sweet nothings

Like small children, I would prefer to have dessert after every single meal. But we can't all get what we want all the time, now can we? And anyway, we wouldn't enjoy it very much if we did. 

The truth is that I don't feel great when cakes are in regular rotation, and I'm not a fan of struggling into tight clothing. Plus, whenever I overdo anything it gets a bit dull and mindless. So as much as I would like to follow every summer salad with a chocolate torte, these days I'm trying to save indulgences for special occasions. But that doesn't mean I can't satisfy my sweet tooth on a daily basis – and really savour the experience. Call it having your cake and eating it too. 

I have discovered that you can eat something sweet every night without throwing yourself out of balance. The secret is to trick yourself with fruit-based, healthy concoctions. (Thank you, Mireille Guiliano.) This is easy to pull off during the summer, when markets are brimming with all things juicy. Behold this little slice of heaven:

Peaches & Cream, the remix

Serves 1 delighted diner

1 peach, sliced in bite-sized pieces

1/2 tablespoon of brown sugar

1 tablespoon of Greek yogurt

1 teaspoon of milk

pinch of cinnamon

several mint leaves, torn

1. Turn on the broiler of your oven.

2. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper, arrange peach slices on top and sprinkle a pinch of sugar on each piece.

3. While the peaches are caramelizing under the broiler, thin the yogurt out with the milk and stir in the cinnamon.

4. When peaches are browned slightly and bursting with flavour, remove from oven. Cool slightly, drizzle with cinnamon cream and sprinkle with mint. 

lovely lentil salad

This is my confession: I have lunch issues. For real. I never know what to eat. Breakfast is simple and dinner is fun – but what exactly should one eat for the midday meal? I don't like eating out, and especially not on the run, so I always try to pack something. But at best, these brown bag provisions are uninspired. At worst, totally unappetizing. A few pieces of fruit, a halfhearted sandwich. Yawn. The utter boredom leads to not eating. And then, later on, scarfing down fistfuls of whatever candy is on offer at the office. 


So you can imagine my delight when I found a truly stupendous lentil salad dressing recipe over at one of my fave blogs.


At first, the dressing seemed overly complicated (9 spices, really?) but it turned out to be easy peasy to whip up. When I tasted it, I had a bit of a Eureka moment. The dressing is intensely flavourful, with just the right amount of heat. And so this lentil salad has swiftly become a standby. What I like most is how much you can vary the recipe. Sometimes I scatter the seasoned lentils over mesclun, other times aruglula. I add some roasted red peppers, goat cheese or parsley. Sometimes I just eat the lentils plain, with a side of cut veggies. The options are endless. All that's required is a jar of this delicious dressing in the fridge and some lentils on hand, and viola!, goodbye lunchtime doldrums.


Lovely lentil salad
Adapted from My New Roots
1 cup of green lentils (or, better yet, fancy French Du Puy lentils) 
1/3 cup olive oil
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon maple syrup
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1. Rinse lentils. Fill a pot with water, bring to a boil. Boil lentils for approximately 20 minutes or until al dante. Drain.
2. Combine the rest of the ingredients in a bowl and whisk.
3. Toss the lentils with the dressing, to taste. (Store leftover dressing in fridge; will last a few days).  
4. Serve the lentils over greens of your choosing. Add whatever else you like. Smile as people in your lunchroom admire your gourmet handiwork. 

icing on the cake

If I care about you, I will bake for you. And, sooner or later, chances are good that I will make you these cupcakes. I have been baking them for years. I've whipped them up for office celebrations, dinner parties, kids' birthdays – and once, for a wedding of 60. It remains one of my favourite ways to express affection for family and friends. 

The recipe is as simple as it gets. And almost as quick as one of those soulless, synthetic boxed cakes. In short, the perfect gift to give.  

Butter Cake (adapted from The Laura Secord Canadian Cookbook)

Makes 12 cupcakes

1 1/2 cup all purpose flour

1/2 tsp salt

2 tsp baking powder

1/2 cup butter

1 cup sugar

2 eggs

1 tsp vanilla

3/4 cup milk

1. Preheat oven to 350F.

2. Line muffin tins with paper cups.

3. Sift together flour, salt and baking powder.

4. In a separate bowl, cream butter.

5. Gradually blend in sugar, eggs and vanilla. Beat until light and fluffy.

6. Add dry ingredients to butter mixture alternately with the milk. Make 3 dry and 2 liquid additions.

7. Spoon batter into muffin cups. Bake for about 20 minutes, or until bottoms are golden brown and cake springs back when lightly touched (a toothpick should come out clean).

8. Cool and then spread with basic butter icing.

Basic Butter Icing

Makes enough for 12 cupcakes

1/4 cup butter, room temperature

2 cups icing sugar

1 1/2 tbsp milk or cream

1 tsp vanilla

1. Cream butter.

2. Gradually blend in icing sugar.

3. Add milk (or cream) and vanilla.