Lazy meal munching!

Hey Folks,

Firstly let's start off with what's going on at CFMU this week!



The Raise Your Voice fundraiser at CFMU starts this Friday, so make sure to call in to donate, or even just give the blokes at the phones a happy word or two! They'll appreciate it, I assure you.

This is an annual fundraiser, and helps the radiostation out a whole bunch to fix old equipment, & provide an independent, local source of media. Without it, we wouldn't get to hear some of the awesome shows that are available... like our show... yay!!

You can make a donation online or phone in at (905)528 - 9888




Now that we've gotten that finished, let's talk FOOD.

You know those nights where you're hungry, but feelin' kinda lazy. Don't want to leave the house because it's too cold, or you're too busy procrastinating?

Sometimes this is best remedied with some crackers and FANCY CHEESE.


Sandra and I went on Tuesday to Hamilton's Farmer's Market on a whim, and picked up 3 different cheeses - Cambonzola, English Stilton & Canadia Oka. We did eat some of it on the Wednesday, but still had some leftover for some sophisticated snacking.



Also we made a couple sandwiches for ourselves - Salami, Swiss, and a mixture of arugula and spinach. I gotta say, one of the spiciest sandwiches we've had in a while. The dijon didn't help, either. But hey, a good sandwich all around. Did I mention this sandwich was also sophisticated?



We don't eat bread very often. In fact, we still had practically a full loaf of bread, so it may be a little past its expiry date. But that's nothing a toaster can't fix. MMmmm stale fridge-bread.




During our stint at the farmer's market, I also happened to pick up a pomelo. Certainly one of the largest citrus-type fruits I've ever seen, it was only a dollar and some change for something that's about the size of a child's head. Or, I dunno, an abnormally large grapefruit.



Don't let the size of the fruit confuse you though, the rind is really thick, more or less an inch. Peeling it can be quite a task. I'm sure there's some sort of technique to it, but ripping and tearing is most likely the general idea of it.



When you remove the pith, the inside is much like a white grapefruit in terms of texture, although pulp vesicles are much larger. For those of you who aren't a fan of the grapefruit aftertaste, this is a fruit you might like to try. The pomelo has a much milder, sweeter taste than grapefruit. Also, it's less acid. Certainly something to try if you're in the mood for something a little more exotic.



Anyway, make sure to listen to us this Monday! And give the radiostation a call!

- Sarah

Just pop them in your mouth...

This past weekend was Valentine’s Day weekend. A fabulous time to think about how to get into the pants of your significant other or that random sexy stranger you met on the street. I know the weekend is now over, but it’s never too late to find new ways to..well, get some action. I mean, we don’t only crave some booty on V-day, let’s be honest here. We crave it all year. So let’s talk sex. I mean, let’s talk aphrodisiacs.

Aphrodisiacs are foods that are known to have properties to enhance sexual desire. I mean sometimes, they even look like the equipment. Ever stared at an avocado real hard? Actually, I’ve never had to stare hard to have dirty thought. They just pop up. But you know what I mean. Essentially, even the name itself is pretty suggestive. Avocado, translates in Mayan, to water testicle. At least that’s what I read somewhere. Although it makes sense, in Spanish it’s called aguacate and it sounds a lot like water testicle. Ever wonder why avocados and tomatoes go so well together? Tomatoes were known to the Mayans to be like ovaries. Now let’s put two and two together, water testicles plus ovaries? It definitely sounds like a sexy combination to me. So let’s make it happen.

I know, guacamole is pretty easy thing to make, but making a mushy green pile look good, can be hard. Let me show you how. I made these little delectable items a couple years ago, but I always look back onto them with fond memories.

Recipe
2 ripe avocados
Juice of 1 and half to two limes
3 table spoons chopped fresh coriander
Half a teaspoon of salt
3 spring onions, finely sliced

Peel the avocados and put the flesh into a bowl. Don’t worry about what size the chunks are, it’s all going to be mashed up anyway.
Dissolve the salt in the lime juice and toss in the green onions. Mix it around and pour it over the avocados.
Now for the fun part. Grab a fork and start mashing up the avocados. I suggest making it like a puree to make it easier to pipe into the little tomatoes. But otherwise, I like it slightly chunky.
Toss in the cilantro and give it a good mix.

And now it’s time to make them look pretty. Buy yourself a pint of cherry tomatoes. Make sure they’re a good size; anything that’s too small will just be ridiculous. Take the little guys and cut off the tops. Squeeze them gently and that should help to get the inner seeds out. Once done, pop them open side down onto some paper towels to help soak up some of the juices from the tomatoes. When you’re done with all the tomatoes, place the guacamole into a piping bag and pipe it into the tomatoes. Place the little cap on top. There, you have the insides of an avocado sitting nice and cozy inside of the casing of the tomatoes. How lovely. To add to the presentation, I also made some parmesan cups. They’re not necessary, but they’re fun. Here’s a picture. How cute. How delectable. Are you hungry? I am...




I’ll post some more pictures and recipes later on the in the week, but I thought I'd start with this for now. Happy cooking!

It's stew time!

Food: Stew
Music: Lauryn Hill (or Destiny's Child according to Sarah)

The nights are cold, the wind is bitter, and our stomachs are empty. What better way to clean the fridge and pantry and fill our grumbling stomachs than with homemade stews inspired by completely different regions of the world? I was bored. I'd much rather stand around in kitchen, chopping, than do any sort of reading.

On the menu we had a Moroccan chickpea stew and a Korean chicken stew. Both very tasty. We're saving the Moroccan one for another occasion. There's nothing better than making a giant batch of something and savouring it later on.





Here it is, in all it's glory. The Korean chicken stew or takdooritang. (I hope I didn't butcher the name.) Plated in one of Sarah's lovely bowls, topped with some freshly chopped cilantro and green onion. Literally made with only 8 ingredients, it's one the tastiest and easiest meals I have ever made.



This was the Moroccan stew. Completely vegetarian, it's a great thing to make for dinner parties when you've got a mix of both vegetarian and non-vegetarian guests coming over. It's awesome served with some couscous. Here's the recipe.

Moroccan Chickpea Stew
Serves 4
2 tsp. olive oil
1 cup onion, diced
3/4 cup celery, chopped
1/2 cup carrot, chopped
1 clove of garlic, minced
2 tsp ground cumin
2 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp ground turmeric
1/4 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp ground cinnamon
1/8 tsp ground red pepper
1 1/2 cups water
2 tbsp tomato paste
2 (15.5 oz) chickpea cans
1 (14.5 oz) diced tomato can
2 tbsp fresh cilantro
1 tbsp lemon juice


Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add onion, celery, carrot, and garlic to pan; saute for 5 mins.
Stir in cumin, and next 7 ingredients (through red pepper); cook for 1 min, stirring constantly.
Add water, tomato paste, chickpeas, and diced tomatoes; bring to a boil.
Cover, reduce heat and simmer for 20 mins.
Stir in cilantro and lemon juice.

I found this recipe somewhere on the internet. Personally when I make this, I double it. I leave some of the chickpeas out and toss in potato instead. I think it helps to give it a thicker consistency. This particular time we also added some zucchini and I let it simmer for a couple hours. I find it gives it a much better flavour when it's allowed to stew longer. The spices are also there to help give you an idea of what's in it, but of course toss out what you don't like and add in more of what you do. It's just a recipe, it's not the law. Feel free to tinker with it however you like.

That's all for now. Happy cooking.