Cake Pops for October

If you love baking, especially cute baking, and you love blogs, then you've probably heard of Bakerella.

Check out her site to learn more about her and see all of the fun things she bakes!

What she's most famous for, though, are her

Cake Pops

(Photo from Bakerella.com)

The cupcake cake pops were the first ones she made and started the craze.

I want to make some of my own for Thanksgiving and for Halloween. Stealing ideas straight from the Queen of cake pops herself, I want to attempt these:

(Photo from Bakerella.com)

Monsters!

They look to me what I imagine a love child between Mike and Sully from Monsters, Inc would look like.

(Photo from Bakerella.com)

Turkeys!

These look complicated though and I have a different way I want to make turkey cupcakes - from my Costco cupcake book.

(Photo from Bakerella.com)

Any one of these cute Halloween characters would make me happy!

Maybe not the werewolf (aka Chewy) or the witch as they look like they require a bit more skill than the others.


That's it!

I hope these give you some ideas for your own October holiday baking - they certainly gave me some inspiration to head into the kitchen in the next few weeks!

It's Official: I'm a (Half) Marathon Runner!

After a very un-restful night's sleep (nerves), I woke up this morning at 5:35 am with an entire conservatory of butterflies in my stomach.

Leaving the house with my mom at 6:15, we parked and made our way to the starting corrals of the

Toronto Scotiabank Waterfront Marathon!

I ran the half in 2 hours and 11 minutes!

It was brutal at times, exhilarating at others.

I was nervous I would go too fast and not pace myself, leaving me too fatigued to finish strong or finish at all. I followed behind the 2:15 pace bunny for awhile...until I witnessed him blow a snot rocket onto the side of the road. At that point I figured I'd make my own pace and go at a speed I was comfortable maintaining.

Since the course was a loop out west and then back east along lakeshore (and then continuing east and looping back west again for the marathoners), I was curious as to how far I would get before the uber-marathoners started coming back east.

I saw the first runner as I hit the 7 k marker.

Which was also located very close to the 17 k marker on the other side.

The man ran 17 k in the time it took me to run 7!

I got goosebumps watching them run by. Their paces are ridiculous! I'm pretty sure their comfortable pace is my sprint.

There were a few times too when the road curved just right, and all you could see ahead was a road full of runners. Almost 22,000 people ran this morning. Insane!

I didn't hit a wall (I was convinced I would), but there were a few times I shot some envious looks at the people walking. I refused to stop running even at the water stations. I slowed down, sure, but not enough to prevent me from spilling more on myself than I drank. I also nearly choked myself at one water station, trying to take a bigger gulp than I should have while maintaining my pace. Oops.

My body held up pretty well through to the 12 k turn-around and then it was a mental fight to stop thinking about how much my feet, ankles, knees, and hips ached. They seemed to cycle through, pain wise, so I survived. Now though is another story. I look like a hobbled old woman when I walk.

The last km was the hardest. It felt the longest and I was very aware of how tired I was. I pushed through and even managed to speed up through the last 500 m. I saw my mom screaming my name and it gave me the boost I needed to boot it into high gear and cross the finish line.

Then I grabbed my finisher's medal, a stylish emergency blanket (which was actually very appreciated as I was freeeeeeezing afterward), and went to meet up with my mom, dad, and sister.

I feel amazing. Apart from the stiff joints.

I accomplished something I have always wanted to do and can cross it off my list of things to do before I die.

I can't wait to do it again!

I got an email from my beloved Williams-Sonoma and have found a covet-worthy thanksgiving baking item:

It's a mold for little cakes in the shape of (I think...) pumpkins, acorns, etc. Adorable.


I also want to buy pie weights (but from Winners cause they're a bit cheaper) so I can experiment with making mittens that you warm up in the microwave.


Well, I have to stop procrastinating and get back to the two assignments I have due this week.
Yuck.


I ran a half-marathon !!!

Bacon-wrapped Pork Tenderloin with Apples & Sage

Appologies for the lack of posts recently...I'm back in school and placement full time so my time is unfortunately not as free as it once was. And it's only going to get worse because I haven't even started back to my fall work schedule yet.

My placement is going really well so far. I'm in a social services office (social assistance, employment placement and referals, job training workshops, etc) and I've discovered that it's something that really appeals to me.

I got to sit in on an employment placement workshops, I sat in on an info session facilitated by a public health nurse for an amazing initiative called Investing in Families, and today I sat in on an initial intake interview for social assistance. It's amazing that there actually are systems in place to provide resources to the people in our communities who need it.

I can definitely see myself becoming a part of this field later on.

John and I, after an entire weekend apart and a less-than-pleasant Monday night (due to stupid stupid circumstances), went out for dinner last night. Nothing fancy - Jack Astor's - but a much needed date night. It's easy to forget what a great partner you've got when you forget to do fun and exciting things together.

If I can offer up any advice to keeping a long-term relationship fun it is this: DO NOT UNDERESTIMATE THE IMPORTANCE OF DATES!

As promised, I will do my review of this month's Martha (LOTS of great Halloween ideas!) but I've been slowly going through it while mainly focusing on finishing all those pesky nursing readings for my classes.

Never fear, I've got tomorrow eeeevening and the weekend to write it up and also to pre-write some posts for the week!

As I mentioned previously, I made a pork-on-pork dream come true at my parents place last weekend.

It was delicious.

Bacon makes the meat so tender and bacon in and of itself is so good.

Here's the recipe from the Autumn 2010 Food & Drink from the LCBO

Enjoy!

Bacon-Wrapped Pork Loin with Apples & Sage

(photo from LCBO website, recipe by Marilyn Bentz-Crowley)

YOU WILL NEED:

2 large pork tenderloins,total about 2 lbs (about 1 kg)
10 fresh sage leaves, very finely chopped,or 1 tsp (5 mL) dried rubbed sage
2 to 3 large garlic cloves, minced
¼ tsp (1 mL) salt
¼ tsp (1 mL) freshly groundblack pepper
9 to 10 slices thick-cut bacon
Kitchen twine
3 to 4 large apples such asCortland or Spy
1 large cooking onion
2 tbsp (25 mL) all-purpose flour
1½ cups (375 mL) chicken broth or stock


1. If any silver skin on loins is present, cut away and discard. Sprinkle sage, garlic, salt and pepper all over loins. Place loins closely together lengthwise, with thick ends meeting thin ends, to even out roast thickness.
2. Lay out slices of bacon snugly together on a cutting board, forming a rectangle. Place loins across bacon so bacon ends emerge from each side. Beginning at one end, lift a bacon end up over loins at a 45° angle. Then, alternating sides, continue lifting bacon ends down the length of roast forming a chevron pattern of bacon on top.
3. Cut five 12-inch (30-cm) lengths of twine and one 30-inch (75-cm) length. Place 5 shorter lengths of twine under loins widthwise. Working out from roast centre, firmly (but not causing deep indents to form) tie up each piece of twine, spacing evenly apart. Then tie up roast lengthwise with longer piece of twine. Trim twine ends; discard. (Roast can be prepared, covered and refrigerated for up to half a day. Add 10 to 15 minutes to roasting time.)
4. When ready to roast, preheat oven to 425°F (220°C). Heat a large frying pan over medium heat. Lightly brown roast on all sides, about 15 minutes in total. Transfer to a baking pan lined with a rack. Place in oven; set time for 30 minutes. Check and continue roasting until a meat thermometer reads 145°F (63°C). Remove from oven: transfer to cutting board. Cover roast with foil; let rest 15 to 20 minutes.
5. Meanwhile, peel core and slice apples. Thinly slice onion.
6. Drain most of fat from frying pan; place back over medium heat. Add onion; cook 10 minutes or until lightly browned. Stir in flour; cook 1 minute. Stir in chicken broth; add apple slices. Bring to a boil; simmer, covered, 5 to 10 minutes or until apples are tender and sauce is lightly thickened. Add more broth if too thick; keep covered and hot.
7. To slice pork roast, snip off lengthwise string. Then slice about ¾ inch (2 cm) thick, removing crosswise strings as they are encountered. Place a few saucy apples on each warm serving plate, top with a couple of slices of roast and drizzle with more sauce. Serve with mashed potatoes and a steamed julienne of carrot and kohlrabi.

Molasses Spiced Apple Loaf

I mentioned yesterday that I was going to try experimenting with the apples I bought rather than go the route of the standard (but delicious) apple pie.

I remembered that I'd made a batch of Martha's chewy molasses cookies last autumn and those delectable cookies kept creeping back into my thoughts.

I wondered if it would work if I used the recipe but turned it into a loaf and added some of the freshly picked apples.

Verdict? Delicious.

If you like gingerbread, this is a perfect autumn recipe to enjoy with a mug of hot apple cider.

Jamie (and Martha)'s Molasses Spiced Apple Loaf

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Skin 1 large apple and cut into 2-3 cm thick slices. In a bowl, beat 3/4 cup butter (softened) with 1 cup sugar. Add 1 egg and 1/4 cup molasses, stirring to combine after each addition.
2. Add in 2 cups flour, 1 tbsp cinnamon, 1 tbsp nutmeg, 1 tsp baking soda, and 1/2 tsp salt. Mix until combined.
3. Pour half of the batter into a greased loaf pan and with wet fingers press down. Place the slices of apple all over the batter then add the remaining batter, pressing down with wet fingers. Sprinkle 4 tbsp sugar over the surface.
4. Bake for about 30 minutes. Remove from oven and using a knife, poke holes in the loaf lengthwise where you expect to make cuts later on. Put back in the oven and bake for another 15 or 20 minutes until the top is firm and a knife or toothpick inserted comes out clean (almost clean is acceptable too as the loaf will firm up as it cools). Let loaf cool and then cut using the knife holes as a guide. Serve and enjoy!

If you're looking for another recipe to use your apples is, I'll have a great dinner one for you tomorrow.

Bacon-wrapped pork tenderloin with apples

Pork on pork. Proof that everything really does taste better wrapped in bacon.

P.S. The October issue of MSL is here so expect a review soon!

AND I've subscribed to Everyday Food so I may have some extra recipe recommendations :)

A Perfect Day at Chudleigh's Apple Farm

I woke up early (too early, actually) this morning and headed over to my Terry Fox Run location. After some group stretching we headed out on the course for the 10 k. There was also a 5 k course and it was kind of confusing when we came to the turn off for the 5 k. The whole run, being a community event, wasn't very well marked in terms of where to turn, etc so I had to keep pace with at least one other person who looked like they knew where they were going. The course was uphill, downhill, across busy streets, and through beautiful shaded paths. It was a nice run, all in all, until I hit that 9th km.

Uphill.

For at least 500 m.

Or it felt like it was uphill for much longer than it should have been!

Hills are not what you want to see when you've been running for the better part of an hour and can't wait to see the finish line.

Hills or not, it was a perfect day for an early morning run and I hope we get similar conditions next Sunday for the half marathon.

My mom and sister came out to the finish to cheer me on and snap some flattering pictures:

"You looked like a beautiful and sweaty gazelle." - My mom.

It makes me feel like I can run another full race when I see your face in the crowd mom :) Thanks for coming out for the last 3 races!

Please be ready to piggy-back me home next Sunday. Or hire a big goon to drag me off the streets of Toronto.

After breakfast and a shower I got together with some friends and headed out to Chudleigh's Apple Farm!

We were supposed to go yesterday but thank goodness we waited until today! The weather was amazing and the apple's were ripe for the picking.

I like my friends because even when I'm the 5th wheel they never make me feel that way :)



Hay ride passed the revered Honeycrisp apples (tasty and humongous!)


Late summer sunlight through the apple trees.

Corn roast!

How could we pass it up?

Probably the best corn I've had in awhile.

Slathered with butter and sprinkled with a hint of salt, it was well worth the line up and the $2.36.

I also bought a bag of apples (gala, honeycrisp, macintosh, spartan, and kerr - which may be the CUTEST apples I've ever seen. They look like plums on the trees) and a jug of apple cider for John who's been working all weekend.

I think tomorrow I'm going to experiment with an apple loaf-bread.....

it could be disasterous or it could be amazing.

One week until the half marathon!

Very excited and very very nervous......

Apple Picking

Here's a quick photo recap of the Pumpkin Fudge that you should all make at some point this fall.

In the past I've found fudge to be tricky - probably because I tend to be impatient and also because for many years I lacked that all important tool, the candy thermometer.

I never seemed to get the hard ball stage quite right.

This time though it all worked out.

Mmmmm fudge.

And the pumpkin flavour in it is kind of subtle. When you know that it's pumpkin fudge you can taste it but I gave John a blind taste test and he couldn't quite put his finger on what the extra flavour was.

Mysterious.

If you've got a candy thermometer USE IT!

Not stirring the bubbling fudge and waiting for the temperature to get up to where you need it to be is definitely a lesson in patience but it's fun to watch the mercury rise

Side note: I hope it's not mercury in my thermometer. Don't they have safer stuff they use nowadays?

Here I am patiently waiting for the candy to hit 235 degrees.

Why am I holding the thermometer like a baster, you ask?

Well, my thermometer is broken. The end of it broke, I'm not quite sure how.

This might be the perfect time to mention that I'm in the market for a new candy thermometer seeing as Christmas is approaching and gift ideas for the cousin gift exchange are useful. Plus you can get a candy thermometer at Kitchen Stuff Plus for under $10.

If you don't have a candy thermometer, you obey the hard ball rule. Dip a spoon into the bubbley-goo that will eventually be fudge and add a drop or two to a glass of cold water. Once the fudge retains it's drop-shape in the water (therefore attaining the much sought after 'hard ball' stage) you are ready to turn off the heat and beat the gloss out of that fudge.


Then you can pour it into a greased pan and wait for it to set so that you can cut yourself a piece and sample your hard work.


In other news, I'm going apple picking today at Chudleighs Apple Farm!
I'm going to need to find a Longos supermarket soon though because while browsing through the flyer that came with my free LCBO Food & Drink magazine, I found this advertisement:


Hidden Rose Apples, sold exclusively at Longos.
They are freakin' red on the inside and 'taste remarkably like strawberry lemonade'.
I want.

I don't think I will find these babies at Chudleighs today but you know what I will find?
Free lunch, straigh outta the trees.
It's frowned upon, yes, but nuts to that. You gotta know you're picking a delicious type of apple right?

I'm off to make some tea as I seem to have lost my voice from singing at the top of my lungs for several hours at the bar last night.
And then to read another 100 pages of Jane Eyre to catch up for my Women's writing class.
Eep!

P.S. My friends just bought a house!!! Now I have extra motivation to finish the blanket I'm knitting before Nov. 22 so I can give it to them as a house-warming gift.

So exciting! We're already planning a swanky black-tie affair New Years Party there also.

Pulled Pork Done 2 Ways

Feeling like I hadn't seen my friends in awhile, and having not been allowed to go into placement this week, I invited my neighbours over for dinner on Wednesday night.

And I was craving pulled pork.

John picked up a pork tenderloin. Then on Wednesday I went for a walk to run a few errands and stopped into the grocery store. Thinking it wouldn't hurt to grab another tenderloin to make sure we had enough and maybe some extra for lunches, I wandered into the meat section. Lo and behold, I found the elusive shoulder/picnic cut of pork that is recommended for making pulled pork! And it was only $7!

So I snatched it up quickly and headed home with my treasured find.

I've made pulled pork before with tenderloin but I'd never done it with pork shoulder.

Martha, as always, led me down the right path. The right and very delicious path. I did add more ingredients than her recipe called for (taking my cues from Mike & Andrea who made it 2 summers ago at the Cottage Cook-0ff).

So whether you're using a leaner (therefore healthier) tenderloin or a slightly more fatty shoulder, I've got you covered. Here's what you'll need to do to make delicious pulled pork!

Pulled Pork: Tenderloin

[click here if you want to compare Martha's recipe to my version]

(Appologies because I didn't have time to take a nice picture that would do it justice - the guests had arrived and I didn't want to taunt them by artfully arranging the serving bowl and taking multiple photos of it while their stomachs were rumbling)

1. In a large pot, add 1 container of halved cherry tomatoes (probably about 30 of them), 1 diced red onion, 3 cloves of garlic (finely diced or if you're like me just thinly slice it so you can still see the peices of garlic), 2 tbsp spicy mustard, 1/4 cup barbeque sauce, 1/4 cup ketchup, 3 tbsp worcestshire sauce, 3 tbsp brown sugar, and 1/4 cup molasses. Add tenderloin. Bring to boil over high heat, then reduce heat to medium and let simmer for about 20 minutes until the pork is cooked.

2. Once pork is cooked, remove from the pot and allow to cool for several minutes. Using 2 forks, shred the tenderloin (see photo below)

3. Return the shredded pork to the pot and mix back into the sauce. Heat and serve!

Pulled Pork: Shoulder

(Recipe courtesy of Martha Stewart)

*This method requires significantly more time than the tenderloin but if you've got the time it's SO worth it.

1. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Make cuts in the fat (on the top) of the shoulder, scoring to make diamonds. Season the meat with salt and black pepper. Put the shoulder into a roasting pan with 1/2 cup water. Place in the oven and cook for 45 minutes until browned.
2. Remove pan from oven and turn heat down to 350 degrees. Tightly cover the roasting pan with tin foil and return to the oven. Allow the shoulder to cook at 350 degrees for 4 hours.
3. Remove pan from oven, remove tin foil, and allow meat to cool slightly. Using two forks, shred the meat. The meat should literally fall off the bone - you almost don't even need to shred it yourself.

4. Add the shredded pork to a pot filled with the ingredients for the sauce described in the first recipe and mix to coat all of the pork.




The combination of the tenderloin and the shoulder made for pulled pork that was a bit healthier but with forkfuls of melt-in-your-mouth tender meat. I served it with ciabatta bread that I baked about 10 minutes before the guests arrived and with green and yellow zucchini that I roasted with about 2 tbsp of butter. We made open-faced sandwiches and ohhhhh man they were good.

If you've got a lazy weekend coming up and want to try something new for dinner, go find a pork shoulder and cook that bad boy for 5 hours. If you've got a busier weekend planned, grab a tenderloin and enjoy healthier pulled pork!

P.S. I made the pumpkin fudge - to rave reviews - so I will post some pictures tomorrow.