Twenty-something Days Of Xmas: Foodie Gifts

I was so tired yesterday that I forgot I was just starting a gift guide countdown, which I guess I said  I would do every day. Obviously that's a lot to ask. Every few days... but an item for each day! Yes, that's what will happen.

Two more gifts for two more days! Just like finding fashionable gifts (see my first post), it is super easy to find Island gifts for your foodie friends. You can pretty much throw a red sandstone rock and hit someone carrying a bag of organic spicy alfalfa sprouts, drinking a local craft beer, or talking about one of PEI's gazillion food-related events like PEI Burger Love or the International Shellfish Festival. (Honestly, what event ISN'T food-related on PEI, really?)

So if you want to get making some awesome Island food, here's some things you'll want to try! First up, a Paderno Cast Iron Deep Fry Pan with beautiful sunny yellow enamel. It's made on PEI, has a 25-year warranty, and is likely perfect for grilled cheese.

$99.00

Next up, J.J. Stewart Chocolate Sauce with Ginger. The sauce is made with 'darkened chocolate' in small batches, each jar 'hand-poured, hand-labelled, and hand-polished.' The food and drink company - they also make kick-ass small-batch root beer -  is based in Little Sands, PEI, and their products are available at the PEI Co. Store, Terre Rouge, and hopefully at some more craft fairs before the season is over!

Under $10

Check back next time, whenever that is, for more PEI gift ideas! And be sure to check out Lot 65, which inspired my list, for even more fun Island gifts. Cheers!

Repurposed: Kitchen Table Tray

I am one of those people who likes to have everything out in the open where I can see it. I am more likely to wear earrings I can see, or use makeup I own, or eat food we have, etc. So I decided to make a little tray for the table in our kitchen, with everything neatly corralled and visible. Plus, I just like to show off all my fun little thrift & vintage finds!

Thrifted basket-weave glass-topped tray

From left to right:

+ Vintage little milk-glass shaker with orange flower, cinnamon

+ Antique upcycled lamp from lime oil jug

+ White owl (pair from Attica in Halifax) sea salt

+ Black owl, cinnamon sugar

+ Metal shaker (old roommate's), powdered sugar

+ Vintage turquoise grinder, rock sugar and vanilla

+ Repurposed clear grinder, pepper

+ Vintage pottery, spoon holder

+ Vintage gold-rimmed abalone coasters

Cheers!

Cookie experiment!

Sometimes when you have no groceries, you have to get a little creative and make something from (relatively) nothing. We have bits and pieces in our fridge and pantry, so I thought I'd see if I could turn it all into something a little more substantial, and use up some stuff that might've needed to be thrown out soon.

The "Recipe"

- Some butter

- Some white sugar (used up! I usually buy brown)

- Some water 

- A bunch of organic oats

- A bunch of bittersweet chocolate

- Some almond butter (used up!)

- 3 ripe bananas (used up, just in time!)

- A couple tsps of flour

It basically went like this:
Melt butter, add sugar, stir. Add some water to keep from burning (eek). Turn down heat (eek). Add chocolate, stir as it melts. Think of adding last of almond butter, stir in as it melts. Remember bananas, add all three, hope they are still okay to eat. Blend with a hand blender when it doesn't all mush together. Add some teaspoons of flour to thicken. On second thought, Add a shitload of organic rolled oats. Mush around a bit. Think, Hey, these are like spider cookies! Layer wax paper on a baking sheet and leave to cool. Decide to bake in oven for a few minutes just to be safe. Take back out to cool. Eat remaining batter in pot. Take pictures!

Topped on requisite vintage Pyrex plate!

Now all I have to do is figure out what to call them. No, "Chunky Monkey" is not up for discussion.
Yum!

Three sleeps: What to do in TO?

On Friday evening, Peter and I are leaving PEI by car for Toronto for his cousin's upcoming wedding. It'll only be for a few days, but I'm really excited to be back in the city even for just a bit. Still have to try and figure out how to spend our limited time! A few ideas:

•  Eat at Banjara Indian Cuisine - we have no Indian food here, so this is kind of our chance for the year.
• Get brunch somewhere like Mitzi's Cafe or Mitzi's Sister
• Eat more food we can't get here, like jerk chicken, or Ethiopian, or Vietnamese, etc.
• Buy nice sneakers (since there is no selection in my size on PEI)
• Go to a cool bar on College St
• Kensington Market?

No touristy stuff, just cool eats and maybe some good shopping. Only three sleeps now!

Etsy lunch bags

I am torn when it comes to packing lunches. I want to bring food with me to work, save money, eat right, etc. Unfortunately, I am, to a fault, preoccupied with finding attractive things to use for anything I do, even when I should be most concerned with sensibility, or efficiency, or whatever. So I don't like things like helmets, or padded shoes, or lunch bags, typically, because it is so rare to find attractive and/or inexpensive ones, and thus I don't do things like pack lunches, go for bike rides, or have proper foot support. Which is, of course, stupid. So here's a start - some nice, attractive (and yet, sensible and useful) lunch bags.

From ohlittlerabbit

From HomesteadLeatherWrks

From alittlelark

Time to get packing!

Grilled cheese!

If I ever post about food - and I will - it will probably about sandwiches, cheese, or best yet, grilled cheese sandwiches. I know I am  late to this, but I also know a lot of people have not yet tried this amazing trick with grld chz: instead of butter, use mayonnaise to grill. It takes longer and absorbs more heat, so it browns better and doesn't just blacken the outsides. The cheese has time to melt. It's awesome!

Here are some pics of a particularly triumphant grilled cheese: honey oatmeal bread from the farmer's market, Island gouda and shredded pizza mozzarella, and farmer's market garlic-dill aioli (on the inside). And , of course, mayo on the outside. Perfection!

Evolution of a Fridge Sandwich

Most of the time, the way I make food is by piling together whatever ingredients don't seem like a totally terrible mix. This was a particularly effective attempt at my fridge-food sandwich:

First: focaccia triangle sliced in half, with bits of local gouda and bacon, broiled in the oven.

Needs some sauce. How about some local garlic-dill aioli from the farmer's market?

Time for some greens. Mixed local greens and dill!

I have a long shift ahead, so I need a little more protein. Fried over-easy eggs.

Perfect! (Even better if served on some Corelle/Pyrex!)