Cookies, Cake and 'Ice Cream'.

In a quest to rediscover and pre-order my (sometimes missed) Canadian produce that my (wonderful and generous) parents will have on hand during my séjour in Montreal this summer, I head to the virtual Loblaws to see if they still have a very specific bag of frozen fruits for my smoothies - in my opinion, a healthy way to feel like you are having ice cream for breakfast.

I am appalled by the first thing I see right in the middle of the website - a recipe for 'Loaded Smores Pizza'! (Not any better than the recipes I previously posted for 'Potato Chip Cookies' and 'Fried Butter Balls', yet pretty inventive like a recipe I found for 'Chocolate Cola Cake'.)

Distractions aside, I did not find what I was looking for on the website, but I now (happily) remember the brand and blend - Europe's Best (Nature's Peak internationally (not found in France)) Summer Fruit Salad - large bag please!

To cook or not to cook... In your dishwasher?

I've heard of multitasking appliances such as washing machines that become a dryer when the wash cycle is done... But dish washers being used ovens?

Here's a salmon recipe I stumbled across while looking for an oven cooked salmon recipe:

Bob Blumer's Dishwasher Salmon Recipe

Ingredients
1 tablespoon olive oil
4 6-ounce pieces salmon fillet
¼ cup fresh lime juice
kosher salt and black pepper
1 lemon, cut into wedges
heavy-duty foil

Steps
Grease the shiny side of two 12-inch squares of heavy-duty foil with the oil. Place 2 pieces of fish side by side on each square. Fold up the outer edges of the foil (to contain any liquid) and drizzle the fish with the lime juice. Season with salt and pepper.

Fold the foil closed to form 2 airtight packets. (To test the seal, press down on a packet gently with your hand. If air escapes easily, rewrap.)

Place the packets in the top rack of the dishwasher. Run a normal cycle. Remove the fish from the foil and serve with the lemon wedges.

Serves 4

A take-the-risk-out-of-making-dinner-in-the-dishwasher tip: Richard Vergili, a food-safety instructor at the Culinary Institute of America, in New York City, says that as long as a thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the fish reads 145° F, it’s safe to eat - and probably pretty moist.

(Source)

I did it again!!

Tuques and I have issues when it comes to cleaning them to store after winter has said its goodbyes. The first time it shrank and I bought a new one. I shrank that one. After much searching I bought another one and carried it 6000 km to France. Three years later I thought I was now safe from this phenomenon and finally won the battle vs the tuque. I took special care to follow the washing instructions... But I did it again.

Hi my name is Yolanda and I am a tuque shrinker.

Spring is here... And so are some serious gardening tools!

My balcony gardening has taken a turn to the serious. With a much longer gardening period than I am used to (flowers blooming in January, herbs poking out in February and mint ready to consume in March) the kitchen fork and soup spoon from last year just doesn't cut it anymore. After a bit of shopping, I am now the proud owner (and user!) of reasonably priced French gardening tools.

Everything is Relative

No longer experiencing the centimeters and centimeters of snow the last few winters, I was quite excited to see big fluffy flakes periodically swirling around outside the last 2 days.
While happily strolling the streets of Paris in my sleeveless coat, I was continuously passed by shivering locals holding up their coat collars in one hand and clutching an open umbrella in the other; it appears they do not share my excitement.

Thinking about it, if I were someone un-used to snow or the temperature plummeting to -1C, and was trying to get about in little French shoes during a situation that has affected the airport, paralysed some of the city and caused mayhem at the grocery, I wouldn't be very excited either.

Snow accumulation. Place du Commerce, Paris 15e.

Chocolaty Goodness

Profiteroles & Chocolat Viennois
Le Buron - Paris 15e

First Bloom of the Year

Flowers and plants are such a big part of the Paris, even a little snow and slightly below 0C weather isn't going to stop them from coming out.

Tarte à la Moutarde

Tarte à la Moutarde: pâte feuilletée
The last dish in my French oven for 2009




vs.

Tarte à la Moutarde: pâte brisée
The first dish in my French oven for 2010