July 18, 2015
Garlic scape is a new item in my kitchen. Somehow it escaped the range of my rather extensive vegetable repertoire and I have never cooked with it before. My friend Jeannette brought them to my attention last year after she was invited to a garlic farm and urged by the farmer to pick as many garlic scapes as she could. She ended up making garlic scape pesto and brought over a couple of jars filled... View Article
July 16, 2015
Do you sometimes take your breakfast to go? I am not advocating it but if you do, then an oatmeal smoothie may be the way to go. I am a big fan of oatmeal for breakfast and this smoothie incorporates the elements of a morning oatmeal into a drink. Smoothies are not an exact science so don’t get hung up on quantities. Add your ingredients to the blender and enough liquid of your choice to... View Article
July 14, 2015
Bundt cakes are one of the easiest cakes to make. No mixer, not too many dishes, never fail recipes. If you find one recipe that works for you, you can improvise with the ingredients as long as you keep the basic proportions of wet and dry ingredients constant. Red currants make a sweet and tangy cake that you can serve on its own or with a little whipped cream or ice cream. The red currants... View Article
July 13, 2015
This recipe is for the rice, lentil and noodle bowl that I served with the Israeli tomato-cucumber salad the other day. Together with grilled corn on the cob and French baguette it made a lovely summer patio dinner, all plant based. I also made Rosemary lemonade to cool us down, love lemonade in the summer. I cooked everything together pilaf style so the rice, lentils and noodles are ready at the same time. If you... View Article
July 11, 2015
A salad in Israel is a ritual. They have it with every meal, including breakfast but it is not necessarily the green leafy salad we are used to here (although they do have green leafy salads loaded with good stuff there as well). The traditional Israeli salad is made with ripe tomatoes, crisp cucumbers, sweet red pepper and a sweet and pungent white onion and then you can add lots and lots of chopped flat... View Article
July 6, 2015
My daughter Jade was home this weekend and it was fun spending time around the table visiting and enjoying her company. Summer breakfast on the patio is special, especially when you can linger without a major agenda calling you away. Pancakes were always a weekend breakfast treat when the kids where growing up and I try to keep the momentum going when they visit now. I made these simple buttermilk pancakes with no frills and... View Article
July 5, 2015
The local farm stands just opened this weekend and I enjoyed the first of the summer “market runs” that I am so good at:). The large farmers market has been open for a while but there still are more crafts than produce stalls over there. Hopefully the trend will reverse soon as produce ripens and is ready to be sold. I am sure that not everything I bought is local, but the quality was good... View Article
June 25, 2015
These tarts just sing of summer flavours: buttery pastry, tangy lemon and sweet berries. You can make them in individual tart moulds or in a larger one and cut in wedges, either way they are a lovely, light and summary dessert. I have already posted the recipe for the lemon curd so I will not repeat it here but will provide instructions for making and baking the pastry and assembling the tarts. When I make... View Article
June 23, 2015
I can squeeze a wedge of lemon on just about anything. It adds life to soups, salads, dressings, vegetables and fruits, not to mention water, sparkling or still. If you squeeze more juice than required for a recipe store the extra in a small container in the freezer so you can have it just when you need it. Don’t forget to also freeze lemon zest. Never squeeze a lemon without zesting it first. I wrap... View Article
June 16, 2015
Corn fritters make a lovely change of pace at lunch or dinner, and they can be served as an appetizer with the mayo as a dipping sauce. I made the fritters batter in the food processor, pulsing everything a few times so the fritters still retain texture. Cook them in a skillet on medium heat, to allow them to cook through and the outside to become golden. Too high heat may cook the outside fast... View Article
June 13, 2015
We don’t have local corn yet but the corn I found in one of the produce markets is very good, so I have been buying and serving it in various ways in the last few weeks. This salad was inspired by an image I saw in Bon Appetit a few weeks ago of a grilled corn salad made with half of the corn roasted, the other half raw. I made up my own recipe but... View Article
June 11, 2015
It’s raining here today as I am writing this, as it did yesterday and as it will tomorrow according to forecast (remember, this is a pre-scheduled post). A perfect day for staying home and cooking. I have always loved rain, the sound of it dripping, the fresh fragrances it coaxes out of the earth and plants, the silvery colour palette of sky and clouds and how everything is more vibrant against the silvery tones. The... View Article
