June 15, 2016

Chocolate layer cake with strawberry sauce.

Told ya, I am into cakes this week. This is a chocolate cake that I slice horizontally to end with four layers and fill with rich and velvety chocolate buttercream. I glazed the cake with a shiny chocolate glaze and let it drip down the sides. This is an Ina Garten cake recipe that I slightly adapted to make this cake. I like the simplicity of the execution: mix all the dry ingredients in the... View Article

June 13, 2016

New potatoes and spring peas salad with classic vinaigrette and fresh dill

This is the salad I made to go with the vegan burgers the other day so I am sharing it with you in case you were curious. The new potatoes are beautiful now and beg to be used as often as possible. Soft and buttery they hardly need anything but a shower of fresh herbs but today I dressed them in a vinaigrette. You don’t have to peel them when the peel is fine and... View Article

June 11, 2016

Two-Bean Burgers (Vegan)

Our family here in Kelowna gets together for a Friday night dinner fairly regularly. We try to keep it simple so it doesn’t become burdensome and we linger over soup and salad like some may linger over a 5 course meal. This week was my “turn” (we don’t keep track, whoever feels like cooking invites) and I thought vegan burgers may be fun, with a side salad of potatoes and fresh peas in a classic... View Article

June 10, 2016

Strawberries and cream cake

My head has been filled with visions of cakes lately. Vanilla cake, chocolate cake, lemon cake, oye. There is not much opportunity to bake cakes these days because I cook for two most of the time but on the weekend we had friends visiting so the opportunity arose. I baked a vanilla cake and instead of serving a slice of cake with a pile of berries and a large dollop of whipped cream I thought... View Article

June 8, 2016

Pasta with parsley pesto and roasted tomatoes on the vine

I am doubling up on recipes lately. Same as the previous zucchini “noodles” recipe but with real pasta this time. I was fascinated by the way chefs roll up the pasta into a cylinder and had to figure it out. I think it’s coming along and it was fun. I used a two pronged grill fork, wrapped the pasta around it, placed it on the plate and pulled the fork out. If you have dexterity,... View Article

June 8, 2016

Zucchini “noodles” with parsely pesto and roasted tomatoes.

I mentioned a while ago that I bought the spiralizer attachment for the KitchenAid mixer, so, I am having fun playing with it and I thought I’d share this zucchini noodles dish in case you are interested. There are different spiralizers on the market if you don’t have one and you can look at a review here. When I first made the spirals with a zucchini they started all messed up, wet and short but... View Article

June 6, 2016

Dutch Baby pancakes

Baked in a cast iron skillet, these are a cross between pancake and a popover. The simple batter contains eggs, butter, flour, milk and sugar with a little vanilla flavouring. It’s best to whip it up in a blender so it’s lump free. Once it’s ready, you pour it into a heated cast iron skillet and slide it into the oven. Within minutes the batter will puff up creating it own raised sides “bowl” ready... View Article

June 5, 2016

One bowl chocolate chip cookies

It’s been a while since I baked anything so today I was in the mood to bake cookies. This is a one bowl recipe that does not require a mixer and can be whipped up in no time. You can use chocolate that you chop up yourself or use good quality chocolate chips. The chips keep their shape more than the bulk chocolate so it’s a question of style and what you have on hand,... View Article

June 3, 2016

Fresh berries with Okanagan dessert wine

Not every dessert has to be complicated. Sometime what is best after a meal is a bowl of beautiful fresh berries drizzled with luscious local dessert wine. If you want to indulge, whip up some cream to go with it. If you want to make it vegan make a cashew cream with this recipe. Serves 4 Ingredients:   1 container Strawberries 1 container Blueberries 1 container Raspberries 1 container Blackberries Okanagan dessert wine of your... View Article

June 1, 2016

Tacos: black beans, roasted corn and agave-lime slaw

We came back from a long hike on trails around a local mountain with spectacular views of the Okanagan lake. We left for the hike early morning and the parking lot at the foot of the mountain was nearly empty. It tends to fill up quickly later in the day and especially on weekends. We started with our regular route to the top of the mountain but three quarters of the way up decided to... View Article

May 30, 2016

Ricotta and spinach stuffed shells with quick tomato sauce

I made the previous stuffed shells recipe again, this time with a simple and quick tomato sauce. I must confess I am a tomato sauce gal more than cream sauce one, so I kinda like this one better. I thought I’d share it because we loved it. What is so appealing about this recipe is that the shells are not cooked in the sauce but rather baked al forno until they get crisp and slightly... View Article

May 28, 2016

Ricotta and spinach stuffed shells

Twice during our stay in Italy I had stuffed and baked pasta for an elegant first course, and both times it happened in spa resorts: once at Castelo di Velona in Montalcino and next at the Adler Thermae Spa in Bagno Vignoni. Those dishes stuck in my mind as memorable and today I thought I’d try and create something similar at home. Aside from the wonderful flavours, I like the minimalist approach in terms of... View Article