Australian Anzac Cookies

There is something unique and rewarding about making food for people you care about. I love sneaking away and escaping to the kitchen to work on recipes to share with family and friends. When I'm jotting down notes or chopping food I can almost see the second hand on the clock slow down and freeze in mid-motion. Time stands still whenever I'm alone with my thoughts and the food I'm working with.

Last night was a normal night in my household. We were finishing up dinner and my wife reminded me that her mom and aunt were coming for a visit today around lunch. My wife has many talents but cooking isn't one of them. Don't get me wrong, she can cook but she doesn't enjoy it. That's my role. Since I'm away during the day I asked her what she wanted for lunch and decided on a few simple recipes.

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Salted Fudge Brownies

I was about six years old when my parents bought their first home. We were on a major street in Toronto, one house in from the corner. The moving truck filled the driveway and the movers were working feverishly to unload the truck and all of its contents. Our contents. I spent the first hour hanging out in the backyard trying to stay out of their way. That's when I noticed them first.

A group of kids came strolling up the driveway. One by one they introduced themselves to me and welcomed me to the neighbourhood. They asked me if I wanted to play and before I could utter a single word my parents gave me the go ahead and I was running down the side street with my new friends. A bunch of kids I didn't know an hour earlier or at any other point in my young life. Five kids that would be soon become the fabric of my life for years to come.

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Memories in Every Bite: Glazed Lemon Loaf

When I was a little kid I used to frequently see a loaf of banana bread sitting on the kitchen counter, just out of my grasp. To me, banana bread was like candy and I would eat the entire pan if I could only touch it. We didn't have step stools, at least not to my recognition, so I would gather as much steam as possible and try a running jump onto the counter. On the rare times it worked, my fingers would slip off the counter as quickly as they grabbed it. I was going to have to wait until I was handed a slice.

After dinner, or before if I was extremely lucky, my parents would heat a slice of the light, fluffy loaf and slather on a bit of butter and hand it to me. After a few bites I would ditch the fork for my hands. It was much quicker that way and I wasn't born with patience. I'd finish the slice before my mom was finished wrapping the loaf back up and I would stare at the few crumbs left behind on the plate. Those too were gone in a manner of seconds.
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Baked Chocolate Pudding

This is my 100th post. A moment to celebrate and recall some of my fondest memories since doing this. It's also a chance to share with you one of my favourite recipes, a baked chocolate pudding that I turn to when I'm in a pinch for time and want something delicious that oozes chocolate goodness for dessert. Serve it with berries or cream or creme fraiche. Either way, this is top shelf.

I love looking back on my first few posts. I like to think that in a short time I've come a long way. As a matter of fact, some of my earliest posts are cringe-worthy, like looking back on old school photos when you thought you could rock a certain outfit for picture day and live to regret it every time someone reaches for the photo album. That's what looking back on my first few images is like. I laugh. I squint and cringe.


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Buttermilk Scones

Sunday morning is one of my favourite times of the week. Everything moves in slow motion and starts to resemble an era I've only read about it books or seen on film. Things were simpler, quieter and less frantic. It's the one day of the week I never want to escape from. I'd rather soak it up and digest it.

Sunday morning, I never want to leave.

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Nutella Caramel Squares

I remember the moment. I was 10 years old. I was staying over at a friend's house and woke up to a different routine. Instead of squinting and rubbing my eyes and smelling bacon drifting from the kitchen, I smelled toast and chocolate. Did I sleep through the day? Did I wake up in parallel universe where dessert was served after every meal, including breakfast? 

We went downstairs and I saw the jar. And the plate with chocolate-covered toast. My world would never be the same again. The taste has stayed with me all those years. There was an alternative to bacon and eggs and I was a fan.

Up until that moment in time Nutella was a foreign word to me. I had never heard of it, never tasted it. I'm as big a chocolate fan as the next person but it didn't dawn on me that it worked on toast as well. In hindsight, how could it not? Chocolate rolls with everything. Waking up that day to a cup of juice with  chocolate and hazelnut on a crispy piece of bread changed the way I looked at food. It no longer was something resigned to the forms you grew up knowing. 

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Roasted Stuffed Peaches with Rum and Crushed Amaretti

Patience is not one of my strong points. It's taken me years to demonstrate even the first signs of restraint. As a kid I never mastered the art of waiting, and I couldn't contain myself until Christmas day to open my presents. I still remember sneaking upstairs when I was 10 and finding a hockey sweater I was dying to get. Christmas day rolled around and my acting chops rivalled David Caruso on CSI. I straight up overacted! I was caught. Lesson not learned.

Today I have a hard time holding on to a recipe I've tweaked, adapted or come up with. It's hard enough scheduling a post to go live in a few days and waiting. So the chances of of me holding out and making this dessert in the summer are all but washed away. I don't have it in me. I'm a mental midget.
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Lemon-Blueberry Tartlets

I love the moment I get home from work. The obvious reasons come to mind. I'm off after a long day grinding out a living and my wife greets me and gives me a smile that says everything is good once again. It's a great feeling when you come home to your safety net and the people whom you care for most. I also love heading to my kitchen and planning out a snack, dinner or that night's dessert. It's a great escape after hours spent dealing with work and it's one of the ways I communicate best.

Tonight was one of those nights. I've been battling a stiff neck for days and I wanted a distraction. It's funny how your mind won't stop focusing on something when you want it most. Anyway, I went to the kitchen and took a peak through my cupboards. I just did groceries so I knew I had almost anything I could think of to work with. I keep my pantry stocked and my spices and mason jars full so I'm usually good to go within a few days of a trip to the market.
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