When in doubt, serve a fruit crisp. Everyone loves fruit crisp! What’s not to love? Tender fruit, naturally sweet with a crunchy topping. Add a scoop of vanilla ice cream and it’s a match made in heaven. There’s a crisp for every season and pumpkin spice season is here!
Pumpkin Crisp is kind of like a crustless, classic pumpkin pie with a crisp topping. It’s not too sweet, but full of that great pumpkin spice flavor.
For most part the ingredients are pantry staples, so this crisp can be whipped up without a trip to the grocery store. It also lasts for several days in the fridge. Unlike most fruit crisps, this one is best served chilled.
You could call it a fall fusion recipe … traditional pumpkin pie meets pumpkin crisp!
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Pumpkin Crisp w/ Gingersnap Crumble
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Instructions
Preheat oven to 350 F. Set aside an 11 x 7-inch baking dish.
Filling
In a large bowl, whisk together all of the filling ingredients: pour into baking dish.
Topping
In a medium bowl, combine gingersnap 'flour', oats, brown sugar, baking soda & baking powder. Use a fork to incorporate the butter into the dry mixture.
Assembly/Baking
Evenly sprinkle the topping over the pumpkin filling. Bake for 35-45 minutes. The center of the pumpkin filling should still have a little 'wiggle', but is not super runny. Remove from oven & completely cool.
Serve with ice cream or whipped topping, if desired.
Recipe Notes
• To make gingersnap cookie ‘flour’, simply use a food processor or blender to break down gingersnap cookies into a flour-like texture.
Few takeout dishes evoke pure comfort quite like a platter of glossy, vibrant Chinese lemon chicken, but recreating that perfect restaurant texture at home can feel like a game of culinary guesswork.
Traditionally deep-fried to achieve its signature crunch, this beloved Cantonese-fusion classic often loses its magic when adapted for a standard home oven—resulting in dry meat or a soggy coating. The secret to bridging the gap between a messy commercial deep fryer and a stress-free weeknight dinner lies in a brilliant bit of kitchen science: velveting with baking soda.
By combining this simple restaurant tenderizing technique with a crisp cornstarch crust and a brilliant, naturally sweetened fresh honey-lemon glaze, you can skip the heavy oils entirely. The result is an effortlessly baked, incredibly juicy dish that honors classic sweet-and-sour flavor profiles while proving that you don’t need a deep fryer to achieve absolute takeout perfection right in your own kitchen.
For many, lemon chicken is an introduction to Cantonese-fusion cuisine. It is a staple of takeout culture, making it deeply familiar, comforting, and nostalgic. Because the flavor profile relies on recognizable ingredients like citrus and honey rather than intense heat or unfamiliar spices, it remains incredibly approachable for all ages and a guaranteed crowd-pleaser on any dinner table.
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Chinese Style Baked Lemon Chicken
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Instructions
Chicken
Slice chicken thighs into bite-sized, even pieces (about 1-inch chunks).
In a medium bowl, toss the chicken with the ¼ tsp baking soda, a generous pinch of salt & pepper. Let it sit for 10–15 minutes. This technique tenderizes the meat, so it stays juicy while baking.
Shake cornstarch over the seasoned chicken. Toss thoroughly until every piece is evenly coated in a dry, dusty layer.
Preheat oven to 400 F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper or place a wire rack inside a baking sheet & grease it lightly with cooking spray.
Spread the coated chicken out in a single layer on the tray, making sure the pieces do not touch. Spacing them out ensures they bake up crispy instead of steaming.
Bake for 20–25 minutes, flipping the pieces halfway through, until they are golden brown & fully cooked through.
Lemon Sauce
While the chicken bakes, whisk together lemon juice, soy sauce, chicken stock, honey, garlic & ground ginger in a small bowl until the honey dissolves. In a separate tiny bowl or cup, mix the 1 Tbsp cornstarch with 1 Tbsp of cold water until smooth. Set this aside.
Pour the liquid base into a large skillet or saucepan over medium heat. Bring it to a gentle simmer. Give the cornstarch slurry a quick stir & pour it into the simmering sauce. Stir constantly for 1–2 minutes until the sauce bubbles, clears up & thickens into a glossy glaze. Turn the heat down to low.
Toss/Serve
As soon as the chicken comes out of the oven, transfer the hot, crispy pieces directly into the skillet with the warm lemon sauce. Toss quickly so every piece of chicken is totally glazed. Remove from the heat & place onto a serving platter. Sprinkle the sliced green onions & toasted sesame seeds (if using) over the top. Serve immediately over warm rice.
With our Canadian Thanksgiving holiday right around the corner I wanted to feature these ‘fabulous fall cheesecakes’ as a dessert option for the occasion.
Traditional Thanksgiving desserts (like pecan pie, pumpkin pie, and dense cheesecakes) are notoriously heavy at the end of a massive turkey feast. The bright orange zest and sharp fresh ginger in these cheesecake desserts cuts through the heavy dairy and earthiness of the root vegetables. Because they are individual size, they offer a lighter, refreshing alternative that guests can comfortably enjoy after a heavy meal.
Think of it as a creative cross between a morning-glory spiced root vegetable cake and a classic New York mini cheesecake. The combination of carrots, parsnips, and beets mirrors the exact crops pulled from the ground during the late-summer and autumn harvest. The heavy rotation of cinnamon, cardamom, and fresh grated ginger immediately evokes classic cozy fall baking. The natural colors from the grated orange carrots, deep red beets, and golden-orange dried apricots create a gorgeous, rustic autumn palette and the use of pepita seeds (pumpkin seeds) adds an earthy crunch that is distinctly seasonal, pairing beautifully with the sweet crunch of the brown sugar streusel.
Because these cheesecake/muffins contain a baked cream cheese layer and fresh root vegetables, they actually taste better the next day, served cold, (they are so good cold) as the warm spices and ginger infuse into the cream cheese. This is an added bonus when it comes to all the preparation needed for the turkey feast alone.
In October of 2025, we published a version of this ‘apricot root vegetable’ combination in a cake format. Brion & I just loved it, so this year I though I would bring the idea back to life in a cheesecake form. Worked out great!
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Apricot Veg Cheesecakes
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Ingredients
Ginger Cream Cheesecake Filling
Ingredients
Ginger Cream Cheesecake Filling
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Instructions
Streusel
In a small bowl, whisk together flour, brown sugar & cinnamon. Add cooled melted butter & whisk with a fork to make coarse crumbs. Set aside.
Ginger Cream Filling
In a small bowl, beat softened cream cheese, egg, sugar, ginger & flour just to combine. Set aside.
Cake Batter
Preheat oven to 350 F. Line 8 muffin cups with large paper liners.
Finely dice the apricots & set aside. Peel & finely grate beets. Place between paper towels to absorb some of the juice (and color). Finely grate carrots & parsnips & place in a large bowl. Zest an orange & add to the vegetables in the bowl.
Pour in the syrup, eggs & olive oil & blotted beets. Using a fork, mix batter to just combine. Fold in the flour, spices, baking powder, baking soda & salt.
Add apricots to the bowl along with the nuts/seeds, then mix everything until just combined but DO NOT OVERMIX.
Assembly
Place a scoop of cake batter in the bottom of 8 lined muffin cups. Gently make a small depression in the center of each. Divide the ginger cream filling between the 8 cups placing a generous spoonful in the depression.
Top the filling with the remaining cake batter. Spoon the streusel over each cheesecake/muffin.
Bake about 28-30 minutes or until the cheesecakes test done with a toothpick. Remove from oven & cool 5 minutes in the pan then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
If using glaze, whisk powdered sugar with milk, start with a tsp of milk & add more if needed to reach desired consistency. Drizzle over cooled cheesecake/muffins.
Recipe Notes
If you are like me, maple syrup is not something I usually have on hand. Here's a good substitute ... 1/2 cup brown sugar, 1/4 cup water & 1/4 tsp maple extract. Place the sugar & water in a small saucepan. Simmer on low heat, stirring frequently, until sugar is dissolved & mixture thickens slightly, 3-5 minutes. Stir in maple extract (adjust to taste). Allow to cool before using (mixture thickens as it cools).
• I made these a large size but do them in whatever size your occasion calls for.
It’s autumn and that means it’s grape season. Grapes come in a variety of colors and types such as seedless or with seeds, table grapes or wine grapes. One thing I’ve noticed on the internet is that there are unlimited recipes for everything imaginable using grapes except cookie recipes.
Red grape and gouda cheese cookies are a gourmet twist on traditional baking that transforms classic charcuterie elements into portable, sweet and savory pastry.
I have been doing a bit of recipe development to come up with a cookie recipe that used grapes without ending up with a soggy mess due to the water content of grapes. The approach I took was to first make a thick jelly from the grapes for the filling keeping it slightly tart. To give the cookie some texture, I used oatmeal and pepita seeds in the dough. By forming it into the classic ‘thumbprint’ shape gives you a nice depression for the jelly, gouda and fresh grapes. The experiment worked out quite well giving a very unique seasonal cookie.
Grape based baking such as crisp, tarts, cake, galette or pie strictly aligns with the fall grape harvest but since grapes are available all year long its nice to have lots of choices to make use of them, right?!
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Grape & Gouda Cookies
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Instructions
Grape Jelly Filling
Wash & halve the grapes. In a small saucepan, combine all filling ingredients. Stir everything together & bring it to a gentle simmer over medium heat. Allow mixture to simmer for about 5-7 minutes until grapes soften & mixture thickens. When cooked, pour through a fine mesh strainer to extract the grape skins. Set aside until ready to use.
Cookie Dough
In a bowl, combine flour, oatmeal, baking soda, salt & pepita seeds. Set aside.
In a large bowl, cream the butter & sugars until light & fluffy. This should take about 3 minutes.
Beat in eggs & vanilla until fully combined. Gradually add dry mixture to wet ingredients, mixing until JUST combined. Place dough in refrigerator for about 30 minutes.
Assembly/Baking
Preheat oven to 350 F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. If you prefer a bit of a fancier look for the cookies, use large paper muffin cups and just set them directly on the baking sheet.
Halve the 42 grapes needed for topping the cookies. Cut gouda cheese into 1/2-inch cubes.
Using a cookie scoop, scoop dough either directly on the parchment paper or into the paper cups. In the center of each cookie make a fairly deep depression. Place grape jelly filling in the depression (don’t be afraid to use a generous amount of grape jelly in each cookie. Since the ‘jelly’ is very thick it adds flavor but doesn’t run out during baking). Top it with a cube of gouda cheese. Next place 3 grape halves over the cheese.
Bake cookies for about 12-15 minutes or until the edges are slightly browned. Remove the cookies from the oven & allow to cook on the baking sheet for about 5 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack. Remove paper cups (if using) to show the fluted edge.
Recipe Notes
• Cookies containing grapes soften after a few days due to moisture migration. Water inside the fruit slowly moves out into the drier cookie dough. Sugar in the cookies then traps this extra water, making the whole cookie soft and moist. Make sure to store cookies in the refrigerator & it is best to use them within a couple of days due to the softening of the cookie.
How about upside down cake turned into cookie form? What makes these peach upside-down cookies special is that they capture the essence of a summer peach. Soft & chewy with a bottom layer of soft peaches coated in brown sugar and topped with a dusting of powdered sugar.
The concept of upside-down ‘cakes’ dates back to the Middle Ages, when Europeans made some cakes by topping batter with fruit — usually apples or dried fruit — and cooking it over a fire (or baking it), then flipping it over for serving.
In 1925 the Hawaiian Pineapple Company sponsored a contest calling for (canned) pineapple recipes. They received a flood of 60,000 submissions of which an alleged 2,500 were for pineapple upside-down cake. No surprise then that the winning entry was—yes, a pineapple upside-down cake! The company built a major advertising campaign around the winning recipe and by the mid-1930s pineapple upside-down cake was probably the most popular home-baked cake in North America.
These ingenious inverted cakes were no doubt the precursor to the upside-down cookie idea. The ‘classic’ upside down cake is often thought to be made with pineapple. I think these cookies are a great way of enjoying whichever fruits are plentiful, fresh and in season.
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Peach Upside-Down Cookies
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Instructions
Preheat oven to 350 F. Line muffin tin with foil-lined muffin paper cups.
In each muffin cup, place 1/2 tsp brown sugar & 1 full slice of peach.
Cream butter & remaining sugars until fluffy. Add egg & vanilla. Mix well. Whisk together flour, baking soda, salt, cornstarch & cinnamon. Gradually add to wet ingredients.
Divide dough into 12-14 portions & roll each into a ball. Place a cookie dough ball on top of each peach slice in the muffin cups..
Bake for 12–15 minutes. Cool 5 mins, then gently flip cookies out & remove paper cups. Serve peach side up warm, chilled or at room temperature. Store in airtight container.
Today, March 28th, marks the date of my mother’s birth. Although she left this earth 48 years ago, her memory remains crystal clear. She was a wonderful mother who made our lives so much better in ways we never realized. She set a good example just by the way she lived the ‘best version of herself’.
When this date rolls around each year, I like to post something on the blog that I think she would have enjoyed making. Baking was a ‘job’ she really seemed to enjoy, and our family certainly reaped the benefits of that.
Carrot cake is considered a spring dessert primarily due to its strong association with Easter celebrations, the bright, vibrant color of carrots representing the season. With Easter being just a week away I thought it would be a fitting recipe for today’s blog.
While it’s difficult to pinpoint the exact first instance of carrot cake being made in Canada, it’s likely that it became popular in the mid-20th century, alongside its rise in popularity in the United States. In the 1970’s, carrot cake was perceived as being ‘healthy’ due to the fact that carrots, raisins and nuts are all ‘good for us.’ Then along came that glorious cream cheese frosting that forever bonded the pair. While raisins are undoubtedly the oldest compliment to carrots, pineapple, apples or applesauce as well as walnuts have all become modern day add-ins of choice.
Today’s blog recipe for layered pineapple carrot cake is moist, not too sweet and filled with crushed pineapple and pecans. I’ve used a fluffy, pineapple cream cheese frosting for the filling as well as topping for this decadent dessert.
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Pineapple Carrot Cake
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Ingredients
Pineapple Cream Cheese Frosting
Ingredients
Pineapple Cream Cheese Frosting
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Instructions
Cake
Place crushed pineapple in a fine mesh sieve over a bowl & push down on pineapple with a spoon to eliminate excess moisture. Set aside.
Preheat oven to 325 F. Line three 8” round cake pans with parchment paper then spray with nonstick cooking spray WITH FLOUR or grease and flour pans.
In a large bowl, mix all of the dry ingredients together. In a separate bowl, gently whisk eggs then stir in remaining wet ingredients, including drained pineapple, just until combined. DON'T OVERMIX.
Stir wet ingredients into dry ingredients just until moistened, then stir in 2 ½ cups grated carrots until evenly combined, being careful NOT TO OVERMIX.
Divide batter equally between prepared pans. Gently tap the pans a few times on the counter to get rid of air bubbles. Bake for 30-40 minutes, or until toothpick inserted into center comes out clean & the cakes begin to pull away from sides of pans.
Let cakes cool in pans on wire racks for 15 minutes then invert onto wire racks to cool completely.
Pineapple Cream Cheese Frosting
Using an electric mixer, beat the cream cheese & butter until creamy. Beat in the sour cream, vanilla & salt. Gradually beat in powdered sugar until the desired consistency is reached. Mix in pineapple preserves.
Assembly
Place a small dollop of frosting in the center of the cake stand to keep the cake from moving and top with one leveled cake.
Top cake with ¾ cup frosting & spread evenly. Top with a second cake & spread evenly with ¾ cup frosting. Top with remaining cake.
Create Crumb Layer by scooping 1 cup of frosting into a smaller bowl. Frost cake starting with the top and working down until the cake is evenly frosted, removing any excess frosting. Refrigerate cake 30 minutes or until crumb layer has set. Refrigerate remaining frosting until ready to use.
Frost the outside of cake with the remaining frosting. Decorate as you wish. Serve cake cold or at room temperature.
Recipe Notes
As you may have noticed in the blog picture, I divided the batter into thirds. We gifted a friend with a 2 layer cake & Brion & I kept 1 layer for us.
For the decorations, I simmered some dried apricots in the extra pineapple juice for a few minutes then sliced them & added some pepita seeds as well as black sesame.
CELEBRATING ST. PATRICK’S DAY!
The term ‘green food’ can mean several things. More and more households are ‘going green’ with their menus, buying food from sustainable local sources. People who are ‘eating greener’ include those who grow their own food and compost all their waste to those who simply take a re-useable bag to the supermarket. Most of us are interested in making decisions that are better for the environment.
Others immediately think ‘green vegetables’. Then of course there are those who, especially at this time of year, may think of the color green and foods with which to celebrate St Patrick’s Day. There is so much you could do with this holiday in terms of food such as rainbows, leprechauns, shamrocks, pot of gold ………
In North America, St. Patrick’s Day is pretty much just a fun day here. Green food has been getting more and more ‘creative’ on this particular holiday. For the most part, it’s an excuse to party and drink some green beer.
In the spirit of St. Patrick’s Day, I wanted to incorporate some ‘green’ food into our day. I decided on some ‘magic’ sunflower seed cookies. These cookies are quite unique in that when you use sunflower butter combined with baking soda in the batter the bread turns green. The green color is a harmless result of natural chemical reactions and doesn’t affect the taste or safety of the cookies.
Sunflower seed butter, often called Sunbutter, naturally turns green when these two ingredients meet during baking. The alkaline baking soda interacts with the acidic chlorogenic acid, producing a green pigment called chlorophyllin. This reaction intensifies as the cookies cool down, leading to the characteristic green hue.
Nevertheless, I thought it was a fun way to put a different twist on today’s green celebrations.
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Green Sunflower Seed Cookies
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Instructions
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Mix everything together in one bowl until well combined.
Scoop the dough, roll in seeds & place onto a parchment paper lined cookie sheet. This amount will make 12 large balls or 15 small ones.
Bake 10-15 minutes. Remove from oven & cool on wire rack.
Recipe Notes
- It's definitely very important to use baking soda and make sure to mix the batter adequately to disperse the baking soda fully, otherwise the chemical reaction that produces the green color won't happen. It also needs to sit for a few minutes after baking. Some brands (or even jars) of sunflower butter do work better than others, whether it has to do with freshness, added ingredients, or what. It's the secret ingredient to the green color - any other nut butter will just be brown! Look for a jar with as few additives as possible.
This is not just an ordinary oatmeal cookie; this oatmeal cookie has a surprise ingredient. Rice cereal, which adds a crispy crunch that gives a unique texture and flavor to this soft and chewy cookie with wonderfully crisp edges.
I have given these cookies the name of ‘blueberry, oatmeal, rice chewies’ but the original idea dates back to the 1930s. It seems they went by different names at that time, such as ranger cookies, Texas ranger cookies or cowboy cookies. There are a lot of opinions, not facts, about why this delicious oatmeal cookie recipe is called a ‘ranger cookie’.
There’s no real reason for either of the names, except for possibly because the cookies kept well in saddlebags and, thanks to the eggs, oats, and cereal, provided a bit of energy for long days in the field.
Regardless of their title, these cookies were frequently shared in community cookbooks because the recipe is easy to make and always pleases a crowd. Distinguishing itself from other types of cookies, this ranger cookies recipe has a blend of oats and crispy rice cereal, giving each cookie an intriguing mix of textures: light and tender with a crisp edge and a chewy middle. With the addition of some dried blueberries and pepita seeds, it gives them a whole new dimension.
The result is a cookie with a delightful harmony of flavor in every bite. With both oatmeal and rice krispies cereal in the cookies, I think you would be justified in having these for breakfast.
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Blueberry, Oatmeal, Rice Chewies
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Instructions
Whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda & salt.
In a large bowl, beat butter & both sugars on medium speed of an electric mixer until well combined. Add eggs, applesauce & vanilla; mix well. Add flour mixture, mixing until just combined. Stir in rice krispies, oatmeal, pepitas & dried blueberries. Chill dough for 30 minutes.
Preheat oven to 350 F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
Scoop dough onto parchment lined cookie sheets.
Bake for about 10 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove from baking sheets & cool on wire racks. Store in airtight container.
Recipe Notes
Due to the fact that I have a nut allergy, I always tend to use seeds to add some crunch. Feel free to change it up with your choice of nuts or dried fruit if you wish.
