Tickle Me Turquoise by Flakes Paperie

Green goodness.

Oooh wee, wedding season is in full swing and things are busy, busy, busy.  I often grow tired of hearing myself say that, as yes, I am busy but busy doing something I enjoy so it feels wrong to complain. Except filing my HST...that I definitely don't enjoy...and emailing for hours...that I could also do without.  The point is, things are busy and therefore cooking becomes like bronchitis; ain't nobody got time for that. Which is why I made this big ol' lasagna. It makes a lot and there's nothing fussy about it - it's rustic and has great flavours...and results in few dishes (cause seriously, ain't nobody got time for that) and best of all it will prevent me from cooking for a few days.  

It's another gem from the Jamie Oliver's Meals in Minutes book and is definitely unlike any lasagna I've ever had, however it's unexpected ingredients (peas, edamame, asparagus, lemon, mint) make for one fine dinner. Of course this lasagna would be even better if it actually were the summer and the 'veg' were in season...but we don't have that luxury just yet.  When looking for a link to the recipe, I actually found this episode of when it was made on the show - I see that cooking the assembled lasagna at high heat on the stove top will help absorb a lot of that liquid...mine have been a bit saucy (the peas were talking back)(ugh I know, terrible pun) but regardless, I dig it.  I dig it big time...and odds are you will too!  

Red red wine...and chocolate cake

Yes sir.  It's like a perfect marriage of awesome things; chocolate. sugar. cinnamon. wine.  I made this cake last weekend and it was as good as it sounded.  The recipe is from one of my favourite food blogs, Smitten Kitchen. This cake is a one-bowl creation so it takes no time and all and leaves very few dishes, which is quite possibly my favourite part.  Also, the topping takes minutes to make.  I used an inexpensive South African shiraz, mostly because if I can't be in South Africa, my most favourite place, then I must at least drink their wine (preferably until I get to a state where I forget I'm not actually there). Oh and the bottle bottle claimed it had 'whispers of vanilla and dark chocolate'. That's right, whispers. So, if you are looking for a dessert that looks, sounds and tastes impressive, but don't want to fuss around, this is your cake. Do it.     

Cheese and petals

Here's a little snippet of our Vday cheese-fest (pun intended).  Yum yum yum.  Because let's be honest, for me Valentine's day is simply about eating well...oh and spending time with the one you love...riiight.  So, I popped into the local cheese shop, and among other things, loaded up on Quebec soft cheese as well as an Italian cheese injected with red wine (hello!).  We gorged ourselves on crusty bread, garlic stuffed olives and salad (my fried Feta salad I will share sometime).  Not too shabby. Oh and I awoke to that beauty bouquet of hydrangeas on the kitchen table - nice work husband.  Now if only our fancy bottle of wine hadn't turned to vinegar and needed to be poured down the sink...

Pink Hearts

I'm shutting things down a bit early today as I have a few errands to run, the most notable being a quick stop at the cheese shop to load up on a few fancy fromages for tonight.  Of course first I might have just one more of these adorable cookies my friend Roisin made - yumm!  Have a lovely Valentine's Day! 

Frangipane Tarts

First off, I must confess my undying love for Jamie Oliver's Meals in Minutes book. I've been making something from it every week and so far haven't met a recipe I didn't like. These frangipane tarts, which are part of the recipe "Jool's Pasta" (also a beaut) are no exception! 

The tarts are jam filled with a vanilla almond topping and are seriously yummy and incredibly easy - in part because you use pre-made tart shells. I've now made them three times and Cory and I are hooked...in fact I think I'll go eat one right now. 

Sweet

Loving the new crêperie downtown...and the fact that Cory surprised me the other day with both a savoury and sweet to share. Serious husband points were gained. Obviously.  

Guilty Pleasure

My mid-morning snack prompted me to wonder, is a thirty-something gal too old to eat pop tarts? 

fresh

Fortunately when this season comes to an end our local Saturday market does not, however nothing beats walking to the market in the summer.  The sunshine, the buskers, the fresh fruits and flowers...sigh. Here's what I picked up this Saturday and promptly ate, well the berries at least, atop granola and greek yogurt with a lil' drizzle of honey and a sprinkling of stevia (which is finally thriving in my garden). Mmm! My favourite snack. Have you tried fresh stevia? It really is so sweet and delicious.  

Another great thing about the market is it's proximity to Tiny Cakes, a fabulous spot for cupcakes and fancy pastries (and of course, wedding cakes!). I couldn't resist purchasing a S'more cupcake and hot diggity daaaamn that was the right decision.  A graham cracker cake with a chocolate centre and toasted marshmallow frosting, what's not to love? Of course I wolfed it down later that afternoon and was half way across town before I glanced in my rear view mirror to discover some rather conspicuous bits of marshmallow on my face. Well worth it of course.   

Cheesy goodness

My sister and I have dueling quiches. She thinks hers is the best and I agree...about mine. Perhaps someday we should have a quiche-off and settle this once and for all. Or not because frankly they're both delicious. My favourite quiche is a spin on Jamie Oliver's Tiger's Quiche recipe. I use my deep dish pan, which makes it much more substantial and glamorous. Yes, glamorous...for a quiche.

Here is the original recipe with my notes and modifications. This makes enough for one 11" pan with removable bottom however I believe you can get two quiches out of this recipe if using the smaller store bought crusts.  

Tiger's Quiche

For the pastry: I often forgo the lard/butter based recipe for a shortening crust (and simly the recipe on the box), if you'd like Jamie Oliver's crust recipe, click here.

For the filling:

• 5 large organic eggs
• 1 pint (568 milliliters) double cream (heavy cream)
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• Pinch freshly grated nutmeg
• 1 handful Cheddar and Gruyere cheese, finely grated {I often use the smoked Gruyere from Zehrs and an old white cheddar}
• 1 bunch chives, finely chopped
• 1 (4-ounce) log goat's cheese, crumbled
• 10 thin slices pancetta {prosciutto works nicely as well}
• 1 small handful thyme tips, mixed into olive oil
• I also add a handful of veggies. Typically finely chopped red pepper, brocolli and  yellow zucchini. I first sauté them to soften and drain any excess liquid. 

Directions

Set the oven temperature to 350 degrees F (180 degrees C/gas 4). Mix all the filling ingredients together [if using veggies, place them in the crust first] then pour the filling into the pastry case. Sprinkle over the goat's cheese, lay over the pancetta slices and then finish off with a drizzle of your thyme oil. Bake in the oven for 30 minutes [I often find it takes more than that - test with a toothpick, which would remove clean, to be sure it's ready]. 

Eataly NYC

As someone who loves making, eating and heck, even just looking at food - I'd been wanting to visit Mario Batali's Eataly.  Across from the Flatiron building, the enormous spot is full of fresh, artisanal Italian ingredients to bring home and a handful of cafés and restaurants, including a rooftop beer garden. You can see fresh mozzarella and pasta being made and don't even get me started on the bread...   

In my attempts to not look like a crazy-lady tourist, my rushed photos were mostly blurred, but from the few above you get the idea. In short, it's food heaven and I wanted to buy all 500 different kinds of pasta and sea salt and eat everything in sight...but of course I settled for the gelato. 

If you love food, I definitely recommend visiting Eataly! I'm hungry just thinking about it...

Goat cheesy goodness

This is one of my favourite salads - the rich flavour of beets paired with leafy greens, creamy goat cheese and crunchy maple nuts, hello! I've also added grilled chicken to this bad boy to make it a full meal. Heck yes.  

Recipe {serves 4}

• 3-4 beets, scrubbed, trimmed and cut in half
• red leaf lettuce
• 1/3 cup chopped walnuts
• 3 tbsp maple syrup
• 1/2 cup frozen orange juice concentrate
• 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 2 oz goat cheese

Place beets in a saucepan with water to cover. Boil, then simmer for 20-30 minutes until tender.  Drain and cool, cut into cubes. {I sometimes add just a splash of maple syrup to the beats while cooling for extra flavour}

Meanwhile place walnuts in a skillet over medium/low. Heat until warm and starting to toast, then stir in syrup. Cook + stir until evenly coated. Remove from heat and cool. {Once removed from the stove, I spread the nuts on wax paper and sprinkle with brown sugar for added crunch}

Whisk together orange juice concentrate, balsamic vinegar and olive oil. 

Place lettuce on each of the 4 plates, sprinkle beets and nuts and top with dabs of goat cheese. Drizzle each plate with dressing.  

Original recipe from allrecipes.com 

Cookie break

My Grandma used to bake these 'Kookie Cookies' as a special treat for us when we were younger and I've made them ever since my Mom gave me the recipe...but then I lost it [cue sad music] and when I made a substitute they just weren't quite as good. Fortunately for me (but not for my thighs) I recently found the recipe while reorganizing my studio (what are recipes doing in my studio you ask? Great question). They really are the easiest, yummiest cookies.  The Special K gives them a nice crunch and helps you pretend that they're healthy (if only). Yum! 

Kookie Cookies

• 1 cup sifted flour
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup soft butter
• 2/3 cup white sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 egg
• 3 cups Special K cereal

Sift together flour, baking soda and salt.  In a large bowl cream together butter, sugar and vanilla, beating until fluffy.  Add the egg and beat well. Stir in dry ingredients and 1 heaping cup of Special K.  Drop by the spoonful into remaining Special K, rolling to coat.  Place on cookie sheet and bake at 375F for 10 minutes or until lightly browned. Makes 3 dozen.  

orange ginger carrot cake with white chocolate icing...

I made this cake, from the Spring 2011 issue of Food & Drink magazine, on the weekend for my mother-in-law's birthday and it was a hit. The crystallized ginger sprinkled throughout the cake adds a nice twist the standard carrot cake recipe, in fact next time I would add a little more - you can never have too much candied ginger, right?! All in all this cake was moist, delicious and easy to make.  You can download the recipe below. 

Now, I think it just might be time to have the leftovers for lunch...  

Download CarrotCakeRecipe

A taste of Morocco...

Several years ago I travelled Morocco with my good friend Jess.  We were on the uber budget, post-university 'backpack through Europe' adventure and Morocco was one of our last stops.  It was definitely a trip highlight, a place so rich in sights, sounds and scents - rich in culture and kindness and of course, cuisine. One of our favourite dishes was a flaky pastry dish flavoured with cinnamon, almonds and raisins called pastilla. I thank the language barrier because had we of actually known that the pastilla we ate was made with pigeon (gasp, the horror!) we probably wouldn't have eaten it and I never would have known about this fabulous dish.  After much googling, I recently found this delicious recipe for chicken pastilla on the drool-worthy blog, La Tartine Gourmande. One of the best things about pastilla is the scent of cinnamon and saffron that waft through the house while it bakes - yumm! 

Photos from our trip to Morocco in the next post...

Smart searching.

Happy Friday morning! Finally blogging again after a week of zero posts - ugh! I've been hard at work in the studio screen-printing many invitations, which I will begin to show you later today!  In the meantime, here is my new favourite thing on the web: Foodily. Just type in the dish or ingredient and Foodily will do the online search for you, coming up with lots of great recipes, photos included (what's a recipe without a photo). What a smart concept and snazzy design, it gets two food-obsessed thumbs up from this gal.

Stay tuned for hot off the press wedding invites...