January 28, 2020

Rose, Citrus and Cinnamon Tisane

When we were is Spain travelling for a few months I kept asking for camomile tea and could not understand why I was getting such strange response from the waiters. Eventually we were at a small bar one afternoon and I ask for ….camomile tea. Oh well, not so fast. The waiter sternly advised that I can have either camomile OR tea. I immediately understood his point. Camomile is a tisane, a beverage made with... View Article

January 26, 2020

Cinnamon sugar cakes

I baked these lovely little cakes to use in an image for the online food photography challenge I am participating in. It’s a lot of work producing all these images but I have been having fun with it, working in a community of creative foodies/photographers, making online friends and expanding my horizons. The little cakes were so delicious that I thought I’d share the recipe here. You can make a vegan version of it by... View Article

January 23, 2020

Blood Orange and Dates Muffins

Still in the citrus theme, I made muffins using whole blood oranges and medjool dates and dusted them with powdered sugar when they cooled after baking. This is one of the oranges I created for the food photography online challenge, but ended up submitting something else. I make these by mixing the orange, dates, juice etc (the wet ingredients) in the food processor, and add them to the flour (dry mixture) when ready to bake.... View Article

January 23, 2020

Roasted cauliflower with Harissa and Honey

A little early in the day for dinner but i am submitting an image to an online contest and wanted to have the recipe posted with it. Roasted cauliflower is one of my all time favourites. Easy to make it pays you back with loads of flavour and it takes well to different flavour profiles. I roast the cauli in florets, cauli “steaks” from the center cut or even roast it and serve it whole... View Article

January 22, 2020

Cauliflower and chickpeas coconut curry

Sometimes I venture into different cuisines and make a curry of sorts with what I have on hand in my pantry. In the last few days I have been working on a submission to an online food photography challenge and today’s challenge (for Saturday submission) was herbs and spices. Since I pulled out all the colourful spices for a photograph, I decided to use them in a dish for dinner, hence this curry. It’s a... View Article

January 13, 2020

Charcoal Bread Sticks

You know I like to play with my food and of late I have been interested in this charcoal idea. I made charcoal burger buns a while ago that I thought looked spectacular, but it’s not an everyday thing. I was in Toronto last week visiting our daughter and her husband who just had their first baby boy, our first grandchild. As you can imagine we are all head over heels in love with the... View Article

December 26, 2019

Gougeres (cheese puffs)

Gougeres are one of my favourite things to serve as an appetizer. They are light, airy, full of cheesy flavour, can be served plain or filled with a variety of fillings. In short, they are very versatile. To go with that, they are a little tricky to make and if you have never made them before it may take you once or twice to master them, but once you do I am sure they remain... View Article

December 22, 2019

Marble Bundt Cake

Definitely baking season over here, cookies, brownies, cakes and breads. The fragrance wafts through the house and the aromas confirm it’s holiday season. This cake is simple and I use oil instead of butter. I like the moist texture it creates and it simplifies the process.

December 13, 2019

Crispy Roasted Potatoes

I adapted this recipe from Delicious Magazine after seeing it on Laura Calder’s instagram feed. The dish consists of thinly sliced potatoes (sliced on a mandolin for even thickness) that are parboiled briefly and then arranged almost upright in a skillet, drizzled with butter (I used oil) and roasted in a hot oven until crisp and golden on top, soft and creamy on the bottom. The secret to this dish is to make the potatoes... View Article

December 12, 2019

Cheese Blintzes

Going back to my roots here with these cheese blintzes. My mother used to make them when I was growing up and when I lived in Calgary I went to the farmers market where Marguerite was making wonderful blintzes for sale every week. Now when I want them I have to make them myself. Blintzes are easy to make. They are basically egg based crepes filled with sweetened cottage cheese (I use local ricotta), folded... View Article

December 6, 2019

Roasted Eggplant and Tahini Dip (a.k.a baba ganoush)

Borrowing from middle eastern cuisine, this dip or spread is good to have on hand for ourselves or for company. I have friends who love it and I try to make it when they visit. You can serve it with a variety of breads, anything from a baguette to pita wedges, but I like making a flatbread and serve it warm with the eggplant dip. I have a number of flatbread recipes on the blog,... View Article

December 4, 2019

Roasted Red Pepper Hummus with quick flatbread

Two hummus recipes in a row but that’s how it goes. One was so good I had to make one more but this time I had roasted peppers and added them to the mix. I also made a different flatbread, a very simple one with no yeast so it does not require rising time. I added a teaspoon of baking powder to lighten it up. It’s not vegan though, as I use yogurt instead of... View Article