sixandthreequarters

i am ready for birthdays and tooth-losses,

but was entirely unprepared for the

won't-fit-in-the-grocery-cart-seat-anymore milesone...

keep up the great work, my big girl.

great skates

 kingston has a really great little refrigerated ice-rink at the town square,

and this year it was warm enough for us to give it a go...

i had intended to showcase these shots during the winter...

(dad had sent them through after our visit with them in january)

but i lost them on my desk-top.

kind of nice, though, to re-visit the frost and snow

after the recent 26 degrees C in march nonsense...

thanks for the lovely outing, grandpa,

and the post-skate pub lunch was pretty lovely too!

marmalade

mum's visit added another project to my list last week, but i'm glad it did!

it is seville orange season, and she brought along enough

oranges and sugar to make 12 jars of bittersweet marmalade.

we shredded and boiled, and it finally jelled...
the house smelled so lovely, too.

she has takers for her share,

but i did get to keep a few jars to brighten up my pantry!

(we used david libovitz' recipe.)

eyes on the prize

a recent gluestick adventure...

the attempt to repair mr. polly pocket's arm led to an accidental googli-eyeball graft...

safety first..

edgar suffered a little toe boo-boo,

and while i was digging around for a band-aid, he spotted

my stash of finger-cots.

i explained that if i have a cut on my finger,

i need to use them when i'm working in order to protect the bandaid.

he requested one for his boo-boo toe, which

well, that seemed reasonable to me.

edgar found the look so fetching, however,

he felt the need to cover all ten little piggies,

then forgot which toe had originally been injured...

he's got it covered.

special vietnam crispy rolls

we go to one particular local vietnamese soup shop for the #21, but also a delicious roll we haven't found anywhere else. i saw this recipe, thought it looked pretty close, and gave it a whirl! 

they did turn out beautifully, and were so tasty. 

the leftover rolls were delicious reheated in the toaster oven.
~

it took me a few to figure out the rolling technique;

the first few were not really rollish...or beautiful!

i'm sending this one out to jill,

who nimbly rolls acres of happy hour treats for the extended clan,

has a love of spectacular and simple food,

and can find taro root nearby!

Crispy Roll with Salad Wrap

from culinary vietnam by daniel hoyer
~

in a large bowl whisk together:

1 egg

2 T fish sauce

1 T sugar

1/4 t salt

1 clove garlic, minced

1/2 t ground pepper

stir in:

11/2 ounces bean thread noodle

(usually 1 bundle)

which has been soaked in hot water for 20 minutes,

drained, and cut into 1 inch pieces,

5-6 shiitake mushrooms

(soaked in hot water 'til plump, and minced),

1/4 C minced scallions

1/2 C minced white onion

1/2 C grated taro root

4 oz cooked shrimp, chopped

4 oz cooked crabmeat

1/2 pound cooked crumbled ground pork

1/4  C shredded carrots

~

prepare the rice paper wrappers by:

mixing the 2 litres warm water with 3 T sugar

in a large flattish bottomed bowl.

lay a smooth towel on the counter, dip a rice paper wrap into the

water for a few seconds, drain well, and lay on the the towel.

repeat with another rice paper, so you can roll two in succession.

(don't stack 'em...they will stick!)

~

place about 2 T of filling in the bottom 1/3 of the wrap,

and shape it into a rough cylinder.

fold the bottom of the paper up first, then one side, then the other, and finally

roll it away from you, making sure not to trap any air inside the roll.

place, seam side down, on an oiled tray.

repeat until filling is used.

(roughly 24 rolls)

~

pour enough oil into a skillet to the depth of 2 inches, and heat to 350-365 degrees.

fry the rolls a few at a time, tuning occasionally until golden brown on all sides,

(about 4-6 minutes)

drain on papertowels, cut if they are large, and serve immediately

with lettuce, herbs, sliced cucumber, beansprouts

and shredded carrots.

~

dip in:

dipping sauce

mix together:

3/4 C warm water

1/2 C fish sauce

1/4 C rice vinegar or lime juice

2-3 thinly sliced serrano chiles

1 clove garlic, peeled and sliced

,.



vegan jam thumbprints

had to try this recipe out...

and so happy i did!

it is chock full of almonds

(so not school lunchbox friendly, but packed with protien)

and oats...the recipe says they can happily be made wheat-free by subbing

oat flour for the wheat flour.

the mix itself is quick and simple to prepare, 

while the rolling, poking and filling is well worth the final product!

the resulting treat is (not too) wholesome and nutty tasting,

and has a lovely tender texture.

i used marg's wild raspberry jam...mmmmm

from the tassajara cookbook by carla oliviera

thumbprints

preheat oven to 350 degrees

mix up in a large bowl:

1 C unbleached flour

2 C ground almonds

4 C ground oats

(whizz rolled oats in the cuisinart until a rough flour)

1/2 t salt

1 C maple syrup

1 C vegetable oil of choice

let dough rest for 15 minutes before using.

then,

roll dough into 3 cm balls, and place closely on baking sheet.

gently poke each ball, and then fill the dents with

drops of:

jam, (you need about 1/4 C) thinned with a little water.

~

bake for 15 minutes, or until lightly browned.

please don't overbake

(although i imagine they will still taste great!)