the recipe book
It is my pleasure to share my ever-growing collection of recipes with you. Cooking has been part of who I am for as long as I can remember. At the young age of twelve years old, my mother’s confidence in my developing skills would encourage me to experiment with family dinners. Sure, the mashed potatoes came out a little lumpy and the oven-roasted chicken a touch too dry. But those memorable experiences gave me the confidence to continue experimenting in the kitchen, and to this day, I don’t take myself too seriously when cooking or baking. In my experimentation, I discovered how to create some of my most memorable and delicious recipes. The problem I find is properly documenting the steps and the ingredient measurements, as I toss them in. I always think I will remember. But I rarely do. The best kind of cooking, I believe, is cooking from instinct and allowing the dish to tell you what it needs. A little of this, a pinch of that.
I have learned to leave a pencil and pad of paper next to the oven so I can quickly scratch out a few detailed lines, in hopes my future self could decipher and replicate my latest pasta invention or those last-minute homemade sugar doughnuts from the bread dough rising on the kitchen counter. Yes, those sugar doughnuts were a happy accident discovered one day, and now my children are on high alert for fluffy warm doughnuts every time they see mamma kneading dough in the kitchen. Something I live by and tell my children often is, “You need to learn the rules so that you know exactly how to break them.” In cooking and other skills in life, we need a foundational understanding of what our goal is. Then we could spin off into our own unique interpretation and creation. That is the beauty of our own unique perspective. And that, my friend, is what I hope to do here, on this blog. Inspire you to live a creative life.
Breakfast & Brunch
With breakfast, the ideas are vast and limitless really. Nothing beats waking up to a stack of warm fluffy pancakes or a rainbow spread of fresh fruit next to a generous helping of homemade quiche. A yogurt parfait, crispy bacon and basket of cheddar biscuits piled high are enough to get anyone in your household rolling out of bed. Cracking eggs into a hot pan is the quickest way to get a nutritious meal on the table and lucky for us there are countless ways to prepare them. Hoping my ideas inspire you to try something new.
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01.
Desserts & Baked Goods
My children are my greatest source of inspiration when I am baking something new. The excitement they have when they see something baking through the oven window, faces pressed to the glass, is enough to always draw new inspiration from. Also I find, children are kind of easy to impress when your trying new things that you would be hesitant to experiment on with dinner guests. My little guinea pigs they call themselves.
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03.
Sauces & Dressings
The goldmine is in the sauces and dressings. A great aioli can take a somewhat bland meal and have you feeling like a chef in your own kitchen. Homemade dressings are beyond easy, some much healthier for you than store bought and packed with flavour and just so delicious. Don’t wait as long as I did to make your own homemade dressings from scratch. You can thank me later.
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05.
Side Dishes
Side dishes are the supporting character to the main dish. But that is no reason to overlook all the wonderful possibilities. How many ways can you cook a potato? No one really knows… and that’s just what makes them so darn special.
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05.
Pastas Dishes
My love of pasta really deserves its own category. I can enjoy pasta for any occasion. Simple Mac n’cheese or an elaborate made from scratch ravioli. Rolling your own pasta can make for a romantic date night with your loved one or a fun cooking day with the kids. They love using my pasta roller machine. Pasta when freshly made brings a level of happiness and satisfaction to a meal that really is hard to describe. I really recommend you try it at least once. It’s so much easier than you think.
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05.
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02.
Appetizers & Snacks
A snacks main goals, if it had one, is to be yummy and fun to eat. Presentation is always something I aim for when I am cooking. I believe that we enjoy food with all five senses and how we perceive our food is just as important as taste. Appetizers are a fun introductions to a meal and sometimes in our house we never make it to the main course because the appetizers are just that good.
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04.
Dinner Recipes
Keeping dinner new and exciting can be a challenge even for the best cooks. What’s for dinner? Is a dreaded question for many. My hope is that you can leave with few ideas to add to your personal home recipe library. So on those days that inspiration feels flat you can infuse a little creativity back into your evening meals.
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06.
Soups & Salads
Soups are like your favourite cozy sweater and salads are a fun picnic on a plate. Following your mood and season is a key piece in enjoying what can sometimes be a often overlooked meal category. Step outside of the boundaries of a rigid recipe and the sky really is the limit.
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06.
Smoothies & Frozen Desserts
Adding bee pollen to smoothies for its numerous health properties is just one of the countless ways to take something delicious and make it a guilt free treat, that my kids ask for often. I am always sneaking in extra vitamins and nutrition into their diets when I blend up a colourful refreshing smoothie. I am happy to oblige. Frozen desserts can also be so much more healthier than store bought when you carefully select the ingredients yourself.
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06.
Hot & Cold Drink Recipes
Drinks are the perfect complement to a meal or to enjoy all on their own. An icy drink by the pool on a hot summer day or cozied up in bed reading your favourite book, sipping on hot cocoa. Once you make your first cup of homemade cocoa there really is no going back to store bought powder in a can, is there? Flavoured ice coffees taste so good made at home and so much healthier for you and your wallet…am I right?
