Spring Flowers and Bees

Wednesday, June 28, 2006

Another Thank-You Post

Halved Artichoke

Is it the summer breeze?
Or is it because school is almost finished and I get to relax even more?
Oh no, probably it's because I'm overjoyed by my foster cat and an addition of a cute foster kitten?

I don't know what's causing this, but I feel thankful :)

I feel thankful that I got a chance to take a very interesting course, Human Nutrition. There has never been other course as interesting, practical, useful, eye-opening like this one! My professor is very knowledgable and resourceful. It wasn't a waste of time [and money] at all! Because of this course, I am more informed about my food decisions and have begun to revise it.
You all know that we can eat healthy and still have a lot of fun, right?

Well, right now I have one food blogger to thank. No, I don't really know who she is. Just that she also lives in Toronto and very passionate about food and cooking. Her food blog is one of the blogs I frequently visit. Not only does she present beautiful foods, but also the stories behind it which makes me fall in love with most of the recipes she shared so far. Makes me want to get that feeling as described in the story!

This very food blogger is...
Ivonne from Cream Puffs in Venice [sorry to put you on the spot like that, Ivonne..]

Many of the recipes she shares end up being intriguing for me. Beside that, she lives in the same city as me, so it's only natural that we have the same fruits and vegetables in season. It is also possible that we have a relatively similar mood for food due to the weather.

Ah, whatever it is... I've tried quite some recipes that she gorgeously presented and I'm about to recommend everyone else to give it a try [or, you probably have :p]

When I read her artichoke posting, I knew I had to give it a try as soon as possible. But, a couple of visits to the grocery store left me empty-handed with artichokes. I wish I live next to St. Lawrence Market. However, on my third visit [I can go as often as I want since I have the amazing Metropass], artichokes are finally up on the produce section!! I can't wait to put Ivonne's recipe into practice. Also can't wait to make the best-tasting risotto I've ever made into my dinner table again! [although I literally have no dinner table at home].

Here's the Roasted Artichoke with Lemon from Lori Longbotham's cookbook as recommended by Ivonne...

Roasted Artichoke with Dressing

I appreciate this dish very much since the lemon oil took a while to make, adding depth and a lot of lively flavour into this scrumptious antipasti. From the way I presented [and ate] it, it doesn't really look like an appetizer or antipasti to anyone. Perhaps the tight budget has forced me to turn an antipasti into a full dinner meal ;)

Next up is...
The Lawsuit Muffin :)

Lawsuit Muffin

Although the name doesn't say much about its taste or flavour, it really was the best homemade muffin I've ever tasted! The muffin is not greasy at all like the muffins that use butter and the savoury streussel picks up the lack of butter. The addition of citrus zest [I used orange] really made the batter fragrant, making every bite enjoyable. Without any artificial additives normally used by commercial bakery, these muffins are truly the best and healthy!

Finally, this morning I satisfied my cravings for pancakes and made the Blueberry Buttermilk Pancake. Very easy to assemble with moist golden coins of pancake that are crispy on the edges. These really made up my morning accompanied with a glass of a tropical blend juice. I was up for my final exam later on the day :)
Since I was not successful in making perfectly round pancakes, I'm not gonna post the picture here :p

I don't really know what the prupose of this entry :) I'm just excited to get to try new great recipes and get amazing results that I want everyone else to try them as well.

Oh, before I forgot, my sister actually tried the cupcakes recipe in Ivonne's website as well. This so-called Vanilla Flirt brings forth an enjoyably moist yet light cakes in tiny cups. Since these cupcakes are very sweet and creamy, I enjoyed eating it with a cup of 1% milk.

Here is my sister's re-creation of the Magnolia's Vanilla Cupcakes...

Vanilla Cupcakes - by my Sister

So, go try the recipes...:)
And, thanks again, Ivonne !

2 Comments:

Anonymous Anonymous said...

Wow, Ceendy!

You've been a busy, busy bee in the kitchen. I think it's fantastic that you're trying all these recipes and I'm so glad that you're making them your own and enjoying them.

Your cupcakes especially are really gorgeous! I love the colours that you used in the icing. Very summer!!!

And that nutrition course you took sounds interesting too!

2:52 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I'll echo Ivonne and say WOW too! You really have been busying yourself in the kitchen. All the things you've prepared looks amazing and noted the love and time you've put in them. I'm sure they are all as delicious as they look. The photos speaks for themselves :)

And please send me one of those cupcakes by email? ;)

4:25 PM  

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