Cinnamon Buns
Few things are as inviting as the smell of cinnamon buns baking — sweet spice filling the house, pillowy dough waiting to be pulled apart. For me, they carry nostalgia from Sweden and Denmark, where kanelbullar are part of every coffee break. And in Canada, that tradition found new life — from prairie kitchens to the smell of Cinnabon in the malls of the ’80s and ’90s, and of course the IKEA food court, where many of us first tasted Swedish-style buns after wandering the aisles of flat-pack furniture.
Very Berry Muffins
In Canada, berries are part of summer memories — picking wild blueberries in the east or finding blackberries ripening along hedgerows on the West Coast. Folded into a tender muffin, they bring that burst of sweet-tart flavour into everyday life. Paired with a coffee, they’re the perfect Canadian grab-and-go breakfast.
Banana Bread with Chocolate
Banana bread is comfort in a loaf — golden on the outside, tender inside, and full of sweet banana flavour. In Canada, it’s become a staple for using up overripe fruit, baked on Sunday afternoons to be sliced through the week. Sometimes I stir in chocolate chips or nuts, but even plain, it carries the warmth of homemade baking — simple, nostalgic, and always welcome.
Montreal Style Bagels
Nothing beats a homemade bagel in the morning — warm, chewy, and spread with cream cheese. Brought to Montreal by Jewish immigrants in the early 1900s, these bagels are smaller, denser, and sweeter than their New York cousins. Dipped in honey water and traditionally baked in wood-fired ovens, they carry a flavour that is both comforting and distinct. Fun to make at home, they freeze beautifully, and always feel like a treat — especially with smoked salmon, lemon, and capers.
Homemade Sourdough
Born during Covid and now over five years old, my sourdough starter has become part of the family — it travels in my suitcase, gets fed weekly like a fifth child, and has been shared with many families. With nothing more than flour, water, and salt, this humble mixture has fed us over and over again. This is the recipe I bake every week — simple, nourishing, and deeply comforting.
Simple Bread - The First Recipe
This is the recipe that started it all. As a child, I rolled out this dough for homemade pizzas, and over time it became the base for so much more — school lunch buns, twisty breakfast loaves, soft focaccia, even sweet cinnamon rolls warm from the oven. Quick, versatile, and forgiving, it’s the kind of recipe you return to again and again — a true everyday staple.
Bannock - Bread of the Land
Golden crust, soft steaming inside — bannock is more than bread; it is memory and connection. Rooted in First Nations and Métis traditions, it has been baked on stones, in cast-iron pans, and roasted on sticks for centuries. Adapted with flour and fat brought by Europeans, it became both a food of survival and a staple at gatherings, powwows, and campfires. Today, it is still best when shared — warm, simple, and timeless.
Newfoundland Touton Bread
Golden and crisp outside, soft and chewy inside — toutons are Newfoundland’s beloved pan-fried bread. Traditionally made from leftover bread dough fried in pork fat, they were a hearty breakfast for families who lived close to the sea. Today, they remain a comfort food classic, still paired with molasses or jam, but just as at home carrying lobster salad or prawns. A humble bread that has grown with the province, toutons are a true taste of the East Coast.
Mediterranean Style Soda Bread
Soda bread, quick to make and hearty to eat, began in Ireland but found its way into Canadian kitchens where simple, affordable ingredients have always mattered. Over time, it’s taken on new flavours — like feta, olives, and sun-dried tomatoes — reflecting the Mediterranean influences that arrived with waves of immigration. Rustic and adaptable, it’s a loaf that fits every table: dependable, flavourful, and comforting.
Greek Style Pita Bread
Soft, warm pita is the kind of bread that invites sharing — torn, dipped, and filled. In Canada, it arrived with Greek immigrants who opened restaurants and bakeries, especially in Toronto’s Greektown, where souvlaki, pita, and tzatziki became part of the city’s food identity. Over time, pita moved beyond Greek tables and into Canadian kitchens.
Indian Style Naan Bread
Naan, soft and pillowy from the tandoor or skillet, is one of India’s most beloved breads. In Canada, it became part of everyday cooking through the country’s large South Asian communities, especially in cities like Toronto, Vancouver, and Calgary. With Indian restaurants, bakeries, and home kitchens, naan moved from being a specialty food to a Canadian comfort, often served not just with curries but alongside barbecues and stews — proof of how seamlessly global flavours fit into our mosaic.
Pâté Chinois - Shepherd’s Pie
Shepherd’s pie may have roots in Britain and Ireland, but in Canada it found a second life as pâté chinois — a French-Canadian classic that’s become part of everyday food culture. Simple layers of seasoned beef, sweet corn, and buttery mashed potatoes made it a staple in Quebec households, school cafeterias, and community suppers. It’s comfort food at its most familiar: hearty, humble, and tied to Canadian winters where a single dish could feed the whole family.
Grandma’s Chilli and Beans
Chilli is one of those dishes that feels like home — hearty, comforting, and perfect for sharing around a crowded table. My grandma’s version was simple yet full of character, built on fresh garden tomatoes, beans, and whatever ground meat was on hand. In Canada, chili became a staple of potlucks, hockey nights, and winter suppers, when a single simmering pot could feed a houseful of family, friends, and neighbours coming in from the cold. It’s practical, adaptable, and always satisfying — a true reflection of Canadian kitchens.
French-Canadian Beef Bourguignon
Beef Bourguignon, born in France’s Burgundy region, is a dish where humble ingredients — beef, red wine, and vegetables — become something extraordinary through slow simmering. In Quebec, it took root as part of the province’s deep culinary ties to France, evolving into a hearty stew that suited long Canadian winters. Often served with mashed potatoes instead of noodles, it feels rustic yet elegant, the kind of comfort food that bridges French technique and Canadian tradition. Whether cooked with a Burgundy or a local Pinot Noir from Niagara or the Okanagan, it’s a dish that embodies both heritage and adaptation.
Steak and Chips with Béarnaise
Steak and chips may be a French bistro classic, but in French-speaking Canada it has an added layer of meaning. Quebec’s cuisine has long been influenced by France, and steak frites with Béarnaise feels like a natural bridge between Parisian refinement and Canadian heartiness. Whether served in a Montreal brasserie or grilled in a Prairie backyard, a perfectly seared steak with golden fries and tangy Béarnaise captures the spirit of both worlds — elegant yet comforting, rooted in tradition yet proudly Canadian.
Swedish Meatballs – IKEA to Home
In Canada, Swedish meatballs aren’t just a Scandinavian classic — they’re a household staple thanks to IKEA, where they’ve fed millions of hungry shoppers since the 1970s. With tender spiced meatballs, creamy gravy, and a side of mashed potatoes or noodles, they became more than cafeteria food: they’re comfort, convenience, and a taste of global culture at the Canadian table. Today, they’re just as likely to appear at family dinners and potlucks as they are in shopping carts, bridging Scandinavian tradition with Canadian practicality.
Holubtsi – Cabbage Rolls
Across the Canadian Prairies, few dishes carry as much heart as holubtsi, or cabbage rolls. Brought over by Ukrainian immigrants in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, they quickly became a fixture of church suppers, wedding feasts, and Christmas tables. More than food, they are memory and ritual — families gathered in kitchens to blanch leaves, roll fillings, and line trays for baking. Stretching humble ingredients like rice, meat, and cabbage into something festive and sustaining, holubtsi remain a symbol of resilience and celebration in Ukrainian-Canadian communities.
Tourtière with Chili Sauce
Few dishes capture the essence of French-Canadian tradition like tourtière. Golden and spiced, this meat pie has graced holiday tables since the 1600s, when early settlers adapted Old World pies to the ingredients of New France. Over time, it became inseparable from réveillon, the late-night Christmas Eve feast, where families gathered after midnight mass to share food, stories, and song. In many homes, including Grandma’s, tourtière was paired with homemade chilli sauce. Today, tourtière endures not just as a holiday classic but as a symbol of French-Canadian heritage, a dish that ties family, memory, and culture together in every slice.
Canadian Beef Wellington
Beef Wellington is the ultimate showstopper — rich, indulgent, and perfect for holidays or celebrations. In Canada, it often appears on special-occasion tables, blending British elegance with local ingredients like Prairie beef and wild mushrooms. Wrapped in golden pastry with a creamy, sherry-kissed mushroom filling, it’s a dish that feels both festive and deeply comforting.