Big Winter Cowl

I've been eyeing this Purl Soho pattern for what feels like forever. Before my son was born I decided it would soon come to fruition and the opening of a new yarn shop in my neighbourhood seemed like the perfect push I needed to get started. 

I really loved the idea of using thread throughout as a way to add different spurts of colour but couldn't find thread that was affordable enough at my local shop. So I chose one big ball of multi colored sock yarn, and just altered how many strands of the sock yarn I used (or didn't use) to create a similar effect.

I love how thick and wide it is and have already been wearing it non-stop. So cozy!  

Brown Butter Spiced Winter Squash Bread

Oh boy. This was a good one. I think I easily polished off the whole loaf by day two.
The spices! The texture! Oh my I do adore this cakey bread.

The recipe comes from none other than my current favourite Ms. Heidi Swanson of 101 Cookbooks. I followed the recipe pretty much completely as is, except I used walnut oil instead of hazelnut, and I made my own garam masala-esque blend of spices (coriander, cumin, ginger, black pepper, bay leaf, cardamom, and clove).
One bizarre thing I did do though was NOT measure my squash. Yup, that's right, I chopped, roasted, and pureed it but somewhere in my zombie mom brain I didn't think about measuring the damn stuff. Oh well, turns out lady luck was on my side and this turned out great. Now the only thing is I wonder how it'll turn out the next time...

Beet & Corn Hash

This post seemed have gotten lost in the shuffle somewhere. Seems a little out of place now that we're almost heading into November but it was delish so here it is nonetheless!

I love meals that really represent the transition of seasons, especially summer to fall. Lately I've been diving into fall produce while still trying to use up some of late summers best offerings. I feel like the addition of sweet fresh corn really adds a touch of summer to an otherwise heavy fall dish. 

No recipe this time, just hoping to inspire you to take a breakfast staple like hash and give it a good ol' seasonal twist!

Summer Squash Soup

So it's official. This is the time for soup. 

Not just weather wise, but baby wise. 

I've quickly realized that soup is the perfect meal for me to cook while taking care of the babe while my husband's at work. I start it late in the morning while the babe is napping, eat some for lunch then serve the rest for dinner, or just save it for another days lunch. If the babe wakes up and I have to leave my cooking, it's so easy to just take it off the heat or turn it down while putting it together, and of course once its done its perfect to just leave on the low heat ready for whenever I can sit down and eat some.

I wish I had found this recipe earlier. It's the perfect way to use up oodles of zucchini or other summer squash that we all end up having a little too much of now and then. With a hint of coconut milk and green curry, this simple soup was another great way to celebrate the transition into fall. I think I'll definitely be making this again this winter with some of the zucchini I've tucked away into my freezer.

Beet Greens with Tofu and Soba Noodles

When the end of summer nears closer and closer I feel myself clinging to the seasons best produce; green beans, tomatoes, peaches, and berries. Even though I'm actually slowly getting tired of these foods and actually can't wait to dive into my first winter squash or bag of brussels sprouts, I just feel like I need to avoid eating fall/winter vegetables as long as I can because before I know it beets, potatoes, cabbage and turnips will be some of my only culinary choices. 

During todays market trip however I just couldn't help myself. Its been weeks that I've been eyeing bunches of beets and piles of winter squash and I couldn't resist them any longer. We're heading out of the city for a few days tomorrow so I knew I needed to make quick work of the beet greens before my refrigerators crisper gets to them first. 

I think every fall I search for new exciting things to do with beets, especially the greens. I love their flavour but often find it quite overpowering.

After checking all my usual sources for inspiration and finding nothing, google provided me with this recipe from Canadian Living. I added this yummy tofu my friend Renee got me hooked on, as well as cashews and soba noodles. It was the perfect quick Saturday lunch! 

Simple Carrot Salad

This is my entire carrot harvest of summer 2012.

Looks kind of sad when you think of it like that, but I prefer to appreciate the fact that I got one big bowl of sweet crunchy fresh carrots rather than none at all. The glass has been pretty well half full around these parts lately, thanks to this little beauty:

With him strapped to my chest or asleep on Daddy, I've finally been able to venture back into our overgrown forgotten garden and harvest some goodies, rip out some oldies, and plant some newbies.

The bebe has also been such a great reminder to slow down and stop and smell the roses. Life takes on such a different pace with him around and everything holds such a different meaning.

Which is why I just devoured and enjoyed this little carrot salad for what it was in the moment, and nothing more.

The recipe is from Everybody Likes Sandwiches, check it out here.

Marinated Beet Salad

This salad just made my day.
Maybe I was a little too hungry and waited a little too long for lunch. But this salad has somehow made me feel so good, better than I thought a salad could. Actually thats not true, I know the power of salads (don't laugh!) but I feel like I haven't been eating the healthiest food lately and I think my body was just SO ready for some vegetables that it jumped for joy as I ate this simple salad.
Good thing I made enough for two...because I'm definitely having seconds.

Samosas

Samosas have been on my "Must-make" list for years now. I suppose one big hinderance that kept me from making these for so long was finding nigella seeds for the dough. But thanks to Costas Halavrezos and Epices de Cru I now have a wealthy stock of them in my spice drawer.
The recipe I used was from Epicurious and although seemed to have generally good reviews many reviewers complained that they were bland. Considering that the recipe suggests that they be served with yogurt (as opposed chutney which is what I eat samosas with) I wasn't too concerned.

Well after rolling out the dough, folding and filling them, we fried up two right away and froze the rest. We ate them with my peach chutney and loved every single bite.

Cauliflower Soup

Since getting home from vacation I've made a few promises to myself. The first one was to really crack down on eating healthier and making time for exercise.

 I was doing great before vacation but it's amazing what a huge step back it is to eat out and not exercise for almost three weeks. Ugh. I really can't believe how out of shape I feel.

The second promise was to really make great use of my time at home since I'll be working at the family biz full time for...well...quite a while. I wish the two promises weren't so interconnected..but they are (having barely any time to cook, clean, or relax leaves very little motivation to eat healthy and work out).

So today is my first day off since working full time again and I've done laundry, ran errands, made soup, and am currently making veggie burgers and cookies to have in the freezer for those upcoming days when we'll need them most. I'm also planning on dusting off my rarely-used slow cooker in hopes that it'll provide some amazing meals while we're both at work. Have any great slow cooker recipes? I'd love to hear about them!

Ginger Molasses Cookies

These are easily some of the best cookies I've ever made. I found the recipe 7 or 8 years ago while living in an apartment about the size of a closet. It was so small it didn't even have a full kitchen, just a small sink, mini fridge, two burners and a toaster oven. It's amazing to think of the things you'll put up with when you're young and seeking independence.
The first time I baked these cookies was in that toaster oven and my tiny one room apartment was filled with the most delicious aromas of molasses, ginger and cinnamon.
These cookies have the perfect texture (soft with a slightly crisp exterior) and aren't too sweet which usually means I end up eating more of them.

Black Bean Pumpkin Soup

Do you ever have those days when you wake up and it's pouring and you say to yourself "I'm not going to leave the house today."? Well I'm having one of those days and it's great!
I love that rainy days make me feel less guilty for being a hermit. It feels a bit more socially acceptable to keep my pajamas on while I bake bread, make soup and quilt, when it's pouring outside.
I predict that the rest of the day will include pots of tea,  crib games, and knitting. Is it really any wonder why I love rainy days?

Cabbage and Beans

Sounds boring doesn't it?
But I promise you this modest combination of wilted cabbage, browned potatoes and beans is far superior than the sum of it's parts. As I dove in for my first bite I was surprised (maybe even shocked) by how tasty it was. I think this is easily going to become my new favourite healthy cold weather dish.

And if that's not enough to convince you to make this right away let me tell you about how I added the leftovers to some homemade turkey soup stock for the simplest and quickest, yet hearty and filling brothy soup.
I might even just have to make it again tomorrow morning for breakfast with a poached egg on top.

Winter Panzanella Salad

The last few days have felt like a bit of a whirlwind, but I'd like to think that this salad has helped keep me grounded. Maybe that sounds silly but I really think comfort food has the ability to soothe the mind as well as nourish the body. 

We started looking at houses this week, with no expectations to actually find one we liked. But of course we DID find one we love, very very much. So now my husband and I have been full of anxious nervous energy for the last few days and I'm using food as a way to try to bring us back down to earth. 

All the nerve-wracking waiting feels slightly less obvious while I'm chopping apples for applesauce, or stirring a hot pot of soup. 

After falling in love with Feisty Chef's Panzanella Salad this summer I couldn't help but let my mind wander into other seasons full of other produce that might be adaptable to this delicious bread salad. I remembered seeing a winter panzanella salad on Smitten Kitchen years ago and decided to just google it and see how the world out there is interpreting it. Well it turned out that Michael Chiarello made a pretty damn good salad that caused a flurry of bloggers to follow suit, including SK and now of course myself.   

Raw Kale Salad

I never imagined I'd love raw kale so much. This salad is bursting with bright and bold flavours that make it a rather addictive dish. After eating it (and learning how to make it!) in a recent Feisty Chef cooking class, I just couldn't stop thinking about it. I made it for Thanksgiving dinner a few days later and despite how "un-thanksgiving" it seems it really fit in well amongst mashed potatoes, turkey and stuffing. But it's also quite deserving of a plate of its own for an afternoon snack, just like I'm eating it now.

Thanksgiving Meal Ideas

Am I the only one who totally keeps forgetting that Thanksgiving is this weekend?? Aaaah! Where does the time go?! I'd like to think that the culprit of forgetting thanksgiving is the freakishly warm weather we have been spoiled with, but I must admit that my head has been in the clouds lately. All I can seem to do is read and watch coverage of Occupy Wall Street. I never thought in my lifetime I'd see this kind of thing happening in America but I couldn't be more thrilled. It gives me chills and makes my eyes well up just thinking about it. If you don't know what I'm talking about please, PLEASE take it upon yourself to find out what's going on in NYC (and around the world), because clearly most media outlets aren't going to do it for you.

Phew! So what was I talking about? Things that feel slightly meaningless next to social change? Oh right, Thanksgiving! Well the warm weather disappeared quite suddenly today and brought me back to reality. It's October 6th and I don't know what I'm making for Thanksgiving. So as I try to decide what to make, I figured someone out there might need some help too. Here are some delicious side dishes and desserts that your guests are sure to adore (while you all take the time to converse about the state of global and national politics, right?).

Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Apples and Bacon

Potato Turnip Gratin

Brussels Sprout Hash

Roasted Broccoli

Balsamic Braised Brussels Sprouts

Brussels Sprout and Pecan Salad

The following salads might seem a bit unconventional for Thanksgiving (well come to think of it any salad is probably considered unconventional) but why not take advantage of some beautiful fall produce and opt for a healthier side to balance out all those heavy mashed potatoes and rich gravies.

Apple and Bacon Slaw

Cabbage, Apple and Pecan Salad

Beet and Apple Slaw

Beet & Green Bean Salad with Goats Cheese

In my childhood home growing up we always had pumpkin pie after Thanksgiving dinner. That is until my mother started using squash but (at least as I remember it) she didn't tell us because she probably knew we'd protest. "Eww! Squash Pie? Gross Mom!" But of course we didn't notice and loved it anyway.
I've made a few pumpkin/squash pies in my adult life but sometimes I feel like I want something more interesting...especially more texturally interesting, like the following.

Pecan Pie

Apple Coffee Cake

Pear Pie

Sugar Daddy

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. 

Linguine with Blue Cheese, Beet Greens, and Hazelnuts

I love when I go searching for new recipes to use up a particular ingredient and I find one that features other things I already have on hand, and it turns out to be my new favourite dish. The flavours are simple  but bold in their own ways and the hazelnuts really pull it all together. Yum!

Corn Stock

So have you been freezing any delicious local corn lately? If not, you still have time to head to the market this weekend and get some, and then you can use the leftover cobs to create the tastiest corn soup stock ever. I really can't wait for that snowy winter night when I can take this out of our freezer along with some frozen corn and make a sweet corn chowder that will make my kitchen smell just like summer.

I read about corn stock on Local Kitchen the other day and was totally inspired. Why on earth haven't I been using those corn cobs to make myself some super flavourful soup stock?? It feels like I'm getting that much more bang for my buck to be able to make something out of (what feels like) nothing. But I guess that's the beauty of making stocks in general. Using up vegetable scraps, and or poultry or fish carcasses that would otherwise be throw out to create something so useful, and of course delicious.

Jam Filled Cornmeal Biscuits

These are my new favourite vehicle for jam. I was truthfully not expecting these little gems to be so incredibly tasty. They're the perfect balance of sweet and salty, and wonderfully textured due to the cornmeal (also they're not as guilt as inducing as those thumbprint cookies). I'm currently eating them for breakfast with my morning coffee but I think they are going to taste quite delicious next to some cheese or even charcuterie. Also the thought of filling them with a slightly more savoury preserve like a chutney or hot pepper jelly has got me quite excited.

Do yourself a favour and head over to 101 Cookbooks, which is Heidi Swanson (author of Super Natural Everyday)'s blog and make these ASAP.

Thumbprint Cookies

It feels almost wrong to make these cookies in the summer. Like they're supposed to be baked when you're looking for ways to bring the taste of summer to the dead of winter, and when your body can handle a little fattening up due to their rich buttery goodness.

But here I am in the middle of summer, excitedly trying out some of my newest preserves with these quick and simple cookies.