Almond Clusters

I may one day blog about my past as a Xmas Grump. Each year, the one thing that could change my spirit was end of term food sharing which tended to involve sweets. With a multi-cultural group, some amazing treats appeared and I used to beg for recipes. These almond clusters appeared more than once and with different cultural roots - Portuguese, Russian, Polish... I have no idea about their origin, but they are fab and a now a KB holiday staple!

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Sweet and Tangy Lemon Cookies

I have always wanted a good lemon cookie recipe and have long been motivated to find one as a treat for my BF who is crazy for lemon. (She loved these! She "hid" them in the freezer and declares they actually taste great right out of the freezer - haha!) I used a recipe from Merry About Town - a blogger I met recently at the Food Bloggers of Canada Conference, but modified the glaze. 

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Potato Leek Soup

Am not sure who decides these things in the media, but just lately I keep bumping into articles stressing how great leeks are for our health - so I dusted off this Julia Child recipe. Much of the creaminess of this soup comes from the potatoes - though it can be enhanced with cream.

This is easy, fast, tasty and nutritious! Make it a winter staple!

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Apple Clusters

I don't have an "apple family classic" to add to this "legacy collection" so I was attracted to something new.  What could be healthier than "apple pie" without the pastry?

Here is a terrific and easy recipe from a talented fellow blogger I met in Montreal. Try this! You'll like it!

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Chocolate Kiss Cookies

These appeared in Chocolatier 1 (2) 1984. I loved that magazine and those I have survive every magazine purge. They cookies have a shortbread texture with a surprise chocolate filling. We are weeks away from Xmas and if you start your baking ahead of time note that these can be frozen or kept in a tin in a cool location for several weeks.

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Olive Oil Potato Gratin

Ever have a craving for tasty scalloped potatoes, but the thought of all that cream and cheese (and calories) is a turn-off?

This recipe comes to the rescue. Featuring caramelized onions, it is amazingly yummy, and can be prepped - or even baked - the day before - or earlier in the day for an evening meal with family or guests.

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Sister Salad

This red leaf lettuce salad recipe entered my life from a picket line. It is popular at family events and there are never left overs. It comes from "Sister Laura" a great colleague and picket line "sister". It's an easy prep-ahead that makes big family events just a bit less stressful.

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Shrimp Salad

From Ina Garten - a tasty, crunchy salad using low calorie shrimp, and accented with dill. Great for a picnic, as an appetizer or a main course salad. Have always thought they'd look nice served in little lettuce cups.

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Black-eyed Pea Salad with Peaches and Pecans

This recipe comes directly from ATK's recently released "Cooking Fresh". With the markets still overflowing with fresh peaches as I post this - no better time to enjoy such a satisfying, nutritious and seasonal dish! Off season, I am betting it would taste great with pears or apples.

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Citrus Madeleines

Madeleines are a traditional "small cakes" from France. For many, these treats are forever connected to Marcel Proust and his reflections on "taste memory" in "In Search of Lost Time". This is how Wikipedia describes them - "The flavour is similar to, but somewhat lighter than, sponge cake. Traditional recipes include very finely ground nuts, usually almonds. A variation uses lemon zest, for a pronounced lemony taste." 

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Party Plum Cake

Recipe is directly from ‘More Food That Really Schmecks’ by Edna Staebler, 1979. This is an absolute favourite in the KB kitchen, and plum season cannot pass without it appearing. (Freeze plums now and enjoy this essence of summer in the winter - brrrr....)

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Chocolate Chip Coconut Cookies

One of my favourite magazines was Chocolatier. This recipe comes from Volume 1, No. 2 (1984!). I do not recall the year it stopped publishing. It seemed to happen suddenly and without any notice.

This was a classic, oft-repeated recipe in the KB kitchen before it became "empty-nest". Now these tasty cookies occasionally reach fans in a parcel.

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Wraps and Rolls

Tortilla wraps have been a regular staple for decades now, and serve many functions.

These ricotta wraps have, for me, been breakfast, snack and lunch - and just recently an appetizer contribution to a social gathering. Ditto could apply to the more savoury wrap.

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Do you have favourite ways of using wraps?

Roasted Edamame Salad

Edamame "are rich in protein, dietary fiber, and micronutrients, particularly folate, manganese, phosphorus and vitamin K" (Source). Combine it with other terrific ingredients and this is a winner! This recipe is directly from Alton Brown - loved his Good Eats show. The recipes were great, explained and demo'd well - often with reference to the underlying food / cooking science. I have make this recipe too often to count., and use it as a side or salad. Great also on a picnic - and so healthy!

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Have you read the latest Blog Post? 

Spiced Chia Pudding

Are you still resisting the Chia Pudding craze?  Chia "pudding" has a tapioca-like / "gloopy" look, but a smooth eating consistency. It can be eaten at any time of the day - even as a dessert - but seems most popular as a breakfast food.

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Have you read the latest Blog Post? 

Farro with Mushrooms and Thyme

Ancient grains appear in all meals of the day, and in savouries and sweets. This recipe is (with a few minor edits) from America's Test Kitchen's "Cooking Fresh" - another publication from which I could happily make / eat everything! I use this as a warm side, but it is good next day even as a cold/room temperature salad - and I bet there are people who'd consider it a healthy breakfast as well! 

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Crème Brûlée

This Crème brûlée recipe comes from Ina Garten's Barefoot in Paris. She prefaces the recipe by saying it is "the ultimate 'guy' dessert. Make it and he'll follow you anywhere." The "just before serving" blast with a kitchen blowtorch fills a room with the amazing aroma of burnt sugar and the blowtorch adds drama to the event.

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Fruit Cobbler

With fruit season upon us, I have been bombarded with newsletters and magazines filled with fruit baking ideas. Finally I have taken some time to sort out all the terms - so many - eek! There are crisps, cobblers, and crumbles; grunts, bettys, pandowdys and slumps. Discover the differences and make this fab cobbler!

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Coffee Almond (Gluten-Free) Cookies

These gluten-free, incredibly tasty cookies serve as a great way to use up leftover egg whites that you may - as I do - have frozen for future use. Links back to the source trail offer a version that uses hazelnuts instead of almonds. Enjoy with your next coffee break!

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Orange Date Squares

At markets and bake shops I am a sucker for buying date squares. Two weeks ago I wondered aloud why I never make them myself? Rose to the 'self-challenge' using this recipe from Canadian Living's new Sweet & Simple Cookbook. Many of the recipes use fruit that is at the market now, or in the months to come. I gave up putting stickies on pages I like - I may have to try every recipe over time..

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