Diaries of a "Cookie Contessa"

Friday Morning Mini Banana Loaves...Yes!

2013-03-15T09:50:00.001-04:00

Friday morning. I'm home and awake, awaiting a couple of coffee dates I have to make. What better way to show up to a friend's house than with something sweet in hand? Hence my morning baking. And seriously, I don't think there's a better smell to waft through the house than fresh baking and brewed coffee.

INGREDIENTS
1/2 cup melted butter
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup applesauce

2 eggs
1 Tbsp vanilla extract
1 Tbsp lemon juice

2 cups flour
1tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt

3/4 cup sour cream
3 mashed bananas
1/2 cup chopped nuts (I used pecans)

DIRECTIONS
•preheat your oven to 350F & grease whatever pans you're going to use (I used mini loaf and mini muffin pans)
•mix the butter, sugar, & applesauce together until smooth
•mix in the eggs, vanilla & lemon juice until smooth
•in a separate bowl mix together the flour, baking soda & powder, & salt
•add the flour mix to the wet mixture until smooth
•fold in the sour cream, bananas, & nuts
•spread mixture evenly into prepared pan(s) & bake until toothpick inserted in loaf comes out clean
•baking time depends on the size of the pan (the bigger the pan, the longer it bakes). The mini muffins took about 15 minutes & the mini loaves took about 25 minutes
•let it cool in pan for a few minutes before transferring to a cooling rack.
•Enjoy!

Banana Oat Good for you Cookies

2013-02-18T09:34:00.001-05:00

So I was inspired after reading through some recipes online to just make a simple cookie. And not just simple, but one that's relatively good for you. So here it is: a banana oat coconut chocolate chip cookie. Yummm.

INGREDIENTS
1 1/2 mushed up bananas
1 cup (or so) of oats
1 Tbsp (or so) of flaked coconut
1/2 cup (or so) of chocolate chips
1tsp of cinnamon

DIRECTIONS
1. Preheat your oven to 350
2. Mix all the ingredients together.
3. Put about tsp sized blobs of batter on a greased or parchment paper lined cookie sheet.
4. Bake them for about 20-25 min. Check on them after 10 min. and then about every 5 min (since everyone's oven is different and because I encourage you to mix it up and add whatever else you want in that batter).
5. Take out the cookies...and Enjoy!!

*This is a pretty simple recipe, and don't be afraid to do your own thing. Add other things to it (nuts, dried fruit, etc) and mix up how much of each ingredient works for you...want more banana? Do it! Think it needs more oats? Do it! Add applesauce if you're out of banana!

Seriously...have fun and enjoy a healthy cookie.

New Obsession = Ajvar + avocado

2013-02-10T12:41:00.001-05:00

So I just can't seem to get enough of this lately, and as a bonus, it's healthy! Spread some Ajvar (roasted vegetable spread) on a slice of whole grain, low carb, sprouted grain, or whatever kind of bread or cracker you like. Then top it off with slices of avocado and enjoy! Avocado is a super healthy fat that you should enjoy on a daily basis...and it's yummy :)

This is a great quick breakfast or in between meal snack. Filling & delicious.

Bread Expectations

2012-12-30T19:15:00.001-05:00

Sitting on the couch early on a Sunday morning, drinking coffee (that was made with my new Cuisinart Keurig, which I totally love) and watching the IIHF world juniors game, I couldn't help but think about breakfast. There are so many options, but the one thing I wanted was eggs...but we had one piece of toast bread left to go along with them. I would be ok with that, but my hubby is definitely a bread guy.

To be honest, I've always wanted to make bread, but every time I've tried, it's just never turned out as good as bread I could buy (and much quicker than making it at that). So while curled up in my PJs, I searched the various recipe apps that have saved me so many times, but I only really found what I was looking for by searching on good ol' trusty Google. And there it was, a French Bread recipe that actually didn't scare me to try. And I'm so glad I did because it was easy and delicious. The down side: my husband now expects that fresh bread will be made all the time.

Ingredients
1 pkg. active dry yeast
1-1/4 cups warm water (110-115 degrees F)
2-3/4 to 3 cups bread flour (I used all purpose and it still turned out great)
1 tsp. salt

Directions
1. Dissolve the yeast into the water for about 5 minutes.
2. Add 1 1/2 cups of flour and the salt to the water and yeast and mix for a few minutes.
3. Add the rest of the flour (as much as you need to make a soft dough).
4. Either knead the dough by hand on a lightly floured surface until it's elastic and springy (this may take about 10 minutes) or use the dough hook on your mixture and mix the dough for about 5 minutes until all the flour is gone and the dough is elastic.
5. Grease a bowl and place the dough in it, turning once to coat the top of it. Cover and let it sit until doubled in size, for 1-2 hours.
6. Punch down the dough and roll out on a lightly floured surface in a 12x6 inch rectangle.
7. Roll the dough tightly, starting with the longer side. Pinch the ends and edges to seal.
8. Shape the dough to make the ends thinner than the centre.
9. Place the dough on a greased cookie sheet, seam side down. Sprinkle with cornmeal, cover and let sit for 45 minutes to 1 hour.
10. Slash the top of the loaf with a sharp knife in 3 places. Bake in the oven at 425 F for 20-30 minutes, until bread is golden and sounds hollow when tapped with fingers.
11. Remove from cookie sheet, let cool, and enjoy!

Cinnamon Raisin Peanut Butter French Toast

2012-11-18T10:16:00.001-05:00

So after seeing a tweet about peanut butter and jelly French toast by Chef Michael Smith, I couldn't resist trying it. Really, all that I needed to get me curious about it was the peanut butter...yes I'm totally addicted.

So what better day than Sunday for a breakfast of slightly sweet French toast with peanut buttery goodness? Meaning that first thing this morning, while sipping my freshly brewed coffee, I was in my French toast making zone. This was also perfect since I needed to use up some cinnamon raisin bagels.

This is a pretty simple recipe and can be altered in so many ways. I changed some things up from Chef Michael Smith's original recipe to work with what I had. My measurement aren't entirely exact either since, well, it's Sunday morning (aka the perfect time to just have fun with cooking & baking & experimenting with new things for your family to try).

INGREDIENTS
2 eggs
1/2 cup of milk
1/2 tsp of cinnamon
1/2 Tbsp of vanilla

1/2 cup (or so) of oats

4 cinnamon raisin thin bagels (or whatever you have on hand)
Peanut butter (to fill in/spread on the bread)

1/2 Tbsp of oil
1/2 Tbsp of butter

PROCESS
-heat pan or griddle on medium heat
-whisk eggs, milk, cinnamon, vanilla together
-put oats in another dish
-divide bagels in half and spread peanut butter on each half, then put halves back together
-dip the PB sandwich in the milk & egg mix, then in the oats to completely cover the bread
-put oil in pan, then drop butter in the centre of it (apparently the oil will keep the butter from burning)
- place prepared "toast" on the pan and let each side brown for about 3 minutes
-enjoy your cinnamon raisin Peanut Butter French Toast with a little maple syrup, fruit & cottage cheese, or whatever works for you!

Post Thanksgiving..

2012-10-09T11:34:00.001-04:00

Well I spent the weekend eating. Two tables filled with food that could feed 20 (even though only about 6 or 7 were there). Turkey, stuffing, salads, fish, cranberry sauce, soup, and cake...with more cake filled all of our bellies.

But now it's time for a much needed cleanse after my feast-a-thon of a weekend. Day one of my post Thanksgiving cleanse is off to a start...one shake and one bar down, many fruits & veggies to go.

Pumpkin Season

2012-10-05T17:40:00.001-04:00

It's pumpkin season at Starbucks!! I've already had to dip into the pumpkin cream cheese muffin. Seriously, this is the one thing that makes the colder weather worth it.

...I'm saving my free drink card for a pumpkin latte ;)

Next up for me...pumpkin pie!! I can't help but want to make the delicious cinnamon & spice treat during Thanksgiving weekend.

Poutine Heaven: "Smoke's Poutinerie"

2012-07-21T21:39:00.001-04:00

So this post is very overdue at this point, yet the timing is probably appropriate considering the "poutition" commercials all over the radio.

Poutine, as I sadly learned recently, is one of those foods that is very Canadian. Apparently it's difficult to find in other countries. Who knew that others wouldn't just know to pair that french fry goodness with cheese curds and then melt the two together with hot, tasty gravy??

I have to admit that this was my first visit to an actual poutinerie, even though I was the acting "tour guide". Sad? Maybe. But I have to say a big thank you to Smoke's Poutinerie for being my first ;) I'll never be the same again ;)

So if you happen to be down by Adelaide sometime (maybe even at a Jays game...maybe), forgo the street meat this one time and be truly Canadian; go for the poutine! My choice was veggie nacho, and let's just say I will never think tortilla chips right away when I'm craving nachos :)

Fresh Sandwiches in Style

2012-07-04T15:51:00.001-04:00

Well it's definitely been a while since I've written anything, so I apologize and am grateful that life has eased up a bit.

Summer is here, which means that I can actually do lunch dates with people! First stop for this summer was Porto Via. It's a cute and very chic little place south of Eglinton and East of Dixie. It sits in a complex that houses small businesses, which accounts for the lunch crowd that was there.

Two separate lines make the speed of service great. One line focuses on serving up the sandwiches and any sides (i.e. soup or salad). The other is solely there to put your salads together. The best part of it all is the fact that all of the ingredients are fresh; even the soup is made in house, fresh that day!

My visit to this modern nouveau chic restaurant left my mouth watering and stomach thanking a grilled portobello sandwich on sea salt and rosemary focaccia, with a side of tomato and sweet potato soup. I apologize for missing pictures, but my hunger wouldn't let me take the time to take any ;)

Chicago Eats!

2012-05-06T09:44:00.003-04:00

Well it's definitely been a while (almost 2 months) since I've written anything. So I do apologize, and totally wish that some parts of life would stop being so busy so that I could focus more on food ; )

During the April long weekend I got the chance to take a trip to Chicago, a beautiful city with so much to see, and of course spent the time there excited about where I'd eat next.

Yes Chicago is known for its deep dish pizza, but there is so much more to experience while you're there. Of course, if you've never been to Giordano's then I highly recommend that you go! However, if you want to try something a little different to experience more of the city, try out Cantina 46. It's an awesome little mexican restaurant that has a variety of tacos to try. You can opt for anything from a calabacita (butternut squash, mushrooms, watercress, queso cojita, & pickled red onion) to a carnitas (pork shoulder, pineapple escabeche, serrano, & black beans). We were swayed to walk into the doors with a "Friday 5pm-7pm $2 fish tacos" sign!! Seriously, even without that deal, the prices are worth it: affordable and more than reasonable (you can't go wrong with a $29 pitcher of margarita). The tacos are even the perfect size, where eating a few is exactly what you want to and can do.

For all of you coffee lovers out there, Intelligentsia Coffee is a must try. I was a little confused when trying to order coffee, but the very helpful and friendly baristas were more than willing to explain the variety of brewing techniques they use. And with that, I do mean techniqueS. Your coffee at Intelligentsia is brewed to order. They grind the beans and use various brewing methods depending on the coffee you want. Seriously, even if you're not a coffee addict, go and see it!

If you've never experienced Chicago and you're a foodie, my only question to you is "what are you waiting for??" The next time you're in Chicago (or if you've never been and decide to go), try the pizza for sure, but don't forget about all the other great restaurants the city has to offer...Giordano's (and its 1 hour long wait) will always be there next time ; )

Cinnamon Spice French Toast

2012-03-10T14:47:00.003-05:00

Early morning hot yoga class. Check.
Coffee to help refresh me even more after hot yoga. Check.
French toast that I've had on my mind pretty much the entire week. Check. Check. Check.

Cinnamon Spice French Toast..done & ready to eat

One thing I remember about weekend mornings while living at home with my mom, is the smell of french toast frying on the stove, waiting to be smothered with syrup or whatever else we felt like, just waiting to be eaten. I happened to read a post about french toast some time this week, and then I couldn't get it off of my mind. With this "low carb" fanaticism kicking through our society, I have this inclination now to try healthy meals that don't include bread. But in reality, healthy doesn't mean "no bread". There are so many ways to help make things we love to eat just a little healthier, and just as tasty.

This morning, my french toast craving turned into a baked cinnamon spice french toast. I got the idea of baking it from one of my co-workers, which actually helped really make the dish what it turned out to be...delicious. And I can say it was delicious with the utmost confidence....considering that my husband actually really liked it!

Ingredients

Topped with maple syrup...simple but good.

3 slices of Portuguese Cornbread cut in half (you can use any bread here and make the slices whatever size you want)
3 eggs
1/4 cup milk
2 Tbsp of yogurt
1/2 tsp of cinnamon (or adjust to your liking
1/8 tsp of nutmeg
1/8 tsp of pumpkin pie spice

**these measurements are pretty much estimates as I was kind of just throwing things together and eyeing the amounts I used

Process
1. Beat the eggs.
2. Add the milk and yogurt and beat until combined.
3. Add the spices, and beat a little more until it's all mixed evenly.
4. Place the bread slices in a pan and pour the egg mixture onto the bread.
5. Turn the bread slices over once so that the other sides can get some egg coating.
6. Turn the bread over again and place into the fridge for about an hour.
7. Turn the bread over and place into the fridge again for at least another 20 minutes to half an hour.
8. Preheat your oven to 400F.
9. Grease a baking sheet, and place the soaked bread slices onto the baking sheet.
10. Bake for about 15 minutes, then flip bread slices onto the other side for about another 15 minutes.
11. Take out of the oven, top with anything you want, and enjoy the crispy outside and warm middle of the cinnamon goodness!!!

A little bit of honey and sliced pears go a long way.

**I left the bread to soak while I went to yoga in the morning, but leave it in the fridge for however much time you have. You can probably even leave it to soak overnight. Just make sure to flip it at some point so that both sides get to soak in some of the egg mixture.

Saturday Morning Zucchini Pancakes

2012-03-04T09:25:00.000-05:00

So this whole week, for some reason, I had pancakes on my mind. I was just waiting for the weekend to come so that I could wake up in the morning and make them. I couldn't wait for the smell of pancakes and coffee to waft through the house, in anticipation of the breakfast/lunch that would follow.

The batter awaiting its pancake fate.

This week I also happened to come across a recipe for "Cottage Pancakes" thanks to 101 Cookbooks. I love pancakes and all, but sometimes the amount of flour and "breadiness" of them is hard to handle...well at least when you try to keep eating even when you know you can't really eat anymore. So these pancakes incorporated cottage cheese and cauliflower instead of lots of flour.

So in my ready to make pancakes mode and my work with what I've got attitude, I put my own little spin on her pancakes (meaning I had to use yogurt and ricotta cheese since I was out of cottage cheese, and I was too lazy to blanch cauliflower so I used raw zucchini). I think they turned out pretty good...since I ate most of them. My husband wasn't a huge fan. But I still think that's because he just had to know what was in them before he even tried them...once he heard the word zucchini he was out.

INGREDIENTS
1/2 cup yogurt
3/4 cup ricotta cheese
1/2 cup chopped zucchini (into tiny pieces)...or just grate it
2 Eggs, separate yolks from whites
1/2 cup flour

So close...but not done yet.

1/2 tsp baking powder
Pinch of salt

PROCESS
1. Mix together the yogurt, ricotta cheese, zucchini and egg yolks.
2. In a separate bowl, sift the flour and baking powder and salt.
3. In a small bowl, beat or whisk the egg whites until stiff peaks begin to form.
4. Combine the flour mixture into the yogurt and zucchini mixture, and mix until blended nicely.
5. Fold the egg whites into the pancake mixture.
6. Put your griddle or pan on medium-low heat, and place a bit of butter on it to grease it up.
7. Put 3 Tbsp of the mixture on the pan for one pancake.
8. Once they begin to brown and cook on one side (may be a couple of minutes), flip over to cook the other side.

Top them up and enjoy!

This should make about 8 pancakes that can be topped with anything you'd like. I went for some peanut butter and bananas, to ricotta cheese and chickpeas, to my mom's homemade plum jam. My husband stuck to his regular maple syrup.

Have fun with making pancakes and trying your own thing...the just add egg and/or water boxed versions really aren't any easier. This way, you know what you're getting.

Cornbread with a hint of sweetness

2012-02-11T13:22:00.002-05:00

Wow. So it's been a while since I've written anything. I know...shame on me. But it happens; life can just be way to busy sometimes. However, even though I haven't been writing, that doesn't mean that I haven't been testing out food and testing out places to eat! : )

Today I woke up with this odd desire to make some cornbread. I really just wanted to eat some cornbread, but realized that I would have to actually make it in order to have any. No problem! Cornbread is probably one of the easiest and quickest things to make...serious. And there are so many recipes on the Internet to play around with.

The first part of my cornbread plan had to do with just that, finding the right recipe to work with..and I did. I found a great sounding Honey Cornbread recipe on allrecipes.com. However, I also wanted to play around with it a bit and do my own thing.

I wanted my cornbread to really emphasize the "corn" part of it. When I was looking through different recipes they all seemed to add all purpose flour. So, I tried something different and used cornflour instead. It turned out delicious!!

Ingredients
1 cup cornmeal
1 cup corn flour
1/4 cup sugar
1 Tbsp baking powder
1/4 cup honey
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup milk
1/4 cup vegetable oil
2 eggs, lightly beaten

Procedure
1. Pre-heat oven to 400 F and grease a pan (I used a mini loaf pan that makes 9 mini loaves)
2. Combine the cornmeal, corn flour, sugar and baking powder in a bowl
3. Make a well in the centre of the mixture and all the rest of the ingredient
4. Mix it until it's well blended and pour mixture into pan
5. Bake for 15-20 minutes (you may need more or less time depending on the type of pan you use)
6. Eat as is, fill with your favourite spread or cheese, and ENJOY!!

It's always fun to say Mahi Mahi @ Baton Rouge!!

2011-11-06T08:26:00.001-05:00

On Friday night it's always easy to get out of making dinner when you feel lazy: make the dinner date suggestion. I did just that this Friday, and even though our wallets became a little lighter, my stomach and taste pallet thanked me greatly.

Baton Rouge at Heartland in Mississauga is one of those restaurants that you can find yourself going to every so often when you want a nice atmosphere, great service, and good food. We decided to sit in the bar to give my husband the option of looking at the TV once in a while (which is essentially one of the things I mentioned when bringing up the idea of going out for dinner). But even in the bar, you are treated like gold...and looked after with fast service I might add.

Baton Rouge uses a type of service where all of their wait staff help everyone in the restaurant. Yes they are all given a section, but you will have any server in that section help you out. Sitting there, looking at your empty glass of wine, you no longer have to wait or look for your server that seemed to disappear. Just ask anyone that walks by for that refill. And to be honest, they would probably approach your table before you would have to look for anyone.

So on Friday night I had to go with the Mahi Mahi. Yes it was like butter as my fork just gracefully sliced through it and the fish just seemed to melt in my mouth....but it's also just so much fun to say Mahi Mahi. My husband opted for the filet mignon which came with these delicious onion (I'm calling them) frings! They looked like fried potato wedges, but with one bite that onion ring flavour captures your mouth. The spicy dipping sauce that they pair it with, makes eating them even more delectable.

We walked out of there pretty much $100 poorer, but we left knowing we had a rich experience. So it can be pricey, but when you taste the food and get that great service, the price makes sense. Would I go there all the time? Not unless someone else would pay for me at some points. But I would make the trip every once in a while when I want a dining experience where I'll feel pampered, get to eat great food, and not have to think of taking out a loan to do it.

The cream of mushroom soup that came with my entree.
The mood setting low lighting made it hard to take pictures,
but added to the comfortable atmosphere of the restaurant.

Pumpkin Cookies

2011-10-30T15:44:00.002-04:00

After looking at this leftover pumpkin puree I had sitting in my fridge, I finally found a recipe I wanted to try to help my make use of it. AND this recipe is one that I have already come back to and used again...and will definitely use many more times.

I need to send out a "thank you" to verybestbaking.com for posting this recipe (http://www.verybestbaking.com/recipes/32364/Old-Fashioned-Soft-Pumpkin-Cookies/detail.aspx) for everyone to try. It's so easy and so delicious. You won't be able to get enough of these little pumpkin cookies...you'll probably be like me and go get even more puree to have on hand.

I now know what I'll be doing with the pumpkin I have on my front porch after Halloween!!

Try it out and enjoy!

Eating My Own Words...Or At Least My Tomatoes & Peppers

2011-10-22T12:07:00.003-04:00

So before Thanksgiving I kind of "made fun" of my mom and what I thought she would have prepared for our Thanksgiving dinner. It turns out that I was totally wrong. My mom had decided to go "simple" as she stuck to turkey, stuffing, and a few side dishes. WOW! Even my husband sat down to dinner, looked at the table, and said "where are the sausages?". So I even though I tell people to never assume things, I didn't take my own advice...but I should!

Now I always seem to make fun of the fact that my mom cooks like she's feeding an army of 20 sometimes, but I just realized that I may have grown up to be just or almost like her. Soon after Thanksgiving, my husband and I decided to take on the farmer's market. Why? We thought we'd attempt to go "old school" and make and jar our own tomato sauce and roasted red peppers. Yes, our parents were very proud....and they also may have thought we were a little crazy. It wasn't the fact that we wanted to try to make and jar this stuff that made their eyes pop out, but we decided to buy 6 bushels to work with: 3 bushels of Roma tomatoes and 3 bushels of red peppers!!

This is only 2 bushels. We had 4
more bags.

A bushel equals 36.38 litres. We bought 109.14 litres of tomatoes, and 109.14 litres of red peppers! What were we thinking???? Well...we obviously weren't. Or, we just had some delusional idea of how easy and fun it would be.

So, making your own sauce is not hard, but it takes some work. Honestly, the part that is the most fun is either having a shot of brandy to help warm you up as you work outside in the cold (because it's a really messy thing to do inside) or when you have finished and can get excited about how much sauce you have.

Getting ready to start.
Feat #1: lifting these heavy bags onto the table.

TOMATO SAUCE

Process

The tomato workstation.

1. Cut the tops off of the tomatoes and cut a small "X" into the bottom.
2. Boil the tomatoes until the skin starts to peel off, then let them cool. (this shouldn't take too long)
3. Once they're cool, peel the skin off of the tomatoes (so annoying and messy)
4. You can either de-seed them (way too much time) or do what we did and just put them through a food/meat grinder.
5. Heat up some olive oil in a LARGE pot. (It helps if you have a burner that works off of propane. They are so fast. Thanks Mom!) Throw in some onion, garlic, grated or processed carrot and celery (or really anything you want...you don't even have to put anything other than tomatoes in it if you don't want to).
6. Pour the ground up tomatoes into the pot. Bring it to a boil and let it simmer until it reaches the consistency you want. (We went for the not too chunky but not too watery sauce...that way it may be used for more things than just pasta sauce. So we had to let it simmer for at least about 40-60 minutes.)
7. Pour the sauce into cleaned jars, and put the lids on as soon as you can. It will be really hot to handle, but you'll hear the jars "pop" soon because of the heat of the sauce (that way you don't have to boil the jars to seal them).
8. Clean up the mess of tomatoes all over the place (this is gross, annoying, and will lead to prune like fingers).

My husband hard at work.

ROASTED RED PEPPERS

Process.
1. Barbecue the peppers on each side until they start to blacken a little and the skin starts to pull away.
2. After they've cooled a bit, peel the skin off of the peppers, take the tops off, and de-seed them.
3. Clean some jars, and pour a bit of vinegar into each one (about one or two fingers-width worth, depending on the size of the jar).
4. Mix the peppers with some vinegar and red wine, and start to place them in the jars (and pour yourself a glass of that red wine to help you stop wondering when you'll be done).
5. Once the jars are full, pour in some of the leftover juice from when you mixed the peppers into each jar.
6. Run a knife along the inside edge of each jar to get rid of any air bubbles. This will cause some more of the liquid inside to rise up...that's good.
7. Pour a little olive oil in the top of each jar and seal it.
8. Put each jar into a pot of water, at least to the brim of the jar's cap. Bring the water to a boil and leave the jar in there until you hear it "pop". This means it is sealed.

**you could also add in some chopped up garlic into the jars before adding olive oil.

Jarred and ready to eat.

We had to try it out!

So now I have about 40 litres of tomato sauce and 15 litres of roasted red peppers....I think I'm good for the next couple of years! Your turn!!

Pre-Thanksgiving FeastS

2011-10-09T13:54:00.004-04:00

So my Thanksgiving weekend started off a little "non-Traditional". We had some teriyaki fondue on Friday night and some burritos on Saturday night. To be honest, it was kind of nice to think of it as an "international" Thanksgiving weekend feast. Today will be a little more "traditional". Now I say "traditional" in quotations because, from previous experience, I'm assuming it will be more than turkey, cranberry sauce, and stuffing...

I thought I'd post a little something before I went off to family Thanksgiving lunch/dinner #1. Today we'll be at my mom's house, where I'm sure the 6 of us that will be there will be inundated with about 3 different entrees of a selection of meats. And then let's not forget about the side dishes to go with each entree...just so everyone will have something that they might want. But who are we kidding...my mom will expect us to try everything. Oh the good old Eastern European mentality...if no one tries it, that means it's not good (but really, we wouldn't know if we didn't try it. We're just too stuffed to take another bite).

My contribution to today's meal....honey pumpkin pie! It's a recipe I found on www.honey.com that uses honey instead of sugar! I'm actually really excited to try it.

But again, this is my assumption about what Thanksgiving lunch/dinner #1 will be like today...I guess I'll find out if I'm right in about an hour or so.

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone (in Canada) and I hope your tummies get as full as mine will probably be.

Sunday Morning Cookies and Coffee

2011-10-02T11:31:00.002-04:00

Ok, seriously, what could be a better way to start a Sunday morning than putting together some homemade cookies, brewing some coffee, and then sitting down and enjoying them with a good book? That's exactly how my morning began, and I am now having a hard time doing anything else but dunking my cookies in my coffee and reading. So it may have ruined me from doing anything else today, but all that other stuff can wait!

A couple of weeks ago I decided to make a cookie cake for a children's birthday party (which is essentially just a giant cookie with "Happy Birthday" written on it) and found a recipe for the "Best Big, Fat, Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookie" from allrecipes.com. And once we got to dig into it, I realized how seriously correct that name is. It was like biting into a homemade Mrs. Fields cookie. And it was gone a couple of minutes after it was put out. This made me realize that kids are happy with simplicity. Who needs a big chocolate cake decorated as their favourite cartoon character? If you put that cake next to a tray of cookies, there's a good chance they'll go for a cookie (and come back for more)!

When I woke up this morning I was debating between cookies and crepes. Then I thought of my husband, who, like those kids, would probably prefer the simple joy of dunking cookies into his morning coffee. So, I went with the cookies. I thought I would make those delicious Best Big, Fat, Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies, but then I thought I'd try playing around with them a bit. They still turned out great, but maybe a tad too sweet. Next time, maybe I'd cut more of the sugar or honey.

Ingredients

1/4 cup honey (I also mixed this with Agave nectar since I ran out of honey)
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup sugar
1 egg
1 egg yolk
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
2 cups flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup chocolate chips
1/2 cup peanut butter chips

The Process
-melt the butter and mix it with the honey and sugar until kind of creamy
-add in the egg, yolk, and vanilla and mix until all combined
-in a separate bowl sift together the flour, salt, and baking soda
-add the dry ingredients to the wet ones (a little at a time) and mix until all is combined and the batter has formed
-add in the chocolate and peanut butter chips and mix by hand

I couldn't resist trying one once they were done!

-put the batter in the refrigerator to cool for at least 30 minutes (it's ok if you leave it in there even longer)
-preheat oven to 325 F
-put tablespoon sized balls of batter (or bigger or smaller...it's completely up to you since they are your cookies) onto an ungreased baking sheet
-bake for about 12-15 minutes (take them out once they start browning so that you don't over bake them)
-put them on a wire rack to cool...and ENJOY!

This ended up giving me about 26 cookies (it depends on the size of your cookies), which will last for at least a couple of days ; ). And I'm definitely happy with my decision to make cookies...but who am I kidding, I still might go for some crepes too!

ENJOY!!

Peanut Butter Chip Chocolate Cookies

2011-09-10T10:06:00.000-04:00

Yes, it's a mouthful to say...but they are so worth making.

Waking up this Saturday morning I was already thinking of making cookies to have with my coffee after breakfast. And since I was up to trying something new, I pulled out my trusty vegan cookbook by Kim Barnouin, Skinny Bitch: Ultimate Everyday Cookbook.

The original recipe in the cookbook was for white chocolate chip cookies, but since my urge to bake only hit me this morning, I didn't have any white chocolate chips. I also wasn't in the mood for chocolate chip chocolate cookies (maybe a little too chocolatey, or I just overdosed on my sister's chocolate truffles last night).....so what goes better with chocolate than peanut butter. Ah yes. The trusty peanut butter chips I had in my cupboard came to good use.

Yes this recipe is vegan (possibly except for the peanut butter chips I included), but for those sceptics out there, vegan doesn't mean there's a lack of taste. They have the smallest bit of crunch when you bite into them, leading you into the soft and chewy centre.

So good. So worth a try. So easy to make.

If you like these. I must say that everything else in the cookbook has only been tasty and easier to do than expected....definitely on my list of recommendations!

Ingredients
1 1/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1/2 unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
2 Tbsp cornstarch
1/2 cup almond milk
1/2 cup canola oil
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar*
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup peanut butter chips*

*These are the ingredients I used. Some are different as the recipe originally called for vegan or natural ingredients that I didn't have.

Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Sift together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and powder, salt, and cornstarch.
In a separate bowl whisk the sugars, oil, milk, and vanilla extract until well blended.
Stir in the flour mixture until well combined.
Add in the peanut butter chips.
Let the dough sit for 15 minutes.
Drop about 1 Tbsp of dough onto an ungreased cookie sheet, leave about 2 inches in between each (they spread a little when baking).
Bake 8-10 minutes.
Let the cookies cool on the cookie sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Baby Bum Baby Shower Cake

2011-08-29T15:12:00.000-04:00

Whew...what a tongue twister. But that's exactly what I got myself to try out and make: a baby bum baby shower cake.

I had some hesitation about trying this for the first time when I was making it for a friend's baby shower, but I couldn't resist trying to make something so cute.

The butter, sugar and eggs; just one part of the cake recipe.

Just about ready to put it all together. Adding buttermilk and dry ingredients
into the "wet" mixture in 3 doses.

Two cake pans (an 8" and a 6") ready to go. Remember
to cover the top with tinfoil if the top starts to brown long
before the rest of the cake is ready

In the end, my lemon coconut baby bum cake turned out great. But I can't take all the credit. I made it, but I didn't come up with all of the ideas myself. The Coconut Cake with Lemond Curd recipe is from joyofbaking.com. The mommy and daddy to be seemed really pleased with the taste. Well, they tried it and kept eating it at least ; ). And I got a lot of help with the design from Cake Central. The step by step instructions were not confusing, too detailed, or vague....they were just right. I got the idea of what I had to do, with some leeway to do my own thing with it as well. The only thing I did add was my own recipe (well I should actually say the Wilton recipe) for buttercream icing, to dirty ice the cake before layering with fondant.

The finished product: a baby bum cake for a a baby shower.

So sometimes it's good to take a chance with baking and decorating. If you don't try, you'll never know if you can do it. Right?!

Coconut Chocolate Chip Cookies

2011-08-21T09:37:00.000-04:00

I couldn't resist.

Sunday morning, coffee, rainy day...all I needed was some cookies to top it all off. So I whipped some up! : )

I happened to have a recipe on hand from joyofbaking.com for the standard chocolate chip cookie. But the fun part about baking is mixing it up and trying your own thing. So I did, and this coconut chocolate chip cookie is what came out of it.

1 1/4 cups all purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt

Combine and mix these dry ingredients in a bowl.

1 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/8 cup agave nectar
2 eggs
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Beat the butter and sugars until soft and combined (about 1 or 2 minutes). Add in the agave nectar and mix. Add in one egg at a time and mix it in fully until you add the next. Add in the vanilla and mix.

1 1/2 cups chocolate chips
1/2 cup coconut

Add the dry ingredients into the bowl with the butter/sugar mixture and mix it altogether. Add in chocolate chips and coconut and mix until it's all combined.

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper, and drop heaping spoonfuls (make them as big or small as you want) of the batter about 1 inch apart. Bake at 375 for 10 minutes. Then let cool on a rack and enjoy!!

**I originally only added 1/4 cup of coconut, but I felt like it needed more once they were done.

**Make sure you keep an eye on the time while they bake. My last batch (it was only 4 cookies...thank goodness) got a little too, um, burnt as I forgot about them while writing this. Oops.

Food Truck Eats @ The Distillery

2011-08-20T19:16:00.000-04:00

Whoever invented the idea of the food truck, I have one thing to say..."Thank You".

From poutine to pizza, to ice cream or cupcakes, The Distillery District had all of it today, and it was all mobile. The Food Truck Eats Festival had part 2 of their series happening today from 11am-3pm. The walkways of the district were lined with food trucks that each had their own specialty. Yes some of the lines were long. But that 45 minute wait for my specialty grilled cheese was well worth it!!

There is apparently a part 3 in this series. I'm not entirely sure when it takes place - I would guess some time in September - but whenever it happens, I'll be there for more food truck eats!

The appetizer:

The Traditional Poutine from Smoke's Poutinerie.
My first try with poutine....tasty.

The Entree:

The Gorilla Sarducci from Gorilla Cheese.
A fantastic melted creation of mozzarella, red onion, tomato,
basil, and balsamic drizzle. All on what tasted like multigrain bread.

The Dessert:

A variety of flavours of soft, creamy, and delicious ice cream from Twirlees.

Birthday Cake in a cup.

Pralines & Cream in a cone.

Good Friend, Good Coffee, Good Dessert

2011-08-12T17:57:00.000-04:00

So not only did I get to have a very overdue coffee and catching up with a friend, I got to try out a recipe for Strawberry Walnut Bread.

I always love these sweet "breads" (i.e. banana, zucchini, lemon, etc.) because they are so easy to make and can work with so many fruits or veggies you may have on hand.

Ingredients:

1 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt

Mix these together in a medium sized bowl. Make a well in the centre.

2 eggs
2/3 cup oil (canola or vegetable)
1/4 cup agave nectar
1 cup diced strawberries
1 cup chopped walnuts (or pecans would work nicely too)

Mix these together in a small bowl. Add them to the dry ingredients and mix together.
Place the batter in a greased pan.

2 Tbsp butter cut in pieces
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup all purpose flour

Put all ingredients into a small bowl. Use a pastry blender or two knives to "cut up" butter and mix it into the sugar and flour until it is crumbly. Sprinkle this on top of the bread.

Bake in a 375 degree oven for about 40 minutes (but check occasionally as the timing may vary depending on your oven. You can even reduce the heat if that works better, but just keep checking by inserting a toothpick into the bread and check if it comes out clean.) Allow bread to sit in pan for about 5 minutes. The cut up and enjoy!!

The photo doesn't really do it justice (since it's kind of blurry). But it's easy and goes great with coffee or tea!

Cookies, Teas, Organic Everything...oh my

2011-08-11T13:37:00.000-04:00

Grande Passion tea and a (giant) Chocolate Chunk Cookie please.

That was the first moment of my great foodie morning. You've got to love Starbucks when you can get such a variety of teas and coffees, with a variety of cookies (ones that are bigger than any you could probably get anywhere else) to choose from. As I ordered my tea I figured, "ah why not get that cookie for something sweet to indulge in, I mean I'll probably only eat half of it anyway". Half? Yeah right! How can you stop eating something that's so rich, yet not too sweet, yet sweet enough that you just want to keep going. Yeah...you can't stop. Thank you Starbucks. Thank you for now making me wonder if I should've skipped my workout this morning... ; )

And it doesn't end there. Today, I finally ventured to Whole Foods. I know that it's kind of weird that I've never been there before. But hey, now there's one near me and I won't have to try to convince myself to drive there. Now, I totally regret not ever having been.

The moment I walked in, I realized how nice it was not to have to search for the organic produce, or even wonder if they had organic produce. Why? Because everything is organic, grain fed, antibiotic free, etc, etc... I was mesmerized by the clean set up, prices that didn't make me want to run out screaming and not come back, and the variety of, well, everything! Thank you Whole Foods for finally coming to Mississauga. I'll definitely be going back...soon.

A Scone Kind of Day

2011-05-23T18:27:00.000-04:00

Mmm the pumpkin scone. I couldn't resist.

Every time I walk into Starbucks, I can't help but ogle at the display of pastries that sits next to the cash register. My eye always seems to end up at the awesomely delicious looking scones that are just calling out to me to take a bite. Sadly (and I guess gratefully), my discipline (well as much of it as I have these days) kicks in and I simply order my coffee.

But today, a day that I'm trying to do anything other than clean, I found some left over pumpkin puree that I figure I needed to use soon...so why not now.

Pumpkin puree + craving something delicious but not super sweet = pumpkin scone!

The scone is a pastry or bread that comes from Western Europe, and which we've adapted to obviously make bigger and sweeter in North America (since that's what we seem to do with all foods). Now since my family meals and delicacies as I was growing up centred around those treats from the Balkans, the scone was not in my mind's recipe index. My saviour? JoyofBaking.com.

These pumpkin scones were easy and quick to make, easy to alter if necessary or desired, and delicious to eat. They were definitely worth putting up with the extra heat from the oven on an already humid day. But about 30 minutes after my process of putting together and baking them, my husband's only suggestion was the addition of a cream cheese spread, filling, or topping to go with them. And I totally agree. Delicious on their own, yes. But just that added bit of cream cheese would make them even better.

Try them and enjoy!