I Am... Red White & Blue Mini Pavlovas
Yesterday was Canada Day and it's just about the Fourth of July! I made these mini red white and blue pavlovas as a nod to everyone celebrating. I wanted to make a Canadian flag out of mini pavlovas, but no matter how many times I rearranged, I just couldn't figure it out. So...I went ahead and made an American flag instead. It's kind of funny because I feel like the Fourth is such a huge holiday in the States, where as Canada Day is more of a casual kind of affair. Of course everyone grills and there are red and white strawberry shortcakes, but it's nothing like those amazing flag cakes that Americans do. Maybe it has to do with the fact that the American flag lends itself so easily to recreation in food? After my failed Canadian flag pavlova, I settled for a raspberry flag, which was cute in and of itself. And of course these little pavlovas are cute too! I just love pavlovas. I could eat about a million of them. They have that whole crispy marshmallow-y texture contrast thing going for them. Top them off with some softly whipped cream and fresh berries and you have yourself a surefire winner. I don't remember the first time I made meringues, but I do remember the first time I made a pavlova. It was a dark chocolate beauty topped off with a fluffy cloud of whipped cream and ruby red raspberries. I made a big one, so it cracked, but after putting the cream and berries on top, no one could tell the difference. It was so good that I decided to make it to bring to a barbecue at a friend's place. For some reason it didn't turn out so well the second time around so I crumbled everything up and layered it, trying to pass it off as a trifle. I got called out on it though – if I had known any better, I would have called it an Eton Mess! These little guys are not messy at all, thanks to my trick of using a mini ice cream scoop to portion them out. I just dip my scoop into a little bit of water, shake it off and scoop away. I love it because you end up with uniformly sized meringues. Happy Canada Day to all my lovely Canadians and Happy Fourth to our neighbors down south!
Red White and Blue Raspberry and Blueberry Pavlova Recipe makes about 30 mini pavlovasRead More →Preheat the oven to 350°F. With an electric mixer, or by hand, whisk the egg whites with the salt until peaks start to form. Add the sugar in a slow stream. Whip until the eggs are shiny and stiff. Sprinkle in the cornstarch and gently fold to combine. Use a small cookie scoop and scoop the meringue into equal mounds on a parchment lined baking sheet. Place in the oven and immediately turn down to 300°F and bake for 20 minutes. Turn the oven off and leave in for another 20 minutes then remove from the oven. Cool completely. To serve, top with softly whipped cream, raspberries and blueberries.
- 2 large egg whites
- pinch of salt
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch
- 1/2 cup whipping cream, whipped to soft peaks
- 1/2 cup raspberries
- 1/2 cup blueberries
I Am... Turkey Banh Mi Burger
Sometimes people are weird about fusion food. I think it stems from a time when fusion meant foods that went together that just didn't make sense. Now, I feel like all the best food is fusion, even if it isn't called fusion. Think Momofuku, Umami Burger, or Kogi. At fusion's best, it is a mix of what's awesome about one culture, combined with something ultimately delicious from another. Some of my favorite food is fusion, although I hesitate to call it that.
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I Am... How to Make Guacamole
This is a quickie! Quick and easy recipes that I don't have much to say about, aside from the fact that they taste awesome and you should give them a go! Guacamole is always a favorite around here. Give me a big bag of crispy, crunchy tortilla chips (even better if they're homemade!) and a big bowl of guacamole and I'll call it dinner. Guacamole, like so many other things in life, is way better when you make it at home. Forget about that weird bright green goopy stuff you see in plastic tubs at the store. That stuff, it's just masquerading as guacamole. Make the real thing, you won't regret it!
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I Am... Friday Finds: 6.26.15
There was a crazy solar storm early this week, which meant that it was a prime time to check out the aurora. An aurora-chaser friend of ours messaged us a 11 at night asking us if we wanted to try to see them and of course the answer was a resounding yes! We headed up to a dark mountain top to try to see the elusive streaks of green and purple and were rewarded with just the tiniest blue-green glow. Apparently the lights put on a show at 3 am, but we already went home by then. Whoops! Hopefully there'll be another chance because it's my dream to see the Northern Lights. I guess this means I might have to go up to the Yukon...
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I Am... Cold Soba Summer Salad
I Am... Avocado Chicken Broccoli Rabe Summer Rolls
One of the things I love most about summer are the long evenings that stretch out from early afternoon all the way until the sun dips behind the horizon. Here, at the height of summer, the sun sets just after 10 o'clock. Dinner time happens a little later than usual and lasts a lot longer too. We linger at the table, chatting and eating, and taking everything slow and easy, the heavy heat of the day cooling off as we make roll after roll, satiating our hunger and filling our hearts.
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I Am... Classic Chocolate Birthday Cake
I made this cake for a self-proclaimed cake hater. But, first let me explain what this cake is supposed to look like. If you grew up in Canada in the late 80s, you'll remember McCain’s Deep ‘n Delicious chocolate cake. It's not particularly deep or delicious, but as a chocolate cake deprived little kid, DND (as the cake shall now be known) was the best thing I ever tasted. It's a basic chocolate cake, in a tinfoil tray, covered with star shaped piped chocolate frosting. The cake was (and still can be) found in the frozen section, you know, where they keep the Sara Lee Pound Cakes and such.
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I Am... Easy Sparkling Sangria
I'm not the biggest indulger of alcoholic drinks, but when summertime hits, all I want is to do sit on a sun-drenched patio with a deliciously iced boozy drink in hand. There are couple of go-tos I have: mojitos, chū-hais, and most definitely sangria. How can you go wrong with wine, fruit, a bit of sugar, and a touch of brandy or rum? I love a good classic sangria, but I love mixing it up even more.
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I Am... Mac and Cheese Waffles
I love waffling things. There's something about the crisp edges, the fluffy (or creamy) middles, and the square indentations. Waffles just work – especially mac and cheese waffles. They sound like a total gimmicky sort of dish, and I guess, in some ways they are, but they're really, really good. Imagine a lacy crispy cheese crust and creamy dreamy insides, all in a convenient handheld waffle shape. Perfect for dipping or having alongside another handheld type of meat like fried chicken or perhaps, ribs?
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I Am... Slow-Cooked Baby Back Ribs Dinner Party!
One of my dear friend's birthdays is coming up and since, on his actual birthday, he'll be up in the air, unable to make it to a celebratory dinner party, I decided to throw him one early. I take birthdays very seriously. I think it's because I like to make a big deal out of mine. I'll plan out the perfect day (I always try to take the day off work, if I can), focusing on the food of course, I'll even take a look at making sure that my dining table set is perfect for when it comes to serving a meal for him. Birthdays are the one day a year that you should throw all your inhibitions away and eat yourself into a happy (birthday) food coma.
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I Am... Friday Finds 6.12.15
Woah, how in the world did it end up being June: not just the beginning blush of June, but the full on heady dog days of June? It feels like summer even though summer is still a week and a half away. It's been plenty warm and sunny and I'm not complaining – I've been in maxi dresses and shorts (not at the same time), eating a lot of fruit, and drinking all the summertime drinks.
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I Am... Spicy Shrimp and Zucchini Noodles
Mike and I have been on a huge vegetable kick lately. We must be growing up or something because all of a sudden, we can't get enough vegetables. When I was a kid I don't remember eating vegetables at all; I think the only vegetables I ate were carrots and potatoes, which don't really count as leafy greens. I'm pretty sure a piece of lettuce never passed my lips until I was 10. It's funny because now I love snacking on vegetables – give me a bunch of greens and I'm a bunny.
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