Sunday 30 September 2012

Make it Indie November Market

Hey bunnies and bees!  This is a quick one to let you know that Rabbit and Bumble will have the pleasure of taking part in the following AMAZING event:

 Make it Indie Christmas Fine Craft & Decorative Art Show and Sale
November 10th
in Cobourg
 
Go to http://www.makeitindie.blogspot.ca/ to check out the event and for more information on the HUGE assortment of vendors and products that will be available!
 

 
 
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Thursday 27 September 2012

Apple Pie? Yes, Please.

I know, I know... more pie?  HECK YES!  Fall is time for pie... and stew... and biscuits! But, back to the pie.



Next to Pumpkin Pie, Apple Pie was always a sure-fire sign that fall was upon us in my home growing up.  Crusty pastry, tasty and tart baked apples, topped with cream or maple syrup... *sigh*  Perfection.  I used the same pastry recipe that I used for the Pumpkin Pie but doubled it.  I like a top AND a bottom on my Apple Pie, don't you?  Obviously, instead of pumpkin I used apples for the filling in this pie.  You can take a lot of different approaches to apple pie filling but I like to keep it simple and let the apples speak for themselves: they have a lot to say!

Apple Pie Filling (for one 9" pie)
6 or 7 apples of your choice (I like to use Macintosh apples, but go wild!)
1/2 cup of sugar (brown or white)
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp ground ginger
dash of salt

Peel the apples and slice, thinly.  In a large bowl, combine the apple slices, sugar, and spices.  Toss until apples are well coated.

Place the filling in a prepared pie crust (bottom... obviously) and cover with your second crust.**  Poke a few holes in the top crust, brush LIGHTLY with soy/almond/rice milk and sprinkle sugar on top.  Pop in the oven and bake for about 45 minutes at 350F.  Eat.  Enjoy.

Apple Pie: Mmm, Mmm, Good
 
 
 
 



Top Crust:  Unusual? Yes.  Delicious? Of course!



**I had trouble rolling out this pie pastry so, instead, I used cookie cutters and laid some lovely scallopped-circle cutouts on top of my pie!  Turned out great and looked really lovely!

Before signing out, I wanted to let you all know that we now have a Twitter account so feel free to sing us some sweet, sweet melodies via Twitter!  (@RabbitandBumble)



Soak in this glorious fall weather!  Until next time,

Ms. Bumble xx
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Friday 21 September 2012

Vegan + Gluten Free Pumpkin Pie!

Fall is here,
Let's all cheer!
....
That's as far as I got with my little poem.  Good, right?  It's OK.  We all have our strengths and poetry is decidedly not one of mine.  Baking, on the other hand....

So, in honour of my bake-ability I would like to share with you one of my best friends in all the world, Pumpkin Pie.  As someone with food sensitivities, allergies, and moral "issues", pie is sometimes hard to come by.  Even if the filling isn't loaded with vegan-no-nos, the crust is almost always wheat based.  Le sigh.  This year, I couldn't take it any longer and had to figure out a delicious pie recipe that I could make without too much fuss!

Roasted Sugar Pumpkin, fresh out of the oven


Easy as Pie Crust *wink*

1/2 cup earth balance margarine, softened
1 1/2 cups rice flour (I used brown, you could use white if you want!)
3 - 4 tbsp of cold water

Cut the "butter" into the flour until you have a coarse crumb.  If you have a food processor, you can do this much more quickly by pulsing the mixture a few times and then dumping the crumb back into a large mixing bowl.  Add the cold water one tablespoon at a time and use your hands to mix and form a ball.  It should hold together well and should not be sticky to the touch.  Put the crust into your pie pan and press it out as desired. Poke a bunch of holes into the bottom of the crust with a fork.  Bake at 400F for 12 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from oven and add the pie filling.

My gorgeous pie alongside some of my favorite fall-inspiring
pottery (Thanks, Grandma!)


Pumpkin Pie Filling

1/2 large Sugar Pumpkin, roasted and blended (approx. 15 oz)
1 cup soy/rice/almond/coconut milk (I suspect that coconut milk would be EPIC.)
3/4 cup sugar (white or brown; brown is better, in my humble opinion)
1/4 cup starch (I used Arrowroot but I think corn starch or tapioca starch would work well also)
1 tsp vanilla (or two... *wink*)
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp cloves
1 tsp ground ginger

Combine all of the ingredients in a bowl (or mixer) and thoroughly combine.  The filling should be smooth and thick.  If it seems much too thin (it should be about the consistency of pudding, maybe a little thinner) you can add one tablespoon of starch at a time until you are happy with it!

"I'm ready for my close up, Ms. Bumble," said the pie.... never.


Pour the filling into the pre-baked pie crust and return to the oven at 425F for 15 minutes.  Turn down the heat to 350F and bake for another 45 minutes or so.  You want a knife or toothpick inserted in the centre of the pie to come out relatively dry.  Remove the pie from the oven and cool, then place it in the fridge for a minimum of half an hour or until ready to serve!  You could top it with a traditional whipped cream (there are some great coconut milk whipped cream recipes out there... I'll whip one up for you soon!), with a chocolate sauce, or with maple syrup.  Eaten hot or cold, this pie turned out perfectly.  In fact... I think I'll go have a slice now!

Crispy, flaky crust.  Creamy, spicy filling.
What more could a girl ask for?


Until next time,
Happy Baking
-- Ms. Bumble xx
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Tuesday 18 September 2012

Face lifts and Lunch Dates

Howdy-do, all! 

Don't be deceived by the post's title: Neither Ms. Rabbit or Ms. Bumble has had a dramatic, Joan Rivers style cosmetic surgery.  However, as you MAY have noticed, the blog has had a little make-over!  New banner, courtesy of Ms. Rabbit (aka. Amber) and a few new gadgets and tools as well! Take a look and let us know what you think!

In other news (though, I am not sure that this actually rates as "news"...) I have some new recipe ideas for you! I am very, very spoiled and have a hubby that works only minutes away and who can come home to visit me over his lunch break most days of the week.  Bonus!  I love it, and since I am currently working from home finishing up a degree I try to make the most of it and make us something scrumptious, healthy, and beautiful for lunch each day.  With the fall weather setting in, we have really been getting into soups.  However, summer is not quite gone yet and so salads--the epitomy of summer food, in my opinion... next to BBQ, of course--remain a part of the plan for the time being!  Soup and salad, salad and soup.  Perfection in lunch form.

The soup in question is based on my mother's "chicken" soup recipe.  Chicken is in quotations here because when I was growing up, the soup actually had chicken in it.  Now.... not so much! (Tee Hee!  Sorry, Mummy!)  I say "based on" because this particular soup is Korean inspired and has a little bit of Doenjang (pronounced: d-wing-jang) which is a soybean paste used in soups, stews, and even sometimes as a vegetable dip!  Full of hearty vegetables, rice noodles, and delicious doenjang broth, this soup is filling and very satisfying.

Veggie-Doenjang Soup


Veggie-Doenjang Soup

1/4 head of one medium cabbage
2 large carrots
2 large stalks of celery
1 large onion
2-3 tbsp doenjang
Parsley, fresh (to taste)
salt & pepper (to taste)
1/2 cup- 1 cup of noodles of your choice (I used shell shaped rice noodles)

In a large stock pot, bring water to a boil.  Add the doenjang paste and stir until dissolved.  Add in vegetable pieces (I leave mine in large chunks, but you could chop them up more finely and reduce your simmering time) and bring back up to a boil.  Once the soup is boiling, reduce heat and simmer for 15-20 minutes on low heat or until veggies are soft, but not quite done.  At this point add in the noodles and continue to simmer until they are cooked.  Serve hot and enjoy!

Salad with Tahini- White Wine Dressing



The colourful salad you see on the side was topped with Farmer's Market cherry tomatoes, sweet banana peppers, dried dates, sunflower seeds, and my very own Tahini-White Wine dressing.  That's right:  two recipes coming at you this post!

Tahini- White Wine Salad Dressing
(Makes about 1/4 cup of dressing)
3 tbsp of olive oil (I used extra-virgin, but it's up to you!)
2 tbsp of white wine
1 tbsp of yellow mustard (you could use a Dijon for a little extra "kick")
1 tbsp of tahini
salt & pepper to taste

Combine all of the above in a small, re-sealable container and shake vigorously until think and smooth.  Too easy, right?  Well, it is!  This dressing is CRAZY creamy and works really well on cold salads or warm pasta salad.  Try it out!


Check out those delightful tomatoes!  Mmm, Mmm, Mmm


Get yourself to your nearest Korean grocery (most Asian groceries will carry these Korean pastes) and buy yourself some Doenjang (usually about 5-6$ for a container).  It is delicious and makes a really rich and wonderful soup broth! 
Until next time,

Ms. Bumble xx
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Thursday 13 September 2012

Roasted Eggplant Pasta Sauce

Carrying on with my fall inspired dishes, I decided to make a generous serving of pasta sauce for the hubby and I, a few days ago.  Roasted eggplant, tomatoes, onions, garlic, parsley, herbs and spices all stewing together in one big Pot-of-Love (no relation to Rock-of-Love, sorry Brett Michaels.)


Fresh Tomatoes, cut cross-wise and ready for the big dunk!
The first step in making your home-made pasta sauce is skinning those pesky tomatoes.  If you've ever tried doing it with a knife or a veggie peeler, you have likely been defeated.  Never fear, Bumble is here!  To skin your tomatoes, simple cut a large "x" in the bottoms and submerge in lightly boiling water until you see the corners of the skin-flaps loosening. (Usually takes anywhere from 25 to 30 seconds)  Use a large serving spoon to put the tomatoes in, and to take them out of, the boiling water and plop them into a cool water bath so that you can peel them.  When they are done, they will look like this: 



Skinned Tomatoes (Admit it: You think they look like brains!)
For the eggplant, I simply chopped it up into cubes then tossed these lightly in some olive oil, salt, and pepper and put them in the over at 400F until they were soft but firm.  You don't want to over cook it as you will be stewing it in your sauce and it is a well known culprit for falling apart!

Roasting Eggplant!

After the parts are ready, it is really easy!  Just chop the tomatoes, add in the eggplant, some onion, garlic, basil, oregano, a little bit of cinnamon, salt and pepper to taste... maybe a little white or red wine and then cook it down until you get the consistency that you like in a pasta sauce.  The last step is my favourite: Enjoy!

Dinner is served:  Rice noodle pasta drowned in
Roasted Eggplant Pasta sauce!  Sprinkle some ground up
almonds on top in lieu of parmesan and you're ready to eat!


 
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Wednesday 12 September 2012

Spiced-Date Muffins!

Fall is edging its way in.  The nights are getting cool, the days are getting shorter... the leaves are even starting to turn!  Fall is an excellent season.

In honour of fall, and inspired by the long-time traditional pumpkin pie (and an overabundance of chopped, dried dates!), I decided it was time to get crackin' and whip up something warm and spicy to accompany our evening tea.  Nothing beats muffins, warm out of the oven and covered in agave or piled high with jam!  Mmmm Mmmm Goodliness!  But, I digress. 

These muffins were an adaptation of the Pumpkin Spice Muffin recipe so generously shared with us all by The Daily Dietribe (www.thedailydietribe.com/2011/03/pumpkin-spice-muffins-theyre-gluten.html).  I (obviously) chose to use a date puree instead of pumpkin.  I also decided to make these free of added sugars because of the natural sweetness of the dates; it is a decision I am glad I made ... BUT a tsp or so of molasses could be lovely.  I used millet flour instead of the sorghum because I thought that the flavour of the millet might compliment the earthy date flavour. I think I was right but, I am sure it would also work quite well with the suggested sorghum. 
















To make the date puree, I lightly boiled 2 cups of water with one heaping cup of chopped dates (these were, in fact, coated in rice flour).  I boiled this until it became thick and then pulsed it in a small food processor until completely smooth.  So easy!

The result was a really nice little muffin! The texture was soft but actually had a nice crumb-- something which is hard to achieve with gluten free baking, in my experience.  I could have happily increased the amount of spice with another tsp of cinnamon, a dash of clove, and maybe even a little anise or chilli for something saucy!  As it was, we enjoyed them with a cup of chai and some blueberry preserves.  Nom nom nom. 

Cuddle up, cozy down, and have some muffins!  xx

 
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Friday 7 September 2012

Getting Busy, Ms. Bumble Style!

Bathroom Make-over! 

There is not much to say really... When we moved into the house the WHOLE house was painted yellow.  Not a bright, sunshiny yellow... no, no, no.  A gross mucousy yellow... everywhere!  It was horrible.  Thankfully, I had time on my hands and was able to paint right away.  I always love reading about home improvements and so I thought you all might as well!  The whole "before & after" photo reveal thrills me to my core.... I get excited and sometimes (and this is just between us...) I even hear the fabled "drum-roll" in my mind!  Yes.  I am a nerd.  It's ok.  You can say it.


Mmmmm.... my favorite combination for a bathroom: wine
and mustard. (Not!)
I have decided to start with the bathroom (that is, start the reveal with the bathroom... it was actually the last room in the house that we did!) because I love it.  I love the colours we chose, the mirror we found, I even love the shower curtain! 



 
As was the case with the rest of the house, the bathroom was yellow! Cabinetry was all wine coloured, the counter is pink, and the mirror was "missing".  After some priming, painting, more painting, cursing, and then re-painting we managed to get the bathroom looking less like a hot-dog stand explosion and more like a fresh oasis of blue calm!





Soon, we will get in there with some art and accents and it will be complete!  Hazzah!  Stepping out of the shower in THIS bathroom in the morning is a treat! (With the exception of that HORRID counter which will be removed and replaced as soon as we teach ourselves how! Advice anyone?)

Keep checking in because we are starting to gear up for some fall and winter projects now that the summer heat is starting to fade away.... Until next time,

Ms. Bumble xx








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