Weekly Roundup - July 6, 2012

I've decided to try a new thing to keep you guys updated on where I'm eating, what I'm eating, and what's going on in my life each week by publishing a weekly roundup each Friday. If you like what you see, get daily updates from me by following my Twitter (@thisgingerrose), Instagram (@thisgingerrose), and Facebook accounts! 

CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT

Hadley's - I have always been super close with my aunt Darlene. She was the one who would take my sister and I on special day trips on the subway around the city as kids, and now, all grown up, we've made it our thing to meet up for a delicious lunch every few months. At our most recent lunch we hit up Hadley's on College St. With such a delicious sounding menu, we decided to split two dishes so we could each try more! This was Hadley's tasty take on a Club Sandwich with side salad! 

Oh Canada - I spent Canada Day weekend at my friend Laura's beautiful family cottage! Laura was one of the girls I befriended on my Birthright Israel trip and was a great host all weekend long! We couldn't have asked for better weather to enjoy our relaxing weekend! 

Hadley's - The other dish that Darlene and I split was Hadley's oh-so-decadent French toast special of the day, Pulled Pork French Toast with a spicy coulis!

Oh Canada - A photo montage from my Canada Day cottage weekend! No Canada Day is complete without Canada's Cocktail, the Bloody Caesar!

CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT

Milkshakes For Dinner - After coming home tired and yucky from being at the cottage all weekend and after a very intense weekend for my mom, all we could possibly think of doing come dinner time was collapse onto our patio chairs on the porch. Too hot to eat a big meal, my mom slyly suggested having milkshakes for dinner! Obviously, I said YES! She didn't want me to tell anyone that she made us milkshakes for dinner, but really, it's things like that that make me love my mom the most!

Za'atar in Food & Wine Magazine - I was excited to see a recipe featuring za'atar, the herb I ground and brought home from Israel featured in the August issue of Food & Wine Magazine!

Shisha & Falafels - What do you do on a humid, cloudy mid-week afternoon with your sister? Why eat falafels and smoke Shisha of course! 

Efharis - My friend Rommi just got back from an amazing vacation in Israel and Greece. Rommi was thoughtful enough to bring me back this beautiful bracelet from designer Efharis that is meant to be a symbol of good luck!

CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT

Caprese Salad - Need I say more?

Holy Chuck Burgers - Holy Chuck Burgers just may have stolen my heart away from my beloved Burger's Priest. With lots of seating, no line ups, friendly staff, and, of course, a killer burger, Holy Chuck Burger just may be my favorite burger joint in the city! I have tried they're Jr. Cheeseburger and fries in the past and absolutely LOVED them, but this time around I tried the recommended Holy Chuck Burger, a double cheeseburger with bacon and sautéed onions. This mega filling burger turned out to be a true winner in my books!

Blueberry Pie - If you read my latest blog post on Guilt-Free Apple Pie Muffins you'll know that I absolutely hate rolling out pie dough! With a big tub of blueberries in the fridge, I couldn't resist making another attempt at a pie. Because I am far from confident in the pie pastry department at the moment, I decided to forego scratch-made and use Dr. Oetker's, just add water, pie crust. Even though I still had trouble getting the pie dough to fit the pie plate, the blueberry pie turned out delicious, and looked pretty good too!

Neal Brothers Foods - After being introduced to Neal Brothers Foods, I was interested to try their take on healthy organic snacks. Neal brothers was kind enough to send me a big box of a number of their products, as well as some other interesting brands for me to try! After now having tried their Organic Cheese Puffs, Lotus Fine Foods Cranberry Cinnamon Granola, Organic Salsa, and Mrs. Meyer's Clean Day Liquid Dish Soap, I can say that I am very impressed with their products. With big flavours and little guilt, Neal Brothers is my new favourite brand for healthy snacking!

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Listening To:

Guilt-Reduced Apple Pie Muffins

My mom has always been the pie-maker in the family, always there for each and every season to bring a sweet and delicious fruity creation to our table. A skill she must have picked up from my pie-making grandmother, my mom makes all of my favourite pies including apple, peach, strawberry, blueberry, and an assortment of other mixed fruit creations that drive me wild! Since being promoted at her job, my mom has had less and less time to make pies, and I've had to step up my baking game to keep my family's sweet tooth satisfied. Having never had any luck with pie-making myself, I wasn't exactly looking forward to trying my hand at rolling out that dough that never seems to fit the pie plate. How come the pies that I've made never look like the picture perfect creations you see in magazines and on TV? And how come my mom seems to be able to replicate those beautiful fluted edges with such ease while I complain and struggle? I'll never understand it.

Some may say I gave up at this point, but I choose to think of it as "adapting". Instead of going through what I consider to be agony, struggling to roll out that darned pie dough, I decided to switch up the recipe. I wanted to keep the same flavours that you find in a traditional apple pie, but get rid of the labour and mess (just imagine all that flour and dough stuck to your countertop!) that comes with preparing the dough. Being so incredibly sick of the pub food that I get 50% off of at work, I also liked the idea of making a sweet snack that I can take to work with me so I wouldn't have to eat another frozen chicken finger. After doing some research I decided to make Food.com's recipe for Apple Pie Muffins, but get rid of the guilt that comes along with eating pie, by swapping out some ingredients and adjusting the flavours and textures to my liking. The muffins turned out great! Despite being "guilt-reduced", my Apple Pie Muffins totally satisfied my apple pie craving as a late night snack, as well as being the perfect little sweet treat to munch on at work! I also loved that I could happily eat a second muffin without feeling that same guilt that comes along with eating a second helping of pie. So say farewell to the dreaded rolling pin this time around, and make life a little easier and sweeter for yourself and whip up a batch of my Guilt-Reduced Apple Pie Muffins! 

Note: This recipe was updated on October 27, 2015. Click here to see the updated recipe!

Recipe adapted from Food.com
Ingredients:
Topping
1/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/3 cup rolled oats
1/4 cup butter, melted
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
Muffins
1 1/4 cups firmly packed brown sugar
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1/3 cup apple sauce
1 egg
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup buttermilk
3 cups shredded firm and tart apples, with a bit of lemon juice squeezed on top

Directions:

1. Make the muffin topping by stirring together the brown sugar, all-purpose flour, rolled oats, melted butter, and cinnamon in a small bowl. Set aside.
2. In a large bowl whisk together the brown sugar, oil, apple sauce, egg, and vanilla until smooth.
3. In a separate bowl sift together the all-purpose flour, whole grain flour, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt. Some of the whole grains from the flour may get caught in the sifter so just toss those remnants in with the rest of the flour after. 
4. Stir oil mixture into flour mixture alternately with buttermilk.
5. Fold in the shredded apples, until just combined.
6. Using a retractable ice cream scoop, spoon in the batter into a lined muffin tin so that the cups are almost full.
7. Sprinkle the topping evenly over all of the muffins and bake in a 350º oven for 25-30 minutes, or until golden brown.

Listening To:

Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros - Home

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Ocean Wise: Tides of Change

Before fleeing off on my Israeli adventure, I had the opportunity to attend Ocean Wise: Tides of Change, an event held by the Vancouver Aquarium Conservation Program to raise awareness on how Canadian chefs are reshaping the culinary scene using Ocean Wise choices. The event, which was held at Luma, a new addition to the group of about 50 Ocean Wise partners in Toronto, emphasized the need to make ocean-friendly choices for the health of our oceans. With depleting seafood stocks becoming a critical issue (an estimated 90% of all large, predatory fish are gone from the world's oceans), and consumer interest in sustainable seafood, there was no better time for concerned industry representatives, including celebrated chefs Martin Kouprie, Dan Donovan, and Brad Long, writer and sommelier Jamie Drummond, and sustainable seafood advocate Rebecca LeHeup to form the Ocean Wise Advisory Team in Toronto - A team charged with examining the local culinary marketplace and uncovering ways to further engage and educate consumers on the issues surrounding our oceans.

The event highlighted the important work that the Advisory Team is responsible for, as well as informing guests about the many sustainable seafood options that are available to us, and of course what unsustainable seafood we should stay away from. We were introduced to both familiar and unfamiliar sustainable seafood options that stretch across Canada through a delicious and striking tasting menu created by Luma's Executive Chef Jason Bangerter. Taking us across Canada, Chef Bangerter allowed us to taste two different types of fish from each region of Canada through his artfully plated savory seafood creations. Each dish was absolutely delicious, truly showcasing the fresh Canadian fish as the star of each dish, while representing it in a unique and visually appealing way.

Fried Lingcod Po-Boy

seaweed, spicy mayonnaise

Spot Prawn Tartare

chili, mint, coriander

Warm Glazed Mussels

ramp leaves, beech mushroom, béarnaise

Salt Cured Arctic Char

citrus, ginger, basil

Poached Trout Salad

peas, herbs, pickles

Smoked White Fish Fritters

wild leek, daisy caper rémoulade

To learn more about Ocean Wise and sustainable fish in Canada, check out the Ocean Wise website!

Listening To:
Robyn - Dancing On My Own

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Homemade Lemonade

When life hands you lemons, make lemonade. With my house up for sale and real estate agents telling us to decorate our kitchen with a big bowl of lemons, the old saying has become very literal for me. I can't believe that after all this time and preparation, the very long process of putting our family home up for sale is nearing its end. Despite how long we've been preparing for this both mentally and physically, it's still a pretty sour situation. I'm not gonna lie, it totally sucks spending your last few months with your home/pool surrounded by painters, contractors, bickering family members, and real estate agents, all the while being prepared to up and drop everything at a moments notice to prep the house for spontaneous showings. I hate it. I hate that the place that I've called my home for my whole life will soon be someone else's, I hate how unclear my future looks right now, and, worst of all, I hate to see how all of this is affecting my parents. I've never been that person who has the right thing to say to offer words of comfort, so instead I always turn to food and drinks to express my compassion. So after a week of glaring at that damn bowl of lemons with distain, a constant reminder of the flux my family and I are all in, I yanked out the dusty citrus juicer and went through almost the entire bowl of lemons to make a pitcher of refreshing lemonade.

Having never made lemonade from scratch before, I was surprised at how easy it was to turn that lip puckeringly sour lemon juice into a sweet and delicious outdoor bevvie. Squeezing those lemons turned out to be pretty therapeutic for me, just as everything else I've cooked or baked in the past month have helped to sooth me. That saying kept repeating in my head: "When life hands you lemons, make lemonade", ie. when life hands you a sour situation, it's in your hands to turn it into something sweet. Despite the chaos in my life right now, deep down I know that this is all for the best. I know my family needs to move on, I know that this change will help to take myself and my family in the direction we need to go, and I know that in the end this experience will help me grow. The situation isn't going to change, so it's up to me to change how I perceive it and turn it into something positive. No, it's certainly not going to be as easy as making lemonade, but at 24 years old, I know the importance of trucking along, looking for the best in every situation, and learning from each experience I go through.

With the stress of work, home, family, and health on our minds, those few moments in my backyard with my mom, sipping on ice cold lemonade in the sun, helped to take our minds of all of the sour for just a moment and appreciate something sweet.

Note: I like some lemon pulp in my lemonade, but if you prefer yours pulp-free, simply strain it out with your seeds.

Ingredients:
1 cup sugar
1 cup water
1 cup lemon juice (about 6 lemons), with pulp
3-4 cups cold water
lemon slices, for garnish (optional)

Directions:

1. In a small saucepan set to medium heat, add the sugar and 1 cup water, stir to combine and cook until sugar has dissolved (about 5 minutes).  Remove from heat, transfer to a container and chill. This is called a simple syrup and can be added to sweeten any cold drink.
2. Make the lemonade by pouring the lemon juice and pulp into a large pitcher.  Add 3 cups of the cold water and half of the simple syrup. Add more sugar and water to your liking until you have your perfect lemonade! Stir in some ice, garnish with lemon slices, and serve immediately. 

Listening To:
Cults - Go Outside

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Klondike Rose - Jalapeño Popper-Inspired Twice Baked Potatoes

Nothing like answering the door to a FedEx delivery man stating "a box of potatoes for a Danielle Rose....", amazing! When I was contacted by Earth Fresh to work with them on their Klondike Rose Potatoes contest, I jumped at the chance to be involved! Potatoes are always a staple at my house during the summer whether its a baked potato alongside steak, potato salad at our barbecues, homemade french fries, or good ol' home fries with breakfast, potatoes pretty much become part of the Rose family all summer long! Because I've come up with so many delicious potato recipes in the past, I have a tendency to go back to those recipes time and time again, or adjust them just slightly to suit what I have on hand. I love getting to taste my favourite potato recipes again and again, but I've been itching to try something new.  The Klondike Rose Potato contest was the perfect kick to get my potato wheels a turnin' to come up with a new and unique recipe using these delicious red skin golden flesh potatoes. 

Because I missed Cinco de Mayo this year while I was enjoying my falafels in Israel, I haven't been able to get jalapêno poppers, my 2011 Cinco de Mayo dish, out of my head!  With jalapeño poppers on the brain, my Klondike Rose Potato recipe really couldn't go in any other direction, I knew the flavours and textures would be great together! Having never tried this recipe before, improvising as I went, with a deadline on my heels, I was a little nervous that the dish wouldn't turn out. Would the potatoes be too spicy? Bland? Would the texture be off? Would they look nice in a photo? The easiest way to set your nerves aside is to simply begin tasting.  Taste every single step that goes into those potatoes and you can't go wrong!  My potatoes turned out to be a huge success! My family and I absolutely loved the flavours, textures, and even the presentation! What's better? Leftover potatoes can be kept in the fridge to be wrapped in tin foil and popped in the oven when ready to eat, and they still taste fantastic! Because of their smaller size and festive filling, I love the idea of serving these spicy potatoes up for guests at a backyard barbeque to show up the typical potato salad side.  Thanks to Earth Fresh Klondike Rose Potatoes for inviting me to take part in this fun contest!

Tip: I learned the hard way to wear gloves when de-skinning jalapeños. No gloves means severely stinging hands later! If you don't have gloves and have to use bare hands, I found that aloe vera gel gave me some relief. A hot shower made it 100x worse!!

Ingredients:

8 Klondike Rose red skin golden flesh potatoes, washed and scrubbed

olive oil, for frying and coating potatoes

kosher salt

1 250g package cream cheese, softened

2 jalapeño peppers

1/2 onion, chopped

1 tsp garlic, minced

1 tsp cayenne pepper

1 tsp paprika

1/2 tsp dried oregano

1/2 tsp dried thyme

1/4 cup mozzarella cheese, grated

1/4 cup cheddar cheese, grated

2 cooked bacon slices, crumbled

2 tbsp cream

about 1/4 cup Panko bread crumbs

1 green onion, chopped

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400º
2. Pierce potatoes several times with a fork. Rub potatoes with olive oil and sprinkle generously with kosher salt. Place potatoes directly on top rack of oven and bake for about 1 hour, or until potatoes are tender when inserted with a fork.
3. Pierce jalapeños with wooden skewers that have been soaked in water for at least 30 minutes. Using a gas stove or BBQ, turn on flame and carefully place jalapeños directly on flame. Char jalapeños on all sides so that they are black and blistered. Remove skewers, place immediately in a glass bowl, and cover the top with plastic wrap. Let stand for 10 minutes. Wearing gloves, rub the jalapeños with your hands until all the skins are removed. Cut jalapeños in half and remove as much of the seeds and membrane to your liking (they are the spicy parts of the jalapeño, so use your discretion!). Chop finely.
4. Warm 1 tbsp of olive oil in a small skillet at medium heat. Add the chopped onion and fry, stirring occasionally, until transparent. Add the jalapeños and continue to cook until softened and onions are golden.
5. In a medium bowl, mix together the cream cheese with the jalapeños, garlic, cayenne pepper, paprika, oregano, and thyme. Mix in the mozzarella, cheddar, and bacon and set aside.
6. Once the potatoes are baked and are cool enough to handle, slice off the top 1/4 of each potato. Using a small spoon, carefully scoop out the filling, leaving a 1/4-inch thick layer around the skin, and place insides in a medium bowl. Mash the potato insides with a potato masher or fork and stir in the cream. Mix in the cream cheese until well combined.
7. Using a small spoon, carefully re-fill the potato skins evenly with the cream cheese and potato filling. Sprinkle the tops evenly with Panko bread crumbs and bake for 20-30 minutes, or until bread crumbs are golden. Top with green onions and serve immediately.

Listening To:

Florence & The Machine - No Light, No Light

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