Next Time: Strathcona

Let's chat one more time this summer about cafes. Just one more time. Anyway, it's that time for lamenting when we're all trying to hang on to the last breeze of summer and psyche up for all the pumpkins and apples and squash.

I'm going to lament in this post about a neighbourhood that we casually strolled through in Vancouver, one that I promised myself I would visit again the next time around. It's the beautiful neighbourhood of Strathcona. Beautiful houses, quiet streets, a huge park, cute corner stores that double as cafes, not to mention a beautiful young lady bicycling down the street selling gourmet, Popsicles. It's like a neighbourhood that I dream of living in "when I grow up" whenever that may be. We spent our last day in Vancouver camped out on a bench, napping, re-living our two week adventure that seemed to pass by way too quickly.

We only managed to visit a few places in Strathcona, and sampled only one coffee -- from The Wilder Snail. Our perfect bench was right across from this grocery store/cafe. It kept us caffeinated and satisfied with gourmet, locally-made energy bars and hot drinks, as we waited patiently, our backpacks stuff to the brim, for time to pass so that we could make our way up to the airport and say good-bye to Vancouver. 

We also strolled by Union Market which I've heard so much about -- namely their treats. I had read about addictive chocolate macaroon bars and irresistible cinnamon buns, but seeing as our stroll was later in the day, the only treats to be found were a few sugar-dusted orange cookies. At 75 cents for two, they made for a perfect strolling snack. Cakey and light, with a big hit of orange and slight almond flavour, these treats didn't last too long, and I was wishing that we had bought more. They'll always be next time .. right?

To curb my Strathcona cravings until the next time I visit Vancouver, I made a batch of orange scented, almond cookies. I kicked it up with some ground cinnamon and nutmeg and instead of dusting with powdered sugar, which I didn't have, went for a sprinkling of crunching demerara sugar. If you're in the mood, adorn each cookie with some flaked almonds and powdered sugar like the original recipe. I think I'll try it like that next time.  Perfect way to console a summer longing that will have to wait until next year.

Spiced Orange Almond Cookies
adapted from Shutterbean
makes about 20 smallish cookies

3/4 cup of ground almonds
2/3 cup of brown sugar
zest of an orange
1 cup of spelt flour
1/2 teaspoon of ground cinnamon
a pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
1 egg, beaten
1/4 cup of olive oil
1/4 cup of orange juice
demerara sugar, for sprinkling

1. In a large bowl, combine the ground almonds, brown sugar and orange zest. With your fingers, rub the zest into the almonds and sugar to bring out the oils.

2. Add the flour, cinnamon and nutmeg and mix well. Add the egg, olive oil and orange juice and mix to combine. You should get a fairly sticky dough.

3. On a parchment-lined sheet, drop spoonfuls of dough making sure that you leave about 2 inches between each cookie -- they expand quite a bit. Wet your fingers and flatten each cookie. Sprinkle with coarse sugar (or flaked almonds)

4. Bake at 350 for about 10 minutes, or until the cookies get golden brown and your house spells like oranges. Enjoy with your coffee.

Rainy First Day Baking

How did your 2011 end and your 2012 begin? Was it exiting and champagne-filled? Was it warm and cozy? Did you actually make that list of resolutions? I didn't make a list of life goals like I used to do, nor did I get all nostalgic about 2011. Mine ended with a hilariously silly and fun-filled January 30th at my best friend's house, eating delicious homemade food and playing the funnest, silliest games ever. Besides the great food and fun games, I realized that I was spending time with the greatest friends -- friends that I want to always ring out and in new years with.

And the 31st? Pretty quiet night in, a little visit to my parents', a bite of cranberry lemon curd bars and sip of iced cider .. and a quick midnight skate at the local community centre rink. It was perfect skating weather -- cold enough so that the ice wasn't drippy, but no biting wind to make the experience bitter. It was absolutely perfect. I haven't skated in many years, but I felt right at home. The rink was completely empty -- we were the only two out there, and it made me think about just how big the world is and how small our lives can seem. But as we skated and reminisced about years past, I came to realize that not matter how much we seem not the matter in the world, our actions, words and even goals and dreams that have seemingly small impacts can mean everything ... like a comfortable silence that can only happen between the best of friends, that quick call or text at midnight to let someone know you're thinking of them as the new year begins, the endless cups of coffee with sides of chatter and gossip that seem ordinary and routine, and the explosions of laughter that make your belly hurt but feel so good because you're amongst someone you love ... yeah, those are little things, but they certainly can have big impacts.



With that in my mind on New Year's morning, I wanted to celebrate this new found realization of mine with a bit of baking. And it was the perfect day to bake bread -- rainy and chilly. Not good weather for outside adventures, so I took the adventure into the kitchen and made some cinnamon bread with dates, raisin and walnuts to be shared with my parents, sister and best friend. I've made this type of bread before, but I actually goofed and while trying to fix my mistake, came up with something different and kind of cinnamon-roll like. I forgot to add two tablespoons of sugar into the dough -- I only remembered when I was half-way through kneading it. In retrospect, I probably could have just left it -- the dates and raisins are already sweet, but since it was supposed to be a treat for my loved ones, I wanted to add back a bit of sweetness. So ... I rolled the dough out just a bit, filled it with a good sprinkling of brown sugar and cinnamon, rolled it up again and cut out little buns. A lighter version of cinnamon buns? Yup. I pinched the ends of my rolls and baked them in muffin tins to hide the sugary swirl which was a nice surprise on the inside. But I bet if you just sliced and arranged in a baking dish, you'd have a lovely cinnamon pull-apart bread ... and maybe a citrusy glaze on the top wouldn't hurt either .. ?

Happy New Year!

Cinnamon Fruit and Nut Buns with Brown Sugar Swirl
adapted from A Chow Life

2 tablespoons of brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon

1 packet of traditional yeast
1/2 cup of warm water
1 teaspoon of sugar

1 cup of spelt flour
1 cup of whole wheat flour
1 cup of all purpose flour
1 teaspoon of cinnamon
a pinch of salt
3 tablespoons of melted butter or margarine (I used Earth Balance)
1/2 cup of water
1/4 cup of chopped dates
1/4 cup of chopped raisins
1/4 cup of chopped walnuts

1. Mix the brown sugar and cinnamon together in a small bowl. This is your surprise swirl! Set aside.

2. Mix together the sugar, yeast and warm water and let it proof for at least 10-15 minutes. Mine actually sat for about 30 minutes while we braved the rain to get coffee!

3. Once the yeast is nice and frothly, dump everything else in .. yup, everything from spelt flour to chopped walnuts. Give it a good stir to make sure everything is dispersed nicely. Keep mixing until a nice soft but sticky dough forms.

4. On clean, floured surface, with floured handing, turn out your dough and knead it for a good 7 minutes, adding additional sprinklings of flour if your dough is too sticky. Your dough should become a nice, smooth, elastic ball of goodness.

5. Let your dough rise in an oiled bowl, covered with a kitchen towel for 40-60 minutes (mine went for about 45). Your dough should double in size.

6. It's filling time! Punch down your dough and give it a couple quick kneads. Divide it into two equal balls. Roll them out to about a 10'6 inch rectangle. Divide the brown sugar and cinnamon mixture between the two. Roll them up nice and tight.

7. Now it's up to you! I cut out 6 pieces from each roll giving me 12 rolls. I pinched the ends of each roll to hide the cinnamony- sweet surprise. But you could leave them as it and bake up in a baking dish.

8. Bake your cinnamon-y bundles in a 375 degree oven. Mine were baked in muffin tins, and only took about 15-20 minutes. It would be golden brown and your kitchen should smell of cinnamon and butter.

9. Serve warm .. perfect treat with coffee on a rainy day.

BTW: I updated my Flickr ... finally!

Freezing the Goodness

Are you one of those clever people that clears out the freezer ever summer to make room for the bounty of berries and sweet corn and then in the dead of winter you pull out these amazing, local frozen berries from the freezer and make your smoothies and baked goods taste like heaven while snickering at the rest of us who have to make due with flown in berries or Europe's Best frozen ones (which are actually a product of Chile?)?




This summer, I sooo wanted to freeze a harvest of blueberries and strawberries -- the problem was, we ate them so quickly, and we could never buy enough. There was also the problem of room shortage in my freezer. Yeah, that'll do it. But we did do something to preserve the goodness of summer: we made preserves! No thick, pectin-laden jam that's almost half sugar. Nope, we made preserves that actually tastes like strawberries, rhubarb and blueberries. It was awesome.




So when fall rolled around -- and I loooooooove fall -- I wanted to preserve a bit of that too. I always get excited about the apples that roll around. A new variety showed up in my local market -- the Ambrosia. Totally delicious. But I find that the apples always overshadow the pears -- which symbolize fall as perfectly as apples do. I remember buying spicy pear jam at a market in Guelph and wanting to re-create it at home. Ours was more of a stewed fruit preserve, with less sugar, kicked up with some fresh ginger and lemon juice and of course, all spiced up. It made for a beautiful topping for my weekend oatmeal brunches, a perfect gift for my mommy, and a welcome alternative to go along side peanut butter. When all was said and done, and the two little jars were sealed and stacked in the freezer, I couldn't help trying one right away. But I'm going to save the other one for early July, when I need a reminder that summer will whip right by me, but fall .. fall is likely to linger..

Spiced Pear Preserves
makes about 1.5 cups -- enough to fill three little mason jars; a really small batch, but I'm sure if you doubled or tripled it would be fine -- just adjust the spices and sugar to your taste.

6 Bartlet pears, peeled and diced
1/2 teaspoon of grated fresh ginger
1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon of cardamom
a tiny pinch of allspice
juice of half a large lemon
2-3 tablespoons of sugar
splash of water, more if needed

1. Combine all the ingredients in a pot and cook over medium heat, stirring often. When the pears start to break down (about 10 minutes later), turn the heat down to low and let it cook.

2. In the meantime, sterilize your stuff by placing the jars (face up), rims and lids (seal side up) on a cookie tray and in a 200 degree oven for about 20 minutes.

3. By the time your pears are nice and softened and the juices have thickened, your jars will be ready. Carefully spoon the pears in each jar. Seal tightly and turn them upside down on the cookie tray. Let them stand for 20-25 minutes, after which time, they should have sealed.

4. You're ready! Freeze or eat at your leisure! :)

Romance in the Everyday

I'm a romantic. Not the flowers, candy and candle-lit dinners kind of romantic, but the kind that yearns to enjoy little things like sunlight on my skin, people-watching, multi-tasking to old favourite CDs and working in cafes. I used to love working cafes -- way before everyone got wifi and you'd like annoying people with one cup of coffee occupying a table for four with their eyes glued to their laptops. I didn't even have a laptop. There was just something so comforting and exciting and fulfilling about sitting alone in a calm, quiet place and working in between thinking, day-dreaming, watching people and soaking up the world.



But cafe culture has really changed, in Toronto anyway, and I'm hard-pressed to find a calm coffee shop on sunny day, much less get a seat by the window, or be able to tune out the loud conversations around me. Thankfully, since moving out, I've realized that I can re-make that working-in-the-cafe feeling right here at home. My huge floor-to-ceiling balcony windows help. So does my trusty Bodum coffee press and largeish Ikea work table. I realized during this March break, that I'm lucky enough to re-make that romantic, cafe feeling in my cozy home. And you know the best part? I can do so many other things in between watching the sun stream onto my balcony, planning my next unit for school, drinking coffee, listening to Alanis Morissette and Jean LeLoup and watching the construction folks on ladders in the building across from me .. like make bread.




Yes, I made cinnamon bread. Twice. Monika tempted me. So did Kickpleat. So did Joy. But ultimately, I went with a recipe from Robin over at A Chow Life. It was easy, wholesome and easy to play with. The first time, I pretty much followed the recipe exactly, but the next time, I switched it up by adding lemon juice and zest, reducing the cinnamon, and replacing the raisins with dried cranberries (that was inspired my these gorgeous-looking rolls). If you've never made bread before, and are afraid because you don't have a fancy, kitchen aid mixer with a dough hook, please get over it! I have no such equipment, and my bread came out beautifully. And the kneading is so much fun! Really relaxing and calming. And when you get that that 7 minute mark, after you've sung along to three songs on your favourite CD, that sticky, stringy ball of dough suddenly becomes a beautiful, smooth, elastic ball of happiness.












Ultimate slow-food ... Go do it. Unleash that romantic side of yourself and take a little time to soak up some happiness.


Lemon Cranberry Buns
adapted from A Chow Life, inspired by Everybody Likes Sandwiches

1/2 cup of warm water
1 teaspoon of sugar
1 package of quick-rising yeast

1.5 cups of all purpose flour
1.5 cups of whole wheat pastry flour (yes, pastry .. it was all I had, but it worked!)
1 pinch of salt
3 tablespoons of sugar
1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon
zest of 1 lemon, juice of half
1/4 cup of water
1 cup of dried cranberries
1/4 cup of melted margarine (or butter)

1. In a large bowl, combine the yeast, warm water and 1 teaspoon of sugar. Mix to combine. Let stand for about 10 minutes, or until it yes frothy.

2. Dump in the flours, salt, sugar, cinnamon, lemon juice and zest, water, cranberries and margarine. Mix to combine.

3. Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and knead for 7-10 minutes, adding additional flour if the dough gets too sticky. Knead until the dough is smooth and elastic.

4. Place the dough in an oiled bowl and cover with a kitchen towel. Let the dough rise for 45 minutes, or until it was doubled in size.

5. Punch down the dough and give it a few kneads. Divide it into 12 equal portions (or as equal as you can get them!) and place them into oiled muffin tins. Cover and let it rise again for another 45 minutes.

6. Bake in a 375 degree oven for about 20 minutes, or until the tops get nice and brown, and the rolls sound hollow when you tap the bottom.

7. Enjoy with a cup of coffee, seated by the window with our favourite CD playing the background.

Local Things

I never thought much about local produce and food politics when I was growing up. I got a little taste of it in university, but it wasn't until I started cooking for myself, that I was fully introduced to the world of local eating. That being said, I'm not that good at it, especially during this time of the year. I try my best, but there are just some things that are hard to live without, like oranges, lemons, chocolate, coffee ... ok so I'm not going to list them all because it would be too embarrassing. Veggies, apples, pears, berries definitely and most recently poultry and yogurt .. those I can handle. But local citrus doesn't exist here in the Tdot and I can't imagine my smoothie without that orangey tang, or my curry without that lemon-lime spark.

Recently, my best friend took a work trip down to San Fransisco and in between presenting, note-taking and mingling with professional peers, she took a little time to explore the farmer's market. Upon returning, she described to me something that we would never have here in Toronto: local persimmons. Wow. That's almost as good as getting a local lemon. I HAVE to visit San Fran.


Have you ever had persimmons? It's hard to describe the taste. They're just sweet, and fruity and delicious. I have great memories of eating persimmons as a kid, waiting for them to be smooshy and ripe, and then just eating the pulp like pudding. It was a real treat. Now that I'm all grown up, I kind of prefer the firmer kind of persimmon, the kind that you peel and cut up and snack on. To me, it's best when the flesh has just a little bit of give. Awhile ago when I came home, I found two little persimmons perched on my kitchen counter. I instantly remembered seeing a beautiful, easy recipe for a yummy-looking loaf/quick bread over at Joy the Baker, and I knew I had to try it.

I tweaked the recipe a bit to suit my needs, and baked them up in mini muffin tins instead of a loaf pan. The results were sweet, spicy, warm, wholesome, tender and just plain good. A perfect way to brighten up your streetcar ride home, or make your friend's morning before a dreaded meeting. I think persimmons are still around for a little bit longer, so it's still not too late. And if you're in San Fran, savour the local loveliness and think of those of us up here in TO, who can only dream of local persimmons.

Spiced Persimmon Mufiins
adapted from Joy the Baker makes 24 mini muffins, or one loaf

2 persimmons, peeled, chopped and pulsed until pulpy in a blender or chopper
1/2 an apple, grated
1/2 cup of oats
1/4 cup of skim milk yogurt
1/4 cup of milk
1/4 cup of brown sugar
2 tablespoons of canola oil
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon of grated fresh ginger
a big pinch of cinnamon
1 cup of whole wheat flour
1/2 teaspoon of baking soda
1 teaspoon of baking powder

1. Combine the oats, yogurt and milk in a large bowl. Let stand for 10 minutes (now would be a good time to grate your apple and pulse your persimmons!)

2. Into the oat mixture, add the brown sugar, oil, egg and ginger. Mix to combine.

3. Sift in the flour, baking soda, baking powder and cinnamon. Stir until just combined.

4. Spoon the mixture into prepared mini muffin pans and bake in a 350 degree oven for about 15-20 minutes.

Warm Weather + Warm Spices = Warm Feelings

Summer is almost here! Officially, I only have to wait 2 days. Unofficially, it's more like 8, but for me, the good times have already started. My weekends are getting more relaxed - I'm enjoying time doing nothing or having outdoor adventures without that nagging "you've got marking to do!" in the back of my mind. Monday, instead of looming over me, has become something to look forward to - let's face it: no one really does much teaching during the last week of school, right? And the warm weather (crossing my fingers) finally looks like it's here to stay. The sun pops her head up around 5:30 instead of 8:00, and by 9:00, I can already shed the sweater I've put on and walk carefree in a t-shirt. And did I mention that certain people have already started wearing sandals?

Although I can honestly say that we're truly blessed with having all four seasons, and that I do love winter with her blustery fresh cold air and fluffy snowflakes which give me the perfect excuse to put off the marking and go trampling outdoors, I must admit that the warm weather is definitely lifting my spirits. So why on earth, you would ask, am I baking with warm winter flavours instead of fresh summery ones? Instead of lemons and strawberries, why would I turn to oranges and nutmeg? I don't know. I honestly do not know. But what I do know, is that what came out of the oven didn't remind me of Christmas or snowfalls or days spent curled up inside. The smell was lovely, warm, inviting: the perfect baked treat to share with a friend who I desperately needed to catch up with.


See, I was meeting my friend yesterday in the mid-morning. My weekday biological alarm clock went off around its usual time, so I had a bit of time of spare, but not too much. I didn't want to start off the already steamy day by working up a sweat in the kitchen. So, after a nice long workout and a quick, cold smoothie, I decided to bake a little cake. I decided that the Ontario strawberries in the fridge would serve me much better blended up in a smoothie or eaten as is, plus I didn't feel like spending all that time hulling and chopping. Although I did have some lemons, I thought that I'd probably need them for our upcoming Father's Day barbecue when we would have to come up with a marinade for chicken. So, with warm weather outside and warm thoughts of meeting an old friend, I turned to the warm spices of cinnamon, nutmeg and cardamom and the fresh zing of orange zest. I slightly modified this recipe for orange crumb cake that I used way back in December and waited patiently as it baked in the oven. Not only did my partner wake up to a nice little slice of warm, spicy sweetness, but it put a big smile on my friend's face when I gave them to her. Plus, it was so easy and almost healthy -- no butter in a crumb cake?! I promise, you won't miss it.

So I'm not that good with seasonal baking. So what? Bake the orange crumb cake and save the lemons and berries for tomorrow.

Orange Crumb Cake
(slightly adapted from Everybody Likes Sandwiches)

1/2 cup of all purpose flour
1/2 cup of whole wheat flour
1/2 cup of ground almonds
1/2 cup of brown sugar
zest of half an orange
1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon of cardamom
a pinch of nutmeg
1/4 cup of canola oil
2 tablespoons of orange juice
1 egg
1/4 teaspoon of almond extract
1 teaspoon of baking powder
1/2 teaspoon of baking soda
1/2 cup of skim milk yogurt

1. In a large bowl, sift together the flours and spices. Add in the ground almonds and sugar and stir to make sure everything is evenly combined. Add in the oil and juice and mix to form a crumble. Set aside a heaping 1/2 cup of this mixture for the topping.

2. In a small bowl, beat together the egg, almond extract, baking powder and soda and yogurt.

3. Add the egg mixture to the flour mixture and stir to combine. Don't over mix! It will be lumpy and that's ok!

4. Pour the batter into a small loaf pan and top with the reserved crumble topping. Bake in a 350 degree oven for about 30 minutes or until a cake tester inserted comes out clean.

5. Feel warm and cozy inside as you take a little bite and share with your friend.