Mike’s back!!! It’s been a week since he left me and ‘The 6ix’ for 14 days in the capital city.  While Mike was in Ottawa, helping with a restaurant opening, I was in Toronto living the solo life.  I went for long runs along the Lakeshore, attended workout classes around the city, ate Kraft Dinner…and somehow contracted strep throat.

My 2 weeks solo started at a high and then quickly took a downward spiral at the start of week 2 once the sickness hit. …

I left the doctor’s office with prescription drugs in hand and headed straight back to my couch where I remained for the next 3 days. I was energy-less + feverish and all I wanted was a bowl of soup. I stayed locked in my condo without a single pack of instant ramen noodles, can of Cambells, or cube of boulion in sight. I was hungry! I know, that’s nothing new, but sick hungry is the WORST hungry.

On sick day #2, desperately waiting for the dinner delivery on justeat.ca to open up, I intermittently hit refresh on my web browser as I watched episode after episode of Downton Abbey and GIRLS. There’s nothing like Post Edwardian Aristocracy, a World War, the Spanish Flu, Early 20s female crises, and OCD to momentarily distract one from hunger.

Witin 60 minutes of Mike landing, we were en route to the grocers for dinner ingredients.  He was happy to be home; I was happy to have him back; and I was ecstatic to eat a Mike-made meal.

We opted for a fresh + low fuss yet highly delicious meal; caprese salad + grilled rib eye steaks + grilled veg [ramps + purple asparagus].  After a long hungry 2 weeks, this meal was exactly what I needed!

caprese salad

I have had many caprese’s but this one was, hands down, the best I’ve ever eaten.  Nothing beats fresh ingredients paired with burrrata + prosciutto [2 foods i could eat everyday for the rest of my life!].

heirloom tomatoes
shallots
garlic
basil
burrata cheese
prosciutto
salt + pepper
pesto [ recipe below ]

[ NEVER skimp on the burrata! | this ball of heaven was well worth the $]

mince garlic + shallots
slice tomatoes into wedges
combine garlic + shallots + tomatoes with basil leaves
toss in pesto | add salt + pepper to taste if needed
plate burrata cheese + layer tomato mixture on top
layer on prosciutto
add more pesto to the plate if desired

Once upon a time mike bought a large bag hemp hearts.  This bag of hemp hearts is apparently never ending.  Since entering my life, as I have no clue what to put it in, I have been sprinkling it on EVERYTHING – salads, dressings, sandwiches, pasta….  I have finally found a use for hemp hearts where they are the more substantial ingredient and not the sprinkled after thought; Pesto!

2 cups basil leaves
2 garlic cloves
1/4 cup hemp hearts [I didn’t have pine nuts and hemp hearts were the perfect substitute – I think I prefer them]
2/3 olive oil
1tsp fresh squeezed lemon juice
kosher salt + pepper to taste
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese

[ hemp hearts ]

rough cut basil leaves
rough chop garlic
combine basil + garlic + hemp hearts in a food processer | pulse
slowly add olive oil while pulsing the mixture until smooth
add lemon juice | pulse until all combined
add salt + pepper to taste
transfer to a bowl | add parmesan + mix until combined

Though I’m still behind on both Downton Abbey + GIRLS and will likely now have to sneak in episodes amidst the NBA playoffs, I’m more than happy to be catching up while not strerppy + feverish.

Here’s to good health + solid foods!

Downton Abbey photo fr zap2it.com
GIRLS photo fr timewarner.com