Family favorites

When i was growing up we had a few recipes that really made the rounds of our dinners, some i still make, others i have for some reason abandoned. Growing up eating little/no meat a lot of our meals were from "hippie cookbooks" with had drawn illustrations. The real favorite was "Mushrooms on Toast". I made this for years after moving out, then finally one day looked at my mom's original recipe - i wasn't even close!!! No matter who's version of mushrooms on toast i make, its always a great one. (even recently my dad made it - which is a miracle in itself)

A simple toasted tomato sandwich with mayo and cracked pepper is always a treat in the summer. Another family classic is caesar salad. My mom had this hand-written recipe on lined paper that has been folded and re-folded so many times. I can't remember the story but its the recipe from a famous toronto restaurant. I've got the recipe pretty much memorized, and i my humble opinion it is one of the best you'll ever have. I've tried tweaking it, but i end up coming back to the original. Its got egg yoke and anchovies which i think is one of the best things about it.

Most people find eating cheese and crackers as a meal a bit odd, but not me or my family. Sitting around the dining table with a variety of cheeses, assorted crackers, some olives being one of the most satisfying meals we could have. When i was younger i remember having a friends over for dinner, we were having cheese and crackers, they leaned in to ask me what was for dinner. I laughed and told them to eat up!

When i'm feeling a little rich i will stop by a nice grocery store, or kensington market and pick up a few cheeses for dinner. My favs - extra old white cheddar, caraway gouda/havarti, swiss, smoked cheeses. Lately i have been experimenting with adding chutneys and other savory additions like branson pickle. The best thing about these dinners is they leave you with great grilled cheese ingredients! (especially with my mom's rhubarb chutney)

Photos

Toasted tomato sandwich
Caesar ingredients
Fancy caesar salad with poached egg on rosemary crostini
Hippie Cookbooks
Dinner of champions! aka cheese