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!!!!