I’ve been spending some time lurking on Pinterest trying to find unique ideas for this years Passover menu.

Of course, I spent some time trying to figure out what my centre pieces are going to look like too. Here’s what I’m thinking. Which one do you prefer?

Idea #1…so simple, yet so pretty

Idea #2….Love this idea

Idea #3…I actually have a chalkboard runner to use as the “seder plate” and love the idea of using empty egg shells as a vase! How cute?

As for the menu, here’s what I’m planning on serving. Warning: this is not a traditional Passover menu at all but I’m ok with that and I hope my guests are to.

-Sweet Potato Rounds with a Beet Puree and topped with a Walnut (totally made this up. Its not from Pinterest (for a change). I made them a few weeks ago and it’s a winner.

–Matza Brei Cupcakes stuffed with ??????.  Cant decide – it might be stuffed with mashed potatoes or a mushroom medley. I’m  hoping that this idea works. If I get a chance this week I might test it out!

-Yottam Ottelenghi’s Aubergine & Herb Salad with Garlic Yogurt Dressing

–Salmon with an Apricot Basil Salsa

-Yottam Ottolenghi’s Butternut Squash w/Gingered Tomatoes and Lime

-Yottam Ottolenghi’s Tomatoes with Sumac Onion and Pinenuts

Dessert: Matza Smores and Fresh Fruit

I know. I know – the menu is heavy on Yottam Ottolenghi’s recipes but I couldn’t help it. His veggie recipes sound amazing.

I’m excited to head to my storage unit and dig out my grandmother’s china that I always use for the seder. There’s something about using her china that makes this holiday extra special for me.

So excited to share this holiday with family and friends. We are also hosting a couple that we’ve never met as part of an initiative with City Shul that no one is alone on the holidays.

Happy Cooking and Happy Passover and Happy Easter too!!

Share this:

This past weekend, we hosted a Chanuka Brunch for some family and friends. I don’t know about you, but I love hosting a brunch.

Chanukah Brunch!!

As always, I found myself on Pinterest looking for unique recipes and of course this website came to my rescue.  PS. Feel free to click on this link so you can see my Pinterest Page…..https://www.pinterest.ca/momwhoruns/

The recipe I found, appealed to me for several reasons:

-I had a bunch of skewers already in the drawer (big surprise)

-I simply needed to buy a baguette, 2 bananas and some strawberries (easy enough)

-I adored the presentation.

Here’s the full recipe  (Originally posted on www.weelicious.com.)

French Toast on a Stick

INGREDIENTS

• 1 cup milk (any kind of milk will work but I used whole milk to make it extra delicious)
• 2 large eggs
• 1 tablespoon honey (I omitted this)
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 4 cups of a baguette cut up into cubes (tip: use scissors)
• 1 tablespoon oil
• 16 strawberries, stems removed
• 2 bananas, sliced into 1/2 inch coins
• 8 wooden skewers

DIRECTIONS:

1. In a bowl, whisk together the milk, eggs, (honey) and cinnamon.

2. Dip the bread cubes in the milk mixture to coat each side.

3. Heat the oil in a skillet over medium heat and cook the bread for 1 1/2 minutes on each side, or until golden brown.

French Toast Bites

4. Skewer the french toast cubes, sliced strawberries and sliced bananas and serve with maple syrup for dipping.

FINAL RESULT:

French Toast Bites on a Skewer

What a hit!

Easy to eat, delicious, and simple to make. Scored.

However I will admit that it was a bit tricky to serve them as I didn’t want them to get cold. I solved this issue by serving them as an appetizer as soon as my guests arrived. #problemsolved.

Promise to blog about a few other dishes that I made. Promise.

Share this:

Lately I’ve been entertaining a lot which is code for “I’ve been spending time on Pinterest”.

As always Pinterest inspired me to put together the following menu:

-Carrot Soup

–Spinach Feta Pinwheels

-Pineapple Coconut Quinoa

-Roasted Mushrooms in Browned Butter

–Baked Tilapia Veracruz

-Pear/Apple Crisp

I was also inspired to set the table using some placemats I hadn’t used in a while!

In particular I want to share the Pineapple Coconut Quinoa recipe with you. It was SO flavourful and not hard to make at all.

The flavour was due to these two ingredients: Dole Pineapple Juice and Cha’s Organic Coconut Milk

Hurry up and make this fabulous side dish – you won’t be disappointed. Promise.

Recipe: Pineapple Coconut Quinoa (original recipe posted by www.theharvestkitchen.com)

INGREDIENTS:

DIRECTIONS:

Final Result:

Not only did it taste amazing but I was happy the way it looked as well!!

Share this:

It’s that time of year again!

The Jewish New Year begins on Wednesday night however for many of us, we were thinking about “THE MENU” weeks ago!

Of course, when I think of the word “MENU”, I automatically think of “PINTEREST”.

I was super organized and even created a Rosh Hashanah 2017 Board so I could pin all the recipes and table settings that interested me.

After pinning 18 different ideas, I narrowed it down. Here’s the final menu:

• Tomato Soup with Homemade Croutons and Parmesan (sorry no recipe)
• Pan Seared Salmon with Sun Dried Tomato Cream Sauce (click here for recipe)
• Green Beans with Chestnuts, Pomegranates and Lemony Tahini (click here for recipe)
• Sweet Fragrant Rosh Hoshana Rice (click here for recipe)
• Carrot Salad with Tahini and Crisped Chickpeas. (click here for recipe)
• Dessert: Blooming Apples with Vanilla Ice cream

This Ethiopian tahini that I bought in Israel is going to be put to good use!!

Seeing as it’s traditional to serve apples with honey, I’m going to serve this amazing African Bronze honey that I just discovered at the CHFA show. This honey is so flavourful and I have no doubt that my guests are going to love it too.

As for the table, Pinterest provided me with inspiration once again.

Wishing everyone who celebrates, a Happy and Healthy New Year.

Share this:

I must admit that there was a time, where I hated making salads. Mainly because I hated to chop. Well things have changed….I now love making salads!!

A facebook friend asked me “why do I love making salads” and indeed its’ a great question. Here’s my answer.

1. I enjoy LOVE going to Farmers Markets and then coming home to make a fresh salad with produce thats’ local and fresh. The other week, I found this beautiful bibb lettuce for $3.50 at Wychwood Barns. How could I NOT buy it? In fact I bought two!!

1. I love that you can take a few ingredients and create something that is ever so pretty!!
2. Salads are healthy which means I can eat more!!
3. I consider it fun to scour Pinterest looking for unique recipes to try. (Please don’t judge me)
4. Salads provide you the opportunity to include something crunchy, sweet, savoury etc.

Here’s a few photos to prove my point:

1.  I had leftover chicken in the fridge, leftover corn on the cobb and before you know it – there was this beautiful salad on the table.

2. I had some kale in the fridge, some tomatoes and some blue cheese. Perfect ingredients for a delicious salad.

3. Bought some sea asparagus for my first time (apparently they are FULL of nutrients) and once again, I threw a few ingredients into a bowl which resulted in a nutritious salad

4. This salad simply consisted of Bibb lettuce, grapefruit segments, avocado and toasted almonds. Freaking delicious. Oh ya – I threw in some edible flowers.

See what I mean? I hope that I encourage you to get out there and visit your local Farmers Markets AND to make more salads!! All that chopping is worth it. Promise.

Have a wonderful long weekend everyone!

Share this:

Every once in a while I have the urge to host a brunch. But I’m pretty sure I have Pinterest to blame as I’d seen some recipes that captured my attention. Next thing  you know, I’m planning a brunch!

The table looked like this.

I was pretty happy with the menu I selected, so today I will share two recipes with you. Deal?

Recipe #1: Mini Pancake Kebabs (original recipe can be found here)

Here’s a formal list of what you need:

-skewers

-2 bananas slices

-about 6 strawberries sliced

-your favourite recipe for pancakes. I must admit making tiny pancakes was a bit challenging!

Nutella or dulce leche

Instructions:

1. Spread nutella or dulce leche on each pancake.
2. Take a skewer and insert the tiny pancake, then a sliced strawberry and then a sliced banana.
3. Repeat!

Final Result:

Recipe #2: Granola Breakfast Pizza (original recipe can be found here)

Once again, all you need is a few ingredients:

Specifically you need:

3 cups of Granola

1 cup of Greek Yogurt (its important that its thick yoghurt)

1 cup of peanut butter

1/2 tbsp of cinnamon

1/2 cup of sliced almonds

Instructions:

1 Mix the granola and peanut butter in a bowl

2. Line parchment paper in a dish, and then spoon the mixture into it.

3. Place in the fridge for an hour or the freezer for 20 minutes. Note: I made the base a day in advance and kept it in the freezer overnight. You want to make sure that the base sticks together!!

4. Remove from pan and place on your serving dish. Spread greek yogurt (the thicker the better) on top of the granola mixture.

 

Share this:

Passover is soon approaching (April 10th to 18th to be exact) and I have no doubt that many of my facebook friends will be busy this Sunday cleaning and cooking (in that order).

It’s certainly not an easy holiday as it involves a lot of food and entertaining and a list of restrictions.  However I’m going to share a tip with you to make it easier. It’s called PINTEREST.

I actually created a Passover Board on Pinterest (see bottom left) to help me organize the recipes that I’m going to attempt to make for the Seder.  Why didn’t I think of this idea before?

Here’s the menu for my Vegetarian Seder that I will be serving on the first night!  (thanks to my Pinterest Passover Board).

Arugula Orange Salad with Lemon Ginger Dressing

Salmon with Creamy Avocado Sauce

Matzo Stuffed Herbed Tomatoes

Garlic Herb Cauli-Rice

Spinach Potato Nests

Dessert: Fruit (not making anything that involves a gazillion eggs or matzo meal)

As for my table – I’m naturally going to use my grandmothers china that I pull out every Passover. But I’m also going to attempt to make a few of these great “table decor ideas” that I found on Pinterest – not with purple but with burgundy to match the china (of course. LOL). I actually made the idea on the bottom right last year and it was a huge hit.

 Not sure if the matza vase is going to turn out but we will soon find out. Hoping its’ not going to be a #PinterestFail.

Here’s one more tip to make your Passover Seder easier! I saw this idea on Pinterest a few months ago, and IT WORKS.  Trust me.

Wishing all my friends who celebrate Passover, a very meaningful holiday.

Happy Cooking (and Cleaning).

Share this:

Chanukah is just around the corner and I’m ready. (I think). I found my Chanuka decor thanks to my beloved new Brother Label Maker, and my tummy is ready too.

Of course I spent some time on Pinterest and found a few ideas to get me in the holiday spirit. In particular, I found this recipe for Chanuka Gelt Cookies!  The other day I made them and they were a HUGE hit. I’m sure I will be making another batch soon. It took only one bowl, a few ingredients and about 30 minutes to make (start to finish).

Chanukah Gelt Cookies (original recipe from www.bakingandmistaking.com)

Ingredients:

2/3 cup (150g) butter or margarine, softened (I used butter …of course)
3/4 cup (150g) sugar
1 egg
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 3/4 cups (220g) flour
1 teaspoon (5g) baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt

Unwrap the chocolate coins. (not as easy as it looks but easier than unwrapping candy canes!!)

Beat together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add in the egg and vanilla and mix until well incorporated. Add the flour, baking powder and salt and mix until the dough comes together. I then placed the dough into the fridge for an hour. (a tip I learned from Sally’s Baking Addiction)

Roll the dough into a ball and flatten into a disc. Then place the disc, well spaced apart, on an ungreased baking sheet OR  put the dough into a muffin tin sprayed with Pam. This is a new kitchen hack that I learned that will prevent the dough from spreading too thin.I then pressed the gelt (chocolate coin) into the centre of the cookie and placed it into the oven at 350 F for exactly 9 minutes. The edges were slightly brown but the centre was pale and puffy (and perfect)

Let them cool before removing them from the tin.

Other cool chanuka ideas (thanks Pinterest) that I’m going to attempt include these adorable Cheese Dreidels. How cute!! Loved this idea but something tells me I’m not going to be successful. Time will tell.

These cute napkin rings.

Wishing everyone who celebrates, a wonderful Chanuka. May light and peace fill these 8 days.

Share this:

I try hard to participate in Meatless Mondays and thought I would share what I made last week. This plate contains; arugula salad with shaved parmesan and tomatoes, wilted spinach, and cucumber noodles topped with sesame seeds. Not bad for Meatless Monday eh?

This meal should be called: Three Shades of Green!!

An hour later, I had a “not-so-healthy” moment as I had discovered a recipe on Pinterest (click on the link to see my Food Board. Hint)  that I always wanted to try: Banana Fritters.

Before I knew it, I was whipping up dry ingredients and mixing them into the wet ingredients. Then I was DEEP FRYING. I even brought out a thermometer to make sure the oil was hot enough!

Here’s the recipe for this super easy but not-so-healthy-dessert:

Banana Fritters (recipe courtesy of OMG Chocolate Desserts)

Ingredients

Approximately 4 large bananas

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 cup sugar

Pinch of salt

1 cup plain greek yogurt

1 egg white

Vegetable oil for frying

Powdered sugar for dusting…(I used cinnamon)

Instructions

1. Peel bananas and cut into 1.5 inch long pieces .
2. In a bowl mix together flour, baking powder, sugar, salt and cinnamon.
3. Add egg white and yogurt into dry ingredients and stir well with a wooden spoon until it’s smooth.
4. Heat about 2 inch oil in a frying pan.( Be careful not to over heat the oil or the fritters will be too brown, it should be about 350F). This is an important step!!
5. Using a fork dip each banana slice into to batter to coat it well and transfer it into oil and fry until it’s golden brown. Work in small batches because you have to work fast. (agreed – I had to work fast. Do not answer the phone or do anything else)
6. Remove fried fritters to a paper towel lined plate to drain .
7. Sprinkle with powdered sugar and serve

Happy Meatless Monday Everyone!!

Share this:

I had a packet of ground beef hanging around in the freezer from TruLocal and wanted to do something with it besides making a hamburger. So I decided that meatballs might be a good idea. Believe it or not, this was my first time making meatballs!

I then headed over to Pinterest and selected the recipe where I didn’t have to buy anything for the recipe. Am I the only one who does this? LOL. I love cooking but hate having to go get the ONE item I might be missing for a recipe.

Here’s what I made:

Incredible Baked Meatballs (Original Recipe Found Here)

Ingredients:
1 lb hamburger
2 eggs, beaten
1⁄2 cup milk
1⁄2 cup grated parmesan cheese
1 cup panko breadcrumbs or 1 cup breadcrumbs
1 small onion, minced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1⁄2 teaspoon oregano
1 teaspoon salt
fresh ground pepper
1⁄4 cup minced fresh basil

Directions:

1. Mix all ingredients with hands.
2. Form into golfball sized meatballs.
3. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

Before I knew it I was making those golf sized meatballs.

And 30 minutes later I was eating these delicious baked meatballs.

Happy Cooking!

Share this: