It’s been a rough week. I don’t care who you are, the first week of September is generally a bummer. The return to routine after months of BBQ, bonfires and pool parties is a touch, um, unpalatable. How can the daily office grind and mountains of homework compete with non-existant bedtimes and second helpings of s’mores? How?! And while it is true that I’ve sidestepped this shared week of suffering by slipping off to Nova Scotia, I am well-acquainted with the September blues. That’s why I offer you these Chorizo Chilaquiles because I imagine you need them. The weekend you thought would never get here is here and you definitely need brunch.
Apricot Stuffed Pork Chops with Wild Rice Salad
Some of my earliest memories are centered around meat and potatoes. Every Sunday my family would pile into the car and head over to my grandmother’s house for dinner. Without fail she’d always serve a roast alongside a mountain of mashed potatoes. My sister was a roast beef kind of girl, but I was in it for the roast pork. I loved that roast pork not because it was brined or smoked to rosy pink perfection. My grandmother wasn’t that kind of cook. She grew up on a farm, fussing was not in her DNA. No, what I loved about her roast pork was the applesauce that accompanied it. It was one of the first times fruit and meat crossed paths on my dinner plate and it was certainly not the last. Today’s Apricot Stuffed Pork Chops are just another by-product of a food obsession hatched in my formative years.
Pork Schnitzel Sandwiches with Granny Smith Slaw
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!



