crunchy gooey cocoa-nut meringues

These super easy cookies whip up fast and are an oxymoronic delight - hard crispy shell with warm gooey centres!  Yum.

• 1 c. sugar
• 3 egg whites
• 2 tsp water
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 3 tbsp cocoa
• 1/2 cup shredded coconut - I use the sweetened stuff

Whip egg whites until stiff but not dry.  Whip in half the sugar.  Slowly whip in water and vanilla with the remainder of the sugar.  Fold in gently cocoa and coconut.  Drop by the spoonful on greased cookie sheet and bake at 250 degrees  until shell is hard and cracked but middle is soft.  Serve warm but also good at room temp.

organic brew

After a recommendation from my neighourhood LCBO store manager, I picked up a 6 pack of Mill St's Organic Beer.  It was so good, let me pass along the recommendation.  If you're looking for a light summer beer with no after taste that goes down far too easily - this is your beer.  And you're supporting our local brewery in Toronto - you know I love that! [PS Mill Street was also named Canadian Brewery of the Year]

diy valentine's sweetheart tea

I've finally kicked my coffee habit and am now a die hard tea fan.  And with Valentine's Day just 6 days away, The Sweetest Occasion posted today a wonderful DIY Sweetheart Tea project for that tea drinker in your life.  Click here to see the full DIY.

brunch

My friends and I have been trying to schedule a weekend brunch together, but with kids and events and a few nasty bugs that have been going around, we've been unable to do so.  I had found this on Design*Sponge a while back and have been dying to break it out.  Perhaps we'll find some time before Christmas.

christmas cookie challenge

Since last year's Christmas Cookie Challenge went so well [see here, here and here] I thought I'd try it again.  But, I'm kicking it up a notch.

Last year's cookies:

This year's challenge [from Kuidaore]:

I'll be using the same Gingerbread cookie recipe as last year since they were delicious.  The chocolate one I wasn't as fond of.  Recipe from Martha Stewart here.

10 ?s | massimo capra, chef, author

I  had the extreme pleasure of meeting Massimo Capra last week, chef and co-owner of Mistura Restaurant and Sopra Upper Lounge, two of Toronto's most frequented hot spots. Located on Davenport in between Yorkville and Summerhill neighbourhoods, his restaurants, like Massimo, exude a warm comfortable luxury, something both him and his co-owner, Paolo Paolini, hoped would come across when they opened the restaurant back in 97.  Massimo himself was born and raised in Italy and began his culinary career watching his mother make the pasta in their kitchen.  He entered culinary school at the age of 15 and worked in several of Italy's top restaurants and hotels.  Massimo came to Toronto in 1982 to work at for a family friend and in 1989 became the head chef at Prego in Yorkville. And from there, as you know, he opened Mistura Restaurant in 1997 and Sopra Upper Lounge in 2006, serving up delicious Italian dishes with a contemporary spin.   He has parlayed his work into two cookbooks: One Pot Italian Cooking and the just released 3 Chefs, which was written with his CityLine counterparts Michael Bonacini and Jason Parsons. And he has plans for at least two more cookbooks to follow. A regular on CityTV's CityLine and Food Network's Restaurant Makeover, Massimo is down to earth and charming with a buoyant personality that instantly endears you to him.  He's open and real, take for instance his response to one of my follow up questions: Is there anything you don't like to eat.  He responded: "Weird things, like testicles.  Who wants to eat animal testicles?  Yet, people do."

I was honoured to meet Massimo in person and have him participate in 10 ?s.  A great chef, a warm person and an all around entertaining guy [who also makes a great cup of cappuccino], what's not to love about a man that says one of his favourite memories was his mom letting him lick the batter for the sponge cake off the spoon.  Without further ado, here's 10 ?s with Chef Massimo Capra.


1.  What is the most rewarding aspect of what you do or what has been the most rewarding experience you've had in your career?

For me the most rewarding aspect of my cooking career has been the opportunity to meet people from all over the world and get acquainted with different foods and cultures, the TV and author career gives me the opportunity to give back some of what I have learned and hopefully be a positive force in their lives.

2.  Favourite time of day?

Night going into early morning, nothing better than a sunrise in the country and the calm and silence being broken by the awakening world

3.  Star Wars or Star Trek?

Star Trek, I was glued to the TV when I was a young boy and I am a great believer in space exploration

4.  What is one thing you would change about your industry or what you do?

I would like young cooks to concentrate in the craft of cooking and not on the celebrity status so much; I noticed a lot of young people worrying too much about style and not enough about substance

5.  What is your daily routine? If you don't have one, what is one thing you do everyday?

7am wake up, make breakfast, answer emails and work on recipes, menus and current projects, 12pm lunch and then go to work until costumers are served

6.  If you weren't doing what you do, what else would you do?

I have been in kitchens for 35 years, it is difficult to think of something else but I was always into furniture making and carpentry

7.  Favourite Colour?

Yellow, Orange and Gray

8.  Favourite board game?

Do not have one, played many but never got addicted to any

9.  Where do you see your industry or yourself in 10 years?

My mantra is to let things happen but I have a few secret projects I am developing and I hope to be working on them full time in ten years,

10.  What do you feel is "trendy" right now and what do you feel will stand the test of time?

Trendy: I feel that the trend right now is to change ethnic cuisines and adjust them to the palate of younger generations of North American consumers, mixing recipes from established cuisines with exotic flavours and spices; there will be an influx of authentic/reworked South Asian cuisine done in a very exciting and approachable way, the same way we have Italian touches in every restaurant right now.

Classic: French & Italian cuisine will stand the test of time; soufflés, Meringue Desserts, Pork Chops, Pasta, Pizza and anything else well crafted

steven & chris | part 1

What a fantastic day at the Steven and Chris show!   A few great DIY's from Steven, some funny moments from Chris, a wonderful Q&A with the guys, my favourite guest: Chef Rodney Bowers [you may recognize him as well from HGTV's Marriage Under Construction] & his famous pulled pork [simmered in Dr. Pepper! Delicious] Jenny McCarthy [just look at those shoes!] and a sneak-in visitor, George Strombo.  And did I mention an audience full of bloggers?  Great time - here's a few pics from the day.  Secrets from the set to follow- you know as a blogger I documented the entire trip.

10 ?s | anna olson, chef-author-tv host

I'm not going to lie, I jumped up and down like a little girl when I received a note from Anna Olson that she wanted to participate in 10 ?s.  A personal note, not one from an assistant, a personal note, with kind words about sarah.wandering.  I jumped. Up. And down. And repeated.  Most of you may know Anna from Food Networks' Fresh with Anna Olson, or her earlier series Sugar in which her spunky personality and obvious love of food and more importantly, the entire process of cooking and baking, make you want to get into the kitchen, thrown on an apron and get dirty.  Some of you may be a fan of her cookbooks, of which she has six - Inn on the Twenty, Sugar, Another Cup of Sugar, Anna and Michael Olson Cook at Home, In the Kitchen with Anna: New Ways with the Classics and 2009's Fresh with Anna Olson: Seasonally Inspired Recipes to Share with Family and Friends.  Visitors to Niagara-on-the-Lake may have visited Olson Foods & Bakery, which she co-owns with her husband, and also a chef, Michael Olson, a bakery and general store with as much atmosphere as food, most of which is local, a philosophy which I feel Anna, like many local chefs, has really brought to the attention of the general public - Eat Fresh, Eat Seasonal, Eat Local [as a farmer's daughter, you know I'm all over that].

Me, well I'm a fan of Anna for all those reasons.  And the fact that she signs of her emails with "Best Wishes and Tasty Dishes" and uses the word "serendipity".  You can check out more about Anna on her website - annaolson.ca.  Here's 10 ?s with the incredibly down to earth and highly accomplished Anna Olson.


1. What is the most rewarding aspect of what you do or what has been the most rewarding experience you've had in your career?

I feel so lucky to be be able to do what I love every day: cook. Cooking is selfish and selfless at the same time, and when I share recipes and cooking tips I get personal satisfaction from feeding and inspiring others, but I get even more fulfillment from hearing about others stories of success when they make my recipes and impress themselves and their friends and families – it’s a contagious sort of empowerment, I suppose. (Oh dear, that sounds all self-help-ish, I really didn’t mean it to be)

2. Favourite time of day?

Morning 100% - it’s my most productive time. I really slow down in the evening, so I try and make all my big decisions in the morning.

3. Star Wars or Star Trek?

Star Wars all the way – I used to collect Star Wars bubble gum cards when I was a kid.

4. What is one thing you would change about your industry or what you do?

When it comes to writing cookbooks, I wish we (in North America) could use the universal standard of measuring our ingredients by weight (grams and ounces) not by volume (cups and teaspoons). Measuring by weight ensures accuracy and consistency, and it’s easier too.

5. What is your daily routine? If you don't have one, what is one thing you do everyday?

A big part of what I love about what I do is that I don’t have a routine – I thrive on constant change. But if I were to name one thing...it’s flossing! I can’t fall asleep unless I’ve flossed my teeth. Oh yes, and to do the daily Sudoku puzzle from the paper after dinner. (Boy, sounds exciting, huh)

6. If you weren't doing what you do, what else would you do?

It’s hard to envision, but I would say I’d love to write a work of fiction, or else (if younger) be a house music DJ

7. Favourite Colour?

Blue - all shades

8. Favourite board game?

Scrabble all the way – the quest for the triple word score record endures

9. Where do you see your industry or yourself in 10 years?

I fear that I don’t have that much foresight – serendipity and stubbornness have got me to this point thus far, so I’m pretty content to stick with that formula. I part of what guides me through those “fork in the road” decisions is to remind myself that opportunity does not wait for convenience. Sometimes you need to say “yes” even when you’re not certain how you’re going to fit it in.

10. What do you feel is "trendy" right now and what do you feel will stand the test of time?

Trendy: Red Velvet Cake, wine fridges, 3D TV’s, skinny jeans
Timeless: Chocolate cake, good wine, conversing, cozy sweaters

pass the poodle... er, i mean the pepper

My love affair with all things canine continues with these oh-so-adorable salt and pepper shakers.  The spotted terriers [my favourite] are from ModCloth ($7.99) and the poddles and "doggie" shakers are from Jonathan Adler [$48 - yikes - I know!].  Spotted on phetched.

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pizzelles

I don't know how she does it. The wonderful Brandi over at Not Your Average Ordinary has started another blog - pizzelles - a delightful, charming, and educational food blog. Brandi, you have so very many facets! Check it out, food blogs are rapidly becoming my new obsession as I've once again fallen in love with cooking and baking [now that I have a bit more time on my hands]. Maybe I need to start another blog... maybe not.

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under the weather | julia's cure all

Haven't been feeling great lately. Not sure if the change is weather is bringing on a cold. So today I whipped up some French Onion Soup a la Julie Child. Not sure if it's the brandy in there, but I will say I am currently a little numb to the aches.

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drumroll please....

I approached Part II of the Martha Cookie Challenge head on.... and came out VICTORIOUS! Using a very simple pallette of white and red - I mixed up the most perfect batch of royal icing I've ever made (2 tsp lemon juice, 2 egg white, 3 c icing sugar) and equipped with plastic squeeze bottles from the dollar store (make sure to wash them out first - obvious I know - but just a reminder) I decorated 5 dozen cookies in a little less than 3 hours. Now sure - some look better than others - but for my very first attempt to be Martha - I'm pretty pleased. Lucy still wasn't though.

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the martha cookie challenge | part I

Success!

Last night I tackled Part I of the Martha Stewart Cookie Challenge. I mixed from scratch Martha's Dark Chocolate Cookie recipe and her Gingerbread Cookie recipe. Both recipes looked easy enough - and surprisingly - they were. I will warn you though, you'll need to put in a little elbow grease to mix the Gingerbread cookie dough. So I mixed, chilled, rolled, cut and baked for approximately 4 hours last night, and have about 5 dozen perfect little Christmas tree cookies (set of three cutters are from Crate and Barrel) to show for it and two balls of gingerbread dough still waiting for me in the fridge. And how do they taste? you ask. The Gingerbread cookies are heavenly, the Dark Chocolate cookies are not as tasty as you might think - but I'm not the biggest fan of chocolate cookies. Part II I'm hoping to tackle tonight - the decorating. Stay tuned. Sidenote: Lucy was less than impressed that this is how I spent my Wednesday evening!

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