My Delicious Diary

I'm Back

2010-09-02T17:59:00.000-07:00

So, I know I haven't written here in a while, but I have been accumulating some wonderful pictures of lovely things I've made, eaten and drank. What got me thinking that I should post again in fact was actually a bottle of wine.

Domaine Des Aires Hautes Minervois La Livinière 2007 .

Here is the description on the LCBO site.. tell me you don't want to try it:

"Tasting Note
From Syrah, Carignan, and Grenache raised largely in used barriques ... offers a lovely nose of lavender, marjoram, cedar, ripe blackberry, and salt spray. With the juicy and vivacious fruit that characterizes both the best wines of this vintage and those of this estate, this charms and refreshes even while revealing firm, fine tannins and saline, chalky, meaty depth. This offers a lot of concentration and class for the money and ought to be worth following for 5-7 years. "

Rob Southcott Totem Cups

2010-01-12T08:28:00.001-08:00

Love these totem pole stack-up cups from Rob Southcott.

totem cup image: IMM Living, can be purchased at TWEAK

Paper Cut Pretty

2009-11-26T07:31:00.000-08:00

Love this paper cut utensil idea! So cute! I want some on my kitchen walls...

OH BABY!

2009-02-22T19:31:00.000-08:00

Ryan and I went to a baby shower this weekend for two wonderful friends of ours. I made two desserts for the party, macaroons with chocolate tops and the ever faithful chocolate and vanilla cupcakes. The chocolate is a basic chocolate devil food cake recipe and I tried out a new vanilla recipe called "butter cake". The vanilla was decent but could use some improvement. The icing was basically butter and icing sugar with the tiniest drop of milk..mmmmm... buuuutter. I should also mention that the process was soooo easy now that I have my kitchenaid mixer.

May I Please Have Plates

2009-01-10T18:59:00.001-08:00

May I please have a ton of horse plates? I adore this Thomas Paul horse plate that comes in a set of silhouetted designs I found at SeltzerStudio ...

I always love the French Bull melamine plate designs also (like this pattern called "felix") ...

Beautiful Tea Set

2009-01-10T18:52:00.000-08:00

I love love love these tea cups from notNeautral- very mid-century obviously, but there is definitely a modern touch to the design.

My Desserts Are Now Delicious Too

2009-01-02T17:29:00.000-08:00

I've decided to merge "My Dessert Diary" with "My Delicious Diary" so you can view the archives of "My Dessert Diary" here now too. Have a yummy night!

Yay for 2009!!

2009-01-02T16:46:00.000-08:00

I received so many wonderful things for Christmas this year. Three of my most favourite new things were my KitchenAid mixer, my breadmaker and my espresso machine, each of which I will be sure to post creations from. I'm trying to figure out how to make the beautiful designs on my lattes that the really good barristas do at my favourite coffee shops.. that will take a while, but I will definitely post these experiments ones I get better at it.
I haven't decided yet what do make in my mixer, but I don't think it will be long before it happens.
As for the breadmaker.. I made my first two creations yesterday. I made a basic french loaf dough recipe and made two different things with the dough. First I used the following recipe...

1 1/4 cups water
2 tsp sugar5
1 tsp salt
3 1/2 cups white flour
1 1/2 tsp yeast ( I used breadmaker yeast)

I put it all in the machine and let it do it's work. After the dough was finished in the breadmaker I pulled it out on to a floured surface and rolled it into a ball, and then covered it with a big bowl upsite down. Now... according to the recipe you should leave it there for about 10 min, but I left it for about 2 1/2 hours (my lovely friends were visiting so we all went out for dinner new years day).

When I was ready I pulled the dough in half:

- One half I rolled into a long cylinder (like a baguette), brushed a tiny bit of melted butter on either side, andsome beaten eggs on the top and set it aside on a stoneware baking dish to rest for 30 min.

- The other half I rolled out until it was a rectangle about 9' x 13' or so. I then spread about 3 tbsps of butter on the up side of the dough with a knife and followed by sprinkling some cinnamon and sugar on top of the butter. I then rolled the dough up (on the long side) and cut the roll into about 1 1/2' pieces. Placing the sliced pieces into a round stoneware dish, I poured about 2 tbsps of melted butter over them and let the rolls sit for about 30 min.

With the oven at 350F both dishes stayed in the oven for about 30 minutes or so, and then they looked delicious....

before...

after...

Oh Sweets Blogs... How I Love You!

2008-12-12T10:46:00.000-08:00

Cannelle et Vanille

Lovescool

Milk and Cookies

Maple Cupcake Goodness

2008-11-20T19:00:00.000-08:00

Must try these maple cupcakes from countryliving !!!

Obama Cakes

2008-11-10T19:34:00.000-08:00

Last Tuesday I made cupcakes to celebrate the U.S. election. We got to a point where we all knew we were celebrating and what better way to commemorate such a night then yummy dessert. I call these cupcakes "democratic cupcakes"...

The New Pancake

2008-11-10T19:26:00.000-08:00

I've been experimenting further with my pancake recipe... and I think I've found a better mix.

2 cups flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/3 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 1/3 cups milk
1/4 cup sour cream
2 tbsp butter
pinch of salt

Paris Entry Twelve: Berthillon

2008-11-04T14:11:00.000-08:00

What better way to end the Paris entries then with the most delicious ice cream experience I've ever had.
On a street across from the back of Notre Dame was a wonderful ice cream shop. Now... this brand of ice cream is served in spots throughout the city, but at this particular location I we found an incredibly delightful raspberry-rose sorbet. It was a big deal. So creamy (I know! it's a sorbet! Craziness was happening), so fresh and light, and the flavour of the roses was really distinct. Mmmm. I don't know if anything will ever top this ice cream... seriously...
We ran to the shop for a last taste the night before we left, and it was closed. I settled for pink grapefruit of the same brand from a shop down the street, and although it was also scrumtous, it wasn't the same. I took a photo of the store... closing for the night...

Paris Entry Eleven: L'As Du Fallafel

2008-11-04T13:55:00.000-08:00

Next to the guy who sells fallafels from a stand in Manhattan, these are one of the best fallafels I have ever eaten. They are served with lots of balls (yes..lots of them) that are full of flavour and very fresh (haha). The tomato-y hot sauce served on the side was killer. The experience was very very yummy.... and so.. you ask yourself... if it really was that delicious Sarah.. then how did you manage to take a photo without devouring them first? I haven't the slightest clue how I managed to restrain myself... really! And if you don't want to take my word for it, look online, apparently this is really "the best" in terms of Paris fallafels.

if case you'd like to visit...

34, rue des Rosiers
75004 Paris
telephone: 01.48.87.63.60

Paris Entry Ten: Tasha's Salad

2008-11-04T13:43:00.000-08:00

Now I know I mentioned that the meal Tasha made the first day we arrived was delicious and all, but this salad really topped the cake in terms of the things she made for us. Leafy greens, tomato, pancetta, these AMAZING little fried potatoes, and huge chunks of camenbert with a sweet mustard dressing and to top the whole thing off, a nice cold pint of beer... mmmmmmmm what a brunch!

Paris Entry Nine: The Nicest Wine Bar

2008-11-04T11:57:00.000-08:00

We proceeded to walk down the street, finding ourselves in the nicest little wine bar. Each glass was consecutively better then the last (seriously... it wasn't just the alcohol... or the absynthe we had earlier). Very cute and small, and very old. This place was packed with people within about a half hour of us arriving.

Paris Entry Eight: Le Feé Verte

2008-10-29T14:39:00.000-07:00

Tasha lead us to La Fée Verte for dinner and drinks the following night. A wonderful atmosphere, and yes... absynthe. A great variety in fact. The food wasn't amazing, and I realized that absythe tastes like black licorice..ick. Never the less, the experience and the service made up for both.
When our absynthe arrived it had a silver spoon with sugar on top and the waitress lit it on fire. We were then served a large silver fairy water dispenser with tiny taps which we used to pour water over the melted sugar... very unique, I have to say.

If you ever feel like visiting...

RESTAURANT LA FÉE VERTE
108, rue de la Roquette
75011 Paris
Téléphone : 01 43 72 31 24

Paris Entry Seven: Le Vrai Paris

2008-10-29T14:20:00.000-07:00

Later that same day, The three of us found a wonderful restaurant in Montmartre called "Le Vrai Paris". In a little neighbourhood right behind (a couple streets up from) the Moulin Rouge. I had duck confit and roasted potatoes to die for. Crispiest duck skin and meat that melted in your mouth. mmmmmm. I can just taste it. Definitely one of the best meals I had in Paris!! I know Brianne and Tasha would agree!

the address in case you ever feel like visiting...

Le vrai paris
33 rue des Abbesses
75018 Paris
Tél : 01 46 06 02 42
site web :www.levraiparis.com

Paris Entry Six: Galeries Lafayette

2008-10-29T14:19:00.001-07:00

On Thursday, day four, Brianne and I took a trip to Galeries Lafayette. I had to add this in because it was amazing, and we had coffee's on the roof. You can see the whole city and you don't have to pay to go up there (although we did have to pay for the coffees).

Here's the info incase you ever decide to go....

PARIS Haussmann
40, blvd Haussmann
75009 PARIS
Metro : Chaussée d'Antin, Opéra, Trinité, St. Lazare

Opening Hours Monday throught Saturday : from 09:30 am to 07:30 pm
Late night opening every Thursday until 9 pm
Close on Sunday

Paris Entry Five: The Very Best Croissants

2008-10-29T14:18:00.000-07:00

We took a trip up to Montmartre to the area of the Moulin Rouge and walked along Boulevard De Clichy until about Rue Des Martyrs and followed that down to Rue De La Tour D'Auvergne . There, we had the most wonderful and buttery croissants I have ever eaten. I remember someone saying to me in college as we ate our Tim Horton's chocolate croissants on a break..."I wonder what croissants are really supposed to taste like? I have a feeling this isn't even close?". This was the first thing that popped into my head when I bit into the one I bought at the end of Rue De La Tour D'Auvergne. These croissants were perfect! Like a dream... really... I'm not lying!
As usual.. we ate our croissants and I didn't have any thought of taking a photo as I was totally enthrawled by the deliciousness. But I took a photo of the street.....

Paris Entry Four: Phölicious

2008-10-09T13:31:00.000-07:00

That same evening of our first day, Tasha took us to a cute little Phö place. Now, I'm not a phö eater really, but the broth of this phö was actually really different from what I've tried in the past. Tasha describes this broth as being "healing" and "comforting" which it really was. It had many spices in it and the right amount of everthing.

Paris Entry Three: Croche Madames

2008-09-28T15:25:00.001-07:00

Day two, the first real day for Brianne and I, we ventured out to Saint Michel. We stopped at a restaurant/cafe on Saint Michel I think around the intersection of Saint Germain. Luckily the waiter spoke a bit of english (after I made Brianne ask for our weekly metro passes and I completely failed to understand a word the girl said to us, I was really relieved). Brianne ordered an Americano and I order some hot milk and we both devoured a croche madame. The egg was cooked perfectly and the cheese was creamy and delicious... mmmmm..

Paris Entry Two: Salad and Baguette

2008-09-28T15:12:00.001-07:00

Soooo.... after a nice long catch up nap, Tasha proceeded to make this wonderful cherry tomato, bocconcini, chickpeas, artichoke heart and proscuitto salad with a balsamic vinaigrette along with a fresh traditional bagette and some lovely white wine. Yummy!

Paris Entry One

2008-09-20T17:10:00.000-07:00

So... it's 2am and I'm in Paris and I just realized that I can view the pictures I've taken so far. I can't sleep now. I am currently waiting for the pics to download on to Tasha's computer so that I can document every wonderful thing that I have eaten since I arrived here. Some of it has been in restaurants and some of it has been prepared by friends (namely Tasha).
I wasn't sure what to expect really, but everything has been so wonderful here. The moment Brianne and I got off the train and into the metro on our way to Tasha's for the first time, the sights, sounds and more importantly the smells have been incredibly divine! I knew things would smell pretty but that first waft of lavender in the air really set the stage for a completely unique experience for me. There are so many beautiful things here.
Tasha's place is soooo lovely!!! More then I could have expected, and the first thing Tasha did when we arrived is run across the street to the bakery and grab a selection of delicious croisants. She followed by making us some mint/rose tea (AMAZING!!!).

Berry Muffins

2008-08-10T12:46:00.000-07:00

It's rainy and all I'm doing is sitting around and painting/drawing. What better time to bake something. I'm inspired by my friend Lisa's gluten free muffins that she brings into work nearly every morning. She puts frozen berries in the batter before baking, and it sweetens them up so nicely.

Here's how I made the muffins:
I mixed
1 cup flour with
1/3 cup caster sugar and
1 tsp of baking powder
Then, in another bowl I wisked together
1 egg
1/2 cup of plain yogurt (I used Westons 2%, this yogurt is very nice and tangy) and
1/2 tsp of lemon juice
I mixed the two bowls together very lightly making sure not to mix more then I needed.
I then added some frozen berries.
In the oven for about 20min at 350C and voila!

Cooookiiiieee

2008-08-09T19:22:00.000-07:00

Is making chocolate chip cookies more then twice a week healthy?
I mean, they make me happy.... so that counts for something right?
Hahaha.

Easy Yellow Curry

2008-08-09T19:11:00.000-07:00

I made a yellow curry tonight for Ryan and our friend Rob. It turned out nicely.
I sauteed two chopped green onions and one large garlic clove diced with 5 tbsp of olive oil in a pot. After the onions began to turn clear I added 2 tbsps of curry powder, 1 tsp of mustard seeds, 1/2 tsp of chili powder, 3 whole dried red chilis, salt, black pepper, and a bit of coriander seed. Giving that a couple minutes, I then added 2 diced tomatoes and waited a couple more minutes, allowing this to simmer a bit. I then added 1 can of coconut milk, and 1/2 cup of water. I let this simmer for a while, and later added some chick peas (I like to mash some of them as I put them in to create some starch for the curry and help thicken it up a little).
When I make rice for curry dishes, I usually make basmati. While the water is boiling, before I put the rice in, I put some salt and coriander seed into the water. I use two parts water to rice.
I steamed yukon gold potatoes and then fryed them in some olive oil, and black peper and salt in a cast iron pan to add some texture to the dish.

YUM YUM!!

Veggies In The Weirdest Places

2008-08-05T20:33:00.000-07:00

I've found a couple very cute and unsuspecting forms of food jewelry lately. Here are two great ones....

Otto Von Quast sterling silver broccoli jewelry, Blue Ribbon Artichoke Necklace by mamaslittlebabies $20,

Peanut Satay Tofu Chow Mein

2008-08-04T18:45:00.000-07:00

Last night Ryan and I made a yummy peanut sauce to put over grilled veggies and tofu. Ryan seasoned the tofu with salt and pepper, basil and grilled it in veg oil. He then added the red peppers, mushrooms and carrots once the tofu was crispy. I made the sauce by sauteing chopped garlic in sesamie oil, adding chuncky natural peanut butter, then some coconut milk, vegetarian oyster sauce, sriracha sauce, salt, pepper and basil. We mixed it up the veggies and sauce with some boiled chow mein noodles. Finally we sprinkled it with some lime juice, and voila!

Grilled Veggie Sandwiches

2008-08-04T18:19:00.000-07:00

I've been waiting for something good to start with..... Ryan made these wicked sandwiches for lunch today with avacado, cucumber, red pepper, onion, tomato and jalapeno havarti. He brushed whole wheat pitas with olive oil and rosemary and grilled the sandwiches panini style.

My Delicious Diary

2008-08-04T18:15:00.000-07:00

So... much like "My Dessert Diary" I wanted to start blogging all the scrumptious meals that Ryan and I put together. Similar to baking and making sweets, I love the challenges in creating unique and well rounded lunches, dinners and snacks. I like it when Ryan states that "we don't have anything for dinner".... I like to believe that I can come up with something, no matter how limited our stash is.

cookies and pancakes

2008-08-04T18:08:00.000-07:00

Since last week, I have made both chocolate chip cookies and pancakes at least twice again. Yum yum, so here are some pics of the newest batch of both.

Donna Is My Hero!

2008-08-03T21:52:00.000-07:00

I just bought a new Donna Hay book called "Entertaining". It not only has desserts, but other food, appetizers and dinner items, lunchy things. I can't wait to try out all the recipes..... I think I'm going to start a cooking blog....

Tea Towels Worth Baking For

2008-07-28T20:54:00.000-07:00

I've decided I would like some new and pretty tea towels.
Here are some that I've found and favourite on etsy:
linen yellow and hand printed by Leannegraeff , Ice Cream Lollies hand printed by MrPS, green pattern screen printed by munchstuff, block printed whale towel by artgoodies, oak crowned towel by GloamingDesigns, Do The Dishes towel by showpony,

Chocolate Chip Ice Cream Sandwiches

2008-07-28T18:50:00.000-07:00

I'm making chocolate chip ice cream sandwiches tonight.
I do a basic chocolate chip recipe...

2 tbsp of soft butter mixed with
1/4 tsp of vanilla
1/2 cup sugar and
1 egg
then mix in
1 cup flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
couple good handfulls of chocolate chips

then, after about 10 min at 375F I squish the cookies flatter. Once the bottoms are brown, and the tops are light, but not undercooked, I take them out and let them rest.

I like to throw a tablespoon of vanilla bean ice cream (mmmm hagen das is best and has the most natural ingredients of any ice cream I can buy at the grocery store) in between two cookies and continue to watch the movie I paused.

My Current Pancake Recipe

2008-07-25T07:26:00.000-07:00

I looove pancakes for breakfast on Sundays! Currently my pancake recipe consists of the following

Here's my recipe:
bowl one:
1cup flour
3tbsp of sugar (if I'm feeling a little sweeter I'll put four)
1/2tsp of baking powder

bowl two:
1egg beaten with a whisk until it's a creamy colour and bubbly
1cup milk, actually a little less then a cup and place a heaping tsp of sour cream in and mix it up before whisking in one egg
1tbsp butter melted (I used to use veg oil, and it works just as well)

mix the two bowls together and place in a buttered pan at med heat. Wait until bubbles start to appear in the centre and flip.

Now.. I don't know about you, but I love placing the syrup in a bowl of hot water so that it's nice and warm when I put it on my pancakes.
I'll have to post pics on Sunday. I ate my pancakes too fast today and none were left to photograph, woops!

Profiteroles Are Puffs

2008-07-24T20:52:00.000-07:00

I recently attempted something brand new to me... puffs.... and cream filled puffs at that. It actually wasn't that hard. When I first made profiteroles (I say it like I'm wise about them, but I really only attempted this about a month ago, and I've made them again since) I was very skeptical. I was worried after I created the main batter, I piped it onto the parchment paper and the blobs started to flatten, like cookie batter that was way too runny and was going to end up as one large dessert blob in the end... but it didn't. I put them in the oven and within the first 10 min they had fluffed up so big. So exciting! The trick was making sure not to touch them while they were in the oven and once they are done to leave them in the oven with the door open for a while until they've cooled down gently (I learned on one later batch that letting the temperate drop before their done is no good, they end up all flat and they're no fun to fill or serve). The cream was easy, just followed the recipe. Dipping with chocolate was definitely the right choice. Yum Yum.

Laser Cut Cup Cake Cups (a tongue twister)

2008-07-24T00:35:00.000-07:00

What a great way to make displaying your cupcakes just a little more fancy and delectable! These paper cups are laser cut and so frufru.
Get them at Estilo Weddings for $12/12.

Desserts

2008-07-23T23:44:00.000-07:00

I've never had much to say when it comes to blogging. It's not easy. I've decided to blog about my desserts and general ideas/products I like that relate to baking because I've realized that this is one subject I actually have something to write about.
There are always variables in baking that can make a recipe and it's final product so unique. I truly enjoy the challenges that arise during the process whether it be that I am missing an ingredient or that my time is limited or that I've decided to create something I have never attempted before. I love making desserts multiple times with different recipes, as well as the satisfaction that comes from making the same recipes over and over knowing that the results are going to be wonderful. But most of all, my favourite part of baking is presenting it to people I love. Hoping that it will make them smile and bringing out the sweet tooth in even the most cautious and healthy eaters.
Here's to eating yummy things!!!!!

Freeform Blueberry and Peach Pie Will Be My New Fall Staple

2008-07-23T21:18:00.000-07:00

I've always been pretty decent at making pie crust. Not to toot my own horn or anything, but I experimenting with making pie crust when I was about 11 years old (one of my serious baking attempts that did not result in a crude version of a pancake) and even then I managed to keep the dough together and the result fairly reasonable. But this shortcrust recipe is pretty foolproof. I think it's really about using your judgment and feeling the consistency of the dough.
Anyway, these freeform pies were also made with the inspiration from my trusty Donna Hay book. I just tossed some peach slices and blueberries in a teaspoon of flour and after I placed them in their little dough circle I sprinkled them with caster sugar, although I think brown sugar would have been nice too.

Here's the dough recipe:
Process 2 cups all-purpose flour, 3 tbsp caster sugar and 5 oz cold butter in a food processor until it is blended well and looks like crumbly bits. Process in about 3 tbsp of iced water. This is where the judging comes in... add tiny bits until the ball looks like it will stick all together, but not too sticky like. Take it out of the processer (careful of the blade - obviously I wasn't and that's why I'm mentioning it) and kneed it. I think 5 minutes is great and then saran wrap it and stick it in the fridge for 30 min. After 30min, roll it out and place it in a pan lined with parchment.

Fruit and Almond Tarts

2008-07-23T21:02:00.000-07:00

I don't think I've mentioned this yet, but my favourite baking recipes are from the Donna Hay book "Modern Classics Book 2". The photos are amazingly delicious looking (as is with all of the Donna Hay books I've seen). Every one of her recipes turn out so delightfully perfect. I suspect it's her common use of items like caster sugar and almond meal.
I made these Fruit and Almond Tarts from This book and they were sooooooo delicious. Trust me! The Almond meal is a bit expensive, but heck... they were so worth it!
I should add that these photos don't do them justice... the shell was so crispy and the centre so soft.

Here's the recipe I used:
Preheat the oven to 150C(300F) and grease 4 x 10cm (4in) tart tins.
Almond tartlet filling (which makes the base for the dessert)
Place 3oz butter soft and 1/4 cup caster sugar into a bowl and beat until pale and creamy.
Add one egg, and 1 egg yolk, 1 1/4cup of almond meal and 1 1/2tbsp plain all-p flour and beat until smooth.
Spoon the micture into tart tins. Smooth the tops and press in raspberries and blueberries.
Sprinkle with icing sugar and bake for 35-40 min or until golden.

Profiteroles Are Puffs

2008-07-23T20:52:00.000-07:00

Desserts

2008-07-23T11:44:00.000-07:00