Weekly Roundup - July 12, 2012

 CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT

Victoria's Wedding Shower - This past weekend I got to spend the day surrounded by lovely ladies, sipping punch, eating hors d'oeuvres, sushi, pad thai, and Italian food (a delicious mish-mash) served to us by attractive men, all to celebrate Victoria's Wedding shower! The big sister to one of my best friends Alex, I have known Victoria since grade four. Having never had a big sister myself, I have always looked up to Victoria as being that cool and smart older sister I wanted to grow up to be like. Now, truly all grown up, I still admire Victoria for always following her dreams, for standing up for what she believes in, for sharing her warmth with not just myself but my whole family, and for finding someone that matches her so perfectly. Alex and the other bridesmaids did an incredible job with the shower! Everything looked spectacular and the food and drinks were awesome! 

Gnocchi in a Brown Butter Sage Sauce - With sage growing like weeds in my herb garden this year, I had to do a little pruning to beautify my herb garden that I love so much (some may say obsessed!).  With all those extra branches filled with sage that I had to cut off and a package of store-bought gnocchi in the fridge, dinner was a no-brainer. A quick little weeknight dinner, it's super easy to throw together a delicious brown butter and sage sauce to top store-bought or homemade gnocchi! Recipe coming soon!

Lucas' 12th Birthday - I am super close with my two youngest cousins Lucas and Evan, so I was really glad to be able to make the time to ring in Lucas' last real birthday celebration as a kid! I still remember so clearly going to visit my Aunt Darlene in the hospital to meet Lucas for the first time.  Now at 12 years old, Lucas is almost as tall as me, and far more wiser. The older he grows the more kind, talented, smart, and interesting he gets. I can't wait to see the incredible things that Lucas does with his future!

Escape - With all the chaos going on at home right now, I've had to escape off on my own a lot. I forgot how much I love walking and hiking, alone with my thoughts, taking in the nature around me. Sometimes an escape is all you need to reawaken the soul.

 CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT

For Sale - The signs up. It's real. My beautiful home is up for sale. 

Sorn Thai - Not being able to make a mess in the house with unexpected showings all the time means having to eat out a lot! The other night my mom and I decided to try someplace other than our usual Satay on the Road, we headed to Sorn Thai on North Yonge remembering that they have a tiny patio outside. Although we really liked the start of our meal, their tasty spring rolls, I hate to say that the rest was pretty disappointing. Neither my mom nor I could get over how extremely salty both the Pad Thai and Spicy Tofu were. 

Channel Orange - The incredibly talented Frank Ocean has come out with his debut album Channel Orange, a beautiful collection of 18 tracks that send your emotions on a roller coaster, all the while keeping your head bobbing, fingers and toes tapping, lips synching. Definitely check it out! My favourite song at the moment? It's what I'm listening to now, Pink Matter ft. Andre 3000. But my favourite song on the album has got to be Ocean's epic 10 minute song Pyramids.

Beautiful Ruins - My smart as a whip, future publisher cousin Kimberlee recommended this book to me. Only a few chapters in and I'm hooked! 

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Listening To:
Frank Ocean ft. Andre 3000 - Pink Matter

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Anyday Magic Recipe Makeover: Fresh Mixed Mushroom Mac & Cheese

Check out my recipe for Fresh Mixed Mushroom Mac & Cheese for Dairy Goodness Anyday Magic Recipe Makeover! With the meaty flavour and texture of mushrooms, it was easy to see how I could amp up the nutrition of this recipe!

Listening To:

Frank Ocean - Lost

Evergreen Brick Works Farmers Market

"The Evergreen Brick Works Farmers Market is more than a local food market. It is a celebration of the diverse communities working together to build a sustainable food system from the ground up.

The Evergreen Brickworks Farmers Market will:

• Engage local food producers and consumers.
• Share ideas to generate understanding of the environmental impacts of food choices.
• Inspire others and empower them to make positive changes
• Promote organic and GMO-free foods, as well as markets where rural food producers and urban consumers both benefit from fair trade and a vibrant local economy.
• Celebrate our diverse food traditions!"

(ebw.evergreen.ca)

SPRING/SUMMER/FALL SESSION

Saturday's from May 5, 2012 - November 3, 2012

8 AM - 1 PM

With 65-85 unique vendors selling everything from baked goods, fresh produce, cheese, meats, preserves, spreads, beverages, crepes, burritos, and more, the Evergreen Brick Works Farmers Market is a great way to introduce yourself and your friends and family to new and unique  products that help to support and promote local Ontario farmers, chefs, and artisans.  Touring the market is a great way to become informed on what produce is in season, and better yet, gives you an opportunity to interact with the farmers and artisans themselves to get first-hand knowledge on how your food got to the table. A featured live band helps to set the mood while you weave your way through the many vendors. I like to  start my tour around the market with breakfast! The last time I went to the Brick Works Market, my mom and I decided to wake ourselves up with the Ultimate Breakfast Burrito and a glass of lemonade, both delicious! With food in hand to snack on, you're all set to tour the other vendors, because trust me, touring the market on an empty stomach can be a dangerous game for your wallet! Make sure to ask lots of questions and strike up a conversation at the vendors, you never know what information, or even recipes, the farmers and artisans may be able to give you! So this weekend start your week off right and stock your kitchen with all the yummy seasonal finds you got your hands on at the Evergreen Brick Works Farmers Market!

Listening To:

Cat Power - Ruin

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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!

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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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