piccola's Profile

I make salsa a couple times a year and preserve it, but most of the time I use the store-bought stuff, especially if it's just for a party where people will be too drunk to care. :) I also use stock boxes and cubes, and jarred pasta sauce if it's not going to be the star of the dish.

I don't use baking mixes just because for me, the act of baking is the fun part. I don't have much of a sweet tooth so the process is the actual reward, rather than eating the results.

I'm not a chocolate-lover -- don't hate it either, just don't crave it -- and I feel the same way about carob. I like it's slightly herbal flavour because I don't have much of a sweet tooth. But I won't seek it out specifically.

So apparently I'm the only one with difficulties finishing wine. :)

I just buy smaller bottles at the liquor store -- they make a few varieties of single-serve (two-glass) bottles and while the selection isn't very broad, it's enough for me. Incidentally, the bottles fit in an average purse for easy sneaking into the movies...

I soak it overnight in almond milk, or sometimes buttermilk.

You can never go wrong with a baked/broiled brie. Depending on how many servings you need, you can also do stuffed strawberries -- use a melon baller or grapefruit spoon to scoop out a little divot from the stem end, then fill with cream cheese (either sweetened lightly or mixed with a saltier cheese like feta). But don't bother if you're feeding a huge crowd, it's way too much trouble to make in large quantities.

I've done a fairly good job of recreating restaurant salads I love, but there's one I haven't quite managed yet. A restaurant in Toronto makes a kale, apple and king oyster mushroom salad with pine nuts and parmesan, and I've yet to figure out the proper balance for the ingredients. Anyway, it's delicious, and would make perfect picnic food.

Grilled avocado was a revelation for me. Watermelon works too, surprisingly. I recently grilled leeks with great results.

I loooooove this strawberry flatbread: http://joythebaker.com/2011/06/strawberry-balsamic-flatbread/

GORP is raisins and peanuts -- thus the name. Everything else is some variation on trail mix.

Personally, I hate anything too sweet or too processed in there: no candy, chocolate, pretzels, sesame sticks or "yogurt"-covered anything. I'd rather stick to nuts and dried fruit, but I'll accept cereal (Heritage Os) or popcorn (air popped) on occasion.

I love 3. The built-in bookcases look amazing.