Dessert By Candy

Birthday Ribs Night

Victoria Day long weekend unofficially kicked off summer and my family celebrated accordingly. It was also Little Brother’s birthday so I seized the opportunity to make boys food such as pizza and ribs. It must have been at least three years since I last cooked ribs at home. That is an awfully long wait especially for these succulent sweet and smoky oven spareribs. I may be an advocate for meat-lite diet but that doesn’t mean I should subject the boys to feel the same way especially for birthday celebrations.

A man may be able to live on ribs alone but this girl certainly cannot. I completed the menu with a full range of traditional and not-so-traditional side dishes that appeal to my taste. Thanks to my renewed interest in smitten kitchen recipes, I present you:

Very Smitten Ribs Night

Sweet & Smoky Oven Spareribs

Slow Cooker Barbecue Beans

Vinegar Slaw with Cucumbers and Dill

Fingerlings Vinaigrette with Sieved Eggs and Pickled Celery

Sugar Snap Salad with Miso Dressing

Sunday Taco Night

Sunday night family dinner is now nicknamed Taco Night since we enjoyed tacos for two consecutive Sundays. If I continue for another week, we can practically call it a family tradition, ha! Last Sunday was Cinco de Mayo and it didn’t receive much attention from mainstream media in Canada. In Toronto, we do not have a very large Mexican population (2.6% of the population in Toronto are Latin American). Only in the last couple of years have we begun to see more taquerias in the city.

My anticipation for the celebration mainly stemmed from excitement of food blogs I regularly visit. All week long, I was bookmarking recipes and taking notes of which dishes I would like to eat. After much consideration, three items stood out: carnitas, horchata, and tres leches cake. In case you are unfamiliar with Mexican cuisine, that would be crispy pulled pork, rice almond milk, and sponge cake saturated with three different kinds of milk.  Seeing that I am a beginner with Mexican cuisine, I turned to the always reliable America’s Test Kitchen for help.

Cinco de Mayo Feast for Six Hungry Eaters

Carnitas

Guacamole

Pineapple Salsa

Cabbage Slaw

Whole Wheat Tortilla

Horchata

Tres Leches Cake

Market Picnic at Sunnybrook Park

Free time comes with my forced break from training and last Saturday I went to The Stop’s Farmers Market. Spring is no longer a hint with the arrival of tender greens, ramps, and all kinds of different eggs. My shopping bag was stuffed with enough goodies for an impromptu picnic. My friend and I packed a picnic lunch, grabbed the blanket, and went over to Sunnybrook Park for a relaxing afternoon. First, let’s take a look at my shopping finds:

From left to right:

• black olive sourdough from St John’s Bakery
• sorrel from Vicki’s Veggies (check out this delightful piece from Yotam Ottolenghi on sorrel)
• chocolate macaroon
• crunchy mixed sprouts
• Figaro, a creamy oozy cow’s milk cheese from Glencarry Fine Cheese
• guinea fowl eggs and silkie eggs from Weber’s Farm
• celeriac from Highmark Farm
• smoked trout from Akiwenzie’s Fish

I was excited by all the cooking possibilities! With a portable meal in mind, I put together this simple picnic meal for two using my market finds and ingredients at home.

Easy Picnic For Two

Smoked Trout Salad Sandwich with Sorrel & Black Olive Sourdough

Figaro Cheese with Seedy Crackers

Pineapples

Almond Cherry Danish

Ginger Beer

Recipe That Inspired A Party

Last weekend I hosted my second party for our Monthly Supper Club. If you think I am an over-zealous hostess who wouldn’t let my friends have their turn hosting, well, I certainly am not. A few days after Pi(e) Day, we were reminiscing over YC’s candied bacon.  Of course that led to a search for other interesting bacon recipes which landed me at King Arthur Flour’s Maple Bacon Biscuit Bake. I fell in love fast and furious. I needed an excuse to bake that recipe and there was no better occasion than throwing a brunch party.

Race season and outdoor practices have begun and my free time is quickly diminishing before my eyes. I wasted no time in setting a date but hosting a large group requires a bit of planning. Fortunately, hosting brunch can be easy with plenty of made-ahead options. I scoured my list of to-cook dishes and came up with this ambitious yet unfussy menu.

Spring Brunch Party For Ten

Pimento Cheese Stuffed Tomato

Maple Candied Bacon with Dark Chocolate

Shakshuka

Sausage Portobello Breakfast Bake

Mixed Berries Grain Salad

Spiced Pear Fruit Salad with Dried Figs & Apricots

Cuban Avocado Arugula Pineapple Salad

Maple Bacon Biscuit Bake

Meyer Lemon Focaccia

Braided Lemon Bread with Homemade Meyer Lemon Curd

Cold Brew Iced Coffee with Homemade Goat Milk Cajeta

Fresh Squeezed Orange Juice

Healthy Dinner For Athletes

In recent months, I’ve been getting lots of practice cooking dinner for two to three people. As athletes, we’re mindful of what we eat and regular dinners are no occasions to indulge. As a result, I am exploring complete menus with strong focus on healthy eating, not just a standalone dish. Pinterest has been a great tool for brainstorming and organization. I can see at a glance how all the dishes fit together as a whole. I’m starting to fill my profile with numerous mini boards for every meal that I planned.  Like most pinners, I keep a to-cook board with links to interesting recipes I come across everyday. When I plan my dinner, it is often the first place I look and build a whole menu around the selected dish. An example is my Healthy Dinner for Athletes menu.

Healthy Dinner For Athletes

Rosemary & Lemon White Bean Dip with Rosemary Crackers

Crispy Lentils with Ground Lamb on Barbari Bread with Labneh, Pinenuts, Mint, Cilantro

Roasted Portobello stuffed with Lucinato Kale & Shallot

Alchemy Pickle Company Spicy Carrots

Chia Coconut Water with Mango

Airport Picnic

I cannot refuse an opportunity to picnic even if the occasion only involves packing a brown bag lunch to enjoy on a plane or at an airport. Last weekend I traveled to Austin, TX for my first race of the season. Had I splurge for a direct flight from Toronto, I would still spend over four hours in the air not counting the extra time for checking bags, clearing customs, and security inspection. I opted for a cheaper itinerary and ended up spending the majority of Thursday on travels. What would have been a miserable day of eating turned into a fun diversion with my full to the brim brown bag lunch.

Air Travel Picnic

Smokey Tempeh Sundried Tomato Pesto on Barbari Bread with Kale

Antipasto Brochette with Chianti Salami, Stuffed Olives, Marinated Portobello, Roasted Red Pepper, Cherry Tomato, Marinated Artichoke, and Cumin Gouda

Garlic Grissini

Fruit Salad Summer Roll with Papaya, Mango, Strawberry, Mint

Raw Brownies with Almond & Cacao Nibs

Get A Bento, Get Outside

I started packing bento on a semi-regular basis because I wanted to enjoy nutritious homemade food on the go. The aesthetic of a well-made well-balanced bento obviously appeal to me but mainly it is my way of avoiding depressing fast food options when I am not eating at home. The weather is far from balmy here in Toronto but dry pavement means I have already started inline skating outdoor for over three weeks. When training wraps up, I am famish! Since I am not a fan of protein shakes, bento is one way for me to battle the post-training-munchies. This is the bento I packed today with a hint of spring.

Almost Springtime Bento

Asparagus Smoked Salmon Quinoa

Sweet Potato Pepita Croquettes

Fruit Salad of Pineapple, Papaya, & Blackberry

Family Brunch

Consider my love for entertaining at home and my love for brunch, you would think I would host brunch at home more often. Apparently, that is not the case. Weekends are prime time for training so it is rare that I get to spend mornings at home at leisurely pace. When the opportunity comes around, I am more likely to enjoy the luxury of sleeping in.

Dad suggested to meet for lunch last Saturday at my favourite bubble tea place. Despite the draw of sleeping in on a weekend morning, I invited him over for brunch instead. That was an impulse decision I made late Friday morning. Within the span of 24 hours, I came up with the following menu and a precise schedule to get everything done on time.

Weekend Family Brunch

Homemade Sweet Potato Loaf

Blue Cheese Pear Zucchini Cake Salé

Tropical Fruit Salad

Duo of Homemade Preserves: Vanilla Apricot & Maple Wild Blueberry

Chipotle Sweet Potato Smoked Sausage Hash

Sour Cherry Almond Baked Oatmeal

Pistachio Chocolate Mini Bundt with Pistachio Cream Cheese Glaze

Brewed Toasted Coconut Tea

Fit & Healthy January Dinner

With the start of a new year, making resolutions and planning year-long project seem de rigueur. One of the many initiatives on my 2013 calendar is to become more comfortable with entertaining at home. I love to invite friends over for brunch, lunch, tea, or dinner but the challenge has always been getting multiple dishes ready on time. I want to enjoy the company of my friends, not stuck cooking away in the kitchen! The desire to practice entertaining struck a chord among my food loving friends. That is how our monthly supper club came to be.

Every month one of us takes turn hosting a gathering. The format is entirely up to the host/hostess. The key is we’re among friends and it is a great opportunity to practice hosting. I kicked off with a January Fit & Healthy dinner for eight (because I only have eight matching place settings) last Saturday. Here is my menu, served family style:

Picnic At Home

Just because the weather is decidedly nippy doesn’t mean I should shelf my picnic basket until next year. Enjoying an indoor picnic can be just as much fun with a light hearted attitude! Last weekend, I prepared a picnic feast for a low-key celebration completed with picnic blanket, wicker basket, portable edibles, and even floating candles in mason jars. It was a fun and relaxing alternative to a night out on the town.

My menu consisted of simple dishes with vibrant Middle Eastern flavours. Although I generally prefer to serve everything homemade, prepared food can be a great source of convenience especially since I was short on time. As soon as the blanket was unfurled and the candles were lit, I emptied the spread from my basket. We sipped on chilled hard ciders and nibbled on granola-crusted nuts (recipe from smitten kitchen). Dollops of spicy sweet mouhamara halabiya were smeared over torn pieces of pliable lavash, both of which I bought at Arz Find Foods. Although I made mouhamara before, I was happy to let someone else do the work for me this time. Arz’s version of this roasted red pepper walnut dip is as addictive as it comes. I can never get enough of it.