Welcome to our blog! Here you can read what Miki and Misho are up to. Well, Misho refuses to keep us updated, but Miki does provide frequent updates :-)



Monday, March 29, 2010

Back to school!


Well, that's it: I guess I couldn't stay away from the classroom for too long. Now that the more intellectually ambitious goals are accomplished (well, one can question how intellectually ambitious an MBA actually is), it's time to do something more fun & creative.

Thanks to Tatko, I'm now enrolled in photography classes! I had my first class tonight, 6-10pm. It's Black & White Photography I and tomorrow I have Digital Photography I. If I stick out with this program, in 5 years, I'll have a certificate degree from one of the premier photography centers in the country. It's a big commitment, so I'm taking it one class at the time for the moment, and I'm absolutely thrilled!

I love how hands-on the program is. In our first class, we were back in dark room messing around with exposure and developing prints. For next Monday, my assignment is to shoot a whole role of B&W film and produce 3 photograms.

While on the topic of photography, I can't help but call out a local photography genius: Chrissie White. I believe she's ~16, but I find her photographs simply mesmerizing! How can someone less than half my age produce such amazing shots?! Depressing. Inspiring. When I grow up, I want to be like Chrissie. Her stuff is here: http://chrissiewhite.com/ and http://www.flickr.com/photos/prettypony/.


M

Wednesday, March 24, 2010

First day at work!

Misho, all the best for your first day in your new job. I'm sure you're super thrilled and this will be a great experience for you. I hope it's all that you wished for and more.

I was going to say "break a leg", but you already did ;-) (sorry, bad joke).

Love,
Miki

Tuesday, March 23, 2010

Saturday, March 20, 2010

The model


Here's a professional picture of Tiger, taken by his breeder. When we went to Mexico during the X'mas break, Tiger was sent to "camp" with his breeder, who has about 10 other whippets, including Tiger's mom, grandma and brother. The breeder is also a photographer and he found Tiger to be an excellent model ;-)

On the agenda today...

1. Pick up fabric & make curtains for guest bedroom
2. Pick up paint (color is called Vancouver grey, how appropriate)
3. Pick up the last batch of tiles...finally delivered from the warehouse
4. Find a bed frame
5. Check out River Song's sale and possibly grow my River collection ;-)
6. Work on landscape plan

...and enjoy the amazing weather!!

Tomorrow is truly my day off and the 3 of us plan to go on a hike.

M

Wednesday, March 10, 2010

My first chef-d'oeuvre!

I have been taking a class in glasswork for the last 4 weeks, and finally finished my first piece. The piece is not impressive, but in my own defence, I didn't choose the deisgn.

However, I have discovered a new passion! I absolutely love working with glass and have millions of ideas for upcoming projects. Now, we just need to buy a house with a garage where I can work.... ;)



Monday, March 8, 2010

Happy 8-year anniversary!


Colin and I have been together for 8 years! Time truly flies by. It's hard to believe that I've spent a quarter of my life with him, but it's also hard to believe that it's only been 8 years.

While we'd known each other for a couple of years before we started dating and neither of us even considered the possibility we'd end up together, once we decided to give it a shot, our relationship blossomed overnight. It was really amazing - very early on, I knew that we'd end up spending our lives together (though it took Colin a bit longer to fully come to the same conclusion, and I was...for once...patient!). Eight years ago we went on our first real date - we spent the day in Discovery Park flying a kite. Then we grabbed coffee in Magnolia and dinner at the B&O. We ended up watching a movie at his place, which was the most inapprporiate & depressing pick: The Decalogue, a Polish movie about the 10 Commandements. From that day onwards, we've been together pretty much every single day.

Colin's the most wonderful partner in crime and life and I love him very, very much! I'm so much of a better person because of him - he inspires me, supports me and amazes me daily. Happy Anniversary, Sweetheart!

Miki

Sunday, March 7, 2010

Spring in Vancouver


Colin, Tiger and I just came back from a great weekend in Vancouver where we met up with Amanda and Randy. The weather was amazing - balmy and sunny; and the whole city was in bloom. The Olympics' spirit can be felt everywhere. While the main Olympics finished a week ago, the Paralympics are still going on.


On Saturday, we walked around Stanley Park. The pictures are from there.
It was a nice little get-away...









Faucets!


I've been faucet-obsessed over the last several weeks, looking to pick a set for our (soon-to-be-remodeled) bathroom and I finally have a winner! I like the white-and-chrome color combo and the clean lines. Can't wait to see them all installed!


Warm food for the soul

So here are yesterday’s recipes... After a nice day of skiing, Michel and our guests came back home tired and happy, so I had to prepare a post-ski, warm and comforting food ;)

To begin:

Yummy Warm Brie

1green onion
2tsp (10 mL) butter
1pears, diced
Pinch salt
Pinch cinnamon
1/4 cup(50 mL) pear juice
3tbsp (45 mL) chopped pecanpecans
1tbsp (15 mL) brown sugar blend
1tsp (5 mL) chopped fresh thyme
1tsp (5 mL) cider vinegar
1round Brie cheese

Thinly slice green onion, keeping white and green parts separate.
In nonstick skillet, melt butter over medium heat; fry pear, white part of onion, salt and cinnamon for 5 minutes or until pear is softened.
Add pear juice, pecans, brown sugar, thyme and vinegar; boil, stirring often, for 5 minutes or until no liquid remains.
Place Brie on ovenproof serving dish; top with pear mixture. Bake in 350°F (180°C) oven for 10 minutes or until cheese is softened. Let stand for 5 minutes. Sprinkle with green part of onion. Serve with fresh bread and don't count the calories while eating!



Then, we continued with...

Butternut soup

2 lb of butternut squash
4 cloves of garlic (don’t peel them)
3 T olive oil
Salt and pepper
1 large onion
3 T butter
2 T thinly cut ginger
2 t curry
1 L chicken or veggie broth
Lime quarters and yogurt (optional)


Preheat the oven at 190C (375F)
Cut the squash in half and brush each part with the olive oil; brush the garlic cloves with oil as well. Put some salt and pepper over.
Put the garlic on a baking sheet, and put the squash halves upside down, over the garlic.
Bake the squash for about 45 min (until the meat is tender).
Take the squash and garlic out of the oven and let them stand for about 10 min – and then peel them. Put them aside.
In a large cooking pot, sauté the onions in the butter for about 10 min, until tender.
Add the ginger and curry and cook for another 1 min.
Add the garlic, squash and broth and bring to boil. Reduce the heat and let it simmer uncovered for 10 min.
Put the mixture in the blender and blend well.
Serve it hot as is, or with the limes and yogurt.




Then, the main course...

Chicken with grilled veggies

4 peeled carrots, cut in two lengthwise
4 peeled parsnips (white carrots), cut in two lengthwise
4 small leeks, cut in two lengthwise
8 small potatoes (finger potatoes are great)
4 T olive oil
Salt and pepper
125 ml fresh herbs (thyme, sage, basil, chives, rosemary – or any mixture of those)
2 t lemon zest
Garlic, thinly chopped
4 pieces of chicken, with the skin (I used chicken legs and it worked great)

Preheat the oven at 190C (375F)
In a large bowl, put all the veggies and pour the olive oil, as well as the salt and pepper over. Mix them well, so all the veggies are coated with the oil. Put them on a large baking sheet.
In a separate bowl, mix the garlic, herbs, zest, salt and pepper.
With your fingers, peel off the chicken skin from the meat and put in about 2 T of the herbs mixture; close the skin
Put the chicken on the same baking sheet as the veggies and cover with aluminium
Cook in the oven for 45 min; for the last 10 minutes, uncover and put the oven to “broil”, so the chicken becomes crispier.






According to the recipe, you can serve the chicken with the following sauce, but I haven’t tried it:

250 ml chicken broth
80 ml balsamic vinegar
3 T cold butter

Bring to boil the broth and the vinegar and then let it boil until the mixture is reduced to about 180ml
Take it off the heat and add the butter; whisk it well.
Serve immediately

So tadaaaaam! That was yesterday’s feast! We drank some excellent red wine and finished with a delicious desert from Adonis. ;)

Now it's time for some exercice!

Saturday, March 6, 2010

Birthday Feast

So yesterday was the birthday of the best guy in the world (ok, along with Colin ;) ), so a big feast had to be prepared.

I tried a very, very simple recipe that actually worked quite well:

3-4 lb beef shoulder (palette in french)
one package of dried onion soup.

preheat the oven to 250F
sprinkle the dried onion soup over the meat
cover the meat with aluminium and put in the oven for about 5 hours.



A super easy recipe that melts in your mouth; you can bake veggies with that (potatoes, carrots, etc.) and get a great meal, especially when you have guests over. One thing I noticed though: during the cooking, the meat shrinks quite a lot, so be aware when planning the meal.


We finished the feast with Miki's great brownies, which disappeared as quickly as she had predicted. Thank you for this delicious recipe! I used pumpkin seeds, but I think the pecans are actually a better choice.



Tonight, we're having other friends over to celebrate, so stay tuned for more recipes ;)

Friday, March 5, 2010

Thanks, Brachay!

...for fixing the pirated blog :-) So nice to have helpdesk at home!

We're back in business!

M

Thursday, March 4, 2010

Fennel and Celery Salad with Pumpkin Seeds



I love making salads of all kinds. I was inspired by one of the Bon Appetit! recipes in the March 2010 issue (page 51) and made is last night. It turned out delicious, definitely a keeper. It would be nice in itself for lunch or a light dinner. It would also go well as a side to grilled meat.

I have a French mandoline, which I find challenging to use, so I ended up "shaving" the fennel and Parmesan with a patato peeler. It was a bit tiring, but well worth it.

The salad turned out great - a nice blend of textures and flavors. It also looked pretty with its various shades of white and green. I used more lemon juice than what the recipe calls for but didn't make any other alterations.

3 celery stalks, cut crosswise into paper-thin slices
1 small fennel bulb, trimmed, halved vertically, sliced paper-thin
1/2 cup fresh Italian parsley leaves
1/4 cup toasted salted pumpkin seeds (pepitas)
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
3/4 cup Parmesan cheese shavings (about 1 1/2 ounces)

Combine celery, fennel, parsley, and pumpkin seeds in large bowl. Whisk oil and lemon juice in small bowl. Season with salt and pepper; toss with vegetables. Toss in most of cheese; top with remaining cheese.


And here's my version:


Colin loved it!

M

Best Brownies in the world

(prepared by the best hubby in the world)


The other night, I was craving something chocolaty and Colin decided to make me brownies. He even had to run to the store to get eggs. Needless to say, he and the brownies were very sweet. We've both made this recipe several times and it always turns out great. It's super easy too. It's from Lesley Waters' book "How to Cook".





Pecan Mocha Brownies
Makes 9...will disappear before you know it

1 stick + 1 T unsalted butter
3/4 cup + 1 t sugar
1 t vanilla extract
2 large eggs, beaten
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (we use Ghiradelli Unsweetened Cocoa - well worth it!)
1 t baking powder
1/3 cup pecans, coarsely chopped
2 t instant coffee, dissolved in 2 t boiling water (we usually skip this)
1 1/2 oz semisweet chocolate, coarsely chopped (we use Semi-sweet Ghiradelli chocolate chips and they are well worth it. They make a world of difference).

A baking pan, 8 inches square, greased, lined with parchment paper and lightly buttered.

Preheat oven to 350 F

Put the butter and sugar into a large bowl and, using an electric beater, beat together until pale and fluffy. Add the vanilla and gradually beat in the eggs.

Sift the flour, cocoa powder, and baking powder into the butter mixture and, using a large metal spoon, gently fold to mix. Fold in the pecans, chocolate, and coffee. Spoon the mixture into the prepared pan and level out the top with the back of the spoon.

Transfer to the preheated oven and bake for 20 minutes or until just firm on top. If not eating immediately (impossible!), leave in the pan for 10 minutes, then remove from the pan and transfer to a wire rack to cool. Cut into squares and serve.

And of course, everything tastes better with a bit of ginger ice cream on top ;-)

Enjoy!

Oh, Canada!

Colin, Tiger and I are off to Canada tomorrow. We'll drive up to Vancouver for the weekend, to meet up with Colin's sister Amanda and her boyfriend Randy. Amanda has been in Vancouver for several weeks now. She was chosen by her employer (Deloitte) to represent the company at the Olympics. Deloitte was one of the main sponsors of the Olympics and they hand-picked star employees from around the country to "volunteer" at the event. For example, Amanda's responsibilities included walking the athletes to/from various sites. We can't wait to see her and hear all about her experience!!


It was also Amanda's big 30 a few weeks ago, so we're planning to have a celebration for the occasion. I'll take (and post) some shots from beautiful Vancouver.



Tuesday, March 2, 2010

Eggs in purgatory


So we both cooked the same meal yesterday ;)

I didn't change the recipe that much although I added more capers and cheese. We liked the meal, but I didn't find the recipe outstanding. It was interesting, but I probably won't repeat it....

Still, the name is cool.

Next, it's the soup!!! ;)

Monday, March 1, 2010

Chestita Baba Marta!


Ot Tiger!

Eggs in Purgatory with Artichoke Hearts, Potatoes, and Capers

Misho and I have a new challenge: every month we each pick a recipe from the current issue of Bon Appetit! and share our choice. We then have to make the two recipes before the next issue arrives. Since we both subscribe to Bon Appetit and since we both love to cook, this is a good way to have dinner together, even if it may not be quite at the same place and same time.

In the March 2010 issue, I chose the Sichuan Beef Noodle Soup with pickled mustard greens, which I'm yet to make. Misho chose the Eggs in Purgatory with Artichoke Hearts, Potatoes, and Capers. I gave them a try tonight and they turned out yummy! Thanks, Misho - I would have never given them a shot on my own.

Of course, I had to make some modifications to the master recipe and I'm very glad with how it turned out. Colin agreed. Below is the original recipe and I've added notes on the changes I made.

Ingredients
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 1/2 cups chopped onion
2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme
1/2 teaspoon dried crushed red pepper
Coarse kosher salt
1 10-oz package frozen artichoke hearts, thawed, drained -- mine were canned
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 28-oz can diced tomatoes in juice (preferably fire-roasted)
8 oz red-skinned or white-skinned potatoes, peeled, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
2 tablespoons drained capers
8 large eggs -- I used 6
1/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

My addition: I added a couple of left-over leeks, a couple of roasted red peppers, a spoon of harissa, and fresh parsley for garnish



Preparation
Heat olive oil in heavy large skillet over medium heat. Add chopped onion, chopped thyme, and crushed red pepper; sprinkle lightly with coarse kosher salt and sauté until onion is tender and golden brown, about 10 minutes. Add artichokes and minced garlic; stir 1 minute. Stir in diced tomatoes with juice and bring to boil. Reduce heat; cover skillet and simmer 15 minutes to allow flavors to blend.

Meanwhile, cook potatoes in small saucepan of boiling salted water just until tender, about 8 minutes. Drain. Add potatoes and capers to tomato-artichoke sauce; cover and simmer 5 minutes. Season to taste with coarse salt and pepper.
Preheat oven to 375°F. Pour tomato-artichoke sauce into 13x9x2-inch glass baking dish. Using back of spoon, make 8 evenly spaced indentations in sauce for holding eggs. Crack 1 egg into each indentation in sauce (some of eggs may run together slightly in spots). Bake until egg whites and yolks are softly set, 12 to 16 minutes. Carefully remove baking dish from oven; sprinkle grated Parmesan cheese over and serve.



Et voila - the final result:

Misho, how's yours coming along? ;-)

M