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November means movember, a movement to raise awareness and funds for men’s health issues, specifically prostate cancer and other cancers that affect men. I think it’s a great cause, I respect a great ‘stache on a dude and my gentlemen friend is an active fundraiser, so for the 2nd year in a row I baked a batch of mustache cookies to support the cause.

Movember Mustache Cookies

Last year’s were pretty ghetto and cut free-hand with a knife (that rarely turns out well) so this year I took my game to the next level and bought some sweet mustache cookie cutters from Fuzzy Ink. I also really upped the ante by adding GOLD sparkles because I like gooooold. I strayed from my usual sugar cookie recipe and used this one instead from All Recipes: I was ok with the result. I say only ok because frankly these cookies seemed a bit too something, doughy, or sugary or something. Definitely edible, but next year I’ll go back to my old reliable: Sugar Cookies Redux.

Now for the most important part, donate to the cause! How can you NOT support men’s health, and skeevy hipster mustaches everywhere? Don’t be a hater. Donate now!

 

 

Quick update…..

So I’ve moved to San Francisco. BAM! I suppose I still consider myself a Montrealer, and hope to find reasons to go back and visit as frequently as possible, and may continue to post MTL-related bits every once in a while. On the other hand, I have a brand spankin’ new city to write about, and man are there a ton of amazing restaurants and food shoppes here. There are also a lot of crazy-ass people, and in order to get a reservation at many of the good spots here, you need to book like 3 weeks in advance for a Tuesday night. And we’re always the last people at any restaurant by 10pm, which is rather lame. But I digress! There are palm trees! Life is good anywhere!

More Doughnuts….

My donut love (infatuation?) continues, and last weekend I finally got around to making another batch of this Fudgie-developed recipe for homemade old-fashioned doughnuts. I also managed to take a few pictures that weren’t cringe-worthy, so voila, it really is easy to make these puppies, and they turn out looking rather fancy! So fancy, that mine actually got confused for ‘fancy pastry shop’ doughnuts. That’s right.

Homemade Fudgie Doughnuts

On a different note, I have some great restaurant reviews to post, and should have the time this rainy weekend. Stay tuned for Rumi, Milos and Imadake!

 

 

:D So many things, so little time.

I did finally get around to baking these Strawberry Rhubarb Squares, and man, they were tast-yyy. Below is a rather hideous picture that of course doesn’t do them justice or even look that appealing, but I swear, they are delicious, relatively simple to make, and taste even better after a day or two in the fridge. I highly suggest giving the recipe a try for your next BBQ/family event/trying to impress someone/buy love/eat some sweet and good. Did I mention they are relatively healthy, for a desert?

Next up….this delicious recipe courtesy of Kristel’s Kitchen, guest blogging on I’ll have What She’s Having. It’s called Strawberry Radish Tartare, and it sounds light, healthy, crunchy, fresh, and just good. I’ve been trying to mix up my diet lately (mostly to compensate for the necessity of drinking more beer as the weather gets so gorgeous) by eating all kinds of veggies, fruits, lean protein and healthy fats….no starches, empty diet-y type foods, or artificial sweetners. Anyway, long story short give it a try, looks pretty and tastes fantastic.

Also…..Jane Donut. Ever since I made these homemade donuts a while back, I’ve been rather obsessed with old fashioned style donuts like an admiring fan. They are just so satisfying, and homey, and arghh so scrumptious. Well enter Jane Donut, a company based in the Mile-End that makes fresh, organic homemade donuts! Heaven! They don’t currently have a store, but were at Puces Pop a few weeks ago and seem to pop up here and there. Follow them on Twitter for the latest updates.

Now here’s a little recipe that I came across in this weekend’s edition of the Montreal Gazette (it embarrasses me a little to write that) which sounded so bad at first glance, yet so good upon further reading. I love me my veggies and get excited by really, really simple new ways to prepare them so you can imagine my delight at this easy recipe for making chips out of such traditionally shunned veggies as Kale or Parsnip.

Apparently Kale Chips are THE hot new thing these days, so you better get on this stat. You can read the full, rambling recipe and explanation here, check out another version on Smitten Kitchen, or just follow my simple steps:

1.  Remove the ‘skeleton’ from the kale leaves (ie the thick hard stem)

2. Toss leaves in large bowl with a bit of olive oil, salt, and coarse pepper

3. Spread in thin layer on non-stick baking sheet (I recommend lining it with parchment paper first) and bake at 300 degrees for 18-20 min.

4. Serve warm and feel smugly trendy.

Café St. Henri

A quaint little coffee shop has recently opened up in my ‘hood, on Notre Dame at the corner of Rose de Lima. I believe their full name is ‘Saint-Henri Micro-Torréfacteur’, and they have an amazing selection of you guessed it, coffees and coffee beans! Woot! Their angle is that they take the torrification process very seriously, and want to educate the masses on how to properly prepare the best coffee. I’m really not doing this explanation any justice, you can check out their website (SaintHenri.ca) for a  ton more information but be warned, its rather hard to navigate and only in French.

Yum Yum Yum

On to the stuff that I care about – they make an excellent Americano, had some great daily selections of recommended specialty beans, and deeeeelicious looking pastries (hello massive cinnamon buns). Oh, and the cafe space is really unique – huge front windows with lots of light, and rows of old church pews to sit in plus free wi-fi.

They are also offering a small selection of coffee classes at $50 each – I’m not entirely sure what this entails but I think it’s a mixture of tasting, plus learning about different types of beans and brewing processes? Should appeal to die-hard coffee fans, or those who are curious and like to spend their time taking random classes. Here’s the latest schedule: Coffee Training/Classes.

So go check this place out, it’s close to another FANTASTIC St. Henri establishment called Felinus. If you don’t know what that is/means, for shame.

Le Filet

I have possibly found a new favorite restaurant in Montreal – Le Filet. Opened just a few months ago by the owners of the renowned Le Club Chasse et Peche, this modern, stylistic new seafood-centric younger sibling is located on Mont Royal, just a few steps away from Avenue du Parc.

Le Filet (photo courtesy of hour.ca)

Our dining experience from start to finish was amazing – wonderful, friendly, knowledgeable service, beautiful, urban and elegant decor, amazing food, and a great wine list. Their menu is best shared, as the portions are all small to large appetizer sized, which was great for us because it meant we could try more things. Between the two of us, we ordered 6 dishes and left feeling nicely full but not stuffed.

Here’s what we had:

Fresh Oysters (two different varities, one with Bloody Mary seasoning) – so fresh and not too briny

Scallops, Avocado, Orange & Beet salad – one of my favorites, such a fresh blend of light flavours that all shone through

American Wagyu Tataki with Ginger & Seasame – great

Squash Ravioli with Amaretti and Rosted Almonds – my other favorite, really delicious fresh pasta with a sweet filling

Snowcrab Risotto with Asparagus, Shellfish Jus –  a rich creamy balance to some of the other light dishes, with large fresh chunks of crab

Grilled Octopus, Marrow & Cherry Tomatoes – had a surprisingly spicy kick. Divine.

We passed on desert but were treated to some complimentary ice wine, followed by a nice round of scotch tasting. The waiter knew his stuff and was also happy to help us choose a great red to pair with our dishes. The wine list has a surprisingly reasonable range of prices given the quality and style of the restaurant as well. This is still not a cheap night out, but definitely worth the price for the experience. Overall, highly recommended!

Le Filet

219 Avenue Mont Royal Ouest

514 360 6060

lefilet.ca

 

Spinach Meatlessballs

Writing that title felt wrong….if they’re vegetarian, they’re not ‘meat’balls, right? Sigh. Anyway, these puppies are so, so good. Like a healthy comfort food that tastes delicious, is filling, and satisfies the need for a childhood favorite. I’m not a vegetarian, in fact I’ll eat pretty much any kind of meat/protein you put in front of me, but since I generally try to eat well I tend to gravitate to meatless or lean protein options for when I’m eating at home. Anyway, this recipe is delicious, pretty simple to make, and you can serve them a variety of ways. I served them with tofu noodles (no joke, tofu made into noodle shapes, tastes so-so but is an extremely low calorie alternative to pasta) with tomato and mushroom sauce. Tomorrow I plan to plunk the leftovers into a bowl of tomato soup, or maybe serve them to my friends as hors d’oeuvres with a mustard dipping sauce. See? So many options!

Ingredients:

-1 cup whole wheat breadcrumbs with Italian seasoning + extra for rolling

-3/4 cup finely shredded cheese (I used a pre-packaged part skim parmesan, asiago and mozzeralla combo)

-3 large egg whites

-1 minced garlic clove

-1 lb chopped frozen spinach

-pepper to season

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375

2. Thaw spinach and drain excess water. This is seriously the hardest part of the recipe, frozen spinach is damn hard to dry!!!

3. Mix together spinach, bread crumbs, cheese, garlic and pepper. Add egg whites one by one until sticky consistency is formed.

4. Using a large spoon shape mixture into small balls, then roll them in leftover breadcrumbs until coated evenly.

5. Bake at 375 for about 20 minutes.

5. Yes.

 

I just got over an unpleasant bout of food poisoning (my first ever, and man, I will forever feel so much more sympathy for people now that have it!!), am ravenous, and looking to pack on a few pounds. This has led to me drooling over lots of delicious baking recipes, and I’ve settled on this one to share because it still looks fairly healthy, easy to make, and super yummy. Fresh rhubarb is just coming into season now, and if you live in Montreal the vendors at Atwater market usually have a great selection. Haven’t tried it yet, and in the version below have made a few tiny changes that I would recommend to make it healthier and heartier, but it’s based entirely on this recipe from Food.com: Cookie Crusted Rhubarb Bars

Pictures of original recipe, with my additions will likely be even prettier ;)

I do plan on making it next week and will post an update once I do. In the meantime, try it out!!

Ingredients:

Crust

2/3 cup white flour

1/4 cup whole wheat flour

1/3 cup icing sugar

1/4 cup cold butter

Filling

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup Splenda

2 tbsp whole wheat flour

2 tbsp whole oats

4 egg whites

1 tsp vanilla

2 cups finely chopped, fresh rhubarb

1 cup diced strawberries

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 and grease a 11×7 inch baking pan

2. For crust, combine flours and icing sugar, then cut in butter until mixture is crumbly and coarse (don’t completely mix together). Press mixture into bottom of baking pan and bake for 12 minutes.

3. For filling, stir together all ingredients, mixing in the rhubarb and strawberries last.

4. Pour over warm crust, then bake together for 35 to 45 minutes, until top is light golden brown and toothpick comes out clean.

5. Cool, then cut into squares  and eat it (duh). Prolly really good with vanilla ice cream!

Mother’s Day Apron Sale

Mint-a-liscious Marilyn Apron

Just a quick post on this super sunny Saturday to say that FlirtyAprons.com is having a limited time sale on their very popular (and very cute) Marilyn apron styles, and site-wide styles as well. Here are the deals:

40% off all Marilyn Apron styles (Coupon Code Marilyn40)

20% off all regular apron styles (Coupon Code 20M2011)

I’ve got a few friends that have bought these and they fit really well and are super cute. They are really well made, and aren’t too expensive (the Marilyn style is around $25, with the 40% off it’s only $15!!) and make a great gift.  They also ship to Canada which is awesome. :)

 

 

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