Individual Lemon Poppyseed Mixed Berry Cobblers & Lemon Poppyseed Scones

When I go out to a restaurant, chances are I'm going to want to share dessert with you by the end of it. While my stomach (unfortunately) fills up quite quickly, my eyes are always bigger than my tummy, and I can't help but always want to finish off the meal with a sweet note on the palate, no matter how full I may be feeling. It's in those instances that sharing is the way to go! Call me selfish, but on your average night-in at home, I have no interest in sharing. Lounging in my "comfy pants" with time between dinner and dessert to find my appetite again, I want to dig into something sweet that I can enjoy all to myself! While that may sound indulgent on the surface, what I also love about individual desserts is that your portion is already decided for you, so there's no temptation to go back for seconds. Not only that, the remaining portions of dessert can be easily gifted to family and friends to spread some of that dessert love around.

I don't always have desserts on hand at home on my average weeknight, but I do like to keep a few dessert-emergency ideas in my back pocket so that when the craving strikes, I have something to turn to. For those weeknight emergency desserts I never want anything labour intensive, nor anything too large that I have to worry about eating all of, or alternatively wasting. I also like my weeknight emergency desserts to not be too sweet, and hopefully can also act as a breakfast or snack the next day. With this in mind, I created a dessert that ticks off all of those boxes! Introducing the recipe that produces not only your dessert, but also your breakfast, Individual Lemon Poppyseed Mixed Berry Cobblers & Lemon Poppyseed Scones.

Thanks to the help of the newly released Metro Irresistibles Naturalia Frozen Mixed Berries, this recipe can be made all year round, while still allowing you to stick to your budget. The great thing about cobblers is there really is no need for fresh berries, as they're all going to be cooked down anyway. This is the perfect application for frozen fruit, and I love that these berries are both tested for pesticide spray, as well as frozen at their peak freshness to ensure the highest quality. With berries already that delicious, they really don't require much other work.

To switch up the traditional biscuit topping for my cobblers, I invited in one of my favourite sweet flavour combinations, lemon and poppyseed, to play off of the sweet and tangy dance happening inside of the mixed berry filling. To give myself some breakfast for the next day, I made just enough biscuit topping to gift me with four additional scones, baked off on their own! Without the sweet berry filling, they make an exceptional breakfast to enjoy with a coffee, or on the go. I was so happy with how this dessert turned out, and can't wait to whip it up again the next time I feel a dessert emergency coming on.

Ingredients:
Mixed Berry Filling
2 packages (equals about 6 cups total) Metro Irresistibles Naturalia Frozen Mixed Berries, thawed and drained (reserve juices for another use)
1/4 cup sugar
1 Tbsp lemon juice
1/2 tsp lemon zest
1-2 Tbsp corn starch
1/2 tsp cinnamon
Biscuit Topping
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 Tbsp granulated sugar
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp salt
2 tsp (well packed and heaping) lemon zest
1 1/2 Tbsp poppy seeds
1 1/2 cups heavy cream (plus more for serving)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375ºF. Grease 4 individual baking dishes or ramekins (my dishes could fit 250 mL) and set on a rimmed baking sheet. Prepare another baking sheet lined with parchment paper. 
2. In a large bowl, stir together all ingredients for the mixed berry filling starting with 1-Tbsp cornstarch (if berries are quite juicy, add more as needed). Taste, and adjust sugar as needed. Spoon evenly into baking dishes allowing filling to go up about 1/2 to 3/4 of the way up the dish.
3. In a large bowl whisk together flour with sugar, baking powder, salt, lemon zest, and poppy seeds.
4. Add cream to dry ingredients and stir together until just combined (dough will be very shaggy). 
5. Using an ice cream scoop or large spoon, spoon approximately 2-3 Tbsp of biscuit mixture on top of fruit filling. Scoop any remaining biscuit dough onto the parchment-lined baking sheet, leaving about 2-inches between each biscuit. 
6. Brush the tops of all of the biscuits lightly with heavy cream. Bake cobblers for 35-40 minutes, or until golden. Enjoy immediately or set aside in fridge covered until ready to eat. Serve with whipped cream or ice cream and a drizzle of the strained berry juices on top.
7. Increase oven temperature to 425ºF and bake remaining biscuits for 10-12 minutes, or until golden. Enjoy immediately or set aside in an airtight container until ready to eat.

This post was created in partnership with Metro Ontario.

Listening To:
Maggie Rogers - Light On

Cranberry Orange Scones with Orange Honey Butter

Holiday baking isn't just about cookies over the holidays! I'm the kind of person who likes to find any excuse to eat treats all day long, so while I love dipping a cookie in some coffee, there's nothing like having dessert for breakfast! With that in mind, I took the classic flavour combination of orange and cranberry that I so often put in my holiday biscotti, and infused them into one of my favourite go-to scone recipes! I love this recipe because it's super easy to whip together, plus it's just as lovely to gift to a special someone as are cookies!

To take this recipe to the next level, I like to serve it with an Orange and Honey butter, to kick up that citrus flavour just a touch, while also adding another hint of sweetness, to otherwise not overly sweet scones.

Adapted slightly from Bon Appetit
Ingredients:
1/4 cup granulated sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp kosher salt
3 cups all-purpose flour (plus more for dusting surface)
1/2 cup unsalted butter, cold, cut into cubes
1 large egg, beaten
1 1/4 cups heavy cream
2 heaping tsp orange zest
1 tsp Metro Irresistibles Pure Vanilla Extract
1 cup fresh cranberries
Egg Wash
1 egg
2 Tbsp water
Orange Honey Butter
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
1-2 heaping Tbsp orange zest (use more or less depending on how punchy you want it)
2 Tbsp Metro Irresistibles Organics Pure Honey

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375ºF.
2. In a large bowl, whisk sugar baking powder, baking soda, salt, and flour to combine.
3. Add the cubes of butter to the dry mixture and toss to coat.
4. Using your fingers or pastry blender, work the butter into the flour, breaking it down until only pea-sized pieces of butter remain.
5. Make a well in the centre of the mixture, and add the beaten egg, cream, orange zest, and vanilla extract. Mix the wet ingredients with a fork, incorporating dry ingredients a little at a time, until a shaggy dough is formed. Gently fold in the cranberries. Lightly knead until dough comes together. Don't over-mix the dough! Don't worry if it looks a little dry. 
6. Flour your table and turn dough onto surface. Pat into a 1-inch thick round, and cut into 8 even wedges. Transfer to a parchment-lined baking sheet.
7. In a small bowl, make the egg wash by whisking together 1 egg and 2 Tbsp water.
8. Using a pastry brush, brush tops of scones with egg wash mixture.
9. Bake scones until golden-brown, 25-30 minutes.

Honey Butter

1. In a medium bowl, or bowl of an electric mixer, whisk together softened butter with orange zest and honey until light and fluffy. Serve at room temperature with Cranberry Orange Scones. 

This post was created in partnership with Metro Ontario.

Listening To:

Earl Sweatshirt - Cold Summers

Layered Mango-Strawberry Lassi-Inspired Smoothie

As the heat rises in the summertime, so does the heat level in the food I make, and I'm not talking temperature! There's something about a hot day that has me craving spicy food. While my tolerance for spice is pretty good, I've been known to push my own limits from time to time, resulting in me turning to shots of milk or yogurt to fan the flames on my tongue. Whenever I order in Indian food I'm reminded of how soothing a cold lassi can be after a hot-as-fire bite of curry. With that in mind, and my tendency for putting hot chilli oil on my morning eggs, I wanted to create a lassi-inspired smoothie that could aid in keeping my tastebuds happy and cool when enjoying my spicy morning eggs. With Ontario strawberries still in the markets, I wanted to combine the mango-flavoured lassi that I'm most familiar with, with a strawberry one in a unique way that would allow the flavours of each to shine individually.

I adore the flavour of honey that always shines through in the lassi's that I've tried, so I kept that consistent, using it as my sweetener. To switch things up a little bit, I also chose to use a lighter Greek yogurt to give the drink that same rich taste that I love in a lassi, but with a more viscous consistency that's easier to drink in the morning. While I had previously never tried any myself, I had read that there are some lassi's that can be infused with rose water, turmeric, or saffron. I loved the idea of really making that yellow colour pop against the pink strawberry smoothie, so I infused the honey with some saffron to give it that extra intensity.

Not only does this layered lassi-inspired smoothie look gorgeous, it's also delicious and cooling! I love the idea of serving this smoothie for an elegant outdoor summer brunch for friends and family. Let me know how you enjoyed this layered lassi-inspired smoothie in the comments below!

Tip: If you're shot on time, forget about layering and just toss all the ingredients together!

Ingredients:
For the Mango Lassi Smoothie
2 cups Metro Irresistibles Frozen Mango Chunks, thawed
2 tsp Metro Irresistibles Organics Pure Honey
pinch of saffron threads
1/2 cup Metro Irresistibles 0º Plain Greek Yogurt
handful of ice

For the Strawberry Lassi Smoothie
2 cups fresh or frozen strawberries, sliced
3 tsp Metro Irresistibles Organics Pure Honey
1/2 cup Metro Irresistibles 0º Plain Greek Yogurt
handful of ice

Directions:

1. In a blender or food processor, add mango chunks and blend until relatively smooth.
2. In a small bowl add the honey and saffron threads and stir to combine. Add to blender with Greek yogurt. Blend until very smooth. Add a handful of ice, blend, and transfer to a container and set aside in fridge. Clean blender or food processor bowl.
3. In a clean blender, add strawberries and blend until relatively smooth. 
4. Add honey and Greek yogurt and blend until very smooth. Add a handful of ice and blend.
5. Divide the Mango Lassi Smoothie between 2-4 cups (depending on the serving size you prefer). Using a large spoon to avoid the two smoothies from mixing, carefully spoon the Strawberry Lassi Smoothie over the Mango Lassi Smoothie. Serve immediately!

This post was created in partnership with Metro Ontario.

Listening To:
Snail Mail - Pristine

How To Be A Food Hero - Make French Toast with Old Hot Dog Buns

The other day I posted an Instagram Story of me making Hot Dog Bun French Toast. That's right. No challah. No brioche. No fancy bread from some cute bakery. We're talking dirty, Wonderbread hot dog buns, bought on sale, and stale as shit. So appealing, right? 

I know it's not the most glamorous of dishes, but guys, this is straight up real life! This is how you live on that Budget-Life (can I get an *amen* emoji!), cut down on food waste, and get food in your belly when it seems like there's nothing to eat. This is also how I cook a lot of the time. 

I remember making this for Chris years ago when he first moved into the condo that we now live in together with his then roommate, Adam. They didn't have a ton of food in the fridge and pantry, and would often make due with cereal, cans of tuna, hot dogs, and takeout. When we would get hungry when I was over and I would offer to cook something, I was often met with "there's nothing to eat and nothing to make it with." Little did they know, they were dealing with a food hero! 

I remember seeing the look of amazement on Chris's face when I first macgyvered together french toast using old, stale hot dog buns. Just five minutes prior he was convinced there was no food, and was about to throw out those old hot dog buns. No, it was definitely not the best french toast ever, but yeah, it was good! Dunk anything in custard, fry it in butter, and top it with maple syrup and you'll be a happy camper! 

This time I also had some overripe strawberries that were about to go mouldy that elevated the humble hot dog bun french toast even further. Hell, I bet you can't even tell how shameful the bread is in the photo, it turned out so good! It's funny that I've been using these food waste tricks and hacks for years, but have kept many of them to myself, scared that people may shame me for breaking the rules or using less-than-popular food ingredients and products. I'm so glad that this time I decided to not give a shit, and just put my real self out there, because this seems to be what my viewers/readers really respond to! I was amazed at how many people replied to my story, telling me how much they hate food waste, how creative they thought that idea was, and encouraging me to post more! That was very cool! 

So the next time you're clearing out your kitchen, and tossing anything deemed "inedible," please take a moment to reconsider what you're doing. Ask yourself, "can I use this item in any other way before it turns to garbage?" Not only could you end up creating something delicious (and potentially genius!) you will also be able to rest easy knowing your hard earned money was well spent, and the good food that we are so fortunate to be able to have did not go to waste! 

What items do you find yourself wasting the most in your kitchen? Let me know in the comments below and maybe I'll have a solution for you! Also be sure to follow me on Instagram to watch more of my food waste tips and tricks on my Instagram Stories! 

Listening To:

Study & Creativity Concentration Music

Italian-Inspired Potato Hash

With 2017 well into it's first month, it comes as no surprise that myself, along with seemingly everybody else on social media, is trying to go into the new year with a fresh and healthy perspective. While I have zero interest in eliminating anything from my diet, what I am trying to focus on this year is being more conscious about including fresh and healthy ingredients into every meal, with a big emphasis on balance. I'm never going to give up pastries, cheese, and cured meats, so I have to accept that if I want to make those types of foods apart of my life, I have to be able to compromise by balancing them out with the good stuff. This means lots more fruits and veg, whole grains, pulses, and most definitely a lot more colour! 

With this healthy perspective fresh in my mind, I've been trying to come up with new and exciting dinner options that will allow me to carry through my new diet goals (note that I say the word 'diet' as as in "the food and drink regularly provided or consumed," not in the restrictive sense of the word). As usual, my starting place for creating almost every recipe is by taking a look through my fridge and pantry. With some leftover pancetta and a bag full of mini Blushing Belle potatoes, the idea of a dinnertime hash came to mind. Wanting to stray from a lot of the potato hash recipes I found online, I took the pancetta as my spark for creating a unified theme to the dish. My hash would be Italian-Inspired! By adding in a cubanelle pepper, roasted cherry tomatoes, cannellini beans, and pesto, suddenly my potato hash took on the flavours of one of my favourite types of cuisine. Hearty, comforting, and full of flavour, the hash turned out delicious, and also was fantastic warmed up again the next day as a leftover breakfast. 

A hash is a great starting point for intermediate cooks who are looking to feel more confident and have more freedom in the kitchen. This is a great dish for practicing your knife skills, as well as developing your flavour palate. Play around with my recipe. Sub-in ingredients that you have in your fridge. Don't have cubanelle peppers but you do have a red pepper pepper lying around? Use that! Maybe you prefer sundried tomato pesto to a basil one? Sub that in! Play around with seasoning each aspect of this dish so you can start to learn how to taste and season as you go. If you don't use pinch bowls, start! Feeling your spices as you add them in will give you a better feel for exactly how much you're adding, and will overall make you a much better cook. If you don't already use kosher salt and are still using table table salt, this is also a great time to make that switch. Coarse kosher salt allows you to really feel the grains between your fingers, once again, allowing you to get a better sense of how much you're adding.

Ingredients:
1 dry pint cherry tomatoes
1/4 medium onion, sliced

1 Tbsp olive oil

1.5 lb Blushing Bell Mini Potatoes, diced
1/4 cup pancetta, diced
1/4 medium onion, diced
1 cubanelle pepper, seeds removed and diced
1/2 cup canned cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
4 Tbsp basil pesto (I used a homemade basil and walnut pesto, but you can use what you have!)
salt and pepper
eggs for serving

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400ºF.
2. Toss together tomatoes with sliced onion and season generously with salt and pepper. Spread evenly on a baking sheet and bake until charred and wrinkly, about 10-15 minutes. Set aside.
3. While tomatoes are cooking, prepare potatoes. Add potatoes to a large pot and fill with enough water to cover potatoes by at least 1-inch. Generously salt water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to simmer, and cook for 5-minutes. Drain immediately. Set aside.
4. In a large skillet set to medium heat, add pancetta and cook until fat has rendered and pancetta is crisp. Remove with a slotted spoon to set aside to drain on paper towels.
5. Add diced onion and sweat. Add cubanelle pepper and cook until slightly softened. Add cannellini beans and cook, stirring occasionally until heated through. Season with salt and pepper.
6. Stir in prepared roasted tomatoes, sliced onion, and pancetta.
7. Gently stir in the potatoes and pesto, being careful not to break up the potatoes too much. Season as needed with salt and pepper. 
8. Serve immediately, with each serving topped with a freshly fried (or poached!) egg. 

Listening To:

Kartell - 5 A.M

When Life Hands You Bagels, You Make Everything Bagel Butter

What do you do when life hands you an obscene amount of plain, grocery store bagels? You make Everything Bagel Butter! This past weekend I had the chance to escape the city and head to beautiful Minden Hills near Haliburton to celebrate my good friend Rommi's bachelorette. Though the prospect of spending the weekend on a dock with a bunch of like-minded and hilarious ladies is enough to get me pumped about going away, in typical Danielle fashion, the thought of getting permission to binge eat all weekend using the "calories don't count on vacations" excuse, was always in the back of my mind. 

Though I arrived at the cottage a day later than most of the group, I couldn't believe how much food and snacks were still decorating the cottage. Everywhere you looked you would find gummies of every shape and flavour, Kettle Chips in just about every seasoning, hard candies shaped like dicks (it was a bachelorette weekend after-all!), Oreos, brownies, bagels, fruit, vegetables, I could go on and on! I was in snack-attack heaven! Come Sunday, upon our time of departure, I was amazed at how much food ten small women had consumed in only a few days. It was downright impressive! But as is true with any girls getaway, our eyes were much larger than our stomaches and despite our impressive consumption, we ended up with quite the haul of leftovers by the end of the weekend. 

With so much leftover food about to hit the trash, along with my recent extreme budging and fear of food waste, I happily accepted any of the leftover food that no one else wanted to take. Though I was thrilled to go back to Toronto with a kitchen full of food, I somehow ended up with over a dozen bagels for just myself and my boyfriend. I'm not just talking about any kind of bagels here, I'm talking the plain, ol' grocery store kind, devoid of any flavour or appetizing texture. Sure, you can call me a food snob, but I've grown up eating some of the best bagels this city has to offer, and plain grocery store ones just do not do it for me. Despite my distaste for the brand of bagels, I was still grateful to have free food, and knew that I would be able to think up a creative way for making those sad excuse for bagels edible. 

Once again, I find myself thanking the heavens for giving me the gift of Pinterest, as all I had to do was quickly scroll through my board of Recipes To Make to find an easy-as-can-be recipe for Everything Bagel Butter! Pure genius and just what I needed to give my plain bagels a much-needed flavour boost! This trick for making a compound butter, enhanced with the flavourings from an everything bagel, was the kind of idea that had me thinking "why didn't I think of that?" The Everything Bagel Butter took all of 5 minutes to make (maybe even less!), and only two hours in the fridge, and most definitely did the trick in making my bagels delicious! It's safe to say I've eaten at least one bagel per day since returning thanks to my new favourite butter! 

WARNING: Do not eat this butter before a date! It contains both dried onion and garlic and will leave you needing a very good tooth-brushing, flossing, and mouth-washing session. You have been warned! 

Check out the blog Spend With Pennies for the full recipe for making Everything Bagel Butter! 

Listening To:

A #createlounge podcast! 

Strawberry Cheese Blintzes

It's officially been two whole weeks since I've quit my job to pursue "the dream," and I wish I could tell you that I've figured everything out. Of course I can't, and I can't expect to. The bottom line it that it's going to take time and I have to accept that if I ever want to achieve my dreams. 

Over these past two weeks there have been so many issues that I've already had to try and overcome, but the biggest issue of all is establishing a productive routine and workflow while working from home. As much as I love my alone time at home, it can feel really isolating at times being in the silence of my "safe space," all day long, with only my own voice in my head to drive me. No one is here making me feel guilty for not working, no one is telling me what to work on next, and no one is here to shake up my thoughts. Without any outside voices guiding my work, as well as being someone who is extremely indecisive, it can be really difficult to come up with content that I feel is engaging, unique, and interesting. With only myself in the room, I can do anything, which sounds wonderful and empowering, but when you can do anything where do you begin? 

"When you can do anything, where do you begin?"

Overwhelmed by all of the possibilities for content that I could create, I felt stuck and couldn't decide where the hell to begin. When I feel overwhelmed and can't get my feet out of the cement to just do something (anything!) I always turn to procrastination. In this particular instance, procrastination was exactly what I needed to get the ideas flowing. I started scrolling through Twitter and came across a link that lead me to a contest for Astro yogourt and Chatelaine magazine, looking for the best recipe featuring Astro Original yogourt. And just like that I felt motivated. Suddenly I had a direction and a challenge. As much as things still remained incredibly open-ended (I could still make just about anything I wanted), having the parameters of having to use Astro Original yogourt in the recipe, as well as only being able to use a maximum of twelve ingredients, allowed me to free my thoughts and get the inspiring ideas rolling. 

As much as creatives want their work to be their own, it's so important to allow outside voices in to offer a different perspective and direction that you may have not thought of yourself, as well as aiding in getting your feet out of the cement to just do the work! Now that I had honed in on what type of work I wanted to create for that week, I couldn't stop thinking of ideas and was so excited to get cooking! An idea that I kept coming back to was playing around with different crepe fillings using Astro yogourt. After developing a recipe for Raspberry Ricotta Crepes featuring Astro Original Vanilla Yogourt, I still had some leftover ricotta, crepe batter, and yogourt that I was itching to use. Naturally I thought of doing a take on a Rose family favourite, Cheese Blintzes. 

Though I normally make my cheese blintzes with pressed cottage cheese (often referred to as "farmers cheese" or "dry cottage cheese"), I knew that a combination of ricotta and the vanilla yogourt would achieve that same creamy and rich consistency and flavour that everyone loves in blintzes. The blintzes turned out fantastic and I was so happy with the final photo I was able to capture before gobbling them all up, but more than anything I was so happy that I had a full week of productivity under my belt thanks to that one kernel of outside inspiration.

Want to help inspire me and guide which recipes I create and share? Let me know what kinds of recipes you want to see on the blog and tweet me your ideas on Twitter: @thisgingerrose

Ingredients:

Crepes

3/4 cup all-purpose flour

1 cup milk

1/4 cup vegetable oil

3 whole eggs

1/4 tsp salt

pinch of sugar (optional)

Filling

2 cups ricotta

1 egg yolk

3 Tbsp. full-fat yogourt + more for serving

2 Tbsp sugar

1 1/2 Tbsp lemon zest

2 cups fresh strawberries, hulled & sliced

Directions:

1. In a large bowl, vigorously whisk together flour, milk, vegetable oil, 3 eggs, salt and sugar until smooth. Cover and rest in fridge for 1-hour.
2. While batter chills, make filling. In a medium bowl, stir together ricotta, egg yolk, 3 Tbsp. yogourt, sugar, and lemon zest. Chill until ready to fill crepes.
3. Heat a small crepe pan to medium heat. Spray with cooking spray and, working one at a time, add just under 1/3 cup crepe batter and swirl around pan to cover evenly. Cook for 1-2 minutes or until batter is no longer shiny. Flip and cook other side for 1-minute. Set on a clean towel to cool. Repeat with remaining batter.
4. Working one at a time, spoon 2-3 tablespoons of the filling about 1-inch from the edge of a crepe. Fold the lower edge of the crepe over the filling, and fold in the sides so it looks like an envelope. Roll up the blintz "burrito style." Repeat with remaining crepes. Cook blintzes immediately or place in an airtight container until ready to cook and serve. 
5. To cook blintzes, heat a large, non-stick pan to medium heat. Spray with cooking spray and place in enough blintzes to fill the pan, making sure not to crowd them. Cook 3-4 minutes per side until golden. Repeat with remaining blintzes. Serve immediately with strawberries and additional vanilla yogourt. 

Listening To:

Chance The Rapper - Same Drugs

Raspberry Ricotta Crepes

We take food very seriously in our household. We don't skip meals, we rarely cut corners with prepared foods, we take pride in bringing delicious and unique meals to our table on a regular basis, and we top it all off with some of the very best ingredients. 

Ok, I know what some of you are thinking...I sound like a bit of a food snob (cringe!). Food snobs are the WORST, I know, but in this particular instance, I feel like 'food snob' may just be a euphemism for food enthusiast, am I right? So maybe I like to have $8 fermented, cultured, grass-fed butter in my fridge, $9 boxes of flaked sea salt from England in my cupboard, and the occasional $7 loaf of organic cilantro and olive bread made in the traditional French method on my counter. I see that all as just being someone with an appreciation for excellent food! Don't get me wrong, we're certainly not buying organics and speciality foods all the time, but there are just some products that I consider essentials (ie. bread, butter, and salt) that can completely transform the way you eat every single day. 

There are some products that aren't even considered "specialty" or "gourmet" and have a low price-point that we have become very accustomed to, such as jam. Though we've tried many local jams made from Mennonites, certified organic, with low-sugar and all those other buzzwords that I need not waste time typing, we love to have plain ol' Smuckers Raspberry Jam in our fridge at all times for spreading on toast. So a few weeks ago when our Smuckers Raspberry Jam supply was running low, and there was none on sale, I took a risk and purchased an on-sale, grocery store-branded jam with low-pectin that I was so sure would be just as great as our beloved Smuckers. To put it simply, I was wrong. It just wasn't the same. So with a fridge full of rejected jams (including those organic, local, Mennonite-made jams from many moons ago) I began brainstorming different recipes that would allow me to use up these "rejected jams" in ways other than spreading on toast. 

With a container of ricotta cheese begging to be used up, as well as some ruby red raspberries, I dreamt up a quick and simple recipe for Raspberry Ricotta Crepes that would allow me to use up more than just my low-pectin jam in a delicious and satisfying way! 

Why didn't I post ingredient quantities for the filling?

I've started posting recipes that do not include exact ingredient quantities to allow you to get the experience with winging it in the kitchen. I want you to have the confidence to be able to season and taste on your own with just the ingredients as a guide. I'm hoping that this will encourage you to go out of your comfort zone and experiment based on what you have. Not listing exact amounts for the ingredients will hopefully make you realize that recipes are not set in stone. Don't have raspberries on hand? How about strawberries? Play with recipes based on what you have on hand already! Yes, the success of many baked recipes comes down to science, but with practice and a some basic food knowledge you'll be able to play around with those recipes as well. 

I also didn't include ingredient amounts for this particular recipe because I didn't fill all of my crepes with the raspberry and ricotta filling. I just made a single serving for myself, meaning I had lots of crepe batter leftover. I like to keep any unused crepe batter in my fridge for a few days to allow me to whip up quick and tasty meals with ease, once again using up whatever I have on hand. One of my go-to's for leftover crepe batter is a simple ham and cheese crepe that, with the batter already prepared, takes less than five-minutes to get on the table! 

Ingredients:
Crepes
1 cup milk
3/4 cup flour
3 eggs
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/4 tsp sugar
1/4 tsp salt
Filling
ricotta
lemon zest
icing sugar
raspberry jam
fresh raspberries

Directions:

1. In a large bowl, whisk together milk, flour, eggs, vegetable oil, sugar, and salt. Cover and chill for 1-hour.
2. In a small bowl stir together ricotta with some lemon zest. Sweeten to taste with icing sugar. 
3. Set a small crepe pan or non-stick pan to medium heat. Lightly spray pan with cooking spray and add about 1/3-cup crepe batter and swirl pan so that batter spreads evenly. When the top of the crepe begins to look matte and is no longer wet, flip crepe and turn off heat. With the crepe still in the pan, add about 3-Tbsp of the ricotta mixture to half of the crepe, and drizzle in about 1-2 Tbsp raspberry jam. Fold crepe and serve immediately with fresh raspberries on top. Repeat with remaining crepes. 

Listening To:

Disclosure - Nocturnal ft. The Weeknd

Guilt-Reduced Apple Pie Muffins - Part Two

Maybe I'm basic, maybe I'm a typical "white girl," or maybe there's just something incredibly infectious about indulging in the beauty of an apple orchard and pumpkin patch on a sunny fall day. 

There's no question about it, the number of photo ops at a pumpkin patch are abundant, but more than just finding the perfect Instagram shot to smack a filter onto before anxiously awaiting "likes" from the masses, I love my family's annual tradition of going to St. Andrews Scenic Acres for apple and pumpkin picking because it's just that, a tradition. My mom and I have been visiting the Milton farm for as long as I can remember, and each year as the first Fall chill permeates the air, I feel that same familiar stir to escape the bustle of the busy city and head into the country to appreciate the most striking season that our beautiful province has to offer. 

With a large bounty of Cortland apples in our bags, and a successful day of farm-photo-ops behind us, inspiration for Fall apple recipes was running high. For weeks those farm-fresh apples found their way into pies, salads, tarts, and what has been my favourite, Guilt-Reduced Apple Pie Muffins. 

You may recall in July of 2012 when I first made my Guilt-Reduced Apple Pie Muffins as a compromise to making apple pie, something I had never had much success with. I adapted a recipe for dessert-worthy muffins, giving it a healthier twist with the addition of whole wheat flour and apple sauce and reducing the amount of sugar. Though these muffins are still reminiscent of a moist apple cake, with their doughy interior and crispy crumble topping, their healthy spin make these babies perfect for a quick breakfast or snack on the go!

Side Note:

With a new fancy camera slung around my neck, I couldn't help but want to capture a new shot of the muffins to show how much I've learned and grown as a photographer in these past few years. I still have so much to learn and lots of practice to take part in, but I'm so incredibly proud of how far I've come, so much so that I couldn't help but take it personally when I recently brought my new camera out with me as I joined a group of girls for an afternoon get together. The moment I pulled out my camera (that still feels like a foreign object in my hand as I continue to learn its many intricacies) I heard a chorus of "oh so that's how she get's such good photos." Ouch. After nearly a year of working hard (yes, working) on perfecting my food photos, immersing myself in research, experimentation, note taking, and lots and lots of practice, I found it pretty offensive to have people credit my art to being a result of having an expensive piece of technology in my hand. Yes, my new camera has done wonders for my photography already, but guess what, for all these years I have been using a point and shoot and have gotten nearly the same results. I'm sure it wasn't meant as a dig, for all I know that could have been their way of complimenting me, but it felt pretty crappy. 

Ingredients:

Topping

3 Tbsp brown sugar

1/3 cup all-purpose flour

1/3 cup rolled oats

1/4 cup butter, melted

1 1/2 tsp cinnamon

Muffins

1 cup + 2 Tbsp loosely-packed brown sugar

2/3 cup apple sauce

1 egg

1 1/2 tsp vanilla

3/4 cup all-purpose flour

1 3/4 cups whole-wheat flour

1 1/2 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

1 cup buttermilk

3 cups shredded firm and tart apples

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350º.
2. Make the muffin topping by stirring together brown sugar with flour, rolled oats, melted butter, and cinnamon in a small bowl. Set aside.
3. In a large bowl whisk together brown sugar, apple sauce, egg, and vanilla until smooth.
4. In a separate large bowl whisk together all-purpose flour, whole-wheat flour, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt. Some of the whole grains may get caught in the sifter so just toss the remnants in with the rest of the flour after. 
5. Stir wet mixture into dry mixture, alternating with buttermilk. Fold in shredded apples, until just combined.
6. Evenly scoop batter into a prepared muffin tin (greased or lined with paper muffin liners) so that the batter reaches 3/4 of the way up the cup. Sprinkle topping evenly over muffins and bake for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the centre comes out clean. 

Listening To:

Drake - Hotline Bling

Rosh Hashanah-Inspired French Toast

Being raised with a Christian mother and a Jewish father, religion in my home was more about upholding traditions and building strong values rather than following a more traditional path that many of my friends experienced. With a powerful spirituality within myself, I never felt like I was missing out on anything not following a specific religion. My family still celebrated and participated in as many cultural holidays as we could, meaning lots of valuable family time and, as with most holidays, lots of delicious food! Though I write this on Yom Kippur, the holiday that most non-jews know of as "the fasting holiday" (I should note that Yom Kippur is actually known as the day of Atonement, as well as being the holiest day of the year), I'm going to throw things back to a week ago when we celebrated the Jewish New Year, Rosh Hashanah. 

Rosh Hashanah marks the first day of a ten day period where we are to reflect on ourselves and our actions and repent for those in which we are not proud of. The ten day period leads ups to today, Yom Kippur, where we are to spend the entirety of the day fasting and in prayer before indulging in a festive meal to break the fast (also known as the break fast...no relation to breakfast). With religion being more about building values in our home, Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur were understood to me through their symbols. Rosh Hashanah was always known to me as "the apples and honey holiday," as the two are traditionally eaten together to symbolize a sweet year. Yom Kippur to me was known as "the fasting holiday," as well as the holiday that I was allowed to stay home from school if I participated in the fast and took time within my day to reflect on my year, my actions, and myself. 

Though I will not be participating in the Yom Kippur fast today, I will certainly take the time to uphold the tradition of self reflection and examination. To begin the ten day holy period on Rosh Hashanah, I took a bit of an unorthodox approach to celebrating the holiday, with the symbol of apples and honey as my inspiration. To ring in the Jewish new year in the sweetest way I could think of, I whipped up a Rosh Hashanah-inspired french toast featuring, of course, apples and honey! A slice of some raisin challah (a Rosh Hashanah tradition!), a quick chop of an apple, and a little time spent caramelizing with some butter, brown sugar, and cinnamon was all I needed to take my regular french toast up a notch and make it appropriate for the Jewish New Year. As well as drizzling some local Maple Syrup on top of the warm and spongy treat, I also drizzled a little bit of honey for traditions sake. My Rosh Hashanah-inspired french toast was incredibly delicious, and a wonderful way to start this holy period of the year!

Ingredients:
1 egg, beaten
1 tsp milk
1/4 tsp vanilla extract
dash of cinnamon
2 thick slices raisin challah
1 tbsp butter
maple syrup, for serving
honey, for serving
Apple Compote:
1 apple, small dice
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp brown sugar
splash of water

Directions:

1. Add beaten egg to a shallow dish and add milk, vanilla extract, and dash of cinnamon and beat. Add challah slices, one at a time, and turn to coat. Allow to rest in egg mixture to soak up as much as possible.
2. Meanwhile make apple compote. Heat a small pot to medium heat. Add apples, cinnamon, brown sugar, and splash of water and stir. Cook, stirring occasionally, until apples are soft and tender. 
3. Heat a non-stick skillet to medium heat. Melt butter and add egg soaked challah. Brown for about 2-3 minutes on one side, then flip and brown the other side. Serve immediately topped with apple compote, maple syrup, and honey.

Listening To:

Ryan Adams - Shake It Off

Chasing Dreams of The Perfect Blueberry Muffin

When I was around eight or nine years old I was invited to my friend Nikki's cottage to stay over for a few nights of pre-teen debauchery. My sister and my mom drove me up and were invited to stay for the day. Us kids spent our day jumping off the dock, playing games, exploring the forest, and making up dance routines to our Alanis Morissett cassette tape. It was one of those perfect summer days that I don't think I will ever forget, and will continually find myself attempting to recreate, nostalgic for that carefree freedom of being a rambunctious nine-year old. Despite our wonderful day full of fun and memories, the only thing my sister can remember is what we ate. Sure my sister Justine was only six or seven years old at the time, making it tricky to remember a random day up north with your sisters friends, but Justine can still remember every little detail about Nikki's mom Darlene's blueberry muffins. 

Ask Justine about those blueberry muffins and the first thing she will say is that they were the best muffins she has ever had in her life. She will then proceed to give a detailed description of the taste, texture, and ratio of blueberries to cake, and will end on a comically sad note, declaring that no other muffin has come close to being as perfect as those muffins on that special day, so many years ago. 

Recently Justine slipped into her wistful retelling of The Great Blueberry Muffins of 1996-ish once again, but this time instead of letting her fall into a pool of self pity at never again having such a moist, sweet, and perfect blueberry muffin (oh the melodrama!) I decided to take matters into my own hands and attempt to recreate more than just the wonderful memory of good friends enjoying a beautiful summer day in nature, I was going to recreate Darlene's muffins! 

Because I hadn't had the muffins since my age was a single digit, the first step in recreating "the best blueberry muffins ever" was finding a recipe that at least looked like Darlene's blueberry muffins. Pinterest came to rescue and led me to a recipe on the blog Yammie's Noshery that looked just like Darlene's. The interior image looked exactly like the pale and fluffy muffins that Justine loved so much, with the same blueberry-to-cake ratio, and even a light dusting of sugar on top just like Darlene's turbinado sugar topping. Though the muffins turned out quite tasty, they still need some work to get them near the caliber we were hoping for. The muffins were a little too sweet, a little too oily, and just a bit too dense. Although these muffins weren't the perfect ones we were hoping for, this recipe is a great start to begin playing with that I feel confident will eventually result in those muffins that Justine remembers so fondly. Below I have included a revised version of the Yammie's Noshery recipe based on my own personal feedback. Please note that I have not tested these alterations yet, I can make no promises on the result! Please give my revisions a try and let me know what you think! And Darlene, if you're reading this, care to share your beloved blueberry muffin recipe with the Rose girls? I think it's clear based on our almost 20-year search for the perfect replica that we will be forever grateful! 

Slightly adapted from Yammie's Noshery
Ingredients:
1/2 cup white sugar
1 large egg
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1/3 cup milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup sour cream
1 cup fresh blueberries
about 1 Tbsp turbinado sugar

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375ºF. Grease a standard muffin tin or line with paper liners (or parchment paper as I did in the photo!).
2. In a large bowl combine the sugar, egg, oil, milk, and vanilla extract until well blended.
3. In a small bowl stir together the sour cream with the baking powder until dissolved. Stir into the wet ingredients.
4. Stir the flour and salt into the wet ingredients until just combined. Stir in the blueberries.
5. Evenly pour the batter into the muffin tin about 3/4 of the way up. Top each muffin with a sprinkle of turbinado sugar and bake for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the centre comes out clean. 

Listening To:
Alanis Morissette - Hand In My Pocket

True Grit: The Perfect White Corn Grits Recipe

Homemade Sausage 'n' Grits with Fried Eggs

I first learned what grits were years ago watching The Food Network, as Bobby Flay managed to put his ego aside on his show for an episode to allow his lovely wife to take over the screen to make her infamous cheesy grits. At the time I didn't have a clue what grits were, but what I did know is they were creamy, cheesy, comforting, and powerful enough to move Bobby Flay to declare them better than his own. I knew I would love them!

It wasn't until around two years ago that I finally got to taste grits for the very first time. Out for a special birthday meal for my boyfriend Chris' birthday, I took him to the now closed Southern-fusion restaurant Acadia to experience their highly praised Shrimp 'n' Grits. To simply list the flavours and textures going on in that bowl of southern heaven would do the dish no justice. The dish sounds far too simple when explained in the written word to live up to the complex dish that I was presented with. It was one of those perfect dishes that I will surely find myself alluding to for years to come, like some mythical tale, "the Legend of the Perfect Grits." Of course the perfection of the dish had much to do with the details; the little bits of shrimp speckling the creamy mixture, as well as oyster mushrooms, pimento cheese, and (as if it can't get any better) ham hock consommé; but those delicious details would be nothing if it didn't have the perfect base of silky, creamy, perfectly seasoned grits.

Being often thought of as a "poor-man's food," grits aren't always given the respect and attention they deserve. When carelessly prepared, grits can become dry, gluey, and bland, reminiscent of Oliver Twist's gruel, which in turn have given grits a bit of a bad rep. With such a basic preparation and so few ingredients, it's easy to get grits wrong. I can tell you first hand, that most of the grits recipes out there on the Internet will lead you astray, resulting in the mushy grits that one dreads.

Despite the sea of faulty grits recipes out in the world, there is one that I have come across that I have found to be far superior to any other grits recipe on the web. Although the recipe didn't seem to make much sense to me at first, Saveur's recipe for Old Fashioned Creamy Grits is perfection. Though it isn't much different from other grits recipes I have read, its the ratio of milk, to water, to grits that makes this recipe oh so creamy and delectable. More than just the initial milk/water/grits, this recipe ensures the creamiest results by finishing with not only a knob of butter (essential to all successful grits) but also an extra quarter-cup of cream, which gives this dish its silky, heavenly finish.

Whether prepared for breakfast, lunch, or dinner, grits are the perfect base for shrimp, sausage, eggs, and, let's face it, just about any protein or veg that needs a home! Forget about all those other grits recipes you've come across, and don't even bother reading the directions on the package of grits, because Saveur's Old Fashioned Creamy Grits is where it's at!

Find this recipe and more on my Pinterest board Recipes I Love!

Listening To:

The Dø - Sparks

DFC's Baked Nutty Berry French Toast

Ever since I was just a wee little ginger kid I have always loved looking at recipes. Long before the days of food blogs and Pinterest I would have to satisfy my recipe browsing cravings by looking through my moms recipe books over and over again, as well as the few magazines we subscribed to. As much as I enjoyed the assortment of beautifully styled recipes inspired by the season that would fill the glossy pages of our magazines each month, there was actually another recipe resource that I would look forward to the most each year, the annual Dairy Farmers of Canada Milk Calendar that would always hang inside our cupboard in the kitchen. I just loved how each month would feature a recipe that truly reflected the season, not to mention how accessible all of the recipes were, catered to the average Canadian family. I remember getting so excited to be able to flip the calendar to the next page each month, revealing a new and tempting recipe for my family and I to try. Now many years later, my interest in looking at recipes has increased tenfold with so many new ways to access new and interesting recipes. Despite having the ability to access millions of recipes right at my fingertips, I can't help but still get excited whenever that Milk Calendar arrives at our door! 

This years Milk Calendar just may be the most exciting of all as the Dairy Farmers of Canada have reached out to real Canadian dairy farmers and their families to offer up some of their favourite recipes featuring the goodness of 100% Canadian milk. I was lucky enough to be apart of a group of food bloggers who were sent an early edition of the calendar, as well as all of the ingredients to make Baked Nutty Berry French Toast from Catherine Agar from Kouwenberg Dairy Inc. With a very busy week, I was unsure of when I would get the opportunity to make this interesting take on a breakfast classic, but with such a simple recipe, with much of it prepared the evening before, it was insanely simple and quick to get this beautiful breakfast on the table. With the bread all puffed up from being soaked overnight and baked in the rich, sweet custard and the vibrant berries bubbling on top, this dish looks absolutely irresistible, and let me tell you, it tasted just as great as it looked! I have to admit that I strayed from the recipe a little by swapping out the fairly thinly sliced multi-grain bread that was sent to me for a thick, eggy challah bread (my favourite for french toast!) and, because my boyfriend didn't own a glass baking dish, I used a dark baking pan instead, lowering the heat by 25º and the cooking time by about 10-minutes. It was so great to wake up all sleepy (and sick with a cold!) knowing that breakfast was already prepared the night before, and all it needed was 30-minutes in the oven! Perfect for feeding a crowd with little effort, I think this recipe may just become a Christmas morning tradition for my family and I!

Recipe by Catherine Agar

Ingredients:

6 thick slices bread (about 3/4-inch/2cm)

4 eggs

3/4 cup packed brown sugar, divided

1/4 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp nutmeg

2 cups milk

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 cup chopped pecans

1/4 cup butter, melted, plus more for greasing pan

4 cups mixed berries (thawed and drained if frozen)

Directions:

1. Butter a 13 x 9-inch glass baking dish. Arrange bread in a single layer in dish.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together eggs, 1/2 cup brown sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg until blended. Whisk in the milk and vanilla. Pour evenly over bread. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 6 hours or overnight.
3. Preheat oven to 400º. 
4. In a small bowl, combine remaining 1/4 cup brown sugar, pecans, and melted butter.
5. Spread berries evenly over soaked bread. Sprinkle evenly over the brown sugar and pecan mixture. Bake for 35-40 minutes or until bread is puffed in the centre and fruit is bubbling. 
6. Serve immediately with maple syrup. 

Listening To:

Arcade Fire - It's Never Over (Oh Orpheus)

Poached Egg with Beans & Avocado

Sometimes the simplest of things can be the most striking. Take a recent lunch that I whipped up for instance. Leftover as-humble-as-can-be Heinz baked beans are reheated and act as the base to hold a soft-poached egg, sliced avocado, Sriracha hot sauce, and a little green onions and cilantro for garnish...and that's all she wrote. Just a few simple ingredients kicking around my fridge turned into a beautifully striking, comforting, and delicious lunch that I am proud to snap a photo of and re-make again for friends and family. No real recipe here, just a few ingredients that needed to be used up that I thought would be good friends together. The party in my mouth proved that those ingredients turned out to be the best of friends! 

* I used Heinz because it was leftover in my fridge! Use more or less to your liking.

** I didn't have fresh cilantro, but I always keep a tube of preserved ready-to-go cilantro in my fridge for flavour emergencies!

Ingredients:

1 egg

about 3/4 cup baked beans* 

1/2 avocado, sliced

salt and pepper, to taste

Sriracha hot sauce, for garnish

chives, chopped, for garnish

cilantro, chopped, for garnish** 

Directions:

1. Reheat baked beans in a small pot on the stove, or in the microwave until hot.
2. Poach egg for 4 minutes in water with a bit of vinegar in it or using a poach pod.
3. Place heated beans in a small serving dish. Top with the poached egg. Add the sliced avocado and season with salt and pepper to taste. 
4. Drizzle over desired amount of Sriracha hot sauce and sprinkle with green onions and cilantro. Take a picture and show off to your friends about your simple and delicious lunch! Serve immediately.

Listening To:

Alt-J - Something Good

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Peanut Butter Cranberry Almond Granola

Nothing drives me more crazy than watching food go to waste. I can't help but feel overwhelmed with that same sort of guilt you feel after say accidentally hurting someone's feelings, lying to a loved one, or handing in an assignment you know you rushed through. It's something that most people don't even think about, but for me, can eat through my conscience and keep me up at night. Despite people poking fun at my strange, neurotic food wasting guilt, I take pride in the fact that my parents raised me to value being fortunate enough to have access to three well-balanced meals a day, not to mention snacks and desserts. Whenever I let food go to waste as a child and teenager or made a snotty comment about certain foods that were served to me being "gross", my parents would always remind my sister and I how "gross" those comments truly were, and how ungrateful we were to be saying those things when there are so many children in the world that hardly have access to food at all. At the time, it drove me crazy when my parents would lecture me like that, but today I'm so thankful for the values that they've instilled in me. 

When I first began feeling that food wasting guilt, I remember reluctantly eating through past-their-prime leftovers and overripe fruit and vegetables with a frown on my face, forcing myself to finish it so that it wouldn't get thrown out. It was around the time that I first began writing my blog that I changed my perspective and started looking at those almost-ready-for-the-compost foods as an opportunity as opposed to a struggle. I began to feel inspired to challenge myself to create new and exciting dishes with those almost-compost-ready foods as the star. I even started a series on my blog, Leftover Lovin', where I transform leftovers into new and delicious dishes that you would be excited and proud to serve. I came up with some of my favourite dishes, such as my Pulled Pork Shepherds Pie, Stuffed French Toast, and Butternut Squash Cannelloni, thanks to my food wasting guilt! 

I was hit with my food saving instinct once again last week. For Christmas this year, my sister overwhelmed me with an assortment of gifts, some of which were on my list, with a few surprise items here and there that definitely caught my attention. One of the surprise items was meant to give me a bit of a laugh and embarrass me in front of my family, a quirky SexCereal, complete with a cute pinup girl package, and full of grains and seeds to "fuel your fire". Although I appreciated the cute idea, unfortunately I wasn't too fond of the taste of the uber-healthy cereal. Refusing to let the unappetizing cereal go to waste, I decided to take the cereal into my own hands and transform it into a treat I would look forward to indulging in! I originally approached the cereal with the goal of creating granola bars, but in the end I actually ended up preferring to crumble the bars over yogurt to act as a very indulgent granola. I loved how simple this granola was to prepare, how inexpensive it was (why the heck is pre-made granola so expensive anyway?), and being able to control exactly what was going into my granola. I was so pleasantly surprised how the cereal could go from something that I had to fight through the pain to eat, to a treat so addictive I couldn't stop eating! 

*Rather than buy a brand new cereal to use in this recipe, use a cereal that is beginning to go stale. The baking process and other ingredients will mask the staleness, extending its life! 

*When looking for a "healthy" cereal, look at the sugar content and words you can't pronounce. You want as little sugar as possible and none of those unpronounceable words!
**For a healthier granola, simply stir in the dried cranberries here and serve! 

Ingredients:

3/4 cup honey, divided

2 tbsp unsalted butter, plus more to grease baking dish

1 cup rolled oats

2 cups healthy cereal* (you may sub with more rolled oats)

1 cup slivered almonds, lightly toasted

1/3 cup unsweetened shredded coconut, lightly toasted

pinch of salt

1 cup unsweetened dried cranberries

1/3 cup peanut butter

1/4 cup brown sugar (optional)

Directions:

1. In a small saucepan, heat 1/4 honey on low with butter, stirring occasionally, until melted. 
2. In a large bowl, stir together rolled oats, cereal, almonds, coconut, and salt. Drizzle over honey and butter mixture and stir to combine. 
3. Spread mixture evenly in one layer on a large, rimmed baking sheet (you may need two baking sheets). Bake at 325º until golden, about 12-15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Let cool.**
4. Lightly butter an 8-inch square baking dish. In a small saucepan at medium heat, combine 1/2 cup honey, peanut butter, and brown sugar (optional). Cook, stirring occasionally, until mixture comes to a boil.
5. Pour oat mixture into a large mixing bowl, and stir in dried cranberries. Drizzle over honey and peanut butter mixture and stir to combine. Pour evenly into prepared baking dish, pressing down firmly with a spatula. Chill for 2 hours. Remove from fridge. Loosen sides with a knife and remove from baking dish, crumbling mixture as you go. Store in an air-tight container. Eat on its own or over yogurt. 

Listening To:

Hot Chip - Flutes

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Crêpes Florentine

After finally checking out the Evergreen Brick Works Farmers Market about a month or so ago, I haven't been able to stop day dreaming about the endless possibilities for fillings for savory crêpes! Fascinated by a crepe station set up at the market, serving made-to-order crêpes filled with all sorts of grilled and raw veggies, herbs, and spices, I've been wanting to try my hand at making my own delicious savory crêpe. I had finally conquered the Savory Chicken Crêpe that gave me so much trouble in the past, so now I wanted to try something different! Through my brainstorming I had come up with a crêpe recipe featuring spinach, mushrooms, and other grilled vegetables, but with a fridge full of leftovers and not a lot of fresh produce, that idea went out the window. I had to readjust my original idea. With little more than frozen spinach, some cheese, and a carton of eggs for me to cook with, I decided to make something I had never even eaten before, Crêpes Florentine. With a classic combo like spinach, cheese, and eggs, I knew that despite never trying the French dish, I would have no trouble making my final product a success! By seasoning the crêpe batter with fresh chives, creaming the spinach, and seasoning the dish with just a hint of cayenne pepper, I was able to take a simple dish to new heights! My family and I loved my Crêpes florentine and will definitely be making this simple and pretty breakfast, lunch, or dinner item again!

Ingredients:

Crêpe Batter

3/4 cup flour

1 cup milk

3 eggs

1/4 cup vegetable oil

1/4 tsp salt
1 tbsp chives, chopped
butter or vegetable oil spray, for frying 

Filling
1 tbsp olive oil
1/2 tsp garlic, minced
1/2 large yellow onion, chopped
2 tbsp butter
2 tbsp flour
3/4 cup cream, heated
1 (9oz) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed & drained
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1 cup shredded gruyere cheese
4 hard boiled eggs, sliced
salt and pepper, to season
cayenne pepper, to season
chopped parsley, to garnish

Directions:

1. Whisk or process (using a food processor) all crêpe batter ingredients until blended. Refrigerate for 1 hour or overnight.
2. Meanwhile, make the filling in the last 20 minutes or so that the crêpe batter is chilling. In a large sauté pan, heat olive oil and garlic at medium heat. Add the onions and cook stirring occasionally, until onions are soft and translucent.
3. Turn heat up to medium-high and and add the 2 tbsp butter. When butter has just melted, add the 2 tbsp flour and whisk constantly for about 2-3 minutes as the flour cooks out and the mixture begins to colour slightly. Add the hot cream, a little bit at a time, while continuing to whisk. Cook for another 1-2 minutes and stir in the thawed spinach. 
4. Stir in the 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper, taste, and season additionally with salt and pepper.
5. The crêpe batter should be ready for frying now! In a lightly greased crepe pan or frying pan, fry crepes approximately 60 seconds on one side or until edges are brown. Carefully flip crêpe and fry for proximately 30 seconds on the other side. While crêpe is frying on the other side, quickly sprinkle in some cheese, scoop over an even layer of the spinach mixture (about 1/4 cup),   top with a layer of the sliced hard boiled eggs, and season with salt, pepper, and a shake of cayenne pepper. Roll, garnish with parsley, and serve immediately. Continue until all batter has been used. 

Listening To:

Lykke Li - Jerome


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