Sicilian-Style Pizza w/ Roasted Brussels Sprouts & Banana Peppers

Sicilian-Style Pizza with Roasted Brussel Sprouts & Banana Peppers

I have a very unfoodie-like confession to make: I’m over Neopolitan-style pizza. I know, I know. It’s the fancy pizza, the authentic pizza, the “real” pizza. But I’m sick of it. Please understand that I rode the Neopolitan bandwagon for the past five years but enough is enough. It seems like every pizza joint in my neighborhood serves the stuff. I can’t even fault them for it. There is something alluring about the words “00 flour” and “900º wood-burning oven”. Fancy flour and screaming hot ovens wreak of authenticity and respectability. It gets people through their doors and there’s no shame in that. But am I the only one left in Toronto that prefers New York or Chicago style? I need that crisp, bready stuff. So, in retaliation, I made this Sicilian-Style Pizza with Roasted Brussels Sprouts. It’s pretty much a pan of bread with some toppings.

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Ratatouille Pot Pies w/ Parmesan Buttermilk Biscuits

Ratatouille Pot Pies with Parmesan Buttermilk Biscuits

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Please forgive me because this post is going to come off as entirely too enthusiastic. It’s just, I’ve hit a complete 180. I finally get this whole early fall thing- it’s downright magical. The colors are bananas! Mums are in season, stone fruit is still holding strong, tomatoes haven’t given up the ghost, and apples are angling their way to the forefront. Oh, and did I mention the colors? The whole world is awash in dusty pinks, burgundies, rich purples, and a multitude of greens. I feel like crying from the sheer beauty of it every time I walk into a market and I walk into markets a lot. It gives you an idea of how much mascara I’m burning through.

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Grilled Asparagus Croque Monsieur

Grilled Asparagus Croque Monsieur

I’m back once again to wreak havoc and mess with a classic. Today, I will piss off all of France with this Grilled Asparagus Croque Monsieur. Yes, I went ahead and made the celebrated and beloved Croque Monsieur vegetarian. I know, right? Gasps all around! Fortunately, I’m not important enough to cause an uproar. No one, save my beloved blog readers, will know I have committed this piece of culinary blasphemy. But, as I’ve mentioned elsewhere on this blog, I have a handful of vegetarian friends and I like to cater to them from time to time. Plus, let’s be real, the best part of a Croque Monsieur is the cheese, not the ham. So is the concept of a Grilled Asparagus Croque Monsieur really so disrespectful? Don’t think about that too hard.

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Cantaloupe Caprese Pasta Salad w/ Toasted Fennel Vinaigrette

Cantaloupe Caprese Pasta Salad with Toasted Fennel Vinaigrette

If you’ve read this blog before, you know I have a tendency to rant. And, more often than not, those rants tend to be about the weather. Remember this gem from February? In my defense, I am from Nova Scotia, and complaining about the weather is kinda our thing – it’s kinda a thing for most coastal populations. Although I’ve called Toronto home for nearly 10 years now, sustained exposure to Lake Ontario doesn’t take the Maritimer out of the girl. So today, I’m gunning for spring and it’s diabolical plan to limit my enjoyment of this Cantaloupe Caprese Pasta Salad and its inability to reward me for my heroic survival of winter. 

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