As my appreciation for Tomatoes evolves, I like when I see recipes that dress them up a bit. So far, I quite like the seasoned breadcrumb mix on top – as seen in one of my favourite creations, Polenta with Parmesan and Parsley, Mozzarella and Tomato. Today’s recipe is a classic French dish that I adapted very slightly from Laura Calder’s version. This is an easy and beautiful side dish that goes wonderfully well any meat, I think. Chicken, Fish, Lamb, Beef…its a great side or even an appetizer if presented a certain way.

I could totally see myself going on a culinary expedition to France to learn about the food and culture. That’s one of the reasons I like watching French Food at home. Laura not only shares regional recipes, she also shares a little bit of history and culture that surrounds a certain dish or style of cooking. I’ve seen so many adaptations of this dish. Herbs de Provence has been used in the breadcrumb mix, as well as parmesan. But I liked the simplicity as well as flexibility of this version. I’m sure I’ll be making it with Parmesan or Gruyère at some point. Cheese is my friend.

 

 

 

Dressed up nicely as a salad or appetizer. Its great on its own.

 

Its classic, its beautiful, its healthy and most of all… its FANCY looking!

 

 

Have a wonderful weekend and Happy Mother’s Day to my very special and wonderful Mom and all the amazing Mothers out there.

~Lyn

 

I’m very happy to be able to participate in this weeks #SundaySupper! Todays theme is “May Flowers, Veggies and Herbs.” I didn’t  hesitate to prepare this as a wonderful spring dish. I think I may have tweeted my joy when I saw that Tarragon was available again ~ a true indication that spring has arrived! For those that are not familiar with Tarragon, it is an herb that is quite popular in French cuisine and pairs very well with chicken and fish. It is very aromatic and reminds me of liquorice! When I made this dish almost 2 years ago for the first time, I enjoyed it immensely. I decided to serve the chicken with Fennel (a vegetable with a very similar aroma to Tarragon) as well as Zucchini and Jasmine Rice.

 

 

 

 

Such a lovely herb. I love the scent and flavour!

 

 

Brown the chicken pieces in batches. If you used chicken pieces with the skin on, you may want to skim some of the fat left over in the pot. Not too much – since that’s where the base flavour is.

 

 

After you’ve browned all pieces of chicken, and cooked them down in the broth, set them aside while you build the Tarragon sauce.

 

 

Soften the shallots in the broth.

 

 

Add the fresh Tarragon into the Broth and cream mixture. Simmer.

 

 

The sauce should have a rich, thick consistency. Taste at this point, to see if you need salt and/or pepper. Add the chicken back to the pot to incorporate the flavour.

 

 

The sauce is terrific. The texture is great and the flavour is awesome.

 

 

Dinner is served!

 

 

 

Here are some wonderful spring inspired meal ideas for #SundaySupper using Herbs and Vegetables. These recipes will  inspire you to spend more time Around the Family Table!

Cocktails and Wine Pairings: 

• Lemon Parsley Cocktail Magnolia Days
• Tangerine Thyme Fizz Cocktail An Appealing Plan 
• Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Wine; Herb and Wine Pairing Charts Wine Every Day 

Appetizers:

• Baked Jalapeno Poppers Supper for a Steal
• Garden Salsa Chocolate Moosey 
• Herb Party Vegetable Gratin Val’s Food and or Art 
• High Fiber Zucchini Mint Lentil Fritters Sue’s Nutrition Buzz 
• Zucchini Corn Fritters Mrs. Mama Hen

Entrees:

• Asparagus Souffle The Daily Dish Recipes 
• Mediterranean Style Meatloaf The Meltaways 
• Chicken Bruschetta Family Foodie 
• Spring Herbs and Green Tortilla de Patata Les recettes de Lorette
• Zucchini Lasagne From My Corner of Saratoga 

Side Dishes:

• Red Potato and Grilled Corn Salad The Messy Baker Blog 
• German Home Fries and Herbed Quark Dip The German Foodie 
• Scallion Pancakes Teeny Tiny Kitchen 
• Roasted Sweet and Spicy Brussel Sprouts Juanita’s Cocina

Dessert:

• Pink Peppercorn Pavlova with Strawberry and Basil Syrup The Primlani Kitchen
• Meyer Lemon Bars That Skinny Chick Can Bake 
• Strawberry Rhubarb Compote Cookistry 

 

Happy Sunday! Enjoy quality time with your loved ones this evening.

~Lyn

I’ve been wanting to make granola bars in what seems like forever! But I finally found a recipe that I liked and wanted to try. I really have to look at the ingredients in order for me to decide if I’m going to make it. I’m not crazy about nuts (I prefer them on their own) and it’s not uncommon to see many granola recipes with a variety of nuts included. I wanted something that the kids would enjoy and not find things to pick out or require too much effort on their part. When I came across this awesome recipe from a lovely little blog called Lauren’s Latest, I knew I had found “it”. Lauren’s recipe was adapted from Rachel Ray, and I adapted her version with what I had available.

I decided to make these after I lost my natural light, but I knew there would be nothing left after they were ready, so I went ahead and took photographs anyway. I’ve made these granola bars twice and only a few make it to daylight.

 

 

Rice Krispies and Quick Oats. These two ingredients were united for the first time in my house. I never had to buy Rice Krispies prior to this recipe. I even allowed my son to listen to them “snap, crackle and pop” like the commercials I used to see as a child. Embrace the Rice Krispie experience!

 

 

I chose to use the Cinnamon Creamed Honey that I bought from the Farmer’s Market over the plain honey. The jar was unopened. How could  that be!!!??? When I tasted it at the market, it was splendid! I envisioned myself having it on toast with a cup of tea! I suppose I also wanted to add a very special flavour to the granola bars too. It worked out very well!

 

 

I didn’t allow it to remain at a boil, I just wanted to make sure everything was combined well before I removed it from the heat.

 

 

Muscle up for this part. The liquid firms up rather quickly and you have to make sure that everything is thoroughly combined.

 

 

Press firmly to ensure the mixture is packed tightly.  This helps to keep the bars from crumbling. I waited for it to cool for about 10 minutes (you should probably wait a little bit longer – an hour or so)

 

 

I flipped everything onto a parchment lined cutting board. I sprinkled the chocolate chips then pressed them down. Whats funny is – they started to melt I then used a pizza wheel (genius) and a knife to separate into bars. The kids were by my feet almost the entire time just waiting to get their hands on a piece. They had some crumbled bits, but got the real deal after it came out of the fridge for about 20 minutes or so. You know, to a child that’s like “forever”.

 

 

My kids loved these little bars! Okay, so did I. We all had them with a glass of milk. A sweet treat to bring the family together.

 

 

Picky eater APPROVED!

 

 

 

Happy Friday!!!

Today’s post is contributing to the #SundaySupper movement on Twitter. Every Sunday, food bloggers share themed recipes and tips to encourage family dining. The recipes are fabulous and any inspiration that you need for your Sunday family meal is always a tweet away. I’m very glad to have joined up with such a warm and welcoming group! Today’s theme is budget friendly meals.

My cookbook collection could easily get out of hand. And I’m not even worried. I love to see bookshelves lined with books from end to end. Over the years, I’ve been buying cookbooks, food related books as well as photography books. This passion is here to stay. If ever I doubt my true love, all I need to do is look at my collection. What I love about books in general, is that a particular book may seem new to you if you haven’t read it or seen it in a while. I have cookbooks that I haven’t even looked through properly. That thought alone excites me! I’m surrounded by inspiration.

Risotto is a great meal that can be made with simple, budget friendly ingredients. Perfect for a Sunday Supper. I was browsing through some or my treasures and my search led me to a cookbook that it would seem I had not looked in. The photographs were superb and I wished my photographs looked just like them or similar. So anyway, the original recipe used pumpkin and sage – I didn’t have those items but if you’ve been reading my blog for a minute, you’ll know that I use what I have if I cannot do any better at the moment. I had a Butternut Squash and fresh Asparagus. Done deal, in my head.

I’m not sure what tickled me more – the idea that I was baking the risotto, or that I wouldn’t have to stir constantly for half an hour. I was totally pleased with the outcome and perhaps… just maybe… I’ll make Risotto like this from now on. This is a fantastic way to have dinner ready in under an hour, no stress on the stirring arm.

 

 

This recipe was inspired by “Fast, Fresh, Simple” by Donna Hay, page 162.

 

 

Fresh spring flavour

 

I was glad to use Butternut Squash in this recipe. It holds up quite well and adds beautiful colour to the meal.

 

 

Asparagus is a really good-looking vegetable. I’m looking forward to experimenting more with it.

 

 

I believe these two paired very well together.

 

 

Add the rice and give it a quick stir to combine before placing the pot into the oven.

 

 

This is what it looks like straight from the oven. There is very little broth left and the vegetables are cooked through.

 

 

Add the butter and gently stir to combine

 

 

Here is the plated Risotto. Add the parmesan cheese before eating.

 

 

Dinner is served!

 

 

 

I hope you enjoyed my recipe today. Please check out what the rest of my food blogger friends are bringing to #SundaySupper:

Lane from Supper for a Steal with her Chicken Tortellini Soup Recipe

Sasha from Rambling Notebook  with her Crock Pot Curried Carrot Ginger Soup

Jennie from The Messy Baker Blog with her Recipe for Meatball Subs

Amrita from Beetles Kitchen with her Vegetable Manchurian Recipe

Pam from The Meltaways is bringing her Chicken Enchilada Pasta

Carla from Chocolate Moosey is sharing her Sweet Chili Wings Recipe

Karen from Notes from the Cookie Jar is bringing her Chickpea Masala Sandwiches

An from Baker Street is bringing her Blueberry Lime Bread

Liz from That Skinny Chick Can Bake is bringing her Creme Brulee French Toast because sometimes Breakfast for Dinner is fun!

 

Muffins are so simple, and tasty to make. I mean, who doesn’t love a good muffin, right? I pulled out my little muffin recipe book called “100 Muffins from 1 Easy Recipe” and found another nice recipe. The last muffins I made from this book were the Easter Muffins and they were great. These were just as light and just as simple. They could easily be a quick breakfast on the go, or a snack. What I love is that there’s not too much sugar but it has a lovely citrus flavour. Really nice! The kids loved them, but they started to slow down once they hit the middle. I guess there’s no sugar in the middle! They also asked where the frosting was….

 

 

 

 

Even before it is baked, it smells really good!

 

 

I like the coarse grittiness of the Turbinado Sugar. It gives a nice crunch at the end.

 

 

The house smells great right about now!

 

 

I used Navel Oranges for this recipe. I find them to be sweet and very juicy.

 

 

Such a great little muffin. Bake, grab, go!

 

 

Happy Monday my dear friends! Have an awesome week!

~Lyn

I was super excited when I came across this recipe. I love Quinoa. It is by far my most favourite grain. It can be cooked in a variety of ways, and provides many nutritional benefits to my joy and comfort I like to make “special pancakes” for my kids. This certainly is a very special pancake. I also wanted to make Apple Sauce to go with it. I got the Quinoa Cakes recipe from Martha Stewart. I swear, her recipes never fail me! Even when I make slight substitutions, whatever I make always comes out great.

I was attracted to this recipe because I wanted to have some kid-friendly quinoa recipes ready to go. I need them to be easy, tasty and enjoyable by my kids. I believe this did the trick. My apple sauce addition paired well with them and tasted awesome! The texture came out so smooth – the quinoa was hardly noticeable. Amazing.

 

 

 

 

See the difference between cooked and uncooked Quinoa? It fluffs up quite a bit. A little goes a long way. I usually cook one cup of quinoa at a time and it lasts me a few days – depending on what I end up doing with it.

 

 

Here’s the batter – ready to be spooned into the skillet. Making them this small meant a few batches, but it was well worth it. I’ll try making them a little bigger next time.

 

 

I don’t know about you, but I always mess up the first batch. The second set is usually a lot better. They taste the same, but aren’t as pretty.

 

 

They are so tiny and cook quickly, so you can’t leave them unattended. The most I could do was stir the apple sauce and then get back to the cakes.

 

 

Confession: I popped a few of these into my mouth before I added the syrup and apple sauce. Sorry. They smelled really good.

 

 

And then there was a feast.

 

 

We had leftovers.

Brilliant.

Take good care, friends!

~Lyn

 

 

I’ve been doing a lot of eating over the past week. I think its time to slow it down and get back into my usual eating habits. I was looking through my recipes and realized that I really don’t post enough salads. That is not to say that I don’t eat salads ~I just haven’t posted. I made a dressing that I adapted from Everyday Food over a year ago. I don’t fancy store bought dressings that much. Generally I have my salad naked – sans dressing. I adore crunchy romaine with garden vegetables. But I also like warm salads that include Quinoa, Zucchini and other root vegetables.

Today’s recipe is a quick and easy, nutritious salad. I usually serve the dressing on the side so that I pour what I desire. For the Tuna, I added only to the plate because it was too spicy for my son so I could not mix it into the main bowl. I find regular tuna to be one of my least favourite things when its plain, so the Spicy Thai version is the one I prefer. It is quite spicy for me, so I don’t eat more than half a can at a time. A little goes a very long way for me. Regular tuna can certainly be substituted and you can use as much as you would like from the can. You can also choose to omit the tuna and serve the salad along with dinner. I am also using Fennel for the first time in a very long time. I forgot how much I liked it. I’m happy I was able to incorporate it in this freestyle salad. I believe the Fennel and Tuna are the unusual suspects and so, I named the salad for them

 

 

 

The dressing before I shook it. Not sure why, but it looked like a flower to me. I see beauty in weird places, I guess. OK, don’t stare at it! lol

 

 

I almost omitted the tuna when I saw how attractive the salad looked. Way to go tomatoes!

 

 

So here was my turning point. Do I add the Tuna? Or have it on its own, this gorgeous salad.

 

 

I added the dressing to the salad, followed by the tuna.

 

 

I feel much better about all that eating during Easter. Much better.

 

~Lyn