Word on the street - Toronto

On Sunday, after dropping off The Man at the airport, and drowning our sorrows in a cup of fruitopia, my sister suggested that we check out the Word on the Street festival at Queen's Park. We decided to take the subway to avoid the mayhem that is parking downtown.

Riding the Rocket like a pro already.

What is Word on the Street? From their website:

The Word On The Street's Exhibitor Marketplace offers festival-goers a window into the Canadian literary scene, presenting everything from the largest publishing houses to the smallest niche magazines and everything in between. We also feature a World Food Market at various locations throughout the festival.

There was so much to do and see, it was almost overwhelming. My sister and I, both logophiles, could have happily spent all day there listening to speakers and authors, and browsing all the new and used book stands. However, it's a little difficult to do that with a couple kids in tow. The Boy is a great reader already and goes through 5-7 novels a week [We love our library!] but wasn't all that interested in seeing or talking to authors. The Girl, even less so. The KidStreet seemed geared more towards the younger set, not the 7-9 years that I am currently dealing with. So, while I secretly wanted to wait around to see the Polkaroo, the Kids wanted to grab some pad thai (but only because the hot dog line was too long).

This series is next on our to-read list!

We did manage to score some sweet swag though, including free books! Woo hoo! We got some books signed by the authors too. There were new books being given away every half hour, all along the festival route. it was pretty amazing. I picked one up for the Man about a woman's adventure along the Bruce Trail. Again, my sister and I would have waited happily in every line, for every book, but it just wasn't possible with the Kids. We collected buttons, pens, a bag, book marks, more buttons and even book lights!

One of their favourite booths was the Science Centre (to which we have memberships that are worth every penny). Here's the Boy getting his mind blown by the power of reading:

His head isn't really that big. :)

All in all, a great day walking around Queen's Park circle. The trees provided relief from the light showers and one downpour that we experienced - not nearly enough to dissuade the book lovers of Toronto!

We'll definitely make a note to head out again next year.

How to make easy deviled eggs.

As part of my food offering for my father's toga party, I brought deviled eggs. I was asked for my "recipe" so many times that I thought I'd post it here:

Ingredients:
Eggs
Mayonnaise
Fresh Chives (optional)

Also:
Medium sandwich bag
Large star tip (optional)

1. Boil your eggs for about 10-15 minutes. Let cool completely.

[I boiled them the day before I needed them and put them in the fridge overnight.]

2. Slice each egg in half, vertically. Remove and reserve the yolks in a medium bowl.

3. Store the empty halves in a deviled egg holder or tray. 

This tray has holders that are actually ice packs. It holds items cool for 4-6 hours: perfect for picnics!

4. Mix in mayo to taste. Use a fork to mash it all together.

I started with about 3 tbsps for 15 yolks, but ended up using about 1/2 cup. Add a little at a time until it's as creamy as you want it to be. 

5. Cut a hole in the corner of a sandwich bag and insert a large star tip. 

If you don't have a star tip, just cut a 1/4" hole in the corner of the bag.

6. Fill the bag with the yolk mixture. Zip the top of the bag!

7. Squeeze out the yolk mixture into the waiting eggs. Add sprigs of fresh chives as garnish.

You can mix it up as you'd like. Try using salad dressing, adding paprika or other spices. I like to keep it simple. 

Do you add anything else to your deviled eggs?

Party Weekend!

It's raining, it's pouring and Mr. Puss is snoring.

I missed posting yesterday, but I have a good excuse reason: I was still recovering from a super busy party weekend. (That usually works with your boss, right?)

My cousin celebrated a milestone birthday on Saturday night. There were about 60 guests. She and my aunt made their home into a "sports bar" to reflect my cousin's love of sports. Jerseys were hung from the ceiling with care, there was a beer tent in the back yard, amazing food and of course, a cake provided by yours truly:

Hockey Jersey Cake

We all came dressed in our favourite team jerseys or colours. Anyone who didn't come dressed appropriately was given a choice of several t-shirts from my cousin's collection. All in all, a very good time. 

Following that revelry, we had to wake up way too early on Sunday morning to set up for my father's birthday. Also a milestone: 60. He loves a good party, and this year he asked for a Roman/Gladiator-themed bash. Naturally, we obliged. If there's anything everyone knows about our family, it's that we love themes and dressing up. Come Halloween, we usually go nuts [this one notwithstanding]. So, my sister, my brother, my mother and I set the stage. We hand-delivered scroll invitations instructing guests to come in their finest Roman vestments for the celebratory Games and we were not disappointed:

Toga!

 We all wore gold leaves in our hair, and even the smallest baby was dressed in a mini toga. Golden [chocolate] coins were given to the victors of each of the games. A scale model of the roman Colosseum was built by my brother to hold a massive fruit bowl. [Yes, we do go that far.] We ordered a roasted pig, which was delicious, by the way, in addition to all the other food we brought along to the park. And, naturally, the cake. Because every birthday needs a cake:

Roman Temple Cake

Good times. Good times. Salve!

How To Fill Cupcakes

Filled cupcakes are, in my humble opinion, the best thing ever. The. Best. Just a little bit of cake to snuggle the creamy goodness all without having to lift a fork. Fantastic, right?

Here's the method I use to create filled cupcakes that look amazing when cut or bitten into, without the sides of your little cake bursting or having a "bubble" top. 

Step 1: Using a paring knife, cut a circle about 1/4" from the edge of the cupcake. Do not go all the way down to the bottom of the cake. Pull out the circle and a little flat-bottom cone will come out.

Step 2: Slice off the bottom of the "iceburg". Keep the top. Discard the bottom or use for cake balls.

Step 3: This is worth considering a step. Line up your tops with your cupcakes so you know where they are going later! Don't just throw them in a pile or your cupcakes won't have that finished look!

Step 4: Fill your cups 3/4 full with the filling of your choice. Here, I've used Strawberry Italian Meringue Buttercream with chunks of strawberries.

Step 5: Put the tops on. If you lined them up, the cuts will match exactly.

Step 6: Decorate as usual.

Step 7: Surprise! Enjoy.

What's your favourite filling for cupcakes?

Are there any other cake mysteries you'd like solved? Let me know and I'll put up a tutorial!

WW: Chicken and Potatoes in the Oven!

I like using red potatoes so I don't have to peel them, and they make the dish more colourful.

Using a wedger makes everything so much quicker. It literally takes 2 seconds to cut up each potato. 

All the same size! Yay!

I toss everything together in the cooking pan.

 I skin the chicken pieces and rub in coarse sea salt and rosemary. Bake at 375F for about an hour or until  the internal temperature of the chicken reaches 180F [170F if you're using breasts].

Yum!

The long and the short of it.

I realize that some people may read this post and wonder if I am being serious. I am.

A little back story if you will: my parents are Italian. As in, born and (mostly) raised in Italy. I was born and raised in Canada but with a very pronounced Italian heritage. My husband is decidedly neither, having immigrated to Canada 11 years ago. Now, whether this situation is more culturally- or foodie-based, I'm not sure, but I'm willing to bet it's at least a bit of both.

We had about 5 or 6 ripe tomatoes coming off our vines a couple days ago and I decided to make pasta with fresh, cut tomatoes that had been lightly sauteed in some olive oil with garlic, salt and basil. I put the pot of water on to boil and went to through the pantry to search for the pasta I wanted. So I searched, and searched, and finally had to accept that I had NO long pasta. None! There was rigatoni, penne lisce, penne rigate and even pennine, but no angel hair, or spaghettini, spaghetti or even linguine!! How had this come to pass?? Where did I go wrong in life to bring me to this point?

My husband doesn't understand this part of me that needs to match the sauce to the pasta. *Yes*, it does make a difference to the taste. He did not agree that it would be prudent to run to the store to get a long pasta, when we have at least 3kg of pasta already in the pantry. He doesn't understand that those should be reserved for thick and chunky sauces, not thin ones!! Oh, the humanity!

It was with sadness and not a little bit of disgust that I dumped 450g of rigatoni (no.20) into the pot. (Later I noticed that I had fusilli hiding on a different shelf. Even that would have been better!) As I brought the finished dish to the table I wondered if my kids would even eat the slop. They did. So did the Man. So did I. I gagged a little on the first bite, but quickly recovered. It turns out that it wasn't as bad as I thought. However, I stand by my original belief that the sauce must match the pasta! Off to the grocery store!

My recipe for fresh tomato sauce to be used with a long, thin pasta. :-)
2-3 tbsp olive oil
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
3-4 large, fresh, ripe tomatoes
10 leaves fresh basil, hand torn
Pinch of salt

1. Heat olive oil over medium heat for a minute. Add garlic.
2. Meanwhile, over a bowl to catch juices, roughly cut up tomatoes. Pour cut tomatoes and accumulated juice over oil and garlic. Add basil and salt. Stir.
3. Cook for about 5 minutes or until heated through, but tomatoes are still red, not orange. Pour over your favourite cooked, long, pasta and enjoy.

Slow Cooker Pepper Orange Pork Stew

When I know my day will be too busy to make a decent meal (and I can't justify going out for dinner) I often rely on my trusty slow cooker to save the day. 

On Sunday, our day was packed with Nutcracker rehearsal for the Boy in the morning, followed by an outing at the Science Centre. I knew we wouldn't be back until 6, and by that time no one would feel like cooking, or waiting for food. 

Using what I had on hand, and making a few changes, I adapted this recipe from The Complete Canadian Living Cookbook:

This is my go-to cookbook for everything. I received it as a gift in 2001 and have consistently used it since then. I have SHELVES of cookbooks, but this one is by far the most useful. [By the way, this is not a sponsored post, but if anyone at Canadian Living is reading this, I'd wouldn't refuse a subscription renewal! :) ]

On with the stew!

I started with 2 large red peppers and 1 large knife. [I don't mess around with knives.]

Chop them into bite size pieces and set aside. 

Next, chop 1 large onion. Add to the peppers. 

Chop up about 850g of pork. The recipe calls for 2lbs/1kg of shoulder  butt. I used pork loin for two reasons. Less fat = less prep and it's what I had on hand. :) The recipe also calls to brown the meat in oil. I used a non-stick pan and no oil and reduced the fat as well.  Once the meat is browned/seared, dump it into the crock pot.

Add the veggies to the pan and brown those as well. These steps can be omitted.  If you'd like, forget the browning part completely and just dump everything into the crock pot and turn it on. I like the extra flavour it gives when browning first. 

I added 6 cloves of slivered garlic into the pan. I'm using my handing garlic shaver.  Works like a dream.  The garlic  is paper thin and nearly completely dissolves in whatever you're making. 

Cook veggies until they just start to wilt, then add them to your slow cooker.

The recipe calls for a cup of broth, which I didn't have ready. So I cheated and used half  a bouillon cube and a cup of water. 

I added a couple turns of a coarse salt/rosemary mix.

I also threw in some extra asparagus spears that were left over from the quiche I made to take with us to the Science centre. 

Next, the recipe asks for tomato paste, but I didn't have any of that either. [Notice a theme here?] Luckily I  DID have some diced tomatoes that my mother put up this summer. I threw in about 2.5cups. 

Next for the orange bit. I grated the rind of one orange with my microplane, right into the slow cooker. 

Followed chunks of peeled orange and some rubbed sage. 

Give everything a good mix...

Turn on low and enjoy the rest of the day!

By the time we got home, I was tired and not thinking. [Surprise, surprise.] I just cooked up some basmati rice (I have a microwave rice cooker - perfect rice in less than 20 minutes) and fed the brood. I didn't even think about taking a picture. :S However, the reviews were mixed. My husband and I loved it, but the kids were not too keen on the orange flavour. I'll probably make this again, but without the orange.

What do you make when you know you won't have time to cook? What is your favourite slow-cooker recipe? Do you plan your meals or fly by the strings of your apron?

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