Cookbooks on cookbooks

Hi lovelies,

Just to let you guys know, as I write this post I am wolfing down a scrumptious bowl of Easy White Chocolate Mousse (don't freak out, recipe to follow).

This past week has been just wonderful. It was pretty sad to leave my home away from home, but it also means that IT'S SUMMER! I don't start my job until the beginning of May so I have a few days of well deserved lazing around in my pyjamas. I have been cooking a bit but mostly catching up on TV shows and spending time outside, soaking up all this beautiful weather. Can you say perfect running weather? I did, however, go to the library to get a few (and by a few I mean seven) cookbooks. I love my library so much so it was nice to be back and chat with the librarians.

 First, I decided to try out "The Best Veggie Burger on the Planet" and "Joy the Baker" cookbooks. From the burger book, I made their Tabbouleh Burger which was just okay. If you would like the recipe, leave a comment below, but trust me, it wasn't anything to write home about. What I did like about the recipe was that you could either make 10 patties, or use half of the tabbouleh salad to make 5 patties and use the rest as just a salad. I opted for the latter and the salad was great but the burgers were a little lacking of something. To go along with the whole lebanese theme I made homemade hummus from Canadian Living. I swear that magazine has a great/easy recipe for everything. Whenever I want to make something, I Google it and when it's from Canadian Living I know it's going to turn out well. To add to the rest of the meal, I made pita chips by cutting up pita bread brushed with olive oil and various spices (my favourite is rosemary). I just threw those puppies in the oven at 375º F. 

Then, since I was little depressed about my burgers, I decided to make my mom a combination of her two favourite things: white chocolate and mousse. Joy the Baker came to my rescue; she is so awesome! She has the best cooking blog and who could resist a cookbook that says "A celebration of butter and sugar" on the cover? Her Easy White Chocolate Mousse recipe is to die for and you may realize the truth of my words by the fact that I'm eating a bowl of it before 11 AM. The best part of this recipe is that it really is easy.  I also loved that she asked for 6 ounces of white chocolate because that's the amount of white baker's chocolate that comes in a box. The hardest part of the recipe is that you have to wait for it to chill for at least two hours (gasp!). But serve it in a delicate crystal bowl garnished with fruit and you're golden. My rating is 10/10, and that doesn't come around every day. 

Easy White Chocolate Mousse

from Joy the Baker

- 2 Tbs water
- 2 Tbs unsalted butter
- 6 ounces of white chocolate chunks
- 1¼ cups heavy cream
- 2 tsp powdered sugar
- Pinch of salt
- 1 large egg yolk, beaten.

✿ In a medium saucepan over medium heat, combine water, butter, and chocolate. Stir until chocolate is melted. Remove from heat and place mixture in a medium bowl to cool slightly.

✿ In the bowl of an electric stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment**, combine cream, sugar, and salt. Begin with the mixer on medium speed, gradually increasing to medium high, beat until stiff peaks form***. Remove the bowl from the mixer and set aside.

✿ By now, the chocolate should be just warmer than body temperature. Whisk in egg yolk until combined.

✿ Add half of the chocolate mixture to the whipped cream. Fold together until just incorporated. Add the remaining chocolate mixture to the whipped cream. Try not to overmix the mixture and deflate the whipped cream. Transfer mousse to smaller bowl. Place a piece of plastic wrap directly over the mousse, and refrigerate for at least 2 hours before scooping and serving.

✿ Mousse will last, in an airtight container, at room temperature for up to 3 days.

Notes:
** I didn't use a stand mixer, I just used a handheld mixer and it worked perfectly. Don't sweat it!
*** Stiff peaks means that the whipped cream should keep its form when you take the mixers out of it.   The peaks shouldn't slump over. If they do, keep mixing!!

Try it out and tell me what you think!

xox Gaby

p.s. I used my grandma's crystal bowls to serve the mousse which just makes everything better.

Welcome!

Hi friends, family, and casual visitors! I am thrilled that you decided to follow my journey as I prepare for my first time cooking away from home. If I do say so myself, I have a few tricks up my sleeve when it comes to kitchen knowledge. With that being said, it's a whole new ball game when you're living away from home with limited ingredients and a budget the size of my left toenail. This past fall, when I came to Bishop's University, I lived in rez and even managed to bake a few things using limited resources (think some Skor chips, a jar of peanut butter, and a mini fridge).

#sketchy

Even though I loved living in Mack this year (Go Gaiters!), I am itching to have my own kitchen to throw big dinner parties or even just make myself a goat cheese grilled cheese. I know I sound like a 35-year-old soccer mom when I say this, but when my roomies and I were house hunting I totally judged the house on its kitchen. I have to say that ours is pretty stellar, but so is the rest of the house. Did I mention it has a pool?!

Gorge eh?

I have always wanted to write my own blog and I thought this was the perfect time. For the first little while I won't be cooking in my new kitchen in Lennoxville, home of BU, but instead back home in Ottawa. This summer, I will documenting my recipe and kitchen gadget search, with the odd post about things I have made. So sit back, relax, and have a chuckle as you read about how I will attempt to survive on something other than tuna and soda crackers.