Fridays are for Inspiration: Food Wishes

Food Wishes Blog and Food Wishes YouTube Channel.

There's something about the way Chef John narrates his videos that is just friendly, easy going and entertaining. I've been enjoying his blog for some time now and it's been really neat watching his video quality progressively improve over the years. I repeatedly enjoy many of his videos but here is my short list of favourites:

read more "Fridays are for Inspiration: Food Wishes"

Easy Tomato Sauce

Food lover I am through and through, but my approach to cooking meals depends entirely on who is eating. My feeling towards food, but particularly meals, is that it should be shared and enjoyed together with others. For me, there's a difference between enjoying treats and enjoying a meal in that enjoying treats can be social but it can be also a wonderfully private indulgence (mmm, ice cream). Enjoying meals means friendships and family, be it big lasagna lovingly assembled over 3 days or pizza ordered in. If I am the lone eater, I tend to put minimal effort into my meals. Cue Easy Tomato Sauce.

I discovered this recipe via Smitten Kitchen and oh mama, I'm so glad I did. I've adapted it to my tastes and out of curiosity, I tracked the exact time it took to make this.

Melt 3 tablespoons of butter in a pot. Total time elapsed: 5 seconds.

read more "Easy Tomato Sauce"

Fridays are for Inspiration: Smitten Kitchen

Ah, Smitten Kitchen. The first food blog I fell in love with.

Deb at Smitten Kitchen is in a word amazing. She seems to be equally passionate about both cooking and baking, which in my experience, is unusual in that people usually fall in one or the other camp.

Thanks to Deb 

read more "Fridays are for Inspiration: Smitten Kitchen"

Sweet and Salty Cake

Remember the Whipped Salted Caramel Ganache Icing I shared? The cupcakes were just the taste, texture and pipe-ability (?) test. Here's the real deal:

 

read more "Sweet and Salty Cake"

Fridays are for Inspiration: The Kitchn

Introducing another one of my dailies: The Kitchn

One of the reasons I love The Kitchn (and all its sister websites) is that the contributions are beyond sharing recipes. The Kitchn is about the love of food, life in the heart of the home and meditations.

My measuring spoons have been separated for years now (not to worry, it was mutual and amicable) but I remember reading an article about this exact topic at The Kitchn shortly after having done so and feeling pleased at the discovery that there are others who function and think like me in the kitchen.

This article about freezing stock inspired me to make a habit of freezing soups, stocks and tomato sauces in muffin pans. I currently have 3 pucks of tomato sauce and 5 pucks of cauliflower soup. They come in handy for emergency lunches and evenings destined for major screen time. 

read more "Fridays are for Inspiration: The Kitchn"

Whipped Salted Caramel Ganache Icing

March has been a month of many birthdays so I've been auditioning a few icing recipes. This is a Whipped Salted Caramel Ganache Icing I tried and love. It starts as an angsty, moody, emo ganache (I hear You Oughta Know),

 

and after a pound of butter and a little dance to Whip It,

read more "Whipped Salted Caramel Ganache Icing"

Fridays are for Inspiration: Tastespotting

I cannot even remember how I stumbled across this gem of a website but hours upon hours have been spent browsing Tastespotting. I do recall coming across it sometime in 2007 and unanimous love for this website seems to only grow. It also serves as motivation for food bloggers to share: to date I have submitted two pictures that have been rejected but I'll get there someday. May there never be another period of panic with Tastespotting being shut down. Those were dark days.


Thanks to Tastespotting it's easy to see and join in on food blogging trends including 

read more "Fridays are for Inspiration: Tastespotting"

Salted Caramel Chocolate Tart

Last Saturday we finally got around to celebrating Hijiri's birthday. Belated though it was, we had a great time eating, shopping and eating again. 

The gals came over for a casual lunch of good French baguettes and a platter of sandwich fixings including ham, chicken, cheese, tomato and lettuce. B also contributed to the lunch with a collection of divine scones (cheese, white chocolate and cherry, and chocolate). 

read more "Salted Caramel Chocolate Tart"

Fridays are for Inspiration: Martha Stewart

Martha Stewart. 

I adore Martha. 

I adore Martha so very much.

I adore Martha so very much that I wish her version of The Apprentice were still on. 

I adore Martha so very much that I wish her version of The Apprentice were still on and I would totally audition.

I adore Martha so very much that I wish her version of The Apprentice were still on and I would totally audition and triumph as her apprentice.

I adore Martha so very much that I wish her version of The Apprentice were still on and I would totally audition and triumph as her apprentice so long as I fix my meringue fail.

 

This post is certainly story-centric but descriptions of my first memory of Martha as many lazy afternoons spent baking iconic chocolate chip cookies from a Living mag with my mom is so not happening. Such lazy afternoons did not exist because while Mami is a great many things, a baker she is not. In truth, my earliest memory of Martha is the hilarious Ana Gasteyer playing her in the SNL skit "Martha Stewart's Topless Christmas Special." Forgive me, M.

read more "Fridays are for Inspiration: Martha Stewart"

Mocha Cake with Italian Buttercream

Never before have I met a person who loves celebrating her birthday as much as my dear friend Louise (B to me). It's perfectly normal for her to make multiple announcements a day informing any nearby ears that her birthday is only X more sleeps away. Granted, part of the reason it's such a special day is that her son was born on the same day (!) but I have a sneaky feeling that we'd be reminded just as frequently were that not the case.

read more "Mocha Cake with Italian Buttercream"

Fridays are for Inspiration: Chez Larsson

Chez Larsson is another blog I enjoy daily as you can see on my Bookmarks Bar.

Colleagues and I were joking recently that our homes are always at their cleanest during report card writing time because cleaning and organizing is how we procrastinate writing them. Thanks to Benita's blog, there is inspiration galore to serve as procrastination for many term's worth of report card writing. All joking aside, what I love most about her is her just-get-'er-done attitude. One day I will maintain a home as neat, minimal and functional as hers.

Since discovering Chez Larsson,

I store sprinkles upside down just like her. 

read more "Fridays are for Inspiration: Chez Larsson"

Cheese Straws

I've taught at four schools in four years and consequently, I've had to make friends with a whole new staff the past four Septembers. Come my first turn for Treat Day, I always bring these cheese straws and magically, I've made new friends. The best part? They're easy.

Blitz the ingredients in a processor. Easy.
Dump out and press together into a dough. Easy. 

Roll out and cut into rustic strips. Easy.

read more "Cheese Straws"

Fridays are for Inspiration: The Pioneer Woman

The Pioneer Woman is one of the blogs I enjoy daily as you can see from my Bookmarks Bar.

Her photos are beautiful, her humour shines through her writing and she seems thoroughly humble. PW also inspires me because she is the opposite of a food snob and appreciates almost all food like I do (bananas for her, licorice and ginger for me).

I initially visited her blog via Tastespotting when I saw a picture of her Bacon Appetizers and I was hooked. Obsessed with making her recipe, I bullied Jess into making them together (I couldn't find Club crackers in Vancouver - had to take advantage of being in the States) for a family BBQ. This is the actual 2008 picture taken in the also small Bronx kitchen.

 

From PW I've also learned 

• about The Cake Pan Lady 
• how not to fear baking with yeast (dynamite Cinnamon Rolls and No-knead dinner rolls? Totally baked.) 
• more facts about calf nuts I ever thought I’d learn

Thanks for the inspiration PW!

PS You may notice that I enjoy all her content but have only ever made a comment when she’s doing a KitchenAid stand mixer giveaway. Says a lot about me, non? Creeper alert.
PPS She's also the reason I decided to share my full name online. Maybe one day I'll share my last name too. Still find it scary.

read more "Fridays are for Inspiration: The Pioneer Woman"

Amelia & Italian Buttercream

There's a new baby in the house. Meet Amelia.

(Look Jess! After 5+ years, I can now shut up about wanting one!)  

She's 25 lbs, over 11 inches and beautiful. Not long ago I shared how envious I was of Hijiri and her stand mixer but now I'm part of the club! It all happened unexpectedly on an unusual Friday.

Last Friday I was owed a day off work so Mami and I planned a road trip to Seattle with my grandmother (Halmuhnee) and her friend. We were browsing at the Premium Outlet when I spotted a special on red KitchenAid stand mixers at the kitchen store. How convenient that my kitchen colours are red and blue! Four days and a drive of death later, she was home.

I've been telling myself repeatedly that getting one was out of the question because of the lack of space and admittedly my limited counter space has been significantly compromised but I simply couldn't pass on the price. Price trumped counter space. Seriously, I've paid more for jeans and shoes (obviously a lifetime ago, when saving up for a condo was not even on the horizon).

...and the inaugural recipe? Cupcakes from a box. Not the most distinguished recipe for Amelia but we're not judgmental here in this small kitchen. Besides, I needed cupcakes to practice piping techniques for upcoming birthday cakes and cupcake orders. Didn't bother taking pictures of the iced cupcakes because they weren't v. pretty. (Oops. So maybe we're slightly judgmental in this small kitchen.)

The next recipe was Italian Buttercream. Boy, was it ever fun to watch Amelia beat the curdled mess into smooth oblivion. And forget about it when she teams up with BB, because when put together, baking becomes exponentially fun. What I actually did with the buttercream was fun too. Check out the practice roses piped with my new 1M icing tip. Now I need to practice piping a clean finish. I've already shown improvement.

I spy with my little eye 

• a rose that perished as a snack
• and Amelia's foot.

 

And we're done like dinner. 

read more "Amelia & Italian Buttercream"

Fridays are for Inspiration: Blog Colours and Design

Welcome to a new feature called Fridays are for Inspiration. Fridays will now be the day to share pictures, links, blogs and websites that inspire me. 

This post shows how I came to choose the colours and design for my blog.

 

The blue is inspired by my beloved Colonial Blue by Denby.

I chose this pattern when I was 17 (my parents owned a china store) and Mami decided to help me build my collection slowly by giving me a piece or two every birthday and Christmas. Admittedly, receiving china when you’re 17 to 20 isn’t exactly thrilling but I sure felt grown up when I first moved out and I was one among few of my friends who owned a full dinnerware set. Colonial Blue has since been discontinued and despite many years passing, I’m still in love with the clean crisp blue.

The red is inspired by my red accent pieces.

  

The integration of red into my collection happened unintentionally. It started when I first moved out and desperately needed a few more kitchen essentials. Mami being the generous soul that she is, gave me the few Emile Henry red pieces she had collected: an olive oil bottle, a salad bowl and a pie plate (okay, so maybe that wasn’t a kitchen essential) and it was a happy coincidence that they complemented my Colonial Blue beautifully. Eventually I began to add more accent pieces including a salt pig, a kettle and a mini Tabasco bottle.

The Tabasco bottle sits on top of the oven and above it is a vibrant print that we purchased in the Caribbean while vacationing there when I was 15 (16?). It sat in the basement for years and only after I'd moved out (to a basement suite no less) did it meet a frame. I like to think that my love of this print subconsciously guided me to collect red and blue.

 

 Here are the open shelves above the kitchen sink. Tres jolie, non?

 

Okay, I admit that the above photo was slightly staged. Ordinarily there are two liquor bottles anchoring the cookbooks.

Okay, okay, okay! If I'm totally honest, usually the pestle sits in the citrus juicer, which balances haphazardly on top of the mortar. Moving on!

The simple white background is inspired by Leo Babauta, writer of zen habits. I enjoy blogs with clean layouts and I try to keep mine clutter free.

The About Me section isn’t necessarily inspired by anything but just shows how much I love lists. In fact, there's another list in the screen cap. Spot it?

• Lists, handwritten with my favourite purple pen,
• Google Calendar,
• and NowDoThis keep me organized. (See what I did there? List.)

And we're done like dinner.


Now if only I could figure out how to fix this (which never leads to more to read). Update: It's somewhat fixed.

 

read more "Fridays are for Inspiration: Blog Colours and Design"