Peek a Boo

Those crazy Chihuahuas

A cold day, a hot lunch

Merci Bon Rouge Merci

I made cheese- seriously...

Crazy huh? I thought so. But so good. Rich and creamy, I'll never buy Ricotta again. You should try this- super easy. And you can double, triple or quadruple the recipe.

2 litres of whole milk (If you want to be extra decadent use cream or whipping cream- swooon!)

1 teaspoon of salt

2 large lemons OR 2 tablespoons of white wine vinegar

Pour the milk into a large non- reactive pot. Set to medium heat. Heat until small bubbles form on the top- do not scald. Turn off the heat and add the salt and juice of the lemons or the vinegar. Stir constantly for a few minutes- you will see the curds form instantly.

Take a large strainer and line it with cheesecloth, heavy paper towels or a cloth. Put the strainer over a large bowl and pour the milk/cheese mixture in. Let it drain. Pour out the 'water' every now and again. Eventually you will have a ball of cheese! This takes about 20-30 minutes. That's it. I KNOW!!

Give the ball a final squeeze, then put your cheese into a jar. Eat it right away or store it in your fridge. Or eat it with a spoon like I did. Whatever you do with it you are going to be so amazed that you made cheese, really, really good cheese.

Baked Donuts

I've been seeing baked donuts showing up more and more in posts. So, I tried.Put away the deep fryers! If you like a cake donut and can do without the double deep fry (there are days when you'll want that double deep fry- you go for it when you need to!) this might be your new temptation. The only thing with this particular recipe (I found it on allrecipes.com) is that I would just skip the baking soda altogether. I can really taste it and I hate it, thus making me add more glaze :)  You know the drill, wet to dry. Mix. I used a disposable piping bag to put the batter into the cups. I was able to get about 3 dozen donuts out of the mix. And if you don't like those spices skip em too. I like a regular tasting donut so next time I'm skipping them, I doubt it's going to hurt the outcome. Bake these at 350 for 10 minutes. A couple of minutes longer if you want a firmer, dunking donut.

 

 I have no idea where I got these 'donut pans' but I have seen them in specialty bakery stores.

The end

Boo!

Zombie Walk 2010- Victoria, BC

Excuse me Ma'am, You have a monkey on your back.

A recently installed statue of Emily Carr and her ever faithful companions. There is a plaque in the background with information on it, but alas, it is covered because of a typo! That's how laid back we are on the West Coast... even pounding something in bronze we just let it ride.

An afternoon at Merridale Cider

Merridale Cider

Your one stop shop for cider tastings, lunch and a self guided tour. The orchards are huge and the Fairie Villages small and cute. 

We had Red Pepper Hummous, Pulled Pork Pizzas, Apple and Parsnip Soup, Grilled Cheese Sandwiches, Apple Pie and Maple Pie. (Everything on the menu had apple of some sort in it. I would expect nothing less of a bistro in the midst of the largest apple orchard in the Province.)

And of course cider. A lot of cider... that we happened to top off with a pitcher of Sangria.