Pumpkin Cheesecake

For whatever reason I got the craving for a pumpkin cheesecake at Thanksgiving dinner this past weekend, so this recipe is the love child of that craving! I mostly followed the lovely pumpkin cheesecake recipe from Natasha's Kitchen, with some tweaks to up the flavour a bit. The original is definitely worth checking out, especially if you like a sweeter cheesecake.

Sausage Lentil Stew

This wonderful way to stretch a sausage is largely based on the recipes from Budget Bytes and Ina Garten, adapted - as always - to fit my own tastes more closely. This stew is perfection on a cool fall evening, so definitely give it a try the next time your weather turns bracing!

Sriracha Honey Salmon

I came across the Daily Gourmet's baked salmon recipe looking for an easy weeknight meal and it did not disappoint! I made some tweaks to make it better fit my family's preferences, so feel free to try my version below or the original.

Dill Pasta Salad

I'm a sucker for all things sour cream and dill, so when I came across Taste of Home's dill pickle pasta salad recipe I couldn't help myself! The amount of mayonnaise in the original recipe went beyond even my bounds, but I've made a few other adjustments to make the finished product better fit my tastes. If you're not sure about this or that in my recipe, play around with it as you like!

Tex-Mex Chicken Casserole

I wasn't born or entirely raised in North America, so there's a lot on this continent that doesn't make a ton of sense to me. That being said, a good Midwestern casserole is - to borrow Jolen Tsai's wording - a thing of "ugly beauty." The weather's just started to turn a bit and I find myself craving a good, hearty casserole!

Ethiopian Mild Split Pea Stew / Kik Alich'a

Sometimes it's the simpler recipes that stick the closest with you, and that's certainly the case with me and this Ethiopian split pea stew, called kik alich'a (ክክ፡አሊጫ) in Amharic. I first fell in love with this dish as a teenager in Ethiopia and have stayed in love every since - just the smell of it cooking on the stove brings back so many memories. I wish I could remember our houseworker's recipe as it was the best, but what I use today is based on Ato Daniel's cookbook. I hope it brings you as much warmth and comfort as it does me!

Chocolate Tahini Spread

When you're not feeling the store and have extra tahini on hand this recipe is a lovely solution to a craving for Nutella! Not at all the same, but still quite delicious and well worth a try! I've mostly followed Brunch and Batter's recipe - which about half fills a jam jar for me - but feel free to check out the original if you want some coffee flavour on top of the chocolate!

Easy Avocado Toast

This is my go-to avocado toast, which I'm posting mostly 'cause I keep forgetting my favourite ratio of salsa to avocado. I'm sure there's better out there, but this is a quick, easy meal or snack when you're wanting to eat something on the healthier side of things, but don't want to spend an age preparing it. I hope you like it as much as my family does!

Congee with Chicken

I have tried for years to find a congee recipe I actually like - as opposed to endure - and had given up until recently when I decided to give savoury rice porridge for breakfast once more try. Southeast Asia is home to some of my favourite cuisines as well as a large southern Chinese diaspora, so I decided to take a look at Thai and Vietnamese recipes for congee and use them as a springboard. (Hungry Huy's recipe and Thai Awesome's recipe were particularly helpful.)

Satay Pasta Salad

This is a bit of a fusion dish, a beautiful marriage of pasta salad and Indonesian satay sauce. My recipe for the sauce is based on Little Green Dot's recipe, so if you want something more authentic check out the original. I hope you enjoy this as much as my family does!