just thank Martha

After long days my remedy for destressing is baking and as much as I try to curb my carb cravings I always seem to day dream of baking something devilish!   So when I got home today after a busy day at work I knew exactly was I was going to make, Martha Stewarts Pineapple Coconut muffins!  She makes a loaf but I love lil muffins so i can give them away and this way it lessen the chances of me having an entire loaf of this scrumptious treat!   Here is the original recipe but I made a couple alterations to make it a little less sinful.  

ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups unsweetened shredded coconut
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature, plus more for pan
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, (spooned and leveled), plus more for pan
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup sugar (I used agave syrup!)
• 3 large eggs
• 1 cup sour cream  (I did fat free yogurt)
• 1 can (20 ounces) pineapple chunks in juice, drained well

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spread coconut on a rimmed baking sheet. Bake until lightly toasted, tossing occasionally, 6 to 10 minutes; set aside. Butter and flour a 9-by-5-inch (8-cup) loaf pan; set aside. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, and salt; set aside.
2. Using an electric mixer on high speed, beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Reduce speed to low, and alternately add flour mixture in three parts and sour cream in two, beginning and ending with flour mixture. Mix just until combined (do not overmix).
3. Using a rubber spatula, fold pineapple and 1 cup coconut into batter. Spoon into prepared pan, and smooth top; sprinkle with remaining 1/2 cup coconut. Bake until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, 65 to 70 minutes (cover pan with foil halfway through). Let cake cool in pan 15 minutes. Remove from pan, and transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

I want to make my morning fruit salad look like this!  

cheers

I am searching for cocktail recipies and came across this lovely post from Poppies and Posies.  How great does that sound?  Yum! 

Mango Madness!

Don't you just love those produce boys in your local wholefoods that put aside the best stuff for you.  We'll I am a lucky gal and have one who placed a whole box of mangos aside for moi!  After eating two in a row... I began to think... what will I do with the other 10 mangos!   I'm about to get iron chef up in here with some mangos!  Stay tuned

Alright the chocolate craving has hit me again!  I go for months with no urge and then like a lightning bullet it hits me and I need a bite of a 70% dark of goodness!  I've gotten to know myself pretty well by this point and so I know to stock up incase this happens... but this time my mind slipped and nowhere in the house was choclate not even a chip to be found! (we used them for poker night last week).   So 30mins later I found myself down aisle 3 in Wholefoods glazed over in from of a wall of Chocolate.   Somehow the one chocolate bar I came in for turned into 4 marvellous crafted bars of bliss!  I'm a sucker for really good quality chocolate it's one of the things I splurge on.  And with Valentines day approaching I'm sending out a little hint that anyone can win me over with Valrhona!

Chambar

Last night I went to one of my favourite restaurants in the city called Chambar.  And as always the service and meal was superb.   At the moment Vancouver is in the midst of dine-out and so I was a bit nervous about getting a table but lucky for us they opened Cafe Medina next door to accommodate (this is my second fav spot for brunch).  I went with my foodie friend from new york who I knew would love it.  Something about the atmosphere in the space with the lights and candles always makes the Chambar dining experience just that much better then other spots in Vancouver.  But back to the food.  For starters I love beets so I ordered the beet and fennel with pomegranate and sheeps feta salad and Korey had the roasted celeriac and morel soup which was presented in a beautiful fashion with the server pouring the soup at the table over a bowl of apples, watercress and lingonberries. Next up... Mussels (the main reason I am so in love with Chambar) with tomato and coconut YUM! And if I am correct the other dish was Arctic Char.  For desert I went right for the ice-cream and Chocolate Salted chocolate caramel bar and when it was presented the icecream was quickly melting so I did what any sain person would do and quickly ate it up!  The other desert was  Lemon curd, toasted meringue, and thyme scented shortbread.   A perfect meal yet again at Chambar!  Muah!

bake sale

Check out Bake Sale catering and delivery in Austin!  Yum those treats sure do look to good to be true.  How cute are the mini oreas and caramel popcorn macaroons!  Mercy! Andrea has made a successful business out of the simple guilty pleasures that people like me live for!  Look at the special evens menu here

From across the pond

Three of Tarts is switching it up a bit.  Maxine has moved to England and so we are going to trade food tales from both Vancouver and London!   Dining spots, farmers markets and dinner parties are soon to fallow.

You are what you eat

Great type face, wonderful simplicity and mason jars.. I love this nut butter!  I kinda wonna create my own nut butter blends.... sunflower walnut peanut butter! Yum!

For the love of French Toast

Reuniting with a friend calls for French Toast.... don't cha say!  My dear friend has come back to Vancouver finally since being away in Paris for studies (way to long).  The morning we were going to meet I woke to a layer of thick snow.  I love the snow for the fact that it made this journey for breakfast just that much more amazing!  If you are hungry and feel like an amazing breakfast do it and smother it in Maple Syrup!  Deacons Corners!

I love this table setting.  I think this would be a really great way to have an intimate dinner party with friends.  It would make it seem relaxed and casual.  Love the burlap! 

Nobu - waikiki

When I was in Las Vegas in August with the gals we saw the Nobu sign that read 'soon to open' and were bummed!  My sister has raved about it and says its amazing! .... well i finally had my chance to experience the place in Hawaii and boy did it live up to the hype!  We order a couple appetizers and some fancy sangria cocktails!  I am so in love with Nobu... I might even go as far as say its reason enough to travel somewhere as Nobu is a destination worth visiting... just be careful you could leave with a hefty bill at the end as the couple sitting next to us rang in at $600! Eek!

Malasada

When I was in Hawaii this past week I went to the local farmers market and was surprised in the lack of fresh veggies and fruits, however, I came across these Hawaiian donuts called Malasada!   These two amazing chicks (check out the gal with the purple hair) make malasada every wednesday for the market in Waikiki and they were amazing.  They had all the flavours like pineapple, guava, strawberry, chocolate, peach... how could i resist!  

save on meats

Today I took my date snowshoeing!  We were lucky with out time and made it up and down cypress just as it began to rain.  It felt good to go up and experience nature and become reminded again of the beauty vancouver holds.  And on that note after our outbound adventure we were hungry and so to Save On Meats we went.  Now as a vegetarian this doesn't seem like the best spot however you are mistaken!  I ordered the veggie chilli with a home made biscuit that was amazing!  The gal sitting next me me ordered a giant rootbeer float that looked just perfect with the icecream scoops melting down the glass.  This place  I once thought to be totally odd and would never dream of stepping foot inside but today it was well worth the wait!  check out Save On Meats!

Orangette came out with this amazing recipe! I have a feeling I will be making alot of these cookies this autumn.  How good do they look and sound!

Salted Peanut Butter Cookies
Adapted from Autumn Martin and Hot Cakes Confections

Hot Cakes Confections uses a brand of natural peanut butter called Aunt Patty’s, but I used Adams Natural Peanut Butter, which is what I keep at home. (Note that I buy the kind that needs to be stirred well before using, not the no-stir kind. And make sure not to accidentally buy the unsalted one. Hate it when that happens.)

For the milk chocolate, Hot Cakes uses Theo milk chocolate. I also love the milk chocolate made by Scharffen Berger. I’ve also tried Ghirardelli milk chocolate chips, which aren’t great, but they get the job done. Whichever you use, note that I call for a larger amount than the original recipe: it calls for about 115 grams (4 ounces) milk chocolate, but I like 170 grams (6 ounces).

Lastly, Autumn’s recipe was written in ounces, but I have converted it to grams and cups.

240 grams (2 cups plus 1 tsp.) pastry flour
5 grams (1 tsp.) baking soda
12 grams (1 Tbsp. plus 1 tsp.) kosher salt
275 grams (2 sticks plus 3.5 Tbsp.) unsalted butter, at room temperature
200 grams (about 1 ¼ cup, packed) dark brown sugar
170 grams (¾ cup plus 2.5 Tbsp.) sugar
2 large eggs
400 grams (1 ½ cup) natural salted creamy peanut butter
2 tsp. vanilla extract
170 grams chopped milk chocolate

Preheat the oven to 350°F, and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

In a bowl, combine the pastry flour, baking soda, and salt, and whisk well.

In the bowl of a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter with the sugars until light and fluffy, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. (You can also do this by hand, with a sturdy spoon.) Add the eggs one at a time, beating between each addition. Add the peanut butter and vanilla, and beat on medium-low speed to blend. Add the dry ingredients in three batches, mixing on low speed until incorporated and scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Add the chocolate, and beat briefly on low speed, just until evenly incorporated.

Using an ice cream scoop – mine has a capacity of about ¼ cup - scoop the batter onto the prepared sheet pan, taking care to leave plenty of space between cookies. (I limit it to six cookies per pan; if you add more, they run together.) Bake for 15 to 18 minutes, or until the cookies are puffed and pale golden around the edges, but their tops have no color. (The cookies will not look fully baked, and this is important! The chewy texture of these cookies depends on it. They’re not nearly as good when baked until golden and crisp.) Transfer the pan to a rack, and cool the cookies completely on the sheet pan. They will firm up as they cool. (Also, they taste better when fully cooled. Promise.)

Repeat with remaining dough.

Note: This dough freezes beautifully. Actually, I like the texture of these cookies best when they’re baked from frozen. Scoop the dough onto a sheet pan and freeze until hard; then transfer the dough mounds to a freezer bag or other airtight container. Do not defrost before baking, and plan to add four or five minutes to the baking time.

The Best Banana Bread

K! Here is the deal.  This here Banana Bread is hands down 'the' recipe you shall fallow when it comes to making a loaf such as this.   It was given to me by friend whose friend gave it to her as a family recipe and she made me promise to do one thing...share.  This should be enjoyed by friends, the recipe should be passed along and made when ever you find yourself with 4 bananas looking a bit beat.  Enjoy!

2 cups wholewheat flour

4 ripe bananas

3/4 mayonaisse 

1/2 brown sugar

2 tsp. baking soda

1/2 chocolate chips.

First add the smashed bananas in with the sugar, mayo and the dry ingredients and chocolate chips.  350 for 30 minutes.  SO GOOD!

KALE

Yes! I love Kale!  That leafy, lovely, healthy, bundle of green makes me smile.  It fills me up and feeds me with goodness.  You my friend are fresh and fine!  For breakfast I might just try you on toast with an egg! Thank you for being you and being so wonderful for me!

HAPPY SEPTEMBER!

Over the weekend I went blueberry picking! So fun and cheap.  u-picks will be kicking in langley for a bit longer as the crops were all shaken up due to the weird summer weather patterns.  So lucky we get to pick for a bit longer in the september berry harvest! But what to make?  Obviously the norm would be to make a pie but.... confession Im not a pie person.  I am however into icecream, waffles, jams, and perhaps cornbread?!  Stay tuned to what I come up with!

Yes! I have found what a way to use the peaches I bought last week and look so perfect but... I highly daught that I will be able to seat them all by the end of this week.... and so voa la peach punch with bourbon! (check out the paper straws and mason jars)