Pecan Pie with Bacon and Scotch

 

If you’ve been around here much, you know the words Bacon, Scotch and Pie are a little out of place.  Looking for a nice salad or main course starring veggies?  You’re in the right place.  But everyone once and awhile, there is a recipe that will push me out of my zone.  When I saw the original recipe for Bacon Bourbon Pie I immediately thought of my bacon loving friend Nick.  The first time we were at a restaurant together he noticed Don had removed the bacon from his sandwich.  Perplexed by any man who would skip the bacon, Nick demanded to know “why is that bacon sitting on your plate?”  Don indicated that he doesn’t care for the stuff but he also doesn’t want to inconvenience the chef. So whenever ordering a dish that contains bacon, he simply removes it and leaves it on his plate.  Faster than you can say “this little piggy” that bacon was off Don’s plate and into Nick’s mouth.

Carrot Cake Cookies

 

When I was growing up we ate a lot of processed food. That might come as a surprise, given the amount of whole food and obsession with healthy eating on this site.  As a true eighties kid, my mom served us sugary cereal, cookies from a box, cheese slices and frozen dinners.  As someone who grew up on a farm she ate what they produced throughout her childhood.  As a young adult, I'm sure she found all these new foods exciting and quite simply, easier.  The one exception to all the store bought food, was cakes.  She decorated cakes as a part time job and carrot cake was (and still is) her speciality.  I still remember the first time I finally tried carrot cake.  I was certain I would hate it (it had vegetables in it!) and much to my surprise, it was delicious.  Sometimes moms do know best!

Cauliflower, Chickpea and Potato Curry

 This is a tale of two curries.  This past week as the weather cooled, the kitchen heated up.  Seeking out comforting  fall dishes, I ended up making two different curry dishes.  One was my favourite.  The other was Don's.  So today I will post one favourite and in the days to come the other.  I'm so tempted to say which I think is best, but am hoping perhaps some of you will comment to tell me which one you like best.  There is no doubt, both are simple, tasty and nourishing.

Braised Chicken with Steel Cut Oats and Chard

We attended a friend's wedding earlier this year.  It was a beautiful evening of celebrating the gorgeous couple and their union.  The venue was fantastic, the views of the city incredible and the food memorable.  I'm still thinking about the savoury steel cut oats served with my meal that night.  Funny how one of the most economical ingredients is what stuck with me.  I think it was the unexpected use that lingers.

Greek Yogurt Berry Bran Muffins

Trying to fill the kids' lunches with new items that are both tasty and healthy is an ongoing challenge.  Sometimes I am successful and other times, they figure me out and demand to know where the sugar has gone.  These muffins were a hit with both kids and the adults.  A bit more dense than your average muffin, you can taste the goodness in each bite.  I've replaced the sugar with maple syrup and coconut oil fills in where perhaps butter or vegetable oil would exist in the past.  The recipe specifies Greek yogurt, because that is my first choice to up the protein in them.  I have made them with regular yogurt and even a flavoured one and it works just as well.  Vanilla or strawberry yogurt lends a sweetness and the muffins are a little lighter from the moisture content of the yogurt.

Chard, Pear & Carmelized Onion Grilled Cheese

Don's been bugging me for awhile to have sandwiches for meals.  I was on a real roll with sandwiches earlier this year.  This is a common occurrence for me.  I make something several times with varying ingredients and then simply stop making it.  It doesn't really matter to me because I'm always moving on to the next ingredient or dish that is exciting and new.  Except that this practice means I'm probably missing out on some really good meals from my past.  I'm not sure why I moved away from the sandwiches,  because it's a really simple meal to pull together.  I suppose all I needed was a little nudge and perhaps a bit of inspiration.

Sausage, Apple & Potato Bake

 In the book Dinner a Love Story the author shares that she works a four day work week, with Wednesdays off.  On that day she calls herself the "Wednesday Wife."  On that day she is relaxed enough to make complicated meals, bake cookies with her children and have patience for everyone.  I laughed when I read this because here at our home, there is a Monday's Mom.