The DeLish Bite

What can you do when a relaxed vacation suddenly turns hectic? Take time for breakfast! Well, the time has finally come. Late last night, Simon and I arrived to greet my sis Danielle and begin our one-week holiday at the cottage (which has quickly turned into a 5-day holiday, but never mind, better late than never right!). We went straight to bed, exhausted from a long weekend of working tirelessly to get our condo in tip top shape for sale (yes, we bought our first real home last week, hence the delay in getting up here) and woke this morning to glorious sunshine. The day was looking pretty spectacular! This is our only real holiday this year so we intended to spend it relaxing quietly on the dock, going for leisurely swims and sipping cocktails at 5 pm -- sharp. Things are already starting to turn out a little bit different. Simon (always the one to not be able to let work sit) has already started to pull out the patio stones to create a stunning new walk down to the dock for my parents. The neighbor's dog has not stopped barking (damn you Mystery!) and my blackberry has been ringing and buzzing and beeping incessantly since the alarm went off at 5 am (I was sure that I turned it off). Suddenly, our oh-so-relaxing week, is looking to be, well, not so relaxing after all (although Dani somehow seems to be making a pretty good go at it as I watch her bathed in sunshine, meditating and practicing yoga on the dock). Always the optimist, I have decided to create some speedy and energy packed meals to keep us going. I mean, we still have to fit in a couple of rounds of golf, a tennis match, cocktails at the Lake Joe club and of course, we have 10 hungry guests arriving by noon on Friday. I am a firm believer in breakfast being the most important meal of the day and, as such, I think two of my favorite breakfast recipes are in order: lemon and blueberry scones with a beautiful crunchy topping of demerara sugar and granola, honey, vanilla yogurt and raspberry parfaits. Both recipes are quick and simple to make and can be created ahead of time for bleary-eyed speedy morning access. And leftover scones can be frozen for up to a month, (although I can personally guarantee that you will not have any leftover to freeze). Ciao for now - I am off to scour for ingredients at the local store! Lemon and Blueberry Buttermilk Scones Makes 6 - 8 scones Ingredients

3 cups all-purpose flour

1/3 cup sugar

2 ¾ tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp sea salt

¾ cup cold unsalted butter, diced

1 - 1 ¼ cup buttermilk

1 cup fresh blueberries

Zest of 2 lemons

Buttermilk for brushing tops

¼ cup demerara sugar (or white sugar), for sprinkling tops

Directions

1. Place flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt in the bowl of a food processor and pulse to combine.

2. Add butter and pulse until mixture resembles coarse breadcrumbs. Leave a few large pieces to create flakiness. Turn out into a large bowl.

3. Add blueberries and lemon zest (or whatever fruit/nuts you would like!) and gently combine with dry ingredients. Add buttermilk and stir gently with a large spoon until just combined.

4. Turn dough out onto a floured work surface or a sheet of parchment paper. Gently need until dough holds together and press into an oblong shape. Cut into 6-8 wedges and transfer to a parchment lined baking sheet. Brush tops of each scone with remaining buttermilk and sprinkle with sugar.

5. Bake at 425 F for 10-12 minutes or until bottoms are golden and scones are cooked through.

Granola, honey, vanilla yogurt + raspberry parfait Makes 4 servings Ingredients

2 cups home made or store bought granola

½ cup honey

2 cups organic vanilla yogurt

2 cups fresh raspberries

½ cup pistachio nuts, roughly chopped

Directions

1. In the bowl of a food processor, combine 1 cup of the vanilla yogurt with 1 cup of the fresh raspberries and pulse to combine.

2. Divide the homemade granola between 4 (8 fl oz capacity) glasses. Top each with a drizzle of honey. Divide the remaining 1 cup of vanilla yogurt on top. Top with the raspberry yogurt. Garnish each glass with remaining raspberries and chopped pistachios.

Photo Credits: Food styled by Delish.ca, photography by Jodi Pudge.