That's some Hot S***!

I cooked a chicken dish from the Metro newspaper on Sunday. (I guess Metro doesn't keep old issues on hand so I don't have a link to the recipe. I can scan and send by request if it comes to that.

One of the ingredients was 1 tsp of hot sauce.

Fiancee nor I go out of our way to make food spicy so I don't keep a bottle of the stuff on hand. What I did have though was a packet of the chinese food take out hot sauce so I used that. Just 1 packet.

Well let me tell you, that 1 packet was super flavorful but damn! It packed a punch for us who aren't into spicy foods.

Next time I make this I'll be sure to use only 1/2 the packet but I will be making this again. In spite of being super spicy and the fact that I'm scared to have it again for lunch today, it was yummy. (My throat burned all night after eating this.)

I also learned that if you make a stir fry dish it's a good idea to lightly coat the protein in flour prior to browning. This gives the sauce something to grab on to.

All Hail the Muffin!

I baked peach muffins using a modified version of this recipe. Super moist, fluffy and yummy!

• Firstly I made 1/2 the amount so all my ingredients were cut in half
• Used brown sugar instead of white
• Canola oil instead of vegetable (that's all I usually keep around)
  
• Added just a wee bit of milk while combining the dry and wet ingredients since it was very thick and the mixer couldn't keep up.
• Sprinkled some turbinado sugar to the tops for some extra crunch

I only have one muffin tray and it makes little cakes more than it makes muffins. Although half the recipe should have yielded 8 muffins it make only 6 muffins using my tray.

If you end up having some uncooked batter around the peaches when your done baking it might be because you used too much milk. Use very little, because once the peaches are folded in the batter does become looser from the juices.

To peel the peaches I just stuck all of them in a pot and poured boiling water over them. I then shocked them under cold water in the sink. The skins came right off. They looked so pretty I took a picture of them.

These naked peaches have nothing to hide. I especially loved how the color from the skins stayed on the peach even after they were peeled. These would look so pretty chopped up with some vanilla bean ice cream. Mmmm..... I do have a few peaches left....

Peachy Keen!

Fiancee and I went to the local farmer's market for the first time on Thursday. The place has been around for 54 years and this is the first time I've ever been. Have I ever been missing out!

There are all sorts of booths with artisan pies, pastries, condiments. There are meat counters, and of course the produce area.

Like all farmers markets items are a bit on the pricey side, but keep in mind that these are handmade, fresh, unique, non-mass produced products. If you've ever tried making your own preserves, gone fruit picking at a farm, or made some pies you know that it takes a lot of time and effort. You have to make that up somewhere right?

We bought some small items here and there, but the major purchase was a basket of fresh and juicy peaches.

I'm not s big fan of peaches, preferring non fuzzy wannabe nectarines instead, but fiancee loves 'em and I'd love to try baking with them. Away we go.

Some peaches will be peeled and frozen for use in some protein smoothies. Some of course will be eaten by fiancee, and the rest will be baked or cooked tomorrow. The following are being considered.

• peach pie
• peach cobbler
• peach pancakes
• peach loaf
• peach muffins
• peach summer soup served cold (maybe a little to chic for me and fiancee, but still being considered)
• peach tarts

I've never made a pie and I don't know if I'll buy the shell or make it myself. I made quiche one time with purchased frozen shells and they were a greasy nasty mess. I don't want a recreation of that.

"Let them eat cake"

The neighbor of a coworker of mine works for a company which brings Cheesecake Factory Bakery® cakes to us Canadians. The neighbor works for a company call Dream Factory®. (This kind of sounds like a friend of a friend story doesn't it? Well I assure you that this is for real. Of course if anyone who reads this passes the news along it really will sound like a friend of a friend who may or may not exist story. Huh.)

Anyways, looking at the picture above it's obvious we all liked the sampler that was provided for us. It was my first time trying a cheesecake from Cheesecake Factory Bakery® and I was pretty impressed.

The cakes were all very silky smooth. They came in a variety of flavors that were incredibly spot on. When I tried to caramel cake it actually tasted like caramel. Not butterscotch or burnt sugar. Actual caramel. I was really surprised by how much flavor each cake had and how well they were incorporated. It didn't taste artificial like a powder or extract, it tasted exactly as advertised. The only thing I didn't like was that I thought the cakes were too sweet since I don't have much of a sweet tooth but that still didn't stop me from enjoying the spread and going back for a bit more of the Godiva® Double Chocolate Cheesecake.

We didn't try all the cakes and flavors but here are the ones that were offered.

Godiva® Double Chocolate Cheesecake
Very, very rich. If you have this cheesecake you're going to want just a bit. The texture is like a smooth mousse, but it's heavier because of the cheese. The taste is a chocoholic's fantasy made real. Even though it's sweet the flavor of the chocolate is not compromised and comes through like a 70% cocoa chocolate bar. I think this was my favorite since I was in a very choco mood that day.


Vanilla Bean Cheesecake 
Who says vanilla is plain? This cheesecake was smooth, rich and creamy. It tasted like the offspring of Mr. vanilla bean ice cream and Mrs. cheesecake. It was heavily speckled with vanilla bean showing off that it's authentic vanilla bean goodness. If you want boring vanilla go look somewhere else.


Tuxedo MousseIf double chocolate isn't your thing I'd recommend the Tuxedo Mousse. This cake is a bit lighter and less sweet since it's got some sponge cake and mousse. The bottom layer is rich and moist chocolate sponge followed by a velvety chocolate cheesecake layer. On top of that there's a neutral cream layer which ties in just right with the cheesecake and sponge to make a nicely balanced cake that's lighter than cheesecake but heavier than a sponge cake.

CheesecakeBerry White™ 
This was the office favorite; white chocolate raspberry. I'm not a berry fan but I've got to give my kudos. The raspberry color was very pretty with the white chocolate cake. The familiar velvety smooth texture was there and the raspberry coolie swirled into the cake was seed free. I hate getting desserts that have the berry seeds still in them.

 

Dulce de Leche 
This was a caramel flavored cheesecake which I found surprising since it can be difficult to properly flavor a baked good like caramel. I love the taste of caramel but caramel goods I eat usually taste like butterscotch or burnt sugar. This cheesecake was perfect caramel through and through. It is quite sweet but the flavor is great and the texture is wonderfully smooth.

If you're interested in ordering your own cheesecakes you can call (416) 623-8226 or stop by their store at 644 Millway Ave., #10, Concord ON.

First Steps

When I first met fiancee he pretty much ate KD, Pizza, cereal or take out with the occasional grocery store salad in a bag. When I moved in with him it only took a week for me to snap.

He had no spices, baking powder, flour, canned goods (fruits, beans or veggies), no marinades, and only a few condiments (Miracle Whip, ketchup).

We went shopping, I started cooking. Now we don't even have a frozen pizza in the freezer and only 2 boxes of KD which may or may not be consumed this year. There are also lots of canned goods, some spices, flour (brown and white) and cooking and baking supplies.

Now I'm no pro cook, and I don't have a lot of time at home on weekdays. I leave 7:30am returning at 6pm Mon-Fri. I sleep in on weekends but try to cook something at least once a week.

I need to get more organized because if I do all my groceries for the week in one go, I'll forget about items and they'll rot. Another problem I have is that even when I plan my meals for the week, I find that sometimes when the day comes I no longer want the planned dish.

I like grocery shopping on the fly since I like to shop fresh since it keeps me active and moving. I'll shop one day and cook the next. The idea is nice, but there's no way I can cook after fetching groceries the same day. I prefer to finish eating by 8pm at the latest.

I'm working on myself as much as I'm working on fiancee's. We occasionally have cereal for dinner and still eat out more than I'd like but we'll get there.

Enjoyment from Eating

I live to eat and my fiancee eats to live. My goal is to inspire him and show him that food is good for more than just keeping him alive.

Food can inspire, entice and enchant. Food affects a person's body in multiple ways and what is put in a person's body will affect how a person looks and feels.

There are many styles of cooking which have evolved and are still evolving today. Each ethnicity has its own distinctive flavors and ingredients but, within the ethnicity there are still so many variations.

I will post my cooking experiments, cooking aspirations, restaurant reviews and all other food related goodies on this blog.

My fiance and I have been living together for a few years now and he's stated his journey towards enjoying his food but still has a long way to go.