Turkey Soup with Butternut Squash & Wild Rice

 If you enjoyed turkey at your Thanksgiving dinner (in Canada) last weekend, then no doubt you had a pot of turkey bones bubbling away on your stove at some point this week.  My mom hosted the feast this year, and for a change she did a bacon lattice on top of the 22 pound bird.  I repeat.  Turkey, covered in bacon.  It was a glorious sight to behold.  I was so smitten I forgot to take a photo.  And that's saying something.  The bacon infusion could be detected throughout the meat, and oh sweet lord, the gravy.  So good.  So, if you want to switch things up this year for the holidays, you can't go wrong with slathering turkey in bacon.  Of course, the next day, she brought out her soup pot, tossed some of the bones in (I got a freezer bags worth too - them being lots of bones in that big bird), covered them with water, onion, celery, carrot and simmered them the day away.  Given my thrifty nature, ahem, I save my vegetable scraps from whatever meal prep I'm doing and just tuck them away in a freezer bag as I go along.  That way when it comes time to boil up some bones, you already have your veg, no need to chop up fresh onions, celery, carrot, etc.  Also, fresh parsley, garlic, peppercorns and a pinch of whole cloves are my musts for stock.  Let it simmer long and slow, with bubbles just breaking the surface.  You'll get a nicer flavour than just boiling the crap out of it for one hour.  Remember, most good things in life take a good, long while.  

Salted Pumpkin Panna Cotta & A Side of Mashed

It's the eve of Thanksgiving weekend in Canada...turkeys are being purchased, pumpkin pies are being prepped, there are line ups at the grocery stores and gas stations.  I love this weekend.  The weather is still great, there's very little crazy like there is at Christmas, and all you have to do is be thankful.  Bonus points for crashing through all of the fallen leaves like you're five years old again.  This weekend also means spending time with your family and friends, and eating your way into a food coma.  Or maybe it's a smaller gathering this year - just you and your honey bun, or grandma or cat.  My latest article in Culinaire is all about the intimate Thanksgiving dinner for two, and guys, I made Cornish hen for the first time, so you really should check it out.  Deelicious doesn't describe.  There is also a recipe for this dreamy panna cotta, if you want to omit the pie.  So simple and smooth, plus you can make it in advance.  Ding ding ding!  And lastly, I gussied up some mashed potatoes with kale and squash.  There may be no going back to regular mashed spuds after devouring these.  Read the article in its entirety here.  Happy Thanksgiving, and take care out there.  xoxo Renée

Plum & Nectarine Hazelnut Galette

"I'm so glad I live in a world where there are Octobers."  ~ Lucy Maude Montgomery

With Canadian Thanksgiving just around the bend, I feel like I should be thrown into food blogger jail for not posting something pumpkin.  Please forgive?  However if you do a search on my blog for lovely pumpkin confections, you'll find tiramisu, and pumpkin roll, and even waffles.  So there you go. And. And!  Near the end of this week I will be posting something Thanksgiving related, so hold on to your hats for that.  There will be pumpkin!  But first things first, there are nectarines and plums.

Just Like That: Ratatouille

 

Gosh September, you're (almost) already gone.  Just like that.  I don't know about you guys, but it's been a busy one, especially if you grow your own food.  Recent road trips saw me crisscrossing the prairies, with combines out in full force, trying to get crops off before it's gets too cold or too wet.  My projects run on a much smaller scale, mainly putting the garden to bed and making tomato sauce with the generous offering of tomatoes from my sister.  She had a bumper crop this year, and I'm happy to use what she can't.  Sister love!  And, recent offerings of zucchini (okay, they kind of pleaded with me to take some) and peppers saw me bring out my giant stock pot and whip of a batch of ratatouille.  You know the stuff.  Peppers, eggplant, tomatoes, and yes, zucchini, simmered for a couple of hours into a silky stew that is so fantastic this time of year.  You can read more about here, in the latest issue of Culinaire Magazine.  It's super simple, you just need good knife skills and a good soundtrack to chop away to.  I listen to this about at least once a day. Happy autumn, y'all.

A Gift: French Toast Sandwiches with Peaches & Mozzarella

 

Summer is heaving it's last gasp this weekend.  I hope you all played hard and soaked up as much sun as possible.  The tan lines on my feet are fading and my nail polish is long scuffed off.  Mornings see me swaddled in scarves and I've even had to turn the furnace on once or twice.  I know, the horror.  But. The leaves and light are changing, making the world around me so darn pretty, and I think I'm ready now.  Letting go is always a bit prickly to bear, but knowing that good things come in its wake, well, you just have to have faith in that.  Each season we're hit with is a gift, and I'm happy to tuck this summer away.  But before I do.  There are still peaches left to sniff. 

Sweet & Smoky Turkey Sloppy Joes

Mid September means most of us are back to school, back to work, back to reality, as it were.  I don't know about you, but every once in a while I close my eyes thinking it's still a lazy summer afternoon and all is just so right in the world.  This is a month of transition, in so many ways.  Work, weather, relationships.  There's lots on the go here, as I'm sure there is where you are, too.  Meals need to be thrown together faster than you can say "New episode of The Mindy Project! Hooray!".  And that's where these sloppy joes come to the rescue.  They are full of flavour and the sauce comes together while you whip up a quick coleslaw on the side.  Be sure to grab some fresh rolls, and there you are.  Dinner under thirty minutes, leaving you time to chauffeur the little ones to their activities, or get back into that yoga class (hey there yoga mat, nice to see you again) or just settle in for the night, because all of your favourite shows are back.  Can I just say thank goodness they finally adapted the wonderfully smutty Outlander series for TV.  Thank you Showtime for making my Sunday evenings that much better. 

For full recipe, please head on over to the Turkey Farmers of Canada website.  

How to Cook Lobster and Not Be Afraid

You guys.  I know.  Cooking lobster can scare the bejeezus out of you.  I've been there.  For my latest article in Culinaire Magazine, I spent the afternoon in my friend Lindsey's kitchen while she cooked the sea beast, tore it apart and extracted the sweet meat.  I was a fraidy cat before, but now I know I can do it all by myself, shall the occasion happen to fall upon me.  And you can too!!!  It's really not so bad.  And seeing as Labour Day is here already, why not try your hand at it this weekend?  This salad was worth all of the effort, believe me.  And this dip is crazy good too.  Read on for the recipes and step by step instructions.  Good luck.   And have a safe and happy weekend.