Marble Hearts

Ah, nothing like a classic February hibernation month! It was a pretty quiet month, which was just what I needed:

  • I went to check out the new Assembly Chef’s Hall with my friends from work. It’s essentially an elevated food court, with about a dozen stalls for some of Toronto’s best chefs. The whole thing is also licensed, so after work (when we went) it turns into more of a scene. It was hard to decide what to eat, but I landed on Pad Gra Prao from Little Khao, which was delicious and others in the gang had Cherry Street Barbecue and Ramen Isshin. Overall, I have to say I was sort of underwhelmed by the whole experience, but I think I just need to go back again.
  • For my Valentine’s baking this year, I made Mini Cherry Chip Cheesecakes, and also tried this Soft Cream Cheese Cookie recipe from Sally’s Baking Addiction. I just LOVE a thick, yet soft, roll out sugar cookie and these were perfect. They have a touch of almond extract in them which makes them even more delicious. I tried a marbled icing technique from Chel Sweets, which I need a little more practice on. My two tips are to make sure the icing is thin enough, and to use a wide shallow bowl so you don’t have to keep re-mixing.
  • My friend Carole hosted another drop-in night at The Depanneur where she cooked up a  feast for Chinese New Year. She prepared spicy miso soup, two kinds of dumplings (crispy wasabi-edamame + 5-spice chicken confit), ginger scallion noodles and matcha pocky cheesecake squares for dessert. Everything was incredible, and I even got to pitch in and make the matcha whipped cream! Can’t wait to go again!
  • I got the Cookie + Kate cookbook Love Real Food back in the Fall, and made a bunch of stuff out of it this month. My #1 obsession is the Tahini Kale Caesar, but seriously, everything else I’ve made I have LOVED: Carrot Cake Breakfast Cookies, Fluffy Oat Pancakes, Burst Cherry Tomato & Goat Cheese Scrambled Egg Toasts, and the Roasted Broccoli and Tofu Bowl with Peanut Sauce.

Other non-foodie things I was obsessed with this month:

  • The hype on Black Panther has been unreal the past few months, so I was bit nervous going in because my expectations were so high. By the end, they were totally exceeded, and I think this might be my favourite Marvel movie of all time, or at least tied with Captain America: Civil War. After reading all the articles and think pieces, plus listening to all the podcasts (highly recommend the Still Processing episode on Black Panther) discussing the movie, I need to go see it again!
  • My #2 obsession this month is the reboot of Queer Eye on Netflix! I’ve already watched my fave episodes like three times each. I used to watch the original show back when it was on in the early ’00s, but I love this version even more. The “culture” guy Karamo is more of a life coach now, and there are some truly touching moments! My favourite of the Fab 5 is definitely Antoni (the food and wine guy), even though you would NEVER catch me adding greek yogurt to guac.
  • I loved, loved, loved and highly recommend the book Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine. It’s one of those books that just gave me warm fuzzy feelings at the end, and made me so happy. Worth a read, for sure.

Flashback!