Catching up on some recipes that I have been toying with, and while these are just “boring old” oatmeal cookies, they are packed with butterscotch chips and sprinkled with maple crisp (like maple sugar, only more irregularly shaped. More crispy style than chewy side, they would delicious with a glass of milk!
Dear Sweden. Dear Canada. We need to talk.
Just when I thought that my love of poutine could not become greater, the mini-hasselback potato, affectionately known as a hasseltot came into the picture and stole my heart. You are delicious. You are divine. You are just the right combination of baby potatoes, bathed in olive oil and herbs, lush and hearty gravy and those melty ooey-gooey cheese curds. Food of the gods from two of the best countries.
Now, if you’ll excuse me, there is a cheese coma nap to attend to.
Switching gears, the cabbage family. Big and diverse and super healthy, I decided to start off this week with a swiss chard, part of the cabbage family, taking center stage. This slab-style pie makes a great light lunch, a snack or even an appetizer. I personally also think it would be a great thing to bring to a picnic or a potluck as it can be enjoyed hot or at room temperature.
Sometimes, when it is cold like it has been this January and February — I mean, disproportionately cold! — you just want some hearty soup and this one fits the bill. Hearty, a little bit spicy (and easy to bump up the spice with additional jalapeños or hot sauce). It’s nutritious and kept me warm all evening.
So I know that it might seem that I toil in the kitchen for hours, and sometimes I do, though “toiling” isn’t exactly the word that I would use as I enjoy spending time in the kitchen, as it is my refuge, but I am all about convenience food as well. And batch cooking. So here is something that I often make in batches: Hand pies. These are Spinach Mushroom + Cheddar Hand Pies. They are fantastic right out of the oven, but also freeze phenomenally well and with just 30 seconds in the microwave and 5 minutes in the oven to crisp up again, one (or sometimes two, shhhhh, don’t tell anyone) they make a great lunch or snack for dinner in front of the game if I am really too lazy to cook. If you search on hand pies, you’ll find more recipes too.