How to be a TW.

Basil Mojito

2012-01-07T16:39:00.000-08:00

I love mojitos. Recently Craig saw a recipe for a Basil Mojito, it is virtually the same thing as a regular mojito but replace mint with basil and rum with vodka.

you will need:
a handful of basil leaves
vodka
soda water
limes
sugar water (make your own by mixing water and sugar (1 part water to 2 parts sugar) on the stove in a small pot, once it cools you can place it in a jug and it will keep in your fridge if you don't use it all that night)

Place basil leaves and the juice from half a squeezed lime in a tumbler. Lightly muddle until the basil smell becomes more intense. Add in a shot of vodka, ice and stir. Top with soda water and enjoy.

Chewy Chocolate Gingerbread Cookies

2011-12-12T22:09:00.000-08:00

Yummy! These were delicious! Will definitely make them again. From Martha Stewart Christmas magazine.

7 ounces best-quality semisweet chocolate

1 1/2 cups plus 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour

1 1/4 teaspoons ground ginger

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1 tablespoon unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder

8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter

1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger

1/2 cup dark-brown sugar, packed

1/4 cup unsulfured molasses

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 cup granulated sugar

Directions

1.Line two baking sheets with parchment. Chop chocolate into 1/4-inch chunks; set aside. In a medium bowl, sift together flour, ground ginger, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, and cocoa.

2.In the bowl of an electric mixer, fitted with the paddle attachment, beat butter and grated ginger until whitened, about 4 minutes. Add brown sugar; beat until combined. Add molasses; beat until combined.

3.In a small bowl, dissolve baking soda in 1 1/2 teaspoons boiling water. Beat half of flour mixture into butter mixture. Beat in baking-soda mixture, then remaining half of flour mixture. Mix in chocolate; turn out onto a piece of plastic wrap. Pat dough out to about 1 inch thick; seal with wrap; refrigerate until firm, 2 hours or more.

4.Heat oven to 325 degrees. Roll dough into 1 1/2- inch balls; place 2 inches apart on baking sheets. Refrigerate 20 minutes. Roll in granulated sugar. Bake until the surfaces crack slightly, 10 to 12 minutes. Let cool 5 minutes; transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Christmas cards

2011-12-11T11:41:00.001-08:00

I usually buy the holiday editions of the Martha Stewart magazines. In this years Christmas special I saw some Christmas cards that looked easy and not too cheesy.

Martha Stewart made it sound a lot easier than it is. The way it was explained in the magazine was simply lay a branch down on top of green construction paper and coat with spray paint. I tried this, the power of the spray paint blew the branches all over the place and I could hardly see the imprint of the branch at all. So my advice would be the follow the following instructions:

you will need:
green construction paper
blank cards & envelopes
spray paint
glue
glitter glue
branches
pins

-cut green (or any colour) construction paper down to the size you want
-lay them out on a surface you don't mind getting spray paint on
-using straight pins pin down the branches (I used 3 to 5 per branch)
-coat them with spray paint

-after they dry you can glue them on to blank cards, I used white, next time I think I might try grey

-you could just leave the cards that way, I choose to add glitter to them

Now I just have to write on them!

Felted Sweater Pillow

2011-12-09T19:06:00.000-08:00

I remember felting wool in design school and I am not really sure what reminded me of this, but it seemed like I could turn this into a Christmas gift. I decided to try and make a pillow cover this way.

You will need:

1 wool sweat (100% wool)
Buttons
Pillow or pillow form (I just used an old pillow)
Needle & thread or sewing machine

First thing you want to do is wash the sweater, you want to put it in hot water in the washing machine, an not on the gentle cycle. Also throw it in the dryer. This should sufficiently felt the sweater.

Next I cut the sweater apart and squared out the pieces to make it into two equal squares of fabric. I chose to attach the two pieces together and make a centre back seam on the pillow, I did this to take advantage of the contrast binding on the hem of the pillow. If you want you could just make regular side seams instead.

I tried sewing the seams together on the machine but it was a bit thick, I ended up sewing some on the machine and some by hand. I then measured out where I wanted the buttons to go (I chose 3 different buttons, I thought it went with the folky feel of the intarsia pattern on the sweater) and the coordinating button holes. I tried to finish the button holes using a blanket stitch but you can’t really see the stitching. I may just leave them as raw cut button holes, it shouldn’t fray so this should be OK.

I attached the button holes by hand, try and make a shank on the buttons since the fabric is so thick. You can do this by putting a tooth pick or a pin under the button while you are sewing, this will make sure the button is not so tight on the fabric. And then before tying off the button wrap the thread around the base of it a few times to tighten this up.

I think it looks pretty good. I would like to try a solid coloured cabled sweater next.

Turning Records into Bowls

2011-12-08T20:32:00.000-08:00

Another gift idea I saw using records was Record Bowls, this was actually a lot easier then I thought. I was a bit scared that I might blow up the house but that didn’t happen.

You will need:

As many records as you want
2 oven safe bowls approximately 9” in diameter
1 cookie sheet
Rubber gloves
Oven mitts
1 medium size can of anything (just to use as weight)
Heat oven to 200 degrees

Turn one of the bowls upside down on the cookie sheet, centre the record over top of it, then place in the oven for about 5 minutes. When you see the record drooping sufficiently take it out of the oven. I found it better to take the oven mitts off and put on rubber gloves here. Some instructions said to use the oven mitts, or some showed people using their bare hands. Do what ever suits you but the record is hot.

You have to work quickly while the record is hot, if it cools to much you can put it back in the oven another minute or two. Next flip the record over and start playing with the shape with your hands. Once I was happy with the shape I placed it in the second bowl and put the can in the middle to weigh it down. Leave it like this for 5-10 minutes until it cools.

Making a Record Clock

2011-12-07T20:21:00.001-08:00

I am trying to be creative and make as many of my gifts as I can this year. I have lots of plans, but we will see how many I will actually make! The first one I made this year was a record clock. I was looking up ideas online, spent a lot of time googling “home made gifts”, and this was one I saw that looked simple.

Record clock

You will need:

1 record
1 clock
glue gun
Picture hanger

Also using the glue gun I attached a picture hanger to the top back and the clock so that it is easy to fasten it to the wall. Pretty easy and looks good. You could add numbers to the clock if you wanted. I think this is a good gift for a guy or a student.

I picked up some old records and a thrift store and then I tried a few different discount stores to find a clock with hands that I liked and that was reasonably priced. I took the clock a part keeping only the hands and the motor. Using my glue gun I attached the motor to the back side of the record and then reattached the hands.

Wedding Reception- some of the recipes

2011-11-29T21:13:00.001-08:00

Tarragon Potato Salad

2 lbs baby potatoes
1/2 cup mayo
1/2 cup sour cream
2 tblspns fresh squeezed lemon juice
2 tblspns tarragon vinegar (or white wine)
2 tsp sea salt
1 tsp fresh ground black pepper
3 tblspns chopped green onions
3 tblspns mined red onion
2 tblspns minced fresh tarragon leaves (this could be replaced with basil or parsley as well)
2 tblspns minced fresh dill

Simmer the potatoes in water for 15-30 minutes or until tender. Drain potatoes and place to the side.

Mix together mayo, sour cream, lemon juice, vinegar, salt and pepper. Pour the dressing over the potatoes in a large bowl. Allow this to sit for approximately 30 minutes before serving. You can even make it the night before and refrigerate, just let it sit out to come up to room temperature. Add the green onions, red onion, tarragon and dill before serving.

Green Salad

For the green salad we kept it pretty simple, using mixed greens and fresh fruit mostly.

1 box/bag mixed greens
1 red pepper
1 yellow pepper
1/3 of a red onion thinly sliced
2 handfuls of blueberries
1 doz sliced strawberries

And because we were trying to save time and because it is local, we used "Okanagan Wineland Dressings" the roasted garlic and balsamic vinegar kind.

http://www.wineland.ca/

Quinoa Salad

2 cups vegetable broth
1 clove garlic
1 cup uncooked quinoa
1 large red onion, diced

1 large red pepper bell pepper, diced

1/2 cup chopped kalamata olives (I like to buy the fresh unpitted olives to make it easier)

1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese

1/4 cup chopped fresh mixed herbs (I think we used basil, but you can add chives, parsley)
1/4 cup chopped fresh chives
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

1/4 cup olive oil

Bring the broth and garlic to a boil in a saucepan, add the quinoa, reduce heat to low and put the cover on the pot, simmer until the quinoa is tender and the broth has been absorbed, 15 to 20 minutes. Place the quinoa in a large bowl. Stir in the onion, pepper, olives, feta cheese, and herbs. Drizzle with balsamic vinegar, and olive oil, add salt and pepper to taste.

Salmon

The salmon part of the dinner was very simple, we just grilled the salmon on foil on the BBQ. Before grilling we drizzled the salmon with lemon and dill and some fresh ground pepper.

We also made a simple sauce using plain yogurt and dill to be drizzled on top. Sorry, not much of a recipe, but for 1 salmon I would probably use 1/2 cup of yogurt and about a tsp of dried dill, or more of fresh. If you want to add a bit more flavor to the sauce you can add about 1 tsp of dijon mustard for every half cup of yogurt.

Do it Yourself Wedding Reception- menus

2011-11-29T21:00:00.001-08:00

Because we didn't hire a caterer we wanted the meal to be simple and not too time consuming, but delicious of course. And pairing well with wine and then venue were important too. For appetizers, meat and cheese platters seemed ideal. This is really an easy thing to do and it looks great and doesn't require a lot of work.

I also collected wooden cutting boards and wooden and metal bowls from friends and family to be used to lay everything out. I found chalkboard tags at a craft store and those were perfect for labelling everything.

The main part of dinner was pretty simple, it consisted of:

-corn on the cob
-buns
-green salad
-quinoa salad
-potato salad
-pork tenderloin
-grilled salmon
-steaks

Everything was done on the BBQ and served in warming dishes buffet style. Recipes to follow.

DIY Reception- dessert & pie pedestals

2011-11-13T16:56:00.001-08:00

In keeping with the Okanagan theme we thought that pies would suit our even a lot more than cake. Considering it was August in the Okanagan we knew all kinds of local fruit would be available, making pies even more ideal. Craig's Aunt very generously volunteered to take on making the pies. The pies were delicious, and a hit!

I didn't want to just lay the pies out on a table, I wanted some form of presentation. So another item I saw on the BHLDN website came to mind. The treat pedestals.

http://www.bhldn.com/the-shop_decor_tabletop/galvanized-treat-pedestal

But for $38-48 dollars I figured I could make them myself. I looked around a few thrift stores for old pie plates and small tin buckets. I lucked out with the pie plates but I didn't find any buckets. I ended up finding those at dollar stores and kitchen stores.

To make them look old I washed the buckets and pans in the dishwasher a couple times first. This helped give some of them and etched/rusted look.

To attach the pie plate to the bucket we punched a hole in the middle of both using a nail and a hammer. Then using a flat topped screw attached the two together.

DIY Reception- wood mobiles

2011-11-13T16:42:00.001-08:00

In looking for decoration ideas a friend suggested I check out http://www.bhldn.com/ . I loved a lot of their decoration ideas, but didn't love the prices so much. A favorite was the driftwood garland. I decided to try and make a few and hand them up in the trees and off the deck.

http://www.bhldn.com/the-shop_decor_decorating/driftwood-garland

The driftwood was easy to collect from the beach, or even in the water. We then drilled small holes in the wood and strung them up. The first couple were done with twine, but one broke in the wind and I was worried about the twine rotting over time. We switched to wire for the last few, this is much more durable. Another thing I found was that it is ideal to have several small pieces of driftwood that act as spacers, you almost don't see them when it is finished but they make the bigger pieces hang better and gives the mobile more length.

DIY Reception- the bar

2011-11-08T22:24:00.000-08:00

The bar was another important part of the reception, we knew this is where people would be congregating at the beginning of the night for sure. Just like everything else we wanted the bar to feel like it belonged on the beach. We started with something that is already part of the location, a swing, we removed the swing, keeping the frame and turned it into the bar. And looking around the cabin we found several other parts of the bar- some old wooden skies, an old piece of drift wood that became the bar sign...

Then we added a few other things we had been collecting. More jars for a tip jar, old drawers to hold lemons and limes, straws for cocktails and of course the spicy beans.

The other unique part of the bar was the cocktail glasses. We didn't want to rent glasses, we wanted something that fit the whole orchard/winery theme, so we settled on more mason jars. We collected them from garage sales, thrift stores, value village and a great find on craigslist. And part of doing everything yourself means you don't have a lot of staff, so to save on dish washing we wanted people to hang onto their glasses as long as possible. So we came up with the idea of people decorating their jars.

I think overall the bar was a hit. Oh, did I mention the bath tubs, who needs coolers when you have bath tubs? I don't think I have a picture of them filled with ice and beer but here they are.

We also wanted our guests to have a place to put down their drinks while they mingled, maybe played a little croquet, bocce ball or just chatted. We debated renting bar tables but I was worried they would look out of place. We decided our ideal would be to get wine barrels as cocktail tables, considering we spend a lot of time in wine country we figured this would be easy but the prices were not so agreeable. In the end we just decided to ask sweetly at one of our favorite wineries if they would mind lending us some for a day or two. And they did! Thanks Road 13! (they also provided the the dinner white and red, a definite favorite!)

Do it Yourself Wedding Reception- centre pieces

2011-11-07T22:01:00.000-08:00

When Craig and I decided to get married we wanted it to be easy, fun and have a lot of personal touches. Neither of us wanted a lot of fuss, or a lot of speeches or really anything relating to a traditional wedding.

In the end we went to Mexico and got married, that was easy. We could pick the sunset ceremony, the garden ceremony or the indoor ceremony... We picked sunset on the beach of course, kind of seemed like the whole point in going to Mexico. It was a lot of fun and not a lot of planning for us.

We decided since we planned Mexico in less then 3 months and not all of our family and friends could come that we wanted to do a local reception. It ended up being another beach event at our family cabin in Penticton. Just as beautiful as Mexico, but not as easy! We wanted to do most of it ourselves, partly to save money and partly for the personal touches. I thought I would share some of what we did here. We had a loose theme, mostly we wanted things that complimented the location and didn't take a way from the natural beauty of the location. So based on our love of the Okanagan and all the orchards and wineries that surround the cabin we tried to bring that feeling to the beach.

Let's start with the centre pieces. I wanted something simple, and no flowers. Since there is no existing lighting in the yard at the cabin I figured candles were necessary. I collected different sized mason jars to be the main portion of the centre pieces. Each table was to have 3 jars, 2 with sand and candles, 1 full of wine corks.

Simple but it worked. I have now continued to use some of them at home on the dinner table or on window sills.

Spicy Green Beans

2011-11-01T21:48:00.000-07:00

As a kid I remember my Mom drinking Caesars, I thought they were gross, I think it had something to do with the clam juice. Who would want to drink clam nectar? That sounds so unappetizing. Anyhow, now I like them. Not really sure what changed my dislike of Caesars but I seem to remember it happening sometime around the time I started dating Craig. I particularly enjoy drinking one at the cabin by the lake, what better is there to do at 2pm on vacation on a hot summer afternoon? To make the ideal Caesar I think you need to have spicy beans. Craig thinks a pepperoni stick or some beef jerky is needed as well but I am good with just a couple great spicy beans.

I decided to try canning them last year and they were a hit. I made another batch this spring to have some for our reception and then again this fall with some friends. The recipe is pretty simple so try it if you would like.

You will need:

-12 x 500 ml canning jars (make sure you get new lids, old ones can not be reused)
-canning tools (canning tongs make the job so much easier, I found a package deal at the grocery store that includes the tongs and a magnetic tool to fish the lids out of the hot water as well as a couple other useful tools, definitely worth the purchase)
-lots of towels and cloths

4.4 lbs green beans
4.4 lbs yellow beans
(I have also put in some asparagus with the beans to mix it up)
4 large red peppers
6 cups white vinegar
6 cups water
6 tbsp pickling salt
12-36 hot chili peppers
36 peppercorns
6 tsp dill seed
12 large garlic cloves, halved (I use more)

You need to boil the jars in a large canner (or pot) to sterilize them. Set up a separate smaller pot to heat the sealing disc portion of the lid, keep these warm but not boiling. Keep the water in the canner simmering while you pack the jars otherwise it can take a long time to bring back to a boil.

Wash and trim beans, core and seed pepper and cut into long strips. Peel garlic cloves, slice in half and set aside.

In a large pot combine vinegar, water and salt, bring to a boil. Add beans and peppers and bring to a boil. Remove from heat.

In each hot jar place 1 to 3 chili peppers, 3 peppercorns, 1/2 tsp dill seed and a couple of pieces of garlic. Pack in the beans and pepper strips, try and leave 3/4" head space at the top of the jar. I have trimmed the beans at this point as sometimes you get some extra long ones or they just aren't the length of your jar. Try and pack the beans as tightly as possible. Add hot liquid to cover the beans, leave 1/2 head space to the top of the jar. Remove air bubbles and wipe rim of jar to remove any food or vinegar water. Place ceiling disc and rim on jar, screw until finger tip tight (you do not need to use a lot of pressure).

Once you have enough jars to fill the canner ensure that all the jars are covered by at least 1" of water, you may need to add or remove water. Place lid on canner and bring to a boil, ensure that the water is bubbling before setting the timer (a rolling boil), boil for 10 minutes.

Remove jars from canner with out tilting, place them upright on a protected surface (a couple of tea towels will do). Let jars sit while you finish your other cans if they didn't all fit in the canner at once. You do not need to re tighten the lids even though you will probably notice they have loosened.

After the jars have cooled press lightly on the middle of the lid, they shouldn't move or pop. If you remove your finger from the centre of the lid and it pops back up it means that jar did not seal. You may even hear the lids suck down while the jars are cooling. If any of the jars did not seal they are still use able you just need to refrigerate them. They will last in the fridge just as long as you keep any other pickled item.

Collecting Dishes

2009-09-30T17:26:00.000-07:00

I have a lot of tea sets and vintage dishes, and they are all different! My Mom likes blue Willow, so all her china goes well together, mine does not! Anyhow, there are a couple of sets that I would love to collect more pieces for.

The first set is a yellow tea set. It was my great grandmothers. I have all the pieces except for the tea pot, I didn't break it, my great grandmother did. But I would love to find the tea pot, or even extra pieces in case it breaks. It is Royal Albert, but with no name on the stamp. There is a gold lattice like pattern on the outside, even the inside is yellow. I have tea cups, saucers, lunch plates, a serving plate, sugar bowl and a cream pitcher. Now I just need the tea pot, or something that goes with it! Keep your eyes out for it!

The next set I have is Mikasa Duplex, by Ben Seibel. He did several collections for Mikasa in the 70s as the brand attempted to increase its cool factor. I have a full set of 6 dinner plates, salad plates, bowls, cups & saucers, 1 serving plate and 1 serving bowl. I found the set at a vintage store on Commercial called Attic Treasures. I got the whole set for $80, great price! And I picked it up just at the right time. As I was handing the woman my money, a guy was telling his friend "look what I found, I am going to get it!", they woman had to tell them sorry... already spoken for!

The dinner plates and salad plates have the star pattern in the middle. All the other dishes are green on the outside and white in the middle.

I found a blog where the writer has a similar obsession to me, but she collects all colours. Take a look.

http://apronthriftgirl.typepad.com/apron_thrift_girl/2007/04/mad_for_mikasa.html

The other peice I have is just that, one peice! But I have seen more, in fact I saw a whole set of it, but it was blue. I would love to have a couple more peices, especially since they co-ordinate with my Mikasa set. The stap on the back has a cluster of 3 leaves and says "turi-design, market, made in Norway" And in the middle of the stamp is something that kind of looks like 2 F's, a bit like this F/F. I think it is a cute pattern and would love to find more!

Recovering Kitchen Chairs

2009-09-29T20:39:00.000-07:00

I bought 4 kitchen chairs a couple of years ago with intention of recovering them. The seats were super uncomfortable and the finish on the frame was coming off. They needed some work. I decided to recover the seats and try and pad them to make them more comfortable as well. Here are the supplies I collected to make this project work:

chrome spray paint

replacement screws (the originals are rusted)

1" foam (enough to cover the seats and backs)

vinyl for the seats

staple gun & staples

upholstery nails

I wanted to keep the chrome look of the chairs as I like the retro feel. I went to Canadian Tire and found a spray paint that looks like chrome. After I took apart the chairs I cleaned the frames and sanded them lightly. The spray paint really worked, they look great.

For the seats, you want to cut the foam about 1" bigger all around, lay both the seat and the foam on top of each other on your vinyl fabric. Pull the edges up around the sides to figure out how much you need to work with. Better to cut too big a peice so that you have lots to work with.

You want to pull the vinyl up around the sides as tightly as you can. Using the staple gun place the staples evenly spaced along the edges. You can trim the edges of the fabric after wards if you have an excess. And you can always take it off if you screw up!

For the back of the upper part of the chair I chose a contrasting fabric. I also bought chrome upholstery tacks to attach the contrasting fabric with.

Once I attached the back and the seat back to the legs they were done! I would say the total project took me 10 plus hours, not including the time it took to collect the supplies.

Another Soup Tip

2009-09-24T21:55:00.000-07:00

It is officially Fall, and with that comes soup season. As much as I can I try to make my own broth. If you have a roast chicken, or steak with bones, or anything else that has bones, this is the best time to do it.

Making a good broth is relatively easy, I find the more stuff you add the better. If you have been keeping slightly wilted vegetables in the freezer, this is a great time to bring them out. If not, look through your fridge and see what you have. I tend to use broccoli stalks, celery, carrots, onions and lots of garlic. Also any herbs you have, I prefer full branches of rosemary, thyme, basil whatever you have. And with your onion, try to use a yellow onion, include the skins as it will add colour to your broth.

Put all of the vegetables, herbs and bones in a large pot. Fill the pot with water, make sure everything is covered. Turn on your oven to the lowest temperature possible, about 50 degrees. Put the pot in the oven and leave it for as long as possible 6-10 hours. I prefer to do it over night.

Then the next day you want to strain your broth and throw away all of the solid matter. This may seem like a waste, but it will have no nutrients left, all the nutrients are in your broth. Now you can start to make your soup. If you don't want to make soup that day you can freeze it, if I have more than enough for one container of broth I will freeze some of it in ice cube trays. This way you have small portions of broth that you can add to gravy or stir fry or anything that needs it.

Beer Can Chicken

2009-09-09T10:41:00.001-07:00

This is a relatively simple meal and it always turns out well! Even if they catch on fire like above!

You will need:

a whole chicken

a can of beer

your favorite seasonings

Start by cleaning the inside of the chicken, make sure there is nothing in there that you don't want. Rinse the inside out and pat dry with some paper towel.

Open the beer can and drink some of it. You only want the can to be about 1/3 full of beer. For beer I just use what ever is in the fridge but the beer can adjust the flavour of your chicken or blend well with your seasonings. For example if you wanted to do an Asian seasoned chicken and use ginger and pepper, you would probably want a light tasting beer that won't conflict with those flavours. If you wanted to do something strong and smokey with hickory, you might want a maple or honey beer.

Take your seasonings of choice and stuff about 3 tablespoons worth in the can of beer. You could also put handfuls of fresh herbs, garlic cloves, onions, oranges etc etc in the can. What happens is once the chicken starts to cook the beer will boil and baste the inside of the chicken. So whatever is in the can will boil in the beer and the flavours will leak into the chicken.

After you have seasoned your beer can you want to season the outside of the chicken with the same seasonings. Once this is done you are going to put the beer can in the chicken. You want to place the can upright with the chicken upright on top of that. It will look like the chicken is standing up. Place the chicken on a hot BBQ (about 400) for about 40 minutes. Or until the outside is crispy looking. (not flaming like above!) A good test for a chicken is when you lay it down you should be able to pull a leg away from the body easily, this is when you know it is done.

Once you take the chicken on the BBQ you need to remove the beer can before you lay it down. You will usually require two people for this. I usually use a fork to puncture the can and pull it out while someone else use tongs to hold onto the chicken.

You want to let the chicken sit for about 10 minutes before you carve it.

In the summer my favorite add ons to Beer Can Chicken are a large mango and tomato salsa and BBQ'd potatoes. In the winter it is great with squash, mashed potatoes and other seasonal vegetables and gravy if you have time!

Salmon with Roasted Tomatoes

2009-09-04T11:17:00.000-07:00

I made this for dinner last night and I am quite looking forward to the leftovers!

*this recipe works for around 2-4 people, so reduce or add as necessary.

Ingredients for roasted tomatoes and salmon oil:

6 plum tomatoes cut in quarters (I did a mixture of plum, cherry and heirloom to give colour)

1 tsp sugar

3/4 teaspoon sea salt

1/2 teaspoon fresh ground pepper

1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil

3 garlic cloves minced

a handful of fresh basil leaves chopped

a few sprigs of thyme (chop all or remove leaves if you have the patience)

2 teaspoons lemon zest

2 tablespoons lemon juice

Heat oven to 300 F.

Toss the tomatoes in a shallow pan with sugar, salt and pepper. Add the remaining ingredients and toss gently. Roast the tomatoes for approximately 30-45 minutes until tender.

Take the pan out of the oven and prop one side up so that the oil and juices run to one side. Set aside while preparing the salmon.

Preheat oven to 390 F.

Lay foil down in a shallow pan before adding the salmon (I do this for easier clean up).

Ingredients:

1-2 shallots thinly sliced

1/3 cup of white wine

1-2 teaspoons of chopped jalapeno peppers

(instead of the wine and jalapenos I used a dessert wine with a chili in it, this may be hard to find so either works)

Sprinkle the shallots and jalapenos over the salmon, then add the white wine. Allow to marinate for approximately 30 minutes. Now add the oil and juices that have separated from the roasted tomatoes.

Put in the oven for approximately 10 minutes or until the salmon is almost cooked through. Now add the roasted tomatoes on top of the salmon. Put back in the oven for another 2-5 minutes, long enough to finish cooking and heat the tomatoes back up. You can serve this right on the dinning table as it looks beautiful. Maybe add a sprinkling of fresh chopped basil on top for more colour (the cooked basil will be a bit black).

Basil... Yum...

2009-09-03T17:31:00.000-07:00

I love basil! I could find a way to make many meals with this delicious herb! I don't think you can use too much of it so it is very easy to cook with. Anyhow, I have just been away for about 3 weeks and my basil plants were a little overgrown and starting to flower. I am hoping to extend the life of these basil plants as long as possible so I cut the tops of the plants at the next sign of growth. I should have done this earlier but never got around to it!

I decided to make some pesto sauce to freeze for later in the year. I prefer to make the pesto sauce with out the pine nuts and Parmesan, that way you can always use it for something else if you want, or just add those ingredients when you want. I guess that actually makes in Pistou sauce, not Pesto, but I am not picky on names.

Pistou Sauce

2 cups fresh basil (firmly packed)

3-4 cloves chopped garlic (or more if you like)

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

sea salt to taste

Wash and dry your basil leaves (stems removed), combine them in a food processor with the olive oil, garlic and salt.

I chose to divide the sauce into 2 small containers for freezing, you can also divide it into ice cube trays for smaller portions. This is great for soups and other things. Just freeze the sauce in an ice cube tray and once frozen, pop them out and put in a zip lock bag back in the freezer.

Pesto Sauce (the same thing just a couple more ingredients)

2 cups fresh basil (firmly packed)
3-4 cloves chopped garlic (or more if you like)
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

3 tablespoons pine nuts

1/2 cup grated Parmesan
sea salt to taste

Wash and dry your basil leaves (stems removed), combine them in a food processor with the olive oil, garlic and salt. Then add Parmesan and pine nuts until fully blended.

I also love to change up the Pesto sauce and make a creamy version. Just take the Pesto recipe above and add the following:

1 cup cream

1/2 cup feta cheese instead of Parmesan (or both if you love cheese like me!)

Watermelon salad

2009-08-11T13:33:00.000-07:00

In the summer everyone wants to eat watermelon. I remember being a kid and loving taking a big slice out on the porch or in the yard and seeing how far I could spit the watermelon seeds. The problem I find with buying a watermelon is that unless you are a large family that is a lot of watermelon to eat! So, time to find other things to use it for.

My mother introduced me to this salad, I am not sure where she got it from. But I recently found a very similar recipe in the In Style magazine, June 2009. It is a good one, great for summer BBQ's or an accompaniment to any meal.

Watermelon Salad

1 cup olive oil
3 tbsp fresh lime juice
3 tbsp vinegar (I use white or white wine vinegar, In Style suggested champagne vinegar)
2 tsp chopped fresh thyme
2 tsp chopped fresh basil
1 minced shallot
1 minced chile (I use jalapeno, In Style suggested Serrano)
1 small seedless watermelon (about 2 cups of watermelon once it is chopped)
1 small container of feta cheese
1 bunch of arugula

Combine olive oil, lime juice, vinegar, thyme, basil, shallot and chile in meauring cup or a jar/bottle with a lid, either stir or shake well.

Remove rind from watermelon and slice into cubes (or whatever you desire).

I like to pre mix the watermelon and feta with the dressing and let it marinade briefly before putting it on a bed of arugula. You can serve it on individual plates or in a large bowl from a group setting.

Raspberry martini (with a twist)

2009-08-08T13:00:00.000-07:00

I had this at a restaurant near my house a few months ago. It was so Delicious that I had to find out what was in it. Then next time we had people over we decided to test our bartending skills on them. To be warned it is so yummy and you don't really taste the booze, so try and just have one or two!

Contains equal parts:
peach snapps
Alize red passion
raspberry Sour Puss

Mix these together in a martini shaker with some real lemon juice and ice (if I am making 2 drinks I would use half a lemon). Pour into martini glasses rimmed with sugar. Enjoy!

Julia Child

2009-08-08T12:45:00.000-07:00

I have recently been reading a book about Julia Child, the famous American chef living in France. (And who there is a movie coming out about) This women had no idea about cooking, or how to cook until she went to France when her husband's job took her there. I think of all the women (an men) I know who say I can't cook and just never try. This women really couldn't cook and didn't really even love food. She grew up in California with parents who just cooked to feed the family. Not to love food, or savour the flavours. And when she went to France she fell in love with food. I think her story is very inspirational and could teach a lot of people that you can learn to cook.

Her and two friends decided they wanted to help others learn how too cook and love food like they had. They didn't want it to be a regular cook book, they wanted it to really help people learn. They made sure that the recipes we explained easily and there was no way you couldn't understand something. I really liked her style and her dedication when it came to cooking. I think this is something I would like to do. Help people not fear cooking. I think especially women. It seems like so many women I know have spent so long try to avoid the female stereotypes- like cooking, cleaning etc. That they almost want to automatically say- oh I don't cook. Does this make them more powerful? More equal to men? I don't know.

I don't cook because I want to be the perfect housewife. I cook because I like to cook. I like eating good food, and if I can make it as opposed to buy it at a restaurant, even better. I enjoy seeing my friends and family enjoying the food I make. And I love being able to share those recipes and tips so that others can do the same.

One thing Julia Child and her friends would do was have cooking parties. The women would pick a recipe, like and appetizer or a main course and come prepared with all the ingredients. Then men would each have to pick a bottle of wine to go with their wives dishes for that evening. Doesn't that sounds like a great night? You learn how to cook something new, learn about a new bottle of wine and socialize with close friends. Sounds better to me than a bar where you pay $10 a drink and can hardly hear each other.

Anyhow, I guess that is my opinion entry. More recipes to follow.

Lasagna

2009-01-20T21:22:00.000-08:00

Who doesn't like lasagna? I don' t think I know anyone who doesn't like it. I suppose if you are lactose intolerant it might not be a good idea... The thing I find interesting about lasagna is that everyone thinks their Mom's is the best. I know I do, but I actually think my Mom's might be the best! In fact I have been at a dinner or two at her house where a guest has whispered "don't tell my Mom, but I think your lasagna might be the best I have ever tried!"

My Mom taught me everything I know about cooking, so I think my lasagna is pretty decent too. Here is my "recipe". I say it like that because I never use a recipe so this is really just a guide.

Needed:

frozen chopped spinach- thawed and drained

oven ready noodles
9x13 pan

cheese sauce-

2-3 cups white cheese (I usually go for mozzarella, Monterrey jack and an aged white cheddar)

1 15 oz container of ricotta cheese

2 cups milk

1/2 cup butter

8 tablespoons flour

tomato sauce:

1 398ml can tomato sauce

1 398 ml can stewed tomatoes

1 156ml can tomato paste

1 package lean ground beef (feel free to leave this out or replace it with your choice of veggie ground round, ground turkey etc.)

1 medium onion chopped

mushrooms sliced

garlic minced (most people would say 2-4 cloves but I say you can never have enough!)

spices: a couple of tablespoons each of fresh basil and parsley, if you use dried use 1-2 tsp, I also usually add a few dashes of pepper, onion powder and some kind of herd mix or Italian mix.

optional: red & yellow peppers chopped (or green if you like),shredded zucchini and carrots make a nice addition that also make your lasagna a bit healthier

In a large saucepan (or I like to use a wok) heat oil cooking onion until tender. Add meat, brown and cook thoroughly. If your meat is staying in large lumps you can use a potato masher to get it into smaller pieces. Add garlic and mushrooms to meat mixture. Now is the the time to add whatever vegetables you want, a lot of lasagna doesn't add any, but I think it makes it a bit more of a full meal instead of just being carbs and protein. I would say I usually add about 2 full cups of vegetables. This could be just peppers, or peppers and zucchini and mushrooms... It is your choice. Now add the stewed tomatoes and the tomato sauce. I usually start here and let it simmer for a bit while adding the spices. If your sauce is very thick you may want to add another can of sauce or stewed tomatoes, if it is runny I suggest adding the small tin of tomato paste. I don't always add the paste, sometimes the sauce seems fine with out it. It is definitely best if your sauce simmers for a few minutes with the spices in it. Add my suggestions or what you feel is appropriate. Some people like to use chili powder or paprika too.

You can now put the sauce aside and make the cheese sauce.

Melt a couple of tablespoons of butter in a mid size saucepan, add about twice as many tablespoons of flour to the melted butter. Make sure this is on low, as it will burn easily. Add milk until it thickens, make sure to stir constantly with a large fork or a whisk. Now add the ricotta cheese and shredded cheese. Stir constantly until all the cheese is melted. If the sauce is too thick you can add more milk. If it is slightly too thin you can add more shredded cheese. If it is very thin take a couple of tablespoons of flour with a skip of milk, whisk this together in a measuring cup. Add this to the cheese mixture on the stove, stir in, once it heats it should thicken enough.

In your pan lay out enough noodles to cover the bottom of the pan. Make sure they don't over lap. I usually layer this way:

noodles
meat sauce
noodles
cheese sauce
noodles
meat sauce
spinach
noodles
cheese sauce
noodles
meat sauce
noodles
cheese sauce
You can do less layers depending on how deep your pan is. Some people do a layer of noodles with tomato sauce and then cheese sauce before placing the noodles on top. I think you really can't go wrong!

If you have extra cheese I will put slices of cheese on the very top! I usually cook a 9x13 pan for 45 minutes at about 180 c or until the cheese sauce browns on the outside and the middle is bubbling.

Pear and Goat Cheese tartlets

2008-12-14T22:00:00.000-08:00

A very delicious appetizer! It is a bit time consuming but so good!

Pear and Goat Cheese Phyllo Tart lets

4 tsp butter
2 onions, finely chopped
2 cups ripe pears, finely chopped, cored and peeled
1 tsp granulated sugar
1 tsp balsamic vinegar
pinch salt
3 sheets phyllo pastry
2 tbsp melted butter
300g creamy goat cheese
2 cloves garlic, minced
pinch salt
24 whole fresh sage leaves

(shopping tips- I suggest buying the goat cheese at Costco or Superstore, it is going to be expensive at your local grocery store for that much. Also, I have never used the sage leaves as they aren't always that easy to find and it is more of a garnish that looks pretty that anything else) Preheat oven to 400.

1) Melt 3 tsp of the butter over medium heat in a fry pan, cook onions for 5 minutes, stir occasionally.
2) Add remaining butter and the chopped pears, cook, stirring occasionally. It should take about 10 minutes until the pears are tender and turning brown.
3) Add sugar, vinegar and a pinch of salt. Cook, stirring until most of the liquid is evaporated. About 2 minutes. Let this mixture cool to room temperature. This can be stored and refrigerated for a day, This way you could do it ahead of time to save time, also if you are having people over you may not want your place to smell like onions!
4) Place one sheet of phyllo pastry, brush sheet with some of the melted butter. Lay a second sheet of phyllo pastry on top, brush with butter, add a third sheet and brush this with butter.
5) Cat layered phyllo lengthwise into 4 strips and crosswise into 6 strips to make 24 squares. Press the squares into mini muffin trays.
6) Mix together goat cheese, garlic and the last pinch of salt. Put 1 tsp of pear mixture and top with 2 tsp of goat cheese mixture, smooth the cheese mixture down on top. Garnish with sage leaf if you have them.
7) Bake for 10 minutes or until pastry is golden and filling is hot. Serve warm, also taste good cold! Makes 24 tarts. I found that it makes more like 30 tarts, but I guess it depends on how accurate you are with your measuring too.

Christmas Baking

2008-12-14T21:21:00.000-08:00

Last week I decided it was time to start some Christmas baking. This year I decided I wanted to make shortbread, gingerbread and sugar cookies. When I was at the grocery store waiting in line, I started browsing through the Martha Stewart Christmas issue. I decided to pick it up to maybe find a new Christmas recipe to try. Also, since she is my blog name inspiration, it seemed appropriate. She had a recipe that I had to try. Chocolate Thumbprint cookies, with chocolate ganache filling. I remember making thumbprint cookies as a kid but they were not chocolate so I had to try these! They taste pretty good, way to go Martha! Even if she does make her recipes as complicated as possible.

Chocolate Thumbprints

2 cups all purpose flour
1 cup plus 1 tablespoons unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder
2 teaspoons coarse salt
8 ounces unsalted butter, softened
1 1/3 cups sugar, plus more for rolling
2 large egg yolks
2 tablespoons heavy cream (for such a small amount I sometimes would just do half milk and sour cream, instead of buying thick cream)
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

1) measure out butter and sit out to soften
2) Preheat oven to 350 Sift flour, cocoa powder, salt in small bowl. Cream butter and sugar in mixer until fluffy. On medium speed add yolks, cream and vanilla. Add flour mixture until just combined.
3) Roll balls using 2 teaspoons dough, roll in sugar. (dough will be quite sticky) Place approximately 1" apart on baking sheets. Using the handle of a wooden spoon (or a knuckle works too), press gently in the centre of the ball of dough to create an indent. Bake cookies rotating half way through. Should take about 10 minutes, until just set, the cookies are similar to brownies, soft not crunchy. Transfer to wire rack after they have cooled slightly. Sometimes the middle of the cookie will puff up during baking, you can push the indent down again.
4) Spoon the ganache into the centre of each cookie. Let stand until firm. They will keep for about 3 days.

Chocolate and Vanilla Bean Ganache
(you should make this once the cookies are out of the oven as it is not supposed to sit long before you use it)

1/3 cup honey
1/3 cup heavy cream
1/2 vanilla bean, split and scraped, pod reserved (I ended up using a couple of tablespoons vanilla extract instead as I had never used vanilla beans before. I would like to try it with vanilla beans as I know now that the flavour would be a lot richer. I understand, however, they are quite expensive, so you may choose to use extract as well.)
4 ounces bittersweet chocolate finely chopped
1 ounce (2 tablespoons unsalted butter) softened

1) combine honey, cream and vanilla seeds and pod in medium saucepan over medium heat. (if you are using vanilla extract DON'T add it yet as it will just evaporate and you won't get any vanilla flavour) Bring to a simmer, stirring until honey dissolves. Remove from heat, cover and let stand for 20 minutes.
2) Place chocolate in a food processor. Return honey/cream mixture to a simmer, then strain removing solids. (You only need to do this if you used the actual vanilla bean) Poor cream mixture over chocolate in blender, let sit for 1 minute. Process until mixture is smooth, then add butter. Let cool slightly and then add to the middle of the cookies.

Using Cookbooks

2008-04-30T21:44:00.000-07:00

Even though I am a pretty creative cook (as in- show me your fridge and I could find a way to make a meal out of whatever is in there), I sometimes loose my inspiration or find myself stuck in a rut. That is when I pull out the cookbooks. Jamie Oliver is a favorite because his dishes are a bit different and he uses lots of herbs! This weekend it was beautiful weather so we were in the mood to BBQ. My boyfriend brought home some steaks and prawns so I knew part of what I had to work with. Since we were BBQ'ing I pulled out my "Real Grilling" book put out by Weber. We had also just gone shopping in the market at Granville Island and bought a ton of fresh herbs so I knew I wanted to use those. I found a recipe for a spicy pesto marinade for the steaks, a mango prawn salad and a fresh strawberry dessert.

Rosemary and Roasted Garlic Pesto

2 mediums heads garlic
You want to remove the loose papery skin from the outside of the heads of garlic and cut the tips of off the head (so that once they are roasted you can just pop the cloves out easily). The rub the heads with olive oil and either put them on a cookie sheet in an oven or wrap them in foil and throw them on the BBQ. In the oven I put them on broil for about 15 minutes or until the tops start to brown a bit.

Pesto
1/3 cups lightly packed rosemary leaves
2/3 cup lightly packed Italian parsley
1/2 cup of pine nuts
2 Serrano chile peppers - stemmed and roughly chopped (I couldn't find these so I just used another kind of spicy peppers they had at the market)
2 teaspoons freshly grated lime zest
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup olive oil
(I found this was not enough liquid to make my blender work so I added a few teaspoons of lime juice and a few more glugs of olive oil until my blender would blend)

Put the rosemary, parsley, pine nuts and chile peppers in the blender until finely chopped. Pop the garlic cloves out of the skin and into the blender, add the olive oil, lime zest, salt and pepper. Blend until it forms a paste.

Spread the paste on both sides of the steaks, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for a few hours before grilling.

You could use this paste for anything although the grilling book is using it as a marinade for the steaks. In fact, the next day I used the leftovers as a pasta sauce.

Shrimp and Mango Salad

Dressing
1 medium garlic clove
1 Serrano chile ,stem removed, coarsely chopped
2 teaspoons granulated sugar
1 small handful of fresh cilantro
1 small handful of fresh mint
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon peanut oil
1 tablespoon fish sauce
1 tablespoon soy sauce

Blend all the ingredients in the blender. It suggests adding 2 tablespoons of water but instead I used a few extra glugs of soy sauce and a little bit of white vinegar

(I didn't use the fish sauce and I used sesame oil instead of peanut oil.)

20 large shrimp (about 1 pound)
peanut oil
1 small head butter lettuce cut into mid size pieces
1 ripe mango (peeled and cut into 1/2" strips)
1 cup bean sprouts
(I also added pea shoots and roasted red pepper strips to the salad, you can add whatever you want)

Brush the shrimp with oil (which ever kind you prefer, this recipe uses peanut, I like sesame, grape seed or olive oil) then grill over medium heat until they turn opaque.

In a large bowl combine the vegetable ingredients with the mango and stir in enough dressing to cover. Put the salad on individual plates and add the shrimp. I put the shrimp on skewers and then added that to the side of the plate.

Scone recipe

2008-03-25T21:08:00.000-07:00

I went to England about 4 years ago with a girlfriend. We went to the British Library and I bought this book called "Recipes for an English Tea". Perfect for Saturdays tea party. I love making the traditional sweet scones from this book.

Sweet Scones

lb flour
a little salt
oz currants
1 teaspoon cream of tartar
1/2 teaspoon of carbonate of soda
3 oz sugar
3 ox butter
1/2 pint milk

Mix together flour, cream of tartar, carbonate of soda and salt. Then run in the butter, sugar and the same quantity of currants. Mix the whole to a smooth dough. with about 1/2 pint of milk; cut into shapes and brush over with an egg. Bake 20-30 minutes.

Time for a Tea Party

2008-03-22T10:21:00.000-07:00

I love hosting a party and having people over. I love the preparation process; cleaning up, adding little touches like candles in the hall, fresh flowers in the bathroom, and food... I love cooking and eating! Some people get stressed out before they have people over but not me. I put on some music, get out a glass of wine and start on the appetizers or whatever you feel like preparing.

Today I am having a tea party. My boyfriend is out of town so it is a great opportunity to do something girly and not have him scoff at it. Some people laugh at the idea of a tea party but it is a lot of fun! It is an opportunity to get together with friends and be social! So far the menu is as follows:

scones w/jam and devonshire cream

strawberries

goat cheese and pear tartletts

tea of course (served in vintage tea sets of course)

Then I have also asked people to bring a variety of tea and a sweet or savory small dish. This way there will be lots of options and plenty to eat!

Ramone Peddles Jewelry

2007-11-25T12:40:00.000-08:00

My boyfriend and I recently adopted two cats. They are 5 month old brothers, the grey one is Pedro and the orange one is Ramone. We didn't name them but we liked the uniqueness of their names. Apparently, whoever named them was on a Mexican kick. A friend of mine has been making up stories about them based on them being Mexican. They have a taco stand on the beach, peddle jewelry and various other things.

Ramone has made it clear that he does have a thing for jewelry. He has knocked over my earrings on my vanity several times. This weekend I decided I needed to come up with a new way to store my earrings so that Ramone can't get at them. I can't really put them in my jewelry box as I have a lot of chandelier earring or dangling earrings and they will just become a tangled mess. I had a picture in my head of a series of small wires running horizontal on my wall that the earrings could hook over. But then the more I thought about that it seemed impractical and like it would put a lot of holes in my wall! Then I thought about getting some nice pictures frames and putting mesh or a fine chicken wire in them. I looked in a few stores for frames I like but the ones I liked were really expensive. I ended up at store on 4th called Kitchen Corner, this store is a bit scary as stuff is piled high and you can barely fit down the isles. But you occasionally come a way with a great find so it is worth the hazard. This time was one of those times! I found some decorative embroidery hoops with a hook for hanging on top. I decided instead of buying chicken wire to use the leftover screen mesh we had from making screens for our windows.

I think it worked out pretty well! I am just waiting for Ramone to figure out how to climb the wall now!

Tip #1- soup tips

2007-11-14T21:16:00.000-08:00

If you like to make soups I have a couple of tips for you. If you are going through your veggie crisper and you find some limp celery, wilted carrots or slightly soft tomatoes, don't throw them out. Put them in the freezer to use for soup. I keep a zip lock bag in the freezer that I put these kind of things in. I recently made baked stuffed tomatoes and I put the centre of the scooped out tomatoes into this bag as well.

After you steam your veggies for a meal, don't dump out the water, freeze it. You can put it in an ice cube tray, zip lock or jar you keep in the freezer. The water from your veggies is full of nutrients and flavour. This is great to addd to your soup broth or even just instead of water to a sauce.

Thai Spiced Butternut Squash Soup

2007-11-14T20:58:00.000-08:00

This is a great soup and definitely not your traditional squash soup. I made it this Thanksgiving as the first course. I like to add a non traditional dish or new twist on a classic dish for traditional meals like Thanksgiving and Christmas.

This soup does take awhile to make, so I like to make a large amount and freeze it to make it worth while. It also is great if you have a helper!

Ingredients:
1/2 cup vegtable oil
1 leek sliced
2 onions chopped
8 cloves garlic cruched (or more if you are like me!)
1/4 cup coarse chopped ginger
2-3 chilis finely chopped (I have used dried chili flakes instead)
1/2 cup dried coconut
1 kg seeded chopped butternut squash
3 lemons (finely shred off some of the rind before juicing the lemons)
1/4 cup brown sugar
50 gms shrimp paste
1 cup chopped coriander or cilantro
1 litre chicken or veggie stock

For garnish:
toasted shredded coconut
sliced green onion

Heat the oil in a sauce pan (large wok works well too). Cook the leek, onion, garlic, ginger and chilis over medium heat until they soften. Cover for 5 minutes. Add all remaining ingredients, bring to a boil, the let simmer for 25 minutes. (or squash is tender, you can shorten this time by cooking the squash in the oven ahead of time but that adds another step)Blend this mixture in small batches, blend until smooth. At this point you can taste and adjust the seasoning if needed. If it is really thick you might want to add more broth, too bland add more garlic and chilis. If you feel the need to add salt, use sea salt.

Serve in individual bowls with toasted coconut and green onions as the garnish.

(this recipe serves 8-10 people)

Oatmeal Cookies

2007-11-10T21:00:00.000-08:00

One of my favorite things to make is oatmeal chocolate chip cookies. This recipe was my Great-Grandmothers. It took a while for my Granny to properly re-create these cookies because the recipe wasn't exactly accurate. 1 cup did not mean a metric cup, it meant whatever chipped tea cup she used for baking and the temperature of the oven was measured by feeling the heat on your bare arm int he wood burning stove. But eventually my Granny figured it out and it is now a family favorite.

1 cup butter or margarine
2 eggs
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup white sugar
2 cups flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
2 cups oatmeal
1 cup chocolate chips or nuts or raisins (or whatever your preference is, I have used Skor bits also)

Using a mixer blend the butter until smooth, add the sugar, once that is mixed add the eggs. Pre mix the flour, salt and baking soda in a bowl. Add a few spoonfuls of this at a time to the butter mixture. Once all the flour is added add the oatmeal and chocolate chips.

Bake the cookies for 10 minutes in a 375F oven (190 c).

Halloween

2007-11-10T18:17:00.000-08:00

This Halloween I thought it would be fun to do a group costume. I remembered that I had a lion costume from a few years ago and I had already thought about recycling it. Perhaps the Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe... or the Wizard of Oz. I suggested this to a group of friends and they thought the Wizard of Oz would be fun. My boyfriend agreed to be the Scarecrow, his friend wanted to be the Tin Man. So then Dorothy and the Lion were left to either myself or Tin Man's girlfriend. Tin Man decided to save himself time and order a costume on line. I have a hard time wearing a bought costume though, I have always made my costume in the past. The only problem was I decided to make both the Dorothy costume and the Scarecrow costume all in 5 days. But it worked out. I sewed both the Dorothy costume and the Scarecrow, plus I made a bag for Scarecrow to carry around. He said he needed it for his "candy". Just as our counterparts were on their way over I decided that the lion needed a badge of courage, definitely helped make that costume more authentic.

Our costumes were well received. On the way to the first party we had people stop us on the street to take out photo! Even at the party we had people asking where we got our costumes! I already have people requesting my to borrow my Dorothy costume, I think I have it booked for the next two years.

I love shoes

2007-10-19T09:22:00.000-07:00

What can I say, I love shoes. I have quite a few pairs, I think it was the mid 50s at last count. Some people think this is a lot, but really I could handle a few more pairs.

I remember hearing from a guy friend that you can tell how high maintenance a girl is by how many pairs of shoes she owns. 1-15= low maintenance, 15-30=manageable, 30+ high maintenance (basically stay away)! Then what does that make me? Ridiculously high maintenance? I don't think so! I have been told that I am quite low maintenance, I don't take a lot of time to get ready, I am not super demanding and I pay my own way. I really don't think this method of measuring works. And anyhow boys, do you really want a girl with only a couple pairs of shoes? Crunchy granola Birkenstocks, runners, a couple pairs of flip flops and one pair of heels? I don't think so! As much as my boyfriends complains about how my shoes take up the entire apartment he likes me to wear nice heels! What guy doesn't like seeing a girl in some high heels that make her bum look great? We can't always look as hot as you want us to if you don't let us have a good selection of shoes. So, as much as guys say they want a low maintenance girlfriend, they enjoy the benefits of it.

My only problem with all of these pairs of shoes is how to store them? I tried keep them in the boxes and labelling each one. This was a pretty good method because they stacked easily and kept the shoes in good shape, my problem with it was that I forgot about the pairs on the bottom of the stack. I've tried open shoe boxes where you put a few pairs in standing up, this way you can see them all but it kind of squishes them. I tried stacked bins behind the door, with each cubby full of one type of shoe. Ballet flats, sandals, closed toe heels, flip flops, pumps... This kind of worked but then I moved and there isn't that great space behind the door. Shoe racks are great but I would have to fill a whole room with shoe racks to hold my collection.

I think celebrities have it right, convert one of your 6 spare rooms into a shoe closet! Ah, if only. I guess I better win the lottery or marry rich.

This is Mariah Carey's closet, as crazy as she is, isn't it beautiful?!!!

What's so bad about being a trophy wife?

2007-10-14T19:21:00.000-07:00

Is being a trophy wife really so bad? I suppose it depends on what your definition of a trophy wife is.

To some, the term “trophy wife” connotes an enviable achievement, while to others it's an idiomatic synonym for “idiot.” The contradictory connotations that riddle the following definition probably please both sides: Trophy wife: The (rarely first) wife of an affluent (often older) man who is (often younger and) exceptionally (more) attractive (than he is). Prevailing synonyms include: gold digger, socialite, shopaholic, secret envy of countless women, and object of feminist scorn.However interpreted, the customary concept of marriage based strictly on romantic love is both young and narrow. Historically, people have gotten married for a wide variety of reasons -- social, economical, political, professional -- so the trophy wife has plenty of precedence. (http://www.askmen.com/fine_living/how_to/7_how_to.html)

I made a deal with my boyfriend that if he could support the two of us I would stay home. His reward would be me at the door, when he comes home, in lingerie and heels with a drink in one hand and dinner on the table. What would be so bad about that? I would have more time, less stress and no boss to answer to. I could do all of those things I never have time for and have always wanted to do. But would I be bored? Are housewives bored? The sure look like they are having a good time on Desperate Housewives.

Hmm... something to think about.

The Purpose

2007-10-06T19:43:00.000-07:00

The purpose of this blog is... well, I'm not really sure yet. I guess the purpose is to figure things out, kind of a rough draft. That wouldn't fly at work. I'd be asked "well, what's your point of view?". I am getting really tired of that question. Sometimes you just don't know.

A girl I work with thinks that I am destined for better things. She thinks I could have my own show, kind of an Urban Martha Stewart, but cooler and with out jail time. Or a cook book, or magazine or something. So, that is what I am doing here, trying to figure out what that greater thing is.

My co-worker often drools over my lunches, they are just left overs from last nights dinner. But she always says they look so good, and she wants me to teach her how to cook. I love cooking. I learned from my Mom. No packages or cans get opened, well, except things like stewed tomatoes. Everything is fresh, even the spices (I have several pots on the patio- basil, thyme, cilantro, rosemary...). I cook different things every night and am not afraid of trying new things. And no, I am not an old spinster who has nothing better to do. I am 28, I have a social life, I work a pretty busy job and live with my boyfriend. I just like to cook. She doesn't really like to cook, I think her husband would like it if she did! I know my boyfriend likes it. He says he has gained 20lbs since dating me!

So, back to my co-worker. She was enjoying my lunches too last week, as my boyfriend was out of town and I don't really know how to cook for one. So my first post is going to be about the soup she loved. Roasted Tomato and Red Pepper Soup:

Ingredients

olive oil
6 red bell peppers- cut in halves
1 large red or white onion
8 cloves - whole head of garlic (you can never have too much garlic)
1 large can crushed tomatoes (you can do it with out tomatoes but then you need a lot more peppers!)
a bunch of fresh oregano (I've used rosemary or other spices too)
4 cups vegetable or chicken stock (I prefer the organic tetra packs- you know that most broths have MSG except for organic or low-sodium)
2 tbsp fresh basil chopped
1 tbsp granulated sugar
1 tsp sea salt
fresh ground pepper
3 tbsp whipping cream (if you don't have it milk is fine)
small container of sour cream

-lightly oil a baking sheet and place the peppers (so the cut side is flat on the sheet), garlic and wedges of onion on the baking sheet. Cook for about 15-20 minutes until the peppers skin goes a bit black and starts to bubble. You will need to let the peppers cook until you can handle them and then peel the skin off, the more it has bubbled the easier it will be to peel off. Or I've hear that running them under cold water helps if the skin is sticking.

-put all of the stock, tomatoes and herbs in a large pot. Bring it to a boli and then reduce the heat until it is simmering. Let it simmer for a couple of minutes.

-then you can add the peppers (you should chop them a bit before adding, random sizes is fine, you will blend it later), onions and garlic. Let it simmer for 10 minutes.

-blend the mixture until it is smooth

-put it back in the pot, add the basil, sugar, salt and pepper. At this point I would taste it and add more of something if you feel anything is missing. Let it cook for a couple more minutes.

-turn the heat off and add the cream (or milk)

-when you are serving it to your guests put a few dollops of sour cream on the top and a pinch of fresh basil (or whatever herb you have left over). The cool sour cream with the slightly tart soup is a great mix. Also the contrast of the colours makes the soup look beautiful! Your guests will be really impressed!

(makes about 6-8 bowls)

Enjoy!