Have you ever watched one of those cooking competition shows and said to yourself, "Well, I could do that"? I think my arrogance level is getting too high, because I find myself saying that about most of these cooking shows now. But if it's in the privacy of my own home, then no one has to know I'm a weird food jerk, right?
Maybe I shouldn't have posted this online...
Anyway.
I know that Evan finds it funny when I see the "mystery ingredients" revealed on Chopped and say something along the lines of "They will all use X to crust Y and add Z to make a vinaigrette to make a salad with the rest." And then it happens. How do these people even get on TV?
There are however a few of these shows that look hella difficult. At one point, Top Chef had a spinoff that focused only on desserts. For a few weeks, my sister Lauren challenged me to make something along the lines of the episodes' challenges. That was pretty tricky.
This week I saw an episode of MasterChef that had me saying "Yeah - I would just take off my apron and leave. That looks absolutely impossible."
So it got me thinking. Should I try?
The episode's challenge had contestants making a risotto, a teriyaki chicken, and a Nicoise salad in 90 minutes. Yikes. Still don't think I can do it. So I made my own challenge: Make a Nicoise salad in 30 minutes, and have it plated before Evan gets home from work.
A Nicoise Salad has 5 key components to make it a super tasty, balanced, and filling salad. These components are:
I don't get late summer/autumn in Toronto. I just don't. Yesterday it was 35 degrees and sunny out, today it is 12 degrees and rainy out. This, my friends, is how young Ellies get colds. What this wonky weather ultimately does for me, though, is make me nostalgic for autumn in Winnipeg. I know this may sound crazy to Torontonians, but allow me to explain.
Winter in Winnipeg is obviously nonsense. Last winter we hit the same temperature as Mars (a balmy -50 degrees Celsius). This is not OK. Summer in Winnipeg takes the other extreme, and hits a sweaty and disgusting 35-40 degrees Celsius. My final 3 summers in Winnipeg had me working in a hot kitchen, which I would go into to beat the outside heat. Spring in Winnipeg - non-existent. It is basically just a wetter winter, except you notice a couple of crazy people in shorts. That leaves us with autumn: the most beautiful season in Winnipeg. The air is crisp, and smells of bonfires from the burning crops; Assiniboine Park becomes gorgeous shades of orange and gold; and cute outfits replace bulky snow suits or knee-baring (ew, knees) short shorts. In fact, Evan's first trip to Winnipeg 8 years ago was in Autumn, and he liked it enough to keep coming back! (It snowed the day after he left)
I wonder if Evan remembers that this photo of his 16-year-old self exists... [Assiniboine Park, October 2006]
So, to make a long story short, autumn makes me miss being in Winnipeg. And when it comes to missing Winnipeg, my nostalgia fits into roughly 4 categories:
1) My beautiful family
2) My puppy, Lucy
3) Spending time in the park with Lauren and Shira
4) Food.
Now I know what you cynical Torontonians are thinking - food?? How does Winnipeg have a cuisine?? Well, let me tell you, I have yet to bump into a Winnipeger here who does not immediately start comparing favourite Winnipeg dishes with me.
Because it is true - Winnipeg has a certain cuisine unique to Winnipeg. Whether it is Ukrainian perogies (memories of the store Mom's Perogies in the north end are still delicious ones), Native Bannock (none of my students had ever heard of it before), anything bison, or even with Jewish food, Winnipeg wins for cuisine.
We may not have Montreal bagels (which, let's face it, are too dense and bland to be considered delicious. Yes, I said it. Sue me). And it may cost $75 to buy a Kosher turkey, forcing little Shira to steal one from Dessert's Plus, but our Jewish food is top notch.
First of all: screw you, Torontonian party sandwiches. You are just white bread with egg or tuna in them. Winnipeg party sandwiches have delicious sliced vegetables and layers of eggy-fishy goodness.
Ellie is exploring life after school (which means real work- ick!) but playing in the kitchen keeps her a bit more sane! A blog is the perfect way to showcase Ellie's love for baking, teaching, and making people make *yummy* noises