Apricot Stuffed Pork Chops with Wild Rice Salad

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.

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Pork Schnitzel Sandwiches with Granny Smith Slaw

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.

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Sweet Pea Chorizo Croquettes with Lemon Ricotta

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!

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Italian Wedding Soup with Orecchiette

Italian Wedding Soup with Orecchiette

Before I launch into my rendition of Italian Wedding Soup, I want to share with you a shocking discovery. Italian wedding soup isn’t served at weddings. I guess you already knew that, especially if you’ve walked into an Italian restaurant in North America in the last forever. But I mean, even traditionally, Italian Wedding Soup wasn’t served at weddings. I mean, it can be served at a wedding – no law against it. But the soup isn’t specifically a wedding food, like a wedding cake. You dig? Should I over explain it some more?

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