I’m definitely taking the opportunity to enjoy all the delicious food & drink with family and friends this month to celebrate.

So, let’s chat delicious recipes to make in February and easy ways to enjoy meals with those we love!

My husband and I have birthdays that are quite close together so we usually make an epic cake to celebrate. This year I made this Coconut Cake from Ina Garten. It, is, AMAZING! If you love coconut I definitely recommend trying this cake whether you have something wonderful to celebrate or just because 🙂

We’ve also been enjoying a lot of cozy dishes because here in Calgary, this last month was pretty chilly. Half-Baked Harvest is one of my go-tos for cozy dishes like this Coconut Milk Braised Chicken.

And if you’re looking for something a little bit EXTRA to make this month, I have these Crispy Quinoa Burgers topped with Sweet Potato Fries on my list to make.

I’m also looking forward to trying some more plant-based recipes. We started doing #meatlessmonday last year and now we’re adding a second meatless day to our weekly meals like these Cauliflower Rice Burrito Bowls. They’re perfect for Taco Tuesdays!

And, if you love a good, classic bowl of mac & cheese I’ve got you covered with my easy Cheesy Shells that you can find in my e-Cookbook.

So what ingredients are in season in February? Here are recipes to make in February from the blog:

Apples – Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal Muffins

Carrots – Chicken Noodle Soup

Citrus – Winter Citrus Chopped Salad

Cucumbers – Minty Cucumber Gin Spritz

Kale – Oven Baked Risotto with Mushrooms & Kale

Sweet Potatoes – Sweet Potato Drop Biscuits

Whichever dishes you choose to cook in February, I want to challenge you to invite over family or friends for a casual night-in or lunch!

This is something I’ve been doing lately and I can honestly say it’s magical. I haven’t worried about perfectly setting the table and kept the menu simple; I’ve used what I have to mix and match, setting a cozy scene for all of us to enjoy food together.

I’ve actually made my Roasted Tomato Soup and Grilled Cheese for friends a couple times this last month; it’s really just been nice to sit down for a meal together that’s simple and delicious.

Until the next cooking adventure,
Jess

The post What’s In Season – Recipes to Make in February appeared first on Cooking in my Genes.

There are so many delicious recipes to make in November with what’s in season.

So, let’s chat what to cook this month along with some of my favourite cookbook finds!

The Fall season in Calgary has been pretty lovely so far, albeit for those two snowstorm blips which we forget about each year until they happen again.

So, we’ve definitley enjoyed of walks in our favourite park and spent a bit of time in the mountains over Thanksgiving.

We have been eating apples and pears non-stop since the beginning of October.  I’m really enjoying apples in my oatmeal for breakfast. A quick little recipe I like to make:

• sauté apple or pear slices in a bit of butter in a small pot until they soften
• pour in a half-cup of quick-oats, a half-cup milk of your choice and sprinkle of cinnamon
• bring to a simmer and cook until oats are done to your liking
• top oatmeal with a combination of nuts, dried fruit and spices like walnuts, pumpkin seeds, maple syrup, cinnamon, raisins, hazelnuts or dried apricots

It’s a nice and quick breakfast that is super cozy for this time of year. Plus, you’re using apples or pears that are in season!

And, if you love cozy breakfast dishes like me you might like my Spiced Oatmeal with Honey Pears too.

A couple of other breakfast recipes I’ve been making lately are these Coconut Pancakes with Wild Blueberry Maple Syrup; perfect for the weekend. I’m seriously digging this Golden Granola from Broma Bakery too. And as you can see I’m really on an oats kick so these Hazelnut Oatmeal Golden Raisin Energy Bites are my go-to snack right now; super easy to meal-prep for the week ahead!

And, I think I’ve mentioned this cookbook before but all year it’s been a favourite of ours, the Love Real Food from Cookie & Kate is our go-to #meatlessmonday book! The salad recipes are especially amazing and there is a fairly simple pizza dough too.

So, let’s get inspired by What’s In Season in November to cook with!

Apples: Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal Muffins

Mushrooms: Mushroom Tart

Parsnips: Baked Parsnip Fries with Garlic Yogurt Dip

Pears: Baked Pears with Cardamon Cream

Sweet Potatoes: Turkey Breakfast Sausage Egg Muffins

Tomatoes: Pesto Baked Chicken

And, since it’s the season for gathering around the table, sharing delicious recipes and seeing friends and family I’ve made it even easier for you to find my recipes and menus that are perfect for entertaining. Check out the new section on the blog, Gatherings, to find inspiration!

Until the next cooking adventure,
Jess

The post What’s In Season – Monthly Favourites appeared first on Cooking in my Genes.

At the farmer’s market I’m starting to see a lot more fruit come in from British Columbia and much more seasonal vegetables too.

A lot of my inspiration for dishes come from What’s In Season so let’s chat what’s fresh for June plus my favourite recipes, cookbooks and a peak at my backyard garden too!

I absolutely adored this cookbook I took out from the library, Bake the Seasons, mostly classic baking recipes based on each season and some savoury recipes too. I didn’t have nearly enough time with this book so I’ve added it to my list to take out again.

We also made this tasty Spicy Noodle Salad from Food by Maria, a local blogger from Calgary! She also has a beautiful vegan cookbook, and even if you’re not vegan you can totalllly enjoy her recipes – many of them are just simple and delicious!

With some beautiful almost summer-like weather in May, we started planting our vegetable gardens! So far we’ve planted golden and candy cane beets, carrots, breakfast radishes, onions, garlic and arugula. Out of all of the vegetables, the breakfast radishes grow super fast so we can plant them almost 3 times throughout the summer.

If you like radishes I’d highly recommend trying them out! Radishes are such a great ingredient in salads and I also love them on toasts with feta or goat cheese. They’re such a great vegetable to plant when you’re starting out; whether you have a container garden or backyard garden, both are great!

This weekend I’m planting herbs, kale and jalapenos (they grew SO well last year, who knew!?)

So with all that said, let’s check out What’s In Season for June!

Cherries – Cherry Bourbon Lemonade Smash

Cucumbers – Summer Vegetables & Grains Salad

Fresh Herbs & Greens – Swiss Chard, Goat Cheese & Leek Frittata

Peppers – Roasted Summer Vegetable Salad

Strawberries – Strawberry Lemonade Rosé Punch

Rhubarb – Strawberry-Rhubarb Hand Pies

I’ve been testing many recipes this last month including a delicious tomato, arugula and pesto salad with fried halloumi cheese (OMG try this cheese if you haven’t yet!)

And, you’ll also see TWO rhubarb recipes coming to you in June; apparently I’m on some sort of a rhubarb kick but hey, it’s the season so why not! So I hope you like rhubarb too 🙂

Until the next cooking adventure,
Jess

The post What’s In Season – Monthly Favourites appeared first on Cooking in my Genes.