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homemade almond joy

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It’s become a tradition that hubby gets homemade chocolates for Valentine’s Day.  I was looking for something different this time, having already made truffles a number of times, and homemade Ferrero’s last year.

I considered homemade turtles but then realized the caramel and pecans would be more for me than my love. When I found this recipe for homemade almond joy from Joy the Baker, I thought it was the perfect idea.

It didn’t take long and the chocolates tasted so close to the real thing.  Of course, my little man had to get a box too!  I made his a little smaller and he was so excited to get some homemade chocolates from his mamma.



Homemade Almond Joy
From Joy the Baker

7 ounces sweetened condensed milk
1 cup powdered sugar
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
pinch of salt
2 1/2 cups unsweetened flaked coconut
30 roasted almonds
about 20 ounces of good quality semi sweet chocolate chips

In a medium bowl, whisk together sweetened condensed milk, powdered sugar, salt and vanilla extract.  Stir in the unsweetened coconut.  The mixture will be thick.  Place mixture in the freezer for 30 minutes. 

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.  Remove the coconut mixture from the freezer.  With clean hands shape one tablespoon of coconut into a little log about 2 inches long and 3/4-inch thick.  Press the logs together very well so they don’t crack when dipped.    Place the log on the lined baking sheet and continue until all of the coconut mixture is gone.  Place the baking sheet in the fridge to chill while you melt the chocolate.

Place a medium  pot with two inches of water over a medium flame.  Bring the water to a simmer.  Place chocolate chips in a heat proof bowl and place the bowl over the simmering water.  Stir the chocolate as it melts.  Turn off the flame once the chocolate has melted but keep the bowl of melted chocolate over the hot water.

Remove the formed coconut from the fridge.  Place one coconut almond log on a fork.  Use a spoon to scoop a bit of chocolate over the almond.  This will help the almond stick to the candy and not fall off during dipping.  Lower fork into chocolate and spoon chocolate over candy to coat.  Lift fork and gently shake to release some of the chocolate.  Scrape the bottom of the fork along the side of the bowl and place on the lined baking sheet. 

Let dipped candy harden in the fridge for 45 minutes.  Store in an airtight container at room temperature.  If you need to layer the candy in a container, use waxed paper to separate the layers

happy valentine’s day!

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Happy Valentine’s Day!  Hope you all have a fabulous day celebrating with sweets and chocolate.

This year, Q wanted to make some cookies for his friends.  I thought it would be a great time for us to try a new roll out shortbread recipe.  I found one that had gotten some great reviews but for some reason it didn’t work for us!  I ended up with a really dry and crumbly dough that just wouldn’t come together.  I played around, added butter, then more butter…. Finally a splash of cream turned it into a pliable dough.  Despite the additions to the recipe, the cookies tasted great – butter and cream makes everything good!

Q had fun rolling out the dough and cutting out the hearts.  It was a great Valentine’s activity.

I wanted to decorate the hearts but needed something fast and without sprinkles.  This glaze worked perfectly.  One dip of the heart in the glaze and they were fully decorated.  Half the recipe coated 35 hearts.

Sugar Glaze for Cookies

2 cups icing sugar
1/3 cup milk
food coloring

Mix the ingredients together and it’s ready to use.

white elephant thai cuisine

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Sometimes the best food can be found in the most obscure places. This place is definitely not a secret though. I had heard so much about how great the White Elephant Thai Restaurant is and it definitely lived up to its reputation.

Located in the Pointe Inn, you would never know that this hotel held such a gem. We were advised to make reservations and we were glad we did.  The place was quite busy, even for a Tuesday.

We started with the Tom Yum Goong soup with coconut milk. Full of veggies and shrimp, it was spicy and flavourful.

We got a few things that we thought Q would like.  The thai-spiced wings weren’t spicy but had loads of flavour. They were deep fried and had a great crunch.

Q is also a sucker for spring rolls so we ordered some of their veggie ones. He found them a bit spicy, meaning more for mamma.  They were so tasty, I wasn’t complaining.

S’s cousin was with us and, being a frequent traveller to Thailand, suggested the Som-Tum – green papaya salad. Although spicy, it was a very fresh tasting salad and one we would definitely order again.

One of my favourite curries is Panang so we ordered one with chicken. It was sweet and spicy, and bursting with flavour.

We also had the red curry with beef and pineapple.  The chunks of fresh pineapple added the perfect sweetness to cut the spicy curry.  It also contained large chunks of lemongrass that flavoured the coconut milk.

The coconut rice was pure perfection. Full of coconut goodness, it soaked up the flavourful curries.

The quantities of all the food was plentiful, more than other restaurants.  We had lots of leftovers and were able to enjoy the delicious food the next day.  It was a great meal and we ended on a high note with the coconut ice cream.

What everyone said was true, it was an amazing restaurant.  I just can’t wait until my next visit.

 White Elephant Thai Cuisine on Urbanspoon

market restaurant

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Hubby and I had a great time last night at the media opening of Market Restaurant.  Located on 17th Avenue,  the new restaurant offers bread and cheese made in-house, and grow their own greens and herbs in their Urban Cultivator.  I really need one of these! I don’t know which I loved more, the cultivator or the plants hanging over the bar.

The food we sampled was amazing, from the scotch quail eggs, oysters and fois gras macarons.  Our favourites were the duck confit with shallot jam and the coddled egg topped with a chantilly cream.  I am really looking forward to going there again for dinner.  Here are some pictures from last night.

 


MARKET on Urbanspoon

cheese stuffed turkey meatballs

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In our house, we are cheese fanatics. Usually, any dish loaded with cheese is a hit. These cheese stuffed meatballs were no exception.

The turkey was packed with flavour with the addition of pesto and the ooey gooey bocconcini centre was a very pleasant surprise.  I used the Trestelle Bocconcini* which were the perfect size to wrap the flavourful meat around. (Please excuse Q’s fuzzy picture.)

The meatballs were cooked and tossed into our favourite marinara sauce. The boys ate theirs with pasta while I chose to eat my meatballs with a runny egg. So tasty!

Cheese Stuffed Turkey Meatballs

1 pound ground turkey
1/4 cup parmesan cheese
1/4 cup bread crumbs
1 TB minced garlic
1 TB pesto
1 egg
1/4 red onion, finely chopped
salt
pepper
12 bocconcini
marinara sauce

Combine the turkey with the cheese, crumbs, garlic, pesto egg and onions.  Divide the meat into 12 balls.  Form the meat around the bocconcini.  Pan fry until cooked.  Add some marinara sauce and enjoy with pasta (or an egg!).

*I did receive vouchers from Trestelle to try out their cheese.  Opinions are my own.

playing with spices: garam masala

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I’m excited to begin a new monthly series on my blog, Playing with Spices. There are so many spices out there that I have yet to discover, so once a month, I hope to feature a new one.

This month, the focus is garam masala. Garam masala is actually a blend of spices used in indian cooking. The
spices used in making garam masala vary from region to region and is
really dependent on personal taste.  It is readily available in most supermarkets but is super easy to make at home. I like having control of what is in it, using
more of the spices that I like, like coriander seeds and cinnamon, and
less of the ones I don’t, like cloves.

The spices used in my mix include cardamom seeds, whole pepper, coriander seeds, cumin seeds, mustard seeds, dried curry leaves, cloves and cinnamon sticks.  The spices are toasted before grinding them, intensifying the flavour of each spice.

The garam masala can be used in many curries or even as a seasoning for popcorn or spiced nuts (see recipe below).

Garam Masala
1/4 cup cumin seeds

1/2 cup coriander seeds
1 TB mustard seeds
1 TB whole black pepper
2 cinnamon sticks
3 cloves
2 tsp cardamom seeds
1/4 cup dried curry leaves

Place the spices in a frying pan over medium heat. Toast, stirring, until fragrant.  Grind using a mortar and pestle or in a spice grinder.
Garam Masala Spiced Pecans
1 cup pecans
1 TB melted butter
3 tsp garam masala
2 tsp agave syrup
Toss the pecans with the rest of the ingredients and place on a baking sheet.  Bake at 350 degrees for about 15 minutes.  Cool and enjoy.