I left things too late this long weekend to make getaway plans, so I’m going to be hanging out in the city while the lucky ones are out on their camping trips, island getaways, and cross-border adventures.

I’m not jealous; staying home isn’t all that bad especially when I can wake up to breakfast like this.
Besides I have a few local hiking and beach trips planned if the weather holds up.

And this breakfast practically puts itself together, just how lazy weekend mornings should be.

I love finding (new to me) Italian cookies, and I found another interesting cookie from Doria, this is the Melodie ai cereali, a shortbread biscuit made with wholegrains and a touch of yoghurt.

It’s crunchy, crumbly and soft, and little nutty and lightly sweetened, and it doesn’t have a crappy ingredients list (for a packaged food).

It’s good on its own, but on mornings when you don’t want to cook breakfast and box-cereal and milk just won’t do, this is what @adjoa does… she mixes broken up pieces of melodie cookies with yoghurt and blueberries.
It’s quick and easy, filling and not rushed, the breakfast of long leisurely mornings.

This is a simple and good breakfast, I suppose you could use any grainy cookie here if you wanted, but this melodie cookie makes it so much special.

And you know what? I’m kinda glad the neighbours are away so I can have a quiet breakfast.

This recipe was passed on to me by my dear friend M, she found it on Chatelaine, made it and sent it on to me saying it’s delicious and to try it.
The recipe started out as orecchiette pasta with swiss chard, and ended up being different yet still delicious…

I threw almost everything I had into this pasta, just because I was out of the a few of the ingredients the recipe called for, and I needed to clear my fridge.
I added two kinds of beans; chickpeas and cranberry beans leftover over the weekend.
There’s also frozen corn, bell peppers and sundried tomatoes, which I always have around.
And I used kale in place of swiss chard… an easy switch.
I love these kinds of pasta… it’s tasty, nutritious, inexpensive, perfect weeknight pasta.
I made it a few days before Easter in New York and had it for dinner over a few nights.

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Monet’s ‘La rue Montorgueil à Paris’, is a painting depicting a jubilant celebration during the French festival of 30th June 1878.
The painting doesn’t only confirm the historic significance of this market street; it also manages to capture, to some degree, the spirit of this vibrant and colourful street.
Rue Montorgueil is a pedestrian market street, home to some famous restaurants, cafés, bars, bakeries and other excellent food markets.
Stohrer has been making fine pastries at their 51 Rue Montorgueil location for nearly 300 years.
And of course, L’Escargot, which seems to be in a bit of trouble at the moment, has been around since the late 19th century.

It truly is the food lover’s paradise; charming and lively with so much to explore from little cheese shops, fish markets, green grocers to candy shops, and patisseries.
It’s where to go to people watch; and observe regular Parisians go about their day, which naturally involves a lot of time in cafés
This is one of my absolutely favourite places in Paris, although I haven’t explored it enough to offer any helpful insights, save for pretty pictures – but David Lebovitz has a handy post on the awesomeness that is Rue Montorgueil.

We spent a quiet Mother’s Day at home, a typical Sunday, really.
We made breakfast; baked multigrain cereal with chocolate chips, and stayed in bed all day reading.
Breakfast tasted like dessert…
My mom made us promise we wouldn’t make a fuss this Mother’s Day.
Last year we made her brunch, days before this Mother’s Day she’d been humming ‘It Is Well With My Soul’.
Contentment… a trait I wish I could learn from my mom.
The simple joy of sharing breakfast and nourishment with loved ones.

This is my new favourite way to make hot cereal; toasted and then baked in individual-sized cups.
A combination of oats, rye, barley and wheat toasted for a few minutes before baking in almond milk, applesauce, and coconut oil with a handful of chocolate chips thrown in for good measure.

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@adjoa and I made this dreamy heirloom tomatoes and plum salad last September when summer was just winding down. I didn’t get a chance to share it here before winter got its gloomy hands on us.
But after the few glorious days we’ve had, and seeing that we’re mere weeks from summer’s unofficial start, it seems proper to feature this salad now.
Hopefully it’ll inspire someone to try it this summer, since that’s what I intend to do… a lot, as soon as BC plums start hitting the markets.

I wouldn’t have thought to put plums and tomatoes together, and yet they make a perfect harmonious pair in this creation.

This salad is so simple yet packs a flavourful punch, I plan on trying other fruit combinations – peaches, nectarines, pears, etc and even grapes; lately I’ve been experimenting with grapes in savoury dishes.
The vinaigrette is tangy and sweet, a little like the tomatoes and plums.
It’s light, tart and fresh, perfect for hot summer days.

The recipe comes from Heather over at L.A. In Bloom; a lovely blog that I adore.

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