So right after everyone seemed to be doing the Omnivore 100 meme, another one came out. This time about things that you had done in your life. Number 3….”Been apart of a hockey fight”. Several people when filling that out commented that they were interested in knowing how I would answer that question. So here ya go.
First off that question is vague. Hockey fight at a game where I was a fan or one in a game I played? For today’s story we shall focus on the latter. Yes, I have been in a hockey fight, two for that matter, and both with boys. I of course can not say a man, because no man would hit a woman, but onward with the story.
Fight number one I lost. I am playing. I score a goal. The next thing you know I was tackled by a very large man. He started pounding my head into the ice. I kept waiting for the referees to step in but they didn’t seem to (wimps). So, I threw off my one glove (since my other arm was pinned down beneath me) and I started punching. He wasn’t wearing a cage or shield so everything on his face was fair game. Meanwhile he kept beating me down. The refs finally came over and broke it up. I broke his nose, but he gave me a mild concussion and had me pinned the whole time so I consider him the victor of the fight.
Fight number two I won.  All night this guy was insulting me and so in return I paid the favor. After two periods of being jerks to each other. He was pushing on me and said, “ya wanna go”? I asked him “do you really want to get your ass kicked in front of God and every one by a girl?” That threw him off a bit. He shouted let’s go and threw down his gloves. I took off my helmet and gloves as well. I threw up my left arm as if to punch him. I noticed he was staring at that and so I gave him an upper cut to the jaw with my right hand. And down he went. In front of God and every one, he got his ass kicked by a girl. He laid there for quite sometime. Eventually getting up. He said nothing to me. Never said one thing to me the next time we played them as well. In fact, never again.
It’s a good time to bring this up since preseason hockey is just around the corner, in about two weeks to be exact. Then before you know it, October 4th will be here and regular season play will be on it’s way. Yes, everyone, the greatest time of year is approaching….Fall. Fall when I get to bake whenever I want without sweating. When my days can be occupied with watching hockey (and swearing at the TV screen). Watching the trees undergo a metamorphosis from lush greens to a rustic reds and glowing golds. And I get to eat all the foods I love…pumpkin being at the top of the list. Now, you can get canned pumpkin year round. But there is something about Fall that makes pumpkin just taste better.
I had been working on this idea for this bread in my head for awhile. And after a week of experimenting I finally got it where I wanted it. So you reap the benefits of my labor.
If you are allergic to nuts you can very easily leave them out. Also, if you are not a fan of maple (shudder) you can leave out the maple syrup and extract and just add vanilla.
So what have we learned here today boys and girls? Best not to mess with Peabody, as she may hit you.

Pumpkin Spice Bread with Maple Cheesecake Layer

Maple Cheesecake Layer:
9 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
¼  cup granulated sugar
¼  cup brown sugar
6 tsp real maple syrup (I use grade B)
1 tsp maple extract
1 TBSP all-purpose flour
1 large egg

Pumpkin Spice Bread:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
½  tsp salt
½  tsp ground cinnamon
¼  tsp ground ginger
¼ tsp fresh ground nutmeg
1 cup pumpkin puree(plain, not the already made pumpkin pie kind)
½  cup canola oil
2 large eggs
1 ½  cups granulated sugar
1 cup chopped pecans
Preheat oven to 325F.
Lightly grease and flour three mini loaf pans. In a medium mixing bowl, combine all the maple cheesecake ingredients; beat until smooth and creamy, about 2 minutes. Set aside.
In another bowl, sift together  flour, baking soda, salt, and spices; set aside.
Place pumpkin puree, vegetable oil, eggs and sugar in a mixing bowl of an electric stand mixer. Using the paddle attachment, beat for about 1 minute, until fully combined
Add flour mixture into the pumpkin mixture and mix just until combined.
Fold in the pecans.
Pour half of the pumpkin bread batter evenly into the three prepared loaf pans. Spoon cream cheese mixture on top of pumpkin batter layer and then pour on the remaining pumpkin batter.
Bake in preheated 325° oven for 50 to 60 minutes, or until a wooden skewer inserted into center of the loaf comes out clean.
Cool bread in pans for 10 minutes.
Remove bread from pans and place on a wire rack to cool completely.
Serve at room temperature or cool.

Our dog has an amazing ability to sneak up on you. One minute she is not there and the next her hot breath is on your neck and you never even heard her. Knowing this I decided to help earn her keep in the family I would try and train her to become a ninja(though I’m not sure how marketable that would be). We have the sneaking thing down pat. It’s all the other stuff she is lacking. Let me just say I am thankful that we are using paper Chinese throwing stars otherwise I would be out a few eyeballs and there would be many a hole in the wall(of course I kid, we only let her play with nunchucks ).
I had to come to the sad conclusion that my dog was not cut out to be a ninja and so I had to come up with another career for her. I chose President of the United States.
This is after all a historic year in Presidential history. We are either getting a black president or a female vice-president. So I say why not a canine for 2012? At first she was reluctant because she does not like the idea of having to move, cockers are not one for change, but I assured her that everything would be alright. My Crazy Cocker Spaniel(CCS) already has a VP chosen, our Little Fuzzy Bunny(LFB), running together on the Fluff Ticket.

So no doubt you are asking yourself what does the Fluff Ticket Stand for?
Good question.

Pro:
*Bacon, Chicken, Sugar Cookies and Snow Peas (Carrot Tops for the VP)
*Naps, several times a day to keep your mind truly rested and refreshed and ready to handle anything life can throw at you.
*Spay and Neutering. With LFB kindly reminding rabbit owners that 80% of all female bunnies will die of cancer if not spayed(not a scare tactic…just a fact).
*Frugal spending by pet owners, unless spending is on treats or toys for pets.
*Public Transportation. Supports carpools, park and rides, biking or walking to work. Though does admit that a  ride in a car with your head out the window is always nice.
*Walks when not raining.
*Belly scratching.
*Sniffing things.

Anti:
*Wet grass. Nuff said.
*War. Anything that keeps soldiers away from their pets makes this ticket sad.
*Baths. We are animals, we are suppose to stink a little.
*Pet outfits. Especially since CCS’s owner is pro this.
*Cheap pet food.
*Walks when raining.
*Shower curtains, CCS’s greatest fear (sadly enough).

Now just because they are the Fluff Ticket don’t let that give you the impression that they are softies. As you can see from the picture below, they are tough when they need to be. ;) 

If the issues don’t get voters I guess we will just have to resort to giving out baked goods. Starting with these Pumpkin Cranberry Bars. These are really more like pumpkin bread in bar form. Not as sweet as I had hoped but would make for a great afternoon snack.
Today’s post, though not serious at all, is a reminder of something serious….please register to vote if you have not already! Please educate yourself about the candidates, what they stand for, what issues are important to you. Then go and vote on those issues and candidates!

Pumpkin Cranberry Bars:

1 cup pecans
2 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground allspice
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tspsalt
1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup  granulated white sugar
1 large egg
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 cup pumpkin puree
1 1/2 cups  dried cranberries

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F  and place the rack in the center of the oven. Place the pecans on a baking sheet and bake for about 8 - 10 minutes or until lightly browned and fragrant. Remove from oven, cool completely and then coarsely chop. Set aside.
Increase the oven temperature to 375 degrees F and butter and flour an 9 x 9 inch pan.
In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, ground cinnamon, ground allspice, ground ginger, and salt. Set aside.
In the bowl of your electric mixer, or with a hand mixer, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy (2 - 3 minutes). Add the egg and vanilla extract and beat until incorporated. Beat in the pumpkin puree until incorporated (the batter will look curdled at this point). Gradually add the flour mixture, mixing only until combined. Stir in the chopped toasted pecans and dried cranberries. Spread the batter into the prepared pan and bake for about 30 - 35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the bars comes out clean. Remove from oven and place on a wire rack to cool. Cut into 16 - 2 inch bars.

Adapted from Buttercup Bakes at Home by Jennifer Appel

We are Crazy Cocker Spaniel and Little Fuzzy Bunny and we aprove this message.

CCS/LFB 2012

That would be me…in bits and pieces. Well, not that bad, but I have been roughed up pretty nicely the last two hockey games and almost got into a fight, with a guy(I wasn’t the one going to throw the punch…classy, eh?) But I am left with a fairly bruised back and a whole lot of aches and pain. The good news is even though the men seemed to have taken their asshole pills that night, we did win both games(no help by me though ).
I thought I would take a little time out to update you on life and answer a few blogging questions that have been either left in comments or emailed to me.
First off. The square pan. The square pan that I make my muffins in is from Target(in store, not online). I have seen them sold on Amazon.com. So if you want one try those two places.
Second. My mother’s Pear-Nutmeg Jam recipe. Scroll down and wedged in between photos of her there is her recipe. She is called Lady Jane so that is what I called the jam. My mother says you can leave out the butter but if you do you will get foam and you will have to remove that. Since I am only the person who gets stuck chopping up the fruit and not the actual jam maker I will/would trust her on this.
Third. I am still waiting for Michael Phelps to stop on by the house and eat my french toast(sans shirt…all other clothing optional ).
Forth. Have you been checking out my other blog, Northwest Noshings? If not you are missing out on yummy things like Smoked Gouda, Gruyere and Ham Pizza with Walla Walla Onion Pear Sauce.
Lastly. After 8 months of staring at dead weeds and dirt we finally got ourselves a backyard(well, side yard actually). You can scroll down and see those photos as well…plus my herbs.
September is rapidly approaching. I would love to say that it wont be busy but somehow each month seems to get a little more full than the last. Sigh. This weekend is my only weekend of nothing and I shall enjoy it. I see sitting on my butt and watching bad 80’s movies in my future.
To start off September we are going to the Herbfarm, my favorite, to see how they interpreting BBQ. Should be interesting as they have built an outdoor woodfire stove for it!
Of course just the start of September makes me happy as that means Fall is coming(though with the weather we have been having, it’s already here!). I have already busted out the pumpkin and make pumpkin bars. And believe it or not I already made Christmas cookies. It was for a shoot, I’m not that insane, though I did listen to Christmas music to get me in the mood. Nothing like Jingle Bells at the end of August to get you in the festive holiday mood.

(Yard Facing West)

(Yard Facing East)

(Some of my herbs)

I saw this on many a blog so I thought I would do it. I guess I am fairly adventurous as I have eaten 81 of the 100…including bugs. You have got to love entomology class.

 1) Copy this list into your blog or journal, including these instructions.
2) Bold all the items you’ve eaten.
3) Cross out any items that you would never consider eating.
The VGT Omnivore’s Hundred:
1. Venison
2. Nettle tea
3. Huevos rancheros
4. Steak tartare
5. Crocodile (I’ve had alligator so I think that counts)
6. Black pudding
7. Cheese fondue
8. Carp
9. Borscht
10. Baba ghanoush
11. Calamari
12. Pho
13. PB&J sandwich
14. Aloo gobi
15. Hot dog from a street cart
16. Epoisses
17. Black truffle
18. Fruit wine made from something other than grapes
19. Steamed pork buns
20. Pistachio ice cream
21. Heirloom tomatoes(allergic)
22. Fresh wild berries
23. Foie gras
24. Rice and beans
25. Brawn or head cheese
26. Raw Scotch Bonnet pepper(thought I was going to die)
27. Dulce de leche
28. Oysters
29. Baklava
30. Bagna cauda
31. Wasabi peas
32. Clam Chowder in Soudough Bowl
33. Salted lassi
34. Sauerkraut
35. Root beer float
36. Cognac with a fat cigar (just the cognac)
37. Clotted Cream Tea
38. Vodka Jelly/Jell-O(hello, I did go to college people)
39. Gumbo
40. Oxtail
41. Curried goat
42. Whole insects (crickets decent, grasshopper not, ants make my mouth itchy, mealworms decent)
43. Phaal
44. Goat’s milk(I have taken first place in goat milking at the county fair…I know you are impressed)
45. Malt whisky from a bottle worth $120 or more
46. Fugu (not worth dying)
47. Chicken tikka masala
48. Eel
49. Krispy Kreme original glazed doughnut
50. Sea urchin
51. Prickly pear
52. Umeboshi
53. Abalone
54. Paneer
55. McDonald’s Big Mac Meal
56. Spaetzle
57. Dirty gin martini
58. Beer above 8% ABV
59. Poutine (fine Canadian food)
60. Carob chips (vomit)
61. S’mores
62. Sweetbreads
63. kaolin
64. Currywurst
65. Durian(I bit the bullet and did this after seeing Anthony Bourdan…the smell is soooo bad)
66. Frogs’ legs
67. Beignets, churros, elephant ears or funnel cake (all of the above!)
68. Haggis (It’s not that bad people)
69. Fried plantain
70. Chitterlings or andouillette
71. Gazpacho (only white which does not have tomatoes)
72. Caviar and blini
73. Louche absinthe
74. Gjetost or brunost (you have to love cheese that taste like peanut butter…or at least it does to me)
75. Roadkill
76. Baijiu
77. Hostess Fruit Pie
78. Snail
79. Lapsang Souchong
80. Bellini
81. Tom Yum
82. Eggs Benedict
83. Pocky
84. 3 Michelin Star Tasting Menu
85. Kobe beef
86. Hare
87. Goulash
88. Flowers
89. Horse(not that I know of but I am sure in some of the countries I have been to I have eaten it)
90. Criollo chocolate
91. Spam
92. Soft shell crab
93. Rose harissa
94. Catfish
95. Mole poblano
96. Bagel and lox
97. Lobster Thermidor
98. Polenta
99. Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee
100. Snake (fried rattlesnake to be exact….taste like chicken)

(My mom and me at the Seattle Aquarium…those hats were for kids but we didn’t care)

Lady Jane’s Pear Nutmeg Jam

(Makes eight jars, eight oz each.)

Ingredients:
4 cups pears, peel, core and finely chopped
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
7 ½  cups granulated sugar
1 tsp ground nutmeg
1 pouch of Certo (liquid pectin)
¼  or ½  tsp unsalted butter
 
Before you start: Buy pears that are firm, ripe fruit. Wash and rinse jars and screw bands. Use new flat jar lids (Boil water & pour over jar lids, cover and let sit).
 
Prepared fruit: Measure exact amount of prepared fruit into 6 or 8 qt pot. Stir in lemon juice and nutmeg, plus butter (this helps eliminate foam).
Measure exact amount of sugar in a separate bowl, stir into fruit, bring mixture to full rolling boil or high heat. (a boil that doesn’t stop when stirred, stir constantly). Stir in the pectin quickly, return to full rolling boil exactly 1 minute stirring constantly- remove from heat.
Ladle quickly into the prepared jar. Fill to within 1/8 inch from the top. Wipe jar rims and threads, remove lid from water, dry and cover jar and screw on band. Turn the jar upside down quickly and go to the next jar, leave them upside down for five minutes. Then turn upright.
 
It may take awhile for the lids to seal. You will hear an audio “pop” when they do. Check seals by pressing center of the flat lid with your finger. It will be down and not pop up. If the jar does not seal after a couple of hours then you must refrigerate that jar. Let stand at room temperature for 24 hours. Then store in a cool, dry place.
 

(My mom and her puppy, Fionna)

I don’t quite understand the people of the states obsession with dominating the Olympics.
I can not count the number of people who have come up to me and said, “ha, ha, the US is kicking Canada’s butt.” Really, the US is kicking Canada’s butt at Summer Olympics? Most people kick Canada’s butt in the Summer Olympics…in case you didn’t know, it’s mostly Winter up their anyway. And I am not sure Winnipeg even gets a true Summer.
I mean our fricking synchronized swimmers Marie-Pier Boudreau-Gagnon and Isabelle Rampling wore SNOWFLAKES on their swimsuits…for the Summer Olympics. Our athletes are just out there, representing their country(doing the best they can do)for the event(Olympics) that is suppose to promote a sense of world togetherness, not world domination.
This “American” attitude sometimes carries over in many aspects of daily life. Canadians(well most) only care about dominating in hockey(as it should be :P). My blog for example. I am often amused by people who ask me if I get mad if someone likes another blog more than mine. Or if I get mad because another blogger got a cookbook deal and I don’t  have one. Um, no.
There are far superior(in my opinion) blogs to mine. Far better photography, more beautiful food styling, more gorgeous food. Good for them. They work hard for what they do and that should be celebrated. It makes me have something to strive for. There is always someone prettier than you, richer than you, thinner than you. The same applies to a food blog.
And as for my food blogging friends with cookbook deals I am beyond excited for them. It’s something that they obviously wanted to do. They went for it and they got it. I on the other hand, haven’t even bothered to write a proposal so why I get upset over someone getting a book deal? It’s like being mad at the lottery winner each week…but don’t bother to buy a ticket(which I should probably start doing).
In striving to do my best and representing my blog, I am usually trying to think of new things to try. I love key lime pie as most people know so I thought, there is lemon pie and lime pie but I rarely see me an orange pie. So I set out to make one. It is basically a tweaked key lime pie recipe so it produces the same texture.
I liked this pie, the crust was a good choice, even if I had to make my own cookies for it. I will however next time try to go with tangerine for just a little more tartness. I think it was the tartness I was missing.

Orange Pie

½  cup fresh squeeze orange juice
1 TBSP fresh lemon juice
¼  cup heavy whipping cream
1/3 cup Mascarpone cheese, room temperature
1 can (14 ounces) sweetened condensed milk
1 to 2 teaspoons finely grated orange zest, divided
5 egg yolks
whipped cream, for garnish
1 Citrus Cookie pie shell(recipe follows)

Whisk sweetened condensed milk with the egg yolks. Whisk in Mascarpone cheese. Stir in whipping cream, orange juice and lemon juice. Stir in 1 to 1 ½  teaspoons orange zest. Pour into a prepared crust and bake at 325° for 15 to 20 minutes.

Citrus Cookie Pie Shell

1 1/3 cup citrus cookie crumbs(run through food processor)
¼ cup granulated sugar
¼ cup plus 2 TBSP unsalted butter, melted

Combine all ingredients. Mix well. Press mixture into bottom and sides of a lightly greased 9 inch pie plate. Bake at 375 degrees for 5 minutes. Cool.