Roasted Squash and Goat Cheese Crostini

Hello lovelies,

I sure hope you aren't too upset about the never ending snow we seem to keep getting. Don't worry, just think about all the warm summer months that are right around the corner. I can't wait for the homemade lemonade, weekend trips to cottages, biking to markets, and wearing sundresses again (who am I kidding, I wear sundresses year round!!). I have an absurdly long exam period, so I'll have to be super optimistic or else I know I'll start pulling my hair out with the anticipation of waiting for weeks before I get to go home.

I have more exciting news for y'all. I'm going to spend my fall semester studying abroad in Rouen, France. I am thrilled to say the least about the whole thing! I can't wait to spend four months parading around Europe, and to make things even better, my best friend Maggie will be there with me!! I can only the imagine what we'll get up to. So if you have ANY advice about travelling in Europe or France, or studying abroad, or if you want to crash on my floor while I'm there, shoot me an email at gaby.patenaude@gmail.com. I'd LOVE to hear from you. Even if it's just to say that one time you saw this one thing in this one town, I want to know any bit of insight I can get my hands on. 

My home in the fall

I present to you a recipe that I made for dinner a little while ago. I love love love bread and cheese, which is why I could never go vegan or gluten-free. This recipe combines both, with roasted squash and green onions on top. Delicious! Paired with a nice salad, these roasted squash and goat cheese crostini are perfect for dinner, or serve them alone as an appetizer.

Roasted Squash and Goat Cheese Crostini

Ingredients

- 2 cups of seeded, peeled butternut squash, cubed

- 1 tsp olive oil

- Pinch of salt and pepper

- 1 Baguette, sliced

- 1 clove of garlic, halved

- 1/2 cup soft goat cheese

- 2 Tbsp milk

- 2 tsp lemon juice

- 2 tsp finely chopped green onions

Instructions

✿ On greased rimmed baking sheet, toss together squash, oil, salt and pepper. Roast in 425 F oven, turning once, until tender and golden, about 20 minutes. 

✿ Meanwhile, arrange baguette slices on separate rimmed baking sheet; add to oven and bake until light golden, about 5 minutes. Rub cut side of garlic over crostini. In bowl, combine goat cheese, milk and lemon juice; spread over crostini. 

✿ Top with squash. Sprinkle with chopped green onion.

Enjoy!

xox Gaby

Yogurt with Frozen Berries

Hi lovelies,

Great tip alert!! Put frozen berries in your yogurt in the morning when you pack your lunch. It keeps your yogurt cold and gives plain yogurt a sweeter taste. Thanks Maggie for this tip you shared years ago, that I've been using ever since :)

Enjoy!

Chocolate Fudge Pie

Hello lovelies,

Happy pi day!! Yes, that's right, today is March 14, 3.14, as in π. I love pies and so what better day to post one of the easiest , most delicious chocolate pies. If you are also a dedicated pie fan, then you can check out a more summery pie that I made this summer, here. It's a peach pie and although it takes a bit of effort it's a  definite crowd pleaser. 

Here are a few posts from around the web about pi(e):

• These people went all out for pi day…
• Joanna always has the best recipes, try out her apple pie.
• Joy the Baker has a great strawberry ginger gluten free pie.
• My girl Martha knows her pumpkin pie.
• Buzzfeed always gets me laughing.
• Look here for the pi day background story.

Chocolate Fudge Pie

Ingredients
- 1 pie crust recipe or store bought pie crust
- 3½ Tbsp cocoa
- 1¼ cup white sugar
- 2 eggs
- ¼ cup melted butter or margarine
- ⅔ cup evaporated milk

Instructions
✿ Preheat oven at 350F. In a food processor, mix together cocoa powder and sugar.
✿ Add all remaining ingredients and blend together. Batter will be very thin.
✿ Pick the crust several times with a fork and pour batter into crust.
✿ Bake for about 50 minutes, or until the batter sets up and there is a thin crust on top.
✿ Top with whipped cream and raspberries

**TIP: I made coconut whipped cream once when I made this pie and it was delicious!! Just put a can of coconut milk in the fridge overnight, and then scoop out the hardened part and whisk it for a few minutes! You can put the whipped stuff in the freezer so that it can harden up a bit.

Happy pi day!!

xox 

Gaby

Shrimp Pad Thai

Hello lovelies,

If you don't know me very well you may not know that in high school my friends and I started a curling team. It's the classic underdog story of how we worked together as a team to fight the assumptions that this team of beginners couldn't make it anywhere. Well, we ended up making the playoffs and quickly curling nights were a highlight for this tight knit group of girls. So without boring you too much about my curling stories, I just wanted to say we've kept a special place in our hearts for curling. (Cue the cheesiness…)

Which brings me to tell you about my fun little outing over my reading week! 75 years ago, my great grandmother, Clara Williamson, donated a trophy for the City of Ottawa Ladies Curling Cup. Ever since then, descendants of Clara have presented the cup and this year my dad and I went. I felt like Kate Middleton, as we posed with the trophy and were introduced as the guests of honour! It was fun to watch the game cause it was a nail biter!

My dad kept whispering in my ear "This is so exciting I'm on the edge of my seat" sarcastically, but I was having a ball. I didn't know innocent little old ladies could yell so much and scream so loudly when they played a good stone. It was really fun and it was great to be there representing my family.

Here is a Pad Thai recipe I found on one of my favourite blogs, A Cup of Jo. She's so funny and honest!

Shrimp Pad Thai

By Cooksmarts via Cup of Jo

Ingredients
- 8 oz. Pad Thai noodles 
- 3 tbsp. canola oil 
- 1 lb. frozen peeled, tail-on shrimp 
- 1 bunch green onions, chopped 
- 4 cloves garlic, minced 
- 1/4 cup peanuts, chopped 
- 2-4 eggs, whisked 
- 1/4 cup chicken stock 
- 2 tbsp. brown sugar 
- 3 tbsp. fish sauce 
- 1 tbsp. soy sauce 
- 2 tbsp. tamarind paste (optional) 
- A few limes

Instructions
✿ Place noodles in a large bowl and pour 6 cups of boiling water over the noodles. Give the noodles a stir and then let them sit in the hot water for about 8 minutes. This will be enough time to get them softened but not soggy. Drain and set aside. (I usually toss the noodles with about 1 tbsp. of oil to keep them from sticking.)

✿ While waiting for the noodles, defrost shrimp in a bowl of lukewarm water. Drain them after 15 to 20 minutes and dry with some paper towels.

✿ Meanwhile get your the other ingredients ready: chop green onions, keeping green and white parts separate; mince garlic; chop peanuts, and whisk eggs.

✿ Next mix together the sauce. Combine stock, sugar, fish and soy sauces, tamarind paste and minced garlic. Marinate shrimp in about 2 to 3 tablespoons of the sauce.

✿ Now it’s time to put all the ingredients together. Heat a wok over medium-high heat. Add 1 tbsp. oil and then shrimp to heated oil. Be careful to drop the shrimp in as close as you can to the wok to prevent spattering. Sear shrimp for about 2 to 3 minutes on both sides until you get a beautiful caramelization. Remove shrimp from pan and set aside.

✿ Return wok back to medium-high heat and add remaining tbsp. of oil. Add in the chopped white parts of the green onion with a dash of salt. Pour in whisked eggs and scramble lightly for about 30 seconds. Push them to the side of the wok and then add noodles. Pour in remainder of the sauce and toss your noodles with tongs and get them completely coated in your sauce. Once the noodles have absorbed all the sauce, add the shrimp back along with the green parts of the green onions and juice from half a lime. 

✿ Toss everything together and then taste! If it needs more sweetness, add more brown sugar; if it needs more salt, add fish or soy sauce; if it needs more tanginess, add more tamarind paste. Once you get it exactly to your liking, serve piping hot with chopped peanuts and extra lime wedges.

Enjoy!

xox Gaby

Crêpes

Salut mes amis,

This morning I woke up and I wanted crêpes, so I made some! This delicious french dish is so simple yet you can dress it up in any way, making it savoury or sweet. One day this year, my friend Karly made these wonderful crêpes with prosciutto, caramelized peppers, and goat cheese, topped with a light vinaigrette. They were delicious and we ate them for dinner. With a few toppings these puppies can look fancy in a flash.

Another time this year, I was over at some friends' house and after a lovely sausage pasta dish that Hannah made, Kevin made us sweet crêpes for dessert, showing us that they are the quickest yummiest dessert!

Here is the recipe I made this morning! It makes two crêpes, enough for one person.

Crêpes

Ingredients

- 1/4 cup milk 

- 1/4 cup water

- 1 egg

- 1/2 cup flour

- 1 tsp sugar

- 1/2 tsp vanilla

- A little butter to coat the pan

Instructions

✿ Whisk together all the ingredients until smooth.

✿ Grease a pretty large pan with butter over medium heat. Make sure the pan is hot enough by flicking a few drops of water into the pan. If it sizzles, then it's ready!

✿ Pour half the batter into the pan and roll the pan around so that the batter covers the surface of the pan. It should be thin.

✿ Turn the crêpe over once bubbles start to appear and the one side is no longer sticky (roughly a few minutes).

Bon appétit!

xox 

Gaby

Vegan Sloppy Joes

Hello!

I hope those of you in cold weather, like me, are bundled up in a wool blanket sipping tea! It's pretty nippy in Ottawa today, I can practically see my breath in the comfort of my own bedroom. I'm home for reading week and I've been having so much fun already! From three hour coffee shop chats with the besties, to hitting up Costco like I'm a 30 year-old soccer mom with a birthday party to throw.

I've also made a bit of progress with my exchange research. My dad is all gung-ho about me travelling since he loves anything related to maps, geography, or discovering the world. If my dad was ten and his house was being built on Extreme Makeover Home Edition, I'm pretty sure his room would be map themed, with his bed being a huge atlas. I just need to decide where I want to live for four months and it's so difficult!!! BUT new information: My best friend Maggie might come with me!!! Imagine that?? We've shared so many good memories but have gone to different universities so now would be our chance to study abroad together! It makes me grin from ear to ear just thinking about it.

Here is a recipe for all you vegans out there! Or if you're not vegan, this recipe is great, and that's coming from a huge sloppy joes fan!

Side note: Here is the text I sent my roommate Sara, when I found this recipe… my bad.

Vegan Sloppy Joes

Adapted from Hell Yeah It's Vegan

Ingredients
- 1 Tbsp olive oil
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 1 green bell pepper, diced
- 2 tsp chili powder
- ½ tsp garlic powder
- ½ tsp dry mustard
- 1 c quinoa (cooked)
- ½ tofu (optional)
- 1½ c water
- ½ c pizza sauce
- 2 Tbsp brown sugar
- 1 tsp vinegar
- 1 Tbsp soy sauce
- salt and pepper to taste
- soft  buns

Instructions

✿ In a medium saucepan, saute pepper and onion in oil until onion is translucent.
✿ Stir in chili powder, garlic and mustard.
✿ In a small bowl mix pizza sauce, brown sugar, and vinegar to make ketchup like sauce.
✿ Add cooked quinoa (and optional chopped tofu), water, ketchup like sauce, and soy sauce; stir well.
✿ Cover and bring mixture to a boil.
✿ Reduce heat, simmering for ~20 minutes covered.
✿ Remove lid and simmer for 5 minutes more, stirring frequently until most of liquid has evaporated.
✿ Season with salt and pepper to taste.
✿ Serve hot on toasted sandwich buns, with onion slices and avocados if desired.

Enjoy!!

xox
Gaby