BBQ Season - Woo Hoo!!!!!

One of the drawbacks of living a condo lifestyle is that you're not allowed to barbecue on your patio. One of the pluses of condo living is that when people want to get together for a BBQ, it's never at your house. Now that the gorgeous weather has come to eastern Canada, that identifiable smell infiltrates the nostrils and I'm out looking for the nearest backyard smoke. A fantastic jump start to summer appeared at my door.



BloggerAid-Changing the Face of Famine , has a wonderful program called View & Review. As a member, we partner with book publishers,food purveyors, grocers and publicists. President's Choice , Canada's largest grocer is one of our partners. Their new BBQ program has just kicked off and several lucky members of BACFF received a promotional package to try and review. The offering came packaged in a really practical and attractive cooler. The array of PC products: Slider Thins Mini Burger Buns, New World EVOO Extra Virgin Olive Oil, 100% Sparking Fruit Juice, Glaze with Balsamic Vinegar of Moderna, Maple Bacon Marinade, Grilling & Roasting Seasoning Grinder, Chocolate Chip Pecan Cookies, Thick Cut Ballpark Hot Dog Rippled Potato Chips, a red (to stimulate the appetite) apron and a $10 Gift Card to purchase other offerings (my eye is on the PC Ice Cream).

The second kick start is the President's Choice Canada's Biggest BBQ Contest offering more than $65,000 worth of prizes to be won. This BBQ is touring across Canada and you can find all the details and stops HERE

We've all seen the sliders in restaurants and served at parties. Finding the actual buns, short of making them myself was always work. I was really excited to find them in this package and to know that they're available at my local grocery store. They do exactly what they're supposed to do - take a back seat to the filling and give you a fun option to serve in just about any setting. Of course it was the first item on my list to try. I used my regular hamburger recipe, just shaped the burgers smaller and paired them with the thick cut ballpark hot dog rippled potato chips and the sparkling fruit juice. At first I thought the potato chips sounded wierd; I mean why would I want a potato chip that tastes like a hot dog. This is one of those "don't judge a book by its cover" things - I love them!!! I rarely treat myself to potato chips which made these even more special. The sparkling juice; also really tasty. I'm going to redo this whole configuration for my nephew's 15th birthday party and I can't even imagine his friends not loving them.



On movie night, I took out the Chocolate Chip Pecan Cookies and introduced them to my company. I heard comments like "I doubt anything will be better than the PC Decadent Chocolate Chip Cookie" and the debate lasted about 10 minutes representing the length of time it took for the debaters to finish the whole box of cookies.

I really wanted to try to combine several of the products together and came up with so many different ways. Do I marinate chicken tenders for skewers?...cook the chicken and create a salad ... so many options. I decided to marinate chicken with the Maple Bacon marinade, fast fry in the EVOO, add a goodly amount of fresh garlic (can you ever have too much garlic?, a variety of vegetables, and then put them over noodles and finish with the Glaze with balsamic vinegar of Moderna.




The EVOO, imported from Chile has this incredible fruity flavour with no bitterness at all. It's my new olive oil of choice. The marinade gave the chicken a slightly sweet bacon flavour that definitely came through after cooking. I've tried so many marinades that didn't hold up to the cooking - this one - very good. The best part of this one is that the sodium count is very low so makes it a "can do" for me. I put a little of the glaze over the top of it all and found the whole combination a hit. I'd make it again.



I didn't have an opportunity to try out the Grilling and Roasting seasoning but when I checked the sodium count I was very pleasantly surprised to see that it's very low.

I love that our grocers are making attempts to be more and more innovative with their offerings. I haven't always been entirely kind to the PC people but this BBQ has kicked off with a big thumbs up from me. PC's new tag line is "worth switching supermarkets for"... if you're in Canada and haven't been to a President's Choice store - what are you waiting for?

Lamington Cupcakes

Through the BloggerAid-Changing the Face of Famine View and Review program, I was delighted to receive a book called The Craft of Baking.



This really beautiful book, inside and out is truly a divine piece of work by Karen DeMasco and Mindy Fox. (can you tell I really love this book) Appreciation goes out to Clarkson Potter/Publishers and Random House Canada who have made this book available to us. The authors are both very accomplished; Karen DeMasco is known as the pastry chef of Tom Colicchio's Craft, Craftbar, and "witchcraft restaurants" from 2001 - 2008 and also a James Beard Award winner. Mindy Fox is the food editor of the magazine La Cucina Italiana and a former editor at Saveur.

.... and so starts my story of THE GOOD, THE BAD AND THE UGLY

During the BACFF Culinary Olympics I was very drawn to Adele of Will Work for Biltong's Lamington Cupcakes. Typically an Australian cake I had starred it for "must try" and in cupcake form - oh yes. Well...when I received The Craft of Baking and saw the very same cupcakes on the front cover it read to me like a romance novel.

The book is really well laid out and offers a good amount of information and tips on ingredients and how to use them for maximum result. The recipes are truly easy to follow with photography by Ellen Silverman that is nothing short of brilliant.

I was fixated on trying the Lamington Cupcakes. And so started my journey of The Good, The Bad and The Ugly.



Well, the day did start off on a very happy note - I had the recipe, the ingredients and the time to prepare. These three things are not always lined up.

Cupcake Lamingtons

Coconut Coating
2 cups unsweetened shredded coconut

Cupcakes
1 1/2 cups cake flour, plus more for the muffin tin
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp kosher salt
8 ounces (2 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into small pieces, very soft, plus more for the muffin tin.
1 cup granulated sugar
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1/4 vanilla bean, split lengthwise, seeds scraped out, bean and seeds removed
1/2 cup whole milk
4 large egg whites

Chocolate Glaze
1/4 cup plus 3 Tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
2 cups confectioner's sugar
1/4 tsp kosher salt
1/4 tsp pure vanilla extract
1/4 cup plus 2 Tbsp water

Preheat oven to 300 F
Spread the coconut on a baking sheet and bake until it's lightly golden, about 5 minutes. Remove the baking sheet from the oven, let the coconut cool completely and then transfer it to a wide shallow bowl.

Increase the oven temperature to 350 F. Butter and flour a standard 12 cup muffin tin.

For the cupcakes: In a bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder and salt.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter, granulated sugar, vanilla extract and vanilla bean and seeds on medium-high speed until light and fluffy - about 5 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.

With the mixer on medium speed, add the milk and the flour mixture alternating in three additions each scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary to ensure that the mixture is well combined. Using a rubber spatula, scrape the batter into a large bowl. Remove the vanilla bean from the batter, and rinse and reserve it.

Clean and dry the bowl of the electric mixer well. Add the egg whites, and using the whisk attachment on medium speed, beat to soft peaks, about 4 minutes. In three additions, fold the whites into the batter.

Divide the batter among the muffin cups, filling the cups about three-quarters full. Bake rotating the tin halfway through until the cupcakes are lightly golden and a tester inserted in the center of a cupcake comes out clean, about 20 minutes. Invert the cupcakes onto a wire rack, turn them top side up, and let them cool completely.

For the glaze: set a wire rack on a baking sheet
In a medium bowl, sift together the cocoa powder, confectioners' sugar and salt. Add 1/4 cup plus 2 Tbsp water and the vanila, and whisk to combine.
Dip 1 cupcake into the glaze turning to coat the entire cupcake. Immediately roll the cupcake in the toasted coconut, covering the entire cupcake. Transfer the cupcake to the wire rack to let the glaze set up; this will take about 10 minutes. Repeat with remaining cupcakes.

The cupcakes can be kept in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days
The recipe is good - I must have been seriously distracted when I made them (the first time)

HERE COMES THE BAD.....

UGH...not very impressive but at least I know what I did wrong.
My bads:
1. I had both cake flour and all-purpose flour on the counter - I accidently mixed the two together.
2. My egg whites were from a carton that I use for my egg white omelettes in the morning and a little on the cool side. The soft peaks never materialized and was more watery than peaky (I should have known better)
3. When I was setting up my stand mixer I accidently fitted the whisk attachment instead of the paddle attachment so the whole cupcake batter was whisked and not paddled. Now that was dumb of me. I realized it too late and thought - well maybe it'll work .... NOT

I was determined and decided to remake the batch and this time focus on what I was doing. This part is:

THE GOOD

Looking better already wouldn't you say.... et voila....success



These are out of this world delicious and have the "Teenage Seal of Approval" from my niece and nephew who made sure that there were no leftovers - not even crumbs.

Then came THE UGLY

While glazing the second batch I could hear water running. I had easy listening music on and just thought it was a waterfall spa type song. When I walked into the other room, it was no song... my bedroom and entire 50% of my condo was raining from the inside.

Apparently a water pipe burst one flight up from me with nobody at home and really, where is water to go but down. Although these aren't wonderful pictures, I guess you can get an idea. I'm not thrilled, have no control over it, will simply have to go with the flow - or take off to visit Psychgrad in Ottawa.



How interesting - it's raining through the light fixture in my shower.





It's a little tough to see but there's a fair amount of water on the laminate flooring and it's now starting to buckle. Charming.

This is the ceiling that runs across my bedroom - the texture is more on the floor than the ceiling now.





So, not knowing whether to laugh, cry or just throw up, I ate a Lamington Cupcake and decided that this too shall pass. All is good with the world. Get the cookbook - it's so worth having in your collection.

President's Choice - Healthier Options

I recently received some samples of the new Healthier Options promotion released by President's Choice



It's refreshing to see that the larger grocers are listening to their customers and paying attention to the potential health risks associated with poor diet and lifestyle. The marketplace is changing and producers as well as providers are having to think about how to stock shelves with thoughtful, health promoting foods at price points that don't kill the wallet.



I looked at the PC personal water filter bottle - great idea - instant filtered water with a replaceable filter that could reduce the number of plastic water bottles that end up in the environment. The bottle is plastic and intended to be reusable; I'm just wondering how safe the plastic is.

I put the sample of the unsweetened apple blend applesauce (apple cherry) to good use and added it to my morning smoothie. It was a great addition and and showed that it's more than just a portable snack. This one is a keeper for my fridge.



On movie night we popped up the butter flavoured mini popcorn that has only 100 calories. I admit, it's not replacing my favourite microwavable popcorn but the whole thing was eaten.



I'm a bit of a sucker for high protein granola bars and like to carry them with me in my purse. It's nutrient rich and really delicious.

The Blue Menu vegetarian chili, although lower in sodium than most packaged products is still too high in sodium for me. I shared this one with a neighbour who tells me that this was a find for him. He loves chili, doesn't cook, lives alone and has a microwave - what a perfect match that is.

This was a sampling and intrigued me to want to see more of the new options. How fortunate that a gift card was included.



I think I need to try the PC Blue Menu yogurt smoothie bars.

My experiences with President's Choice have, for the most part, been positive. From a consumer's perspective I see the company overall as forward thinking. Today I received an email several times over addressing the possibility of a particular independent store boycotting products from Israel. Since I live not too far from this store, it's something I plan to check out this week. Have any of you heard anything? I'm having a really hard time believing this is company based.

Cookies Galore & View and Review

Feel like reading a short story?

When R and I got married, Actorboy (my lovely brother) offered us a multiple-choice wedding gift. Here...let me write out the card:

For your gift. I would like to offer you one of 3 gifts and you choose the one you like.

1. Vacation to Toronto during [theatre festival Actorboy is involved with], including free passes to all shows and accommodation, downtown.

2. $200 worth of new music for your listening pleasure. All newly bought, guaranteed for you to love.

3. I would create and make a 5 minute film with you, casting professional actors and a professional dio.p (camera operator) and film editor. You will direct the movie. I will help.

We chose option 2 because the timing on the first one didn't work for us and the third one just sounded like something that would result in Actorboy and I killing each other (we don't always see eye to eye).

In the end, I never did get my selected gift. But, I liked the precedence it set. So - to maintain my "we do not celebrate Christmas" battle, I came prepared to receive gifts with a card detailing multiple choice options for Actorboy and his gf. Here's what mine said (with my own thoughts on the gift in red):

This year, for your gift, I would like to offer both of you a choice of one of four options:

1. I will design a research study and collect and analyze data from 20 participants on a subject of your choosing. (this one is mainly just me mocking my brother for his 3rd option, above)

2. I will knit any item of your choosing -- you select the pattern. (this is the gift I expected them to pick)

3. Both of you can come to Ottawa for dinner. Following dinner you will receive a private bagpipe performance. (R was really opposed to this one - private performances always bring back bad memories of his days in bagpipe competitions and performing at weddings. I assured him that they weren't going to pick this one)

4. We can negate any outstanding wedding gift owed. (Pretty self-explanatory...also a last opportunity to "stick it" to him)

Guess which one they chose! Option 3. R is not impressed. Wait until he finds out that he has to wear a kilt for it too. R is just hoping that they're forget about the gift all together.
*******************************************
I know Giz told you about the Galaktoboureko, which she served for dessert on Christmas. Stopping there might resemble a normal amount of dessert (maybe slightly on the excessive side, but still within a reasonable range). Never ones to settle for reasonable, dessert also included these cookies:

1. Cranberry White Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies from Katie at Good Things Catered...Except I used milk chocolate chips rather than white chocolate. Highly recommend you try this recipe -- so good!

2. Giz's Bran Muffins -- also very good.

3. Biscotti -- Giz bought these at her favourite Italian store.

4. Peaking through are Shortbread Cookies made in the processor.

5. Chocolate Chocolate Cookies

6. Butter Tarts -- also very good!

7 & 8. Rugalech - Ugh - how did I manage to number two of the same item?!?

9. Biscotti (store bought)


Also included were Kourabiedes (Cocaine Cookies) and some Snickerdoodles that didn't work out so well (accidental doubling of butter).



Also featured on the table were some cute seasonal napkins that I got from Loblaws. As a member of View and Review (a group within BloggerAid:Changing the Face of Famine), I received a box filled with these goodies from Loblaws.



R kept the truffles as his special treat. Thankfully, they're very rich -- so there was never any temptation to have more than one at a time. I brought in the maple butter fudge to work. Although I'm not a huge fan of fudge, they were well received by my colleagues. It was a bit confusing, though, to see that the maple syrup came from Quebec but that the product was made in England.

All I have left over is the Pad Thai sauce. It looks enticing, but I'm a bit weary about the salt content -- 610 mg in 4 tbsp. Check out Val from More Than Burnt Toast's delicious-looking dish, made with the pad thai sauce.

Funnily enough, I just came home from my weekly trip to Loblaws. Now that we've moved, I shop there regularly. I'm really hoping to see them expand their line of eco-friendly household items to all of their stores (not just the mega stores).

View and Review: Back to Nature Trail Mix

I think I was born opinionated. That, or I had a model of someone who was very opionated to learn from. In either case, from a very young age, I have enjoyed reviewing things. When I would go to restaurants with my parents, I had a rating system that included the food taste and quality, service, and cleanliness of the washroom. Is this normal behaviour for a 10 year old?

When I heard that BloggerAid: Changing the Face of Famine was initiating a View and Review component, I was immediately intrigued.

BloggerAid: Changing the Face of Famine have partnered with cookbook publishers and food purveyors to offer members the opportunity to participate in book and product reviews. To date, more than 14 members have received copies of some great books and products for review.


Does it sounds like something interesting to you? Join BloggerAid: Changing the Face of Famine here and sign up for View and Review.

The only way I can agree to giving a review is to be able to tell the truth -- good and/or bad.

This week, I received my first product. A basket filled with six different nut/trail mix combinations from Back to Nature.Over the past couple of years, I've discovered that I actually like nuts. Starting with the ease of transporting them for camping purposes and then learning about their health benefits, I now regularly eat nuts. The Back to Nature website reiterates these benefits:

•Studies have shown that including nuts in your diet can reduce the amount of harmful cholesterol in the blood and can reduce the risk of heart disease.
•If total calories are controlled, eating a handful of nuts daily may help prevent weight gain. The fat, protein and fibre in nuts keeps you feeling fuller longer, so you may eat less during the day without feeling deprived. Studies also show people who regularly eat a small amount of nuts have a lower Body Mass Index those who do not.

I don't typically buy salted nuts, so I was a bit weary about seeing some sea salted packages in my basket. But, I was quite impressed to see that even the salted nuts were low in sodium. Compared to a serving of non-salted nuts (as little as 5 mg sodium)/serving (1/4 bag -- 42g), the salted nuts are closer to 140 mg of sodium (about 5% of recommended daily intake). Not bad...not bad. Plus, the taste of the salted nuts is more of a light dusting as opposed to those nuts that are so salted you need a glass of water to just get them down.

I took a bag of cashews to work and they were happily shared among my colleagues. I also served a bag of cashews, almonds and pistachios to neighbours as we unwound from a long day at work.

This weekend, I opened up the raisin, almond, pumpkin seed, pecans and apricots to dress a salad.

As usual, the nuts tasted fresh. But, I would have to say that the apricots were not a high point for me. I don't generally have anything against apricots, but these ones were quite chewy, particularly in contrast to the remaining nuts. I may be crazy, but I'm pretty sure there are walnuts in this package too. I'd rather see more walnuts in lieu of apricots (although I'm sure cost would be a factor in determining the package's distribution).

Most recently, I opened the cranberry, chocolate covered almonds and vanilla almonds. I really like the vanilla almonds. I was less crazy about the chocolate covered almonds, because the chocolate is semi-sweet (not a flavour I'm crazy about). But, a nice snack all around.

Overall, a good product. I'm happy to see them at my local grocery store too.