Milk Oolong Tea

Mmmm definitely my favourite tea.  The first time I tried it, I didn't dislike it but I didn't think it was anything special.  However, now I love it which is unfortunate because it is expensive.  So far I have only bought it twice, one of which was with a groupon/wagjag deal and I am hoping another deal comes up before I run out!  I find that you can really stretch the leaves though, by using them 2 to 3 times in a teapot - which ends up making about 9-12 cups of tea.  That's a lot of tea for 1 person to be drinking - but it can be done (over 2 days!).

Muscat Grapes

I just discovered muscat grapes a couple of weeks ago and asked the world, "Why would anyone eat any other grapes?!!!"  The answer:  These grapes are expensive!  Aki and I were excited to find these grapes at Longos last night and went up to pay for them.  The cashier rang them in and they were $9!  I proceeded to talk quietly about paying $9 for grapes and the cashier overheard and asked, "Do you not want these grapes then?"  And I said, "OH, WE WANT THEM!!!!"  They are soooooo sweet and delicious, and taste a bit like lychee.

They are pretty hard to find - so far I have heard they sell them sometimes at Michelangelo's and Highland Farms, and of course sometimes at Longos.

PS I just discovered the micro-focus button on my camera!

Greek Lamb & Chocolate Lava Cake

I was very pleased with how dinner turned out last night!  I tried a new recipe from my Betty Crocker cookbook for Greek-style lamb, which was full of olives, feta cheese, oregano, and garlic.  I made a salad with dried cranberries, toasted almonds, and feta cheese with a poppyseed dressing to go with it.  If you ever want a recipe, feel free to let me know! 

But the most exciting part was dessert!!!  Chocolate lava cake.  The recipe is by Jean-Georges Vongerichte.  Look at this beauty!

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, plus more to butter the molds
• 4 ounces bittersweet chocolate, preferably Valrhona – I just used a bar of dark chocolate.
• 2 egg yolks
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 2 teaspoons flour, plus more for dusting

Method

• 1. In the top of a double boiler set over simmering water, heat the butter and chocolate together until the chocolate is almost completely melted. While that's heating, beat together the egg yolks, and sugar with a whisk or electric beater until light and thick.
• 2. Beat together the melted chocolate and butter; it should be quite warm. Pour in the egg mixture, then quickly beat in the flour, just until combined.
• 3. Butter and lightly flour four 4-ounce molds, custard cups, or ramekins. (Use lots of butter and flour – mine stuck to the molds a bit!)  Divide the batter among the molds. (At this point you can refrigerate the desserts until you are ready to eat, for up to several hours; bring them back to room temperature before baking.)
• 4. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Bake the molds on a tray for 6 to 7 minutes; the center will still be quite soft, but the sides will be set.  I had to bake for about 10 to 12 min.
• 5. Invert each mold onto a plate and let sit for about 10 seconds. Unmold by lifting up one corner of the mold; the cake will fall out onto the plate. Mine did not fall out this easily!  Serve immediately.

Mini Pizzas

This was very easy to make.  I just used mini pitas for the crust and added various toppings.  I made 2 types - one had a pesto base, with spinach, olives, brie cheese, and red onion; and the other had a tomato sauce, pepperoni, red onion, and mozzarella.  Like a sandwich, but warm and delicious!

More Market Goods

Today's dinner consisted of more goods from St. Lawrence Market.  Hot chorizo sausages and yellow string beans.  I also made a hot potato salad with lots of spices and the other half of the loaf of garlic bread.  Unfortunately the sausages were too spicy for me.  :(

The Market

Yesterday we went to St. Lawrence Market to pick up some fresh produce, cheese, and meats!  It was pretty crowded and people were quite aggressive, especially at the peameal bacon sandwich counter!  Here is a sample of the goods we bought:

On the left there are fiddleheads, which our friend George the organic farmer had just picked the night before.  He showed us the blackfly bites on his hands as proof.  He gave us a 5 minute cooking lesson, telling us different ways people of different ethnicities cook them.  We just stuck with good old butter and garlic. 

With the beautiful cherry tomatoes in the middle I made a quick salad with bocconcini cheese, fresh basil, balsamic vinegar, olive oil, and some pepper and salt to taste. 

We are going to eat it with garlic bread which I have been craving for some time now.....!  :D  Stay tuned for more market goods tomorrow!

Chocolate Pudding.....

For breakfast!  Breakfast of champions.  :)  Actually it's not that bad....thanks to a special ingredient....TOFU! 

1 package silken tofu (very important that it is silken)
1 package dark chocolate, melted
1/2 cup warm milk
1 tsp vanilla extract

Blend all together in a food processor.  You may want to add a bit of sugar, to your liking.  Enjoy!

Courtesy of the Eat-Clean Diet Cookbook.

Birthday Waffles!!!

Soooo I was trying hard not to turn this into a food blog, but what can I say - I love food!  :D 
Today we celebrated my friend's 27th birthday and we got her a wafflemaker!  We wrote out favourite recipes for waffles (with a choice of normal or chocolate) and delicious blueberry sauce.  We made sure that she cooked these herself so that she would gain "waffle and sauce making self-efficacy" in order to increase the chance of her making them herself at home.  Well done!  

Mojitos = Summer!

Tonight I made a pitcher of mojito but it wasn't very good!  :(  Out of practice I guess.  I think it lacked a lot of everything - lime, mint, and sugar. 

More practice is necessary.

Making Quinoa in a Rice Cooker

I don't know how many people have a rice cooker and know about this little secret - but it is amazing!  Very convenient, and who does not like convenience?

This is a very simple recipe.  Just make the quinoa, then throw in pesto sauce, diced tomatoes, diced olives, and bocconcini cheese (cut into halves).  Voila!  Some recipes work well if you throw in some or all of the ingredients while the quinoa is still cooking (e.g., onions, frozen corn, etc.).  Very exciting!

Successfully Accomplishing a Great Feat

Mastery rating = 100
Pleasure rating = 100

This is the carnival game where you take a big hammer and have to hit the stump as hard as you can.  Note the exuberance on my face!  I didn't actually think I was going to be able to do it!!!

Free Things!!!

I very much enjoy free things, especially those that come in the mail!  How exciting!  Actually, to be more specific, I really only like useful free things.  For example (see picture below):

USELESS!!!  I got this at Yonge & Dundas about a year ago, and still do not know what it is or what to do with it.  If you would like it, please let me know.

What I received in the mail this time were:

I am most excited about the little floss packages which I can keep with me at all times in case of emergencies.  The pretzel stix have already been consumed since the taking of this picture.

First BBQ of the Year

The blog people deleted my blog, so here is a recap of my entire blog to date:

It was a sunny and beautiful day - hence, not a day to be inside doing work!  There was no other choice but to have a mid-day barbecue!  Please note the pineapple - grilled pineapple is delicious!