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  • March 26, 2018

    Little Bundles of Joy and School Lunch

    By Voula Halliday

    I tied this small handful of beans together to pack for my daughter’s lunch. I still like to make time to pack lunch for her when I can. Next year she’ll be off to university and I will miss this, so I’m getting my fix as often as is possible for me. 

    I didn’t want to put the beans in her container loosely since I figured they’d end up tossing about and all over.

    The thought occurred to me that if I didn’t bundle them up, my 17-year-old would be annoyed; like most kids, she didn’t like her food mixing together in her lunch box. There's a tip I share often: if you want to increase the chances your kids will eat their lunch, keep things separate. Then another thought occurred to me. As a young adult, she’s probably going to open her lunch today, while hanging with her friends, and gasp. “Ugh. My mom is so embarrassing!” Hahahaha.

    Truth is that the string that I carefully tied around the beans is a symbolic gesture of how I want to keep that which is so special to me carefully bundled together and safe.

    My daughter was like the little beans not so long ago. I wrapped her in a blanket and kept her safe.

    I am imagining her at lunch. I hope she pulls on the cotton string gently so that the beans don’t spill to the floor. At that moment I imagine she’ll understand that the smallest effort to look after something can often give you the greatest pleasure.

    💚Beans that have been bundled by your mom so that they don’t get mixed in with your sandwich and your fruit

    💚Beans that have been bundled by your mom so that they don’t tumble in a messy array onto the floor when you unpack your lunch

    💚Beans that have been placed there with thoughtful consideration just for you

    💚Beans that are a nourishing little bundle of joy

    With love, from Mumma’s kitchen to you my sweet darling daughter.

    Here's an article I wrote that's loaded with tips all about school lunch plus my answers to 10 Questions with Urban Suburban Mommy. 

  • August 31, 2017

    I went to Greece this summer!

    By Voula Halliday

    And I'm inspired to share all sorts of delicious food ideas, recipes, news and inspiration for how you can make the most of what you have in your fridge, anytime!

    Speaking of delicious Greek-inspired food, sometimes you need a snack and not a recipe.

    I love super thick strained Greek yogurt topped with savoury ingredients. Here I’ve used Ontario greenhouse tomatoes (the only ones I’ll eat this time of year,) with chickpeas, Kalamata olives, raw sunflower seeds, a generous drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and coarsely ground black pepper.

    You only need a small amount to feel satisfied. 

    Thick Greek Yogurt Snack

     

  • July 20, 2017

    This Cake Will Save You

    By Voula Halliday
    I often run out of time when I cook a special meal.
    I don’t run out of time because I am slow in the kitchen.
    I don’t run out of time because I didn’t plan enough time to do everything on my list.
    I run out of time because I get inspired by ideas that pop into my head and decide I want to add one, or two, or three more dishes on the menu I’ve already prepared.
    When this race against time happens I will drop the plan for whatever fancy dessert I intended to make and instead offer a cheese platter at the end of the meal. It’s a tasty cop-out and I’m good with that.
    The thing is, my family loves a little something sweet, and while cheese is my favourite thing to nibble on at the end of a meal, it isn’t what they look forward to. Not at all.
    This cake has been the ultimate solution to serving a beautiful dessert at the end of a meal, even when I have run out of time. It’s so easy to prepare and it turns out tasting as wonderful as it looks. I stir it together while my guests are having cocktails and some appetizers.
    I promise you that if you keep the ingredients you need for this cake handy at all times this cake will save you too.
    I make sure to have ground almonds available and I store them in the fridge so that they keep. Eggs are a favourite thing in our house so we always have them handy, and we always have honey or maple syrup. Cinnamon and vanilla are pantry staples, and if I don’t have a lemon to zest I will substitute with an orange or just not bother with the zest at all. It doesn’t matter what berries you use (I’ve even used frozen berries), and if all you have is apples or peaches or plums or apricots you can slice them and arrange them on top instead of berries if you wish.
    Last night I served each slice with a big dollop of Rhubarb Curd that I had made with the rhubarb from our garden and then topped this with more sliced strawberries. Lemon curd would have been great too. Or ice cream. Or yogurt. Or serve the cake as is, with nothing at all because it’s that delicious even on its own.

    Here’s the recipe:
    Honey Almond Berry Cake

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