flashback: ricotta muffins

I think I made these back in January -- on one of my snowy days off. I was inspired by Smitten Kitten's ricotta-stuffed muffins, but kept mine sweet with honey and sugared almonds on the top.

Here are my muffins, all lined up -- I pop them halfway out so that the steam doesn't make the bottoms soggy as they cool.
A lone muffin waiting to be eaten...
While the layers in my muffins were much less defined than those of Smitten Kitten, they were incredibly moist!

apple dutch baby :: crep horneado de manzana

a new toy :: un juguete nuevo

I realize that it's a bit late to be writing about this, but for my birthday last October, my roommates gave me a gift certificate to Williams-Sonoma. I spent part of my gift on a Primo Milk Frother, a handheld tool that runs on batteries and helps create the perfect latte or mochaccino. It also makes a deliciously frothy hot cocoa (as shown in the photo below).

(It's been a while since my last post, and I apologize. This is my first après-wrist-surgery post, and there are many more to come!)

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Me doy cuenta que está un poco tarde para mencionarlo, pero durante el octubre pasado mis compañeras de casa me dieron un vale-regalo de Williams-Sonoma (una tienda americana de productos de la concina y de la casa). Con mi vale-regalo, compré un Primo Milk Frother, un instrumento de mano que funciona con pillas y se ayuda a crear el café latte o mochaccino perfecto. También se ayuda a crear un chocolate de la taza (de estilo americano) delicioso y espumoso (como se puede ver debajo).

(Siento que hace mucho tiempo desde mi última entrada. Es la primera entrada después de la cirugía de muñeca y hay muchas entradas más que vienen.)

afterthought... golden corncakes

My mom got this recipe from the restaurant in 1981, and check it out! It's still on their menu --
http://www.where-to-dine.com/M/M403.asp =)

golden corncakes

Years ago, my mother charmed her way into getting this restaurant recipe for Fishmonger Corncakes. They are delicious -- need I say more?

gran-ola

99% of the time, I am in a hurry when I am supposed to be eating breakfast. Even if there is breakfasty food in the house (eggs, etc.), I don't always have time to prepare something. I was thinking of that age-old addage, "If you fail to plan, you plan to fail."

...So I made some homemade granola! One of my favorite breakfasts is a simple mix of Euro-style yogurt (try Willow Hill Farm's Sheep Yogurt), a little maple syrup, nutty granola, and fresh seasonal fruit. It's tasty and doesn't take a long time to prepare, or to eat. =)

For my granola, I combined rolled oats, sliced almonds, and dried coconut. I tossed it all together with some cinnamon, a little honey, some canola oil, and a pinch of salt (to offset all that sweetness).

Bites in Montreal

This weekend, my boy and I went to Montreal to celebrate. For dinner last night we went to Peel Pub (Rue Peel), a sports bar where they stock dozens of beers. They have the standard Poutine (fries with cheese curds and gravy), as well as salads, burgers and hot sandwiches. My boy had the BBQ Bacon Burger, and I had their awesome BLT on crusty bread.

Today, before visiting the Biodôme (check out the pic!), we stopped off at Moe's Bar & Grill (Rue Sherbrooke E) for breakfast. My boy got the No. 1 -- pancakes, eggs, and homefries. I got the standard 2 Egg breakfast with bacon and homefries. Both breakfasts came with toast and jam, and fresh fruit. I was so excited to see the fruit on my plate (slices of orange, cantaloupe, and kiwi)... Hehe. The service was good, the food was quick, and it definitely hit the spot!