Foraged Apple Crumble

I've yet to settle into Toronto living, and it makes me a bit anxious. Especially right now, when I know my garden at my family home is producing beets and carrots, and there are apples waiting to be picked from our tree.  Also, my mom tells me the cottage is beautiful this time of year.

Raw Hazelnut & Cacao Nib Refrigerator Cookies

As winter approaches, I am becoming less strict about my adherence to a raw diet. However, I have found I prefer many raw recipes to their unraw counterparts—I am maintaining my switch to cashew yogurt and nut milk, and zucchini hummus is just so delicious, and much easier to make than chickpea hummus. I really did miss tea, though.

Clammin'

My vegetarianism has always been based on the supposed philosophy that "if I killed it, I'd eat it." Until recently, however, I'd never actually lived that motto. 

While fetching James for our move to Toronto, I had the chance to go clamming, and have a clam boil on the beach. Digging for clams was actually a lot of fun—probably my favourite part of the process.

We boiled the clams over an open fire, with an assortment of root vegetables, an onion and some crushed red pepper. It was my first non-vegetarian meal in 7 years, and though I felt no moral apprehensions about eating the clams, their disgusting bodies made me think twice...clams are really gross looking. I overcame their appearance and they were surprisingly good, though I don't foresee any clam cravings. I think I've probably had my fill for life.

James and I are officially moved to Toronto, so life should be settling down, and I will soon return to some of my normal activities—blogging, for example.

Blog is on the back burner, because I love summer and I've been spending every moment I can spare at my family's cottage.

I would like to say I'll be back soon, but James and I have decided to move to Toronto in September, so things will be hectic for a while. I'm sorry to leave my family, and a job I love so much, but it's also very exciting.

Anyone know of any nice bakeries in Toronto that might be hiring? Seriously...I'm going to need a job.

Zucchini Hummus

I am still eating raw, but I spend all day working in a kitchen, and with summer weather drawing me outside, my food preparation at home has been very minimalist. Mostly, I just eat an assortment of fruits and vegetables with no preparation required.

Strawberry Picking: Valley Sunset

Probably the last strawberry pick of the season. This variety was by far my favourite.

Strawberry Picking: Cavendish

Strawberry pick number three. This variety is called Cavendish and it's pretty good—slightly better than Cabot, which actually turned out to be better than I first thought. Still anticipating the berries from peak season.

Strawberry Picking: Cabot

Another trip to the strawberry field. This variety is called Cabot. The berries are huge and though they're better than the first batch, I'm still unsatisfied.

Blooming & Growing

Strawberry Picking: Annapolis

Mom, James and I went strawberry picking this week, on the farm's opening day (June 14th). It was nice, but the strawberries—a variety called Annapolis—are a bit watery tasting. I'm excited to go again and taste the next batch.

Raw Dough-Nots

Fruit is my typical raw dessert, but James was visiting this week, and I wanted something to distract him from my cherries and watermelons. So, I made raw dough-nots.

June Garden

Cake Decorating: Mocha Buttercream & Butterscotch Filling

This cake is a chocolate genoise, with mocha buttercream and butterscotch fudge icing for the filling—all recipes came from my school baking file. The inspiration for the piping came from here.

This is part II of Michelle's birthday. I made it to supplement the first cake, in case it wasn't enough for everyone (I delivered it to work), and also to say "goodbye Home Hardware"—I worked my last shift there on Tuesday...because I've started a full-time job in a pastry kitchen! That's my excuse for limited posting—it's been two weeks since my last day off, as I was working both jobs for a while.

Cake Decorating: Piping & Cream Cheese Icing

I made a spice cake with cream cheese icing and blueberry jam for my best friend's birthday. I used this cake recipe, which I converted to weight, a cream cheese icing recipe from my school recipe file, a heavy sugar syrup and this blueberry jam. My piping was inspired by this cake.

All this cake decorating has left me desperate for a revolving cake stand. Right now I'm using an inverted cake pan...

Happy Birthday Michelle!

Spinach & Spiders