Recipes

Classic Croque-Monsieur Sandwich (a next-level ham and cheese melt)

August 27, 2019 by Sylvia Rose 2 Comments

The classic croque-monsieur is an elevated ham and cheese melt. Think melted gruyère cheese, thick slices of ham, crusty sourdough bread, a hint of dijon mustard, and all of it smothered with a velvety white béchamel sauce. Scrumptious!

I didn’t grow up eating croque-monsieurs. I grew up eating plain old grilled cheese sandwiches with a dollop of Heinz ketchup and tomato soup. I’m not knocking grilled cheese either; I adore grilled cheese sandwiches!

The croque-monsieur is something else though. The first time I had a croque-monsieur, a timeless French sandwich, I was in my second year of university. One of my best friends invited me to her dorm room and made me this sandwich.

“It’s a croque-monsieur,” she explained. A ham and cheese sandwich taken to the next level. If you’re new to this particular breed of sandwich, you’re in for a treat!

CROQUE-MONSIEUR RECIPE VIDEO

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Rustic Puff Pastry Tomato Tart with Pesto and Kale

August 23, 2019 by Sylvia Rose 1 Comment

This lemony rustic tomato tart with pesto and kale is bursting with flavour and oozing with fresh mozzarella cheese. Made with a puff pastry base, it’s easy to put together for a weekday meal, all you need is a salad!

rustic tomato tart puff pastry pesto kale

A SUMMERY PUFF PASTRY TOMATO TART

This is my first year growing tomatoes and getting a crop that doesn’t disappear overnight thanks to a pesky neighbourhood squirrel. This is also my first year having kale in my backyard. Slipping into the backyard to snip off kale leaves has been a joy, but I planted a lot, and I know my tomatoes are only getting started. Soon there’s going to be a canning party in my kitchen, but for now, I can keep up with the bounty. I can go outside and my full tomato harvest is enough for a small salad or for a rustic tomato tart. I went with the latter.

TOMATO TART RECIPE VIDEO

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Flaky Kefir Milk Biscuits With Cheddar and Thyme (an easy skillet recipe)

August 20, 2019 by Sylvia Rose 7 Comments

These kefir milk biscuits are wonderfully flaky. Made with cheddar and thyme, this easy skillet biscuit recipe is sure to be a hit!

I like carbs. Give me a crusty loaf of sourdough bread or a rustic rye and I’m a happy gal. The local bakery is one of my happy places, and that’s what usually sits on the kitchen counter if I haven’t baked a loaf myself.

On weekends, bread plays an important part at the breakfast table, which is why I was distressed one Friday evening when I realized we were going into the weekend bread-less.

“It’s fine,” my husband reassured me, waving his hand. “I’m going to make biscuits in the morning,”.

“You’re going to make biscuits?” I echoed, dumbfounded. I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. “That’s ambitious of you.”

“Nah, it’s fine,” he insisted, waving his hand nonchalantly.

To my shock and awe, he set about to work the following morning and whipped up a batch of breakfast biscuits.

So I decided to make them better.

With kefir.

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The Spicy Green Caesar Smoothie (a powerful fibre-packed green smoothie)

August 13, 2019 by Sylvia Rose Leave a Comment

This spicy green caesar smoothie is not your average green smoothie. Blend this up to get in your daily servings of vegetables and a zesty kick to jumpstart your day. It’s everything your body craves!

IS A SPICY GREEN CAESAR SMOOTHIE LIKE AN ACTUAL CAESAR?

First off, the spicy green caesar smoothie is missing almost all of the elements that make a real caesar cocktail. For one, there’s no tomato clam juice, nor is there Worcestershire sauce, nor Tabasco. Not even vodka. “How dare you!” you might say hotly, your finger pointed accusingly at me. “That’s not a caesar, that’s cocktail appropriation!”. Well, yes, but let’s not be hasty! Allow me to make my plea.

MAKING THE GREEN SMOOTHIE: A VIDEO

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Barley Lentil Buddha Bowls and How to DIY

August 2, 2019 by Sylvia Rose 2 Comments

Barley lentil buddha bowls are a delicious and deeply nourishing dinner option. Layered with peppery arugula, roasted sweet potatoes, steamed green beans, hard boiled eggs, and a simple french vinaigrette. Why stop there though? Learn how to DIY your own buddha bowls while you’re at it!

recipe with sweet potatoes, lentils, green beans, eggs and barley

BUDDHA BOWL VS. NOURISH BOWL

In case you didn’t know, a nourish bowl is the same thing as a buddha bowl, only, it’s rebranded. Not only that, but nourish bowls are a trademarked product by Mann’s. This, by the way, is not a product endorsement of any kind. I’ve never tried these products and I probably wouldn’t spend money on them because I like playing in the kitchen too much.

For all intents and purposes, I’m going to continue using the term buddha bowl because I’m fond of alliteration. Also, I think the term “nourish bowl” is silly. Nourish is a verb, so if we swap it with the synonym, eat, it would be “eat bowl”. Am I a nitpick? Maybe, but I don’t like being told what to do and also, it’s poor language. Someone got excited by the word nourish and just ran with it without giving it any thought.

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Tequila Lime Chicken Quesadillas in Cast Iron

July 26, 2019 by Sylvia Rose 1 Comment

These tangy tequila lime chicken quesadillas make a fun appetizer or a complete meal served with rice & beans and a green salad. Learn how to make this cast iron skillet recipe that’s sure to become a fast favourite!

TEQUILA LIME CHICKEN QUESADILLAS: A FAMILY FAVOURITE

When I was a teenager, lime chicken quesadillas were a hot dinner item in my family. Mexican nights were always greeted with an air of excitement, but we usually stopped at tacos: flour tortillas (never hard shells), ground beef, taco mix, cheese, and the trappings. Everything changed when a family friend took things to the next level. There would be a big pot of rice seasoned with salsa; refried beans; pickled jalapeños and lime chicken quesadillas oozing with jalapeño Monterey Jack cheese. My brothers and I loved these quesadillas which is why they became the most requested meal.

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