Afternoon Sugar Hit

Apologies for the quick and dirty post. It's been super hectic at work lately with lots of crazy late nights and tight deadlines.  Today is yet another day where I have barely had time to breathe. 

Amidst the chaos of my day, one of my lovely co-workers shared with me two amazing treats:

1) A Chocolate Chip Cookie Covered Oreo- ya, that's right.
2) A Potato Chip Cookie- salt & sweet amazingness!

I will try and get the recipes to share with you because both cookies were absolutely to die for. A much needed sugar rush during my otherwise energy-sucking day.

Being G-Free: Part II

I am losing my battle with gluten.

Friday night I ordered pizza as a sort of farewell to gluten.  I knew it was a bad idea, but I did it anyway.  Bad idea indeed.  It was not a great start to the weekend as I spent the remainder of Friday night in pain and filled with regret. Truth be told, it was the best damn pizza I’ve ever eaten.  Was it worth it? I’m undecided. 

As a result of my impromptu gluten binge, I promised myself a fresh start to the week and headed to the grocery store yesterday as I typically do on Sunday mornings.  I found myself staring at a freezer full of “Glutino” products.  Who the hell wants to buy a loaf of bread that is frozen, not fresh and called Glutino?? Not me.  The bread looked super dense, was super small, cost twice as much as normal bread and had twice the calories, fat etc.  Result= no bread of any kind for me.  Gluten- 1: FGIALC-0.

I then proceeded to the organic, gluten-free, yeast-free, egg-free, taste-free section of the store to buy some snacks. If I can’t eat anything with wheat, I am going to need some snacks to help me through this…right? Wrong.  I could not bring myself to buy a bag of G-free pretzels for $8.99…wasn’t going to happen. How can you even justify a handful of pretzels for $8.99?!?! Gluten-2: FGIALC-0.

Round 3: family dinner at my fiancé’s aunt and uncle’s house. Dinner went well as there was no wheat around to tempt me.  I filled my plate with salad, broccoli, meatballs and brisket (a Jewish staple food) and was quite content…that is, until dessert was brought out.  Loblaws white-on-white cake.   My kryptonite. I don’t know anyone who would dare say no to this cheap, children’s birthday party, sugary, white-trashy cake.  It’s the best.  And of course, I had a piece.  Fast forward an hour later…I’m home, on the couch, with stomach cramps.  Gluten-3: FGIALC-0.

Lessons learned:  
1) I have no willpower
2) Gluten substitutes suck
3) I am not cut out for this no-wheat-nonsense

The battle continues…

Tryptophan Coma

Since Fall is my favourite season, it only seems fitting that the season's only(non-religious) holiday is one of my favourites as well.

As a kid, I never celebrated Thanksgiving.  I grew up in a kosher home so gravy was a foreign concept and using butter and cream in mashed potatoes was against the rules.  One year, in an attempt to satisfy my love of turkey day, my mom made a Thanksgiving-style dinner.  The turkey was good ( a little dry because when you are kosher you can't baste your turkey in butter), we had au jus instead of gravy and the mashed potatoes were made with margarine (I cringe).  My mom certainly didn't serve brussel sprouts with crispy bacon either.  All in all, I would deem my one childhood Thanksgiving dinner a complete failure (sorry mom, I know you tried).

In my adult life, much to my parent's dismay, I have abandoned kosher and taken up the annual ritual of  celebrating Thanksgiving- the proper way. Sometimes, if I am lucky, I get two Thanksgiving dinners but I am certainly happy with one.  This year's did not fall short of fantastic; seasonably warm weather, great friends, good wine (lots of it) and delicious food. By the time the tryptophan took effect I had already rolled my way home (with left over mashed potatoes in hand) and fell into a fast food coma.

Hope you all had a very happy Thanksgiving!

Say Cheese

I know, I know, I said I was going to lay off the cheese but how could I when I found the best hidden gem in all of Toronto.  The Grilled Cheese in Kensignton Market.  Can you say genius?

After venue shopping with both sets of parents in order to find the perfect place to have our wedding,  I decided I needed an indulgence. I had heard from various sources of a grilled cheese hut in Toronto's downtown Kensington Market.  Up until Saturday afternoon, I only dreamed of such a place. To think, a restaurant dedicated solely to the delicious ooey gooey sandwich that has been a staple in my life since birth??? Was this too good to be true???

We parked my car along one of Kensignton's narrow side streets.   Generally when I visit this area of the city I like to take my time to walk around, enjoy the oddities and smells of the market and stop in at all the little kiosks that align the streets.  This time was different.  Grilled cheese sandwiches were all I could think about.  I was on a mission.

There it was as if illuminated by a ray of glowing cheese.  I was standing in front of the allusive 'Grilled Cheese'.  As I approached the menu board I was elated and overwhelmed by my choices.  The Beast, Mushroom Madness, The Classic...too many choices...all very appealing.

My boyfriend ordered first: The Grilled Motzy- fresh mozzerlla, pesto, sun dried tomatoes and arugla.  Since I often get what I like to call "food envy" I decided it was best to order the same.  We took a seat at a picnic table outside and awaited the melted goodness that was to come.

The thick cut bread was toasted to perfection- nice and crispy! The cheese was perfectly melted and the arugula added a nice freshness to this otherwise fatty, greasy, glorious mess of a sandwich.  I usually prefer tomato soup with my grilled cheese sandwich, but seeing as it was 1000 degrees outside, the waffle chips and crunchy pickle placed beside the sandwich was the perfect accompaniment.

I'm pretty sure I finished the contents of my basket in less than 2 minutes.  It was everything I could have hoped for and more.  The perfect grilled cheese sandwich.

That indulgence should tie me over for the next week or so...

... or not.

Celebrating Canada Day with Poutine!

Yay for long weekends!

I could not be more excited about this upcoming long weekend.  I will be in Montreal for a stagette with some of my closest girlfriends from university.  We went to McGill together and will be reuniting in the city where we spent our glory years.

Those 4 years were some of the best years of my life and many post-bar late nights were spent consuming the deliciousness Quebec is famous for: poutine! The Quebecois may not be so enthusiastic about Canada Day, but they do know how to make a mean poutine.

I have scoured Toronto in search of the best poutine.  Smoke's Poutinery may come close, and the pulled pork poutine I ate at a small French bistro a couple months back was pretty good, but nothing beats Mama's in Montreal (La Belle Provence is pretty damn good too).

We arrive late tonight and I plan on ordering to the hotel a delicious pound of fries smothered in gravy and cheese curds...Mmmmm....my mouth is watering as I type.

Close friends, sunny weather, nostalgia and poutine...there is no better way to spend a weekend!

Funny enough, I just got a text message from my personal trainer and it said "Have fun in Mtl! Stay away from poutine." Sorry Nate, no can do. The Fat Girl in a Little Coat will be indulging in potato, gravy and cheese goodness this Canada Day.

Apocalypse Now: My Last Supper

Okay, we've all seen the signs and read the ramblings of fatalist nut cases who are claiming that tomorrow is the end of the world- REALLY?!? Are we buying into this Armageddon bullshit???

Assuming for the purpose of this posting that today is my very last day of existence, I might as well tell you what the fat girl inside of me is asking for as her last meal:

The starter would be fettuccine alfredo followed by a 12 oz cut of juicy prime rib with a side of garlic mashed potatoes loaded with sour cream (yes, that's right, I like sour cream, and sometimes ketchup, on my mashed potatoes).  For dessert, I would have a big slice of chocolate fudge cake, cookies AND ice cream.  Then I would cleanse my palette with a small bowl of grapefruit gelato.  Once I snap out of my food coma and have taken at least a two hour nap, I would probably order a thin-crust pizza from Pizza Nova.  Sounds like a glutinous last night on earth, doesn't it?

Well, it's likely not my last night on earth and I will be spending my long weekend away at a friend's cottage.  I'm sure there will be some indulgences while I'm there, but I'm thinking I will not be eating a heart-attack-on-a-plate: fettuccine alfredo (although I have been craving it for months!).

Instead, I will indulge on the delicious peanut butter cookies that I will be bringing to share with my friends. 

Here is an easy recipe for Gluten Free Peanut Butter Cookies:

Ingredients:

• 1 cup of peanut butter
• 1/2 cup of sugar
• 1 egg

Yes, those are the only ingredients.  I have tried making these with natural peanut butter and Splenda brown sugar blend.  If you decide to go this route, add a package of plain instant oatmeal- otherwise, the batter is way too runny and the cookies will turn out like flat blobs of melted mush.

Directions:
Preheat oven to 325 degrees.  Mix all the ingredients together and form into two-inch balls.  Place cookies on cookie sheet (not greased) and stick in the oven for approximately 20 minutes.  Cooking times may vary.  Allow to cool and enjoy!