A bright, tangy side dish that pairs beautifully with rich meats like wagyu steak. Make the vinaigrette early so you can marinade the beets in the fridge for a couple of hours. This is enough for two with a little left over dressing for the next day. Balsamic–Shallot Vinaigrette: 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar 1 tbsp… Read more »
Mixed Greens, Pear, Walnut and Goat Cheese Salad
This salad went well with pesto-herbed pork tenderloin but would be good with any Tuscan style meal. Salad Mixed greens blend 1 ripe pear, thinly sliced 2-3 tablespoons toasted walnut pieces 2-3 tablespoons goat cheese Mix greens with dressing. Just before serving slice pear and add with toasted walnuts and chunks of goat cheese. Mix… Read more »
Pesto Ricotta & Mushroom-Stuffed Pork Tenderloin with Balsamic-Pear Salad
I’ve been experimenting with my new steam oven, particularly the convection humid setting which seems to be my favourite way to put together a weeknight meal so far. The meat and potatoes or vegetables can be cooked in one shallow glass pan. I like stuffing pork tenderloin so put together this combination for dinner. The… Read more »
Embracing Early Spring Planters
For years, I’ve skipped the whole early spring planting ritual. You know the one—those cheerful little violas, pansies, daffodils, and primulas that brave the inconsistent temperatures of March and early April. My reasoning was based mostly on being practical: Our temperatures don’t reliably stay above freezing until mid-April I thought why go through all that… Read more »
My 2025 Garden Vision: More Changes Ahead
Last year, I discovered the power of writing down my garden design objectives. What began as a simple bucket list for 2024 transformed into a valuable roadmap that kept me focused throughout the season. It’s not like I worked on one project at a time until completion – I did follow my usual habit of… Read more »
Keeping Track of My Seed Spending
Like any gardener, I have a weakness for seeds (and yes, plants and tools too, but let’s focus on one obsession at a time). While I dutifully try to plan ahead each December, making detailed lists of what I need, the siren song of seed displays proves irresistible. Whether at garden centers, hardware stores, or… Read more »
Garden Bed Edging Project
Creating clean, defined borders in the garden has transformed both the look and maintenance of our outdoor space. While I’ve always appreciated the semi-formal aesthetic that crisp edging brings to garden beds, the decision to edge all our borders was equally driven by practicality. Our robotic lawn mower has become a much more efficient gardening… Read more »
Braised Maple Dijon Chicken Thighs
Easy and very flavourful INGREDIENTS 1.1 kg deboned chicken thighs, clean off extra skin 1 cup maple syrup 1/2 cup Dijon mustard 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar 1 tablespoon mirin 4 teaspoons soy sauce 1 teaspoon kosher salt 1/2 teaspoon fresh ground pepper 1 sprig rosemary chopped DIRECTIONS Preheat oven to 450F Combine all sauce… Read more »
Christmas Cookies & Cocktails
What happens when you mix sweet treats, signature cocktails, and five friends? A lot of fun! Recently, I hosted our neighborhood ladies for a Cookies & Cocktails afternoon. I thought it would be fun to combine my love of baking with some festive libations (which I’m new to). Here are the cocktail recipes that accompanied… Read more »
Classic Rolled Shortbread Cookies
I adore the idea of making festive cutout cookies during the holidays – but traditional sugar cookies are just too sweet for me, and we don’t like icing on our cookies either. Since I’m a big fan of buttery shortbread, I figured – why not try shortbread cutouts instead? I asked Claude (my AI assistant… Read more »