I wasn't a huge fan of this salad. It wasn't bad, it just wasn't great for me. That said, TF actually really liked it. She said it was nice and light and refreshing. Not necessarily a food she wants to have all the time, but possibly a favourite when she's in that salad-y sort of mood.

I didn't have the recommended flank steak for this recipe, so I cooked up a T-bone and cut that up instead. Not quite the same vibe, I know, but it worked well enough. And used up a steak that had been going begging for a while. So, all-in-all, a good result.

I also adjusted the proportions of vegetables slightly. Mostly because I didn't want to have fractional peppers left over in the fridge. Everything else was left as specified.

Thai Beef Salad

Slightly adapted from Dish of the Day by Kate McMillan

Ingredients

• 3 Tbsp. fish sauce
• 3 Tbsp. lime juice
• 2 tsp. sugar
• 1-2 fresh green Thai or finger chilies, minced
• 450g flank steak
• salt and pepper, to taste
• 2 tsp. peanut or coconut oil
• 1 large head butter or leaf lettuce, washed and torn into bite-sized pieces
• 1 c. thinly sliced cucumber
• 1 red onion, halved and thinly sliced
• 1 red bell pepper, cored and thinly sliced
• 1/2 c. chopped fresh mint
• 1/2 c. chopped fresh cilantro
• 1/4 c. chopped fresh Thai basil
• 1-2 green onions, thinly sliced (optional)

Directions

1. Combine the fish sauce, lime juice, sugar, and chilies in a large bowl. Whisk to combine and set aside.
2. Season the steak to taste with salt and pepper and brush with oil.
3. Cook the steak to your desired doneness by your preferred method: grill, broiler, or frying pan.
4. Let steak rest for a few minutes, then thinly slice and add to the bowl with the dressing.
5. Add the remaining ingredients: lettuce, cucumber, onion, bell pepper, mint, cilantro, and basil.
6. Garnish with green onions (if using) and serve.

I picked up some strawberries on sale the other day. I was originally thinking of doing a sort of ice cream parfait with them... but then we ate all the vanilla ice cream, so I perused the cookbook for other strawberry recipes.

I appreciate how quick-cooking this cake is, but I do feel like the size is a little off. The recipe instructs baking in a 9" raound pan. And doing this certainly does make it quick to bake and cool. However, I feel like the high surface area also makes the assembly more difficult and the proportions feel off. Because the cake is so thin, it's a bit tricky to split into layers. And the high surface area makes it difficult to get good coverage with the toppings/filling. Next time I think I'd try baking it in a 20cm (8") round pan and just bake it and cool it for slightly longer. Other than that, this was great though! (The Kidlet was especially enthusiastic.)

Vanilla Chiffon Cake with Strawberries and Cream

Slightly adapted from Dessert of the Day by Kim Laidlaw

Ingredients

• 125g soft (plain/standard/cake) flour
• 1 tsp. baking powder
• 3/4 c. sugar, divided
• 1/4 c. canola oil
• 2 large eggs, separated
• 1/2 Tbsp. vanilla extract, divided
• 1/4 c. water
• 1/8 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 1/8 tsp. cream of tartar
• 450g fresh strawberries, sliced
• 1-2 Tbsp. Cointreau
• 1 tsp. lemon zest
• 1 c. heavy (35%) cream
• 1 Tbsp. icing (powdered/confectioners') sugar

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 180°C (350°F) and line the bottom of a 20cm (8") round pan with parchment paper. Do not grease the pan!
2. Sift together the flour and baking powder.
3. Whisk in 1/4 c. of the sugar.
4. In a separate bowl, beat the egg yolks into the canola oil.
5. Mix in 1 tsp. of the vanilla and the water.
6. In a clean bowl, beat the egg whites with the salt and cream of tartar until foamy.
7. Increase speed to high and add 1/4 c. of sugar 1 Tbsp. at a time, beating until stiff peaks form.
8. Combine the wet and dry ingredients and mix well.
9. Add ~1/3 of the meringue and stir to combine.
10. Add the remaining meringue and gently fold it into the batter.
11. Pour the prepared batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top.
12. Bake at 180°C (350°) until done¹.
13. Transfer to wire rack to cool in pan for ~20 minutes.
14. Meanwhile, combine the strawberries, remaining 1/4 c. of sugar, Cointreau, and lemon zest and set aside.
15. Combine the cream, icing sugar, and remaining 1/2 tsp. of vanilla extract and beat until cream stiffens.
16. Run a thin spatula around the edge of the pan and then turn the cake out onto the wire rack, remove the parchment paper from the bottom, and allow to cool for another 10-20 minutes.
17. Carefully split the cake into two separate layers.
18. Place the bottom layer, cut-side-up, on a large plate.
19. Spoon about half of the strawberries (with any accompanying juices) onto the bottom half of the cake.
20. Spread ~1/2 of the whipped cream over the strawberries.
21. Top with the other cake layer (cut-side-down).
22. Spread the remaining whipped cream on top and top with remaining strawberries.

---

¹ My cake took 17 minutes, but I was baking it in a 23cm (9") round pan. I would expect it to take a bit longer in a 20cm (8") pan, maybe 25 minutes, but I would recommend checking at 20. ^Back

I've been meaning to make these breakfast toasts for a couple weeks now, but my breakfast plans keep getting off track. I finally managed to get all the bits organized though and was up early enough to put this together this morning.

I do feel like the proportions could use a little adjusting. The recipe is meant to be for four slices of toast, but we had a lot of cheese left over, even though I felt like I was pretty generous with it. I think we probably could have gotten away with about half as much cheese. Everything else seemed about right though. That said, I certainly wouldn't've said no to a bit more salmon...

To make life easier, I've adjusted the recipe to use one whole brick of cream cheese (250g).

Smoked Salmon Toasts with Capers and Red Onion

Slightly adapted from The Breakfast Bible by Kate McMillan

Ingredients

• 250g cream cheese, softened
• 3 Tbsp. chopped fresh dill or 1 1/2 Tbsp. dried dill
• 1/2 Tbsp. lemon juice
• salt and pepper, to taste
• 8 slices of bread, toasted
• 300g thinly sliced cold-smoked salmon
• 1/2 red onion, thinly sliced
• 1/4 c. capers
• 2 Tbsp. chopped fresh chives

Directions

1. Mix the dill and lemon juice into the cream cheese and season to taste with salt and pepper.
2. Spreak the cream cheese on the toast and top with salmon, onion, capers, and chives.

This was alright. It wasn't amazing, but it made a decent vegetable side. And it was pretty easy to put together. I'm glad I tried it, but I probably won't be making it again. There are tastier things that can be done with a head of cauliflower.

Broccoli and Cauliflower with Pickled Onions and Bacon

Slightly adapted from Dish of the Day by Kate McMillan

Ingredients

• 1 c. cider vinegar
• 1 1/2 Tbsp. sugar
• 8 black peppercorns
• 5 whole cloves
• 1/4 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 1 large red onion, halved and thinly sliced
• 5-6 slices bacon
• 1 head cauliflower, cut into florets
• 1 head broccoli, cut into florets
• 2 Tbsp. olive oil

Directions

1. Combine the vinegar, sugar, peppercorns, cloves, and salt and bring to a boil.
2. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for 10 minutes.
3. Add onion, remove from heat, cover, and let stand for 1 hour.
4. Meanwhile, cook the bacon until crisp, drain, and coarsely chop. Set aside.
5. Prepare a steamer and an ice bath. Stir a bit of salt (~1 Tbsp.) into the ice water.
6. Steam the cauliflower until tender-crisp (~8 minutes), then transfer to the ice bath.
7. Steam the broccoli until tender-crisp (~4 minutes), then transfer to the ice bath.
8. Drain the broccoli and cauliflower and transfer to a large bowl.
9. Drizzle with oil and season with salt and pepper to taste.
10. Toss to combine and top with chopped bacon and pickled onion.

I didn't make it out to the grocery store yesterday, so the breakfast burritos that I had planned on making for breakfast this morning were a no-go. I ended up frantically flipping through cookbooks at 6:30 this morning trying to figure out what I could make instead. We didn't have any flour tortillas (and I didn't have time to make any at this point). No bananas. No apples. No bread... I briefly contemplated oatmeal, but I knew the Kidlet probably wouldn't be super keen on that. We had almost everything needed for breakfast tacos, but I thought they might be a little lacklustre if they were missing both the sour cream and the avocado. Something to keep in mind for later in the week though...

We did, however, have a bunch of mushrooms that needed to be used up. And eggs. No fontina, but I figured that I could probably get away with substituting some mild cheddar this time 'round.

The Kidlet ended up not being keen on the omelette either. Luckily she was happy enough with some baked beans and a piece of waffle for her breakfast this morning. Which meant that TF and I could have extra mushrooms in our omelettes!

Mushroom Omelette with Fontina and Thyme

Slightly adapted from The Breakfast Bible by Kate McMillan

Ingredients

• 1 Tbsp. unsalted butter or bacon grease
• 225g cremini mushrooms, sliced
• 1/2 tsp. dried thyme
• salt and pepper, to taste
• 4 large eggs, divided
• 2 Tbsp. milk or cream, divided
• 1/2 c. grated fontina cheese, divided

Directions

1. Melt the butter over medium heat.
2. Add the mushrooms, cover, and cook until they release their juices.
3. Uncover, add thyme, and season with salt and pepper to taste. Cook until liquid has evaporated, then transfer to plate and set aside.
4. Beat 2 of the eggs with 1 Tbsp. of the milk/cream and season to taste with salt and pepper.
5. Pour the egg mixture into the now-empty pan, cover, and cook until eggs are almost set on top.
6. Uncover, sprinkle with 1/4 c. of the cheese and half the mushroom mixture, fold in half, and cook for another minute or two until eggs are fully set and cheese has melted.
7. Remove from pan and repeat cooking process with remaining eggs and filling.
8. Serve with buttered toast and/or hashbrowns, if desired.

So, as I've probably stated before, I'm not generally a huge fan of fennel. But every once in a while I'll give it a go, just to see if this recipe pulls it off in a way that I actually enjoy. Usually I find that I still don't care for it. But every once in a while I'll fin a recipe that really nails it! I feel like this recipe falls into that latter camp. I don't think I'd call it a "favourite", but it was pretty good. Everyone seemed to enjoy it and I wouldn't hesitate to make it again, especially if I needed a way to use up some fennel.

Fennel-Crusted Chicken with Fennel Salad

Slightly adapted from Dish of the Day by Kate McMillan

Ingredients

• 1/2 Tbsp. fennel seeds
• 1/4 tsp. black peppercorns
• 1/4 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 1/8 tsp. red pepper flakes
• 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts
• 1 Tbsp. olive oil, divided
• 1/2 fennel bulb, shaved/thinly sliced
• 1 Tbsp. chopped fennel fronds
• 2 Tbsp. chopped fresh chives
• 2 Tbsp. chopped flat-leaf parsley
• 1 Tbsp. lemon juice
• 1/4 c. dry rosé wine¹
• 1/4 c. chicken stock
• 1 tsp. cornstarch (cornflour)

Directions

1. Combine the fennel, pepper, salt, and chile flakes and coarsely grind.
2. Either pound the chicken breasts flat to form two wide flat pieces or bisect them horizontally to form four smaller thin pieces.
3. Warm 2 tsp. of the oil over medium-high heat.
4. Sprinkle both sides of the chicken breasts with the ground fennel mixture.
5. Cook the chicken until browned on both sides and cooked through (~4 minutes per side).
6. Combine the shaved fennel, chives, parsley, lemon juice, and remaining 1 tsp. of oil in a large bowl and toss to combine.
7. Season the fennel mixture to taste with salt and pepper and set aside.
8. Transfer the chicken to a plate and keep warm.
9. Meanwhile, combine the wine, chicken stock, and cornstarch and pour into the pan.
10. Cook, scraping the bottom of the pan, until reduced by half and slightly thickened (1-2 minutes).
11. Pour the pan juices over the chicken and top with the fennel salad and serve.

---

¹ I didn't have any rosé, so I just used a dry white here. ^Back

I wanted a side dish to go with some chicken and fennel that I was making and this simple potato dish looked appealing.

I couldn't actually find any chorizo at my regular grocery store and I didn't have time to check any of the others before making dinner, so I ended up using some "chorizo-style" salami instead. And I actually quite like how it turned out. The thin slices crisped up nicely and gave and tasted delicious with the potatoes.

Sautéed Potatoes with Chorizo and Parsley

Slightly adapted from Dish of the Day by Kate McMillan

Ingredients

• 680g waxy potatoes, quartered
• 60-80g dry-cured chorizo, peeled and thinly sliced
• 1 small red onion, chopped
• 1/4 c. dry white wine
• 2 Tbsp. chopped flat-leaf parsley

Directions

1. Place potatoes in a pot with enough water to cover and bring to a boil. Cover and cook until tender (~20 minutes). Drain and set aside.
2. Heat a pan over medium heat, add the chorizo, and cook for 3-4 minutes.
3. Add the onion and cook for a minute or two.
4. Add the potatoes and wine and cook until the liquid is gone (1-2 minutes).
5. Remove from heat, toss with parsley, and serve.