Trail Mix ~ 5 Ways

Oh yeah....over at feminine wiles & urban survival 101, I'm talking about trail mix.  Easy, but fun varieties!

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How To :: Honey Lemon Concentrate

In all my adventures on Pinterest (damn, I love that site!) I've fallen across a few amazing recipes and decor concepts as well as photographic inspiration!

The awesomeness that this is, is actually common in Korea. They create a concoction that we do as well, but the only difference is that they have a better way of doing it!

Ever had hot water with lemon & honey to soothe your sore throat? Well, this is a broken down, condensed version of just that!

Thinly slice 2 lemons (removing the seeds) and layer in a small jar (or big jar..your choice!)

Pour in unpasteurized honey (none of that Billy Bee store stuff). I used honey from a local apiary (even better...try to support your local bee keepers!) to about 1/3 of the jar. Admittedly, I just topped up the jar with honey (I had melted it in the microwave before putting it in) and went with it.

Now, toss it in the fridge! The lemon will start to breakdown (It shouldn't mold because the honey and juice from the lemon will prevent it) and you should be able to stir it into a lumpy golden mess. This will last for quite a while in your fridge and you can just continue to top up with lemon and honey.

To enjoy, simply take a spoonful of the mixture and stir it into a mug of hot water. Add more to taste.

Really, what could be easier (and natural AND good for you)?
Take care of your thoat this winter and follow me on Pinterest for more fabulousness! :)

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OMG...Awesomesauce Paleo Seafood Stew

Okay, so by now you've noticed that I've pretty much gone Paleo.
I cheat still (I cheat fairly often...I'm a sucker for cupcakes!) but for the most part, I am trying to eat as cleanly as I can.  I'll still be blogging on whatever I find the yummiest or best inventions in the world of food! (I've got a few coming up)

To be honest, I came across a similar recipe on Pinterest and was inspired.  This soup/stew is fast, easy and super tasty!  My dad, who is skeptical of pretty much anything I cook (and claims to hate seafood soup) actually ate a large bowl of it and exclaimed he thought it was great.  Pretty much a score for the family and they suggested I make it at least once every 2 weeks.  Sounds good to me.

It serves 4 and would be perfect with a side salad! :)

 

Paleo Seafood Stew

• 1 package of mixed seafood (you can pick whatever seafood you prefer, but I just bought a bag of mixed - approx 1 lb I believe)
• 1 can of coconut milk
• 1 can of tomatoes (diced, full, chopped, whatever)
• bunch of cilantro
• Seasonings :: I used a  2 tbsp Thai mix and 1 tbsp ground corriander
• 1 medium onion (diced)
• 5 cloves of garlic (minced)
• 2 tbsp olive oil (you can use coconut oil or ghee for a more paleo friendly approach!)
• salt and pepper to taste
• lime

1. Sautee onions in olive oil until they are browning.
2. Chop up the stems of a smallish bunch of cilantro (reserve the leaves for the top of the stew) and add to the onions along with the minced garlic.  Sautee for a few more minutes.
3. Add can of tomatoes (I took a knife and ran them through the tomatoes while in the can to break them into chunks) and bring to a slow boil.  Turn the heat down.
4. Add coconut milk..simmer for 5 minutes.
5. Add seafood.  Simmer again for around 5 minutes.
6. Spoon into bowls and sprinkle some of the cilantro leaves and a squeeze of fresh lime.

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Key Lime Pie Smoothie

So, I suppose I should preface this blog post by saying that I've been drinking a smoothie everyday for breakfast for two straight weeks with my Nutribullet.  I'm simply trying to inject more fruit and veg into my everyday eating.  It's definitely making a difference.  Especially because I'm the "hold the breakfast and I'll just have coffee" sort. 

Well, no longer.  I have been trying to get creative with the blends of fruit and vegetable in the mix.  Some are good, some are pretty darn gross and some are phenomenal! :)

The key lime smoothie happened when I bought a bag of key limes recently for $1.77.  Total score considering we don't see them all too often here.  Key limes are smaller than normal limes, more round and a little more sweet than the average variety.  You could totally make this with regular limes and it would taste just as great.

I was thinking up some ways of using the limes as well as spinach (I told you, I've been using more vegetables!) in morning smoothie and I figured that the key limes are pretty much known for pies..so why not do a fake take on the pie?!

Key Lime Pie Smoothie

 

1 large handful of spinach

Juice of 4 key limes

Zest of 1 key lime
1 tsp vanilla

1 cup unsweetened almond milk

1 tbsp of macadamia nut butter (I'd avoid peanut butter because it'd be too overpowering)

1 banana (you could freeze this to add some chill and more thickness, but I actually preferred it not frozen)

1 pitted date (for sweetness - you could also add some agave syrup if you'd prefer)

Toss all in your Nutribullet, blender, etc.
Blend until smooth and enjoy! :)

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Carrot & Corriander Soup

One of the first things I should have told you at the beginning of this blog (you know, when I told you all about about me and some of the foodie related stuff I enjoy) that I love vegetables.

I looooove vegetables. But....

I HATE carrots.
Yep. I've never been a fan of the orange pointy root.  Sure, I'm fine with eating them raw- but cooked?  Blech! Gross!

However, turn that carrot into a soup and I may fall in love with you. I freakin' LOVE carrot soup!
Seriously, carrot soup is like crack for me and for someone who hates carrots, that's saying a lot.

Considering the recipe I'm giving you is a slightly modified version of a soup of a Jamie Oliver recipe, it's a total winner.  It's also totally paleo friendly.  (Which reminds me, I really need to do a post on the Paleo lifestyle *noted*)

With this recipe, if you were to toss in a handful of shredded cheese or some sour cream and you are looking at something you could serve at a fancy party (or to your fussy friends). (I'm sure you don't have fussy friends)

The only thing this recipe will require is time for prepping the carrots. Easy peasy.

Carrot & Corriander Soup

(Adapted from a Jamie Oliver recipe)

Ingredients
2 tbsp butter
Ground corriander (to taste...I like a lot)
2 Small onions (diced)
8-10 Large Carrots (chopped into similar sized rounds(coins))
3 Cloves of garlic (diced)
Chicken stock (half a box of Campbell's sodium reduced chicken stock)
salt & pepper


Directions

1. Saute the diced onions and garlic with the butter in a saucepan until onions are translucent and starting to brown.
2. Add chopped carrots and let carrots cook until soft.
3. Add ground corriander (to taste- you can always add more later, but I like at least 1 tbsp)
4. Add chicken stock.  Again, depending on how liquidy you like your soup, you can always add more stock if you like it to be thinner.
5. Allow carrots and stock to simmer for approx 10 minutes.
6. Blend soup with a handblender or food processor. 
7. Enjoy!

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Toaster Oven Crab Rangoons & Excuses..and No Excuses.

Ack.
I have far too many excuses for not writing.
None of them are very good excuses either!

Usually I was too hungry to take a photo, on some sort of crazy diet or ate the same thing day after day.  Ironically, I do have stuff to share!  So, I guess I'll be playing a bit of a catch up game in the next little bit.

For now I'm gonna tell you about how cleaning out my fridge led to crab rangoons.
Well, I suppose that's not entirely accurate either.  I mean, I had forgotten about the wonton wrappers I had in the fridge and then there was the case of the crabmeat.

You can say that my leftovers were rather handy AND I cleaned the fridge at the same time. :)
Crab rangoons are generally known for being fried, but following some links over at Pinterest, I found a recipe that said to bake them!  Awesomesauce.  But, because I'm a rebel...I toaster-ovened them! (And they were still awesome!)

Toaster Oven Crab Rangoons

Ingredients
1 package of wonton wrappers (I used the small ones)
3 green onions (finely chopped)
1/2 brick of cream cheese
1/2  package of faux crab (chopped)
Garlic powder (to taste)
Worchestershire sauce (to taste)
Thai dipping sauce


Directions

1. I set my toaster oven to 'bake' and at the highest setting (I was also planning on wandering in and out of the kitchen to watch, so just keep an eye on them!)
2. Mix all ingredients in a bowl.  Garlic powder and worchestershire sauce to taste (I actually used quite a bit of both because I like the kick it gives)
3. Take a small spoonful of the mixture and centre it on a single wonton wrapper, making sure not to overstuff.
4. Pinch the corners of the wonton wrapper up over the mixture like a dumpling (all excess wrapper being up at the top  (see photo above).
5. Place on foil wrapped tray in the toaster oven
6. Watch for edges browning and make sure wrapper is hardened and cooked.
7. Serve with Thai dipping sauce. (Amazeballs)

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Espresso Chocolate Chip Shortbeard and the Hunger Games.

Whenever I see the word 'shortbread', I giggle.

I do this because I think back to when I was at the Nook restaurant in Northern Ireland at the Giant's Causeway, my pal Samantha and I noticed that 'Shortbeard' was available on the menu.

Shortbread for me will now only ever equal shortbeard.
Say it with me now...shortbeard.

That will stick with you. I'm not even joking.

Ironically, I've also been reading The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins.  I completely enjoyed the book (and will be reading the complete trilogy), but found it comparable to a book I read a few years ago.. Battle Royale by Koushun Takami. (Which I loved.) Both are very good and definitely worthy of munching on some cookies while you await the fate of the characters!

I am a lazy baker sometimes. I'm pretty sure I've mentioned this before.  I throw caution to the wind and improvise with ummmm..not rolling them out properly & not even using a mixer..or chilling them.. Improvisation usually works okay for cooking, but not necessarily so for baking. Suprisingly, these cookies managed quite well with my abuse and came out pretty darn perfect.

(borrowed  from Smitten Kitchen)

1 tbsp instant espresso powder
1 tbsp boiling water
1 cup unsalted room temp butter
2/3 cup icing sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup store-bought mini chocolate chips

1. Dissolve the espresso in boiling water & let cool ..preheat oven to 325 degrees.
2. In a large bowl, beat butter & icing sugar together  until the mixture is very smooth.
3. Add in the vanilla and espresso & mix again.
4. Add flour, mixing only until it is only mixed in, do not over mix.
5. Fold in the chocolate chips.
6. Chill the dough (I didn't do this) for a couple of hours
7. Roll out on even surface and cut into squares
8. Bake for 18 to 20 minutes. Remove from oven at timing as cookies will not brown, but stay relatively the same colour.
9. Transfer the cookies to a rack.
10. Let cookies cool before serving.

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Apple Crisp....for One!

You know what I like?

Simplicity.

In pretty much everything from relationships to camera manuals.  That love of simplicity transcends to desserts as well! Now don't get me wrong, I love fancy desserts (I just grow impatient with making them...mainly because I try to start fancy desserts at 2 am in the morning. Yep, don't ask.)

But simple desserts?  Ones that can be made in less than 10 minutes AND can be made for one?  Well, I'm hooked. 

I must have made about 5 of these in the past couple of weeks (don't judge) when I was craving something sweet and autumnal.  Especially when apples are in such abundance, this dessert is literally the perfect evening treat with a cup of tea.

Apple Crisp

(for one..or if you are feeling generous..for two!)

• 1-2 apples (a tart cooking apple is great for this, but any of your favourite variety will do)
• 2 tablespoons of brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon flour
• 2 tablespoon quick oats
• 1 tablespoon butter (I use about 1/2 to 3/4 tbsp and it's fine) cut into smaller squares
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon (again..to taste depending on how much you like cinnamon)

1. Peel & slice apples...layer in the bottom of the bowl you'll be using.
2. In a separate bowl, mix all the other ingredients.
3. Put crumbly topping you've just made on top of the apples.
4. Put in the microwave on high for 2 1/2 minutes
5. Let cool & eat with cheddar cheese, whipped cream or ice cream as you would any pie!
6. Enjoy :)



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Awwww Drats...and Jamie's Cauliflower Soup

Okay, so again I've managed to let this blog slide a bit (a lot).I'm going to blame the detox. Can I blame the detox?
Do you want to know about the detox?

Detox. Dr. Joshi's Holistic Detox. I was pretty good for the majority of it, but I will be the first person to tell you that I have absolutely no willpower and if presented with chocolate (or pie, cookies, French bread, etc) I will abandon such detoxes as soon as they are over.

I lost a little bit of weight, but nothing that drinking extra water would have done. I felt good too, but I'm not one of those people who are conscious enough about how their body feels in relation to certain foods/vitamins. Chocolate always makes me feel good. That I know!

So that, in essence was how it all went down.  That said, I will be sharing a couple of recipes from that detox that I particularly enjoyed.  I'm also going to write a few little mini posts too for some simple recipes that after you do it once, you don't even need a recipe! (I love those, it appeals to my lazy but hungry side)

But for now, Jamie Oliver's Cauliflower Soup!
I made this soup after locating a rather large cauliflower in the back of the fridge and thought, dang..how long has that been in there???  It's always good to have chicken stock/veggie stock on hand (I have made my own in the past, but never hurts to have any in the pantry just in case.)

So, with some Bon Iver on the iPod, I set to work making this soup...I always suggest some sort of music while cooking & Bon Iver just screams a little like winter soup. :) 

Jamie Oliver's Cauliflower Soup

(makes 6-8 servings  ::  from Jamie's Food Revolution cookbook)

* 2 slugs of olive oil
* 1 large chopped carrot
* 2 cloves chopped garlic
* 2 chopped celery stalks
* 1 medium chopped  onion
* 1 large head of cauliflower (chopped)
* 1 box of chicken stock (organic)
* handful of grated cheese for each serving
* tsp of mustard for garnish
* salt & pepper to taste

In a pot add olive oil, carrot, garlic, celery, onion & cauliflower.
In a separate pot, bring chicken stock to a boil. 
Cook the veggies until they are soft and onions and celery are translucent & almost golden.
Add the boiling stock to the veggies & bring to a boil once again.
Once boiled, simmer veggies & stock for about 10 mins.
Remove from heat and puree.
Serve with a handful of grated cheese & tsp of mustard.
Salt & pepper to taste.

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The Post Where I Talk About Doing A Detox...And Then Doing It.

Okay folks, here it is.
I've started a detox.
Now...before you all start laughing (you KNOW I love my chocolate, butter and salt), I did do the 100 Mile Diet two summers ago and found it really difficult.  This detox is actually easier, and although I am only on Day 3, I may just actually continue to eat this way! *Shocking I know!*  Maybe because I get more kitchen time this way, maybe because I am enjoying eating things that the rest of my family could care less about eating.  Totally possible in both regards.

I do find I need to sort out my portion control still (Joshi's book doesn't mention portions, but just eating healthier overall).  Now I have to be honest.  There are certain foods that definitely don't sit well with me..digestively speaking.  That said, I never have any idea as to how certain foods make me feel long term.  I am not one of those people who really know how their body works...everything just sort of does (and for that I'm thankful as I know there are many people who their bodies just don't work properly).

Lately however, I've been breaking out and feeling rather lethargic midday, so I decided to try out this detox and see what happens at the end of 21 days.

The basis of the detox is this:

• No red meat
• No dairy produce
• No fruit - except for bananas
• No wheat, gluten or yeast
• No alcohol
• No biscuits, cakes, doughnuts
• No jams or spreads -except for honey
• No coffee, decaf coffee or tea - except for herbal teas
• No sugar, chocolate or sweets
• No artificially produced condiments - ketchup, mustard, vinegar

Sounds like there is a lot that I can't eat, I know...but surprisingly, I've been enjoying exploring what I can eat. I'll give you a sample of my first grocery list:

3 lemons
4 bananas
2 large containers of plain bio yogurt
2 rice milk (I did cheat and buy 1 chocolate rice milk for smoothies)
3 heads of organic romaine lettuce
2 bags of spinach
1 head of cauliflower
1 head of broccoli
1 lb of green beans
1 large piece of ginger
large bunch of cilantro
2 packages of herbal caffeine free teas
1 container of hummous (I will be making it going forward, but wanted something on hand immediately)
1 pkg of rice crackers
organic pumpkin seed butter
salmon strips
tilapia
halibut
turkey

Dr. Joshi Foods I already had in the fridge to use: carrots, homemade chicken stock, garlic, onion, brown rice, spaghetti squash, extra virgin olive oil

I'm currently on Day 3 of this detox and I'm looking forward to seeing what sort of meals I can cook up!  The hardest part for me will be when I go to a photoshoot next weekend and will be staying overnight.  I plan on taking food with me, but it will still be hard. 

Thus far, my actual meals have been really great and I will blog about some of them.  I have even looks through some of Jamie's recipes and can easily adapt them to Joshi-approved recipes!  This weirdly excites me.

Stay tuned!  (I will defo be making some sweet treats once the detox is over too...I have plans!) :)

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Easy Artichoke Pasta Salad & Paper Cranes

 Bowtie pasta & origami paper cranes.  Sometimes, when your mind is in overdrive, you need something to keep your hands occupied.  In my case, pasta salad and a project called 1000 Paper Cranes for Japan on Flickr in order to show support to the people of Japan after the earthquake & tsunami.

The week following the tragedy, I taught ESL classes and Canadian Culture to a group of 15 year old boys who came from Japan 2 days after the tsunami.  The experience was phenomenal and the boys definitely uhheld the stoicism of Japan everyday in their classes and in everything they did.  They taught me how to fold origami paper cranes and we enjoyed laughing and learning about each other.  It was an experience that was unlike anything I`ve ever done and by the end of the classes, it was hard not to cry when saying goodbye.

I still have paper cranes that they made for me that sit on my desk and looking at them bring me back to the simplicity that we all yearn for in life.  As the weather gets warmer, pasta salad is that basic classicality of eating. It's that simplicity that we all crave in an otherwise hectic and frustrating world when nothing seems to be going right and you'd much rather wait it out under the covers until spring finally leaks in through the window.

It`s fast, easy, tasty and comfort food all in one.  This one, with added artichoke and sun dried tomatoes just gives you that boost of salty, pickled deliciousness.   Yep. I'm in love with a pasta salad.  Which is good, because my love life is not as exciting.

So I give you pasta salad and paper cranes.
Learn how to fold a paper crane here.

Easy Artichoke Pasta Salad

(Adapted from Sunny Anderson's Food Network Quick Artichoke Salad recipe)

• 2 cans drained and quartered artichoke hearts
• 1/2 pound cooked wholewheat bowtie pasta
• 1/2 cup pitted and thinly sliced black olives
• 6 finely roughly chopped sun dried tomatoes
• 3 pieces roasted red peppers, finely chopped
• 1 small red onion (finely chopped) 
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 2 1/2 tablespoon balsalmic vinegar 
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/4 cup freshly chopped parsley leaves
• cilantro sprigs to garnish
• pinch of salt & pepper

Add all to bowl, toss and refridgerate for approx 1 hr until ready to eat!

**Following day, add a little more balsalmic vinegar to taste.  Your salad will taste even better after marinating.

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Rocky Road Bars

 

Is there really something as 'too much' chocolate?

Is there a limit? A threshold, maybe a tipping point?

The correct answer = no. never. never. ever. ever

...but these Rocky Road Bars inspired by the Hummingbird Bakery version come pretty close. 

Some people will tell you that chocolate is better than sex.

Ummmmmm...dear future boyfriend, I will never say this to your face.

No matter how good the chocolate is. ;)

Rocky Road Bars

(adapted from the Hummingbird Bakery cookbook)

My version of these bars have less chocolate surrounding them and more of a chocolate coating everything mash up and pressing them altogether in the pan to create a pressed bar. 

• 2 bags of milk chocolate chips
• 8 regular sized coarsely chopped chocolate bars (gooey is better...I used 4 Snickers and 4 Mars bars)
• 1 cup of miniature marshmallows (I think I used about a 1 & 3/4 of a cup)
• 2/3 cup coarsely chopped dried apricots
• 1 cup Rice Krispie cereal
• 1 cup malted milk balls (I opted for mini peanut butter chocolate cups)

1. Line a 9" pan with parchment paper.
2. Melt 2 bags of chocolate chips in a saucepan
3. Put all remaining ingredients in a large bowl...ensure it's mixed well
4. Pour melted chocolate over the ingredients in the bowl and combine until all pieces are coated in chocolate.
5. Press mixture into lined pan.
6. Refridgerate.
7. Slice up into squares and enjoy! :)

I'll be telling you about a couple of my restaurant week in New York experiences this week...namely the opulent Russian Tea Room & Pigalle.  Plus I'll touch on Jon's Pizza, Cafe Havana & the Doughnut Plant.  Yum!

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Traditional Iced Gingerbread Cookies

I bake late at night.
In quiet.
Peace and quiet from my pretty busy household of people in a constant state of coming & going.
I like this quiet and it makes it somehow a bit more like 'me' time.
I listen to what I want (I actually listened to Christmas music as I baked these) and the lights on the tree are on and the rest of the house is dark, save for the kitchen. 
I 'think' I may hum or sing to whatever I have playing.I definitely know when I am singing, but it's the humming that I tend to not realise I do.
I often have a cup of tea or glass of wine, Baileys or some other beverage just to make it all a little bit nicer.
And then it happens...

I get kind of bored of the entire process about half way through.
And it's usually at about 2 or 3 am.

So, if I need to ice anything, I am happy to cover up the goodies until the next day and go from there.
That is perhaps the best part...giving myself that break and then finishing it all later.

These cookies are deliciously gingery and the texture is a cross between a hard cookie and a soft one, which makes them simply perfect for dipping!  I like mine a little on the thicker side, but it's all about how much you want to roll them out and how hard you want them.

I definitely need a hand in the 'decorating' part of cookies...in which I also inevitably get bored about halfway through.*L*

Traditional Iced Gingerbread Cookies

 (unknown source) 

 

• 1 cup of softened butter
• 1 cup white sugar
• 1 cup molasses
• 2 large egg yolks
• 4 cups all purpose flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 2 tsp ground ginger
• 1 tsp ground cloves
• 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
• 1/2 tsp salt

 

Frosting: 2 large egg whites & 3-4 cups of icing (confectioner's sugar)

1. Cream butter, sugar, molasses and egg yolks together.
2. Add rest of ingredients & mix well.
3. Shape into ball, wrap in plastic and chill (for at least an hour)
4. Remove from plastic wrap and roll out on a floured surface to a uniform thickness *keeping in mind that these cookies will not get any larger once placed in the oven*
5. Cut into shapes.
6. Bake at 350F (175C) for 10-15 minutes
7. Remove from tray and let cool.
8. Ice with frosting

TIP: When I lived in Scotland, I didn't have a rolling pin...and found that a wine bottle completely did the trick!


Frosting:

1. Beat egg whites with spoon
2. Add icing sugar as needed until it holds shape
3. Add colouring, put it in a piping bag, etc.
4. Cover with a damp tea towel is not using immediately

 

Eat! :)

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The Taste of Christmas :: Uber-Peppermint Marshmallows

Everyone and their brother are making homemade marshmallows these days!

And really, why not? 

They are easy, fun, affordable and taste WAY better than anything out there!

Trust me on this...we were the type of family to have marshmallows in our cupboards for years.

Years...from events we couldn't even remember having marshmallows!  Last winter? A bonfire in the summer?

Who knew?

My mother would pull them out and we'd see if they were any good.

Ummmmm..yeah, they never were.  They were inevitably stale and rock hard and didn't melt at all in hot chocolate.

Sketchy and gross, mom...just throw them out!

That is the fantastic thing about these marshmallows too...they won't last long in the house and they are completely customizable to your taste by using any sort of liquid or extract you'd like.

Coffee, no problem. Pineapple..how tropical! Lemon? Why the heck not? 

You know I am making Irish Cream ones next. :)

The possibilities really are endless.

I made super uber-pepperminty ones with swirly pink tops.

Think along the lines of Curiously Strong mints. 

My brother claims they'd be "borderline medicinal" without the icing sugar. Everyone's a critic.*rolls my eyes* 

True enough, they are really strong, but to make yours much less so, simply use less peppermint extract.  No harm, no foul! Making them really pepperminty only meant  I just need one *you know or 3* thick marshmallow to get that peppermint kick in my hot chocolate. 

I toasted one up for good measure too...pretty awesome.

I won't tell you that this toasting took place over a tealight...but it may have.

Minty, awesome with a crunchy burnt sugar exterior and melted goo inside.

Uber-Peppermint Marshmallows

(Adapted from AllRecipes.com)

• 1/2 cup water
• 3 packages of gelatin (approx 3 tbsps of gelatin)
• 2/3 cup light corn syrup (I used 1/3 cup golden corn syrup & 1/3 cup honey)
• 1/4 cup water
• 2 cups white sugar
• 2 tsps vanilla extract
• 3 tsps peppermint extract (reduce for a less pepperminty marshmallow..I love them, but my brother claimed them to be "borderline medicinal".)
• equal mix of cornstarch & icing (confectioners) sugar for dredging cut marshmallows in.

1.  Line 9x11 pan with plastic wrap & rub with oil. (I used olive oil, but you could also use a spray)
2. Put 1/2 cup water into a mixing bowl (either for a stand mixer, or one to use with a hand mixer) and sprinkle all 3 packages of gelatin on top and let sit until gelatin thickens completely (approx. 30 mins)
3.  In a saucepan add corn syrup, 1/4 cup water and white sugar. Bring to a boil and allow to hard boil for a minute. (To test without a candy themometer, drop some of the mixture into a glass of cold water...if it hardens as it hits the water, it's ready)
4. Pour sugar mixture into the gelatin and beat on high speed with stand mixer (I used a hand mixer and it worked just fine) for about 15 minutes until the mixture forms soft peaks and appears fluffy.
5. Add extracts (you can use any sort of combination you'd like....3 tsps of peppermint made these pretty strong) and beat until combined.
6.  Pour into lined pan using an oiled spatula.
7.  Lightly oil another piece of plastic wrap and press on top of the mixture (oil down)
8.  Let cool for at least 4 hours or overnight
9. When ready to cut, remove top layer of plastic wrap and flip onto parchment paper that has been sprinkled with the cornstarch & icing sugar mixture. Marshmallow slab should come right out.
10. Use a pizza cutter or cookie cutters to cut the marshmallow and dredge each piece into starch/icing sugar mix to avoid stickiness.
11. Store in an airtight container

 

  *to make the pink swirls, simply make lines in red food colouring on top and drag a knife back and through the lines before placing on the final piece of plastic wrap to set.

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"Only the pure of heart can make good soup." ~ Beethoven

I don't think I've ever really made soup from scratch before. (Is that an embarrassing thing to admit?)

Don't get me wrong...I've eaten soup and reheated soup and added things to soup, but I've never quite "made" soup. (Quotes intentional)

It's also not like I don't like soup...in fact, it's pretty safe to say the opposite!

Although at one point in my childhood you'd be hard pressed to even get me near creamed soups of any sort.  

Looking back, I realise my dad (who often made us soup on weekends) never properly whisked those powdery packaged soups, so I would inevitably end up with little chunks that suspiciously looked like mushrooms, but were in fact globs of undissolved soup. Ummm...gross.

I am happy to report that I have perfected the creamed soup from a package technique (which likely was a result of my past employment at Tim Hortons for 6 years), but until today I had barely thought about making soup myself...like, from scratch and all.

All I knew this morning was that I had some cauliflower in the fridge that was starting to go off and needed to be used right away and the first thing that came to my mind was...awesome, soup.

Okay, that was more like the second thought that came to mind, right after the thought that if I didn't get on this, cauliflower will seriously start stinking things up in the fridge.

So I pulled out my Ken's Soup Krazy book by Ken Kostick (which I was given back in the days when I worked at an online book retailer) and set about making soup.

 Celery & Cauliflower Soup with White Wine

(adapted from Ken Kostick's 'Ken's Soup Krazy')

(serves 6)

• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 med. chopped onion
• 2 cups cauliflower florets
• 1.5 cups of chopped celery
• 0.5 cups dry white wine
• 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
• 0.5 tsp each of dried oregano, basil and chili powder
• 0.5 tsp sea salt(I used merlot salt to go with the wine theme)
• 0.5 tsp black pepper
• 1 bay leaf (whole)
• 6 cups vegetable stock (I used chicken stock with garlic)
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley

1. In a soup pot, heat oil and add onion, cauliflower and celery. Cook until cauliflower is tender. 
2. Add wine and simmer for 10 minutes. 
3. Add all herbs (minus parsley),vinegar, salt & pepper, stock and bring to a boil.
4. Let simmer for 10 minutes and remove bay leaf.
5. Garnish soup with fresh parsley
6. Eat!

(I ended up putting this into the crock pot and mixing with a hand blender so it was more a pureed soup..including the parsley (which I enjoyed better than the unpureed version seen above))

Go forth mes amies and make soup!

I doubt I'm pure of heart, but it was a pretty darn good soup.

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The Macallan Whisky Tasting

Scotch? Whisky? Scotch? Whisky? *
What on earth is this amber coloured liquid that leaves a warm trail down your throat?

Well, my friend Heather and I were lucky to investigate this on November 23rd at the Macallan whisky tasting held at 99Sudbury in Toronto.  Macallan and Matchstick partnered up to host a fabulous 2 night, (4 round) event (we were in the first tasting on the first night) in which we had the opportunity to taste 5 of the Macallan's scotches.

The 10 year old, the 12, the 15, the 18 yr old Sherry oak and finally cask strength.
The whiskies were also paired with some fantastic cheeses, olives, nuts, meats and breads...it really was quite the spread.  The venue itself was quite swanky and fit the association one tends to make with what a scotch tasting should entail.  I have to say the entire evening was just a really well run and organised event.
Each sample was accompanied by an extremely informative powerpoint, including a very funny montage of what was happening during those specific years.


The Macallan Distillery has been around since 1824 (which likely means it was operating much longer before that, but not legally..which is why most scotch distilleries were ran up in the highlands of Scotland...to avoid the taxman we were told with a cheeky wink by the Canadian Macallan representative) and has quickly become not only a premium whisky, but a premium luxury whiskey with a 64 yr old whisky in a Lalique decanter recently auctioned at Sotheby's for $460,000 US (with proceeds going to charity:water too!).

As someone who lived in Scotland for two years, I definitely appreciated the variety of years presented & the flavours present in each whisky. The Canadian spokesperson for Macallan, Marc Laverdiere, was a great speaker and Heather and I had a chat with him after the presentation about female scotch drinkers.  He told us that 30% of scotch drinkers are women, which came as a surprise.

My favourite was the 18 yr old..smooth, clean and not a hard burn as I sipped it...the cool thing about the 18 yr old  is that it has been matured in sherry oak casks from Spain (most oak casks generally come from North America) and has hints of dried fruits, ginger, toffee and vanilla.  The terrific thing about Macallan whisky is that there is no artificial caramel colouring involved (most scotches colour their whiskies..which mean they must stay out of sunlight in order to keep well). Those lovely amber tones in the Macallans are completely natural and are a result of their unique casks and fabulous ingredients.

All in all, Heather and I had a fun night out in the city and some great scotch and treats!  The next time you are looking for a great gift for that single malt lover in your life, definitely pick up a bottle of the Macallan.

*only whisky made in Scotland can be called scotch ;)

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Hello?? Is This Thing On?

I am so sorry to have neglected you over the spring/summer/fall.

Ugh.

You know when life just gets in the way of doing the things you've been meaning or wanting to do?

Yeah, that's kinda what happened.  But, I'm back now and next week I have a whiskey tasting to go to with Macallen Whiskey courtesy of Matchstick.com...so that will be my first 'official' post back!

Until then....these are the things I meant to tell you about...

I drank a lot of tea (David's Tea & ironically enough Gretzky's Green Tea (which I originally bought as a joke because of the ridiculous packaging and it actually turned out to be pretty good!))

Soda bread with currants (which I hate, but made anyway thinking I might have some sort of revelation that I like currants. I still don't)

Had a first date at the Black Bull in Toronto and consequent dates around the neighbourhood... 

Drank coffees at the Dark Horse Cafe in Toronto

Found a little chocolate shop and tried out some unique chocolate

Drank nearly a gallon of apple cider

Made hazelnut cupcakes for my *gasp* 36th birthday

Celebrated the World Cup by taste testing a bunch of Walker's World Cup flavoured crisps

Convinced my cousin Kim to eat Vietnamese food

Made curd (seriously people...I made curd!! Keylime curd to be exact and black raspberry curd..black raspberries that I had painstakingly collected myself)...the curd then became swirly tartlets.

Made tons of pasta with very simple toppings (lots of fresh tomatoes, garlic, basil, olive oil and feta..divine!)

• Tried out a few new sushi places
• Consumed Irish Stew made with Guinness out on a chilly, albeit summery patio at the Waterfront Pub
• Drank various kinds of ciders and ales at C'est What
• Planted spaghetti squash...fried up and ate some of the blossoms
• Had drinks with friends and dates at various locales in the city..and they were great!
• Planted heirloom tomatoes, basil, cilantro, lime basil, sugar snap peas
• Drank lots of peach-basil sangria and still did not manage to photograph it

.....and managed to lose 30 pounds doing it all!

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Don't Mind the Crumbs...

Hey all!
Don't mind the crumbs all over this place..I will get it sorted shortly. *ack*
In the meantime...if you have a blog...please please send it along and I can add you to the site.

Also, I actually have a lot to talk about! (I'm sorry, I went through a bit of a dryspell for a while)
So you'll be seeing cupcakes, asparagus, chocolate, 100 mile diet eating, tea, a couple of guest bloggers and so much more. *Whew* 

I'm working on some pretty cool features on the site...so you may get little dribs and drabs of updates here and there, but there will be progress! :)

xoxo

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Sushi Fail...but yet looked fabulous

Really, the sushi failed for one reason and one reason only.  Nope, I am lying. Two reasons...1.  I couldn't find everything I needed at the grocery store to make what I wanted to showcase the fanastic pieces I received from CSN Stores to review and 2. hunger.  I was hungry.  Hunger does not bode well when making sushi. I did pick up the nori and wasabi and some vinegar, but until I have everything else...it's gotta wait and instead picked up a packaged dealio from the supermarket...which I generally do not recommend.

I will be making sushi at some point on this blog, because I love it and I think I have learned some tricks and tips that I'm looking forward to sharing.  I think I will also my friend The Asian Pear to write a little something about sushi making as she's a genius in this area and can whip them up MUCH faster than I! (Not to mention, I'll be able to score some of her tips and tricks too!)

For now though, I'm going to talk a little bit about my experience with CSN Stores.

When I was contacted by CSN Stores about doing a review of items from their stores..and I chose a medium sized sushi plate made of bamboo and an Alessi Lily Bird soy sauce container. (Yep, that little gorgeous bird is a soy sauce container!!!  Awesomesauce, no?)

I was pretty skeptical about the items doe to their pretty affordable pricing, but after getting and using both of these, I am blown away.  The bamboo tray is absolutely gorgeous (and cleans like a dream!) and the soy sauce container definitely is a statement piece.
I do live in Canada, so shipping is often takes quite a while, but the pretty great service that CSN offers is that they have tracking numbers and update you via email along the way, so I knew at any given point in time (up until it reached the border) as to where my package was.  Pretty impressive.

Both parcels were extremely well packaged and even if it had been jostled around in transit, you would never know.  With over 200+ CSN Stores (the majority of them even shipping to Canada), I would certainly revisit and check out their items..everything from seasonal decor to shoes to La Cruset cookware.  Sweeet!

I am very happy with these items, their customer service system and their shipping and will definitely be checking them out again. :)  Thanks Jamie!

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Red Velvet Cake with Cream Cheese Icing

Maybe you are like me...I have a tendency to start doing things late at night. Not because I've procrastinated doing them (although that is often the case), but usually because I get these grandious ideas late at night. So when most people are debating what time to set their alarms for the next morning or flossing, I am scouring the cupboards for the makings of...whatever I might be able to make. 

Company was coming to visit in the form of relatives the following day and my mom had requested that I might  'make something'. Ever since I ate red velvet cupcakes in London from the Hummingbird Bakery and consequently bought the cookbook this past winter, I knew more of these were in my future...in some form, any form!

 Which is why when I was asked to 'make something', I knew what I needed/wanted to do and I set about making this cake....at around midnight.  The crumb of the cake is deliciously moist and the cake is not sweet at all (the icing is a bit sweet, but suits the cake perfectly)  I made the cakes the night before and made the icing the following morning.  It all came together rather well and I would definitely suggest taking this cake to any sort of party.  Very impressive and not all that hard to make!

Red Velvet Cake 

(Adapted from The Hummingbird Bakery Cookbook)

• 8 tbsp of unsalted, room temperature butter
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 2 eggs
• 2 tbsp of unsweetened cocoa powder
• 4 tbsp red food colouring (yep, it'll take about 2 bottles!)
• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 2 cups (plus 4 tbsp) of all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp salt
• 3 tsp of white vinegar
• 1 tsp baking soda

1. Preheat oven to 325deg F
2. In one bowl, mix the food colouring, vanilla and cocoa powder in a bowl to make a thick paste.
3. In a bigger bowl (you can use an electric mixer..although I didn't and it turned out fine) mix the butter and sugar together until fluffy.  Add the eggs and beat until well blended.
4. Add the coloured paste to the butter mixture and combine..taking care to scrape the sides of the bowl so it mixes evenly.
5. Slowly pour in half the amount of buttermilk and half the amount of flour.  Beat until well blended and then repeat the same process of adding the rest of the buttermilk and the flour and beat.
6. Batter should be smooth and even...the add the salt, baking soda and vinegar.
7. Beat again to combine.
8. Meanwhile, grease and flour 3 8-inch pans
9. Pour the batter into the 3 pans (1/2 way up the side of the pan) and bake for approximately 25 minutes (checking to see if a knife inserted into the centre of the cake comes out clean)
10. Let cakes cool and make the icing.

Cream Cheese Icing

• 4 2/3rd cups of icing sugar (confectioner's sugar)
• 6 tbsps of room temperature, unsalted butter
• 8 oz (1 block) of cold cream cheese

1. This time I did use a freehand mixer!  Beat the icing sugar and the butter together until it is well mixed.
2. Add the cold cream cheese (I cut in cubes to make it faster and easier to mix) and beat until it is all mixed in,well blended and the icing is light and fluffy.
3. Taking care not to overbeat as the icing will melt slightly with too much work.

11.  Ice between each layer and stack the layers.

12.  Then finish icing the sides of the cake.

13.  If you are making cupcakes, this recipe will make 24...otherwise, divide all ingredients (including icing) by half for 12 cupcakes.

Serve to family and know that when you sneak into the kitchen later that night to cut a tiny slice to have with tea...it will have already been devoured by someone else with the exact same idea.  :(

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