In My kitchen!

Between the battle that is Christmas and the post-Christmas battle that is weight loss, there is a brief day or two to simply exhale, and enjoy a bit of comfort.  That is the moment for Instant Pot Mac & Cheese!

The lowly turnip (aka rutabaga) gets its moment to shine at the Christmas feast

It's a big, fluffy pancake that can be dolled up either sweet, with fruit and jam and whipping cream and such, or savoury, with meat and veg and herbs galore.  Your imagination is your only limit!

Some home cooking is easy to modify when vegans come to town.  Pizza!  Simply eliminate the cheese!

 A Google of “pumpkin pie for those who don’t like pumpkin pie” yielded this beauty which will impress all but the most resistant of the pumpkin pie averse. 

Fluffy Pumpkin Buttermilk Pie from smittenkitchen.com. 

Between the battle that is Christmas and the post-Christmas battle that is weight loss, there is a brief day or two to simply exhale, and enjoy a bit of comfort.  That is the moment for Instant Pot Mac & Cheese!

The lowly turnip (aka rutabaga) gets its moment to shine at the Christmas feast

It's a big, fluffy pancake that can be dolled up either sweet, with fruit and jam and whipping cream and such, or savoury, with meat and veg and herbs galore.  Your imagination is your only limit!

Some home cooking is easy to modify when vegans come to town.  Pizza!  Simply eliminate the cheese!

 A Google of “pumpkin pie for those who don’t like pumpkin pie” yielded this beauty which will impress all but the most resistant of the pumpkin pie averse. 

Fluffy Pumpkin Buttermilk Pie from smittenkitchen.com. 

There are times when doing everything "from scratch" is not required.  One of those occasions is Thanksgiving when you are swinging a complex dinner for a crowd and you don't have staff.  Consider this excellent Mashed Potato Casserole with boxed potato flakes!

High school Home Ec. back in the day taught us essentials like "White Sauce" and recipes we despised like Eggs á la Goldenrod.  Turns out, it's a classic and when not being forced to become happy homemakers, it is really quite delicious.  The secret is in the sauce!

The first day of school is the first day of the queen of comfort food, the pot roast.  Just be sure to use a cut that is not too lean.  Other than that, it's hard to go wrong.  We all remember coming home from school to the smell of this deliciousness as our soft landing.

Sometimes the lure of a traditional recipe is just what's needed.  Though we don't all have a basic bread recipe that we can simply modify, if we did, the base bread of this beauty would be a good one to choose!

It's that time of year when friends present friends with zucchinis the size of their thighs.  Compost them, my friends, or , if you just don't have the hears, perhaps this quick bread.  

Time to take note of what your family likes and think of serving those things in a new and interesting way.  

Time to assess the kitchen cupboards.  How many of these things do we actually use...anymore?  Though the gnocchi board still has predetermining of place in my kitchen

The thing about funerals is that, unlike holiday meals where the hostess is expected to do it all, it's suddenly ok to pitch in and bring something.  Funeral potatoes are a perennial favourite, and Three-bean salad smacks of tradition and family.

The perfect pie crust recipe and the importance of calibrating your oven!

Choose a theme.  Gather a variety of food!  Relax and enjoy!

The future is looking bright, but is it really necessary to have food kits delivered to our kitchens when something as delicious as this tortellini soup is so easy?

Although casseroles have fallen out of favour in recent decades, they can still be a home cook's trusty friend!

Tahini and Farro are finding their way into our kitchens!!

Reflections on how comfort foods hop borders and make themselves at home in our kitchens.

Sometimes it's time for fast food.  

Other times you have time for a lovely, pillowy yeasted dough and the joy that is Cinnamon Buns!

Jambalaya AND a nice Sauerkraut Soup!

Along with a rant about transported vegetables!

What is better than a tender, perfectly cooked Prime Rib?  Use your Sous-Vide guarantee perfect results every time!

Make perfect gravy every time!

Mashed potatoes are divinely creamy prepared in the Instant Pot!

Kale got to be a bit overdone there for awhile, but let's not throw it out as "yesterday's trend".  Try incorporating it into just about any pasta dish for a splash of colour and a dash of nutrition!

Lasagna is wonderful.  The classic.  It takes time.  We tend to take so many shortcuts that we lose sight of the glory of the true recipe.  Sometimes it's best to take the time!  It's worth it!

The world is changing and we have to change with it or be left on the shelf.  To try cricket powder, you only have to be brave once.  High diving board!

Sous Vide sounds fancy, but actually, it is a wonderful secret for busy folks on the go.  This is primarily because it is so forgiving.  If you are an hour late, your roast beef will just be a bit more tender, and still at just your preferred degree of doneness!

How to assemble the essential components of:

.Base

.Veggie/fruit

.Protein

.Topping 

.Bonus

To create a nutritious, delicious, dinner salad!

Whatever your family techniques and traditions, the main thing is that you eat corn until it’s coming out of your ears, because, as we well know, corn season won’t last! Fall is just around the corner! Seize these lovely days!

This recipe - or collection of suggestions - hopefully will open your eyes to the many useful variations of the types of food we think of cooking in the Instant Pot.

Serve these pickles as part of an appetizer spread with fresh tomatoes, olives, flatbread, and hummus or baba ghanoush. They’re also tasty alongside grilled meats. finecooking.com

In Vietnam, pho is eaten morning, noon, and night. The flavorful broth is traditionally cooked for hours to achieve a full-bodied flavor, but with a pressure cooker, you can enjoy this rich and complex soup in a fraction of the time. epicurious.com

This delicious bread is a combination of the master recipe of Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day and a focaccia idea from Martha Stewart!  So good!

At some point we all get tired of the same old starches and grains.  Potatoes, rice, pasta.  Let's get a little experimental and find out some of the secrets that other cultures have known for centuries!

Option A:
Discard and resolve to do better nest week.

Option B:
Soup!

Option C:
Dog food!

Bearnaise is just a tarted up Hollandaise really.  But it can elevate meats and fish to an astonishing new level!

Spring is a time for asparagus.  Wizened winter asparagus is better than no asparagus, but spring asparagus - oh my!

Thoughts about Late Onset Attention Deficit Disorder and the need to slow it down!  Read Proust!  Make Madeleines!

A lovely memory of my childhood was of Mother's Pot Roast done with her terrifying, death defying pressure cooker!  These days, however, we can recreate the deliciousness without the anxiety!

Although I made this recipe in the Instant Pot, it would, of course, be easily adapted to a slow cooker or oven.

A recipe can be a gift, but it can also be a trap

A rather negative take on Christmas perhaps - too much Pumpkin Pie Spice and too many goodies!

The national dish of Poland, this dish, or variations thereof, are the comfort food of many slavic folk - or so I'm told.

This is a very official version.  I use whatever rub is handy, and Sweet Baby Ray's BBQ sauce.  Personally.  And these ribs are great!

Rumour is afoot that Nutella is changing their time-honoured recipe!

Canadian comfort food - either KD or real Mac & Cheese, stovetop or baked

If you are a Halloween person, you may already have a favourite fake blood recipe....

When it comes to breakfast, there's no place like home!

A reflection on the changing world and the part Julia Child played in all our lives.  And now the Instant Pot!

A trip down memory lane and a reflection of the evolution of "gassy vegetables".

Chimichurri Sauce and a reflection on the glories of green sauces in general!

This is a recipe for Peach Basil ice cream which will probably not be a favourite with the kids.  Pistachio is delicious. Maybe chocolate to start.... Just saying.  

Reflections on living life by the rules and daring to, occasionally, colour outside the lines!

Burgers with traditional Canadian ingredients to celebrate Canada's 150th birthday!

When you're out of ideas and don't have a hunk of meat handy...

Canadian life beyond Green Gables

Children have a complex and conflicted relationship with vegetables.  Take kohlrabi, for example...