Cook Book Report

Jane Asher’s Complete Book of Cake Decorating Ideas

Jane Asher was an icon of London in the swinging 60’s – appearing in movies like  Alfie (the original, with Michael Caine),  dating Paul McCartney (they were engaged apparently), and of course,  she’s the sister of musician Peter Asher of Peter and Gordon. I hadn’t really given her much thought since that time until I started finding her cake books in thrift stores. She’s been acting all along – mostly on stage and television – but she has another career selling rather expensive custom-made cakes and publishing books of her whimsical edible creations. You know I’m a big fan of novelty cakes, especially if they realistically mimic other foods, such as the egg and chips above (made entirely from icing, including the plate). Though out of print, used copies are abundant and cheap on the web, or try your favourite thrift store or the library.

Goosed

I drive by the Red Goose Restaurant every weekday on my way to work. It’s in a small strip mall in the the Hazeldean neighbourhood.

I’ve had breakfast there a few times in the past. This week I went for lunch.

It’s old school in a cracked red vinyl booth and basement wood paneling greasy spoon way. There’s hardly any of those left in this burg.

The food is old school greasy spoon too. I had a (processed)cheese(frozen)burger

and a piece of (nothomemade)apple pie with ice cream while I read The Sun that the friendly waitperson (an owner, I think) brought with my food. The menu also has some Korean items which I’ll have to try another time.

Curiously, each booth has sheets of scrap paper hanging from hooks. It’s not to write down your order so I have no idea what they’re for (to send love notes to other patrons?)

I’m glad the Red Goose exists, and I’ll be back (but not necessarily because of the food).

The Pie of Life

So this pie I bought at a church rummage sale this weekend…

was mislabeled.  It’s not apple at all, as I found when I cut into it last night…

but is, in fact, a homemade Saskatoon pie. Sweet! Like buying an amateur painting at a garage sale and discovering it’s hiding a Monet.

Rummage Redux

Church rummage sales have returned with the spring(ish) weather.

Friday night. Lining up for the Holy Trinity sale.

Bake sale goodies.

Jay admires the wares. Lots of loaves including banana bread, pumpkin bread and something called “hobo bread.” The lady can’t tell us what’s in it so Jay surmises it’s full of beans, tin cans and rats.

Emolin & Elaun.

Turns out all I took home from this sale was baking.

Mini cupcakes. Crazy cheap!

I longed for this set as a kid. I even asked Santa for it but I didn’t get it – the reason I’m not an artist today, I’m sure. Thanks for nothin’, Santa.

Corner Gastronomy

In honour of the series finale of Corner Gas tonight, I made chili cheese dogs for the first time ever (they figure in every one of the show’s 107 episodes). They’re probably a little fancier than the ones served at the Ruby – instead of hotdogs I used these:

The same company also makes lamb curry sausage, leek cabbage sausage, venison smokies and buffalo whiskey sausage but it just seems wrong to smother any of those in chili and grated cheese.

Corner Gas has had a remarkable 6-season run and leaves the air at the top of its game, without having succumbed to any of the pitfalls or desperate moves typical of long running sitcoms: no major characters left the show, no new characters were introduced, no one got married (or even had much of a love life*), no babies were born, no one died – just consistently funny scripts, a talented ensemble cast, and belly laughs every episode.

*I think Brent and Lacey had a kiss at the end of season one (or maybe they just had a “moment”) and Hank and Karen may or may not have “done it”.

My Saturday

Breakfast: pancakes with real maple syrup, sausage, two eggs sunny side up and endless cups of the most wonderful smelling and tasting coffee.

What the heck? The Emergency Relief thrift store was open on Good Friday but not today?

The new art gallery under construction. It seems you either hate it or hate it. I think I like it. Right now it looks like something collapsed – this is what it’s supposed to look like when it’s finished:

webcam

Bought my ticket to see this dude.

To the library for cds and dvds

but my membership had lapsed and I didn’t want to wait in line to renew and risk a parking ticket.

Made the thrift rounds in the northeast part of town which I don’t get to very often.

…because it sucks. No thrift finds. I also trolled a couple of Giant Tiger stores I hadn’t been to before for remaindered dvds.

Score.

Late lunch at Sunterra market on the south side. Delicious soup (more like a stew) chock full of chicken chunks in spicy coconut milk broth. Then grocery shopping at Spinelli’s for pizza fixin’s.

Homemade pizza with bocconcini, feta and olives.

Enjoy your Easter.

Cookbook Report

Betty Crocker’s Dinner For Two Cookbook

I love the clever, whimsical illustrations by Charles Harper in this small, coil-bound, hardcover cookbook first published in 1958.

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There’s plenty of info about Harper on the net – he had a long, prolific career that spanned about 60 years. He was active right up to the time of his death a couple of years ago. Here’s a nice obit on Ward-O-Matic, one of my favourite design oriented blogs.

Though he specialized in wildlife illustration, especially birds, I think this little book shows that Harper could draw any subject with style and wit.

click to enlarge

click to enlarge

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Fishy Friday

Since basa (Vietnamese catfish) and prawns were on sale this week at the grocery store, I decided to cook up a cauldron of Cioppino.

It’s a hearty fish stew, similar to bouillabaisse, that originated among the Italian (or possibly Portuguese) fishermen of San Francisco in the late 1800s. There are plenty of recipes online – I use this one as a starting point, altering it to suit my taste and whatever ingredients I have or can get. I didn’t use shiitake mushrooms, kale or scallops, but otherwise I followed the recipe faithfully (more-or-less ), except halving it, because I didn’t need 15 servings.

I know some people are squeamish about squid tentacles, but I love ‘em.

I also made a batch of ginger syrup, to use in dark ‘n stormys.

This served a dual purpose – after straining out the ginger (which I chopped into small pieces rather than grating), I used it in ginger scones.

Birthday Week Day 4

Homemade sausage from Old Country Meat & Deli.

Homemade bannock (with lots of currants) from my kitchen. Before.

After. Not as good as the bannock at Fort Edmonton Park this summer. Something to do with lard and a campfire no doubt.

Breakfast.

Thrifting:

Sally Ann. Nothin’.

Value Village. Nothin’. The Lebanese bakery/restaurant next door is now called this:

which is a pity, because it used to be called this:

which was the best name ever.

This is where I wanted to go for my birthday.

This can’t be good.

Drinks before dinner. I finally cracked the bottle of Pisco (the one shaped like an Easter Island Moai) that I’ve been saving for a special occasion.

Rob samples a Pisco Sour. I used the recipe provided with the bottle (substituting lime juice for lemon):

3 parts Pisco
1 part lemon juice
Sugar to taste
Add ice and shake in a cocktail mixer

thasss one damn fine cocktail…

I can’t remember where I found this recipe, but I’m going to try it next:

Leche de Monja

One or more whole eggs WITH shells

Lime juice or lemon-lime juice to cover eggs

Sugar (to taste)

Pisco (to taste)

Place whole eggs, in shell, in a jar. Cover with lemon/lime juice. Seal the jar and refrigerate. Leave the eggs to marinate for 2-3 weeks. The shells should become soft. Place the eggs and juice in a blender and blend until smooth. Strain to remove egg membranes. Add sugar and pisco to taste.

So with the apparent demise of Churros King (damn, I was looking forward to sopaipillas, humitas, and torta mil hojas – and churros of course), my second choice was Tropika – delicious Malaysian food and Trader Vic’s style exotic drinks.

Brandon & Natasha share a Scorpion in a Moai bowl.

Cindy & Don suck on a Passion Punch.

Singapore Sling.

Tropika Sour.

Passion Punch.

Bahia.

Rob & Jill.

I forgot to take pictures of the food until it was almost gone.

My favourite cards have money in them (and play disco tunes).

Birthday Week Day 3

Breakfast at Wild Earth Cafe.

Great, I’m probably going to get a ticket.

VV: Nothing.

Cement Moai outside artists’ studio building.

Sally Ann Collectibles: Nothing.

Goodwill: Nothing.

Beacon: Nothing.

Sally Ann: Nothing. I’m starting to get weary and cranky.

Humbug.

Another Goodwill.

Something! At last! I’ve been looking for this soundtrack for awhile. I’ll have more to say about it on Saturday.

VV 2. Back to suckage. And have you noticed how early it gets dark these days?