Happy Anniversary to Us!

>Cory and I celebrated our 2nd Anniversary this past weekend. I can't believe it's been 2 years, crazy. That being said, it' s been wonderful and I'm so happy to be married to such a kind and wonderful man.

We began the weekend with a lunch at Domaine de Chaberton Winery. This place is about 20 minutes from home. They have an awesome bistro and serve incredible food. We've been here before and taken thier winery tour, which was great. They also make our favorite wine "Bacchus" so we picked up several extra bottles to bring home because they are about 6 bucks cheaper here than at the liquor store.

We had the French Onion Soup which was incredible. Tons of yummy crusty cheese covering the whole thing.

Cory had the beef (I think) in a a balsamic sauce. I went with the Ratatoille Parmesan Quiche. Both were awesome.

After our lunch we headed to a "River Run Cottages," a Bed and Breakfast in Ladner on the Fraser River. We stayed here last year for our anniversary (on recommendation from my Auntie Cheryl) and loved it so much we decided to go back. It's a lovely group of floating houses on the Fraser River. We stay in the Net Loft which has a little sitting room, small kitchen, bathroom and an upstairs loft bedroom. It also has a Japanese soaker tub on the private deck. The best part is, no TV. Lots of games and a great view and atmosphere.

We picked up some lobster tails and prawns and gooked them on the BBQ for dinner. It was great. I made some chocolate covered strawberries as well, and they turned out great.

If you're ever here and looking for a getaway close by, you should definitly check it out.

All in all, it was an incredible weekend.

Cheers to 2 great years and many more to come.

Mammmma Mia!

Have you ever made your own pizza dough? It's so easy and honestly one of the most satisfying things you can make. There is something wonderful about the smell of rising dough and punching down the dough is pure bliss.

This dough is super easy when you use the dough hook on the Kitchen Aid mixer. Alternatively, you can knead the dough by hand for 10 min.

Basic Pizza Dough

In a mixer combine the following. Let stand for 5 minutes until yeast foams.

1 1/2 cups warm water

1 pkg (2 1/4 tsp active dry yeast)

1 tsp sugar

Add in

3 1/2 cups white flour (substitute up to 1 cup of whole wheat flour)

2 tbsp olive oil

1 tbsp salt

With the mixing arm, mix ingredients on low speed for 1 min. Switch to dough hook and mix on medium for about 10 min or until dough becomes smooth and elastic.

Place in a well oiled bowl (turning dough to coat), cover with a clean kitchen towel and let rise for 1 to 1 1/2 hrs in a warm place.

Punch down dough. Ahhhhh :)

Divide into 2 balls. Roll each ball loosely in plastic wrap and let rise for another 15 min.

Flour your counter and roll the dough into whatever shape you like. (If you like the crunch, spread some cornmeal on your baking sheet before placing the dough on the sheet.) Let rest for 10 min.

Top the pizza with whatever you want. Bake at 475 for 10 min or until it's done.

*My fav toppings are olive oil, sliced Roma tomatoes, whole basil leaves and baby boccocini mozzarella. Margarita style.

PS. Here's a pic of the salad I ended up making with those Heirloom Tomatoes!

Operation Beautiful

One of the girls who writes a blog I read all the time (Caitlyn from www.healthytippingpoint.com) has a book that just came out called Operation Beautiful. It looks inspiring, I'd really like to check it out.

Go and read this post. This girl has the right idea...

http://peasandthankyou.com/2010/08/03/lessons-in-beauty-a-giveaway/


It's wonderful.

Tomato Love

We had a great weekend! Adrian and Stacey came over from the island on Sunday and we spent the day with them. We went to Granville Island to visit the market and picked up a few special ingredients for our dinner that evening. They have a wonderful shop that sells a huge variety of fresh pasta and sauces, so we treated ourselves to that for dinner. I made a Peach Crisp for dessert. It was simple and a great way to showcase some incredible peaches.

I also picked up some BEAUTIFUL HEIRLOOM TOMATOES and I finally found some GARLIC SCAPES that I have been looking for forever.

Some random info for you.

Heirloom tomatoes are very different from the bland varieties we find in the supermarket. They are considered an 'antique' variety because they are produced from seeds that have been passed down from one generation to another, and have not been modified like the hybrid supermarket varieties. Furthermore, heirloom tomatoes are allowed to ripen naturally and are therefor only available "in season." Because of this, I plan to enjoy these tomatoes in their natural state. Uncooked and maybe drizzled with olive oil and sprinkled with salt and pepper. Perfection.

Have you ever heard of garlic scapes? I hadn't either until earlier this summer. Garlic scapes are the stalk of the garlic plant and they resemble green onions. As the gralic bulbs are growing, the farmers snip off the curly garlic scapes so the the energy given to the plant goes into the bulb and is not wasted on the stalks. These garlic scapes are apparently full of garlicky flavor and are best used in salads, stirfrys or GARLIC SCAPE PESTO. I will be attempting the pesto today with walnuts and fresh parm as a topping for a wonderful Italian Loaf.

After visiting Granville we headed out to Deep Cove and went kayaking for a couple hours. It was a beautiful day and we really enjoyed the company and scenery.

Yesterday we spent the day at my parents place by the pool. Have I mentioned how much I love living 10 min away from Club Med?

Awesome movie

Saw the movie "Inception" tonight. Wow. What an incredible show. If you haven't seen it, you should. I think it's one of the best movies I've ever seen.


Pool day tomorrow. Lots of sun screen and magazines :)

Chutney and Artichoke Pasta

Hope every one's summer is going really well. We haven't really done too much exciting, but there have been a few nice days by the pool.

I thought I'd post a few new great recipes.

The Rebar Appetizer (Tomato and Ginger Chutney)

from 'rebar modern food cookbook '

This is a wonderful slightly Indian flavored chutney, so good on warm bread. Keeps in the fridge for about a week.

4 Roma tomatoes, halved

1/2 cup sundried tomatoes (not oil packed)

1/2 medium yellow onion, chopped

1 tbsp vegetable oil

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 tbsp minced ginger

1 tsp cumin, roasted and ground

1/2 tsp red chili flakes

1 cinnamon stick, broken in two

2 tbsp honey

2 tbsp balsamic vinegar

1/4 tsp salt

1. Preheat oven to 325. Arrange Roma tomato halves on baking sheet. Brush with oil and sprinkle with salt. Roast in oven for 45 min. Let cool.

2. Rehydrate sundried tomatoes in boiling water. Soak for 10 min. Strain and reserve cooking water. Let cool.

3. Heat oil in a medium skillet. Saute onions for 5 min until soft. Add garlic, ginger, cumin, chili flakes and cinnamon sticks and saute for 5 min. Remove cinnamon sticks and let cool.

4. Place roasted tomatoes, onion mixture, honey and balsamic vinegar in a food processor. Pulse to combine, but leave some texture. Add a little of the reserved tomato water to thin the chutney if necessary.

5. Season with salt. Let sit for at least 30 min.

This next recipe is so simple and it tastes fantastic. As an added treat, I picked up some gourmet pasta to have with this. Also reheats really really well.

Linguine with Artichoke Hearts and Sundried Tomatoes

from ' rebar modern food cookbook '

1 lb fettuccine (or other pasta)

1/2 cup sundried tomatoes, (not oil packed), rehydrated

1/2 cup kalamata olives, pitted and chopped

3 tbsp capers

3 cups marinated artichoke hearts

4 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 cup chopped fresh basil

1 tbsp balsamic vinegar

2 tbsp olive oil

salt and pepper

1/2 tsp chili flakes

To garnish

fresh grated Parmesan

4 small tomatoes, diced

1. Combine all ingredients (not pasta, or garnish) in a medium boil. Stir to combine.

2. Cook pasta.

3. Heat a skillet and warm the sauce through.

4. Toss with pasta and top with fresh Parmesan cheese and chopped tomatoes.

"Have a little faith" Banana Soft Serve

I found this "recipe' while perusing the blogs. In fact it's not really a recipe, since there is only 1 ingrediant. Banana. There is so much hype over it I thought I should try it myself.

All you need are a couple of cut up frozen bananas and a food processor. (I tried it first with the whole frozen bananas from my freezer that I save for banana bread, but it didn't work...)

2 bananas (slices and placed on a plate or in tupperware in the freezer for about 2 hours.

Place frozen bananas in the food processor. Turn on and let it go for about 5 min, stopping to scrape down the bowl if needed. You will doubt yourself the entire time. It will look too runny. Have a little faith.

If you want to add in a little something extra like cocoa powder, coconut or peanut butter, add it in the last 30 seconds of processing. (I tried the peanut butter and it was AWESOME!)

After 5 min, turn off the food processor and walk away for 5 min. When you come back, the bananas will be the texture of soft serve ice cream.

Eat from a bowl. Healthy and yummy.

Basil Vinaigrette

It's been very nice here the past week. I finally got a chance to have my first "pool day" of the season on Sunday. A full day of laying by the pool. We had a visit from some family from the island, so that made it extra special. It's perfection!

I've been very excited to go grocery shopping every monday for the past few weeks. There is so much incredible fresh and local produce available here. It's such a treat. I'm able to by 3/4 or my food from the farm markets. Food just tastes better when you can see where it came from.

In the spirit of fresh indgrediants, here is a recipe for a basil vinaigrette that is out of this world good! It's from a cookbook I've had forever which is actually from a veggie restaurant in Victoria. Rebar-Modern Food Cook Book.

2 garlic cloves

1 1/2 tbsp dijon mustard

2 tbsp honey

1/4 cup red wine vinegar

1 tbsp balsamic vinegar

big handful of fresh basil

salt and pepper

up to 1 cup of olive oil

In a food processor or blender conbine all ingrediants except oil. Wizz it all up. Slowly add the olive oil until the dressing becomes thick and creamy.

I had this today on some amazing spinach with fontina cheese and pecans. It tastes a lot like pesto (which makes sense...) and it turns a plain salad into something incredible. It keeps in the fridge for up to 3 days.

Here comes the sun (do do do do...)

The summer has finally arrived here! Geesh, feels a little late, I haven't even been in the pool yet this year. Yesterday was about 35. Unfortunately, I was at work. Fortunately we have an air conditioner at work. Cross your fingers that the nice weather hangs around until the weekend. I'm in need of some sun.

I made an amazing Green Monster for breakfast today. It's already like 30 degrees out and I can't bare to make toast this morning. In my smoothie I put:

huge handful of fresh spinach
1/2 cup plain yogurt
1 banana
1 stalk of rhubarb
handful of unsalted cashews

It was a gamble, but it paid off. Not bitter at all. Yummy.

I also made mayo yesterday for the first time and it worked out really well. It's basically egg yolks, Dijon, vinegar and oil. Plus a lot of muscle. I grew up thinking that 'Miracle Whip' was mayo, so this is obviously a treat. Simple ingredients. So tasty.

It ain't so hard for me to JAM

One of the wonderful things about living on the West Coast this time of year is all fresh local food that is available. I've been shopping at one of several dozen farm markets in the area for most of my fruits and veggies for the past several weeks. It's been great. There is a certain satisfaction that comes from eating local ingredients.

My latest kitchen adventure started when my sister showed up at my door on Saturday night with a flat full of fresh raspberries and a couple buckets of fresh strawberries. She spent much of her Saturday at a local farm picking all these lovely berries. Luckily, she gave me a whole bunch. Thus, the adventure began.

I had a ton of fresh berries and wanted to do something with them. Something new and interesting. Something that would make them last into the fall.

I made JAM!

Since raspberry jam is my favorite, I opted to start with the raspberries. After a little research online, I found out that making jam really isn't that hard. In fact it's so easy, I'm surprised more people don't do it.

I used 5 cups of fresh, crushed raspberries, an ungodly amount of sugar and a box of pectin. That's it. Simple and incredible. Once the jars are processed, they will last a year in the pantry.

The exact recipe you use, really depends on the pectin you buy (the pectin is a natural fruit sugar that helps to thicken and set the jam.) Each box has the recipes inside. Since it's kind of a science, I would suggest buying the pectin, peaking at the recipe, then making sure you have the correct amounts of ingredients. You also need some glass jars (which I got for under $10 for a box of 12 at the grocery store.)

We patiently waited overnight until the jam set and we were very excited to try the first bite this morning. I made some fresh biscuits so we could sample the jam in all its glory. It was a complete success! It's awesome.

I have a recipe for strawberry rhubarb jam too. I think I might make that this week as well.

5 ingrediant Spaghetti al Limone

I'm always amazed when I try a new amazing group of flavors. I always think "why didn't I think of that before?" This is one of those combinations. It's not really a recipe at all, just throwing together some ingrediants and ending up with an incredible dinner. It only takes about 5 min and it's light and fresh tasting. I love it. I know it will be a regular menu item now at our place.

Spaghetti Al Limone (from Oprah's Cookbook)

1 Pound Spaghetti

2/3 cup olive oil

juice of 2 or 3 lemons

zest of 2 lemons

cup or so of fresh grated parmesan cheese

handful of fresh basil, torn in to pieces

salt and pepper

Cook spaghetti and drain, but keep about 1/2 cup of the cooking liquid aside.

Whisk together the lemon juice and cheese. Slowly whisk in the olive oil. Stir in zest and salt and pepper.

Pour lemon cheese mixture over hot spaghetti. Add as much of the hot cooking liquid as needed to make the sauce creamy. Toss in the fresh basil.

Enjoy!

In the Kitchen

I've made a few new things in the kitchen over the past day and I wanted to share them with you.

1) Kale Chips

I know this sounds weird. I've been reading about them a lot on the blogs and since I'm a sucker for salty snacks, I really wanted to try them out. Cory thought they were good but a little odd. I actually really love them. They are crunchy and salty and guilt free.

All you need to do is wash a bunch of kale really well. Rip the leaves off of the stems (discard stems) and tear them into little pieces. Toss them in a bowl with 2 tbsp of olive oil, the juice of 1 lemon, some salt and parmasen cheese. Arrange them on a baking sheet and bake at 325 degrees for lok 20 min or until they get crunchy. Let cool.

2)Tofu Pad Thai with Sweet Chili Sauce. This was a recipe from Bite Me. I liked it. It was sweeter than other Pad Thai's I've tried, but it was pretty good. It included Heinz Chili Sauce which is basically glorified ketchup. I don't like bottled junk added in excess to my food. Too much extra ingrediants and things I can't pronounce. I would probably remove this and add something of my own instead.

3) Chewy Chocolate Chip Chocolate Cookies from Bite Me. Clearly these are good. Bascially chocolate chip cookies with cocoa powder added for extra chocolatly goodness. I like.

4)Tomato and Grainy Mustard Tart from French Food at Home.

This is SO SO SO good. Way better than I thought it would be. I will be bringing it to my next event. It also presents very well.

Savory Galatte Pastry

2 1/4 cups flour

1/2 tsp salt

1 cup cold, unsalted butter, cut into cubes

1/3 cup cold water

Throw all ingrediants in a food processor. Wizz up until it just comes together. Seperate into 2 disks and wrap in plastic wrap. Chill for at least 1/2 hr. (You only need 1 disk, you can freeze the other one for later.

Toppings

2 tbsp Whole Grain Mustard

2 tbsp Plain Yogurt

handful of shredded Guyere cheese

3 or 4 Tomatoes thinly sliced

handful of chopped Thyme

salt and pepper

2 tbsp Olive Oil

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Roll out 1 disk of prepared pastry on a floured surface so that it covers a cookie sheet. Bake in oven for 15 min or until just browned.

Mix together mustard and yogurt. Spread on tart shell all the way to the edges. Top with shredded cheese. Arrange slices tomatoes on tart. Sprinkle on thyme and salt and pepper. Drizzle with Olive Oil.

Bake until tomatoes are soft and cheese is melted. Serve just warm.

An amazing restaurant experience

(picture from thedivalounge.com)

A local paper around here publishes a list every year of the Best Places to Eat in Vancouver. The list is broken down into regional cuisines, areas, prices and some cool categories like best patio, best places for a date and best places to bring out of town guests. The list came out again a couple months ago and I had it stashed away, knowing that I 'd like to try so many of the restaurants.

Last night we decided to venture into Vancouver and try out the top pick for Indian Cuisine. The place is called "Vij's" and we have actually seen it profiled on the Food Network. It has also been called one of "the finest Indian Restaurants in the world" by the New York Times.

Let me tell you, it did not disappoint. I would even go so far as to say it was one of the best meals I have ever had! (Julie have you ever eaten here? How come you never took me????)

This place doesn't take reservations, so we knew we would be in for a bit of a wait. We put our name in and went for a walk down Broadway and Granville while we waited for about and hour and a half. I had the Saag-Peneer with Lentil Curry and Chapti. Basically yummy vegetarian fare. Cory had the Beef Tenderloin with a Fennel Curry. Our dishes were the perfect portions and arrived with rice and naan. AMAZING.

Then, the waitress brought out some Cardamom Chai Tea for us. LIFE CHANGING. I don't know about you, but I'm used to Starbucks style Chai Tea (thick pumpkin pie flavored, uber sweet...) But this Chai was something totally different. The flavors were incredible, it was slightly creamy and FREE! I had two glasses and I can not wait to try it again.

Finally, since we were at a world class restaurant, we thought we should share a dessert. I'm not a huge restaurant dessert person because I cannot stand store bought frozen treats being passed off for the real stuff. But we had a feeling (ok, Cory had a feeling) that we should not pass this up. After much debate, we ended up going with something that was called "Dumplings in a Cardamom Sauce." Sounds weird, I know. But the waitress explained it to us and we had to try it. Basically it was two gently fried? balls of yummy dough (think high class mini doughnuts) served swimming in a slightly sweet and incredible cardamom sauce. I truly think it is the best dessert I have ever tasted.

I wanted to shout my praises all over the street when we left. I was so happy. I love you Vij's.

On a totally different note. I LOVE the show the Shopping Bags (with Anna and Kristina) on W and Diva and Cosmo. I know they live in Vancouver. On the way to the restaurant I was telling Cory how awesome it would be to see them and how I would love to meet them. While we were waiting for our table, Cory went out to refill our parking meter. Guess who was standing right outside the door? Anna Wallner from the Shopping Bags! By the time I went out, she was gone :( I was very sad. It's probably for the best, as I'm sure I would have embarrassed myself with my star-struck antics. Maybe I will meet them one day though, now that I know where they roll. haha.

Michael

I will be celebrating Michael Jackson today. His music continues to inspire me everyday. Take a moment and remember the man and the music.

All for love, L.O.V.E.

New Laptop!

My computer has been on its last legs for several years now. We keep hoping that it wont crash in the middle of the night. Weve been looking for a reasonable laptop for me for a while, and Cory spotted a good deal at Best Buy. SO I went and picked it up this morning. Its quite awesome to not be confined to my little computer room while on the internet. YAY. That being said, I think my keyboard is set to french and I dont know how ti fix it. When I try and make an apostrphe it does this "é" so apostrophys for me today. Dont french people use apostrophysÉ....turns out I cant make a question mark either. Must get that fixed.

Anyways, very exciting.

Hope everyone is having a wonderful day. I just finished my wonderful lunch of Balsamic Chicken with Sweet Peppers. It was fantastic. I will share the recipe later.

The Green Monster Returns

Made myself a Green Monster for breakfast today. I dabbled with these last year when I was an awesome Weight Watcher, but I went a little intense, as usual, and over did it.

If you haven't heard of a Green Monster before, it's basically a super Smoothy packed with greens and veggies and fruits, and a little protein if possible. It was all the rage on the food/health blogs last year and continues to make many appearances. When you drink one of these it feels like pure energy going through your veins. I forgot how much I enjoy them.

Here's the basics, but really put in whatever you want.

You must have:
-A few handfuls of something green (fresh spinach, mixed greens, bok choy, kale, ...)

-Some kind of fruit (Melon, grapes, strawberries, banana, blueberries, anything.)

-Liquid (I use plain yogurt and a little milk, but it could be fruit juice, flavored yogurt or even water)

-If possible, some kind of protein (Protein powder, unsalted cashews or almonds or other nuts, tofu...)

-Anything else! I've tossed in cut up carrots, cucumber, cooked beets, bean sprouts Flax or Hemp Seeds are great too!

MAKE SURE IT IS ALL WASHED VERY WELL. Otherwise you'll end up with a chemical smoothy and a sore stomach. Throw it all in a bender and wizz away. It will be green. That's the point. Serve it in a tall glass or even a nice wine glass to make you feel special. Add a dab of honey if it's too intense.

It's also a great way to use up aging greens and veggies and fruit. Plus it's green so it feels great!

Try it!

Left Over Tomato Soup

If you try that tomato soup from yesterday (and I really think you should,) you are sure to have some left over. If you do, you can definitely freeze it OR here is a simple use for a completely new meal.

Toss a couple ladles of left over tomato soup with cooked whole wheat rotini (or any other pasta for that matter.) Toss in a few chunks of fresh goat cheese and fresh parsley. Instant dinner and DELICIOUS!

Back to normal...

I sure haven't been a very good blogger lately. Work has been crazy but things are settling down now, so time to get back to it.

I just finished one of the two busiest weekends of the year at work. I organized and ran a series of 8 huge music recitals in a local high school theatre Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Three 12 hour days and let me just say, I am glad they are over!

I got a new cookbook a couple weeks ago too. It's called Bite Me. It's super fun and so far all the recipes I've tried have been great!

I've got a couple recipes for you from the book. (Better than Campbell's, in my opinion) Roasted Tomato Soup
(from Bite Me)
2 x 796ml cans diced tomatoes
2 tbsp olive oil
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper

2 tbsp olive oil
1 small yellow onion, diced
2 medium carrots, peeled and diced
2 medium celery stalks, diced
1 clove garlic, minced
2 tbsp flour
3 cups chicken broth
1 dried bay leaf
2 tsp sugar
salt and pepper
2 tbsp butter (optional)
1 tbsp fresh chopped basil (optional)

1) Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Cover a baking sheet with tin foil and spray with cooking spray.
Strain canned tomatoes over a bowl, reserving the juice. Put strained tomatoes on the baking sheet, drizzle with olive oil, season with salt and pepper. Roast for 15 min.

2) Meanwhile, in a large soup pot set on med-low, combine olive oil, onion, carrots, celery and garlic. Cook until soft, about 8 min. Add flour and stir. Turn up the heat. Add roasted tomatoes, tomato juice, chicken broth, bay leaf, sugar, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer with the lid on for 30 min.

3) Remove bay leaf. Puree in a blender or with a hand blender until smooth. Stir in butter and basil if using.
** The recipe gives the idea to top with "mini grilled cheese croutons. Basically make grilled cheese and cut it into crouton size pieces and float in the soup. Might be fun for kids.**

Piquant Pasta Puttanesca
(from Bite Me)

This may sound a little strange, but it is AMAZING! Apparently this pasta is also called "Whore's Pasta" because it used to be used to lure men off the street into bordello's. Not that we need strange men in our houses, but it will definitely keep your husbands at home :)

2 tbsp olive oil
1 medium red onion, finely chopped
2 large cloves of garlic, minced
1/2 cup of black pitted olives, halved
1 tbsp capers, drained
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
1 796ml can of diced tomatoes
1/4 cup dry red wine
1 lb fettuccine or linguine
fresh Parmesan cheese
fresh parsley

1) Heat olive oil in a big skillet or pot over medium heat. Add onion and cook until soft. Add garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add olives, capers, oregano, salt and red pepper flakes, and saute for 3 min. Add diced tomatoes (with juice) and red wine. Bring to a boil and simmer for 10 min.

2) Cook pasta and drain. Toss hot pasta with the sauce. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and parsley.


The book also has a great recipe for White Chocolate Cranberry Cookies. I've made those too and they are great. I will post the recipe later this week.

Home on the Range and Coconut Shrimp

First let me just say that it snowed in Calgary and it was freezing. I only packed sandals. It's amazing how quickly one forgets.

We had an amazing time in Calgary this past weekend. We got to see Cory's family and celebrate Kate's Graduation from the Nursing program. Just as important, I was able to have some much needed reconnecting time with my best friends while celebrating the wedding of Christina and Kirk. It definitely did not seem like it had been a year since we'd seen everyone. I've realized how important it is to spend time with the people that really know you. Past and present. I find my love for the girls, who were my world growing up, never changes.

I had a wonderful time staying with the Wetsch Family. I had been waiting forever to see little Charlie again and let me tell you, she did not disappoint. What a cutie. Such a nice little girl and almost too adorable to look at. My hosts were gracious as usual and I had a very comfortable stay. Complete with fresh flowers in the bathroom :) I treasure the times I get to spend with Kelsey and her family and always look forward to my next visits.

Here's Charlie riding the Turtle we brought for her :)

Here is a super duper easy recipe for baked Coconut Shrimp. I made it up yesterday and it totally rocked my world.

Baked Coconut Shrimp in 10 minutes!

30 or so raw shrimp or prawns (peeled and devained. Tails on or off.)
1/2 cup mango salsa (or chili sauce, or 2 egg whites)
1/2 cup unsweetened coconut, shredded (toasted if you want...)
1/2 cup panko bread crumbs (Japanese bread crumbs, available in the Asian section.)
1/4 cup flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp paprika
cooking spray

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Prepare a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Spray parchment with cooking spray.

Get three plates.
Plate one - flour.
Plate two - salsa (or equivalent)
Plate three - panko, coconut, salt, pepper, paprika

Dredge the shrimp in flour, dip them in salsa, then coat in coconut mixture. Arrange on the prepared baking sheet. Spray the tops with cooking spray.

Bake for about 6 minutes. Then, turn on the broiler and watch them closely until they brown, 2 minutes or so. Serve with plum sauce or chili sauce for dipping. Enjoy!

An Ocean Adventure

I have only 3 work days this week and then it's off to Calgary to celebrate Christina and Kirk's wedding and have a visit with my in-laws. I am so so excited for the trip!
Cory and I had a great weekend. It was quite nice out and we managed to plan a day trip to a place called Deep Cove. It' s basically in North Vancouver, about 45 min from our place. It's a nice little village with a small beach, some kitschy little shops and a few places to eat. We went for a nice walk, had lunch a great restaurant called "Arms Reach" (complete with blankets on the patio and an ocean view) then went for an ice cream.
We finished off our day by taking an adventure. We rented a double kayak for 2 hours and set off to explore the cove and surrounding islands. It was the first time either of us had kayaked and we were both a little nervous, but it was actually not too difficult and quite peaceful. We will definitely be doing this again!
Cory didn't have on sun screen and he didn't have a hat. As usual. So he is sunburned. As usual.

Another great weekend...

I woke up today and the rain has returned. That being said we had a beautiful weekend. I think it was around 21 degrees and sunny! We spent some time down in White Rock on Sunday. We got an ice cream cone and went for a walk on the beach. The tide was out (for some reason every time we go, it's in...) so we had to walk about half a mile out to the ocean, but once we got there, I dipped my feet in for a few minutes. It was a really nice way to spend the afternoon. Nice to feel some sand between my toes!

In other news, my brother got a car over the weekend. It's a '99 VW Golf (I think.) I must say that it is a major step up from our first collective "ride." Ah good old Blue. Duck tape and all. I have a special place in my heart for Blue and all the adventures it took us on. A little scary for my little brother to be driving though....

Congrats to Julie and John who moved into their new place over the weekend! I can not wait to see it! Also a big "way to go" to Julie who landed herself a job to keep her busy over the summer. Apparently all it takes in a quick round of 4 interviews!

During my cooking adventures this weekend I made the BEST roast chicken of my life. Honestly.

It was Cinnamon Curry Roasted Chicken with Tomato Yogurt Sauce from The Oprah Magazine Cookbook. Served it with Cumin roasted Carrots and some Couscous.

For the chicken:
1 small roasting chicken
1 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp coriander
1 tsp cardamom
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tbsp curry powder
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
1 head of garlic (6 cloves peeled and 6 unpeeled)
2 tbsp grated ginger
1 tbsp Olive Oil
2 tsp salt
2 shallots (unpeeled and quartered)
3 cinnamon sticks
1 cup chicken stock
Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

Rinse and pat dry chicken.
Put first 7 spices in a frying pan and "toast" spices for 45 seconds.

Finely chop 6 cloves of garlic. Mix with grated ginger and olive oil. Rub generously over chicken.
Sprinkle chicken with salt. Rub spice blend all over chicken.

Put shallots, 6 cloves unpeeled garlic and cinnamon sticks in chicken cavity.

Roast for 30 min. Baste with 1/2 cup chicken stock. Roast another 20 min. Baste with rest of chicken stock. Continue to roast for about 1 more hour, or until chicken is done.

For the Sauce:
Drippings from roasted chicken
1 cup low-fat plain yogurt
2 tomatoes, chopped
3 tbsp chopped cilantro

Transfer roast drippings to a sauce pan. Bring to simmer. Remove from heat. Add yogurt slowly, whisking constantly. Add tomatoes and cilantro. Serve with chicken.


I know that the chicken looks burnt. It's not. That's the color of all those glorious spices after a good baking in the oven. Fear not.



Tomato Yogurt Sauce. Yummy!And a little Chocolate Torte I made this weekend as well. To die for. Needless to say I will be bringing some of this to work. All things in moderation.

Bread with salty things in it. Sounds good to me.

I've been feeling super inspired this week in the kitchen. Hence all the new recipe trying. Clearly I need to get out more.
Bacon and Olive Aperitif Cake (but it's really a bread...)
from Laura Calder's French Taste

I tried this recipe this morning and it is wonderful. Same idea as your basic banana bread or lemon loaf, but savory. You don't need to eat anything with it, not even butter. It is so good on it's own.

1 & 1/4 cup flour
1 & 1/2 tsp baking powder
2 eggs
3/4 cup milk
1/3 cup olive oil (or other cooking oil)
2/3 cup olives, pitted and chopped (green or black)
4 slices of bacon, cut up and cooked, not too crisp though.
handful of shredded cheese, gruyere or chedder
1 tbsp chopped fresh rosemary
salt and pepper

Heat oven to 350 degrees, butter and flour a loaf pan. Mix together the flour, baking powder salt and pepper in the bowl. Make a well in the centre. Add in eggs, milk and oil. Mix until just smooth. Add in bacon, olives, cheese and rosemary. Mix until combined. Pour into loaf pan and bake for 45 min.

Tastes great right out of the oven or room temp.

Hummus and vache qui what?

Although I hate to take away from the fact that today really is Kelsey's day, (see post below,)
I must show you my lunch because it was so very yummy.

Half Moon Hummus (from Joy of Cooking)

In a food processor, combine:
2 cups of canned chick peas (1 big can), rinsed and drained
2/3 cup tahini (sesame seed paste) * find it with the organic nut butters at grocery stores
3/4 cup lemon juice
2 cloves of garlic1/4 cup pitted black olives (strange I know, but adds something so awesome!!)
1 tsp salt and pepper

Wizz it up until it's super smooth. Stir in some chopped fresh parsley and enjoy with pita or crudites*. (* fancy way to sat raw veggies...)
"Vache qui rit" Soup (from Laura Caulder's French Taste)

Sounds fancy right? Wrong. Vache qui rit means "laughing cow"in french. As in "Laughing Cow Cheese." The best part is, you can serve to others and call it by the french name. People will think your a genius and spent all day preparing it. You will know however that you can make it in less time then it takes to heat up a bowl of canned soup. This recipe is basically 3 ingredients. I tried it today and it is awesome!

In a pot combine:
2 cups chicken broth
2 chopped zucchini (skin on)
1 finely chopped onion
pinch of cumin
salt and pepper

Bring to a boil and simmer for 15 min with the lid on.

Add 4 pieces of laughing cow cheese.

Puree using a regular or immersion blender until very smooth.
Thin with a little milk if you like.
I'm telling you. Tastes gourmet. Healthy. So fast and simple.

Happy Birthday Kels!

Happy 27th Lady! Hope you have a great day and can't wait to see you in a couple weeks.

Super Easy Wanton Soup for Lunch

Happy Wednesday!

I wanted to share a super easy wanton soup recipe that I made this morning. I've made Asian-style meatballs before and Asian-style soups. This is a mixture of the two, simplified.

Trust me, it's simple.

Get yourself some "wanton wrappers" from the grocery store. They come in little square packages, usually with the tofu at the grocery store. Everything else is pretty standard and you probably have it in your fridge.

Wanton Soup
For the Wantons:
-1 pkg ground meat (I use chicken, but pork is good too)
-Pack of Wanton wrappers (you'll only use about 40, but they keep in the fridge for months)
-2 Green Onions, chopped
-2 tbsp soya sauce
-1 tsp sesame oil
-little bit of ginger
-garlic or garlic salt
Lay out the wanton wrappers on a large platter or cutting board. Get a small bowl of water to sip your fingers into. Mix all ingredients (except the wrappers...) in a bowl. Place a small amount (less than you'd think) of the meat mixture on the wantons. Use your fingers to dab some water around the edges of the wrappers and seal tightly.
For the Soup:-1 quart of chicken stock (or beef or veg stock. whatever..)
-2 tbsp soya sauce-2 cloves garlic, just cut in half (you will be fishing these out)
-tsp coriander seeds or fresh cilantro (you will also take these out before eating.

Bring some stock to a boil. Add in the soya sauce, garlic halves and coriander. Simmer for 10 min. Strain out the garlic and coriander. Return to stove and bring back to a boil. Add wantons (6 or so per person) and simmer for 5-6 min.

Top with fresh chopped green onion and slivered carrots.

**The wantons freeze really great, so make a whole bunch! Just throw them in a freezer bag in layers separated by parchment paper. You can also steam them and serve with some soya sauce for another meal!