Girly thoughts

With our crazy life schedules it is extremely hard to get together with my girlfriends so when we do we treasure the time we have. It's not often we waste our time going to a restaurant where it's going to be loud and in the end expensive. One of the greatest joys I have when we do get an evening together is cooking for them. I love to find something new and wonderful to try. This is the night when we don't worry about our diets or calorie counting or whether or not we earned that extra bit of wine or dessert. Tonight is no different...the one other joy I had preparing for this evening was getting to walk up to the downtown village area of the town I live in and indugle in the little shops and the farmer's market that happens every Thursday afternoon. To be able to choose my produce and smell the truly fresh odours of hand  picked herbs was absolutely heavenly. And then go to our local Italian deli for fresh parmesan and prosciuotto was exactly why I love to cook...tonight's menu..Risotto with asparagus, fresh English peas, the aforementioned deli finds and fresh seared scallops..followed by a banana cake with cinnamon icing...and I can almost guarantee there will be at least one or two bottles of wine consumed..all in all, a perfect evening with some pretty amazing ladies.

Dreams...

And no, I'm not talking the ones in our sleep. I think we all have those dreams. The ones that you think will never come to fruition, the ones that seems so far out of reach that they are just that...dreams. I have a few of those and have decided they need to be fulfilled. I know some may never come true (living in Ireland per say), but I can definitely attempt some of them. The first up to come true...Paris!

That's right, I have always dreamed of spending a few weeks in Paris just wandering and exploring the city and it's surrounding areas. The French culture has always fascinated me and I am finally going to go immerse myself in it. I'm not going until the Spring but am so beyond excited about this decision that I had to write about it now. It's not the sophistication or the fashion that intrigues me, it's their sense of tradition and family. The fact that even though they put on their airs, they are extremely simple people. The things important to them don't seem to be as important to us anymore. The time spent with family, long leisurely lunches, walking everywhere and not worrying about the time. We live in such a rushed society nowadays that we all seem to forget to stop and enjoy the wonder around us.I can hardly wait to arrive in the magical city and wander the streets and museums and take in the culture...not to mention jumping on a train to the outlying villages and towns and take in the history..

Now, I just have to brush up on my French!! Oh well, I have 8 months to do it in!

Craving fulfilled...

It's Thursday night..a night full of season finales and a massive craving for chocolate. Now usually this isn't a problem in our condo...we almost always have some sort of supply of chocolate hidden in the fridge for times like this. Not this time..nada, nothing, zip. This is where the 5 minute chocolate cake comes in. I don't know where the recipe came from but dear Gawd I thank the person who created it! It literally took 5 minutes, the recipe doesn't lie. Mix all ingredients in a mug, yes I said a mug, and put in microwave (I know right!) for 3 minutes...hoila, a cake is made!! Add some Cool Whip and craving is cured. I was a little hesitant as I am not a fan of actually using the microwave for cooking but I thought I would give it try...so here's the recipe.

5 Minute chocolate cake

4tbsp flour
4tbsp sugar
2tbsp cocoa
1 egg
3tbsp milk
3tbsp oil
a splash of vanilla
3tbsp chocolate chips (optional)
Mix all together in order and bake for 3mins on high.
Let cool and enjoy  (I added cool whip)

A Mistake made Perfect

There are times when I think that I am too hard on myself...making mistakes in baking is one of those times. Until I can create something totally yummy out of those mistakes! I decided this year that I was going to make my Mom her 60th Birthday cake. I haven't been able to do this for a few years since our family dinners always seemed to fall on a Sunday when I was either on dayshift till 7pm or between nightshifts so the need for sleep far surpassed the need to bake. This year I lucked out..I am off all weekend and had the chance to create something wonderful and springy for my Mom.

I had given her 3 choices of flavours- Banana, Chocolate, or Lemom-Blueberry. She went with the Lemon-Blueberry  combo knowing everyone would enjoy it in the family. I chose to make a lemon blueberry layer cake with a Lemon Mascarpone frosting. The cake is beuatiful and light looking and baked so nice and even..the frosting was another story. I have NEVER had an issue with my frostings and am usually quite happy with how they turn out. This is not one of those times. I love the taste of mascarpone and it complements lemon quite nicely. What I didn't know was that it doesn't hold it's shape as well as cream cheese...at all. The frosting ended up looking like a souffle batter instead. So right now with the addition of a cup of flour it is in the oven at 300degrees in a water bath. I am hoping I can use it as a third layer in the cake instead of filling. Fingers crossed this may turn into a fabulous cake creation to keep in my bakery file!! If it works, I will post the recipe and some pics....stay tuned

Sunny Spring Sunday!

It's been awhile, but I'm back. It is officially the first day of Spring and we managed to get a real Spring day here in the Vancouver area. I celebrated the day of sunshine after weeks of rain with a 15 kilometre walk with one of my best friends. When I got home the need to bake something new hit me...this happens often with me. I went to culinary school 13 years ago but haven't actually worked in a kitchen for about 8 years. I lost my passion for it when I had to do it by other people's terms everyday. Therefore my family and friends get to enjoy these needs I get to bake. Today I was inspired by the smells of spring and the tail end of winter leaving us. I had some apples that are almost at the end of their life cycle and an applestack cake sounded pretty good...just a simple spice layer cake with layers of caramelized apples and a honey buttercream between them...now the decision of whether this creation goes to work with me in the morning or stays home for my friends to enjoy...if it works out, pics will follow...