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Christmas Tree Spinach & Cheese Breadsticks
The christmas tree, an iconic holiday symbol! So much so that we even make foods that look like them 🙂 My take is a Breadstick Tree stuffed with a filling that’s akin to a very spinach-ey spinach dip with cream cheese, parm & your favourite melty cheese. So you know it’s gotta be delicious, right?…
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Honey, I’m Nuts for Baklava Cookies
Have you ever heard of a cookie swap? I’m not sure how it works because I’ve never been invited to join one nor do I know anyone who has. Rather than look it up, I like to imagine that every member of this swap brings their cookies and they exchange them with one another in…
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The Humble & Delicious Spanish Tortilla – Tortilla de Patatas
In North America, we know this as the Spanish tortilla but in Spain it’s just a Tortilla (de patatas), the humble and endlessly snackable omelet stacked high with potatoes! Eggs and potatoes happen to be two of my favourite foods and therefore, I knew I’d love it. I have to admit, I was a little…
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The Ultimate Vegetable Lasagna with Béchamel Sauce.
I want to start off by declaring that this is one of the best things I have made in a while. In fact, at the moment, I can’t think of anything better. It has blinded me. It’s veggie-packed and creamy. Leeks, broccoli and spinach go particularly well with cheese and creamy sauces. The leeks in…
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Fall in love with every bite – Apple Cider Whoopie Pies
It’s officially apple season, which is, according to me, the best time of year. Apple desserts are so complete. When I think of my favourite ones, I think – Tart, sweet, flakey, warm, comforting! Basically, they’re everything. This recipe uses apple a little differently. The flavour and essence of them are baked into this soft…
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Cheesy Maccheroni with Roasted Squash & Ricotta Salata
On a recent trip to New York I was lucky enough to score a table at The Four Horsemen a much lusted-after restaurant in Brooklyn (AKA cool New York). One of my favourite dishes of the evening was the house made maccheroni, with Gold Bar squash, citrus butter and ricotta Salata. There were also crunchy…
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The Best Cuban Sandwiches with Slow-Roasted Mojo Pork Shoulder
Since spending a lot of time in Miami last year, I developed an obsession for Cuban sandwiches. At first, I was dubious. I just didn’t get the mix of braised pork and deli ham. Whyyy”, I thought to myself. Have one or the other! Not sure what I’m talking about yet? Let me explain. It’s…
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My Obsession – Calabrian Chili Butter Eggplant & Crispy Chickpeas
The following recipe is my current obsession as stated in the title. I discovered it scrolling through my feed on Instagram and something about it stopped me in my tracks. Part of it may have been the author, Justine Doiron’s calming voice. I could listen to her narrating her posts all day. I tried it…
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“The Bear” French Omelet, My Way
Ok first off, if you haven’t seen the show “The Bear”, you must! It’s a show based on a chef, nicknamed Bear (derived from his family name), his family restaurant, the chaos that ensues and the importance of friendship, hard work and perseverance. How’s that for a quick summary? Anyway, the sous-chef makes a French…
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Rosemary Chicken Meatballs with Orzo
Maybe it’s my Italian upbringing but meatballs are my favourite comfort food, especially when paired with orzo, everyone’s new favorite pastina shape. This rendition of the popular duo is easy & quick to make, perfect for a weeknight. It’s saucy without being heavy, the meatballs are tender and flavourful with the addition of oil-packed sun…
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The Best Red Pepper Jelly Glazed Chicken Meatball Subs
These Banh Mi style subs are so good that even though I had mine just yesterday, I am wishing I had leftovers and so does my husband. In fact, he just said that now as he stands with his head in the fridge looking for snacks. The meatballs alone are full of flavour and have…
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Strawberry & Vanilla Ice Cream Cake with Pretzel Crust
Layers of creamy vanilla bean and strawberry ice creams with a light-as-air angel food cake center and cookie/pretzel crust. Sounds great doesn’t it? It is! I served it to some friends the other day and they loved it! My husband who at first refused the cake said, “I’m not a strawberry ice cream person”, and…
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The Best Key Lime Pie with Biscoff & Graham Crust
Aside from cheesecake, key lime pie is one of my most requested desserts! Even more than chocolate! To be honest, I thought that key lime pie would be daunting to make partly because I knew I liked it but didn’t know what it was made with. What is this mysterious, delicious custardy lime filling? Sounds…
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Juicy Lime & Cilantro Chicken Thighs
This quick marinade containing Lime, garlic, cilantro and a touch of honey hits all the notes we want in a piece of chicken. It’s bright, garlicky, and fresh with a touch of honey for sweetness that also promotes more caramelization which means more flavour. What I like about this is that it pairs equally well…
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Easy Chocolate Oreo Ice Cream (no-churn)
Whenever I think of someone yelling “Ice creeaaaaam!!!” I can’t help but think of Eddie Murphy’s Raw and that makes me happy. Ice cream makes most people happy, in whatever form it is presented. This easy, no-churn chocolate Oreo ice cream so creamy and oh-so chocolatey and not overly sweet. It’s a taste and roll…
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Big Mac Smash Burger Tacos
Sorry, what now? Yup this recipe has gone viral on every single platform and because I like Big Macs, Smash Burgers and Tacos, I obviously had to jump on the bandwagon. The great news is that the hype was real! The recipe I have right here for Big Mac sauce tastes like the real thing…
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Nectarines,Serrano Ham and Blue Cheese with an Agrodolce Vinaigrette
A cheese and charcuterie platter or a salad you don’t need to toss? I say it’s a new member of the family! Fancy cured ham , funky cheese and and juicy delicious fruit with a pleasingly peppery – honey agrodolce dressing. All you need to make this salad amazing is to get the most fragrant…
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Crispy Zucchini Blossoms, stuffed with Mozzarella and Anchovies
Originally posted on vanillabeanonline.blogspot.com on Sunday, July 31st, 2011 Hello again I made the most awesome fried, stuffed zucchini flowers this weekend! They’re often prepared dipped in batter, deep fried and with a sprinkle of salt. That’s how my Grandmother, Nonna Rosina made them. They have a delicate flavour that goes well with just about…
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Sweet Chili Chicken Bites
This recipe was inspired by my new favourite restaurant in Miami called Uchi. Man, was it good and the stand-out menu item they had was the fried chicken bites, made with thighs, the best part in my opinion. They were drizzled with this sweet chili sauce and served with thinly sliced cucumber and pickled carrot…
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Clam Frites
& Lemony Old Bay Mayo Clams with Fries, the perfect recipe for your next cookout! The idea with this is that you steam clams with garlic, shallot, olive oil and white wine + a secret ingredient 😉 , which creates the most flavorful broth. Then you add a bunch of fries to the bowl of…