Image courtesy of www.joythebaker.com

The internet is a great source for all things foodie, and we’re constantly bookmarking, starring, and emailing intriguing recipes, food porn, and inspiration. Here’s a selection of clippings we think are worth checking out.

Waking up to these lemon raspberry rolls on a sunny Sunday morning would not be too shabby.

I know we’ve been enjoying late summer sun and warm temperatures, but I couldn’t help start drooling over these very Fall-appropriate roasted carrot and ricotta gnocchi.

Same thing goes for these bread and cheese meatballs. You’re sure to please the vegetarians in your life.

And again, it’s time for tomatoes. Think about making this Southeast Asian tomato salad for dinner tonight. Or, if you want some indulgence, roll up your shirtsleeves and make some biscuit dough for a tomato cobbler.

With an upcoming vacation, always-already bills to pay and expenses to account for, and the general “life in Vancouver is expensive” sighs, I declared one rainy weekend to be a Spend Nothing weekend.  No treats, no coffees, no take out. I’d be staying in with good movies and be making myself three, unique meals.  I can’t remember if I’ve told you that I’m not a fan of leftovers — I’m not a fan of leftovers — so this can prove tricky when you’re cooking for one.  My way around this is to pick one central ingredient or theme that I can repurpose over the course of many meals. In the case of this weekend, it would be ricotta cheese. And because I had time, it would be DIY.

I had found a ridiculously easy recipe on Working Class Foodies when I was searching at another point for a savoury pancake recipe. Their recipe for ricotta seemed almost too easy, even with the video proof that it was only a matter of boiling, stirring and draining.

If you’ve got an hour and a half, you’ve got the time. And if you can afford a quart of milk and a lemon, you’ve got the ingredients. Yes, THAT simple and cheap. I easily saved over 50 per cent of what ricotta costs in the dairy aisle. And the flavour was easily 50 times better, especially when you can sneak fresh, warm samples.

There is nothing particularly special about the pancakes except that they are a good take on breakfast for dinner and rather healthy. The ricotta topping is a good match with its salty richness. Oh, and I lied. These definitely were a treat that weekend.

Do-It-Yourself Ricotta Cheese
Adapted from Working Class Foodies
Makes about 2 cups.

I highly recommend using whole milk. I’ve made two more batches since, once with 2% and didn’t find it the same. If you do use a lower fat milk, the recommendation is to add a tablespoon or two of cream.  The rough yield of this recipe is 1 cup of cheese for 1 litre of milk used.

2 L whole milk
4 tablespoons lemon juice

Line a colander or sieve with cheese cloth or a few layers of paper towel (what I used).  Set over a bowl or the sink with a bowl underneath. Over medium heat, bring the milk to a bubbling rolling boil in a large saucepan.  Stir your milk often to prevent scorching.  If you have a candy thermometer, you want the temperature to reach between 190 and 210 degrees.  If you don’t, that’s okay, just make sure that the milk becomes frothy and rises when it boils.  Bubbling on the surface isn’t enough.  This can take up to 30 minutes.

Once boiling, take the milk off the heat and stir in the lemon juice.  Leave for 2 minutes.  Avoid the temptation to stir more and see the curds.

Then, drain into the colander.  Leave to drain for approximately one hour (or as few as 20 minutes), catching the whey underneath.

Once drained to your desired consistency, put in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 3 days.  You can use the saved whey to thin out your cheese if you want. Or, you can use it in soups or to cook pasta in.

Carrot-Scallot Pancakes with Lemon Ricotta
Inspired by Working Class Foodies
Serves 2.

0.5 cups cornmeal
0.5 cups whole wheat pastry flour or all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme or half a tablespoon of fresh thyme
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1/8 teaspoon of salt
1 carrot, grated
1 tablespoon finely minced shallot
1 cup milk
1 egg
A little melted butter or vegetable oil (or spray)
1 cup ricotta cheese (preferably freshly drained and still-warm)

1 tablespoon lemon zest
4 tablespoons freshly grated pecorino romano cheese
Freshly ground pepper to taste

Preheat a non-stick pan over medium-low heat.
Mix all dry ingredients in a bowl.  Beat egg, milk, carrot and shallot separately.
Make a well in the dry ingredients.  Add wet ingredients and mix until just combined.  Do not over mix.  Some dry lumps are okay.
When pan is hot, brush a little of the melted butter or oil on to the surface.
Add batter to pan in pancake size desired.  Once bubbles appear across the surface of the entire pancake, flip over and cook for another minute or two.  The first pancakes will take a little longer to cook than later ones.
You can keep pancakes warm on a sheet pan in a 200 degree oven.

Mix ricotta, zest and pecorino together. Serve with pancakes.

My mom threw birthday parties on a budget like have never been thrown before. Being a summer baby, the backyard was often transformed in the month of August into whatever had been dreamed up for the big birthday event. Rolls of newsprint turned into water colour painting stations along the fence, paper across the garage door transformed into an old fashioned fishing game with prizes, water stations, sand stations, family friends dressed as hippy love clowns, and an old refrigerator box decorated, cut, and transformed into a puppet stage to name a few. These were just the beginnings of what would develop into my love a throwing a great party.

Over the years I have planned more than a few elaborate parties from a James Bond scavenger hunt that culminated at the shooting range, to a white trash birthday party that involved fake tattoos, po’ boy sandwiches, and karaoke at the Rosslyn Hotel. And this year the party was a backyard drive-in movie screening of The Breakfast Club that included dressing up as the characters, Captain Crunch, ham and cheese, sushi, and pixie sticks. We endured the humid post-rain mist in the backyard as the weather did not cooperate, and enjoyed the athlete, the princess, the brain, the criminal, and the basket case just the same. With John Hughes’ tragic and coincidental passing less than a week after the party, it was a fitting tribute. I “fake bobbed” my red locks, put on my biggest fake diamond studs, brown skirt, pink top, knee high boots, and fancied myself the red head heroine of my youth, Miss Molly Ringwald…aka “the princess” Claire.

With “Breakfast Club informed treats”, and mandatory truffle popcorn on the menu, the only big decision left to make was the birthday confection. Despite the yawn factor of cupcakes shops on every corner, I have in years gone by established a bit of a cupcake queen reputation. My usual recipes are one of two…NYC’s Magnolia Bakery’s Traditional Vanilla Birthday Cake with Vanilla Butter Cream Frosting or Ina Garten’s Coconut Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting.

With a desire to try something new, I tracked down a highly rated recipe that covered cream cheese frosting, citrus notes, rich carrot cake, chocolate and coconut requirements. All the elements of the perfect “old man dessert” standards that I love best… Carrot Coconut Cupcakes with White Chocolate Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting!

The cakes were moist and tender, and the creamy frosting, though bordering on a glaze with my addition of a teaspoon of lemon juice and an extra cup of icing sugar, set well in the fridge and was delicious and delicate. A sugary maraschino cherry on top for the brain “Brian Johnson” who is NOT a cherry, and may or may not have motioned to Claire, was the perfect addition. After all, love is in the details.

With fresh on the mind, last weekend launched our BBQ season for the year and set the bar high. Perfectly grilled salmon with a Moroccan Chermoula that could make anything delectable. Admittedly, salmon is never my first choice of fish. I prefer the meatiness of halibut, they delicate taste of basa, or the simplicity of pan fried trout, but this preparation boosts a simple fresh piece of salmon to a crave worthy treat. Add to that two fresh and simple salads, one beetroot salad with arugula, snap peas, and fresh oranges, and one carrot, feta, and mint salad (both from Simply Bill by Bill Granger), and there was no doubt that my days of summer had begun.

These dishes are the kind you will return to again and again, when the days grow longer and the sun starts peaking through the long cold days to finally warm your skin.

Chermoula Grilled Salmon

fresh salmon fillet or fish of your choice

1/2 cup fresh cilantro

1/4 cup sesame seeds

4 cloves of minced garlic

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

1 tbsp paprika

1 tsp chili flakes

1/2 tsp coarse salt

1/4 cup fresh squeezed lemon juice

Using a food processor or mortar and pestle, chop/pound cilantro, sesame seeds, and garlic. Slowly add oil to mixture. stir in paprika, chilies, salt, and lemon juice.

Place salmon on foil lined with parchment. Spoon mixture over the top of the fish generously. (This recipe usually makes more marinade than I require and I freeze the extra for future use.) Fold parchment/foil over fish to form a sealed packet that will be placed directly on the BBQ. Let marinate in the fridge for up to one hour prior to grilling. Heat BBQ to medium heat and grill for approximately 10-15 minutes depending on the size of the fish.

Beetroot Salad

18 baby beets

baby arugula

handful of snap peas, trimmed and blanched

2 blood oranges, peeled and sliced (I couldn’t find blood oranges and substitued with a regular orange)

3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

1 1/2 tbsp white wine vinegar

1 tsp chopped fresh oregano

sea salt

freshly ground black pepper

Trim beets and cook in boiling salted water for 30-40 minutes, or until tender.Rinse under running water and peel away the skin.

Arrange arugula, sliced beets, snap peas and blood oranges on a platter. Mix together olive oil, white wine vinegar, oregano, salt, and pepper and drizzle over salad.

Carrot, Feta and Mint Salad

1 kg carrots, peeled, halved, and sliced

2 garlic cloves crushed

3 tbsp lemon juice

3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

2 tsp ground cumin

2 tsp paprika

1 tsp sea salt

freshly ground black pepper

1/2 cup feta cheese

1/4 cup pitted black olives (I like the dried at the Italian Centre for this recipe, or kalamata)

small handful of fresh mint leaves

Cook the carrots in boiling salted water for 1 minute. Drain and refresh in iced water. Stir together garlic, lemon juice, olive oil, cumin, paprika, salt, and pepper. Arrange carrots on a serving platter. Top with crumbled feta, mint, and olives, and drizzle with the dressing.

Add a crisp chilled buttery viognier and soak up the sun!