Notes about Recipes in this book

• Grilled tomato and cheese quesadillas

  • Zosia on May 25, 2014

    Cheddar cheese and tomato is such a great combination; add some Mexican flavours and you've got this delicious little snack.

• Italian escarole soup

  • Zosia on June 01, 2022

    Very tasty. I made it with pancetta and reduced the cooking time on the escarole (3 minutes) and added the peas to the soup with the pasta and escarole.

• Spiced pumpkin-date muffins

  • Zosia on December 19, 2020

    Light and quite fruity in flavour with a pleasant caramel-like sweetness from the dates. I made them with whole wheat flour and baked at 375 for 18 minutes. My yield was 10 muffins.

• Blueberry and white chocolate muffins with sugar sprinkle

  • Zosia on August 05, 2015

    More cake-like than muffin-like, but with less fat and sugar than a cupcake, they were bursting with fresh berries and the white chocolate complemented the fruit well. They were a big hit with family who had them initially for dessert then enjoyed the leftovers for breakfast next day (and they were still moist!)

• Apricot almond bread

  • Zosia on May 25, 2014

    Lovely, almond-scented tea loaf with a moist, fine crumb. The cake itself is not as sweet as most so the thin glaze that's absorbed by the warm cake doesn't take it over the top. I lined the pan with parchment and removed the loaf using the paper "handles" to avoid upsetting the nut topping.

  • Susan_F on May 29, 2014

    I saw the note from Zosia and on impulse decided to try this teabread. I'm so glad I did! Lovely (especially with a little butter) and will definitely be something I bake again. Thanks Zosia!

• Cranberry walnut loaf

  • Zosia on October 10, 2017

    Really moist and delicious. I particularly liked the bright flavours fresh cranberries and lemon added to it. Thanksgiving 2017.

• Cheddar jalapeño cornbread

  • Zosia on August 29, 2014

    Moist and cheesy and very easy to put together, this cornbread was a huge hit. I used 136g instant polenta in place of the cornmeal to reduce the gritty texture that some family members object to.

• Irish soda bread

  • Zosia on May 25, 2014

    Baked up with a crisp outer crust and a soft, moist crumb. The whole wheat flour added a lovely nutty flavour without weighing the loaf down. I used 130g of flour per 1-cup volume measurement.

• Glazed hot and sweet salmon with bok choy

  • Zosia on January 04, 2019

    Very flavourful and quick enough for a weeknight. I roasted the bok choy with the salmon rather than steam it.

• Greek grilled chicken

  • Zosia on February 03, 2016

    If you start marinating the chicken in the morning, or even the night before, this makes a quick and delicious weeknight meal. The chicken is tasty but the tomato salad is the star.

• Chicken tortilla wraps

  • Zosia on August 18, 2015

    Quick cooking, delicious and very family friendly. There weren't many ingredients in the chicken patty but the grated onion added loads of flavour (and moisture I suspect) and melted into the meat during cooking. Definitely one to repeat.

• Chinese-style roast duck

  • Zosia on May 25, 2014

    This method of slow roasting the duck and finishing it at a high temperature worked: the meat was moist and the skin, crisp. Though it smelled of ginger, garlic and five-spice while it cooked (really quite heavenly), the flavours of the marinade didn't penetrate the meat so an accompanying sauce with those same ingredients might have been a nice idea.

• Slow-roasted pork shoulder with spiced apple relish

  • Zosia on October 13, 2017

    I made this to use up some apple cider and had no regrets - it was absolutely delicious. The meat was succulent and perfectly complemented by the apples, fennel and garlic flavours. I didn't make the relish but skimmed then reduced the cooking liquid to serve with the meat. Leftovers were excellent in sandwiches.

• Maple-glazed grilled peameal bacon

  • Zosia on June 29, 2016

    Lacking the time (and the inclination) to slow roast the meat, I sliced it, basted each slice with the Dijon-maple syrup glaze and cooked them quickly on the grill in just minutes. Fabulous!

• Two-cheese veal loaf

  • Zosia on May 25, 2014

    My family and I aren't fans of meatloaf but this recipe provided a way to use up a package of ground veal I'd bought by mistake. The meat was moist, and the flavour was incredible. I think this recipe would work well with other lean, ground meats, especially chicken and turkey.

• Wild rice and barley pilaf

  • Zosia on May 25, 2014

    This dish had excellent flavour - I particularly liked the use of tart dried cranberries to cut the richness - and would have rated much higher if there hadn't been execution problems. Wild rice and barley have different cooking times; the rice should have gone into the pot at least 10 minutes before the barley for both to have been cooked properly at the end. I decided to serve it with undercooked wild rice...it seemed the better option to mushy barley. Also, the recipe calls for far too much liquid with at least 250ml having to be drained off at the end. The flavour of the dish makes it worthy of a second attempt.

• Warm potato and arugula salad

  • Zosia on August 05, 2015

    Simple but delicious salad that included potatoes crisped in rendered bacon fat and a tangy white wine vinegar dressing. In writing this note I realize I forgot the cheese! It wasn't missed.

• Wild rice and cranberry salad

  • Zosia on November 30, 2020

    Good but not as special as I expected considering the ingredients (and the number of dirty pots and pans that went into making it).

• Butter tarts in phyllo

  • Zosia on May 25, 2014

    Oh my, these were good! Sweet, gooey filling in a crispy pastry shell. And, they came together (including baking time) in less than 30 minutes. The pecans helped to cut the sweetness of the filling and the use of phyllo made them prettier than most butter tarts.