Happy new year!

Happy new year, friends! Hope all who celebrate December holidays had a lovely time with friends and family.

Have you made any new years' resolutions? Do you do that sort of thing? I usually don't but this year I've made a few. Mostly boring stuff like decluttering and getting my life more organized at home. I know, yawn, right?

But I've also started a little project for the year! I've jumped onto the "picture a day/365 project" bandwagon. This means I'll be taking a picture a day for the whole darn year or whenever I decide this project is far too tedious to continue. Today is Day 3 and I'm going strong. Here's what I've got so far.....

Day 1/365
I started 2011 by painting my nails on New Year's Day. Base coat of black and then a couple of coats of a deep, dark red (Revlon's Vixen) on top. Makes me feel dangerous and a bit like an Olsen twin.

2/365
A blurry but sweet picture of Noah taken at the dinner table. He has perfected the art of looking adorable in hopes of getting a few table scraps. It worked. He got some brocolli.


3/365
Made the yummiest stew tonight from a recipe found on the Gluttonous Vegan blog. I had to sub in rapini instead of nappa cabbage or kale because it's slim pickin's in the green aisle of the grocery store the last few days. I think it's because there's a big recall on kale and other veggies because of salmonella. This was super yummy but rapini has a bit of a strong taste for this dish. Will definitely make it again but next time with kale (minus the salmonella).

Is anyone else taking part in the 365 challenge? Leave a comment with a link so I can check out your pictures!

PS. If you're interested, I've created a set for all of my daily pictures over on my flickr.

soup for a winter cold

hi! i'm back!
hopefully for awhile, although i've come to the realization that i'm not the most um...consistent blogger. (no kidding, right?) but acceptance is the first step. and so here i am to try again.

after making it through a very long while without a cold or flu to speak of (haven't had one yet this school year), i finally felt something coming on yesterday. i started mega-dosing on cold-fx, which i swear is a wonder drug. and then today after a nice long nap after work, i made a lovely, hearty, and delicious soup that i think is going to help me kick this cold in the butt!

i modified the "miso soup for one" recipe in la dolce vegan.
here's my recipe:

Krissy's Kick-Your-Cold-in-the-Butt Winter Soup

2 c water
1" fresh ginger, peeled and cut in chunks large enough to fish out later
1/2 tsp veggie bouillon
1 carrot, chopped
1 stalk celery, chopped
handful frozen shelled edemame
small handful dried wakame (seaweed)
5 cubes dulp pock (puffy tofu)
2 tbsp miso

Boil water with chunks of ginger. Throw in chopped carrots and celery and cook until softened. Add veggie bouillon to water. Throw in frozen edemame and dried wakame and cook 3 minutes. Add dulp pock and cook a few minutes, just long enough to heat through. Remove from heat and stir in miso. Let stand 3-5 minutes. Stir well and enjoy! (Don't forget to fish out the ginger as you eat!)

Mmmmm...

Also pictured: 2 steamed vegetarian bbq pork buns.

breakfast of champions

summer is sadly coming to an end and i'm headed back to work next tuesday after two glorious months off. so this morning as i fixed my breakfast, i realized that in a few days i probably won't have time to linger over the lovely meal i've been making for myself for most of the summer.

this breakfast has been such a treat for me over the last couple of months. it usually contained some variation of the following:
* 10-12 buttered crackers with brie
* a handful of raw almonds
* a few dried apricots (i like the organic kind but it takes awhile to get used to that rusty brown colour instead of the bright orange you typically find)
* organic vanilla yogurt with seasonal fruits mixed in (today it was some diced peach, blueberries, and strawberries*...all from ontario)

mmmm...

*believe it or not, the strawberries are from ontario even though strawberry season is kind of over. these are apparently called "everbearing strawberries" or so the friendly farmer from the market tells me. i think i was able to buy them well into september last year!

the tastes of summer

last thursday i checked out a new farmers' market in the neighbourhood. it wasn't as good as my favourite one (which i sadly still haven't made it to yet) but it was still nicer than the grocery store aisle. check out all those pretty colours!

*****

and tonight's dinner i'm dubbing "adventures in sushi". i guess that makes it sound like it was a little dodgey but it actually all turned out really well. i've made maki rolls before but this was my first time making inari sushi. it certainly won't be my last...so easy with those little pre-made wrappers! we stuffed ours with rice, avocado, and carrots. mmmm...so good!! here's a blurry picture...we were too hungry to take a perfect one...sorry! (for non-sushi eaters, that's wasabi in the dish in the middle of the plate. we mixed it in some temari sauce for dipping).

goat!

yesterday paul and i went on a day trip to stouffville, just outside of toronto. it was such a nice day! we started by going into the town of stouffville and wandering around the downtown area. we went into the latcham gallery and a great little thrift store where i finally found something i've been searching for forever (the glass jug top left). then we headed to applewood farm where we did some strawberry picking.


there were a few goats and sheep at the farm and i was so excited to be able to pet one and feed it some dandilion leaves. i wanted to stay there all day and hang out with the animals.


we ended the trip with lunch at a new-to-us restaurant called the graceful vegetarian which is located right behind the pacific mall. we had vegetarian dim sum and i loved every bit of it! my favourite was the (vegetarian) bbq pork steamed bun. mmmm...doughy goodness. (sorry, i was too hungry and impatient to take pics)

i did some gardening when we got home and then made a yummy (and super easy) dinner of faux tuna sandwiches with salad (using lettuce from our garden).

this is the tuna we buy at king's cafe in kensington market.

if you look in the bottom right hand corner it says "borax free". that worries me that the other kind we sometimes buy might be loaded with borax. who knew that was the secret ingredient to mock meat???? ;)


and for dessert....strawberries and whipped cream of course!

yummy dinner #3

this was a great meal we had earlier in the week. i made these tofu & rice balls from the garden of vegan, another sarah kramer cookbook i use on a regular basis. these balls (tee hee) are extra yummy with mushroom gravy, which i just buy in a can and warm up quickly on the stove. a nice big salad with sunflower seeds was the perfect side.

yum.

yummy dinner #2

tonight's dinner was from my most favourite of all my cookbooks, la dolce vegan by sarah kramer. i swear i use this book a minimum of 3 meals out of the 5 i cook during the week (paul's in charge of sat & sun dinners). this was my first attempt with this recipe and it was soooo yummy!

tonight i made butternut squash & lentil soup with ginger. we had it with fresh 9-grain rustic bread from brick bakery, drizzled with olive oil.
sadly, this photo does not do justice to the soup. it was such a flavourful and slightly spicy meal. the generous amount of fresh ginger really added a nice flavour.

rating: 10/10

yummy dinner #1

i've always been really inspired by bloggers that post delicious-looking meals they've made. one blog i miss dearly is dinner daily. i used to get lots of quick and interesting meal ideas from her.

anyhow, i'm going to give this a try myself mostly to have a record of meals i've made and enjoyed. i'm not sure how long this will last as i'm often in too much of a rush to start eating. running to find the camera (and working batteries) before digging in can be a bit of a hassle. but here goes attempt #1.

this is what we had for dinner tonight.
penne with chickpeas, baby spinach, and sundried tomatoes from quick fix vegetarian

it was so easy to make and turned out really yummy. basically it's just a quick sauce made from minced garlic, canned (diced) tomatoes, sundried tomatoes, chickpeas, a bag of baby spinach, and s&p . i sprinkled some sunflower seeds on top for some crunch.

the verdict: 9/10

quite quiet

just peeking in to say i haven't been blogging much lately because there's just not much new or exciting to report. i'm still fighting a nasty chest infection but feeling more energetic which means i've been spending more time working in the studio. it's so funny...i often worry what will happen when i run out of ideas. but the last couple of weeks have been quite the opposite! i've got so many new ideas that i'm worrying i won't be able to get them all done in time for the show. i've also had to break down and ask paul to make me a few extra displays so i have somewhere to put the new stuff.

in other news:

* i made the yummiest roasted butternut squash & apple soup last night. it was like eating autumn in a bowl.

* i wish i had time to start a knitting project. i really want to make a cowl or the shopping tunic i posted about here.

* i've been enjoying baking cookies...made a batch of super spicy ginger & chocolate chip (so yum!) and also some (very meh) peanut butter cookies.

* i miss swimming. i can't wait to feel like myself again so i can get back to it.

* noah's hair is growing a bit shaggy and i swear he looks like a little teddy bear these days.

* only 2 more weeks left of the farmers' market. then back to (bland) grocery store produce. (sniff) besides, i'll really miss our farmer friends. they're always so nice to kim and me.

lately:

reading:


listening to:


desperately hunting for:
thick & chunky charcoal grey tights (so elusive i can't even find a picture of them with a google image search!) EDIT: sorry, i meant to say thick & chunky cable-knit tights in charcoal grey. it's the cable-knit part that i'm having trouble finding. please let me know if you find some....

making a million of:


excited about:


delighted by:
inside a black apple

thinking about:
baking peanut butter & chocolate chip cookies

last weekend...

on saturday we went to the vegetarian food fair down at harbourfront. we've missed the last couple of years because the first weekend in september is traditionally packed with festivals all over the city. it was good to get back there and see what's new in fake meat technology. i sampled some especially yummy dried soy jerky.

here's a little photo collage i put together from the food fair. sorry, the pictures are a little on the small side... (click on it to enlarge)


TOP: 1. big woks 2. little veggie dog 3. sarah kramer, cookbook author extraordinaire
MIDDLE: 4. a most delicious feast
BOTTOM: 5. dressed as a pea 6. pink sky 7. breakdancers

random food stuff...and other random stuff too

i know this isn't supposed to be a food blog, but i guess since it's a general whatever kind of blog, i can post about food once in awhile, right? and since i haven't been doing much other than swimming and gearing up to go back to work on tuesday i don't really have anything else to post about right now anyway.

ok, so first here's a picture of some really pretty eggplant that i spotted at the farmers' market last tuesday.

and today i ventured over to the brand new t&t supermarket in the portlands district. it's a big asian supermarket that just opened up a week or two ago. it was busy busy!!


i went in search of dulp pock. dulp pock is a type of tofu that is soft and pillowy and light as air. i think it's probably been deep-fried prior to being packaged but let's just forget about that ok? i haven't had it since i lived in guelph about 5 years ago. i'm happy to report that t&t didn't disappoint me! i found about 5 different kinds.

tonight we had steamed beans and roasted mini-potatoes (both from tuesday's market visit) and dulp pock smothered in president's choice szechuan peanut sauce. oh my! it was UNBELIEVABLE! the best part was the crunchy bits where the sauce carmelized.

***
other random stuff:
on friday, paul & i went to see the square foot show at awol gallery. we were amazed at how many pieces there were in the show. lots of fun eye candy there! wish i had brought my camera...i didn't think they'd let us take pictures.

also on friday, i was driving home after dropping paul off at his band's practice space and i saw george stroumboulopoulos driving an s.u.v. i know...i was sad he was driving a gas-guzzler too.

and the lovely wendy has named me a rockin' girl blogger! thanks, wendy! i guess i'm supposed to nominate 4 or 5 more people? this is hard...i don't like leaving people out. i think i'll just quietly email the people and let them know. is that allowed? i know...i'm so bad at these tagging things.

eating healthy & not so much...

tonight i felt like putting some effort into our meal, a feeling i haven't experienced much this summer. i went to the grocery store and picked up the ingredients for a light lebanese meal: tabouli, hummus, pita, and olives.

i made the tabouli and hummus from scratch, using freshly picked parsley and mint from our garden for our salad. the pita is store bought and the olives were a nice treat from olive bar at loblaws.

tonight's fairly healthy meal might help make up for our sinful dinner last thursday when paul & i indulged in our tradition of a summer meal at lick's. mmmmm...nature burger (a veggieburger that tastes a lot like meat) with lots of "guk" sauce and french fries. it was sooooo yummy! and very fried.

***
looking forward to getting fresh corn on the cob and peaches at the farmers' market tomorrow!

fun days and just regular ol' days

yesterday was a fun day.

after lunch i picked up my new friend, kim, and we went to the farmers' market together. even though we got there a bit late there were still some yummy fruit & veggies to be bought and sampled. most importantly, there were yellow watermelons still left. ever since paul & i finished up the yellow watermelon from last week i've been dreaming of getting another. it is without a doubt, the sweetest & juiciest watermelon i've had since i was a kid.
(isn't it pretty?)

after the market kim & i went for tea at a neighbourhood cafe that i really like. i had no idea it even existed until she introduced me to it at the beginning of the summer. i had the yummiest iced tea that was some fancy exotic blend i can't even remember and then we just sat and chatted for hmmm...a couple of hours i think! kim is so sweet and funny and tells the best stories ever! it was so nice to just hang out and forget about the work waiting for me at home...

last night i was very excited to watch madonna's documentary i'm going to tell you a secret which was actually being shown on one of the 11 channels we get. i've been a huge madonna fan since i was in grade 7 and had posters and magazine pages of her plastered all over my bedroom walls. at the risk of dating myself, i was in grade 7 back in this era of madonna.

i haven't bought one of her albums since the early '90s but i'm still totally fascinated by her. the documentary was really entertaining but the parts where she tried to be deep & spiritual didn't seem quite right. i don't know how else to explain it. maybe a bit fake? (sorry, madonna!)

anyhow, after a pretty great day yesterday today was just a regular ol' day filled with lots and lots of errands. the best i can say about it is that i feel like i at least accomplished quite a bit.

i hate to say it but i'm actually hoping for rain tomorrow so i don't feel too guilty about working in the studio all day.

biggest excitement for tomorrow: picking up the 5 books waiting for me at the library.

when gardening goes wrong

our first foray into vegetable gardening this summer has been mostly successful. we had a lovely crop of zucchini (in fact, we ate one tonight!), many cherry tomatoes, and oodles of mint/basil/chives. our cucumbers...meh. kinda small and misshapen. the sweetpeas? not so much. but nothing.... NOTHING... compares to our carrots.

(WARNING: if grossly mutant vegetables ick you out, you may want to move along...)


people, we have about 30 of these things planted in our garden and so far the 4 or so we've pulled have all looked like this! the only reasons i can come up with are: 1) we planted them too close together and 2) our soil is pretty much pure clay and it hardens like crazy when it dries out.

i can just imagine those poor wittle carrots trying to bust down into the soil and basically being confronted with concrete-like conditions. they didn't have a chance.

anyone wanna join us for sugar-glazed frankencarrots???

i luv farmers

i was an early riser again today. 7:00am. why is it so easy to wake up bright and early when i'm on vacation but as soon as i have to go back to work i drag my sorry ass out of bed only after two alarms have gone off?

today i was motivated by the farmers' market. what a great way to start the day...shopping for fresh, local produce and handing your money directly to the farmer who grew it all!

i was so excited by all of the lovely fruits & veggies that i went a little crazy. i'm most excited by the corn on the cob (because i loooove corn on the cob), the strawberries (because i thought the ontario season was over so it was a lovely surprise!), and the yellow watermelon (because the woman gave me a sample and it was the sweetest melon i'd ever tasted!)

after the market, i drove out to mississauga to pick up my camera that was finally fixed. i'm so happy to have it again!

on to the grocery store to pick up a few groceries for the week.

back home for a quick lunch.

then to the dog park to take noah for a walk.


he had a fun time running about and sniffing just about every square inch of the grass. he didn't want to sit still for a photo so the picture is a little fuzzy but i like it because it looks like he's laughing.