Easy Blackberry Apple Galettes

April 28, 2010



Life can be too hectic and crazy. However, it is nice to start the day by making something simple and tasty for breakfast and hope the rest of the day is going to be just alright. This morning I decided to make these easy blackberry and apple galettes for my breakfast. As you know I pretty much have an empty pantry at the moment, I decided to use pre-made puff pastry that can be found in the frozen section at the grocery store for the crust. Thanks to Helen of Tartelette, I got this wonderfull blackberry apple filling recipe for my galettes. If you didn't have much time in the morning, you could make the filling the night before. All you need to do in the morning is to assemble it and bake!  

I'm also celebrating my 100th blip today! If you were interested on my 365 project, please drop by to check it out!





Chocolate Flaxseed Banana Bread

April 18, 2010


I haven't been baking much these days. It is a bit difficult at the moment because I'm in a transition of moving aboard. So, I have been starting to use up all stuff I have in my pantry. For my baking supplies, I pretty much have 2 cups of flour, less than a cup of sugar, a little bit of chocolate chips, a little bit of flaxseed, and some of margarine in the fridge. After searching for an easy, simple, low-budget recipe, I decided to make good old classic banana bread. I have been making banana breads so many times. However, I haven't found a recipe that makes me please with the final texture of the quick bread. When I discovered "jacked-up banana bread" recipe from Deb of Smitten Kitchen, I decided to give it a try, even dressed it up with a little bit of chocolate chips and some flaxseed that I have.

Final result was great! Thank you, Deb! The texture was great, soft and moist.  The sweetness was perfect for me. It's great for breakfast and any time snacks.

Chocolate "Chips" & Fruit "Salsa"

April 7, 2010


Who like to eat nacho put your hand up?

Well, I am one of them. Whenever I crave for junk food, I end up choosing to eat nacho. Recently, I discovered a modern healthy version of the “chips & salsa” that may satisfy my craving for junk food. It may not be the cheesy type of chips and salsa but it does make a great healthy snack or mini dessert. These chocolate ‘chips’ are made from wonton wrappers that are baked until it is crispy and are served with fresh fruit salsa.



Dominique and Cindy Duby are Canadian pastry chefs based in Vancouver, British Columbia. They own a fine chocolate boutique called DC Duby Wild Sweet in Vancouver. I came across their website while ago when I did a research on molecular gastronomy for my interior design project. They wrote several books, mostly relate to desserts and sweets. I found this healthy version of the “chips & salsa from one of their classic series called Chocolate. In this little book, it is packed with more than 50 classic chocolate related recipes from hot chocolate to delicate truffles. D & C did very well on giving unique spins on the classic recipes. I found there are some easy recipes in this book that can be easily made in a normal home kitchen. I recommend this book for those of you who want to learn more about chocolate. I think you will enjoy it!

Guu Izakaya, Toronto, Ontario

April 3, 2010

Recently, I had a chance to visit this new Japanese restaurant called Guu Izakaya, opened back in mid December 2009. Guu offers tapas-styled menu which is different from other Japanese restaurants around here in Toronto. I recommended to go there before 5pm when the restaurant opens. If not, you might have to wait for awhile. The concept of the place is very casual, loud, and lots of energy. Every single time when someone walks into the restaurant, staffers shout out greetings. The atmosphere of the place is pretty busy and noisy. So, if you don't mind this, this might be a place for you to give it a try. The interior design of the restaurant is very nice. It does give the pub atmosphere with a hit of Asian influence. I was not surprised at all when later I found out it was designed by the firm that I did my internship! The restaurant offers long communal tables. However, they do have several two-persons tables available. I just want to mention that don’t forget to check out their washrooms too. They’re pretty nice!