enchilada spaghetti.

Have you ever discovered a blog that feels like it was written just for you? One where every single recipe or picture posted is an instant 'bookmark' and every joke made has you chuckling along with the writer  as if you'd known them personally for years?  

gilead café.

I've mentioned before that I don't like Sundays. But sometimes, I've discovered, with the right set of elements they can be turned around. This past Sunday was the kind of perfect, crisp, sunny fall day that I thought we'd completely skipped in Toronto this year. I was feeling far less groggy than usual. And we were going to Gilead Café for brunch.

fresh.

Fresh is an oldie, but a goodie (there we go, already breaking new years resolutions... quelle surprise!) Their Bloor Street location reminds me of the good old university days when my roommate and I would drag our hungover corpses in to order brunch and the "Liver Flush" juice... and then go out again that night and pillage our bodies with more booze. Sigh. To be young.

kale chips.

 

I would have never made kale chips on my own. Ever. In fact, when my roommate Lo told me she was making them, I made fun of her. "Those sound... interesting," I said, in a tone that indicated I wasn't interested in them at all. I later told her I couldn't be paid to make them for myself. But as she prepped her ridiculous bunch of kale (see pic to follow) for the oven, I couldn't help but watch in intrigue. 

shrimp scampi.

Generally, my boyfriend and I disagree about meals. We rarely come to a full and happy agreement about what to cook, and we could probably never do the "order two meals and go halvsies" thing at a restaurant. He's a big seafood guy and prefers lighter, tomato, oil or pesto-based sauces with his pastas and meats - my palate is yawning as I type - whereas I'll rarely turn down anything rich, cheesy, creamy or fried (yup, guess who's never given a thought to their weight and who's best fashion-friend is leggings and the ever-forgiving black?) Basically, if we were to try and order calamari at a restaurant, he'd be gunning for the grilled variety with tomato olive salsa, whereas I'd be throwing a hissy fit about the deep fried with extra garlic-lemon mayo. So we just don't really share stuff.

the county general.

 

One of my goals for the year - I start my "years" in September... who needs to be trying to embark on a new path on January 1st, a day when you're likely hungover as all hell? - was to try as many new restaurants as possible and avoid my usual trap of just re-visiting favourites because I know they're good (a seemingly easy mission, but I am a big-time creature of comfort.) When my friend Vanessa mentioned The County General, a new place that opened on Queen West serving up a cool twist on Southern food, I was excited to try it. (If you're sensing a theme here, yes, Vanessa's a very good restaurant-finder.) I looove me some fried chicken.

tomato pie.

This past summer, on a six-week-long backpacking trip through Southeast Asia, I had extremely limited time on the internet. Instead of spending my precious hours in crowded internet cafes updating Facebook or sending long emails to friends and relatives, I wandered the streets, beaches and temples, met people, drank too many buckets and discovered new restaurants and treats. Near the end of the six weeks, though, I was craving comfort food from home. Hard. (Despite their best efforts, a burger and fries doesn't quite taste the same over there - at least in the cheap spots I was eating, where local food is what's good on the menu.)

enchilada night.

Ever make something that just does not photograph well, no matter how delicious it is? I feel like that's the story of my just-beginning cooking life - desperately trying to get my home-cooked meals (which have been tasting pretty darn good, I must say!) to sit pretty for the camera, to no avail. But sometimes, that doesn't really matter.

A group of my best girlfriends (minus one or two!) got together last week to make a yummy-looking enchilada recipe we found on a blog we've been reading for a while, 20 Something Cupcakes. We shredded cheese and chicken, mashed guac, got jalapeño juice in our eyes, drank wine and of course, had a few belly-laughs. And when our enchiladas were ready, damn were we ready for them! The kitchen was a mess and the enchiladas were even messier, but it was undoubtedly the best night of my week. And so here's what I'm thankful for this Thanksgiving: family; health; nights filled with wine, laughter and friends and good (albeit un-photogenic) food. Can't ask for much more than that. Happy Thanksgiving!

guu izakaya.

My friend Vanessa is pretty cool and has great taste in restaurants and just about everything else so when she recently blogged about her trip to Japanese tapas restaurant Guu Izakaya, I knew I had to copy her and go. Last week, I met with another food-fanatic friend I'd met in a faraway land this summer (and who just happened to be from Toronto!) who'd also been to Guu and gave it the thumbs-up. I was excited.

tuna mango avocado burritos.

Lately, I've been on a burrito kick. I know, right? Awesome for me, not so awesome for my pants. But hey, I'm enjoying it for the time being. Plus this little ditty that I whip up on the regular isn't too offending (or so I tell myself).

I'm the kind of person who discovers a great meal and proceeds to eat it for breakfast lunch and dinner for the next three weeks until I get sick of it and move onto the next passionate food fling. The initial invention of this wrap was no different, until something strange happened: I never... got... sick of it. Seriously, this burrito came into existence (albeit slightly less developed than how it stands today) over three years ago and it's still something I eat on a weekly basis. I've converted family members and friends. And I'm about to convert you!