About Aimee

Cooking has always been Aimée's preferred recreational activity, creative outlet, and source of relaxation. After nearly ten years in the professional cooking industry, she went from restaurant to RSS by trading her tongs and clogs for cookie cutters and a laptop, serving as editor here at Simple Bites. Her first book, Brown Eggs and Jam Jars - Family Recipes from the Kitchen of Simple Bites, was published in February 2015.

by on June 29, 2020   •   1 Comment Salads

Summer Salad Ideas

A round-up of summer salad ideas from pasta to potato and everything in between.

Please indulge me as I serve up yet another post on salads. I promise this will be the last one for a while as we’re moving on to camping content for July.

I’m here to show you that salad doesn’t have to be boring. For instance, we’re going to talk about grilled salads, grain salads and great green salads. The works!

There are dozens of ways to get your daily veggies in summer. Every day I eat a different salad and it’s the way to go during these hot months. Read on for the recipe round-up.

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by on June 23, 2020   •   Leave a Comment Salads

Wilted Mixed Greens with Bacon and Eggs

With a recent heat wave that melted us over the summer solstice, our garden greens are growing with a vengeance.

I’m harvesting young lettuce, spinach, baby kale and radishes from my yard, and loving the new chard and arugula from local growers. It’s that time of year when we can barely keep up with the salad greens.

Maybe you’ve got a constant supply from your CSA box or your own garden is prolific. Either way, we could all use some fresh inspiration for serving up leafy greens.

Today’s recipe is a wilted mixed greens salad with a warm bacon vinaigrette. Yes! It also features that delicious flavour combination of spinach + egg + bacon that is such a classic. Read on for the recipe and an introduction to the Jubilee cookbook.

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by on June 15, 2020   •   Leave a Comment Salads

Antipasto Pasta Salad

Loaded with grilled vegetables, cherry tomatoes and cannellini beans, this antipasto pasta salad is the picnic dish you need this summer.

Picnic season is here to stay; can we send up a collective “Thank goodness“? I love the family dinner table and all, but after months of self-isolating, it’s a relief to change up the view.

Whether we’ve journeyed to a nearby beach or settled on our dock, dinner al fresco is always far more fun. And on those days when it’s too hot to cook, a hearty pasta salad and a refreshing drink is all we need to be happy.

Hit the jump for today’s veggie-forward salad recipe and a little more picnic inspiration for the season.

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by on June 10, 2020   •   6 Comments Cooking School

Tips for Grilling Vegetables (with recipes)

Simple tips for grilling vegetables – and a round-up of delicious summer recipes for transforming seasonal produce over an open flame.

June in Nova Scotia is when the lilacs bloom at the tips of the trees and the edges of the lakes warm up enough for wading. The air is still crisp, yet inviting, and we’re gathering around the patio table a little more often.

For the next three months, my trusty charcoal grill becomes a handy extension to my tiny kitchen. It’s not all about meat, though. Every summer there is a bounty of produce just waiting to be transformed over an open flame.

Grilled vegetables like cherry tomato skewers, baby summer squash, and charred sweet peppers bring both intense colour and flavour to the plate. In this post I’ll share my best tips for grilling vegetables – paired with a round-up of recipes to get you inspired.

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by on May 26, 2020   •   13 Comments Desserts

Victoria Sponge Cake with Strawberry Rhubarb Jam

A light-as-a-feather vanilla-orange cake, layered with whipped cream and a tangy homemade jam. This simple dessert is a perfect teatime accompaniment.

The classic Victoria Sponge cake is a dessert for any season, however, after my last trip to London I tend to associate this layer cake with spring.

Ah, those were the days. Danny and I tripped around from Greenwich to Pimlico, pausing for tea and cake anytime it was necessary – and a few times when it was not.

So it made perfect sense to bake a Victoria Sponge cake with strawberry rhubarb jam to celebrate our anniversary last weekend.

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