Love is in the air...

Valentine's Day is just around the corner, so of course- love is in the air.
I personally, love this time of year. There's something about white snow, red and pink window displays and chocolate that can put anyone in a good mood. One of my favourite things actually, is to see men both young and old crowding around the flower displays in grocery stores, trying to buy that perfect bouquet for their significant other.

I know some say it's a commercial holiday but to me, there ain't nothing wrong with something that makes you want to write a card, listen to a love song, pick a flower or cook something special for the one you love.

I always like to bake or make something a little extra special for those I love and so today is the perfect day to prep a few things in my kitchen for the day of love.

One of the most delicious and undoubtably symbolic foods at valentines is chocolate. Especially chocolate fondue. It's hard to work with at home if you don't have a fool proof technique. Chocolate can burn easily and the smell is anything but romantic. Many may think if they buy a "proper" fondue kit they will be all set. While it's great to have a nice fondue kit for dinner parties, I for one just don't have the space to store it in my teeny tiny kitchen cupboards.

So, this Valentine's Day I'm sharing with you my quick and easy tips for melting chocolate. I use this to make chocolate covered strawberries but you can also use this as a chocolate dip for pretzels or any other chopped fruit. If you want, you can even set up a fruit platter and have your special someone dip their own fruits with a small skewer or toothpick.

All you need to make this happen are chocolate chips, a medium size bowl, a spoon or small silicon spatula and a saucepan. I'm on a bit of a health kick so I chose to work with dark chocolate chips today. Dark chocolate (look for at least 70% cocoa) has great health benefits as it contains flavonols which are powerful antioxidants. Recent research has shown that a daily dose of dark chocolate can help lower and maintain blood pressure, increases blood flow to the brain and can help control stress. Plus- it tastes good. If, however you are not into dark chocolate you can use milk chocolate (I feel this is a little too sweet) or semi-sweet.

                                    

Fill your saucepan about 1/3 of the way with water and bring it to a simmer (low to medium heat). Place your chocolate chips (I'd use about half of a 250 g package) into the bowl and lower the bowl into the water. This is called a double boiler in the food industry. Using a double boiler is a great way to melt chocolate because it keeps the chocolate itself away from direct heat. Use your spoon or spatula to gently stir your chocolate chips until they melt.

Once your chocolate has melted (it really only takes a few minutes) you can dry off your bowl and add it to your fruit platter. You will want to heat your chocolate immediately before serving so you have ample time to dip away. If your chocolate does harden again, just bring it back to the double boiler and reheat.

If you'd like to make chocolate dipped fruit, use a skewer to dip the fruit into the boil once the chocolate has melted. Place the fruit skewer on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Keep dipping until your baking sheet or plate is full (you don't want your chocolate dipped treats to be touching each other) and then move it into the fridge to set. Once your chocolate has hardened, you can transfer your treats to a serving dish or pack them into a container to give as a gift.

Heart-Shaped Vegetables

Who doesn't love a little extra love on Valentine's Day? The perfect way to spread a little love and joy is with vegetables cut into the shape of hearts of course! I find zucchini to be really good for this as it's easy to cut and therefore safer to work with. Today, however, I had carrots on hand, and they added a very fun, lovable touch to this hearty soup. Given the weather out there this weekend, this is the perfect way to introduce a nice hearty comfort food to your Valentine celebrations.

Start by washing, peeling and trimming your carrots. If you are using zucchini, I would leave the peel as the green edges offer a nice contrast to your final dish.

Carefully (carrots have a tendency to roll), cut a 45 degree edge into the carrot that goes all the way through the length of the vegetable.

Using a vegetable peeler or a smaller paring knife, cut off the angles to form the tip of the heart at the bottom. If you are just learning to do this and not so comfortable with a knife, I'd highly recommend using a vegetable peeler and peeling away until you get a straight edge.

Cut small bite sized pieces off of your vegetable and voila! Heart- shaped carrots!

I found I had to go back and fix a few that didn't have enough of  wedge cut out, but that was simple enough to do.

Hope this brings you a little warmth this soup season and results in some smiles on your loved ones' faces. Enjoy!

Spaghetti Squash

I love squash of all types and now that winter is here I can't get enough of my favourite season veg. Spaghetti squash is super easy to prepare and when you use a fork to scrape the insides, it turns into veggie noodles that will leaving you feeling full and satisfied without excess carbs. It's a win all around: extra vegetables, less gluten, feel full...that gets a thumbs up from me!

So here's my favourite way to prepare spaghetti squash. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Using a sharp knife, carefully cut your squash in half. Scrape the seeds out and discard and then place both halves (skin side down) on a baking sheet.

 

Roast in the oven for 20 minutes or until the flesh of the squash feels tender to the touch. When it's done, remove it from the oven and use a fork to scrape the insides of the squash. The flesh should easily come away from the skin into a shredded pile of noodles. I find that one half of a squash is the perfect amount to create two servings of "pasta" but you can also add a little butter and salt and pepper and use the squash as a side dish. Overall, my real favourite way to eat this is as a pasta boat served in the skin itself and topped with marinara sauce and shredded cheese. Dee-lish. 

Spaghetti squash really is super easy to work with so I hope you will give it a try in your own kitchen. Or if you are comfortable with it already, I'd love to hear how you serve it at home! Please leave a comment below, would love to hear from you!

How to "Harvest" a Pomegranate

Pomegranates are one of the most beautiful fruits I've ever seen. So juicy, full of antioxidant power and that unforgettable colour...what's not to like?

I think that's what my parents were thinking when I got one in my stocking at Christmas this year. (My family always has some edible treats in there)

Anyway, I know a lot of people, like me, think the world of this fruit but really can't be bothered with the amount of time it takes to open, peel and essentially, dissect the whole thing. Red juice everywhere and it's really not pretty.

Good news is I've figured out a great way to get the beautiful ruby seeds out of a pomegranate in what feels to me like record time, meaning more of your salads and entrees can be decorated with the pretty little jewels.

So what do you do?

Make a shallow cut into the stem of a pomegranate and then make another that intersects the first cut. Your cuts should make the shape of an "x".

Using your hands break open the shell of the pomegranate gently. It should open where you made the cuts.

Place the fruit, cut side down into one of your hands and hold it over a bowl.

Then using the flat blade of your knife, gently tap the back of the pomegranate. The kernels should just pop out of place. You can continue doing this with each of the "leaves" of the fruit that you cut open and then pick out any of the white membrane that might have fallen in (this should be minimal using this technique).

Hope this helps and that you will enjoy deseeding your pomegranates much more going forward. For me, learning this technique has actually helped me eat more of this delicious seasonal fruit every year since it's no longer a pain to get at those gorgeous seeds.

How do you use your pomegranate seeds? Let me know in the comments below :)

Get in the Spirit with Holiday Scents

One of the things I love about the holidays is all the delicious smells: pine trees, baked apples, cinnamon, oranges and clementines....ahh smells like Christmas!

I absolutely love this time of year and love celebrating all month long. If you are like me and don't have the time to make fresh gingerbread cookies daily to make your house smell all cinnamon and gingery...this is the perfect trick for you!

Your friends and family will walk in to a home full of warmth that smells like the holidays and there is absolutely nothing to it!

Here's what you need to make your home smell perfectly like this magical time of year:

1 orange, sliced

1/2 a lemon, sliced

a handful of fresh cranberries

2-3 sticks of cinnamon

4 bay leaves

Place all the ingredients in a pot and fill it two thirds of the way with water. Simply leave the pot on the stove on medium heat and wait for the aroma to do it's thing. Add more water as it evaporates and enjoy the nostalgia as Christmas smells fill your home!

Happy Holidays :)