Butter Basted Baby Carrots

I was lucky enough to find these multicoloured baby carrots at this farmers market this weekend.  Sweet and tender in purple and orange.  These are so fast and easy to cook and they require little prep - I don't even peel them before tossing them in a hot frying pan with a little butter.  No brown sugar glaze required here, these baby's are super sweet and tasty.  If you can find them, snatch them up - they are great like this, served raw in crudités or salad or simply blanched - a great early summer treat.

Lemon Basil Chicken Carbonara

Last night I stuck two chicken breasts in the fridge to defrost and I figured if they will be sitting in the fridge anyway they might as well be sitting in something tasty. 

I am a huge fan of lemon...anyone who knows me also knows I will take lemon over chocolate any day...call me crazy. I like that lemon is a food chameleon, it moves easily from vinaigrette, to marinade, to dessert and back, it's all purpose. I'm also a huge fan of basil and though not as multi-faceted as lemon is a wonderful compliment in a marinade (it's also in abundance, languishing unwatered in a pot on my balcony - begging to be picked). So with basil and lemon in hand I marinade my chicken and cook some pasta!

Twice Baked, Stuffed Baked Potatoes

What follows isn't exactly a recipe and you really don't need one to make these just start with baking potatoes....now, if you can avoid the 2 pound, 5" monsters Shaun picked out at the grocery store (I pause to note that I did ask him to choose the smallest potatoes he could find from the bin and this is what we got) you won't have to bake them as long as I had to...these bad boys took an hour and a half!

Stuffed with cheese, yogurt, onion and bacon - crispy skin on the outside and creamy mashed potato within, what could be better than this!

Chicken Pizza with Basil and Onions

This is so fast and easy I'm not sure I'll ever order delivery again!!! I buy pizza dough by the bag at De Luca's. They sell whole wheat and regular in a bag...a dough ball is just about the size of a grapefruit and is large enough to cover a standard cookie sheet! They sell the dough for $2.50 per bag and you can toss it in the freezer for when you need it. Then, when I want to make pizza I take it out, defrost in the fridge and I'm good to go!

Peas, Pesto and Pasta

The basil plants on the balcony are going a bit crazy. I've been plucking off their flowers and have been rewarded with an abundance of leaves! I really love pesto in moderation but there is something very strong about the bottled stuff and on a bowl of pasta I find it over whelming so I thought I'd try making my own with basil, lemon, parmesan and of course garlic!

I used substantially less oil than traditional pesto in this recipe.  I have also added a few tbsp of vegetable broth to the mixture to make up for the lack of oil.  If you prefer a more traditional consistency, feel free to up to oil amount as you blend.

This recipe makes enough pesto for one generous plate of pasta for one as a meal, however, you could easily serve this as a side dish with a light protein like fish or chicken if you wish!

Grilled Flank Steak Tacos with Spiced Tomato Rice, Fresh Guacamole and Home made Flour Tortillas

This meal has made the top ten best things we've eaten at home...(don't ask me what else is on that list cause I can't tell you...ha ha) but this was just divine We have never cooked a flank steak before and wasn't sure where to begin...the only thing I knew was to 'cut it across the grain' after cooking to ensure it would be tender (and tender it was!), juicy, flavourful. We could have eaten the whole thing...but restrained ourselves...just barely.

We wrapped out grilled steak in home made tortillas with spicy tomato rice and guacamole, but this steak would be great with a big heap of garlic mashed potatoes or in a sandwich too. I can just as easily see this piled on a crusty roll with provolone cheese and grilled onions!

Mom's Meatloaf and Roasted Rosemary Potatoes

There is nothing like meatloaf, for some, it's the ultimate comfort food.  This is a simple, easy to put together recipe that never fails.  Serve with mashed potatoes or the Roasted Rosemary Potato recipe that accompanies.  Serve with a salad for a delicious, comforting meal.