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35 days in europe and all i got is a bowl full of lentils
2007-10-11 02:53:00
It's pretty difficult to recap such a tremendous vacation...a very incredible, exciting and best-vacation-ever kind of vacation (35 days worth of photos have been uploaded onto flickr, in case you are interested) into some kind of meaningful post. I'm afraid I can't do it justice. Cologne was great, as were Brussles and Brugges. Rotterdam was cool to the max and London was uber expensive but wonderful and I was so thankful to discover that all the major galleries and museums were free! We stayed 8 nights in Berlin and had a blast...it was our last stop on our Europe an Vacation® that it was so hard to leave. Foodwise, the butter in Europe is amazing and I wished I could have smuggled over a pound or two...no wonder the babies in Europe seem so creamy! Favorite country? Hands down, Lithuania. Who knew? I mean it's my fatherland but I wasn't expecting too much. How wrong I was. The food was of the hearty peasant variety and I loved almost everything I put into my mouth. Really, ...
More About: Days , Full , Lentils , Lent

i'm back from europe and totally cultured. totally.
2007-10-03 18:45:00
It's day 2 of our Europe an Vacation® and look how relaxed I look on a train zipping along the beautiful Rhine River with a buttery croissant nestled lovingly in my gut. Ahh, those were the days.Brussles, how delicious you were with your oceans of beers, your roving gypsy punk bands, your markets filled with great cheeses, sausages and breads (perfect for afternoon picnics in urban parks), and your greatest gift to the world: the Leige waffle. I adore you.And Ghent, how can I forget you with your delicious fries topped with "stoverijsaus" (perfectly spiced meaty beer sauce) served up by Julien, a friendly proprietor who had a right to be proud of his wares.I've been back since Monday night and I've only just begun the arduous task of uploading 35 days of photos onto Flickr. So far, I've only caught up to day seven. Oh my! But despite the 11 hour flight from Frankfurt and the 4 hours of sleep due to jetlag, I loved every moment of the trip. Highlights, stories and more photos to ...
More About: Back , Ally , Rope

auf wiedersehen!
2007-08-26 20:20:00
Our bags are packed, our apartment is tidy and we ate a great breakfast of pancakes with a fresh strawberry-rhubarb compote. In just a few hours, we'll head to the airport ready to board our flight to Frankfurt. We're very excited! While Cornelius has been to Europe many times, it will be my first visit and I'm excited and nervous about facing a 10 hour long overnight flight.I will have a post on the Food Network Canada's blog, Food for Thought, coming up most likely on Wednesday. So definitely check that out next week and read about my adventures of shopping and living next to North America's 2nd largest Chinatown!I'll return with stories and lots of photos, I'm sure. See you in October!

pantry raid
2007-08-18 21:53:00
I'm definitely in holiday mode, not cooking mode. Truth be told, there's not a lot of baking or cooking going on when there's itineraries to think about, travel forums to peruse, and how to pack 35 days of clothing & toiletries into one small and light carry-on pack. We were lucky to find a super cheap flight to Frankfurt, so unfortunately we won't be flying or heading into London or the UK at all. But there's lots of other great countries to explore. Our super flexible and very rough journey will take us to: Frankfurt > Koblenz > Cologne > Luxembourg > Ghent > Bruges > Brussels > Antwerp > Amsterdam > cycling around Holland > Berlin > Vilnius > Kaunas before we fly back into Frankfurt and back home to Vancouver. Any more tips and suggestions about what to see/do/eat while in Europe are more than welcome!We leave for Frankfurt on Sunday and I'm trying to only buy groceries one day at a time so that nothing goes to waste while we're on holiday. It's a sad day when my fridge h...
More About: Pantry , Raid

friends, lovers and scones
2007-08-17 21:40:00
Vacation starts in 9 days and while things should be winding down, my dear sweet husband is working harder than ever. For the past 3 months, Cornelius has been in lock-down mode and despite the occasional sleeps and nutrition breaks, it's been nothing but work-work-work. Friends are always wondering how the husband is since he's been in hideout mode. Luckily, he works from home and I still get kisses and long, desperate hugs but I can't wait for these last few days to end. I want to be holding hands in the outdoors and to spend all my waking and unwaking moments with him by my side with nary a computer in sight.When he crawled into bed at 7:30 a.m. the other morning, I knew he'd appreciate a freshly baked treat upon waking. So I went to my old standby scone which is known around here as Molly's Scone, since the basic recipe came from the always lovely Orangette. I took the recipe, threw in some freshly frozen blackberries and wrestled with the suddenly very sticky dough. The b...
More About: Lovers , Scones

i'm hooked on blackberries
2007-08-12 18:51:00
Ahhhh, freshly picked blackberries...what's not to love? Free, juicy bites of sun-ripened perfection. Sure, the cuts and scrapes can be a real pain, but I can take it. I love scouring my neighbourhood for the best berries and earlier this week, I hit the motherload. Usually, blackberry season in Vancouver would be nearing it's end by now, but because of all the + rain/- sun combo we've had this summer, prime picking season is just beginning. Want to read more of my blackberry endeavours? Check out the Food Network Canada Blog, Food for Thought, for my new post on blackberry picking and say hello! Also head on over to Kitchen Parade, where Cornelius and I helped to re-design and develop a new "kitchen" for Alanna.When I got those berries home, I had only one thing on my mind. Pie. I've always had a struggle with baking pie from scratch. Sure, filling a pie is easy, but making crust? That had always been my downfall. The pastry was either rock hard or it shrunk too much. I never g...
More About: Hook

eat fish and be merry
2007-08-09 23:43:00
Last night I wasn't in the mood to cook. It's been a busy week catching up on all the work that had piled up since I went back to Ontario and I had inadvertently skipped lunch which left me at dinner time feeling all woozy and tired. Just thinking about dinner — let alone getting up the energy to make it happen seemed like too damn much. But being the frugal girl that I am, I didn't want to order in take-out since we're in "Get-Ready-Set-Europe!" savings mode. Instead, I did what most modern cooks do. I went online to epicurious and typed in a couple things I had in my fridge and out popped a couple super simple recipes.The fish recipe seemed too simple to be good, but I read all the comments and decided to give it a go and I'm glad I did. How can you go wrong with crispy roasted rosemary scented potatoes and fish? I added parsley in addition to the rosemary since my balcony garden has been brimming with these 2 herbs and I just used cod since that's what I had on hand. The ...
More About: Fish , Merry

light as clouds
2007-08-05 20:30:00
I'm back from my trip back to my hometown of London, Ontario. My mom underwent a pretty serious surgery and I wanted to be there to give my mom a hug before the surgery and be there for her and the rest our family afterwards. Between trips to the hospital, I cleaned the house and cooked meals and froze a bunch as well so that my mom wouldn't have to worry about anything when she returned back home. My mom was in amazing spirits the whole time and laughed and sang and shared all of her favorite memories with us. The surgery went well and while things will remain difficult, I flew back to Vancouver with a renewed sense of strength and love for the ol' family clan. Thank you so much for all of your well wishes and thoughts!And now that I'm back in my own kitchen, I've been cooking up a storm...rescuing my husband for over a week of take-out pizza. This morning, I decided to make popovers for breakfast. I grew up eating yorkshire puddings for Sunday roast beef dinners but never ima...
More About: Clouds , Light

on hold
2007-07-23 23:16:00
This month isn't the best. It's raining endlessly and it seems more like October than July. I'm not impressed. This weekend, my beloved iMac hit the dust and my computer access this week will be limited, as the authorized Apple dealer decides my computer's fate. I'm hoping for good news, but it will still be at least a week without a computer of my own. What's worse is that there is a family emergency that needs attending to and I may find myself on a plane to London, Ontario instead of London, England. I'm thinking positive thoughts on all fronts and my fingers are permanently crossed.
More About: Hold

snackin' cake
2007-07-20 02:34:00
As a kid, I used to hate the word "snack". I don't know what it was, but it always made me scowl and cringe with embarassment. Maybe because everyone who said "snack" ended up sounding like a big ol' whiner ("snnnaaaaaaaaaaaack") that it totally drove me up the wall. But times change and pretty much everything about "snack" just seems right. It's true that I love it for it's by-gone day notions...somehow it conjures up family rec rooms and wood paneling and the colours avocado and orange. Snack time and snack break and even "Snackin' Cake " (a commercial cake mix) totally makes me think of being a kid in the '70s.Earlier this week, I was on a snack mission. I wanted something sweet (but not overly so) and easy to make with no muss or fuss. This square is very similar to a brownie in texture, so I guess this is what could be termed a "blondie"? It's dense and chewy and the edges got a bit crispy which is just how I like 'em. Cornelius couldn't get enough of them! And for my ...

rainbow chard & lady peas
2007-07-17 22:42:00
Last week it was all "heat wave" and "sunshine" and now it's back to grey skies and threats of rain. Whatever, I'm going with the flow. I've got my head in the clouds anyway. Cornelius and I are planning a trip to Europe soon and we've been searching all over for the cheapest flights, browsing through travel books, and making lists on "must see" things to do. I'm all open to suggestions, tips, where to eat and stay (all on the uber-cheap, however!) in London, Belgium (Brugge, Brussles, Antwerp), the Netherlands (Amsterdam, Haarlem, Utrecht), Berlin and Lithuania. It's my first trip to Europe and last week received my passport in the mail. I'm so excited!I made this meal on Sunday night when it was still hot outside and it made the perfect simple supper. I had come home with some fantastic rainbow chard from a recent grocery haul and I wasn't sure exactly what to do with it. I figured I could make pasta with greens again, but I was in the mood for rice and came up with this e...
More About: Lady , Rainbow , Peas , Char , Rainbo

veggie burgers & green fries
2007-07-12 20:30:00
Last week I wanted burgers but I also wanted to use up stuff we had around our kitchen, so that meant no going to the grocery store for new items. I had to use what was around the house. Luckily I stumbled across this veggie burger recipe over at My Food Geek and with claims that this was the best veggie burger ever, I was definitely intrigued. The recipe originally comes from The New Laurel's Kitchen: A Handbook for Vegetarian Cookery and Nutrition and while it seems strange to add broth to the cooking burgers, it works! The burgers are delicious and hearty and I might just have to second these as the best veggie burgers ever. We ate them on toasted hamburger buns spread with a dollop of homemade chipotle mayo, some organic ketchup, a slice of melted cheddar cheese and a few slices of cucumber. Delcious! We didn't server these with fries, but we ate them with my favorite lemony green beans which have bite, contain the perfect amount of salt and are the perfect summer substitute f...
More About: Green , Burgers , Urge , Fries

coolio
2007-07-11 06:26:00
Vancouver is in the middle of a heat wave and I couldn't be happier. For some crazy reason, even though the temperature is climbing, we haven't needed to turn on a fan. Our apartment seems to exist in some crazy netherworld of cool. Not that I'm complaining one bit. It doesn't hurt that we've got a few pints of homemade ice cream in our freezer too.For the Canada Day long weekend, Cornelius and I decided to pull out our ancient (but oh-so-pretty!) teal-coloured Sears ice cream maker out of storage and put it to good use. Wanting to rival our favorite gelato at our neighbourhood shop, I decided to make a coconut chocolate chunk ice cream and just to be on the safe side, we also made a mexican chocolate version. Actually, my mexican chocolate version started out being only cinnamon-flavoured, but when I told Cornelius I was making cinnamon ice cream, he balked. I gave in to pressure and turned the cinnamon into something pretty special. 2 different kinds of hand churned ice cream...
More About: Coolio

wait, there's a flower in my drink
2007-07-07 20:56:00
I love summer! It's hot enough to get that nice sweaty feeling (something my high school gym teacher referred to as a "glow") and when all the windows are open, the drapes billow and swoon in the most pleasing way. Amazing things happen in the summer. People seem to smile more and even when they complain about just how goddamn hot it is, you know that it's all part of the friendly summer conversation. Right now, my windows are open, the drapes are billowing and a block away there is a Chinese marching band doing it's thing. Cymbals crashing, trumpets blaring and a constant staccato drumbeat to keep everyone in line. Man, what's not to love? Got an icy beverage in hand? Well, you should! Yesterday I wanted an ice-cold lemonade so I went out to my container garden, snipped some mint leaves and a few sprigs of lavender and decided that not only would my drink be refreshing and herbal, but it would be extra pretty to boot. It was.I'm new to gardening and I'm already in love with i...
More About: Drink , Flower , Wait

2 kinds of summer salads? Yes please!
2007-07-03 23:55:00
Summer long weekends are the definition of perfection. With all the barbeques, picnics and friendly get-togethers, it's a perfect time for sharing food. We had our own little Canada Day celebration over the weekend and food (and beer) definitely played a large part of the fun. I whipped up this super quick and tasty potato salad for our bbq and it was pretty much gone by the end of the night.creamy red, white and green potato salad8 baby new potatoes1 bunch radishes, sliced1/2 english cucumber, quartered into chunks1 bunch parsley, snipped1 bunch dill, snippedzest of 1 lemon2 large dollops* mayo1 large dollop* sour creamsalt & pepper1. Boil the potatoes in their skins until tender. Cool and cut in half or quarters.2. In a large bowl, gently mix together the potatoes, radishes, cucumbers, parsley, dill and lemon zest. In a seperate bowl, whip together the mayo and sour cream and pour over vegetables. Toss and season with salt and pepper. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour and serve.- -...
More About: Summer , Salads

canada day muffins!
2007-07-01 21:42:00
Happy Canada Day! I've been up early getting started so that I can relax before our friends arrive for a little Canada Day bbq and fireworks watching from our balcony. I've got a mixed bean salad marinating in the fridge, 2 different kinds of ice cream (coconut chocolate chip & mexican chocolate) ready to start churning (we do it old school in our teal Ice Queen), and another salad that will involve potatoes, cukes and dill. Plus, our fridge is full of beer and I've got tonic water & club soda to marry with the gin for some icy cocktails. I love holidays!I also love breakfast and I'm sitting here with coffee in my hand realizing that I've had nothing to eat yet today and it's already 1pm. Oops! I should have been more prepared. I should have made some muffins. More importantly, I should have made a batch of Berry Smash muffins. I made some earlier in the week and they were simple to make....I whipped up the batter the night before, poured the mixture into muffin tins and p...
More About: Muffins , Muffin , Fins

finally, an STD you can get excited about
2007-06-30 23:19:00
Yes, I said it and I did it. I made an S.T.D. sandwich and it's fan-freakin'-tastic. Before you get your panties all tied in a knot, I'm talking Salmon Tomato Dill here and it's the perfect lunch for this holiday weekend. The other day I mentioned barbequeing some salmon and we got a few leftovers out of it. Yesterday's lunch was a salmon-cream cheese-dill egg scramble and today I made this with the remaining bits. I served it up with some homemade lemon iced tea and some cheezie poofs. s.t.d. (salmon - tomato - dill) sandwich4 slices of your favorite breadLeftover salmon1 tomato, cut into thick slices1/2 c fresh dill, snippedcream cheesefleur du sel & pepperToast bread. Spread cream cheese on both sides and generously sprinkle dill over top. Add a couple of tomato slices to one slice of toast and sprinkle with salt & pepper. Pile on the flaked salmon and then top with the remaining toast. Makes 2 sandwiches.
More About: Finally , Ally , Excite

recipe ju ju: a week in review
2007-06-29 18:56:00
Kitchen luck. Sometimes I've totally got it. Other times, totally not. This week was iffy. For an anniversary dessert, I made a cherry clafouti. Definitely fun to say, very pretty to look at, but fun to eat? I dunno, it didn't turn out like I had expected. Maybe I don't like custard, but this was definitely too eggy for my tastes. Cornelius likened it to a cherry omlette, so despite my best efforts and a Julia Child recipe, I don't think I'll be making this again.Cherry Clafouti1 1/4 c milk1/3 c sugar3 eggs1 T vanilla1/8 t salt1/2 c flour3 c cherries3 T kirsh1/3 c icing sugar1. Mix the icing sugar with the cherries and kirsh. Set aside.2. Blend together the milk, eggs, vanilla, sugar, salt and flour. Add the cherry mixture into a cast iron pan and then pour the rest of the batter over top. Bake at 350 degrees for about for about 45 minutes to an hour. When a knife inserted into the centre comes out clean, the clafouti is done.+++Later in the week, my kitchen luck was hitting hi...
More About: Recipe , Review , Week , Reci

you + me
2007-06-25 20:59:00
...and some tricked out bacon.Today is our 2nd wedding anniversary and while tradition dictates that it's the "cotton anniversary", I think we'll choose bacon. Last year we whooped it up and thew party...a Mississippi Luau, in fact. My hand-drawn invite featured a pig eating a sausage, so I think sticking with the porcine family kinda works.This morning, I made a breakfast worthy enough to declare my love to Cornelius: poached eggs, toast, freshly picked strawberries and some tricked out bacon. And coffee, of course, but that goes without saying! Over the weekend I found myself browsing through the Gourmet Cookbook and spotted a recipe for sweet & spicy bacon. I just adapted the recipe to my needs and was pretty pleased with the results. It's easy to put together and super delicious. I especially loved preparing the bacon in the oven (less mess and splatter) and next time I make bacon, it's definitely forgoing the stovetop.sweet n' spicy bacon6 strips of european bacon2 t brown...

sloppy seconds
2007-06-22 21:33:00
I eat lunch in front of my computer. I feel a bit guilty typing that out but it's the truth. In fact, I've got my lunch right beside me just waiting for the right pause to dig in. Normally, I can type and click away on my tablet pen while stuffing green stuff into my mouth. Certain sandwiches are just made for eating while working because they cause minimal drippage and can comfortably be held in one hand. Unfortunately, today's sandwich is a bit more high maintenance. There is so much drippage and sliding around that I'm kicking myself for wearing my brand new white floaty blouse when I really should be wearing a plastic bib and some overalls. But for the sake of a really fantastic lunch, I'll grin and bear it. This sandwich is worth the slop.Last night, I made some chicken and a greek salad and today I just scooped some of the leftovers on top of a pita and called it a wrap. What I should have done was cut the pita bread in half, created a double layer pocket (like some of t...
More About: Seconds