Pumpkin Spice Scones

Saturday morning I woke up at 8:00 am, just so I could make these scones for a pot lunch brunch I was attending later that morning.

I had never realized that scones were quite that easy to make.

I tried a pumpkin scone at Starbucks, and loved it so much, I wanted to recreate the recipe myself.

Scones are so delicious when they are just taken out of the oven. Next time, I want to try making cranberry and white chocolate.

Pumpkin Spice Scones {adapted from Taste of Home Magazine}

Ingredients

4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup brown sugar
4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
3 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 cup cold butter
2 eggs
1 1/4 cups canned pumpkin
3/4 cup milk, separated
2 cups powdered sugar
3 tbsp milk
1/4 tsp vanilla

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400 F.

2. In a large bowl combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, pumpkin pie spice, and cinnamon. Next, cut in the butter (you can use your hands), until the mixture is coarse and crumbly.

3. In a separate bowl whisk the eggs, pumpkin and 1/2 cup milk. Add the wet ingredients to the dry. Mix until everything is coated. Do not overmix.

4. Transfer the dough to a floured surface and knead until the dough holds its shape. Separate the dough into 2 balls. Flatten the dough into a pancake shape and cut 8 triangles (cut the dough like a pizza).

5. Place the 16 triangles on a baking sheet and brush with the remaining milk. Bake for 15 minutes.

6. While the scones are baking, prepare the glaze. Mix all 3 ingredients in a bowl. Once the scones are done, let cool on a wire rack. Drizzle the glaze and serve warm.

Oatmeal with Brown Sugar

I made oatmeal for the first time, and I have to admit, it was really easy to make. Usually, my idea of oatmeal is; boiling some water and adding a package of Quaker Instant Oatmeal - apple and cinnamon.

This time, I went old school, and made it from scratch. For this recipe, I used old fashioned rolled oats.

There are 3 types of oats that can be purchased from your grocer.

Many people think that the nutritional value is different for each oat, but they all have the same nutritional content. Here is a quick run-down of the three.

1. Steel-Cut Oats - are made when the groat (whole oat grain with outer shell removed) is passed through a steel cutter, which chops the grain into 3 - 4 pieces. These oats take the longest to cook (30 min), and produce a chewy texture.

2. Rolled Oats - are made by steaming groats and flattening them with a roller. Advantage - they retain most of their shape and cook faster.

• Old Fashioned Rolled Oats - are made by steaming, then partially cooking the whole groat, then passing it between rollers.

• Quick Cooking Rolled Oats - are made by steaming, then partially cooking steel-cut oats, then passing it between rollers.

3. Instant Oats - are made in a similar fashion to quick cooking rolled oats, but they are steamed and pressed for longer, and then they are dried. These oats cook the fastest. Just add hot water.

Oatmeal with Brown Sugar Recipe

Ingredients (serves 2)
1 cup dry oats
1/3 cup dates
1/4 cup shredded coconut
1/4 cup dried cherries
2 tbsp brown sugar
1/4 cup pecans

1. Bring 1 cup of water and the oats to a boil. Reduce temp, cover, and simmer until water has been absorbed. Once oatmeal has cooked, add the remaining ingredients.

vegetable couscous

This is one of my 'quick and easy recipes' I usually whip up for lunch, when I can't think of anything exciting to make.  Couscous is really easy to make (2 min) and extremely delicious (10/10) - making it one of my favorite grains. In a 1/3 cup of dry couscous, there is approximately 7g of fibre and 8g of protein. This meal alone has a whopping 13g of fibre. Have I ever mentioned that I am obsessed with fibre. It's the one nutrient in my diet, that's never lacking. Why do I love fibre you ask? Well, to be honest, I am obsessed with my bowels and maintaining regularity. Before I started blogging, I used to be a GI (gastro-intestinal)/Surgery dietitian. I witnessed many complications caused by prolonged fibre deficiency, and it wasn't pretty. I'm sure my husband's going to love this blog post - he loves it when I talk about my bowels!

VEGETABLE COUSCOUS RECIPE
serves 4

INGREDIENTS
2 cups dry couscous
1/2 tsp salt
2 tbsp olive oil
1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved
1 red pepper, chopped
1/4 cup cran raisins
1/2 cup feta cheese, crumbled

Bring 1/2 cup of water to a boil. Once the water has boiled, remove pot from heat, add dry couscous and cover for 5 minutes. Add the remaining ingredients.

Happy St. Patrick's Day

Hope you have a great St. Paddy's day. I am off to an Irish bar for some green beer!

Chewy Granola Parfait

Yesterday afternoon, I tried to fix my granola bar fiasco (please see previous post), but unfortunately I couldn't. I added the extra honey to my concoction, hoping it would stick together, but instead I ended up with a crumbly, sticky, sweet, oatmeal mess. I decided to sprinkle it on my yogurt and berries, and to my surprise, it was delicious. Personally, I liked it much better than straight up granola. It had a sweet chewy texture that I adore. My husband thinks it tasted like candy, but I disagree. There's no way I could come to terms with eating candy for breakfast ;)

CHEWY GRANOLA RECIPE

INGREDIENTS
2 tbsp butter
2 cups mini marshmallows
1/2 cup almond butter
2 cups Rice Krispies
1 cup oats
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1/4 cup chopped dates
1/4 cup chopped mango
1/2 cup shredded coconut
1/3 cup honey

In a large pot, melt butter on medium heat. Stir in the marshmallows. Continue to stir until melted. Remove from heat and add almond butter. Mix in the remaining ingredients, ensuring that you coat everything equally. Place in a plastic bag and refrigerate.

Dogfish Head Brewery - Red & White

If you haven't tried this beer before and can get your hands on it, you have to. Dogfish Head red and white is possibly the best beer I have ever tasted. It is sweet, light, fruity and amazing. It is a limited edition, and there are 3 bottles left downstairs at the PCC. I am going down right now to buy the rest!

Homemade Paneer Cheese

Back in the day when I was working, I hated Mondays. I always felt so tired from the weekends festivities. I felt as though I could never catch up on my sleep deprivation. Now that I'm not working, I love Mondays. It's the day of the week when I accomplish the most. I usually wake up feeling super chipper. I immediately start house chores laundry, etc. When those are done, I then sip my latte while perusing the internet looking for job openings. If I'm lucky enough to come across one that I like - I put together the standard cover letter, application, and resume package, which takes me hours. Next, I plan out my recipes for the week and hit the local Fred Meyers for the good deals, and of course, the free cheese. Later in the day, I take my dog for a long walk, hit the elliptical for 60 minutes and then a yoga class. When I come home, I am relaxed and ready to conquer a new recipe or two, and then finish the day off with a blog post. My friends are always wondering how I could possibly keep myself busy without having a job place of employment. Well there it is, a summary of my day!

I've always wanted to make cheese. Well, maybe not always, but ever since my second year university course with professor Lachance - who was very inspirational. I decided to start out with a simple basic cheese - paneer. Paneer is a soft cheese common in Indian dishes, and is quite easy to make. Some of my favorite panner dishes are; Palak paneer and paneer butter masala.  The only 2 ingredients you need to make paneer is milk and buttermilk. If you don't have any buttermilk, you can also use milk and lemon juice.

Ingredients
1 litre 2% milk - use whole milk if you want a richer cheese
2 cups buttermilk

Pour the milk in a large pot, and cook over medium heat. Stir continuously to prevent the milk from scorching on the bottom. Cook until the milk bubbles up the side, 10 - 15 minutes. Next, pour the buttermilk into the pot and stir until the milk separates from the curds and whey.

2. Remove the pot from the heat and pour the curds and whey through a strainer lined with cheese or muslin cloth. This is done to separate the liquid from the curds. [You can now add salt if desired.] When the curds are cool enough to touch, grab the cheese cloth and gather at the top, squeezing out all the excess liquid.

3. Lay the paneer on a counter top and place a cutting board, or something heavy on top. Let it press for two hours. Paneer can be kept in the fridge for 2 - 3 days.

Shortbread cookies dipped in Theo's dark chocolate

Today is the fourth annual Registered Dietitian Day. Does this mean that I get to eat chocolate all day?, because this would be a very ideal situation.

After starting this blog, I discovered that I really love to make eat dessert - like I didn't know this already.

My friends and family are always asking me "how come you ain't puttin' on any weight girl, because those desserts would go straight to my hips".

The answer's simple, I never say no always say yes (I hate double negatives). If I want to eat chocolate, I do. If I want a piece of cheesecake, I eat it. Deprivation will destroy you. For every delicious piece of food that you have deprived yourself of, next time you see that cheesecake at little Jenny's birthday party or those cream puffs at Molly's baby shower, you are going to eat a serving and probably two more. Maybe even the whole cake.

Another secret I am willing to share with you: get movin'. Go for a walk, try a new sport, take a dance lesson. Get up off that couch and move. I know, I sound like Richard Simmons. If you've had a really long day and everyone at work has been driving you nuts, and now your significant other demands the sun the moon and the stars, strap on some boxing gloves and work it out.

The key to living a healthy life is; be active (do the things you love), indulge in the finer things in life (dark chocolate, salt and vinegar kettle chips), eat fruits and veggies (they are so good, especially with cheese), cut out the crap (Kraft dinner and wieners - gross), and be happy with yourself (stop reading those damn gossip magazines).

Shortbread cookies dipped in Theo's dark chocolate Recipe

Ingredients

1 cup butter, room temperature
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
2 cups all purpose flour

1. With a hand mixer on medium speed, beat the butter until fluffy. Next, beat in the powdered sugar until combined, then the vanilla, and finally the flour. Take the dough out of the bowl, and knead into a flat circle, like a pancake. Wrap the dough in Saran wrap and refrigerate for two hours.

2. When you're ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350 F. Take the dough out of the fridge. Sprinkle the counter with flour. With a rolling pin, roll the dough 1/4 inch thick. This is the hard part. The dough is either to hard (cold) or to soft (warm). If you are fortunate enough to get the proper consistency, congratulations you are a pro-star.

3. Using your favorite cooker cutter, cut out the shapes and place them on parchment paper. Place the parchment paper on the baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes. If you want to improve the chances of your cookies holding their shape, refrigerate for 15 minutes before baking.

4. Melt your favorite chocolate in a saucepan or double boiler (if you're fancy). When the cookies are cool, dip them into the chocolate, then place on a piece of parchment paper and refrigerate. I used Theo's sipping chocolate, but any chocolate will do.

Potato and Cauliflower Curry

How was everyone's weekend? Mine was fabulous. I spent the whole weekend with Brent partaking in quality time. On Saturday we spent 3 hours rock climbing followed by happy hour with Ody and some good friends. Luckily, we live beside a dog friendly bar called Norms Eatery and Ale House and Ody could join in the fun. On Sunday we went to Crystal Mountain snowboarding. We had a wonderful lunch on the top of the mountain overlooking Mount Rainier. It was a super sunny day, nice and warm on the slopes. 

POTATO AND CAULIFLOWER CURRY RECIPE
recipe adapted from The Kitchn

INGREDIENTS
1 clove of garlic
1/2 tsp peppercorns
1/2 tsp coriander seeds
2 tbsp canola oil
1 tbsp curry powder
2 cups chicken stock
2 cups chopped potatoes
2 cups sliced carrots
2 cups cauliflower florets
1 - 14 oz can chopped tomatoes
1 - 14 oz can coconut milk
1 - 14 oz chickpeas
2 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp honey
1/4 slivered basil leaves

1. In a mortar and pestle grind garlic, peppercorns, and coriander seeds into a paste. Next, fry the mixture in oil for a couple of minutes in a large soup pot. Add the curry powder and fry for 2 more minutes.

2. Next, add the stock, potatoes, and carrots. Bring to a boil. Add the rest of the ingredients, minus the basil, and cook on medium heat until the vegetables are done. Add the basil and serve.

South Indian Pongal

I made this delicious indian rice recipe that was quick and easy. The aromas and flavors this dish produced were excitingly exotic. The consistency of the dish turned out to be similar to risotto, thick and rich. It was perfectly paired with a potato and cauliflower curry.

SOUTH INDIAN PONGAL RECIPE

INGREDIENTS
1/4 cup ghee
1 tsp cumin seeds
3 cloves garlic
1 tbsp black pepper corns
1/2 tsp turmeric
1/4 cup channa daal
1 cup jasmine rice, dry
1/2 cup dry coconut
3 cups water
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 cup chopped cashew

1. Cover the channa dal in water and let sit for 15 minutes. In the meantime, in a mortar and pestle, grind the cumin seeds, garlic, pepper corns, and turmeric into a paste. Next, fry the paste in ghee on medium heat for 3 - 5 minutes until you can smell the wonderful aromas. Set to the side.

2. Bring to a boil the channa dal, rice, and water. Turn to medium heat and cook until water has evaporated. Mix the rice mixture with the spices, salt and chopped cashews and serve.

Apple, Sage and Butternut Squash Soup

Because I am lazy, I went to the grocery store downstairs today. Normally I prefer Fred Meyers, for their free cheese, but I didn't want to make the trip, and I needed to buy some ingredients for the meals I have pre-planned for this weekend. I've started planning meals out in the hopes that I will do lots of cooking and not just eat potato chips pizza all day. Anyways, back to the shopping - after piling my tres-chic organic goods on the counter, I glanced up at the register, and the number "$18.75" flashed before my eyes - the price of the butternut squash I had selected! I was frightened. You know, this isn't the first time this has happened to me - pine nuts and cherries have also caught me off guard. But this was too much; I abandoned the squash and made my escape. Later on in the day, after messing up my hair appointment (due to my lack of internet reservation skills), I went to Fred Meyers, where I got free cheese and a deal on squashes, only $3.50 each.

Do you, like myself, feel trepidatious when attempting to cut a squash? It's like the first time I tried to chop a log. You may not think so, but there is a great deal of technique involved. When I make the first stab into the squash, pressing down with the knife to cut the bark-like skin, I'm always afraid the knife is going to come shooting back at my hand and stab me. Like the time my grandfather was cutting turkey for Christmas and he stabbed his own hand. We had to take him to the hospital to get stitched up. This reminds me of another time when my sister fell of the deck and cut her head. I think she also needed stitches. I remember her not being as upset as I was. In my eyes she was dying and that was going to be the last day I ever saw her. She lived.

[PRINT RECIPE]

APPLE, SAGE AND BUTTERNUT SQUASH SOUP RECIPE 
serves 6 - 8
adapted from Rebekah Peppler's recipe featured on the kitchn

Ingredients
1 butternut squash, halved
2 tbsp olive oil
1/2 tsp salt
pepper to taste
10 sage leaves, chopped
2 large shallots, peeled and chopped
1 tbsp butter
4 cups veggie broth
2 tbsp brown sugar
1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp red chili flakes
3 Granny Smith apples, peeled and chopped {one for garnish}
1/2 cup cream, half and half or whipping

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 425 F. Cut the squash into halves, and scoop out the seeds.  Drizzle each half with 1 tbsp olive oil, 1/4 tsp salt, pepper, and chopped sage. Wrap the squash in tin foil and place onto a baking sheet. Bake for 45 minutes or until soft. Remove the squash from the oven to let cool.

2. In a large soup pot, on medium heat, fry the shallots with 1 tbsp butter. Pour the remaining oil that has pooled in squash into the pot. Fry the shallots until they have become translucent, approximately 5 minutes.

3. Scoop the cooked butternut squash from the flesh and add to the shallots. Continue to cook for 10 more minutes, making sure not to burn. Stir in the broth, brown sugar, Worcestershire sauce, nutmeg, cinnamon and chili flakes. Turn the heat to high and bring to a boil. Once boiling, reduce the heat to low and simmer for 10 minutes. Add the 2 chopped, peeled apples and continue to simmer for 20 more minutes.

4. Puree the soup with an immersion blender (a regular blender will also work). Add the cream and stir. Serve with a few peeled and diced apples pieces on top.

Black Bean Burrito's

Last night's supper was quick and easy - black bean burritos. I didn't have much time, so I whipped up something quick and easy using odds and ends from the fridge. Once my burrito was wrapped, I pulled out the old Hamilton Beach panini press, and pressed my burrito into a warm and crispy bundle of goodness. Today is a typical Seattle dull, rainy, overcast day. The perfect day to curl up and read a book. Lucky for me, I have at least 10 books I have been dying to read. I've just started reading "My Secret Daughter", and I'm having a hard time tearing myself away - I really want to know what happens in the end. I need to hurry up and finish this book so I can start "Water For Elephants" before the movie hits theaters.

BLACK BEAN BURRITO RECIPE

INGREDIENTS

1 cup dry long grain brown rice + 2 cups water

1 tbsp butter

1 can black beans

1 garlic glove, minced

1/4 yellow pepper

soft taco shells

diced tomatoes

shredded lettuce

Greek yogurt

salsa

shredded cheese

1. Cook the brown rice for 45 minutes.

2. Fry the black beans, garlic, and pepper.

3. Fill your burrito with toppings and grill if you have a panini press.

[I like to use yogurt instead of sour cream. Less fat and calories.]

Penne Pasta with Artichoke Pesto and Pine Nuts

Did you know that March is National Nutrition Month? The Dietitians of Canada and the American Dietetic Association have each developed their own healthy eating themes. Celebrate Food....... From the Field to the Table - Canada, Eat Right with Color - USA I do believe my penne pasta fits perfectly with both these themes. All of the pasta ingredients were purchased from the PCC, whom provide only local products. I've also used a variety of colorful healthy ingredients. Do you try to buy local ingredients when possible? Do your meals replicate the colors of the rainbow (in other words - lots of fruits and veggies)? I've been perusing through my last few blog posts, which are pretty colorful if I do say so myself. I have noticed a theme though - desserts. I swear, I do eat other things besides cheesecake, cookies, muffins, and carrot cake. This month I am committed to providing you with healthy and delicious meals. I will prove that I do know a thing or two about healthy eating ;)

PENNE PASTA WITH ARTICHOKE PESTO AND PINE NUTS

INGREDIENTS
2 cups dry penne pasta
10 small asparagus spears
1/2 cup green beans
1/2 yellow pepper
2 tbsp artichoke pesto
1/4 cup pine nuts
salt and pepper to taste
1/4 cup shaved parmesan cheese

Bring pasta to a boil and cook until al dente. While pasta is cooking, steam asparagus and green beans. Once steamed, cut them into bite size pieces. Lightly fry the yellow pepper in a small drop of olive oil.

Once the pasta is done, drain and add the pesto, salt, and pepper. Gently toss in the vegetables, pine nuts, and shaved parmesan cheese.

[tip - if you want to avoid the stringy stalk on the end of the asparagus, gently snap off the ends. The asparagus will snap at the appropriate spot.]

Cherry Cheesecake

My father-in-law left this morning. I made a cheesecake last night for his fair well goodbye, but I forgot that cheesecake takes 8 hours to make. I woke up this morning to take a nice picture for my blog, and this is what I found. A half eaten cheesecake. Must have been good. Mount Baker was awesome this past weekend. It wasn't the bluebird weekend I had expected, but the amount of snowfall was epic. I have so much more courage on powder days. No hesitations about my moves. I just glide down the mountain, like it's natural to be standing sideways on a board pointed downhill.

I have something cool to share with you. Google has just launched a new search feature that allows you to search for recipes with ease. The new feature allows you to narrow your search results to ingredients, cooking time, and calories. The tutorial below, demonstrates how to search for recipes using the new feature.

CHERRY CHEESECAKE RECIPE

Ingredients
1 3/4 cup graham cracker crumbs
6 tbsp butter
2 tbsp sugar
1 can cherries

Filling
2 8oz packages cream cheese
2 cups sugar
3/4 cup vanilla Greek yogurt
6 eggs

1. Preheat oven to 325 F. In a bowl mix graham cracker crumbs, sugar, and melted butter. Press into the bottom of a cheesecake pan and bake for 20 minutes. Let cool.

2. In a bowl beat the cream cheese. Next, add the sugar. Beat until fluffy. Next, add the yogurt and 6 slightly beaten eggs. Pour the mixture on top of the crust. Line the bottom of the cheesecake pan with tin foil. Place into a roasting pan and fill half way with boiling water. Bake for 1 hour and 20 minutes. Turn the oven off and keep in oven for 1 hour to avoid cracking.

3. Finally, cool in fridge for 8 hours. Top with cherries just before serving.

Thai Fried Rice with Garlic Prawns

Now that I am back into the swing of things, lets recap the weekends menu. Friday night's dinner was a recreation of my second favorite Thai dish, fried rice - sweet and sour tofu being my first. It still tastes delicious to me, but will never taste quite like it did in Thailand. Imagine this; waking up in the early morning to the warm sun shining through the slits in your bamboo hut. As you take your first morning stretch you smell ocean, sand and heaven. You slather on your sun screen while taking in the days rays on a small wooden fishing boat. Your boat is speeding across the ripples in the ocean, because you're on your way to the magnificent coral that surrounds Railay beach. You spend at least 6 hours snorkeling in the water - time has passed so quickly. The boat driver/tour guide hands you a hot plate, the most amazing fried rice and seafood you have ever tasted. You are so hungry because you haven't realized that the last meal was 6 hours ago. The excitement of snorkeling is too great to even think about food. This is how I remember Thai fried rice. So, you see how hard it is to recreate this experience.

Ingredients
1 cup dry jasmine rice
1 cup frozen mixed vegetables
1 scallion
1 egg
3 tbsp canola oil
3 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp lime juice
1 pound jumbo shrimp
3 tbsp olive oil
4 cloves garlic

1. Put one cup of dry rice and one cup of water in the rice cooker. Cook until done. Heat canola oil in a frying pan with garlic. Cook until garlic starts to turn light brown. Add the rice and fry for 15 minutes. Next, add the mixed vegetables (de-thawed), soy sauce, sugar, and lime juice. Once mixture is cooked, push to one side of the pan, and scramble an egg in the other side. Mix everything together and serve and sprinkle with chopped scallions.

2. To cook the shrimp, place shrimp, olive oil, and garlic in a frying pan. Cook for 10 minutes. Do not overcook or shrimp will become rubbery.

Blueberry Raspberry Oat Bars

I just ran out of my nature bar supply, so I decided to make more. 

I think I have gone on a rant, in a previous post, on how I dislike the pre-packaged store bough granola bars. 

Homemade bars taste so much better and are so darn easy. These ones I made this time, turned out more like a date bar. 

Blueberry Raspberry Oat Bar Recipe

Ingredients

2 1/2 cups oats

1 1/4 cup all purpose flour

1 cup graham cracker crumbs

1/4 cup flax meal

1/2 cup brown sugar

2 eggs

1/3 cup canola oil

Filling
2 cups frozen blueberries

1 cup frozen raspberries

2 tbsp corn starch

2 tbsp lemon juice

1/4 cup granulated sugar

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 F.

2. In a sauce pan bring blueberries, raspberries, corn starch, lemon juice, and sugar to a boil. Lower heat and simmer until berry mixture becomes sticky.

3. In a food processor mix the dry ingredients. Once the oats have been ground down to smaller pieces, mix in the eggs and oil.

4. Grease a 9 inch baking dish. Spread half of the oat mix on the bottom, then the berry mix, then the rest of the oats. Press down firm. Bake for 25 minutes.

Theo's Casanova Caramel Collection

The amazing chocolates that Brent gave me for Valentines Day from Theo Chocolates. 

Ginger Rose, Grey Salted Vanilla, Lavender, Honey Saffron

Brussel Sprouts and Onions in a Sweet Caramelized Butter Sauce

I just can't stop dancing today - it's going to be an awesome workout day :) Here's another one for you.

I'm not sure about you, but I love brussel sprouts - I always have. Those cute little baby cabbages are so deliciously tasty.

Ingredients
20 brussel Sprouts
1/2 sweet onion
1 tbsp butter
1 tbsp brown sugar
salt and pepper to taste

1. Sauté the onions with butter for 15 minutes on low heat. Boil the brussel sprouts for 10 minutes, or until you can stick a fork into them easily. Do not over cook or they will loose their bright green color. This is due to the degradation of chlorophyll.

2. Add the brussel sprouts, sugar, salt and pepper to the onions and sauté for a couple more minutes.

Penne Pasta with a Basil Rosé Sauce topped with Goat Cheese and Tiger Prawns

I woke this morning to a wonderful breakfast made by husband - fresh bagels, eggs, and veggie bacon (what a charmer). It's a shame that I was still feeling full from last nights feast - which I will describe in detail below. After breakfast we went to drop his glasses off at the frame store. We stopped at our favorite coffee shop on the way - Caffe Fiore. We both got the most amazing drink in existence, the Café Seville - which is a mocha with orange peel added. While I was driving home, I heard a song the has left me with no choice, but to dance the day away. I love how a good song can set the tone for the rest of your day.

Last nights feast included sweet caramelized brussel sprouts and onions, followed by penne pasta with a fresh basil rosé sauce topped with goat cheese and tiger prawns, followed by homemade cinnamon buns and Theo's salted caramels all served with Tamarack Cellars firehouse red wine. I bought Brent the board game Pandemic, which we played all night while feasting.

Ingredients
1/2 lb jumbo shrimp
2 tbsp goat cheese
2 cups dry penne pasta

Sauce

1/2 sweet onion

2 tbsp olive oil 

1 tbsp sun dried tomato paste

6 tomatoes
salt and pepper to taste
fresh basil
2 tbsp whipping cream

1. Bring a pot of water to boil. Add the tomatoes and boil for 3 minutes or until skins start to fall off. Then submerge them into cold water. Remove the skins and core the middles. Set to the side.

2. In a frying pan saute the onions with olive oil for 10 minutes. Add the sun dried tomatoes and saute for 2 minutes. Add the tomatoes and salt and pepper to taste. Cook for 5 minutes then puree in a blender with fresh basil. Add the tomato puree back to the pot and whisk in the whipping cream. Set on low heat and keep warm until the pasta is done.

3. Cook the pasta until al dente. Pan fry the shrimp until delicious - 1 minute on each side. Top pasta with sauce, goat cheese, then shrimp. Perfection.

Chocolate Chip Cookies with Dried Cherries

I can't stop eating these cookies. They are so amazingly good. Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!

CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES WITH DRIED CHERRY RECIPE (makes 30 cookies)

Ingredients
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 1/4 cups brown sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 cups + 3 tbsp whole wheat pastry flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 cup chocolate chips
1/2 cup dried cherries

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 F.

2. With a hand mixer, beat the butter and brown sugar in a bowl on low. Add the eggs one at a time, and then stir in vanilla.

3. In a separate bowl, mix the flour and baking powder. Add the flour to the butter mixture and stir. Next, add the chocolate chips and cherries and combine evenly.

4. Drop heaping tablespoons of dough 2 inches apart onto a lined {with parchment paper} baking sheet. Bake for 10 minutes. Do not over-bake. Let cook on the tray for 15 minutes then transfer to a wire wrack.