Friday - fabulous Friday!!!

I have a pantry full of ingredients and at least 2 ideas I want to try out that contain chocolate chips, ruffles potato chips, and cookie dough - my co-workers get to be guinea pigs on Tuesday!

Toronto is gonna be a hopping place this weekend, what with both Pride and Canada day celebrations. It is, as I said on our work intranet page, time to celebrate both our heritage and our pride!

 

And speaking of Pride - can I just say - I love Nabisco this week. For not only making this _fabulous_ poster, but for sticking to their guns, doing what is right and supporting  something that should be supported.

Those that know me well know I'm a HUGE geek and my obsession de jour is the Avengers - FANTASTIC movie with a stellar cast - but I digress. There is a point to this ramble.

The point is that Chris Evans, whose brother is gay and who plays Captain Freaking America said it best:

"Are you kidding me? It's insane that civil rights are being denied people in this day and age. It's embarrassing, and it's heartbreaking. It goes without saying that I'm completely in support of gay marriage. In 10 years we'll be ashamed that this was an issue."

What a guy.....

And can I just say thank you to my parents for choosing to immigrate to Canada. I am damned PROUD to live in a country that has the Charter of Rights and Freedoms and that recognizes that people should be able to love who they want to regardless of sex. I'm also proud to be able to say that straight doesn't always mean narrow because I'm anything but! (all waistline jokes aside - yes I am a baker which means I have to sample my wares, no?)

Getting off my soap box now so I can get on my baking box .... visions of cookies are dancing in my head.

Stop the Ikea Commercial - I want out!!!

Well today my life was most definitely an Ikea commercial - you know the one I'm talking about, the kitchen one with the wife tuning out her ranting husband who is going on and on about how he hates his job, he hates his life, he hates his boss... well yours truly was cast as the role of 'ranting husband'. For the first time in, quite literally, years I could completely relate to his rant. 

What does this have to do with food you ask?  Well after a day like today I did NOT want to go grocery shopping despite needing to and therefore I took stock of my fridge and decided that today was the perfect day to visit Margaritaville.

Ask yourself this - what do you do with avocados just this side of too ripe, sour cream, 1/4 of a red onion, lemon juice, corriander, smoked paprika, and minced garlic? You make 5 minute Guacamole!

Cut, scoop and mash 3 avocados (minus the too mushy bits)
add 3 tablespoons of sour cream - mix
finely dice 1/4 of a red onion - add and mix
a couple of squirts of lemon juice
a couple pinches of salt
cracked black pepper
a dash or two of smoked paprika and corriander
1/4 a teaspoon of minced garlic

Mix it all together and chop some pita bread into triangles.

Pour a margarita

Eat.

Enjoy!

One of THOSE days...

You know the ones I'm talking about. The kind when you just know beyond a shadow of a doubt that you should not get out of bed, should not pass go and collect $200. The kind of day you should do nothing beyond pulling the covers up over your head, barring the door, turning the ringer off and willing the world away. Yup, it's that kind of day. Le sigh.

Healthier do it yourself fruit on the bottom yogurt

So for all of you who like the fruit on the bottom yogurt but don't like the extra sugar or jam like consistency here's one of my go to breakfasts.You'll need greek yogurt (I try and get no fat or very low fat), frozen fruit of your choice and agave syrup. Yup, I said agave syrup.

Put a layer of frozen fruit in the bottom of the container you want to take to work, or wherever. Lightly drizzle the agave on top - however much or little you want. A cup sized portion of greek yogurt gets spooned over it, 'sealing' the fruit at the bottom and then another very light drizzle of agave if you want.  Snap on the container lid, put it in your lunch sack and by the time lunch time hits the fruit will have thawed and the juices help thin the greek yogurt to normal yogurt like consistency as you mix your fruit from the bottom to the top!

Hot stuff!

I have to confess. With the humidex hitting 42 I ordered in. Just the thought of cooking made me shudder.

Soba noodle salad to beat the heat

God, it's not even summer yet and I'm already melting. No cooking for me today! Luckily all my cooking on the weekend will do me in good stead because I'll be whipping together a quick soba noodle salad. I can stand to have my stove on for 10 minutes.... maybe. Yup, 10 minutes, that's all it takes to boil the noodles and steam the edamame!

Ingredients for saladSoba noodles
Salt for water
¾ cup Matchstick carrots
¾ cup Shelled and steamed edamame
3 inches of English cucumber (deseeded) julienned
½ a bell pepper (red, yellow or orange) julienned
½ an avocado, sliced thin
3-4 scallions, diced
3 tbsp sesame seeds - toasted

Ingredients for dressing
1 – 2 tbsp regular soy sauce
3 tbsp ponzu (lemon or lime)
2 tsp mirin
2 tsp rice wine vinegar
1 tsp honey
½ tsp sesame oil
Small knob of ginger (about ½ an inch) frozen
Juice of half a lime (optional)
1 tablespoon of sriracha sauce for heat (also optional)
1 teaspoon of grainy mustard to emulsify everything nicely


Directions
Combine all wet ingredients in a resealable, air tight container and the microplane frozen ginger into mixture.

Seal and shake well to combine then set aside until your noodles and veggies are ready.

Cook soba noodles in boiling water for 3 minutes - yes you only have to cooke them for 3 minutes. Transfer to the collander and cool with cold water.(I use one bundle for this recipe but you can increase the amount of soba noodles if you wish)

Steam edamame (this takes a maximum of 5 minutes. I ususally steam mine for 4 just because I like my edamame to be 'al dente')

Add veggies

Toss with as much or as little dressing as you like. Rest for an hour in the fridge to allow everything to absorb the dressing.

Top with sesame seeds.

Eat and Enjoy!

FYI - I added some grilled steak on top for some meat protein but it's not necessary.

Tex Mex Saturday!

So here's the recipe I did on Saturday - Tex Mex seasoning, Tex Mex Vinaigrette, Tortilla Straws and a Taco Salad - enjoy!

Home made tex mex seasoning for meat or veggie substitute

1.5 Tbsp. chili powder
1/2 tsp. garlic powder or granulated garlic
1/2 tsp. onion powder
1/2 tsp. cayenne powder
1/2 tsp. dried oregano
1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes
1 tsp. paprika (smoked if you can get it)
3 tsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. coriander
1 tsp. each kosher salt and black pepper


Blend together and store in an air tight container or baggie.

Cooking Instructions
Add to browned ground meat after you’ve drained off the fat (if there is any) with ¼ cup of water to make a ‘sauce’. I have a cast iron stomach and love spice so I tend to be liberal but use as much or as little as you like to give your ground beef that lovely ‘taco’ flavor.

I will also add a couple of chopped chipotle peppers and some adobo sauce to give my beef mix that smoky heat. If I’m feeling cheffy I’ll throw in some diced onion, pepper and fresh garlic as well to add some fresh veg.

Throw in a couple cans of diced tomatoes and some kidney beans and you go from taco salad topping to chili!


Taco Salad
Tex Mex Vinaigrette
Juice of 1 to 2 limes (depending on how juicy)
1tsp grainy mustard
¼ tsp chopped garlic
¼ tsp of honey
¼ tsp pepper
½ tsp of tex mex seasoning

Tortilla Straws

Roll up 2 whole wheat tortillas & cut into ribbons
Spray with Pam
Sprinkle with tex mex seasoning, salt and pepper
Bake until crispy.


Make up your favorite salad using whatever mixed greens and veggies you like. I tend to use spring mix, matchstick carrots, ½ a sliced avocado, julienned peppers, tomatoes and red onion slices. Pour vinaigrette on top.

Add taco beef

Add shredded cheese or queso freso (I used Kraft shredded cheddar with habanero for this salad)

Add a dollop of sour cream (I used no fat)

Top with tortilla straws.

Eat! Enjoy!!!

It's been a productive weekend for me. I now have five new recipes to post once I get them written up. I've been playing in the kitchen all weekend and I'm rather proud of my results. I've got a cold soba noodle salad with an Asian ginger lime vinaigrette, Asian marinated minute steaks, raspberry buttermilk bread that uses tofu in place of oil for moisture, cranberry pumpkin seed bread, and my own tex mex seasoning blend which I turned into a taco salad for Saturday's dinner. Damn. I was busy!!!

Asian Cucumber Salad

I admit it, I've been struggling with what recipe I should post first. I've polled relations and friends asking for contributions or suggestions. In the end, the day dictated.

It's a gloriously sunny summery day in the Tdot and it's far too warm to figure out what to do with my defrosting ground beef. Instead I'm going to pick up a cucumber, some sesame seeds and a bottle of mirin and make the salad that was inspired by lunch at P.F. Chang's, an American restaurant chain for those who aren't familiar with the name.

So for my first recipe I give you my Asian Sesame Cucumber Salad

Makes 4 servings

1 English cucumber
2 Tbsp. sesame seeds, toasted
4 Tbsp. soy sauce
2 tsp. mirin aka Japanese cooking wine (optional)
2 tsp. rice vinegar
1 tsp. sugar
1 tsp. sesame oil



Peel and slice cucumbers however you like - this is a rather free form salad. That said, I tend to make my slices chunky if I'm being rustic and slice them thinly if I'm trying to be a bit more chichi. Place them into a bowl and set it aside.

Place the soy sauce, mirin, rice vinegar, sugar, and sesame oil into a small container with a secure lid. Put the lid on and shake to create the vinaigrette dressing. Pour the vinaigrette over the cucumber, toss to coat, cover, and marinate for 1 hour, stirring once or twice.

While this is marinating toast your sesame seeds. Just before serving, sprinkle the toasted sesame seeds on top.

The salad is wonderful with a kebab or with cold meats or just on its own if you're looking for something light.

P.F. Chang's uses black sesame seeds but I tend to use what I can find. A mix of black and white makes it look tres chic though!

Cheers!

Reflections

So I'm on my way to the All Staff Day and awards for the ministry I work for (yes I am one of those dreaded government workers). It's been about a year since the last one and that begs some self reflection.

A random thought has the ability to change your life - I now have proof positive on this. I had one such a moment and thanks to the encouragement and constant admonitions to 'JUST BREATHE' by some good friends I've accomplished some pretty amazing things.

Cryptic, no?

I work in a field where change is slow to come and is often highly resisted. I may not be rabidly opposed to change but it takes me a while to embrace it sometimes. This year has taught me to step outside my comfort zone, to take risks, to try something new, put myself out there and just breathe. Sometimes it really is worth it.

A random thought truly does have the potential to be (stealing a line from Chef Ron Ben Israel)  sweet genius.

Shoes, glorious shoes!!!

I have a confession. I LOVE shoes. I mean positively adore them. I may not be Imelda but I've heard many a comment from my male relations about my 'unnatural' obsession with foot fashion.

Summer means bright toenails and cool sandals. Case in point, my soon to be new Crocs.  They change color in the sun!  How neat is that????

Calling all Bannock lovers.

I'm really I interesting in learning how to make bannock. If anyone has a recipe that's not a close family secret and is willing to share it with me that would be fantastic!

What to do when you don't feel like cooking?

My go to meals tend to have cheese , proscuitto, crunchy veg like carrots and celery and my current obsession - dry salami preserved in parmasan. That and a nice glass of wine is the perfect easy peasy meal for me. What's your go to for those no-cook days?

Bittersweet memories

I think the biggest challenge of writing a blog is coming up with actual things to say. Kind of ironic considering I'm one of those people rarely at a loss for words.

Today was my favorite chocolate - bittersweet.

The bitter is that it was the last day of work for our articling student today. The sweet is she's now a good friend and she's going to be a lawyer as of Friday when she's called to the bar. I'm going to miss her calm, almost zen like presence in the cubicle next to mine but she's moving on to hopefully bigger and better things.

As I muse over the last ten months it makes me laugh when I think about how many conversations we had revolved around food, men and other such silliness. As Anne of Green Gables would say - I found a kindred spirit.

All the best, A.W. - One day I expect to be able to say 'I knew Justice so and so when she was just an articling student (if I haven't retired by that point!).

Welcome to me...

It's been said over and over that there are two types of people; those who eat to live and those who live to eat. I can say with absolute certainty that I fall into the latter category.

Many of my strongest memories are tied up with food. I'll forever associate Christmas not with turkey and trimmings but with pavlova and my mother's rum pie. I learned how to make my aunt's hamburger soup in her kitchen and it's now one of my go too comfort foods for cold winter days.

I remember picking fresh raspberries and blackberries in the Laurentians at the family cottage and having my grandmother make them into sugar crusted pocket pies. I can still smell the wood smoke from the outdoor grill and the char of meat; remember how good toasted marshmallows tasted when shared amongst cousins, all burnt sugar fingers and scalded tongues.

Australia is a myriad of memories - lemon squash, Freddo Frogs and Flake bars. It's passion fruit picked straight from the vine and scooped out onto vanilla ice cream. Frozen chocolate dipped bananas from the Big Banana and pineapple picked right in front of you, cut open and the tart burst of it on your tongue at the Big Pineapple.  It's my dad ordering a burger with everything only to find out that everything included not only all the normal burger fixings but a fresh pineapple ring, a huge slice of pickled beet and, of all things, a fried egg.

L.A. was my first taste of authentic Mexican and the 12 hour layover there gave me a life long love of heat. I developed a cast iron stomach - the hotter the better.

The Maritimes was the abundance of the sea - fresh lobster, plucked out the water literally hours before, boiled in sea water over a camp stove. It was clamming on the beach in PEI and mussels steamed in white wine.

Toronto, the melting pot, was my time to explore new-to-me cuisine that was centuries older than Canada - authentic Chinese, Thai, Indian, Japanese, Greek, Ethiopian, Italian.... I've literally traveled the world thanks to food.  And there are plenty of adventures yet to come.

So this blog is going to be a little of this, a little of that. It'll be my favorite recipes from family, friends, and some I've come up with all on my own. It'll be pictures and thoughts and favorite quotes, wine and song and friends and family.  This blog is going to be me.

Tracey.

Jumping in feet first...

So I've decided to jump into the world of blogging. Why? Who knows. We'll just chalk this up to another wacky adventure in my wacky little life.