Balzac's Coffee

More coffee!!!  We purchased half of a pound of a dark Ethiopian roast from Balzac's coffee in the Distillery District and it is intense!  It is very strong and tasty, and smells so delicious.  I like to justify spending government scholarship money on coffee since:

coffee --> alertness and happiness --> research productivity

Opening a Can of Illy Coffee

Warning:  This is NOT a simple pleasure.  Illy coffee is very expensive (although we did manage to get this can at half price)!!!!  And it is not fair trade.  :(  So, it is not very good on two accounts, but it is SO DELICIOUS it hurts.  Opening the can itself is an amazing experience because you really let out the aroma and deliciousness when you peel off that lid.  Mmmmmm. 

Sheppard's Pie - A Cheap and Hardy Meal

Sheppard's Pie is surprisingly delicious, as well as comforting, warm, and CHEAP!  It is also pretty convenient, as I tend to have all of the ingredients on hand, except for the meat.  This recipe is adapted from "The Cook's Book" by Jill Norman, which I got at a very discounted price from BMV (a used bookstore).

Ingredients:
1 large onion, diced
2 carrots, diced
3 tbsp butter
1 bay leaf
2 tbsp thyme
2 tbsp basil
1 pound ground meat (they recommend lamb, but I used beef)
2 tsp worcestershire sauce
4 cups stock
1.5 cups frozen peas
1.5 cups frozen corn
3 cups mashed potatoes

Stirfry onion, carrots, and herbs in a small amount of oil and the 3 tbsp of butter.  Add in ground meat and cook until brown, while stirring and squishing out the lumps of meat.  Stir in worcestershire sauce and stock.  Cook until reduced to a sauce-like consistency, which takes about 20 minutes.  Add in peas and corn for the last 5 minutes of cooking.  Place mixture into large glass dish, and top with mashed potatoes.  Bake for 30 min at 375 degrees F.

I didn't actually cook the meat and stock mixture for that long, and had to drain out the stock.  Hence, the Sheppard's Pie fell apart, but was still delicious, and I had saved some time for bigger and better things.  Then Aki came home and made the stock into a gravy and we poured that on top, which was muchos delicious.

St Lawrence Market in the Winter

I really miss the summer, especially being able to go outside without having to put on a lot of layers, farmers' markets, fun outdoor summer activities (like outdoor swimming, stand-up paddleboarding, going to the beach), and barbecues!  However, winter is not all bad (just mostly bad).  Kidding!  Not really - I don't like winter!  Nevertheless, last weekend we went to St. Lawrence Market and it was still great!!!  Here is our spread:

We got (from left to right, front row; then left to right, back row):  tiny red potatoes, summer sausage, delicious cheeses from Monforte, Bulgaria feta cheese and olives, Niagara prosciutto, the freshest baguette (which we consumed alarmingly quickly), spinach, Romanesco broccoli, 3 pastries, kale (the top of the plant), and red swiss chard.

It was funny at the Monforte stall because the lady asked, "Do you like cured, smoked, dry salami?"  Which is funny if you know Aki because that's definitely one of his favourite foods.  Even as I'm writing this, I'm not sure you will think this is funny.

Out of the veggies, so far we have had the spinach and swiss chard, and we will have the kale today.  Tomorrow we will cook up the Romanesco broccoli and see how that is.  Wikipedia says, "Romanesco broccoli has a milder flavor (more creamy and nutty, and less bitter) than conventional broccoli and cauliflower."  Should be interesting!  :)

Cabbage Rolls

B:  *Happy grunting noise*
A:  That good?
B:  Better.
A:  Wow.
B:  The sauce...is soooo good.
A:  The filling is the perfect ratio of meat to rice.
B:  The sauce...makes it soooo good.
B:  Do we just sit around all day complimenting ourselves?

Obviously, I made the sauce and Aki made the filling.

Homemade Tomato Sauce
2 T butter
1 T olive oil
1 onion, chopped
2 T each of dried thyme & oregano
1 bay leaf
3 garlic cloves, crushed
2 lb fresh tomatoes, diced
1 T sugar
1 cup water

Fry up butter, oil, onion, thyme, oregano, bay leaf, and garlic until onions are soft.  Stir in tomatoes and sugar, cook on low heat for 5 min.  Add water and bring to boil.  Reduce heat and simmer for 30 min. 
I like to leave it chunky, but you can press it through a strainer to make it smooth.  Some call it being lazy, but I like to call it a "rustic style" of sauce. 

Cabbage Rolls (adapted from allrecipes.com)

Ingredients

• 1 pound lean ground beef
• 1 pound ground sausage
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 3/4 cup uncooked white rice
• 1 cup water
• salt to taste
• ground black pepper to taste
• 1 large head cabbage

Directions

1. In a large bowl, combine the ground beef, sausage, chopped onion, rice, water, and salt and pepper.
2. Bring a large pot of water a boil. Separate 12 to 15 large cabbage leaves from the head, and place in boiling water. Boil until soft, approximately 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from water, and set aside.
3. Into the center of each leaf, place a small amount of the meat mixture. Fold in the sides, and roll up from the bottom.
4. Arrange cabbage rolls in a single layer, top with sauce, & bake 1 hour.

Salmon & Avocado Handrolls

Boy oh boy am I ever bored!  I am working on a big review paper on the role of dieting in binge eating disorder (a psychological disorder where individuals eat a large amount of food in a short time, while feeling out of control).  Ironically, it is making me extremely hungry.  I made the mistake of looking at this picture this morning and am now craving salmon & avocado handrolls very badly!!!  I had to make due with some leftover fried rice (I accidentally typed "friend" instead of "fried" - apparently, fried rice is my friend.  I just did it again), as I don't have any of these ingredients on hand.

 
These are simple to make, but you do have to have fresh, raw, sashimi-grade salmon (sliced thinly).  The other ingredients include:  avocado, Japanese rice, and Korean roasted seaweed.  You can use Japanese seaweed instead, but I reallllllllly like the Korean roasted seaweed.  Yum.  It is more oily and salted, but comes apart pretty easily which makes it a bit messy.  You can see me in the back of the picture there, using my chopsticks to gather up the handroll without getting my hands messy!  You can also see some kim chi in the top left corner, which was bought in a huge bucket from a Korean grocery store in Scarborough.
This is definitely one of my favourite foods.  I would say top 3.  Top 1, maybe.  Wow, yes I do believe it is my absolute favourite food.  Interesting.

Lindt Advent Calendar!

YYYEEEEEEEEEEEEESSSS!!!  I haven't had one of these in years.  The other day I was saying, "the problem with advent calendars is that the chocolate is always so crappy.  They should have a Lindt advent calendar."  The next day I did a bit of research and found out that they do in fact have one!  There is also a Laura Secord one which I would imagine to be very good as well.  So, I stopped by Shoppers on my way home yesterday and picked one up as a little celebration treat.  I had a lot of trouble choosing between the more adult one and the child one, and the cashier said "how old are they?"  And then when I was confused, she said, "Oh, is it for you?"  Hehe.  So I chose the child one - obviously.  DAY 1 STARTS TODAY!!!!

Dialogue

B:  "Ooohh are you hungry?"
A:  "Not really, I had a late lunch."
B:  "Um, sorry.  I was talking to my fish."

Also, here is a picture of my friend the starfish!  Oh my, you are so pretty!

Healthy Bran Muffin Recipe + Healthy Chocolate (& Cherry!) Scones

I was a bit worried about these muffins, given the ingredient list, as it does not use any flour and instead uses all oat bran.  However, I worried in vain as these muffin were actually quite tasty and had a nice molasses and spice flavour.  I do feel the need to warn you however that it does indeed taste as though they are made purely from bran.  Who wants to be regular?!

Molasses Raisin Bran Muffin Recipe (adapted from the Fannie Farmer Cookbook; Marion Cunningham)
2 cups wheat bran
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup molasses
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup milk
1 egg
2 tbsp grapeseed oil
1/2 cup raisins

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.  Line muffin tin with muffin cups.  In large bowl, stir together wheat bran, brown sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, ground ginger, salt, and raisins.  In a medium bowl, stir together milk, egg, oil, and molasses.  Combine wet ingredients with dry ingredients and mix.  Spoon into muffic cups and bake for 17 to 20 minutes.

To be honest, these scones are too healthy for me.  You can really tell that there is not that much butter in this recipe and so the scones are more chewy versus flaky and light.  They sure don't compare to the scones I made with my friend who accidentally put in 1 cup instead of 1/2 cup of butter!  I've included the recipe however, in case you like scones but do not want to die an early death due to cardiovascular disease.


Chocolate Cherry Scones Recipe (adapted from Betty Crocker: Cookbook for Women)
2 cups flour
1/4 cup sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 butter
2/3 cup greek yogurt
1/2 cup dried cherries
1/4 cup dark chocolate chips

Heat oven to 400 degrees F.  Grease baking sheet.  In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder and soda, and salt.  Cut in butter with a pastry blender (or using 2 knives) until mixture resembles fine crumbts.  Stir in yogurt, cherries, and chocolate chips.  Knead dough and shape into a ball.  Press down into a disk and cut into 12 pieces.  Bake 15 minutes and serve warm.

How to do Well in Grad School

As Aki and I were eating a dinner of leftover beef bourguignon, vegetable soup, fancy brie cheese, prosciutto, and wine, we were talking about how ridiculous it is that we are eating this fancy fare as grad students.  I mentioned that I should probably change my blog's name from "Simple Pleasures" to, I don't know, "Fancy Fare" or "Ridiculous Things we are Eating as Grad Students."  It is pretty clear that almost all of our money goes into food, and luckily none of us have expensive hobbies (Aki claims his aquarium habit pays for itself), a car, pets (other than fish), etc.  It is also handy to "grocery shop" from our parents' houses when we go to visit.  Here are some pictures of what graduate students are supposed to be eating:

Figure 1. JFO, http://cheezburger.com/JFo/lolz/View/4922463744

Figure 2. Piled higher and deeper comic strip, http://www.phdcomics.com/comics.php

I know that last comic is a bit hard to see, but the cabinet in full of ramen noodles.  BTW, PhD comics are pretty amazing.  I just signed up for an email subscription so that I can start my day out right!

Deli-style Lunch

I love potato salad, if you haven't already figured that out.  Actually, I guess I just love potatoes in all forms - potato latkes, potato salad, potato wedges, french fries, scalloped potatoes, roasted potatoes, mashed potatoes, baked potatoes, chips, etc. 

Potato Salad
This potato salad was made with potatoes (with the skins left on), sour cream, mayonnaise, celery, bacon, gherkin pickles, green onion, smoked ancho chilli spice, and black pepper.  Is that the same as the other potato salad?  I think it is just a touch different, with sour cream, celery, green onion, and no sauteed onion. 

Sandwich
The sandwich was made from discounted Longo's onion buns, capicola, cheddar cheese, green leaf lettuce, sliced shallots, mayonnaise, and dijon mustard.

An easy but sophisticated breakfast.

This breakfast was so simple, but so delicious.  We actually had this quite a while back, but I have gotten behind on posting due to having an extremely long and bothersome cold.  All this is, is sliced tomato and cucumber (which look so bright and fresh in this picture!), a poached egg cooked runny, hot smoked salmon (as compared to cold smoked salmon which doesn't cook the salmon) which is available at Sobey's, Longo's, etc., and toasted bread with herb and garlic cream cheese.  Actually, there is a slightly fancy part of this breakfast, which is a quick homemade pretend hollandaise sauce to pour over the egg.

Quick Cheater's Hollandaise Sauce
-melt 2 tbsp butter
-add 2 tbsp mayonnaise
-add 1 tsp lemon juice
-whisk together quickly

Fish Tacos

We had fish tacos for dinner and they were delicious!  Not a big surprise because if they weren't delicious, I probably wouldn't be posting about them.  Displayed here are all of the fixings.  Pan fried sole (marinated in grapeseed oil, lime juice, ground cumin, oregano, chili powder, and garlic; and coated slightly with flour before frying), fried green pepper and red onion, grated cheddar cheese, salsa from a jar with horseradish and Tabasco sauce added to it, and sour cream. 

Wrap it in a slightly warmed tortilla, and voila!  Fish tacos!  :)

My New Beta Fish!!!

Aki bought me a fish today!  Well, I'm not sure if it was actually for me, but I claimed it for my own since I have decided that he has enough fish for himself.  It is a very cute beta fish that is all silvery and shiny!  I think it is from Thailand.  Aki went to Menagerie today because a new shipment came in and bought the fish because it looked so nice.  He called it an "unplanned purchase."  It is set up on my desk here in its own tiny tank, so that I can watch him when I am doing work and bored (i.e., all the time).  He is so cute.  I have established that it is a "he," but am still deciding on a name.  Any ideas?

Thank You! Thank You! Thank You!

I have been very sick for just over a week now and Aki has been so amazing to me.  He has taken care of me so well, and I am finally on the mend (last time I said that I may have jinxed myself)!  Some of the things he has done for me are:  cooked every single meal, brought me things (e.g., water, cough syrup, kleenex), took care of me in the middle of the night, made me ginger honey tea, put vapor rub on my back, set up my humidifier each night, and cleaned (my dirty kleenexes off of the floor).  He let me take his pillow for the week so that I could sleep sitting up and I am sure he has not gotten a good night's sleep all week due to my coughing (and lack of a pillow).  THANK YOU SO MUCH!  I will make it up to you when I am well and cook you delicious things and pack you yummy lunches.
Here is a picture of a delicious meal Aki made for me a few weeks ago (when I wasn't sick and could actually drink wine!), when I was particularly stressed out.  It was so delicious I can't even describe it.  The pasta had a cooked smoked salmon vodka tomato sauce, which we both have never had before, and I have no idea how I have lived so long without tasting such a thing.  MMM.  The salad had avocado, goat cheese, and green onion, with a delicious dressing which I will post below.  And gerbera flowers are my favourite.  <3

Salad dressing recipe (adapted from allrecipes.com):
1/3 cup olive oil
3 tbsp red wine vinegar
1 tsp sugar
1 1/2 tsp dijon mustard
1 clove garlic, minced
salt and pepper to taste

Nathan Phillips Square Farmers' Market

I am writing another blog post this morning, as I am trying to delay proofreading a 104-page document.  Please, will be you be a dear and proofread my work?  On another sad note, there is only one more week left of the Nathan Phillips Square "Fresh Wednesdays" Farmers' Market.  I have really enjoyed going there every Wednesday since the Summer.  After it is over, I suppose I will have to go back to shopping at Chinatown for my fruits and vegetables.  Definitely not the same!  Anyways, this is what I picked up this week:

I am especially pleased with the swiss chard.  It's a true beauty!

Aki steamed the swiss chard quickly, and then made a delicious sauce to accompany it.

It consisted of:
-tahini/almond butter (2-3 tbsp)
-honey (1 tbsp)
-water or broth (1 tbsp)
-soy sauce (1 tsp)
-sesame oil (1 dash)

*mix together, put into microwave for 30 seconds to make runny, and pour over vegetables!

Delicious Potato Salad

I woke up with a huge craving for potato salad, but by the time I actually got out of bed and made this salad, it was lunch time!  So, I got to eat my potato salad at a socially acceptable time (i.e., not for breakfast).  I like cooking without a recipe, especially for those foods that you really can't mess up, even if you tried. 

Things thrown into the salad include:
-potatoes (unpeeled, cooked al dente)
-green onion
-hard boiled eggs
-bacon*
-onion*
-tiny pickles
-dijon mustard
-white wine vinegar
-mayonnaise
-ancho chilli powder

*fried these up separately first, before adding into salad

Yum!  Potatoes are so delicious (as is bacon)!

Best Pumpkin Pie Recipe

Yum yum yum!  This was my pre-Thanksgiving dinner, which consisted of basil & oregano chicken, mashed maple sweet potatoes, broccoli salad, fresh cranberry sauce, and not one but TWO pumpkin pies.  Then we had some fun with cupcake decorating and picture taking.

Here is the pumpkin pie recipe, adapted from a recipe posted in the Toronto Star many years ago.  We just used pre-made pie crust, but you can use the crust recipe from the Peach Melba Pie posting if you wish to be ambitious and impress people.

Pumpkin Pie

398mL pureed pumpkin (from a can is fine, but real pumpkin is better!)

2/3 C brown sugar

1/3 C white sugar

1 T flour

1 1/2 t cinnamon

1/2 t each of salt, nutmeg, ground ginger

1/4 t each of allspice, black pepper

1 C whipping cream (heavy cream or even half and half is just fine)

2 eggs, beaten

1/3 C orange juice

3 T orange liqueur (this is vital!)

1 1/2 t vanilla

Prick pie dough and bake at 400 degrees, 5 min until dry (but not brown).  Cool.

Reset oven to 375 degrees.

In large bowl, mix pumpkin, sugars, flour, spices.  Add cream, eggs, orange juice, liqueur, vanilla; whisk together.

Pour into shell and bake 45 to 60 min until slightly wobbly.

Enjoy!

PS. I use more than called for of all of the spices to get a really nice flavourful, spicy pie.

Raw Oysters

This is not for everyone.  Especially Aki who is allergic to them, but ironically worked as an oyster shucker for a couple of years!  Customers would come up to him and ask what he likes and would recommend, and he would say things like, "people really like this or that."  They would also tell him that he can do more with his life and should go back to school to get a better job.  He would nod agreeable, but fail to disclose that he was actually doing his Masters.  Anyways, enough of an intro....here is a nice picture of a very pretty oyster!    Just open them up using a shucker and some muscle, and then you can top it with a bit of lemon juice or seafood sauce if you would like.  Then, slurp it back and say....AAAHHHH! 

PS.  We thought the shell was so pretty we washed and saved it, and now store TTC tokens in it!  Also, we like to get our seafood in Scarborough at a store called Diana's (Warden & Lawrence).

Pickled Beans (& Carrots)

Green beans, yellow beans, sliced carrots

1 cup water
1/2 cup salt
1 cup white vinegar

3 garlic cloves
whole peppercorns
chili flakes
dried corriander
dillseed
dehydrate onion flakes

Boil water, then add salt and stir until dissolved. Add in vinegar (and be sure not to inhale too close to the pot!).  Place beans in a large jar and pour in hot liquid mixture to cover beans.  Add in the rest of the spices, to your liking.  Place lid onto jar and allow to cool to room temperature.  Put jar in fridge and wait 2 weeks before eating.  (You really do need to wait 2 weeks before eating these!  Perhaps hide it in the back of your fridge so that they do not tempt you on a daily basis.)

Important note:  Since this is not a canning recipe, you cannot leave this product at room temperature.  Please be sure to store it in the fridge!

Healthy Muffins

Well, as healthy as muffins can get.  This recipe is adapted from Chatelaine.

Streusel Topping
2 tbsp flour
2 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp lemon zest
1 tbsp butter

Muffins
3/4 cup flour
1 cup whole-wheat flour
1/4 cup quinoa flakes or ground flax seeds
1 cup sugar
2 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 egg
1 cup green yogurt
3 tbsp oil
1 tbsp lemon zest
170g blueberries or strawberries

Preheat oven to 375 F.  Line muffin tin with paper. 

For streusel....
Mix flour and sugar with zest.  Add butter and blend with hand until crumbly.  Set aside.

For muffins....
In large bowl, mix flours, quinoa flakes/flax seeds, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.  In medium bowl, whisk egg; then stir in yogurt, oil, and zest.  Stir egg mixture into flour mixture, until just combined.  Stir in blueberries/strawberries.  Spoon into muffin cups.  Sprinkle tops with streusel mixture.

Bake for 25 minutes.  Enjoy!

Lattes for Everyone!

My brother gave us a refurbished cappuccino machine (only $40!) and it looks sooooooooooo cool!  Who knew it would look so cool?  Not I!  Anyways, it works pretty well too.  So far we have made cappuccinos, lattes, espressos, vietnamese coffee, and green tea lattes.  Our milk consumption has risen exponentially.  (I considered rephrasing that last sentence in order to sound less nerdy, but have decided to embrace the nerdiness instead).  Tah dah!

One-dish Chicken & Vegetable Meal

The title says it all.  This one was a team effort.  I pre-heated the oven.  Aki marinated boneless chicken legs in olive oil, crushed garlic, oregano, and basil, for a couple of hours.  I sliced the veggies - carrots, zucchini, and potatoes (using my fancy wavy knife).  I tossed the veggies with the olive oil, salt, pepper, oregano, and thyme, and placed them into a baking dish.  Aki placed the the chicken on the veggies, I opened the oven door, and he placed the dish into the oven.  An hour or so later....voila!

Rice Wraps

Otherwise known as Vietnamese fresh spring rolls.  These are pretty expensive if you buy them pre-made at restaurants - probably due to the labour involved.  However, the labour is actually half of the fun, if you make them one-by-one as you eat them! 

Step 1:  Take dry rice wrap and place in warm/hot water until just softened. 

Step 2:  Place filling into centre of wrap.  Filling can include cooked thinly sliced meat or shrimp, thinly sliced cucumbers, thinly sliced carrots, cooked vermicelli noodles, thinly sliced lettuce, and hoison sauce.  The sauce is very important.  These items can be found at an Asian supermarket. 

Step 3:  Roll it up!  Eat it!

The Most Delicious Tomato Salad

This is the most delicious tomato salad I have ever had.  Aki's Mom made it.  The tomatoes were from Highland Farm, and were very fresh and sweet.  The cheese is goat feta and was very flavorful, without being too salty.  The basil was from Jean Talon Market in Montreal.  The best part were the olives - all the way from their friend's mother's garden in GREECE!  They released a nice olive oil all over the salad.  MMMMMMMMM!

 (Yes, the picture is upside-down).

Sausage Rapini Pasta (Mercatto Wannabe)

 This is my version of the orecchiette fennel sausage, rapini, peperoncini dish at Mercatto.  Instead of orecchiette I used spaghettoni.  The brand of pasta that we usually use (and is very delicious) is Barilla.  I forget what type of sausages I used, but they were from Longo's, as was the rapini.

1.  Cut sausages into bite-sized pieces and pan fry.  Mash with potato masher.  Place into large bowl.
2.  Cut rapini into thirds or quarters, and steam.  Be careful not to overcook.  Place into the bowl.
3.  Cook pasta.  Drain and place into the bowl.
4.  Add a generous amount of olive oil and 1/2 tsp of chili flakes to pasta and mix well.

That's it!  Congratulate yourself on a job well-done and place the $15 per serving you saved into your piggybank.

Blue Cheese Burgers

Mmmmm.  Sometimes I don't like burgers because I find them overwhelming to eat, but this summer I have really been craving and enjoying them.  This is a great recipe, mainly due to the blue cheese, which adds so much flavour.  The recipe is from allrecipes.com:
http://allrecipes.com/recipe/blue-cheese-burgers/detail.aspx
Instead of chives I used green onion; instead of dry mustard I used dijon seed mustard; and instead of hamburger buns I used an assortment of "odds and ends" bread.  Please note the regular use of the new cast iron pan!

Black Sesame Ice Cream

I am posting this as I don't think a lot of people know about black sesame ice cream!  It is delicious.  And seems like it might be at least a little bit good for you....maybe.  Other delicious flavours include green tea, red bean, and taro ice cream - found at your local Asian supermarket.  Try them today! 

Zucchini Flowers

Yesterday night was an exciting night!  I really like trying new things, especially when they taste good!  These zucchini flowers are from the Ryerson farmers' market and were only $1 for 4!  Some of them even has baby zucchinis still attached to them.  I coated these bad boys in egg, then dipped them in spiced breadcrumbs and fried them up in a bit of canola oil.  Yum!

Broccoli & Chicken Casserole

This is a recipe from Campbell that probably dates back to the invention of their cream of mushroom soup.  I felt like an old fashioned housewife making this.  My friend has made it 2 times for me so far, but hers seems to taste better (she used curry in her recipe)!  The first time she made it we were in Calgary, so that is what this dish reminds me of. 
This is the recipe I used:
http://www.cookwithcampbells.ca/en-ca/Recipes/easychickenandbroccolidivan.aspx
I skipped the butter and used cream of mushroom soup instead of cream of broccoli.  I am thinking that my life needs more casseroles!

Apple Crisp

This recipe is all crinkly from being used so much.  I had a bunch of apples that were starting to go bad (they were actually a bit mushy to begin with) so I decided to bake them.  This recipe is adapted from my Betty Crocker cookbook. 

6 apples
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup flour
3/4 cup quick-cooking oats
1/3 cup butter softened (i think i left this out)
2 tsp cinnamon
2 tsp nutmeg

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.  Grease large baking pan with butter.  Spread apples in pan.  In medium bowl, stir remaining ingredients until well mixed.  Sprinkle over apples.  Bake about 30 minutes until topping is golden brown and apples are tender.  Serve warm with ice cream.

I did not serve this with ice cream as I often ate it for breakfast.  However, having it for breakfast does not mean you cannot eat it with ice cream. 

Fancy Pizza

This one was a team effort.  Longo's made the pizza dough, Aki cut up the ingredients, and I put it together.  The toppings are:  fresh basil, brie cheese, and pear.  That's it!  No sauce, no nonsense. 

Wanda's Peach Melba Pie

Peach season has arrived!!!  I bought a whole basket of peaches from Longos yesterday for $2.99!  I decided to make a peach melba pie from my Wanda's Pie in the Sky cookbook.  It was so delicious.  It is one of my favourite types of pie, along with sour cherry and strawberry rhubarb pie.  Please take the extra trouble to make the crust - this recipe is amazing and it is VERY worth it!  Here is the recipe (adapted to save time):

Crust
1.5 cups flour
1/4 tsp salt
2/3 cup cold butter, cut into small pieces
1/4 cup cold water

In large bowl, combine flour, salt and butter.  Cut with pastry cutter until mixture resembles coarse meal and begins to clump together.  Sprinkle with the cold water, let rest for 30 seconds, then cut with about 15 strokes of the pastry cutter.  Form dough into a disk and wrap in plastic (but save a small ball of dough for the topping).  Chill for 20 minutes.  Roll out disk on a lightly floured surface, and transfer dough to pie plate.

Filling
4.5 cups sliced peaches
2 cups raspberries
2/3 cup sugar
3 tbsp cornstarch
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 tbsp orange zest
1/2 tsp almond extract
1/2 cup sliced almonds

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.  Place peaches in a medium bowl and raspberries in a smaller bowl.  Add 1/2 cup of sugar to the peaches and rest to the raspberries.  Add 2 tbsp cornstarch to peaches and 1 tbsp to raspberries.  Add lemon juice, orange zest, and almond extract to peaches (don't leave out any of these ingredients!); mix well.  Place peaches onto pie plate, pushing them to the sides, leaving a hole in the middle.  Add raspberries to the centre of the plate.  Crumble the ball of dough you reserved onto the top of the pie.  Sprinkle with almonds.  Bake 10 minutes at 400 degrees F, then for 50 minutes at 350 degrees F.  Voila!  Homemade pie!  Impress your friends!

Stuffed Peppers

I decided to make a curry brown rice filling, with tomatoes, the tops of the peppers, green onion, and sausages.  I just threw all of the ingredients into the rice cooker.   (I made some extra rice to put into a tortilla for lunch the next day).

I then prepared the peppers (cut off the tops and hollowed them out).  When the rice was ready, I filled the peppers, topped them with cheese, and baked them for about 25 minutes until the peppers were cooked through.  That's it!

I also made some white asparagus since the oven was on anyways.  I just tossed them with a bit of olive oil and topped them with breadcrumbs and parmesan cheese, and baked for about 15 minutes.

Anniversary Dining

We started our day with a nice, healthy breakfast complete with hello kitty toast and mimosas.  Note the new cast iron pan!  Now every time bits of the pan come off I can be excited to get more iron instead of being worried about the toxins from teflon coating.  I gave the pan to Aki as a present (along with a vacuum - exciting presents, I know).  He then proceeded to accidentally light the pan on fire.  A big fire too - I thought I was going to have to get out the fire extinguisher. 

Next, we had some delicious wine we saved from our Niagara trip in June for this special day.  It is a Malivoire 2009 Courtney Gamay.

Finally, we ended the night at Bistro 990 and shared a baked alaska.  This was the first time I have had this and it was pretty good!