Day Three Hundred and Fourteen - Cheese Souffle

Dear all,

I felt like a challenge today, so decided to attempt one of the more enigmatic dishes found in modern day cuisine: A Cheese Souffle.

I harnessed the Power of Mutti who sent me her 'secret' souffle recipe that I had seen her make time after time growing up. I had heard through the grape vine, that making souffle was something not to be messed with and 'exact' ingredients, measurements and [very importantly] timings should be adhered to exactly. Not, historically, my strong point.

Anyway, I started by separating the eggs and then melted 1 oz of butter in a pan and added in 1 oz of flour, stirring like a crazy lady ( Darren watched on with amusement in the background).

I then slowly added in the Egg Yolks, again beating them in to the mixture with gusto. I then added a grated Gouda/ Cheddar mix ( for added exotic value).

I whisked up with egg whites until they formed a stiff foam using Darren's magic blender ( It's noisy but damn, it works).

I folded in the egg whites and then poured the mixture in to a 'greased' pan.

After 30 minutes in a hot oven, here is the my first triumphant souffle!! It sank a little on movement from the warm bosom of the oven to the table, but it tasted great! As Darren confirmed, 'It tastes like souffle, yum!'. Hurray! I am jumping up the ranks in chasing my goal of becoming a Domestic Goddess.

Day Three Hundred and Thirteen - Twilight

Dear all,

For no particular reason, I have bypassed the 'Twilight' revolution that has struck deep into the hearts of [every] teenage girl, 20-something girl, 30-something girl, 40-something girl and (oh yeah) every girl in the North America, The UK and probably the entire World. I found myself home alone this evening and whilst making up my first Cobbler of 2011 ( Peach and Pineapple combined - it turned out extremely well), the first Twilight appeared, as if my magic, on TV.

I fought it, initially, but then decided, as Darren was working late, that I might sneak a quick look (Darren not into Twilight) and thinking I would switch channels within 5 minutes (this was a genuine concern) but found myself drawn in, almost immediately to the world of Bella and Edward ( I know, Robert Patterson.. grrrr.. I met him at a party once. He is a funny looking: looks a little bit like a stick of celery with a spray tan).

Anyway, the kid has done good and Kristen Stewart steals the show. Gawd, I might even have to watch the next one. Well done the Twilight Crew! ( I am still looking forward to the new season of True Blood though!)

And in other news:

1. I was trying to get the 'money-shot' working with Angus today..... Here is one of my 'several' attempts...

And I did it... Spot the dog!

Day Three Hundred and Twelve - Biggest Bouquet of Flowers in the World

Dear all,

I feel like I am the luckiest girl in the world. After receiving an email from Georgian College to say that I have been officially accepted into Art School.. I got home to the BIGGEST BUNCH OF FLOWERS I HAVE EVER SEEN!

Darren had bought me a HUGE bouquet of flowers and [on top of this] had bought a large Vase so I could arrange them *Sigh* and an amazingly generous gift certificate to Alexander Art Supplies in Collingwood. It couldn't have been a more wonderful Valentines Day.

There were roses, lilies, Fuschias, Hyacinths, baby's breath, gerbera, carnations and a gorgeous array of ferns and beautiful greenery.

I have no words to describe how amazing Darren is but let it be known, I have an incredible boyfriend and I can't believe how lucky I am to be with him.

Here are a few pictures of the flowers. There were so many that I ended up filling three vases!

Darren's Christmas Beauty next to my beautiful Valentine Blooms.

A few extras to make up a beautiful 'entrance hall' posy.

I must now stop gushing, but I couldn't be happier. ooo lala L'amore.

And in other news:

1. Colin got the BAFTA! *hurray*

2. And Arcade Fire won big at the Grammys www.arcadefire.com

Day Three Hundred and Eleven - Chicken Satay

Dear all,

I am still in the kitchen today and pushing my prowess to the max, I decided to attempt some of Ted Reader's highly revered 'Chicken Satay'.

The night previously (See Day Three Hundred and Twelve ), I had started the Satay but due to an enormous amount of stir fried Kale-Bacon-Brussel Sprouts, we decided to hold off on the Chicken. However, I had already started marinading the chicken, but Darren interjected with a pearl of culinary wisdom saying, 'Let's eat it tomorrow; after 24 hours of marinade it will taste like heaven'. Wise words indeed!

The marinade included Rice vinegar, sesame oil, garlic, fresh ginger, oil, salt and curry powder. After the 24 hour marinade ( recommended 4-6) I cut up the chicken, placed the squares onto skewers and popped them under a super-hot grill ( 450oC)

In the meantime I chopped up some avacado, cucumber and peppers ( I had loads in the fridge) and cracked open the Tzaziki. I thought I might try out Ted Reader's Peanut Dip with the chicken satay so got to work on it immediately.

It first called for 1 cup of peanut butter to be micro-waved for 30 seconds ( alarm bells should have been going off at this point).

I then added rice vinegar, Sesame oil, Olive Oil, Cilantro, Rice Wine ( which we don't have, so I used Brandy) and coconut milk ( which we don't have so I used Coconut powder and milk mixed together). I then put it all in the blender and pressed Go.

It tasted Disgusting! Absolutely awful. And we threw it down the sink immediately. But the Chicken Satay was wonderful! Three Cheers to Ted ( ooo and the 24 hour marinade, holy smokes that chicken was tender).

And in other news:

1. Good Luck Colin!!! It's the BAFTAs this evening and we are all rooting for you!

ps - and to all those who are yet to see 'The Kings Speech', go see, it's wonderful!

Day Three Hundred and Ten - Kale

Dear all,

I was feeling like a health-kick today so decided to pick up a large tuft of 'Curly Kale' to add a dose of powerful anti-oxidants to our dinner.

I also found a 'mammoth' piece of ginger root that made Darren gasp when I started to open up the shopping bags on arrival home. Seems that I am still having a few problems with portion control, at home and in the super market.

Curly Kale originates way before the middle ages and has a vast array of properties, all of which are extremely beneficial for us to eat. Along with its famous friend, Broccoli, Kale contains sulforaphane which is believed to have potent anti-carcinogenic powers.

I decided to up the flavor stakes ( and make it more user-friendly) by adding bacon ( this always works) so fried up a load in our cast iron pan.

I then fried up some onions, garlic and (the magic ingredient) brussel sprouts ( we eat a lot of sprouts) and then chucked in some sliced kale ( it starts big but soon reduces down) and some chopped cashews and almonds.

And there you have it! A very healthy (Bacon is good for the soul) dish packed full of vitamins and minerals; perfect for a cold winter's day! Darren loved it. Hurray!

And in other news:

1. I have been making muffins again, today I tried 'Jam Buster' muffins as I had just purchased a jar of Smuckers, Black Berry Jam.

To make them more interesting, I added some of our favorite, Black Raspberry liquor to the jam.


And here is the finished article: A little hard.. but the jam gives good moisture throughout and all in all they get a 7/10. Another triumph from Mary Lou's recipe book!

Day Three Hundred and Nine - Skidding on Ice

Dear all,

We are being hit hard by yet another 'Lake Effect' storm this morning and I was more-than-usually un-enthused by the drive to work as I clambered out of bed. Darren was militant about me leaving his phone next to his head in case I got into difficulties, knowing that my car was 'slightly' below average when driving in extreme weather conditions.

The roads resembled a ice rink and I was quite perturbed by [a] the lack of cars on the road and [b] my ABS warning light was still shining bright with a rather sinister amber glow.

But, I had to get to work, so I set off, with bated breath and a lovely coffee filling the car with coffee goodness.

I had barely got to Mountain road, when I hit a large patch of ice and did a full 180 skid as I put my foot on the breaks about to turn onto the 10th Line. LUCKILY there was no approaching traffic and I managed to snatch a one second moment to compose myself before setting off again on my journey; now at 30km/h for the duration!

Rest assured I am frog-marching my car to the mechanic again tomorrow to get my ABS sorted as I don't want this to happen again. It was terrifying!

And in other news:

1. Darren and I caved into the hype and went to see 'Black Swan' this evening. All I can say is, Natalie Portman, you can have whatever Oscar you want! It's disturbing, controversial and dark, but I urge you all to go see it, even the boys ( yep, even Darren thought it was an incredible movie). With Tchaikovsky's beautiful music from Swan Lake weaving it's way throughout the film, it leaves a lasting impression of an incredible, intriguing and horrifying world.

Day Three Hundred and Eight - Turducken

Dear all,

It's the Super Bowl! The second biggest 'eating' day in North America of the year, coming in close behind the mighty Thanksgiving ( What better way to celebrate a World Class sporting event than to eat your own body weights worth of potato chips).

Darren and I thought we would raise the bar and (after months and months of discussion) ordered the celebrated food-of-kings, a 'Turducken' from Blue Ridge Meats ready for the Super Bowl. The chap that owns 'Blue Ridge' is also from 'Ol Blighty and despite a labored *Groan* when I bounced into the Butcher to ask if I could order a Turducken, he obliged and told me to come back in one week to collect it. The reason he may have been a 'little' apprehensive is that he would now have to stuff a chicken, into a duck and then stuff this all into a Turkey; along with stuffing, all for little me!

I managed to get away from work a little early and sped (This is, of course, a relative term due to the current atmospheric conditions, snow and ice) down to collect the 'bird'. Never before have I turned heads in a Butcher, but my goodness it must have been quite a sight: A small Blond girl carrying a bird that is pretty much half her size across Hurontario Street in Collingwood. The other punters in the shop were salivating as I strode through, Turducken in arms, the purpose of a young girl out to feed an army!

Once home, Darren took control immediately and cleared out one *whole* shelf of the fridge and laid the Turducken down to rest for the evening.

The next morning, as I was at work all day, Darren popped the Turducken in the oven and used his culinary magic rubbing in various herbs and spices to the 'bird' and watching it with the eyes of a hawk.

So, the big day arrives! I sped home after an early release from work and got stuck in immediately with peeling a ton of potatoes, carrots and sprouts. Shortly after, the door bust open and the wonderful Anna arrived carrying multiple salads, soon to be followed by Greg, Dale, Dave and Di, fresh from the local Poker tournament at Kelseys.

As the super bowl started, the anticipation was bubbling over as everyone was monitoring the Turducken Thermometer as we waited for the *deep* centre of the bird to reach 170 degrees.

And then it happened.. 170 Degrees! Here is a brief video of Darren and Dave pulling out the Turducken from the oven.

And here it is! Everyone was bursting to try the delicious smelling triple-bird. Di even proffessed to saying that it was the best day of her life ( this is the power of the Turducken ).

Here we are with the long awaited Turducken! It was a thing of beauty.

There are a number of photos but here are a choice few to give a feel of the beast.

1. Darren attempting to grab 'something' from the bird.

2. Darren's first cut into the Turducken ( ...using the ceramic knife. That knife is amazing)

3. Darren now contemplating how to slice the meat from the beast. As you can see from the photos, the layers of Turkey, Duck and Chicken are all nestled together in a juicy, poultry culinary treat!

4. And last but by no means least, Anna was in charge of the Cauldron of Mash ( which, I might add, contained half a brick of butter, a quart of cream and milk... YUM).

Di was in charge of the gravy and needless to say, we used up all the fatty goodness from the pan and then added a good dose of Orgasmic Onion! It was incredible and a brilliant tribute to Di's prowess in the Kitchen.

So, we ate and ate and ate and ate. I think there was a football match on at some point.. but at the end of evening Dave bought out this incredible ice cream cake from Dairy Queen with 'Happy Turducken Bowl' written in ice-cream-icing on top! Now, that is the perfect Super Bowl evening!

The weekend was so wonderful, I ended up falling asleep [mid blog] and Darren had to take me up to bed before the last brussel sprout was eaten.

It was however a truly brilliant brilliant weekend and [I am sure] the start of an annual Turducken-Tradition!