A second attempt: Plum Upside-down Cakes with Lavender Rooibos Syrup

To start – this was the first time we tried this recipe.

The second attempt is to getting back in a blogging routine after a long hiatus. The longer I put it off, the harder it got, and the more I was quietly embarrassed that I gave up on this project. But I do want to get started again, so here we go!

These cakes are outstanding. They’re actually from two summers ago, and I made them with my friend Claudia. We made these lemon tarts together too.

Banana Bread French Toast with Vanilla-Berry Compote

As autumn comes into full swing, we’re going to need some heavy breakfasts to keep warm throughout the day. If you’re on a cleanse or a diet, make this on cheat day (or you can quit the diet, it’s not worth it to live without salt and fat anyway).

This recipe is not-so-subtly inspired by brunch at The Manx.

Maple, Apple & Cheddar Dutch Baby

This recipe is something I’ve wanted to make for a while. It’s an attempt to recreate one of my favorite dishes – maybe ever – from a tiny restaurant called Edgar.

You won’t  stumble on Edgar by accident. It’s a small house in an out-0f-the-way Gatineau neighbourhood. Do yourself a favour though: go immediately. Drop what you’re doing – it’s not nearly as important.

I’ll do a full review of it sometime, so I’ll leave the tales of decadence and creativity for later (here’s a preview: butterscotch, chocolate, and banana rolls). The head chef at Edgar is Marysol Foucault, who is one of the best foodies on Instagram. I want to be her friend so much.

Sunday Morning – Shakshuka for two

I love red sauce. On pasta, pizza, made into soup – I love it all. No thank you aglio e olio, I’ll stick with marinara.

What I’m trying to say is: all tomato dishes are welcome in my house. Oddly, I didn’t actually enjoy tomatoes themselves until fairly recently, but tomato soup was my favorite childhood food.

Shakshuka is a tomato-y comfort food, for sure. It’s roots are ambiguously Middle Eastern – some say Lebanese, some say Tunisian – but I’ve come to know it as an Israeli dish. According to Wikipedia, Shakshouka means “a mixture” in Tunisian Arabic or other Maghrebi Arabic dialects.