Cinnamon Buns

Cinnamon Buns
Originally uploaded by The Tedster
Freshly baked puff pastry covered in brown sugar, cinnamon and cream cheese icing is a very good end to a morning run. There were also some delicious strawberries and oranges to go with them. Today was pretty care free but the run this morning was pretty tough for me. I haven't exercised in a while and I was sore right from the beginning.
I hope the future ones will be better.
- Theo

Summer Rolls

Summer Rolls
Originally uploaded by The Tedster

Another food endeavor. Cassandra and I ventured to make same summer rolls. We had bought rice paper a while ago and it had been sitting around for quite some time. We decided to make use of it tonight and the wraps turned out pretty good. The peanut sauce Cassandra made was delicious. It had peanut butter, soy sauce, onions and garlic and topping it with plum sauce was a treat.
Rice paper is easier to work with than I assumed. It's too bad we don't have any left overs for lunch tomorrow; I can't show off at work and I have to make something else to bring.

In other news I got bed rails after going to four different stores looking for them and it has snowed a fair amount in the last few days. I wish it would stop and wait till next year. I hope you all have your party hats on and are ready for another election. I have a feeling not much will change. Minority governments are a blast.

- T

Another Delicious Meal

Sorry, but I was too hungry and busy making the food to actually take pictures of it but I can tell you about it and hopefully still make your mouths water.
Cassandra and I made lentil and chickpea burgers. We mashed up red lentils, chickpeas, onion, carrot, bread crumbs and an egg to make patties that hold together fairly well in a frying pan. I cooked them on medium heat in a bit of olive oil and they were terrific. They didn't even really need spicing, a little bit of curry powder and pepper was all. What made them all the more excellent was the curry and cayenne pepper mayonnaise Cass whipped up to go on top of the multigrain bun with the burger. I could see these burgers beating up the green lentil burgers from the sprout restaurant here, especially since Cass served 'em up with a side of shoe string sweet potato fries that could be dipped in the curry mayonnaise to create a mouth watering sweet treat. Which got me to thinking.
Cass and I have received numerous compliments from pot luck to the smell of left overs I bring for lunch. I have seen a business model work where you offer a limited menu selection of one or two items a week. Collect orders and then have them ready for pick up or delivery that Saturday. I wonder how many burgers or meals we would need to sell to make it worth while?

- T

Birthday Nanaimo Bars

Birthday Nanaimo Bars
Originally uploaded by The Tedster

On Monday I made Nanaimo Bars for Cassandra's birthday. They are delicious and already half gone. Filled with butter sugar and chocolate, who could resist.
The snow banks here are still hanging around. It rained today but only shrank them a little bit, and made a lot of slush.

Click on the picture to see the Nanaimo photo series on my flickr account.
- T

A Valentines Dinner

A Valentines Dinner
Originally uploaded by The Tedster

Instead of going out for dinner I thought it would be good to stay in and make a full meal with Cassandra. It was a delicious idea. We had this great baked brie for an appetizer. We made asian noodle soup for a main course filled with cilantro and lime and other vegetables. To top it off for dessert we had key lime pie with coffee. I had to squeeze 15 key limes to make 1/2 cup of lime juice for the filling. (click on the picture to see the photos on my flickr account, http://www.flickr.com/photos/tjerrettenns/)

Sugar Cookies

Sugar Cookies
Originally uploaded by The Tedster

Cassandra made some sugar cookies for potluck. She used our new baking mat to make them golden brown and iced them with royal icing. It seems all we did this weekend was make food and eat it.

Porkchop Night

Porkchop Night
Originally uploaded by The Tedster

I like this. I had fun creating a brine for the pork chop and enjoyed the suspense of whether or not it would taste good. Discovering I had cooked the meat just enough and roasted the potatoes so that they got golden brown spots just added to my happiness. Then came the actual taste test. I was hooked, it was delicious.

I made a salty, brown sugar, and apple with cloves and pepper brine. Boiled it, cooled it and left the pork in it for 5 hours in the fridge. I added more sugar than salt to the brine and it made an addictingly sweet hunk of meat.

I surprise myself a fair amount actually. It's like a competition with myself; how delicious can I make food taste today? It may just be my low expectations and the anticipation of tasting what I created. I rarely follow a recipe, I consider them just guidance and leave most tasting until the final product is made. I find it all adds to the final enjoyment of the meal. Top it off with a beer and it was a great evening. Now back to the homework I have been avoiding. (Maybe that's why I enjoy cooking!)

- T