2 -  Glass containers – they don’t stain and while they may be a little heavier, reading articles about weird chemicals seeping into your food via plastic containers freaks me out.

3 – Amy’s Frozen Burritos – delicious – even better when they are on sale.

4- Penny Savers

5 – Brita water filter and my BPA free water bottle – saving one plastic bottle at a time.

6 – Dark Chocolate with Sea Salt – actually good for you.

7 – Davids Tea – greatest selection , the decor and vibe in the stores is great and makes me happy. I have about 12 of their teas at home right now and two in my desk at work. I can’t get enough. Current favourite: goji pop.

8 – Supperworks – you pack up whole meals into ziplock bags and chuck them in your freezer. When you are ready to make it you put it in the fridge in the morning and it’s ready to go when you get home.

9 – London Fogs ( Earl Grey Tea Latte with Vanilla) – delicious.

10 – Walnuts – Omega 3s, crunchy, go in everything from salads to breads to cookies.

11 - When friends make you baked goods and drive them to your house….YUM- Thanks Sheena.

12 – Springform pans – Easy to use, easy to clean.

13 – Parchment paper – I like that is a really versatile product, you can use it to cook fish En Papillote, to prevent cookies and breads/loaves from sticking to pans. And it’s fairly inexpensive.

14 – My Kitchen Aid mixer – “Bubba Fluffseasy”. My mom got me this as a special present for Christmas and I adore it. It has loads of settings and looks so cool on a kitchen counter.

15 – My new GIANT WHITE CERAMIC CHICKEN – it’s on my kitchen counter like a delightfully whimsical decoration. I love it and chuckle every time I see him. I am debating whether calling him Col. Cluck is too much?!

I have previously posted about Anna Olson’s fruit medleys and how much I adored them. This recipe is from that same book.

Plummy Clafloutis

Adapted from Anna Olson’s Fresh

You’ll need:

• 4 purple plums
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 6 tablespoons brown sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon or more!
• dash salt
• 2 large eggs
• 1 large egg yolk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 cups 2% milk

1. Preheat oven to 375 °F and grease one rectangular baking dish. I used one that was about 5 inches by 8 inches.
2. Cut plums into quarters and arrange in baking dish. Combine flour,  brown sugar, cinnamon and salt. In a separate bowl, whisk eggs, egg yolk, vanilla and milk. Add milk mixture to flour and whisk until combined. Pour gently over plums and bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until puffed and golden.
3. Serve clafoutis warm or at room temperature. I even like it cold.

I made lemonade the summer before last and I love its tartness and flavor. And then I read a post about sweat tea on All About Bonfires and then I waited ages until I put the two together and was like I can make my own Arnold Palmer with  little effort! Right now, I am practicing for the summer, but it’s been pretty great. Plus lemons go on sale lots so no worries your pennies are safe with this recipe.

Arnold Palmer

• Lemons
• Orange Pekoe tea bags
• Sugar
• Hot water

Now about how many lemons you should use. This recipe can’t really be that direct because it really depends how lemony you like things. I would recommend starting with 3. Juice them and pour them into your juice jug. Add sugar to taste. Boil the water, enough for 4 cups and let the tea steep for at least 5 minutes and cool. Add the tea to the lemon mixture. Taste it and see if you need more sugar.  For me this has been a very trial and error bevie.

The last time I made this I used 5 lemons and 6 cups of tea. I added about 1/3 cup of sugar. It was pretty good.

This looks really pretty with lemon rings for garnish or floating in the juice jug.

Isn’t that the best when you feel like making something and suddenly you notice something a little off-beat that you kind of want to try just cause you have everything?! Yes! It is. I know.

Carrot Walnut Loaf with Cranberries

Adapted from The Joy of Cooking

• 1 1/2 cups grated carrots
• 1 1/2 cups ground walnuts
• 1/4 cranberries (optional)
• 3/4 cup of sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 tsp baking soda
• pinch of salt
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp cinnamon
• 1 1/2 cups flour
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 vegetable oil

Start the oven up to 350 degrees, grease one 9×5 inch loaf pan, line the bottom with parchment paper.

Grate carrots and grind the walnuts ( I did mine in a blender and it worked out fine, some small chunks are ok).

Get your dry ingredients together – flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon and salt. Whisk.

Mix your wet ingredients together – sugar, eggs, vanilla, vegetable oil, add the dry and stir in the grated carrot and walnut mixture. and cranberries!

Pour it in to the prepared pan and bake it for about 45 minutes or until a knife stuck in comes out clean.

This loaf was surprisingly good. I thought to add the cranberries when I saw them in the pantry and I thought they would pair nicely both with the walnuts and the carrots and they did add a little interest. I enjoyed a couple of slices for breakfast this morning and I felt it wasn’t too sweet. Also, I didn’t want to promote something that only I liked so I passed out a few slices around at work and people really liked it so go forth and make carrot walnut loaf – you’ll be as surprised as I was.

I am going to try a variation on them this week-end if I have a few minutes to spare, you know, when I am not lolling around basking in the glory that is the week-end….more on that next week.

For the moment, though these cookies are awesome.

One Bowl Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

Adapted from the FoodNetwork Magazine January/February 2011.

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups rolled oats
• 1 1/4 cups brown sugar
• 1 egg
• 2 egg whites
• 1/4
• 1 cup Whole Wheat flour
• 1/2 cup wheat germ ( is used
• 1/2 cup Chocolate Chips or chunks OR cut chunks off a toblerone bar
• 1/4 cup raisins
• 1/4 walnuts
• 1  1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Whisk brown sugar, egg and egg whites in a bowl.
3. Whisk in vegetable oil.
4. Stir in rolled oats, whole wheat flour, wheat germ or bran and baking soda and salt.
5. Add chocolate, raisins and walnuts.
6. Drop large spoonfuls onto lined baking sheet and gently flatten bake for 12-15 minutes. DO NOT OVER BAKE THESE!

Brown Sugar Pound Cake

Adapted from All Cakes Considered

Ingredients

• 2 sticks of unsalted butter
• 1/2 cup of shortening
• 2 1/4 cups of brown sugar
• 1/2 cup of sugar
• 5 large eggs
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp of baking powder
• 1 cup milk
• 2 tbsp of vanilla extract
• 1 cup chopped pecans

Directions

1. Set out your milk, eggs and butter for at least an hour before you start.
2. Position the rack in the middle of the over and preheat it to 350 degrees F. Line the bottom of your bundt pan with butter, then parchment, then butter again.
3. Cut up the butter into pats and drop into a large bowl. Cut the shortening into 4 parts and add it in.
4. Cream together the butter and shortening.
5. COmbine your sugars together in a separate bowl, add them 1/2 cup at a time to your creamed mixture. Beating for at least one minute between additions.
6. Add eggs one at a time and beat at least 1 minute between additions.
7. Mix the all-purpose flour and baking power together and whisk in a separate bowl.
8. Slow down the mixer and alternate additions of the flour mixture and the milk – one cup of dry ingredients per 1/3 cup of wet.
9. Add vanilla extract
10. Slow down the mixer as much as possible and add pecans.
11. Pour the batter into your prepared pan. Bake for 55 min up to 70 minutes until a knife stuck in the middle comes out clean.
12. Cool in the pan for at least 15 minutes then remove it from the pan. Continue cooling the cake.

Instructions to get the cake out of the pan:

Run a knife along all edges. Put a plate to cover the top of the cake. Flip it so the plate is on the bottom now and the cake pan is on top, shake a little to loosen cake, then flip it back onto another plate right side up. * I am going to post picture of this so it’s easier to visualize it*

I love baking and it is a preferred pastime but butter is super expensive and recipes always call for at least a stick. This month, I will be featuring recipes that do not use butter, but instead use oil and a mix of different ingredients.

Without further ado….

Very Vanilla Vegan Cupcakes

Adapted from IsaChandra -Vanilla Bean Cupcakes

Ingredients

• 1 cup vanilla almond milk
• 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
• 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch
• 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/3 cup canola oil
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise and scraped

Directions

1. Preheat the oven  to 350 degrees
2. Whisk the almond milk and apple cider vinegar together in a measuring cup and set aside to curdle.
3. Sift the flour, cornstarch, baking powder, baking soda and salt into a medium bowl.
4. Beat together the almond mixture, canola oil, sugar, vanilla extract and vanilla bean scrapings in a large bowl.
5. Mix the flour mixture into the wet ingredients until there are no large lumps.
6. Fill the cupcake liners 2/3 of the way full (I only got about 10 out of this).
7. Bake in the oven for 20-22 minutes.

Now there is a ganache recipe that accompanies this… it was a little disaster for me, tasted great but didnt really look shiny like the photograph on their website…

Chocolate Ganache

1. Bring the almond milk to a boil.
2. Lower the heat to a simmer and stir in the chocolate chips and syrup. Mix with a rubber spatula for about 30 seconds.
3. Turn off the heat and continue stirring until the chocolate is melted and the icing is smooth.

To assemble the cupcakes. Let both the cakes and the ganache cool. DIp the cakes into the ganche and spoon the remaining ganache over them. Let them set in a cool place for about 30 minutes. Devour with abandon. Make second batch.

** I used sweetened vanilla almond milk instead of plain almond milk, because that’s what I had on hand, it worked out great for the cupcakes but it could have been the downfall of the  ganache. **

I have been reading Chatelaine now for a few months, they changed the layout and I think it looks really fresh and they have some great ideas for food and design and clothes – all in one place! Anyways, I saw the cover of January’s Chatelaine and I was like wow – does that bowl of ravioli ever look like a pure comfort indulgence. Swoon.

I decided to make it on a cold windy night.

And here’s how it went down.

I modified the recipe a little here because I went to the grocery store without a list and decided while there that I wanted to make this which is not my usual style at all – ha. So I bought a jar of sauce instead of the ingredients to make my own and I didn’t pick up mozzarella cheese because I planned on using the Tex Mex blend I had leftover from Taco Night (because I am trying to use things we already have instead of buying new stuff forgetting what we already had and having to toss it).

Here are the ingredients that I used:

•  700g of ravioli (like Olivieri type stuff) with spinach and cheese
• 4 sausages (take the casings off and crumble up the meat)
• Mushrooms (as many or as few as you like)
• 1 jar bought tomato sauce (I used portobello mushrooms)
• Tex Mex cheese blend

What to do

1. Turn the oven on to 375 degrees.
2. Heat up some olive oil in a large pot.
3. Take the cases of the sausages and throw them in the pot, break them up with a fork for crumbly bits. Cook until done.
4. Cut up mushrooms. Set aside.
5. Add your jar of sauce and stir.
6. Add your ravioli and mushroom. Stir to coat.
7. Transfer to a large oven safe dish. Toss cheese on top.
8. Put it in the oven for about 20 minutes or until the cheese is melted and the sauce is bubbling.
9. Serve and enjoy!

I seem to have issues with following recipes exactly. I find that the meals come together nicely when I just figure things out on my own and just follow the basic principles of the recipe.

When and if you make this recipe do your own thing, no need to cut veggies a certain way or add exact amounts. Just do what feels right and looks right. Looks like there isn’t enough broth just add some more.

Life lesson here, when making soup go easy on the pasta. If you are going by a recipe add less than they suggest. TRUST ME on this.

So, when I looked through the fridge after our organic bin delivery and saw multi colour carrots and celery and I remembered we already had garlic, onions, elbow macaroni and two kinds of beans  well I thought I am gonna make this soup off the cuff and see how things go.

Veggie SOUP

olive oil

1/2 large onion

2 or 3 cloves of garlic minced

3 stalks of celery

3 carrots

a handful of edamame beans

a bunch of white kidney beans

1 small zucchini (or more)

1 small sweet potato

2 boxes of low sodium chicken stock

3/4 of a can of diced tomatoes

1 small

DIRECTIONS

Heat up the olive oil in a big pot, once hot add the chopped onions and garlic, let them melt a little, add the carrots and celery cook for  few minutes. Add zucchini and sweet potato. Add salt and pepper and any other spices you like.

Add the broth and beans.

Let the soup simmer for 5-10 minutes.

Stir in the diced tomatoes and noodles.

Let the soup simmer for another 20-25 minutes. Or longer. Whatever.

Service with crusty french bread and top with grated parmesan!

Over the summer of 2010, my friend and I decided we needed to learn how to make cakes. We were invited over to a BBQ and wanted to bring dessert. We did a little looking around and decided to make a cake.

We picked a Martha Stewart cake as I am a huge fan of her cookies and pies.

Meringue Cake

12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature, plus more for pans
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled), plus more for pans
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 3/4 cups sugar
2 large eggs, plus 3 large egg yolks (reserving whites for meringue, plus 1 additional white)
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 cup milk
5 ounces frozen raspberries, thawed and drained (1/2 cup)
1/4 cup raspberry preserves

Directions
1- Preheat oven to 350 degrees, with rack in center. Butter two 8-inch round cake pans; line bottoms with parchment paper. Butter paper; dust with flour; tap out excess. In a large bowl, whisk flour, baking powder, and salt; set aside.
2- Using an electric mixer, in a large bowl, beat butter with 1 cup sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs and yolks, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add vanilla; beat until combined.
3- Alternately add flour mixture and milk, beginning and ending with flour mixture; beat just until combined. Divide batter between prepared pans.

4- Bake cakes side by side (not touching), rotating pans halfway through, until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, 25 to 30 minutes. Cool in pans 10 minutes. Run a knife around edge of pans. Invert cakes onto a cooling rack; remove parchment. Cool completely, upside down. (Wrap in plastic, and store at room temperature, up to 1 day.)
5- In a small bowl, combine raspberries and preserves. On an ovenproof serving platter, place one cake layer, bottom side up; spread with raspberry mixture, leaving a 1-inch border. Top with second cake layer, bottom side up.

6- Preheat oven to 450 degrees, with rack in bottom third. Using an electric mixer, beat reserved whites with additional egg white until soft peaks form. Gradually add 3/4 cup sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time, beating whites until stiff. Using a spatula, frost top and sides of cake, lifting spatula occasionally to make peaks. Bake until tips of meringue brown slightly, about 2 minutes, watching carefully so they don’t burn.

Now a couple of things on this cake. It was a little on the dry side and I felt like there could have been more of the raspberry filling. The meringue looks absolutely gorgeous but I wouldn’t recommend transporting this cake, meringue sticks to everything.