Looking for Connection and Creativity in Social Media

February 21, 2012May 4, 2014 ~ Teresa ~ 4 Comments

Having introduced my nieces, two rather internet-savvy young women, to the world of blogging recently (you can see their Tuesdays with Dorie post on making a chocolate truffle tart here), I started thinking about how much there is to navigate in the social media realm. It can be hard to build community online when it seems that the channels of communication are so fragmented, or worse, the same people are broadcasting the same information over channel after channel.

I’ve found Twitter to be a great resource for information and also a good way to connect in real time with people in my region and in my French Fridays community. Facebook is more for far away friends, local acquaintances, and family, though I do have a Facebook page for my blog. I like to keep all 11 of its Facebook followers in the loop…

I eschew location-based social media applications like Foursquare, but love location-based apps on my phone that help me find shops, food trucks, and even what’s in season. I don’t feed my activity from them onto social media, though. Maybe it’s generational.

What I’ve been finding really fascinating lately, though only as an observer, is how Google+ has taken off as a platform for photographers. A good friend of mine has become deeply involved in the community there and it’s become for her both a venue for connection and a spur for creativity. I think the combination of social media functions and ease of sharing is a big part of what’s made it so popular. Unlike a number of social media platforms, it’s also easily adaptable to users’ needs. A great example of this is the way the video chat function, called Hangouts, has become a forum for tutorials, classes, and even photo walks.

I have to admit I haven’t used Google+ for much, yet, but when I start working on improving my photography skills again, I’ll be looking to the resources that can be found there.

Here’s a few links, in case your interest has been piqued:

Google+ Survival Guide

Google+ photography book for charity

There’s a lot of potential in the web, but it’s easy to get distracted by all the entertainment, fluff, and chatter out there. It’s inspiring to see a web tool like Google+ take off so productively and creatively. Now, I just need to keep that in mind when I turn on the computer.

FFWD – Mussels and Chorizo With or Without Pasta

February 17, 2012 ~ Teresa ~ 32 Comments

I’m not sure who decided that a pound of mussels was a single serving, but this week’s dish proves it to be a generous calculation. I halved the recipe and was able to feed five people. Granted, we ate it with some lovely spinach rice pasta from Tinkyada and some even lovelier bread from one of my favourite bakeries, so I guess that helped stretch the portions. Regardless, we were all well-satisfied with the meal.

I’d spent the day with my nieces, providing a little back up as they attempted their first Tuesdays with Dorie recipe. They succeeded brilliantly, I must say – the chocolate truffle tart they made was a fantastic finish to our meal.

It was a great way to spend the day. Earlier, my mother shared the kitchen with us as she made a creamy lentil soup for our lunch. I provided troubleshooting advice and a little bit of hands on help for the girls as they worked their way through the stages of their tart construction. I also got them started on their first blog post, then left them together, side by side, as they chose and edited their photos and wrote the text.

Later on, I started working on the mussels and chorizo pasta. This is one of those recipes where more time is taken in preparation than in the actual cooking. Chopping the vegetables, frying the chorizo, and debearding the mussels were the difficult parts of this recipe. Which is to say, there weren’t really any difficult parts. In fact, cooking the pasta – a completely hands off task – was the one thing I had to budget time for.

So, just when the truffle tart came out of the oven, I put the pasta on and by the time it was cooked, everything was ready to go into another pot for the main event. The total cooking time is about 15 minutes, from cooking down the vegetables to steaming the mussels. It’s hard to believe a meal this impressive is quick enough for a weeknight dinner.

I hadn’t cooked mussels before, but I’m definitely over that apprehension now. I’m also looking forward to baking and cooking again with family, soon.

You can find many other blogged descriptions of this week’s FFWD recipe here: Mussels and Chorizo With or Without Pasta

Sunset

February 14, 2012 ~ Teresa ~ 3 Comments

I’m something of a slacker today. I’m nearly better from a flu that’s had its way with almost everyone in my extended family, so I’m just posting a few photos I took recently. Sunsets are beautiful out at the farm. These photos would have benefited from the use of a tripod, but I still like them.

What are your favourite sunset views?

FFWD – Brioche and Nutella Tartine

February 10, 2012 ~ Teresa ~ 21 Comments

A month ago, the rest of the French Fridays gang presented their posts on Dorie’s brioche recipe. I missed out on that, but this week’s recipe turned out to be the perfect excuse to catch up. I chose to use Dorie’s bonne idée for this recipe, rather than making the bubble-top rolls. A loaf works much better for tartines, after all. I also wanted to make braided loaves, just because I think they look so lovely.

Brioche is one of those breads that intimidate home bakers, me included. But, with the help of a sturdy stand mixer, all things are possible. When it comes to bread, anyway. The only other obstacle to brioche success is my penchant for doing things at the last minute. I’m usually one of the last to post my link on the French Fridays site and it’s not just because I’m on the west coast. This time I forced myself to plan ahead.

Making brioche, aside from the worries about overheating the stand mixer during the ten-minute kneading process, is pleasantly slow. Once the dough’s first rise is done, it’s put into the refrigerator and deflated at intervals until the yeast gives up. After an overnight rest, it’s shaped and then left at room temperature to warm enough for the yeast to become active again. After that final rise, into the oven it goes.

What you get for your patience is a light, eggy, buttery loaf, with a rich yeastiness that’s a result of holding back the dough’s rise for so long. It’s just made for tartines (and French toast, too).

A tartine is an open-faced sandwich, usually with a decadent topping. I think this Nutella tartine qualifies. The slices of bread are brushed with melted butter, then toasted under the broiler. Mine got a little too toasted around the edges, but not enough to affect the taste.

This tartine starts with a layer of bitter orange marmalade, then streaks of warmed, softened Nutella are added on top. It’s finished with chopped hazelnuts (which I skipped) and some sea salt.

Apparently, a slice of bread with Nutella is a traditional after-school snack in France. With Dorie’s additions, I’m sure many parents might be tempted to keep these tartines all to themselves.

You can find many other blogged descriptions of these recipes here: Bubble-Top Brioche Rolls and Nutella Tartine

Baking Bread and Watching Birds

February 7, 2012 ~ Teresa ~ 2 Comments

I’m out in the Valley today, baking bread at my parents’ place, which gives me a great view of the birds making short work of the seed in the back porch bird feeder. My mother tells me that it takes them about two-and-a-half days to work their way through a full container. That should slow, now that the weather (dare I say it?) is turning toward spring.

I’ve started participating in another group project, but I’m reserving Tuesdays for my community posts on this blog, so I’m taking my Tuesdays with Dorie posts over here. It’s going to be a bit different, more collaborative, and a little more focused on the kitchen.

Thanks so much to Elaine for sending me the copy of Baking With Julia! I think my friends and family will be thanking her, too. I see a lot of baked goods in my future.

FFWD – Gorgonzola-Apple Quiche

February 3, 2012 ~ Teresa ~ 11 Comments

The name of this dish is misleading, in my case. I couldn’t find any Gorgonzola, so I used a Dutch blue cheese. It was nearly as mild as the Gorgonzola I usually get and it melded well with the apple and onion in this lovely quiche. Today’s post is just a quick one, as I’m away from home right now. I’ll just share some photos with you and let you know that this quiche is one worth making again – next time, I’ll have the Gorgonzola, I swear.

You can find many other blogged descriptions of this week’s FFWD recipe here: Gorgonzola-Apple Quiche

2012 – the International Year of Co-operatives

January 31, 2012May 4, 2014 ~ Teresa ~ 2 Comments

I write about community-building here, well, when I’m not showing you photos of my dinner.

When you live in a city, even one that’s the size of Vancouver, community can be elusive. Your social circle emerges from the web of your identity and affiliations, but connecting across these lines can be challenging. Co-operatives can be a great way of making these connections. Co-ops can be specific or broad-based, economically-focused or centred around information and education. Most have a sense of social justice built into their structure and when they connect with each other, there’s potential for a movement that supports community-building across interests, identities, and status.

In practice, it doesn’t always work that way. Housing co-ops in popular neighbourhoods can become dominated by white, middle-class people; some small co-operatives can become cliques of like-minded hobbyists. But, at its best, the co-operative movement stands as an alternative to the atomized consumer-culture that many of us find so alienating.

As I’ve mentioned before, we live in a housing co-operative, which gives us a sense of connection across our neighbourhood, and more broadly, our region. We belong to a number of other co-ops, too. They enrich our lives and have the benefit of also being easy on our pocketbooks.

The United Nations has declared 2012 as the International Year of Co-operatives. Throughout 2012, there are going to be events across the world to celebrate the co-operative movement. Here’s a link to the official page and another that’s specifically for Canada:

IYC International

IYC Canada

And here’s a list of some of the co-operatives operating in Vancouver. It’s amazing how many needs the co-operative model can serve, isn’t it? There’s even a motorcycle repair co-op in Vancouver now.

CHF BC

The Vancouver Tool Library

modo – the car co-op

Vancouver Media Co-op

Co-op Radio

People’s Co-op Bookstore

MEC

East End Food Co-op

I’d love to hear about your experience with co-operatives. I’d also encourage you to check out co-ops in your area. You might be surprised at how many you find.

FFWD – Broth-Braised Potatoes

January 27, 2012May 4, 2014 ~ Teresa ~ 13 Comments

I unabashedly love the potato, in all its guises, but I have to admit it’s usually in the background of a meal. Even when the potato is the star of a dish, it’s often another ingredient that steals the show. In gratins and mash, it’s the cream, cheese, butter, or garlic that you really remember. Even French fries are mostly a deep-fried delivery system for cooking oil.

Braising brings to mind slowly cooked meat, fragrant with wine and herbs. What happens though, when the same care is given to the potato? In this week’s French Fridays dish, new potatoes (or fingerlings, or baby potatoes) are simmered with stock, garlic, lemon zest, and herbs. Dorie describes these as “energized” boiled potatoes and I’d describe them as potatoes that easily stand on their own. I’ve made them with chicken stock or vegetable broth and have been equally happy with the results, but it’s important to use fresh herbs. It makes a huge difference. I’ve dressed them lightly with just salt and pepper, sometimes with a bit of butter, or with a squeeze of lemon. They’re perfect for soaking up juices, too, as they did when I served them with steak.

Taking a bit of care with potatoes turns out to take almost as little time as simply boiling them.

You can find many other blogged descriptions of this week’s FFWD recipe here: Broth-Braised Potatoes

Gluten-Free Goodness in Vancouver

January 24, 2012May 4, 2014 ~ Teresa ~ 2 Comments

On Sunday, Kevin and I visited Vancouver’s first (annual, I hope) Gluten-Free Expo. I didn’t take any photos there, as I’d intended, because the crowds were huge. Around 3,000 people attended, so many that some booths ran out of stock and had to send for more. Some of our favourite gluten-free vendors were there and we discovered some new ones, too. Things are looking up for those with celiac disease and gluten-intolerance.

Inspired by the expo, I thought I’d do a round up of some great gluten-free goods. I’ve posted about a few favourites before, but the list just keeps growing. As does the awareness of how to serve gluten-avoiding customers safely in restaurants.

Gluten-Free Bakeries

mygoodness!

Mountain Top Café and Bakery

Panne Rizo

The Sweet Tooth Cakery

Quejos

Choices Rice Bakery

Gluten-Free Grocers

All Choices stores label gluten-free goods with a blue shelf tag and stores like East End Food Co-op, Donald’s Market, Nestor’s, and Drive Organics carry gluten-free goods, but there’s only one store in Vancouver that is dedicated to gluten-free goods entirely – Ed’s Gluten Free Specialty (which has sadly gone out of business, now).

If you’re looking for gluten-free flours, though, my first choice is Famous Foods. They have a huge selection of flours, along with tonnes of grains, nuts, and seeds.

Gluten-Free Dining

Vancouver is a great city for gluten-free eating. So many establishments get it. I’m listing a few that we’ve had good experiences with, but there are many more. Call ahead and ask if the restaurant you’re interested in can accommodate a gluten-free eater. You’ll be pleasantly surprised at how many places, even if they don’t have a dedicated gluten-free menu, know how to take care of people who avoid gluten.

The Reef on Commercial Drive

Biercraft on the Drive

The Wallflower

Gluten-Free Resources

The Canadian Celiac Association

The Celiac Scene

Gluten-Free Vancouver

All the photos in this week’s post are gluten-free dishes from past posts. Here’s the list, if you’re interested:

A Tale of Two Crusts

Mustard Bâtons

Chicken B’Stilla

Marie-Hélène’s Apple Cake

FFWD – Quatre-Quarts

January 20, 2012January 20, 2012 ~ Teresa ~ 12 Comments

I told someone recently that I like to build a wall of sugar between the world and me. Bringing treats to meetings and gatherings has always been my way of coping with a lifelong shyness. There are other benefits, too. Last night, I brought cake to our housing co-op’s annual budget planning meeting, as I think sweets help sweeten the process for people. We’re lucky, actually, as we have a lot of talented cooks and bakers in our co-op, so most meetings are delicious (and mostly productive) affairs.

I wasn’t sure that I was going to have time to make this week’s recipe, but Quatre-Quarts is so simple I was able to get it together in time to slip it onto a plate, still warm from the oven, just as I was ready to leave for the meeting. Its ingredients are similar to a pound cake, but separating the eggs and whipping the whites gives it a much lighter texture. It’s a plain cake, served as a snack or with fruit and cream. Dorie sprinkles her version with brown sugar to give it a caramelized crispness. I added ginger and nutmeg to mine, just because.

I didn’t get a chance to photograph it properly before I left and I returned with only two tiny slivers, which somehow disappeared before I got up the gumption to plate them and set up a shot. I’d much rather a cake that disappears than an untouched one, anyway.

You can find many other blogged descriptions of this week’s FFWD recipe here: Quatre-Quarts