A new Chef in da House!

For dinner Monday night, Matt decided to whip up a dish he used to cook in his bachelor days. And it was delicious! This was a nice treat on a Monday night, as I got to sit on the couch and knit and catch up on Project Runway while Matt worked away in the kitchen.

Now, don't think that Matt can't cook; he can and has in the past. It's just that I really enjoy cooking and trying out new recipes, (and maybe, just maybe, sometimes I have a hard time handing over the reigns in the kitchen to someone else), but since he offered, how could I turn him down. I loved that he got the recipe out of a book from Company's Coming called The Rookie Cook, which featured a picture of a guy in a blue apron, wiping his eyes from chopping onions. It doesn't get any better than that! 

So, what did we eat? You can't tell from the photo?! It was a spicy chicken stir fry with cashews on a bed of white rice. The cashews were a last minute addition (and not in the recipe...way to improvise, Matt!) and really added some nice crunch and flavour to the dish. The sauce had some really nice heat... maybe a little too much for my taste buds, but I know Matt enjoyed it. And as an added bonus, usually Matt does the dishes after I cook, but he even did them after HE cooked! A girl could get used to this kind of service...

And of course we've been glued to the television each night watching the Olympic coverage. We're interested in sports we never thought we would be, and found ourselves staying up much later than we should to see our athletes compete, even though we PVR the program to watch later. This back fired on us one night when we went to bed before our Canadian figure skating pair performed their last skate in the medal round. We thought we'd watch it in the morning while getting ready for work, but while we were up in the gym the next day, the tv was on and spoiled the results (plus, a guy in our hallway gets the newspaper each day, and I sneak a peak at the headlines as we walk by, and the figure skating couple were on the front page... I knew it was probably good news). We still came back and watched them skate, but some how knowing the outcome makes it a little less exciting.

I think we will both be a little sad when the Olympics are over and we have to go back to watching scripted TV... but until then, Go Canada!

Battle of the Croissants

Matt and I happened to watch a show one day on the Food Network on how to make croissants, and, well, we were hooked! It may not be something I will attempt to make in my kitchen (it requires a lot of butter and some muscles for rolling...), however we did go on a diligent search to find that best bakery for croissants in Toronto. After some busy research (Matt loves researching these things, and Toronto Life is great resources that does a lot of the researching for us...), we narrowed it down to two different bakeries in the city and set out to try them both.

Round One

Pain Perdu: Being located uptown, we decided to try it one day on our way out of town. We found parking right outside the front door (how lucky was that!?!) and were happy that we were getting our breakfast to go. As is often the case, these small cafes have limited seating and are often fully booked! We got 3 croissants to share, just in case one was not enough, a cup of coffee, and away we went. I think the first few minutes we were too busy savouring the buttery goodness - it was one darn good croissant! I have to say, I was pretty sure that it was going to be a tough one to contend with.

Round Two

Clafouti Patisserie: This little pastry shop is located within walking distance on Queen St W, so we decided to visit it while Matt's sister and her family were in town. We thought an afternoon croissant would be the prefect snack on a Sunday afternoon. Plus, walking down Queen St is always fun, especially for out-of-towners. Well, we should have been wiser to know that the croissants would be sold out by 4:30pm on a Sunday, so we were out of luck for that day. However, we did learn that we could call ahead and have any of the pastries set aside for us, so we took a card and intended to do just that. But while we were there, we did enjoy a coffee, so all was not lost.

Take Two: The following weekend we learned our lesson and called ahead to reserve three croissants, and then headed out at a decent hour to fetch them (I think walking there also helped to justify us eating the croissants...). It was a little busier than the last time we got there, and luckily our croissants had been set aside, because the box was empty! Getting a seat was a little more challenging, but eventually a table opened up and we were able to sit and enjoy our morning snack. These were very good croissants, indeed, doughy in the middle and very buttery. Heck, they were good enough for us to get two more to go for breakfast the next day!

The Results

I would have to say, in honour of the Olympics, that Pain Perfu gets our Gold medal. They were just a small step above Clafouti's, which earns them a Silver. But let's be honest, its hard to go wrong with croissants. I think this taste test officially knocks out the Pillsbury Dough Boy out of the running. I'm not even going to give him the Bronze... let's just say he didn't qualify.

However, by default, Clafouti might be our go-to bakery based on location. Plus, it's right next door to The Paper Place. You might remember them from the post on making my own lampshades. Well, it also has a starring role in our Wedding invites, which are hitting the mail box soon (they better, since the wedding is April 17th!). We're doing the invites ourselves; I wanted to add our own little touch of creativity, and I'll be sharing more about that soon.

Hmm.... wonder what the next battle should be?

Trivia Tuesday

(Note: not any dog of mine... but still adorable!)

Photo Credit: Michael Eudenbach

Based on findings from my local internet resources (aka, the one website I check on Tuesdays to see what the day's events are), today is Dog Biscuit Celebration Day. Treats are certainly a great way to reward your dog, and to show them just how much you care (wait a minute...I'm seeing some similarities between dogs and us humans...potty training children... rewarding good grades at school... buying new outfits for special occasions...). While I don't personally own a pet (I'm working on keeping my cactus alive), one day Matt and I hope to have a house with a yard and a dog of our own.

I know that dog owners will buy many lovely gifts for their pets, which is why I often toy with knitting up outerwear for dogs, big and small (I know that when I get my very own cute little puppy, they will be wearing a handmade sweater when the weather gets cold - no matter how much Matt protests! He can walk behind me. Besides, the sweaters would knit up in a pinch!). I also know pet owners love their dogs based on the many, many, many pet shops found in and around town, offering a variety of expensive items: booties and sweaters to wear; beds and pillows to sleep on; groomers to primp and pamper; and even designer houses to live in.

While at first I didn't think I would be able to have much useful information to share with you on this Trivia Tuesday, procrastinating from work allowed me some time to search the worldwide web for a while, and I did come across some interesting facts about dogs:  

• Estimated Number of Canadian Households with Dogs, 2002: 3.4 million;
• Estimated total Number of Dogs held as Pets, 2002: 5.7 million;
• Dogs can register sounds of 35,000 vibrations a second where as a human can only hear 20,000 vibrations;
• Theobromine in chocolates, a substance similar to caffeine, can kill the dogs, or at the very least make them seriously ill;
• The oldest age recorded for a dog is 29 years and 5 months;
• Greyhounds can reach speeds of up to 45 miles per hour in short bursts;
• Did you know that dogs have three eyelids? They have an upper and lower eyelid and a third one inside of the other two. It helps protect the eye from dirt and dust. It is also called a "haw".

And since we here at BusyBeeBets are a baking-related blog, for all you pet owners out there, I have found a collection of Dog Biscuit Recipes online for you to try out.

 

Now on to the quiz portion of the day: how much do you know about myths and facts about dogs? Today we'll test your general knowledge with this Quiz. I scored a 10/15 on this one... not too shabby...

 

 

 

Fat Friday - Pizzeria Libretto

This week, Fat Friday is brought to you by the letter P - for Pizza! We are always on the hunt for new pizzerias, and even better if they are rated tops in the city! Matt came across Pizzeria Libretto, which specializes in true Italian style pizzas, so that's where we headed! We were warned that this place gets busy, and busy fast. So, instead of fighting the crowds on Friday night, we headed out for an early Sunday dinner. It's a good thing we did; we arrived just after 4, when the restaurant opens on Sundays, and there was no wait for a table. But by 5 o'clock, however, you would have been looking at a wait time of at least 20 -30 minutes. And since we had only had croissants for breakfast that day (look for a post on that later this week...), we were ready for dinner by 4. But good news: if you have a craving one of these pizzas, they do offer take-out. 

Ok, on to the food. Please indulge my elaborate details, as this really was one of the best meals we've enjoyed out, probably since our meal at Jump. I think you'll be hungry just looking at the photos... so enjoy!   

The restaurant itself is very cool and modern, and has a great atmosphere, which I think only added to the meal. They were also hosting a Fixed Menu, similar to winterlicious, so that only expanded our options to choose from. In the end, Matt settled on the Fixed Price menu, which included 4 courses, and I had settled on a spicy sausage pizza and an order of bruschetta. Of course, while we awaited our meal, they brought fresh bread with olive oil and spices, and just the presentation alone of the oil was enough to set the tone for the rest of the food that night.

My bruschetta was not just any old bruschetta. I was expecting the usual flavours of tomatoes, onions, and basil, but was pleasantly surprised when three very different variations arrived: goat cheese with roasted red pepper; ricotta cheese with proscuitto; and apple with mustard. The latter seemed a bit odd at first, but to be honest, it was probably one of my favourites! Who would have thought to combine coarse mustard with apple slices on grilled garlic bread? Not me, that's for sure, but thanks to Libretto, my eyes have been opened!

Matt's starter for the night was a very simple but delicious salad of greens. The croutons were homemade, soft and perfectly seasoned with garlic, and a great compliment to the simple greens. The dressing was a slightly sweet and salty oil and vinegar combo, and when drizzled over the greens and croutons, it actually is a little piece of heaven (who would have thought a simple salad could be so good?). Only a bit of goat cheese could have improved this dish!

Next came the Antipasti course, consisting of an Italian meatball and pickled eggplant with goat cheese. While neither of us are big on eggplants, combining a bite with the meatball proved to be delectable (look at us stepping outside our comfort zone!). And this course was a surprise, as it was the Chef's Daily Special that would be served up. We were hopeful that it might have been either a meat or cheese dish, typical antipasti dishes,

When the main course arrived, a pizza for each of us, we were sure that we would be taking leftovers home with us to enjoy the next day for lunch, but to our surprise, we each finished our plates! The traditional thin crust made this pizza easy to finish, but the crust at the edges was perfectly crisp on the outside and chewy on the inside, so even I finished the edges (I usually leave the crust and fill up on the insides...). Plus, we shared each of our pizzas with each other, so by the end of the night, including dessert, we had tried 7 different items on the menu.

As for dessert, the two options that Matt had were either Tiramisu or Panna Cotta. We opted for the Tiramisu, and we were NOT disappointed! The creamy vanilla custard was amazing, and the bite of liquor-soaked cookie was the prefect little surprise. It was served in just a small water glass, and with two spoons, it was the perfect way to top off our dining experience at Pizzeria Libretto. I know we'll be heading back there again; its too bad they are not a little closer, because they might just replace our local pizza place, Pizza Rustica. But it's hard to compete with that one, since it really is just a matter of taking the elevator down 9 stories to the lobby; Pizza Rustica is just next door!

Wow, I'm still full just thinking about everything we ate!

To Dye For!

Do you remember a few weeks ago a little post called Sneak Peek? If you'd like to take a moment to refresh your memory, I'm happy to post the follow-up - dyeing my own yarn!

What really inspired the idea was when I mistakenly ordered yarn on the internet without having looked at it in the store. I am now all the wiser! While the internet is great for convenience, like times when I can't get to the yarn store before they close, I am definitely a store shopper when it comes to picking out new yarns. Sure, if I am already familiar with the yarn and have simply run out (yes, that has been known to happen from time to time) then re-ordering online is great (although I was also burned by this when the yarn I ordered didn't match exactly as I had hoped).

Sorry, that was a long way of saying that I had extra yarn and nothing to use it for. Since it was a wool blend and cream coloured, it was the perfect  candidate for attempting to dye my own yarn. After a bit of research, I settled on using food colouring, which I already had in my baking cupboard and the only other things I needed were vinegar and a pot full of water. Turns out that food colouring sticks really well if you boil it until the colour in the water has soaked completely into the yarn. The picture above was my attempt at multi-coloured mittens before I felted in the machine.

Check out the before and after shots:

You might remember these mittens; they are the ones I received for Christmas from Diane, the knit, wash, and shrink variety. I thought it would be fun to knit first before dyeing, but I am excited to try dyeing a skein of yarn and then knitting THAT up. That will be a very different result for sure.

The colour of the mittens themselves didn't turn out exactly as I would have liked (I found the colour a little muddled), so I put them back in the pot and just dyed them again to a solid purple. It was more of an experiment anyway, and it gave me some good insight into the process. The question begs to be asked: what to dye next...?

Trivia Tuesday & Olympics

 

Today is Mardi Gras, also known as Fat Tuesday (guess they have been reading my blog! Ha!).  Known for their parades, masks, and beaded necklaces, Mardi Gras is one giant party celebrated throughout Louisiana, Alabama, and Florida in the US, and Quebec City and Montreal in Canada, to name a few. It falls 46 days before Easter each and every year, and is a day of feasting before the beginning of Lent, hence the name Fat Tuesday, which is the literal translation of the French Mardi Gras. I remember is it as Pancake Tuesday, so perhaps pancakes are in order for dinner tonight...

Some things you may not know about Mardi Gras:

• The origins of Mardi Gras can be traced to Medieval Europe, though we have no written record of how that really transformed into the current Mardi Gras of today;
• Mardi Gras came to New Orleans through its French heritage in 1699;
• The official colors for Mardi Gras are purple, green, and gold. These colors were chosen in 1872 by the King of Carnival, Rex;
• Purple represents justice, green stands for faith and gold stands for power;

Think you know about the traditions of Mardi Gras? Feel free to test your knowledge HERE. I didn't too terribly this time... 7 out of 15. This one is a challenge.

----On Another Note:

I'd be remiss not to discuss our Vancouver Olympics. Coverage started last Friday with the opening ceremonies, and while there were some slow parts, overall, I thought they were pretty well done (some very cool graphics on the floor with the whales and melting ice!). And now that we are into the games, Canada is showing a strong start. We have already earned our first gold medal, and that means we can finally stop listening to the announcers remind us that we are the only host country not to have won a gold medal in the two times we've hosted.

And since most networks are airing re-runs, we don't have many other options to tune into at night. But that's ok, since Matt and I are cheering our country on. We were at the Science Centre just this past Monday (and who would have thought that it would be busy on Family Day?!? Good thing we got there early!) where they have an exhibit about the Olympics, including human curling! Great fun for parents and their kids.

We have been cheering on the great efforts in the men's and women's downhill moguls, snowboarding, and the speed skating. Of course we are looking forward to the hockey - the women have already started off strongly. Tonight is the start of the men's hockey, and we're actually pretty excited about the curling. I know a lot of you out there are cheering on our athletes, so let me add my Go, Canada, Go!

Pulled Pork Sandwiches

Last weekend we cheered on the Indianapolis Colts at the Super Bowl with good friends and good food. Sadly, the Colts did not take home the  cup, but we did dine on some delicious chili and pulled pork, so I feel like overall the night was a winner (thanks again Ian and Kate!). They were both so good, in fact, that we decided to cook our own pulled pork this Sunday in the slow cooker. This was also the weekend we brought in lots of extra hands to help - Matt's sister Erin, her husband, and two kids! And what a great time we had!  

Saturday we all took a walk to Kensington market to pick up some fresh buns and pork shoulder (and also a great Mexican lunch...). Back at home I put a quick rub on the meat, which included onions, garlic, cumin, salt, pepper, and bbq sauce (I sort of went by a recipe found in a cookbook, and sort of made up my own... this being the first test, I didn't want to screw up dinner for 5 too terribly, so I went easy on the spices). I then wrapped in plastic wrap and let sit overnight to marinade. The next morning, we popped it into the slow cooker (getting two shoulders in there was a bit trickier than we thought...) and let it simmer the day away.

Sunday we headed out to visit family (the McLean's met cousin Noah for the first time), and when we returned from more walking in Queen St W, the whole condo smelled of yummy bbq pork (I love that about slow cookers!!). There was a lot more juice in the pot then I thought there would be (I was worried that it might dry out), and also a lot more meat. Turns out 2 shoulders were more than enough! We froze a batch for a later date, and since we just found out that grocery stores are closed on Family Day, we'll also be enjoying the sandwiches again tonight.  We served with buttered buns, coleslaw, and potato chips... That made up for the Fat Friday we missed this week.

And to top the night off, we celebrated Emily's and Brad's birthday with cupcakes! Emily turned three this past Friday, and Brad shares his birthday with St. Valentine.

After all that, the nap today was well deserved...and I guess the gym might be in order, too.  

Forays into Taxidermy...

Ok, don't worry, I'm not actually stuffing dead animals in my free time (that would really stink the condo up!). I am, however, venturing into knitted and stuffed animals. As I might have mentioned before, several of my girlfriends are either pregnant, already have kids, or are in the process of trying. I like to give knitted gift to my friends (mostly because I think they appreciate them), and not knowing the gender makes it a bit more difficult to pick out an outfit or item. But toys, now those are always very gender-neutral, and very adorable!

My first attempt was this very cute elephant that I came across in one of my magazines. Other than having to knit four little legs, two ears, a head, and a body, it went along pretty quickly and relatively smoothly (I thank my attempts at socks and mittens, which require knitting in the round, for the ease of this project...). Once I started putting the stuffing it, it really started to come together, and in no time at all, it looked like an elephant (mainly due to the trunk).

I got really excited about knitting these toys and have since purchased a couple knitting books, which I feverishly flipped through. I have already found my next project, a pink hippo, but I'm not quite sure just yet who the lucky recipient will be. I'm sure more animals will be on the horizon (I've got my eye on an adorable penguin, but that's more for myself...). There are even reversible ones that feature two animals in one! I think I will have to try that one out after the penguin... and then the giraffe....and the lion....and the monkey, oh my! You can see how this is now going to occupy a lot of my time!

Our niece Ava received the elephant this weekend. I hope she likes slobbering on it...  

Fat Friday - Grindhouse Burger Bar

  

Where does the time go? I think I underestimated this whole working, knitting, cooking, blogging, planning a wedding thing. It sure does take up more time than I anticipated! But today I found a few minutes to finally fill you in on our Fat Friday (while taking a quick break on campus to enjoy some soup...)

We had originally scheduled another Winterlicious dinner with friends, but those plans changed, so we opted to get back in to our original Fat Friday menus....just plain old, stick-to-your-gut greasy food. And when you think of greasy food, you probably think of French fries, onion rings, and hamburgers! At least that's what WE think of. We thought we had found an already great burger place near us, Craft Burger, but it seems new ones are always popping up in the area. (I thought I had previously blogged about Craft Burger, but it seems it has not appeared yet in Fat Friday! I better correct this error...soon!)

One we had heard really great reviews about was Grindhouse Burger Bar, a mere 5 minute walk from on our condo. From the outside, it doesn't look much of anything special, sandwiched in (or burgered in....hehe...) between a dive bar (my apologies to those who actually LIKE The Underground...) and a travel agent (I think), but once inside it takes on a very different ambiance, and it's really quite nice. We were surprised that it was actually a sit-down restaurant; we were expecting a small counter to order take out, with perhaps a few tables for those wishing to dine in. But there was actually a very nice bar and tables set up, so we may return to enjoy other items on their menu.

The story behind the Grindhouse is that is owned by caters who wanted to open a burger place, and what sets them apart is that they use only the best ingredients and make everything in-house - buns and condiments included! Plus, fresh onion rings and French fries - we of course got both to share.

And the burger...it was very good, top notch ratings from our side. The size was perfect for filling you up, but not to the point that you're too full to enjoy the sides. Will it replace our Craft Burger? That might depend on how lazy we are and how cold it is outside, because the Grindhouse is definitely a lot closer...

Trivia Tuesday

 

I know some of you look forward to reading our excursions for fatty and delicious food in my regularly scheduled Fat Friday blog post (usually appearing on Mondays), but yesterday was spent dress shopping for my upcoming wedding (and yes, I did find THE perfect dress! Pictures, however, will have to wait until after the ceremony...).  And I can't really blog about Fat Friday on Trivia Tuesday, right? Where is the logic in that? But I will happily share with you tomorrow our adventures in eating.

Today, however, we turn our attention to Trivia Tuesday, and coincidently, there are two things to report on today, which sometimes go hand in hand.

Hershey's Chocolate was founded today in 1894, bringing chocolate and candy for all the world to enjoy. Known for their Reese's Peanut Butter Cups, Jolly Ranchers, Twizzlers, and Ice Breakers, they are perhaps best loved for their little Kisses. It is not uncommon to find many of these sweet treats hidden around our kitchen (I'm the chocolate lover and Matt has the sweet tooth). Of course, with Valentine's Day right around the corner, what better time to promote chocolate for your very own sweetheart...

 

Some interesting facts about chocolate that you may or may not already know:

• West Africa is the source of 70% of the world's cocoa beans.
• Milton Stavely Hershey first became rich selling caramels. He sold his caramel business in 1900 for $1 million and started making milk chocolate.
• American consumers average 10-12 pounds of chocolate a year, while in the UK they eat almost twice that amount.
• Chocolate manufacturers currently use 40% of the world's almonds and 20% of the world's peanuts. (2008)
• U.S. chocolate manufacturers use about 3.5 million pounds of whole milk every day to make chocolate.
• More chocolate is consumed in winter than any other season.

Now try your skills by taking the Hershey's Challenge! It's a tricky one... I only scored 5/10. Let me know how you do!

 

Oh, right... today is also known as Toothache Day! 'Nuf said!

 

An Accordian type thing...

The above is a photo of a project that I had been working on since the holidays (yes, way back in December). It accompanied me on many car rides, and it was originally intended to be a Christmas gift, but sadly, it never quite made it under the tree in time (I am, however, still going to gift it). You may be wondering exactly what IT is, and feel free to let your mind wander. What drew me to this project was the interesting way that it is knit up, in folds! After knitting a number of rows, you fold the project back on itself and knit it together, creating a little fold. 

Ok, you can stop your guessing. The finished project is a tea cozy! After joining it together to create a tube, gathering the top, and sewing on a cute pom-pom, ta-da! I was really happy with how it turned out, and although working through the project was a bit tedious (because of the folding, it seemed you never seemed to get any further!).  I am now excited to find other patterns for tea cozies, and ones that offer new techniques that I can then transfer to different projects. I love finding small projects that are great for using up extra yarn (which is why I chose the colours for the above), and it would be great to have a few tea cozies on hand if I'm ever in a pinch for a hostess gift. Plus, if I'm ever going to open my own knitting store, I'm going to need to have stock!

On a completely different note, the Dragon's Den is having open auditions soon! If you haven't heard of the show, it's a great little Canadian show that encourages entrepreneurs to come to the Den with their ideas and inventions in the hopes that one or all of the five Dragon's will invest their own money to help them on their way. Think they will invest in a girl with creativity and ideas but no sales and no business plan?! Highly unlikely, if past episodes are any indication.

Homemade Gnocchi

Perhaps I was drawn to making Gnocchi because of it's cool sounding name. I had only had gnocchi one time at a restaurant, and it was wonderfully delightful, and it does combine two really great ideas - potatoes and pasta! Plus, watching them make it on the Food Network, it looked like a walk in the park (then again, they make everything look easy on television...).

Well, I am happy to report that it really was not that difficult. With a few simple ingredients (like 3!), the only difficulty was the time it took to peel, cook, cool, and mash the potatoes (I should probably also invest in a potato masher to make the job easier...). Rolling them out and slicing them into little pieces was pretty easy and not too messy. 

Looking for a recipe (there are tons out there) turned out to be a bit of a challenge (first I had to learn to spell it right!). I settled on a simple one to use as a test run. It included potatoes, flour, and butter. Another I found included grated parmesan, so I threw a little of that in there, too (why not?). After cooked, I served with just a jar of spaghetti sauce and a few meatballs, and voila!

 Ingredients

8 potatoes
2 tablespoons butter
2 cups all-purpose flour

Directions

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Drop in potatoes and cook until tender but still firm, about 15 minutes. Drain, cool slightly, and peel. Mash potatoes with fork, masher or in ricer. Place in large bowl and make a well in the center. Put butter in well and allow to melt. When mashed potatoes have cooled, knead in enough of the flour to make a soft dough.
2. Divide dough into fist-sized portions. On a floured surface, roll each portion into a long rope. Cut the ropes into one-inch pieces. Roll each piece with a fork for a distinctive texture.
3. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Drop in gnocchi and cook for 3 to 5 minutes or until they float to the top; drain and serve with tomato sauce.

I might make a few changes the next time, like making them smaller to get more of a pasta texture, and less like mashed potatoes. Or adding different seasonings and serving with different sauces. But if you're looking for something different to add to your meal rotation, why not give it a try?
 

Berries on a Cloud

One of my mom's (shout out to Marg!) very simple dessert treats she used to bake for us was Berries on a Cloud - fresh (or frozen) berries served atop a fresh pillow of meringue. It's so light and fluffy and very delicious, and as both a kid and adult, I loved to see these little pillows browning in the oven.

Turns out that one of Matt's favourite treats is meringue (of course, he seems to have a lot of favourite treats...he is a bit of a sugar monster!). Luckily for him, though, I don't mind baking. Instead of a birthday cake this year, we celebrated with these heavenly meringue treats. Once I made the two big pillows, I had leftovers to make individual drops for Matt to enjoy later. And the great thing was, I had everything I needed on hand, including frozen fruit in the freezer. For this occasion, I opted for raspberries and a mint meringue, but feel free to experiment with different fruits and flavouring. 

Recipe:

2 egg whites

1/2 tsp peppermint extract

1/8 tsp cream of tartar

2/3 cup sugar

1 cup frozen/fresh berries

Directions

1. In a medium mixing bowl, beat egg whites, peppermint, and cream of tartar with electric mixer on high until soft peaks form. Add the sugar, 1 tbsp at a time, beating till stiff peaks form.
2. Drop onto greased or lined cookie sheets into large circles, making a small well in each (for the fruit to go later). Bake at 300 degrees about 20 minutes or until firm and bottoms are very lightly browned. Let cool and then top with berries.

I'm sure a chocolate drizzle over top would be a great addition to this treat, as would a dollop of whipped cream...

Trivia Tuesday - Groundhog Day

 

If you happened to watch the news today, then you are probably aware that it is, indeed, Groundhog's Day, the day us Canadians put all our hopes in the shadow of a little groundhog to end our bitter winter. Well, turns out he did see his shadow, and now we're looking at 6 more weeks of Winter. Of course, The Weather Network could have probably told us the same thing, but then they wouldn't have a groundhog to blame it on if they were wrong!

 

An interesting article in China Daily suggests that we do away with the use of an actual groundhog and replace it instead with a robot... What is it with replacing everything with robots?!?! I say let this cute little guy have his moment in the spotlight.

 

Here are five facts you probably didn't know about Groundhog Day:

1. Punxsutawney Phil has seen his shadow 97 times, has not seen it 15 times, and nine years are unaccounted for.
2. The National Climatic Data Center reportedly stated that Phil's prediction's have been correct 39 percent of the time. This number is in conflict with Phil's club, which states he's been right 100 percent of the time.
3. According to the funny website groundhog.org, there's a legend that during Prohibition, Phil threatened to impose 60 weeks of winter on the community if he wasn't allowed a drink.
4. In the years following the release of Groundhog Day, a 1993 film starring Bill Murray, crowds numbering as high as 30,000 have visited Gobbler's Knob, a tiny hill in Punxsutawney where the ceremony takes place.
5. Though groundhogs typically live only six to eight years, Groundhog Day lore suggests that Phil drinks a magic elixir every summer, which gives him seven more years of life.

If you're wanting to learn more about Groundhog Day, you're in luck! There is a specific website that offers answers to all your burning questions (what CAN'T you find on the internet these days...). Just go to http://www.groundhog.org/ where you can send postcards, see the latest updates of Phil, and yes, even get text messages sent directly to you with Phil's latest prediction.

Why have you not already clicked on the link?!?!

 

Fat Friday - Jump Cafe & Bar

Credit: foodanddrinkphotos

(Not actual photo of food)

This time every year, the city of Toronto puts on Winterlicious, where selected restaurants offer fixed price menus for lunch and dinner. You can check out all the menus online to see what they offer for both meals, and then head to the one you think looks the best. We really like this event and try to eat out at least 2 or 3 times for the two weeks that it runs. It's great because it allows us to eat at new and interesting restaurants that we might not have tried otherwise (usually because they can be quite pricey...).

So this week we made reservations at Jump Cafe & Bar (you will need reservations, and usually at least 2 days in advance). Jump is from the Oliver and Bonacini line of restaurants, (which we had recently eaten at) and we were excited to try a different version.

We started with a fresh spinach salad with goat cheese, walnuts, and dried cranberries, followed with steak with cauliflower gratin for our main. We finished our meal with dessert. Ah, dessert (since the price of the meal includes three courses, you don't have to feel guilty about ordering dessert!). Matt enjoyed the vanilla panna cotta, and I had the creamy chocolate torte. Both were delectable!

We hope to enjoy another meal out this Friday with friends, but once Winterlicious is done, we are going back to basics with Fat Friday. There are a few new burger places that have opened up that we need to test out. Plus, we're still looking for a contender of the pulled pork sandwich we had at the Stockyards (which seems so long ago...).