Green cheese & cherries

Iron

2011-06-19T11:40:00.002-07:00

In midlife I am richer in sight than at twenty
Realising that pretty soon I will be closing the circle
Or come out the other side of the woods, if you want to call it that.
And in that grey dusk, in that soft gloaming
I will remember my father
His one great strength amidst the frailties.
Integrity. The iron honesty of farmfolk and mountainfolk
If I leave nothing else behind but that
I will have bequeathed the world a world.

A version of Alice Medrich's coconut sticks

2011-04-10T11:44:00.005-07:00

Coconut sticks, a photo by blueflicker on Flickr.

The original recipe (see this) looks fantastic and makes wonderful cookies. However I made quite a few changes to the original recipe to suit the ingredients I had on hand. The result was a cookie with holes, much more rustic-looking, but I dare say just as yummy.

• 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 2/3 cup granulated sugar
• 1 cup thawed grated coconut, pressing out a bit of the liquid
• 6 tbsp cold salted butter plus extra for the cookie sheet(s)

Prepare: Cookie sheets, greased with salted butter. You can also line the sheets with parchment paper but I’ve come to prefer the hit of salty butter when baking cookies. Or, a 5-x-9-inch loaf pan lined on the bottom and sides with foil would also work.

First, I combined the flour, sugar and coconut in a large mixing bowl and stirred to blend. Then I cut the butter into small pieces and rubbed the pieces into the flour mixture until all the dry ingredients were damp. The dough started to resemble a big tacky ball, not the coarse meal you would get if you follow the original recipe. Next I dumped the mixture onto the cookie sheet I’d prepared earlier and formed a block about 4 or 5 inches x 10 inches, covered it with parchment paper, and stuck it in the fridge.

Six hours later (two hours is the minimum you want for the mixture to firm up, overnight is even better) I preheated the oven to 350°F and positioned two racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven. I took the loaf out of the fridge, unwrapped it and cut even slices about a quarter of an inch thick, using the knife to transfer each slice to the greased cookie sheets, with the slices about an inch apart.

Into the oven they went for 15 - 18 minutes, and to make sure they baked evenly I flipped the cookies halfway through the baking time and also rotated the sheets from top to bottom and from front to back.

When the cookies were nice and golden I took them out and transferred to racks to cool.

Homemade whole-wheat crispy pizza

2011-04-09T17:39:00.022-07:00

Homemade whole-wheat crispy pizza, a photo by blueflicker on Flickr.

I didn't have high expectations from a half-whole wheat, half-all purpose flour crust. But this was a revelation, it was crispy and satisfying in every bite.

A few lessons learned from this outing:

1. Season at every step, especially if you're making a vegetarian pizza. Season the flour mixture, season the olive oil that coats the crust, season the tomato sauce base. And finally season the oil that's drizzled over the toppings.

2. A well-preheated oven (at 450 degrees) is optimal for making the crust crispy. I don't much like doughy/yeasty crusts though I love chewy, doughy bread.

3. See, I made two pizzas, one with ham and salami toppings plus veg, and a second that omitted the hams. Olives would have boosted the flavour of the vegetarian pizza.

This is what it looked like before baking:

And now the nitty gritty:

1 package (2 1/4 tsp) active dry yeast
1 1/3 cups warm water
1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
2 cups AP flour
1 tbs olive oil
1 tbs sugar for the yeast
Optional: A pinch of sea salt for the yeast

Your choice of herbs for the crust (thyme, oregano, chili flakes etc)

In a small bowl combine yeast and the warm water and bit of sugar. Let stand for 5 - 10 minutes until yeast is dissolved and is starting to bubble.

In a large bowl, combine flours and seasoning herbs. Pour in the yeast mixture and mix until everything’s holding together. Knead for 10 minutes (I used the same bowl that held the flour mixture). The dough should be smooth, elastic and tacky (not sticky) when you’re done.

Now transfer the dough over to a bowl that you’ve lightly coated with additional olive oil. Turn the dough over to coat completely. Cover with plastic wrap or a clean and floured dishtowel and let rise in a warm place. You can use a warm oven for this. Let rise for 1 or 2 hours or until doubled in volume.

Punch the dough down and divide it in half. At this point, you can freeze half by wrapping it tightly in saran wrap.*

Roll the dough into a ball and let it rest, loosely covered, for about 10-15 minutes. While it’s resting, preheat the oven to 450F. Grease and Ssprinkle cornmeal over your baking stone or baking sheet. Flatten the dough straight on the sheet and roll it out flat.

Now comes the fun part: laying on the toppings. Brush the top of the dough with a bit of additional, seasoned if possible, olive oil. Next comes a thin smear of tomato sauce thickened with a little tomato paste. Ham and salami slices went on next for the meat pizza. For both meat and vegetarian pizzas I used mushrooms, green peppers, jalapenos, thinly sliced onions and steak tomatoes. Over all that came two different cheeses.

Stick your magnificent creation in the oven and bake 15-20 minutes depending on the thickness of your crust.

----
Storing pizza dough
* Shape it into a disk, coat with little oil, saran wrap it and then throw it into a ziplock. When you want to use it, take it out the night before and put it (still wrapped) into the fridge. Three to four hours before you plan to use it, unwrap and oil it, put it in a big bowl and leave covered in a warm place to rise. After it has risen it is ready to use.

Hemp chocolate chip cookies

2011-04-05T11:31:00.002-07:00

Hemp chocolate chip cookies, a photo by blueflicker on Flickr.

Adapted from the recipe found on the back of the Red Mill Hemp Seed bag:

Hemp hearts chocolate-chip oatmeal cookies

Ingredients:

1/3 cup of butter
1 cup of sugar
1/2 cup hemp hearts
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
3/4 cup of unbleached white flour
1 tsp baking soda
3/4 cup of regular rolled oats

Cream the butter and sugar together in a bowl until smooth. Add the vanilla and egg, and blend until creamy. In another bowl combine the flour, hemp seeds, oats, and baking soda. Add the flour mixture into the wet ingredients and blend until incorporated. Form the dough into round one inch balls, and place them on a greased cookie sheet. Bake the cookies at 350` for 12-15 minutes.

This recipe made about 2 dozen cookies.

Verdict: Chewy, nutty, with hits of chocolate. An 8 1/2.

Week 11: The hills are alive with the sound of huffing

2011-03-27T12:15:00.000-07:00

Run 40, walk 1. Run 20, cooldown.
Brutal. Especially with hills thrown in.
....
.....
And still, I'm thinking I might do the half-marathon program after this is over.

Masochistic!

60 minutes today and I survived!

2011-03-20T17:13:00.001-07:00

Gorgeous day with a lovely, lovely spring sun. My group ran 60 minutes for the first time, broken only by 2 minutes of walk breaks at the 10- and 30- minute mark. Kept a pretty good pace throughout. Hooray!

Rustic, super rustic skillet apple pie

2011-03-20T14:39:00.006-07:00

Recipe as provided here is nearly perfect. I flubbed the part where it says drop tablespoons of the biscuit batter on top of the apple slices; for some reason I thought any old method will do so I dumped ladlefuls of batter, resulting in The Blobs. To compensate I sprinkled brown sugar on top five minutes before I was to take it out of the oven, and broiled for a few minutes to get a nice golden brown look.

Saag paneer, quick and easy

2011-03-19T11:49:00.001-07:00

Easy-peasy, if not 100% authentic!

Go to your local supermarket. Pick up a 100g packet of Fusion Spice Works' Shahi Paneer, a bundle of spinach and a block of Indian paneer (cheese). Cube paneer and wash, de-stem and roughly chop spinach (frozen would work too, but I like making work for myself this way). Mix half of the spice packet with a cup of milk or yogurt until dissolved. Stir-fry paneer cubes in some butter until light gold. Remove from pan. Throw chopped spinach in pan and let wilt, then add spice mixture. Simmer a few minutes and add paneer. Enjoy!

55 minutes and going strong!

2011-03-13T12:36:00.000-07:00

So, today was THE day. After a relatively gradual increase in volume over eight weeks we ramped up quite a bit to 55 minutes today. I wasn't sure I could do it. On the other hand, I'm fast learning that you can talk yourself INTO doing something almost as easy as talking yourself OUT of it. So I psyched myself, locked up the dogs, grabbed an umbrella and was out the door, despite the nonstop rain.

A largish crowd showed up for the run and we all did fine! I was amazed that although I felt very tired at some points I was nowhere near the gasping stage -- a sign perhaps that I wasn't pushing myself to the limits, just yet? If so, a good sign. We were all soaked though and by the end my hands were chilled through and through. But I did it, we did it! What a great Sunday. Knowing I am pushing myself out there, moving out of my comfort zone.

Week 8 and volume's up!

2011-03-06T22:48:00.002-08:00

We ran 10s and 1s today for the first time, having missed last week's workout. What a blast! Total run time was 40 minutes plus warmup, cooldown etc. I struggled a bit towards the end but didn't really hit the wall, and my recovery was quite fast! My pulse normalised within the one-minute walk breaks. Next week will be even more challenging as the running time increases by 15 minutes and we will be doing 10, 15, 20, 10 with one-minute walk breaks sandwiched between the running. Sounds quite daunting but I'll do my best!

On a roll

2011-03-02T19:48:00.001-08:00

You know it's your day when two people compliment your boots, another two admire your scarf and a fifth person enthuses over your teeth.

Just.show. up.

2011-02-28T09:27:00.000-08:00

So yesterday was a big snow day (for the lower mainland anyway) and not having slept properly the night before I entertained one or two thoughts of chickening out, especially when I looked out the window and saw 6 to 7 inches of snow on the ground (so pretty though!) and snowflakes still falling fast. But my pack was ready, I was up before 7 and champing at the bit to get out there and get running, since last week I missed both the Tuesday and Thursday runs AND the big group run on Sunday. Anyway, put the dogs away, was out the door and caught the bus. Unfortunately, the session was cancelled even though about a dozen of us showed up. I got home, put the leashes on the dogs and we went for a walk. Quite a lively exercise walking on snow. And in the evening worked out for a half-hour on the cross trainer.

I felt really good about just showing up yesterday morning. Sometimes it's all about just being there, isn't it. Plus had some nice chats with the rest of the group, AND we got our training shirts. Isn't it pretty?

Crunchy oatmeal, dates and chocolate chip cookies

2011-02-27T03:52:00.003-08:00

I've realised recently that I prefer my oatmeal cookies to be on the crunchy side - as I mentioned to H, I really would rather not have a faint reminder of porridge when I bite into a cookie. So I've been searching for recipes and tweaking them here and there and I think I've finally come up with something that will work. Verdict: 8.5 out of 10.

Using butter and creaming it contributes to a crunchy instead of a chewy texture, and so does using mostly white sugar. Greasing cookie sheets with butter adds a rich buttery flavour to the surface of the cookies.

Update, day 3: The cookies have stayed crunchy with a chewy centre. This recipe is a keeper!

Crunchy oatmeal cookies

1/2 cup butter (113g)
1/2 cup white sugar plus 2 tbsp
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup rolled oats, ground
1/2 cup miniature semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup chopped up dates

Optional: 1/2 cup flaked coconut, ½ cup sweetened dried cranberries

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease the cookie sheets with butter.

In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugars. Mix in the egg and vanilla until well blended. Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt; stir into the batter until well blended. Mix in the oats, chopped dates and chocolate chips until evenly distributed.

Form dough into walnut-sized balls and place 2 inches apart onto prepared cookie sheets. Bake for 15 minutes in the preheated oven, or until edges are lightly browned. Cool for 5 minutes and then transfer to racks to finish cooling.

Fudgy brownies, version 2

2011-02-26T15:45:00.003-08:00

These are not as soft, rich and dense as my standby recipe but they are somewhat lighter and you get more brownies for your chocolate...Verdict: 8 out 10.

This recipe made 18 brownies. Use a pan to melt butter and chocolate to save on washing up.

Update, day 3: The brownies have hardened up and are not as moist and fudgy as I prefer them to be. Still good but not my favoured kind of brownie.

6 oz. (10 tbs.) unsalted butter, at room temperature
8 oz. semi-sweet chocolate
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 tsp salt
2 large eggs, at room temperature
1 large egg yolk, at room temperature
3 oz. (2/3 cup) all-purpose flour
½ cup cocoa
1/3 tsp baking powder

Heat the oven to 350°F. Line a muffin pan with muffin liners.

In a pan, melt the butter and the chocolate. Remove the pan from the heat; cool slightly. Whisk in the sugar and then the vanilla and salt. The mixture will be somewhat grainy; this is okay. Whisk in the eggs and egg yolk, one at a time, stirring each time until blended. Add the flour, cocoa and baking powder, beating until thickened and smooth, 30 to 60 seconds.

Pour into the prepared muffin pan and sprinkle the walnuts over each muffin. Bake 30 to 35 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out with moist crumbs, not wet batter, clinging to it.

Set the pan on a rack until cool enough to handle, around 5 minutes. Remove to a cooling rack and let cool completely.

In the thick of Week 6

2011-02-21T16:35:00.001-08:00

I pretty much jammed out of most of my training last week (blame procrastination) and so now it is catch-up week and I'm a little bit nervous as we head into the first run of week 7 which is intervals of 10s and 1s, total running time of 40 min. Last week I did nada, zilch, nothing, except for a quickie half-hour run around the neighbourhood on Friday and walking the dogs for an hour the following day. Decided to drop out of the Sunday group run because I had to pick up a friend from the airport. This morning (Monday) I made up for it by doing the Sunday run on my own out on the dike. Was struggling a bit toward the end (who am I kidding, was struggling from the start) but determined to work out lots and show up on Sunday, Feb 26!

Meanwhile here's my running group - don't we look nice and fresh? It was just before the long run on Week 5.

Week 3 update

2011-02-05T12:09:00.001-08:00

Highlight: A nicely brisk 5k walk with the puppies...followed by the oatmeal chocolate chip cookie chowdown.

Overall this week has been pretty good for fitness. I didn't get to do the two workouts we are supposed to do in between our Sunday training runs (see the programme) but I managed to fit in the spin class on Monday, a 5k walk with the furball babies on Tuesday, and a 20 minute elliptical cross trainer session last night. I plan to take Mags and Patz walking in an hour or so. Feeling good!

Tomorrow is the start of week 4, aka "Easy recovery week" with a run/walk interval of 3min/2min x 6. Looking forward to it! The weatherman called for light rain in the morning, so hopefully we won't be too damp!

Oatmeal chocolate chip cookies

2011-02-05T12:08:00.001-08:00

I made these several days ago, baking the cookies for 15 minutes instead of the prescribed 7 to 10, to get the brownness and body I preferred. My next project is to tweak the recipe so I can get really, really crisp oatmeal cookies. H loves a chewy cookie though so I might make this again for him.

Oatmeal chocolate chip cookies
Adapted from Joy of Cooking

Makes: Oh, I don't know, lots. But H says: "Never enough! never enough!"

Preheat oven to 375 F, and coat baking sheets with nonstick spray or use Silpat liners.

Combine thoroughly
1 1/4 cups all purpose flour
3/4 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt

Beat on medium speed until well blended
1/4 cup mild vegetable oil
2 tbsps unsalted butter, softened
1 cup dark brown sugar
1 large egg
1 large egg white
1/3 cup honey (original recipe said corn syrup, which I didn't have)
1 tbsp skim milk
a splash of vanilla

Stir into the batter
2 cups rolled oats
1 cup semisweet chocolate cookies
1/2 cup raisins, dried sour cherries or dried cranberries

Let the mixture stand for 10 minutes so the oats can absorb some moisture. Stir in the flour mixture and drop spoonfuls on to the sheets, spacing about 2 1/2 inches apart. Bake 15 minutes until golden brown and let stand a few minutes before transferring to a rack to cook completely.

New year, new fitness!

2011-02-01T14:49:00.000-08:00

Early in January I made a resolution to step up my fitness regime a few notches. I'd been working pretty steadily since March 2010 at a new kind of job that entailed somewhat more physical activity than I was used to, and although I hadn't been running since the Sun Run in May I felt I was somehow more attuned to the whole running thing despite having dropped out of my beginner's running clinic which started in November 2009.

I realize now that that clinic was clearly above my abilities and fitness leel (at the time). Not the fault of the lovely peppy instructor at all. Last month, though, I registered for a proper training clinic for the Sun Run, and with 13 weeks to prepare till race day on April 17, I feel refreshed, ready and resolute!

The first session was pretty much an orientation, though we did run a few minutes. The training leaders emphasised doing a "shuffle-jog" instead of running, and wonder of wonders, I found it quite easy going! Exhilarating, in fact, to be in pace with a group instead of struggling, struggling, struggling to keep up. The past two weeks have followed the shuffling pace, with the run time increasing gradually. Last Sunday's session went like this: a 5 minute warmup and a 5-min cooldown and in between, a total of 21 minutes running (3 min run, 2 min walk x7). I felt really good at the end of the session. My running buddy was pretty cool too and I think she and I will be keeping each other motivated throughout this training.

Yesterday I took my first spin class and loved the challenge. Since I was a complete beginner I took it at my own pace, and used lower resistances and speeds, but overall it was a fabulous workout and I plan to do it at least once a week. (Note to self: wear longer workout shorts or tights next time! One of my thighs sported an ugly red bruise from the bike seat by the time it was over). I think I'll get the hang of this in a few weeks, and I expect the sore bum will heal up soon too. Those bike seats are HARD!

Really looking forward to a marvellously active winter and spring!

And now some bonus pictures of the garden, where green things are starting to come up. It's been a mild winter so far, not counting that cold snap in late November.

Workout log

2011-01-08T21:35:00.011-08:00

Here's the 10k training program I'm following.

Jan
16, Sun: Week 1, session 1, 34min. Run 1, walk 2, repeat 8x
17, Mon: yoga 40 min
20, Thu: 20 min cross train on elliptical
22, Sat: 30 min (14 min run) around the block

23, Sun: Week 2, session 1, 38min. Run 2, walk 2, repeat 7x
25, Tue: 43 min walk/run with Magz

30, Sun: Week 3, session 1, 45min. Run 3, walk 2, repeat 7x
31, Mon: First spin class at FU
Feb
1, Tue: 5k brisk walk with dogs
4, Fri: 20 min elliptical
5, Sat: Quick walk with Maggie

6, Sun: Week 4, session 1, 40min. Run 3, walk 2, repeat 6x
7, Mon: rest
8, Tue: Week 4, session 2, 30min. Run 2, walk 2, repeat 5x. Around the block
9, Wed: rest
10, Thu: Week 4, session 3, 40min. Run 2, walk 3, repeat 6x at MRSS
11, Fri: rest
12, Sat: rest

13, Sun: Week 5, session 1, 46min. Run 3, walk 1, repeat 9x
14, Mon: ~~Gym, strength training~~
cancelled
15, Tue: ~~Week 5 session 2, 34 min. Run 2, walk 1, repeat 8x~~ cancelled
16, Wed: ~~LC, 6pm spin class~~ cancelled
17, Thu: ~~Week 5 session 3, 42 min. Run 3, walk 1, repeat 8x~~
cancelled
18, Fri: ~~Yoga~~ 800 to 830: Half-hour run in the neighbourhood
19, Sat: REST

20, Sun: Week 6, session 1, 52min. Run 5, walk 1, repeat 7xAbsent
21, Mon: Makeup for missing Sunday. Ran 30min in 5s and 1s.
22, Tue: 50-minute spin class! Good workout.
23, Wed: nada
24, Thu: nada
25, Fri: nada
26, Sat: nada
27, Sun: Week 7, 10s and 1s for the first time Showed up, but the run was cancelled! Walked the dogs instead in the snow, and put in a half-hour on the cross trainer

March
1, Tue: missed spin class, not feeling good.
2, Wed: 10s and 1s x 4 on the cross trainer
3, Thu: no workout
4, Fri: NW
5, Sat: NW
6, Sun: We did Week 8 today, which meant we ran 10s and 1s for the first time.

7, Mon: rest
8, Tue: Bad chest cold kept me out of spin class.
9, Wed: Did 30 minutes on the cross trainer for my weekday training
10, Thu: rest
11, Fri: Went for an early morning run around the area, with Maggie.
12, Sat: rest
13, Sun: Week 9 workout: 10, 15, 20 and 10 minutes running with 1 minute walk breaks in between.

14, Mon: rest
15, Tue: Spin class, 1 hour
16, 17, 18: Rest. Lazy bugger.
19: Half-hour walked the dogs
20, Sun: 1 hour run!

22, Tue: No spin class due to spring break. Got really busy, didn't work out at all this week.
26, Sat: Walked dogs
27, Sun: Run 40, walk 1, run 20. Whoa!!

On a gray day I made a golden cake

2010-11-28T14:40:00.003-08:00

Lemon and olive oil cake from here

Voila, sunburst in my kitchen. It was lemony and light, perfect with coffee or black tea. I also have spicy fries and bright-orange sweet potato wedges turning golden in the oven as I type. Meanwhile this is what's going on outside:

Can you blame me?

Sunny upside-down apple cake

2010-11-17T07:57:00.000-08:00

I found this recipe and couldn't resist making it and what do you know it turned out exactly as the writer pictured! Which doesn't always happen to my efforts.

Frog

2010-11-12T07:12:00.002-08:00

The story that caused the frog in my throat this morning.

Walkers With The Dawn

2010-11-09T01:10:00.002-08:00

Being walkers with the dawn and morning,
Walkers with the sun and morning,
We are not afraid of night,
Nor days of gloom,
Nor darkness--
Being walkers with the sun and morning.

- Langston Hughes

White chocolate and sour cherry cookies

2010-11-08T12:25:00.001-08:00

Thick and chewy chips-and-cherries cookies
Makes about 18 large cookies

I’m on a reproduce-those-soft-Starbucks-cookies rampage and while in the end I chose not to make jumbo cookies these hit pretty close to the mark. Using melted butter and an extra yolk helps to keep the texture soft. I also refrigerated the dough overnight to relax the dough and give the texture an extra fillip. Did it work? Darn right it did.

2 cups, plus 2 tbsp all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
12 tbsp (1 1/2 sticks, 6oz or 170g) unsalted butter, melted & cooled until warm
1 cup brown sugar, packed
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg plus 1 yolk
3/4 cup white chocolate chips
3/4 cup dried sour cherries

In a medium bowl combine dry ingredients and whisk briefly.

In a small bowl combine white chocolate chips and dried sour cherries.

Mix butter and sugars using electric mixer or by hand until thoroughly combined. Beat in egg and yolk until combined. Add dry ingredients and beat at low speed just until combined. Stir in chips and cherries. Refrigerate dough overnight.

The next day, bring dough to room temperature. Heat oven to 325. Line cookie sheets with Silpat or parchment paper.

Form cookies on baking sheets. Reverse position of cookie sheets halfway through baking, until cookies are light golden brown and outer edges start to harden yet centers are still soft and puffy (12 - 15 minutes).

Cool cookies on sheets. Peel from parchment when cooled.

Autumn

2010-10-25T19:24:00.010-07:00

And so we come at last to late October. The rain makes a soft
pat-pat-pat on dark garden clay, falling slowly on purple asters
and tickseed unfurling late in the season
(final pennants of bright before the long dark days).
In the backyard a cluster of roses droops, half-hidden
in the gloaming.

Last week, the trees were on fire. Down the street,
up the highway, and into the corners of my mind.
They flew banners of gold and russet and a hundred shades
of red. They quaked and shook with every
errant gust. Intimations of immortality?
I think not. Merely presentiments of night.

Rocky Road cocoa brownies

2010-10-03T11:27:00.003-07:00

A treat for my nephew. It's a grey day and he is coming out with his parents for Sunday lunch. I ran out of chocolate chips so I had to scour the Web for a cocoa powder-based brownie recipe. I think I may be making these again, perhaps adding the toppings in the last five minutes so that they would keep their shape more.

Recipe adapted from Alton Brown.

Ingredients
4 large eggs
3/4 cup granulated white sugar
1 cup brown sugar
8 ounces melted butter
1 1/4 cups cocoa
1/2 cup flour, sifted
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

Toppings:
2 cups of mini marshmallows
½ cup chopped walnuts
¾ cup chocolate chips

Directions

Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F.

In a mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, beat the eggs at medium speed until fluffy and light yellow. Add the white and brown sugar and give it a stir. Add remaining ingredients, and mix to combine.

Pour the batter into individual cupcake liners and bake for 35 minutes. Remove from oven and sprinkle with the chocolate chips, marshmallows and nuts. Pop back in and bake for 5 minutes more. Test for doneness using a toothpick. Remove to a rack to cool completely.

Notes
Alton's original recipe specifies an 8-inch pan for baking, but I’ve always liked individual portions. It’s like having a cake all to yourself.

When I made these I sprinkled the toppings before the initial baking period. They came out fabulous, but next time I’ll add the toppings only in the last 5 minutes for a nicer presentation. The photo above shows how they looked before baking; below are the baked goodies:

For H

2010-10-02T21:53:00.000-07:00

HBHB

Sand and mirrors

2010-09-18T08:32:00.003-07:00

Cannon Beach, Oregon.

Sunset over the farmer's field

2010-09-03T19:51:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was a salmon-pink blaze of glory.

The secret garden

2010-08-29T09:13:00.000-07:00

The best place to seek God is in a garden. You can dig for him there.
~ George Bernard Shaw

First egg

2010-08-08T19:57:00.001-07:00

I'm so proud of the old mother hen that we bought about a month ago. She's not the sprightliest thing but yesterday she proved a real trooper by producing our first ever egg! It's shown in the photos above along with our onions, potatoes, tomatoes and zucchini.

The zucchinis up close...

Chocolate zucchini cake

2010-08-02T14:09:00.000-07:00

This year's zucchini harvest is starting to come in. H has been picking the zukes young so that we can eat them while they're still deliciously greeny-tender instead of formidably monster-sized. But, as with last year, the produce is showing signs of running amuck. I spotted a monster one (defined in my books as over nine inches) yesterday and no doubt there will be more tomorrow.

When there's zucchini, there's cake (proper chocolate cakes, baked in a springform and as cupcakes to throw into a lunch bag). That's just a natural law in my household.

Chocolate zucchini cake

2 1/4 cups sifted all-purpose flour
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 ½ cups sugar
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
1/3 cup vegetable oil
2 large eggs at room temperature
1/2 cup yogurt or buttermilk
2 cups grated unpeeled zucchini (about 2 1/2 medium)
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 375°F. Butter and flour your pans. You could use a 13 x 9 x 2-inch baking pan. I used a 9" springform pan and a 12-cup muffin pan lined with paper liners.

Sift flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt into a medium bowl.

Beat sugar, butter and oil in large bowl until well blended. Add eggs 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Mix in dry ingredients alternately with buttermilk in 3 additions each. Mix in grated zucchini and chocolate chips.

Pour batter into prepared pans.

Bake cake until tester inserted into centre comes out clean, about 30 minutes. The muffins will be ready after 15 minutes. Cool cakes and cupcakes completely in pan.

You simply cannot taste the zukes in the final product. I don't know if that's good or bad.

Notes:

Do you know what makes a good chocolate cake better? A smear of good cream cheese on top. No added sugar, no nothing. The tangy-ness of the cream cheese complements the sweetness of the chocolate (cocoa+choco chips). Though I suppose some lemon zest in the cream cheese would just take this over the top.

BC wildflowers

2010-07-26T23:33:00.001-07:00

After fruitless searches online I finally identified this flower that`s blooming so lushly in the frontyard. It's catchfly! Scientific name: Silene armeria.

The nasturtiums

2010-07-24T23:09:00.001-07:00

I planted them around the potatoes and rows of corn to discourage pests but they're beautiful too. I didn't expect them to look so cheerful and pretty. I've been too lazy to try eat them in a salad, and H and I are not big salad eaters anyway. But I admire them, from afar, sitting out on the deck or looking out the window (and speaking of windows, while I'm a summer girl at heart I also appreciate the soothing coolness of being indoors in a darkened house, drapes drawn, as the noon sun blazes outside), and up close, as you can see in this shot, which I took crouching very, very close to the nasturtiums.

Gardeners love nasturtiums. They're low-maintenance, easy to grow, edible with a sweet, peppery taste, and lovely to look at.

Cassava cake II

2010-07-22T06:19:00.005-07:00

I made this for hubby to bring to work. He works with a few Filipinos and thought that a touch of homecooked Pinoy food would be a nice treat.

Ingredients:
1 cup granulated sugar
4 oz melted butter or margarine
3 packs frozen cassava
Around 1.5 kg frozen cassava (I used Buenas brand frozen 454g packs, available from TNT)
3 eggs
2 cans coconut milk
2 cans condensed milk
1 cup grated cheddar cheese
3 tsp grated lemongrass

This recipe makes a fair amount of cake and will fill up a 9-inch pie plate, an 8x4 pan, and an 8x8 pan.

Preheat oven to 350 F and either grease the baking pans or line them with banana leaves or aluminium foil.

In a large bowl, combine all the sugar, the yolk of 1 egg, melted butter, 2 tsp of the lemongrass and 1 can of coconut milk until smooth. Add the cassava.

Using an electric mixer, beat all 3 egg whites with a pinch of salt (this will help to firm up the proteins) until soft peaks form. Immediately fold this into the cassava mixture.

Pour mixture into greased glass baking pans up to ¾ inch high. Bake in the centre rack of the oven for 20 to 25 minutes until top is firm. Do not overbake as they will go back in the oven a second time.

Meanwhile, on a pan over low heat, combine the remaining lemongrass and can of coconut milk with all the condensed milk, stirring and cooking until thickened. Take it off heat, and add the beaten yolk of two eggs.

Pour topping on top of the cassava cake and continue baking for 15 minutes or until the top is a dark golden brown. (If you’re in a hurry, a pale gold colour is nice too. Like this.)

Add your grated cheese halfway through the bake.

The tenderest

2010-07-16T11:34:00.002-07:00

From Green cheese & cherries

These are among the tenderest muffins I have ever made. I made them last night and this morning they were still tender, soft and moist.

Buttermilk makes lots of things better!

Buttermilk banana coconut muffins

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 very ripe bananas, mashed (3/4 cup)
1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, melted
1 cup granulated white sugar
1 large egg
1 tsp baking soda
1/3 cup buttermilk*
1/2 teaspoon vanilla or coconut flavouring
3/4 cup sweetened flaked coconut

Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 375°F. Line muffin cups with liners.

Whisk together flour, baking soda and salt in a bowl.

Whisk together bananas, butter, sugar, egg, vanilla or coconut flavouring, buttermilk, and 1/2 cup flaked coconut in a large bowl until combined well, then fold in flour mixture until flour is just moistened.

Divide batter among lined muffin cups and sprinkle with remaining 1/4 cup coconut. Bake until muffins are puffed and golden, about 25 minutes. Transfer muffins to a rack and cool slightly.

Makes 12 large muffins, or do as I did, I made six large and a dozen mini muffins. They were, one and all, pillowy mouthfuls of tropical goodness.

* Can substitute whole milk with a spoonful of lemon juice.

Midnight ruminations

2010-07-15T00:23:00.000-07:00

I think one of the challenges of growing older (not that it's my birthday or anything, not even close) is that you start realising how time is limited. You don't have as much time as you thought you had to write your first book (and I think many people do have a book in them just waiting to be born). To journey to Morocco. To once again eat mussels on the Champs Elysee. To write for lovely magazines, to create lovely magazines. To truly understand the complex connections between what we eat and our health. To make a difference in our communities. To learn so many things: drive a car, sew a seam, swim, snorkel, take great pictures, travel. To finally organise thousands of pictures and the pre-2000 film negatives languishing, almost stuck together and semi-dusty, in a corner of the room. To spend time with family. To listen to the birds. To write. To talk. To breathe the wind.

Heat wave

2010-07-07T21:18:00.001-07:00

The mercury is soaring, hemlines are high and the whole population seems to be shod in flipflops and sandals. Helloooooooooo summer! Sunny skies are forecast for a whole week with temps hitting 30 in the Vancouver region.

To celebrate the coming of true summer heat after a wet and protracted spring, I bought myself a new olive green summer hat. I've cleaned out my wardrobe of all traces of winter wear and it's now light and breezy in there with summer colours and fabrics, with dresses and shorts and skirts.

Flax and apple breakfast muffins

2010-07-03T01:00:00.002-07:00

These are good and so good for ya.

1 cup all purpose flour
½ cup whole wheat flour
3/4 cup flaxseeds meal
½ up wheat germ
1 cup brown sugar
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp cinnamon
2 cups peeled and shredded apples
½ cup dried cranberries
1/2 cup raisins
3/4 cup milk
2 beaten eggs

Optional: 1 cup chopped nuts

Directions
Mix together flour, flaxseed meal, wheat germ, brown sugar, baking soda, baking powder, salt and cinnamon in a large bowl. Stir in apples, cranberries, raisins and nuts. Combine milk, beaten eggs and vanilla. Pour liquid ingredients into dry ingredients.

Stir until ingredients are moistened. Do not overmix. Fill muffin cups 3/4 full. Bake at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes.

Yield: 15 medium muffins

Adapted from Bob's Red Mill flaxseed meal muffins.

The mischief maker

2010-07-02T09:13:00.000-07:00

Maggie is a MinPin which means a miniature doberman pinscher. She's playful and never seems to have moods, unlike Patsy. She's always hungry and always up for a walk or a mock-scrap. Patsy tries to be the boss of the household and tries to grab all the attention and the cuddles for herself, and most times Maggie will concede the point, but this MinPin will fight for her food, make no mistake about it! She's also a great escape artist and always has to be watched or she'll run off when she's let outside to do her #1 or #2. If Patsy is the duchess, Maggie is the court jester.

Strong, brave and open-hearted - that's Maggie in a nutshell. Doesn't she have the nicest, liveliest eyes?

Happy birthday, Canada!

2010-07-01T20:57:00.002-07:00

A quiet Canada day. It was wet and damp out, so we stayed in. It's my third Canada Day here, although only the first since I became a permanent resident.

We fed the chickens (or rather H did while I snapped away).

Admired the flowers...

and gave the dogs an airing...

Happy 143rd, Canada!

More pictures here
-----
One year ago

Golden razzies

2010-07-01T19:41:00.003-07:00

Picked fresh from the back garden today by H. They were perfection - some still slightly tart, the way I like them.

The little duchess

2010-06-29T01:27:00.000-07:00

Half-chihuahua, half-pomeranian, 100% cute.

Majestic and moist honey cake

2010-06-28T02:50:00.001-07:00

This was a keeper of a cake: still damp, still soft and moist even after two days. It was beautifully aromatic; the spices came out but weren't too insistent.

As for the majestic part, it was majestic how H and I managed to finish it off very quickly.

Adapted from Marcy Goldman's Treasure of Jewish Holiday Baking.

Ingredients
3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tbsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp allspice
1 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup honey (original recipe called for 1 cup)
2 cups sugar (half cup white, 1 1/2 cup light brown)
2 large eggs at room temperature (originally, 3 eggs)
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup warm coffee or strong tea
1/2 cup orange juice
1/4 cup rye or whisky (optional)
1/2 cup slivered or sliced almonds (optional)

Fits in three loaf pans, two 9-inch square or round cake pans, one 9 or 10 inch tube or bundt cake pan, or one 9 by 13 inch sheet cake. I made mine in a 10-inch tube pan.

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350°F. It's better to use nonstick pans for this recipe. Generously grease the pan(s) with non-stick spray. For tube or angel food pans, cut a piece of parchment paper to fit (cut out a hole for the tube to go through) and line the bottom of the pan. Spray the parchment with non-stick spray.

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and other spices. Make a well in the centre. Add oil, honey, all the sugars, eggs, vanilla, coffee or tea, orange juice and rye or whiskey, if using.

Stir together well to make a thick, well-blended batter, making sure that no ingredients are stuck to the bottom.

Spoon batter into prepared pan(s). Sprinkle top of cake(s) evenly with almonds, if using.

Important: I placed the cake pan on two stacked baking sheets, which apparently ensured the cake baked properly.

Bake until the cake springs back when you gently touch its centre. For tube and angel cake pans, this will take 60 to 75 minutes. Loaf cakes will need about 45 to 55 minutes; sheet cakes, 40 to 45 minutes.

Let cake stand 15 minutes before removing from pan.

---

When I made a challah a friend wondered if I had Jewish origins. This will get her asking again!

Pink poppy

2010-06-24T09:04:00.002-07:00

We woke up this morning to this beauty blooming in the front yard. Interesting how the purplish heart is surrounded by dark smudges -- kind of like a black eye.

10 weekends of discovery

2010-06-22T16:29:00.002-07:00

Last April I started a basic photography course in Vancouver, hoping to improve not only my knowledge of my equipment (Sony A100 when I started, then more than halfway into the course I bought a Nikon D90) but also how to take better, more compelling pictures. And, truly, I learned a lot. We took studio portraits of live models, we went to Granville Island to capture some of the sights, we did home projects to test and expand our understanding of focus, exposure, depth of field and the magical white balance. On the final day of the course, which was last Saturday, the instructor reviewed our mini "portfolios" and came up with what she thought was our individual best fives. Below are my five shots that she picked.

For the individual shots click on this link.
And I'm happy to report that I got an A :-)

Chicken wire and buttercups

2010-06-22T14:59:00.000-07:00

Out of the corner of my eye I espied this link in a blog I frequent: "broke but gorgeous".

Which launched me off on a search to remember the things that bring beauty and inspire gratitude in a life that has metamorphosed into one of simplicity.

I am grateful for poppies that sparkle like red explosions in the rain.

For a husband who brings my book out of the rain.

For dogs that slumber sweetly and snore melodiously (bar the occasional whiffing and tumbling).

And for buttercups that grow in shade, in sun, and other odd places.

Golden struan

2010-06-21T20:49:00.000-07:00

I'm fond of checking out baking books at the local library (which is incidentally a wonderful resource, staffed with helpful people!) and one book I waited for for a long time is Peter Reinhart's series on making bread. The one I'm currently reading is Artisan Breads Every Day: Fast and Easy Recipes for World-Class Breads. Because, even as a mostly stay-at-home wife, my time isn't unlimited, my plan of "attack" for this book is to tackle only "straight doughs" (i.e. recipes that don't require preferments like bigas and sourdoughs) and only recipes that make use of the flours and ingredients I already have on hand.

The first recipe I tried from this book is a struan loaf. The final product looked quite different from the tall, airy loaf pictured in the book, but tasted extraordinary as well, from the first bite to the last. The loaf stayed relatively light and moist, the crumb didn't go rock-hard. H and I liked the golden colour.

The recipe is available here. I didn't stray far from the basic recipe, but did substitute wheat germ for the wheat bran, and yogurt for the buttermilk. Since I had no honey on hand, I added a large spoonful of brown sugar to the mix instead.

Summer seed loaf

2010-06-20T16:32:00.002-07:00

Three seeds: poppy, sesame, sunflower. Three flours: rye, bread and all-purpose. Mix, let rise, heat. Sumptuous, summer goodness!

Summer seed loaf
(Another incarnation of this).
This bread uses a sponge or starter, which really does result in improved flavour.

Sponge
1 1/2 cups (12 ounces) cool water
1 tsp instant yeast
1 1/2 cups (6 1/4 ounces) all-purpose flour
1/2 cup (2 ounces) rye flour

Dough
2 tsp salt
2 1/4 cups (9 1/2 ounces) all-purpose flour
1/2 cup (2 3/4 ounces) mixed poppy, toasted sesame, and toasted sunflower seeds

Sponge
Mix the sponge ingredients together, and let rest at room temperature, covered, for 3 to 4 hours, or overnight in the fridge.

Dough:
Combine salt, flour and seeds. (By blending in the seeds at this stage, they'll be better integrated into the dough). Stir down the sponge, and add the flour mixture. Mix and knead the dough until it's smooth and elastic. Place the dough in a greased bowl, turning to coat its surface with oil. Cover and let rise in a warm spot for 1 1/2 to 2 hours, until doubled in size.

Turn the dough out onto a lightly greased surface, and form it into a ball. Place on a lightly greased or parchment-lined baking sheet, greased loaf pans, or shape into rolls. You may opt to slash the dough at this point, then spritz it with water. Cover and let rise for about 1 hour.

Towards the end of the rising time, preheat the oven to 450°F.

Bake the bread for 30 to 35 minutes, until it's deep golden brown. Remove it from the oven and place it on a rack to cool. Cool completely before slicing.

Yield: one large boule, 2 loaves, or 1 loaf and assorted rolls. Since I actually doubled the recipe, I came out with 3 loaves and 5 small dinner rolls, of which three were eaten straight out of the oven!

Wild blue

2010-06-16T21:20:00.001-07:00

This year's discovery: the wildflower, lupine. I never paid it much attention last year. But this year, when the summer is looking like a wet rag and spring is all sodden, its vivid purple is a joy to behold from the back steps.

What do you call this shade of blue?

One space, many faces.

2010-06-15T15:01:00.003-07:00

Photographers deal in things which are continually vanishing and when they have vanished there is no contrivance on earth which can make them come back again. - Henri Cartier-Bresson

More here.

Two movies

2010-06-02T09:55:00.000-07:00

Years separate the releases of Pan's Labyrinth and Children of Men. I watched both and if I had known what I know now -- that Alfonso Cuaron had a hand in both movies (as producer in PL and director/co-writer of CoM) -- I would have had an "Of course!" moment. To this day Pan's Labyrinth terrifies me and stays with me in my mind's recesses as so few movies have done. I'm not really a cinemaphile. I watch the occasional blockbuster and adore the occasional sci-fi-thriller sort of film like Terminator (when Linda Hamilton was in it) and The Matrix trilogy. I went into Pan's with no expectations. I hadn't heard of the minds behind the film. Minutes into the movie, I was...floored. Blown away. The overwhelming surreal terror, the incredible fear and violence that came out of nowhere but was so judiciously used, the note of hope at the end...this movie, my friends, is a masterpiece. As so many people found eons before I did.

Children of Men was another low-key starter for me. It was one of those things you see in late-night cable programming and for lack of anything better to see I looked at the screen every now and then while Net surfing. But I was hooked. It is such a parable of a tale, a gritty glimpse into the future, that snakes its way into your mind. It didn't quite grab my heart like Pan's did. But it stays with me to this day.

Watch them both, if you haven't already. Cuaron is a f****** genius.

Granville Island, one more time

2010-05-30T09:40:00.000-07:00

Have uploaded a bunch of pictures from yesterday's field trip to Granville Island. It seems that each time I go to GI the skies open up, but I'm still quite pleased with how the day turned out.

The harlequin roses were spectacular and I enjoyed observing the crazy-busy scene inside the market. It was wet and cold, but the market was full of warmth and life.

I think I could go to GI every month and find something new each time.

Red and purple

2010-05-23T01:00:00.002-07:00

The first poppies of the season! Shameless beauties.

Baby radishes

2010-05-22T23:05:00.000-07:00

We had the last of the baby radishes a few days ago. They were peppery and refreshing. We treated them like candy, snacking on a few throughout the day.

The first bunch of spinach and chard were beautiful and tender, and we're growing many more. The potatoes have reared their green heads (but expect no harvest till the fall), the carrots and fennel have healthy-looking fronds and of course, the many herbs -- sage, chives, parsley, curry leaf, rosemary and mint -- are flourishing.

Flax and cranberry cookies

2010-05-20T23:05:00.000-07:00

Yes, they're healthy, but more important they're super yummy!

Adapted from a Canadian Living recipe:

1/2 cup (125 mL) butter, softened

1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1 egg
1 cup all purpose flour
3/4 cup quick cooking rolled oats
2/3 cup ground flaxseed
1 cup dried cranberries
1 tsp (5 mL) baking soda

Preparation:

In bowl, beat together butter and brown and granulated sugars until light; beat in egg and vanilla.

In separate bowl, whisk together flour, oats, ground flaxseed, dried cranberries and baking soda; stir into butter mixture until soft dough forms.

Depending on your preference, you can drop level tablespoonfuls about 2 inches apart on your baking sheet, or go big and drop two spoonfuls, patting down a little to flatten them, Bake in top and bottom thirds of 350°F oven, rotating and switching pans halfway through, until golden, 12-15 minutes. Let cool on pan on rack for 2 minutes. Transfer cookies to rack; let cool before eating (if you can wait!).

BW series: Memories of winter

2010-04-26T20:44:00.003-07:00

Winter stillness carries within it the seeds of a prodigal spring.

BW series: Sun and candlelight

2010-04-25T20:37:00.004-07:00

I love thee to the level of every day's
Most quiet need, by sun and candle-light.
- EB Browning

Springtime blooming

2010-04-18T22:24:00.000-07:00

The radish bed is dotted with tiny plants, so fingers crossed we're going to have a bumper crop of radishes soon. On the other raised bed, onions, leeks and kale have sprouted. The pots are dotted with tiny carrots, spinach and chard -- and at last the fennel has put out little shoots.

It's still early spring but the days are finally, finally warm enough to turn the heat off and keep doors open. Lovely days are ahead.

Garden update: 4 April

2010-04-04T11:09:00.000-07:00

Asparagus - 9 spears growing out in the front garden
Kale - a few more shoots this morning
Spinach - coming up, in the pots
Radishes - multiplying like crazy
Dandelions - oh yes, they're back and spreading fast.

No signs of life yet: carrots, fennel, onions and leeks

Previous updates: April 2, March 24

Garden update 2 April

2010-04-02T16:17:00.001-07:00

With the damp and rain we've been having these past few days the garden is looking lush and a tiny bit waterlogged. The radishes have grown a few millimeters taller, a few shoots of kale are visible and several asparagus stalks have popped out. All very promising.

Updates: March 24

Rustic sunflower seed loaf

2010-03-30T20:16:00.000-07:00

Several days ago I thought it was pretty apt, in view of the arrival of spring (and ergo the foretaste of summer) to make a rustic bread that celebrates that most optimistic of flowers: the sunflower. I wanted to use sunflower seeds, scattered prodigally on top of the loaf and embedded into the crumb. Quite fortuitously I found a largish packet of sunflower kernels for a few bucks at the store.

The recipe I eventually worked with is based on King Arthur Flour's simple rustic loaf but subbing bread flour for some of the AP. Here's my version

Sponge

1 1/2 cups cool water (I used bottled water)
1 teaspoon instant yeast
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup rye flour

Dough

2 tsp salt
1 1/4 cups bread flour
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup mixed sunflower kernels and poppy seeds

First, I made the sponge around midnight just before bake day. I mixed the sponge ingredients and let it rest a bit more than instructed. In fact I left it alone for nearly 16 hours. No harm done. (Note to self: Use a large bowl for the sponge next time, saves on cleaning).

The next day, I made the dough by stirring down the sponge, and adding the salt and flour. I turned the mixture out and kneaded it until the dough was smooth and elastic. I kneaded in my seeds and placed the dough in a greased bowl, turning to coat its surface with oil. After this I left it alone inside the warm oven for about 2 hours while I went for a run.

After the dough had doubled I turned the dough out onto a lightly greased baking tray and studded the surface with some of the seeds. Covered and let rise for about 1 hour. About 15 minutes towards the end of the rising time, I preheated the oven to 450°F.

I stuck the bread in the oven (I skipped the slashing-the-surface part) and quickly spritzed some water around to create steam. After 30 minutes in the oven I checked the loaf and it didn't seem to be quite ready so I reduced the temperature to 400 and baked the heck out of it for 15 minutes more.

The loaf was delicious and substantial, though not as heavy as my first rye bread. I plan to tweak my technique next time as the sunflower seeds that I used for decoration just fell off. I might try to spritz the surfaces of the laf with water first, followed by an eggwhite glaze and the seeds.

Mmmm love me some raisins

2010-03-30T13:47:00.007-07:00

This is based on a very excellent recipe at The Fresh Loaf, converted to metric and shown using my timetable.

I didn't shape the loaves carefully enough -- I would have liked a more even domed top -- but boy, this was delicious straight from the oven and this morning it made heavenly toast.

The crumb was good, not dense at all. It was quite light but still had good structure.

Cinnamon-maple raisin bread

Makes 3 loaves

680g bread or AP unbleached flour
227g whole wheat flour
150g rolled oats
2.5 cups water
3/8 cups milk
2 tbsp honey
2 tbsp maple syrup
5.5 tbsp vegetable oil (I used extra virgin olive oil as that was al I had)
1 tbsp plus 1/2 tsp salt
1 1/4 tbsp instant yeast
2 tbsp ground cinnamon
2 cups soaked and drained raisins
1 egg white, beaten and with a pinch of salt to help break it down

Timetable:

7:00 pm: Soak the raisins in warm water to which you can, as I did, add orange flavouring (other possibilities include rum, earl grey tea, orange juice). In a large bowl, soak the oats in the 2 1/2 cups water.

7:30: Drain off the raisins. Mix the flours, yeast, salt, and cinnamon. In another container combine the milk, honey, maple syrup and oil. Dump the liquid mixture into the oats, and then dump in the flour mixture. Mix well, until all of the flour is hydrated. Knead by hand for 5-7 minutes, then mix in the drained raisins. Knead until the raisins are distributed throughout the dough.

7:45: Place the dough back into your now-greased large bowl. Spray the top with a little nonstick spray or oil, and cover with a kitchen towel or clingfilm. Allow to rise for 1 hour.

Around 8:45: Remove the dough from the bowl and fold it, degassing it gently as you do. Place the dough on your floured counter, top side down. Fold the dough in thirds, like a letter, gently degassing. Fold in thirds again the other way. Flip the dough over, dust off as much of the raw flour as you can, and place it back into the bowl.

9:00 Cover the bowl and allow the dough to rise in bulk again for another hour.

10:00 Preheat the oven to 450F. Tip dough out of the bowl and degas very gently. Divide the dough in thirds and shape the loaves. Place each shaped loaf into a greased pan. Gently brush each loaf with egg white and sprinkle with some more oats.

Place the loaves in the center rack of the oven. After 5 minutes, reduce the oven temperature to 375. Rotate the loaves 180 degrees after 20 minutes, and bake for another 15 to 25 minutes, until the tops of the loaves are nicely browned, the bottoms of the loaves make a hollow sound when tapped.

Around 11: All done! You really should cool the loaves on a rack. But if you're like me and probably 90 percent of home bakers, you'll have a slice straight from the oven.

In the age of cutesy

2010-03-29T20:21:00.002-07:00

I like the power of the direct gaze; no subterfuge, no coyness. All is strength. It says, here I am, in the lines on my face, the levelness of my eyes. Take it or leave it.

Welcoming the radishes

2010-03-28T15:05:00.000-07:00

Two days ago they came out, green, tiny and new. The first shoots from our vegetable garden, along with the asparagus.

The totally homemade weekday lunch

2010-03-25T09:53:00.000-07:00

Tangy potato salad with caramelised onions, bathed by an infusion of 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar, 1/4 cup olive oil, a teaspoonful each of sugar and mustard, salt and pepper.

Paired with a simple roast chicken a la Thomas Keller.

For the husband, a slice of homemade rye bread also.

Spring planting

2010-03-24T16:55:00.008-07:00

Spring is SO much in the air - and in the light, and in the yard - that H and I have started sowing seeds outdoors, adding topsoil around plants and bushes and browsing for seeds at the local nurseries. We're also considering putting up a new raised bed for more varieties of vegetables. Last year we had astounding tomato and zucchini harvests and pretty decent quantities of onions, summer squashes (aside from the zukes), peas and beans and assorted herbs. The corn failed to thrive, though I still managed to snag a few decent-looking ears here and there. The carrots and a few parsnip seeds never came up.

This year we're expanding our veg empire and have already planted radishes, kale, spinach, Swiss chard (the multicolour variety, as opposed to the lovely all-green leaves I planted last year), fennel, onion, leeks and carrots.

Here are the pots where I sowed carrots, spinach and fennel.

Below are the raised beds: the circular one is for radishes and fashioned out of an old willow tree. Kale, leeks and onions are planted in the rectangular bed.

We both can't wait for the first seedlings to come up! Each morning we scan the ground for shoots. Nada so far. But I'm sure it will be any day now.

Your basic rye bread

2010-03-23T00:35:00.000-07:00

So yesterday I baked my first pumpernickel rye bread using a recipe I found at the back of a bag of Rogers rye flour sourced from the nearest Save-on. As a beginning baker, I am ecstatic that the results of my efforts have been decent. Until I know more I will be sticking closely to instructions as written. (That's right, I'm a slave to the recipe for now!)

Below is the Rogers recipe and the bolded text are my comments/revisions. I really appreciated that they added metric measures, because accurate measurements are especially key in bread baking. But I've got to admit I didn't really follow them. I went by cups and tablespoons. So sue me.

Rogers Basic Rye Bread
1/2 cup warm water / 125ml
1 tsp honey / 5ml
1 tbsp yeast / 15ml
- Dissolve yeast and honey in warm water and let stand 10 minutes

2 tbsp honey / 25ml
1/4 cup vegetable oil / 50ml
1 tbsp salt / 15ml
1 tbsp caraway seeds (optional) / 15ml
1 3/4 cups warm water / 425ml
1 tbsp lemon juice / 15ml
3 cups dark rye flour / 750ml
2 1/2 to 3 1/2 cups all purpose flour / 625-875ml

In a large bowl, measure honey, oil, salt, craway seeds, warm water and lemon juice; add yeast mixture and mix well. Add rye flour and beat vigorously by hand or at low speed with electric mixer for 2 minutes. Stir in sufficient all purpose flour to make a soft, workable dough. (I only needed the minimum amount indicated).

Turn dough oout on a lightly floured surface; knead 5 minutes until dough is smooth and elastic. Form dough into a ball and place in greased bowl, turning once to grase the top. Cover and let rise until doubled in bulk, about 1 1/4 hours. (Mine took nearly 2 hours. I let it rest inside the oven with only the pilot light on but a check at the hour mark showed a very modest rise, probably because the room and oven were cold. To speed things along I switched the oven on to its lowest setting for a minute then switched it right off. Sure enough the dough took off beautifully and soon doubled in size).

Punch dough down and form into smooth balls. Cover and let rest 20 minutes. Roll each ball to form aa long, rounded loaf and place on greased baking sheet sprinkled with cornmeal. Using a sharp knife, make 3 or 4 shallow diagonal slashes across the top of each loaf. Let rise until almost double in bulk, about 1/2 hour. Bake in a 375F/190C oven for 40-50 minutes or until done. Remove from baking sheets and cool on wire rack. (I baked the loaves in a 425F oven for the first 15 minutes, then dropped the heat to 350 until they were done. I also spray-misted the loaves and oven walls with water within the first 10 minutes, avoiding the pilot light. And to ensure a nice golden glaze I gave the loaves an eggwhite wash before I put them in the oven).

The dough at various stages:

The finished bread:

Sliced once it was (almost) cool:

Bauernbrot

2010-03-16T12:58:00.001-07:00

So today I was musing about making some German-type bread since H comes from the German-speaking part of Switzerland and spoke Deutsch as a kid (though he's forgotten most of it). He loves pumpernickle rye breads and every now and then comes home with an impulse-bought loaf (or ten) from the supermarket.

Bauernbrot, which uses half white and half whole wheat flours, some sourdough for taste, and caraway seeds, and undergoes two risings that make it light enough for slicing (I don't really like heavy dense breads myself) came to mind.

I plan to make some in the next few days. Here's hoping it doesn't turn out like this!

The kingdom of bread

2010-03-15T23:54:00.007-07:00

The doors to the kingdom have opened and I hear trumpets!

Can you tell I am totally stoked?

I’ve made many muffins and cakes but none have involved yeast. The reason was simple: I dread the prospect of kneading. I tried this last year (granted it was a simple empanada wrapper that turned glue-like and rubbery) and it gave me a phobia.

Lately I decided it was time to get over my fear. It was time to knead. After two days searching many websites and numerous blogs I found a recipe on The Ultimate Student Cookbook that, with a few tweaks of my own, worked like magic. The result was simple, healthy, and delicious. H and I immediately shared the one teeny test bun straight from the oven and slathered it with butter.

We're going through the first loaf even as I type this, and it's nearly midnight. Such is the power of the holy quad: flour plus yeast plus salt plus water.

Oatmeal whole-wheat bread

Makes 3 loaves, approx 1.6lbs each.

Ingredients

4 tbsp vegetable oil (I used olive oil)
2 level tbsp dark soft brown or other brown sugar
300g jumbo oats or porridge oats + an extra tbsp for the topping
500g strong whole-wheat flour + 400g all purpose flour
4 tsp salt
2 level tsp quick-acting yeast (I used Fleischmann’s quick rise instant yeast)
500ml warm water
Beaten egg or egg white for glazing

You’ll also need 3 lightly greased 900g loaf tins, preferably non-stick

Heat 500ml water until hot but not boiling, add the oil and sugar and stir until melted. Add the oats, stir and leave to cool while assembling the rest of the ingredients.

In a large bowl, tip in the whole-wheat flour. Sift in the white flour, salt and yeast and mix thoroughly so the salt and yeast are evenly distributed. Make a hollow in the centre, add the oat mixture and half the water, and stir with a wooden spoon. When the mixture begins to come together, scrape the dough off the spoon and bring the mixture together with your hands adding as much extra water as you need to form a dough. (The texture should be slightly sticky but not wet).

Turn the dough onto a board and knead for 10 minutes until it springs back when you press it lightly with your thumb.

Transfer the dough back to the mixing bowl, Cover the bowl loosely with an oiled plastic wrap, oiled foil, or a towel. Let the dough rise in a warm, draft-free location (ideal rise temperatures are between 80°F - 90°F). I stuck the bowl inside my gas oven with the pilot light lit (see note 1).

Once the dough has risen (note 2), knock it back and knead gently a few times. Cut into three equal loaves. I recommend weighing the dough which will make it easy to cut it into the desired sizes. (My dough came to 4.5 lbs and made 3 loaves, which came out differently sized but I blame my beginner-level skills in kneading and shaping).

Shape the loaves so that they will fit into the tin, leaving the join underneath. Recover with the wrap and leave until the dough has doubled in size (about another 30-40 minutes). Stick them back in the warm oven or another warm place.

Turn the oven on to 220°C/425°F about 15 minutes before the dough is due to be ready. (Obviously if you were doing the second rise in the oven, take the loaf pans out first).

Check if the dough is ready (note 3). If it is, brush the tops of the loaves with the beaten egg then sprinkle over the remaining oats. Place the loaves in the oven and bake for 20 minutes then turn the heat down to 190°C/375°F and bake for a further 25 to 30 minutes or until you can insert a skewer or sharp-pointed knife in the bread and it comes out clean. Leave in the pan for 10 minutes then turn out to cool on a wire rack.

Cook’s notes

1. Oven rising - The oven is an ideal place for rising. For an electric oven or a gas oven with the electronic ignition, heat the oven at the lowest setting for one or two minutes, then TURN IT OFF. In other gas ovens, the pilot light will provide enough warmth, so you don't need to turn it on at all. The oven temperature should not exceed 90°F during the rising time. Place a pan of very warm water toward the back of the oven to provide moisture, which keeps the dough soft during rising. Place the covered bowl or pan of dough on the center rack and close the door.

2. “Ripe test” after first rising (in the bowl): Yeast dough is considered "ripe" when it has risen enough - usually doubling in size. The ripe test determines if the dough is ready to be punched down and shaped. To test, gently stick two fingers in the risen dough up to the second knuckle and then take them out. If the indentations remain the dough is "ripe" and ready for punch down. If not, cover and let the dough rise longer. Repeat test.

3. Ripe test after second rising (on baking pan or sheet): Simply touch the side of the dough lightly with your fingertip. If the indentation remains, the loaf is ripe and ready for the oven.

Creamy cabbage with smokies

2010-03-10T13:57:00.002-08:00

This dish reminds me of childhood. My Mom often made dishes using vegetables to make the meat (chicken, pork, etc) go further. Cabbage sauteed with pork and other veg featured quite often on the dinner table. The funny/sweet thing is, H also loves cabbage dishes - stewed, braised, sauerkraut, coleslaw. We both loved this one, paired with homemade spicy fries.

Ingredients:
1 head cabbage (small), sliced into strips
Half an onion, chopped
3 European-style smoked sausages, chopped up any way you like
Salt and pepper to taste
1 tbsp flour
2 tbsp vegetable oil

Nothing could be simpler. In a large saute pan, saute onions in oil until translucent. Throw in the chopped sausages and stir fry about 5 min. Add cabbage and a pinch of salt. Cover and cook at medium-low heat until cabbage is soft, about 20 min. When cabbage is melty, dissolve flour in a quarter cup of water and add to pan. Finally, season to taste with salt and pepper.

~~~

Cabbage. It's not the most glamorous of vegetables, is it? Fennel is romantic. Asparagus is a cherished symbol of spring. Spinach is fresh looking and zucchini is summer incarnate. But cabbage - ah, done right, it's the sweetest thing.

Bald and bold

2010-03-08T15:25:00.003-08:00

Bald eagle sighting today, perched high up on a tree at the far end of our property line. It's the national bird and a symbol of the USA, but it is widely seen in Canada too. I don't have telephoto zoom but given the distance and the scale of the trees, you can tell this guy was HUGE!

Chive and cheese bread

2010-03-08T15:17:00.010-08:00

I love bread. I love cheese. I love using herbs freshly picked from our garden. And I like the idea of using #2 and #3 to make #1. But I don't like working with yeast. The thought of spending a few hours proofing the dough and kneading and double rising puts me off a lot of bread recipes. That's why I love quick breads, both the sweet and savoury kind. Still, I've never had much luck making good-tasting savoury quick breads. Until today.

These chive and cheese confections are made much the same way you make biscuits or scones. Baking powder is the sole leavening agent and a single egg provides structure. The flavourings should be assertive.

Chive and cheese bread

Ingredients:
2 cups all-purpose flour
¼ cup butter (57g), cut into cubes
1/2 tsp salt
1 tbsp baking powder
4 oz cheddar or other strong cheese, grated
¼ tsp cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp onion powder
2 tsp chives, chopped
1/2 cup milk
1 large egg

Position rack in the centre of the oven and preheat oven to 400F.

In a large bowl, combine flour, salt and baking powder. Add butter and work it into the flour using your fingers (but don’t overdo it; I’d say work it until there’s just enough flour clinging to the butter pieces and most of the flour is still free and loose)

Add cayenne pepper, onion powder and chives. Stir to combine. Add grated cheese and stir again.

Combine the milk with the egg (which you’ve lightly beaten). Pour this into the flour mixture.

The mixture will be crumbly. The next step is to knead the dough until it comes together. You can do this in the same mixing bowl, or use a floured chopping board or countertop.

Shape the dough into four equal sized rounds (or squares, or one big round loaf, as you please!) and transfer into a baking tray that you’ve lined with parchment or baking paper. Using a sharp knife, cut an X shape into the top of the loaves, about half an inch deep.

Bake for 30 minutes and eat warm with lashings of sweet or salty butter!

Double rainbows

2010-03-02T15:37:00.004-08:00

Double rainbows, the sun a ball of liquid fire. It was one of the most beautiful sunsets I've ever seen.

Lemongrass sticky rice with coconut cream

2010-02-24T12:37:00.000-08:00

We've surely been loading up on carbs these past couple of days. This is another version of the sticky rice with coconut milk topping that I've made several times already. With this latest attempt I've realized that

- Aroy-D is my favourite brand of coconut milk. The cream on top is just too scrumptious for words and the flavour is rich and delicate.
- Never boil the coconut topping, just heat up till all the ingredients are blended.
- Adding a pinch of salt, a quarter-cup of brown sugar and a teaspoon of finely minced lemongrass to the rice before it cooks adds an extra complexity of flavour
- Adding lemongrass to the coconut topping is much better than using vanilla.

Personal bests

2010-02-23T12:08:00.003-08:00

The results are in. It turned out to be another gorgeous day last Sunday and Fort Langley was jampacked with lots of excited and very fit looking people. H ran the half-marathon in 2 hrs 3 minutes, which was very nearly a personal best (his half-marathon PB is just about 2 hours) and even better than his practice run bests. I did my run in 38 minutes, again a new record for me. I had hoped to be faster, but next time for sure I will be! I'm stoked that I had fun and made good time.

Since we were both running I didn't get a chance to lug around my huge SLR, but H's little cam took plenty of nice pix. Here's one of us right after he came in. All finishers got a souvenir medal but I had put mine away by this point and instead, I have my creepy-looking blue glove hanging off my waist.

He runs, she runs

2010-02-19T12:52:00.000-08:00

Two days before the Historic Half!

H is ready. With all the over-two hour runs he's been doing these past couple of months he's essentially run the race distance and now it's only a matter of improving his finish time when the day comes. Fortunately Sunday is going to be très, très beau! The weatherman says it will be sunny and dry -- bright enough to wear shades. Yeeehaaaa!

I'm doing the 5K fun run, and right now my mind is buzzing with thoughts along the lines of, Does my ass look good in these tights? Or, does this running top complement my face? Also, how much sunblock should I wear? Have I cut my bangs too short? I already know I can cross the finish line, though I'm not sure I can improve on my first race time (which is so embarassing, I won't tell you here). So in the meantime...it should be fashion first, n'est-ce pas ?? **

** Pardon the French, I have just waded through a pile of bilingual texts that I'm supposed to proofread!

A great big Valentine

2010-02-14T12:29:00.000-08:00

Friends, family, darling man.
For all those times you stood by me.
A great big flaming heart :-)
Happy Valentine's Day.

Red and white and maple-y all over

2010-02-08T09:33:00.002-08:00

My friend R who lives a few blocks away picked me up at 6:45 this morning so we could watch the torch being carried through the streets of Maple Ridge all the way downtown, where the next torch bearer (representing the next town, Pitt Meadows) was waiting for his turn. It was a fiesta out on the streets! Everywhere you looked there were the bold Olympic red toques, jackets, mittens, scarves, and even cosy sweaters for Fifi and Fido. Red and pink balloons, lots of twinkly lights in the town square, a few TV cameras, festive firetrucks and boisterous cheering. The local MLA was guest of honour at the ceremony. It was over quick, and we drove back to our respective homes for a short nap before facing the rest of the day.

Go, Olympians, go! Go Canada.

Signs

2010-02-07T15:19:00.000-08:00

It's looking like spring will come (has come?) early this year, though old hands are warning that we shouldn't get our hopes up, as we're probably due for some more frosts through to April. In any case the days are getting longer, which really warms my heart, and sundown yesterday was at 5:18 pm and getting later every day. Out in the yard, the white crocuses are coming out.

A few days ago H cut some forsythia branches from the front garden and stuck them in a vase that we kept in the house. Thanks to the heat, the buds literally started to swell, and yesterday the blooms started to come out.

Spring, spring, summer, I can hardly wait for you.

Her dark materials*

2010-01-30T12:58:00.004-08:00

Nutty, sticky, red-purple "black" rice. For dessert, for breakfast, for lunch.

Sticky black rice with coconut cream topping
To make the rice: Take two cups black glutinous rice, available at your nearest Oriental grocery. Wash a couple of times in cold water. Soak from four hours to overnight. Cook using your regular electric rice cooker. While it's cooking, heat up a cup of coconut cream or milk with 1/3 cup brown sugar, a tablespoon of cornstarch for thickening, and very finely chopped lemongrass. Heat up until the sugar dissolves and the flavours are blended, and pour over the just-cooked rice.

Then gorge.

As we say where I come from, kain na! Or mangan tayo.

* In tribute to the work of one of my favourite authors, Philip Pullman.

Another good one

2010-01-29T23:46:00.004-08:00

Made it through my 5k run up Gilker Road today with more running than walking and less gasping-as-though-I-were-dying dramatics than on Tuesday. Cardiovascular progress!

Most excellent day.

Pizza with meatballs and fennel

2010-01-27T20:39:00.002-08:00

What I made for lunch a few days ago: Two 12" pizzas
Assembled using: Store-bought crust, homemade beef meatballs, my special pizza sauce and a fennel bulb from this elderly Italian gentleman just outside Fraser Valley Auctions
Time it took to assemble: 2 hours
Time it took for H to finish both pizzas: Less than 2 days. By himself.

Finding my stride

2010-01-27T18:58:00.007-08:00

My man loves to run. I love to encourage and support him. He's done many races including a half marathon and lots of 10ks, and every year he runs the Vancouver Sun Run with his old friend M. H has lots of stamina (and a gargantuan appetite, so I am thankful he loves staying fit!) and, except for the annual bouts with flu in autumn and hay fever in summer, he is as strong as an ox. And that's a good analogy -- as a runner, his strength lies not in speed but in stamina and endurance.

Me, I think of myself as a lazy sleepy cat. I love nothing better than snuggling up in bed with a good book. But my other animal, thanks to the Chinese zodiac, is the fire horse and until early this year, that horse was not much in evidence. I was not one for hitting the road and running. I loved ambling walks but that was it. H had to bribe me with some nifty Lululemon outfits to get me to sign up last October for a learn-to-run clinic. After all, I couldn't always be the designated photographer when he and his running group took part in races all over the countryside. Plus, the family that runs together, stays together (so said the crafty lady at the local running store).

The class got the horse stirred, but she wasn't running yet. It was a long, slow learning curve. Even a two minute run interval got me huffing and gasping. Like most learn to run programmes, the clinic followed an interval pattern (walk 3 min, run 1, repeat 3x) that gradually progressed over 3 months until you got to running 30 minutes straight, no walking. But even that gentle pace was, on hindsight, too fast for me. I was stricken with flu midway into the programme, and then the ugly monster of plantar fasciitis reared its head. Result: I was sidelined for almost months.

December dawned. The lingering effects of the flu was gone (H had it too and we now think it was H1N1) but my physical activity consisted mostly of brisk 2x or 3x weekly walks with the dogs. But there was a 5k race I had signed up for in February! I couldn't bear to waste all that money. I simply must get out there and hit the pavement again. Plus there were all these cute running clothes....

So I started again. It was as difficult as I expected, but the PF seemed to have diminished. I still got the occasional heel pain after a run/walk but it did not sap me as much. I got stronger.

And so, on Jan. 17th, I ran and walked a 5k race in Langley with a friend. We hooted and cracked jokes most of the way, and we made it through the finish line in 47 minutes. We didn't set any record, but just completing the course was an incredible high. I got out there, and

I.DID.IT.

The joy of actually accomplishing something physical is new to me. I've always worried and believed that my heart is "weak" and that I will never be an athlete. As a child I had asthma and as an adult I have suffered through some very bad colds and bouts of flu. My cardiovascular endurance is simply very low. But by going slow and building my fitness gradually I have kindled something new in myself. For this I thank H, for the initial push that got me out the door.

Rambling

2010-01-26T14:30:00.002-08:00

What's with the pigeon-toe poses by adult women with perfectly straight legs?

Thai-style chicken curry

2010-01-26T09:39:00.003-08:00

Thai food was one of my earliest loves. A looong time ago, when I was a young magazine editor working for a trade publisher in Manila, my boss took his crew out to lunch to Sukhothai in the old Makati commercial center. I believe it was called Quad something back then. I've never forgotten the spices, the flavours, the aromas! It was a discovery for my palate. Some Filipino regional cuisine, for example Bicolano cooking, is rife with chilli bombs and coconut milk too, and I love it. The Thais' combination of sour, sweet, spicy, salty notes was, however, a revelation. A door into a new world if you will. Over the years I kept trying new Thai restaurants in Manila and then in Hong Kong when I was reassigned to work overseas. A few weekend jaunts to Thailand simply increased my fascination with Thai cooking.

I heard from a former colleague and friend yesterday. She'd signed up for a nine-month culinary programme at the Dusit Le Cordon Bleu in Bangkok. We'd done a day course in Cantonese dimsum in Hong Kong in April last year, and she and I share a fascination for all things culinary (and alcoholic). I hope you're having a blast, M!

Thai-style chicken red curry

I've never made curry mixes from scratch. I bought a bottle of prepared red curry paste in which I marinated some chicken pieces overnight, adding a bit of cumin, ground coriander and ginger to the marinade. The next day I simply stir fried the chicken in some oil, tipped in what was left of the paste-marinade and added about half a cup of water to let it simmer, slowly, for 15 minutes. I added some quartered potatoes and carrots and let it simmer away for a quarter of an hour more, then dumped in a can of coconut milk and let it cook at a gentle simmer for 15-20 minutes.

It was delightful straight from the stove, the chicken tender and falling off the bone and the veg adding a nice heartiness that may not be traditionally Thai but delicious nonetheless.

Quick date tartlets

2010-01-25T12:04:00.004-08:00

Dates remind me somehow of the first time I took up baking which was several years ago. My sister V had a whole boatload of packed dates, still with pits, which her then-boyfriend (now husband) sent her from the Middle East where he was working. Now dates are delightful to eat but you really can't pop them in your mouth like peanuts. They're so substantial, so sweet, that a few at a time is enough.

So then I looked up recipes for ways to make use the leftover dates. There were kilos of them sitting in our various fridges and it was a crime to let them go to waste. I made date loaves and date muffins and fed the multitude (i.e. my siblings).

The mini tarts are in honour of those days -- and dates.

Date mini tarts

Creamy-sweet and quite filling. Use pre-made tart shells for easy prep. I know, the horrors! But I can't quite muster the patience and confidence to make pastry shells from scratch.

You'll need
12 mini tart shells (I used Western Family, box of 12, 3” tart shells, 228g)

For the filling:
175g dates, pits removed
20g butter
2 eggs
25g caster sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
Optional: 2 tablespoons soft brown sugar

Preheat oven to 325 F. Chop the dates in half or finer pieces, depending on their size. You want the pieces to fit nicely in the tart shells.

Melt butter in a sturdy saucepan with a thick base. This is so that the dates don't burn before they go soft. Add dates and cook over low heat until soft, about 10 minutes. Spoon fruit mixture into tart shells.

Whisk together the eggs until fluffy. Add caster sugar and vanilla and beat. Pour over the dates, making sure to cover the dates with the creamy mixture. Optional: sprinkle half the brown sugar over the topping.

Bake at 325 until the topping is set, about 25-30 min. Watch carefully as overcooking might curdle the custard.

You can also sprinkle over another 2 spoonfuls brown sugar and flash under a hot grill to caramelise. I also skipped this step as I thought the tarts were sweet enough.

These tarts are perfect served with some strong black coffee or -- my preference -- hot green tea.

Here be lemons

2010-01-20T11:46:00.007-08:00

I adore lemons. The juice adds zing to cakes and muffins, the zest is a godsend for punching up citrus notes in any dish, and their cherry yellow colour is like a neon sign to summer. Not, of course, that they are only available in summer. Or that they are best used for summertime cooking. In fact, when the skies outside are glowering, and when your mood could use an uplift, that's when you should bring out the lemon artillery.

I found a recipe for lemon muffins yesterday. The readers' comments were split into two camps: some loved the forthright lemoni-ness of the results; others didn't care so much for the tartness. H and I are firmly in the first camp. And because we are suckers for anything tart (pun intended) I threw in some candied cranberries that I made about a week ago.

Lemon cranberry muffins

2 cups unbleached flour
1/2 cup sugar, plus 2 tbsps
1 tbsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
1 cup fresh, frozen or candied cranberries
2 eggs
Zest of 1 lemon

Preheat oven to 400 F. Spray muffin pan with nonstick spray or use paper liners. In a medium bowl, combine flour, 1/2 cup sugar, baking powder and salt and blend to combine.

Melt butter. Off heat, stir in lemon juice, eggs and most of the lemon zest, reserving some zest for garnish on top of muffins. Stir the egg mixture into the dry ingredients and blend until well moistened.

Combine the 2 tbsp sugar with the remaining zest. Spoon batter into muffin pan and sprinkle top of muffins with the zest and sugar mixture.

Bake 15-20 minutes (mine were done in 15 min) until lightly browned. Be careful not to overbake.

Chilly Chase 2010!

2010-01-17T15:14:00.001-08:00

Friend and me did the Chilly Chase today in the farming countryside of Langley BC. We did the 5k run; there were also 10k and 15k runs. My first race ever! We got a nice medal to show for it hehehe. And some delicious chili and cookies at the end.

Chicken stew with spicy potato wedges

2010-01-16T01:34:00.002-08:00

It was a rainy morning, the nth in a row. To counteract the gloom I threw together some seasoned potato wedges in the oven to go with the slow-cooker chicken stew I made overnight.

Slow cooker chicken stew
This is so simple it's not even a recipe. I first simmered a few skinless, boneless chicken thighs in a pot in about a cup of water until the juices were extracted from the chicken and the liquid at the bottom of the pan ran clear. I threw the chicken pieces and juices into the slow cooker, added some sliced red onion, half a 23 oz can of tinned tomatoes and some of the tomato juice, 1 carrot cut into wedges and about a cup of sliced mushrooms. A bit of salt and some chicken stock for extra flavour. Cover and cook on HIGH for 3 to 4 hours. The result will be magic. Serve with boiled potatoes, or if you want to go the distance, the spicy wedges I made which filled the kitchen with a wonderful mouthwatering complex aroma.

Spicy potato wedges

4 large potatoes
Some olive oil
Scant teaspoon salt
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp paprika
Dash of black pepper
2 tsp minced garlic

Scrub the spuds thoroughly. Don't peel. Cut each into 8 wedges. Cook in boiling water 8 minutes. Drain and keep in a warm pan.

You'll need a baking tray big enough to accommodate the taters. Line it with aluminum foil to make cleanup easier later. Grease lightly with olive oil.

In a medium bowl, pour olive oil on the potatoes and toss to distribute. Combine the salt, pepper and other spices and add to potatoes. Make sure all the wedges are seasoned. Stick in a preheated 400 F oven and bake for about an hour or until the wedges are crisp.

Sensational salmon

2010-01-13T13:10:00.000-08:00

I went through a salmon phase sometime in my life but I think the love was too intense and now I tend to ignore the fish if I see it in the supermarket freezers. But a new curried recipe has restored my faith in this oily, so-good for you fish. The coconut milk in tandem with red Thai curry sauce packs a punch that stands up well to the assertiveness of salmon flesh.

Serve with a simple couscous salad (recipe below).

Baked salmon with Thai curry sauce

You'll need four skinless salmon fillets, each about 2 x 3 inch. Combine a cup of coconut milk, 2 healthy teaspoons of prepared Thai curry paste (I used the Thai Kitchen brand), some Thai fish sauce and a pinch of brown sugar, to taste. Sliced chillies are optional. I washed my fillets and squeezed a bit of lemon juice over them and set them aside in the fridge for 10 minutes. I like to do this to get rid of any overly strong fish smells. Then take any flat baking pan that will accomodate the fillets without crowding. Line with aluminium foil for easy cleanups afterwards. Grease the pan with 2 spoonfuls olive oil. Now, dredge the fillets in the curry marinade/sauce and lay them on the pan. Spoon the rest of the marinade over the fillets. Bake in a preheated 350 F oven for 15-20 minutes or until you see the oil in the coconut milk separating. Serve fillets, spooning some of the scrumptious sauce over each.

Easy couscous salad

Prepare about half a cup of finely chopped onion and a half cup (or more if you like) of green bell pepper. You can also substitute red pepper, or use both colours. Chop a couple of ripe red tomatoes (I had none to hand and canned plum tomatoes were my substitute).

Now prepare the couscous by pouring a cup of instant couscous into a largish serving bowl. Add a cup and a half of boiling water (my usual proportion of couscous to water is 1 to 1 1/2) and cover with an inverted plate for 5 minutes. Lift cover and fluff up the couscous with a fork. Season with salt and lemon juice. Add chopped vegetables. Season further if necessary.

Simplicity

2010-01-13T09:36:00.008-08:00

Yesterday was a lovely soft drizzly sort of day. The kind of day that makes you want to just curl up on the couch with a book -- the trashier, the better! But, instead, H and I went for a 5km walk into town, and back, for a total of over 10km. Part of my preparations for the Vancouver Sun Run, which is on May 9th. When I arrived in Canada last year it was the day of the Sun Run and my sweetheart came to pick me up straight from the race. This year, I aim to run it with him. Not exactly alongside as my running fitness is still developing, but I plan to finish the 10km route doing run-walk-run intervals and complete in respectable time (which, for me, should be around 1hr 45 min).

I was quite pooped when we got back but a short nap had me as good as new and right as rain. Today I woke up energised and sorted through my dresser top, whipping my accessories and cosmetics collection into workable order. And fuelling my efforts was a simple slice of soda bread, which I made about a month ago and which H has been thawing and refreezing several times. Finally, its time came. A simple breakfast, but let's just say that a toasted slice, slathered with good butter, makes a true virtue of simplicity. Perfect for a soft, gray day like today (and yesterday).

Both Joy of Cooking and the New York Times give recipes for soda bread that are far, far removed from true Irish soda bread, which contains no raisins, butter or eggs. But it's probably a better-tasting loaf for that!

I omitted the caraway seeds given in many recipes. You can make this in an ovenproof skillet which would give it a lovely golden crust. I used a springform 10" pan.

Soda bread
Butter for greasing pan plus 1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
3 cups all-purpose flour
2/3 cup sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 3/4 cups buttermilk
2 eggs, well beaten
1 cup currants or raisins

1. Preheat oven to 350 F and butter a 10-inch springform.

2. In a bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and baking soda. In a separate bowl, combine the buttermilk, eggs and 2 tablespoons melted butter. Add wet ingredients to dry and stir until just combined. Do not overmix. Stir in the raisins or currants.

3. Pour batter into pan and brush top with remaining butter. Bake until golden and firm to touch, about 1 hour. Cool 10 minutes before slicing and serving.

More cranberry love

2010-01-11T12:49:00.004-08:00

I love cranberries for their lustrous garnet red skin and mouthpuckering tartness. When added to baked cakes or muffins they resemble jewels. A nut topping adds the perfect counterpoint of crunch and sweetness.

Cranberry Cake with Walnut Topping
Makes 1 9x13 or 1 10" springform cake

For the cake:
3 eggs
2 cups sugar
3/4 cup unsalted butter, slightly softened and cut into chunks
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tbsp orange extract (optional)
2 cups flour
2 1/2 cups cranberries

Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter and flour a 9x13 pan or a 10" springform pan.

Beat eggs and sugar together for 5-7 minutes. The eggs should turn pale yellow and increase in volume, forming ribbons when you lift the beaters. Add butter, vanilla and orange extract; beat for 2 minutes. Stir in flour and fold in cranberries. Pour into buttered pan and sprinkle walnut topping over cake.

Bake 45-50 minutes for a 9x13, or around an hour for the springform. If the cake shows signs of browning, tent the cake with foil in the last 15 minutes or so.

Walnut topping
1/2 stick unsalted butter, melted
1 cup flour
1/2 cup sugar
Pinch of cinnamon
Pinch of nutmeg
Half cup of toasted walnuts (or pecans), chopped finely

Combine and stir together until mixture resembles coarse sand. Sprinkle on top of cake batter.

2009 in my kitchen

2010-01-11T03:03:00.003-08:00

I have never been so busy in my kitchen as I was in 2009. H and I ate well and ate often. And we have the bellies to show for it too!

From top row, L-R:
Apple crumble, carrot muffins, cassava cake, ginger cake
Fresh apple cake, cottage pie, cheese loaf, ham and peppers strata
Rhubard & apple pie, garlic bread, chicken in peanut sauce, raspberry muffins
Summer pavlova, lemon poppyseed cake, corn and kale soup, garlic scapes pie
Sweet potato muffins, chicken peppers stirfry, spicy vegetarian radiatori, double ginger biscotti

Daffodils and a red sky

2010-01-06T16:53:00.004-08:00

My birthday today and so many things have made me especially happy.

...The daffodils from H which are starting to bloom. I like the delicate yellow petals, they remind me that sooner or later Spring will come. Not tomorrow, not next month, but in good time.

...Birthday wishes from lots of friends from all over the planet.

...A breathtaking red sky capping a clear blue winter's day

...Gifts of time and laughter, chocolates and wine (yes!)

...The cranberry cake baking in the oven as I write

...Happy memories of time spent with family and friends

It's been a beautiful day and I'm grateful for the gifts that God have granted my life so far. On a day like this -- and of course every day should make us thankful -- I am grateful simply to be alive.

Cranberry cornbread

2010-01-02T13:26:00.011-08:00

Another recipe inspired by the absence of eggs in the fridge and the availability of fresh cranberries and frozen blueberries. Recipe was adapted from this lovely site. The result was lovely, sweet and moist and I particularly liked how the tartness of cranberries offset the pillowy softness of the cornbread. I've not baked with cranberries before. I liked this fruit very much and will be adding it to my regular grocery list.

1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup medium grind cornmeal
¾ cup granulated white sugar
1 ½ tsp baking powder
½ tsp baking soda
½ tsp salt
½ cup unsweetened applesauce
1 cup yogurt
2 tbsp vegetable oil (I used grapeseed)
1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup blueberries, fresh or frozen (I used frozen)
1/2 cup cranberries, fresh or frozen (I used fresh)
2 tbsp brown sugar
½ tsp ground cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350F. Butter two 8-inch, nonstick square baking dishes. Dust with flour, knocking out excess.

Stir together flour, cornmeal, sugar, salt, baking powder, salt and baking soda in a large bowl.

In another bowl whisk together applesauce, yogurt, vegetable oil, vinegar and vanilla extract, and add to flour mixture. Stir until just combined. Fold in the blueberries (no need to thaw frozen blueberries, if using) and cranberries. You can also divide the batter and make blueberry cornbread in one and cranberry cornbread in the other, which is what I did.

Divide the batter between the prepared pans and bake in the middle of the oven until pale golden and a toothpick comes out clean, around 25 minutes. Cool in pans on rack for 10 minutes, then invert pan and transfer cakes to rack to cool completely.

Into the West

2009-12-31T12:45:00.004-08:00

Annie Lennox

Lay down,
your sweet and weary head.
Night is falling.
You have come to journey’s end.

Sleep now, and dream
of the ones who came before.
They are calling,
from across a distant shore.

Why do you weep?
What are these tears upon your face?
Soon you will see.
All of your fears will pass away.
Safe in my arms,
you’re only sleeping.

What can you see,
on the horizon?
Why do the white gulls call?
Across the sea,
a pale moon rises.
The ships have come,
to carry you home.

And all will turn,
to silver glass.
A light on the water.
All souls pass.

Hope fades,
Into the world of night.
Through shadows falling,
Out of memory and time.

Don’t say,
We have come now to the end.
White shores are calling.
You and I will meet again.
And you’ll be here in my arms,
Just sleeping.

What can you see,
on the horizon?
Why do the white gulls call?
Across the sea,
a pale moon rises.
The ships have come,
to carry you home.

And all will turn,
to silver glass.
A light on the water.
Grey ships pass
Into the West.

Blast from the past

2009-12-30T11:20:00.003-08:00

Rain again today. After days of blue skies, cold, and bracing mist.

Annie Lennox - Here Comes The Rain Again

Fog

2009-12-27T21:28:00.011-08:00

- Boxing Day, 2009. Somewhere in New Westminster.

Merry Christmas!

2009-12-25T00:51:00.003-08:00

The holiday season is always a busy time and so it was for H and I. It's just been a marathon of cooking and a few rush-rush freelance projects (for me) and work (for H). Oh, plenty of food was made but no photographs taken! Suffice it to say there have been cookies and loaves and frosted cupcakes and hearty roasts and meals galore. And no doubt there will be many more of this in the coming days.

Merry Christmas to one and all!