Megan and I have been making quarantine care packages for both our parents and have started accepting requests. My sister asked for oatmeal cookies, so Megan and I referenced a few recipes and came up with a version of our own. This recipe involves a few extra steps and a little extra (hands-off) time, but in my opinion it does result in a tastier cookie.
Granola, oh sweet, crunchy, snacky granola. What do I love about you? Let me see: (1) you are great for breakfast – good with milk, or add a bit to your yogurt and suddenly you can call it a parfait; (2) you are great for things besides breakfast too, sometimes Royce puts a little of you on a salad for a bit of crunch and sweetness; (3) you are an amazing way to clean up all those odds and ends in the pantry and a great excuse for a trip to the local bulk food store; and most, importantly, (4) you are a tasty, crunchy, and not totally unhealthy snack that I find suitable for any time of day.
Our love for desserts — especially those by our friends at Roselle — has led us to start testing recipes for pavlova, inspired by the one that is impeccably done on their evening dessert menu. What is a Pavlova? Pavlova is a meringue-based dessert named after Anna Pavlova (a ballerina). It has a crisp exterior and a marshmallow-y center, and is often paired with a light cream and fresh fruits. It is a great, simple dessert that can evolve throughout the year to feature seasonal ingredients. Continue reading
About a month ago, it was Megan’s birthday. Because of the current need for social distancing, we had to make the best of it by celebrating at home. Instead of getting takeout or delivery, we decided on homemade versions of some of her favourite treats. She requested baked wings and potato wedges for dinner (an ode to St. Louis), and Vietnamese subs (banh mi) for lunch. I didn’t have a recipe for the traditional sub buns, so I opted to make mini baguettes instead. I messed up the recipe the first time because of a miscalculation (believe it or not, I’m a certified Math teacher), so of course I had to make baguettes again… and again. I ended up making multiple versions of the recipe: first correcting my mistake, then adjusting and experimenting. This was kind of a win-win: I learned a lot and we got to eat a lot of pretty decent baguettes in the process.
Besides the banana muffin recipe, we often bake these carrot muffins for our breakfast club/after school program. Continue reading
For Megan’s birthday this year, she wanted to have Banh Mi sandwiches at lunch. A key ingredient in these sandwiches are pickled carrot and daikon, so I had to try my luck with Vietnamese Pickles. I’m pretty happy with the results, and the leftovers made a great addition to our salads in the following days. Continue reading
During the current period of self-isolation, schools are closed so we are required to deliver distance education to the students. To compensate for the lack of in-class time, I have decided to challenge my students to make a variety of things at home, hopefully also spending some quality time with their loved ones by creating and sharing a meal. A good and simple place to start is with quick pickles. It’s become more important than ever to avoid food waste, and quick pickles are an easy way to stretch the shelf life of lots of different veggies, with ingredients that most people will readily have around the house. There are many variations out there, you can do whatever works for you. Continue reading
Madeleines are delicious little cakes, recognizable from their distinctive shell shape. Lots of flavour variations are possible, but I’m partial to the classic lemon version below. Though the recipe and preparation are simple enough, one distinguishing and sometimes elusive characteristic is the “baby bump”. I’ve found this harder to achieve in a conventional oven as compared to a convection oven. These cakes are best eaten while still warm out of the oven.
Megan and I have been trying to eat vegetarian from Sunday through Thursday, and Indian food is a veggie option that we’re quite fond of. Many of the dishes we like are hearty with big flavours, so we don’t find ourselves missing meat. Most curries also freeze really well, so we normally make bigger batches and keep some for later use. We used the last of our basmati rice the other day, so it was time to test out some naan recipes.
Our sourdough starter, Chad, fast asleep in the fridge.
The idea of growing your own sourdough starter from just flour and water is something that many people shy away from. Maybe the idea of fermenting something at home is intimidating or unappealing; maybe it seems too risky or complicated. Whatever the reason, it’s a shame because the process itself is actually quite easy, and the starter can be used to yield wonderful results in the kitchen! In any case, the point of this short post is to dispel those nasty rumours and let you know that with a little patience, you can make your very own sourdough baby completely from scratch!
