Thanks for food and those who made it

Hello lovelies!

Happy Canadian Thanksgiving! I love holidays, whether it's Valentine's Day, or Halloween I love that it's the perfect opportunity to get together with your loved ones and make some solid memories. Thanksgiving is especially special because it's just so cozy! I'm a little sad that I'm not at home this weekend because it's usually when I go back to Ottawa from school for the first time since the summer to enjoy some baking, fall biking, and an overload of hugs. I can't forget the abundance of pumpkin flavoured baked goods and warm drinks! Just for the record I loved fall before it was coined "cool" or whatever. All I had to do was search "white girl fall buzzfeed" and tooooooo many links came up! Shaking my head!! Anyways, in the spirit of giving thanks I wanted to give a few shout-outs to the people that brighten my days.

1. My family. You guys are the best! I am so lucky to be able to Skype you at any moment of the day and you seem genuinely interested in knowing I boiled potatoes and lentils for lunch. 
2. My Bishop's family. Oh geez when I came abroad I had no idea how much I would miss the little bubble that is Lennoxville! I miss it, I really do, and I can't wait to see you all come January.
3. My Hydro Ottawa co-workers. I had the best summer with these amazing people. You know who you are! I've never learned and laughed so much in four short months. p.s. Kelly please make ALL the pumpkin goodies this weekend :)
4. The awesome students on my exchange. I am so lucky to have picked this school if only for the people! You are all stellar people and I'm so happy we get to discover Europe together.
5. Diane from the international office. I know I was a pain and a half to deal with but I can't thank you enough for your constant words of encouragement during my study abroad application process. I'm here now! I actually made it to France!
6. My roommates. I love all our catch-up sessions and hearing about life back in Canada. I can't wait to resume our dance parties soon!
7. My high school friends. It's so nice to come home to Ottawa and be wrapped up in a bear hug and know that we'll always be such good friends.

I'd like to share a recipe that you are more than welcome to make for the people you are thankful for! I made these s'mores bars on my last day of work this summer and they were so good and easy to make.

Oatmeal Cookie S'mores Bars
Recipe from Chelsea's Messy Apron

Ingredients

Bottom Layer:
- 1 cup old-fashioned oats
- 1 cup flour
- 1/2 cup light-brown sugar
- 1/2 tsp. baking soda
- 1/4 tsp. salt
- 1/2 cup butter, softened
- 1 tsp. vanilla

S'mores Layer:
- 1 1/4 cup milk chocolate chips
- 1 1/2 cup mini marshmallows

Top Layer:
- 6 Tbps. brown sugar
- 6 Tbsp. butter, softened
- 3/4 cup crushed graham crackers
- 6 Tbsp. flour
- Handful of chocolate chips

Instructions

Bottom and Middle Layer:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line an 8 x 8 baking pan with parchment paper and set aside.
2. In a small bowl, combine all of the ingredients for the base layer. Stir until a crumbly type of dough has been formed. Press this "dough" into the bottom of an 8 x 8 baking pan.
3. Cook for 10 minutes or until lightly browned on top and remove from the oven.
4. Sprinkle the chocolate chips on top to melt.
5. Sprinkle the marshmallows on top of the chocolate chips.

Top Layer:

1. Beat together the brown sugar and butter until light and creamy. Stir in the oats, crushed graham crackers, and flour.
2. Scoop the dough over the marshmallow layer. The dough doesn't cover it completely, but will cook together somewhat. Just evenly disperse scoops of dough on top of the marshmallows.
3. Return to the oven for about 5 minutes (it will still be a bit gooey), then remove and allow to cool. These taste great right out of the oven, but take a good hour to fully set. If you don't mind messy bars, then dig in!
4. Top the mostly cooled bars with a handful of chocolate chips

Enjoy! Happy Thanksgiving folks and have a lovely fall!!

Gaby
xox

Amsterdam

Hello!

Okay okay I know I promised more writing but it's been hard to find a second to do anything this past month (in the best way possible) between travelling and studying. So far I've been loving everything about being abroad. My initial worries of no Netflix or peanut butter have been resolved and I've found some really nice running paths so it's all good (#priorities). 

Sometime soon-ish (sorry if it's later rather than sooner) I will post about how international my classes are, how awesome everyone is, how I've been managing to cook in a kitchen that's basically a quarter of the size of my closet at home, and how much fun I've had in places like Brussels and Dieppe. For now, all I can think, dream, and post about is Amsterdam!! 

My oh my!! If there's a city that surpassed my already high expectations it's Amsterdam. I'm writing this on the fancy bus ride home and milking the on board WiFi for all it's worth. Amsterdam is absolutely wonderful for a multitude of reasons but for me it was the following:

1. Beautiful men. Now I contemplated not putting this first, but let's be real Dutch guys are perfect. And that little accent... someone fan me.

2. Biking everywhere. I love to bike so put me in a city where everything is centred around biking and I'll be one happy camper. People bike with babies, surfboards, umbrellas, boom boxes, friends on their handlebars, you name it! They also rule the roost which I am not used to. Everyone stops for the bikers and I totally felt like royalty when I was cruising around town on two wheels.

3. The canals and houses. The scenery is beautiful in Amsterdam. Every street has such nice houses and after nosily peeking into people's houses they also have an impeccable sense of interior design. 

4. Restaurants on restaurants. Maggie had done some extensive research (i.e. Read a chapter of Rick Steves' Europe) before coming so we ate like queens our whole stay, but even by just walking down the street you could find so many neat looking places to grab a bite to eat.

5. Proximity to the countryside. You can easily get to North Amsterdam by a free ferry that travels all day and night. From there, there are countless little towns and bike paths.  Can someone say quaint?

6. Museums on museums. Amsterdam has TONS of wonderful museums. I went to the Anne Frank House and was blown away, a definite must!

 Now you might realize that my stay in Amsterdam was pretty wholesome. I didn't get the chance to prance through the Red Light district or smoke weed every moment of the day, but that's what makes this city so cool. There's honestly something for everyone! 

So now that I've ranted for 7 hours about how much I love Amsterdam, here's a little look back on some highlights and great tips from our extra long weekend. Hooray for class cancellations!

TRAVEL

Bla Bla Car: This carpooling site has saved us so many times! It's perfect for last minute trips because unlike trains and planes, Bla Bla rides usually come up at the last minute and are really cheap. Plus I've met so many cool people! Think driving with two Spanish students while blasting Bruce Springsteen and Enrique... 

iD Bus: This coach bus is really awesome. We took it on our way home from Amsterdam for 29 euro. There's WiFi, bathrooms, outlets, and comfy seats so you really can't go wrong. 

STAY

Stay Okay Stadsdoelen Hostel: This hostel was luxurious! It was so clean, nice, and safe, and the beds were really private. On top of that they were really well located on a nice canal and there was a huge breakfast included. For 15 euro a night we thought it was an ah-ma-zing deal! 5.0 rating for sure. 

Dutch Cottage: For two nights of our stay we splurged a bit and rented the sweetest little cottage outside the city. It came with beautiful bicycles that we used one day to bike into the city (about 45 min) and the next to bike to a lovely little island with a nice harbour and a clog factory. Our stay was honestly the best combination of city and country. I'd definitely recommend staying in the country and biking around for a bit! 

PARTY

Paradiso: Maggie and I's first night was pretty crazy. We got to our first hostel (kind of a sketchy place) and quickly met a group of other students staying there. After a few drinks at a bar, we headed to Paradiso, a renovated church that played what I can only describe as hipster rap music. It was so so so much fun!!! It also turns into a concert venue, talk about versatile!

SHOP

Episode: Maggie was a stellar store finder throughout our trip! She found THE MOST amazing second hand store I've ever witnessed. They had such good selection and everything was so neatly sorted. The store also alters a lot of clothes to make them more trendy. Imagine a rack of 20 Ralph Lauren polos that have been cropped and the sleeves removed to make cute little crop tops. Or a whole slew of brightly coloured Doc Martens. I was a very bad girl and bought a few too many items!!

EAT

De Bolhoed: A cute little vegetarian/vegan spot that made the best homemade healthy food at a reasonable price. I felt like a real environmentally conscious local dining here. 

De Witte Swaen Pannenkoekenhuis (The White Swan Pancake House): Maggie and I biked to this lovely pancake house from our cottage in the little 17th century town of Broek in Waterland. The houses in the town were everything my Pinterest boards could imagine! My ideal life would be to marry a Dutch man and live here and bike everywhere with little blonde kids on the back of my bike. With that said, the pancakes were so unbelievably delicious! I had the goat cheese, brie, roasted pecan, and honey Dutch pancake (pictured above). Yum yum!

Pannenkoekenhuis Upstairs (The 4 pictures above): I guess Holland is famous for their pancakes, although they are really more like crepes. This restaurant is housed in a tiny building built in 1539. There are only four tables and you have to reserve to get a spot because it's really popular. I had the ham and cheese pancake and it was delicious! Word on the street was that the Real Housewives of somewhere were filming an episode in the restaurant this week.

Bazar: Now this is a cool place! It is in a converted church with a really bumping atmosphere. Did I just say bumping? It was so lively and served really tasty middle eastern food. I had a huge bowl of fish soup for 5.90 euro! It was the type of place you just want to bring a big group of friends and keep the plates of delicious food flowing.

Kantjil & de Tijger To Go: If you're looking for cheap, fresh, really yummy Indonesian takeout this is your place! You choose your base (noodles or rice), veggie mix (steamed, in a peanut sauce, etc.), then your meat (beef in coconut sauce, spicy chicken, etc.) and then voila! Fast and delicious! They have a full restaurant but we opted to just go to the takeout counter.

It was a magical weekend and I'm so tempted to go back!

Have a nice week and don't work too hard :)

xox

G

Barcelona-Paris-Rouen

Hello friends!!

I HAVE INTERNET! Yes, I can now communicate, check the weather, take pictures of food, and take total advantage of everything else offered on the world wide web. I'm finally back on the net and ready to share! It's still crazy to think I'm in France writing this, but I'm sure not complaining. There's is sooooo much to say so I'm going to give a little summary of my past two weeks since I left the Nation's capital.

Week 1: Barcelona
HOLY catfish I don't know where to start with Barcelona. But in short the city is gorgeous/lively/filled with SO much history. I felt like I was Scarlett Johansson in Vicky Cristina Barcelona as I snapped my way through the city! Maggie and I toured around all day everyday and we got to see everything from the beaches to the mountains. We even went to one of the oldest churches in Barcelona and shook the priest's hand #catholicgirlsdoitbetter.

I think what really helped was our amazing apartment in the trendy El Born neighbourhood. We found it on AirBnB, and my God I love that site! I really felt like a local when running to the supermarket or chatting with the little old lady on the balcony across the alley way. It was so nice to have a clean safe space to go back to at night and to cook our meals. We saved A LOT of money cooking for ourselves and it meant we got to go to the near by markets to pick up fruit and veg, meats, and cheeses.

Week 2 (Part 1): Paris

We then took the train from Barcelona to Paris. The ride was about six hours and had stunning views of old castles, southern France country side, and tons of gorgeous seascapes. Once in Paris, we stayed at another apartment through AirBnB. It was super cheap and situated in a lovely neighbourhood near Bastille with little bistros popping up everywhere and anywhere. Our host, Delphine, even made us heart shaped brownies, just what we needed!

We only spent a full day and two nights in Paris so we had a lot to cover, but we never felt rushed. We were able to walk everywhere with a few bus/metro rides interspersed here and there. We saw the Louvre (but it was closed), the Notre Dame de Paris, the Eiffel Tower, Shakespeare and Co. Bookstore, and many many other special spots. We finished the day with AMAZINGLY LOADED falafels from L'as du Falafel, which I had heard of on blog I read. It was the perfect day! 

Week 2 (Part 2): Rouen

On Wednesday morning we headed to Rouen, where the NEOMA Business School is located, on the train. Might I mention that while we were travelling by plane, train, metro, bus, taxi, and donkey (jk!) up until we got to school we had ALL our luggage. That's right, FOUR MONTHS worth of stuff. If I didn't get my weight training in then, I don't think I ever will. I brought a big suitcase (49 lbs) and one carry on (thanks Kate), which isn't a lot for four months, but it's a lot to have with you on a busy rush hour metro in downtown Paris. Trust me. Anyways we made it to school with slightly aching joints and got all signed in and moved into residence. I really love my room in residence and I'm right across the hall from Maggie. We also both have stellar bathroom mates (we have adjoining rooms that share a bathroom) and our floor is awesome. Apparently we live on the party floor, but no complaints on that front ;) Before nights out, our halls fill with students from all over the world. It's amazing how universal a game of flip cup and some Black Eyed Peas are...

So far we've been really busy with orientation and workshops, tours, partying, and doing little local french things like getting 1 euro crepes at the flea market across the street. I also got a lovely sweater and some kitchen supplies at the sale. I had my first class yesterday and it was so strange, we all had to get up and introduce ourselves and say why we chose to take the class and how we think it will apply to our career. It was a pretty small class (~30 students) but still different from home. Another difference is that all classes are three hours so I'm going to have to pack some snacks and caffeine in my bag if I want to get through the semester!

I'll keep posting little updates here and there, and please do write me!! I miss all my Canadian friends and family and especially the supply of peanut butter. Little side note: There is NO NETFLIX OR PEANUT BUTTER HERE???? Why was there no mention of this on the countless study abroad blogs I poured over? However I am totally digging the 1 euro camembert cheese and wine!!!!

À tout à l'heure mes amis!

xoxox
(or should I say bises!!)

Gaby

p.s. My friend Emily also has a blog about studying here in Rouen. Check it out!!

Nini's Chocolate Chip Cake

Salut tout le monde,

I'm writing this post in the Apple store in the Rideau Center... Just some last minute technology help (typical). Tomorrow I'm embarking on my HUGE journey to France, with a little vacation in Barcelona beforehand!! I am so excited I couldn't sleep last night! Even though this summer has been hectic with planning trains, planes, hostels, apartments, courses, insurance, visas, etc. it is all going to be soooooo worth it. 

I had such an amazing summer with friends, family, and coworkers that it's a little bittersweet to leave it all behind, but that's life!! And by the looks of things this is going to be quite the adventure. 

I have had numerous requests to send email updates to you lovelies back home, so I've decided to post on this blog. So for the upcoming semester I will use this blog for updates from around the world, as well as tips on how to cook with a hotplate and very limited fridge space! I've been googling and searching in Pinterest for "stove-top dinners" and "no cook dinners" but wish me luck!!! See you on the flip side homies!

Before I leave, I want to leave you guys with one of my all time favourite family recipes. I've been meaning to post it for SO LONG but my family and dinner guests usually eat it up before I have time to take a picture. Luckily I snapped one last Thursday for Steffi's birthday. It's my aunt Nini's recipe but I'm sure she wouldn't mind if I shared it!

Nini's Chocolate Chip Cake

- 1 cup melted butter

- 2 eggs

- 1 1/2 cups sugar

- 1 cup sour cream

- 2 Tbsp milk

- 1 Tbsp vanilla

- 2 cups flour

- 2 tsp baking powder

- 1 tsp baking soda

- 1 cup milk chocolate chips

Instructions

✿ Blend together the butter, eggs, sugar.

✿ Add sour cream, milk, vanilla, and mix well.

✿ Then add flour, baking powder, and baking soda.

✿ Once all is mixed, add the chocolate chips.

✿ Pour into greased and floured bundt pan. 

✿ Bake at 350 for 40-50 minutes.

✿ Remove from the pan to cool by flipping upside down onto a plate.

This is such a classic in our family because it's simple, yet delicious!!!

Much love

xox

Gaby

Strawberry Rhubarb Pie

Hello summer babies,

It's about time I sit down and type up a little something! I have some very exciting news… I made bread!! I've always had a fear of baking with yeast because it's so easy to mess something up (or so I thought). BUT I got over my fear when Maggie gave me her mom's boss's bread machine. This is where you big bakers are all "psshhhhh yeah, that's not actually making homemade bread. That's cheating", but to all of them I say it soooo counts! I made something with yeast that's edible, so yeah, it counts. Special shout out to my office buddy, Kelly, for giving me the push I needed to not be such a bread making baby!

In other news, last weekend my friend Elizabeth from Bishop's invited me up to her farmhouse in Prince Edward County and we had a beauty of a time. It was so nice of her to have me up during her precious time away from camp. I ate way way way too much food, but who wouldn't? Elizabeth's mom went all out and the 10 ft island in their country kitchen was constantly topped with loads of cheese, meats, shrimp, bread on bread on bread, and lots of homemade profiteroles, tiramisu, pies, tarts, and the list goes on and on. I kind of felt like a balloon on my ride home but I had sun kissed shoulders and a happy heart leaving, so it's all good :)

Best ice cream ever! I got lavender flavoured.

I also saw my roommate Sara on my way up and we totally had a movie moment reunion where we dropped everything, ran, and hugged each other like there was no tomorrow! Man I missed her!! Plus, some nice man with a big boat bought us ice cream (on condition that we date his son…) by the waterfront, so we couldn't stop giggling.

Every road trip needs ice cream!

All this to say I made a pie!

Why is it that it took me three paragraphs to say I made a pie?? Nevertheless, it was deliciously amazing and among all the other desserts at Elizabeth's house, my pie was a favourite among the other party guests. According to Joy, from the blog I got the recipe from, this was one of her best recipe's of the year! And she bakes a lot.

Strawberry Rhubarb Pie 
From Joy the Baker

For the Crust:

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup cold unsalted butter, cut into small chunks or grated

1/4 cup plus 1 to 2 tablespoon cold buttermilk

For the Filling:

3 cups 1/2-inch thick sliced rhubarb (about 1 pound)

1 pound strawberries, hulled and sliced in half

1/3 cup light brown sugar, packed

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1/4 cup cornstarch

large pinch of salt

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

For the Topping:

3/4 cup all-purpose flour

3/4 cup old-fashioned oats

2/3 cup granulated sugar

large pinch of salt

6 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into small chunks

1/2 cup unsweetened coconut flakes 

To Make the Crust:

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, and salt.  Add cold, cubed butter and, using your fingers, work the butter into the flour mixture.  Quickly break the butter down into the flour mixture, some butter pieces will be the size of oat flakes, some will be the size of peas. Create a well in the mixture and pour in the cold buttermilk.  Use a fork to bring to dough together.  Try to moisten all of the flour bits.  Add a bit more buttermilk if necessary, but you want to mixture to be shaggy and not outwardly wet.

On a lightly floured work surface, dump out the dough mixture.  It will be moist and shaggy.  That’s perfect.  Gently knead into a disk.  Wrap the disk in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour.  Allowing the dough to rest in the refrigerator will help rechill the butter and distribute the moisture.

To roll out the pie crust, on a well floured surface, roll the crust 1/8 inch thick and about 12 inches in diameter.  Transfer it to a pie pan.  Trim the edge almost even with the edge of the pan  Fold the edges under and crimp with your fingers or a fork.  Cover it with plastic wrap and refrigerate it for a minimum of 30 minutes and a maximum of 3 hours.

To Make the Filling:

In a medium bowl, toss together rhubarb, strawberries, sugars, cornstarch, salt, and lemon juice.  Toss until all of the fruit is covered in a coating of sugar and cornstarch.  The cornstarch will disappear and the sugars will begin to make juice with the fruit.  Allow to rest at room temperature while you make the topping.

To Make the Topping:

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, oats, sugar, and salt.  Add the cold butter chunks and,  using your fingers, work the butter into the flour mixture.  Quickly break the butter down into the mixture  until well incorporated.  Some butter bits will be the size of peas, and smaller.  Add the coconut and toss to combine.

To Assemble the Pie:

Place a rack in the center of the oven and preheat oven to 400 degrees F.  Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.  Set aside.

Remove the pie crust from the refrigerator.  Toss a handful (about 1/2 cup) of the topping mixture into the fruit mixture, toss.  Dump the fruit mixture into the pie crust.  Top generously with topping mixture.  Place on the prepared baking sheet and place in the oven.  It’s important to use the middle rack because if the pie is too close to the top of the oven, the coconut will burn quickly.

Bake the pie for 20 minutes at 400 degrees F, then reduce the heat to 350 degrees and bake for another 35 to 45 minutes, or until the pie is juicy, bubbling, and golden brown.

Remove from the oven and allow to cool for at least 2 hours before serving.  This will help the juices mellow and thicken a bit.  Pie is best served just slightly warm with vanilla ice cream.  Store covered in the refrigerator.  

The baby pie I made with some leftovers

Enjoy!

xox

Gaby

Strawberries

There's something about strawberries that just screams SUMMER!

When we went strawberry picking as kids, the cashier said "Good thing we weigh the baskets and not your kids…"

Can you blame us? Fresh strawberries are deeeeelicious!

Summer Corn Salad

Hello lovelies,

How've ya been?? I can't believe last time I posted was a month ago! Between preparing for France (and Barcelona… eek!!!), work, yoga, friend gatherings, and weekend getaways, my summer has been flowing beautifully. I guess my gut was right because my choices have led me to be so happy! I'm just loving the summer months and even the crazy heat that goes along with it, which is a rarity since I'm an 85 year old man when it comes to sweltering days.

I have started this post about 5 times, but each time I get swept away by one thing or another. But this time it's for real! Here is a wonderful summer corn salad recipe that is great paired some bbq yumminess or even stuffed into a quesadilla.

** This recipe is dedicated to you, Ariane… I know you love corn (enough to have a drawer solely for cans of it in our pantry.***

Summer Corn and Black Bean Salad
originally from Knead to Cook

Ingredients:

- 1 – 15 oz can of organic black or adzuki beans

- 2 cups of corn (fresh or frozen)
- 2 cups of cherry tomatoes, halved
- 1 red pepper, chopped
- 1 orange pepper, chopped (color of the pepper may vary)
- ½ cup of a red onion, diced
- 2 jalapeño, chopped finely
- ⅓ cup of fresh lime juice
- ¼ cup of olive oil
- ¼ cup cilantro leaves, chopped
- 1 tsp of salt
- ¾ tsp of ground cumin
- ½ tsp of cayenne pepper
- ¼ tsp of ground black pepper

Directions:

✿ Combine in a bowl and refrigerate for at least 2-3 hours to let the flavors mingle.  

Easy peasy and deeeeeelicious!

Here is a collection of moments captured throughout my summer:

Every summer has its own story...

 Road trips, sundresses, beach reads, freckles, laughter.

xox

Gaby

p.s Before I forget! I am going to Barcelona before studying in France for 4 months (please… someone pinch me) and I would LOVE LOVE LOVE any suggestions of food, beaches, accommodation. Any advice is good advice at this stage!!! Please and thank you :)