DIY #1

On my first day in Vancouver, Sam took me to Granville Island for lunch, grocery shopping and a little site-seeing. While we were there I ate a slice of Margherita Pizza and it was so delicious that I decided to eat it on a regular basis. Now to avoid the wallet-gauging and waistline-expanding situation that takeout pizza can so easily contribute to, this Margherita pizza must be made at home... by me. It looked easy and delicious enough that I could take the experiment on, even in a kitchen as broken as mine right now, and it became the first attempt in my cooking series called 'DIY: Do It Yourself.' This series will showcase me attempting recipes that look pretty common and easy but that I have never done before... making pizza, frying something in hot oil, making a pie crust from scratch. I believe this series will also help me learn the basics in cooking, the things we take for granted, pretty much by trial and error.

DIY Experiment #1: MARGHERITA PIZZA

I love when foods have a great story detailing their origin and this pizza does not disappoint. In 1899, Queen Margherita came to Naples to escape the cholera epidemic that had gripped the north of Italy and was served this pizza by Chef Raffaelle Esposito. To honour her visit, the chef used tomatoes (red), fresh basil (green) and fresh mozzerella cheese (white) to mimic the colours of the Italian flag. The Queen was so effusive in her praise of the chef and his pizza that he named the pizza after her.

My favourite part about this pizza is that it is so easy to make! You can always make it a little more complicated by whipping up your own pizza sauce and pizza dough but as I was making this (and another tray of the Strawberry Tart with Vanilla Mint Cream from my Vancouver entry) for the family before running off to a soccer game 60 minutes away, I needed it as simple as possible.

Note: I am not the pizzamaker in the family, my brother is. So I knew this would have its ups and downs and since it was my first attempt, would most likely not turn out like any of Neil's creations. Stay tuned for my thoughts.

Margherita Pizza

Fresh basil: 1 bunch
Fresh baby mozzarella cheese: 200-250 grams
Tomato: 2 medium, thinly sliced (or enough to cover the whole pizza)
Tomato Sauce: 1 cup, or enough to cover the pizza dough
Pizza Dough: 1 large
Salt and pepper

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Roll out dough on a lightly floured surface. Transfer to a baking tray and bake until puffed and beginning to color, 8 to 10 minutes.
3. Spread the pizza sauce over the pizza crust. Arrange basil leaves on the pizza and top with tomatoes and baby mozzarella slices. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
4. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until crust is golden and cheese has melted.

The above recipe is the official version I got from the web but I didn't follow it verbatim. The most important thing to remember that isn't listed in the directions to grease the baking pan you are baking the pizza on. My parents dished up the pizza while I was at soccer so I wasn't able to witness this for myself but they apparently lost 1/6 of the pizza since it was stuck to the pan. Grease the pan people!

I couldn't find any baby mozzerella at the grocery store but I did get a gorgeous large ball of fresh mozzerella. I almost didn't want to cut it up for the pizza as it looked too good but I definitely snuck a few pieces for myself while I was setting everything up.



Parental verdict: Delicious! I also thinked they liked not doing any of the cooking or cleaning.
My verdict: Good, not great, not crappy. In my rush I forgot to add the salt and pepper and I think those are necessary for that little extra touch. I also didn't prebake the dough before putting the ingredients on it but that's because I was following the directions I got on the dough bag, not in the recipe, so I am not sure if this would have done anything else. I also believe I went a little overboard with the basil but my parents didn't think so. To each their own I guess!

All in all, I would call my first DIY experiment a success. I also did another batch of the Strawberry Tart with Vanilla Mint Cream as I wasn't super happy with how the Vancouver batch turned out (something about the tart part was a little off.) I wanted to do them on biscuits like in a strawberry shortcake recipe but our local Longos was either out of or didn't stock any Bisquick (how is that possible?) I felt like an idiot when I got home and saw we had our own box but I really didn't have time to make biscuits as I would find out. To fill the void I grabbed some premade individual Angel Food cakes; I cut them in half and layered the cream and strawberries to make a dessert sandwich. They turned out so awesome! The Angel Food cakelets added a necessary touch of extra sweetness.



My parents will be going away soon to Newfoundland for a little over a week, leaving Neil and I to fend for ourselves in our wasteland of a kitchen. I am foreseeing a lot of premade casseroles or takeout in my future. However after an awful fish n' chips incident at Swiss Chalet (don't try them, ever!), I have decided to make Fish and Chips my next DIY adventure. Yum yum!

Until next time, may all your experiments work out!
Lisa

Construction Frustration

I live in a construction zone.

I always thought I was a pretty easy-going person, completely willing to go with the flow. So when the basement flooded on my birthday and we had to replace it all, I thought fine. When we found holes in the foundation and needed them fixed right away, great. Need to change the back siding and a chunk of doors and windows, bring it! We started to see the light in late July as the new basement carpet was due for installation and paint samples had been chosen. Then the upstairs bathroom exploded... and by the upstairs bathroom, I mean the water pipes... and the water destroyed it, the hall, part of the kitchen and the basement. Yes, the basement that was almost fixed from the last flood.

Even with the damage from the bathroom flood, often referred to as our indoor waterfall as that is what it looked like when we discovered it, I just shrugged my shoulders and mopped up (probably helped that I was leaving for the next day for vacation.) As much as the flood sucked, it was way better than it could have been. It could have happened during the next weekend when the entire family would have been away, leaving the water to run for days rather than hours. At least this water damage came from a freak accident and not a natural disaster. We still had four walls, a roof and our health. So all in all, I counted us as very lucky... just very very very pissed off.

Construction started almost immediately, a fact I noticed when I got home from my short vacation, and there is no end in sight. I thought we could get everything done before my brother left for school in Ottawa so he could enjoy our new everything... but that's definitely not going to happen.

I know it's not rational but I am frustrated! I am aware that construction does take time; materials needed to be ordered, crews booked, plans drawn up, and then the actual labour needs to occur. But the copious amounts of dust, lack of counter space and not knowing where anything is in the kitchen is really starting to wear me down. It's not fair of me but I wiggle out of meal duty as much as possible because cooking in that situation frustrates me. The end necessitates the means and I know that eventually I am going to be able to cook in a gorgeous kitchen and have a shower in a gorgeous glassed-in upright shower so for now I must live amid dust and noise.

I did manage my first DIY cooking experiment amid the clutter so look out for that soon. Personally I will be looking out for the smoking hot construction guy my mom swears is currently working on the house. I hope she's right and not describing some figment of her imagination that she created to deal with the stress of the house situation. Fingers crossed!

Bare Necessities

Look for the bare necessities
The simple bare necessities
Forget about your worries and your strife
I mean the bare necessities
That's why a bear can rest at ease
With just the bare necessities of life.
- The Bare Necessities, Disney's The Jungle Book

If you've spent any time around me, you know I do this weird thing where I say "That's so necessary" when I take a bite or sip of something that I really needed. The first cup of coffee of the day... the first sip of an icy diet coke on a hot day... any type of food when my blood sugar is crashing. Sometimes you are just jonesing for something and need to satisfy your craving (like me with chocolate... all the time lol.)

I think of these things as the bare necessities, the stuff I could not live without. Just try separating me from my diet coke, I dare you. Of course I am talking about superficial things, not the basic necessities of life like medical care, clean water, food, shelter, and safety that I believe everyone should have clear access to.

However, not all of my cravings mesh with my newly super healthy lifestyle (in fact, none of them do.) If I let my cravings take over, I'd be stuffing my body with comfort food aka all carbs and that's just not acceptable. So I squash those cravings down as long as I can until they threaten to erupt and I can't deny them any longer.

This weekend I headed out to Kingston with my brother to visit some friends. I usually pack food for the car to nom on (correction: my mother usually packs food for the car) but this time we just hit the road with the intention of getting road food along the way. If you've ever driven down the 401, you'll know that all of the roadside stops have at least one burger franchise in them (when they aren't under construction), whether it be McDonalds or Arbys. Now 49 times out of 50, I can walk by a McDonald's without batting an eyelash. But that 50th time? Look out because I need that Quarter Pounder with fries and a diet coke like whoa... like whoa. Luckily I can hold my McD's fixation to 3 or 4 times a year, which is pretty good under the circumstances. But there is something so satisfying about that burger patty with loads of melty cheese, followed by crispy fries and washed down with syrupy soda. I'm loving it indeed! Suffice it to say Neil and I picked up McDs on our way to Kingston. It was fast, it was efficient and it was delicious.



Please don't think that I am advocating the mass consumption of McDonald's or its fast-food contemporaries. Even based on my minute knowledge of their caloric content and mechanized meat factories, I know I should be avoiding that place if at all possible and excluding this past weekend's Quarter Pounder munch fest, I think I'm pretty good at it.

But sometimes, it has to happen. I'm going to eat that so-bad-for-me burger.

Luckily my friend Julie, who I was staying with, saved my sanity and my health with some delicious vegetarian friendly cuisine when I got to her place so I was able to grab some balance on the weekend. Despite our Eggs Florentine failure, everything worked out quite well.

To sum up the rambles, I feel there are certain things in life unique to each person that help them maintain a constant sense of balance and wellbeing. For my friend Julie, those bare necessities would be things like yoga, her cat Ernie and a delicious vegetarian lasagna (lol.) For my brother Neil, those would include beers with buds, cute girls and someone to joke around with.

Then there are those things that, while aren't necessary to your daily life, need to be indulged in every once in a while. From personal experience, I find you are a lot less likely to binge on something if you don't completely cut yourself off from it. Indulge sometimes, it's good for the soul.

Coming soon, my DIY experiment #1.

Until then, look for the bare necessities,
Lisa

Vancouver

"There is something bigger than fact: the underlying spirit, all it stands for, the mood, the vastness, the wildness.."- Emily Carr (on British Columbia)

I think I'm pretty lucky that I get to call a country such as Canada home. Beaches, mountains, glaciers, fresh lakes... you name it, we got it (there are even a few deserts if you look hard enough.) To go to every province and territory in this great nation is definitely a goal of mine and I am currently at 5 out of 10 provinces, though standing at an unfortunate 0 for territories visited.

A few days ago I got back from a visit to Vancouver, BC to see my friend Sam. This was not my first trip to British Columbia as I had gone on a family vacation to Big White, the ski resort on the mountain next to Whistler, when I was much younger. The mountains were gorgeous and the views were breathtaking but I didn't see much more on that trip than the airport, the resort and drifts of snow that reached up to the second story balcony. Since then I have been wanting to get a better knowledge of the rest of the Vancouver area. The idea for the trip had been prodding at me since the Winter Olympics and pre-Games coverage started this past February. It seemed like every single television channel showed a little vignette showcasing the city and the surrounding area and I was so proud of the piece of our country they highlighted. I wanted to experience the region for myself, to see and touch what I was so proud of, so I bit the bullet and booked the ticket. Now, I may still be paying my mom back (thanks Air Canada for your multiple and neverending service fees haha) but I wouldn't trade the memories there for anything. Put together a city that I've longed to see and a best friend that I miss dearly and you have an instant recipe for a fantastic time.

If you've never been to Vancouver, what are you waiting for? There are not many other places where you can stand on the edge of the ocean with a range of mountains at your back. Sam's apartment is on the West Side of Vancouver and faces east so you have a terrific view of the mountains from her balcony. I can't wait for the day I can live in a place with a view as gorgeous as that ( my windows right now look out on the church parking lot, though I can see my mother's garden if I angle myself the right way.)

The keywords for the city seem to be hip, laidback and fresh. Vancouverites put a pretty heavy emphasis on anything local, organic and fresh and the city/people definitely have a unique vibe to them. Sam promised to show me the best of the best in Vancouver and she certainly didn't disappoint.

Some Vancouver gems
1. Granville Island : Granville Island is this little peninsula under the Granville Bridge, directly across from downtown Vancouver and is a must see for any tourists. There you can visit any number of boutiques, art studios, restaurants, a brewery, totem pole carving shop and a gorgeous public market, among other things. In my opinion, this market is better than both the St. Lawrence Market in Toronto and the Byward Market in Ottawa in both selection of product and price. Sam and I loaded up on fruits and veg, and debated on some fresh salmon one of the stalls had just gotten in but decided against it in the end. We got some pizza and gelato to go and sat out on the sprawling patio/walkway that is sandwiched between the market and False Creek/English Bay. Though my hunt for lemon gelato wasn't as successful as I had hoped (searched 4 stalls in a 50 metre radius and couldn't find any!), I had lots of delicious flavours to choose from. Lunch's redeeming quality? The Margherita pizza. Mmm mmm mmm. Seriously, how had I never tried this kind of pizza before? I have found a new favourite (sorry Hawaiian) and its given me an idea for a series of cooking experiments I will try in the near future called "DIY." Also fun: watching children running at seagulls who were the size of beagles, expecting to scare them. Who got scared in the end? The kids, when the seagulls turned the game around and started chasing them.

2. The Local Public Eatery, Kitsilano Beach: Love this place... and yes, that is the official name. If you want to sit on the patio to get a great view of Kitsilano Beach, go earlier rather than later. Sam and I showed up at 6 and were told it would be a 90 minute wait for patio seats... but we could be seated right away if we wanted to eat inside. My empty stomach won out over the promise of a good view, and once inside you realize you don't need the view at all. It's classy and laidback at the same time with, as they say on their menu, "common food done uncommonly well" and a fantastic beer menu. I wholeheartedly agree. We had calamari to start and it came with the best tzatziki I have ever tasted (and coming from a girl who is part Greek, that's a pretty bold statement.) Rich and creamy with a heavy shot of dill and lemon, made fresh to order (no store bought crap here), what more can you ask for? For dinner I had the Islander Burger (burger with Vancouver Island goat cheese and grilled mushrooms) with yam fries. *drool* The burger was huge (they don't skimp on portions) and the patty was 1/2 pound of ground chuck; since I don't have the ability of a boa constrictor to unhinge my jaw, I had to dismantle my burger and eat it with a knife and fork... doesn't matter, it was still delicious. Check out the website and check out the restaurant if you're ever in town. http://www.localpubliceatery.com. (My blog and I are currently fighting on inserting links into the entries. I ask it to do it, blog says ok but then is actually lying to me... so if you want to check the link out, you'll have to do it the old fashioned way and type it.)



3. Library Square: So named because it is located next to the Vancouver Public Library, this public house features a 90's dance party every Friday night. Moderately priced drinks and a DJ spinning a mix of Run DMC and Backstreet Boys. Gotta love it.

4. Celebration of Light: Originally called the Benson & Hedges Symphony of Fire, Vancouver has been hosting this international pyro-musical fireworks competition since 1990. Each year, three countries compete for the title, unveiling new materials and innovative techniques. I was in Vancouver the night China put on their display, and as Sam's apartment is on (well technically just is) the top floor, we had easy access to the surrounding roof. Sam wasn't too keen on that but that might just be due to the fact that we had all been drinking and were using rickety ladders to get to floor 4.5. But I guess that's what you get for hosting a beer pong tournament the same night as Celebration of Light and then let people know that you can clearly see the fireworks from the roof.

To thank Sam for putting me up for a week and showing me around Vancouver, I wanted to make this Strawberry Tart with Vanilla Mint Cream recipe I had found in an old issue of Food & Drink. I had never made it before, and despite the recipe requiring time and heavy manipulation of puff pastry, I was motivated by Sam and her housemate Laura to try it out... oh, and the huge basket of fresh strawberries from Granville Island might have had something to do with it. Was the recipe successful? I'd give it a 8/10... do not use whole wheat flour instead of regular flour when rolling out the pastry dough. I'm sure you're thinking that that's just common sense but sometimes you're in a pinch and think whole wheat flour will be fine. Well, you'd be wrong. Would I make it again? Hells yes. The whipping cream is infused with just enough vanilla and mint which is such a treat when combined with the strawberries. I'm actually going to make it again tomorrow, substituting biscuits for the puff pastry so I will let you know how it goes. I haven't delved far enough into the LCBO website to deduce if I am allowed to reprint the recipe in full here so I won't gamble on it right now. However, here is the link to the recipe on the site: http://lcbo.com/lcbo-ear/RecipeController?language=EN&recipeType=1&action=recipe&recipeID=3663. Or you could just go to www.lcbo.com and click on Food & Drink > Recipes > Food and then type Strawberry into the keyword finder, after checking off the dessert option. You know, whichever seems less complicated.
Just a note: this recipe needs proper flour and time management skills. You'll know why when you read the recipe. I didn't start it until mid afternoon and since we left midway through to see a movie, we weren't eating the finished product until 1 am.



My trip to Vancouver was all that I could have asked for. I got to see one of my best friends, met her adorable and fat cat Fergus, made new friends, ate great food and worked on my tan. I would go back in a heartbeat if my schedule and bank account allowed. My only complaint was that my time there was too short as there was so much more to see! I thought I would feel guilty seeing as I left Ontario only hours after our house flooded but I was relieved to be out of the mess... and I think my parents were appreciative of having one less person underfoot as scores of contractors descended on the house. I came home to great news: the contractors would be starting work within days and would be finished in two weeks. Two weeks! In two weeks we will have a new kitchen with yards of counter space and new appliances and lots of cupboards/drawers so everything will go where it belongs. Say it with me: whee! I predict my DIY series to take off in a big way. Now that's the way to christen a new kitchen: experiment with messy complicated recipes that should not be attempted outside a professional culinary arena. But then again, that's what a challenge is all about.

Until then, may your food stay fresh and your beer stay cold... and may my future entries not ramble quite so much as this one.
Lisa

Construction Zone

In May over my birthday weekend, our sump pump failed and flooded the basement... an unfortunate event that spurred my parents to take on a house makeover. Not in terms of new paint or carpets but redoing the foundation, siding, windows and doors. We had started to see the light at the end of the tunnel last week when the unthinkable happened. A pipe burst in our upstairs bathroom and started gushing out water (while my family was out together at the Toronto Blue Jays game.) By the time we got home, the water had gotten all the way into the basement and for those of you familiar with my house layout, you know that means it took a good chunk of the floors and ceilings with it on the way. Long story short: I am currently living in the middle of an epic construction zone that includes my kitchen... so I will be putting this blog mostly on hold before I've even gotten it off the ground.


This used to be cupboards and counter space. :(


This turn of events may be more of a boon than I had previously thought. The fact that a large part of my physical world is in disarray might push me to find more little things that I love, that put a smile on my face, to share with you (and isn't that the point of this blog in the first place?) So while I may not be trying out any epic dishes, I may try working on some basics. I'm not proud to admit it but my barbecuing knowledge is pretty shoddy, but between the heat and the dusty/mostly inaccessible kitchen, I'm sure I'll be shoring up my grilling skills shortly.

I did just get back from a too short vacation in Vancouver to see one of my best friends Sam and tested out some fabulous recipes and restaurants while I was there, so look out for some photos and reviews in the not too distant future.

Until then, may your lives remain construction free.

Lisa