Vancouver & Victoria

I fled the country! 

Not really, but you know that joke about heading to Canada amid the current domestic climate? I probably made that one at least twice on the drive from Seattle to Vancouver and about ten more times in my head. I amuse myself, at least. I suppose the part that keeps it funny to me is that my Canadian long weekend meant a three-day break from news alerts on my phone. That, at least, felt good.

I was chatting with my friends Susan and Christiana about a long-weekend trip somewhere this summer, and we got the brilliant idea to go to Alaska. But, as it turns out, Alaska is crazy expensive to travel to in the summertime, and so we settled on Canada instead! Christiana and I could fly from the Bay Area to meet up with Susan in Seattle and drive the rest of the way, providing us with a car during the trip and eliminating the need to pay for international flights. Yay!

We decided on staying in the Vancouver area and doing a day trip by ferry to Victoria, and it was so lovely I can't even really say enough. Canadians are actually really that nice, Tim Horton's > Dunkin' Donuts, and the weather was sunny and warm for us the entire weekend, with clear skies showing off breathtaking views of the city.

We stayed in Steveston, a little historic fishing village, that was not 20 minutes outside Vancouver proper as advertised, but did turn out to be the real life shooting location of Once Upon a Time, which meant that we actually stayed in Storybrooke for the weekend! It turns out I'm the only one of the three of us to have ever watched an episode of OUAT, and since I was too busy roadtripping in Oregon to take part in the planning, I missed the part where our Airbnb was called the "Once Upon a Time Suite" with reviews full of diehard fans rhapsodizing about staying above Granny's diner. 

It was a reminder that most of TV is filmed in Vancouver now, to the point where you can accidentally stay on a set. We also walked by a crew setting a scene for The Flash in Stanley Park, so obviously I'm excitedly waiting for the moment this fall where I can point at my TV and loudly proclaim, "I was there five hours before they shot this!" I know my walls will be happy for me.

Our trip wasn't all Hollywood glamour, though. We took the gondola up Grouse Mountain to sweatily take in the previously mentioned stunning views, watch a delightfully cheesy lumberjack show, ride the chairlift, and not do any hiking, as apparently even in July the backcountry trails still have snow on them?? 

We walked around Stanley Park, visited the Totem Poles, walked around Gastown, saw the Steam Clock, drank cocktails with gummy worms in them, and marveled at all the touristy maple or moose-themed things for sale. We drank Caesars and learned the hard way not to plan on a late dinner in Steveston, but the midnight Korean fried chicken we found in Richmond was A+ so I like to think the universe was looking out for us. Richmond is also home to the Summer Night Market, where you can walk endless rows of food stalls selling everything from more KFC to poutine to neon colored "fruit" drinks served in strobing light bulbs. This is also where your friends might convince you to tuck yourself into a giant plastic ball and roll around in a pool filled with water like a human hamster. 

We also took the leisurely, 90 minute ferry ride to Victoria, where we walked around the harbour, stuffed ourselves at the most relaxed, lovely high tea at the Pendray Tea House (we made and cancelled a reservation at the Empress; it may be more famous but the staff was infinitely less welcoming and the crowded room was deafening), and walked through the dreamy Butchart Gardens. It was only on the ferry ride back that I remembered Victoria is the capital of British Columbia, and I spent the rest of the day wondering at the logic of putting your capital city so far away from the mainland and the rest of the province. It's fine now, with airplanes and everything, but how did that work 100 years ago? 

I give Canada a 10/10 and would for sure go back for the prolonged media diet and a maple dip.

Spicy Avocado Hummus

We are definitely at peak avocado, right? It's that moment just before everyone declares they are OVER IT and we move onto the next trendy ingredient. What are we going to blame next for Millennial debt?*

Until we all collectively decide that avocado was the Quiche of the Twenty-Tens, we still have to deal with the prices. Sometimes my Whole Foods will run deals on avocados, but usually they fall somewhere between $1-$2 each. This is fine if I'm buying an avocado to garnish my nachos or my grain bowl, but if it's going to be the star of the show, like say, in a guacamole, that high price tag starts to hurt a little more. And then there is also the part where apparently our avo obsessions are driving the Monarch butterflies to extinction. More food guilt, yay.

Have you met my friend the chickpea, though? He's truly a wonder: full of protein, fiber, and vitamins, and running at the low, low cost of less than $2 per pound. 

And, a new superpower I recently discovered is the chickpea's ability to seamlessly blend in with a couple of avocados to create a smooth, creamy, hummus/guac hybrid dip that is only made better with the addition of roasted jalapeno. 

So, if you generally like having money in your wallet and pretty butterflies, can I recommend a cheaper, spicy, avocado-full crowd pleaser that you could serve at your next Summer party? It's amazing on your standard hummus friends like carrots and celery, and equally tasty on some homemade tortillas lightly fried into chips.

Ok, that last combo is actually incredibly addictive, so proceed with caution.

*Just FYI, take a look at my avocado expenditures and compare them to my rent expenditures and my student loan payments, and I promise you, the reason I can't afford to buy a home has nothing to do with my snack choices.

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Spicy Avocado Hummus

• 1 cup dried chickpeas
• 2 tsp baking soda
• 1 clove garlic, grated (about 1/2 tsp)
• 2 tsp kosher salt + more to taste
• 2 avocados, halved and pitted
• 1 tbs extra virgin olive oil
• juice of 1 lime
• 1 jalapeno, roasted and peeled
• 1 tbs cilantro

1. Soak chickpeas for at least 4 hours or overnight, with 1 tsp of the baking soda and enough water to cover.
2. Drain the chickpeas, then transfer to a large pot and cook with remaining 1 tsp baking soda and enough water to cover the chickpeas by 4 inches. Cook at a simmer for 1 to 1 1/2 hours, until chickpeas are very soft. Drain and cool.
3. Blend all remaining ingredients in the bowl of a food processor until creamy. Add chickpeas and pulse until fully blended. Taste and adjust seasoning. Serve with assorted veggies and chips for dipping!

A Birthday Cake for Harry

Happy Birthday Harry Potter!

Excuse me while my nerd flag flies high, but I love any excuse to stress bake a cake, and when I realized a certain fictional wizard's birthday was coming up, I decided to get a little whimsical. July 31st, aka, today, is the Chosen One's birthday, and why not recreate the cake Hagrid gave him for his 11th birthday? Mushed appearance and sausage links included too! 

It feels extra fun to celebrate this year, with more than just a Snapchat filter, because this September is also the 20-year anniversary of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone being released in the US. So in honor of that, enjoy this version of the "sticky chocolate cake" from the book! 

(I know the movie version was way more aesthetically attractive with its pink frosting and wacky spelling, but I'm going with the book description today. Maybe I'll make that other version in 2021.)

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Devils Food Cake

Adapted from Bravetart. Makes one, two-layer, 6-inch cake. This is the easiest chocolate cake ever. It all comes together in one pot, no special equipment necessary. 

For the cake:

• 1 1/2 sticks butter
• 3/4 cup strong black tea, such as Assam (see note)
• 1/2 cup dutch process cocoa
• 3 oz good quality dark chocolate
• 1 cup light brown sugar
• 1/2 tbs vanilla extract
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• 3 eggs + 3/4 oz egg yolks (about 1 1/2 tbs)
• 1 cup flour
• 1/2 tbs baking soda

For the Chocolate Ganache frosting:

• 1 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 10 oz milk chocolate
• 1/8 tsp kosher salt

For any written decoration (optional)

• 2 tbs softened butter
• 3/8 cup powdered sugar, sifted
• splash of vanilla extract
• food color of choice

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Line two 6-inch cake pans with parchment and spray with cooking spray. Set aside.
2. In a large pot, combine the butter and black tea over low heat. When the butter is melted, remove from heat and whisk in the chocolate and the cocoa powder, then the brown sugar, vanilla, and kosher salt. Stir in the eggs and the yolks, then sift in the the flour and baking soda. Combine thoroughly, then divide between the two cake pans.
3. Bake for 25-28 minutes, until cakes pull away from the edges of the pans a bit and a toothpick or skewer inserted into the cakes come out with only a few crumbs. Cool the cakes in the pans completely, then turn out and level tops as needed.
4. When cakes are completely cool, make the frosting. Heat the heavy cream in another pot over medium heat until steaming and starting to bubble. Place the chopped milk chocolate in the bowl of a stand mixer and pour the cream over top. Whisk until smooth and chocolate is melted, then whisk in the salt. Set aside until cooled a bit, then cover and refrigerate at least 6 hours, or until mixture reaches 45 degrees. You can also set the bowl in an ice bath for an hour, stirring occasionally. When frosting is cooled to desired temperature, whip with the whisk attachment on medium-high, about 75-120 seconds, until thick and fluffy like frosting. Use immediately.
5. Frost cake as desired.  If writing any messages on cake, beat together butter and powdered sugar, add vanilla and stir to combine. Color as desired, and transfer to a piping bag or ziploc bag. Cut off the tip and pipe away! Serve cake immediately, or keep at room temperature, covered, for up to one day, and sliced, wrapped in plastic, at room temperature for up to four days.

Notes:

• You can use strong coffee in the place of the tea. The original recipe called for either, and I went with the tea because unlike coffee, I always have some in my house, and also, tea felt more British, in honor of Harry.