Cheesy Burger Buns

April Fool's!
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Monochrome Monday: Pizza

Homemade Pizza

Sourdough Pizza Crust + Tomato Sauce + Garlic + Bell Peppers + Mozzarella

I have been longing for homemade pizza lately. My current schedule and living situation make it a bit more difficult to have the weekly pizza night that The Boyfriend and I have grown accustomed to. I’m hoping to get this tradition back on track soon.

It’s been a while since I’ve posted a new recipe but I do hope that you haven’t completely given up on me. I have a sweet treat in store for you this week. Watch this space for a new cookie recipe!

Have a Monochrome Monday post to share this week? Leave a link in the comments.

Swiss Chard, Tomato, and Ricotta Calzones

Swiss Chard, Tomato, and Ricotta Calzone

Please send help. The Swiss chard has established a stronghold in our garden and won’t surrender. It’s been going strong since springtime and shows no sign of slowing down. It may have wilted during the hottest, driest days but has never failed to rejuvenate itself overnight. I wish I could say the same for the tomatoes, radishes, and carrots that we planted. Swiss chard has definitely been the superhero of our garden this year and at this rate, these same plants may just be the superhero of next year’s garden too.

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Classic French-Canadian Fare: Poutine

Poutine

I love to discover the subtle regional differences in condiment use, especially toppings for French fries. I have always been a strict ketchup user, never quite comprehending the use of ranch dressing or chili as a topping for fries. And don’t come anywhere near my fries with mayonnaise! For that matter, just keep the mayonnaise off of my food altogether. Thank you very much.

But now, our neighbors to the north have introduced me to a whole new world of French fry bliss. It’s called Poutine.

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Swiss Chard Galette

Swiss Chard Galette, shaped like a football

The aroma of nutty whole wheat pastry crust, browning butter, and melting cheese hung in the air as this galette baked. I resisted the urge to pull it from the oven before it was finished baking. Quickly and carefully, I transferred the piping hot galette to a fresh piece of parchment paper for its photo shoot. I snapped a few quick (blurry) photos, then got to work slicing and eating this galette. When you make this for yourself, you’ll understand.

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BBQ Chicken Pizza

BBQ Chicken Pizza

This pizza was inspired by our favorite local pizza place. They put all kinds of crazy toppings on pizza – mashed potatoes, peanut butter, pasta, cream cheese, scrambled eggs, and many more! My favorite pizza is topped with mashed potatoes, BBQ sauce, chicken, and mozzarella. Since I stopped eating industrially processed meat, I have missed eating this pizza.

Opportunities to purchase meat that satisfies my current standards (local, small scale, pasture raised, respectfully slaughtered) are few and far between. When I went on a farm tour at Quail Springs permaculture farm, I got the chance to order a couple of chickens from livestock manager Brenton Kelly.

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Daring Bakers Challenge: Traditional British Puddings

The April 2010 Daring Bakers’ challenge was hosted by Esther of The Lilac Kitchen. She challenged everyone to make a traditional British pudding using, if possible, a very traditional British ingredient: suet.
Bacon Leek Pudding, sliced open

This challenge put me out of my comfort zone not only with a new technique, but with a new ingredient as well: suet. I rarely eat meat, so my first thought was to forge ahead with the vegetarian suet version or to just make a sweet sponge pudding.

But the more I thought about it, the more I wanted to attempt the traditional version of the challenge. I put aside my objections so that I could try an authentic dish from another culture. And then I decided to try the sweet sponge pudding as well!

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Sun-Dried Tomato Polenta Cutlets

Sun-Dried Tomato Polenta Cutlets with Tomato Wine Sauce

I’ve only had polenta once before, when my boyfriend cooked it for me. He loves a good cooking experiment just as much as I do. We had been intrigued by it in the store, not quite knowing what to make of the large yellow tube that appeared ready to burst at any moment. We decided that it was pretty tasty, and I vowed to use it again.

When I came across a recipe for polenta made from scratch, I knew I had to try it. Plus, the addition of mushrooms in this recipe forced me to push my comfort zone. I don’t like mushrooms very much. It’s definitely a texture thing, so I figured that if I chopped them finely enough (and tried not to think about it) I could enjoy this dish.

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Potato Bacon Frittata

Potato Bacon Frittata

When we spent the weekend in Big Sur, we ate two breakfasts and one dinner at the Big Sur Bakery.  I fell in love.  I needed more than one weekend to try each breakfast pastry and every type of pizza.

I’ll go back someday soon, but for now I’ve got their cookbook.  When I saw the potato frittata recipe I remembered seeing the frittata in the breakfast pastry case.  I didn’t try it while we were there, but now I can make it at home!

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Flavor of the Month: Baked Mac N Cheese

Baked Mac N Cheese

The taste of good, homemade macaroni and cheese brings me back to my childhood.  One of my favorite dishes has always been mom’s macaroni and cheese.  Rich, creamy, cheesy, ooey, gooey goodness.  It is definitely our family tradition.

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