Apple Cinnamon Muffins with Oat Crumble Topping

 

This is a sponsored post. All opinions are my own. 

After cookies, muffins were the first thing I learned to bake, way way back when I was a rosy-cheeked lass. The process is simple enough, and in about 30 minutes from start to finish you have tender and moist little cakes you can hold in your hand. What’s not to love about a muffin? Of course there are a million recipes for muffins, and the real fun is in the add-ins and flavour combinations. Banana chocolate? Yes please! Blueberry and lemon? Give it to me! But one of my all-time favorites has to be apple-cinnamon. There is something so comforting about this classic combination, and these muffins are darn near perfection. Loaded with tasty chunks of apple, a tender crumb, and a buttery oat crumble topping, it’s easy to see why these muffins disappeared quickly from my kitchen. 

Summer Spread: Herby White Bean and Feta Dip

 

This is a sponsored post. While I was compensated by the Ontario Bean Growers, I've been a huge fan of all things bean related for a very long time. All opinions are mine.

While the “official” start to summer is less than a week away, I’ve been feeling those summertime vibes for some time now. It’s another scorcher of a day here in Saskatoon, and with a house that lacks air conditioning, finding meals to cook without generating any heat inside the house is a huge deal for me. Heck, even when I boil the tea kettle, my thermostat goes up by half a degree! Gotta love old houses and the sweat boxes they truly are. Oh what I wouldn’t give for a finished basement and/or the hum of air conditioning right now. Alas, I’ve sweltered in the summer for well over a decade here, and I am more or less used to it. Doesn’t mean I won’t whine about it from time to time!

Take It Easy: Spiced Ginger Beef

This is a sponsored post. I was compensated by Saskatoon Co-op, but as always, all opinions are my own. 

Everyone likes a quick meal that's super easy to throw together. Right? Right! I'm pleased to have partnered with my local Saskatoon Co-op to help get the word out about their brand new What's For Dinner promotion. Inside each Saskatoon Co-op store, there's a display which is basically a one stop shop to get all of your ingredients for the featured recipe that week. Saskatoon Co-op has really taken the guess work out of grocery shopping by putting all of the items in one display case. No need to run around the store and try to find ingredients, because honestly who has time for that? These days, I want to get in and out of grocery stores as quick as possible. There will be a new featured recipe every week, which will be a great way to introduce something new to the usual meal rotation. And you may find some new favourites you'll want to make over and over again. And honestly, grocery shopping will be less of a hassle and more of a breeze! Look for the What's For Dinner display in your local Saskatoon Co-op store for a new recipe each week. This is a super helpful way for busy folks who want to put supper on the table as quickly as possible, and still have it be delicious and nutritious. 

One Pan Only: Quick Sausage and White Bean Cassoulet

This is a sponsored post. While I was compensated monetarily by the Ontario Bean Growers, I've been a huge fan of all things bean related for a very long time. All opinions are mine.

I can't believe I'm writing this, but spring is right around the corner. Hooray! It has been a long winter, that much is true. Snow is still piled up in the front yard, but the birds have been chirping a happier tune, and so have I. My editor has sent me the interior pages of my second cookbook, and I've been scrolling through the final page proofs, checking for errors. It's quite the task, going over every detail, but it means that Vegetables: A Love Story is getting closer to becoming real and I can't wait for it! The pages are so very pretty and vibrant, and it's truly awesome seeing my photos and recipes (and stories!) come to life. I can't wait to share more with you soon! In the meantime, these busy days mean that simple and speedy suppers are what I need, and this quick version of cassoulet, bursting with tomatoes, sausages and white beans, is so very good. Plus I added kale, because greens are good! 

Brighter Days: Caramelized Banana Cream Pie

Hello friends, I am just popping in here for a quick hello, and to tell you about this luscious pie I concocted recently. Dixon and I devoured slices while watching Meghan and Harry spill all of the tea during their interview with Oprah. Holy cow! There is so much to unpack there, but two things stuck with me: 1) I am so glad they got out and 2) Oprah is the queen when it comes to interviewing. Her questions were spot-on, and their answers more than a little shocking. So much drama there! While there is no drama over, there most certainly is pie. I wonder if Meghan and Harry bake pies?

French Onion Macaroni and Cheese

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

So much has happened in the last couple of months. I hope everyone is doing well and staying safe during these wild and crazy days. It’s been a bit of blur over here. The manuscript for Vegetables: A Love Story is fully and completely edited and on its way to the designer as we speak. I can’t remember a day in the last year when I haven’t been working on the book! Feels strange and yet exhilarating to send the book baby away and see what magic transpires with the words and images. With a little more time on my hands I’m catching up on cleaning (oh the dust bunnies!) and tidying up all the loose ends that I’ve shoved to the back burner this year. My office has never been so clean and organized! And, there’s a blizzard on its way this weekend, so I’ve hunkered down with the cats, and have a fridge and pantry well-stocked so you know there is going to be some comfort food happening too. Nothing like swirling snow outside to make me want to have the oven on all day, cooking and baking all the things. This creamy French Onion Macaroni and Cheese was exactly what the day needed - full of delicious caramelized onions and gooey cheese. I’m already excited about the leftovers for lunch tomorrow! 

Summer Perfection: Pear & Prosciutto Flatbreads with Brie

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 the stone 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. The pear, to me, is the perfect fruit. I love the shape, the scent and the sweetness. In fact, if I were to ever get a tattoo, it would be that of a pear, somewhere. Pears are what I remember eating as a kid while riding with my mom in the grain truck, as my dad was combining the fields of wheat on our Saskatchewan farm. Pears are what a really cute boy I used to work with many, many years ago would bring me as a token of his fondness. Things didn't work out with the boy, but my fondness for pears lives on.  Funny thing how one sniff takes you back to when you were 5 or 25. 

Come for Tea: Ginger & Orange Drop Tea Biscuits

It's Victoria Day here in Canada, and with the long weekend comes the unofficial start to summer. Some of us are camping (or glamping!), or hitting the garden centres, or digging in the dirt, or kicking back and seeing that new Avengers movie. I slide to the more lazy side of the equation, which involved a getting up way past the time I usually get up, making lemon ricotta pancakes for my guy and I, sitting outside in the sun with my second cup of coffee, watching my cats eat grass and chase bugs. It's been a good day, so far. Like many of you, I'm hustling all the time. When a day presents itself with no immediate work to do, I almost don't know what to do. I think regular folks call these "days off", but for someone who has work hustles and side hustles and all the hustles, taking a little time to sit in the sun and watch robins dance in the bird bath is a glorious way to spend a few hours of the day.

Get Seasonal: One Pot Pumpkin Macaroni and Cheese

This is a sponsored post. I was compensated financially by Barilla Canada, but all the opinions are my own.  

Everyone loves macaroni and cheese. It’s classic comfort food at its best, and because World Pasta Day is October 25th, I thought I would switch it up my favourite mac and cheese with seasonal pumpkin and sustainable split red lentils. Don’t worry - the end result is still bowls of delicious mac and cheese goodness with the bonus points for added nutrition. Another pasta event happening in October is the Barilla Pasta World Championships in Milan, Italy from October 23rd -25th. This year’s edition is the seventh annual competition, and it’s exciting because for the second time ever, a Canadian chef is competing. Chef Angela Villalta from Toronto is representing Canada, and I’m sending her all sorts of winning vibes.

Everything Good To Eat: Apricot Pie

"Summer was everything good to eat; 

it was a thousand colors in a parched landscape." 

~Harper Lee, To Kill a Mockingbird

This is the point of summer when I'm savouring every detail, every day. The way the warm breeze flows into the house at night, moving the curtains just so. I know the cool nights are coming, but I'm not quite ready for them. I'm thoroughly enjoying ice cream on the patio, as the dragonflies swoop under the trees, which are beginning to change, but I pretend I don't see the yellowing of leaves. Whenever I put on a pretty summer dress, I feel the fabric and admire the way it swirls about my hips, all the while thinking that this could be the last time I wear it this year. End of August always has me feeling a little choked up, like I'm saying goodbye to a lover, forever. I savour every moment we have together, whether it's driving out on country roads to look at the stars, or one last dip of the toes in the lake. Late August has me feeling like this Cat Stevens song and I'm not sorry.

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!