banana pancakes on a saturday morning

Before I get into all that delicious food I ate on vacation, here's what I've been enjoying about being home: my kitchen, which may not always be perfectly organized, but has the ingredients and equipment I need in the perfect place. I missed making breakfast in my pyjamas to CBC radio. I missed late night popcorn recipe inventions. I missed cooking in my favourite pots, on my perfect gas stove that almost never burns anything. I missed preparing food with my favourite cat buddies, Pipi and Luna.

Vacations are great, but it's always nice to come home. Here's yet another pancake recipe (and if it's not what you're looking for, try these: banana walnut pancakes, raspberry lemon pancakes or raspberry flax pancakes).

simple banana pancakes - makes around 10 3-inch pancakes

These are adapted from Jamie Oliver's 2012 Recipe Yearbook, a magazine special I picked up in England. I changed the all purpose flour to whole wheat pastry flour, and substituted half of the milk for yogurt, to add some tang (or maybe I had just run out of milk - but it tasted great).

1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1 tbsp sugar
1 egg
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup yogurt (or just another 1/2 cup milk)
oil for cooking

2 bananas
2 tbsp butter
splash of maple syrup, plus more to serve

Whisk together flour, baking powder, salt and sugar. Add egg, milk and yogurt, and stir until just combined (some lumps are ok). Heat oil in pan, and cook pancakes in batches. Meanwhile, melt butter in another pan. Add sliced bananas and a splash of maple syrup, and saute until golden. Serve pancakes  with butter and more maple syrup.

vegan version: substitute 1/2 mashed banana for the egg, and use 1 cup soy milk. Cook the bananas in grapeseed or canola oil.

PS. I'm in the middle of redesigning the blog, so expect some changes. I loved the last layout, but it wan't the easiest to navigate or read.

PPS. You know it's a good day when you still haven't left bed, but you've gotten through brunch, four episodes of Seinfeld, AND posted a recipe!

returning home

I'm back! My vacation was indescribable, exceptional and unbelievable. It was FILLED with food: from late night bowls of mussels in the Latin quarter of Paris with my boyfriend, to cold glasses of peach cider overlooking the Waupoos bay with some of my favourite ladies, every day was filled with culinary delights that totally blew my mind. In the next few weeks I'll post some of my favourite meals, some of the best recipes I cooked with/for friends, and some drool-worthy food photos. Meanwhile...

Unpacking is always difficult, especially when accompanied by some post-vacation blues. It's bittersweet going through all the keepsakes, souvenirs and trip detritus that fills my backpacks - so many amazing memories. Still, every time I use a certain plate, drink from a glass, or wear a dress, I can think about the most amazing summer ever. Here are my favourite finds from Paris, London, Prince Edward County, and everywhere in between. But it's Monica-style - I like to stick to the open-air markets, the stores the locals recommend, and of course, thrift and antique stores.

(Clockwise, starting at top left)

1. Antique drinking glasses from Old Spitalfield's Market in London, and a few Penguin classics (the new designs in paperback!)  

2. Giraffe scarf, bird dress and anchor shirt, all from Brick Lane Market in London

3. Botany time! A bat skeleton, from Trafalgar Castle in Whitby, a butterfly from Prince Edward County, fossils from Sandbanks, and a fossilized anemone from Beachy Head, UK (looks like a gum-ball). I collected everything here myself.  

4. Antiquing in the county - orange Le Crueset pot, Crown canning jar, assorted dishes, and an apron (with 'Muriel' written inside).

(clockwise, starting at top left)

1. It's always nice to match. My camp friends and I love to buy matching outfits: Zebra dress, and two pairs of earrings (to celebrate that I finally got my ears pierced last year!)

2. Had to buy delicious food in Paris: Praline dark chocolate, raspberry vinegar, lemon sardines, lime and coconut tuna, olive oil, red wine, raspberry liquor, and a nautical theme skirt from a second-hand store. 

3. Souvenirs from my friend Katy's county wedding: pink striped robe (I'll wear it ALL the time), her wedding favour - vanilla peaches, extra wine I stole (no! got given), and a great antique tray she gave me - it's covered in Morpho Butterfly wings! 

4. Finally, my favourite pile of stuff: things I didn't buy. Photos from my action-sampler of all the people I love, a journal from camp, candles and sparklers leftover for next year's festivities, a copyright infringement myself and the other counsellors got served with by our campers, and a portrait drawn by a 6 year old (I'm going to start spelling my name Monyca).

the sweet life in Paris

Later this summer, I'm going to Paris for the first time. I feel as though I've been preparing for this visit my whole life. It began with Madeline, Eloise in Paris, and The Red Ballon, and it's only gotten worse since then. If an amazing book or movie doesn't take place in New York City or London, then it's got to be Paris: Funny Face (and a whole other pile of Audrey Hepburn movies), The Elegance of the Hedgehog, Ratatouille, Amelie, Moulin Rouge, La Vie en Rose, Eugene Atget's photography, the lithographies of Alphonse Mucha, Midnight in Paris, Aristocats, water lilies by Monet, cafes painted by Van Gogh, Hunchback of Notre Dame, Before Sunset and Before Sunrise. 

Here's what Paris looks like in my brain:

Not very realistic? Oh well, I know I'm going to fall in love. It seems everyone likes to stare pensively at the skyline, whether you're Audrey Hepburn, Duchess and O'Malley or Remy, and I look forward to joining them in the pensive staring.

On a culinary level, here's my two most recent Paris reads: My life in France by Julia Child and The Sweet Life in Paris by David Lebovitz. Both are from the viewpoint of an American, moving to (and falling in love with) Paris.

Here's a recipe from The Sweet Life in Paris. These are tiny, little chocolate cakes - naturally gluten-free because of the almonds. Great with afternoon coffee, they keep at room temperature in a sealed container for about a week.

Chocolate Financiers
from David Lebovitz's Sweet Life in Paris, via gluten-free girl

6 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 cup almonds
4 tablespoons Dutch-process unsweetened cocoa powder
1/8 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup powdered sugar
1/3 cup egg whites

Preheat the oven to 425°. Lightly butter a mini-muffin tin. Melt the butter in a small saucepan and set it aside until room temperature. In a food processor or blender, grind the almond with the cocoa, salt, and powdered sugar. Transfer the mixture to a medium bowl. Stir the egg whites in the ground almond mixture, then gradually stir in the melted butter until incorporated and smooth.

Spoon the batter into the molds, filling them 3/4 full. Bake for ten to fifteen minutes, until slightly puffed and springy to the touch. Remove from oven and cool completely before removing from molds.

Makes about 15, one-inch financiers.

(Nope, not a picture of the financiers. Instead, KITTENS! This is Dill and Pickle, my friend's new kittens. How can I write blog posts with these guys around?)

Finally, this will be my last post for a while. Right now, I'm in Prince Edward County at my lovely friend's farm, hanging out with kittens, cooking delicious food, and swimming at Sandbanks. Next, I'll be heading to camp, where I'll live in a castle with a bunch of girls, in the style of an Enid Blyton novel. Then I'm off to Paris and London for a vacation with my boyfriend, and finally back to the County for a very exciting wedding!

Sometimes it's great to step back from technology for a while, cook recipes without writing them down and photographing them, and just take time off. That said, I can't completely leave the technology behind, so if you want to see some photos of my adventures, check out my instagram feed. I'll be back in September with photos, travel stories, and recipes galore. Bon Appetit!

yogurt cheese (not ewww, delicious!)

Yogurt cheese. It sounds kinda gross, but let me sing it's praises! Soft, tangy and spreadable, it can be made in the fridge overnight.  If you buy a large tub of plain, organic yogurt (Saugeen County Yogurt, for example), you can have a vast amount of yogurt cheese, for a fraction of the price of marscapone or cream cheese. You can add any number of flavours, via herbs, zests and spices. Yogurt cheese is also known as strained yogurt, and it's big in Europe. It's the main ingredient in tzaziki, the creamy cucumber and yogurt condiment from the Middle East.

Here's a recipe, plus two examples of yogurt cheese hard at work.

yogurt cheese
2 cups whole milk, plain yogurt (usually 3% to 6% milk fat, or M.F.)
cheesecloth or 2 large coffee filters
fine mesh strainer
deep pot

Line the strainer with the cheese cloth or coffee filters. Place over a pot (I use my rice cooker pot - it's nice and deep). There has the be space between the bottom of the strainer and the bottom of the pot, this is where the liquid will collect. Put the yogurt in the strainer, and set the whole thing in the fridge. Leave it for 12 to 24 hours. Discard the whey (the liquid in the bottom), or feed it to your cats (they'll love it!). Keep the yogurt cheese in the fridge for a few weeks (the same shelf life as the original yogurt).

lemon and herb yogurt cheese spread
1 cup yogurt cheese
handful of fresh herbs (I used a mix of chives, oregano, basil and mint)
juice and zest of 1/2 a lemon
salt and pepper

Combine all ingredients and stir. Spread on toast, crostini, or serve on top of sautéed or steamed veggies. (Seen here in a tomato sandwich, and on top of a spring greens stir-fry of green garlic, green onions, asparagus and snow peas.)

lessons in the kitchen, and some adventures with chickpea flour

Today I tried two new recipes, with a common ingredient of chickpea flour. It's popular in many middle eastern recipes, and makes a nutty, protein-rich addition to your arsenal of flours.

You might think that everything that comes out of my kitchen is near-perfect, delicious, and that the new recipes I try always work out. You should not think this. Only the lovely, delicious, near-perfect looking ones make it to the blog. The rest are dirty little secrets that stay between me, my stove, and my cats, who see me swearing and complaining when black smoke is billowing from the stove.

The only way to become a better cook, like any other skill, is to make mistakes, and learn from them. These are the rules I try to convey when I'm teaching cooking to kids, but they are equally applicable in your own kitchen.

1. Everything will not be perfect.
2. You will make many mistakes
3. And sometimes, the most hideous things are the most delicious.

There are many examples of this last point. Raw hamburger meat looks disgusting, but I hear that hamburgers are one of the most delicious foods on earth. Another example: I let some kindergarten kids mash up an avocado, and they were like a flock of seagulls, yelling and screaming about how GROSS it looked. Then they tried it, and it was TASTY! Finally, sometimes what you think is a horrible mistake looks disgusting, but tastes delicious: for example, this Mark Bittman recipe I tried today, for Easy Whole Grain Flatbread.

The first is mine, the second is a photo from his website of what it's supposed to look like.

It's hideous. It's burnt. I can't get it out of the pan.

But then I tasted it (the bit I managed to pry from the pan), and WOW! The mustard and cumin seeds I toasted first in the oil popped in my mouth, the outside was crispy, and the centre was creamy and custard-like. At least, on the side that wasn't burnt to a crisp.

Final lesson: If at first you don't succeed, try, try again.

I definitely will be making this recipe again. But with a few modifications. And a closer eye on the oven.

Here's a recipe that did work (and looked beautiful to boot) - 101 Cookbooks Baked Sweet Potato Falafel. As Heidi says in her description, this is not your usual crispy, fried falafel. It's soft and light, and I ate them on top of a salad of mixed greens and cilantro. But here's an amazing sandwich I was imagining:

sweet potato falafel + whole wheat pita + hummus + avocado + cilantro + pickled cabbage + cucumbers

It's going on the "make me" list.

strawberry basil popsicles

Here's a recipe I made for The Stop's Market Cafe this morning. Strawberries and basil? Don't be skeptical, it's a great combination, just like watermelon & mint or apples & rosemary. Throw them in a blender, and into the freezer they go, with a little help from some brown sugar simple syrup. When you freeze things, the sweetness mellows out, which is why frozen desserts usually have a bit more sugar than you might think they need.

Gourmet popsicles are all the rage right now. Join the fad! Get yourself a popsicle mold set at a dollar store, and get creative! Use some of these recipes for ideas, or just pour in some fruit juice or leftover smoothie. Also, here's an awesome article about paletas, Mexican popsicles, from epicurious.

strawberry basil popsicles
2 pints of strawberries, rinsed and hulled
1/4 cup basil leaves
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup water

Combine the strawberries and basil in a blender, and puree. In a small pot, bring water and sugar to a boil, turn off the heat, and stir until the sugar has disolved. Let your simple syrup cool for a few minutes, then add to strawberry puree and blend well. Pour into popsicle molds and freeze for at least 4 hours. To remove popsicles, run the mold under hot water for 30 seconds.

You can also use paper cups for popsicle molds - fill cups and freeze. Take them out of the freezer after an hour, and poke in some popsicle sticks. Return to freezer until completely frozen.

(Get up early tomorrow morning, and head to Wychwood Barns - look at what delights await you!)

Sesame & Almond brown rice balls with avocado

This recipe is from one of my favorite blogs, 101 Cookbooks. I've never made a recipe I didn't like from Heidi's site (and I've made my fair share of them). I admit, I changed it a bit (I just can't help myself). I really love rice vinegar on rice, with that delicious, sushi flavour, so I added it to the mix. These are a great lunch or picnic finger food, and keep well in the fridge overnight, if you want to make them ahead of time. You can also serve them with some soy sauce for dipping.


sesame almond brown rice balls
makes about 15 small rice balls, originally from this recipe.


2 cups short grain brown rice
3 cups water
1/2 tsp salt
3 tbsp seasoned rice vinegar
1/4 cup toasted sesame seeds (black or white)
3 tbsp toasted chopped almonds
1 or 2 green onions, minced
1 avocado, in small chunks (1 inch dice)

Rinse the rice. Using a heavy bottomed pot, bring rice, water and salt to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, cover, and cook for 40-50 minutes, until all the water is absorbed. Alternately, cook rice in a rice cooker.

While rice is cooking, toast sesame seeds, then almonds. Mince green onions, and prepare avocado in small, 1 inch chunks.




When the rice is done, fluff with a fork, and stir in rice vinegar. Let the rice cool, then add almonds, most of the sesame seeds, and the green onion. Take a small bowl, and line it with plastic wrap, so you have quite a bit overhanging the sides. Fill the bowl with a handfull of rice (about 1/3 cup). Make an indent in the middle, and poke in a piece of avocado. Gather up the plastic wrap, and twist, lifting the rice out of the bowl, and shaping it into a ball. Remove the plastic wrap (you can reuse it for the rest of the balls), and put on a plate. Sprinkle the finished rice balls with the leftover sesame seeds.

a vegan cookie and a not so vegan cookie

Surprise! They're the same cookie. Here's a recipe for my vegan friends and my non-vegan friends. A chocolatley cookie, somewhere half between the land of crispy and soft, perfect for a summer potluck or picnic when you need something that vegans and carnivores will appreciate equally. Or, if you're like me, make them into a drippy, delicious ice cream sandwich. Feeling virtuous? Use whole wheat pastry flour, flax eggs and Earth Balance (vegan margarine). Feeling decadent? Use white flour, eggs and butter. Either way, its a forgivable recipe, and its gonna taste good no matter what (it's a chocolate chip cookie, right?).

(trying out a sketching program for mac, surprise, it's not markers! and I wish I had a touchscreen.)

Chocolate chocolate chip cookies
adapted from this recipe on Epicurious, makes 16 large cookies

3/4 cup softened, unsalted butter (OR Earth Balance margarine)
1 cup white sugar
1 large egg (OR 1 tbsp ground flax seeds, whisked with 3 tbsp water)
1 tsp vanilla paste or extract

1 1/4 cup whole wheat pastry flour (or all purpose flour)
1/3 cup cocoa powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt

1 cup chocolate chips
(make sure they're dairy free if you're making the vegan cookies, most semi-sweet varieties are vegan.)

Preheat oven to 350. In a large bowl, cream together butter/margarine and sugar with a wooden spoon. Add egg/flax egg and vanilla, and beat until well combined.

In another bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa, soda, baking powder and salt. Add these dry ingredients to the wet mixture, and stir until well combined. If the mixture is too dry, add a few splashes of soy milk or water (I had to add 2 or 3 tablespoons). Finally, stir in the chocolate chips.

Scoop tablespoon-size balls of dough onto a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Flatten slightly with your hand. Leave an inch or two between each cookie, they will spread out a bit. Bake for 10-12 minutes, until the centre of the cookies no longer looks doughy and jiggly. The cookies will not be crispy. Let them rest on the cookie sheet for a few minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool.

Now, you're ready to make...

Chocolate chocolate chip ice cream sandwiches
You'll need two cookies for each sandwich. Hopefully you haven't eaten them all yet.

chocolate chocolate chip cookies
softened vanilla ice cream (leave it on the counter for 10 minutes)

Scoop spoonfuls of ice cream onto an upside-down cookie. Put another cookie on top. Wrap the whole thing in parchment paper or plastic wrap (you could reuse the paper you baked the cookies on), and put them in the freezer for at least a half hour. Resist! Let them get nice and cold and frozen, before devouring them, like cookie monster. COOKIE!

fig clafoutis (and an explanation: what the heck is a clafoutis?)

Clafoutis: (or sometimes called clafouti) is a "baked French dessert of black cherries arranged in a buttered dish and covered with a thick flan-like batter. The clafoutis is dusted with powdered sugar and served lukewarm," according to that ever-reliable source wikipedia. The article also notes that the dessert can be made with many other fruits, but then you have to call it a 'flaugnarde.' But if I called this a fig flaugnarde, would anyone ever make it? I don't think so. 

Whatever you call it, it's a super easy dessert that's perfect for summer. Served at room temperature with some ice cream or whip cream, it would be delicious with any fruit, from spring strawberries to summer cherries to fall apples. There were some deliciously ripe figs at the fruit market by my house, so I couldn't resist. But I'll definitely be making a traditional cherry clafouti later in the summer, with the pits in for added flavour (and laziness), just like the French do!

(click on the picture for a larger version)

Fig Clafoutis

(adapted from this recipe)

3 eggs

1 cup milk

2 tsp vanilla paste

1/2 cup white sugar

pinch of salt

pinch of freshly grated nutmeg

2/3 cup all purpose flour

15 to 20 fresh figs

2 or 3 tbsp turbinado sugar

butter or grapeseed oil for baking dish

Preheat oven to 350. Beat eggs in a large bowl with a whisk. Beat in milk, vanilla, sugar, salt and nutmeg. Sift flour into other ingredients, and beat well, until all clumps are gone, and the mixture is smooth and frothy. Apparently you can also make this custard in a blender or food processor, but if you do, don't forget to sift the flour - you don't want flour lumps in the final product!


Cut figs in half, and arrange cut side up in a buttered baking dish - either 9x9 square, or a pie dish. Gently pour the custard over figs - they'll move around a bit, so rearrange them if necessary. Bake for 40-45 minutes, until brown and puffy. Let sit for 10 minutes before serving, or serve at room temperature. I found the figs not quite sweet enough, so I sprinkled the clafoutis with turbinado sugar before serving, to taste. This adds a nice crunch and sweetness. The clafouti will be very puffy and soufflé-like when you take it out of the oven, but it will decrease in size after sitting a while. This doesn't affect the flavour or texture.  

dinner for a rainy day

I'm really getting into Jamie Oliver's 30 Minute Meals. The book has a ton of great recipes, the layout is great, and the photos are gorgeous. He combines all the recipes, and does the planning for you, integrating the recipes. Start the fish! Make the salad! Check the dessert! I am so in love that I made my own menu, inspired by his cookbook.

The chowder is based on his Finnan Haddie Corn Chowder, the biscuits are from Super Natural Everyday, and the salad is my own invention. Here it is: watch my photoshop skills improving before your very eyes! I'm not gonna promise you can make this in 30 minutes. Maybe 45? It's not a race. Invite someone you love into the kitchen to be your sous chef, and have some cooking talk. It's almost as good as pillow talk.