Not-So-Sundried Tomatoes in Olive Oil

Summer is nearly over.. So it's time to save the tomato harvest.

I've already done two batches of diced tomatoes, and a large batch of tomato sauce. With more tomatoes STILL at hand, I decided I wanted to give dried tomatoes a whirl.

Tomatoes take between 12 to 24 hours to dehydrate completely. Ours took about 14 hours.

Once they're dry, you can store them under olive oil in a dark, cool cupboard.
In a mason jar, do the layer system!

Layer tomatoes
Pinch of salt
Pinch of garlic
Pinch of dried oregano (I used fresh from my garden)
Layer fresh basil leaves

Keep these layers going until you reach the top, then fill the jar with olive oil to cover. Press the tomatoes down a bit, and add more oil if you need to keep everything submerged.

Wait for 6 - 8 days before eating, so the oil can soften the tomatoes and the herbs can do their thing.
Easy! The longest part was waiting for them to dry!

Frozen Chocolate Pots

This is a slightly modified version of Jamie Oliver's Chocolate Pots. I had to change it a bit according to what I had, and I accidentally left them in the freezer while cooling them. Turns out, that was an awesome mistake.

1 cup whipping cream
7oz semi-sweet or dark chocolate (I used Bakers)
2 large egg yolks
3 tbsp rum
1 tbsp + 2 tsp butter (I used my homemade unsalted)

Heat the cream until nearly boiling, and let it cool for about a minute before adding your chocolate. Stir until it's all creamy and melted, then beat in the egg yolks and rum.
Let it cool a bit longer, and mix in the butter. Make sure you let it cool, or it'll split. If it splits, add a little milk until it smooths out.
Put this aside, then beat your egg whites to a stiff meringue. Fold it in!

I poured these into espresso cups to serve, and put them in the freezer.
It tastes like a dark chocolate ice cream.. Yum yum.

School again School again

Well, I'm back in class for my final year at George Brown. After 5 years in school, I'll be leaving with a piece of paper proudly held high, ready to enter the 'real job' market.

This year is going to be challenging, but I must say I'm really looking forward to it. This is due in part to a deal I made with my partner.

We've agreed that I'm cutting back on my work schedule to allow more time for me to spend at school. However, this also means that I may not be able to pay my regular rent, so my partner is reducing my rent in exchange for cooking meals on the nights that I'm home.

Sweet deal? I think so!

Monday was homemade pizza, basic bread recipe topped with onions, mushrooms, and broccoli, all sauteed in balsamic vinegar. Goat cheese and mozzerella strewn across the top.
Tuesday was garlic mashed potatoes, with a steak served rare and mixed greens topped with homemade butter.
Wednesday (tonight!) is going to be homemade bread, with a Moroccan chickpea and rice stew.

I'm not really sure what makes the stew Moroccan, but I'm very excited to give it a try. I saved a bit on the cost by using dried chickpeas, and leaving them soaking overnight. I'm also slashing a bit of the price by using my homemade canned tomatoes, which cost me about $1 a jar. This recipe can be made vegetarian by using a vegetarian stock instead of chicken.

I'll post the complete recipe with a picture tonight after it's finished.

First ever chocolate mousse.

I decided tonight should be a special night for me and the boy, so I stole some inspiration from Julia Child.

6 ounces bitter or semisweet chocolate
6 ounces unsalted butter
1/4 cup dark brewed coffee
4 large eggs, seperated
2/3 cup sugar, plus 1 tbsp
2 tbsp dark rum
1 tbsp water
pinch salt
1/2 tsp vanilla

1. Heat a pot with water in the bottom, and in a bowl that sits in the top of the pot, melt together the chocolate, butter, and coffee. Stir till smooth and remove from heat.
2. prepare an ice bath, a big bowl of water with ice.
3. In another bowl that can sit on top of the pot, beat together the egg yolks with 2/3 cup of sugar, rum, and water until it looks like runny mayo.
4. Remove from heat and place in the ice bath. Keep beating until it's cool and thick, then fold the chocolate mixture into the yolks.
5. In a seperate bowl, beat the egg whites with the salt until they start to hold their shape. Add the tbsp of sugar and continue to beat until thick and shiny, but not stiff. Incorporate the vanilla.
6. Fold one third of the beaten egg whites into the chocolate mixture, then the rest of the whites until just incorporated. Don't go crazy, or you'll lose the lovely volume you've just created.
Refridgerate for at least 4 hours, until firm.

You can keep it in the fridge up to 4 days.

Mine looks lovely, and I just popped it into the fridge. Licked the spoon clean, and I must say it tastes amazing. Can't wait for it to be done!!!

Knitting gets me to thinking...

I'm working away at a project that I never really thought I'd see the end to. When I first started slipping back into my knitting, my mother gave me some beautiful yarns, in the hope that I would knit myself a nice warm wrap for the coming winter. The colours were beautiful, the tones of autumn captured perfectly in a warm fuzzy blend, that promised to take some of my country background deep into the city with me.

My only issue with the yarns was the fact that the project was all one single stitch. The knit stitch. I would knit 140 stitches across, break the yarn to leave a tail, attach an opposing yarn, and knit all the way back. The result would be a long stretchy wrap, that was moderately fuzzy and had an attractive fringe on both ends. Attractive in theory, but I couldn't get myself interested in knitting the exact same stitch over and over again. After 5 rows, the project went onto the shelf, and eventually, into my sealed and packed away knitting container.

It's been two years, and I'm working on it again. I've made some very decent progress, and I'm over halfway done. I found that listening to audiobooks was a huge help, as it kept my mind busy while doing the same repetitive motions.

But, I got to thinking. Working on this wrap reminded me a lot about the work I was doing in my relationship. In a lot of ways, it felt the same way. Doing the same repetitive motions, over and over, sometimes distracting myself and just plugging away to get to the end result.

So, what am I creating with my relationship? Am I working towards a fuzzy shawl to keep my neck warm under my jacket, am I knitting a sweater to wrap myself in to keep safe, or a pair of socks to keep me moving through the times that come?

I haven't quite figured out what I'm weaving together with James. I probably won't have any idea until I look back at the partially completed project. I just have to keep reminding myself not to let it get so repetitive, to not see it as a chore that has to be accomplished to reach an end. I need to turn my relationship into a fun knitting project, one of the ones that keeps me occupied from start to finish, and that I revel in watching grow under my fingertips.

Perhaps it's time to teach him how to knit too?
Probably not the answer...

Blast from the Summer of '08

Today, I finished a project that I'd given up for dead. I'm not the only one to feel this way about the project either, everyone who has ever seen me knitting it agreed with me. It was probably never going to get done.

But I had a bit of spare time today, and sat down to try to finish the last mile.

The Nico scarf. A gorgeous bamboo yarn, that cost me over 50 dollars at a time when I barely had two loonies to rub together. It was a bit of a staggering investment at the time, but one I was happy to do for a very special guy.

Nico decided to take me under his wing soon after I broke off a two year relationship with my first serious boyfriend. We met each other at work, bonded over anime, and ended up spending the summer in each others company.

Nico encouraged me to finally file my taxes, take my customer service to a new level, learn to seperate sex from love, and how to find the most flattering styles for my generous ass. He sat with me through my miscarriage, answered the phone at 2 am to listen to me bawl, made my stylist chop my hair off and got me to colour my hair for the first time.

So Nico, here's to that night we spent running around Toronto, celebrating my recent break up with a new hair cut and a night on the town. Here's to singing Katy Perry at the top of our lungs down Queen St, and sitting on the Jack Astor's Patio giggling over the cute waiters. Here's to the morning shift, dancing around each other and trying not to drop everything. Here's to one of my favorite drinking buddies. Here's to Nico overcoming his initial reservations about the new man in my life, and accepting that I love to be in love. Here's to Nico, for still being around today.

Nico, thanks for that amazing summer, my first in Toronto. Thanks for making it so special to me, a summer I'm not likely to forget in a loooong time.

I hope this scarf keeps you warm this year, and that it lasts you for a good long while.

Thanks babe <3

Easy Homemade Granola

I went to make myself breakfast the other day, I was picturing an amazing yogurt parfait with my leftover frozen mango and berries. However.. The man I live with decided to empty my cupboard, and no granola was to be found!

I had to improvise.

2 cups rolled oats
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon vegetable oil
1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/3 cup whole almonds

In a large bowl, toss the oats with the cinnamon and salt.
In a medium bowl, stir together the oil, honey, brown sugar, and vanilla. Whisk until completely combined.
Pour the honey mixture over the oats mixture and use your hands to combine them: Gather up some of the mixture in each hand and make a fist. Repeat until all of the oats are coated with the honey mixture.
Pour the mixture onto the prepared baking sheet. Spread it out evenly, but leave a few clumps here and there for texture.

Bake for 10 min at 325, and flip with a spatula. Return to the oven at 5 min intervals, stirring each time until the granola is nice and crisp.

Serve with homemade yogurt, with some maple syrup drizzled on top, and fresh fruit to personal flavor.

Excellent!