Cooking
Brownie-Shortbreads: I saw these on Instagram on Wednesday night and immediately made them on Thursday. Brought them to a family BBQ and they were a huge hit. Visually they look SO COOL and they taste just as good. Moist, rich brownie on top of a perfect crisp shortbread. This is the hybrid dessert the world didn’t know it needed. Recipe from Melissa Clarke at NYTCooking.
Other things I cooked (a lot of Julia Turshen recipes, I can’t stop cooking from her cookbook! Unfortunately, some I was unable to find online to link to):
JT’s Slow Roasted Greek Chicken and Potatoes (pg. 87 in Simply Julia): this would be a great dinner party meal because the prep happens 2-3 hours before serving, giving plenty of time for tidying before guests arrive. I split mine into two baking dishes to ensure it wasn’t overcrowded. The feta yogurt condiment is also amazing.
JT’s Vegan Caribbean Pelau (pg. 56): a meal-prep staple for me - super yummy, makes a ton, perfect for veggie-filled weekday lunches. Topped with lots of lime juice, hot sauce, and avocado slices.
Grilled shrimp skewers: my colleague made these one time for a dinner she hosted and I begged for the recipe, they were so flavourful! You toss thawed, raw, peeled shrimp with a little olive oil, juice of ½ a lemon, ½ tsp of garlic powder, ¼ tsp cayenne pepper, pinch of salt and pepper. Put on metal skewers and grill on high, for 1-2 mins per side until charred and cooked through.
JT’s Buffalo Brussels Sprouts (pg. 189): wow these are so fun and super low effort. A riff on buffalo bites but veggie. Made these as a side with the shrimp above and leftover potatoes from the Greek chicken night!
Oh She Glow’s Vegan Overnight Oats: weekday breakfasts are always my struggle so I prepped a few servings of this last night to try out this week. An old favourite, I’ll top with fruit and some nut butter.
Hainanese Chicken and Rice: it was raining here yesterday so I felt like making something cozy and comforting. I’ve written about my love for this recipe in past newsletters, but @cellymaemah’s Instagram story highlights provide the perfect instruction for this dish.
Drinking
Mercator Compass Rose. I went on a bus wine tour this weekend to the valley and drank so much yummy Nova Scotia wine. This one stood out to me - loved it.
Reading
On Other Newsletters by Alicia Kennedy. If you’re looking for other food-related newsletters, this is a great list.
Following
@boroughchef - she often leaves recipes in the captions, lots of veggie inspiration.
Listening
To folklore. See below re: thinking, I was feeling the fall vibes this week and folklore/evermore matched that feeling.
Using
Little spoons. My mom picked up two packages of little spoons at Superstore this week because I’ve been going through 4-6 spoons per day with my cooking since I’ve been home. I love little tasting spoons to make sure everything is seasoned properly while I’m cooking vs dirtying regular spoons.
Thinking
About fall menus. This week had a bit of a fall chill to the air in Nova Scotia and it got me excited for my favourite cooking season - fall. I won’t wish away the last weeks of summer (still haven’t hit peach season here yet!) but I do look forward to the cozy vibes of fall.
Laughing
Have a great week!
Kaleigh