Chocolate-Peanut Butter Pie

For the first time in a long time, I had a day off on Friday.  The last day off I had that wasn’t a stat holiday was back in MARCH.  WTH?  I had the day planned out:  Bob and I were going to take Mum out for crepes at Kawaii Crepe, go to Boonstra’s for strawberry picking, and then maybe go to Home Sense to check out some new wares.  But before all the shenanigans were to begin, I had to come up with a dessert to bring over to the ladies night dinner I was attending later that evening.

What to make?  What to make that’ll be quick and ready to go by the time I get back?  Out of our small group of awesome, foxy ladies, one has food allergies.  And the two things that she could not have were: citrus and nuts.  CRAP!  So, I’m online looking for “great!” “summer!” “desserts!”.  And what comes up?  Citrus something-or-other.  Lemony thing-she-can’t-eat.  Nuts’n-butts disaster.  I was totally boned.  Why did everything that was sounding SO amazing were the things I couldn’t make?  So, I emailed Ms. T and asked her specifically which citrus and which nuts (because it can be specific).  Turns out ALL citrus :(.  But, she was ok with peanuts.  Translation: peanut butter is an option.  HALLELUJAH!

Okonomiyaki

Okonomiyaki - 1

Wikipedia:
“Okonomiyaki (お好み焼き^?) is a Japanese savoury pancake containing a variety of ingredients. The name is derived from the word okonomi,meaning “what you like” or “what you want”, and yaki meaning “grilled” or “cooked” (cf. yakitori and yakisoba). Okonomiyaki is mainly associated with Kansai or Hiroshima areas of Japan, but is widely available throughout the country. Toppings and batters tend to vary according to region.”

The last time I had okonomiyaki, my ex-boyfriend made it for me and he did a pretty good job.  But I haven’t had it since then and I think it’s about time I reacquaint my tastebuds.

HAPPY MOTHER’S DAY!

[I know I'm a day early but I won't really be home tomorrow...]

HAPPY MOTHER’S DAY 2010!!!
to all the lovely ladies and their mothers.

In my younger years, I used to work at Broadway Florists at Polo Park mall.  Yup, I was once a mall brat.  Not cool enough for fashion retail, but spunky enough to sell you a nice bouquet.  {Believe you me, I’ve heard it all:  ”I need a bouquet of flowers for my girlfriend whom I was going to propose to this weekend and when I came home from my business trip, she moved out of our house” is a good example.}  Mother’s Day was THE BUSIEST day of the year with Valentine’s Day coming a close second.  Not everyone has a honey, but EVERYONE has a Mother.

Me and my "son", Horace. It was cold this past week and I asked him to get my mitts. He didn't listen and actually ignored me. I'm not holding my breath for Mother's Day...

This year, my sister and I decided to make a photobook of “the kids” [my sister, her husband, Bob, Horace, and myself] for mum via Photobook Canada.  Unfortunately, I submitted our book a little too late (on April 30th and it takes about 10-12 business days until delivery :( ).  So, it hasn’t arrived.  Hopefully it will do so this week.  Bob also bought her a nice Nielsen-Massey Tahitian Vanilla.  And my Chef Sister is making us all brunch tomorrow.  If that’s not love, then I don’t know what is.  {I can also freely advertise this because my mum does not use the internet.}  Ideally, if I was a self-made millionaire or a lottery winner, I’d fly my mum to Paris or someplace equally nice.  Hopefully one day this will happen.

Have you ever taken your Mum out for lunch or dinner on Mother’s Day only to find it to be a bust?  We’ve gone out before and it sucks.  It’s nice that my little sis has been so kind to be our chef for the day.

So, what do you plan on doing for your Mum this year?  Will you go the “traditional” route of flowers, possibly chocolates, a nice day at the spa?  Or is your plan something entirely different?

Whatever you choose to do, I’m sure you and your mothers will have a lovely time.  Happy Mother’s Day to one and all.

Love lots/Friends Always, Jenn + Kisses from Horace.

Little Morning Joys

Nothing says good morning like Nutella.

Sometimes the newspaper delivers better things than the post.

Definitely a great way to start the day especially since I have a cubicle mate that does voodoo right next door.  I wish she could cast a spell on me to lose some junk in my trunk.  The End.

Sweet Impressions makes a lovely first impression.

Storefront and pseudo self-portrait.

Cupcakes.  There is no escaping  their cutesy charismatic colours and inviting frosting.  Ubiquitous in big box chain bakeries, bookstores, and coffee shops.  For some reason I wanted to scream at the roof tops for them to disappear completely and never be found.  Was I on crack?

I was reminiscing about cupcakes from The Cupcake Corner, probably Winnipeg’s first bakery to sell cupcakes exclusively.  (If I’m wrong, someone please tell me so I can correct this blunder.)  They’re good, but they’re not spectacular.  And the disappointing part is that the cake part of the cupcake tastes like it’s from a box.  They probably are homemade.   But my sister and I both agree that if we were to leave their cupcakes out for several days, they’d be ok.

On a random whim, my sister and I went to Sweet Impressions bakery to get the low-down on their cupcakes.  What makes their bakery unique is the fact that they’re nut-free.  I wonder if this includes crazies.  Needless to say, this is definitely a plus for people who want to have dessert but are limited because so many places are exposed to nuts.  ”Don’t they have peanutbutter?” my sister asked me.  Funny, only Chris would crave peanutbutter cupcakes in a nut-free bakery.

Retro aprons from the outside, fish bowl view.

The interior is bright, colourful, and full of whimsy.  They sell some really cute retro aprons, stationery, and I think I also saw some organic boxed cake/cookie mixes.  We went towards the back of the store to check out their cupcake selections*.   They vary day by day.  My sister and I both quietly narrowed in on the Raspberry Cream.  But we’re both so polite.  ”Oh you want the Raspberry Cream, by all means you should get it.”  ”No, no, no,… I insist that you get it instead.”  This went on probably for a couple of minutes until we threatened the other that we’d make a scene (a small one did happen at DeLuca’s but that’s for another day).  Chris won so I ordered the Raspberry Cream and she chose the Vanilla Angel.

The Verdict:  Sweet Impressions – where have you been all my life?  Between the two, my sister and I preferred the Raspberry Cream.  The Vanilla Angel’s frosting was actually a little too sweet for our liking.  Despite the fact that frosting is supposed to be the main event, the cakes were the part that shined brightly for me.  Lovely and moist and  Did Not taste like Duncan Hines or Betty Crocker (no disrespect because these brands are food for a pinch).

Raspberry Cream with Green Star; Vanilla Angel with Pink Cupcake (?).

I am telling you now to forget that other place and head to Sweet Impressions.  Thank you for making me believe in cupcakes again.

*Note: Sorry, no interior pictures of the store because I was i) too shy to ask and ii) just wasn’t in the mood to be turned down in case they did not want pictures taken on the inside.