Happy Cooking :)
Thursday, September 29, 2011
Pumpkin Season.
September & October means pumpkin season! Considered a fruit, the pumpkin is very versatile in recipes and can be used in baking, stew's, casseroles, and more. Here are a few of the best pumpkin recipe's I've come across.
Tuesday, September 27, 2011
Topshop.
Study Chic
Concert Chic
Girls Night Chic
Business Chic
Vacation Chic
Sporty Chic
Date Night Chic
Business Chic
Sporty Chic
Monday, September 26, 2011
Creme Brulee Attempt.
Making Creme Brulee is a HUGE challenge for me. I finally decided to give it a try though and the results were actually decent. Unfortunately I don't have a torch so I had to sprinkle the top with brown sugar and put it under the broiler for a few minutes. Voila!
Crème Brûlée
Serves 8 (170 ml ramekins):
1 l cream (35% fat)
2 vanilla beans
12 egg yolks
180 g sugar
Brown or granulated sugar to caramelize top.
2 vanilla beans
12 egg yolks
180 g sugar
Brown or granulated sugar to caramelize top.
In a medium-sized saucepan bring to boil over low heat the heavy cream combined with the vanilla beans and the vanilla beans’ seeds.
Remove from heat and let it rest for 15-30 minutes.
Remove vanilla beans.
Whisk the egg yolks with the sugar until thick.
Gently pour the cream over the egg mixture while stirring.
Bring to low heat until the mixture sticks t the back of a spoon.
The mixture shouldn’t boil (ideally it should be below 85ºC).
Remove from heat and pour the mixture into the ramekins.
Cover with film wrap and refrigerate overnight.
To serve put a thin layer of granulated or brown sugar atop each custard.and use a blow torch to caramelize it. (OR sprinkle with the sugar and put under the broiler for 3 to 4 minutes)
This should be a quick procedure to avoid the heating of the crème.
Ramekins could be refrigerated for 1 hour (maximum).
Remove from heat and let it rest for 15-30 minutes.
Remove vanilla beans.
Whisk the egg yolks with the sugar until thick.
Gently pour the cream over the egg mixture while stirring.
Bring to low heat until the mixture sticks t the back of a spoon.
The mixture shouldn’t boil (ideally it should be below 85ºC).
Remove from heat and pour the mixture into the ramekins.
Cover with film wrap and refrigerate overnight.
To serve put a thin layer of granulated or brown sugar atop each custard.and use a blow torch to caramelize it. (OR sprinkle with the sugar and put under the broiler for 3 to 4 minutes)
This should be a quick procedure to avoid the heating of the crème.
Ramekins could be refrigerated for 1 hour (maximum).
EOS Lip Balm.
EOS (evolution of smooth) is my new favourite lip balm. I usually have a new favourite every few months, but this one is really nice. I saw them in Chapter's the other day and had remembered reading about them in a magazine. Luckily there were open containers of each so I could see which scent I liked best. There was Sweet Mint, Summer Fruit and HoneySuckle. I went for the Summer Fruit! These little lip balms come in a convenient, small, egg-shaped container and are 95% organic, 100% natural, and paraben and petrolatum free. Loaded with antioxidant-rich vitamin E, soothing shea butter and jojoba oil!
Weekend Eats.
This weekend was the end of my detox and I ate an abundance of delicious foods! Sushi, Ice Cream, Pizza, Crepes and Vietnamese. Probably not the best idea to pig out right after a detox BUT I'm going to go back to eating normal/healthy during the work week. I'm back to eating fruits and whole wheat, the gluten-free was just too hard. I'm also enjoying cucumbers, tomatoes and vinegar!
On Saturday my sister brought us to a restaurant on Queen Street called Ginger. I always walk by this restaurant but didn't really think anything of it. I never eat Vietnamese food after having one bad experience with PHO. My sister insisted we try it and she sold us on 'it's super cheap'. We walked in and it was quite busy inside. There are no servers, you just browse the menu and order at the front. They give you a number and you place it on the table and your food comes out in less than 10 minutes or so. The menu had a variety of items that looked GOOD and every meal was less than 8 dollars it seemed. I wanted to stay safe so I ordered the Beef and Baby Bok Choy on Fried Noodles for $6.75.
Huge plate of food and super tasty. The bits of cilantro were throwing me off because I HATE cilantro, but it was a very small amount so i didn't mind. The beef was marinated in a sweet sauce and the bok choy was cooked perfectly!
My bf ordered the grilled shrimp with vermicelli and spring roll for $6.75.
He said it was pretty good but the noodles didn't have much sauce on them. The spring roll was filled with chicken and vegetables and was really good. Shrimp was perfectly cooked and flavourful.
My sister ordered the grilled chicken sandwich for $3. I was a little shocked that it was only 3 bucks and expected something tiny to come out, but the sandwich was huge. It tasted great and had some pickled cucumbers and carrots, mayo and a big piece of chicken breast. The bun was so fresh and soft too. This place is about 10 mins from my work, so now I know where to go for a quick and cheap lunch.
My sister's bf ordered the teriyaki beef and chicken on udon noodles for $6.99. The plate was massive and looked really good. Grilled meats and lots of sauce!
For dessert we walked down the street to Cafe Crepe. I always walk by this place and it smells of glorious delicious crepes and I have no idea why I waited this long to try it out. There was a large crepe selection but I immediately went for the nutella/banana crepe. There was also a strawberry and nutella crepe that looked good. The crepe was large and came to $7 with taxes. It was perfection and tasted better than any crepe I've ever had. It was packed with warm nutella and banana and tasted incredible! I will definielty go back there!
On Saturday my sister brought us to a restaurant on Queen Street called Ginger. I always walk by this restaurant but didn't really think anything of it. I never eat Vietnamese food after having one bad experience with PHO. My sister insisted we try it and she sold us on 'it's super cheap'. We walked in and it was quite busy inside. There are no servers, you just browse the menu and order at the front. They give you a number and you place it on the table and your food comes out in less than 10 minutes or so. The menu had a variety of items that looked GOOD and every meal was less than 8 dollars it seemed. I wanted to stay safe so I ordered the Beef and Baby Bok Choy on Fried Noodles for $6.75.
My bf ordered the grilled shrimp with vermicelli and spring roll for $6.75.
He said it was pretty good but the noodles didn't have much sauce on them. The spring roll was filled with chicken and vegetables and was really good. Shrimp was perfectly cooked and flavourful.
My sister ordered the grilled chicken sandwich for $3. I was a little shocked that it was only 3 bucks and expected something tiny to come out, but the sandwich was huge. It tasted great and had some pickled cucumbers and carrots, mayo and a big piece of chicken breast. The bun was so fresh and soft too. This place is about 10 mins from my work, so now I know where to go for a quick and cheap lunch.
My sister's bf ordered the teriyaki beef and chicken on udon noodles for $6.99. The plate was massive and looked really good. Grilled meats and lots of sauce!
For dessert we walked down the street to Cafe Crepe. I always walk by this place and it smells of glorious delicious crepes and I have no idea why I waited this long to try it out. There was a large crepe selection but I immediately went for the nutella/banana crepe. There was also a strawberry and nutella crepe that looked good. The crepe was large and came to $7 with taxes. It was perfection and tasted better than any crepe I've ever had. It was packed with warm nutella and banana and tasted incredible! I will definielty go back there!
We always had some great ice cream from Summer's Ice Cream in Yorkville but I totally forgot to take a picture of it. But so far it might be the best ice cream i've had in the city.
Saturday, September 24, 2011
Monkey Bread.
OH MY GOSH, so good!
Monkey Bread
from Honey & Jam
3 cans Buttermilk biscuits (not the flakey kind)
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 cup sugar
2-3 teaspoons cinnamon
2 sticks butter
Preheat the oven to 350.
Open up all three cans of biscuits and cut each biscuit into quarters.
Next, combine the white sugar with 2-3 teaspoons of cinnamon. 3 will be really cinnamon-y. Dump this mix and the biscuits into a gallon size zip lock back and shake it up really well.
Drop all of the biscuit quarters into a bundt pan (or jumbo muffin cups).
Melt the butter with the brown sugar in a sauce pan over medium-high heat until combined. Once the brown sugar butter has become one color, pour it over the biscuits.
Bake for 30-40 minutes (or 20 minutes for the muffin cup ones) until the crust is deep brown on the top.
I should now say that you should let it cool for about 15-30 minutes, but that’s practically impossible. Just tear you off a piece, blow on it for a minute and stick it in your mouth.
from Honey & Jam
3 cans Buttermilk biscuits (not the flakey kind)
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 cup sugar
2-3 teaspoons cinnamon
2 sticks butter
Preheat the oven to 350.
Open up all three cans of biscuits and cut each biscuit into quarters.
Next, combine the white sugar with 2-3 teaspoons of cinnamon. 3 will be really cinnamon-y. Dump this mix and the biscuits into a gallon size zip lock back and shake it up really well.
Drop all of the biscuit quarters into a bundt pan (or jumbo muffin cups).
Melt the butter with the brown sugar in a sauce pan over medium-high heat until combined. Once the brown sugar butter has become one color, pour it over the biscuits.
Bake for 30-40 minutes (or 20 minutes for the muffin cup ones) until the crust is deep brown on the top.
I should now say that you should let it cool for about 15-30 minutes, but that’s practically impossible. Just tear you off a piece, blow on it for a minute and stick it in your mouth.
Friday, September 23, 2011
Friday Finds.
Rainy weather makes me want to shop!
Happy Online Shopping!
Breakfast.
I'm usually not super hungry when I first wake up, but as we all know breakfast is one of the most important meals of the day. I end up having breakfast about an hour after waking up and its usually yogurt with fruit and nuts, cereal, or toast/bagel. On weekends its easier to get creative with breakfast because I'm not rushing to work. Here are some recipes that I try to make when I have some spare time in the morn!
Raw Oats with Fresh Fruit from the Vintage Mixer
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