Creamy basil pesto dip from scratch

Mmm, don’t you just love fresh basil? It’s definitely one of my favourite herbs and I’m pretty sure I could eat pesto for months and not get sick of it—especially fresh, homemade pesto! Perhaps the only thing I love more is sushi, which I’m munching on while writing this lunchtime update.

I wish I could say that this basil was from my own garden, but alas I seem to be struggling to coax anything to grow except for my two gorgeous zucchini plants. Ah well. Summer has been taking its time arriving in Australia, so perhaps there is time yet for oodles of home-grown veggies and herbs!

This basil pesto dip was so easy to whip up before having guests over, and tasted great the next day too. The best part is that it isn’t made from pre-made pesto, so you have control over all of the ingredients and can adjust them to your taste. Enjoy!

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Posted: November 6th, 2011 under Easy, Joni's Blog, Recipes, Sauces & Dips - No Comments. Tags: basil, gluten free, lemon, pesto, sour cream, vegetarian, walnuts

Turkey Meatballs

I know, it seems a bit silly to be posting a turkey recipe after Canadian Thanksgiving, doesn’t it? My apologies to my fellow Canucks; this year I spent Thanksgiving itself at work (blame Australia!), and the lead-up to Thanksgiving in Fiji (blame no one, it was awesome). And, our recent celebration of Christmas in July has left me rather satiated on the big roast dinner thing. I never thought I would pass up the opportunity to gobble down stuffing and pumpkin pie, but I guess it was bound to happen one day.

Anyway! In hopes that some of you Americans will find this a lovely alternative to a roast turkey dinner at your Thanksgiving, and knowing that you Aussies don’t care anyway, here’s a delicious turkey meatball recipe for you to enjoy. It’s pretty easy to make and ever-so-tasty, plus, turkey mince tends to be cheaper on average than even chicken or beef mince. The recipe for homemade cranberry sauce is following shortly.

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Posted: October 28th, 2011 under Appetizers, Easy, Joni's Blog, Mains, Recipes, Sides - No Comments. Tags: breadcrumbs, cilantro, coriander, holiday cooking, meat, onion, turkey

Butter Tarts

Gooey and delightful, butter tarts are a staple treat at any Canadian holiday—usually Christmas, but I’ve seen them at Thanksgiving and Easter as well. I actually had no idea that they were a Canadian specialty until I move to Australia and my tart-loving family-to-be (hehe, I had to!) had no idea what they were. Check out these other Canadian recipes too: Nanaimo bars, pumpkin pie, tourtière, and maple syrup pie!

There are two main varieties of butter tarts—those with “impurities” such as raisins or pecans, and those without. I guess I’m a purist because I prefer them without the added bits, but I’ll let you decide for yourself! I did cheat a bit for these ones and used pre-made pastry, which made making these an absolute cinch. But man pre-made pastries come with a lot of packaging. Blech—you sure pay for that convenience.

And I’m so sorry for not posting recently! There are happy reasons for this. One, I just started a new job doing online marketing for Good Return, a non-profit that does microfinance in the Asia Pacific. The transition from working at home to being in an office full time has made me a bit shy of time to do my normal photos & recipes… but never fear, a new balance will soon be reached! I was also back in Canada for three weeks visiting with friends and family, and doing lots and lots of wedding planning. (I’m sure you’ll hear plenty about that as time wears on!) Anyway, without further ado, let’s get this show back on the road!

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Posted: September 23rd, 2011 under Baking, Desserts, Easy, Joni's Blog, Recipes - No Comments.

Cheesy Cauliflower Soup

Ah the life of a food blogger. I must have taken three different sets of photos for this soup, to finally settle on this photo which needed more than a little Photoshopping (and yes, that’s a recognized verb in my browser) in the end. It looks okay… yet somehow I feel like I’m in a photography slump lately, and perhaps that’s the reason for the infrequent postings this last month or so. Work has been quiet and I’ve had more than enough daylight to take those lovely window-lit photos mid-afternoon that other food bloggers rave about… and yet I look at my plating and composition and feel thoroughly unsatisfied. Argh!

Some exciting news however is that I found a great eBay deal on a Canon Speedlite 430ex external flash for my lil’ Rebel—and while it has not revolutionized my photography literally overnight, sigh—I do look forward to having a bit more flexibility in the kitchen. There’s a lot to learn and I’m looking forward to it!

Anyway, this cheesy cauliflower soup is a Jamie Oliver-inspired dish from his Ministry of Food cookbook. It’s a brilliant thing! The average foodie might pick it up and see all the basic recipes and go, “What do I need this for?” but it’s just darn useful. A few of my favourite recipes have come from it—check out my basic steamed rice, meatballs, and carrot feta salad, all of which were inspired by Ministry of Food.

The bragging rights for this soup are a bit special for me. Our roommate Tom—a chronic carnivore and unfoodie—isn’t a fan of soups and is only borderline on stews. The poor boy has been at home the last couple weeks sick with mono—with a slight silver lining being that his throat has swollen so that he can eat nothing but soup! It’s hardly a pleasing situation, but at least I had an excuse to perfect some recipes.

Upon serving up a dish of this soup, he immediately turned to me and went, “This is bloody good!” …so there you go. A soup to please even the most discerning of soup skeptics. Enjoy! Read more »

Posted: August 7th, 2011 under Easy, Joni's Blog, Mains, Recipes, Sides - No Comments. Tags: carrot, cauliflower, celery, cheese, gluten free, mustard, onion, potato, soup, vegetarian

Random Post: Meatballs, Jamie Oliver Style

Meatballs can sometimes be surprisingly difficult to make. I’ve taken a stab at them multiple times, but the success rate has been less than one in two—usually they end up falling apart, getting burned or not cooking through, and get turned into a different sort of pasta / mince dish that, while yummy, wasn’t the intended spaghetti & meatballs.

And then swoops in Jamie Oliver’s Ministry of Food to save the day! A basic, easy, and surefire recipe for that spaghetti & meatballs dish you were craving. Definitely keep this recipe in your cookbook for company, or for Sunday night comfort food with leftovers for Monday’s work lunch.

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Posted: March 24th, 2010 under Easy, Joni's Blog, Mains, Recipes - 2 Comments. Tags: basil, beef, leftovers for lunches, mince, Parmesan, pork, spaghetti, tomatoes