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End With The Sound Of Mazel Tov

May 21, 2013 in Random Posts, Single Foodie, Trips | 4 comments

** I realize this post has nothing to do with food… but really I look at this site as my journal, it just so happens my world revolves around food! If you are looking for a more up beat foodie post I suggest this one. Or check back tomorrow. I’ll be done being sappy by then.**

This weekend I was in Montreal for, what turned out to be, one the of the best weddings I have ever attended. For those who are twitter savvy you might have followed along with the shenanigans of #NJGWedding, or perhaps you were busy having adventures of your own!

I was ready for the fun, for the rowdiness and for the top shelf liquor. I was less ready for the pangs of hurt that popped up in my heart periodically through the ceremony. It made the evening a touch bitter sweet. Well… at least until the cocktails started flowing then it was just sweet.

I’m coming up on the one year anniversary of my split with my husband and I’m (somehow) always surprised how fresh that pain can feel.

During the ceremony the Rabbi told us of the custom of breaking a glass at the end of the wedding as a tribute to Jewish heritage, to symbolize the destruction and re-building of Jerusalem. He also explained that it was more than that. The glass was a metaphor for the fragility of love. How once shattered it can never be put back together just as it was. With a lot of glue it may be put back in a suitable way, or there might always be a piece missing.

Over the past year I’ve felt a lot like that glass. Gluing myself back together one piece at a time.

Being alright with no longer needing to run to that person for advice or just to share the details of your day – one piece.

Realizing that my effort to stay friends were misguided and fueled by the hope that one day things would go back to how they once were – another piece.

Feeling excited by the possibilities of starting again – yet another piece.

The most important part of breaking the glass, is the cheering of Mazel Tov after. A Yiddish phrase of celebration that means ‘good luck’. The Rabbi said it is important that we realize that though life can bring hard times, there is always something positive just around the bend. So we end with cheerful words to inspire and fill our hearts with joy.

Thank you Claire and Jared for allowing me to share in your special day and for reminding me of how amazing love can be.

Mazel Tov!

Interweb Goings On – Week Ending May 17

May 17, 2013 in Bucket List, Interweb Goings On | Leave a comment

Woo Hoo!!! Long weekend!! And a very special one at that for some dear friends of mine. Best wishes Claire and Jared! Your wedding this weekend is going to be beautiful. I apologize in advance for any embarrassment I cause you.

Raclette – a swiss dish of melted cheese scraped onto boiled potatoes or dark bread and small sour pickles.

Millet – a type of cereal grass whose small grains are sometimes used for food

Crimp – in cooking refers to making ridges/pleats by pinching or pressing edges of pastry together for seal or decoration.

Welsh Rarebit - buttered, toasted bread or crackers with melted cheddar cheese, milk (sometimes beer), mustard, worcestershire sauce, egg yolk and seasoning.

Cake Flour – finely ground, soft wheat bleached with chlorine gas which whitens the flour and makes it slightly acidic.

Vandyke – to cut a jagged V shape decorative edge into a citrus fruit.

Galangal – a Chinese plant of the ginger family grown for its edible, underground stem. Has a ginger-pepper flavour.

If you are actually at work today… you’ll need these to get through the afternoon!

Was anyone actually worried about the impending LCBO strike? I knew they would find a solution, no way they were going to take away our icy cold beers just before the kick off to patio season. Booze is important, unlike school teachers apparently.

I’ve got discounted tickets up for grabs to the Great Canadian Cheese Festival in PEC – click here and use the code: CF13FRESH

A comprehensive list of Ottawa craft beer events going on from the kick arse Katy (I think she should legally change her name to this).

Don and Jenn from FoodiePrints have a recipe in this month’s Cream Challenge! Vote for your favourite here.

Speaking of dairy… a homemade ricotta recipe from Apron Strings!

I watched this documentary this week. It was alright – happy it was only 50 some odd minutes. This 5 minute trailer gives you about 85% of the story. The dark side of Jelly Belly Jelly Beans…

A Little Goes A Long Way – Smallenfreuden

May 15, 2013 in Contests, Frugal Food, Random Posts | 2 comments

Ok… it may not be a real word. But it should be. Smallenfreuden is a fun, made up word that refers to putting your tiny, every day purchases on your VISA card so that you can rack up points and use them for something awesome!

I plan to do just this for 100 purchases that I’ll be keeping you in the loop by tweeting and facebooking. At the end of the 100 purchases I’ll let you know how worthwhile this was. Basically I’m going to flaunt what I get with my credit card points. That’s not all… I’m also going to run a contest that you can enter to win $100 from VISA!

*waiting for the cheers to die down*

Exciting right?!?

In the mean time I’m going to give you a chance to save some money on tickets to the Great Canadian Cheese Festival! The artisan cheese and fine foods festival that is in Prince Edward County on June 1 and 2. They say there is going to be more cheese than ever before! EVER BEFORE!!

So click here – HERE and use the promo code : CF13FRESH

Hope to see you there!

Sunshine and Balconies

May 14, 2013 in Random Posts, Recipes | Leave a comment

recipes

I have a great view from my balcony. It is one of the main reasons I got this apartment… other reasons include it was in my prefered neighbourhood, wasn’t in a scary basement and allowed pets.

See – gorgeous, eh?? Though the hot air balloons only come out during the Hot Air Balloon festival once a year.

I plan on taking full advantage of both the view and what I’m hoping will be amazingly nice summer weather. Starting…. now. Now! Now?? Nnnnnnow!! Ok… soon. While I might be happy to call a gorgeous glass of red wine - dinner, not everyone is. So here is a really quick little bite that you can throw together quickly and get back to the sunshine! It is adapted from a wonderful cook book called “Around my French Table” by Dorie Greenspan – she calles it a Dieter’s Tartine.

Dorie’s Dieter’s Tartine

Ingredients
Cottage Cheese
Baguette or nice bread you can cut into thick rounds
Tomato
Cucumber
Avocado
Salt
Pepper * For this I used a smoked pepper from The Salty Don - it’s just amazing. You can use regular pepper… but it’s worth seeking out this fantastically delish product.

1. Cut as many rounds of bread as you want to serve/eat. I find I’m stuffed with about 3 or 4 I’m in that phase where I eat like a bird (nature’s way of balancing when my mouth is like a black hole that all food is sucked into). Toast them either quickly on a griddle pan or in a toaster oven. One side will do – it’s just for texture.

2. Scoop out a tablespoon of cottage cheese for each bread round. Season it to taste with salt and pepper.

3. Cut the tomato, avocado and cucumber into a tiny little dice.

4. Spread the cheese on the bread and add the chopped veggies on top. Don’t worry if it spills over… if you have already started drinking before making the snacks it was bound to happen anyway.

5. Enjoy!

Interweb Goings On – Week Ending May 10

May 10, 2013 in Bucket List, Interweb Goings On | 1 comment

This week, I’m ready for it to be over! Mostly so I can get myself to a patio – STAT!! Here is a look back at the culinary words this week:

Asiago – a strong flavoured Italian cow’s milk cheese. Aging can give very different textures.

Burgoo – a southern US term for a thick, spicy stew of any meat and veg. Also a name for an event where the dish is served.

Empananda - a type of deep fried or baked turnover with a spicy or sweet filling from Latin American / Spanish cuisine.

Elevenses – a British term for a coffee or tea break taken around 11am.

Tomatillo – the edible purplish fruit of the ground cherry resembling a small tomato.

Sorrel – various course weedy plants with long taproots used as table greens, herbs or vegetable.

Boston Baked Beans – a variety of baked beans cooked slowly and sweetened with maple syrup or molasses and flavoured with salt pork or bacon.

Some wicked Foodie ways to spend a Friday afternoon:

A very cool photo essay showing a what a weeks worth of food looks like for people all over the world.

Another cool photo essay of the foods artists request back stage. Trent Reznor… what are you up to with all that cornstarch??

The inspiringly talented Chef Grant Achatz and his group of chefs from Next in Chicago make a snicker worthy video about what they are cooking up.

Food Truck Fever!

May 8, 2013 in Events, Ottawa, Random Posts | Leave a comment

Today was the launch day for Ottawa’s new food trucks and carts and it kicked off with an event at city hall. I had every intention of gettng a bracelet and trying the samples at each of the trucks, but so did about 700 other people. Lines, crowds and blazing sun are three of the things I dislike most… especially when you combine them! So I snagged a few pictures to show you and made a vow to try each truck individually when they hit the streets.

Until then here is a little taste of what to expect and where to get it.

So many lovers of food from trucks

Fellow food bloggers capturing the action

The ever-awesome Grayson letting me know he’s all out of Harvey & Vern’s soda – can’t blame the crowd it was scorching hot!

The colourful Mr. Ron Eade getting ready to write a much better synopsis of this event than I’m doing.

This pic was taken as James Cunningham from Food Network’s Eat Street was standing beside me about to film a scene!

Honestly… I’m TOO excited for these trucks. I think I need a new hobby.

Cheaters Aged Balsamic

May 7, 2013 in Geek Stuff, Recipes, Single Foodie | 1 comment

Living alone gives you a lot of some things, like privacy, free time and opportunities for sitting around sans-pants. Sadly for your bank account, that often translates to going out. Not to mention that paying bills on your own is way more expensive than splitting them with someone. So it is great when you find smart ways to save money, money better spent treating yourself to something kick ass… like this:

Oh this… it’s just my DEATH STAR TEA INFUSER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Ok… it’s not mine yet – but it will be once someone buys it for me.

Aged balsamic vinegar is thicker, sweeter and more complex that regular balsamic. It makes a spinach and strawberry salad sing a song so beautiful your ears will weep with joy. It’s also a hell of a lot pricier depending on how long it has been aged. Thanks to my amazingly awesome boss at C’est Bon Cooking - there is a work around.

Take a bottle of your regular, cheap balsamic. Pour it into a pot and turn on the heat to about medium. Allow that vinegar to simmer. NOT BOIL. If you boil it, the smell of vinegar will fill your house like mustard gas. But if you simmer it, and allow it to reduce by half – you will have a thicker, sweeter and very similar to aged balsamic tasting vinegar. Let it cool – pour it back in the bottle.

It is, quite literally, awesome sauce.

Leaving your budget free for something amazing. Perhaps Spock oven mitts?? Ohhhh baby.

Bon Appetit – Cheese and Chocolate

May 3, 2013 in Events, Ottawa | Leave a comment

It’s happened! May hit and suddenly it is tulip time in the capital! It’s also time to get your butt in gear and get yourself a ticket to Bon Appetit. Not convinced that it is a great idea yet? Well, here are a couple short interviews I did with Vicki from Empire Cheese and Erica from Humming Bird Chocolate – both amazing people and products that you will get to sample at the event. For more information about the charities that will be supported, other food and drink partners as well as how to buy tickets – click here.

Simply Fresh – First question, what made you decide to get involved with Bon Appetit? Do you have a particular cause that you identify with – or just the event in general?

*Empire Cheese – I contacted the organizers of Bon Appetit after I found the event on-line. We were looking for culinary events in the Ottawa region to promote our cheese because we were just expanding our delivery region to include the Ottawa area. When I located this one, I thought what a great event to feature local food and restaurants while raising money for such a worth while cause. We were very anxious to be a part of the event and were thrilled with the success of it last year when we participated for the first time.

**Humming Bird Chocolate - Bon Appetit is a great opportunity to help many worthwhile organizations while bringing some of Ottawa’s best food together in one space. My husband, Drew, and I have done a lot of work overseas assisting people in developing countries, so this was a chance to do something closer to home.

What should people try to keep in mind when searching out a great cheese or chocolate?

* In our plant, we manufacture cheddar in the traditional way using whole milk. All of our cheese is naturally aged and does not include any preservatives or additives to enhance the flavour. As a result our cheddar has a rich, creamy texture and taste. I believe all of these things are important when selecting a piece of great cheese.

** I think one of the most amazing things about chocolate is that it isn’t just one “flavour,” but there is a great variation in taste based on the origin of the cacao beans and how they are handled by the individual chocolate maker. Chocolate can taste fruity, nutty, savoury, floral. So, with that in mind, I would recommend that people look at where the beans are from and the list of ingredients. The fewer ingredients, the better, if you want to really experience the natural characteristics of those fine cacao beans.

Thinking of your product, what is your favourite pairing? Something classic like wine, or a bit more unusual?

* My favorite is a piece of extra-old cheddar on a cracker topped with a great red-pepper jelly. It is even better when you add a glass of pinot grigio!

** Probably because I’m surrounded by it all day, but I eat chocolate slowly and frequently. One of the amazing things about chocolate is that it melts very close to human body temperature. So when you taste chocolate, you want to put a piece in your mouth and let it melt for a little while. It will coat your tongue and roof of your mouth allowing you to experience more of the nuance in flavour.

I love to choose a few bars made from cacao beans from different regions and taste them with friends or family. Everyone will have their own preferences and will identify different flavours in the bars which you may or may not experience yourself. We’ve also been doing some research on pairing our chocolate with wine and whiskey and this is quickly becoming a favourite way to enjoy chocolate at our house!

Interweb Goings On – Week Ending May 3

May 3, 2013 in Bucket List, Interweb Goings On | Leave a comment

This week I brought a new level of sucking to my Culinary Word A Day… but the weather was truly gorgeous so you shouldn’t have been hanging out on twitter all day anyway.

Acidic – a food that contains acid, any of several sour substances that make food sour or bitter in taste.

Back of the House – term for the kitchen and kitchen staff of a restaurant.

Cooling Rack – a flat grid of closely spaced wires with formed feet used for cooling baked goods.

Teaspoon – the smaller of two spoons in a place setting used for stirring beverages. It is also the measurement of 5ml.

Rock Salt – coarsly ground or granulated common salt.

Oatcake – a flat, unleavened cake of baked oatmeal. Usually thin and unsweetened.

Lumpfish – any of several sluggish marine fishes, especially a large North Atlantic species. It’s roe is used for caviar.

Some foodie fun to finish off a sun shiney Friday

Katy from Sheltered Girl Meets World drinks a beer I cannot even begin to pronounce.

The Great Canadian Cheese Festival is in less than a month – will I see you there??

A rat meat ring in China is making millions of dollars. Ewww…

Lasagna And The Single Girl

April 30, 2013 in Recipes, Single Foodie | Leave a comment

I love lasagna. It is a way for me to justify more cheese on my pasta and nothing could make me happier. The only problem – making a single serving of it. Sure you could buy the frozen kinds – but let’s face it, they suck. There is either all meat sauce with no veggies, all veggies and a severe lack of cheese or it is just bland.

Then I discovered this little trick and it has once again brought the sun shine happiness of homemade lasagna back into my life: a loaf pan is the perfect size for two servings of lasagna. Basic noodles fit almost perfectly (a little trimming might be required), two per row.

Oh baby.

Use your favourite lasagna recipe as a guide or take a look at what I did.

Just layer oven read noodles between tomato sauce (add a little water to it if it doesn’t already have a very liquid consistency - the noodles will need it while cooking. Add handfuls of spinach in some layers, and use cottage or ricotta cheese in place of the bechamel sauce and your favourite cheese. Throw it in the oven until the noodles are cooked to your liking and BAM! Lasagna for one (or two depends on if you like to share) that tastes amazing and is simple enough for even the busiest single guy or gal.

End With The Sound Of Mazel Tov

Interweb Goings On – Week Ending May 17

A Little Goes A Long Way – Smallenfreuden

Sunshine and Balconies

Interweb Goings On – Week Ending May 10

Food Truck Fever!

Cheaters Aged Balsamic

Bon Appetit – Cheese and Chocolate

Interweb Goings On – Week Ending May 3

Lasagna And The Single Girl

Past Foodie Adventures

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