Beet & Green Bean Salad with Goat Cheese

There's nothing like an early fall salad of beets and green beans. 

I am really going to miss green beans once they disappear from the markets. Thankfully we'll probably have another few weeks (right? right?) before they disappear until next summer. This was also a lovely use for all the tiny little basil leaves left on my sad looking basil plant. 

Panzanella salad

This salad has become my new summer staple, especially now that we're fully into tomato season.
It's so easy and quick and uses up things in my kitchen that I've perhaps been ignoring for too long.
Stale bread, overripe tomatoes, olive oil, vinegar, salt and basil are all you need for this satisfying summer snack.


My friend Renee (aka Feisty Chef) made this in a cooking class a few weeks ago. I was so excited to taste her take on panzanella which, like most of her cooking is just simple enough to let the food speak for itself.

Canned Tomato Sauce

I may have mentioned before how my husband and I have set a hefty goal of canning 40 pints of tomato sauce in preparation for winter. I think so far I've only made 12 pint jars plus about 10 pints of canned whole tomatoes (which can be made into sauce later). Our main reason for doing this is so we that can enjoy local tomatoes all year round instead of purchasing cans of tomato sauce from the grocery store. Not only do we love supporting our local farmers, but as a couple without a car we strive to reduce our walking or biking trips to the grocery store as much as possible in the winter (the less heavy cans we have to lug home through the snow and freezing wind the better!).

I hesitated on sharing this recipe/project with you because it seemed like it might be too boring or simple. But then I realized that the simple (yet oh so useful) projects are sometimes the best inspiration for someone who's new to canning or preserving.

Cherry Tomato & Green Bean Salad

So simple yet so good. This is one of my favourite summer staple salads.

You really just can't go wrong with a recipe from Alice Waters.

Strawberry Basil Iced Tea

Clearly I'm obsessed with strawberries right now. Ever since they made their appearance at my local farmers market I've been buying 2-5 pints a week. They top my morning granola, get baked into many crumbles, the lonely sad looking ones get juiced (which sometimes turn into popsicles!), and my husband has been muddling them into some spectacular cocktails.

Herbed Pasta Salad

This year on Canada day my husband and I did what we've done for the last few years; watch a lamb roast on a spit for hours in our friends backyard, and then eventually eat it. I brought a few dishes of yummy summer outdoor food with us to share and this salad was one of the stars of the show (next to the lamb of course) and I've been craving it ever since.

Pesto Chicken Pizza

I'm normally not one to get excited about a pizza that has pieces of chicken on it. Truthfully I'm not usually that excited about chicken in general. I love my husbands BBQ chicken, or a great whole roast chicken, and even spicy chicken wings but that's about it.
But my husband has been making this pizza for me for years and trust me, it's delicious.
Strangely enough the chicken is really only a minor detail in this pizza. It plays an important role, but the pesto is really the star of the show.

Cherry Tomato Pizza Margherita

Summer perfection in pizza form. Charred cherry tomatoes, fresh basil and mozzarella. Yum!