Homemade Pesto, Chicken, & Sun-Dried Tomatoes with Pasta

Last night we had a really quick, easy and delicious dinner. First, I made a spinach & basil pesto (originally found here), served with chicken, pasta, and sun-dried tomatoes (recipe from here). The trick is lots of Parmesan! I cannot understate how much we love Parm - we regularly buy the big club size blocks.

To make the pesto, you will need:

• 4 cups of spinach
• 2 cups of basil
• 3 tbsp minced garlic
• 1 1/2 tbsp lemon juice
• 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
• 1/3 cup olive oil

To make the rest, you will need:

• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 1 lb fusilli
• 1/2 cup sun-dried tomatoes chopped
• salt & pepper

1. In a food processor or blender, combine spinach, basil, garlic, lemon juice, and Parmesan while streaming in the olive oil.
2. Bring a large pot of water to boil & cook the pasta.
3. Meanwhile, heat 2 tbsp of olive oil in a large pan over medium heat and cook the chicken breasts. Season with salt & pepper. When the chicken is cooked, remove it from the pan and slice.
4. Add cooked pasta, chicken, pesto & sun-dried tomatoes to the pan, mix to fully combine & coat in pesto.
5. Season with salt, pepper & Parmesan to taste. Enjoy!

We like to keep frozen, boneless, skinless chicken breasts from Costco in the freezer at all times, and I really recommend it. They each come individually wrapped and are huge, hearty breasts. They cook really nicely from frozen, unlike a lot of other grocery store options. Of course, fresh would be ideal, but frozen is just way easier to maintain. This is the same way I feel about lemon juice - anytime I need lemon zest I will use a real lemon and its juice, but for juice alone, the bottle will work just fine. Real, fresh herbs and Parmesan is where I don't see the compromise worth while, stick to fresh.

The Church Key Bistro-Pub... Again

Sunday Brunch! Back in London for a quiet weekend between the chaos, we headed to our favourite restaurant in the city. I know I have shared about The Church Key before, but honestly it is amazing, you need to go now. Every Sunday is a fabulous list of options accompanied by a basket of tasty pastries. We have never had the same thing twice, and never been disappointed. Today brought with it some serious choices. I settled on the Blanquette of Salmon, always a sucker for salmon at breakfast with poached eggs. Everything about it was delicious, but that béarnaise sauce was incredible. I would buy it by the jar if that were an option. My brunch niche is clearly in the rich and creamy area of any menu. I made so many mistakes trying to eat this whole thing that has left me full for the entire day, but it was so, so good!

Blanquette of Salmon - toasted olive oil brioche and Italian style sliced salmon ceviche of brandy, lime, mustard and dill.  Surrounded with white wine veloute, fennel & black olive soffrito, poached eggs and béarnaise sauce

Scott went for the BBQ'd Pork Buns, and was also in heaven. The bun was soft and moist, while the pork belly just melted in your mouth. The miso squash puree was the real surprise for us here. It was so nutty and rich, an interesting combination that I would love to try again. At this point we were both in awe at how lovely the eggs were. Mine were poached, his was soft boiled, and both were perfect.

BBQ'd Pork Buns - traditional steamed Mantou Bun with soft boiled egg, pickled mushrooms, miso squash puree and Wuxi barbecue sauce.

Finally, the pastry basket! What an exciting time to be alive. Some of the favourites were back. Scott describes the Coco-Nutty Bar as legendary, and his all-time favourite. I love the jalapeno cheddar cornbread and the sticky cinnamon roll is so sweet and satisfying. This basket is clearly the reason I have been full all day. The pumpkin muesli wasn't sweet or spiced enough for me, but followed by the completely decadent chocolate bouchon it was forgotten. We are excited every time about what a great idea having the pastry basket at the start of the meal is, and we spend the whole time raving and savouring each bite.

Pastry basket - Blueberry muffin, Jalapeno Cheddar Cornbread, Poppy Seed Lemon Loaf, Butter Croissant, Sticky Cinnamon Roll, Muesli Pumpkin Loaf, , Chocolate Bouchon, Coco-Nutty Bar, & Maple Pecan Financier

Likes: Service is great, presentation is fabulous, and the food was always impressive
Dislikes: The butter croissant was a little under baked this time around
Food: 4.5/5
Service: 5/5
Would I go again?: I will resist going next Sunday, but the one after that? No guarantees! Okay maybe we will take a few weeks off...Go here!

Homemade Hamburger Helper (with Pork)

I eased my way into cooking when I first moved out of my parents' house with a lot of boxes and cans. Hamburger Helper was always one of those guilty pleasures. As I have raised my homemade meal standards, I have been forced to forgo shopping in most of those middle aisles at the grocery store (except for baking needs & spices!). I found this lovely recipe for homemade Hamburger Helper (here), and made the switch to ground pork. It is creamy, cheesy, and so satisfying, although probably still terrible for you.

To make this, you will need:

• 1 lb ground pork
• 2 cups of dry fusilli
• 2 1/2 cups of milk
• 1 1/2 cups of hot water
• 1 tbsp cornstarch
• 1 tbsp chili powder
• 2 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp smoked paprika
• 1 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
• 2 cups shredded cheddar

1. In a large skillet over medium heat, brown the pork through and break up as cooking.
2. Add pasta, milk, water, and spices (everything except the cheese).
3. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat & simmer. Cook until pasta is cooked (about 15 minutes).
4. Add cheese, stir to combine and melt cheese. Enjoy!

Asian Pork Burgers

Ground pork was on sale, and so began the lengthy attempts to try to create different meals from the score. This recipe for Asian Pork Burgers is taken from Food & Wine, and then altered as I needed. The burgers ended up really tasty with lots of onion and sesame flavour.

To make these, you will need:

• 1 lb ground pork
• 2 green onions, chopped
• 2 tbsp fresh ginger, minced
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 tsp sesame oil
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp pepper

To make the red cabbage slaw, you will need:

• 2 cups of red cabbage, chopped
• 1/2 tsp sesame oil
• 1 tsp soy sauce
• 2 tsp white wine vinegar

Of course, you will also need buns, and any fixings, like greens and sriracha.

1. Mix together all the burger ingredients with your hands and form into three 3/4 inch thick patties.

2. Grill the burgers on each side until cooked through. Meanwhile, prepare the cabbage by tossing the ingredients together.

3. Assemble the burger, and enjoy!

I served these burgers topped with sriracha for an extra bit of heat. I also made a salad that I need to recommend. We mix together:

• 4 cups of spring mix greens
• 1/3 cup of crumbled feta
• 1/4 cup of dried cranberries
• 1/4 cup walnut pieces
• 1/4 cup crispy chow mein noodles

Lately, I have been loving the Ginger Sesame dressing by Marzetti for this salad, but we have also tried and loved Renee's Asian Sesame dressing. Happy eating!

Gilt Restaurant

Another weekend, another wedding. This time, my friend and roommate from Carleton University got to marry her wonderful new husband. As they are off on Honeymoon touring Europe, I can tell you about the fabulous breakfast we had at Gilt Restaurant in Kitchener, Ontario. I ordered the Lobster & Dill Eggs Benedict. Each toast had a whole lobster claw, that was of course just buttery goodness. The melted brie under the lettuce added to the creaminess of each bite. We need to talk about these potato puffs. We were loving them, so creamy and rich with a nice crispy exterior.

Lobster & Dill Eggs Benedict - brie, double smoked bacon, bibb lettuce, poached egg, lobster, dill hollondaise on toast with potato puffs

Scott ordered the Pumpkin Spice Banana Bread French Toast. This was actual banana bread made into french toast with classic fall spices. The banana bread was dense and rich, with all the cinnamon and nutmeg flavouring you would expect. The whipped cream, coulis, and caramel made it moist ad easy to eat.

Pumpkin Spice Banana Bread French Toast - with Chai whipped cream, dulce de leche caramel sauce, and berry coulis topped with walnuts

We also couldn't restrain ourselves and ordered some bacon wrapped dates. My only concern is that there were only 5 for us to fight over. These were sweet and spicy in all the right ways. The bed of arugula I am assuming was just to stop them from jumping off the plate.

Bacon wrapped dates stuffed with chorizo and habanero with a Frank's Red Hot sauce

The restaurant itself was nice with a lot of black and hints of gold. We went right at opening, unsure if it would be busy or we would need a reservation. In some towns, Sunday Brunch is a big deal, not in Kitchener. We were the only ones there until we were leaving and one other table had just arrived. It is a shame, they deserve to be packed based on the quality of food and service we received.

Likes: Food was so good! I wish we would go back to see what they come up with next.
Dislikes: They had some music and payment issues due to the internet service, but that's a minor problem.
Food: 5/5
Service: 5/5
Would I go again?: Probably, if I were back in Kitchener - there didn't seem to be much competition. Maybe I am not seeing the true Brunch scene?

Sunny Morning Breakfast & Lunch

I can't believe how busy it has been this week! I almost forgot to tell you about my delightful Sunday breakfast, the morning after watching two amazing people get married the night before. For a small moment we considered the complimentary hotel breakfast in the morning, but it looked so sad. Instead, we went to Sunny Morning Breakfast & Lunch in Etobicoke. I ordered the Smoked Salmon Omelette. This was perfect, I had cream cheese to spread on my marble rye toast for each bite of smokey salmon and egg. I opted for the side of fruit instead of home fries, since I just felt like I needed some fruit in my life. Three of us enjoyed the fruits, it was huge! The capers and red onion made for just the right flavour combination that is always a success.

Smoked Salmon Omelette - Smoked salmon, capers, red onion, with fruit, marble rye & cream cheese.

Scott ordered a sweet pile of tasty goodness, called Freddy's Caramel Waffle. It was delightful, with sweet caramel in every hole of the waffle. It was amazing to see, he didn't even use syrup. He loves syrup! I would call this a dessert long before accepting it as a breakfast, but there you have it.

Freddy's Caramel Waffle - golden waffle topped with pecans, banana slices, sweet milk caramel and whipped cream.

This place was really busy when we got there, and really busy when we left. We waited about 15 minutes, and service was quick. They were really on top of keeping our coffees full and the food came much sooner than we expected. It didn't seem like the quality suffered at all from the pace, I assume they are used to being busy on a Sunday morning.

Likes: The service was great, food was delicious
Dislikes: Tables were a little small
Food: 5/5
Service: 5/5
Would I go again?: I would if I happened to be right in the area. I maintain that there are so many places to try in Toronto that I can't waste valuable stomach space on a second visit anywhere. I would recommend it though if you are looking for a great breakfast spot.

Flourless Oatmeal Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

Scott wanted a sweet treat, but we had no flour. The solution: Flourless Oatmeal Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies (here)! These cookies had such a surprisingly good chewy texture that I cannot explain. They also only required one egg, which happened to be all we had. As delicious as they were, I must share them with you. They were quick, easy, and perfectly tasty.

To make them, you will only need 7 things:

• 2/3 cup oats
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 egg
• 1 cup peanut butter
• 6 tbsp brown sugar
• 1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips (okay, 3/4 cups... it was heaping)

1. Toss oats, cinnamon, and baking soda together in a small bowl
2. In a medium bowl, beat the egg. Mix in peanut butter and brown sugar until combined. Add oat mix and combine. Fold in the chocolate chips.
3. Chill the mix in the fridge for 30 minutes.
4. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. Make balls from the dough (~1.5 tbsp in size) and spread evenly across the baking sheet. Press balls down to make cookie shapes.
5. Bake for 10 minutes. They will seem under baked... but take them out! After cooling on the sheet for 10 minutes, they will be perfect. Eat them all!