Try a New Recipe: Green Onion Cakes

Crossing "try a new recipe" off of my list of goals for the month. More "completed goals" posts coming soon!

Green onion cakes are one of my favourite snacks and appetizers. They are really popular in Edmonton, but I haven't been able to find any in Regina so I decided to make my own.

The recipe I followed was given to me by a friend, just over Facebook. I can't cite it any further than that, sorry!


You will need:

2 cups of all purpose flour
1/3 cup of cold water
1/2 cup boiling water

sesame oil
salt
1 cup green onions, minced (I used two bundles)

Directions:

1. Place flour in large bowl. Put 1/2 cup of boiling water over flour and mix well. Let stand for 2 minutes. Add 1/3 cup cold water. Knead dough for about 5 minutes or until smooth. Add more water if needed. Cover with a damp cloth and let stand for 15-20 minutes.

2. Turn out onto lightly floured board. Divide dough into 4 equal parts. Use hands to roll each piece into a ball. Roll out into a 10 inch circle. Sprinkle with sesame oil, salt and green onion.



3. Roll up each piece like a jelly roll, then coil like a snake. Press flat with palm of hand. Roll out 1/4 inch thick. Repeat with remaining dough.



4. Heat a medium size skillet over medium heat. Add 2 tbsp oil and fry pancake till golden brown, turn and fry other side. Repeat with other pancakes. Cut each pancake into 4 pieces.



Serve with hot chili sauce, soya sauce, and/or red vinegar. Enjoy!




If you try this recipe, I hope you enjoy it (I certainly did)!

Oatmeal Cookies

I really love baking - and I especially love eating baked goods - so I've been trying to do it more often. I didn't bake at all last semester because I didn't have the supplies. Baking pans and dishes, flours, sugar, spices...where do you start? It wasn't until I moved out that I realized how convenient a stocked pantry is. I've been slowly collecting pans and dishes, and when I got groceries I decided to shell out and get all the baking supplies I need. The first thing I want to make were these delicious oatmeal cookies we used to make at home. I'm not a fan of most oatmeal cookies but these ones are just delicious! Thankfully my sister convinced our parents to scan the recipe and send it our way.



Here's the recipe, from the More-with-Less Cookbook:

Bake at 350 for 10-12 minutes

Cream together:
1/2 cup margarine
1 cup sugar
3 eggs

Beat well. Sift together:
1 1/2 cup flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. allspice

Add to creamed mixture alternately with:
1/2 cup milk

Stir in:
2 cups rolled oats

This is where you stir in any "add ins" you might want. The recipe calls for chopped dates, coconut, and walnuts, but growing up my mom always made it with raisins. I, of course, add chocolate chips. (Fair warning: I added a whole bag of chocolate chips, which overpowered the subtle cinnamon flavour. Next time I'll add no more than 1 cup).



The recipe is said to make 6 dozen, but I found that is only make 4 dozen. (Only should be in scare-quotes, 4 dozen is more than enough!) This would change with the size you make your cookies, but I'm pretty happy with the size these ones are.

These cookies are great anytime, but I especially love them for breakfast. (What? Chocolate's a breakfast food!)

Do you have a favourite oatmeal cookies recipe?

Happy (belated) Canada day!

I know that this post is a few days late, but blogspot has been eating my posts and it's really frustrating. Here's hoping it works this time around!

Happy Canada Day to my fellow Canadians, and happy 4th of July to all you American folk. I hope you're having a great long weekend!

I had to work on Canada Day and, while I would have preferred spending the day wandering around downtown or relaxing at the legislative grounds, it was still a lovely day. We barbecued burgers for supper and I made a very special dessert.



I've wanted to make a Canadian flag strawberry shortcake since I saw it in a cooking magazine as a child and I'm so glad I finally did!



I followed this recipe from the Food Network's website, but made a few changes. Most notably, I used Greek yogurt with honey instead of sour cream and a half cup of margarine instead of the butter/margarine mixture. It was delicious, but the cake seemed a bit dense, especially for a shortcake. The density of a cake is the trickiest part, in my opinion, and although it wasn't perfect i was very happy with how it turned out. My parents enjoyed it too!



The recipe actually called for baking powder, not baking soda, and thankfully I realised that before it was too late. Whew!

After dessert we headed to the high level bridge to watch the fireworks. They were incredible!



What a perfect way to top off a lovely day. I hope you're all having a wonderful weekend yourselves!

Blue roses

As someone who deals with depression, I always treat the completing of simple tasks like huge accomplishments. Productivity is a subjective concept, and while my idea of productive is probably more lenient than most, I'm always sure to recognize even my smallest accomplishments. I do sort of the same thing with turning small outings into exciting adventure. Why not make life more exciting, right?

Today I didn't work, so I decided to make a blog post! I was about to leave this afternoon when I got a text saying there was a tornado warning. It turned out just to be a watch, but I still decided it would be best not to risk being outside, should the storm worsen. But, since I already had my boots laced I decided to go for a little walk down Whyte. Living in one of Edmonton's best neighbourhoods (in my biased opinion) is wonderful! Good coffee, cute & quirky shops, delicious Indian food, a large bookstore... all within 4 blocks from my house!

I didn't wear anything mind-blowing today, but it's nice to share the casual outfits too.


My new Wicked headphones. I haven't purchased new headphones in years (seriously, I'd been using a single earbud for almost a month) but it was time. I'm happy with the quality, especially for the price. $30 for these headphones and a pair of earbuds.


Umbrella - thrifted
Wrinkly spring coat & leggings - Walmart, size 3X





I absolutely love my new boots. They were only $6 ($50 originally) from Payless! They very comfortable and practical and I like the way they look. My partners think they're hot!




Butter chicken from the Spice Grill, a new Indian place on Whyte & 108th. So good!

I'm thinking we should take a trip to the city

I made a quick trip home to Edmonton this past weekend and I'm sure glad I did. I was feeling quite homesick. My dad was driving my aunt to the airport Friday afternoon so it wasn't that far out of the way to pick me up in Camrose. That being said, it was hardly smooth sailing - our car broke down on the edge of the city and we ended up waiting outside in the freezing wind for over half an hour waiting for a tow truck! We were on a freeway with no emergency lights so we couldn't even stay in the car. We eventually got home safely though, the car should already be fixed by now. I spent Saturday afternoon with one of my good friends and had a lovely time. We met for lunch and then spent the afternoon on Whyte Ave, which is how we usually spend our time (I live & she works on Whyte - the hippest~ part of Edmonton). We had lunch at Tokyo Noodle Shop, did a bit of faux-shopping at the Tinbox and the Junque Cellar, had coffee and bought books at Chapters and finished off with cake from Death by Chocolate. (If you're in or around Edmonton, those would be a few of my favourite places on Whyte!)

This striped top is actually one of my favourites, even though I've only posted photos of it twice before. It's no secret that I love horizontal stripes, and grey and black is a gorgeous colour combination. I positively love the length and the way it drapes - I can wear it with leggings, jeggings, or jeans and it's perfect on early mornings when the idea of layering baffles me. I paired it with my trusty Old Navy jeggings and some new jewellery for a cute weekend look.

top from Addition-Elle, jeggings from Old Navy, boots from Naturalizer

rings from Penningtons ($2.50 each), American Apparel nail lacquer in Mount Royal

bib necklace from the Tinbox

Here are a few photos from my Saturday:

Japanese tea pot

Chef's spicy uramaki from Tokyo Noodle Shop

Bento box (a really affordable lunch, only $10 including miso soup and rice)

vintage dresses at the Junque Celler

cheesecake at Death By Chocolate

my Chapters' purchases

18th Birthday!

Today is my 18th birthday, making me the legal drinking age in Alberta. Fun! I had a really great day. This afternoon my dad and I went to Future Shop and bought my laptop, then we were going to have lunch at a nearby Irish pub, but it was closed for renovations so we headed to Julio's Barrio. As well as splitting an appetizer plate, I had a raspberry lime margarita followed by a strawberry daiquiri. Yum. For dinner, I went out to Earl's with my parents and my girlfriend. Earl's is my favourite restaurant; along with great food, I also had two white peach bellinis. I seem to be a sugary sweet drinks kinda' girl.






I thrifted this skirt months a go, but I've been saving it for my birthday dinner.

I really wanted to treat myself to a pair of heels for my birthday. I've never really owned or worn heels, but I wanted to give them a try and though my 18th would be the perfect opportunity. But after a lot of searching, and a lot of hobbling, I think it's safe to say that heels aren't for me. I did, however, buy myself these cute dressy flats. They're my "18th birthday, I am a grown woman who can go out for drinks and look hot doing it but I just can't wear high heels and that's fine by me" shoes. Uhm, yeah.






MXM lace skirt - thrifted size 22
Striped top - Addition Elle size 3X
Tights - Addition Elle size 3X
Flats - Payless size 11
Necklace - thrifted
Bronze handmade ring - Dawson Creek Art Gallery



It was Bellini Tuesday so I saved a few dollars on the drinks.


Earl's penne alfredo is my favourite.

Now I am at home, full of food and alcohol, and very content. Thanks for looking!

Trampolines! Pink! Veggie Burgers!

August is just full of parties, not that I mind. Not only are so many people born in August, myself included, but there are also going away parties for those starting brand new adventures come September. On Friday night, I joined friends for dinner to celebrate a birthday, Saturday night was Keegan's going away party, and Sunday was Stephanie's birthday party, celebrated with laser tag, the Old Spaghetti Factory, and good old fashioned fun all around. I only have photos from Keegan's going away party, though, so here we go!

Tomorrow morning Keegan is starting on a ten month exchange to Japan. Oh, what an adventure! On Saturday night one of his sisters hosted a going away barbecue, which had a nice assortment of his friends and family. His sister also has a lovely house, with a pool and trampoline. I had a good time, but I'm going to miss Keegan a lot; we've become great friends in the past few months.

Here are a few photos from the party, some of them even showcasing my outfit.










T-shirt - American Apparel unisex size L
Leggings - American Apparel size XL
Cardigan - Old Navy size XXL
Skirt - thrifted
Necklace - Forever 21
Floral crown - won, from a giveaway on MouseVox Vintage, sponsored by Action is the Fruit Esty shop.







I just realised that it's Monday, and I am not posting about make-up. Sorry! Erm, how about Make-up Tuesday? I'll try my best to do that for tomorrow. ♥

Jeans and t-shirt

I went out for a Japanese lunch today with a friend. I cannot get enough of Japanese food right now, so delicious. Buuut, I really need to break this expensive habit of eating out.

Here's a really casual outfit, but I though the details added to it well. Jeans and a t-shirt are casual outfit staples, I'm not even going to try and pretend I don't wear them.



T-shirt - American Apparel unisex size XL
Jeans - Old Navy size 18
Necklace - Spring
Shoes - Payless size 11
Purse - the Tin Box

After lunch, we popped into Flirt Cupcakes, where I tried their cookies and cream cupcake for the first time. It was incredibly delicious, there was even an Oreo cookie baked in!




Trying to pick out a top today, I realised I don't have a lot of tops that I can wear with jeans. I have mini-dresses to wear with tights or leggings, shirts that are too short to wear tucked into high-waisted skirts, and tees that should probably stay in the house. Because of my long torso and large tummy, I need shirts with at least a 27" length, preferably closer to 29." I feel too old for a lot of graphic tees, and to young for button-up shirts. I guess what I am looking for then is basic, but cute, knit tops. Here a few I’d love to add to my closet, all from Lands’ End.

Taste of Edmonton

The other night I headed downtown to A Taste of Edmonton, a festival that showcases 40 of Edmonton's best restaurants, and gives you a chance to sample their dishes. This was the first time I've gone, and while it's expensive and crowded, I had a great time and certainly enjoyed the food.



Chana masala with saffron rice from New Asian Village. This is the best saffron rice I've had. I've only eaten at New Asian Village once, years ago before I even liked Indian food. I'd love to go again, but it's very expensive.


Keegan's chicken tiki with garlic naan bread, also from New Asian Village. Best naan bread of my life.


Deep fried ice cream. Yum oh yum. It's like having apple crisp with ice cream, but you don't have to put up with the apples.


Vegan salty "chicken" from Padmanadi. It was delicious, but a little tough. Padmanadi is Edmonton's best vegan restaurant, and this is the first I've tried off of their menu. I've been wanting to go for ages, and it's time I check out the restaurant.


Keegan's sushi with fish eggs. He offered me some but ew, fish eggs!


Shrimp tempura. I'm taking a break from vegetarianism, and boy did I enjoy this shrimp. I still prefer zucchini tempura though.


I forget what this is called but it was so good! It's a shot of espresso, with vanilla gelato, whipped cream, and chocolate sauce. Best dessert ever, too bad I had to split it.




Chocolate lava cake with raspberry sorbet. While cute, this was the least delicious food of the evening.


I also took photos of my outfit while we we at A Taste of Edmonton, but they're on my friend's camera. I'll post those as soon as I get them.