suzette roberts

// Strawberry Dutch Baby Pancake (Gluten-Free)

Spring is always such an elevating time to try something new with our fresh leaves and buds abound, — and this month I tip-toed my way into the beginnings of puffed pancakes baked in the oven. This custard-y first-try Strawberry Dutch Baby Pancake created its own exciting choreography 10 minutes in. I baked it in my beloved go-to toaster oven (above) which actually worked well. So delightful was its happy ending, it graced our midweek surprize dinner experience two weeks later with a spicy new variety. And the great news is that it all comes together in 30 minutes or less... More after the jump and have a loving and safe weekend. ~xx

// Honey Barbecue Chicken Cutlets

Somewhere between barbecue strips and cutlets, — and no need for any pounding or 'tricky' slicing through these chicken breasts to get there from our indoors. It was simply all about trying a new sauce for some flavourful variety, with chicken becoming quite the new staple in recent times. And perhaps you too have found yourself more often than not, dining on one thing at a time, bypassing the balanced plate with any one meal, on the average day. We tried it and loved it, and will definitely take another light and easy spin with this gentle and mellow, kiddie tested and approved honey sauce. More after the jump and have a deliciously long weekend. ~xx :)

// Strawberry Moscato Frosé

If we're being honest, right around now, and even if you're reading this before 12 noon, all moms (empty-nesters included, #thisistrue) would welcome a fizzy! sip to thaw out and chill-lax for a few with balancing the kids: monitoring online school modules and indoor activities, work from home adjustments on all levels, and of course... the housework, always an ongoing of some kind. I thought about this — I really did — and decided on a refreshing and playful frozen rosé blend (very Dad-doable) to embrace our succulent spring-season strawberries, a soft pink booze to celebrate Mom, and desired fuss-free prep, for a laid-back afternoon or evening with or without the homemade pizza, but I'd say, make the pizza or other homemade favourite too, keeping it light and fun. Happy Mother's Day to all our moms: current, expecting, and moms-in-spirit...  ~xo

// Garlic Bok Choy Stir-Fry

At one point, recently, there was some concern about our darker greens and wanting to add more of it to our weekly with a new varietal veg. This was the main theme of a late Saturday afternoon chat via telephone. My sister Gi said she was going to try some bok choy to see how it 'evolved'. I was looking forward to her report as the last thing ladies of a certain age want to do, is 'drink their calories away', literally speaking, and in the form of hip modern day green juices that have also been known to throw one's pH totally out of whack. Many many years ago, a friend's front tooth fell out because of this and I have never forgotten that shocking moment over lunch when she bit into an apple...

// Breakfast Brownies (Gluten-Free)

I had a feeling, and then a hunch, and then another feeling that with making these quick and promisingly delicious brownies (and not holding out any longer), my favourite dark chocolate bar would return to our grocery shelves. And as fate would have it with all the stars and even clouds in perfect spring alignment— said chocolate bar was back in stock on my next visit, three days after this delight, and after four plus weeks of a very 'dry shelf spell'. My new favourite go-to in the event of... and because they're really all that, and because I like switching-things-up days when dessert becomes breakfast — even on a Sunday! Using a 2:1 chocolate blend (2 ounces unsweetened chocolate [that's all I had then] and 1 ounce semi-sweet chocolate), reducing the sugar a tad and upping the pure vanilla extract, my happy just-right moist and fudgy chocolate fix ending became a drooling reality...

// Chicken Fried Rice

The other lean meat we're into and making an at-home once monthly 'indulgent' dish we love with our already eating light menu. Not that long ago, I had the cravings for some fried rice, trimmings included, and made an unplanned step-by-step fun go for it (we had all the importants in-house) after a later than usual Sunday afternoon nap, and feeling very bright-eyed at 9 p.m.— can you relate?, chicken already marinating from overnight. It's a dish I'll definitely make again sooner (it had been over a decade), and in more varietal ways with home cooking being where it's at these days. You'll love the balanced, flavourful, and ready in 30 minutes or less fact with schools on hiatus and having to keep a closer eye on our little ones now home 24/7— and loving every moment of their 24/7 reality. :) One sauté pan does it all and brings this delicious and very aromatic one bowl meal together, on any day of the week.