Mardi Michels, Recipe Tester

A list of all the recipes Mardi Michels has tested.

Mardi Michels

Mardi Michels is a full-time French teacher to elementary school-aged boys and the author of Eat. Live. Travel. Write.–a blog focusing on culinary adventures near and far. As part of her job, she runs after-school cooking classes for her students and their families (classes are currently virtual).  Mardi grew up in Australia, lived and taught in Paris for over five years, and now calls Toronto home. In 2014, Mardi and her husband purchased a home in southwest France, which they operate as a vacation rental property.

Mardi also offers French cooking and baking classes for adults and children around Toronto. Her first book, In the French Kitchen with Kids, was published July 31, 2018 (Appetite by Random House). Her second book, French Food for Everyone, will be published chapter by chapter starting with le goûter (after-school snacks) on August 31, 2021. Read more here.

Follow Mardi on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.

A baking sheet lined with parchment and covered with easy roasted carrots and onions with burnt edges.

Easy Roasted Carrots

Four ingredients and one simple technique that will leave everyone asking—maybe even demanding—you for more. A keeper of a side dish.

Sixteen date bars on a piece of parchment paper on a round oval tray.

Date Bars

These date bars are a classic for good reason. The combination of sweet, sticky date filling nestled between layers of buttery oat dough is completely irresistible.

A pink bowl filled with lemon garlic shrimp pasta with a fork resting inside.

Lemon Garlic Shrimp Pasta

This easy meal of tender bucatini pasta all tangled up with sautéed shrimp and a lemony garlic butter sauce is on the table in just 30 minutes. You’re welcome.

A white plate topped with crispy smashed potato salad sprinkled with pancetta and chives and topped with a creamy dressing.

Crispy Smashed Potato Salad

Smashed potatoes, crispy pancetta, charred scallions, and a creamy yogurt and mayo dressing get tossed together in this easy side dish that you’ll keep coming back to.

Three easy marinated chicken skewers on a blue plate and a fourth one on top of a piece of flatbread.

Easy Marinated Chicken Skewers

These chicken skewers are a cinch to throw together. Whip up an easy marinade, let the chicken thighs soak up all that flavor, then grill or broil to tender perfection. Voila. Dinner.

A raspberry almond crumble cake, with a slice on its side on a circle of parchment paper

Raspberry Almond Crumble Cake

This pretty cake is so simple to make and so darn delicious that we see no point in waiting until dessert to enjoy it. Bring on breakfast.

Pine nut brittle broken into irregular pieces on a large brown tray.

Pine Nut Brittle

Crunchy, sweet, salty, buttery, and nutty. It comes together in 30 minutes, making it practical to toss together batch after batch for gifts if you get carried away with sampling.

Citrus soy chicken skewers on a plate of lettuce, with a bowl of peanut dipping sauce.

Citrus Soy Chicken Skewers

Everyone loves food on sticks, right? Easier to eat, less messy, and just more fun. Garlic, ginger, chicken, lemongrass, and peanut sauce makes it even better.

A no-knead Italian bread loaf, topped with sesame seeds on a black floured surface with a bowl of oil, brush, bowl of sesame seeds, and an eggshell lying beside it.

No-Knead Italian Bread

No-knead Italian bread that’s rustic, crusty, and easy as heck. The hardest part is the waiting, so plan accordingly. But believe us when we tell you that it’s absolutely worth it.

Roast pork chop with a halved, roasted apple, mashed potatoes, and kale.

Roast Pork Chops

This simple recipe turns out comfort food of the most refined order. Not bad for a one-pan Sunday supper.

A metal roasting pan filled with a one-pan roast chicken supper, with a serving spoon, a napkin, and a plate with a serving on it.

One Dish Roast Chicken Supper

A sheet-pan dinner is the ultimate set it and forget it dinner–chop it up, season it, and slide it in the oven. This one is easy and tastes outrageously good.

A sliced loaf of hummingbird loaf cake, beside a glass dish of butter and a butter knife.

Hummingbird Loaf Cake

Hummingbird cake is as sweet as it sounds. This snacky, loaf pan version is made with whole wheat flour but still adores a smear of cream cheese icing.

A metal skillet filled with creamy pasta covered with shredded Parmesan and cracked pepper, with a large serving spoon. A bowl of Parmesan and a pepper mill sit beside it.

Cacio e Pepe

This crazy satisfying, ridiculously cheap, pantry-minded dinner consists of just pasta, cheese, oil, salt, pepper, and a nifty technique.