Rose's Roundup - Memories Of Perfect Breakfasts & Exploring German Cuisine

Waffle Eggs Bennie - There's only so many times that my chef school teacher can tell us that "Hollandaise is the most difficult sauce to master" before I get off my tush and prove that lil' ol' me can master the famously tricky sauce. I have made hollandaise in the past and it came out marvelously! I must say that my marvelous hollandaise sauce results were thanks to a trick I learned from my celebrity chef hero Ina Garten, who taught me (and I suppose the rest of the Food Network-watching world) how easy hollandaise sauce can be when armed with a trusty blender. No, it's certainly not the traditional arm workout over a bain-marie method, but if the results are just as silky, tangy, and voluminous then who cares? But hearing Chef Frank repeatedly tell us how famously difficult it is,  made me second guess my hollandaise making skills.

It was the morning before our class on sauces (where I knew Chef Frank would be striking hollandaise fear into our heads once again) that I decided to remind myself that Ina's blender trick would defy the hollandaise success odds. It was a delivery of my Oma's famous (in our family at least) German waffles  that struck the match of inspiration, sending me on an eggs benedict mission. I knew Oma's waffles would be the perfect bed for a mess of poached eggs, crispy prosciutto (no bacon? no problem!), fresh chives, and of course a blanket of lemony hollandaise. It took all of 3-minutes (no exaggeration!) to make Ina's perfect hollandaise sauce in a blender, and all of 10-minutes to savour each and every bite of sweet and salty goodness. I couldn't help but walk into class that night with my head held high, a smirk on my face, knowing that I defied hollandaise success odds that morning. 

Chicken Crepes - My love/hate relationship with chicken crepes started years ago at BOOM Breakfast Co. We shared an intimate morning together as I dug into it's soft exterior to reveal its savory, cheesy insides, and swooned over the rich and creamy sauce that soaked up each bite. Love at first bite. Our love affair continued as I ordered those sinful chicken crepes each and every time I went to BOOM, not once regretting never having tried any other dish on their generous menu. But as they say, all good things must come to an end. My dear, beautiful chicken crepes did the unthinkable and skipped town on me. Vanished without a trace. Gone, never to be seen again! I remember turning the newly laminated menu over and over in my clammy hands, baffled and heartbroken that my appetite could be betrayed in such a way! They had changed their menu, and the crepes were gone. After a brief mourning period that included salty-tear-garnished eggs benedict, I shook myself off and proclaimed that I would replicate my dear chicken crepes, making them even better than before! 

I won't share with you my agony at attempting to recreate the crepes that I loved so dearly, because, quite frankly, it would bore you to the same tears that I shed at each failed chicken crepe attempt. It wasn't until last semester in Chef Skills 1 where I learned the basics of sauce making, producing with care the five mother sauces, that I understood how I could bring my long gone chicken crepes back to life. By using a simple chicken velouté recipe I was finally able to reclaim the most true-to-the-original chicken crepe sauce as of yet. Though I had finally created a recipe for chicken crepes that wouldn't leave me feeling dejected, and though I went back for seconds, truly enjoying each bite, my crepes are not perfect yet (key word!). So I will refrain from posting the recipe for you until I am sure that it will incite the same lust that I felt with that first bite of chicken crepes from BOOM. 

Ina's Herb-Marinated Pork Tenderloin - In a fit of jealousy, thanks to the famously fickle Taylor Swift's Instagram photo, of her in my future-best-friend Ina Garten's Hampton kitchen, I scoured the web for an Ina recipe that would maybe, just maybe, bring us closer together. Of course such nonsense would only make sense to a lunatic red head with her head in the clouds (and my clouds are made of burrata cheese, by the way), but in my strange red head, carefully crafting an Ina recipe would mean pushing miss Swift aside (does she even cook?!) and leave room for moi. 

With a fridge full of options and a seemingly endless string of Ina recipes, it took longer than normal to settle on a dinner choice. Perhaps it was because I just couldn't envision little country croonin' Swift digging into a big chunk of pork, that had me finally decide on making Ina's Herb-Marinated Pork Tenderloin. More than that, the recipe sounded fast, simple, required no grocery shopping, and was sure to be delicious. Even though Ina's Herb-Marinated Pork Tenderloin likely didn't help to advance my friendship with Ina in any way, it was a wonderfully comforting way to end a chilly late winter day, and I recommend you give it a try. Ina, if you're out there, I'm a great listener, I'm a hoot be around, and will shower you with love and compliments. Let's be friends. Just say the word and I'll book my Porter flight for a visit. 

The Musket Jaeger Schnitzel - Essays and exams can be excruciating, but nothing, no nothing, comes close to being as painful as doing group assignments. The major final assignment for my Food Theory 1 class was to make a presentation and tasting about a country of our choice. With many members of our group having ties to the beer-guzzling, schnitzel-eating European country Germany, it was easy to decide on Deutschland as our country of choice. It took all of two weeks to discover that my group work fears were thankfully misguided, with a group of seven who were not only willing to share the workload, but were also interesting, smart, and great fun to be around. 

With part of our assignment requiring us to visit an authentic German restaurant, we carpooled over to The Musket in Etobicoke, where chef Richard Esner serves up an array of authentic German dishes. Lucky for our group, almost all of us had different tastes, allowing us to get a sight of many of the specialties offered on the large menu. It was the savory mushroom sauce that left me salivating like Pavlov's dog, that made me order the Jaeger Schnizle, a thin and tender piece of pork, swimming in a full-flavoured mushroom sauce, alongside tangy purple cabbage, and simple roasted potatoes. If the image alone doesn't have you throwing your coat and shoes on to head out to Etobicoke, let me tell you, that Jaeger Schnitzel was like biting into a piece of German heaven. I think I could have very well slurped a whole bowl of that mushroom sauce all by itself, it was so tasty! All around, the whole meal was a wonderful success, with each group member devouring every bite of their appropriately massive portion. We cheers-ed our Hacker-Pschorre Weisse to a fantastic meal and what was sure to be a wonderful presentation! 

Oma's Cabbage Rolls - My Food Theory 1 project on Germany has been such wonderful fun, allowing us to visit a German restaurant, market, and learn the history behind the western-central country's rich history of food and drink, but nothing for this project has been such a delight as getting to go into my Oma's kitchen to learn how to make her dance-in-your-chair delectable German Cabbage Rolls. I had always assumed that Oma's cabbage rolls were an endeavor that would require your full attention all day, with so many different parts that make up the final dish. Surely her cabbage rolls must mean a laborious all-day process of first making the filling, then making the sauce, then carefully forming the cabbage bundles by hand, and cooking them off.

With the camera rolling in order to capture Oma's charm and every step of her recipe, as European grandmothers never seem to measure anything, Oma answered my question of "do cabbage rolls take very long to make?" with a head tilt and "mmm, not really." Liar, I thought! There was no way those tasty little bundles of beef, pork, and rice could mmm, not really take long. As she loves to do, Oma proved me wrong. Maybe it was because I was having so much fun by my Oma's side that made time fly, or maybe Oma was right, but the cabbage rolls seemed to be coming out of the oven in a tangle of steam and fragrant gravy in next to no time. I'm so glad that I finally learned how to make Oma's remarkably simple cabbage rolls, but more than anything I am so happy to have a video of my spunky, adorable Oma doing what she does best in the kitchen, that I will cherish forever. Watch my Oma in action here.

Fresh Pasta with Bolognese Sauce - Sunday night is family night in my family, meaning myself and sometimes my sister and her live-in boyfriend enjoying a large meal, lovingly prepared by my mom. There once was a time when I would eagerly take part in preparing our Sunday evening feast, a time before I lost myself in the sticky, beer-covered bar that I called my job for the past two years, where the Sunday brunch shift was mine. The Sunday brunch shift not only meant early endings on Saturday nights, due to early wake-ups on Sunday mornings, but also not being able to return home until just before whatever roast, stew, or slow-cooked creation was to be plated. For the past two years I missed being able to provide my family with a meal full of love on Sunday nights. So on my very first Sunday evening free from the bar, I decided to take the time to make ribbons of homemade pasta enveloped in a hearty beef and pork bolognese. 

This was my second attempt at making bolognese, having first made it as a teamwork dinner with my boyfriend Chris a few months ago. Our attempt at making fresh pasta and bolognese was a fantastic success minus one little misstep. The al dente pasta noodles that Chris masterfully made were wonderful, but my bolognese, though delicious, was thrown off ever so slightly by the addition of smoked pancetta. Though pancetta most certainly adds a great deal of depth of flavour to a bolognese sauce, the smokiness was a little too overpowering for our taste buds. With that in mind, I chose to use regular pancetta this time around, sure that that would result in a perfectly meaty bolognese. Though my sauce was once again very tasty and was enjoyed by all present, I now found that the sauce seemed to be missing something. Although I would not use all smoked pancetta in my sauce, I believe that a combo of both regular and smoked pancetta would send this comforting dish to new heights. Here's to round three! 

On My Mind:

This gorgeous Victorian London home for sale is right up my alley thanks to it's beautiful backyard, classic detailing, and spaceship attic...yup, you hear right, spaceship attic. 

I like to be prepared in case of an emergency, so if ever I need to spring myself free of zip ties entrapping my wrists in their constricting grip, I now feel adequately prepared.

There's nothing like adding another novel to your favourite book list. The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle by Haruki Murakami was an absolute pleasure to read, without question making it into my favourite book list.

Ever wonder what flying is like from the perspective of a pelican?

Only Bowie could get me so excited about a video game. 

Nice aim there, Kessel.

Why my meal at Yours Truly was one of my most memorable to date. True culinary art at its best.

Me, as a child in a nutshell...or should I say, in a church. I could swear this was me.

So much wanderlust right now thanks to talented photographer Vanessa Paxton's stunningly exquisite video of her experience traveling through Thailand. 

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Listening To:

Spoon - Don't You Evah

Weekly Roundup - The Neverending Cold

Last Week At Chef School - Of course with only a few classes remaining in my first course at George Brown Chef School I would get terribly ill, so when I say "last week at chef school" I really mean two weeks ago at chef school, as I did not attend last weeks class, fearing for both my classmates and my own safety as I was deep in the midst of this terrible, seemingly neverending cold. Not surprisingly Sandwich Week at chef school was one of the easiest as of yet, with much of our cooking done as a team. With an invitation to an awesome-sounding event the same night as class, I was tempted to skip a class as simple as sandwich making, but then I asked myself "what sets apart a homemade sandwich from an 'industry level' sandwich?" Why is it that sandwiches and wraps taste so much better when you buy them at a restaurant or take-away? I wasn't quite sure. After the calmest class of them all so far, I now know that a lot of it has to do with common sense.

I learned that in order to keep the bread fresh and prevent it from going soggy, you should always coat the bread in some sort of spread, whether that's a mayo, tapenade, or other spread, you want to create a layer that separates your toppings from your bread or tortilla, while also helping it to stick together. You should also consider the order of ingredients that you put in your sandwich, for instance, in The Grilled Vegetable Paninis that we prepared in class we placed the roasted red peppers between the grilled zucchini, onion, and eggplant because it contains the most moisture. You should also consider where the sandwich is being served, our Smoked Salmon & Cucumber Tea Sandwiches and Open Face Shrimp Salad Sandwiches would be the type of sandwich served at a party or event, so you want them to be easy to hold and bite into so smartly-dressed guests don't make a mess of their outfit.

Feeding A Cold - Desperate to get rid of my horrible, gross, cold I tried to focus on eating healthy foods that would encourage my body to get better. Here is one example of a healthy and easy meal that I made for myself in an attempt to kick my Fall cold. Baked sweet potato with sautéed onions (onions love to help fight colds!) with mascarpone cheese, sautéed garlic spinach (the spinach helped to keep my iron levels up while the garlic acts as a cold fighting superhero!), worst-breath garlic bread with Summer Fresh Jalapeno Greek Yogurt Dip (spice helps your body to sweat out the toxins from the cold, with the greek yogurt giving your body the good bacteria it craves), and last but certainly not least, a special delivery from my Oma (my German grandmother), her family-favourite chicken noodle soup (filled with lots of love, which is the ultimate cold fighter!).

This Week At Chef School - How is it that some of the simplest-sounding classes at Chef School seem to end up being the most difficult? Just like Salad Week kicked my butt in class, Soup Week pretty much knocked me to the ground! On the menu this week was:

Beef Consommé
Butternut Squash Soup
Clam Chowder
Hot & Sour Soup

With a menu that included four soups to present, with access to only three burners, I knew it was bound to be a difficult and messy week. Although I have made Butternut Squash Soup and Clam Chowder before, and knew them to be relatively easy, it's a whole other ball game juggling those plus two more all at once. It was downright scary, let me tell you! I actually wondered at one point in the class if I was even going to be able to serve all four soups in time for "service". The soup that was by far the trickiest and longest to prepare was the Beef Consommé. Prior to my class, I had no clue how beef consommé was made, and now after learning the extremely odd process to achieving a perfect clear beef consommé, I wonder who in the heck would have ever thought to try this method to begin with. The strange process to making beef consommé begins by whipping egg whites until slightly frothy to loosen them up. You then add raw ground beef to the egg whites, breaking it up with your whisk so they combine. To that you add a mirepoix of onion, carrot, celery, leeks, and tomato concassé, mix, then stir in cold beef broth. Pour into a stock pot, throw in a spice bag and brulé onion and place on a stove just under medium heat, so you get some movement in the water, but you are not allowing the mixture to boil. After about 20-minutes or so, the meat, vegetable, and egg white mixture rises to the top and begins to form what is known as a "raft", a sold piece of grey sludge that allows the beef broth to bubble around the sides and stream into the centre of the raft to naturally filter out the impurities in the stock, resulting in a clear consommé that lets you to see down into the bottom of the bowl. How crazy is that?! I can't imagine how anyone would have thought to invent such a weird process. 

What did I learn this week?

• How to make a beef consommé.
• A trick to naturally thickening a soup is to grate raw potatoes into the soup.
• Another trick to thickening up a soup (although it does not last forever) is by creating a slurry of cornstarch and cold water and stirring that into your soup. The cornstarch will eventually break down, so this trick only works for serving right away.
• Hot & Sour Soup is probably the easiest and fastest soup ever! 
• Add clams to clam chowder very late in the cooking process so they don't get rubbery.

On My Mind:

Best socks ever! I must own you!

If you haven't watched this unique interactive video for Bob Dylan's "Like A Rolling Stone", you must right now! Make sure to flip through the channels while watching.

Finally Martha doesn't make me feel like a complete failure when it comes to food. Hey Martha, your food photography sucks!

The Historic Distillery District's Christmas market is back! Make sure to check it out before it closes on December 15!

Please take a moment and check out my friends passion project "Michael Was Here" a short film about two estranged sisters who are reunited after the death of their brother, and sent on a road trip to fulfill his last will and testament. They need support to get this inspiring project up and running, so please donate whatever you can through their Indigogo campaign! 

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Listening To:

David Bowie - Let's Dance

Weekly Roundup - Chef School is Heating Up!

Last Week At Chef School - Here I thought the bean and rice week was the tastiest week I would have in my course at chef shcool...then I found out we were making fresh pasta! YESSSS!!! Anyone who knows me knows that I go absolutely weak at the knees for delicate, fresh pasta noodles. It's my all-time favourite food, the one that I request for every birthday, and crave when I'm feeling down. I also adore making fresh pasta, making it with my sister and her boyfriend, with my boyfriend, and on my own. There's something very therapeutic about creating something so delicious and hands on from scratch. Naturally, I knew I would excel in class this week (at least I hoped!) and was really excited about taking on this very tasty menu. On the menu last week we served up:

Fresh Pappardelle

Dried Pappardelle

Pesto Sauce

Polenta

Butternut Squash Barley Pilaf

The biggest thing that I learned and benefitted from in class this week was how to prevent your noodles from sticking, which has always been my biggest issue with making pasta in the past. I had heard that a little semolina flour sprinkled over your freshly cut noodles should do the trick, but I guess I was skeptical and never gave that simple step a shot. Turns out that step totally works and allowed me to lay out my fresh noodles on top of each other (which was unheard of in the past without using semolina, as you would be left with a big blob of sticking dough) and separate them easily. My pasta turned out perfect, dressed in a perfect garlicky and herbaceous pesto sauce. As I pointed out earlier, I also loved the polenta that I made in class, which was free of lumps and tasted so delightfully rich. I was surprised at how much I also loved the Butternut Squash Barley Pilaf, which had a fantastic texture and savory flavour. What a delicious week for leftovers! I can happily say that I had a very filling dinner full of leftovers the next day, as well as a couple lunches of leftovers! 

What did I learn last week?

• To prevent your freshly-cut pasta noodles from sticking, simply sprinkle over a dusting of semolina flour.
• Polenta is another dish that forces you to man the stove to determine its success. You have to be constantly at the stove, stirring your polenta, and adding more liquid when necessary to create the perfect creamy and slightly loose texture. 
• If your polenta is thickening up too quickly, don't be afraid to add more liquid. Have a pot of warm water or stock on the stove to ladle into your polenta as it is cooking to keep that creamy texture.
• Cook your polenta on a very low flame! Polenta wants your time, care, and attention.

CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT

Arancini - Risotto, that delightfully indulgent, creamy, buttery, cheesy, Italian rice dish that tempts me on every Italian restaurant menu, yet I never make at home. After hearing how tricky it can be to achieve that perfect creamy and slightly runny consistency and tender yet firm grains for risotto, I have always been too nervous to attempt to make the Italian indulgence in my own kitchen. This week in class my teacher broke down the steps to creating the perfect risotto, and I quickly learned that finding success in risotto is less about skill and more about the attention that you give it. As long as you man that stove, never leaving the risotto for more than a few seconds, and are consistent about adding new additions of hot stock and stirring, you should find yourself with a deliciously creamy and comforting risotto that you would be proud to serve your family and friends. Another trick to making good risotto is timing. As soon as that risotto comes off your stove, you better have warmed bowls ready so that you can serve it up immediately. Risotto is incredible when served right away, but a mere few minutes later the risotto begins to thicken and harden, becoming gummy, and losing that beautiful creamy consistency that you worked so hard for.

So what the heck do you do with leftover risotto? Throw all your hard work and expensive ingredients in the garbage? Not a chance! The tastiest way to utilize leftover risotto is by mixing it up with some beaten eggs, breadcrumbs, and seasoning, rolling them into balls, stuffing them with cheese, and deep frying to create Arancini. Aw hell yeah! And you thought risotto couldn't get any better!  This is precisely what I did with all of my leftover risotto from class, and let me tell you it was fantastic! I will definitely be posting the recipe for these crispy, creamy, and cheesy little bites soon!

2013 Pumpkin Carving - One of my favourite holidays all year long is Halloween. Sure dressing up, decorating, and gorging myself on sweet treats is a ton of fun, but really my absolute favourite part of Halloween is carving my pumpkin, a tradition that my dad has gotten me excited about ever since I was a kid. Being an artist, my dad has always created the most magnificent pumpkins that would always "wow" all of our neighbors. When I became old enough to be comfortable and safe with an x-acto blade, my dad started teaching me all of his pumpkin carving tricks so that soon we had a family of striking pumpkins on our front porch for our neighbors to take photos of each year. With last Halloween being our final year in our family home, and living in an apartment now, there didn't seem like much of a point to carve a pumpkin other than my sheer glee at skillfully taking a knife to a large vegetable for pure artistic expression. Luckily, for the sake of my pumpkin carving tradition, the pub that I work at purchased some pumpkins to decorate the space. I of course jumped at the opportunity to carve a pumpkin once again. Although it wasn't exactly on display for the neighborhood children as it rested behind the bar full of regulars sipping their Canadian Tall Boys, it was really fun to be able to carve a pumpkin once again and hear how much the regulars appreciated seeing something a little bit different. In this photo my pumpkin is looking a little worse for wear, a week after it was carved, with its mouth caving in and filled with candy wrappers, but try and use your imagination for how it originally looked!

Pulled Pork & Polenta - Taking evening culinary school classes is so awesome in so many ways, but the one thing that drives me crazy is having class right smack in the middle of dinner time. I often feel inclined to have a second light late lunch before class as opposed to a more filling dinner so that I won't feel weighed down while running around the George Brown kitchen. The problem with this is about an hour and a half into class I am starving, which certainly doesn't help when you have to cook a full menu each class, with no time for snacking. This week I was smart and went for a satisfying meal that I knew would keep me full and active all through class. With leftover pulled pork in the fridge (thanks mom!) and no bread or mashed potatoes for serving, I decided to turn to one of my newly acquired George Brown recipes to give me a base for the pulled pork. After enjoying the creamy polenta we cooked in class last week so much, and enjoying the leftovers cut up and fried all week long, I couldn't help but want to make more! Although it meant manning the stove for about 15 minutes, it was quick and easy to prepare a creamy polenta base that would soak up the savory, spicy juices from the pulled pork. Quick, satisfying, and oh so delicious, my leftover pulled pork with polenta was the perfect dish to devour before class.

This Week At Chef School - Who would have ever thought that Salad week at chef school would be one of the most difficult to manage our time as of yet? Yeah, you heard me, SALADS! You know, the simple thing that you whip together in two minutes to add something green to the side of your plate. Being someone who really enjoys a great salad, and has the ability to create a new one from scratch in a few minutes, it baffled my mind that salad week somehow became one of the most stressful. The truth is, it can be very simple and quick to prepare a good salad, but when you are making everything by hand, it takes a little elbow grease and patience. Opening a jar of mayonnaise takes all of two seconds, but whipping mayonnaise by hand requires a little more time and a lot more effort, so much effort that my wrist still hurts from whipping that damn egg yolk and vegetable oil mixture. Of course in class they want to teach us the classic way to make everything, so a good steel bowl and a heavy duty whisk was our equipment to make a nice thick, stick-to-the-spoon mayonnaise, but have no fear because making mayonnaise at home can take just a couple more minutes than opening up a jar of the store bought stuff, all you need is an immersion blender, food processor, or blender, and ta da! You have beautiful, thick, additive-free mayo! Mayonnaise was included in salad week because mayonnaise is actually a very common base for many of salad dressings we are most familiar with, for instance Caesar dressing, Thousand Island dressing, and French dressing. Of course we also learned how to make a simple citrus dressing, which taught us the ratio and tips to emulsify two unmixables such as citrus juice and olive oil. It was a very busy class, with lots of running around, cleaning, whipping, and mess to create a menu that included:

Mayonnaise
Green Salad with Orange Segments & Citrus Dressing
Caesar Salad
Quinoa Salad
Couscous Salad

What did I learn this week?

• The trick to getting a thick mayonnaise and preventing it from "breaking" (not emulsifying, resulting in a loose consistency) is to very slowly pour your oil down the side of the bowl while whisking fast with your wrist, not your arm.
• To remove pin bones from anchovies, simply run your fingers along them and remove any that stick out with your fingers.
• To make your homemade Caesar dressing last longer, add the parmesan cheese when tossing the salad, not right into the dressing itself.

On My Mind:

A stunning look at the 33 most beautiful abandoned places in the world. 

It's important to know when to turn in your kazoo. I'm just about ready!

This makes my blood bubble. 

An interesting look at the hard truth about girl-on-guy rape.

I guess Astronaut Chris Hadfield isn't as...down to earth as we had thought.

More blood bubbling: A comparison of Girls Life vs. Boys Life magazine covers.

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Listening To:

Arcade Fire - Porno

Weekly Roundup - Feeling Thankful for Beautiful Ontario & Nostalgia-Inducing Food

CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT

Andrews' Scenic Acres - When I was little one of my favourite activities to do in the Fall was visit Andrews' Scenic Acres with my family. The festive farm and market was always my favourite thanks to the endless amount of pumpkins that scattered their fields, their petting zoo, their little market with fresh pies, tarts, apple cider, and more, their haunted forest (even though it left me shrieking into my mothers arms at that young age), and, more than anything, I loved their fresh corn on the cob. There's nothing like fresh sweet Ontario corn, but what made me fall in love with Andrews' Acres corn, was the butter. Andrews' Acres knows how to do corn right by serving up their fresh, farm-picked corn on the cob next to a big stockpot full of melted butter, so you can dip your corn on the cob right into that baby, add some salt and pepper and you have the tastiest corn imaginable!

Nostalgic for those Fall memories as a child, my mom and I decided to spend our saturday up North at our ol' stompin' ground Andrews Scenic Acres. Although the farm and market looked the same, they were now filled with a loud crowd of families and lots of very misbehaved children (screaming children...lots and lots of screaming and crying children not appreciating the beauty of an Ontario farm in the Fall). Back when I was a kid, the farm used to be so peaceful and calm, but now it seems to be turning into Chudleigh's Farms younger and almost just as popular sister (by the way, the line for cars to just get into Chudleigh's was absolutely insane!). Despite the large mass of people taking over the once peaceful farm, I was ecstatic to see that that same old corn on the cob stand was still there, and still featured my beloved stockpot of melted butter! My mom and I couldn't wait another moment, we hit up that stand as soon as we got in, and dug into my favourite Fall treat as a child. I have to say, that corn was just as fantastic as I remember it to be. Even though it may be loud and filled with people, I think I have to make that butter-soaked corn at Andrews' Acres a Fall tradition! 

Thanksgiving - Thanksgiving has always been one of my favourite holidays, which may have something to do with the immense amount of delicious food. For years my family had hosted Thanksgiving at our family home, with our gorgeous backyard full of changing colour trees setting the perfect backdrop for the occasion. Having sold our beautiful home last year, and now living in a tiny apartment, we were unable to play host to our families Thanksgiving meal, and handed the reins over to my Aunt Nancy and Uncle Ron to host. It felt weird driving up to Brampton to meet up with the rest of the family for our meal, like it wasn't really Thanksgiving. It wasn't until the meal was served that those Thanksgiving feelings kicked in. That same meal, with dishes contributed by almost every family member (I had to work earlier and sadly couldn't make anything), brought back so many wonderful Thanksgiving memories and made me realize that all those familiar Thanksgiving dishes can evoke feelings of family, comfort, and tradition, better than any setting could. I felt very thankful this year to be surrounded by such a loving family, who also happen to be awesome cooks, and indulge in a delicious comforting meal with them to reflect on the things we have to be thankful for this year. 

Rose & Son's Brunch - After falling in love with Rose & Son's backyard smokehouse Big Crow last week, taking advantage of their newly launched brunch menu, I have been raving about it to just about everyone I know all week long. It had to be absolute torture living with me all week as the words "Big Crow" kept coming out of my mouth at every turn. It came as no surprise that on Monday when my mom and I wanted to head out for a Thanksgiving brunch, she wanted to go nowhere else by Big Crow. Without delay, we headed over to Dupont to let her experience their sinfully delicious brunch. Unfortunately upon arrival we found out that Big Crow was closed for the holiday, but to our delight Rose & Son's was open, with a short ten minute wait for a table for two. After a lovely stroll around the Annex while we waited for our table, we were seated in the small space, with our stomachs growling, and our eyes darting around to all neighboring tables for ordering inspiration (you could hear rumblings all over with diners proclaiming "these are the best eggs I've ever eaten").

With both my mom and I setting our sights on their Griddled Brie Cornbread with Brisket, Fried Egg, Maple Syrup, & Chili Sauce, we decided to share the outrageous sounding dish, as well as their Smoked Lox & Eggs with Toast, Horseradish, Capers, & Schmlatz so that we could taste more of the menu in one go. As much as I loved my Pork & Beans at Big Crow last week, they didn't hold a candle to that brisket and cornbread dish. Dear lord, was that ever incredible. It was the perfect brunch dish. Yes, I said perfect. Perfection. I wouldn't change a thing. In fact, I'm still dreaming about that dish today...and drooling. Never in my life have I eaten such an incredible brunch dish. Don't get me wrong, the lox and eggs were also off the charts, but nothing compares to that brisket and cornbread. It's the perfect slightly sweet, soft, crumbly, and crunchy outside cornbread that makes the dish so special. The sweet cornbread, doused in maple syrup is complimented by the savory, smokey brisket, with the brie adding a great creamy texture, and the chili sauce brightening the whole dish up. You must try this dish. I repeat, you MUST try this dish! 

Rose & Son's Brunch - Not quite as glamourous as the brisket and cornbread captured on camera, Rose & Son's Lox & Eggs with Toast, Horseradish, Capers, & Schmaltz was also a wonderful way to start Thanksgiving day. Salty smoked salmon pieces are found in every bite of the buttery scrambled eggs, dotted with briny capers and zesty thinly sliced red onions, with the schmaltz adding a hit of underlying savory flavour, and the toast acting as a base for every bite. What is schmaltz, you ask? Schmaltz is chicken or goose fat that has been rendered down to create the most delicious addition to heck, just about anything! Schmaltz is often found in Yiddish cooking, for example, one of my favourites, matzo balls. You don't see many dishes like this on very many brunch menus in the city, especially done this successfully. This was the perfect lighter accompaniment to the extraordinarily rich brisket and cornbread.

CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT

Evergreen Brickworks - After enjoying the best brunch ever at Rose & Son's with my mom, we headed over to the Evergreen Brickworks to enjoy the stunning weather. Even thought the Brickworks was filled with just as many families with young children as Andrew's Acres was, these kids were far more well behaved and quiet, enjoying all of the fun outdoor activities the centre has to offer. With the warn Fall sun beating down on us, we strolled through the paths, taking in the exquisite scenery, and snapping photos of the unbelievable Fall colours at every turn. It was so beautiful. What a lovely way to spend Thanksgiving day!

Evergreen Brickworks - This little lady here is my mom, totally in her element, enjoying the beautiful outdoors on our walk at the Evergreen Brickworks. She makes a great walking partner!

Kale & Apple Salad - You can't go up North this time of year in Ontario without taking advantage of the wonderful apples we are so lucky to have in season. With a big bowl full of personally picked apples from our little excursion up North a few days prior, I felt inspired to create a kale salad featuring crisp and slightly tart Ontario apples. Just when I was starting to feel sick of kale, this incredibly tasty salad renewed my love for the healthy green, featuring Ontario apples, toasted slivered almonds, trail mix, chia seeds, and goat cheese. I loved this salad so much, I will definitely be posting the recipe for you soon! This salad was also a great opportunity for me to practice my batonnet cut on the apples, which I will be tested on this week at my practical exam at George Brown chef school.

This Week At Chef School - This week at George Brown Chef School our focus was on rice and legumes with our menu covering:

Braised Navy Beans

Lentils & Celery Root

Risotto

Saffron Tea
Saffron Pilaf

I was pretty nervous about this weeks class, with seemingly so much to get done, including the infamously tricky risotto on the menu. Risotto is so tricky because, for one thing, it requires constant attention, you must be at your stove throughout the entire cooking process, stirring your Arborio rice so that the starches don't stick to the bottom of your pan, adding ladles of hot chicken stock to allow the short and starchy short grain rice to slowly cook and soak up the liquid and flavour from the stock. More than just giving risotto constant attention, the Italian dish is also tricky because you must ensure to serve it at just the right moment. You want the rice to be tender, but still have a bit of a bite to it (think of al dente pasta), with the consistency wet so that when shaken it pools out around the dish, but not so wet that you get any puddling. Not only do you have to know when to stop cooking your risotto, you also have to know when to serve it, which is immediately! Risotto is meant to be served as soon as it comes off the stove, if not, the starches kick in and you get a gluey, sticky rice. 

Despite being super nervous about trying my hand at making risotto from scratch for the first time, I am so proud to say that my final dish came out near perfect! My only criticism from our chef was that I could have added a touch more pepper, and I could have cooked it about 30 seconds longer to get rid of a bit more of the liquid, but otherwise my texture was spot on! Yay! With a few small criticisms here and there from my other dishes (with my lentils and celery root declared "perfect" by our chef!), I'd say I did pretty darn good this week! Each week I find myself becoming more calm and confident in the kitchen, and more importantly, I have more and more fun in the kitchen with each new lesson! I can't say it enough how happy I am that I finally signed up for culinary school! This just feels so right!

What else did I learn this week?

• How to make a cartouche. A cartouche is a parchment paper lid.
• The ratio for making rice is 2-1, water-rice.

On My Mind:

Banksy is playing with the idea of high vs. low art once again in this video of a pop up stand in New York selling his authentic prints. 

Why I try to drink warm lemon water throughout the day. 

Could it be? Was the final episode of Breaking Bad just a fantasy in Walter Whites mind? 

Dream come true!! 30,000 tonnes of European cheese could be coming to Canada!

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Listening To:

Future Islands - Balance

Weekly Roundup - A Big Week For Comfort Food

CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT

Big Crow Brunch - My new trick to getting into the most buzzed about restaurants in our growing foodie city is to be ahead of the game and go before the buzz has truly kicked in! This trick worked wonders for my boyfriend Chris and I when we checked out Hudson Kitchen on it's fourth night of service for cocktails (grabbing a seat at their bar in no time!), and once again we found success when we checked out Anthony Rose's (unfortunately no relation to myself) barbeque joint Big Crow merely hours after hearing that they had opened for weekend brunch service. After a nice and rare little sleep-in on Saturday morning, Chris and I hopped in the car and headed over to Dupont to see if we could manage to squeeze ourselves in at a table for two. After hearing about the insane long lines for brunch at Rose's main restaurant Rose & Son's, I made sure to call on our way to see if it was even worth trying to get into Big Crow for brunch. The incredibly friendly hostess on the phone (big bonus points for positive attitude!) gave us the go, and told us we wouldn't have trouble if we were on our way. As expected, Rose & Son's was buzzing, with the doorway filled up with a line of eager customers hungry for brunch. We walked right on past Rose & Son's (even though I need to go there for brunch as well!) and headed on back to the covered patio of Big Crow where we were lucky to find numerous tables empty and waiting for us! I guess most people didn't know that they had opened for brunch yet, and Chris and I were once again ahead of the game! 

What drew me to Big Crow for brunch other than the Rose name (not because I share the name, but because Chef Anthony Rose has made such a positive name for himself in Toronto) was the menu. Each and every dish sounded like it was out of my fantasy brunch list, with classic breakfast comfort foods given a unique twist. Warning, if you are looking for your basic eggs and toast, don't come here! This place is for people seeking big flavours and creative combinations. With Chris snapping up the Soft & Sexy Maple & Cheese Grits with Fried Egg & Mushrooms (we can't ever order the same thing!) I went for the equally enticing Pork & Beans with fried egg, cornbread, maple syrup, and chili pepper sauce. I was in comfort food heaven as I dug my spoon into the messy pile of goodness that was promptly served to us. A simple dish can take on a whole new life when made with care and with the right ingredients, and that is exactly how my pork and beans were treated. Of course I had to sneak a bite of Chris' grits, which were just as swoon-worthy as my dish. With great food, a fantastic atmosphere (I felt like I was relaxing at a cottage!), and spot on service, I will definitely be coming back to Big Crow soon to make it through their entire menu! Next on my list to try? Big Crow's Smoked Mozzarella & Brisket Roast with Garlic Bread, Fried Egg, Whiskey Onions, and Mustard. 

Kale Salad - After indulging in just about everything I could get my hands on during my birth-week, it was time to wave the white flag and give my tired and bloated body a rest with some healthy eating. It's no secret that I am a big fan of kale, the dark leafy green with big health appeal, so when it's time to start thinking healthy in the kitchen, I seem to always turn to kale to get me back on track. Because kale sits heavier in the stomach (it doesn't make you feel bloated and gross, just full and satisfied) I have been getting into the habit of eating kale before my evening classes and shifts at work so that I won't be keeling over with heartburn (as I did several days last week) or grumbling with hunger after eating an improper meal beforehand. Kale has the ability to deliver a delicious meal that will give me the energy to take on my class or a serving shift with gusto and last all night long! The salad that I found myself making numerous times this week was a kale salad with a hard boiled egg, multi-coloured cherry tomatoes, avocado, and sautéed onions, in a simple grainy mustard and honey vinaigrette. I love how beautiful and colourful this salad is, with big flavours in every bite. Mix it up real good to allow the avocado to break down and act as a sort of creamy dressing to go along with the homemade vinaigrette. Keep your eyes peeled for the recipe as I will be posting it soon!

Soy & Sesame Kale Chips - My favourite way to eat kale is raw in a salad, but the idea of 'kale chips' had always intrigued me. Make something crispy and salty, and suddenly it tricks your taste buds into thinking your being indulgent. As much as I had wanted to try kale chips, I never really bought the idea of them being all that flavourful. I knew that when I was to try my hand at the healthy chip I would have to add something to it to give it another hit of flavour. It wasn't until I came across a recipe on the lifestyle blog A Cup Of Jo for what she considers to be "the best kale chips" that I was finally convinced to make them. What got me excited about this recipe was the addition of soy sauce and sesame seeds, adding that extra hit of flavour that I was hoping for. These chips were incredibly fast to prepare and turned out to be just the snack I was looking for (you know, the kind of snack that you eat not because you're hungry, but because you're bored) with the soy sauce and sesame seeds keeping me coming back for more and more...but with zero guilt! Kale chips certainly won't be replacing any potato chip cravings that I may have, but they are a great healthy snack to munch on on the regular. 

This Week At Chef School - This week at chef school was hands down the tastiest week as of yet as we learned how to cook the comfort food staple potatoes in a variety of different ways. Although our chef warned us that this week was going to be a tricky one to organize our time and have everything hot, ready, and properly cooked for 'service', it seemed to be the smoothest one for our class...despite a small fire by one student and myself burning my hand on a scorching hot pot handle. On our menu this week was:

Boiled Mini Red Potatoes

The most basic in potato cookery. You must master a perfectly cooked boiled potato before you really know how to properly cook a potato.

French Fries

Perfectly cooked french fries are blanched once in oil at low-heat, drained, & then fried again at a higher heat to create perfect 'crisp on the outside, fluffy on the inside' french fries.

Duchesse Potatoes

Boiled Yukon Gold potatoes are riced, seasoned, & piped into rosettes to bake in the oven for a crispy shell & creamy, fluffy filling.

Fondant Potatoes

Peeled & halved Yukon Gold potatoes are 'turned' (pared down to a classic barrel shape) & braised in the oven in a seasoned chicken stock.

Scalloped Potatoes

Thinly sliced potatoes are layered alternately with a seasoned cream sauce, gruyere, parmesan, & salt & pepper & baked in the oven to create a decadent potato casserole.

So after all that potato cooking goodness, what did I learn at school this week?

• I am never using the salamander ever again! A salamander is a broiler that our chef warned us against, as it gets extremely hot and can quickly add too much 'artificial looking' colour to your product. At five minutes to service, myself and a few other students felt desperate to add some colour to the top of our dishes to present. Our Dushesse potatoes, Fondant Potatoes, and Scallop Potatoes were to be presented with a golden brown colour on top, a colour that my oven didn't seem to want to give to my product. I made a snap decision and (while burning my hand) moved my Fondant Potatoes out of the oven and under the salamander. In the one minute it took for me to run my burn under cold water, I had burnt the top of almost all of my little Fondant Potatoes. Luckily I had two presentable ones to be graded by our chef. Lesson learned, I will never use the salamander again!
• The perfect french fries are fried twice, once in oil at low heat until about 60% cooked, then once again at high heat for the perfect 'crisp on the outside, fluffy on the inside' french fries.
• Don't place your sliced potatoes for Scallop Potatoes in water until ready to cook. You don't want to rise away the starch in the potato that will act like a glue to hold your casserole together.
• When making Duchesse Potatoes, you must work fast! You want your potato mixture to be hot while you pipe it so that you get the most beautiful and sturdy rosettes. 
• The kitchen is not always filled with unpleasant egos! I feel so lucky to be apart of a class filled with such supportive, encouraging, and positive people who seem to always have each others backs. It's a pleasure to share the kitchen with you all!

On My Mind:
This is so stunningly beautiful.

As one of my birthday gifts this year my good friend Rita was kind enough to treat me to see the Mirvish production of Les Misérables. Although I don't see too much theatre these days (bad theatre student!) this show absolutely blew me away thanks to the unbelievably talented cast! Never before have I seen a show with such a strong cast that were able to bring me to tears and chills throughout the entire performance. Thank you so much to Rita for treating me to such a memorable night! 

Interesting article on the racial implications of the hatred of Chris Brown. 

I was a Disney princess girl and I turned out aiiight, but when I have children I will take a cue from this mother who dressed her daughter as five empowering and inspirational women!

Being a server I can totally relate to this article on why everyone should work in "the industry" for at least two years of their life.

Check out this cute and quirky infographic on Beer vs. Wine. Which do you prefer? 

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Listening To:

Sufjan Stevens  - All For Myself

Weekly Roundup - Birthday Eats & Other Treats

Momofuku - Birthdays are always a challenge for me to plan for myself. Each and every year I hope that someone will magically decide to do all the prep and planning work for me, so I can legitimately de-stress on my special day, which really, just may be the greatest birthday gift. No such luck this year. Thankfully this year I resolved early on that I was going to have to step up my game in the birthday planning department and planned myself a weekend full of fun evenings that would allow me to spend time with all of the special people in my life. For my actual birthday (September 30th!) I decided to spend my birthday dinner with the people closest to me in my life, my parents, sister, and my boyfriend...oh and my sisters boyfriend who is practically my brother. This arises yet another challenge: Where to go on a Monday (when many restaurants are closed) that takes reservations, will be something special, and will not cost a fortune for my parents who were treating us all to dinner. After much head scratching and research, I decided on a perfect option! 

I have been hearing about the now infamous Momofuku for months now, with many people debating what their favourite restaurant and dish are in the 4-story, 4-restaurant (plus Milk Bar) Toronto location next to the Shangri-La Hotel. The one dish that everyone seemed to agree on, and the dish I had been reading about long before Momofuku opened in up shop in Toronto, was their large format fried chicken dinner. Momofuku has a number of large format meals, which are designed to be shared "family-style" amongst a suggested group of people. The fried chicken large format dinner (found at Noodle Bar) is the most reasonable of the large formats offered ($125 for 4-6 people) and consists of two whole chickens, fried two different ways, one the classic Southern style, the other Korean style. The meal encourages experimentation as the chickens are served alongside ginger scallion pancakes and lettuce leaves to use as wraps, as well as a number of different sauces, a savory powder, and a bowl full of herbs and greens. I was initially concerned that, being six hungry and food-loving people, we would not have enough food for all of us, so as a preventative measure we began our meal with two orders of another Momofuku favourite, their Steamed Pork Buns. The buns were such a delicious way to start our indulgent meal with the flavourful and tender pork joined by hoisin, scallion, and cucumber and wrapped in the traditional steamed bao. Throw some of Momofuku's hot sauce on that baby and we're in business! I'm pretty sure I could eat one of those buns every day! 

Momofuku - After devouring our oh-so-delicious steamed pork buns we realize that we have been seated at the only table covered in brown craft paper...There's no question, it's about to get very messy! In next to no time our chickens have arrived. As the massive plate of piping hot fried chicken was brought to our table, we immediately knew there was no way we were leaving hungry. It was enough chicken for even more than our hungry six! Without delay, I tucked right into the most unique of the two fried chickens their Korean style chicken. The triple fried chicken is ridiculously good, with the sticky and spicy glaze adding a world of flavour to the dish. Beneath the crispy skin lies the most tender and juicy chicken I could imagine! Next I had to dig into the Southern style chicken, who's crunchy batter was calling my name. Before even biting into the traditional fried chicken, you can just see how thick and crisp the skin is, and that first bite and crunch into it says it all, it's perfect. I didn't know fried chicken like this existed! That crunch, that tenderness and juiciness inside, and the buttermilk and old bay batter make this chicken outrageously good! On it's own, wrapped in a pancake or lettuce wrap, and drizzled with the many different toppings, the chicken takes on a whole new flavour as you play around with what is provided.

Momofuku Milk Bar - It's impossible to go to Momofuku on your birthday and not pay a visit to their newly-opened Milk Bar, filled with inventive treats that will satisfy any sweet-tooth. Feeling just so incredibly indulgent and bad, my boyfriend, my sister, her boyfriend, and I pretty much raided the little self-serve shop, picking close to one of every item on the market! I had tried almost all of their cookies in the past and was totally and completely wowed by them, so of course we had to pick up more of those, but we also had to include their famous Crack Pie and B'day Truffles. You would think after a giant meal of fried chicken and pork buns that I would save my Milk Bar treats for another day...not so! Not more than a half hour after arriving back to my boyfriend Chris' condo, we were digging into our sinful bag of treats! After having a taste of them all, I can confidently say that my favourite Milk Bar treat is actually a new edition to the shop. Added only a couple of weeks ago as an exclusive addition to the Toronto shop (as a thank you for our support!) Momofuku's Maple-Coconut-Pecan Cookie is out of this world incredible! The super soft cookie hits all the right notes with its sweet and nutty flavours and...wait for it, because this is really the kicker...is vegan and wheat free! The truth is that every item sold at Milk Bar is a favourite to someone, with the Crack Pie becoming a cult classic, my boyfriend losing his mind over the incredibly sweet B'day Truffles, and their Compost Cookie drawing a very close second as my favourite. Lookout Milk Bar, I will be coming for you again soon!

Hudson Kitchen & Campagnolo - This post would not be complete without taking a moment to say thank you to Campagnolo for consistently delivering a fantastic dining experience each and every time I visit you! My boyfriend Chris took me to Campagnolo for a romantic birthday dinner on Saturday night that left as both smiling ear to ear. The food, service, and atmosphere was all exceptional! I will be having sweet dreams of your pillowy burrata cheese dish for weeks!

Before our Campagnolo reservation, Chris and I had some time to kill and came across the very newly opened (it was only their fourth night open to the public!) Hudson Kitchen for a couple of cocktails. The cute, bright, and cozy space was surprisingly very welcoming for a newly opened, buzzed about (did you hear Brad and Jen ate here, at separate occasions, during TIFF?), and seemingly hipster restaurant, with their super friendly staff giving us their full attention as soon as we entered. We grabbed a seat at their bar and immediately began chatting up the charming bartender. There's no doubt about it, Hudson Kitchen knows what they're doing when it comes to cocktails. After asking me what flavours I like and what kind of mood I was in, the bartender/mixologist expertly whipped up the Corpse Reviver #2 to help kill the previous nights hangover and get me right back in that tipsy headspace I was in the previous night. Although we had only a few minutes before our reservation across the street, we couldn't resist trying Hudson Kitchens simplistic take on a margarita. Without the distraction of a salt rim or even ice in the glass, this margarita was simple, boozy, very well balanced, and likely one of the best margaritas I have had and may ever have! I definitely have to go back soon to try more of their delightful cocktails and sample their confidently small menu! 

This Week At Chef School - I'm so bummed that I absentmindedly forgot to take a photo of my final presentation in class this week, especially considering that it was the first week that we were actually displaying our final dishes on nice china as opposed to the steel trays we were given for previous weeks. This week our menu to prepare was the following: 

• Par-Boiled Green Beans
• Par-Boiled Green Asparagus
• Sautéed Spinach
• Glazed Carrots
• Roasted Root Vegetables
• Vegetable Stew Ratatouille Style

After looking over our recipes for the week as well as my extensive notes, I felt well prepared to step into the kitchen and take on our many tasks of the day. I walked in calm, cool, and collected, took a deep breath and began my work. I started off feeling so great, knowing exactly what I had to do and attacking it with a laid back confidence that I wish I always possessed. It wasn't until I started working on my roasted vegetables that everything seemed to go wrong. Before our vegetables went into the oven to roast, we were to quickly cook them over the stove to begin the light caramelization and take the chill out of the vegetables. My teacher and my notes had said that we should cook our vegetables at this stage at high heat, something that went against all my instincts. Despite what my gut was telling me, I cranked the heat and watched as I quickly scorched my root vegetables, going way past the slight caramelization and straight to 'burnt around the edges'. As soon as I felt that my vegetables were no good, I lost that calm, cool, and collected attitude that I was so pleased to have coveted. That anxious feeling that I had felt in previous weeks began to creep back into me, and I continued to make little mistakes at almost every step (or at least that's what it felt like to me). By the end of the class, once I had handed in my work, I felt I had let myself down for not handing in a product that I felt confident in.  Despite an OK mark, I wished that I could have a do-over and have another opportunity to wow my teacher. This brings me to what I learned in class this week: I learned that I know a lot more than I think I do, and before all else, I need to remember to trust my instincts, because you know what? They ain't half bad!

On My Mind:

As one of my birthday gifts I received the Jamie Oliver cookbook "Cook With Jamie". This cookbook, which is filled with lots of basic recipes, tips, tricks, and advice, is the best cookbook I have ever read! Definitely pick this one up and prepare to be wowed! 

Loving the new Tokyo-inspired October lookbook from Free People.

Check out this incredibly curious carrot...how does this happen to a carrot?

I giggled my face off to this: Terrible Real Estate Agent Photos.

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Listening To:
The National - Don't Swallow The Cap

Weekly Roundup - Taking A Stab At Making The Cut

Chef School: Vegetable Cuts -  This week at chef school was all about focus and precision as we learned the basics of vegetable cuts. Although there was much less to accomplish and present for marks compared to last week and future weeks, this week was just as intense as we pulled our rulers out to practice cutting carrots, onions, celery, parsnips, and leeks into perfect  Julienne, Brunoise, Batonnet, Carré, Slice, and Paysanne cuts. This is definitely one area of cooking that I still need a lot of practice. Despite my final product being deemed "very good" by my teacher, each sample of each cut took me far too long, and had me silently cursing far too much. It seems that the question "what the hell have I gotten myself into?!" will be popping into my head each week as I feel the pressure to produce a result that I am proud to show my teacher in the appropriate amount of time. I'm hoping to find some time this weekend (even though it's my birthday weekend!) to do some cooking so I can continue to practice my vegetable cuts and maybe, just maybe, it will begin to feel more natural.

I Had No Idea! Things I learned in class this week:

• When julienning an onion, cut towards the root. When slicing an onion, cut parallel to the root.
• Julienne (Very fine strips)
• 4cm x 3mm x 3mm
• Brunoise (Very small dice. Cross cut of julienne)
• 3mm x 3mm x 3mm 
• Batonnet (Small sticks)
• 4cm x 1/2cm x 1/2cm
• Carré (Dice. Cross cut of batonnet)
• Small = 1/2cm x 1/2cm x 1/2cm
• Medium = 1cm x 1cm x 1cm
• Large = 2cm x 2cm x 2cm
• Paysanne (peasant style) = Any geometric shape, using the natural shape of the vegetable.

On My Mind:
Took the words out of my mouth: Blurring The Lines of Feminism: A Criticism of the Criticism of "Blurred Lines"

Why I'll never be the girl who wears heels all the time.

Girls Don't Poop.

Can't wait to check out the massive David Bowie is exhibit at the AGO that opened this week! It's on until November 27th. 

Dear Kanye, it's OK to laugh. 

Barbie's got a new job! Welcome to the RCMP!

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Listening To:

Soko - I Kill Her (Hans Fischer Remix)

Weekly Roundup - The Cooking Begins At Chef School!

The Hogtown Cure - This week I met up for lunch with my aunt Darlene. One of the best parts about meeting up with my closest aunt, (other than spending time with her of course!) is that we both share a love of good food, which always results in an interesting restaurant choice. At our most recent catchup lunch session, we decided to check out The Hogtown Cure, a deli and café specializing in house-smoked meats and artisanal products such as meats, cheeses, jams, mustards, and more! Having been craving Mexican food for weeks now, I couldn't resist the shops Smoked Pulled Pork Tacos served on Alba Lisa organic corn tortillas with pickled red onion, tomatoes, and jalapeno cream. Although I loved the smokey flavour of the tender pork, I found the tortillas texture a little off-putting, and would have liked more spice in my tacos. Darlene's lunch, on the other hand, was delicious! Darlene's Chorizo Wrap and Seasonal Salad with scrambled free range eggs, house made chorizo sausage, pickled red onion, smoked peppers, three-year old Canadian cheddar and mozzarella was just perfect smokey and spicy awesomeness! Before leaving, I couldn't help but sneak back to the cash to grab one of the shops giant oatmeal raisin cookies as my snack for that evenings class Just as the friendly (and redheaded!) cashier promised, it was fantastic! 

Culinary School: Week 2 - This week was week two of my chef training course at George Brown College, which means that the cooking has finally begun! This week was all about vegetable prep, which allowed us to learn a number of basics such as preparing garlic five different ways, making tomatoes concassé and using them in both bruschetta and mushroom duxelle, making herb butter, a mirepoix, a bouquet garni, and chopping fresh herbs. There was a lot to get done in one 3-hour cooking period (which my teacher had to extend due to our lack of speed), but I have been informed that this is only the beginning, I should prepare for more intensity, difficulty, and multi-tasking...good lord, what have I gotten myself into! Those three hours were terrifying and awesome all at the same time. I couldn't help but freak out over the ticking clock and a number of missteps on my part, but at the same time it felt invigorating knowing what I was accomplishing and learning. I'm quickly realizing that although I have the passion and know the basics in the kitchen, I was certainly not qualified for those test kitchen and recipe development jobs that I was so hoping to get this summer. I have a lot to learn in a short period of time, and although I am shaking in my boots over handling the intensity, I am so excited to come out of this program as a confident certified chef! 

I Had No Idea! Things I learned in class this week:

• Peel your celery before cooking.
• Inside garlic cloves there is a rubbery sprout  that you should remove before preparing further.
• Remove many garlic peels at once by cutting a bit off the stem of each clove and place in a steel bowl. Top with another steel bowl and, holding firmly, shake the bowls to allow the cloves to bang around inside the bowls. Ta da! Garlic peels removed!
• Remove chlorophyl from curly parsley by placing finely chopped parsley in a small piece of cheesecloth. Tie tightly with string, and rinse and squeeze repeatedly under cold water until water runs clear.

On My Mind:
20 simple ways to take great care of yourself.

Interesting read: Why Generation Y Yuppies Are Unhappy.

Came across this really awesome pop-up shop in a shipping crate on Dundas West the other day. Check out JM & Sons gorgeous, hand-crafted custom furniture.

Nigella Lawson on the 'male gaze'.

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Arctic Monkeys - Do I Wanna Know

Weekly Roundup: Rainy Days Are Cooking Days

Pork Tonkatsu with Watermelon & Tomato Salad - Friday nights always seem to be a mad rush, trying to get myself out of work at a decent time, looking presentable, with enough outfit changes to last me the weekend, and a 45-minutes commute to my boyfriend Chris' condo. If it's a Friday where Chris and I are having dinner together, it's even more of a rush so that we aren't totally exhausted by the time I get there and resolve to make something incredibly simple and not all that exciting. This week I seemed to be running way past schedule and didn't get to Chris' until much later than anticipated. I spent my 45-min commute with my stomach growling, worrying that because of the late time, we would be in for another simple sausage and bun dinner (which, don't get me wrong is delicious, but by the time September kicks in, I've certainly had my fill of enough sausage and bun dinners).

I arrived at Chris' tired, hungry, and grumpy about the lack of possibilities for dinner. On my commute I had seen a stunning, colourful photo of the most delicious-looking watermelon salad, and was unable to get that sweet and savoury salad out of my mind. I knew that no matter what we had for dinner, I would be disappointed, because all I wanted was that watermelon salad. I guess when you've been dating someone for long enough, you begin to read each others minds a little bit. Chris, who was able to get to St. Lawrence Market before close, had picked up all the ingredients required to make panko-encrusted pork chops (or Pork Tonkatsu) and...wait for it...WATERMELON SALAD! I swear I fell in love with him 10x more when he told me that! With Chris on pork chop duty, and myself on watermelon salad duty we quickly whipped up Bon Appétit's recipe for Pork Tonkatsu and Watermelon and Tomato salad, altering it ever so slightly by adding a bit more lemon juice to the dijon-citrus vinaigrette as well as some salty feta cheese. Our meal was so delicious, with the bright and fresh watermelon salad complimenting the rich pork chops perfectly. I couldn't stop smiling! I will most definitely be making this meal again...and soon!

Teamwork Breakfast - My favourite homemade meals are the ones that are created as a team. It seems you can always taste the love in a meal all the more when you know that people had to work together to create it. To start our weekend off right, myself, Chris, and his roommate Adam decided to collaborate on a teamwork breakfast, with Adam making his infamous spiced hash browns, Chris making his favourite breakfast items grits and pea meal bacon, and myself on egg duty. Our breakfast was gluttonous and outrageously delicious. It kept us full and satisfied all day long, and was definitely one that will go down in the books as one of our best! 

Homemade Fresh Pasta - There's something about a gloomy and grey rainy day that just screams "cooking day" to me. This past weekend, on the gloomiest of Saturdays, while devouring our massive 'teamwork' breakfast, Chris and I decided that a rainy day was the perfect day to take on a new cooking challenge together. We had been discussing perfecting homemade fresh pasta for weeks now, and with the sun hiding behind the clouds, a very wet balcony, and limited movies at the nearby cheapy Rainbow Cinema, we could think of no better time to take on the challenge. I have made homemade pasta a number of times before, but I was never quite satisfied with the the overall result. Always just a bit off in the texture department, I have always dreamt of creating those perfect, silky, al dente noodles that I have swooned over at my favourite Italian restaurants. Apparently having an Italian cooking partner in the kitchen was all I needed to finally create my dream pasta! After a quick phone call to his pro-pasta-making parents, and a trip to St. Lawrence for the essential tippo "00" flour (a finely sifted flour often used for pasta and pizza dough) we were set to begin our all-day pasta-making adventure! Chris was an absolute natural, taking control of the pasta making, while I took on the challenge of making a near perfect bolognese sauce (which is it bolognese or ragu? Jamie Oliver calls it ragu). The pasta turned out absolutely perfect. The texture was spot on, just like the best critically acclaimed Italian restaurants in the city! I felt so proud of our final results, and couldn't contain my excitement over the thought of future pasta-making days together! 

Homemade Bolognese - To go with our perfect homemade pasta, we needed a rich and flavourful sauce to bath our noodles in. After a bit of bolognese/ragu research, we came up with a recipe that combined Jamie Oliver's recipe for ragu, with Eataly NY's recipe for Butchers Ragu. Our recipe featured lean ground beef, ground veal, and smoked pancetta, as well as Chris' roommates newly-made homemade fresh tomato sauce. After getting all of my ingredients in the pot, it was ready to simmer on the stove for at least an hour and a half to enhance the flavours and reduce. After 45-minutes of simmering on the stove, I began to panic. The sauce wasn't reducing at all and was extremely watery. I feared I had added just a bit too much tomato sauce, which was a bit on the watery side to begin with. I was kicking myself over potentially ruining our pasta night, and knew that I had to do everything I could think of to rescue my sauce. The first step was to transfer the sauce from the large stock pot it was cooking in to a wide and shallow saucepan to allow more surface area of the sauce to cook off. I added the sauce to the new pan a bit at a time, at medium-high heat, allowing it to cook off a bit each time before adding another ladle full. I kept the heat at medium to medium-high to encourage it to reduce as much as possible. I also received a tip to go against every instinct in my body to stir the sauce, and just let it sit. About 45-minutes later my sauce was, if you can believe it, a little too reduced! To loosen it back up a bit, I added a splash of red wine, which also enhanced all those delicious savoury flavours in the sauce. Finally, after 9PM, both our pasta and our sauce were ready for tasting! As I had mentioned, Chris' pasta noodles were perfection, with my bolognese just a touch under perfect. The problem? The smoked pancetta. I absolutely loved the pancetta flavour in the sauce, but we all found that the smoked pancetta was a little too overpowering for our liking. Next time I would do either all regular pancetta, or a combo of half smoked, half regular. I would also add a touch of red pepper flakes to add just a bit of heat to the tongue. I was so proud of my rich and comforting bolognese sauce, I think this just may become one of my signatures that I will be making into old age!

On My Mind:

Check out this article from the Globe & Mail about the growing influence of foodies and the publics interest in food and its culture.

Check out the fourth issue of the new online magazine deliberateLIFE, the lifestyle guide for impactful living.

Nine questions about Syria you were too embarrassed to ask.

This coming Thursday come out to 6 Degrees for an evening of love and support for my old high school friend Robyn. For Robyn, With Love is an event to raise funds and awareness for a beautiful girl fighting a rare and aggressive form of cancer called Angiosarcoma. Please take a moment to read about Robyn and her battle, and give in any way you can! Hope to see you at the event!

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Listening To:
Arcade Fire - Reflektor