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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South St. Burger Company

I occassionally do reviews of items for BzzAgent.com...and my most recent assignment was to check out the South St. Burger company.

Now I know this franchise has been around for a while, but I've never actually been in! Crazy, I know. I don't know what preconceived notions I had or maybe it's because I was always under the impression that it was pretty expensive...but there is a great reason for that which I am about to explain.

BzzAgent sent me a bunch of buy one, get one free coupons which I dispersed among the families that come into my workplace which is great because there is a South St. Burget Company just down the street from my job.

They also sent me a $10 coupon so I could try it myself first hand.

I never knew before, but what puts South St. Burger apart from the other burger joints is that the patties are made fresh and contain absolutely no hormones, antibiotics, filler or preservatives from cows that are raised on small co-op farms that practice natural and conscientious farming.

Seriously, for someone who is trying to eat better (or at least more consciously) and really pay attention to businesses who are trying at least to save/protect the environment, South St. Burger is really doing a great job as they use local ingredients & support local farms, use LED bulbs in their stores, environmentally friendly cleaning products and recycled paper products and 100% Bullfrog power(green electricity). Pretty impressive.

Not only that...but they have 25 different types of toppings! Everything from wasabi mayo to guacamole. Not to mention that they are partnered up with New York Fries. Delicious!

All the great environmental friendliness aside, I really did enjoy the burger. Sure it was a little more expensive than the local burger place...but the quality definitely was of primary importance.

Simply put..I would certainly recommend South St. Burger for the healthier burger choice!

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Longo's 'The Loft' Cooking Demonstrations

Have you ever had the experience of signing up for a class/lessons/demonstration of anything and being slightly anxious albeit excited about going?

What to wear, what to bring, who will be there?
I think that's a pretty normal occurance for most people and I definitely get a bit nervous walking into a room full of people that I have never met before..which is certainly what was about to transpire as I climbed the stair's to 'The Loft'.

The Loft, based in Longo's grocery store is a self-contained kitchen set above the shop floor complete with a fully functioning demonstration kitchen (video screens for you to see what is happening on the counters and a giant mirror above the stovetop) and large seating area.

I opened the doors and entered the area and was welcomed by host (Nicol Mentis) for the evening, the chef (Chef Robert) and two other 'students'. So far, everyone was pleasantly chatting and I got myself settled to join in.

~Chef Robert & the view of the stove from the mirror above the table~

I was fortunate to sit next to Mac, who talked to me about the other Loft classes her & her husband had taken. She also mentioned that they were the host's inlaws! It definitely says something about your relationship with your inlaws when they come to support your classes...they clearly know a good thing when they taste it!

I enjoyed chatting with them immensely and they definitely made me feel more relaxed and welcome. I was very ready to enjoy the evening and some other people came in who also knew Nicol. It made for a very cozy and relaxed first time.

You may recall that I made Canadian Maple Mousse a little while ago, well this recipe was featured in the same Longo's Experience magazine as the recipes that we enjoyed in the demonstration. (And with MUCH less ease than me cooking it up myself!)

Timing has always been my problem with preparing a meal, and Chef Robert made everything look so much easier and pretty freeform, which is always great! He spoke about timing and proper techniques of cooking and when to add certain ingredients, all the while, the kitchen filled up with delicious aromas that seriously made me wish I had remembered to eat lunch!

~Scallops & Shrimp in Pernod Cream Sauce~

Soon we were eating, and all the questions fell by the wayside as we devoured everything...it was all so delicious and fresh and so very unlike anything I would even attempt at home, but it was great to see how easy it would be to do!

~Rack of Lamb with Curry Sauce on a bed of Saffron Rice and Cumin Scented Chickpeas~

I have to say that my experience at the Longo's Loft was both fun and educational.I learned a lot of little tips and tricks and ate a fantastically gourmet meal that would cost you an arm and a leg in a fancy restaurant.

The host, Nicol was incredibly helpful and threw out questions and brought around the spices being used for everyone to smell and examine, helped tidy up and in general pull everything together so it was easy for both the Chef and us to gel. Chef Robert was great with answering any questions and spoke about everything from the restaurant industry in general to the best way to wash herbs, cook rice and french your rack of lamb..lots and lots of useful tips!

It seems to me that the Loft classes would be a terrific date night or get together with your foodie friends or a great gift to give!

~Dessert: Bread Pudding with dried cranberries in a Jack Daniel's sauce~

I am definitely signing up for a couple more in April, so if anyone wants to come along, please let me know!

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Raw Food Movement :: Desserts

It's funny, but as I'm writing this, I'm partially watching a zombie movie called Dead Snow about Norwegian medical students that stumble upon Nazi zombies while on a ski vacation. I cannot make this stuff up! Also, definitely one of the goriest movies I've possibly ever seen. Now would be a good time to tell you about the raw vegan nanaimo bar I tried.

I'm doing this for you Heather.*LOL*
I made a joke about becoming a 'rawist' (a person who avoids any foods that have been cooked, heated or processed, preferring to consume only raw organic fruit, nuts and vegetables and grain.) after Heather told me she switched from vegetarian to vegan during our excursion at the St. Lawrence Market.

I'm impressed by the commitment this takes because I don't think there is ANY way I could do it personally. Especially because I love dairy, eggs, honey! I can imagine that it's equally hard to eat anything but a salad anywhere you go (but that is my limited exposure I'm sure) but I'll bug Heather about it to find more information.
Soooo...in order to try something out from the raw food movement, I decided to try a raw vegan nanaimo bar from our local health food grocery store.

Although I don't have the recipe for this exact, I do believe it is VERY similar to this recipe.
Definitely more expensive than making the regular version *ingredients would be crazy expensive* and 3" x 5" bar cost me $6.99 CDN.

Tastewise, it wasn't as sweet as I was expecting, nor was it as 'faux' as I thought it might be.
The texture though (in the middle layer) was definitely not as firm as I would have liked, but I did like the texture and consistency of the bottom layer which although was a little too moist and crumbly, did taste like the real deal.

All in all, I guess if you couldn't/wouldn't have the real thing, then this would be a great treat for your rawist, vegan friends and in terms of more conscious eating, then this is something to consider.

Not to worry, the next posting will be filled with fat and sugar and salt and much less zombie. *teasing grins*

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Eating More Naturally

I've been trying to eat more 'naturally' lately. Using less processed foods and more 'whole foods'. Originally it was my goal to bake something for this blog using sprouted grains....and it still is, but I don't know when. Soooooo, instead I will tell you everything I've learned about sprouted grains.

It all started when I read the Essential Eating: Sprouted Baking Cookbook by Janie Quinn.

I was intrigued because the tag line read: with whole grain flours that digest as vegetables.

WHAT??

How is that even possible I thought to myself (immediately set out on finding answers on the internet) and OMG, what on earth would it taste like?? *remembering mine & Heather's experience at the St. Lawrence Market*

Flipping through the book, I saw a recipe for a cherry tart which looked right up my alley! Well, once into the book, I realised it was more or less a promo tool into buying THEIR flour. Which is fine...I can adapt and use other flour..well, it was due back to the library and I never wrote the recipe down. *doh* Which means, I need to take it out from the library again because I think I will attempt it this summer.

But I digress, we were talking about healthy eating you and I. Now I am not talking about special occassion eating (or "Hurray, it's Tuesday!" eating..of which I am quite susceptible) but about general choices throughout the week for overall better health.

I am making the start with swapping out my white bread (I detest whole wheat bread. No reason why except that I hate the taste and yet I ADORE anything with lots of seeds/nuts in it as long as there is more 'grain' than whole wheat) for sprouted grain bread.

So a little bit about sprouted grain bread..here is what StoneMill Bakery has to say about sprouted grains.

I am in the process of trying out a bunch of different brands of sprouted grain breads. Last week I tried StoneMill's Sprouted Grains: 3 Grains & Oatmeal and it was delicious! However, when I looked for it at the store again, it wasn't available. So I headed to the freezer section for something made ONLY with sprouted grains and no flour and found Silver Hills brand.

Both companies are Canadian and are very 'green' thinking and use best environmental practices and are interested in sustainability. StoneMill is Ontario-based and Silver Hills is located in British Columbia.

So this week I've been enjoying Silver Hill's 'The Big 16'..which is made up of 16 (!!) types of sprouted grains! In fact, here's the complete ingredient list:

Organic whole sprouted wheat*

water

organic evaporated cane juice*

vital wheat gluten

organic oat flake topping*

organic flax seeds*

yeast

sea salt

organic sunflower seeds*

organic millet*

organic whole sprouted triticale*

organic whole sprouted rye*

organic whole sprouted barley*

organic buckwheat*

organic whole corn*

citric acid

organic whole brown rice*

organic whole sprouted spelt*

organic whole sprouted kamut® khorasan wheat*

organic sesame seeds*

organic whole amaranth*

organic whole quinoa*

*Certified Organic

Pretty impressive...and pretty tasty! So far, this healthy living thing doesn't seem so dire.

Besides, I'll definitely still enjoy making sweet treats, I'll just have to give more of them away.
:)

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