fresh fleurs...make me smile.

Fleurs.  A...mazing!  I love 'em!  Fleurs have become a bit of an obsession of mine.  There's nothing better than having fresh flowers around.  Trust me.  To be honest, you don't need to spend an arm and a leg on fresh flowers.  I buy one or two varieties  once every two-three weeks.  I take care of them...and they last.  I have a thing for all things white...so I typically will buy white flowers, but I've been experimenting lately, and I'm into colours.  Bright, bold, colours.  To add, flower arranging...need not be too complicated!  I literally will use anything I have for a vase...a glass, a shot glass...even a mason jar!  I work with one colour scheme (easy if you're not colour blind)...and I cut the flowers proportionately to the vase I am using.  Small glasses/vases mean I will trim my flowers short...and long/large vases mean my flowers will barely be trimmed.  Here are the few mini arrangement that I've had all over my little apartment for the past week and a half.  I change the water frequently, and snip the ends of the flowers every time I change the water.  This makes my flowers last.

This week...I have one loose Gerber daisy by my bed...

And four bright Gerber daisies in the bathroom.

And this little guy...tiger lilies and the rest of the daisies on my coffee table.  

The rest of my lillies I kept long..and placed in my dining room.  Orange overkill?  I think not.

Fresh fleurs...simple.  Elegant.  Smile-worthy.

strawberry rhubarb crumble

So...here's to things that I think about.  Things that I sometimes cook...things that I sometimes say.  And all things that I like.

This morning was another hot summer morning...a perfect Saturday to venture to the market.  Wow.  There's nothing better than late July produce that you know didn't ripen on a truck.   Walking through any market, (and this week it happened to be Evergreen Brickworks) always gives me a little high.  The setting, the produce, the vendors, the life.   Broccolli, kale, beets, rhubarb, and basil filled my bag today.  Couldn't wait to get home and get cooking...

We had a bit of a perfect dinner tonight.  Rosie's...ish broccoli casserole followed by this strawberry rhubarb crumble done with dark chocolate soy gelato.  Quiet, comforting and delicious.  Perfect.  The brocooli casserole post will come soon...as this is a dish that deserves it's own post.  Trust.  But for now, here's a quick and easy fresh dessert you can prepare in ~10 minutes start to finish.  Throw it into the oven whenever...about an hr before serving and forget about it.  Try to ignore the smell coming from your oven while this baby steams and crisps...intoxicating.  We paired this crumble with a soy based dark chocolate gelato from Hotel Gelato, in Toronto's midtown.  The sweet and sour combination of the warm strawberry and rhubarb reduction with the cold creaminess of the rich gelato and the little crispies of the crumble?  Crack.

I didn't get too many pics of the prep...but here's a little taste of the finished product.

Ingredients:

  2 pints strawberries, halved

  6 stalks of rhubarb, chopped

  2 tbsp agave nectar  (I like my desserts a bit tart vs. "i need insulin" sweet...feel free to add more)

  2 cinnamon sticks (I am a bit obsessed with cinnamon these days...feel free to omit)

  1/2 cup whole wheat flour

  1/2 cup dark brown sugar

  1/4 cup shredded coconut

  2 tbsp vegan margarine 

  ...I didn't have rolled oats - but if I did...they would be all over this crumble - at least 1/2 a cup.

Throw the berries, rhubarb and agave into your baking pan and mix.  Add cinnamon sticks.  In a large bowl, mix together flour, sugar, coconut and margarine and using your hands, (this is the best part) scrunch everything together.  It should feel like play-doh that's coming together.  You should be able to bunch it up in your fist, and it should break apart easily.  If it's too dry, add more margarine.  If it's it's wet and clumpy, add more flour, sugar or oats.  I would probably add oats.  Cover the fruit mixture with the crumble, pat down slightly, and bake in a 350 degree oven for ~ 45 mins.  bon appetite.  

Warm, tart, strawberry and rhubarb crumble with rich soy chocolate gelato.  A little party in my mouth.