Day 30 - Midnight Snack

Well, *almost* midnight...

And that, folks, is the last photo in the April Food Photo Challenge. I really enjoyed this one and I think that it was because I was never at a loss for what to photograph.

The highlight of the month for me, though, was seeing what my other foodie friends were snapping pictures of*. Not only were the challenge photos beautiful, the food and drinks in them were so inspiring. My friends have great taste! 

I am going to put all 30 pictures on my food blog so that I can go back and remind myself of what a delicious month April 2012 was. Now, on to the next challenge...

*especially the day that Laura K and I turned in near-identical pics of the fresh bread at LaGrotta Market!

Day 29 - Mix It

I used to be a mortar and pestle girl, but ever since my fella gave me this Jaime Oliver gadget, I have mixed and crushed all of my whole spices with a shake-shake-shake.

Day 28 - Guilty Pleasure

Narrowing down my "guilty pleasure" to just one thing is as ridiculous as it is impossible. I have more guilty pleasures than you can shake a peanut butter and chocolate sprinkle covered stick at. It just so happened that Saturday's errands included a little stop at Bulk Barn (aka "The Barn"), though, so my decision was kinda made for me.

And, yes, before you say "WTF? Her guilty pleasure is *granola*?", I should explain. You see, every time we visit The Barn, I run the gauntlet through seemingly endless aisles filled with all of my favourite things...tamari almonds, French burnt peanuts, Skor bits, chocolate in every form, vats of peanut butter and Nutella, trail mix, pretzels...it's enough to make a girl lose every last shred of restraint. 

But, I manage, and to reward myself for such strong will power, when I get to the very end of the last aisle, I treat myself to a little bag of the chunky supreme granola, which I eat in the car on the way to my next destination. It's fairly virtuous, in that it's basically oats, but there's enough sugar in there to make me feel like I am having a treat.  

Day 27 - Kitchen Decor

This is a framed menu from Chino Latino restaurant in Minneapolis. It lives on a tiny sliver of wall beside my fridge. The other side is a really cool poster print of a Mexican/Chinese guy, but I chose to frame it with the food-side-out for two reasons: 1) our dinner there was one of the most memorable ever and 2) whenever I can't decide what to cook, I turn to it for inspiration.

Chino Latino features an eclectic mish-mash of all of the best street foods from the world's "hot zones", from Pad Thai to a whole roasted pig dinner (72 hours notice, please.) On the night that we went, we had fish tacos, jerk chicken, and Mexican grilled corn that was so good we ordered seconds. And, yes, I fell off the veggie-wagon that night. I blame it on the massive tropical cocktails.

Day 26 - Salty

There was a time when I was allergic to salmon; even the tiniest bite would make my tongue swell and my throat close-up. The really sad thing was, I craved the stuff! (Maybe it was my body's way of testing my boundaries...will she off herself for the sake of a piece of salmon sashimi?)

Thankfully, I outgrew all of that silliness and can eat salmon, like this salty, flaky, smokey salmon, whenever I want*. Take that, histamines!

*Ok, maybe not whenever I want. Because I want pretty much all the time. 

Day 25 - Dining Room

Don't get me wrong; I love my house. I really do. In the almost 4 years that we have been here, I have only wanted for a handful of things: a self- cutting lawn, a fireplace, and a dining room. As in, a *real* dining room, not just a (cozy) corner of the kitchen.

Day 24 - Farmers Market

It's still too early for the farmers markets in Manitoba to open, so I figured that I would cook up a handmade nut patty and a pile of colourful veggies for dinner.

I had braised red cabbage, steamed carrots and broccoli, and a giant salad. This is the way that I eat in the summer - big platefuls of farm-fresh, seasonal veggies, prepared simply and served with a little protein on the side.

Day 23 - Favourite Carb

My favourite carb, hands-down, is bread, delicious bread. 

In its most basic form, bread is little more than flour and water. A pinch of salt and a bit of yeast are enough to transform these two ingredients (which are, in the right proportions, *glue*) into something wonderful and, yes, magical. 

These stunning loaves were snapped this afternoon at La Grotta market. Sadly, none of them came home with me. With bread that good, I knew that I wouldn't be able to stop at one slice (or, let's be honest, nine slices). I'm going to wait until I can share a loaf, a big chunk of cheese, and a bottle of wine with my fella.

Day 22 - Go Green

I could've posted a picture of lettuce or kale or one of the 10 green vegetables currently in my fridge, but I chose instead to be a little less literal with today's challenge photo.

For me, a big part of "going green" has been making the move to eating clean. One of the ways that I can gauge the virtue of a snack is by the running water test: if it can withstand 10 seconds under a briskly running faucet, then it's probably a good choice. Or, at least, a better choice.

In this case, apple, yes; sprinkle donut, no.

Day 21 - Stovetop

I confess, I am a messy cook. My black bean burritos are so good, though, that no one is complaining.

Actually, maybe no one is complaining because I am the only one who has to clean this thing.

Day 20 - Favourite Cookbook

I am going old school on this one. My favourite cookbook, The Joy of Cooking, is also one of the oldest in my collection. (And, by "oldest", I mean that I have had it the longest after only The Vegetarian Epicure, which I received when I was 15 years old.)

I will admit that although I have only made a handful of recipes from the book, it is always the first one I turn to when I have questions about, well, almost anything. It's my batter-splashed bible.

My favourite recipes from the book are the chocolate drop cookies and the waffles*. They're not especially fancy, but I have made them again and again with always-perfect results.

Day 19 - Sweet Tooth

This is how the Mascot satisfied his sweet tooth this afternoon - a giant chocolate croissant. I, on the other hand, had an apple. 

As the French say, "a chacun son gout". 

Day 18 - Raw

Tomatoes at this time of year are generally pretty disappointing. These ones actually tasted better they looked, and, perhaps most importantly, smelled like summertime.

Day 17 - Favourite Knife

It's almost embarrassing to admit that my favourite knife is a $0.99 paring knife from the grocery store, but after careful consideration, it won out over all of the others (and there are MANY others) in my knife block. 

For one thing, it's hella sharp, but when it comes down to why I love it so much, I guess it's because it is so darn handy. That little blade can get into the tightest spots...and you should see what it can do to a mango. Plus, for less than a buck, I can use it fearlessly. If I break the handle or chip the blade, I can just pick up a couple more on my next shopping trip.

Day 16 - Before and After

Before: Raw Shrimp
After: Black Bean Garlic Shrimp on Stir-fried Vegetables

Day 15 - Sweetener of Choice

Stevia, Sucanat, Fair-trade Unrefined Mascobado, Palm Sugar, Coconut Sap, Honey, Splenda, Fructose/Luo Han Guo, Agave, Evaporated Cane Juice, and plain ol' white sugar... the list of sweeteners in my cupboard is almost dizzying.

When it comes to picking a favourite, though, I would be downright unpatriotic if I didn't choose maple syrup.

Day 14 - Groceries

Grocery day! After making my usual trip to buy veggies at Costco, I still have to make at least one more stop at a grocery store to buy "everything else". (Sometimes it's two of three stores, but thankfully not every week.)

One of my fave aisles in the grocery store is the "ethnic" aisle. Our Superstore (where I was shopping today) is relatively small, so an entire world of products can be found down just one aisle.

Today I saw Indian fritter mix, Jamaican potted meat, Danish canned heavy cream, more noodles than I could shake a chopstick at, and this delightful sounding product - Cock Brand Banana Blossoms.

I don't know what these would bd used for, but they had me at... well... let's just say they got my attention.

Day 13 - Fast Food

Ok, so maybe it's not technically "Fast Food", but it was pretty fast and it was most definitely food. This little veggie chick'n burger on a flatbread bun (with dijonnaise, ketchup, onions, lettuce, tomato and pickle) satisfied my mid-day burger craving, but was lighter on both my wallet and my waistline, and went together in about 5 mins. Plus, I didn't have to stand in line or eat off a plastic tray surrounded by OPK*.

The fact of the matter is, I don't eat Fast Food all that often; when I do it's usually Subway. If we are out and need to grab a quick bite, we stay away from the burger chains and gravitate towards places that are either alternative/healthy (Unburger, Boon, The Fyxx), ethnic (Wok Box, sushi, burritos), or local institutions (North Star, Sals). Sure, they usually take a little longer than the chains, but I am more than willing to wait a few extra minutes for food that has some soul. 

What's the big rush, anyway?

*other people's kids

Day 12 - The Oldest Thing in My Kitchen

I don't know if this is really the oldest item in my kitchen, but of all my vintage goodies, this is one of my favourites.

Are there faster ways to chop nuts? Sure, but this way is just so much more civilized. You simply drop your shelled "nutmeats" into the little hopper, turn the crank, and let the teeth of the chopper do their thing. The chopped nuts fall into the jar, ready for use.

Can't you just picture the 1950s housewife chopping up a whole mess of nuts for her signature cheeseball?

Day 11 - Vegetarian

Ok, I could have taken a picture of anything that I ate, or planned to eat, today. But, since this frittata was beyond delicious, it gets the honour of being my challenge picture of the day.

So, what was in it that made it so good? Sautéed red chard, onion, crimini mushrooms, chèvre, walnuts*, and, of course, eggs. After it came out from under the broiler, I popped it onto a plate and finished it with a swirl of balsamic syrup. It was perfection.



*Yes, walnuts. Trust me.