Changes

Hello all you out there in internet land.
You may have noticed a lack of posts and inspiration lately. Don't fret though, I haven't been uninspired just a touch crazy... haha.
It's kinda of funny, I haven't really been baking that much but I've been cooking ALL the time. I still enjoy baking but less than I did before. I just find cooking to be much more fun because it's less technical and it's much easier to experiment with. I've been exploring new flavours and spices, with great results. I just did not document any of this for you wonderful readers.
I swear I'll change my un-sharing ways. I have made a few amazing soup recipes that deserve to be shared with the world!
My Thanksgiving was a hit, well the cooking part of it. I made a wonderful squash soup and a beet and sweet potato side. All very yum. The tragedy came when I attempted to make a pie! As if, me the pie maker messed up a pie crust. It wasn't entirely my fault, it was my stupid scale. The batteries are running low and were not registering the 7g of salt I needed for the crust. Who knows how much salt I actually put into the crust, all you need to know is that it was nasty. HA. But mistakes happen to the best of us. For some reason the filling didn't set either so I scooped out the middle and turned the tragic pie into a pumpkin pudding of sorts.
That was a little life lesson rolled out into a very salted pie crust. Ah well, the cooking was a success.
Something else new in my life is that I moved out of my childhood home (finally). I didn't have the funds before and about a year ago I finally found full time work in my field. YAY I'm an adult.
I do like living on my own, it does get a touch lonely sometimes because my mother is keeping the cats for now, although I keep asking for them. What's most annoying is that my oven is the killer of all thing delicious. It literally burns everything that goes inside. I try and look on the bright side and appreciate the fast cooking ways of my oven. It's just very hard because I burned one too many cookies.
Okay I promise posts to come with soup recipes and yumminess.
Always remember if your pie crust doesn't work out, scoop out the middle!

xo
tash

Mint Grapefruit Refresher

I know I've called myself a bad little blogger before and I'm doing it again! To be honest I haven't been feeling very inspired to bake. My concerned friends and family have been noticing the lack of posts and have been asking me about it for a little while.
I have good news, today is the day I felt like blogging again. I have been extremely busy with a new full time job and a boyfriend to really have time to stop and blog. I have been cooking and baking a little bit, just haven't felt like posting, sorry :(
Today when I was driving home from hot yoga I got this intense craving for a fizzy refreshing drink and my brain started thinking. For a brief moment, I thought to swing by David's tea and order one of their iced fizzy drinks but I figured I could do better.
I have been watching a lot of the Food Network (as always) and Bobby Flay's Barbeque Addiction has been on repeat at my house. I don't care much about grilling meat but he always makes a drink to accompany his meals and I think it's really creative. Today he used mint in one of his drinks, so I started my inspiration off mint. My boyfriend has been on a grapefruit obsession but I wasn't sure if mint and grapefruit go together. I tend to have wacky tastes, so I figured I'd just go with it. Then there it was, my idea, after all these months of non-blogging, a mint, grapefruit fizzy something.
I decided to officially call it a refresher. Starbucks may or may not make me change that... until then, refresher it is!

Here is a blurry picture of Casey, just for fun

Recipe
Makes 1 glass

1 Large Grapefruit (I used an organic red grapefruit)
About 10 Fresh Mint Leaves (more or less depending on taste)
Club Soda
1 Teaspoon of Sugar (or more if you don't like the sourness of grapefruit)
Ice


Place roughly chopped mint leaves at the bottom of a tall glass, add the sugar and mix it a bit with a straw. Squeeze 1 grape fruit and add the juice to a tall glass until it's about 1/4-1/2 full depending on the level of intensity you want. Add about 4 ice cubs and then fill the glass up with club soda. Mix and enjoy!
For all you drunks out there, add less club soda and then add a shot (or two) of either vodka, gin or white wine ?.. Have not tried these add ins (yet) but I will update soon for all my boozers ;)
you can garnish the glass with a slice if grape fruit or a mint leaf if you're feeling fancy.

xo tash

Baking Class

My baking classes have started at a local college and they are beyond fun. I decided to take the class on a Sunday afternoon so my work week is free and I have become a very busy bee.  When Sunday morning rolls around I regret my decision to take a weekend class but my feelings change once I am at school and in my chef outfit.
I was required to buy my own baking tools but any excuse to buy new toys works for me.  Two weeks ago we made an apple pie and my partner was away that week so I had to make two apples pies!
Week two we made bran muffins and scones... or what my dad calls "srones". I got creative with the recipe and made cranberry scones with a lemon glaze instead of boring currants. The last photo features my misshaped scones and a cup of David's Forever Nuts tea, which is actually the greatest tea EVER.

Here is a total nerd (but cute) photo of me in my chef outfit hehe.

Lemon Glaze Recipe
1 cup icing sugar
Juice from 1 lemon
1-2 tbsp lemon zest (depending on how lemony you would like it)

Ice Storm 2013

I am a bit late in posting these photos... but an ice storm hit Toronto a few weeks back and I was really in awe of its beauty. Luckily, my house did not lose power so I might have a more positive outlook on the storm than other people in my community.  I made myself some green tea, packed my camera and bundled up so I could venture out into the empty streets and take in the beauty of storm. Here are a few shots I took of my adventure... All photos taken with my iphone 5s.

enjoy,

tash xoxo