Wednesday's Kitchen

I an attempt to post more often I'm going to try themed days of the week. I've seen it work quite well on other blogs, so why not give it a try? And if it fails miserably, ah well, I'll just try something else!

So Wednesdays I bring you "Wednesday's Kitchen" where I'll share with you what I've cooked that day (or that week, if I happen to not eat at home etc..)

This week I tried out a recipe I found stumbling around epicurious.com.

Beef, Shiitake, and Snow Pea Stir-Fry



I served it on top of some Jasmine rice, basically because I love it so much.

There were so many great flavours in this dish! I've never used hoisin or five spice before but I really enjoyed the taste. The fresh ginger, cilantro, onions and chili-garlic sauce really punched you in the mouth with some serious flavour! I do think if I were to make it again (make that WHEN I make it again) I'll add some fresh minced garlic, but that's just because I am a garlic-a-holic.

It had some great texture contrast as well between the tender meat and shiitake to the crunchy snow peas and green onions.

Best of all, the dish was seriously easy and really quick! Perfect for a work night I say.

52 photos in 52 weeks: Week Three

The theme for this week's photo was EVENING.



Many say that breakfast is the most important meal of the day, but for me it is always dinner. Breakfast and Lunch during the week are always hastily cobbled together meals that have to be eaten equally as fast before heading back to work, but dinner I can finally sit down and take the time to enjoy what I'm eating.

Also, I LOVE cooking.
Last night I tried out two recipes from Nigella Lawson. Lamb with Rosemary and Port along with Festive Couscous (follow the links for the recipes!). My sous-chef (aka dad) steamed some asperagus and I whipped up a zippy lemon mayo to go on them (so easy- 4 tbsp mayo and add the juice of 1 lemon. DONE).

I've never cooked lamb OR couscous before and I am happy to report the meal was a delicious success! (and since I didn't notice that the couscous recipe serves EIGHT, I'll have some delicious lunches this week too!)

Learn more about the 52 photos in 52 weeks project on Monika or Lisa's blogs!
Or check out the flickr group for everyone's photos!

Bacon? In my cookies?

Ahh, it seems like only yesterday I was sticking bacon into delicious cupcakes but it was....
September.
SEPTEMBER?!?
Holy smokes.
Where does the time go??

I've been M.I.A. around the blogosphere due to performing in a local theatre company's production of CHICAGO. What a blast! I can't believe it's over already, but I suppose all good things must come to an end. Much like reaching for that very last cookie. Ahhhh cookies.

Allow me to make up for my long absence by sharing this amazing recipe.
I must thank StumbleUpon for leading me to this culinary delight in my hour of need. It was getting dangerously close to the annual cookie exchange we have the first Saturday of December every year with the ladies of my mom's side and I still hadn't settled on a recipe. Of course I found myself in procrastination mode 'stumbling' across the internet aimlessly when I was brought to a certain post on the blog Sticky, Gooey, Creamy, Chewy. And the rest my friends, is history.

Behold! Candied Bacon-Chocolate Chunk Cookies.
I'll just let the photos speak for themselves...







Why yes, they were as good as they look. Maybe better actually. The candied bacon really takes it to a whole other level. If I ever venture back into bacon cupcake territory I will definitely try candying up my bacon first! SO GOOD. And everyone at the party LOVED them (thank goodness there were no vegetarians!). I gave some to a friend, who brought them into work and a co-worker told her the next day that she dreamed about these cookies. That's how good they are.

DO NOT DELAY! Try the recipe for yourself!

Bacon? In my cupcakes?

I've been talking about it for a while but tonight I finally did it.
I made bacon cupcakes.

I got the recipe in question from Vanilla Garlic which claims that this was the "original" bacon cupcake recipe on the internet, so I knew I was in good hands.

I followed the recipe pretty much exactly except for one component. As I was frying up my bacon for the batter I had a revelation. A BACON ROSE. The perfect classy addition, and super easy to do. I started by lining a baking sheet with foil and putting a wire baking rack on top. Then I just rolled up strips of bacon and put a toothpick through about 1/3 from the bottom. I took each roll and sort of wedged them in between the wires of the rack so the rose was standing upright with the toothpick perpendicular to the wire. Then I baked those babies for 15 minutes on 350. After I let them cool, I trimmed off the bottoms because the strips were quite wide to begin with, but if your bacon is thinner then you can probably skip that step.

After frosting the cakes I popped a toothpick through the roses and stabbed them to the tops. I skipped topping them with sea salt since the bacon was salty but I did add the turbinado sugar.

Find the recipe HERE and try them out for yourself!

A Very Freddie Cake

SUCCESS!

I used a boxed cake and used an indirect heat method by only having one side of the bbq lit and placing my cake on the opposite side on an upsidedown cake pan to avoid burning the bottom. I just followed the boxes directions for temperature and cooking time! Simple as that!

Potluck! Shotluck!

What a brilliant idea! A few (okay, more than a few..) weeks ago, my friend Stacie threw a potluck party. But not just any potluck. A potluck shotluck! So everyone not only brought a dish or two to share with the group but a creative shot as well.
Needless to say, we all enjoyed some AMAZING food (and got a *little* silly in the process).

For my dishes I brought one bite Greek Salads and one bite Insalata Caprese. On the day, when I went to make my Greek Salads I realized I forgot to buy Feta cheese! HORROR! Luckily I had some mini bocconcini and they turned out delish.

My greek salad's (pictured above) consisted of skewers of english cucumber slices, halved kalamata olives, mini bocconcinis and grape tomatoes all topped off with 3 Gyros Greek salad dressing.

My Insalata Caprese were skewers of slices of buffalo mozzarella, basil leaves and grape tomatoes (that were picked from my backyard!) that were drizzled with olive oil and balsamic vinegar. These were definitely my favourite of the two. I can't believe I missed taking their picture!



My shot for the shotluck was a Rootbeer Float shot!

As soon as a friend of mine introduced me to Three Olives' Rootbeer Vodka, I knew I wanted to try making a float out of it and the shotluck was the perfect opportunity to experiment! I added a scoop of vanilla icecream to a shot (and a bit :P ) of Rootbeer Vodka and topped the rest of the small cup with some regular root beer. YUM!

Eye Spy ... Something I Shouldn't Eat But Do Anyway

All You Can Eat Sushi.



Somewhere deep down inside of me I know that All You Can Eat doesn't mean eat all you possibly can until you are in pain. I know this, yet every time we go I feel I haven't gotten my money's worth until I've eaten so much spider maki I have to be rolled from the establishment.



To join 'Eye-Spy Sunday' visit bugandpop.

Eye Spy... Something Delicious

The holidays introduced me to the wonder of Ferrero Rondnoir- sort of like the dark chocolate cousin of Ferrero Rocher.
I now find myself completely addicted to these little beauties.


To join 'Eye-Spy Sunday' visit bugandpop.

Eye Spy... A Small Object

This week's theme is from The Crafty Librarian. I also enjoy mini-things, so here is a small selection of small objects from my pad!

Ah Sea Monkeys. I really love raising sea monkeys. The ultimate mini-pets. I haven't hatched these ones yet because I want to have them during a time when I am less busy so I can really enjoy them. This set also has a watch-like arm band where you can take your favourite monkeys with you? Bizarre and intriguing!

Slow cookers are amazing. Minimal prep, minimal cleanup. Just pop your food in in the morning and come home to an awesome smelling place and some amazing grub. I am so in love with my mini-slow cooker. It's the perfect size since I am usually cooking for just me. Tonight I'm cooking up a mini-pot roast and there'll be leftovers for lunch tomorrow!

And now on to my favourite mini-things. I collect action figures. These are just a few of my ever growing collection. It's probably one of my favourite shelves. In the back are my Shaun and Ed at the Winchester set from Shaun of the Dead. Beside them is Housewares Ash from Army of Darkness. In front of him is my diecast Boba Fett. Finally there are my 10th Doctor and mini remote controlled K-9.

And just because I love him so much, here's a close up of K-9.


To join 'Eye-Spy Sunday' visit bugandpop.

It can be easy to be green!

Here's my little roundup of my favourite parts of the Green Living Show yesterday...

Favourite Vendors
Toronto Vegetarian Association - they gave out these really awesome directories that list all of the vegetarian restaurants in Toronto by location as well as natural food stores, caterers, cooking classes, B&Bs and much more. Very cool, and will probably be helpful when deciding where to eat with my veg friends and sisters.
Coop Mille et une façons - Really neat eco-friendly gifts and products using recycled materials.
Heart on Your Sleeve - Hip and stylish Canadian-made ethical fashions and more.
Hey Jute - Eco-friendly accessories made from Jute (duh!). Totes, belts, iPod cases, yoga mat wraps, laptop sleeves and more! Plus they donate 2% of every sale to charity. And I love their name.

Free Samples
HOLY FREE SAMPLES RADMAN! I am a sample fanatic and this was definitely the place to be! Came home with a bag full plus got to try many delicious food and drinks on the show floor. Many green products are a little priceyer than their harmful counterparts so all these samples are great to test out new options without dropping all the cash on something I may not like.
I am currently sipping my complementary can of R.W. Knudsen Family's Lemon Lime Juice Spritzer. Tis very nice indeed.
My favourite sample has to be my free slice of handmade soap from Lush (MY FAVOURITE STORE EVER). Got a sample of their Sexy Peel soap that was so fresh I can't even use it for a couple of days because it hasn't fully hardened. It smells delicious!

Purchases
The Algonquin Tea Co. - I picked up a pack of their 'Lucid Dream' Tea. Stay tuned to this blog for my upcoming reports on whether it works for me or not and comparing its effects to my outrageous "cheese dreams".
So Nice - Organic Fortified Chocolate Soy Milk. Super bummed that they didn't have the vanilla chai soy milk for sale. I fell in love after my sample.
Lush - I cannot walk buy Lush without walking away with at least SOMETHING. I was very restrained and only purchased the Karma bubble bar and the Butterball bath bomb (which I plan on using later tonight!)

Just Plain Rad
Courtney and I took a walk through the amazing Canuhome. All I can say is I WANT TO LIVE IN ONE! Check out the site http://www.canuhome.com/