Tidbits

before / during a friend’s surprise birthday dinner. one of the rare times we went out together.
we both make the same faces when we take pictures – it usually involves growling … haha
& I only just realized that  we sort of matched that night.

the birthday boy & his birthday drink! even though it looks girly – it had the most alcohol at the bar (an “Oh My Tai” from Boston Pizza)
and no – I can not believe we are all turning 20+ this year. seriously. weren’t we all just 15 and gangly in high school?

Instead of drinking beer I actually mixed myself a drink for once – a rye&ging. in a pretty cup it made me feel super girly (:
& R, in my sunglasses that match his shirt. hanging out at a bbq hosted by his parent’s friends.

 

just a few pictures that have popped up on my camera from the past few weekends. Back to having things to photograph is nice … even if they are silly and just for me.
xoxo. kristine

Lemon Poppy seed Crepes with Ricotta, Basil and Asparagus

The pictures speak for themselves.

crepes:

1 cup flour
2 eggs
½ cup milk
½ cup water
¼ teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons / ¼ cup butter (melted)
¼ cup Poppy seeds

1. Mix flour, eggs, water and milk in a blender until smooth. Making sure to use a fork to scrape the flour off the sides (but stop the blender first of course! hahaha)
2. Add melted butter and salt, mix in blender.
3. Chill for ½hr / overnight (in blender) This helps get rid of the bubbles and make it nice and smooth. I found it also makes it so much easier to swirl them)
4. Heat a lightly oiled (& I do mean super lightly) griddle (or really any flat pan will do) over just more then medium heat (like a 6/10).
Pour the batter onto the pan, & “tilt the pan with a circular motion so that the batter coats the surface evenly”
5. Sprinkle poppy seeds on top to your liking
6. When the edges start to get a little golden & crispy (usually 2 min.) see if you can stick your spatula underneath all the way through to test if they are ready to flip. I flip my sliding them off my pan onto the lid and then flipping the lid really fast. Some people can do it with a spatula – but it’s much harder for larger crepes. Do what you do.
7. After another 2 min, check to see if they are finished. Place on a plate lined with paper towel. (to absorb the extra oil)

Tips
*For my perfect sized crepe – I usually pour until I see batter in a circle about the circumference of a larger mug.
*I sometimes line in-between each crepe so they don’t get to spongy and oily. Especially if I’m making a big batch to fill later.

I used a recipe that was given to me for this dish, but I really regretted it. It added sugar you didn’t need, and was too thick for me. So this is my tried & true crepe recipe, with poppy seeds added. (: I made these for a wedding shower – and they went like hot cakes (pun intended).

Filling:

Ricotta Filling:

1 standard bag of ricotta
3 tablespoons Olive Oil
1 tablespoon Lemon Zest
sea salt & black pepper to taste (about 1 teaspoon each)

1. Take the ricotta out of the bag & add the olive oil and mix together with a large fork
2. Add fresh lemon zest on top (in hindsight I would have added a pinch of lemon juice too, but I had just saved the peel) salt & pepper – mix.

Asparagus:

1. Blanche the asparagus (but keep it whole –  if you need to – halve the stocks)

Basil:

1. Pick out of your garden. (this recipe called for arugula as an optional switch – which I think would have made the dish a 100x better – so if you want – sub out basil for arugula and blanche it when you are doing the asparagus)

 

Here’s how to fold your crepe …

 

Excuse my rudimentary drawing skills :P You could always just place them all on top and devour. Or not do the bottom fold and just roll.
But if you do then you can grab it & go – and it’s delicious. + when you put the leftovers in the fridge they can also just be picked up and snacked on.
They happen to be excellent cold. ♥ They’d also be a good thing to bring to a party – because you can make them small and they are good in the fridge for 2 days. Or a make ahead meal for a busy night. If you have those.

p.s.  OMG! This post was done over a week ago & I thought I had put it up. Like … 2+ weeks ago. Eeek! Expect a bunch of posts all in a row now :( wooosh!

music monday

Fiona Apple. If you don’t know her … well then I’ll hold up the rock you’ve lived under so you can crawl out. (:
She may not have had the easiest life, (hey - who has?) and she’s been penalized for eating disorders, advocating heroin-chic, and doing whatever she wants. … but she’s won a grammy for a reason.
Her newest song came out on April 23rd, and she’s doing another tour – so if you can – get out & see her!

Here’s her newest song below:

 

& a few classics:

 

That I think was the hardest to narrow down yet. Yikes! There’s also a christmas song, a tim burton song, and ohh let’s not forget a cover of across the universe.

happy mondays. if there is such a thing.

xoxo.
kristine

whirlwind+

WOW. What a weekend. A weekend plus.

Quick update:

Friday Morning: drove my aunt to her physio. that was not a happy experience (she ended up being really fed up w. her therapist) but at least I drove the beamer!

Friday Night: Avengers (opening day) sosososososososososososo good. we’re going back to see it in 3D now that I can look away for a second or two so I don’t make myself sick. (and so we have some less obnoxious people (& children) in the theatre with us + some better seats)

Early Saturday Morning: chiro yeah so that kind of sucked. I hate that I have chiro so early in the morning. It’s a royal pain in my rear,

Saturday: Shower prep. alllllllll dayyyyy. meats & cheese & place cards – oh my! plus I made a ton of crepes. Apparently they were a huge hit! Always nice to see.

*Saturday Night: Endast / Lumbergh show! haven’t been out to a show in way. too. long. I tried to stay out of the most pit. Really I did. So I ended up drinking more then I ever drink at shows – with no way to burn it off. But it was fun none-the-less. Like “I can’t believe I actually walked home” good. Even the little bit of jumping in the pit killed me (especially since chiro in the morning) but it was worth it. I missed the scene so badly.

Sunday Morning: more shower prep this would be when I started wondering if the show the night before was a good idea. Having to be up at 9:30 was not ideal

Sunday: bridal shower!! & this would be when I almost regretted going out. On my feet helping out allllll day! I was so exhausted by the end of it. but the bride to be was happy. & I am so so so so so happy for her. She’s my “secret sister” pictured above. She’s been friends with my sister since they were 8 – which is before I was even born! I grew up with her, and she really is a second sister to me. That’s her gorgeous self up there – and a quick snap of the head table. The shower was french themed! When my cousin’s photos are sent to me to edit, I’ll upload them with a post just about the shower.

Sunday Evening / Night: more tear down & divying of the food. then went back to Ryan’s house where I fell asleep promptly at 10:30. I was so tired. But also going there meant I was guaranteed sleep & to be taken care of. Such a good weekend, despite the exhaustion.

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that’s it, that’s all folks!
Well not quite. There was a lot of stuff inbetween, and I’m sure a lot of those items could have had their own post, but like I said on twitter: you know you’re having fun, which you can’t take the time to tweet about it. ♥ so happy & blissed out & tired. can’t wait for bed tonight.