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.

Barbequing Is Not Just For Boys

This past weekend (yes, I know it's Thursday but this Fat Girl in a Little Coat has had a pretty hectic week!) my friends and I found ourselves sans significant others and decided to have a fabulous and long overdue girls weekend.

There is nothing better than spending quality time with the ladies in your life.  In fact, it's necessary. Our girls weekend was spent eating (of course), laughing, sunning, reading gossip magazines and consuming plenty of sangria.  

We had talked about going out for a dinner to one of those really popular, overly expensive and raved about tapas places.  Instead, we decided to barbeque.  Barbequing is not a foreign concept to me, however, if left on my own to use one, I would likely blow up the neighbourhood.  Thus, I have always left grilling to the man in my life.

Side note: Last summer my friend and I tried to use a Hibachi to grill some vegetables.  It took us over an hour to get the damn thing lit and when we finally did we were covered in soot and ash. 

This weekend I concluded that girls can barbeque too. In fact, I think we do it better. We seasoned some veggies, seafood (which I obviously didn't consume) and meat and headed down to the cabana area of my friend's condo building for our grill fest (we also made an amazing summer salad- the recipe is at the end of the post). She barbequed everything perfectly and the meal was absolutely delicious. For the first time all weekend we were quiet- too busy enjoying our meals to say anything.

Later this week, I ventured into barbeque territory myself.  I didn't let my boyfriend (fiancé...still not used to it) man the grill (pun intended).  I flipped the turkey burgers and grilled the veggies and made an amazing barbeque dinner, mostly on my own.    I still left turning on and off the barbeque to my boyfriend but I watched as he did it. Next time, I may even light the grill myself without worrying about being arrested for arson.

Grilled Watermelon and Feta Salad:

Ingredients:

• sliced watermelon
• crumbled feta cheese
• arugula
• olive oil
• balsamic vinegar or balsamic glaze (reduced vinegar)
• fresh basil or fresh mint leaves 

Directions:

Cut Watermelon into big enough slices so that they won't fall through the barbeque grill.  Grill slices for 2 minutes on each side and place on top of arugula.  Drizzle with olive oil and vinegar and top with crumbled feta and basil or mint.  Yum!

Fat Girl in a Little White Dress

Hi followers!

I know I have been A.W.O.L. but it has been for good reason.  My amazing boyfriend proposed to me last week- I'm engaged!!!

I couldn't be happier and am so excited to share my life with someone so wonderful.

On a food related note (because that's what I talk about), I thought I would share this with you: While my boyfriend, now fiancé (I hate that word and will likely never get used to it), was down on one knee proposing, I had my hand on a brick of Amsterdam Gouda.

I love cheese, so I find it completely appropriate that I was holding its hand during one of the most memorable moments in my life.  Don't you?

That all being said, it's time to keep the fat girl inside me under control and kick my healthy lifestyle into high gear.  I put on a white dress in just over a year and I want to look my best.  I pledge to put down the cheese (which I eventually did after I realized that I was being proposed to) and pick up some healthier alternatives.

Stay tuned for health inspired recipes and a tad fewer indulgences.

Bye bye poutine....for now...

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.

Fatherly Advice

I have come to realize that my father is likely the only person who reads my blog on a consistent basis (other than my boyfriend who has no choice but to read it when I send him the link to my latest post two seconds after I publish). I am totally cool with the fact that my dad is my biggest blog fan and loyal follower. So long as someone reads what I write (and hopefully tries my recipes), I am happy. 

My dad calls me or sends me an email after every blog posting with his comments, grammatical corrections, "constructive criticisms" and links to urbandictionary.com to highlight the definition of words I use in my postings- Most recently it was the definition of "guido". He is quite the character. I follow shitmydadsays.com on twitter and can't help but relate.

Today's phone call went something like this: "Great blog posting, but maybe you should try cooking stuff that won't burn a hole through my stomach. Curry and cayenne pepper?!?!?"  The next statement was "No wonder you complain about heartburn all the time." He is a doctor, so I do have to take some things he says seriously.  And, in this situation, he is not completely wrong (although, that burger recipe really isn't that spicy).  I do have heartburn complaints quite often but it is now under control thanks to a prescription antacid.

While spicy food is not for everyone, I absolutely love it.  I love the burn and the flavour and I will be honest in saying that most of my cooking, prior to my daily dose of Losec, did give me heartburn. Dr. Dad-I have it under control.

Maybe I should start using a disclaimer before my recipes. "Warning: this meal may cause acid reflux and heartburn.  Cook at your own risk". Or, according to my dad, I just shouldn't use so much spice.

Either way, at the request of my father (my only dedicated reader), I will make an attempt to post more recipes that are more stomach friendly. Okay Dad???

Battle of the Burger

It's the first official full day of summer and I have decided that this will be the summer of the burger.  Whether I barbecue them myself, or eat them at burger joints like Five Guys (my friend is a burger connoisseur and swears that Five Guys has the best burger in the city), I am pledging to delve into the world of burgers and become an expert of sorts myself.

My boyfriend and I are going to be in Boston next month and we already have plans to go to Bartley's- which is famous for its burgers and was featured on an episode of Diners, Drive-ins and Dives, one of my favourite Food Network shows. I can't wait!

But I will not wait for Boston to begin The Battle of The Burger. In fact, I think it's already begun with a clear winner. I have been experimenting with curry burgers and I believe that I have finally perfected the recipe. I will be making other burgers this summer, but I'm not sure anything can beat these Indian-inspired patties.

Fat Girl's Curry Burgers

Ingredients:

• 2 lbs of ground veal and chicken (you can use any ground meat)
• 1 egg
• a few dashes of Worcestershire sauce
• 1/3 cup breadcrumbs
• 2 tbs curry powder (I use a medium yellow curry)
• 2 tsp of cayenne pepper (or more or less to taste)
• a handful of chopped fresh cilantro
• salt and pepper

Directions:
Mix all the ingredients together in a large bowl and form into patties.  Barbecue patties for approx. 7 minutes on each side. Place patties on buns (I use whole wheat or multigrain) and top with grilled eggplant and sauteed onions.  I spread some Masala mayonnaise on the buns as well. 

Masala Mayonnaise:
Mix together about 1/2 cup of light mayonnaise with Masala seasoning and cayenne pepper.  I didn't really measure it but a few shakes of Masala and a small dash of cayenne pepper should do the trick.

Weekend Mojitos

My sincere apologies to my loyal readers (Mom & Dad) for being MIA this week.  I've been suffering from a serious lack of creativity and have been unable to blog or write anything for the various communications projects I have on the go. I'm hoping that my weekend out of the city will help get my creative mojo flowing again.

It's going to be a beautiful and sunny weekend, which means it's time to bust out the sunscreen and relax with a refreshing cocktail in hand. My favourite: Mojitos!  I sampled mojito flavoured gelato the other day (I've been "sampling" gelato almost everyday these days) and it has got me craving this delicious summer cocktail.

All you need to make the perfect mojito is:

• Rum (I prefer white rum)
• Fresh mint leaves
• Fresh squeezed lime juice
• Ice
• Soda
• Sugar

Place about 10 mint leaves at the bottom of a glass and add two lime wedges and about 1/2 tbs. of sugar ( or more if you like it a bit sweeter). Muddle everything together and add 2 ounces of rum.  Stir to dissolve sugar.  Fill the glass with ice and top off with soda.  Stir again and garnish with a lime wedge and a sprig of mint.

I hope you all enjoy your weekend...hopefully with a mojito in hand!