Edna Lewis' Game Changing Old-Fashioned Cheese Straws

Old-Fashioned Cheese Straws

Not only was Edna Lewis a tall, commanding woman but she was a giant in the culinary world as well. Edna was born in Freetown, Virginia, in 1916, which was a small farming community. She was the granddaughter of one of the founding fathers. Edna would grow up to be a great chef, culinary ambassador, caretaker of genuine Southern cooking and deserving of her place on the list of 50 Women Game Changers. She lived her life with grace in often difficult times and epitomizes what the South and Southern cooking means to me. She went on to become one of the best known Southern cooks of her generation and someone who cared deeply about preserving her heritage and all Southern cooking.

Let's Celebrate Pancake Style

The Breslins Ricotta Pancakes with Orange Sauce

Today is Shrove Tuesday which to me has always been referred to as "Pancake Day."  Perishables like eggs and dairy products, which are generally banned during Lent, need to be used up and if you practice religious holidays this is your last night to indulge in rich, fatty foods before the ritual fasting of the Lenten season. There is no better way to use up these ingredients today than in our favourite breakfast treat... pancakes!! 

Fruit Skewers with Sweet Honeyed Yogurt Dip for S-l-o-w Sundays

Sundays are all about keeping it simple. When blessed with a morning with nothing pressing to do I revel in the thought of the possibilities. I rise before the dawn, despite my best intentions to sleep in, stretch each and every sleeping bone in my body, and marvel at the peace and solitude. The birds have risen before me and may in fact be an unintentional alarm clock to let me know that another glorious day has bloomed.

A Game Changing Toad in the Hole with Roasted-Onion Gravy

Toad in the Hole with Roasted-Onion Gravy

The world of celebrity cooks in British mainstream include Jamie, Nigella, Gordon and Heston but there is one face that has remained constant through it all, one woman who has "stayed utterly true to her homey origins and doesn't so much bestride the culinary world as plough tenaciously through it like a tugboat with a jammed rudder." Yes, this week with our 50 Women Game Changers we celebrate the 40th anniversary of the queen of British "cookery" herself Delia Smith.

Channelling My Inner Julia Child

Chef Batey

Ever since the film Julie and Julia came out, it seems Julia Child is on everyones radar, foodies and non-foodies alike. The fact that Julia started her passion for food and cooking so late in life makes us "kindred spirits" although, like me, I am sure she had a passion for food from the very beginning, she just didn't know it. She is so inspiring to me because of her outlook on life and her unending joy for her chosen path. I’m happy to say her wonderful recipes and independent spirit are still alive!!!!

A Burnt Toast Valentine

Happy Valentines Day 


"Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, 
but by the number of moments that take our breath away."


"Sometimes in life you find a special friend
Someone who changes your life just by being part of it
Someone who makes you laugh till you just can't stop;
Someone who makes you believe there really is good in the world
Someone who convinces you that there really is an 
unlocked door just waiting for you to open it."
This is you!

You are reading this post on More Than Burnt Toast at http://morethanburnttoast.blogspot.com. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to the author and or owner of More Than Burnt Toast. All rights reserved by Valerie Harrison.

Ella Brennon's Catfish Fingers with Tomato Tartar Sauce and Southern Potato Salad

Ella Brennon's Catfish Fingers with Tomato Tartar Sauce
 and Southern Potato Salad

Ella Brennan was a student at McMain High School when her oldest brother, Owen, bought a restaurant in the French Quarter in New Orleans. Before long, the Vieux Carre Restaurant was on its feet and soon became a family enterprise that included all five of Brennan's siblings including her father, who had recently retired as a superintendent of the shipyard.  

Ella immersed herself totally in the restaurant business and learned every aspect. Ella herself was not a cook but she did develop terrific food sense and an educated palate. Today they are a New Orleans family that operate a dozen restaurants, including the renowned Commander's Palace, the one that most clearly bears her mark.The name Brennan is synonymous with the finest in New Orleans food. In 1974 Ella and her brother Dick took over the one-hundred-year-old Commander's Palace in the centre of New Orleans garden district, renovated it, and turned it into one of the most innovative, imaginative dining spots in New Orleans. At Commander's Palace she pioneered the notion of nouvelle Creole Cuisine Creole which has been changed to fit today's more health-conscious lifestyle. Only the freshest local ingredients are used, heavy sauces have been replaced by light sauce reductions that intensify spicy Creole flavours. The results have been glowingly praised. Did you know that Ella Brennon invented Bananas Foster?

Breakfast Bruschetta Topped with Herbed Ricotta for Slow Sundays

Breakfast Bruschetta

Welcome back to my kitchen my friends. Pull up a cozy chair and a warm blanket and join me a while on this Slow Sunday. Let me make you a steaming mug of chai tea or your favourite "joe" and a breakfast bruschetta just as you like it. Would you enjoy a "sunny side up" or poached egg perched on top? Consider it done. Once again sleepy heads we have embraced Slow Sundays, a new feature here at More Than Burnt Toast.

Nutella and Ferrero Rocher Baklava for Nutella Day

Happy Nutella Day with Nutella and Ferrero Rocher Baklava

You are reading this post on More Than Burnt Toast at http://morethanburnttoast.blogspot.com. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to the author and or owner of More Than Burnt Toast. All rights reserved by Valerie Harrison.

Game Changing Scallion Meatballs With Soy-Ginger Glaze on Jasmine Rice

Scallion Meatballs with Soy Ginger Sauce

Several years ago two women—Melissa Hamilton and Christopher Hirsheimer (yes she is a she) issued the first volume of Canal House Cooking, a series of seasonal cookbooks “by home cooks for home cooks” that they self-publish three times a year. These cookbooks have received acclaim not only from the national food media, but also from powerhouses such as Oprah and retailer Williams-Sonoma. When I first heard of these woman on the list I immediately thought they had taken over the Canal House an iconic restaurant in Seattle. I had plenty to learn!! 


This "Lennon and McCartney" team decided in 2007 to establish their own studio along the canal in Lambertville to publish and produce their own cookbooks. They had all the skills between them to publish their own cookbooks since between them the pair had more than 30 years experience working with magazines such as Metropolitan Home, Food and Wine, Cook’s Illustrated, and Martha Stewart Living and on cookbooks by Julia Child, Alice Waters, Mario Batali, Jacques Pepin, Lidia Bastianich, and other notables. They met and worked together at Saveur magazine.

Cooking Light Supper Club Warms You Up With a Caramelized Onion Spread

The holidays are over and now we get down to the serious business of getting through these cold winter days! When it is cold outside, nothing is better than a warm home with all the comfort foods that you adore. So that is what it is is all about this week at the Cooking Light Virtual Supper Club. With the cold weather, comes the urge to find warmth in our favourite meals. Warm comforting foods nourish the soul as well as our bodies and tend to be familiar foods that remind us of simpler times or of a contented childhood. Your senses can be awakened with anything from a caramelized squash soup to a large bowl of comfortable macaroni and cheese. It is not uncommon for my home to be filled with warm, fragrant and earthy aromas of a slow cooked roast or bubbling crock pot.


There’s no reason to let calories rob you of the opportunity to cozy up with a plate of any of your favourite dishes. Enjoy your winter comfort favorites by consciously keeping lighter in mind. You’ll still get the entire flavour with none of the guilt. With the Super Bowl looming this is an excellent choice.