Nutella Chocolate Chip Cookies

After posting these Lobster Toasts the other day, someone wrote on my Instagram that they could be named Manchester By The Sea Lobster Toasts.  Get it?  Oscars?  You get it!  THEN, I flashed these bad boy cookies in an Insta story and someone wrote...wait for it...that they could be Nutella-la Land Chocolate Chip Cookies.  BOOM.  Man, I wish I could take credit for that.  I also wish I could take credit for these cookies, but I can't.  You can find the recipe HERE.  However, I can take credit for making them, right?!  And you can too!  If your children think Nutella is a food group like mine do, then you should most definitely make these.  Because then you can take credit for being a superhero.

Lobster Toasts with Avocado

Before I had kids, I was Academy Awards-obsessed.  It was like a holiday in my world.  I saw every Oscar nominated film prior to the big day (and usually by myself because I REFUSE to share popcorn - plus I can't handle it if someone doesn't enjoy a movie that I do).  My friends and I always had an Oscar viewing party that obviously began when the red carpet did so we could discuss fashion.  I could easily stay up to watch the entire, 11-hour-long telecast, because I had energy and slept through the night.  Now??  Now I've seen Trolls 150 times.  The last movies I saw in the theater were Rogue One and Zootopia (had to really rack my brain to come up with that one).  I haven't even heard of some of the Oscar-nominated films, nor do I know the actors in them (when I once knew their spouses and kid's names).  Do I still watch the show?  Yes.  As much as my exhausted self can handle (and I have to find a TV far, far away from my husband to catch any red carpet action).  

However, for those of you who love it, and still view it as a holiday, I'm going to offer you some Oscar-worthy snacks this week for your viewing party.  Like these elegant and delicious Lobster Toasts with Avocado.  If you buy pre-cooked lobster (which I found at Whole Foods) then these will come together in minutes, and they will also be eaten in minutes.  And the winner is... FOOD!  

Recipe HERE.

Lasagna Bolognese

 I've been gone for a long time.  What have I been up to?  We went to California, my husband won a golf tournament...

Also I made lasagna!   

You can find the recipe HERE.  Now listen up, people, I DID NOT MAKE MY OWN LASAGNA NOODLES like the recipe calls for.  I bought the kind in a box, and boiled them for 4 minutes and then rinsed them under cold water.  I baked the lasagna for about 40 minutes (the first 20 lightly covered with foil).  Maybe I'll make my own noodles the next time I make this, OR, in...oh...16 years when I'm an empty nester and actually have time.  Probably the latter, because did you know kids totally and utterly consume your life?  At least they're cute and worth it.  Do you know what else is worth consuming?  (That makes it sound like I eat my kids.)  THIS LASAGNA.  Yum.  

Check back next week for some Oscar-worthy appetizers!  Also, tune into Kathie Lee and Hoda on Tuesday for some yummy casserole recipes :)

Local Halal Valentine's Aphrodisiacs on CBC's Weekend Morning Show

Tomorrow on CBC's Weekend Morning Show with guest host Nadia Kidwai, I will be presenting the following dishes, Rack of Lamb with a Ras el Hanout rub, and Solberry Chicken.  Both feature my Ras el Hanout spice blend, which is considered an aphrodisiac.  Recipes to impress but so easy to prepare, these are full of flavour and sumptuous for a Valentine's dinner.  (Photos tomorrow when food is cooked).  

There are many reasons to love Halal meats.  They are raised ethically and organically from birth to processing but you don't pay for the word Organic.  The meat is always excellent quality when it comes from producers and suppliers that are so ethical and particular.  

The chicken is from Waldner's Meats that I purchased from Millad's Supermarket on Notre Dame.  Waldner's were the first Halal producers in Manitoba.  They are now at risk of closure from potential changes in government regulations.  Manitobans LOVE their local chicken.  Please get to know your producer and make sure that you will have access to excellent quality products.

1. Ras el Hanout Rack of Halal Lamb

1 rack of lamb (This Halal Lamb is available at Millad�s Supermarket on Notre Dame)

1 + Tbs Ras el Hanout (or your favourite spice blend), available this weekend at St. Norbert�s Farmer�s Market on Saturday from 10-1PM, or the Pop-up market at VIA Rail Station on Sunday.

Salt, to taste,

� preserved lemon peel, finely chopped (make your own earlier than today or find at Millad�s, Dino�s, etc.)

Olive oil

 Rub rib rack(s) all over with mixture of spices, preserved lemon peel. Sprinkle with salt.   Place in a thick plastic bag with olive oil. Spread oil around so that it coats the lamb rack(s) all over. Squeeze out as much air as you can from the bag and seal. Place in a container so that if the bag leaks, the container catches the leak.

 If you want, place in the refrigerator overnight. Or, if you are not marinating overnight, let lamb rack(s) sit in the rub marinade as it comes to room temperature before cooking.

 Bring lamb to room temp: Remove lamb rack from refrigerator to 1 1/2 to 2 hours before you cook it so that it comes to room temp. (If the meat is not at room temperature it will be hard for it to cook evenly.)

 Preheat oven to 450�F, arrange the oven rack so that the lamb will be in the middle of the oven.

 Place the lamb rack bone side down (fat side up) on the pan. Wrap the exposed ribs in a little foil so that they don't burn.

Roast first at high heat to brown, then reduce heat to finish: Place the roast in the oven roast at 450�F for 10 minutes (longer if roasting more than one rack), or until the surface of the roast is nicely browned.

Then lower the heat to 300�F. Cook for 10-20 minutes longer (depending on the size of the lamb rack, if you are roasting more than one rack, and how rare or well done you want your lamb), until a meat thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the meat 125�F on a for rare or 135�F for medium rare. Remove from oven, cover with foil and let rest for 15 minutes.

Cut lamb chops away from the rack by slicing between the bones. Serve 2-3 chops per person.

2. Solberry (Soulberry) Halal Chicken

2 tablespoons Ras el Hanout*

1/2 cup Solberry puree (found at Vita Health, Red River Co-op Stores, etc.)

1/4 cup good olive oil

1-2 cloves garlic, minced

pinch salt

1 Chicken, skinned and pieced

Mix first 7 ingredients together well to blend in the olive oil. Place chicken thighs in marinade in a bowl, cover and refrigerate for 1-4 hours. Place chicken thighs on a hot BBQ for up 4 minutes a side if boneless, twice as long if with bone in.  Let meat rest and enjoy with grilled Naan bread, salad, rice, etc.

*Ras el Hanout can be used as a spice rub for your BBQ meats, in vegetable stews (recipe in blog), on roast chicken, lamb, goat, etc.

Cream Wafers with Grapefruit Blood Orange Filling

As I write this post, my valentine is off on a work trip, and I can hardly stand it. A lot of my friends think Evan and I are pretty independent because we have our own hobbies that, after years and years of being together, we don�t try to push on each other. He has his nerd things and video games and electronic music, I have cooking and being in nature and scary movies and reading. We�re pretty good about doing our own thing and being totally cool with it.
But what our friends might not see is that we�re also weirdly codependent. Have you watched How I Met Your Mother (3 full times through, like we have)? Because in a lot of ways, we�re a lot like Lilly and Marshall. We know almost every tiny detail of each others day� from every single item we ate to what conversations we had at work to what articles we read throughout the day. There�s an episode of HIMYM where Lilly and Marshall tell each other every detail when they go to the bathroom� we�re not quite there (yet) buuuuuuut we�re close. Just kidding. <Glances to the side>. Is that weird? Is it too much? Anyway. I hope our little mini snowstorm in Seattle doesn�t delay his trip home, because I wish he was here. Also I seriously can�t fall asleep without him. And I don�t really mean that in a gushy way� I just read a lot of mystery books and listen to a lot of murdery true crime podcasts and finished watching The Fall the first day he was gone. So you know, I basically lie awake staring at the shadows surrounding the bedroom door for three hours before falling asleep. 

Which in no way leads me here, to these Valentines Day cookies! Cream wafer cookies with grapefruit and blood orange filling, to be exact. Have you had cream wafers? I saw a photo of them around Christmas, and couldn�t get over how cute they are. The dough is super simple and almost boring: flour, butter, cream. Literally that�s it. Then you cut out the cookies, roll them in sugar, and bake them. On their own, they taste a little like pie dough, i.e.: butter and flour. But when you add the citrusy sweet frosting, something magical happens. It really brings the whole thing together. The cookies are soft but with a slightly flaky crunch type thing going on with the sugar coating, and the filling has that grapefruit tang I love, and is super pretty and naturally pink from the grapefruit marmalade (which I got at TJ�s and loooove on vanilla ice cream) and blood orange juice. Also these are tiny so you can pop one after another and not even realize you�re just consuming sticks upon sticks of butter. 

Also, I envisioned the perfect little teeny heart shaped cookies but I couldn�t find the right cutter� so I rolled some of the dough into a heart shaped log and just sliced those bad boys. They�re aight, but I definitely like the cut-out circle ones better. Oh, and yeah, I pipe frosting out of a ziplock baggie with the corner cut. So there's that. 

Cream Wafers with grapefruit blood orange filling

Cookie recipe from here, filling adapted from here
If you can�t find grapefruit marmalade, you can use orange marmalade, or your favorite thick jam. You can also use any citrus in place of the blood orange juice, but might not get that pretty pink color.

Cookies 2 cups all purpose flour 1 cup butter (2 sticks), softened 1/3 cup heavy whipping cream Granulated sugar Filling 1/2 cup butter (1 stick), softened 1.5 cups powdered sugar 2 tablespoons grapefruit marmalade 2 teaspoons fresh squeezed blood orange juice

Cream the butter until smooth, and add the flour and cream. Mix (with a hand/stand mixer or fork) until evenly combined. Roll dough into 3 balls, wrap in plastic wrap and chill at least 1 hour. Heat oven to 375F. Put a couple of tablespoons of granulated sugar in a shallow dish. Working with one dough ball at a time (keep the others in the fridge until ready to roll), on a lightly floured surface, roll to about 1/8th inch thick, and cut out using small (about the size of a quarter) cookie cutters. Dip each side of the cut-outs into the sugar to coat. Place on an un-greased (or parchment lined) baking sheet, and poke each cookie with about 6 little holes with a fork or toothpick. Bake 7-9 minutes. Cookies should be firm but not browned. Carefully transfer to wire rack and cool completely. For filling, mix together all filling ingredients (with a hand or stand mixer) until combined, light, and fluffy. Pipe filling on the inside of half the cookies, and top with the other half of the cookies to make little sandwiches.

Feb 25 - Come Imagine Community Gardens in Burnaby

It might be difficult to imagine spring gardens with all the snow we've had. But beneath the snow, is there land that could be used for community gardening?



On February 25, join us for an afternoon at Burnaby Village Museum to find spaces in Burnaby that might be used to plan community gardens. Local experts from "Can You Dig It" and Vancouver community gardens will lead this conversation on planning spaces where community members can come together to cultivate food and flowers.



This is a free event, open to all. Register here.

Feeling the Weight

For a while I thought �it�s bound to get better,� or �things will slow down.� But in reality, the hits keep coming. And maybe that�s what life is and what being a grownup out in the world is. Or maybe some people are just luckier than others� but even then, it�s all relative.

In 2014, six weeks before my wedding day, my dad passed away. I was 29 years old, and our little family unit�my mom, dad, sister, and myself�we were closer than most families I know. We had never spent a Thanksgiving or Christmas apart. The grief of losing him was overwhelming and all encompassing. I felt cheated that he didn�t get to be at my wedding. That he would never meet my future children. But then, my sister didn�t even get to share her engagement with him. My mom had been with my dad since she was sixteen, more of her life with him by her side than without. Grief is personal. Grief is all relative. 

Just a year after my dad passed away, my aunt, my mom�s sister, learned she had stage 4 lung cancer, and left us just mere months after the diagnosis. 

It was bound to get better. We were due for a lucky streak. 

Then last summer, someone very close to me, very important to me, was diagnosed with colon cancer�in her early 30s, the epitome of health. She had a major surgery to remove the cancer, and was outfitted with a temporary ileostomy bag during the recovery. She was supposed to have that for a couple of months. Then there was set back in her healing, and she had to have another major surgery, and still, 7 months later, has the ileostomy bag. How do you quantify your pain and grief and fear when a loved one is suffering, compared to the pain and grief and fear they�re feeling?

And then another aunt was diagnosed with cancer. 

Oh, and then my mom�s dog died. 

AND THEN DONALD TRUMP/ STEVE BANNON BECAME OUR PRESIDENT AND STARTED TEARING DOWN EVERY VALUE I HOLD DEAR AS AN AMERICAN AND A HUMAN BEING AND SOMETIMES LIFE FEELS TOO GODDAMNED HEAVY. I MEAN FOR FUCKS SAKE. FOR FUCKING FUCKS SAKE YOU GUYS.

But it�s all relative. Because even with all the heavy, heavy shit I�m feeling, I live with privileges I did nothing to earn. Even though I see and sometimes feel the crushing weight of the patriarchy, I�m white, straight, cis-gendered. I have a college education and a good job and live in a region with a good economy. My family is dealing with loss and illness and suffering, but isn�t getting shot at during traffic stops. I don�t have family members stuck in war-torn countries, unable to safely get to me. I�m not discriminated against because of my religion or where I happened to be born or because of who I love. I HAVE CLEAN DRINKING WATER. 

It�s all relative. 

So that�s why, under this hefty, weighty personal grief and pain, I still get out there and fight for our freedoms and rights. I march and protest and donate money and call representatives, and do everything I know how to do, which frankly still isn�t enough. I fight like hell to keep what others before me fought for (Like the right to vote, thanks to women who marched and protested. I'd like every single woman who disagrees with protesting to remember that), and fight like hell for everyone else to have that too. 

I have clean drinking water. 

We should all be so goddamned lucky. 

 

*Note: because of ACA, my dad was able to get health insurance, with a pre-existing condition, at the end of his life. He was able to avoid a lot of the pain and suffering that comes with liver failure, because of that health insurance. The person I mentioned above with colon cancer� she can switch jobs if she chooses, switch insurance coverage, and still get her CRITICAL, LIFE-SAVING healthcare, because of the ACA. It's global and bigger than me and it's also personal.