chocolate coconut violet birthday cake

When it is your dear sister Colleener's birthday you have to celebrate. Even if it falls on the same day as Mother’s Day. Double whammy.

I served it with Häagen-Dazs Toasted Coconut Sesame Brittle Ice Cream.

Polish Farmer's Feast

Jijesh and I enjoyed one of the authentic Polish restaurants in Roncesvalles Village. This neighborhood is an exclectic mix of very old Polish immigrants and also artsy young yuppies. This is what they called the Farmer's Dinner: kielbasa, sourkraut, cabbage roll, mashed potatoes with mushroom gravy. The taste was good and similar to what I expected. The kielbasa preparation choices were fried or boiled. I choose the traditional boiled and was glad I did- the skin needs to pop when you cut it and the taste was rich and delicious. The mushroom gravy also really hit the spot. The cabbage roll was filled with mostly meat and the sauce was very bland. I am looking forward to taking some of our guests to this new find- Cafe Polonez.

Cafe Polonez Pierogies

Jijesh ordered pierogies from Cafe Polonez. Just as we have experienced so far in Canada, they are bright white and boiled very soft and served with sour cream. These were also served with diced sauteed onions but the pierogies were not fried at all. He chose the cheese version which turned out to be cheddar mixed with mashed potatoes. They were mildly tasty... but nothing compared to what our family makes or what Tanya shared with her snowy driveway;)

Bulgogi Bento Box

I took my girlfriend out for a celebratory lunch and I finally got to try the Korean dish I have read about- bulgogi. It is thin strips of sirloin are marinated with soy sauce, sugar, scallions and mushrooms and then grilled or fried. The beef was very tender, rich and flavourful. The sweetness and soy were very strong but well balanced with the beef flavours. There was a bit of excess oil used, which would lend me to think this was pan fried. Next time I hope to try a grilled version. I could only eat about 1/3 of the bulgogi portion with all my rice to balance out the strong flavours. Jijesh enjoyed the leftovers! Since we were at a Japanese resaturant (Sushi-Ya Japan on Airport Road, Toronto) I opted for the bento box- which also included shrimp and vegetable tempura, spinach salad, miso soup, rice and green salad. Not bad for $9.

Easter egg salad with capers

Easter egg salad with capers Originally uploaded by yellaumbrella

I can only eat one or two Easter eggs. Ohh there is a an upside to those left over gem colored eggs. Egg salad feels even more special with specks of dye peeking out. I think so anyway. I have found that peeling the eggs in ice water seems to help them come off better. I bought a piece of crap egg slicer but it died a few months ago. Ever since I have been using a wire pastry cutter to break up the eggs. I love to add celery, green onion, spicy stone ground mustard, mayonnaise (homemade or Hellmann’s), ground pepper and salt. Melba toast adds crunch while letting the eggs sing. I like to add some capers for a briny and bright punch.

Apple Fritters

We took a chilly March weekend trip to the touristic village of St. Jacobs, Ontario. This 1.5 hour drive from Toronto is a beloved trek into agrarian times past, especially with the active Old Order Mennonite population in the area. On Saturday morning the biggest tourist pull is the Farmer's market. We browsed the jams and the sheepskin mittens ("not cheapskin" is their motto). By far the most popular stall at the whole market from early morning was that for fresh apple fritters. Before our eyes a team of teenage girls peeled, sliced, battered, fried and drenched the apple fritters in cinnamon sugar. After waiting so long in the slow line which trailed out the door into the chilly March wind, most people ordered at least a dozen crispy, decadent fritters. We chose our 2 fritters with vanilla ice cream And a generous dousing of maple syrup!

The Great Pierogi Disaster of 2008

So you might wonder why there isn’t a picture of the finished Pierogi. I was waiting to take a picture at Easter dinner. Well as I was stepping out of my car I dropped the bowl. The glass shattered and the Pierogi fell into the street. I almost cried. Thankfully I brought some to work and ate a few myself before the great pierogi disaster of 2008. Next year I will take pictures at every step. Happy Easter!