After 17 days off, it is back to reality Dear Reader.  What a wonderful break that was from life's daily grind of the morning alarm, commute and of course work.   How lovely it was not to be on the clock and stuck in a routine....luxury!

We spent a week in St. Adele, Quebec in a fabulous Air BnB, day tripping to Montreal and Mont Tremblant.  The leaves were just starting to change, giving the Laurentian's a cascade of greens, gold, orange and the beginnings of fiery reds.  What a beautiful country Canada is...I often say that I won the geographical lottery being born here and how true that is these days given the current state of world affairs.

Having been away on vacation, I haven't been cooking much these past few weeks but I thought I would drop in, say hello and share some photos from La Belle Province with you.  

I hope you enjoyed my pictorial post...but rest assured - I'm back in my kitchen and will have something new to share soon Dear Reader.  Keep an eye on the page headers at the top of the page - I'm working on something new to share with you all.​

Farm stands are still overflowing with their bounty of goodness but summer is winding down friends...mornings are cooler, crisper, whispering that it won't be long until Fall is here and we will start to think about cozy soups and stews.  But we're not there yet!  Let's drag out these last days of summer together and enjoy the last bbq's and picnics of the season.  

It's always nice to take along a little something for the host.  A bottle of wine or flowers is always appreciated, but can be a bit boring.  I've given tea towels with pretty hand soap for the kitchen for something different.  But when time allows, I like to give something from my own kitchen and today I've got a quick prep recipe for you to give at your next bbq or family gathering.  You can make it the day before and should the host decide to share, they will be good to go.  I'm talking about refrigerator pickles...the no fuss, no sterilizing or canning required easy recipe.  Let me show you how easy they are to make!

Easy-Peasy Pickles

Makes 2 - 1 quart jars (one to keep and one to give!)

1¼ cups distilled white vinegar (5% acidity)
3 tbsp kosher salt
2 tbsp sugar
2 cups cold water
1¾ to 2 pounds mini cucumbers cut into halves or spears
2 tbsp coriander seeds
6 garlic cloves, peeled and halved
1 tsp mustard seeds
¼ tsp red pepper flakes
16  fresh dill sprigs

Combine the vinegar, salt and sugar in a small saucepan over medium heat. Whisk until the salt and sugar are completely dissolved. Transfer this liquid into a bowl and add the cold water, whisking to combine. Refrigerate brine until ready to use.

Put the cucumber spears into two 1-quart jars. Add the coriander seeds, garlic cloves, mustard seeds, red pepper flakes, dill sprigs, and chilled brine to the jars, dividing evenly. If needed, add cold water to the jars just until the brine covers the cucumbers. Cover and refrigerate for 24 hours before serving. The pickles will keep in the refrigerator for up to one month.

Ahhhh....summer! Sunny days and warm temperatures lead to a bounty of beautiful fruits and vegetables at the farmer's market.  I love this time of year when there is so much goodness to choose from and cooking seems easier - lighter fare with minimal effort until cooler temperatures coax us back to the comfort of hearty soups and stews. 

Today, I've got one of my favourite salsa recipes to share with you.  It's a quick and easy, no-cook appetizer that comes together in 10 minutes.  It's savoury, sweet, fresh and tasty and only requires a bit of chopping.  It isn't the usual tomato based salsa - this one is made with peaches.  It also doubles as a great accompaniment to tacos or chicken and goes well with a glass of wine or better yet - a margarita.  Let's make it! 

Peachy Summer Salsa

2 to 3 peaches, ripe, pitted and diced
½ red bell pepper, diced
¼ cup diced red onion
¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro
Juice and zest of 1 lime
1 small garlic clove, grated
½ jalapeño pepper, minced (trust me - it's not too spicy!)
¼ teaspoon sea salt, plus more to taste

Mix all ingredients together in a pretty, medium sized bowl and season to taste.  Chill until ready to serve.  Enjoy with tortilla chips.  Told you it was easy!  Next time I going to try adding corn to it...let me know if you do.

Well hello.

It's been a while...a long while really. 

Things look a bit different here in the cupboard...I've been doing a bit of tidying up (with a bit more to do as I navigate the IT smarts needed to freshen things up around here) but I will be back very soon with more recipes and some other ideas that are simmering on the backburner...I hope you will come back soon and see what I'm up to.  Looking forward to chatting with you soon!

​Sharon

Hi.

I’m back…again.  I didn’t mean to stay away so long but the days just came and went and soon it was months…and months before I found my way back here.  I guess the truth of the matter is, I just didn’t have much to say.  Like you Dear Reader, I have been hunkered down at home, waiting for this crazy time we are all going through, to pass. 
 
Although we may be going through this together, it hasn’t been the same experience for everybody.  Lost jobs, lost homes, births and deaths, huge life events mourned and celebrated behind our masks.   I’ve become aware that this pandemic has given me the gift of time and I have been thinking a lot how I have mostly wasted it.  Wasted it down the Netlflix rabbit-hole, bingeing my way through mindless, seemingly endless movies and tv series.  It’s funny how in the beginning I was so full of motivation – I was going to get SO MUCH DONE!  Projects that had been put off for ages could finally be started….and completed!  But here we are a year into this and its only recently that I started tackling that to do list.  Thankfully, inspiration comes unexpectedly.  Maybe it’s the longer, sunny days with their hint of Spring warmth that has me perking up, shaking off the cobwebs and getting starting to get things done.
 
Locked down, comfort food was a bit too comforting…I baked far too much, and far too often.  Hearty stews and soups were in constant rotation.  Good, stick to the ribs kind of food…and unfortunately my ribs are not the only place it stuck! 
 
I made this cake one afternoon when it was a dreary day outside and the house felt dark and gloomy.  It’s an easy recipe, not too fussy or taxing to tackle, which if I am being honest, is really the only kind of baking I ever want to do.  Enjoyed with a cup of tea, it brought cheer to the afternoon. 
 
Enjoy!

Ginger Walnut Carrot Cake
Adapted from “At My Table” by Nigella Lawson

Cake:
1⅔ cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
½ tsp baking soda
2 tsp ground ginger
¼ tsp fine sea salt
¾ cup brown sugar
2 large eggs (at room temperature)
¾ cup vegetable oil
1¾ cups carrots (peeled and coarsely grated)
1 cup walnut pieces (roughly chopped)
4½ tbsp candied ginger (finely chopped)
 
Icing:
7 tbsp unsalted butter (soft)
1 cup confectioners' sugar (sieved if lumpy)
1 tsp cornstarch
4 oz full-fat cream cheese 
1 tbsp fresh ginger (coarsely grated)
¼ cup walnut pieces (roughly chopped or crumbled)
1½ tbsp candied ginger (chopped)
 
Preheat oven to 325 degrees. 

Grease and line bottom of a 9 inch cake pan with parchment paper and set aside.

Put the flour, baking powder, baking soda, ground ginger and salt into a bowl and whisk together until mixed well and set aside.

Next, in a large bowl, beat the sugar, eggs and oil until they are really well mixed. Gradually add the flour mixture, making sure to scrape down sides of bowl as you go. The mixture may seem quite stiff at this point but the addition of the carrots will loosen it up.  Add the carrots and then fold in 1 cup of chopped walnuts and 4½ tablespoons of candied ginger, until it is all evenly combined.

Pour batter into the prepared cake pan. Smooth the top and pop in the oven for 45–55 minutes. When it’s ready, the cake will be golden brown and beginning to shrink away from the edges of the pan and a cake tester will come out with a few crumbs stuck to it.

Transfer to a wire rack and leave to cool in the cake pan.

Prepare the icing:

Beat the butter and confectioners' sugar together until creamy, then add in the cornstarch, followed by half of the cream cheese. Once well mixed, add the remaining cream cheese. Beat until combined, taking care not to overbeat as the icing will become runny.

Next, place the grated ginger into a double layer of paper towel and bring up corners to form a beggar’s purse. Hold the ginger over a small bowl and squeeze out ginger juice. Add this to the frosting and mix gently until combined. Cover and refrigerate.

Once the cake has completely cooled, take icing out of fridge and let sit for 20 minutes, until it was softened to a nice, spreadable consistency.
​
Remove cake from the pan and place on your prettiest plate or cake stand.  Evenly spread the frosting on top of the cake creating little swirls as you go.  Sprinkle the top with the remaining chopped walnuts and candied ginger.
 
Makes 8 to 12 slices, depending on how greedy you’re feeling.

Last summer feels like the summer that wasn’t to me.  I spent two months of it home, recovering from surgery and just like that, it was over.  We didn’t go on any of our usual day trips, like visiting farmers markets and small town main streets as I just wasn’t up to it.  I really missed those weekend adventures, especially tonight as we are hunkered down in the middle of a snow storm.  It has me reminiscing...

We did take one little trip as summer was coming to an end, and it was the highlight of that lost summer for me.  My husband has a friend, a former colleague, who had moved to Bracebridge, Ontario a few years ago and although we had talked about visiting many times, it had just never worked out until then.

 I had never met Kevin and Bonnie until that weekend and I will admit it pushed this introvert a bit out of her comfort zone to be staying in the home of people I had never met.  But my nervousness was for not – they were warm and welcoming and instantly put me at ease.  Their home is a beautiful, log cabin, nestled in amongst the trees.  When I was trying to decide what to take for a hostess gift, Adrian was no help at all.  He had been once before to go golfing, but could not remember anything about the house other than Monty, their dog.  Clearly coordinating tea towels weren’t an option. 

Then it came to me…Monty! I would bake him doggie biscuits.  The Christmas before I had made a few batches for my niece Kayla’s dog walking clients and they were a big hit – and were with Monty too.  Bonnie has text me since then to tell me that he longingly looks at the cookie tin and only likes my cookies now.  The dough freezes well so when we visited again in the Fall I took discs of the dough that they could bake off as Monty’s stash ran out.  I have become his “dealer”. 
​

Monty’s Doggie Cookies
Adapted from Gourmet Magazine, December 2005 issue
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/4 cups whole-wheat flour
1 1/4 cups cornmeal
1 1/4 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
1/2 cup toasted wheat germ
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
1 tbsp baking powder
1 1/2 tsp salt
3/4 cup cold unsalted butter, diced
1 cup plus 1 tbsp water
1/2 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1/2 cup chopped fresh mint leaves
1 large egg
 
Put both flours, cornmeal, oats, wheat germ, brown sugar, baking powder, and salt in food processor and pulse until combined. Next, add butter and pulse until mixture resembles coarse meal with pea-size butter lumps. Add 1 cup of water and pulse until a coarse, dense dough forms.

Next, turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead in parsley and mint until distributed throughout. Divide dough in half and form into 2 balls. Flatten each into a 6-inch disk.

Put oven racks in upper and lower thirds of oven and preheat oven to 350°F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper.

Roll out one disk of dough to 1/3” on a well-floured surface with floured rolling pin. Cut out as many cookies as possible and space about ¼” apart on baking sheet.

Gather scraps and reroll, then cut out more cookies and repeat with remaining dough.

Whisk together egg and 1 tablespoon water. Brush cookies with egg wash and bake, switching position of sheets halfway through, until tops are golden brown, about 35 minutes total.

​Allow cookies to cool completely. Biscuits will keep layered between parchment paper in airtight container at room temperature for one month. 

Makes 60 cookies, depending on size of cookie cutter.​

​The day started early…too early for me, especially on less than three hours sleep.  I have been off recovering from surgery for the past 6 weeks and it has wreaked havoc on my sleep schedule.  But, a deal is a deal and I had agreed to get up and head on down to the St. Lawrence Market for all the ingredients we would need to make Paella for dinner that night.  I always love the market – once I am there, but it is the getting there that presents the challenge for me as I am definitely not a morning person.  I need some time to draw myself together and certainly not at 4:45 in the morning!

So with our shopping list written and double-checked, off we went to gather the chorizo sausage, seafood, saffron and of course some wine for our planned feast on the deck.  I must admit that, that time of the day is lovely, once you wrap your head around it.  Watching the sun come up behind us like a fiery ball in the sky in the side-mirrors of the car improved this cranky girl’s disposition. 

Our routine at the Market always starts the same way…Adrian gets a peameal bacon and egg on a bun and I get a fruit Danish to get our adventure going – some much-needed fuel for the market haul about to happen – especially this time.  He was going to end up like a pack mule as I am restricted to lifting no more than 5 pounds for the next few months.  He was going to need his strength!

We have our favourite vendors at the market and in under an hour we had our list checked off as well as the extra lovely things that always find their way into our shopping bags and the one thing we always buy…lilies – orange ones usually, but this time, the promise of beautiful deep pink ones hidden in the still tightly-closed petals.  So, full shopping bags and flowers in hand, we headed home with our haul.

After a wonderful afternoon nap (I’ve gotten really good at those since being off!) we opened a bottle of wine, turned on some music and got this Paella going.  I think you’re going to like this – it's flavourful, but not crazy hot – but if spicy is your thing, just amp up the heat by adjusting the spices to taste.  Its also a great recipe if you have good friends coming as it makes a lot.  I would suggest reading the recipe through as it is written in two parts – stovetop then bbq (although you can finish it in the oven if you prefer).  Measure the ingredients in advance that you will need outside at your bbq and have them waiting on a tray ready to go for a smoother transition between stovetop and bbq.

BBQ Paella

2 tbsp olive oil
3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1” chunks
2 chorizo sausage (mild or hot – you decide) sliced into ½” pieces
1 ½ cups Spanish onion, coarsely chopped
1 ½ cups red pepper, coarsely chopped
1 ½ tbsp garlic, finely chopped
¾ tsp chili flakes
2 tsp smoked paprika
2 cups arborio rice
1 796ml can diced tomatoes
1 cup white wine
2 pinches of saffron in ½ cup warm water (soak for 10 minutes or so)
1 tsp salt
3 ½ cups chicken stock
¾ cup frozen peas
8 jumbo shrimp, peeled and deveined
¾ lb fresh mussels, cleaned and debearded
Fresh parsley, chopped for garnish
Lemon wedges for garnish
 
Heat oil over medium heat in large skillet and brown chicken on all sides.  Remove from pan and set aside. It won’t be cooked through – it will finish cooking in the paella on the bbq.

Quickly, nip out and start your bbq and place paella pan on the grill to warm.  You want it to heat to 350 degrees. Alternatively, you could finish it in a preheated 400 degree oven.

Add chorizo, onion and peppers to pan and cook about 10 minutes, until sausage has browned.
Next, add garlic, chili flakes and the smoked paprika and cook for one minute.  Add the arborio rice and stir well.

Now out to the bbq you go…

Scrape contents of skillet into the paella pan then add the diced tomatoes, white wine, saffron water and cook for 3 minutes. 

Add the salt, chicken stock and peas.  Stir to combine and distribute chicken evenly throughout pan.  Tent paella pan with foil and close lid of your bbq.  Cook for 18-20 minutes.

Next, nestle shrimp and mussels within the rice and cover with foil.  Close lid of bbq and cook for 12 minutes or until mussels have opened.

Garnish with chopped parsley and serve with wedge of lemon.
 
Serves 4-6 greedy bellies

Just before summer was over, my husband and I stole a few days away at a cottage and then spent the last few days of our week off relaxing at home on the deck.  Well I call it relaxing…I have been told by a few people that I don’t know how to be on vacation because I always end up hosting lunches and dinners with those that matter most to me.  It’s when I feel I’m at my best – unhurried and doing what I love most…feeding those I love.  This vacation was no different than most – my nieces came for lunches and dinners and my cousin came for one last lunch out on the deck before the summer came to an end for another year.

Of course, Marjory and I have been cousins our whole lives, but it has only been in recent years that we have become friends and confidantes.  We text each other nearly every day, even if it is only to ask what’s for dinner.  Through Marjory and her husband Tom, I have learned things about my family I wouldn’t have otherwise known now that both my parents are gone.  Tom is a gifted storyteller and we have shared good laughs over great meals.  It’s always fun.

It was just the three of us for lunch that day – poor Tom was working while we enjoyed crisp, cool Pinot Grigio with a bistro inspired lunch.  Marjory had brought me a special gift with a story to go along with it…a juicy tidbit about our Gran. 
​
Turns out, many, many years ago, my very proper Gran worked at the Grand Hotel in Glasgow, Scotland.  This prestigious hotel was built in 1883 and forms the front of the Glasgow Central railway station on Gordon Street. 

My Gran had said that the head waiter had given her this teapot….but for whatever reason her own daughter didn’t quite believe it.  We will never know for sure if it was a case of sticky fingers or was in fact just reward.  Either way, it is mine to treasure now and it lives happily amongst my cookbooks.  Marjory tells me that it cleans up very nicely with some silver polish but I love it the way it is…there is history (and possible larceny!) in it’s tarnish that I don’t want to wash away.

Leek and Potato Galette
Adapted from Bon Appetit Magazine, October 2016 issue

For the Dough:

1/2 cup raw pistachios
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp sugar
1 cup (2 sticks) chilled unsalted butter, cut into pieces 

​For the Filling & Assembly:

1 tbsp. olive oil, plus more for drizzling
1 large leek, white and pale-green parts only, halved lengthwise, thinly sliced
4 oz fresh goat cheese
5 tbsp. heavy cream
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
Salt
Freshly ground pepper
All-purpose flour (for surface)
4 tbsp. fresh thyme, , plus sprigs for serving
2 large Yukon Gold potatoes, thinly sliced
1 large egg, beaten
​Honey, for drizzling (optional)

​Using a food processor, pulse pistachios until coarsely ground.  Next, add flour, salt and sugar and pulse to combine.
Add the butter next and pulse just until a coarse meal forms.  With motor running on low, slowly stream 1/2 cup ice cold water through feeder tube until dough comes together.  Transfer dough to floured work surface and form into ball and flatten into disc.  Wrap tightly is cling wrap and allow to chill for 30 minutes in refrigerator.

​Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  

​Heat one tablespoon of the olive oil in skillet over medium heat.  Add leeks and cook for about 5 minutes until softened, but now browned.  Transfer to small bowl and set aside.

​Peel and thinly slice potatoes and set aside. 

​In a medium bowl, mix goat cheese, cream and garlic.  Season with salt and pepper and mix to combine.

​Divide dough into four equal pieces.  On lightly floured surface, roll each piece out to an 8" round.  Taking care, transfer each piece to parchment lined baking tray.  Next, spread one quarter of the goat cheese mixture evenly over each round of dough, leaving a 1" border around the edge of each.  Scatter one tablespoon of fresh thyme over each one and top with a layer of sliced potatoes.  Drizzle each galette with olive oil and season with salt and freshly ground pepper.  Scatter one quarter of the sautéed leeks over each galette.  Fold over edges of dough, folding and tucking as you go round each galette.  Brush the edges of dough with beaten egg.

​Bake the galettes for 35-40 minutes or until the potatoes are tender and the dough is golden brown.  Serve warm with a drizzle of honey on each if desired.

Bye for now!
​xx