Monthly Archives: July 2012

Cool Down With A Lassi

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Bollywood movies are amazing. Often filled with over the top musical numbers with choreography I love to try and copy crazily around my house (don’t judge!), I was introduced to Bollywood in high school. I find the charm of these movies irresistible. Sure, they might be a bit corny, and you might have to suspend disbelief to enjoy the plot, but they’re filled with so much fun and heart. Who cares if the movie seems outrageously long;  just means more time to giggle with my ridiculous pals. (My twin brother shares this love, and is actually fairly knowledgeable about the industry. Who knows, maybe one day you’ll see his blond haired, blue eyed self starring in a BWood flick.) Any film suggestions out there? I think my favourite of what I’ve seen so far is Kal Ho Naa Ho…probably because I’m a huge sap….

So earlier this summer we hosted a little Bollywood potluck and movie night.  With good friends, buttered chicken, spiiiicy veggie tikka massala, spiced corn, (some very necessary and cooling) raita, I think we did alright! Everything was delicious. After a pretty spicy dinner, we all enjoyed my friend Priya’s cool Indian-spiced gelato and especially her mango lassi.

Priya’s Mango Lassi

Bollywood Potluck — say whaaat?!

It smelled enticingly of pumpkin pie in a glass but the mango is unmistakeable once you taste it.  I’d never had a lassi before, and this one definitely made a good impression! I haven’t yet tried Priya’s recipe myself (I haven’t got around to buying the kesar mango pulp), but I made another version the other day that I thought was worth sharing — a pretty pink pastel drink with coconut milk, strawberries, mango and can be whipped up in just a few minutes.

Whether you just want to cool off in this heat or give your taste buds a refreshing break after a spicy meal, these delicious (and healthy!) drinks will do the trick.

Strawberry Mango Lassi

Two Lassi Recipes

Weekends Are Too Short: Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

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Some things are just good. Like Girls (which I’ve only just discovered, thanks to my girls), car karaoke times, girl getaway weekends, homemade sangria, dressing up for a classy dinner, dancing at the bar til it feels like a workout, and, oatmeal cookies. In my mind, these things are all kind of related. It’s like, after a weekend of all those things, an oatmeal cookie is the perfect, old-fashioned, comforting ending. I think I’m getting a little too poetic about this oatmeal cookie.  But I hope your weekends were lovely. Mine was, and Monday morning seems like a very cruel thought right now. Might have to have an oatmeal cookie for breakfast.

If it’s as steamy where you live as it is in Ottawa lately then it is probably way too hot to consider using your oven…so why don’t you just keep these cookies in mind the next time you’re able to move around your kitchen without sweating. (Or! Wake up early and bake before it’s hot and then you can have a fresh-out-of-the-oven cookie when the sun comes up. I wish I was more of a morning person.)

If you’re more of a raisin than choco chip person when it comes to oatmeal cookies that’s cool, too. Or dried cranberries (kind of good for Christmas, right?).

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

One Bowl Chocolate Cake (Happy Birthday, Mum!)

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If it’s true that daughters turn into their mothers, I think I’m OK with that.  I admire my mum a ton. As far as mums & daughters go, I think we get along pretty darn well. And I’m really glad we do, I know I’m a lucky kid! She embarrasses me every once and a while, but isn’t that kind of the point of being a parent? (Ha! Shows what I know about parenting! And more likely, I embarrass her right back…)

“Octopus Arms”

When it comes to working in the kitchen, we couldn’t be more different.  My mum is the type of person who cleans up as they go along, so by the time her recipe is done the kitchen is as clean as it was when she started.  If I’m baking, there’s usually a fine layer of flour that’s settled over the kitchen and the task of cleaning up after myself can often seem daunting. (As my mum points out, if I just cleaned up as I went, this wouldn’t happen…)

My mum’s birthday was actually a little over a month ago now and I totally meant to post this for the occasion — it’s the thought that counts, right? I’d talk about blaming my disorganization, but I feel like I do that often here…
Anyway, whether you fall into the same category as my mum of domestic & organized goddess, or mine, of scrappy kitchen forager, this cake is a winner.

Happy Belated Birthday, Mummy! — mama circa 1987

With the help of my mum, this cake was the first I ever made.  Incidentally, I made it for my mum’s birthday several years ago and it actually didn’t turn out so well: my brother and I forgot to grease the pan, so we just served the cake in the pan.  We wanted to refrigerate it once we had iced it (with really, really thick chocolate ganache) so we put some (unlit) candles in it and popped it into the refrigerator until dessert…when it came time to serve it the ganache had become so hard it was impossible to cut the cake (or get it out of the pan), and the candles were pretty much cemented in there. …it still tasted really good, though!
Since then, I’ve used this recipe so often I think I have it down to 10 minutes of prep time — pretty handy for a dessert that can actually look pretty fancy if you don’t bring robots into the equation (not that there’s anything wrong with them!).

This is the cake that comes up in my house for practically every birthday or occasion — just because it’s so easy to make doesn’t mean it isn’t decadent! Rich, moist, and intensely chocolatey, this cake is the bomb…I got it from my mama!  Mum’s One Bowl Chocolate Cake

Stand Behind Canada’s Scientists

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In May I wrote about how Stephen Harper was killing environmental science with Bill C-38.  Since then, the bill passed easily and more and more cuts continue to be made to research and environmental programs in Canada.  Since winning a majority, the Conservative party seems to have been systematically cutting down environmental policies and funding to major centres of scientific advancement– like shutting down the Experimental Lakes Area which is (was) known throughout the world as a leader in freshwater research.  These budget cuts aren’t happening to just “fight an economic deficit”, Harper is muzzling federal scientists and trying to get rid of any evidence that might not support his political ideologies.

Scientists aren’t usually the big-protest-type, but on Tuesday hundreds of people marched to Parliament Hill to rally against these cuts and mourn the death of evidence. This has captured international attention which will hopefully put more pressure on the government as their shortsighted cuts to the environment come into the spotlight.

Photo by Jean Levac, Ottawa Citizen

Regardless of political beliefs, I think that everyone should want to know that important decisions being made by our government are being made based on solid facts and research.  We need evidence-based decisions, not decision-based evidence. These cuts and blows to science, research, and the communication of science in Canada shouldn’t just be worrisome to professional scientists, or “tree huggers”, or activists — these affect all Canadians and people around the world.  Canada used to be considered a world leader in this field, and it’s sad to see where our country is headed.

(don’t even try to steal my) Fig Gallette

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Well hey there! I do still exist, I’ve just been having too much fun and a tad disorganized. My mum said that I’m going to “socially exhaust” myself…I laughed at her, but I’ve been battling a runny nose&sore throat combo that just won’t go away so maybe she’s right (as usual!). Amidst all the fun I’ve been having there was a bit of a bummer a couple weeks ago: my iPad and wallet were stolen from under my desk at work while I was at a short meeting.  Several other people on my floor were also unlucky victims of this thief who made off with some extra cash, iPhones and Blackberries; it wasn’t a fun day at the office. It’s unfortunate because everyone is just so comfortable at work and security is good (you need a key card to get in on each floor) so I never really thought to worry, but now I have a locked drawer and that’s where all my stuff will stay. Anyway, I’m only writing about this because the story has an almost-happy ending! The next day one of my super nice supervisors dug through garbage cans outside of our office building to see if the thief had dumped some stuff in there.  Indeed, he had!  I was able to get my nice wallet back (although it was really stinky), and all my cards/ID/license, which saved a lot of hassle. So just goes to show that there are some supremely nice people out there (I mean, he went through downtown garbage cans with his bare hands, what a guy!). I lost some cash and my iPad which really blows, but it’s not the end of the world. 

That day I had lunch with some great gals who watched me cry and ranted with me about how low some people are which made me feel a lot better (thanks, girls!).  I was also lucky to be having another great gal over for dinner that night! My brother made chow mein and Angela brought over a delicious cheesecake, so this fig gallette that I made may have been superfluous to our meal but I had fun making it, and by the end of the theft-day that was what I really needed.

Gallettes are lovely since they really let the sumptuous fruit shine through with a flaky, buttery crust for a bit of a treat. This recipe from franish nonspeaker was easy to whip up and perfectly nut-free for both Angela and my twin; hurrah! The simplicity of baked figs with a drizzle of honey is a perfect combination (even without the dough if you are so inclined). Bon appetit! And if you happen to buy an iPad with “KShap” engraved on the back…that’s mine!