Simplicity

| Edmonton Tourist

It’s been a while since I have been here. All is well and I hope things are moving along for you too. I have fallen into an easy routine of sleep, eat, work. Not much has changed except I don’t go out. I have driven three times this month. Three. Very strange for a gal who used to commute daily to and from work and then travel to some piece of solitude in a forest somewhere with my dog. I went to a nursery for a curbside pickup, I scouted some green space locations for work, twice. That is all. It feels foreign to operate my vehicle. I long for the day when I can go on a road trip and sit in solitude again.

My baking obsession has made way for my garden obsession. I made babka on the weekend and I feel solid on my bread skills. I know what to look for in yeast, textures and slowly getting the hang of proving. I am not an expert but past Robyn can sure learn a lot from present Robyn.

In case you are wondering, Babka is chocolate bread and worth the three days it takes to make.

I have been drawn to Pacific Trail documentaries. I read Wild by Cheryl Strayed years ago and have always thought that type of quest would be good for me. When I drove from Edmonton to Big Sur, I spent enough alone time to figure things out and learn what makes me tick. What I didn’t do was act on those gut instincts. I suppose it’s all a process. I wasn’t brave enough then, but I am now. I finally acted on some of those inner voice lessons. After watching a few of those Pacific Crest Trail documentaries, I learned a few things:

  1. I like a comfortable bed and find tenting exhausting. Sure there was a time when finances prevented me from comfort camping in a hotel and I enjoyed the stars and wilderness and loud nature quiet, but sleeping on the ground or in a trailer is not my thing anymore. I’d rather be in a cottage with a front step that overlooks nature.
  2. Self exploration is a gift. It can be found through meditation, walking in nature or just sitting alone. You don’t need to walk 2668 miles from Mexico to Canada to to learn about yourself. But it can teach you what you are made of.
  3. I have spent enough alone time with myself to learn I need more alone time. I cry deeply and it cleanses something within me. It happened on a rock watching whales at Devil’s Slide, standing in the ocean at Chesterman Beach, paddling down the river at Saunders, poking my finger in a bullet hole on a church in Freudenstadt, lying in a hospital with kidney (almost)failure. Each time there was an awareness that I was part of something bigger than myself.
  4. The world isn’t going to go back to the way things were. A new way will happen and no one knows what it is yet. Accepting new things will ease transition.
  5. Living simply is easy and restful. Those people on the Pacific Crest Trail learned that by mile 1500. You don’t need much. I don’t think my family needs multiple cars. If we move somewhere more urban we won’t need any. If we move back into nature we will need a couple. I am leaning towards a more urban life where I can walk to nature, the market or the grocery store, the library and (this is where I am trying to think of what else I need but am stumbling) but I will have to drive to work unless they let me work from home forever.
  6. Making food with your own hands is satisfying and meaningful. We ate out once in two months. Was it worth it? No. The food we make is so delicious. We waste less and plan more. We also snack less – or I do, I can’t speak for my family. I make delicious baked goods and we sample that once a day rather than eat like we will never see food again. When I do for myself, I feel comfort in knowing what is in my meal. Simple. Fresh tastes amazing. The green onions on my growing table taste so good in rice, eggs and on sandwiches. I grow it and cook it and eat it. Simple food is satisfying, I can’t think of another word that works better.
Three harvests so far, #4 is for sour cream and onion biscuits.

I suppose I am consoling myself that my vacation has been cancelled and I won’t be traveling out of the country for a very long time. I live a simpler life now and decided to take a vacation in my back yard where I will stand in my garden and let tears cleanse me. Being alone in peaceful silence or loud neighbourhoods will have to be enough this year. I have enough fire wood to sit under the stars and the aurora borealis and poke the coals to enjoy a favourite pastime. Not having disappointments or drama or big expenses won’t be missed this year. A simple vacation is what I need this year.

Stress Baking: Green Onion Cakes

| Edmonton Tourist

There is a food here in Edmonton that locals go wild for. We stand in line at every festival waiting for a hot green onion cake to be served to use with a side of chile sauce and black vinegar. Edmontonians have a rabid obsession with these flakey hot disks of deliciousness. I don’t know if you have heard, but summer was cancelled by our Chief Medical Officer. I will miss the green onion cake truck so I decided to make my own.

I am learning that most people call these scallion pancakes… what?? Not in Edmonton. There is even a shop by the dude who brought them to Edmonton called The Green Onion Cake Man, so that is the proper name when you visit here. I was flipping through Instagram and saw a sponsored post by Robin Hood Flour to make these. I looked through the recipe and those that was easy enough. I had all the ingredients so why not? The recipe wasn’t as easy to follow because a online content specialist developed the format and not someone who follows recipes. I had to flip back and forth for measurements so I am sure there is an easier recipe out there, but this one is very delicious.

I made the shaggy dough. The number one most important step is to add boiling water. This will hydrate the flour to make it easy for rolling paper thin.

Then I chopped the green onions (scallions for you non-Edmontonians) and tossed it with the sesame oil and flour – this was different from the recipe but I have watched Green Onion Man make it this way. The recipe says to just combine flour and oil, I combined all three. Let the dough rest for 30 minutes. It needs time for the gluten to develop and rest. Divide the dough into four parts. I weighed them to make it even and fair.

I rolled the dough into a 8″ circle, and spread 1/4 of the onion paste onto the disk. Then I rolled it tightly into a tube – cinnamon bun style.

There were zero pictures in this recipe so I watched a video to get the hang of it. (Not all online marketing content writers are good at explaining things- I’m judgey because this is my industry).

Then you are supposed to spiral it – thusly:

How cute is that little snail-like bundle?

Now roll the living daylights out of it – the first one was terrible – let it rest about 5 minutes before rolling.

Then I popped it into a hot pan and fried them about 2 minutes a side with a lid – the lid helps these beauties rise and show off their flaky innards.

My pan was too hot so I suggest 3-4 minutes on medium, not medium high.

These did not last longer than 30 seconds. I recomend not using too much of the whit becuase they cut through the dough. Just use the greens. I saved a couple onions to regrow because I jumped on that bandwagon too. I plan to grow a few more because so many things taste nice with fresh sprigs of the green tops.

It takes about 8 days of changing the water everyday until you have enough to harvest. These little guys are four days old and grew one inch yesterday.

What projects are you working on this week? Let me know! I am looking for more inspiration. I am making butter tarts this week for the daughter’s birthday and planning out my garden. I am beginning to feel a lot like Laura Ingalls or Anne Shirley.

Stay healthy friends!

Basically: Sticky-Buns

| Edmonton Tourist

Basically’s last week of baking projects ends with a multi-step complicated recipe that rivals Cinnabon. I kid you not. Just don’t over bake it and you can recreate Cinnabon’s huge confectionary. This week was Cinnamon-Date Sticky Buns and I learned a couple of things that I will recreate next time, because the more you know…

The final recipe landed in my inbox on Saturday morning, because it is a two-day time investment. However, I think it could be done in a day, but more on that later. 

The first task was to soften the yeast at a temperature 98F. This was the first time I ever used a thermometer and actually test the liquid temperature. I microwaved the buttermilk to take the chill off, and it took about a minute in my microwave. I added the egg and yeast, let it sit for a bit, and I was ready to roll.

Problem number 1, I don’t have a food processor, but I do have a stand mixer and have made bread dough endlessly in it over the past few months. So into the mixer went the ingredients. I used the dough hook, but I didn’t knead the dough with the ook this time. Reading the recipe, it seemed important to get a feel for the dough, and after I went through this process, I 100% agree. 

There were strict instructions not to add flour as you knead it on the counter. This was counter-intuitive, but I followed the rules. I invested in a bench scraper finally, and all I can say is WHY DID I WAIT SO LONG?? I was too cheap to spend $20, and I find a use for things every damn day. It is my new favourite kitchen tool. Anyway… I pushed and pulled the dough back and forth until it was soft and silky and a little bit tacky – not sticky. It was a beautiful feeling dough. 


Into the fridge, it went to sit overnight. Here is problem number 2, I assumed it would double in volume, it didn’t apparently it doesn’t or isn’t supposed to. I put it into my biggest bowl and popped a plate over the top. There was a bit of a skin on it the next morning. I watched the Instagram story about this and Sohlea puts it into a ziplock bag overnight. So I recommend a smaller bowl or container with a tight-fitting lid. 

Rolling out the dough and shaping it with the bench scraper made this task infinitely easier (WHY DID I WAIT SO LONG?) It also has a hand ruler on it so I could measure and mark out the 8” I needed. It was so pretty it brought a tear to my eye. 

Problem number 3:

  1. I don’t have a food processor. 
  2. I also don’t have dates in my pantry. 
  3. I don’t have a cast iron pan

I know I promised to follow the recipe exactly but winging it has become second nature to me. Be flexible and resourceful. 

I melted butter and spread it on the dough, and then I spread(?) sprinkled(?) brown sugar over the top. I shook liberal amounts of cinnamon over the sugar.

Rolling these into a tight spiral was so easy with the bench scraper, I know you are tired of hearing me talk about it but seriously, THIS IS IS THE BEST THING EVER!

I divided the log into three and the three again so I ended up with nine equal-ish roles. 

I solved the pan part by using one of my saucepans with a tight-fitting lid. This was excellent for proving and baking but terrible for storage. 

I let it rise for one and a half hours until the poke test didn’t bounce back and everyone was snuggly fit together. 

Into the oven it went for 20 minutes, then I removed the lid and baked another 15 because I like a softer texture like Cinnabon and a light brown colour.

I made a glaze using buttermilk – as directed. This was the perfect balance of cream cheese tang without the heaviness.  I normally don’t glaze, but I was glad I did. I only used half – I wish I used all of it.

The texture was light and airy, soft and spongy all at the same time. We stored them in the pan, and the seal wasn’t very tight, so they began to dry out by day three. Happily, the glaze kept them moist. 

Next time I would transfer them to an airtight container or my cake dome. 

Would I make these again? Heck yeah! But I would do it in one day and let rise until double in size or put into a ziplock bag overnight. I would also use this dough for dinner rolls or add different fillings like pumpkin and cinnamon, or lemon poppy seed. The possibilities are endless with this dough. 

This series taught me so much about baking that I thought I already knew. 

  1. Tools are important.
  2. Room temperature eggs are a game-changer
  3. Following directions exactly makes things taste better
  4. Not all recipes are created equal (I have tried different websites and not everyone tests or explains things well, so experiment!)

So…. How did I do? This is theirs:

This is mine:

I nailed it. Thanks Basically, I will miss your weekly challenges and feel a little lost about what to try next. I have a green onion cake I will share because that was insanely reminiscent of the Fringe Festival Green Onion Cake Man and Disney has dropped some of their theme park favs so maybe you will see Dole Whips and Churros in my future. Meanwhile, drop me a note and tell me what you’d like to see me try. 

Stay healthy friends!

Endless time

| Edmonton Tourist

How is everyone doing? I am on day 30 of being safe at home. That is a lot of days and it doesn’t look like it will be changing anytime soon. Summer festivals are dropping like dominos. My favourite ones are done so there’s that. But I am looking forward to summer anyways. With endless time on my hands, I’ve planned a couple of vegetable garden beds using insanely large plastic storage containers, I have a couple of six foot and four foot bins. The plan is to grow root vegetables, so we will see how that goes. At the side of my house I grow sweet peas, I think I will grow green peas and beans instead. I just hope the snowing will stop because I long to sit on my deck and enjoy flowers.

As it warms up I think my baking will slow down. Hot houses and hot stoves are not a good match. Meanwhile, I have been a machine with little projects. I have made green onion cakes, pasta, pizza dough, cookies and cinnamon buns. I am loving it! It has opened up new friend chats as we talk about proving dough and weighing flour. It is weird what I find fun now.

Speaking of fun… Beverly Clearly turned 104 on the weekend. I read a lot of her books when I was in elementary and jr. high. In grade six I read The Luckiest Girl of hers and passed it around the class for others to read. I must have read it a dozen times before I went to high school. I have thought about the characters in the story a lot over the years, so I decided to borrow it from the local library (online because the EPL is currently closed). Can I just say, I was still enthralled with this story and surprised at how well it stood up. The story takes place in the 1950’s but aside from clothing, telephones and hanging laundry, the rest felt pretty current, or at least current enough. The big takeaway is the character development and archs. I think Clearly was an under-appreciated author and was lumped into the children’s category as if that was a slight on her work. It has made me seek out other books I read way back then and see how they hold up.

I am quite impressed with 11 year old me. 11 year old me had an argument with the Mrs. Erickson, the librarian, about how I should diversify my reading repertoire and read new authors and finish what I start. I said why do I have to finish books I don’t like? I still won’t finish a bad or boring book. With the millions of great books out there, why spend time on something that won’t hold my interest? I am looking for more books from my youth like Mom, the Wolfman and me by Norma Klein and Lizard Music by Daniel Pinkwater to see if they can still capture my attention.

I overheard my son chatting with his girlfriend about how his parents (me and hubs) read to him and his sister every night. AND BIG BOOKS TOO! (Big books?) He mentioned some of the ones that stood out, like Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain, The Trumpet of the Swan by E.B.White, The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis, Holes by Louis Sachar and the Harry Potter Series by J.K Rowling. We read to them long after they could read to themselves for a couple of reasons. Obviously emotional connection was the number one reason, but critical thinking had to be number two. We would discuss books at dinner and talk about why characters made certain choices or why the author did. When my kids were reading on their own, I would also read the same story so I could talk to them about what they were reading and thinking. These were some of the greatest conversations. It’s why I want to join book clubs and why I am always disappointed in the book clubs I join. People tend to want to go to book clubs for socialization. I want intellectual conversation. I don’t tend to last long especially when people don’t even read the book before the meeting.

So far I have read 11 books for the year. (It’s funny how the number 11 still shows up daily for me). My goal is 40 by December. I will likely reach that goal. But I am looking for a book that hooks me as soon as I read the first page. Any suggestions? I don’t want to have to slog through 100+ pages before I get into it. So don’t suggest those books. I like family generational epics like the Rice Mother by Rani Manicka or Commonwealth by Ann Patchett. I like a good memoir too like Educated by Tara Westover or Spoiler Alert the Hero Dies by Michael Ausiello. Bonus points if it is available in the EPL (Edmonton Public Library) data base. I am in a bit of a fragile state so sad or scary really need to be left on the shelf.

Let me know what you are reading and stay healthy friends!

Basically: Galette Fail but Pizza Wins

| Edmonton Tourist

This week’s recipe was the Triple Treat Onion Galette. A onion and garlic pie if you will. I know promised to follow the recipe exactly as shown but I didn’t. I didn’t have onions or garlic or scallions. Flour has become a precious commodity and making something my garlic allergy daughter can’t eat and son won’t eat seemed like a waste of flour. So I made pizza dough. It is galette shaped. And that is all I have to say about that. When I had high tea at the Grand Floridian eons ago, I had an onion tart that was delicious. It was a savoury jamy tart and I quite liked it. I imagine this gallet would be similar but on a larger scale. So maybe one day I will make it when I have an abundance of supplies, but for now, I am not risking it.

Instead we decided we wanted pizza and by we I mean my adult children, more specifically, my son. This was where I would spend my precious flour.

I normally make pizza by pouring in a bottle of beer instead of yeast. It is an easy way to get a rise and is quick. We don’t have any beer left and the liquor stores are closed so I made pizza crust the old fashion way, with yeast. I searched the Bon Appétit website searching for BA’s best pizza dough but found this one instead. I had all the ingredients, I read through the instructions and it said I could make the night before and keep it in the fridge. Perfect! That way we could have pizza for family movie night, a long ago tradition we had when the kids were younger. We would make homemade pizza watch a movie, have half-time (a tradition that dates back to family night movies with my dad. At the half-way mark, he would pause the movie, we would get snacks, do any business we needed to and then settle back into the movie, something I continued with my kids. They got to pick their treat, usually root beer and cream soda, popcorn or chips, smarties and reese peanut butter cups.)

The pizza dough was easy especially since I have been watching copious amounts of bread dough videos. Shout Out to Everyday Food, Oh Yum, Preppy Kitchen and my beloved Bon Appétit! I learned that my Kitchen Aid will knead the dough….wait…I have been kneading my bread by hand forever. I rarely used my dough hook before and now I know how to use it properly.

The dough was so lovely it brought a tear to my eye.

This is the recipe from Bon Appétit.

After the dough is mixed and is a shaggy ball, begin kneading. Normally I did this by hand to feel the dough, but the dough hook gives me a better result. It takes about 10 minutes of kneading with the dough hook and gradually adding flour about a tablespoon at a time until the dough climbs up the hook and is tacky, not sticky. This was the loveliest kneaded bread I have ever produced.

I stuck it in the fridge over night and it doubled in size. Normally I would prove it for an hour in the warming oven or a warm spot.

I split the dough in half and formed a circle with my hands, just like they do at Panago Pizza. I made the circle too big, next time I will measure. I preheated my pizza stones and placed the dough on the hot stone. I moved quickly to add the sauce toppings and cheese. Baked it for about 10 minute snad then rotated top for bottom to get even browning.

My kids said, and one is a pizza tasting expert, “this was the best crust they ever had”.

Now I just need to perfect the sauce.

What are you guys stress baking this week?

Magic

| Edmonton Tourist

How is everyone doing? I am on day 19, but by the time this arrives in your inbox, it will be day 24. (Spoiler Alert* I write ahead and autopost) I am on my second cup of coffee. That alone should tell you how its going for me. I limit myself to a single cup every day. Love and care go into making that cup from heating up milk to stellar quality beans to the perfect pour. Perfect for me. Everyone has their way of making coffee and we all are particular about it. But here I am on cup number two, equally as perfect as cup number one and served in today’s mug which is Mary Poppins and the chimney sweeps dancing on the rooftops of London. What is better than one perfect cup? Two, two is better.

Normally Mary is my tea mug. When I drink from it I get a little bit of magic touching my lips. I am slightly concerned there will be a coffee aftertaste in my tea mug but fingers crossed I can banish it. I am looking for magic everywhere and fingers crossed it will arrive when I clean my mug.

I have had a few requests to see what my office looks like now that I work from home. I tell everyone I am in the basement, which is true, but it isn’t your typical basement. When we were looking for this house 20 years ago, a walkout basement was on the wish list. When we saw this one, I liked it because it didn’t back onto a mosquito nursery or a community park. I want privacy. I want to walk out my back door and into my garden without having people watching what I am doing. Which is nothing, but I want my nothings done in private. I completed my degree in the basement. I wrote four novels in this basement and I am working on the one that I think is publishable. All of this done in private. Privacy is magical.

This is my workspace. It is the opposite of my workspace at my job. Here I am surrounded by things that inspire me. I have four photos of my children. A letter from Judy Blume she wrote to me (THIS IS MY MOST VALUABLE POSSESSION), I have a Club 33 pin and a box of flip art by Walt Disney’s Nine Old Men. I have a working T.A.R.D.I.S. and a Toy Story kaleidoscope. I have a Tiffany blue and silver bowl my sister gave me when I graduated the second time around. I keep it filled with toys, lip balm, wireless earbuds and really good pens. I have a tiny polaroid of me and my siblings on my 51st birthday. (I worry that will be our last photo together.) I have a street made of lego and a miniature bow tie quilt made from 1930’s replica prints. The entire room is inspired by Mickey Mouse. The colours are Black, White, Red and Gold. The art on the walls are Disney animation, mostly artist sketches and Mark Messier and Wayne Gretzky prints. My office is made of magic. What is more magical than Disney, Wayne Gretzky, Mark Messier and Doctor Who? Shout out to my coffee!

Magic keeps me inspired to do things.

I find magic in coincidences. Those times when you are chatting about something and suddenly it shows up in your life. Or unexpected magic like when a friend you haven’t spoken to since grade 10 messages you and says remember me? That happened Thursday. We worked together at the local ski hill and that brought back a flood of fun memories! Or when you wake up and your kids are still sleeping and your dog has taken the hubs for a walk and you get the kitchen to yourself for a whole hour to eat breakfast in silence. Or when you are reading a book and Glennon says something smart and you think YES! A MILLION TIMES YES!!!!! Or when you say yes instead of no and attend a Zoom Class and the teacher VALIDATES YOUR IDEAS!!!!! Pure Magic!

I gave up waiting for magic to happen and having expectations for things to be a certain way. Giving up was the unexpected key. Tiny little magical things happen every day, you just have to recognize them when they appear. Then be grateful you have magic in your life because THEN, more comes. It truly is magical.

Stay healthy friends!

Basically: Carrot Cake

| Edmonton Tourist

Everyone loves carrot cake but me. To me it is oily and I hate cream cheese frosting. Some how people think I love it and it ends up being my birthday cake more often than not. Thinking about it, I don’t really like cake. It tends not to be flavourful and fake frosting is the worst. Then this challenge happened and I found a cake that it delicious.

This week’s Basically recipe is Cardamom Pistachio Carrot Cake. I could eat this every day and it would STILL be my favourite. The recipe was not complicated but it was specific, so no winging it. When I saw the ingredients I was a little bit worried because things are not always easy to get during this time of isolation. I have all the ingredients except cardamom, pistachios, and carrot juice. I watched Sohla El_Waylly‘s instagram story and she didn’t have all the ingredients either because working from home is tricky. I knew I could make my own carrot juice if I couldn’t find any. But you know what? Sobey’s had it. Who knew you could buy carrot juice?? I bought cardamom and raw pistachios at Bulk Barn, $13!!!!! My first thought was, one cup of pistachios better be worth it. (Spoilers* it was!)

I weigh everything now. The results have made everything better. Not just a little bit better but next level “I should get my own show” better.

This is what $13 looks like. It wasn’t even a full cup!!! But… and I mean BUT… Tasting these beauties in brown butter was next level. It infused the butter and made the flavour next level.

I am a pro at brown butter now, just as the foam goes golden, remove it. The milk solids will toast up off the heat.

Pistachio browned butter has a green hue to it.

I whisked the dry ingredients together, forgot to add the spices. Why? I don’t know. I added them at then end and it turned out fine. In went the eggs, then the butter. This was the important part. Slowly drizzle the butter into the sugar mixture. It made it fluffy like marshmallow fluff. This is the key to a non-greasy carrot cake. Who knew? (Apparently Sohla and Basically did).

This took a few long minutes but it was a lovely result!

Then I folded in the carrots and nuts and put it into a 8” pan. I didn’t have a 9” so I needed to adjust the time. More on that later.

I was skeptical. Then I tasted that batter. I would have been fine just eating it like pudding or ice cream… omg turn this into ICE CREAM!!!!

I baked it for 55 minutes and looked at it. The centre was not rising. Sohla said that means it isn’t done, so I baked it for another 10 minutes. Still not done, so I baked it for another 5 and athoner 5. Then I was worried it would burn so I took it out even with the centre indented, but the tester came out clean so at least it was cooked.

I needed a cooled cake to put the glaze on so I left it overnight and made the glaze the next day. The glaze was an ordeal but now that I know what I am doing, the next time will be a snap.

First off, my pot was too big. So I dumped it into a smaller pot. This was my first mistake. She said to use a small pot and dump your ingredients in, don’t stir and watch it boil. She promised it wouldn’t boil over. Sohla was a liar pants. It boiled over in a small-ish pan.

It was a mess and the smell of burnt sugar on my stove was terrible. I then waited – as instructed- for the bubbles to subside. I was skeptical but it did happen.

I reduced it for a few minutes, tested it on a cold plate and then set aside to cool. Here was disaster number two. When I stuck my finger in it I burned myself because this is molten candy. I let it cool too long then it became solid candy. I now know 5 minutes is the sweet spot. You are welcome.

I poured it over the cake. it is kind of like those mirror glazes. It sorts itself out when you have the temperature right.

The end result? The best fricken cake I have ever eaten. I am making this for my birthday because I am worth it. I am making it for desserts when I go to a dinner party and I am going to make it just to snack on.

So, how did I do? This is theirs.

Mine – I need better food lighting.

I’d say close but not perfect. I have 48 birthdays to practice so I will have nailed by then.

Are you stress baking too? Let me know what you are making and drop a few pictures! Stay healthy friends!

Fear and Anxiety vs Strength and Confidence

| Edmonton Tourist

Day 15.

15 days of working from home and pretending everything is status quo. It’s not though. I am sure it isn’t for you either. Maybe it is, I don’t know. From the look of things on social media, I suspect things are not okay for you either. I received some good news at work today and until I heard those words, I didn’t realize how much fear and anxiety I was carrying. No wonder it has been difficult to do my work or provide comfort for family and friends. This shit is hard.

I am wrestling with a lot of “you should do this..” messaging in my head. It is as if Good Robyn is fighting with Bad Robyn. I have a Good Donald Duck and Bad Donald Duck that I can wear on my shoulders. They adhere with magnets and remind me of the old cartoons with the devil whispering bad yet fun things to do in Donald’s ear. That is what has been happening in my head this week.

Good Robyn thinks I should keep busy, there is an endless pile of tasks to do from cleaning out the junk drawer to washing baseboards. She wants me to take advantage of this “extra time” everyone is talking about. Bad Robyn wants to watch Disney+, read trashy novels and let the housework pile up around her. I have been forcing myself to do extra things but to be fair, my routine isn’t all that different until the weekend.

I work a 7.5 hour day and sometimes it stretches to 8 or 8.5 hours. There is work to do, granted I am lucky because I can work from home and this helps keep me and my famjam safe and healthy. I save time on a commute and I don’t have to pack a lunch. Honestly, this is the best thing ever. I go upstairs and make lunch. Yesterday I blistered fresh tomatoes and laid them on a bed of ricotta. It was delicious. This is a lunch I can’t normally do on a work day. It isn’t a portable snack and it would get soggy. I love not scraping my windshield and sweeping off 15 cms of snow. You heard right, it is still winter here in Edmonton. March came in like a lion and out like a lion. Weather is broken but I can only focus on one bad thing at a time, sorry climate change, but don’t worry, I am still practicing single use plastic avoidance and recycling.

Evenings are pretty much the same as well, except the family makes an effort to connect before and during dinner. This is hard with 3 introverts and one extrovert. But we do it because social interaction is important and reassuring for each other. We watch tv or youtube favs and read. Sometimes we call people because keeping in touch with family and friends is also important.

Weekends for me start at 5:00 p.m. on Fridays. I go upstairs and we make dinner, chat and decide on a family night movie. Well, the daughter decides because Friday is her night for media control. We only have a single tv. I know that’s odd, but that is how we roll. The basement tv is for video games. I miss adventuring and exploring. Instead I spend my weekends stress baking. We love the results of that. No butter this week, so that might be problematic but I have a pound in the freezer for just such an emergency. Bad Robyn wants to stay in bed until noon, eat garbage and read trashy novels. Good Robyn wants chores done, books colour coded, spices alphabetized and virtual dinner parties organized. Bad Robyn wants to not shower for two days and have hideous hair. She wants to cry and rage, then eat doritos. She thinks about drinking all the wine and sending hate mail to politicians. She wants to yell at people to go home and behave and do what they’re told for once in their goddamn life. She wants to say “fuck off and do it yourself” when someone asks for a favour. Good Robyn sighs and does what is expected of her…mostly.

As a mom and a responsible citizen, it’s a fine line between doing what I want and what I need. I am beginning the practice of Saturday is for Bad Robyn and Sunday is for Good Robyn. Weeknights after 7:00 p.m. Bad Robyn is going to rule the roost because Good Robyn holds the fort all damn day.

I think the key to getting through this new normal is being kind to ourselves. Stir crazy is normal. Sadness is normal. Happiness is normal. Fear is normal. Confidence is normal. The point is, no matter what you are feeling it’s all okay. Do what you need to do to get by. Just like you do in regular life. We do what we need to do, it just feels a little different.

Hang in there friends. We’ve got this. And maybe, just maybe, we will come out of this better for experiencing it.

Basically: Bars

| Edmonton Tourist

I made it through another recipe with almost all the ingredients! I am enjoying this project so much, I can’t even!! Every Sunday morning another recipe pops up in my inbox and I read the entire recipe first. Then I read it again thinking about the ingredients. This week was Tahini Billionaire Bars. First off, Tahini is a weird ingredient for me. I have used it in hummus but that is about it. It isn’t sweet so using it would tone down the sweetness in the butterscotch. Apparently, you can use any nut butter as long as it is unsweetened. Fair enough. After tasting this, I would substitute peanut butter but this is really good as is, just super sweet. Cut the bars smaller than they call for because it was just too much sugar. It tastes like you can eat the whole piece but then it gets to be too much and you lose interest about halfway. Maybe that’s just me, maybe not. I will let you decide.

The first step was making the shortbread. I didn’t have sesame seeds so I made it without. I have to confess, this layer was an ORDEAL. The dough kept sticking to my hands as I pressed it into the sides, it became too soft. I suppose I could have stuck it into the freezer to chill it but it was a Tuesday night and I didn’t want to be at this for hours. So I swore and smooshed. The recommendation was for a 9 x 9 pan but spreading was thin, the corner was overdone. You can’t tell with the other layers tho and my family eats anything.

The second layer was problematic too. I started it WAY BEFORE the bottom layer was cool and out of the oven. HA, so much for reading the instructions twice. I have made butterscotch before so I dived in with a lot of arrogance. (The difference between butterscotch and caramel is brown versus white sugar – the more you know!)

The butterscotch was perfect, I could have added all the cream from the one cup container, it could have taken it. Now I have a 1/4 cup of cream in my fridge and keep forgetting to use it in my coffee. I let the caramel cool slightly while I waited for the shortbread to come out of the over, reversed I know but too bad, so sad.

I added the butterscotch and put the two layers in the fridge for an hour. Too hot, I know but whatEVER, stop judging.

After an hour, everything was firm and cool to the touch. I kept it in the fridge while I melted the chocolate. I didn’t have the fancy bittersweet 60% blablabla… WE ARE IN ISOLATION PEOPLE! So I used my standard chocolate chip use in cookies chocolate. It was fine. Good enough for snacks, good enough for this. Back into the fridge for 30 minutes and then I cut into them. That was the hard part (Other than the crust layer) These suckers need a firm hand and a sharp knife. Use a serrated knife and saw. I didn’t. I cut, I didn’t crush it like they said it would happen, but I didn’t use boujee chocolate so maybe that was the difference. I cut this into 16 squares, then after tasting, I cut into 32 rectangles. Trust me. I also didn’t sprinkle sesame seeds all over the top because WE ARE IN ISOLATION PEOPLE! And I didn’t want to go to the bulk barn for just that. Hopefully, I have the stuff for the next recipe, I heard a rumour it has carrots and carrot juice. Where the heck will I find carrot juice??? Wish me luck. Meanwhile, I nailed it this week in spite of the problems. Judge for yourself and imagine tiny little sesame seeds all over the top.

Theirs vs Mine

They taste as good as they look. What are you making this week?