Missing Tim Horton's Sour Cream Donuts (plain & glazed)

It's no secret that I miss Canada and everything about it. For example, my husband and I were walking down Pine Street to get our hair trimmed at Raven, when we happened to pass some sort of sports bar -maybe it was just a regular bar with televisions. When I looked at what was on, I saw the very distinct CBC logo in the upper lefthand corner, at which point I started to jump up and down and scream, "CBC! They're watching hockey on CBC!" Also, I haven't heard anyone use the term "double double" here, something I only learned in Ontario but still makes me giggle. (It means two creams & two sugars for your coffee) I haven't been able to find a place that sells sour cream donuts either, even though Top Pot Donuts is pretty amazing. I was looking up the recipe when I stumbled upon a yellow cupcake recipe on joyofbaking.com that calls for half a cup of sour cream! Well, that got me excited, and instead of a quiet night just watching Shakespeare In Love for the 50th time and drinking tea (household addiction, we have 20 varieties of tea) I had a cozy evening of baking yellow sour cream cupcakes with chocolate frosting! These are REALLY good and I highly recommend that you try the recipe. It's even good without the chocolate frosting, if that's any indication to you of their scrumptiousness. I think next time I'm going to use a plain sugar glaze so that I can get the true sour cream glazed donut effect, and call them: Sour Cream Glazed Donut-Flavoured Cupcakes! Yeah, no, that's too long.

 

This last picture I made for my friend Clementine, who celebrated her birthday this week and who loves cake and cupcakes more than any human being I have ever encountered.

Yellow Cupcakes:

1 1/2 cups flour

1 cup granulated sugar

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature (cut into pieces)

1 large egg, room temperature

2 large egg yolks, room temperature

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1/2 cup sour cream, room temperature

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and lightly butter or line 12 muffin cups with paper liners. In the bowl of your electric mixer, or with a hand mixer, beat to combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Add the butter, egg, egg yolks, vanilla extract, and sour cream. Beat the wet and dry ingredients together at medium speed until the batter is smooth and satiny, about 30 seconds. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. If necessary, stir the batter with a rubber spatula until the flour is fully incorporated. Evenly fill the muffin cups with the batter and bake for about 20-25 minutes or until pale gold and a toothpick inserted into a cupcake comes out clean. Remove from oven and place on a wire rack to cool. Once the cupcakes have completely cooled, frost with icing. 

Chocolate Fudge Frosting:

4 oz unsweetened chocolate, coarsely chopped

2/3 cup unsalted butter, room temperature

1 1/3 cups confectioners (powdered or icing) sugar, sifted

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Melt the chocolate in a heatproof bowl placed over a saucepan of simmering water. Remove from heat and let cool to room temperature. In the bowl of your electric mixer, or with a hand mixer, beat the butter until smooth and creamy (about 1 minute). Add the sugar and beat until it is light and fluffy (about 2 minutes). Beat in the vanilla extract. Add the chocolate and beat on low speed until incorporated. Increase the speed to medium-high and beat until frosting is smooth and glossy (about 2 -3 minutes).

Keep in mind, the frosting is optional! Mmmmmm!

Random Health Kick

I went for a jog again today, only this time I went a little bit easier on myself and so far my knees feel alright! There is something about physical activity that makes me want to eat healthy foods. So once again, for supper, I made something wonderfully delicious and nutritious: Quinoa with grilled zucchini and marinated tofu steak. I have an enormous amount of tofu left over, so it's going to be a tofu week. And since I wasn't trying to recreate something that I missed back home, I just made it simple and kept it Lilibeth-like. This was the result:

This is what you need:


1 small zucchini cut lengthwise
1 cup quinoa (health food section of your grocery store)
2 cups water
1 tbsp olive oil
pinch of sea salt
tofu steak triangles (recipe in previous post)
splash of sesame seed oil

In a small sauce pan, bring the two cups of water to a boil with the 1 cup of quinoa. Reduce to a simmer and cover for 15 minutes. Keep an eye on it so that it doesn't burn.

Meanwhile, heat 1 tbsp of oilve oil in a pan, throw on your tofu steaks and zucchini. Sprinkle the zucchini with salt. Cook on medium heat for 5 minutes or until the zucchini is soft. The tofu should become softer and dark brown.

Check on your quinoa, you'll know it's ready when all the liquid is absorbed and you can see a ring on each grain. It'll also become fluffy and rice-like.

Serve with the grilled zucchini and tofu. I added a splash of sesame seed oil to my quinoa for some added flavour and the benefit of omega fatty acids. (Who am I?!) So yummy! Oh and before I forget, the health benefits of quinoa are that it's a good source of dietary fiber, protein, magnesium, iron and it's gluten free! I think that maybe I will suggest that my parents eat this instead of their usual white rice.

Super Protein Salad

Today I was craving something I hadn't had a hankering for in a long time. The summer before the wedding I was eating really lean, light foods, not necessariliy for weight loss but because it was what my body wanted. I had also scared myself into not eating sugar for fear of succumbing to the ailments of my ancestors. Clearly, marriage changed that a little bit. I needed to learn the basics of cooking good family meals and I was also craving comfort food, what with being in a foreign place. The thing about Seattle is, it isn't really that different from Toronto. It's just different enough to make you feel like you've entered the Twilight Zone. With my husband gone for a week (skiing up in Canada), it sort of felt like my old single life again, just me and the bunnies, which is probably why I was missing one of my favourite restaurants back home: Fresh. They had this one salad on the menu called the Super Protein Salad that was the most delicious thing in the world! I ate it three times a week, sometimes four. I tried to recreate that salad today, but it just wasn't the same. The neighborhood Safeway didn't have half the ingredients I needed so I had to improvise most of it. What I created was definitely nutritious and tasy, but sadly, not the same way my beloved Fresh made it. Where does one get goji berries, tempeh and puffed quinoa in Seattle? My beautiful sister-in-law gave me a Fresh recipe book the night of the rehearsal dinner (thank you so much!), so I was able to at least substitute real Fresh tofu steak for my tempeh.

The Super Protein Salad has:

your greens of choice
chick peas (check)
grape tomatoes (check)
cucumbers (check)
grilled tempeh (fail) I used tofu instead
puffed quinoa (fail)
goji berries (fail)
slivered pistachios (fail)
currants (fail) I used Craisins instead
slivered almonds (check)
sea salt (check)
hazelnuts (fail)
I like to top my salad off with tahini dressing, which Safeway miraculously had (check)


Since I was substituting tofu for tempeh, I decided I would try Fresh's Marinated Tofu Steak Recipe, which is as follows:


1 block of firm tofu
2 tsp ground coriander (I used parsley)
4 tsp of garlic powder
1/2 cup of tamari
2 cups of filtered water


Cut the tofu into 1/4 inch thick slices, then cut the slices diagonally into triangles. Place them in a bowl and pour the rest of the ingredients over the tofu triangles. Marinate for 1 hour. Then I took 7 triangles and browned them over medium-high heat in my frying pan, and added them to my salad.

Lilibeth Protein Salad

All in all, it was a very nutritious dinner for one but I really need to find a place that sells tempeh. That aside: Happy Birthday Clementine! I made you cupcakes! The catch is, you must come to Seattle to eat them.

The real Super Protein Salad, so delicious.
 

Running Around Town

It has been three and a half weeks since I broke my toe and bone-bruised my foot. I am supposed to avoid strenuous activity for 6 weeks but I have never really liked being told what to do and since I feel fine, I decided I would try my hand at jogging. Here in Seattle, it seems you can never go anywhere without running into a dozen joggers a day. I've never felt the inclination to run simply because it looks hard, but last Friday, I was late for a dinner reservation and thought I'd try to make it on time by running there like a fool. You know what? I discovered that it wasn't that hard and it was kind of enjoyable! Well, I am up for things that are both enjoyable and raises my heart rate and metabolism, so why not? My lovely friend Lindsay suggested I go to a professional running place that could help me find the right footwear and maybe even have classes or groups of people to teach you how to run properly. I did just that at this place called Fleet Feet Seattle, which is not far from where we live, so that gave me extra motivation. A nice newlywed, young man helped me find running shoes for my bunion-y, pronated, low arched feet (my husband has pronated, flat feet, so our kids are screwed), and I ended up with some sweet looking new Brooks runners. They actually had me put on several pairs of shoes, jump on a treadmill and recorded my running feet from behind. From this recording and from watching me walk and run outside, they made recommendations for specific shoes. Very cool. So, I got home and jogged today for the very first time, joining my fellow Seattleites in the time honoured tradition of keeping our bodies fit! Now I won't feel so guilty about eating all the food that I make! It was challenging, even though I started out slowly, but I think I like it.

 

I woke up the day after my first jogging session with a swollen eye and non-stop sneezing. Related? I sure hope not, so I'm going to keep at it but first I need to let my knees heal. I think I just got my first peek at the future, because I have never experienced such joint ache before! Oy.

Allergic To The West Coast

The world is a very interesting place. Either that or I am a very sensitive person. This is the second city I have moved to and the second time I have experienced a whole new set of ailments that stem from an external source. When I moved to Toronto, my skin had a very adverse reaction to the extremely polluted city air. It went away once I got used to it (and also with the help of Clinique's 3 Step System) but would return on the most smoggy, summer days. Since moving to Seattle, I have had to deal with a new problem: eye itchiness. I've been taking anti-histamines that don't work and have been tortured every morning and evening by this gripping itch that feels like it's going to take over my life. By last Friday I had had enough, I woke up with a bloodshot, itchy, watery, puffy eye. Could this be an eye infection? It was time to pay a visit to the eye doctor. It turns out I am very allergic to some new (to me), unknown, west coast allergen. It was a relief to know that it wasn't something worse, but now I'm test-driving an eye drop called Pataday. So far so good, this is the fourth day and my eyes definitely feel relieved. I have been here for nearly five months, and enough is enough! I really need to get used to my environment, which brings me to my next topic: jogging.

I figure if I am outside for a good chunk of the day, blasting my eyes with this new allergen, I might get used to it faster. This could turn out to be allergic reaction suicide, or my strange theory could actually work! I will keep you posted. (pun intended)

Clinique's 3 Step System

Pataday Eye Drops

Filipino Style Meaty Pasta Sauce

My memories are all food related and scent related. When I smell YSL's Opium, I will instinctively think of my mother. Thinking of my mother makes me crave her spaghetti, which was probably the dish that started it all for me. It doesn't follow a classic Italian recipe but has the same basic ingredients plus a few tweaks here and there, which is why I call it Filipino style, but it's really Myrna Lofranco style.

Mommy's Spaghetti Sauce:

1 tbsp olive oil
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp dried basil
salt to taste
1 tbsp of white sugar
1.5 - 2 lbs lean ground beef
12 large cremini mushrooms
1 medium yellow onion
2 cloves of garlic
1 large can/jar of store bought tomato sauce
1 small can of tomato paste
1 can of Campbell's Cream of Mushroom Soup
1 small brick of extra old cheddar cheese
1 lb of whatever pasta your heart desires, my mom always used spaghettini

Finely chop the onions and garlic, quarter your mushrooms.

In a large pan, brown your ground beef on medium high heat. Season liberally with salt. Set aside.

In a big pot, soften the onion in the olive oil on medium high heat for 5 minutes. Add your ground beef and garlic. After the meat, onion and garlic are incorporated into each other, add your tomato sauce, tomato paste, oregano, basil, and can of cream of mushroom soup. Bring it to a boil and add your cremini mushrooms. Reduce the heat after 5 minutes, add your sugar and simmer covered for 20 minutes.

The colour lightens and looks creamier after you add the soup!

Grate as much of the cheddar cheese as you want, it's mainly for serving, you can afford to be generous with it, it only makes it taste better! Trust me on this, I know it's weird.

Voila! Mommy Spaghetti Sauce on some egg noodles, with a sprinkling of sharp cheddar cheese. I ordinarily use white cheddar for looks and cause it's what my mom used, but they taste the same. This dish makes me feel like I'm 6 years old every time. Only takes 30 minutes to make but makes me immeasurably happy!

Less Than Five Weeks Until Spring!

Lately, I have been in the mood for ultra feminine, sweet, soft and classically ladylike things. (This comes as no surprise to many of you) I have absolutely decided that this is the year that I am going to wear a Chanel perfume. There is just something about Chanel that makes me happy. It conjures up images of a strong woman, who is both cutting edge and classic at the same time. My new obsession? Coco Mademoiselle. I drew up a spreadsheet so that I could see which scents I have been drawn to and which top notes and middle notes are found in my most favourite perfumes of all time. Coco Mademoiselle was a perfect match, and I have to say, I am in love. It's been going strong since 1989. It smells nothing like the newer perfumes that have come out in recent years that smell juvenile and way too sweet.

I have started wearing headbands and pearls more often, you'd think I was watching a lot of Gossip Girl, but I am not! I think I'm just looking forward to the spring, which leads into summer, which means no more wearing giant, heavy jackets that make men and women all look the same. I enjoy looking like a lady. Much like this lady:

I love the Chanel Camellia.

So cute and spring-like!

I am in love with grey nails

Emma Watson

See? I'm on some weird Chanel kick, I don't know what's going on. I mean, I was wearing high heels in the kitchen the other day for crying out loud! I think I'm going to go put on some ballet slippers and make cupcakes now.