Snacktime: Apple Crostini with Whipped Ricotta

This is a sponsored post. While I was compensated monetarily, all opinions are my own. 

If your house is like my house, snacktime is important. Whether it’s a second breakfast around 11 am or a bedtime snack around 11 pm (I’m a nightowl), I like a little something to nibble on while I work or binge watch a current favourite show (lately, it’s Broadchurch). These crostini made with Cosmic Crisp Washington Apples fit the bill perfectly. Toasted slices of baguette are slathered with a whipped ricotta spread, then topped with crisp and sweet slices of Cosmic Crisps, drizzled with honey and garnished with toasted walnuts. 

A New Year, A New Cookbook!

"Anything can happen! Anything can be!" 

~ Shel Silverstein

Happy New Year! I hope everyone enjoyed their holidays, and while I can't believe we've slipped into a new year, a new decade, here we are. I'm slowly coming out of the chocolate and cheese coma that is December, and ready to get roaring on my brand new project that will consume a great deal of my 2020. I'm writing another cookbook! Vegetables: A Love Story will be published in the fall of 2021 by the fantastic team at TouchWood Editions once again. I'm super excited to finally share the news with you, though I first broke it on my social media a few weeks ago. You follow me over there too, right? For more behind the scenes cookbook adventures, be sure to see what I'm up to on the Instagram and Facebook. Plus, sometimes there are photos of cats! And cookies!

Balsamic Roasted Mushrooms Stuffed with Italian Sausage and Asiago Chese

This is a sponsored post. All opinions are mine. And, as usual, I will only write about products that I really love! 

Last night I caught the tail end of Mr. Bean's Christmas. You know the one. He ends up with the turkey on his head and hilarity ensues. When I run into one of the long ago Christmas specials like Mr. Bean, or A Charlie Brown Christmas I feel all warm and fuzzy inside, or maybe it's just the wine or maybe I'm just feeling nostalgic. This is nostalgia's prime time though, no? It seeps in from all sorts of crevices - like when you unpack your boxes of ornaments, and there's a Christmas card from 1999 tucked in, from an old friend you haven't seen in as long. Or when you hear "River" and have to sit down because it gets you every time. It doesn't take much these days to momentarily transport you back to another Christmas; another life.     

Pear and Goat Cheese Tartlets with Honey Drizzle

This is a sponsored post. I was compensated financially by California Bartlett Pears. All thoughts and opinions about these pears are my own.

My love for pears runs deep. It always has and always will. Pears whisper their flavour, rather than shout it from the rooftops like many of the fruits currently having their moment. Pears are the underdogs of the fruit world, and I kind of love them for that. Their subtle sweetness is still something I crave in this season of peaches and cherries. For a fruit lover like, me, I’m pretty much in heaven! That’s why when I saw baskets full of beautiful California Bartlett Pears at my local supermarket, my heart leapt a little. These sweet and juicy pears are only available for several weeks in July and August which means I can get my pear love in the summer and then in the fall with the pears from beautiful British Columbia. It’s a win win for me!

A New Year & a New Kitchen Toy: Roasted Beet Hummus

Disclosure:  Cuisinart sent me this lovely food processor free of charge.  All opinions about it are my own.  

Happy New Year, dear friends.  I hope you all survived the holidays relatively unscathed.  I'm super glad they are over, and now we can carry on with everyday life.  Keep in mind that my everyday life still involves cookies and cakes, but also plenty of vegetables and pulses.  It's all about the balance, you know. 

Baked Brie with Caramelized Pears and Bacon

"Nothing was so likely to do her good as a little quiet cheerfulness at home." ~ Jane Austen

This week was not how I intended it to be.  One week ago I had visions of powering through recipe testing for the book and getting a good jump on my Christmas baking.  None of that happened.  Instead, I woke up last Friday with what felt like knives hanging out in my throat.  No amount of honey or tea would soothe it.  Next day the tickle at the back of the throat started and so came on the incessant cough that stole my sleep for the better part of this week.  That, combined with congestion and aching bones kept me out of the kitchen and away from the computer, except for deadlines which had to be kept.  There's not much one can do with a foggy brain and aching body except cozy up on the couch and watch movies until you drift off, only to be awakened by the soft padding of kitten paws rearranging themselves on your legs.  This bit of forced rest has done me good - a reminder to not get too overloaded this holiday season.   Lord knows there will be busier days ahead, but if I need to take a break and watch Little Women, then so be it.   

Sautéed Dates with Olive Oil & Sea Salt

 

When I grow up I want to write just like Molly Wizenberg.  I'm sure you know her blog Orangette.  And if you don't, please do yourself the biggest favour ever and head over there.  Now.  Her writing is honest, funny, so true to life and so goddamn good.  I was fortunate to have received a preview copy of her latest book Delancey way back before Christmas.  I saved it to savour for the flight to Phoenix.  I'm not good on planes.  I fidget and squirm, breathe deeply when there's turbulence, and grip on to the seat ahead of me when things get really dicey.  Seriously.  If you ever have the misfortune of sitting next to me, ask to move.  But with Delancey in my hands, I didn't even notice I was in a metal contraption millions of miles above the ground.  I was into it.  Molly's honest account of opening a pizza restaurant with her husband Brandon in Seattle is both charming and poignant. It's about finding your way as a couple and building the life you want to have together.  I think what I like best about the book is the vulnerability.  She doesn't gloss over the mucky bits, she lays them out flat for all to see.  It's a book about faith and love, perseverance and imperfection.  Oh, and food, too.  Each chapter concludes with a recipe; simple and straightforward.  What you would eat if you were building a restaurant and a life together simultaneously.  

Apple, Rosemary & Cheddar Tart with Dulce de Leche Glaze

Live each season as it passes; breathe the air, drink the drink, taste the fruit,

and resign yourself to the influences of each.  ~ Henry David Thoreau

Well friends, I'm back from my Washington Organic Fruit Adventure, and I have to say I had the best time.  My expectations were far surpassed.  Washington is a stunning state and I'm so glad I got to experience it first hand, if only for a few days.  Everything was divine.  Truly.  My mind was blown, happily so.