New Years Highlights (Part 2)

Top 'o the mornin' to ya, sugar tops!

As Haydn said last post, we're taking the New Year as an opportunity to round up our favorite posts from 2012. And not only is it the new year but almost our 1 year blogiversary - we're managed to post (relatively) regularly for 52 weeks. Word up, brah. So a round up seems fitting, yes?

My favorite part of the blog by far - aside from harassing Haydn about deadlines and organizing posts - are the Rock Paper Ingredient (RPI) challenges. I love selecting an ingredient and discovering how Haydn and I each spin it. Maybe it's time to open that shit up to more people?.....what do you think? More RPI? More people?

In order of appearance, let the countdown begin...

 

12. RPI Mission Mango: Mango 2 Ways - Firely Lime Sauce & Tempura Sliced Mango

11. RPI Mission Endive: Endive "Cup" Risotto Balls with Cup Salad

10. Poached Egg Over Creamy Polenta (with Mushrooms, Blue Cheese & Pistachios)

9.  RPI Mission Fava Bean: Habas con Jamon with Seared Tuna

8. Ya Need a Date Stud? (aka bacon wrapped dates with marcona almonds)

7. RPI Bourbon: Bourbon with a Side of Bourbon - The Old Fashioned with Bourbon Soaked Cherries

6. Pickled Fennel with Orange

5. RPI Mission Pistachios: Chocolate Cake with Pulverized Pistachios and Espresso Icing

4. A Mini-Break (not the best post...but the only one for this month). I was moving across the world, as Haydn says. Reality: across the country. Sometimes it feels like the world though.

 

3. A Little More "About Us".

2. RPI Maple Syrup: Christmas Caucasion

1. Scalloped Potatoes

Happy New Years my friends! What are you looking forward to this year?

New Years Highlights

The Lowdown:

Homemade Naan

Being the first post of the new year, Kristy and I thought it would be fun to highlight our past year. I know, super original and all that jazz. Regardless of the lack of originality we're doing it anyway, because we're just like that (insert 90's hip-hop pose). It has been an interesting year in terms of culinary experiences, and although it may be a boring post, I am too lazy to make food after the holidays. In other words, deal with it (or don't you're an adult).

For starters, my new years lie (resolution) is, and has been for the last 6 years, to try new things. It's ambiguous, fail proof, and encourages you to be a bit more daring. Daring in the sense of trying a different entree at your favourite restaurant, not in the sense of jumping off a roof with a cape around your neck. 

To encourage this, a group of friends and I have started going to a new restaurant every Friday to try out different cuisines or different renditions on the classics. That has brought forward the flavours of Chinese, Malaysian, Japanese, American, Tapas, Polish, and German cuisines. Not to mention beer. A whole lot of beer. 

Pistachio Crusted Schnitzel w/ Beet Cherry Chutney

I tried my first octopus this year, which I loved a lot more than I thought I would. I smoked food for the first time. Made homemade bread for the first time. Tried a maple syrup donut beer. Tried bacon vodka. Experienced my first two day hangover (for the love of everything holy, that's the first sign of getting old... or stupid). Tried ox tail for the first time. To sum it up, this blog has inspired me to break my habits and really explore the world of food and beverage. Well, I was doing it on my own prior to this blog; however, seeing as I am writing this post I will simply say it is all because of the blog.

I'm not sure how we are supposed to be doing this post, as Kristy and I have resorted to talking via text messages, but from what I gathered we are putting up a list of our favourite posts throughout the year.

Bodacious Beet & Barley Burgers

The Playlist:

1. I'd say all in all, my favourite post of the year was the Bodacious Beet & Barley Burgers. They are mind-blowingly healthy, fairly easy to make (other than the dyed hands), and packed a wallop of flavour. Add goat cheese and sliced apple to that mix and you may consider going vegetarian (just kidding). What's better is that you don't feel bad about cooking them on a cast iron skillet (damn you BBQ haters on my strata council).
2. Although it's not a recipe, my second favourite post(s) has been all of the RPIs. It is an extremely fun and creative way to try new ingredients. It has also been a way to alter childhood classics into something a bit more acceptable (ps. dipping grilled cheese sandwiches into chocolate milk will never be acceptable).
3. My favourite drink (cocktail) post is of course, the Happy John (Orange Boston Sour). The story still makes me laugh to myself from time to time. That, of course, is secondary to the fact that I actually really enjoy the drink. It makes me feel so sophisticated, suave, and intelligent. So pretty much, everything I'm not.
4. This blog has helped to enforce that Kristy and I stay in somewhat regular contact with each other. As many of you know she moved across the world, so this helps tie us together. Sentimental, yes; but it is one of the main reasons that I wanted to continue this blog throughout the new year. 
5. Finally, I'd like to thank every individual person and guest that read, tried out our recipes, pinned (whatever that is), helped promote, commented, or featured our recipes on their site. You're all pretty darn awesome in my mind. Cheers to a new year full of bad jokes, mediocre food, and bickering.

The Happy John (Orange Boston Sour)

A Little More "About Us"

So this last month was dreadful... for you guys. For that, we are sorry. We will try to never take a month off again. So to get back into the swing of things Kristy and I thought that we would do another little Q & A. Think of it as a way for us to get our blogging caps back on again after a long - and I mean long - enjoyable break. I guess, it's also a chance for you, the readers, to get a tiny glimpse of who we really are. Luckily, it's only a tiny glimpse. Any more knowledge of us and it would be a complete and utter disaster (especially Kristy, she's crazy).

What do you miss most now that Kristy lives in Toronto?

I have nobody that equals or outmatches my ability to rant about nothing anymore. Also, nobody complains when I eat McDonalds now, so there is nobody to keep me in check.

What do you miss most since Haydn still lives in Victoria?

His laugh. And lazing on his couch with a glass of wine. (H: I would hardly say there was ever any "lazing," it was more of a break from bickering.)

What have you learned since starting this blog?

 H: I have learned that, unfortunately, this culinary realm seems to be a lot more superficial than I originally would have assumed. Food porn, it appears, is more important that substance or creativity (K: It IS porn, you know! Not that that's a bad thing...). With that in mind, I have also learned that it gets increasingly difficult to stay creative with your recipes as time goes on (sometimes you just crave the same thing over and over again). Finally, I have learned that shopping at 1am is a blessing that can't be described by mere mortal words.

K: It IS porn, after all, no? What I've learned - While I want to post more than I do on this blog, I just don't have the time. Gastronomical Sovereignty is still my primary blog and 3 posts per week there means only 1 here. I'm sad for that. Also, I don't like goat meat, I do enjoy teasing Haydn and while I'm all for a little roughness in the bedroom, Fifty Shades of Grey is a terrifying novel of abuse and torture - it's not romantic people!

What menu items are you always happiest to see when visiting a new restaurant?

H: Cheese plates, real mac n cheese, oceanwise mussels, blackened snapper (or similar fish), butter chicken, duck poutine, root chips... I just got lost thinking about food, but that is just a few of them.

K: Mac and cheese. Obviously. And any clever rendition of whatever is in season locally from happy food producers at that time.

Name one food item that you are planning to use, that you have never used before.

H: Bison heart. Luckily enough, I've befriended a few chefs and we've discussed the idea of a cured, smoked bison heart.

K. I'm going to ferment foods. And then eat them.

Other than cooking, what are you pastimes?

H: Skimboarding, poking around in specialty food stores, complaining (K: aye. yes.), being the #1 boyfriend candidate, playing hockey with the boys, beer, and plotting how to escape to a tropical island.

K: Food food food! Reading books, camping, wine, swooning over Joseph Gordon-Levitt and plotting how to keep Haydn on said tropical island.

Favourite ice cream?

H: Being lactose intolerant it's a trick question (K: Why did you always let me feed you so much cheese???). I would have to say a good quality strawberry or peanut butter (if I'm willing to deal with the stomach pains).

K: Neopolitan. Or mint chocolate chip. 

If you were to be any dog breed, what would it be?

H: Jack Russell. Too much energy and no purpose.

K. Chow Chow. I'm fuzzy (I don't shave as often as I should), I have a cute face and a tendency to bite. (H: She's not joking about the biting either)

What are your guilty pleasures when it comes to food?

H: Cheezies, KD, microwavable burritos, McDonalds, Doritos (only the spicy ones), Eagle Brand (only in my espresso), brownies & cookies.

K: Italian food. Frequently and without apology to my thighs. Also, KD when hung over.

A mini-break...

...as Bridget Jones would say... is a sign of true love.

But knowing Haydn, I don't think I'm going to get too far with much Ms. Jones speak so here's the deal:

With all the hecticness and crazy wild adventures of life going on right now - I'm moving across the country and obnoxiously dear Haydn is starting school - there just isn't time for blogging. Seriously. Unless you want us to stab our loved ones in our sleep - something Bridget wouldn't approve of - we need a break.

Yeah, it's true, a few things have changed. Primarily, our time available to do anything. Kristy has moved across the entire universe it seems, and I've started a single course again. So the two aren't exactly equal, but still, we are both busy. Too busy. Maybe it's because we started this together, maybe it's because one of us completely left the other to move to the other coast, or maybe it's because we just needed a month off. Regardless, time seems to be a scarce commodity. For this reason, we will be taking September off to regain our composure.  Err, we never had any composure to regain in the first place.

Speak for yourself sir!

I'm sure that you will forgive us. Actually, there isn't really a choice. By now, you are surely addicted to our antics and poor sense of humor. By poor, I mean amazing. Oh right, the recipes and cooking techniques might be a close second. Despite what is first or second in your minds, we have taken a slight siesta. Just something we have to do folks. School, life, life, and life are all things that command our attention. Oh right, and Kristy moved half way across the universe.

We will be back shortly, don't forget us. Or if you do forget us, make sure you remember us when come back. If you do by chance forget us, at least it will give us a second chance for a good first impression.

Haydn, you don't give a good first impression. I, on the other hand, am lovely. And charming. And have a great rack. The point is though, this mini-break is FAR from permanent... Keep us on your bloglovin' and in your blog feed and keep harassing us on twitter and facebook because I promise we'll be back the first week of October. We just need some space. It's not you - it's us.

....And as Bridget says - it's the sign of true love. (i had to get it in one more time)...

.....that's what she said....

xo - happy eating and drinking,

Kristy & Haydn

Pickled Fennel with Orange

 Good morning sugar pops!

There are some traditions we could stand to lose - witch burning, paying for medical care, exclusively heterosexual marriage... 

But then there are some that we need to fervently grab onto. 

One of these, is preserving food.

It's something many of our parents, their parents, and their parents before that have done for centuries but in a pro-mass produced, anti-think consumer culture it seems to have fallen by the way side. After all, why would we go to all that trouble to collect an abundance of one particular food stuff, process it ourselves and make space to keep it in when the big chain grocery store down the street has everything we could possibly ever want or need? 

For me there are three reasons.

First, it's a well known fact that Vancouver Island has only about 3 days worth of food available to us, should all shipments cease due to natural or man made disaster. That's not very long. And when people get hungry, they get scary. It only makes good food sense to make sure we have our own back ups in case of emergency. And if you don't believe me, ask the folks at Doomsday Preppers.

source

Second, all that handy-dandy-ready food at the grocery store? Most of it's filled with shit you don't wanna eat. From GMO corn and soy, to artificial "natural" flavors and colors, to preservatives, to who the ef knows what else. Every action has an opposite and equal reaction. In other words, everything you eat effects how you feel, look, and do. What do you think those additives, fillers, replacements, etc... affect you?

And third, it's fucking fun. And if it isn't, it should be. Preserving food - whether it's curing, canning, pickling or otherwise - is a fundamental knowledge to our survival as a species. That's pretty neat. And the more we embrace that, the more bourbon soaked cherries we'll have for the year. Now that's fun.

For this week's recipe from another blog, I decided to opt less for boozy fruit and more for citrusy fennel - if for no other reason than because I got a shit ton of fennel from our CSA over the past 2 weeks. ¡DPM! Does - a Brooklyn based duo creating recipes from Clara's Abuelita  in Argentina - make a damned good batch of pickled fennel. So I'm sharing it with you...

Pickled Fennel with Orange
(printable recipe) - makes 1 500ml Jar.

Ingredients:

4 Medium Sized Bulbs of fennel, very thinly sliced (a mandoline is useful here).

1 Tsp Fine Sea Salt.

1 Orange for zest cut into thin strips.

6 Tbsp white wine vinegar.

6 Tbsp orange juice.

2 Tbsp sugar.

4 Whole black peppercorns, cracked.
A Couple Sprigs of Fennel Tops (optional).


What to Do:

Toss the sliced fennel in a shallow bowl with the salt. Let them stand for one hour.

Meanwhile, sterilize your jar(s), lid(s), and ring(s). You can do this in a water bath canner if you have one or if you don't just use a very deep wide stock pot with one of those old fashioned metal steamers laid out in the bottom. This will keep the jars off the bottom of the pot so they don't break. Fill the pot with water and bring to a rolling boil. Using a pair of tongs with rubber bands wrapped around the ends to prevent slippage, carefully place the jars, lids and rings in the water in batches so they fit comfortably with 1 to 2" of water above the jars and boil/sterilize for about 15 minutes. Carefully lift jars, lids and rings out of the water and set aside on a clean, dry surface. Sterilized!

If any brine exists in the bowl after this time, drain and toss the slices with the orange zest. Pack them into a sterilized pint jar, placing a fennel sprig or two against the side of the jar is using.

In a saucepan, heat the vinegar, orange juice, sugar and peppercorns over medium high heat. Bring to a simmer, stirring constantly to dissolve the sugar. Pour the hot liquid over the fennel, leaving 3/4" of head space at the top of the jar. 

Secure rims and lids on the jars and place back in the boiling water to ensure seal for 15 minutes. Carefully remove from the water and allow to set and cool to room temperature. You may hear a "ping" noise coming from the jars - this is an excellent sign. Once cool, check to make sure the rings have in fact sealed and refrigerate any that don't.

Those that are sealed can be stored for many weeks while any open jars should be used within a week or two.

Eat.

Do you know how to preserve food? How about small rodents? Do you think "preserving" this kind of knowledge is important?

 

This post is linked up with Cast Party Wednesday; Whole Foods Wednesday; Fresh Foods Blog Hop; Frugal Days Sustainable Ways; Full Plate Thursday; Keep It Real Thursday; Showcase Your Talent; Tastetastic Thursday; Wellness Weekends; Fresh Bites Friday; Foodie Friday; Carnival of Home Preserving.

Recipes from Another Blog...oops.

So Haydn mentioned in his last post that he was "supposed" to post a recipe from another blog. I should let you in on something here... we have a schedule. Kind of. Mostly. But you probably didn't know that. 

This is what it looks like:

...you get the idea...

So this week we're on recipe from another blog or cookbook. Haydn's post was so sweet. Little Nan and her no knead bread. I need me some of that!

My post... is so lazy. Actually, my post is so sick. But I'm starting to feel better now so don't you worry your pretty little head about me.

That being said, I unfortunately haven't cooked anything in over a week because of the flu. So instead, I'll share some recipes from some blogs I want to make. In no particular order - except maybe the order I would eat them:

• Lemon Ricotta Pancakes with Berry Sauce via Sweetly Serendipity
• Vanilla Bean Apple Honey via Bakeaholic Mama
• Fava Bean Crostini via The Heritage Cook
• Sundried Tomato Polenta Bites via The Recipe Girl
• Seared Cheese Grits with Caramelized Onion via The Novice Chef
• Stovetop Mac & Cheese with Stewed Tomatoes via Healthy. Delicious.
• From Scratch Chicken Pot Pie via The World in My Kitchen
• Potato Galette via Yummy Supper
• Kale Romano Popcorn via Cooking My Way Through My CSA
• Whipped Rootbeer Granita Shots via Snappy Gourmet

Tell me that isn't a breakfast, lunch, and dinner worthy of...... unbuttoning your pants at the table and laying flat out on the floor after because you've just gluttoned yourself to oblivion and back.

That's right. 

Stay tuned next week for an actual recipe from me - I promise.

why, hello!

Apparently, my original blog doesn't keep me busy enough. In the Fall of 2010 I started Gastronomical Sovereignty, a space where I explore my ethical culinary adventures highlighting and examining the importance of food sovereignty. That is, our legal, social and ultimately political right to good, whole, healthy, happy food... with wine, of course.

In that space I identified myself as a Feminist, Daughter, Sister, Lover, Friend, Chef, Artist, Activist, Self-Proclaimed Comedian, Organizational & Control Freak, Student, Server, and a pure, unadulterated, excitable, passionate, mad-lover of food and wine. Nothing's changed. The only thing that's different is I'm now taking that on with a close friend...

...my most endearingly offensive friend... Haydn.

Here we hope to share our libation assisted culinary explorations. He's a little crass (albeit clever) and I'm a little sweet (albeit bitter) - and together we hope to take over the world, glass in hand, one dish at a time.... and now, a not so modest introduction...

...First thing is first, I am awesome. Really, that's all that needs to be said. But due to the dog-eat-dog world out there in the so-called blogosphere I should continue. My name to most is Haydn. Some choose to call me less desirable things, but they are soon dealt with. Due to the economy, and the over saturation in the super villain market, I am forced to write blogs and go further into debt... Errr, I mean dive further into the metaphorical sea named school. Although, I'm pretty sure they are synonymous these days. However, one day, like the great phoenix, I will rise from the ashes and take over the world. One blog at a time. One do-gooder at a time. One beer at a time. Actually, scratch that -- let's just focus on the food and beer, because that seems like the more reasonable thing to do. Not to mention, less embarassing. Spandex costumes are not my best friend.

"Tell me about yourself," is probably one of my greatest pet-peeves. Regardless of that, I'm going to bless you with my credentials. As previously stated, I believe I'm awesome. I don't care for walks on the beach because they are kinda lame. Especially when you consider you could be skimboarding, throwing rocks at children, or engaging in meaningless conversations about politics or what band is better: Lady Gaga or literally anything else. I love experimenting with food (not in the American Pie sorta way either). I also enjoy employing unorthodox methods in my culinary crusades. After all, fusion cuisine is highly acceptable now. Besides, lame rules made by the French 400 years ago are for Kristy.

If I could label myself under one word it would be animated. I bet you all thought it was going to be awesome, and I thank you for that. Clearly, you know me well by now if you were assuming that. I chose animated because... well, I'm sure you will figure out why soon enough. That, and I'm just too lazy to type why.