Habanero Peach Hot Sauce & Overcoming Fear

Years ago I was crazy about a boy, a boy who was crazy about someone else. Let's call this "someone else" The Girl with the Habanero Peach Hot Sauce. I call her this because, for whatever reason, one of the things that stands out in my mind the most after all these years was this little bottle of Habanero Peach Hot Sauce that she had given the boy from her travels. He loved the hot sauce just as he had the girl. Just like the hot sauce, the girl had a spicy and sweet personality, was somewhat exotic, and was not easy to obtain. In my eyes I was Franks Red Hot Sauce...or maybe even a generic, no-name brand pretending to be Franks. I was one note. I was boring, generic, and was always there. 

I was mad at myself. Mad for allowing myself to become this generic cookie-cutter of a human, because of what? Fear? Yup, that's exactly what it was - fear. Too afraid of the outcome or to be in the thick of the scary moment, I would push aside opportunities, wants, desires, needs, and so much more all in the name of fear. Too afraid to be rejected, I didn't fight for the guy, I didn't go after the job, I didn't make the tough decisions, I didn't do...well, much of anything. That summer I said "fuck it!" to fear. "Fuck you, fear!" I yelled in the ravine that connected to my backyard! "Fuck you for ruling my life!" I wasn't going to let that happen anymore. 

That summer I lived without fear. I put myself in positions I had never before been in. I had a summer fling with a stranger I thought was out of my league. I went to concerts with friends and acquaintances I rarely saw and some I hardly knew. I stayed up until the sun came up more than I can count. I spontaneously hopped a plane with a friend for a week of daiquiris and dancing. Hell, I even went skydiving! I kicked fear in the ass! 

I was so proud of myself at the end of that summer. Proud of all that I had accomplished. Proud of the stories I had to tell. Proud of the chances I took and the strength with which I approached them. It wasn't about the boy at all. It wasn't about proving to him that I too could be Habanero Peach Hot Sauce. It was about proving to myself that I was those things. They were always there, all I had to do was lift the heavy weight of fear to unearth them. 

It's been years and years now since that summer of saying "fuck you" to fear. I'm a different person now, in both good ways and bad. The good is that I've finally started to come into my own. I know who I am and what I'm not, and I'm not willing to sacrifice that for anything or anyone. I have a strong sense of self, that I wouldn't have been able to possess unless I had found myself in the gutter of fear. The bad? While I've changed in so many positive ways, there's always things to work on, and boy, have I got a lot of that. And that, in itself, is the bad. 

After going through a summer of transformation like that, it's easy to be overly critical of yourself when you find yourself falling into old habits. That's where I was at the beginning of this Spring, hating myself. Mad at myself for once again allowing fear to control my life. I was unhappy with where I was and felt stuck. I took a big scary leap and quit my job to allow myself to face the fears that I had been building up in my head. I forced myself to practice my craft every day. I forced myself to reach out to the people I admire and ask for assistance. I forced myself to talk to the people that intimidate me. With the lens of self-doubt, it would be easy to look at this summer as a waste. I could have done more, I could have said more, I could have been more, but look at all the things I did do! 

While I didn't make quite as much progress with my career as I had hoped (though I have to remember to still honour the development that I did make), I'm proud to say that I've come such a long way in terms of tackling my personal demons. I forced myself to own up to and work on the things that I didn't like about myself. I've started opening up to people about the anxiety that has plagued me since childhood. I've started seeing a therapist that will allow me to work through the things that I am so very ready to overcome. I forced myself to say "no more" to the people in my life who have continued to hurt me. I started exercising every day for my mind more than my body. I've looked deep within myself to understand what makes me happy and what fuels me, and also, what does the opposite. Though I know overcoming my fears will be a battle that I may have to work on for my entire life, each time I find myself in this cycle it feels a little easier. Because I've gone through this before it's so much easier to remember that yes, I do have Habanero Peach Hot Sauce within me, and it doesn't have to be so scary to let it out. 

Check out Fo Reals Life's recipe for Habanero Peach Hot Sauce here! 

Listening To:

Frank Ocean - Seigfried

Coconut Curry Chicken Noodle Bowl

Without a doubt in my mind I can say that noodles are the royalty of all comfort food. Oh so you think chili's and stews are the royalty of all comfort food? Well get the heck out because you're wrong! haha I kid...kind of. What makes noodles the top of the crop in terms of comfort food for myself at least is the fact that noodles can be served in so many different ways, all of which are guaranteed to be delicious and satisfying! Whether it's spaghetti and fresh from-the-garden tomato sauce or a big ol' bowl of piping hot ramen, noodles are are like that hug from your mom at the end of a really bad day...except hugs from mom don't exactly fill a hungry belly. 

When I'm in the midst of a rough week all I seem to crave are noodles, which means either whipping up a big pot of homemade pasta, or ordering Asian takeout. More often than not I find myself making pasta over ordering in as an attempt at saving money and perhaps eating ever so slightly healthier, being able to control exactly what's going into my food. Making my own Asian noodles had never been an option for me, as I was intimidated by both the ingredients and techniques from a cuisine that I had not grown up making. It's felt easy picking up recipes from cultures such as Greece, Italy, Poland, etc. having grown up around the same types of flavours and cooking techniques, but with so many unique ingredients, cooking tools, and methods in Asian cuisine I have always chosen to leave the cooking to the pros. 

With such a love for Asian cuisine, I was itching to find a great noodle dish that I could rely on to become a mid-week staple for my boyfriend and I to nip that comfort food noodle craving right in the bud! After scouring Pinterest for more than I care to admit to even myself, I found two delicious-sounding Thai noodle recipes that seemed simple to execute and featured flavours that I was familiar with, many of which I already had on hand. With a lot of skepticism, I combined the two recipes to create something that I thought may be a good start for my intro to Asian cuisine. Though I was so sure that my first attempt at Asian noodles would end up tasting very "white" and like it missing something, I was so pleasantly surprised at how my Coconut Curry Chicken Noodle Bowls turned out! Featuring that same punch of flavour found at my favourite Thai restaurants, these noodles were incredibly addictive and satisfied my craving for comforting Asian noodles. The rich coconut-infused sauce hugged every noodle and kept its intensity even upon reheating the following day! Despite my previous apprehensions over making Asian noodles, I have a newfound confidence thanks to such a successful first attempt! I am really proud of how this dish turned out and am so excited to hear what you think of it! Give it a try in your own kitchen and let me know how it went on Twitter: @thisgingerrose. 

Notes:

• To speed up the softening of the noodles, soak them in boiling water until softened.

Recipe adapted from Pinch of Yum and Bon Appetit

Ingredients:

4 ounces rice noodles

1 Tbsp. peanut or vegetable oil

2 shallots, minced

3 garlic cloves, minced

1 Tbsp. ginger, minced

1 Tbsp cilantro stems, finely chopped

2 Tbsp. red curry paste

2 tsp ground coriander

2 tsp ground turmeric 

1 (14-ounce) can coconut milk

1/2 cup chicken broth

3 Tbsp. sugar

1 Tbsp. hot chili paste (Sambal Oelek)

2 Tbsp. fish sauce

2 Tbsp. soy sauce

1 1/2 lb. boneless skinless chicken thighs, halved lengthwise

1 Tbsp. peanut or vegetable oil

1/2 onion, finely chopped

1 cup broccoli florets

1 large carrot, long slices peeled with a vegetable peeler

1 cup snow peas, trimmed

2 Tbsp. cilantro, finely chopped

3 Tbsp. lightly toasted peanuts, chopped

1 lime, cut into wedges (for serving)

Directions:

1. Soak noodles in very hot water until softened. Rinse and drain. Begin this right at the start of cooking as noodles will take some time to soften. See above note for more info. 
2. In a large saucepan, heat 1 Tbsp. oil. Add shallots, garlic, ginger, and cilantro stems and stir fry for about 3-4 minutes, or until shallot has softened and is translucent. 
3. Add curry paste, coriander, and turmeric and stir-fry for 1-minute.
4. Add coconut milk, sugar, chili paste, fish sauce, and soy sauce and stir. Add broth and chicken and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 25-minutes, until chicken is fork tender.
5. Transfer chicken to a plate and shred with 2 forks. Add back to sauce.
6. In a large skillet, heat 1 Tbso oil over medium-high heat. Add onion, broccoli, carrot, and snow peas and stir fry for 5-minutes. Add sauce, noodles, and 2 Tbso. cilantro and toss to combine. Serve in bowls topped with additional cilantro, peanuts, and a lime wedge. 

Listening To:

Kendrick Lamar - King Kunta

Market Inspired: Garlic Scape Pesto

Strawberries, asparagus, rhubarb, tomatoes, apples; We are all familiar with the basic go-to finds that most people gravitate toward at an Ontario market, but it's the lesser known produce, the black sheep of the market if you will, that has really been getting my attention as of late. Now that the market has been open for almost one month, I've had the opportunity to purchase goods from almost every single vendor featured at the sip & Savour Ontario Farm & Artisan Market, many of which have been those very basics that I just listed. Of course all of them were incredibly delicious, and completely incomparable to the flavourless variety that gets shipped in from miles and miles away to our supermarkets. Though despite how delicious my fresh market finds were, it wasn't anything I hadn't had before.  

It was last week at Pete's Fresh Organics stand, as I was just about to hand over a $5 bill for a bag of beautiful farm-grown lettuce, that I saw them. I had been seeing the words "garlic scapes" slowly trickling into my Twitter and Facebook feeds, as all of my foodie friends and acquaintances proclaimed their desire at obtaining these mysterious, curly, chive-like greens while they still remained during their very short season. The more those two words kept appearing seemingly everywhere I looked, the more it felt like everyone was apart of a club that I wasn't included in. With my last five-dollars in my hand, I put down the bag of lettuce and began inspecting this mysterious find. They looked like chives to me, but curly and much harder in texture. I knew they were coveted, but what in the world do you even do with garlic scapes?

When surrounded by farmers and foodies alike, it came as no surprise that the moment the question "what do I do with garlic scapes?" left my lips, a response was enthusiastically tossed back at me from the lovely girl manning the Monforte Dairy stand. With a smile so wide, and a wild eagerness in her voice, I knew I could trust her when she suggested I make garlic scape pesto. 

The following day I could think of nothing other than lugging out my food processor to whirr up a big batch of garlic scape pesto. I hadn't a clue if I would even like the flavour of it, but was so excited at the prospect of discovering a new taste, that I simply could not get those whimsical looking greens out of my mind. With pizza on the menu for Friday nights dinner, I knew that would be the perfect opportunity for me to get to utilize my big bag of garlic scapes (that, by the way, only cost me $2). 

After a quick Google search on how to go about making the pesto, I learned that the whole garlic scape may be consumed, but the pointed tip after the pale yellow bulb is quite fibrous, and is recommended to be removed. I speedily chopped up my scapes, tossed them into the bowl of the food processor with some grated Parmesan cheese, olive oil, and lightly toasted pine nuts, and whirred away! That smell. I can't believe we live in the year 2014, and we still don't have smellovision. I wish I could convey to you the intensity of that spicy, fresh, zingy smell that wafted out from my food processor bowl. Heavenly. Although I was so taken by the smell of my newly-made pesto, and a quick taste told me it was delicious, I was still a little skeptical that it would actually be good spread on pizza. 

We divided up the pizza dough in half, and one of the halves into quarters so that we could make three different pizzas, one with classic tomato sauce, and two different varieties featuring the garlic scape pesto as the base. That first bite sent waves of both bliss and regret. Bliss at the taste of this intense new flavour that had previously been missing from my life, and regret at not having spread the pesto on all of the pizza dough. It was so incredibly delicious. The only upside to not using all of the pesto that evening? Leftovers to toss into pasta! 

The next time you visit your local farmers market, ask around. What's new? What's interesting? What's different? Don't be afraid of new finds. The answers to all of your mystery ingredient questions are literally at your fingertips, and you may be surprised at what new favourite dishes you may come up with thanks to taking a chance on something out-of-the-ordinary! Garlic scape season is incredibly short, so keep your eyes peeled and get them while you can! 

* The pointed tip after the pale yellow bulb of the garlic scape is very fibrous, and should be removed. Also remove any flowers that may remain.

Tip: When adding to pasta, add extra olive oil and some of the starchy pasta water.

Ingredients:
about 20-30 garlic scapes, trimmed*
1/2 cup parmesan cheese, grated
1/3 cup pine nuts, lightly toasted
about 1/2 cup olive oil
salt and pepper to season

Directions:

1. In the bowl of a food processor toss in the garlic scapes, Parmesan cheese, pine nuts, and the olive oil and blend until finely chopped, but still slightly chunky. Taste and season with salt and pepper and additional olive oil, if needed. Keep in fridge until ready to use for up to 1-week or freeze. 

What did I put on my garlic scape pizza?

Pizza #1: Spread the garlic scapes evenly over the rolled out dough (I like a really thin crust for this pizza). Sprinkle over grated Mozzarella cheese, thinly-sliced zucchini, and Serrano ham.

Pizza #2: Spread the garlic scapes evenly over thinly-rolled out dough. Sprinkle over grated Mozzarella cheese, thinly-sliced zucchini, and sliced tomatoes.

Listening To:

Disclosure - Latch ft. Sam Smith

Campbell's Alfredo Sauce with Campbell's Stock First Cream Stock

With such a busy schedule, it can be really difficult to come up with interesting and unique recipes every night of the week. Sure, it's easy to come up with inspired meal ideas, but making them happen under time constraints is another story. On a weekly basis I find myself sacrificing the flavour and complexity of my meals due to my busy schedule, choosing to take shortcuts or tone down my recipe to fit the time that I have. That's why I was so excited to receive a package from Campbell's Canada containing their full new line of Stock First stocks, including beef, chicken, and, most interestingly, cream stock. Campbell's new line of stocks takes the stress out of cooking, allowing home cooks to amp up the flavour of their dishes in next to no time at all. Although I was eager to try each one of Campbell's new stocks, I had to give their Cream Stock a try thanks to a craving for fresh pasta. Campbell's provided an incredibly simple and quick recipe for Alfredo sauce using their Cream Stock, which would allow me the time to concentrate my efforts on making the perfect, fresh, homemade fettuccine noodles.

Fresh homemade pasta is actually quite easy to prepare, but there's no doubt that it is a time consuming process. I can't help but stress out every time I make homemade pasta, rushing to just get it done, realizing that I've spent so much time working on the noodles, that I haven't left myself much time for the sauce. Because Campbell's recipe for Alfredo sauce was so incredibly simple, I could finally find the joy in making fresh pasta again. With my cousin Kim by my side to help, as well as a notepad filled with recently-researched pasta making tips, and plenty of time until dinner, making our fresh fettuccine noodles actually felt very relaxing. We had so much fun using the swanky, new, red lacquered pasta maker that I had received as a birthday gift this year (thanks Alex!), taking turns with who got to feed the dough through the machine. We were absolutely giddy over it! Making the fresh pasta noodles was an absolute breeze thanks to my previous experience in making pasta and the slew of new tips that I applied. Check out my homemade pasta making tips here:

Fresh Pasta Tips

• Give yourself plenty of time to make the pasta so you're not rushing to get it done. This may not be the best weeknight meal, especially for pasta-making virgins.
• Remove eggs from fridge a half hour before making dough.
• Don't add too much water. You want the dough to just come together. I add about a tablespoon at a time.
• Don't just punch the dough around when kneading, make sure to fold the dough over itself over and over again until you have reached the right consistency.
• Don't simply time yourself when kneading the dough, feel when the dough is ready. This takes some practice, but after a few tries you'll get the hang of it. 
• Allow the kneaded dough to rest for 1-hour.
• If you don't have a pasta dryer (I mean, who does?) hang your cut pasta noodles on clothes hangers to dry.
• And most importantly, don't freak out! It's easy to freak out the first time you make pasta from scratch, worried about sticking noodles or cracking dough, but the trick is to laugh it off and keep going! Practice makes perfect, and the more you practice making pasta the more intuitive it becomes. 

Once the noodles were dried and ready to hop into the salty bath on the stove, all I had to do was whip together the Alfredo sauce. The unbelievably simple sauce came together in no time at all, but had the rich flavours  and velvety smooth texture of a sauce that required much more time and effort. My favourite thing about the cream stock was the texture. When making a creamy sauce I often have trouble getting the sauce to the right consistency, always having a too-thin or too-thick sauce, or finding that right consistency, only to have it separate on me. This sauce had that perfect consistency that I've always been aiming for, with no separation issues. Kim, my mom, and myself all loved the Fettuccine Alfredo, with each one of us enthusiastically going up for seconds. Creamy, comforting, and absolutely delicious, I will definitely be making this dish again, and it's all thanks to Campbell's Cream Stock! 

Campbell's Stock First Cream Stock isn't technically a "stock" although it performs like a stock in many ways, creating a base for your dish, adding rich and robust flavour in the time it takes to open the carton.  I'm often skeptical with products such as this, sure that I am sacrificing quality ingredients and my health for convenience, but I was happy to learn that Campbell's Cream Stock does more than just elevate your recipes, it contains no artificial colours or flavour, is gluten free and suitable for vegetarians, and it has 83% less fat and 78% less calories than the same serving of 35% whipping cream (125mL). I will definitely be purchasing Campbell's Stock First Cream Stock in the future and would suggest that you give it a try as well! 

Tip: Make this meal even more substantial by adding grilled chicken or shrimp!

Campbell's Fettuccine Alfredo
Ingredients:
Fettuccine noodles (see recipe below)
1/4 cup white wine
1/2 tsp cracked black pepper, plus more for serving
1 carton Campbell's Stock First Cream Stock
1 tsp fresh parsley, chopped
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese, plus more for serving

Directions:

1. Simmer wine and cracked black pepper in a medium-large saucepan over medium-high heat until reduced by half.
2. Add stock and simmer for 4-5 minutes.
3. While stock is simmering, cook fresh fettuccine (see recipe below) in boiling salted water until al dente.
4. Add cooked and drained noodles, chopped parsley, and parmesan cheese and stir to coat noodles completely. Serve with more fresh cracked pepper and parmesan cheese. 

Fresh Pasta 

Ingredients:

3 cups flour

5 egg yolks

1/2 tsp salt

cold water

Directions:

1. Take eggs out of fridge 1/2 hour before making dough.
2. In a medium-large bowl add the flour and make a small well in the centre. Set aside.
3. In a small bowl, beat the egg yolks. Add the beaten yolks and the salt into the middle of the well in the bowl of flour. Keeping one clean hand for mixing, and one for adding water, mix and form the dough, adding a little bit of water at a time until you have formed a nice, firm, but slightly sticky dough. You want to add enough water for it to just come together. Don't let your dough get too sticky.
4. Knead the dough for about 10 minutes, folding the dough over itself over and over again until you have a smooth and slightly springy ball. Lightly coat dough in olive oil, place dough back in bowl, cover with plastic wrap and allow to rest in the fridge for 1 hour.
5. Tear off a piece of dough bigger than a golf ball, but smaller than a baseball. Continue making the noodles following the instructions on your pasta maker. 
6. Dry lightly floured noodles on clean clothes hangers. This should take about 15-20 minutes. 
7. Cook pasta in boiling salted water for about 4 minutes, or until al dente. 

Learn more about Campbell's Stock First products here!

Listening To:

The XX - Sunset

Gnocchi in Brown Butter Sage Sauce

With only a few precious months of my herb garden being able to grow in Toronto, it's hard for me to snip out any of my herbs, but when it looks like a sage monster is trying to escape out of your herb garden pot and devour the rest of the herbs, you know it's definitely time to do some snipping!  I couldn't let any of the sage that I snipped out go to waste, so I had to think up an easy and quick recipe that I could make to utilize all that delicious sage.  With a fresh package of potato gnocchi in the fridge, and little other sauce ingredients, I knew I had my dinner fix! I have tried making a brown butter and sage sauce in the past but unfortunately learned the hard way that brown butter can turn black very quickly. With my brown butter burning memory clear in my mind, I knew I could perfect the simple sauce this time around. The last time I attempted the sauce I was pouring it over delicious sweet potato agnolotti which already has a lot of flavour in it. I knew the dish would be a little one dimensional if I had left it as is with just the mild flavoured gnocchi, so I kicked up the flavour by adding fresh squeezed lemon juice, lemon zest, and lots of parmesan cheese. I also wanted to play around with the texture of the dish a little bit. I was able to achieve a slightly crispy coating to the soft and slightly chewy gnocchi by sautéing it until golden in a pan. A quick toss with the nutty and sage infused brown butter, a squeeze of lemon, a bit of seasoning and you've got an elegant, satisfying, and quick weeknight meal that will keep you coming back for more!

Ingredients:
about 8 tbsp unsalted butter, sliced
about 10-15 fresh sage leaves
1 package potato gnocchi
1 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/2 tsp lemon zest
salt & pepper, to taste
freshly grated parmesan cheese, to top

Directions:

1. Cook gnocchi according to instructions on package.
2. Heat a large skillet at medium heat. When pan is hot, add the butter.  Whisk frequently as butter melts. When butter has melted, add the sage leaves.
3. The butter will foam up then die down and will begin to turn brown. Keep your eye on the stove as the butter can burn really quickly at this point. When you begin to see brown specks form at the bottom of the pan and the butter begins to smell a little nutty, turn the heat off immediately and take the pan off the heat. Pour butter into a glass cup/measuring cup and set aside.
4. When the gnocchi are cooked, rinse and add to the same skillet that the butter was melted in. Add a small amount of butter and sauté the gnocchi at medium - medium-high heat until the gnocchi begins to get golden in colour.
5. Meanwhile, use a spoon to carefully scoop out the white bits that will form at the top of the butter so that you are only left with brown butter. 
6. Once gnocchi is golden, add the brown butter and sage back into the pan at medium-low heat and toss to coat. Add the lemon juice and zest, season with salt and pepper, and top with parmesan cheese. Serve immediately. 

Listening To:
Frank Ocean - Sweet Life

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Savory Chicken & Vegetable Crêpes

When you're hitting your stride in kitchen you feel unstoppable, invincible, exhilarated, like you can take on any dish and rock it like a pro! It's a great feeling being that high and full of confidence, but on the other hand, when you're so high up, all it takes is one minor blunder to send you crashing back down. I know how discouraging it can be to take a chance and produce a failure in the kitchen. It's hard when you can visualize such a clear image of the end result, and plan everything so meticulously, just to see it falter. You want to give up and throw in the towel, proclaim to the world "I WILL NEVER EVER MAKE THIS AGAIN!" and it's easy to do just that. Put your failure behind you and never look back. But that, my friends, is a true sign of failure. I've changed more than I can believe in the past few years, and I hate to say that I used to be that person who would give up at the first sign of failure...but not before a big dramatic breakdown on the kitchen floor, tears streaming down my apron and splashing onto the tiles. As I've grown over the past few years, I've thankfully learned that giving into your emotions and allowing something so trivial to affect your pride will not help anyone or anything, especially yourself. You won't learn anything, you won't grow, and you certainly won't walk away with even an an ounce of pride. The real trick to overcoming failure, is to turn your failure into an opportunity.

One of the very first recipes that I ever made up on my own was also supposed to be one of the first recipes I would post on my blog, Savory Chicken Crêpes. Give a little look around Ginger Rose and these crêpes are nowhere to be found, that is until now. I remember making these crêpes about a year or so before I had even thought about starting a blog. I found a recipe on the web for chicken in a creamy sauce that I replicated and stuffed into warm crêpes and they were a wonderful success, leaving my family begging for them again throughout the rest of the year. Being a bit of a scatterbrain at the time, I had never copied down the recipe, figuring that I would remember one so simple, and of course I could not. Nor could I relocate the recipe. I was on my own armed with a pound of chicken and a carton of heavy cream...I swore that that and some butter and seasoning was all the recipe had called for...wrong again. The second time around, when I had made up the recipe from memory, I had one of those awful breakdowns on the kitchen floor. The sauce was flavorless and refused to thicken, the chicken dry and rubbery. I was devastated that I had failed at something I was so confident I could produce. I hated the words of encouragement that my parents were giving me, saying it was just as they had remembered...I knew it wasn't and felt like such a failure. I told them it was impossible and that I would never make them ever again, which upset my mom. For months and months my mom kept telling me and her friends about how her favourite thing that I make is Savory Chicken Crêpes. It made me so mad that she kept calling this failure her favourite, and I'm sure that I blew up at her more than once because of it. It was two years ago that I had a major wake up call in life. I didn't want to be scared of failure anymore, I wanted to feel confident in myself, and feel like I truly had worth. It took a lot of time and struggle to get to where I am now, and in so many ways I am stronger than ever. Thank goodness for my moms persistence and encouragement. Where before all I heard was nonsense from her when she spoke of my famous chicken crêpes, I now finally started to hear something different. I heard an opportunity. How much of a failure could something really be if it had stood out in my moms mind so clearly? I started listening as she told me that maybe the dish wasn't perfect, but she loved it and knew that if I kept working at it, I would end up with something that I would feel more proud of than if I had found instant success in it. She encouraged me to keep working at it, buying me all the ingredients needed, and stating that she would be happy to eat all the leftovers of my so called "failures" until I got it right. So this year I finally gave those Savory Chicken Crêpes another shot!

I looked at my last attempt at the crêpes with a new perspective, viewing each misstep as an opportunity. I now knew what did not work and exactly what was needed to make this recipe perfect. I plotted out the entire recipe and process, prepped everything in advance, and went to work. To my delight it was like the stars had aligned. Succulent, juicy chicken made the perfect base for the thick, velvety, and incredibly flavourful sauce. Crisp veggies added texture and colour that the previous crêpes were lacking. The crêpes were even more delicious than they were that first time around, and I have to tell you, it felt SO F***ING GOOD!...excuse the language, but there's really no other way to express it. I can't tell you how proud I felt to serve a beautiful dish that I had put so much thought, work and love into and see my family enjoy it so much. My mom was absolutely right. Knowing that I had failed in the past and really working at the dish, made me feel even better than if I had found that instant success. And you know what? I felt that good, and the crêpes were still not perfect! To be honest with you, in a lot of ways many would still consider the dish a failure, as everything but the sauce was cold. Nope, I refused to see that as failure! I simply adjusted the recipe with this new information, rolling the filled crepes and popping them into the oven to re-heat, a step that now allows me to proudly say that I have made the perfect Savory Chicken Crêpes! If it weren't for those "failures" in the past, I would have accepted the dish just as it was, not working to improve it to reach perfection. So what's the lesson I'm trying to teach here? It's by no means new, as we've all been hearing this same statement since preschool: Practice truly does make perfect!

Note: This recipe takes a bit of experience in the kitchen because of the roux. If you've never made a roux before, it generally takes a few times to really get the feel for it and find success, but don't let this discourage you! If your sauce refuses to thicken, cheat! Stir in some cornstarch this time around, and keep practicing that roux until you get it right!

Tip: Prepare crepes the day before or morning of to save on time!

Crepes

Ingredients:

3/4 cup flour

1 cup milk

3 eggs

1/4 cup vegetable oil

1/4 tsp salt

Directions:

1. Whisk or process (using a food processor) all ingredients until blended.

2. Refrigerate for 1 hour or overnight.

3. In a lightly greased crepe pan or frying pan, fry crepes approximately 60 seconds on one side or until edges are brown, and approximately 30 seconds on the other side. Continue until all batter has been used. Set aside, or store in the fridge overnight wrapped in plastic wrap.

Filling & Sauce

Ingredients:

1 Il boneless skinless chicken breasts, cubed or cut into strips

1/4 tsp paprika

salt and pepper

1 chicken or vegetable Bouillion cube

1 cup boiling water

1 tbsp olive oil

1 Il asparagus, trimmed

3/4 cup mushrooms, sliced

2 tbsp flour

2 tbsp butter

1 1/2 cups hot cream or whole milk

1 bay leaf

2 tsp dijon mustard

1/2 tsp fresh thyme

1/2 tsp dried oregano

1/2 cup gruyere cheese, grated

Directions:

1. Season chicken cubes or strips with salt and pepper and paprika. Dissolve the Bouillion cube in the boiling water and stir to dissolve. Set aside. Grease a shallow, medium casserole dish and set aside.

2. Heat olive oil in a large skillet or saucepan over medium heat. Cook the chicken, in batches, for about 2-3 minutes on each side, or until golden and cooked through. Set aside.

3. Turn the heat down to medium, add the mushrooms to the pan and cook for 3 minutes. Add the asparagus and continue cooking for another 3-4 minutes, or until mushrooms are softened and asparagus is cooked but still crisp. Set aside.

4. Turn the heat down to medium-low and add the butter to make the roux. When butter is hot, add the flour and cook for 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Begin adding in the cream, a little at a time, allowing the cream to thicken slightly with each addition. Add in the dissolved Bouillion cube and water, a little at a time, reserving 1/4 cup. If your sauce has not reached a thick consistency at this point, whisk in a little bit of corn starch, keeping in mind that a little goes a long way! Simmer on stove until ready to serve. If sauce gets too thick or you want more sauce, add in the reserved 1/4 cup Bouillion liquid.

5. Stir in the bay leaf, dijon mustard, thyme, oregano. Taste and season with salt and pepper.

6. Working one at a time, fill each crêpe with a bit of the chicken, vegetables, and a drizzle of sauce. Roll and place in the greased casserole dish, crêpes may be touching. Continue with the rest of the crêpes, reserving some sauce for serving. Sprinkle evenly with gruyere and bake in a 350º oven for about 15-20 minutes, or until cheese has melted. Serve each crêpe immediately in a bed of the remaining sauce.

Listening To:

Fleetwood Mac - Rhiannon

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Pumpkin Ravioli in a Sage Butter Sauce

Click on just about any girls Twitter or Facebook timeline within the past month, and you're sure to find a post about the beloved Pumpkin Spice Latte. I've never been one to get too excited about handing over a five-dollar bill for one calorie-filled drink that I will slowly sip until the last few gulps inevitably turns cold, I personally would rather save my toonies for the bar and cab rides home. No, the expensive seasonal drink craze isn't for me, but I absolutely understand the appeal of indulging in a comforting cup of well...Fall. What I think people love about that special latte is the memories it conjures up, the feelings you can't help but come over you with each warming sip, reminding you about all the beautiful things that come with this chilly yet spectacular season. Visits to the pumpkin patch, hay rides, carving out Halloween pumpkins, pumpkin pie for Thanksgiving, the Pumpkin Spice Latte symbolizes all of these wonderful special occasions and memories, allowing you to experience the joys of Fall any ordinary day of the week! I am notorious for making pretty terrible coffee and breaking just about any coffee maker I've come into contact with, so there wasn't a chance in hell that I was going to try and replicate the seasonal drink. With pumpkin ravioli on the brain thanks to both new issues of Food & Drink and Food & Wine magazines featuring the recipe, I knew I had found my Fall-inspired dish!

After a bit of research and recipe comparison, I came up with my own recipe for the ravioli that was as simple as possible, but still had great flavour. I thought back on a dinner I had last year at Parts and Labour in Toronto where I was served an absolutely delicious pumpkin ravioli, that shouted FALL with each bite. What made that ravioli stand out so much was the simplicity of the dish and the extra little bit of texture they added with the addition of toasted pumpkin seeds. Because I know how incredibly labour-intensive it is to make your own pasta from scratch, I nixed that and opted to use purchased wonton wrappers instead, cutting down a huge chunk of prep time. The delicately flavoured final product was fantastic, taking my taste buds back to that delicious memory from Parts and Labour and of course all the other exciting Fall milestones. This is a great dish to transport you to your favourite Fall memory any day of the week!

Tip: Take this dish to new heights by drizzling a bit of truffle oil on top before serving.

Ingredients:

1 cup pure pumpkin puree (from a can)

1/2 cup ricotta cheese

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp nutmeg

3 tbsp parmesan cheese, grated + more for garnish

2-3 tbsp unseasoned breadcrumbs

1 package wonton wrappers

1/4 cup unsalted butter

about 6-8 sage leaves

a handful of pumpkin seeds (lightly toasted)

Directions:

1. In a medium bowl mix together the pumpkin puree, ricotta cheese, salt, nutmeg, and parmesan cheese. Add the breadcrumbs one tablespoon at a time until mixture begins to come together and isn't as moist.

2. Set up an assembly station, laying out the wonton wrappers, the pumpkin mixture, a small bowl of water, and a baking sheet to lay the ravioli on. Spoon a heaping teaspoon of the pumpkin mixture into the centre of the wrappers. Dip a clean finger into the bowl of water and moisten the edges of the wrappers. Fold over the wrappers to create a triangle bundle filled with the pumpkin mixture, pinch the edges to seal and squeeze out any air pockets. Lay out on the baking sheet.

3. Once raviolis have all been filled (you will have about 40-50 raviolis) boil a large pot of well-salted water. Reduce heat to a gentle boil and carefully drop in the raviolis (they will be delicate). Gently stir and boil for 3-4 minutes. Carefully drain water.

4. In a large pan melt the butter at medium heat. Immediately add the sage leaves. Once butter begins to foam, use a spoon to scoop out the white milk solids, working quickly so the butter doesn't burn. When the butter begins to brown, turn off heat immediately. Transfer raviolis to a serving dish and top with the sage butter. Sprinkle with toasted pumpkin seeds and parmesan cheese. Serve immediately!

Listening To:

Beyoncé - Countdown

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Tangy Lemon Halibut

Lately, as you may have noticed from my lack of recipe posting, I've fallen into a bit of a dinner routine rut. The dinner routine rut is when you find yourself going through a rotation of the same or very similar meals each week. You rotate between beef, chicken, fish, pork, pasta, repeat, reaching for the same rubs, spices, seasonings, preparing everything in such a familiar way that you could very well make the entire meal with your eyes closed. It's at this point that the total lack of inspiration kicks in and you are officially deep within the dinner routine rut, and once you're in, it's mighty hard to fight your way back out again. Because food plays such a significant role in my life, when I find myself in the dinner routine rut everything else in my life seems to suffer along with it. Thankfully I am now aware of the role that food plays in my life, and in an effort to better my life and personal well being, I can now use food and the motivation that arrises from being inspired and excited about food to direct other aspects of my life in a positive direction.

It's easy to pull yourself out of the dinner routine rut once you know you're in it, all it takes is a step in an unfamiliar direction. Try a preparation you're unfamiliar with. Pull out a spice you've never used before. Close your eyes, open your fridge and touch three things, now turn those three things into a meal. The point is to challenge yourself, even if it's just a little bit. This week, to pull myself out of the dinner routine rut, I went outside of my own familiar repertoire of dinner recipes and picked up halibut steaks (something I have only cooked once before) instead of the salmon that always seems to be in my grocery cart. Sure it's a little step, but it one that completely pulled me out of the rut! I got excited about working with this new ingredient that I had hardly played with before, and in turn, I've been feeling that same excitement in everything that I've cooked with all week long, pushing me to go outside of my boundaries. Instead of looking up a recipe for halibut I followed my instincts, choosing simple, fresh flavours to simply enhance the natural flavours of the fish. A citrus marinade and sauce with just a touch of fresh dill was all the halibut needed to reach spectacular heights. I absolutely loved how the halibut turned down, as did my family! With such a simple preparation and such wonderful flavours, there's no doubt I will be making my Tangy Lemon Halibut again and again...I just hope its recurrence doesn't lead to yet another dinner routine rut!

Ingredients:

2 halibut steaks

zest from 1 1/2 lemons

juice from 2 lemons

1/2 cup olive oil

2 tsp sugar

1/2 tsp paprika

1 tsp cold butter

salt and pepper, to season

1 tbsp dill, chopped

Directions:

1. Place the halibut steaks in a shallow dish. Set aside.

2. In a small bowl mix together the zest from 1 lemon, juice from 1 lemon, 1 tsp sugar, 1/4 cup olive oil, paprika, and a bit of salt to season. Pour over the halibut steaks and marinate for 15 minutes to an hour in the fridge.

3. While halibut is marinating, make the sauce. In a small saucepan, mix together the remaining lemon zest, lemon juice, sugar, and a bit of salt. Turn heat to low and cook until mixture starts to bubble around the edges of the pan. Add the butter and stir. Remove from heat and set aside.

4. Barbecue halibut on an oiled grill for about 5 minutes on each side, or until fish flakes easily with a fork. Do not overcook. Serve with pan sauce overtop, season with salt and pepper, and garnish with dill.

Listening To:

Kanye West & Jay-z - No Church in the Wild (feat. Frank Ocean)

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Foolproof Eggs Benedict

Every holiday has its own traditions, and along with that, every family has their own holiday traditions. A big tradition for my family for Mother's Day is to celebrate with a Mother's Day brunch. Every year my mom invites both sets of grandparents over as well as my aunt Darlene and her family to sit down to a delicious feast full of warm bagels with all the fixings, an abundance of summer salads, and fresh fruit and veggies. No matter how much I adore the meal we have for Easter, Thanksgiving, and Christmas (yup same meal for every holiday), I love that our Mother's Day meal is different yet just as delicious! This year due to busy schedules and other matters, we were unable to do our big family brunch. This is where I stepped in. I know how much my mom loves that Mother's Day brunch, so I decided to prepare her a special intimate brunch featuring her all-time favourite brunch dish eggs benedict.

I have wanted to make eggs benedict for quite a while now but had never given it a try, always too intimidated at mastering the art of hollandaise sauce and poached eggs. After hearing so many stories about failed attempts at thickening the hollandaise and rubbery eggs, I feared that I would soon be the one spouting out eggs benedict horror stories. After a bit of research (thank you allrecipes.com and chow.com) on the best and most reliable ways to prepare the indulgent brunch dish, I felt fairly confident that I was ready to take on the task!

Running on a mere two hours of sleep, and my mind swimming with thoughts of the previous evening, I was pretty nervous that my less than sharp brain may cause me to have another kitchen blunder (if you have me on Twitter you'll know that I've had my fair share of those). Luckily all of my eggs bennie research paid off! The final product turned out incredible! The eggs were perfectly cooked with that vibrant yellow yolk pouring out of the egg upon first bite, resting atop crispy bacon slices and a soft and buttery english muffin, and generously topped with tangy, velvety hollandaise sauce and a sprinkle of chopped chives. This could have very well been Daughter's Day considering how much I enjoyed my eggs benedict and how simple it all was to prepare. The trick to eggs benedict success is well...learning the tricks! Below I have provided a clear instructional video from CHOW on how to poach eggs as well as an easy no-fail blender hollandaise sauce recipe that will have you finding excuses to celebrate every weekend! Happy Sunday anyone?

Tip: Turn this into a vegetarian eggs benedict by skipping the bacon and adding some sauteed spinach and even a little cream cheese for flavour and creaminess.

Ingredients:

8 slices of bacon

2 English muffins, split, or 4 crumpets

4 tsp white vinegar

3 egg yolks

1/4 tsp dijon mustard

1 tbsp lemon juice

2 pinches of cayenne pepper

1/2 cup butter + more for spreading on English muffins

4 large fresh eggs

fresh chives, chopped for garnish (optional)

salt and pepper to season

Directions:

1. Fill a medium saucepan with water leaving about 2 inches at the top. Place on stove and set to medium-low heat to bring water up to a slow simmer.

2. While the water is heating up, start frying the bacon. Fry bacon in a pan set to high heat. When the edges of the bacon begin to curl up, flip the pieces of bacon over with a fork. Continue cooking until bacon has reached desired crispiness. Drain bacon slices on paper towels to remove excess oil. Set aside until assembly.

3. Now make the hollandaise sauce. In a blender, combine the egg yolks, mustard, lemon juice, and cayenne pepper. Cover and blend until well combined.

4. Melt the butter in the microwave or on the stove until completely melted and hot. Remove the feed piece from the top of the blender and set blender to high speed. With the blender on high speed, slowly pour in the melted butter in a thin stream. Blend for an additional 3 seconds.

5. Make the poached eggs following the instructions in the video above. While eggs are poaching (this should take about 3 minutes) toast the English muffins.

6. To assemble to eggs benedict lightly butter each English muffin with butter. Top each muffin with 2 slices of bacon. Set the poached egg on top of the bacon and pour over desired amount of hollandaise sauce. Season with salt and pepper and sprinkle with chives. Serve immediately.

Listening To: Peter, Bjorn and John - The Chills

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Lemon Ricotta Souffles with Mixed Berry Sauce

With a week since my last post, I bet you thought I had already begun neglecting my mission at pushing myself in the kitchen. No way jose! Not this time! Despite a busy and extremely draining week, I forced myself into the kitchen yesterday morning, all the while rubbing my sleepy eyes, to challenge myself with my very first attempt at making souffles! All week long I had been wanting to make a recipe I had bookmarked by award-winning cookbook author Nick Malgieri to use up some leftover bakers cheese (a dense, pressed cottage cheese, that is similar to the texture of very crumbly feta). Malgieri's recipe for Sweet Cheese Souffle with Compote of Cherries sounded delicious and actually quite healthy, and although he had used ricotta, I knew my bakers cheese would work perfectly in this light and airy dessert. Because this dish is light and not too sweet, I thought it would make the perfect sweet breakfast to start off one of the first beautiful Spring days in Toronto.

I decided to slightly tweak the recipe to cater to my taste a bit more. Instead of having a mixed citrus flavour in the souffle, I decided to only use lemon to create a more pure flavour, while also adding some of the juice and increasing the amount used. I also added a touch of vanilla extract, to add another subtle layer of flavour. I turned to one of my go-to sweet sauce recipes to use instead of Malgieri's Cherry Compote. Because I wanted to place my attention primarily on the souffles (you can imagine my near-paralyzing fear that they would sink), I wanted to make a sauce that I was 100% confident with, so my quick and easy Mixed-Berry Sauce was the perfect choice.

After hearing horror story after horror story about the dreaded sinking souffle, I was almost positive that mine would do the same. To my utter amazement the souffles turned out incredible. The light and airy little cakes puffed up gloriously above the ramekins, their golden tops begging for a spoon to be dunked in! They were the perfect amount of sweetness, with a hit of zesty citrus flavour from the lemon. The warm berry sauce oozed in and around the souffle, dying the cakes a stunning deep red, and keeping each bite moist. This is definitely a dessert I will be making again. It was incredibly easy, very impressive looking, outstandingly delicious, and best and most surprising of all, its quite healthy! With only a small amount of sugar used, this gluten free dessert, is the perfect option for cheesecake lovers looking to lighten up their favourite dish! And lets not forget all those antioxidants hidden inside those juicy berries!

Lemon Ricotta Souffles

Adapted from Nick Malgieri at www.ihavenet.com.

Ingredients:

1/3 cup ricotta or bakers cheese (pressed cottage cheese)

1/2 cup sour cream

1/3 cup sugar, divided

1/4 cup cornstarch

the zest of 2 lemons, finely grated

1 tsp fresh lemon juice

1 tsp vanilla extract

3 eggs, separated

pinch of salt

boiled water (for baking)

Directions:

1. Set the oven rack in the lower third of the oven, and preheat to 400º. Grease and lightly coat with sugar 4 8-ounce ramekins, and place inside a roasting pan. In a medium mixing bowl, mix together the ricotta (or bakers cheese) with the sour cream until well combined.

2. In a small bowl, stir together half of the sugar with the corn starch. Add to the cheese mixture, with the lemon zest, lemon juice, vanilla extract, and egg yolks. Whisk together until combined.

3. In the bowl of a clean and dry mixer, whisk the egg white with the salt on high until they hold a soft peak. Add the sugar, a little bit at a time, making sure it still holds a soft peak. Fold in about 1/3 of a cup of the egg white mixture into the cheese mixture. Working quickly, but delicately, fold in the cheese mixture into the egg white mixture.

4. Pour the mixture into the ramekins, leaving about 1/4-inch rim at the top. Pour boiled water into the roasting dish that the ramekins are set in, to a depth of about 1/2-inch. Bake the souffles until they have risen and are lightly golden on top, about 16-20 minutes. While souffles are baking, make the mixed berry sauce (see below). Serve souffles immediately with warm mixed berry sauce drizzled overtop.

Mixed Berry Sauce

Ingredients:

1 cup fresh or frozen berries (any kinds you like!)

2 tbsp orange juice

2 tbsp ice wine (optional)

Directions:

1. Add the orange juice to a small sauce pan and set at medium heat. Add the berries and stir. Cook the berries, stirring occasionally, until they have softened.

2. Using a potato masher, mash the berries until the mixture is a pulp-like consistency. Pour the mixture into a fine sieve resting over a bowl, and push the juice through, straining out the seeds. Stir in the ice wine (optional) and pour overtop warm Lemon Ricotta Souffles.

Listening To:

Tommy James & The Shondells - Crimson and Clover

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Saucy Pulled Pork

Few things in life can put a bigger smile on my face than pulled meat. Pulled pork, brisket, you name it, I love it all! You may have seen on my Twitter that last week I went to get my haircut, purely for the excuse to swing by a sandwich shop down the street from my salon that makes my favourite pulled meat sandwiches in all of Toronto. Now that's love! What I love even more is how insanely easy pulled meat is to make! Who would have thought that something so delicious, flavourful, tender, and abundant could be an absolute cinch to make? The trick here is to slow cook your meat.

Cooking your meat slowly in a flavourful braising liquid allows you to throw everything in a pot, and forget about it till dinner time! Amazing, no? Slow cooking your meat results in incredibly tender meat that you can literally shred apart with your fork, while intensifying all of the flavours from the braising liquid. As much as the slow cooking process makes the dish, it's really important to start with a really flavourful braising liquid.

This will be my family's third attempt at making pulled pork (the first two times my parents made it, this time me, with the help of my sous chefs mom and dad!), and there is no question this round was definitely the best! Through layering sweet and spicy ingredients, my pulled pork ended up having a really complex flavour that woke up everybody's taste buds! I also let the shredded meat cook in the sauce for an additional 1/2 hour (rather than serving the meat immediately after shredding) to reduce the sauce and allow the shredded meat to soak up all that moistness. So we have incredibly flavourful and easy, could it get any better? Oh yeah baby it sure does! For all of you out there on a budget, this is the perfect Sunday supper for you! Pork Shoulder is an inexpensive cut of meat, and because shredded pork is ideal on sandwiches, you're able to feed a family of four at dinner, and still have leftovers for lunch the next day. I also like to toss in some potatoes and carrots, which are also inexpensive, to extend this meal even further. I serve up half sandwiches the first night with the veggies, then full sandwiches the next day. This is one dish I promise you you will go bananas over!

Tip: Have a party coming up? Why not serve up little pulled pork sliders! Perfect for entertaining, pulled pork allows you to spend time with your guests rather than over the stove.

Note: If you don't have a slow cooker, you may use a dutch oven, just make sure to check up on your pork throughout the day.

Ingredients:

2 pounds pork shoulder, silver skin removed

salt and pepper to season

2 tbsp vegetable oil

2 onions, diced

2 garlic cloves, minced

2 bay leaves

3 tbsp chili powder, separated

2 tbsp red wine vinegar

1/2 cup chili sauce

1 tbsp worcestershire sauce

2 tbsp brown sugar

1 can coca cola

1 (12 oz) bottle barbeque sauce

3-4 large carrots, peeled and cut in half widthwise (optional)

4-5 small potatoes, quartered (optional)

soft white buns for serving (optional)

Directions:

1. Sprinkle pork with salt and pepper. In a large pot or dutch oven, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add pork to pot and brown on all sides. Transfer to slow cooker.

2. Add the onions, garlic, bay leaves, and 1 tbsp of chili powder to the large pot or dutch oven. Fry, stirring occasionally, until the onions are softened. Add the red wine vinegar and scrape up browned bits from the bottom of the pot with a wooden spoon. Add the chili sauce, worcestershire sauce, brown sugar, and the remaining chili powder. Stir to combine.

3. Pour the can of Coca Cola over the pork in the slow cooker. Pour in the barbeque sauce. Add the contents of the pot and stir to combine. Add the carrots and potatoes (if using) and push down so they are enveloped in the sauce.

4. Cook on low for 6 hours. Remove pork from slow cooker and set on a baking sheet (to catch any liquids) and, using two forks, shred the pork. Add the pork back into the slow cooker and cook on high for another 30 minutes. Discard the bay leaves and serve pork with vegetables and soft white buns for pulled pork sandwiches.

Listening To: Glass Table Girls - The Weeknd

Click here to download the whole The Weeknd mixtape House of Balloons.

Scallops with Bacon in a White Wine Sauce

If you read my previous post you'll understand a bit about where my heads been at lately. I apologize if I seem to post these "I'm in a weird funk" kind of posts fairly often, but in all honesty, this is more than just a food blog to me, but a form of expression, almost like a cryptic little diary that I can use to vent about whatever is on my mind. If you know me personally, you may know that I have gotten in a little bit of trouble in the past venting about my personal triumphs or woes in public on the internet, a mistake that I do not wish to repeat. So I now choose to play it safe and express myself through cooking, baking, photography, graphic editing, and creative writing. Although no, I'm not always directly stating what's on my mind, but my blog allows for me to express just enough to get it off my chest and feel relief, while still respecting my privacy. I have had a number of readers express to me that they would like to learn more about who I am outside of Ginger Rose, and although I may be timid to do so at first, little by little I want to start letting you in more. Although yes, I will be injecting my entries with a bit more about me, including more photos and personal stories, there are still many things that I feel the need to express, yet I don't believe my blog is the appropriate place. I recently started a Tumblr account called Ginger Rose Expressions to use as another avenue for expression. With photos, audio, and video that I find inspirational or reflect what I'm feeling as well as my personal experiments in photography, editing, and maybe even creative writing in the future, my Tumblr page will go beyond food to take you a bit deeper into my world. If you're interested in learning more about me, I welcome you to check out my Tumblr Ginger Rose Expressions, where I will be posting daily.

In my previous entry I also stated that I want to start cooking and baking more, and begin taking more risks with my cooking. Until know, other than the occasional burst of confidence, I have been pretty safe with my cooking, because, quite frankly, I was still new to it. Although I've had a food blog for two years now (Monday will be my two-year blogiversary!) I have to admit that I don't think I took in as much as I could have in those two years. I was certainly not cooking as much as I should have been, which meant that I didn't learn near as much as I believe I should have. Always timid and a bit scared of the unfamiliar, you may notice that I often stayed away from cooking many meats and seafood. The new me, isn't timid and afraid. The new me realizes that the only way I can move forward is to push my boundaries, take chances, and learn from my mistakes. So the other night when my mom suggested for me to make scallops, I swallowed my fear, took a deep breath, did a bit of research and threw myself in!

I found a delicious-sounding recipe for Seared Scallops with Bacon from Martha Stewart, that sounded simple, easy to execute and, even better, we had all the ingredients! I was most nervous about the the final texture of my scallops, as overcooked scallops can result in hard, rubbery, and dry scallops...not exactly what I was looking for. So instead of slicing the scallops in half as the recipe suggested, I left the scallops whole so that I they would cook a little slower, and I would have a bit more control. The final product turned out great! My scallops were perfectly cooked, light and tender and full of so much flavour from the smokey bacon, sweet yet mild shallots, and white wine. With its beautiful presentation, this recipe would be a great show-stopper to serve to company or even to your own family during the week!

Recipe by Martha Stewart

Ingredients:

4-6 slices bacon, cut into 1/4-inch pieces

1 pound large sea scallops, cleaned with tough white muscle removed

2 shallots, minced

1 cup white wine

salt and pepper to season

Directions:

1. In a large saute pan set at medium-low heat, add the bacon. Cook slowly, stirring frequently, until brown and crisp, about 8 minutes. Remove bacon with a slotted spoon, and transfer to a paper-towel-lined plate.

2. Drain excess fat, leaving a thin coat on the bottom of the pan. Increase heat to medium, add scallops to pan, and sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste. Cook until golden brown and opaque, about 2 minutes per side.

3. Transfer scallops to the serving dish, drain any excess liquid, leaving a small layer in the pan, and add shallots to pan. When shallots are translucent, add white wine; scrape browned bits from bottom of pan with a wooden spoon. Cook until liquid is reduced by half, 3-4 minutes. Stir in butter, and pour over scallops. Top with reserved bacon. Serve alongside my Balsamic-Glazed Green Beens and Shallots.

Listening To:

The Knife - Pass This On (Original Mix)

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Check the song out in this scene from Xavier Dolan's Heartbeats

Braised Short Ribs with Fresh Papardelle Pasta

Biggie got it right, birthdays are the worst days...well, most of the time. I haven't enjoyed a birthday of my own in literally years. I was probably still giving out loot bags the last time I enjoyed my own birthday. So now as my birthday approaches every year, I start to bum myself out so that I don't feel so let down when birthday time comes...a trick that does not work, and isn't fun at all, so don't try this at home folks! For the past few weeks leading up to my moms birthday, I could see her using that same trick that I attempted to use this year. Whenever anyone would ask my mom about her birthday she would go quiet, say that she doesn't really want to do anything, and try to play it off like it's just another day. I know from personal experience how easily this little trick can backfire. Because I had put so much energy into believing my birthday was going to suck, it tooootally did! Every negative thing that I had expected to happen, happened and I was absolutely miserable. There was no way I was going to let this happen to my mom on her birthday. After a total bust of a girls-night-out birthday dinner on Friday night with my mom and sister, I vowed to turn my moms spirits around and make sure she had a special birthday come sunday, her real birthday.

At this point most people would begin brainstorming a killer gift idea to brighten up a birthday, but that just doesn't cut it at the Rose house. Here in the Rose family we use food to show our love, so I had to think up something truly spectacular for my moms birthday dinner to show her how much she means to me. Earlier in the day I had made my mom her favourite breakfast, sweet Nutella crepes with fresh fruit and homemade strawberry sauce, a tough act to follow. After much brainstorming, I decided to attempt a Giada De Laurentiis recipe I had seen her make on her show Giada at Home some time ago. Giada's recipe for Short Ribs with Tagliatelle was one I couldn't forget. First off the recipe features fresh pasta, which is something I have been obsessing over this winter. I purchased a pasta maker a few weeks ago and have been dying to crack that baby open, so already this recipe had seriously sparked my interest. The highlight of this recipe is that incredible short rib sauce. Hours of braising enhance all of the big flavours in this dish like pancetta, red wine, and and lots of herbs, giving the meat and sauce a rich and complex flavour. The slow braising process tenderizes the short ribs, so that after hours of cooking all you need are your two hands to shred all of the tender and moist meat back into your sauce. I love how long, wide noodles act like arms, hugging all of the savory meat and sauce, so that every bite is filled with the maximum amount of flavour, so I decided to make papardelle pasta instead of the recommended tagliatelle. I also had an extra leek in my fridge that I thought would add some great flavour as well, so I tossed that in the sauce as well.

Despite a brief moment of frustration filled with hot flashes and tears after learning the hard way that I had picked the wrong workspace to make my pasta in (make sure to pick a place with lots of surface area to lay your pasta sheets and noodles out. Fresh pasta can stick together very easily, so you'll want to try and lay out all your pasta in a single layer if possible.) the final product turned out incredible! The sauce had a ton of flavour and was a great texture from all of that shredded braised beef. The fresh pasta was thin, delicate, and the perfect size to envelope the delicious sauce. All in all, the dish was spectacular just as I had hoped for my mamas special day. All that hard work in kitchen definitely paid off seeing how happy it made my mom on her birthday. I love you mummy and I would make you a feast any day just to put a smile on your face! Happy birthday!

Tip: Make sure you have a lot of surface area when making fresh pasta. You'll want lots of space to lay out your pasta sheets and noodles as fresh pasta can stick together very easily. Try and lay out your pasta in a single layer, dusting the noodles and sheets lightly with flour or, better yet, semolina.

Ingredients:

Braised Short Ribs

Recipe by Giada De Laurentiis

olive oil

2 ounces chopped pancetta (about 1/2 cup)

6 short ribs (about 2 1/2 pounds)

salt and pepper

1/4 cup flour

1 medium onion, chopped

1 carrot, peeled and chopped

1/2 cup fresh parsley

1 leek, tender white and light green parts only, thinly sliced

2 cloves garlic

1 (14 ounce) can tomatoes (whole, diced, or pureed)

1 tbsp tomato paste

1 tsp chopped fresh rosemary leaves

1 tsp dried thyme

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

1 bay leaf

1 1/2 cups beef broth

3/4 cup red wine

Directions:

1. Drizzle some olive oil in a large heavy soup pot over medium heat. Cook the pancetta until golden and crisp, about 4 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, season the short ribs with salt and pepper, and dredge in the flour. Using a slotted spoon, remove the pancetta from the pan and set aside. Drizzle the pot lightly with more olive oil, add the leeks and cook until softened. Using a slotted spoon, remove the leeks and place in a bowl of a food processor.

3. Add the short ribs to the pan and brown on all sides, about 7 minutes total. Meanwhile, combine the onion, carrot, parsley, garlic and leeks in a food processor and blend until finely minced. Add the tomatoes and tomato paste and pulse together.

4. Once the short ribs are browned, carefully add the mixture from the food processor to the pot. Return the pancetta to the pot and stir. Add the rosemary, thyme, oregano, bay leaf, beef broth, and wine. Bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer, covered for 1 hour and 15 minutes. Remove the lid and simmer for another hour and a half, stirring occasionally. Meanwhile, make the fresh pasta (see instructions below).

5. Remove the meat and bones from the pot. Discard the bones. Shred the meat and return it to the pot. Taste and season with salt and pepper.

6. Cook fresh pasta for about 3-4 minutes, or cook bought pasta as directed on package. Reserve about 3/4 cup pasta water. Drain pasta. Add the reserved pasta water to the sauce and stir. Add drained pasta to sauce and stir to combine. Serve with freshly grated parmesan cheese.

Pasta Sheets:

Ingredients:

3 cups flour

5 egg yolks

1/2 tsp salt

cold water

1 whole egg, beaten

Directions:

1. In a medium-large bowl add the flour and make a small well in the centre. Set aside.

2. In a small bowl, beat the egg yolks. Add the beaten yolks and the salt into the middle of the well in the bowl of flour. Keeping one clean hand for mixing, and one for adding water, mix and form the dough, adding a little bit of water at a time until you have formed a nice, firm, but slightly sticky dough.

3. Knead the dough for about 10 minutes. Lightly coat dough in olive oil, place dough back in bowl, cover with plastic wrap and allow to rest in the fridge for 20 minutes or more.

4. Tear off a piece of dough bigger than a golf ball, but smaller than a baseball. You may now either follow the instructions on your pasta maker, or roll out your dough yourself with a rolling pin: On a lightly floured surface, roll out your dough using a rolling pin, until dough is paper thin and you can see your hand through the dough when lifted. While rolling, continue to lightly flour the surface, dough, and rolling pin so that dough does not stick, but try to use as little flour as possible! Repeat with remaining dough. Lay pasta sheets out and, using a sharp knife, carefully cut the pasta sheets into long strips of noodles, about 3/4-inch to 1-inch wide.

(Source: hubpages.com)

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