May Foodie Penpals!

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After reading about Foodie Penpals on my friend Destini’s blog, The Healthy Wife, I was intrigued! As a kid, I had a number of penpals. When I was about 12, I had 32 penpals actually! *hah* (I’m such a nerd…) I loved collecting pretty stationary, writing to my penpals and constantly getting letters in the mail. It was fun to get to know people from around the globe. No wonder I gravitated toward blogging, hey!? It appears that at 12, I was a blogger in training. *hehe* 

The Foodie Penpal Exchange is sponsored by a fantastic blogger named Lindsay at The Lean Green Bean. It’s such a neat project. She links up people in Canada, the US and the UK with one another. Once you are linked up with a penpal, you collect food-related items (ideally local products) and put together a package of goodies for your partner. You send the parcel along with a letter explaining what each item is and why it was chosen. Everyone is assigned a different person to send goodies to. So, in the end, I met two wonderful ladies – Kristy at Gastronomical Sovereignty and Celyna at Love.Peace.Happiness.Cooking. Kristy sent me a parcel and I put one together for Celyna. Both Kristy and Celyna are food bloggers and have fantastic blogs! Be sure to check them out. They both focus on healthy, natural and unprocessed food choices + recipes. The three of us had a ton in common. I look forward to keeping in touch with both of them.

So, since it is “reveal” day, I better get on to talking about what Kristy sent me! Let me tell you, I was elated when the package was delivered! I felt like I was 12 years old again. It’s so much fun getting mail :) Especially when it contains multiple delicious goodie and food stuffs! Kristy was an absolute dear and put a lot of thought + effort into what to send me. She spent time reading my blog and made a list of items I like. She then based all of her selections on some of my favourite items. Here is a list of all the yummy things Kristy sent:

2. Homemade Fruit Leather from Moss Street Market
3. Green Pu-erh Tuocha from Silk Road
4. Herbal Honey infused with Victoria Douglas Fir tips
6. Rooibos Tea from Silk Road in Victoria, BC
7. A copy of EAT Magazine – a culinary magazine from Victoria

The chocolate chip cookies were delicious! Yum! They were so soft + cake-like. I love that she used the recipe her grandmother used to use. It added a nice personal touch to the gift. The cookies also paired up nicely with a cup of tea. Mmm! Speaking of tea, Kristy saw that I adore rooibos teas and was sweet enough to send me a 40 cup tin of Rooibos from a local tea shop called Silk Road. It’s a beautiful, flavourful tea. Looking forward to making an iced rooibos tea once the weather finally warms up here!

Jesse and I both really enjoyed the homemade apple chips covered in cinnamon. When I opened up the jar of apple chips, our entire condo filled with the smell of cinnamon baked apples. I’m going to have to try my hand at making homemade apple chips too. Or, perhaps I could just get Kristy to send me some on a regular basis. *hehe* Kristy also sent some products from her local farmer’s market. She sent an aromatic organic honey made with douglas fir tips. Fancy! I’m looking forward to making some granola with it. She also sent some homemade fruit leather from Moss Street Market. Everything she chose to send me was well enjoyed and very much appreciated. A huge thank you to Kristy! xoxo

If you’d like to see what I sent my foodie penpal, please check out Celyna’s website! It’s great! Awesome recipes and cute stories :)

So, how can you participate in the next Foodie Penpal Exchange? Simple! Just check out The Lean Green Bean’s page + fill out the form by June 4th. You’ll receive your penpal on June 5th. Then, you need to collect food stuffs totalling $15.00 and send it to your partner by June 15th. Reveal day will be June 30th.

I highly recommend giving one of the Foodie Penpal exchanges a shot. You are guaranteed to meet some inspiring, new people, learn about new blogs and try out some new food products. 

Tropical Cheesecake Tart with Toasted Coconut Topping

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It has been raining for over a week. So much rain! Don’t get me wrong – I love a good storm. And we’ve had a few great ones this week! I love the sound of rain. It can be so relaxing. But I am starting to get a bit tired of the gloomy skies and chilly weather. It has been nice spending time inside, reading and catching up on chores around the condo. However, I’m antsy to get outside and enjoy some sunshine! My sister and I want to get a start on our vegetable garden soon and enjoy some cocktails on her new deck too. 
In an effort to reduce some of the gloominess of this past rainy weekend, I made a cheesecake tart with tropical flavours – pineapple, coconut, and lime. I brought the tart over to my parents’ place yesterday as a treat for after Sunday dinner. Everyone welcomed the fresh flavours. As my mom said “it was like sunshine in your mouth. So light + bright.” *hehe* My mom is adorable.
It is supposed to rain for two more days and then it’s supposed to be sunny and hot for Friday and the rest of the weekend. Cannot wait! If all works out, Jesse and I will have a picnic next weekend. Our first one of the summer!

Wishing you all a fantastic week. I’ll be back in a a few days with a new delicious salad recipe + a post about my experience in the Foodie Pen Pal exchange which was sponsored by The Lean Green Bean.


Sable Tart Shell Ingredients
  • 1/3 cup of unsalted butter, at room temperature
  • 1/4 cup icing sugar
  • 1 egg, at room temperature
  • 2 tablespoons of milk
  • 1 teaspoon of pure vanilla extract
  • 1 cup of cake + pastry flour
  • 1/4 teaspoon of salt

Tropical Cheesecake Filing Ingredients
  • 1 (8 ounce) package of cream cheese, at room temperature
  • 3 egg yolks
  • 1/2 cup of sugar
  • 2 teaspoons of finely grated lime zest
  • 2 tablespoons of fresh lime juice
  • 2 tablespoons of rum or 2 tablespoons of pineapple juice
  • 2 teaspoons of pure vanilla extract
  • 1 (14 ounce) can of crushed pineapple, well drained
  • 2/3 cup of sweetened flaked coconut
  • toasted coconut for garnish


Sable Tart Shell Method

1. Beat the butter and icing sugar together until fluffy. Stir in the egg, then add the milk and vanilla. Stir in the flour and salt until the dough comes together. Note: the dough will be quite sticky. Shape the dough into a disc, wrap it in plastic wrap, and chill for at least 2 hours until firm.

2. Preheat the oven to 350’F. Knead the pastry dough on a lightly floured surface to soften it just slightly. Dust the pastry flour with a little flour, and then roll it out to about 11 inches in diameter. Line a 9 inch tart pan with removable bottom with the dough. Press the dough down into the tart pan and then trim the dough that hangs over the edges. Chill the pastry for 20 minutes in the fridge or 10 minutes in the freezer.

3. Place the chilled tart pan on a baking tray. Dock the bottom of the pastry shell with a fork. Bake shell for 20 minutes, or until the edges are golden brown and the centre of the shell looks dry. Cool completely before filling the tart shell.

Tropical Cheesecake Filling Method

1. Beat the cream cheese to soften and side aside.

2. Whisk the egg yolks, sugar, lime zest, lime juice, rum (or pineapple juice), and vanilla in a metal bowl. Place the bowl over a pot of gently simmering water and whisk the mixture by hand until it leaves a “ribbon” when the whisk is lifted (about 5 minutes).

3. Add half of the warm egg mixture to the cream cheese and beat until smooth. Fold the remaining egg mixture into the cream cheese mixture by hand. Fold in the crushed pineapple and the coconut. Spoon the filling into the cooled tart shell (still in the tart pan) and spread evenly. Chill the tart for at least 3 hours in the pan before removing the outer ring of the pan to serve. Sprinkle with toasted coconut before serving. Note: to toast the coconut, place the shredded coconut in a small sauce pan without oil. Toast coconut about 3 minutes over medium heat. Turn coconut often to prevent burning.

The tart will keep in the fridge for up to 2 days.

Note: Tinned pineapple is best for this recipe once well drained. Fresh pineapple will release juice as the tart sits and cause it to become runny. You can also reserve 2 tablespoons of the pineapple juice while draining the pineapple to use in this recipe in lieu of the rum.

Source: Anna Olson’s Back to Baking

Mango Avocado Salad with Pineapple Mint Dressing

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In 2010, I started blogging after a good friend of mine, Serena from What A Sweet Life, convinced me to start posting all of my favourite recipes along with related photos online. She knew how much I loved cooking/baking + photography. We spent a lot of time chatting about food + photos. She strongly thought I would enjoy posting about both my passions and sharing them with others. I was very skeptical, but Serena is a smart girl + really enjoyed blogging herself. I am so glad I listened to her! I cannot even begin to detail what food blogging has brought into my life. Yay for the internet! *hah*

At first, the only people who read this blog were my parents, my sister, and a few friends. (Thanks guys!!!) But over the past two years, I have been lucky enough to increase readership and meet some of the most wonderful, kind-hearted and inspiring people throughout the process. I never would have thought that I could befriend someone I have never met before. But I’ve definitely made friendships with a variety of fantastic food bloggers that I now consider dear friends – friends whom I plan to stay in touch with for many years to come.

These wonderful friends I’ve made are extra special to me, as we share and understand one another’s passion for food and photography. About a month ago, I was sitting reading blog posts by some of my favourite bloggers, and I thought “how great would it be if we could all meet up, share some dinner and chat until the late evening hours.” Unfortunately, since we are all from different places in North America, we are unable to all meet up for dinner – well, for now at least! So, I thought, why not try a virtual potluck with some of my favourite people. 
I suggested the idea to the others and luckily everyone agreed! (Thank you! xoxo) We decided we would hold a virtual potluck on May 21, 2012, and highlight flavours of spring.

So, without further ado, please check out what everyone brought to the Veggie Virtual Potluck :)

First up, I brought the Mango Avocado Salad with Pineapple Mint Dressing. It’s a delicious salad because it plays on the spiciness of the arugula, sweetness from the mango, saltiness + crunch of the macadamia nuts and sour/sweet combo of the dressing. Yum!!!

Salad Ingredients
  • 4 cups (1 bag) of fresh arugula
  • 1 mango; diced
  • 1 avocado; diced
  • 1/2 cup of macadamia nuts; toasted
  • pineapple mint dressing

Pineapple Mint Dressing Ingredients
  • 2 tablespoons of pineapple juice
  • 1 tablespoon of freshly chopped mint
  • 1 tablespoon of sugar (or 1 tablespoon of honey)
  • 4 teaspoons of apple cider vinegar
  • 1/4 cup of extra virgin olive oil
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • pinch of cayenne pepper (optional)

Method

1. In a small saucepan without oil, toast the macadamia nuts on medium for about 5 minutes, or until fragrant. Note: due to the oils in the macadamia nuts, they can burn easily. So be sure to flip them occasionally + keep a close eye on them.

2. Make the Dressing: In a jar, combine the pineapple juice, fresh chopped mint, sugar, apple cider vinegar, olive oil, salt and pepper. Shake, shake, shake to combine. Allow dressing to sit for at least 15 minutes before using.

3. Right before serving the salad, chop the avocado and toss with a small amount of the dressing. The acid in the dressing with help prevent the avocados from browning too quickly.

4. Toss the arugula with as much of the dressing as you like. I always put half of the dressing in, taste and then see if anymore is needed. Top the salad with the diced mango, toasted macadamia nuts and avocado. Enjoy!

Source: Baked Bree

And here is what my friends brought to the Virtual Veggie Potluck:
Peaches + Cream
The Vegan Chickpea

Vanilla + Spice
Flavour
Will Cook for Friends
Sunday Morning Banana Pancakes
The Healthy Wife

Hobby and More

Fork + Beans
VIMWAC

Thanks for checking out our Spring Virtual Veggie Potluck. Please be sure to stop by all of the participating blogs for some GREAT recipes.

Also, be sure to check out the blogs of a few others friends I’ve met through blogging! They are always so kind to leave me comments and I appreciate them a lot! They are also very inspiring + creative + talented! :)