Afternoon Tea for Two and Strawberry "Monkey Bread" Cake

When I was in London, England for the summer a few years ago, I lived in Notting Hill right near Hyde Park. I took walks through the park all the time to unwind from work and exercise from eating too many fish and chips.

I really thought of the park as a kind of heaven on earth. At any given moment there were people hanging out, playing sports, rowing boats, riding horses, eating ice cream and soaking up the English sun. To say it was a magical place would also be fitting, as an elaborate production of Peter Pan was staged in the park at that time as well. The park is every bit of English elegance, charm and history all in one place. 

Nestled in Hyde Park is Kensington Palace, now the home of the Royal Couple Will and Kate. At the time you could stroll around the castle for free, as well as the gardens. I'm guessing the security might be a little stricter now. Next to the palace is The Orangery, probably the fanciest place to have a cup of tea in London. Let's just say, it was a little bit out of my price range. I can dream though.

Lucky for me, my favourite tea shop in London, Ontario--where I now live--The Tea Haus (in Covent Garden Market, also named after the "real" market in England) started up an Afternoon Tea at their store. It was Mike's Birthday last weekend, so instead of, you know, watching the hockey game and drinking beers, I took him for tea at the market on Sunday.

The tea for two included unlimited tea served in fancy china and on a nicely set table along with a platter of goodies from Le Petit Paris, which is also located in the market. The tray included macarons, tarts, biscotti, sandwiches and much more. I assumed it would be all sweet treats, but it was nice to have a few savoury things thrown in there to balance everything out. There was a tuna, chicken and egg salad "tea sandwich."

Saturday morning was also the first farmer's Market of the season, so I picked up some rhubarb and lavender, as my dining room table vase has been neglected lately. According to the lavender farm owner, you can actually barbecue lavender. You put a few sprigs on the coals and the scent and flavour will infuse into whatever you're grilling. How cool is that?

This would be a nice treat for Mother's Day too. The only weird thing was that we were the only ones having the tea service at that time, so a few people walked by wondering why we had a nicely set table and fine china in the seating area of the market. A little girl walked by and asked if we were having a tea party. Why yes, we had a tea party. We're adults, after all.

As well as the tea treats, I also made a Strawberry "monkey bread" cake with a lemon glaze as a Birthday cake. The original recipe called for cream cheese icing, but I thought that would be too much, so I added a little glaze made from icing sugar, lemon juice and milk. I also added a few sprigs of lavender on top of the cake.

Monkey bread is a sticky, pull-apart, cake, similar to a coffee cake. Apparently it is also known as "monkey brains," "bubble loaf," and "sticky bread." You make a sweet dough bread and let it rise for about an hour. Then slice the dough into strips and brush brown sugar, butter and strawberries on each piece and layer the pieces into a stack. Then place the juicy stacks into a bundt pan and let it rise again for about an hour.

Bake the cake for about 30-40 minutes and let it cool before adding the glaze or icing. See the full recipe here. It wasn't quite a traditional coffee cake, but the slices ended up being huge and it pulls apart nicely if you don't want the effort of utensils or plates.

I also made a layered chickpea salad for a BBQ we went to on Saturday. You have to have a salad with burgers at a BBQ if only to add some greens to all that protein. I made a similar dish before as a layered dip with hummus, tzatziki, olives, tomatoes and feta cheese. For a salad, I layered chickpeas, chopped tomatoes, cucumber, green onions and feta cheese then made a dressing with olive oil, balsamic vinegar, mustard and garlic and let the dressing soak into the salad. 

Normally, I would put the dressing on right as I was serving the salad, but I thought it would almost "marinade" the chickpeas. The worst thing about making chickpeas is having them taste too much like chickpeas. Am I right? It tasted exactly like a Greek salad. Plus it had all those chickpeas for extra fibre and anything layered in a glass bowl always looks extra fancy. Here's the original recipe.  

If you also love eating well, and bright colours, head on over to enter to win a Yonanas machine. It's a machine that makes frozen yoghurt with bananas and other fruits. All you do is freeze some bananas and add them to the machine with any flavour combinations you want and you have your own healthy soft-serve ice cream.

They also come in cool colours, such as Raspberry, Cranberry, Lime and Grape. Go to their Facebook page before May 9 at 10pm and let them know your favourite colour for a chance to win!

Green Tea Detox Smoothie and Orzery Morning Round Pitas

We went to our favourite loose leaf tea shop the other weekend to stock up on teas. We usually go every few months and hand over our tins for them to fill with our favourite flavours. I love Earl Grey and black teas, as they remind me of home. Although I don't religiously participate in British "tea time," I do find myself reaching for the kettle around 4 or 5 pm in the afternoon for a good, strong cuppa' tea.

This is our tea and coffee drawer at the moment. The tins from David's Tea and are the perfect size for stacking and sorting teas in a drawer or shelf. On occasion I drink green teas, such as right now while I am sick. I have had this nagging cold/flu/virus/plague/overall yuckiness this week that I can't seem to shake.

I haven't really had much of an appetite for the past few days. I've been subsisting on jello, popsicles, cereal and crackers. I especially haven't felt like cooking or baking anything. When in doubt, and in need of vitamins, make a smoothie. Can someone please tell me how to take a nice picture of a smoothie? Is that possible? This doesn't look appealing, but I can assure you, it's refreshing and soothing for those in the midst of sickness. Kiwi or mango would also go nicely with these ingredients.

Antioxidant Green Tea Smoothie (adapted from this recipe)

Ingredients:
1 banana
1/2 large orange, peeled
1 tbsp honey
1-2 cups brewed, chilled green tea
1 tbsp chia seeds
1 tsp apple cider vinegar

The original recipe used frozen berries and greek yoghurt. I thought the yoghurt might curdle with the orange juice, so I opted to make it creamier with the banana and chia seeds. I feel like smoothies are a free-for-all when it comes to ingredients, measurements and recipes. I also don't think it's necessary to completely detoxify yourself with juices and smoothies, but if you're not in the mood for solid food, it's a good way to get some vitamins in your system.

I did get a nice surprise in the mail this week though. Thank you to Orzery Pita Break for letting me try their Morning Rounds Breakfast Pitas. Not that I need persuasion to eat more carbs as I already buy bread, wraps, pitas and sometimes bagels, but these things are the coolest.

They are toastable fruit and grain breakfast pitas that come in four flavours: muesli, apple cinnamon, cranberry orange and multi-grain. Each pita bun contains approx. 200 calories, which is a good amount for a breakfast to keep you going. A pack contains six pitas you can grab and eat with jam, butter, cream cheese or by themselves.

My favourite was probably the Apple Cinnamon. As you can see, the bag got eaten into before I could even take a picture. I am always on-the-go and Mike works nights sometimes at the hospital, so he usually has a snack when he comes home. He also appreciated the name of the pitas ("morning rounds," get it?). These are the in-between a sandwich and bagel amount of carbs, so they could be a snack or breakfast. And you don't even need a plate...

They are also vegan, low fat, low in sodium and a source of fibre. Check out more information on Ozery Pita products and where to buy them in Canada.

Peeps Pavlovas, Peeps Fruit Kebabs and Easy Frozen Yoghurt

Since moving closer to my work, I sometimes go home for lunch. It's nice some days to get away for a short break. Usually, Jamie Oliver's 30 Minute Meals is on during lunch time. There are some TV chefs who make cooking look fun, but use too many ingredients or make it seem more complex than necessary. I love Jamie Oliver because he uses simple recipes, ingredients and helps you to understand that cooking isn't that complicated.

For example, his recipe for one-minute ice cream is so simple I wonder why I never made it before. Then when you realize how easy something is and the satisfaction of making it yourself, you wonder why you ever buy store bought food items. Although I still love frozen yoghurt places with all-you-can-eat toppings and flavours. Nothing can really beat that, but for a quick makeshift alternative, this is amazing.

First though, a recap of Easter weekend. Is it too late to talk about Peeps? I went on a hunt for Peeps and stocked up on a few boxes of the colourful, sweet and cute marshmallow treats. I was looking for something to make with them for Easter and found a few cake recipes, but loved this idea for Peeps fruit kebabs. All you do is arrange Peeps and fruit on skewers.

Thank you Pinterest. I also made some Peeps Pavlovas, also inspired by a Jamie Oliver recipe. In one of his shows, he made a berry meringue dessert inspired by pavlova. He put some raspberries in a bowl, then mashed in some honey until it turned jelly-like and then swirled in some yoghurt. Then he topped meringues with lemon curd and the yoghurt mixture. I couldn't find ready-made meringues at the grocery store, so I went with ready-made Angel food cake dessert cups. One day I will make my own meringues from scratch. And maybe even my own marshmallows (or even Peeps).

Last Saturday I found some pork shoulder on sale and made pulled pork sandwiches with homemade BBQ sauce. The pork wouldn't fit in my slow cooker, so I slow cooked it in a Dutch Oven pot for a few hours, then shredded the meat and added the sauce: a mixture of vinegar, tomato paste, brown sugar, Worchestershire sauce and some spices. Full recipe here.  

Then on Sunday we had a family dinner and my Mother-in-law to-be made this amazing "Creme Egg" ice cream bomb except it was actually mango, vanilla and chocolate low-fat frozen yoghurt. Such a neat idea and similar to the idea of the Christmas cake bomb I made during the holidays, which was also a Jamie Oliver recipe. 

What can I say? I love a man who cooks. Literally, all you do for this recipe (watch his show and count how many times he says "literally") is add frozen fruit, yoghurt and honey to a food processor. The whole point is to blend everything while the fruit is still frozen, so it will make everything else into a semi-frozen, creamy mixture. 

One-minute Ice Cream

Ingredients:

1 cup frozen fruit

1 cup yoghurt

2-3 tbsp honey

You can use whatever type of fruit you like and mix up the combinations. He suggested mango with a bit of lime juice or berries with a sprig of fresh mint. This would be a great way for kids to get their fruit and good-for-digestion yoghurt fix of the day. 

Eat it straight away or transfer it to a container and leave it in the freezer for a bit. Be careful or it will freeze solid. I prefer it a little on the softer side and with a few fruit chunks still left in there. I can't believe how easy this is. I will be saving so much money on frozen yoghurt and ice cream this summer by making my own. 

Then relax. That's it. Literally, that's all you do. And go out and enjoy the short bursts of sunshine. Before you know it, it will be a busy, jam packed summer full of activities, events and vacations. My only wish? That they made Peeps year round...

It's a beautiful day in the neighbourhood: Coconut Date Squares

According to the Stats Canada Twitter account (a parody of Canadian stats and not affiliated with the actual Statistics Canada) "67 per cent of Canadians will spend the Easter long weekend cleaning their garage." Admittedly, I am taking that extra day to start some spring cleaning. Although it's more like spring unpacking, throwing out and organizing. There seems to be an endless stack of empty boxes that  won't go away after moving places. I am looking forward to the summer in our place though with lot of beautiful skylights and hopefully a newly built deck soon.

I checked out the new Target store in town yesterday and purchased a few things to spruce up the place for Easter. I think Easter colours and decorations are my favourite of any holiday. The lovely pastel colours, cute animals, bright coloured eggs and spring flowers are all signs that Spring is definitely here. Also, some of my favourite chocolates include Mini Eggs and Creme Eggs.

I even found rainbow coconut at Bulk Barn in pink, yellow and white colours; a neat way to add some colour and flair to desserts. The plates were purchased at Target and are actually plastic salad plates. I am a sucker for anything coral or teal coloured. They have some fairly nice home decoration items as well, but unfortunately, my goal was to stock up on marshmallow Peeps and they didn't have any. I was a little disappointed at their selection of Easter candies and chocolates.

I will probably attempt some shopping tomorrow for food and last-minute treats. For now I am enjoying a day of peace and quiet. Things just seem better with some sunshine, chirping birds and more outdoor time. When it comes to most things though, the right tools for the job are always important.

Take making pizza, for example. I take pizza seriously, so when I am making it at home, I make sure I have the right equipment. First, a pizza stone is essential. One day I would love to have a real pizza oven somewhere in my house or yard to live out my pizza making dreams. A stone is a worthwhile purchase for any serious pizza lover. You also need a pizza paddle. You can't really have one without the other because you will have a hard time moving the pizza from the stone without one. Trust me, it works wonders and both of them together make great, crispy pizza.

I usually make a quick batch of dough and sauce for pizza. There are a ton of recipes out there. My usual recipe involves some tomato paste with a bit of water, honey, spices and a touch of fish sauce. Then add any toppings to the pizza, including meats, olives, vegetables and cheese.

I know it seems a little excessive. And it would be much easier to simply call up your favourite pizza place and order one. And I do have my favourite pizza place(s). But sometimes there's nothing better than homemade and feeling like a pizza making master at home. I don't throw the dough up in the air though. I haven't quite mastered the perfect pizza dough. If you have any recommendations for super dough recipes, let me know.

Sprinkle a bit of cornmeal on the stone and paddle. Roll out the dough and assemble the pizza near the front of the paddle. While you are making the pizza, heat up the stone in the oven for about 20 minutes. When it's pre-heated, transfer the pizza from the paddle to the stone and bake for about 15 minutes at 400F. You need a hot oven to make good pizza.

I had a bit of a transferring mishap with this one, so it's not completely perfect. Like anything, it takes practice and the right tools for the job. I would say that the stone has drastically altered the quality and crispiness of the crust though. And you can put together the whole thing in less than 30 minutes. I usually keep some dough and sauce readymade in the freezer.

With all of the treats and chocolate over this weekend, here's a little something on the lighter side. You could eat it as a dessert, breakfast bar or snack. The recipe is vegan as it uses a mixture of chia seeds and lemon juice to bind the ingredients together instead of eggs. There is also no butter. Save your splurging for the abundance of chocolate eggs/bunnies you'll probably be eating this weekend.

Coconut Date Bars (adapted from this recipe)
Ingredients:
1 1/2 tbsp chia seeds
3 tbsp lemon juice
1 cup whole wheat flour (for gluten-free, substitute with quinoa flour)
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp baking powder
3/4 cup shredded, dried coconut (with some extra to sprinkle on top)
2 tbsp canola oil
2 tbsp applesauce
1/4 cup maple syrup
1/2 cup chopped dates

Preheat oven to 325F. Grease an 8x8 baking pan. In a small bowl, mix the chia seeds and lemon juice together and let sit for about 15 minutes. In a medium bowl, mix the flour, baking powder, salt and coconut. Combine the oil, applesauce and maple syrup, then mix in the chia seed mixture and chopped dates. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and combine, then pour into a baking pan.

Sprinkle some more coconut on top and bake for 25-30 minutes. Cut into squares.

They have a bit of tang from the lemon juice and chia seeds, plus some natural sweetness from the dates and coconut. And you can bet these squares have lots of good fibre too. If you're having people over this weekend, they will love a break from the super sweet with these healthy, filling squares.

Eating healthy on-the-go: Oatmeal in a Jar

Things have been a little topsy turvy lately. In the midst of the heavy lifting involved in moving to a new place, I have been doing the Oprah and Deepak Chopra 21-day Meditation Challenge to relax a little bit. Hearing a meditation by Chopra is a nice, soothing way to end my day and I find I can focus and relax a little more each time I meditate. 

In one of the meditations, Deepak talked about finding balance and the centering thought was "balance is my true nature." He described how we can send messages of love and support to our bodies by eating good food, getting rest and engaging in stimulating activities. It's a nice thought, but sometimes when I try to find balance, I feel like I'm swaying back and forth and about to fall on my face. I try to find balance in work, life and health, but frankly, I don't think many people have found that perfect balance. 

Sometimes we sway completely to the side of laziness, bad food and stress because that's the way life goes. For example, I can't feel settled in a new place until I have everything unpacked and arranged perfectly. Unfortunately, that process takes quite awhile. I don't know where anything is, so it's hard to achieve my normal feng shui. There are things you can do to help make things easier though. One of those things is quick, healthy and easy meals on-the-go.  

One of my favourite Tumblr blogs right now is Sad Desk Lunch. It doesn't really give packed lunches a good name; however, I can find the humour in trying to put something together for lunch and sometimes failing and also those times when your co-worker's lunch looks and smells way better than yours. Sometimes there is just too much going on to have time to worry about making good choices for each meal of the day. 

I thought I would take a cue from Sad Desk Lunch and show off my desk lunches too. I don't think they're too sad. I try to bring my lunch to work most of the time. On occasion I will buy something or get a coffee somewhere. These are my meals from last week not counting various snacks throughout the day and office treats (do you find offices are always in abundance of sweets and treats?) 

Monday: Bagel and cream cheese with fruit salad

Tuesday: Italian wedding soup with an Activia yoghurt

Wednesday: Bagel and cream cheese with a few slices of sausage and fruit salad

Thursday: Leftover rice noodle salad with tofu and a piece of toast

Friday: Leftover pizza (at least I used a plate).
Maybe some of them fall on the side of sad I suppose. Day-old pizza heated up in the microwave was a good and bad addition to the weekly menu. Then I discovered the magic of mason jars for packed lunches and my mind was blown. It's not like making oats is an arduous process. You can cook them in the microwave in a few minutes. Who doesn't love an easier way of doing things though, right? It definitely makes me feel a little more at peace.

All you do is add oats, milk, fruit and toppings to a jar and place in the fridge overnight. In the morning you have oats that are ready-to-go. The "soaking" process "slow cooks" them rather than having to heat them.

Soaked Oats in a Jar (adapted from this recipe)
Ingredients:
1/2 cup steel-cut oats
1/2 cup rolled oats
1/2 cup frozen or fresh fruit
3/4 cup vanilla soy, almond or regular milk
1/4 cup water
Toppings of choice: Sliced almonds, raisins, chia seeds, etc.

Combine ingredients in a jar and stir together. Let sit in the fridge overnight. Make ahead the night before for cold out of the jar or warm ready-to-eat oats.

That is also why I love slow cookers. Just set it and forget it. Slow cooking helps when your house is full of boxes, bags and stuff everywhere. Oh, moving day. When your kitchen--and life--is in disarray, the last thing you want to worry about is being perfect.

Canned goods, bulk items and kitchen staples can be a life-saver when it comes to finding quick meals. You will always have a meal on hand if you have something such as canned tomatoes, tuna, frozen vegetables, oats, pasta, etc. in your cupboards. Canned fruit is a quick alternative to fresh fruit; however, the sugar levels in the canned syrup are quite high. I was trying to use up some canned goods and food so I wouldn't have to pack it up and move it to our new place, so I added it to some oats to make my own version of "Peaches and Cream" oatmeal.

Peaches and Cream Slow-Cooker Oatmeal (adapted from this recipe)
Ingredients:
1 can of peaches in juice (try and find the reduced sugar variety)
1/2 cup steel-cut oats
1/2 cup rolled oats
1 cup soy, almond or regular milk
1 cup water

Add ingredients to slow cooker and cook on low overnight. Add more milk to serve if desired.

After a few hours or overnight, you have warm oats when you wake up for breakfast.

We have just about moved everything. Now it seems like the calm after the storm. All there is left to do is try and make the place feel like home. Last night I baked for the first time in our new kitchen and it started to feel a lot more cozy. Plus there are lots of beautiful windows for natural light and food photos of course. I can't wait until summer when the warm sunshine beams into the skylights and large windows.

In one of the meditations I have been doing, one of the mantras to repeat was the word "Yum," which stands for the sound that resonates with the heart centre. According to Chorpa, you should repeat the word "Yum" until you feel infused with a feeling of peace and safety." How fitting that a word often used to describe how we feel when eating delicious food is connected to the centre of our hearts.