Orange Feta Focaccia

Orange Feta Focaccia
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Focaccia was the first bread I ever made. And there is a very good reason for this – it’s dead simple. I mean, of course, you can make focaccia complicated. You can obsess over minute details and tirelessly perfect the process, like a sushi chef trainee making batch after batch of rice. But in my perfectly imperfect daily life, quick and dirty but delicious focaccia is all I’m after. So that’s exactly what today’s recipe is. A chill approachable rendition of an almost universally loved bread. And if you’re new to the world of yeasted doughs, this is the perfect place to start. This Orange Feta Focaccia is a confidence-building recipe. 

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Pesto Shallot Cheese Buns

Pesto Shallot Cheese Buns
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It’s the end of February, only carbs and cheese will do. We had a bit of a snowstorm in Toronto this week. And while we’ve been enjoying a reasonably mild winter this year, this is always the point in the season where my patience begins to wear thin. The cold feels more insulting, the snow more cumbersome, and the road salt more disgusting. And as anyone Canadian will tell you, March offers very little respite from the winter weather. The calendar may announce the arrival of Spring but more often than not the forecast has other plans. So when I hit this weather-worn state while staring down the barrel of yet more winter, I like to make things like today’s Pesto Shallot Cheese Buns to help see me through. They’re a cozy and unabashedly indulgent ray of sunshine when there is very little to be found. So let’s make them! 

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Butternut Tamale Pie

Butternut Tamale Pie
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In my neck of the woods, Thanksgiving is less than a week away and words cannot express how not ready I feel. I’ve complained about this a lot on this blog, but I don’t care, I’m going to say it again – Canadian Thanksgiving comes up way too quickly. I’m just not ready for the pumpkin pie of it all. But I will persevere and reacquaint myself with turkey brine. But before I get to the bird, there’s a little tradition I do on this blog every year. I give the holiday-loving vegetarians a meal option that doesn’t feel tacked together and isn’t just a plate of sides. This is a full-on main event designed to make omnivores jealous. And this year it’s this Butternut Tamale Pie. 

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Mortadella Pear Skillet Pizza w Shaved Radicchio

Mortadella Pear Skillet Pizza
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Monday is not typically associated with pizza. And I am in fact writing this post on a Monday. Why? Because I’m clearly a culinary rebel. Not really. I’m just disorganized. This recipe was supposed to come out on a Friday or a Saturday. Two evenings that are infinitely more suitable for a pizza party. But why? I mean, when you really think about it, pizza is an instant lift. A mood booster, a smile inducer if you will. Why waste pizza’s awesome powers on days that are in and of themselves exuberant and carefree? Wouldn’t it make more sense to deploy a pizza while you’re in the throws of Monday blahs? I think so. So here is today’s recipe – a Mortadella Pear Skillet Pizza with an extremely fluffy focaccia crust.

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