This is exactly what I was thinking this morning as I was searching for something nutritious but a tad more exciting than the usual oatmeal. Bacon and eggs meet salad. And by salad, I simply mean a big handful of fresh peppery arugula dressed with a good dose of citrus. If you’re looking for a heartier salad, throw in a thinly sliced red onion, some shaved fennel, a handful of halved cherry tomatoes, or sauté a bunch of mushrooms with the bacon. Go nuts. And if you really must, skip the bacon and make the dressing with a bit of olive oil instead. I won’t blame you, I’ll just eat your share. 

A bowl of that so called ‘healthy’ cereal loaded with maltodextrin this and corn syrup that may be way less calories but it’s probably not going to get you to lunch like this will. And it sure as hell isn’t this delicious. Salad for breakfast, who knew. Plus, breakfast for diner? Always. 

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For us, kale is pretty much a staple. It makes a mean salad and packs more nutrients than a limpy green lettuce. Plus, like spicach, you can pretty much jam the stuff into anything. Soups, casseroles, stir fries, pasta. And all that hype about kale chips? It’s all true. 

Here kale teams up with delicious, delicious fungus and creamy ricotta for an easy mushroom kale frittata. Think quiche without all the pie dough tomfoolery. Frittatas are also ridiculously adaptable. Don’t have ricotta? Simply add another egg or two and a splash more milk. Love goat cheese? Replace some of the ricotta with it. Don’t have fresh thyme? Add another herb, even dried if that’s all you got. No shallots? You realize they’re just fancy onions right?! You can even slather some sriracha all over this bad boy. There really is no going wrong.

So, ditch that sugary cereal and amp up your morning routine. Kale, it’s what’s for breakfast.

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That lazy Sunday, syrup smothered pancake in hand, we were reminded just how much we love our Dartmouth home and local market. Sometimes it’s hard to believe how lucky we are in Nova Scotia to have access to fresh, local produce year round so how very fitting that this posts comes to you on Open Farm Day. Brought to you by the Nova Scotia Federation of Agriculture, today is the day to bridge that gap between you and your food. Farms all across the province are open to the public, giving you a “backstage pass to meet your farmer”. Though I will sadly not be visiting a farm today, I encourage you to do what I can’t. Surprise yourself with just how much more local produce there is than you ever thought possible, or show your kids what free range actually looks like, or just go on a Sunday drive, grab some goods at the nearest farm, and make a big Sunday scran. Because if there is one thing that will make you appreciate Nova Scotia even more, it’s gathering your friends and family around the table for an incredible local feast. Happy Sunday. 

 {Original posted October 3, 2012.} Well, the blog has been a tad ignored these past few weeks but, in case you didn’t see it, I did pull together a guest post for my gal Lia over at Se7en’s a Banquet, 9ine’s a Brawl. And it’s a crazy one. Eggs Benny Hors D’oeuvres with Quail Eggs and Latkes. Sheer madness I tell ya. 

But we also found a new home, subletted the apartment, packed, and moved to the other side of the bridge. Yes, we are now livin’ it up on the D Side. Downtown Dartmouth to be precise. And we couldn’t be happier. The house is huge, there’s loads of friends in the hood already, plus Two If By Sea is mere minutes away, and, get this, Noggins Corner Farm has recently opened a shop in Alderney Landing open seven days a week. Local produce minutes away available every day? It doesn’t get any better.

So, in honour of our new neighborhood and love of all things local, here’s a lil’ breakfast recipe I whipped up the other day using some Noggin’s plums. The plum Dutch Baby, otherwise known as an oven pancake, isn’t your typical bready pancake. More like it’s eggy cousin. I’ve been making both an apple and a pear version for years. Simply use 2 thinly sliced apples or pears. In these, the fruit magically rises to the top, making a killer caramelized fruit crust. The plums, however, stayed on the bottom, making it a sort of upside down pancake. More tart than sweet, it’s perfect with a healthy dose of maple syrup. 

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When I sat down and thought about what sausage to feature, it was an easy decision. I’m madly in love with all things Charcuterie Ratinaud and their chorizo was no different. The spicy pork would make the perfect base to putaneggonit.

Oh yes, I did it again.

Last week, while finishing up some last minute things which included saying goodbye to my cooking class crew and recording a CBC segment with Simon Thibault in which we whipped up my famous (well, according to treeplanters at least!) mint brownies, I also somehow found time to cook and shoot my recipe. You see, Brent and I have embarked on a new adventure for the remainder of the summer which takes us to Maitland, NS. But that’s another post. You’ll wanna stay tuned for that one.

With the deadline looming, here I am sitting at the kitchen table in my new country home writing away.   So, without further adieu, I give you…

{UPDATE} Brought home the gold! You’ll see this bad boy appear in the Harvest edition of Local Connections hitting the stands this fall. Oh snap.

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Today was no different. After snagging a pint of local cherries from Noggins, my local seven-days-a-week-farmer’s market, it was off to the kitchen to let the magic happen. With summer in full effect and temperatures steadily hovering around 30, a light dessert was all I would consider. Noticing some egg whites all alone in the fridge, meringue seemed like the natural choice.

And, yes, I can simply jam those egg whites in Big Red and follow my instincts. Perhaps that sounds crazy but that’s just how I’ve always done it. It was finally time to slow down, measure, and take a minute to ponder just why I’m here doing what I’m doing.

Now this is simply a recipe for cherry meringue with which I made two dishes: mini cherry pavlovas and cherry eton mess. For both you will need to macerate the cherries. Simply pit the cherries then roughly chop/mash them with a sprinkle of sugar. Let them sit to release their juices. When the meringue is cool, you can make some whipped cream. A great trick I somehow stumbled upon during my tree planting days, most likely because the beaters were dirty, is to make it in the food processor. Simply add the cream and turn it on. Sprinkle in some sugar and a teaspoon of vanilla (both to taste) and process til thick. You can even even hear the point when it is ready; it becomes quieter and you no longer hear liquid sloshing around. It’s quite amazing actually. But be warned. If you forget about it and it goes past this point, you’re on your way to butter. Though that can’t be a bad thing can it?

For the mini pavlovas, fill the meringue shells with the macerated cherries then the whip. You could even make a single layered pavlova if perhaps you wanted to attempt this masterpiece. For the eton mess, simply layer crushed meringue cookies or shells with macerated cherries and whip then repeat. I like to think of eton mess as a trifle’s naughty cousin, where the soft, delicate cake is replaced with the unexpected crusty meringue. It’s especially great if your meringue cracks or breaks. Whip this up and no one would know you planned anything but an incredible dessert. Garnish both with a cherry and prepare to impress.

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But, like always, the clouds parted and the sun shone through.

This birthday, besides the amazing gifts from the man, I got to spend my birthday with a crew of food bloggers from across Canada. Nothing like a twitter party to lift the spirits and remind you of everything you have to be grateful for. The party celebrated the release of Get Your Grill On with Turkey & Mushrooms, an e-book collaboration between Mushrooms Canada, Turkey Farmers of Canada and ten of Canada’s best food bloggers, many of whom I had the pleasure of meeting at FBC2013. I was beyond thrilled when Mushrooms Canada asked me to moderate the party because, if there is one thing I love more than anything, it’s talking food. Despite it being the fastest hour of my life, I wouldn’t have spent my birthday any other way. Big thanks to the team at Mushrooms Canada, Turkey Farmers of Canada and all the participating bloggers for making my day. Plus, the e-book is nothing short of incredible. I suggest hitting up the Mushrooms Canada and Tasty Turkey facebook pages, throwing a like their way, then getting your download on. These are 20 recipes sure to spices up your summer grilling.

But what this post is really about is the Back to the Roots grow your own mushroom kit. Part of the unbelievable swag at the FBC conference, Mushrooms Canada graciously gave all attendees a kit to take home. Somehow in all the craziness (like the lack of power during registration perhaps), I had totally forgot to snag one. As the weeks went by and the instagram pics started surfacing with the mushroom play by play, I knew I had missed out big time. But, lucky me, the awesome ladies of Mushrooms Canada whom I enjoyed a nightcap with at the conference went ahead and mailed me one anyway so I could get in on the action.

And action is exactly what I got. Both Brent and I became mesmerized, rushing to the windowsill each morning to see the progress. It was as if you could stand there and literally watch them grow. We even harvested at day 9, a day earlier than expected. I don’t know what’s going on in our house but I can’t wait to turn that box over and do it all over again. Uh huh, the kits can magically produce up to four mushroom harvests. You have got to hit up Back to the Roots to order one for yourself. Even better, share a pic of your fully grown mushrooms on their facebook page and they’ll send a kit to a school of your choice. How cool is that? 

I eat mushrooms on the regular so when these bad boys were ready, I could easily have put them in just about anything. These oyster mushrooms, however, were destined for something bigger, something I’ve been obsessed with lately. If you read my last post – wait, what? you haven’t? Stop everything right now and get on that! – it’ll be no surprise that I went ahead and made me some ramen. 

Needing some key ingredients, I jumped on the new ride (I also got an ol’ school bike for the bday) and pedalled my way to an Asian grocery store here in Dartmouth. I was hoping to make my own dashi with kombu and bonito but they carried neither. Looks like it’s commercial dashi stock for me. Have I lost you yet?

This recipe may not have the depth of flavor of proper ramen but it’s quick and easy and mad delish. It’s also one of those things that can be topped with just about anything, including the almighty egg. #putaneggonit 

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freshies from Noggins Corner Farm

If you haven’t guessed it from my twitter or instagram feed, my new addiction lately is to Put An Egg On It. And what is ‘it’ exactly? Well, anything really. Apparently there’s even an insert in the new Food Network Magazine with the top 50 recipes to #putaneggonit. I can’t wait to get my hands on that.

The addiction started months ago when I was exploring Korean cuisine where eggs adorn many a dish. One favourite is the dolsot (stone) bibimbap where a raw egg yolk is placed ever so gently on top of the rice filled piping hot stone bowl. One stir with the chopsticks and bam. Korean fried rice bowl. That then led to putting an egg on any old fried rice which then fuelled the way to putting the damn things on everything.  

Eggs, the gateway drug to more eggs.

The funny thing is I used to not really like eggs, relegating them solely to the greasy breakfasts of hangovers. And even then I’d usually only make it through one. Yet here I am today, totally addicted. Now all I can think about is what I can put an egg on. Breakfast, lunch and dinner.

Yesterday, feeling inspired by two new blogging friends Jenny Jack (coolest name ever by the way) of The Brunette Baker and Kelly Brisson of The Gouda Life (who is as, if not more, addicted), I whipped up a lunch with mushrooms, bacon, garlic, and onions on toast followed by a poached egg, local organic sprouts, and some award winning Avonlea clothbound cheddar from PEI.  Needless to say, my lunch rocked. But today, with Brent home and hungry for breakfast, he was feeling rather jealous of my epic egg topped lunch. What was I to do? You guessed it.

Put An Egg On It.

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But let’s back up a bit first. You may remember a while back Castello (aka Tre Stelle) contacted me about testing some of their new cheese. A delicious endeavour indeed. They liked my post so much they offered to send along more coupons for free cheese. And folks free cheese is two words to which I will always respond with an enthusiac yes! So, although it took months, I’m back with a review of another cheese in the Tre Stelle line. This time I knew just what to get. Creamy, delicious, decadent mascarpone. Not so long ago I whipped up a wild mushroom mascarpone dip for my first Cheesemus but this Easter I had visions of a towering lemon curd and mascarpone vanilla bean pavlova. Oh yes I did.

And where else to find inspiration than the baking blogs of all baking blogs, Sweetapolita. Bookmark it. Like now. While she made hers with a chocolate ganache, I already knew I was lemon curd all the way. No better way to usher in Spring than some tart lemony goodness. Plus what else are you going to do with the 12 leftover egg yolks?! And so I am thrilled to present to you, the Best Dessert Ever:

As you can imagine, this cake blew our minds. So much so that despite being holiday full from an Easter potluck of charcuterie, spicy red pepper soup, Jigg’s dinner, herb roasted chicken with haskap, pistachio & sage stuffing, scalloped potatoes, and a banana walnut cake with cream cheese frosting, I still went back for seconds. I swear this cake had magical powers, putting me in a sugar-induced, lemon-fuelled trance like state where being full was completely irrelevant. And it wasn’t just me either. Oh, I’m looking at you Kelly, Amber, and Kathy. I won’t admit how much of that cake I actually ate Easter Sunday but next time I make it, I best invite more friends.

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