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Post sponsored by the French Ministry of Agriculture . See below for more details. One of my first forays into cooking was for my school's international dinner night. I was in French class and within the first few weeks of class, I became obsessed with French culture. I thought the language and the art was (and still is) beautiful but the food, oh the food. There's nothing quite like a meal of French food shared around a table of friends and family (plus any given day I'd gladly take a croissant and coffee for breakfast). And so, these crepes are a bit of an updated nod to bringing French culture home. We eat savory crepes quite often and the roasted tomatoes tossed with a hazelnut-butter dressing might be my favorite summer treat. When served warm, the St. Agur blue cheese melts a bit into the tomatoes and it's so rich and delicious. What really brings this meal home is the Trimbach Pinot Blanc . The wine helps balance the richness of all that wonderful President

This gnocchi recipe was taught to me when a friend came to visit from Genoa, Italy. Her mother came with her, and one night, alongside a small mountain of beautiful, fragrant basil, she taught us her homemade gnocchi recipe. I posted about the pesto we made to go with it in a separate post, and as promised the gnocchi as a followup. You ready!? Gnocchi takes Patience Gnocchi recipes aren’t for the faint of heart. Many, many things can go awry. I’m not trying to scare you off or dissuade you, I just want you to know what you are in for. Gnocchi-making takes practice, patience, and persistence. At their best, potato gnocchi can be light and delicate. At their worst, dense, rubbery, and/or soggy. The very worst are the gnocchi that come apart in the boiling water before they even reach your plate. The Simplest Ingredients The platter of petite, potato pillows coated with glistening flecks of basil pesto that Francesca’s mother made us that night was beautiful. The gnocchi recipe s

Stuck on an app idea that is not a cheese plate or veggies and hummus? Look at these cute little guys! So cute. I much prefer to entertain outside than in (I think we've sat at our dining table maybe twice?), so we've been inviting friends to join us for dinner more often. The appetizer is not the part of the meal I wish to put effort towards, and these little numbers take all of 10 minutes to put together and can totally be prepped ahead and dressed last minute. If you don't find yourself needing tiny things on a skewer, I put the extra bits of watermelon and cucumber over some arugula, add some salmon, the following feta vinaigrette and wa lah, dinner.  I recently worked with 31 Bits on a shoot featuring some of their new kitchen line. I've been using the indigo plant-dyed napkins for summer dinners and a handful of other pretty items are up on their homepage at the moment. You can read more on their company on the about page, but the they're pretty awesome as

Meet the teacher is an ongoing series of profiles highlighting the instructors of Acupuncture Canada. Catherine Fuller, in addition to being an instructor at Acupuncture Canada , is also a registered physiotherapist and the part-owner and practitioner at Stayner Physiotherapy & Massage LTD in Stayner, ON. She attended the University of Alberta and the University of Toronto, and has been on the Board of Directors of Acupuncture Canada. A physiotherapist since 1986 and a teacher since 2001, she enjoys sharing her knowledge and experience with newcomers to acupuncture, so that they too, “may experience the wonders of acupuncture in their practices.” In her practice, she finds acupuncture especially useful in the treatment of painful conditions, such as acute low back pain , and uses it to assist in the management of digestive and hormonal problems. She describes acupuncture as a very useful tool. She notes that clients are pleasantly surprised to find that acupuncture does not hur

Living in California now for over 5 years, I've learned that most food produced here is just as good (if not better) than most any place else. California tomatoes, olive oil, wine, stone fruit, beans, and grains occupy a majority of our meals. However, and I've had arguments with people about this, the Midwest has the best sweet corn. Give me Illinois peaches & cream sweet corn any day. Of course, I'm not so picky that I'll refuse California sweet corn. It's still delicious and I inevitably end up with an abundance (the $4/1 price is just too good). While I use it to make quite a f ew recipes during the season , I also like to save the kernels and cobs to make items I can use throughout the year. Sweet Corn Broth/Stock One of my favorite items to make is sweet corn broth, primarily because it's easy and uses the cobs once the kernels are removed. I'll keep a bag in the freezer that I will keep adding cobs to during the season. Then, once I get a f

Let’s talk about how to make a great vegetarian poke bowl. Poke is a much-loved, traditional, raw fish preparation, long popular in Hawaii. Fishermen would season bits of their catch, and snack on it while working. Poke (pronounced poh-kay) has exploded in popularity, well beyond Hawaii, in recent years. The version I’m posting today is for any of you who love the idea of poke or poke bowls, but don’t eat fish for whatever reason. Vegetarian poke bowls are particularly fantastic this time of year because they’re light, clean, filling but not heavy, You know? Vegetarian Poke Bowl: The Components I typically use a watermelon poke , a version of this sushi rice (but any favorite sushi rice / blend will do), and a host of other vibrant toppings. Here you see firm, organic tofu, sliced avocado, blanched asparagus, shaved watermelon radish, and micro sprouts. The bowl is drizzled, simply, with good soy sauce. And there’s a sprinkling of sesame seeds and scallions. The other topping I rea

I've noticed an increase of toast offerings at local coffee shops. Avocado, vegetables, and fruit are all popular items but what caught my eye at the last coffee shop was the ricotta toast. Good ricotta is delicious (and better yet, it's actually quite simple to make at home ). Add it to toast and you have one delicious breakfast. Take it sweet (peaches, pears, berries) or take it savory, like this ricotta toast with peppers. So why peppers? This time of year is the best for peppers, especially my favorite: Jimmy Nardello. Most of the non-bell varieties have amazing flavor. I've given two options for this recipe: tame and spicy. If you're not a heat fan, find the Jimmy Nardello peppers (or in a pinch, bell peppers). If you like a kick, use the Fresno peppers- you won't be disappointed. Read more and see the recipe. The post Ricotta Toast with Butter-Fried Peppers appeared first on Naturally Ella . from Naturally Ella https://ift.tt/2NUdb2H Erin Alderson J

Great pizza is the result of good dough and intense heat. Your creativity dictates the rest – from the shape, to the toppings. Perfecting great pizza at home is one of the most satisfying activities a home cook can master. That said, keeping your oven at 500°F for an hour during peak summer turns your kitchen into a sweaty zone of sad. If you are grilling in your backyard this weekend and are tired of kabobs, veggie burgers and corn on the cob ; consider making grilled pizza. Here are thirteen ideas for grilled pizza that go beyond margherita. If you have any favorite pizza grilling ideas (or favorite toppings), let me know in the comments!  Grilled Pizza Tips If you already have a go-to pizza dough recipe that you know well, use that. This is the best pizza dough I know, from the master baker, Peter Reinhart. If you are short on time, try a fresh dough your local store offers, Trader Joe’s has a good one in both regular and whole-grain. As with the oven, you want to achieve the m

You can make this. I promise. Even if you don’t think you’re much of a baker. It’s a golden crusted focaccia draped with whisper thin rounds of Meyer lemon, studded with black olives, and a showered with sliced almonds. The dough is herb-flecked with a generous boost of hemp seeds, and a percentage of rye flour if you happen to have some on hand. It’s the same one I posted to my Instagram feed , and It’s the one focaccia recipe you need!  The Pre-bake: The shot above is what the focaccia looks like prior to baking. I used an enamelled cast-iron baking pan, but(!) you can absolutely make the focaccia free-form (just shape it on a standard baking sheet). A third option is a cast iron skillet. I baked the last version I did in a 9-inch cast iron skillet. Experiment and have fun with it! The Inspiration I’ve been on a bit of a focaccia bender lately after making Nigel Slater’s Cranberry Focaccia for New Years Eve (from The Christmas Chronicles ). I forgot how simple and satisfying it