vickichowder: TO

BISCUIT

Let's begin today with the understanding that I just love going to the farmer's market in St. Jacobs. Ever since I knew that we were just about 30 minutes away by bus, I would be extremely eager to finish class and head there for some fresh fruits and meats.

And every time I go, I get my girlfriends to come along with me, just so I don't feel as guilty when eating the delicious pancakes and sausage for breakfast. We like it so much that we ordered the exact same thing - twice.

The milk we buy is pasteurized, so you can drink it right away! The first time we bought it, we found it to be quite light tasting - as the label on the bottle indicated that it was indeed 2%, but it really did taste much more like the 1% kind of milk. But I would still say that it tastes much better than the bagged milk in grocery stores.

But the second time, the milk was incredibly creamy and smooth~

Advertising their milk so maybe they will sponsor me with more (:

I think the difference lies in the after taste of the milk: upon drinking just a sip of bagged milk (because I think Lactancia carton milk is good), I get this milky breath (which I hate), that can only be eliminated if I eat some non-dairy based foods. However, upon drinking cups of the milk from the market, there isn't any milky after taste at all! My guess is that the difference is due to the freshness of the milk. Please let me know if you happen to know why (:

I've been meaning to post this up: sautéed mushroom, grilled beef, on a bed of broccoli.

Milk from the market is now one of the things I buy almost every time I go, and grapefruit is another. After my lovely European friend (I'll have to use lovely every time I describe her because she's just so goddess-like) introduced me to grapefruit, I bought five for $2 whenever I go to the market.

In fact, I happen to go purchase grapes and grapefruit from the same stall so often that the man at the stall would sneak in an extra fruit or round down the price for me *yay*

Oatmeal, oatmeal-raisin in the back, and green tea butter cookie. The peanut butter ones are baking!

Last week, a day after our farmer's market trip, we I suggested that we make cookies despite the fact that it was one in the morning. And we didn't just make one type of cookies - we made three.

But I'll only give you one recipe today! They are one of my favourite cookies because they are super variation-able, and the dough keeps in the freezer very well. Sorry, but I didn't take any pictures of the process - but the recipe for butter cookies is simple and straightforward (:

I put a crushed hazelnut on it prior to baking

~ Ingredients ~

1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature

2/3 cup caster sugar

1 egg

2.5 cup all purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

[Additions]

Green tea powder*

Salt*

Cocoa powder*

Extracts (almond, vanilla, bourbon...)

Chopped/ground nuts

~ Method ~

1. Mix the flour and baking powder, and the addition if it is labelled with *

2. Beat the butter and sugar for 4 - 5 minutes using an electric beater.

3. Beat in the egg and 1 - 2 teaspoon of extract (if using) for 2 minutes.

4. Sift in the mixture from step 1, into the butter, three separate times, mixing it with a spatula.

5. Mix in the nuts if you are using them.

6. Now you can roll it into a log (to get round cookies upon slicing), roll it into a sheet (so you can use your favourite cookie cutters) - and wrap with plastic wrap to put into the freezer for 15 - 20 minutes.

7. When you dough is frozen, take it out and cut into slices or use your cutters! Place it either on a non-stick baking sheet or a parchment/silpat lined baking sheet.

8. Bake for 12 - 15 minutes on 350 F. The temperature and time varies with each oven, so keep a closer watch on your cookies after the 12 minute mark!

9. Let them cool on a rack when their done.

I hope you will make these cookies personalized to your own liking!

My very first croquembouche - hopefully its golden colours will brighten this gloomy day.

MUAH MUAH MUAH

VICKI CHOW

P/S

I've been feeling rather under-the-weather recently. It first started on Monday morning when I oddly had no appetite after a few spoonfuls of oatmeal (and I typically really like to eat oatmeal in the morning!). So I thought,

"Hey, maybe my stomach shrunk!"

and

"I guess I just ate a lot last night and I'm still full from it!"

I just want to cuddle in bed - but the gym is calling

But I was wronged. After going to the gym on Monday afternoon, my appetite didn't come back ):
And I didn't want to eat after yesterday's gym session either, and when I did eat, it's no longer a pleasant feeling like usual. *missing the enjoyment of food consumption*

In addition to this, I'm starting to feel my forehead heat up.

Hopefully my twice-daily vitamin C boost of lemon water and lots of fruits will counter the growth of this sickness!
And lastly, something I've been wanting to say:

Every time I look at the stats of my audience, I feel so happy that to see that there are so many of you outside of North America! Thanks for reading (: