When I first arrived in Toronto at the tender age of 20, I had a crap, overpriced apartment, a crap retail job and, shockingly, not a crap ton of money. Yes, I was living that penniless student cliche in the worst way and that meant living off of boxes of knock-off cereal (generic Fruit Os forever!) and sodium-laced noodles. But once in a blue moon, usually on a Friday, I would treat my broke ass to a schnitzel sandwich and a beer at The Red Room. Today’s Pork Schnitzel Sandwiches with Granny Smith Slaw are a homage to the sandwich.
Sweet Pea Chorizo Croquettes with Lemon Ricotta
Happy Friday everyone! Does anyone else feel like this Friday is particularly festive? I mean, it stands to reason that the Friday before a long weekend (Hello, Victoria Day!) should have a certain buzz about it. And then there’s some kind of wedding or something tomorrow? I don’t know, it’s *barely* been mentioned. So yeah, I guess I should expect this Friday to feel like a party. I mean, I did bring party food. How could it not feel like a celebration? Yes, these Sweet Pea Chorizo Croquettes are my humble contribution to this buzzy Friday. They’re adorable, crispy and addictive as all hell. Basically, they’re everything you want out of an hors-d’oeuvre or canapé. Plus, they have fresh peas! What better way to kick off summer than a bite that highlights the fact that things are growing again? This is a VERY big deal in Canada!
Banana Dulce de Leche Danishes
If you follow me on Instagram, you know I’m on there a lot. Like, a lot a lot. But this past Sunday I dropped off the face of the digital earth. I did this for one simple reason: my parents were in town and it just happened to be Mother’s Day. Yes, I finally had the honor of actually spending Mother’s Day with my mom. Something I hadn’t done for 10 years. So yeah, I took a digital time out and whipped up these Banana Dulce de Leche Danishes for the nice lady who birthed me. The moral of this story is: if you have to make up for a 10-year lapse in anything, do it with homemade croissant dough. You’ll get the results you’re looking for, I promise.
Jalapeño Corn Fritter Tacos with Pickled Golden Carrots & Radish Salsa
Tacos might just be the perfect food. Okay, so maybe it’s a little unfair to give them the title because they are endlessly customizable. You can put pretty much anything in them and on them and still call them a taco. And I think we can all agree that tacos al pastor and Baja fish tacos are two very different things. If we have to pop a perfect food crown on a dish, and I’m not saying we have to, I think we would have to choose a less adaptive item. Shepard’s pie might work because that can only be one thing. Or maybe we’d have to select a particular taco? Well, if we’re putting forward nominations, and I don’t think we are, might I suggest these Jalapeño Corn Fritter Tacos? Personally, I think they’re perfect food material.



