The baking season

If there's ever a time to eat all candy and cookies for breakfast (lunch and dinner), it's now.

Holiday time seems to be filled with sugar, sweets and pie.

To add to the plentiful trays around the office J decided to call his grandmother and get her fudge recipe. After talking about said recipes for years, he finally whipped up a batch of decadent smooth chocolate fudge, followed shortly after with his always delicious chocolate chips cookies.

My job during the baking, is to retrieve items, like flour, milk, eggs from the fridge and scrap batter from the bowls into the pans or in the case of the cookies, drop dollops of dough onto the pan while he tells me if the dollops are too big or not ball-like enough.

The fudge and cookies were a well received in the office, even though several people wondered when the cookie flow would stop, as they didn't know how much more they could handle, considering my boss made five varieties of cookies and my colleague handed out her cookie creations and there was a communal box of See's candy that was opened.

Forget the coffee, just stuff yourself with chocolate and gingersnaps. That will jump start your morning.

Here's to the baking season. YUM!

Banana Pumpkin

Yum!

So Thanksgiving, was filled with food, food and more food (especially with a 19+ pound turkey).

But in planning for the eating extravaganza, J look through recipes to find just the one's we'd set out to cook.

We attempted two new items, one being Pumpkin bread that we converted into Pumpkin Muffins. They were delicious. Moist, sweet, and just a touch of cinnamon sugar sprinkled on top.

We made 12 muffins and within 2 days, they were resting in our bellies. Today J took out the rest of the batter to bake up a dozen more. But I mistaken it for left over carrot soup and poured the batter down the drain. When he asked later, "Where's the pumpkin batter?" I didn't know. I thought it was in the fridge. Oops.

I picked up a new can of pumpkin , a package of banana cream pudding (which we used instead of the coconut cream pudding) and eggs, so tomorrow night, I'll make us up another batch of pumpkin yummy muffins.

Grouse in the Summer

Even with temperatures in the 60s (20C) on Grouse there's still snow patches. J, his cousin and I trekked up the mountain over rocky terrain, mushy ground, snow and black sticky mud.

Evidence of the snow melt is everywhere. The water cascades down the rock faces and tickles over decomposing trees. The mountain has a completely different feel in the summer. There are shows schedule throughout the day, such as Birds in Motion.

A rescue group talks to the audience about birds of prey featuring a barn owl who's 10 months old and learning to fly, a hawk who weights just over a pound (both seen above respectively), a falcon shows off his hunting ability, a turkey vulture (not pictured) and a four year old eagle who's feathers will turn white as he gets older.

Look at the size of the eagle (below). Wow, you just don't understand how large these bird are until your standing next to them.

Then the grand brown bear. The mountain plays home to two brown bears, both still considered cubs. Both were found in the wild without parents and were brought to Grouse to be raised and eventually released.

There's also a Lumberjack show and if your up for a bit more of a thrill you can take a helicopter tour or the newest attraction the zip line.

Yes there is plenty to keep you entertained if you don't find the views, the trees or a nice hike enough to fill you up. Oh and the Beaver tail shack is open to satisfy your sweet tooth.

It's Easy Being Greek

The spirit, tradition, and culture of Greece is alive and thriving in Vancouver. We knew that the Greek community is large, with the Mediterranean Deli, Parthenon Market, Olympia restaurant and a fabulous Greek bakery all within steps from our back gate, it's rather hard not to notice.

About two weeks before the street festival, Greek flags were strung down Broadway and shop windows sported posters letting window gazers know that the party of the summer was coming. We even got a public notice in the mail, indicating when the street would be closed and that we could not park on our street.

The Greek Festival arrive with sound checks at 8am. Woo hoo.

There were food vendors selling traditional Greek foods...
Souvlaki, Greek Salad, Spinach Pies and Loukoumades, Oh these little-pop-in-your-mouth sweet honey glazed with a sprinkle of cinnamon were the best discovery, how did I go almost 30 years without knowing about these wonderful Greek donuts? Better than cotton candy, which they sold and I ate as well.

There was also three stages on the festival route. Numerous stage performers, acrobats, dancing, and bands. At one point the dancers created a large circle in the middle of the street and performed two ancient dances some with clad in traditional attire.

The food was endless and the chefs were fun to watch. Spinning the kabobs, chattering with their buddies, of course we couldn't understand what they were saying... it really was Greek to me.

So next June if your in Vancouver looking for a great way to spend the afternoon, be sure to check out the Greek festival. If your in town before or after the festival, no worries, there's plenty of Greek bakeries, markets, delis and restaurants to quench your mouth watering appetite.

A day out in Kitsilano and Granville Island

With the sun shining many people were out at Kitsilano beach. Some playing Frisbee, others volleyball, all the tennis courts were busy while other found the sun tan lotion and reclined on the cement stage soaking in the rays. However, with the thermometer only reaching 53, we were less inclined to sun bath and headed around the beach to Granville Island.

Granville Island is home to the Emily Carr Institute (a renown art school), galleries, restaurants, small theaters, shops and a huge public market. Almost any goody, produce, meat, whatever you can think of - you can find it here. I saw prickly pears and dragon fruit, now when was last time your local supermarket produce had dragon fruit?

The Public Market is definite to-do item for any visiting tourist and is a top choice for many locals. Just like the Edible British Colombia says "The centerpiece of the island experience is the Granville Island Public Market."

Some of the highlights of the market beyond the amazing produce are the bakeries, the coffee shops, the variety of fresh fish and meat as well as local artists. Flavors from around the world can be tasted at the eateries and enjoyed while listening to live music. Many performers play in front of the the public market on the boardwalk.

Passover in Vancouver

For the first time, the beautiful Seder place that we received as a wedding gift was used. I spent the morning dropping off things... one of which was my camera. Yes, it was returned to the store. Even the sales rep, couldn't figure out why it took two clicks - to get to the center of the tootsie pop- no really, to take the picture in the creative modes. Alas, my original enthusiasm and joy has soured. I'll figure out what I want to do next, as I have a another outing for photo class on Tuesday (can always used my 35mm) and with a big trip planned to Alaska in May, I'll want to have a good handle on whatever dSLR I end up with.

The rest of my day was filled with cooking for 5. I made matzo ball soup with carrots, onions and celery; followed by cheese kugel (my mom's recipe, which is the best and the guests agreed), then haroset (apples, cinnamon, honey, sugar and grape juice), then apple cake passover style. The main dish was halibut topped with cooked zucchini, garlic, onion mixed with salt, pepper, and tomatoes. Yummy.

The Seder was fun. It's nice to share the experience with people who've never joined in a Seder and are willing to read, dip their fingers into the wine, hunt for the afikomon, and sing Had Gayah while playing various character in the song such as a dog, butcher or even death's angel. Oh, and thank you Rich for reading the enlightening quotes at the bottom of the haggaddah pages.

When is Happy Hour?

Since moving here we've been introduced to the Bellini. Now this is no ordinary peach puree with champagne. At Moxie's, a Canadian chain restaurant that has a unique menu, they serve their Bellini as a slushy where as the Cactus Club has a thick yummy drink made of Peach schnapps, champagne, appleton white rum & sangria - it is by far the best Bellini in town that I've tried (and I think J's cousin would agree with me.)

Yum

So J decided early last week that he wanted to make corn bread. We quickly learned that corn bread is not a common side dish made in Vancouver. There are no Jiffy boxes sitting on the grocery shelves and corn meal was also missing from the aisles. We asked a few people for suggestions on where to find corn meal (quickly coming to the conclusion that we were not going to find a boxed version).

The suggestions were to check the local produce shops and the higher end market like Capers (owned by Whole Foods) or Choices (a local chain focused on organic foods). J finally found a bag of corn meal at IGA after wandering the store with an employee. He printed off a recipe from allrecipes.com, adjusted it based on the reviews (1/3 cup sugar and butter instead of shortening), then got baking.

To go along with his corn bread he mixed up some chili - brown the meat, pour in a can of seasoned diced tomatoes, some chili seasoning, and a can of kidney beans.

With some strawberry lemonade we were set for a great homemade meal to fill us up just before heading over to a friend's house to watch the Super Bowl. (Yes, Canadians do watch the NFL and some our Canadian friends are die hard fans.)

Just because it's winter...

doesn't mean you can't feel like you on a tropical beach somewhere. We love strawberry lemonade and after going to lunch at Milestone's a few weeks ago and tasting their delicious strawberry lemonade, we were inspired to create our own. A bag of frozen strawberries, one large pitcher of homemade lemonade and a pint glass - you're ready to go.

Set a small amount of strawberries in a bowl for about an hour. Once they soften slice through them a few times. In a glass pour in your lemonade and drizzle the strawberries on top. Sit back, kick up your feet and imagine the warmth of the summer sun as you enjoy a great drink.

Cheers!

From scratch....

Yes I made this cake and frosting from scratch. This is another first for me. I usually go to the store and stand in front of the colorful cake batter boxes and decide - vanilla, yellow, carrot, chocolate or the party fun color. But this time I decided nope, I'm going to make this my self. And the temperature was around 31 and I didn't feel like bundling up to go to the store, so instead I turned to the internet for recipes.

J requested white chocolate chip mousse filling, like our wedding cake but I could not find any descent listings. So instead he got Happy Birthday Cake with Light and Creamy Brown Sugar Chocolate Frosting.

When making the cake I finally got to use my KitchenAid mixer, which I've have for almost five years and never plugged in. (Check off another first). I had to separated eggs and almost botched that up, so I decided that I was not going to attempt a mousse which needs egg separation, I'd rather make a simple creamy frosting. When I saw the brown sugar frosting recipe, I knew it would be perfect for J.

Happy birthday honey. Hope you enjoyed your truly homemade cake. Next year I'll attempt the white chocolate chip mousse.

Sophie's Comic Cafe

The view of glass Coke bottles divides the booths and walls are hung with eclectic things such as tin lunch boxes, a fish stuck to a pool table and other bits and pieces. Not too sure where the cosmic part comes in.

One thing that Sophie's offers that we haven't found anywhere else is ice tea, the kind that's brewed and chilled. Very common in most eateries in the states but it's a Nestea world here. So we were pleased to find "Real Ice Tea" on the menu. J verified with the waitress that it was indeed brewed tea and not from a can.

Although, we arrived at lunch time neither of us could resist the breakfast menu items. I ordered waffles with berries and cream and J had a veggie omelet. My waffles with maple syrup and a light whipped cream were delicious while J's omelet had too much spinach.

After hearing about Sophie's and passing by the large fork and knife that adore it's doors, the cozy atmosphere of this family owned cafe, won me over.

I hope to try the tuna sandwich next time paired with a real ice tea.

We were invited to a holiday party and as a parting favor everyone got to take home a fancy cupcake. This little but very sweet treat, decorated with miniature pepermint candy canes and the white cake turns to a pink color/colour on the inside - was oh, so yummy!

Can't wait to see what other fun holiday treats we get to try this season or better yet we make this season.

Chanukkah Latkas by Libby

Step 1: Plug in electric skillet

Step 2: Put on apron

Step 3: Take out frozen hash browns

Step 4: Pour a splash of oil in skillet

Step 5: Put a handful of hash browns in skillet

Step 6: Flip the lump after a few sizzling minutes.

Repeat.

Serve with sour cream, applesauce and ketchup.

Train Dominoes and Nachos

After much talk about having a game night, we finally pulled enough people together and Rich volunteered to host. J and I laid out the rules for the novice players and then the trains were off. After a few rounds of drinks and dominoes, Taboo was the game of choice. We split into 2 team of 4 and learned a few funny things about the Canadians. When giving clues for Taboo, the only Canadian athlete that matters = Wayne Gretzky; Whistler is not part of the Canadian Rockies, and Ryan Reynolds was never used as a reference.

Gourmet nachos by Joe.