – more on that in the next post. It turns out that Timothy loves cherries. He ate so many that I was worried he would have a big stomach ache. That kids can really pack away the fruit though. He […]
Swiss Chard with Garlic Scapes and Cultured Butter
It is two weeks now into our CSA share with Transpire Organic and I have a new favourite veggie – sautéed swiss chard. I am by nature a very picky eater and you couldn’t have paid me to eat wilted greens when I was little, but I thought I would give it a go. When I served myself this dish for the first time last week I was quite trepidatious as I brought the fork to my mouth. I was worried it would be like spinach, but it wasn’t at all. Swiss chard has a mild flavour unlike spinach, which […]
Crème Fraiche & Brown Sugar Scones
I really wanted something to eat my jam with. I was content with just toast but I left a brand new store-bought loaf on the edge of the counter before I went out and guess who got it? George just couldn’t help himself and pulled it off the counter. I was very disappointed to discover that Buffy also got in on the action and likely ate much more of the bread than Georgie. She was hiding under the bed when I got home, consumed with guilt and likely a sore belly. BTW – you don’t want to know how I […]
Chipotle Sweet Potato Soup with Crème Fraiche
I made this Sunday night in a flurry of inspiration and a desire to use up some things in pantry. This is quite a simple soup recipe with not too much chopping and everything went into one pot. The chipolte chile pepper made this soup pretty spicy which my husband loved. Adding some creme fraiche to the pureed soup mellowed the spiciness slightly but it was still damn hot. If you like things a bit milder, you could use half a chili pepper and still get the smokey heat that chipotle gives. If you aren’t familiar with chipotle chile peppers […]
Rhubarb Vanilla Bean Jam
This rhubarb jam is probably one of the best things that has ever come out of my kitchen. My husband, always my biggest fan, said that it is the best jam he has ever tasted. While it was cooking my house smelled amazing. If I had a clue how, I would bottle the scent or make scented candles out of it. The idea for this jam has been rattling around my head since last summer after I made what I guess would be called stewed rhubarb that I put on plain yogurt. I was pretty darn nervous about making proper […]
Eating Local in Waterloo Region
While I am not fiercely committed to eating only organic food, nor will I ever try the ridiculous 100 Mile Diet challenge, I am committed to buying what I can locally and being aware of what I am eating. It is harder to do than getting everything from the grocery store and not care whether it traveled across the country or how it was raised (referring to meat), but the possibility of better long-term health and helping support sustainable farming in Ontario (or wherever you live) is a desirable pay-off. I am eagerly awaiting the start of this year’s […]
Burgers
Hamburger topped with Double Gloucester Cheddar and Stilton is hidden within on a multi-grain bun You will notice that I don’t presume to tell you what topping to put on your burger aside from cheese. I loathe lettuce or tomatoes on my burgers so putting up a food stylist type photo with fresh lettuce and tomatoes on a burger does nothing to entice me to try a burger recipe. When I see that I just picture myself picking that stuff off wearing a pinched expression on my face. Like I did with the pizza dough recipe I just gave you […]