Author: Hilary

Sandwiches organized neatly: apple tuna sandwich

~ Hilary ~ Leave a comment

I am a completely uncreative person.

This mini sandwich series has been inspired by two things and two things only. One of those things is not a Hilary stroke of genius. Unfortunately.

Blame/credit Things Organized Neatly (awesome Tumblr) and What to Cook & How to Cook It (awesome cookbook).

Current desktop background, photos compiled from Things Organized Neatly
Best cookbook

Well now that I’ve admitted to being a shameless Internet troll and design copycat, let me introduce you to something I did think up myself: this delicious apple tuna sandwich filling. I would say it is the most delicious tuna fish sandwich that I’ve ever eaten, but I am in no way qualified to make that statement. It’s only my third ever.

Baby cans (3.5 oz) of tuna were on sale at the grocery store the other day, and, since I can’t really afford paying for groceries anymore, I stocked up. I also want to do a craft with the empty cans in the near future. Because, you know, I need more DIY stuff to hold my other stuff.

Anyways, here’s what was in this sandwich:

Cheer up, Mr. Sandwich!

– Two cans of tuna, half an apple, celery, green onions, pepper, chopped walnuts and mayonnaise

And, as if I don’t already spend enough time photographing my food once it’s done, this step-by-step, organized neatly thing is a heck of a lot more work. It involves me kicking open our screen door multiple times and nearly face planting into the porch as I perch birds-eye-view above the food. Strange stares and judgmental glances from passersby happen throughout, but I’m used to that by now (hey, at least I’m not standing on chairs anymore).

PS: I get that these photos aren’t completely step-by-step, but do you really want to be the one who takes pictures of me dicing the apple? Nope, didn’t think so.

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Cadbury creme egg stuffed Easter cupcakes

~ Hilary ~ 2 Comments

Think of your most extreme sugar fix ever and then quadruple it. With that level of sugary expectation in mind, I present to you with: these cupcakes.

Doesn't this cupcake look like a volcano that was cut in half?

As much as I’d like to, I can’t take all the credit for the Cadbury creme eggs centres. That diabetes-inducing idea came from the website Bake It in a Cake, which my friend Matt showed me for the first time last Easter. Since I was a little preoccupied creating these godzilla peep cupcakes back then, I filed the idea away for 2012’s bunny-filled holiday.

And so, it was with great anticipation that I greeted this early Easter season. A few of my friends were hosting an Easter potluck for all us out-of-town babies, and so I had both a recipe and a baking opportunity.

Then I just needed the Cadbury creme eggs, the acquiring of which posed a bit of a challenge.

Note to everyone: these eggs are not easy to find the day before Easter. In the end, only eight out of the 12 cupcakes ended up being stuffed with a creme egg. It’s all they had at the grocery store. Don’t worry, I covered up the cupcake absences by saying that finding a filled centre was like a charming little Easter egg hunt! Problem solved.

One more note: if you have an extremely photogenic roommate who also happens to love cupcakes, then you should probably have her pose in a multitude of shots.

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A Stella Luna-inspired prosciutto panini(ish)

~ Hilary ~ 2 Comments

I’m officially done my journalism degree! Clearly that means one thing – time to make some kick ass sandwiches.

Okay, but really, this sandwich – a make-shift panini – should be made regardless of whether or not you have a reason to celebrate. It’s inspired by the to-die-for paninis that they make at Stella Luna Gelato Café, my favourite neighbourhood retreat.

Why the panini(ish)? Well, I’m lacking a panini maker, meaning that I am forced to go without those fun, aesthetically-pleasing, highly-photographable lines on my sandwich. I’ll just have to deal. Broiling things is far more fulfilling and even sets off my fire alarm once in awhile.

The sandwich was organized neatly, because you know how i get into these neurotic streaks.

Here is what’s inside:

Prosciutto (sheds a succulent, fatty juice upon heating), a fresh panini bun, arugula (king of all greens), a couple of wedges of Parmesan cheese (the likes of which I re-discovered in our fridge’s meat drawer) and a scoop full of creamy, seasoned goat’s cheese (which I have no side comments about).

Stick ’em all together, broil the heck out of it and you get a melty, ooey-gooey mess of sandwich. Sure to please all. But mostly me. While I was studying for my j4k exam reading The Hunger Games.

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Prosciutto-wrapped, goat-cheese stuffed chicken breasts with roasted pear and walnut arugula salad (phew)

~ Hilary ~ Leave a comment

This was a very grown-up meal.

When it comes to cooking, making dinner with one component is usually enough for me. You know – just pasta or just chicken or just a kooky vegetarian burger. The side dishes that are normally associated with a well-balanced, three-part meal normally come in terms of me eating a tiny piece of chocolate while dinner is being prepared. Or a fresh pita. Or whatever else is on my countertop.

I’m rambling now, but basically what I’m saying is that a dinner hat trick is something I feel I can humbly boast about.

My good friend and old roommate Ariel came over for dinner a few nights ago, and I decided to spoil us. Though I spent the afternoon drooling over Internet images of pumpkin-stuffed perogies, I remembered at the last minute that I had two chicken breasts that needed to be used (don’t worry, the pumpkin perogies will be made and blogged about someday soon). Thus, this dinner came to be.

Here is what old (pre-learning to cook, circa 2010) Hilary and new (cooking, yay!) Hilary think of chicken:

Old Hilary: Okay, so I have this piece of chicken. Even though I’ve had plain chicken for the past three nights, I think I’ll duplicate those “successes” and again fry this on our George Foreman grill until all the delicious juices are oozed out of it. I’ll also slather it in BBQ for good measures and will probably eat it with lots of extra salt. Side dish: plain rice.

New Hilary: Okay, so I have this piece of chicken. Obviously no piece of chicken is complete unless it is stuffed with smooth goat cheese and oven roasted in its own juices with fresh sprigs of rosemary. Oh right, and I have this prosciutto here – sure, that can be a sweater for the chicken in the oven. Four hundred degrees is a little chilly anyways. Let me consult my beautiful, Things Organized Neatly-style cookbook for ideas. Side dishes: hmm, might as well make a fresh arugula salad and potatoes fried in duck fat while we’re at it. (okay, I get it, this sounds super indulgent and gluttonous, but it doesn’t happen often. Mom, I love duck fat. Accept this. Let it be my vice.)

Wouldn't that be better? Me with nothing to say and you in your prosciutto sweater (song lyrics, updated)

Conclusion: New Hilary is slightly more OCD, and is conscious of how judgmental she is of the girl she once was. New Hilary is also more satisfied with dinner and life on a daily basis.

The roasted tomato juices were delicious with the chicken, and it took all my will power to not tackle Ariel and eat her plateful too. A good, balanced meal, exactly what you want before you spend the rest of your night pigging out on Mayfair Theatre popcorn (whilst crushing on George Clooney), licorice nibs and a really yummy gelato-espresso drink. #girlsnight

Chicken, before and after oven
Arugula = the best

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The best garlic parmesan pizza sauce (with two different types of toppings)

~ Hilary ~ 1 Comment
Dear mother of all things holy this pizza sauce (not to mention the pizza itself) was good. Maybe the best sauce I’ve ever made.
 As I may or may not have said in previous blog posts, Pinterest has become my recipe archiver of choice. You’re going to get tired of me saying this, but the inspiration for this pizza was another photo I found while perusing page upon page of beautiful images. The nice thing about recipes you find on Pinterest is that you know that they’re going to create visually stunning meals.
Since I’m really into taking traditional recipes (burgers, pizzas, cupcakes) and switching up the ingredients like it’s nobody’s business, the garlic parmesan sauce featured in this recipe caught my eye. I also had a pile of frozen broccoli florets sitting in my freezer, thus this meal also served as a Operation Clear Freezer accomplishment.
In the end, it looked as though there was a tiny forest growing on my pizza. I also could have warded off the global population of vampires (not to mention men) with my garlic breath. Worth it.
PS: sorry that the photo of the broccoli and spinach pizza isn’t better – I took it in the dim light of my kitchen one evening when I was dashing out. Lack of time = less-than-gorgeous photos and a stomach ache as a result of eating too fast.