In this easy recipe, tender new potatoes get a punch up from three uniquely East Coast ingredients: Old Bay seasoning, Montreal bagel spice and New Brunswick dulse (dried seaweed). You’d be hard pressed to find another spice blend that works so well with crispy smashed potatoes.

It’s been a few months of recipe testing, and I’ve nailed the ultimate crispy potato plus the umami flavour profile that makes them completely addictive. In addition, I’m giving you several kitchen hacks for even crispier potatoes and a few shortcuts to keep this recipe simple.

New potatoes have just arrived at our local markets (hello summer my darling). Add them to your basket and roast a batch today!

Cozy Side Dish: Crispy Smashed Potatoes

This cozy side dish is great in any season. In summer, I serve the smashed potatoes alongside grilled meat – steaks, chicken, sausages, lamb chops. In the winter months, the potatoes bring a welcome crunch when paired with braised meats and pot roasts.

Don’t sleep on brunch, either. A heaping platter of extra crispy smashed potatoes makes an excellent accompaniment to scrambled eggs, quiche and your holiday brunch favourites.

There’s something so cozy about roasting potatoes – the crispy bits! The aromas! And since we’re celebrating A Year of East Coast Cozy, this recipe is an essential addition to your home cooking repertoire.

Bold Seasonings for Smashed Potatoes

I’ve tested this recipe with all three unique flavouring – Old Bay seasoning, Dulse powder, and Everything Bagel – and while this trio is my ultimate preferred coating, working beautifully together, the potatoes are delicious with any one of the seasonings. Use what you have.

Old Bay Seasoning

Delivers the salt n’ spice. The nostalgic East Coast spice blend. It’s essential for Seafood Boils; delicious with corn on the cob, and yes, insane on potatoes.

Dulse Powder

Delivers the umami. Dulse is a Maritime superfood and a really interesting, sustainable ingredient to play with. The dried seaweed is earthy, fishy and slightly salty – all in the best possible way. Dulse powder on your potatoes is like the anchovy in a Caesar salad dressing or fish sauce in your Pad Thai: essential umami.

TIP: I buy my dulse whole leaf (usually AquaVeggies) and make my own powder for cooking. Simply toast the dulse for 5 minutes in a skillet or oven until it is crisp. Cool, then grind in a mortar and pestle or crumble with your fingers. Store in an airtight container.

Everything Bagel Seasoning

Delivers the crunch. I like to add this seasoning to the potatoes after they have been roasted. This way the dried onion and sesame seeds don’t burn.

I adore the crunchy, salty Montreal Bagel Spice Blend from Montreal-based Spice Trekkers. They really nailed this one. Of course, you can use any ‘everything bagel’ blend – or make your own.

Hacks for the Best Crispy Smashed Potatoes

There are decent roast potatoes and then there are potatoes that completely steal the show, even when paired with a steak. At least this is my experience with today’s recipe! Here are my best tips for extra crispy smashed potatoes.

Add baking soda to the boiling water

This hack is from chef Christine Flynn’s cookbook A Generous Meal. A teaspoon of baking soda in the boiling water helps to break down the starches in the potato. Hence: even crispier potatoes! Read more: The science behind crisp roast potatoes.

Use the bottom of the pot to quickly smash potatoes!

After boiling, I tumble my potatoes onto a prepared tray, then use the bottom of the pot to crush them. It smashes all your potatoes in about 2 seconds and lets the steam escape quickly – with no burns to you.

Brush potatoes with olive oil

Instead of drizzling oil over the smashed potatoes, brush them generously using a pastry brush. This coats every bit of the spud and helps get the oil in the craggy parts.

Final tip: The Double Season

My strategy for maximum flavour on these potatoes is to Double Season. That is, season the potatoes before and after roasting. See above for Bold Seasonings for Smashed Potatoes. Taste the potatoes after they come out of the oven, and if they need more salt, douse again with dulse powder and a dash of Old Bay.

Toppings for Crispy Smashed Potatoes

Once you have your tray of roast smashed potatoes, it’s time to have fun with the toppings. Our toppings are the garnish, complimenting the crunchy potato, often with a creamy condiment like tzatziki, Greek yogurt or sour cream.

Toppings for crispy smashed potatoes can also round the dish into a meal, bacon…fried egg… etc. For more ways to make smashed potatoes a full meal, see the recipes below in Make It a Meal.

• Sour Cream & Green Onion Topping – recipe below–
• Chives & Greek yogurt
• Crispy Bacon & Kimchi
• Green Scallion & Ginger Oil
• Fried egg, crispy bacon
• Sauerkraut, sour cream
• Creamy Kefir Green Goddess Dressing
• Horseradish Creme Fraiche
• Creme Fraiche and Caviar ( New Brunswick, of course)

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Extra Crispy Smashed Potatoes

Use your favourite potato seasoning spice here, if you don't have any of my suggested flavourings. Cumin is lovely, as is just simple salt and pepper.

Course Side Dish

Cuisine Mediterranean

Keyword Gluten-free, Vegetarian

Essential Ingredient Potatoes

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 45 minutes minutes

Total Time 55 minutes minutes

Ingredients

• 2 lbs baby potatoes room temperature
• 1 1/2 teaspoons fine sea salt divided
• 1 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 4 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil divided
• 1/4 cup dried dulse optional
• 1 teaspoon Old Bay seasoning optional
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 2 Tablespoons Montreal bagel seasoning or Everything bagel seasoning

For the Sour Cream Sauce

• 1 cup full fat sour cream
• 1 Tablespoon dill pickle juice or lemon juice
• 3 Tablespoons chopped green onion or chives
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 450℉. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper; grease it with a drizzle of olive oil.
• In a large pot, cover the baby potatoes with 2 inches of cool water. Add 1 teaspoon of salt and the baking soda. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce heat to medium-low. Boil potatoes until fork-tender, about 15-17 minutes from boiling point.
• While the potatoes boil, toast the dulse in the preheating oven – just 3-4 minutes. Then cool. Crumble with your hands or grind in a mortar and pestle.
• In a small bowl, combine 1 Tablespoon powdered dulse, Old Bay, pepper and remaining half-teaspoon of salt.
• Drain potatoes, then tumble them onto the baking sheet. Place another sheet of parchment paper on top. Use the bottom of the pot to crush the potatoes down to 3/4 inch thick. They will split open! Remove the top sheet of parchment and save for another use.
• Using a pastry brush, generously coat each potato with 3 Tablespoons olive oil. The more time you take to brush into the crevices, the crispier the potatoes will be. Sprinkle the dulse/Old Bay seasoning over the potatoes.
• Place the pan on the bottom shelf of the oven. Roast potatoes for about 20-25 minutes or until very crispy. Ovens may vary. Keep an eye on them.
• While the potatoes are roasting, stir together the sour cream, pickle juice, green onions or chives and pepper. Set aside.
• Remove the roast potatoes from the oven and brush lightly with remaining olive oil. Sprinkle with Montreal bagel spice. Pile your crispy smashed potatoes high on a platter and serve immediately with sour cream chive sauce.

Notes

To make dust with New Brunswick dulse (seaweed), simply toast the dulse for 5 minutes in a skillet or oven until it is crisp. Cool, then grind in a morter and pestle or crush with a knife on a cutting board. 

Additional toppings for smashed potatoes include but are not limited to: kimchi, crumbled bacon, chimichuri, fresh herbs, horseradish creme fraiche, Green Goddess, saurkraut…the list goes on.

Make It a Meal

While I’d be very happy with a tray of smashed potatoes and my sour cream topping for dinner, everyone else wants protein.

Round out your crispy potatoes with a tray of roasted sausages (can cook at the same time), a shredded rotisserie chicken, or a quick grilled protein like pork chops.

Here are a few more suggestions to make it a meal.

• Spiced Lamb Chops with Hummus
• Grilled Chicken with Lemon
• Black Pepper Beef Filet with Horseradish Cream
• Easy Maple Mustard Chicken with Roasted Radishes & Asparagus 
• Pork Chops with Roasted Pears, Sage and Shallots

Original article: Cozy Side Dish: Crispy Smashed Potatoes

In January I launched the Year of East Coast Cozy series and since then we’ve embraced morning rituals, swapped soup, toasted grilled cheese and much more.

These recipes and actions have helped to restore us in a chaotic world and celebrate the everyday in simple ways. Now I want to challenge you to spreading these cozy vibes out into your community as we head into summer.

Showing up for a friend’s fundraiser or book launch, sharing a meal with your neighbours, regularly supporting a local farmer: these small gestures can make a big difference in these challenging times.

Nurturing a community where we truly feel a sense of belonging is paramount to personal well-bring. Read on for ideas on how to spread cozy in your community through hosting, outreach, shopping and more.

Lobster Supper | Devour: The Food Film Festival

East Coast Cozy: Summertime Edition

Lobster suppers. Church picnics. Strawberry socials. Oyster festivals. Seafood boils on the beach. When I think of community in Atlantic Canada, it almost always revolves around food in a casual and unfussy way. These neighbourhood events are meaningful rituals when there is so much uncertainty in the world.

The East Coast Cozy theme isn’t just for winter! In fact, summer is when we can reach out to others and make up for those long months of hibernation. Yes, I’m talking real life meet-ups and face-to-face interactions.

The way I see it? The cozy winter months are for anchoring ourselves and the summer months are when we soar. Maybe we’ll tire out, maybe we’ll get a little sunburnt along the way, but it’s worth it.

That blissful weariness when you crawl between cool sheets after spending a day at the beach or pool with friends, that is summertime cozy.

9 Ways to Spread Cozy in Your Community

I’m someone who has lived in five provinces in Canada and I’ve always had to carve out my community. In many cases I’ve had to build it from scratch – and that’s where this list comes in to play.

Below are my best ideas for how to spread cozy in your community – and at the same time, deepen a sense of belonging for yourself. Take a page from the Maritime lifestyle this season and foster those East Coast cozy vibes.

Shop Local & Support Markets

The farmer’s market is where I started looking for community when I first moved to Nova Scotia and I met so many like-minded people. Folks who care about supporting farmers, make an effort to be zero waste, and appreciate fresh ingredients – these are my people.

Once you’ve shopped at the market, make plans to meet up with friends for a picnic. Nova Scotia summers are a continuous invitation to picnic on a dock or a beach and I’m happy to accept. I’ve always got a basket at the ready, in fact, I even started the Community Zero Waste Picnic basket!

Start a Cookbook Club

I’ve written extensively about our Halifax cookbook club and I still haven’t accurately captured how much this culinary community means to me. We’re in our 8th year and meeting monthly at rotating homes. The full group is 15 members, but we average about 11 per gathering.

It’s a supportive group that challenges each other, encourages creativity, and always dishes up the cozy vibes.

• How and Why to Start a Cookbook Club
• Secrets to a Successful Cookbook Club

Support Community Events

Last month my sons and I ran a 5K fundraiser for a good cause; next weekend I’ll be co-hosting a book launch for Christine. There’s always ample opportunity to show up for folks in the community.

I love the like-minded people I meet along the way at these events: fellow creatives, political activists, and salt-of-the-earth individuals who care about each-other. So maybe it’s a peaceful protest, maybe it’s a film festival – look for ways to support your community and spread that feeling of warmth that comes with connection.

Host A Soup Swap

The ultimate cozy event. I wrote about soup swaping in January, but this can also be a summer event. Think corn chowder, spring green Minestrone and chilled soup. Now I want to do it all over again.

• How to Host a Soup Swap

Fill a Community Fridge or Pantry

Food bank usage reached an all-time high in 2025 and continues to climb (HungerCount, Food Banks Canada).

If you don’t know already, make a point of learning where the food banks, free pantries and soup kitchens are in your community. Then brainstorm how you can give back.

Donate. Volunteer. Advocate. These are all ways to support these establishments. There are two free pantries in my community – one I can walk to – and the kids and I love to spread some love and drop off cozy non-perishables.

Host a Harvest Dinner

As far a cozy events, this harvest dinner I organized in a Nova Scotia apple orchard ranks in the Top 3 of all time. It brought together food writers, farmers, podcasters, cookbook authors, event planners and all sorts of creatives around a long table filled to the brim. We were all closer because of it and I can’t wait to do it all over again.

• How to Host a Harvest Dinner Party

• An Orchard Harvest Dinner

Give Food for Others (sympathy meals)

Long-time readers of Simple Bites will know that sympathy meals have always been my love language. Dropping off a home-cooked meal is one of the easiest ways to spread love and cozy vibes in your neighbourhood.

Here in Halifax, my sister’s kiddo is moving out of university and into an apartment for the first time. The kids and I put together a cozy welcome basket for them last night – tender muffins, pancake mix, baking ingredients and other items to ease the transition. It doesn’t always have to be a lasagne!

• Cooking for Others: A Guide to Giving Sympathy Meals
• Sympathy Foods to Make and Give in Summer

Discover the Art of the Kitchen Party

Here on the East Coast, a kitchen party means a casual gathering with friends at home (and maybe gets a little crazy sometimes). It really is that simple. I love the term because it sounds more approachable then a dinner party.

The summer season can quickly slip by without any hospitality, so I try to be intentional about getting events in the calendar. Maybe it’s a retro barbecue, maybe it’s a seafood boil, but most often it’s a pot-luck, using the post below as a guide.

Eat Well, Spend Less: The Art of the Summer Pot-Luck

Host a Pie Social

This one is for the over-achievers, who get bored with pot-lucks and want to level up the cozy factor. I like to plan this event in late-summer or early fall, when absolutely everything is in season from blueberries to pears, peaches to pumpkins.

• How to Host an Old-Fashioned Pie Social
• A Fall Pie Social for a Cause

Not a fan of pie? Make it a cake picnic. Every August I host Cake by the Lake, a pot-luck gathering of 12 or so friends and an excuse to eat cake for dinner. This year, the theme will be Granny’s Recipe Box and I’ll encourage people to bring their favourite vintage cake or baked good.

Go forth and spread cozy vibes in your community! Thanks for reading ~ Aimee

Original article: How to Spread Cozy Vibes in Your Community

I feel like pulling the covers over my head to avoid it all – the scraping of the windshield, the frozen compost pail, the pulling on of socks – but instead I open my phone and scroll to photos of past springs. I see that the ice on the lake melts in late March, and by early April, the crocuses are up.

I know Spring is an eventuality, and with it will come the Easter holiday, and so I’m planning my menus in anticipation of peppery radishes, delicate chives and all the good things that come with the thaw.

I’m sharing two Easter menus, a hot and a cold lunch plan, both with plenty of do-ahead options. Brunch or lunch is my favourite time to host for this holiday for many reasons: eggs can be featured, hot cross buns are appreciated, and there’s plenty of time post-meal for a leisurely walk or nap.

A Cold Easter Lunch

Here’s a menu plan for a mostly do-ahead lunch that can be set out, buffet-style and guests can graze. I’ve kept it pretty light, but you could round out the meal with a platter of cold, sliced ham or a mound of shaved prosciutto and other cured meats. A few tins of smoked fish or seafood would also be fabulous, as would a platter of smoked salmon.

Beet Pickled Deviled Eggs

An updated classic appetizer! Dyed with a vibrant beet brine, these eggs bring a pop of colour to the table.
They contain fresh garden chives, a dab of Dijon and a generous spoonful of crème fraîche. You can also make them plain, without the beet brine.

Crudité & Herby Ranch Dip

This versatile Herby Ranch Dip is creamy and delicious; a perfect pairing for springtime crudité. It’s easy to make, uses ingredients you have on hand and keeps for several days in the fridge. What more do you want!?

Toast Two Ways

For the following two lunch-y bites, you could set out the ingredients and let folks build their own. Or, if you enjoy playing with food, assemble them yourself and serve on trays with a sprinkling of edible spring flowers (forsythia, pansy, violets, chive blossom, lilac, magnolia).

Cinnamon Toast with Ricotta and Strawberries

A napkin-lined basket of warm cinnamon toast always elicits an enthusiastic reaction in my house. It’s nostalgic and comforting, and downright delicious when paired with creamy homemade ricotta and sliced berries. Aim to use a nice crusty sourdough for this recipe.

Sea Salt Focaccia with Radish Butter

This fluffy focaccia can be made ahead of time and frozen. To serve, slice into strips, toast slightly and set out with radish butter, flaky salt and chives.

Easy Do-Ahead Easter Cookies

Both of these cookies freeze well and both are fun to make! Stock up on sprinkles and mini eggs, then invite the kids in the kitchen to play.

Funfetti Shortbread Cut-Out Cookies – My daughter’s favourite cookie, we bake them by the dozens to share with friends. It’s a classic, melt-in-your-mouth shortbread, cut into festive shapes and unadorned save for cheery sprinkles.

Cocoa Swirl Meringue Cookies with Mini Eggs – a fun treat to make with kids. Follow the recipe as usual and then fold in a 1/2 cup or so of chopped chocolate eggs or other Easter themed chocolate. Can be frozen. Store in an airtight container.

A Hot Easter Lunch

This menu plan works work well if you’ve got a bit more time and want to do a proper sit-down lunch. Made-ahead mini quiche are our appetizer – dressed up if desired with pickled red onion or flaked smoked fish.

A slow cooker cider ham is our no-fuss main, and then add as many side dishes as you like. Don’t forget to leave plenty of room for dessert, as everyone will be counting on a chocolaty finish.

French Onion Mini Quiche

The most elegant of appetizers to your Easter lunch or brunch. If desired, these can be made ahead, frozen and reheated in the oven for ease. I share lots of variations on the recipe so you can play around with lobster, bacon or even asparagus for your mini quiche.

Alternately, make a whole quiche! My Asparagus and Bacon Quiche tutorial serves up the very best results.

Roasted Radishes with Creamy Kefir Green Godess Dressing

Roasted radishes are paired with a vibrant green goddess dressing featuring creamy kefir – and the result is a cravable, colourful side dish. This recipe also works great with asparagus, or a radish/asparagus combination. This earthy dish is a great balance to rich Easter ham.

Wilted Mixed Greens with Bacon and Egg – This has become my quintessential spring salad featuring any and all baby greens available. A warm bacon vinaigrette makes this dish irresistible. Radishes bring the necessary crunch and cherry tomatoes the acidity.

Slow Cooker Cider Ham – Cinnamon-scented, mustard-crusted and apple cider braised, this tender ham is a simple and sensational main dish. Can be made ahead of time, carved, and later presented cold, room temperature or warm. Serve with mustard pickles or a bold chutney and tuck slices into the brown bread dinner rolls below.

Maritime Brown Bread Dinner Rolls – These tender buns round out any Easter menu. Slightly sweetened by molasses, they are perfect accompaniment to salty roast ham. I recommend baking them fresh, but they can be made ahead of time and reheated in the oven.

Easter Desserts for 6 or More

Here’s two make-ahead desserts that are relatively easy and can be decorated any way you like with Easter candy or simple chocolate shavings. From pavlova to chocolate, springtime dessert recipes are my favourite; browse the round-up for many more ideas.

Feed-a-Crowd Perfect Chocolate Cake – Easter Edition

My go-to layered chocolate sheet cake gets the Easter treatment with a full decoration of chocolate bunnies, eggs of all sizes and sprinkles. It’s a real showstopper and feeds 20+ people. The entire cake can be frozen, frosting and all.

Mocha Cream Pie with Espresso Whipped Cream or Chocolate Cream Pie – Another crowd-pleaser, this pie is a dream! make the coffee version or leave out the espresso powder in the recipe and it becomes a chocolate cream pie.

More Easter Desserts:

Springtime Dessert Recipes

Rhubarb Carrot Cake with Mascarpone Frosting

Easter Pavlovas with Lemon Whipped Cream and Vanilla-Rhubarb Compote

Happy Cooking and Baking, and Happy Easter to all who celebrate.

Original article: Two Easter Lunch Menus: Hot and Cold

In the Maritimes, brown bread doesn’t mean whole wheat bread as it does in many other parts of the country. Instead it’s a tender, molasses-oat loaf with a dark crumb that is served up in thick slabs, and in the Simple Bites kitchen, slathered with whipped molasses butter.

This style of bread is a perfect recipe for our East Coast cozy series; you’ll often see it offered in restaurants as a side to local fare. The sweetness of the molasses brown bread pairs perfectly with salty seafood and ham dishes.

Baking bread is a love language. I’d take a basket of warm rolls with molasses butter over a box of chocolates any day. Read on for the recipe and bake a batch of Maritime Brown Bread Dinner Rolls for your Valentine this month.

Maritime Brown Bread Dinner Rolls

A little over seven years ago our family moved from a Quebec homestead to Nova Scotia. Within a week of our arrival in Halifax, a friend dropped off homemade soup and molasses brown bread for us.

It was such a kind gesture, and the homecooked meal was a balm to our worn-out bodies. What I loved almost as much as the food was the handwritten recipe card for the bread, tucked into the basket. My friend knows me well!

I’ve played with her recipe over the years, and made some tweaks of my own. Ultimately, we love our Maritime brown bread as plump, pull-apart dinner rolls, warm from the oven and slathered with butter.

Ingredients for Brown Bread

Standard ingredients for brown bread include rolled oats and molasses. I’ve made the rolls a little heartier with the inclusion of ground flax, stoneground wheat flour and cornmeal.

A bit of butter in the dough helps to build even more flavour in our buns – and I much prefer butter to the shortening that is often listed in vintage recipes for brown bread.

It’s important to be able to pull together a recipe from pantry staples, and this recipe delivers with its relatively uncomplicated ingredient list. I try and always have these ingredients on hand because in the winter months, we’re baking buns at least once a week to pair with chili, soups and chowders.

Tips for Maritime Brown Bread

Soaking the grains

An important step in this recipe is soaking the oats, cornmeal and flax in hot water to help them lock away moisture. This results in an extra soft and tender dough that keeps our buns fluffy. If you want to geek out about this process, look up the tangzhong method for baking bread with oats.

Bake in a Cake Pan

For this style of dinner roll, I like to bake them all squished together in an 8 x 8 inch square cake pan (you can use a 9 inch round one too). This encourages them to expand upwards instead of sideways, giving us slightly less crust (then say, a hamburger bun, for example) and resulting in softer rolls.

Pair Buns with Molasses Butter

At the bottom of the post you’ll find our recipe for whipped molasses butter. It’s a simple two ingredient condiment, but can be punched up with maple syrup, cinnamon or ginger. It’s fantastic with the brown bread and great with our Simple Skillet Cornbread as well.

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Maritime Brown Bread

Old-fashioned molassed brown bread in dinner roll form, comforting and nourishing. Enjoy with whipped molasses butter.

Course Bakery

Cuisine Canadian

Keyword Baking

Essential Ingredient Molasses, Oatmeal

Servings 9 buns

Ingredients

• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup whole wheat flour stone-ground, if possible
• 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
• 1 cup rolled oats
• 3 Tablespoons cornmeal
• 2 Tablespoons ground flax seed optional
• 1 cup boiling water
• 6 Tablespoons molasses
• 2 Tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1/2 cup 2% milk
• 4 teaspoons active dry yeast
• pinch granulated sugar

Instructions

• Measure flours into a medium bowl. Add the salt, whisk, and set aside.
• In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the oats, cornmeal and flax. Pour the boiling water over the ingredients. Drop in the butter. Pour in the molasses.
• Mix on low just to combine everything and encourage the butter to melt. Then turn off the mixer and let the ingredients soak and cool down for 15 minutes. Switch the paddle attachment for the dough hook.
• Warm the milk gently in a small pot (105-115℉) or 'wrist warm'. Remove from heat, transfer to a small bowl to halt the heating. Whisk in the yeast and a pinch of sugar. Stir to activate the yeast, then let stand in a warm place until foamy, about 5 minutes.
• Scrape the foamy yeast into the mixer with the oat mixture. Add the flour all at once. Mix to roughly combine, then let stand for 5 minutes to rest and hydrate the dough.
• Knead the dough on low for 5 minutes, until smooth and stretchy. Lightly oil a clean bowl and place the dough inside. Loosely cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place until doubled in size, about 45 minutes.
• Lightly oil a 9-inch square pan. Turn the dough onto a clean surface and divide into 9 pieces. Roll each piece into a taught ball of dough and tuck into the pan 3 by 3. Cover loosely again and rise for 45 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 375℉.
• If desired, lightly brush the bread with milk and sprinkle a few rolled oats on top. Bake on the middle rack of the oven for 35-37 minutes, rotating the pan once, until dark brown. if you have a thermometer, the internal temperature should be 195℉ in the center.
• Remove from oven and serve warm with butter or Whipped Molasses Butter.

Recipes that Pair Well with Brown Bread Rolls

The deep flavour and slight sweetness of Maritime brown bread pairs perfectly with salty seafood dishes and hearty chowders. Imagine them with a smear of spicy mustard and a sliver of maple glazed ham. divine! Of course, you can serve these buns with any main dish; these are a few of our favourite pairings:

• Classic Beef Stew
• Simple Ciopino
• White Fish and Leek Chowder
• Slow Cooker Cider Ham
• Creamy Beef Stroganoff Soup
• Sweet Potato Black Bean Chili

Whipped Molasses Butter

Not essential to enjoying Maritime brown bread, but recommended, it this whipped molasses butter. It’s just 2 ingredients, whipped up into a golden spread that truly elevated the homemade bread experience. For a slightly sweeter variation, try it with a splash of pure maple syrup and a sprinkling of cinnamon.

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Whipped Molasses Butter

A simple spread that pairs well with Maritime brown bread.

Course Condiments

Cuisine Canadian

Keyword Baking

Essential Ingredient Molasses

Prep Time 3 minutes minutes

Cook Time 5 minutes minutes

Total Time 8 minutes minutes

Servings 2 people

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup salted butter room temperature
• 2 Tablespoons molasses or to taste
• 1 teaspoon pure maple syrup optional

Instructions

• In a small bowl, using a handheld mixer, beat the butter until creamy and smooth.
• Drizzle in the molasses and maple syrup, if using. Whip again until completely incorporated and the butter is light and fluffy. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and mixer. Beat again.
• Taste, and whip in additional molasses for a more pronounced flavour. Transfer the whipped molasses butter to a jar. Use at once, or cover and refrigerate for up to one week. Bring to room temperature before spreading.

Original article: Maritime Brown Bread Dinner Rolls

I am a morning person. It’s probably best to preface this post with that disclaimer. I’m also a sit-down breakfast sort of person who relaxes when there is a rhythm to the day.

For me, a bit of self care in the morning comes in the form of a simple table laid beautifully. A tablecloth or a linen napkin, a candle or two, and our ever-present breakfast tray of hearty toppings for yogurt, hot cereals and more.

Today I’m sharing how the small act of creating a breakfast table tray of ‘superfood sprinkles’ can set you up for a new healthy habit and a comforting start to the day.

Designer Bryan Graybill shares my love of a breakfast ritual. In a fantastic feature for Homes and Gardens, he says ‘Ceremony comes from repetition, not excess. A tray set the same way each morning is more elegant than a table styled once a month.’

I love that approach. But unlike Graybill, you and I don’t need to eat our breakfast in a $350 Hermès bowl. When I introduced my Year of East Coast Cozy series, I promised to share how we celebrate the everyday in simple ways.

Reading the above article, I immediately thought of our tray of breakfast toppings, which has been a staple in the Simple Bites dining room for a decade. And so I’m sharing with you how to build your own and keep it fresh!

A Tray of Healthy Breakfast Topping

In her award-winning cookbook, At Home In the Whole Foods Kitchen, author Amy Chaplin featured an easy little recipe for a ‘Superfood Breakfast Sprinkle’ for her morning oats. Ground flax, maca root powder and wheat germ made up the simple mix, and, a decade ago, I embraced the habit of adding it to my morning yogurt & cereals.

Over time, I expanded the mix to include chia seed, hemp hearts, coconut flakes and so on. The whole family caught on to the healthy habit and our breakfast tray was born to keep up with supply and demand.

Now, instead of the pre-mixed ‘superfood sprinkle’, I set out the pantry ingredients in individual jars so everyone can customize their breakfast bowls.

Here’s what goes into our tray of healthy hot cereal and yogurt toppings. My suggestion would be to start with one ingredient from each pantry category to start building your breakfast tray.

• Seeds: Pumpkin seeds. Chia seeds. Ground flax seed. Sunflower seeds
• Grains: Wheat germ. Bran flakes. Granola.
• Fruit & Nuts: Raisins or currants. Dried cranberries. Coconut flakes. Nuts of all kinds, especially almonds.
• Other Superfoods: Hemp hearts. Maca powder. Ground Turmeric.

Uses for Healthy Breakfast Toppings

We love our simple breakfast bowls in the mornings, whether they be butter-toasted steel-cut oats or Greek yogurt with a drizzle of maple syrup. However, over the 20-ish years I’ve been blogging, I’ve developed many hearty variations that have kept our mornings interesting.

From bircher muesli to baked oatmeal, here are a few of our favourite ways to start the day. ALL are improved with a scattering of nuts, seeds and grains from our ever-present tray of healthy toppings.

• Quinoa Breakfast Bowls – A hearty gluten-free, dairy-free recipe.
• Brown Butter Toasted Oatmeal – Our favourite for decades! Add roasted pears or spiced apple preserves.
• Mix and Match Homemade Granola – A fantastic granola formula that uses what you have in the pantry.
• Apple Almond Bircher Muesli – A nourishing, do-ahead breakfast that’s easy to stir together.

• Simple Chia Pudding – Enjoy as a parfait with Greek yogurt and fruit. Plus toppings!
• Apple Pie Baked Oatmeal – A comforting, family-size breakfast bake that hints of pie.
• Savoury Steel-Cut Oats with Parmesan – A stick-to-your ribs start to the day. Add a fried egg for a true bliss bowl.
• Cottage Cheese & Yogurt Parfait – Layer this breakfast with your favourite granola and fruit compote. Plus toppings, of course!
• Make-Ahead Steel-Cut Oatmeal with Maple-Stewed Berries – A nourishing, make-ahead breakfast of pure comfort. Use fresh or frozen berries for this breakfast.

Tips for Keeping Seeds, Nuts & Grains Fresh

This stuff is expensive, right!? I almost always buy in bulk, as it’s the most cost effective, which means I have to be vigilant that the ingredients don’t go stale or rancid.

Jars! Jars! Jars! Storing ingredients in jars is the best way to see what you have on hand and what is getting low. A sealed jar also keeps the food airtight, protected from moisture or pantry bugs/critters.

Small Jars. For your breakfast tray, set out small portions in little 250ml oe 125ml jars and replenish as needed. You will know how quickly your household will go through the ‘sprinkles’. Ingredients like ground flax and wheat germ will go rancid in a few weeks at room temperature, so don’t set out too much.

Store out of the sunlight. After breakfast, grab your tray and store it on a sideboard or hutch, out of the sun. This will help to extend the freshness of the nuts & seeds.

Cold Storage. Keep the remainder/backup of superfoods in the freezer as the cold will extend their shelf life. I store them in – you guessed it – more jars, clearly labeled with the date of purchase.

Canadians, buy local when you can. I use well.ca/shop-canadian for brands that support Canadian farmers and producers. Love those Manitoba Harvest hemp hearts!

Original article: Cozy Morning Rituals and Healthy Breakfast Ideas

My friends, here’s a cake for you, because we made it through the longest, most difficult month on the calendar.

It’s a comforting dessert that I gravitate towards during the winter months, when summer fruits are a distant memory, and my cravings must be satiated with pantry-inspired creations.

This Ukrainian honey cake is winter in a dessert, with snow-white drifts of tangy frosting and a delicate crumb. Once sliced, it reveals beautiful layers of honey cake and soft cream; a few toasted walnuts on top provide the contrast of texture.

Read on for the recipe and my Fika tradition.

Fika or Keeping Cozy with Cake

The concept of keeping cozy is global, with Scandinavia leading the way. Perhaps you’ve embraced hygge, the Danish cozy, or Norwegian koselig, a broader term for cozy.

The Swedes have a beautiful ritual called Fika, which is simply pausing during the day for coffee and a sweet treat, ideally with a friend. It takes absolutely zero convincing for me to include fika in my afternoon and today’s recipe is perfect for sharing.

It’s hard to improve on tea time when a slice of Ukrainian honey cake is served with my Earl Grey floral latte. Is there a better way to keep cozy in winter? I think not.

We do not remember days, we remember moments ~ Italian poet Cesare Pavese

Essential to Know For Ukrainian Honey Cake

Making the Cake

Make in Advance. Like any icebox dessert, Ukrainian honey cake takes time, which we have in abundance during these dark days of the year.

It’s essential to make the honey cake a day before you plan to serve it. The refrigerator time gives the crisp cake layers time to soften and soak up the cream filling.

Use Best Quality Honey. I love a deeply floral, raw honey that I get from a nearby farm. Look for wildflower honey, if possible.

Make the cake in stages. If you’re on a time crunch, you can tackle this recipe in manageable steps:

1. Read through the recipes. Assemble all ingredients + equipment
2. Mix up the honey dough and chill up to 24h.
3. Roll and bake the cake rounds. Store these in an airtight container for 24h.
4. Whip up the frosting/filling. Store up to 48h, refrigerated.
5. Assemble the cake and chill 24h.

The honey cake can be frozen. In a fantastic do-ahead win, the entire frosted cake can be placed in the freezer and stored (airtight) for up to 4 weeks. The cake in these photos was made in advance, frozen, then thawed overnight in the fridge.

Serving the Cake

Serve at room temperature. All cake should be served at room temperature (with the exception of cheesecake). A cake that has time to shake off the chill of the fridge will have flavours that are more pronounced and a crumb that is relaxed and tender.

Serve with a wintry fruit preserve. I love roasted cherries, blueberry preserves, or a rhubarb compote. This is your opportunity to dig into the pantry and find that special jar of fruit preserves you have been saving! Alternately, visit an Eastern European grocery store and pick up a jar of sour cherry preserves to top the cake.

Decorate with walnuts. Optional, but recommended. These nuts are a staple of Eastern European cuisine, and pair exceptionally well with the honey. Toast and cool the walnuts before adding them to the top of the cake.

Inspiration for Ukrainian Honey Layer Cake

Last spring, my cookbook club hosted a Ukrainian-themed gathering, with everyone cooking and baking from Ukrainian authors. I wrote about it here and Halifax food photographer Michelle Doucette captured the spread beautifully on camera.

I never pass up an opportunity to bring a show-stopping dessert to our cookbook club, and since I was cooking from BUDMO by Anna Voloshyna, I knew I wanted to make her Glorious Honey Cake.

I had made Anna’s cake a few times before, and was comfortable enough with the method that I decided to play around with the recipe to suit my tastes.

Many versions of Medovik or Honey Cake exist in Slavic baking. Anna herself makes a few variations like this Honey Cake Roll, featuring dulce de leche, and this six-layer beauty that incorporated prunes and hazelnuts.

My version, inspired by Budmo, is slightly smaller than the cookbook’s recipe – 9 layers, 8-inches round. I increased the amount of icing both in the filling and on the top, for a cake that is slightly more fluffy and creamy. I also omit the crumbs around the sides and top of the cake, instead opting for a few toasted walnuts for crunch.

I hope you enjoy this Ukrainian Honey Cake!

Print

Ukrainian Honey Cake

A simple, yet elegant Ukrainian icebox layer cake consisting of softened honey-sweetened crackers and a tangy-sweet vanilla sour cream filling.

Note that there are several chill times, so make this cake the day before you plan to serve it. Adapted from 'Budmo' by Anna Voloshyna

Course Desserts

Cuisine Ukrainian

Keyword Baking, Cake

Essential Ingredient Honey

Prep Time 1 hour hour 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time 25 minutes minutes

chilling time x2 6 hours hours

Total Time 7 hours hours 45 minutes minutes

Servings 10 people

Ingredients

For the cake layers

• 1/2 cup unsalted butter
• 1/2 cup liquid honey floral
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 3 large eggs room temperature
• 3 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt

For the frosting

• 1 1/2 cups 35% cream
• 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 2 Tablespoons liquid honey
• 3 1/2 cups sour cream full fat, room temperature
• 1/2 cup walnut pieces for decorating

Instructions

Make the Cake Layers

• In a medium pot, combine the butter, honey and sugar over medium heat. Stir with a heat resistant spatula just until the butter and honey melt and the ingredients are well mixed. Transfer to a large bowl and cool until only warm, not hot. Whisk in the eggs to the honey mixture until it is smooth and glossy.
• In another bowl, combine the flour, baking soda and salt. Gently fold the flour into the wet ingredients and mix to form a ball. It will be very soft. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and chill for 1 hour.
• Preheat the oven to 400℉. Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper. Unrap the dough on a well-floured counter and divide into 10 equal pieces. Roll these into balls. Keep the dough balls covered with a clean tea towel so they don't dry out.
• Working with one dough ball at a time, roll into a thin circle, about ⅛ inch thick. Set an 8-inch round cake pan on top and cut around it to make a perfect 8-inch circle of dough. Pull away and reserve the scraps. Carefully transfer the thin round of dough onto the parchment-lined baking sheet. Roll and trim a second round of dough and also place it on the sheet pan.
• Place the pan on the middle rack of the oven and bake for 6 or 7 minutes until dark golden brown. Transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely. Cool the pan. Meanwhile, roll two more dough rounds, cut and measure, bake and cool. Repeat until you have 9 rounds baked and cooled.
• Gather all the scraps, and the 10th ball of dough and roll it out thinly. Use cookie cutters to cut out some honey graham crackers for snacking and lunches. Bake until golden.

Make the frosting

• In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, whisk together the whole cream, sugar and vanilla on medium high speed until soft peaks form. Drizzle in the honey and whip unil stiff peaks form. Remove the whisk and gently fold in the sour cream until just incorporated.

Assemble the Cake

• Scoop a dollop of frosting onto a large cake plate and press a cake layer on top. This will anchor it to the plate. Top with a generous ½ cup of frosting, using an offset spatula to smooth it to the edges in a thin layer. Top with a second cake layer, pressing it gently into the frosting and topping it with another ½ cup of frosting. Continue layering until all 9 layers are stacked up with sour cream frosting sandwiched in between.
• Spread the remaining frosting over the sides and top of the cake until it is snowy white. Place under a cake dome if you have one, or very large bowl, and refrigerte for 6 hours or ideally, overnight.
• To Serve: Top honey cake with a ring of toasted walnuts. Cut into wedges and serve with fruit preserves or additional whipped cream.

Notes

While the cake can be sliced after 4 hours in the fridge, it is most delicious and has the best texture after an overnight chill.

More Ukrainian Cuisine

Want to cook and bake more Ukrainian recipes? Eastern European food works so well for this time of year, with its rustic root vegetables, ferments and hearty soups/stews. Here are a few of our favourite Ukrainian comfort foods, now and always.

• Cranberry Walnut Rogaliki Cookies
• Pampushky (Garlic Buns)
• Paska: Ukrainian Easter Bread
• Vegan Borscht Soup Recipe

All images of complete cake by Michelle Doucette Photography for Cookbook Club. Follow her on Instagram @east.coast.food.stories

Original article: Ukrainian Honey Cake Recipe (Medovik)

Three decades after my Yukon upbringing and I’m still curating that cozy life, like sipping an Earl Grey floral latte while curled up with a favourite cookbook. From hosting a soup swap with friends to long walks on the frozen lake, I know that a simple, analog lifestyle is my kind of luxury.

The cold months are ideal for finding joy in simple pleasures, like today’s sauerkraut grilled cheese sandwich recipe. Salty. Tangy. Crispy. Cheesy – this recipe showcases how a Ukrainian Canadian does comfort food in winter.

In Praise of the Sauerkraut Grilled Cheese

This sandwich is peak January snacking (lunching?). On the coldest of days, I keep a cast iron pan on the back of stove, and as the family trickles home from school/work/gym in the afternoon, I toast melty cheese sandwiches for all. Cozy? yes indeed.

I keep a stash of sliced bread -rustic and whole grain- in the freezer to facilitate this quick bite, and the rest comes together with whatever cheese and condiments I have in the fridge. Sauerkraut keeps forever, so I always have a jar on hand.

The sauerkraut/apple/Gruyere combination is a favourite of ours (think: Ruben sandwich, but simplified). It’s tangy and good for your gut. Pair it with a bowl of Borscht, and you have a gorgeous winter meal.

Grilled Cheese 101

I’ll try to keep this short, but there are a few kitchen tips that help create a kicking grilled cheese:

• Hearty Bread. you want two slices that can hold up to the fillings. I like a rustic country loaf, sourdough or hearty whole grain bread.
• Cast Iron Pan. It makes the best crust. Allow time for it to heat properly. More on cooking with cast iron.
• Mayonnaise for Golden Crust. Yes, using mayo instead of butter on the outside of the bread will give you an overall better toasting. Butter will burn too quickly and the cheese won’t have enough time to melt properly.
• Watch the Salt. If you’re using a salty cheese (aged cheddar, for example), use unsalted butter on the bread. And always balance out the sandwich with a bold mustard, chutney, even a drizzle of hot honey.

Variations on the Sauerkraut Grilled Cheese

Bread, cheese and sauerkraut are really all you need for this comforting bite, but here are a few ideas for playing around.

• Hot mustard. I love a hot condiment with this sandwich. Grainy mustard is my go-to. Horseradish is fantastic as well. A spicy tomato chutney might be great too.
• Bacon. For a breakfast grilled cheese tuck a little bacon into the sandwich. Don’t go overboard or it get too salty.
• Fruit. Thin apple or pear slices bring a lovely sweetness to the sandwich. Choose Russet or Granny Smith apples and slice them very thin.
• Smoked meat. With corned beef or pastrami for a Ruben-inspired sandwich.

To Serve: Since I’ve got the pan on the stove, I’ll fry up a few slices of kielbasa to go with the sandwich. Pickles are another great option.

Love Hot Sandwiches? Bookmark this decadent Asparagus & Lobster Grilled Cheese to try in the springtime.

Print

Sauerkraut Grilled Cheese Sandwich

A lovely little winter lunch recipe, satisfying cravings for all things cheesy, crunchy and tangy. Sauerkraut is the hero of this sandwich; a pantry staple that pairs perfectly with mild cheese and tart apples.

Course Lunches

Cuisine Ukrainian

Keyword Sandwich

Essential Ingredient Cheese, Sauerkraut

Prep Time 5 minutes minutes

Cook Time 10 minutes minutes

Total Time 15 minutes minutes

Servings 1

Ingredients

• 2 slices sourdough bread or other crusty bread
• 2 teaspoons mayonnaise
• 2 teaspoons unsalted butter softened
• pinch celery seed optional
• 1 teaspoon grainy mustard
• 1/2 cup sauerkraut drained
• 1 small tart apple Russet or Granny Smith
• 4 slices mild, firm cheese Gruyere, Swiss or Emmental

Instructions

• Preheat a medium size cast iron pan over medium heat.
• Spread the two outer sides of the bread with mayonnaise. Spread one slice of the inside with butter and sprinkle with celery seed, if using. Spread the other side generously with mustard.
• Place the sauerkraut on a clean napkin or tea towel and ring out the excess moisture. Arrange the kraut on one side of the bread.
• Thinly slice the apple, then arrange the cheese and apple on top of the 'kraut, layering them together. Top with bread, mayo side out.
• Carfully transfer the layered sandwich to the preheated skillet and reduce the heat to low. Place a small square of parchment paper on top of the sandwich and weigh it down with another pan to flatten it somewhat.
• Toast the grilled cheese for about 5 minutes or until deeply golden. Flip and repeat. Watch for the cheese to be melted through.
• Transfer the sandwich to a cutting board. Slice in half with a serrated knife and enjoy at once.

Trending: Cabbage!

I’m thrilled that cabbage is having a well-deserved moment right now. It’s affordable, accessible and versatile; everything we need in this economy.

In a stunning culinary journey across Eastern Europe, author Alissa Timoshkina celebrates the humble vegetable in her cookbook, Kapusta (literal translation: cabbage), devoting an entire chapter to the cruciferous green head. It’s a great resource for cabbage recipes, it you’re looking for inspiration.

More Cabbage Recipes on Simple Bites:

• Quick Chinese Chicken & Cabbage Spaghetti
• Roasted Cabbage Salad with Brown Butter Croutons
• Simple Vegan Borscht Recipe
• Carrot, Cabbage and Roasted Cauliflower Salad
• Slow Cooker Lazy Cabbage Rolls
• Ukrainian Cabbage Roll Soup via The Kitchen Magpie

Original article: Sauerkraut Grilled Cheese Sandwich

In winter, a nourishing soup is practically a currency. After the swap, when all the litres are lined up in a row in the freezer, it evokes feeling of abundance; luxury, even!

My cookbook club gathers for a soup swap every fall, when produce is exploding at the markets, but really, this swap works well in any season. In winter, lean into pulses and winter vegetables like squash, carrots, onions and cabbage.

We’re intentionally curating a Year of East Coast Cozy in 2026, and this post is going to help you get there.

Initiating a Soup Swap

Invite 8-10 people. Most likely 6 or 7 guests will commit, providing 8 varieties of soup, including yours. Invite them in the easiest way for you (group text, email, neighbourhood chat) and outline these suggestions below:

• Bring 6-8 litres of soup to swap, plus a few cups for tasting.
• Scale up a tried and true recipe. Now isn’t a good time to experiment, please.
• Select a date, time, and share your address.
• Choose a freezer-friendly soup, stew or chowder. Fortunately nearly all soups freeze well. The ones that don’t re-heat well tend to be the soups with lots of dairy or potatoes.

That’s all you need to get the ball rolling.

Transporting Soup for a Swap

This is always the topic that brings up the most questions: how the heck am I to get eight litres of soup across town?! Answer? Anyway you know how, really, but here are two options.

Pre-Measured Jars or Liters of Soup

Guests can arrive with the soup pre-measured into 1 litres (quart) containers that they intend to giveaway. A wide-mouth mason jar or a clear plastic container is great.

If a soup recipe is finished with croutons, cream, chopped fresh herbs or other toppings, don’t add this to the soup you are swapping. Instead, bring the condiments on the side. Also? Make sure soup is cool before you transfer it into plastic containers.

Large Pot or Lidded Container

Alternately, guests can bring soup in large pots, then portion it out at the swap. My friends seal off their pots with plastic wrap, then load it into a towel-lined laundry hamper for transport. You may want to bring a ladle and funnel, too, as you will be filling your jars at the swap. Of course, if you have a pressure cooker that seals, that’s ideal for transporting soup.

Hosting a Soup Swap

A host should plan to reheat and serve the tasting portions of soup that guests are bringing. Small bowls or ramekins work well for this. Or folks can bring a muffin tin and taste a whole ‘flight’ of soups!

If baking is enjoyable for you, serve some garlic buns or have a pan of cornbread warm from the oven. No pressure, though. The whole goal of the swap is to make less work for yourself.

A sleeve of crackers and wedge of cheese is a perfectly acceptable accompaniment to the soup. You could ask guests to BYOB.

Make it cozy! Light candles and put on some music. Heat up some hot spiced cider for guests to warm up with as they wait for everyone to gather.

Taste and Swap Soup

Once all the soup is portioned into containers and labeled, it’s time to taste the soup. Guests can introduce their soup if they like, including instructions for reheating or suggestions for garnishes/accompaniments.

Swap soup! Each guest leaves with the amount of soup they contributed. So if you brought 6 quart jars, you can choose 6 from the table.

Exchange the recipes, too! Have guests bring a handful of printouts with the recipe on them for guests to take home. This is helpful in case anyone has an allergy and they want to scan the ingredient list. You may also discover a new favourite soup and wish to replicate the recipe at home…

Soup Recipe Recommendations for Freezing

Pictured above, 10 of 12 litres of my Creamy Carrot Ginger Soup, batch cooked for my last swap, awaiting lids and transport. It’s one of my favourite recipes to freeze because it scales up so well and reheats beautifully. The chickpeas help maintain a lovely viscous texture and the spices only deepen.

At my last swap we had everything from lentil soup to sauerkraut soup, borsht, squash, carrot, corn, tomato….it was an impressive line-up.

Here are a few more soup recipes that freeze well and are loved by all:

• Homestyle Cream of Tomato Soup
• Vegan Borscht (Ukrainian beet & cabbage soup)
• Big Batch Chicken Noodle Soup
• Hearty Sausage Vegetable Soup (hold the pasta)
• Slow Cooker Chicken Chili
• Butternut Squash and Apple Soup
• Slow Cooker Coconut Curry Red Lentil SoupHarvest Corn Chowder
• Roasted Red Pepper Soup
• Simple Lentil Pumpkin and Kale Soup
• Roasted Carrot and Cilantro Soup
• French Onion Soup

Happy Swapping!

Original article: How to Host a Cozy Soup Swap

Happy January! Whew, it’s cold out there. Let’s warm up with a honey-sweetened Earl Grey floral latte that hints of orange zest and lavender.

In case you missed it, we’re embracing a full Year of East Coast Cozy in 2026 and you can join in from anywhere you are on the planet. Keeping cozy is a mindset that can expand to all parts of our life – home, family, friends, gatherings, community – but it is anchored in the kitchen, the heart of the home.

Put the kettle on and let’s get into this all-new recipe.

Daily afternoon tea is a ritual that brings a cozy moment to my day. If I’m lucky, the winter sun will be slanting through the windows, and I can steal a few quiet moments before the kids get home from school.

I might journal, read or work on a puzzle. I might accompany the tea with a cranberry walnut rogaliki, the ultimate tea-time cookies. It’s a reflective pause that punctuates a busy day.

A fragrant London Fog-style Earl Grey latte is my preferred afternoon sip, using lavender dried from my kitchen garden.

My lavender plants thrive here in Nova Scotia, where I never had much success in Quebec. Every year I dry bundles of it and work lavender into recipes throughout the year, like shortbread, fruit crisps, and these blueberry preserves.

Another wonderful culinary development since moving to the Maritimes is I now have a raw honey supplier. My sister and I share a 32-pound bucket, dividing it up between us into jars of glistening gold.

Raw honey has many health benefits, and in cold and flu season, we consume it liberally. Maple syrup has our hearts, but there’s nothing like a spoonful of honey when your throat is feeling sore.

Simple Tips for an Earl Grey Latte

The cozy ritual of steeping the tea and steaming the milk for this beverage is almost as relaxing as drinking the tea. Here’s how to make the best sip ever.

• Batch prep the honey syrup. This keeps for a few weeks in the fridge, just getting better with age.
• Preheat your cup or mug. We want the tea to stay hot, so fill it with warm water before steeping the tea.
• Brew strong Earl Grey! I always get the tea steeping before I steam the milk.
• Use best quality tea. I love the loose leaf Earl Grey from Spice Trekkers or the luxurious Bergamot Black Tea with dried bergamot citrus peels from Italy. A keepsake from my trip to London last fall was a pretty Morris & Co tin of Earl Grey tea from the V&A gift shop.
• Use Whole Milk for a rich cream tea, steamed very hot.
• For the best foamed milk, use an electric milk frother. Not necessary but fun!

Tip: Avoid microplastics by choosing plant-based tea bags; they should be labeled as such.

Spiced Honey Syrup

A lavender-infused honey syrup sweetens our Earl Grey floral latte. Lavender is traditional, made popular by the London Fog. Sometimes a splash of vanilla is added.

Use the best lavender you can find, ensuring that it is culinary grade. Start local, checking farmer’s markets and local culinary shops. Online in Canada you can find lavender from Provence shipping from Epice de Cru.

I like to add fresh orange peels, to up the citrusy flavour of the bergamot. You could use clementines or mandarin oranges too.

Lastly, for our spiced honey syrup, I sprinkle in a pinch of freshly ground black pepper for a gentle heat that warms the tummy.

Syrup Variations:

The simple honey infusion can be a stepping off point for many other flavour variations.

• Grated ginger
• Green cardamom
• fresh or dried mint
• dried rose petals
• dried clover flowers

Print

Earl Grey Floral Latte

Course Drinks

Cuisine British

Keyword Gluten-free

Essential Ingredient Honey

Cook Time 10 minutes minutes

Total Time 10 minutes minutes

Servings 1 people

Ingredients

• 1 bag Earl Grey tea or 1 tsp loose leaf
• 1/2 cup whole milk or dairy-free milk
• 2 teaspoons Lavender Honey Syrup or to taste

Instructions

• Warm a large tea cup or mug by swirling hot water through it. Place tea bag in the mug and cover with 1 cup of boiling water. Cover and let steep for 5 minutes. We want it to be very strong Earl Grey.
• In a small pot over low heat, warm milk and syrup together until steamy. Remove from heat. Add an immersion frother and froth milk until you have a good inch of foam.
• Pour the frothy milk and foam into the tea. Keep or remove the tea bag, it's up to you. I like to steep the tea a little further once the milk is added.
• Optional: Top with a few sprinkles of dried lavender and serve at once.

Notes

For a dairy free option, steam a non-dairy milk of your choice. Oat milk creates excellent foam and is delicious paired with the lavender.

Make it vegan. Steamed blant-based milk and substitute pure maple syrup for the honey.

Lavender Honey Orange Syrup Recipe

You’ll want to keep this fragrant syrup on hand all year long as it’s excellent for sweetening tea, hot or cold. It’s my favourite for stirring into herbal infusions like thyme, sage or Greek mountain tea. And this Roasted Apple & Rosemary Tisane is all the more delicious when sweetened with a honey syrup.

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Lavender Orange Honey Syrup

A fragrant, floral syrup used for sweetening tea, hot or cold.

Course Drinks

Cuisine British

Keyword Dairy-Free

Essential Ingredient Honey

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup raw liquid honey
• 1/4 cup boiling water
• 1 orange
• 1 teaspoon dried lavender buds
• pinch black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Instructions

• Combine the honey and water in a small pot over medium heat. Bring to a boil and remove from heat.
• Use a vegetable peeler to peel 5-6 strips of orange into the pot. Add the lavender, pepper and vanilla. Cover the pot and let steep for 2 hours.
• Strain the syrup into a small jar. Can keep in the refrigerator for about 2 weeks.

More January Rituals

• I reach for familiar cookbooks with comforting recipes. Here are my 2025 favourites.
• Revisit comfort foods and restorative kitchen rituals.
• At some point I do a pantry restock of healthy ingredients, a cliche, I know. But it does help when I’m creating a family menu plan and I can whip up recipes from the whole foods pantry.
• Make plans for gatherings through the seasons.

Original article: Earl Grey Floral Latte Recipe

My Year of East Coast Cozy series is inspired by a lengthy scroll through my photo roll of the past seven years in Nova Scotia. I realize that much of the happiness in our life is measured in meals shared, memories made, and outdoor adventures.

‘Cozy’ is a through-line of it all. Being cozy means slowing down, finding joy in the small things and being present in everyday life. But it is much more than a cup of cocoa by a fireplace.

Cozy expands to all parts of our life – home, family, friends, gatherings, community – but it is anchored in the kitchen, the heart of the home, and in an increasingly chaotic world, keeping cozy has been a salve.

Cozy as Self-Care. Here, Now.

Over the many years spent in the Simple Bites kitchen, I’ve come to understand how cooking and baking, when approached with intention, can be a form of self-care. The act of sharing a meal with others can bring strength, comfort, and in some cases of sympathy meals, radical love.

As I drafted this series, I struggled with self-doubt: is it frivolous to write about keeping cozy when many are grieving the current state of humanity?

Fortunately my love of cookbooks came to my aid (links at the bottom of the post). This year many beloved authors showed me that now, more than ever, we need the powerfully restorative comfort of cooking to counter the chaos bombarding us. It’s not showing indifference to suffering; it’s nourishing ourselves to do small things with great love. (HOW is that post 9 years old?)

For example, in Good Things, author Samin shares ‘How to Build an Oasis in Time’ – a guide to creating a dinner ritual with friends or family. Sounds cozy to me.

Tamar Adler writes to soothe pain in her latest book, Feast on Your Life, finding solace in creating cozy comforts like cinnamon toast and long-simmered beans. I totally get it.

Finally, and most impactfully for me, was psychologist-turned-baker Helen Goh’s Baking and the Meaning of Life. Seven inspiring chapters that explore how baking gives our life meaning through nurturing, connection, celebration, creativity and much more. This is the cozy energy I want to carry into 2026.

Over the past few years, nurturing, cozy living has become second nature for my family and me. The Danes call it hygge, and nearly every culture has their own form of cozy self-care. I know I’m not introducing anything new; I’ll be merely sharing my approach and recipes in this series.

Why East Coast Cozy?

A Sense of Place

I’ve lived all over Canada, from the wilderness of the Yukon to the Montreal Plateau. From a ski town in British Columbia to windswept ‘Winter-peg’. In 2018, After visiting all the Atlantic Provinces, we uprooted our family from Quebec and moved from homestead to seashore.

One year later I wrote “I couldn’t have dreamed this big for our family, and yet here we are. It wasn’t easy to uproot, but it was worth the effort, a thousand times over.” We had transitioned into our cozy chapter. That was 2019, a lifetime ago.

We moved to Nova Scotia with the intention of slowing down. Together, Danny and I carved out time for our family to create community, express creativity, and connect with nature in an impactful way.

The Maritime provinces are small and it’s easier here to became anchored to a place. It is in the Maritimes where I’ve experienced the sacred serenity of belonging.

A Closeness to the Natural World

In Nova Scotia, lakes abound and the ocean is never more than an hour away no matter where you are in the province, reminding us of how small and insignificant we are on this earth. There’s an effortless proximity to nature and this lends itself to a cozy lifestyle. The Japanese have a word for this – Shinrin-Yoku – forest-bathing or grounding ourselves in the natural world to lower stress levels.

Trail running, hiking, paddle boarding, skating, swimming, canoeing, walking, biking, kayaking and cross-country skiing are just some of the ways our family can get out in nature just by walking out our door. And it has saved our mental health many times over.

A Cozy Routine

The pace of life downshifts here on the East Coast. There are fewer options for keeping busy, less glitz and glam. However, instead of feeling like we’re missing out, we’ve developed meaningful routines and take comfort in the familiar.

• Shopping Saturday mornings at the famers’ market in a 200 year old brewery.
• MONRUN with a neighbourhood running group on the trail behind our house.
• A monthly cookbook club kitchen party where we’ve each contributed a dish.
• Sunday breakfast with an affirming church community who truly believes all are welcome.

Under these anchoring routines are pillars that help uphold a community: buying local, feeding the hungry, welcoming refugees, supporting artists, encouraging creative expression and more.

My Year of East Coast Cozy: The Series

And so, seven years after moving here, I’m making a plan to share our favourite bakes, activities and comfort meals. They all fall loosely under the theme of “East Coast Cozy”. I thought this might be my next book, but I didn’t want to wait 2+ years to get it out to you.

I’ll show you how we’re practicing the simplicity of cozy living in many small, accessible ways. The result is joy, comfort and a calm sense of self.

Stay tuned for:

• Tried ‘n true family recipes with a Maritime flair that you can make anywhere
• Zero waste tips & sustainable living 
• Approachable Home DIY 
• Ideas for creating special memories
• Ways to celebrate the small moments in life
• Budget-friendly entertaining

A post might be as simple as a do-ahead menu for a cozy weekend at the cottage/campsite/chalet/cabin/camp. Or it might be a step-by-step recipe for my Earl Grey latte with lavender honey. I hope you’ll follow along!

The series will highlight what has brought comfort to me and my family, but understand that it might not create the same kind of meaning for you. We all have our own journeys. But my hope is that somewhere in the series, a spark will ignite in you to create your own sense of cozy living.

A Cozy Moment, Wherever You Are

Cozy living is a gift to yourself, pushing back against the frenetic energy of the world. It can be cooking an omelet for one on a slow morning, or simmering a pot of soup on a winter night. It’s a forest walk with a pet or meeting a friend for coffee. You can carve out a cozy moment no matter what is going on – here are a few things that help.

Quick Cozy Checklist:

• Cozy textiles. Quilts. Blankets. Napkins. A favourite sweater. East Coasters embrace natural fibers most of all. Upcycled? Even better. Thrifted? Most often.
• Books. See my list below for cozy lifestyle books and cookbooks.
• Candles. Soooo many candles. Tall tapers. Tiny votives. Scented for aromatherapy.
• Warm drinks. Hot Spice Mulled Wine and Hot Apple Cider in winter. This handy milk frother is used daily for hot chocolates, vanilla lattes and Earl Grey lattes (recipe coming soon). In summer it makes cold foam for our ice coffee.
• A Craft. Embroidery. Knitting. Sewing. Crochet. Painting. Doodling. Clay. Whatever relaxes you.
• Reliable Cozy Recipes. To come! Or start with Banana Bread. Cinnamon Buns. Fish Chowder. Bolognese.

Further Resources for Cozy Living

Cozy Lifestyle Books:

• The Book of Hygge by Louisa Thomsen Brits
• Cozy, Minimalist Home by Myquillyn Smith
• The Art of Making Memories by Meik Wiking
• The Simplicity of Cozy by Melissa Alvarez

Cozy Cookbooks

Everyone will have their own comfort cookbook, but these are a few that come to my mind when I think of cozy cookbooks. I want to embody their sentiments of generosity, community, simplicity and care, as I invite others into my home.

• Baking and the Meaning of Life by Helen Goh
• The Secret of Cooking by Bee Wilson
• Brown Eggs and Jam Jars (by me!)
• Good Things: Recipes and Rituals to Share with People You Love by Samin Nosrat
• Feast on Your Life: Kitchen Meditations for Every Day by Tamar Adler
• The Homemade Kitchen by Alana Chernila
• A Generous Meal by Christine Flynn

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Original article: Introducing A Year of East Coast Cozy