common cold

today i woke up sick...but with a will to combat 

i stayed in bed as long as possible scheming a wake-up-get-well-soon plan

step one: put on your Dusted 'Total Dust' record 

step two: have a hot epsom salt bath and gargle hot salt water 

as long as possible while in the bath

 

step three: put on your coziest jammies, and your hand-knit socks

step four: make a berry-kale-flaxseed smoothie for breakfast

step five: steep fresh ginger in boiling pot and add 

lemon and unpasteurized honey

step six: get in bed and spend some quality time with your cat 

and your ginger tea and your book

step seven: go back to sleep as long as possible

zero .. one .. two .. three .. four .. five .. six .. seven

wok with yan

remember this fellow? 

it's Stephen Yan from Wok With Yan !

a chinese cooking show from the early 80's/90's

i had a flash memory of Wok With Yan the other night while attempting stir fry

i had a couple of great stir-fry resources stashed away which came in real handy

i chose one of these homemade stir fry sauces 
combined it with this stir fry guide

success!

all i want for christmas

is a gift certificate to Good Egg!

good egg is a beautiful shop in kensington market

267 Augusta, Toronto

it is a lifestyle shop, it is a kitchen boutique, 

it is a book store--a bookstore for people who dont think they like books!

plus so much more

 

i stopped in one day, as i always do when im in the market

& got hyper for nick-knacks--the effect that this shop has on me

instead of splurging, i started a visual list

  good egg is easily my favorite store in the GTA

and that's saying a lot!

this list is just the tip of the iceburg...

i thought of going to visit good egg again to expand it

but its already pretty big & beautiful

saying that, good egg is a one-stop-shop gift-shop for all ages

super cute kids stuff, amazing selection of gift cards, products in spectrums of colour

if you've stuck on what to get someone for christmas

go to good egg for inspiration or get them a gift certificate here!

one: citrus juicer (i own this product and use it EVERY day) 

two: Pantone postcard set (i got this for my birthday last night!!!)

three: pretty Poketo planner

four: David Shrigley Essentials (my favorite books)

five: Moleskine graphpaper (a must!)

six: ORK city neighbourhood maps (comes in all your favorite colours & cities)

seven: knit a bestfriend books! 

eight: the Flavor Thesaurus by Niki Segnit (ok, the thesaurus is actually my favorite book)

nine: Vegan Lunch Box by Jennifer McCann (some inspiration when you need it)

ten: Lunch Poems by Frank O'Hara

eleven: How To Design A Typeface by The Deign Museum 

                (for a rainy day when you're ready to start)

twelve: Best In Show card game by Polly Horner (super cute! learn the dog breeds)

thirteen: Baggu tri-pack bags (multi-colour & design options. LOVE!)

fourteen: THIS IS... books by Miroslav Sasek (warms your heart with beautiful illustrations, and memories of trips past. comes in many a city)

fifteen: Crafting With Cat Hair by Kaori Tsutaya & Amy Hirschman (HOW hilarious)

 

lucy eldridge

tonite i had a few cooked prawns for dinner

which inspired me to finally post about 

the fantastic watercolours of UK artist lucy eldridge

be sure to check out more of her illustrated recipes in detail!

edible glitter

1/2 c. coarse salt or granulated sugar

2-10 drops food colouring 

(adjusted for desired colour)

preheat oven to 350 degrees

spread mixture evenly on foil lined pan

bake for 10 minutes 

spread in thin layer to cool for an hour

paste food colouring can result in smoking

you can store it in an air tight container for several months

  

via planet pals

  

photo one .. photo two

 

donut / doughnut

it started with a malasada

a portugese donut. the one with the cream filling.

my darling friend gave me one, and i think i've thought about them every day since

doughnuts in general, are my newly found favorite treat

the top rated portugese bakery in toronto is next to the studio i work at

 and the third best is one block from my home

it's almost unbearble to research donut pictures 
and not go over there and get one

 

i've decided to take a short break from doughtnuts

until i visit NYC again next month

  

i'd like to try to make these apple cider doughnuts

with my moms deep fryer the next time i visit her

one .. two .. three .. four .. five .. six

favorite lunch

quinoa salad with lots of fresh raw vegetables 

is a lunch i've been making for myself a lot lately

 

here's what i usually throw in:

tomato

red onion

cucumber

shredded carrot

yellow bell pepper

chopped spinach

parsley

feta cheese 

(if not using feta i'd throw some salt in)

olive oil

lemon juice

black pepper

i'll usually prepare 1/4 cup quinoa per-person 

if you've never prepared quinoa before, it's super easy, 

but requires a bit of prep time.

you must rinse and soak the quinoa because it grows a natural pesticide on itself. some people have an intolerance to this pesticide, like my friend heather, who can't eat quinoa without getting sick unless it has been soaked for 24-hours.

***

with a fine strainer rinse the quinoa for a few minutes under the tap

then soak for at least an hour

rinse the quinoa again post-soak

strain, throw in pot

add water

(1.25 times the amount of quinoa you're making)

 bring it a boil - then - reduce to low

cover with lid and cook for 15 minutes

fluff with fork and let quinoa come to room temperature before adding to salad

***

bon appétit!

comfort

warm rice pudding is my ultimate comfort food

my mom would make it on dark winter nights

last night i used karl's left-over rice to make some 

rice pudding with coconut milk

1 1/4 c. lait de noix de coco

1 c. riz (pre-cooked)

1/4 c. sucre

beaucoup de cannelle

double boil and stir occasionally until desired thickness

(gradually stir more frequently)

photo source

muffins A+

i have been making banana muffins once a week for the past 4 weeks, 

using up the nanas I stashed in the freezer

today was my last time adjusting the recipe

i am satisfied

all it takes is two lucky bananas

as well as...

1 egg

1/4 c. brown sugar

1/2 c. unsweetened apple sauce

1/4 c. whole wheat flour

1/4 c, unbleached all purpose flour

1/4 t. bakingsoda

1 t. bakingpowder

pinch of salt

1/2 T. cinnamon 

1/2 c. oats

chocolate chips

1. preheat oven to 350F

2. egg + banana + brown sugar + apple sauce 

it will look psychedelic

2. flour + b.soda + b.powder + salt + cinnamon

3. mix the dry and wet mixtures together

4. add oats + chips

5. lightly grease a muffin tin for six (no cupcake liners!!!)

6. bake 15-20 minutes 

7. cool on rack

voila!