Saturday Morning Migraine

Hello Folks,

I am uninspired for breakfast this morning as I have had a heavy duty migraine for the last two days. I need to eat or cook something to help me get rid of it but, I am uninspired.

Broke down to Plain toast and gonna try some coffee (sometimes it helps-hit or miss).

It is also my friend Pat's birthday and I tought I'd try to make him some muffins with a cream cheese topping... not sure how it will turn out... if and when I could get this migraine to leave this pretty little head of mine.

Cravings

Have you ever had a craving for something that won't go away until you have that particular thing? I have been craving dill pickles for the last 2 weeks now and have not had the chance to have one yet.

The pickles that I am craving are the ones that crunch when you bite into them and are very garlicy. I know that at Akhavan on Sherbrooke street in NDG they sell them loose- I haven't tried them yet but I will this weekend.

My cravings are random and not from pregnancy that's for sure but they creep up and hit me strong to the point that I can taste them. It's weird.

Just thought that I'd share that with you all... not that there is anyone reading this blog anyway... :(

Coffee, Pecan, and Maple cake - from Coffee indulgences-(susannah blake 2007)

Well, I didn't feel like making this cake but I wanted to try the new mini muffin pan I bought at 40% off... It is gorgeous.

The recipe that I made came from a book that I bought about a year ago on coffee- a book that makes things with coffee (deserts) I have yet to make anything from it unitl now. And of course I have modified my recipe -- as usual!

here is the recipe (p.17)

Coffee, Pecan, and Maple cake

1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, room temp

3/4 cup sugar

3 eggs

1 1/4 cup self-rising flour (or add 1 tablespoon of baking powder to 1 cup of flour)

1/2 cup roughly chopped pecans

Frosting

7 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temp

2 tablespoons pure maple syrup

2 teaspoons instant coffee disolved

1 teaspoon just boiled water

1 1/3 cups confectioners' sugar, sifted

pecans to decorate

(two 8 inch cake pans round, greased and basses lined with parchment paper) or a muffin pan with muffin linings.

-----

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Beat together the butter and sugar until pale and creamy, then beat in the eggs- one at a time. Sift over the flour and fold in, then fold in the coffee and pecans.

Divid the mixture between the prepared cake pans ( my case the bran spanking new muffin pan :) ) spread in even layer. Bake for about 20 munutes until golden and a skewer ( toothpick) inserted in the center comes out clean.

Turn out onto wire rack and let cool completely.

To make the frosting, beat the butter until creamy, then add the maple syrup and coffee and sift over half the confectioners' sugar. Beat together until smooth and cream, then gradually beat in the remaining confectioners' sugar.

Put one of the cakes on a serving plate and slice a thin layer off the top to create a flat surface. Spread slightly les than half the frosting over the top. Put the second cake on the filling and spread the remaining frosting over top. Decorate with pecans.

I tried a muffin and they aren't half bad. I really like them They made 23 small muffins.

I will be posting a picture of them. :) please let me know if you liked the recipe...

Research paper for CLAS 298G

We have a project to do for class - it is basically picking a foodstuff in the Greco-Roman antiquity period and "trace its use from earliest deomestication/agricultural expoitation, through production its use/consumption, storage, and trade" (syllabus- Dr. Jane Francis Clas 298G/2)

any ideas? I was thinking coffee. Greek coffee. :)

Hungry now~

Dinner for tonight:

Plain rice with Chicken breast baked with bread crumbs and a special spice mix that I ground up in my mortar/pestle- a piri piri blend bought at the atwater market with my friend Caroline.

It's baking now and smells fantastic. Just a simple meal. Wish I had some olives though.

Labour Day in Montreal

My labour days consists of a lazy hazy day. Carefully planned and executed down to the finest detail of procrastinating and slacking off from house work and bed making!

I am surfing the net and trying to plan my school schedule for this semester- trying to decide if I should bring my laptop to school or use a note book. I know this is all very boring you but to those who get it - get it! I think that I will use my mac as I have become better at using the software at my disposal.

Another dilema that I am having is what to have for supper? I have just remembered that I have a chicken breast in the freezer and have taken it out for defrosting. It will be a mixed mash of ingredients - I forgot to do groceries this weekend. :( So, grilled Chicken breast with rice or maybe lentils.

The movie Julie & Julia

Ok, I have heard mixed reviews for this film and frankly I was truely surprised by it. I didn't know what to expect and was delighted to be inspired by such a film.

I have longed to learn how to cook and have reciently started - over the last new year 2009 my new year resolution was to cook a new recipe every week. I have tried to keep my recipes going - So, I haven't done a new recipe each week more like one or two new recipes every two weeks.

I am enjoying it to the fullest though.

I want to cook for my friends, family and hell even strangers but find myself with time scheduling problems. I will continue to cook as much as I can to improve myself and my cooking abilities. Julie & Julia was truely a fantastic film and it will be on my shelf as soon as I could get my hands on a copy.

I was supposed to go away for the weekend - plans changed and I find myself here in good ol' Montreal wondering what I should cook for dinner tonight and all I want to do is pick up a copy of Julia Child's book and start from scratch. Can't do it but I will certainly do my best to make something great tonight. I have plans on making something fantastic for the friend I was supposed to visit this weekend. Need to be prepared for that when the time comes.

My random thoughts must be getting to boring now- I will leave you and come up with a recipe that I will share with this blog soon.