Monday, November 15, 2010

Shameless Cat Promotion

Hello to those brave enough to still follow our blog! I know we've been lacking.. a lot. I can tell you that we have a lovely surprise ready for early December! We can't wait!!!!

In the meantime, check out these lame videos of my cat!




Sunday, October 24, 2010

Fab 5!

Last weekend I got together with my 4 very close friends from College. Since we graduated (back in 2008, yikes!) we've only have a few opportunities to get together, as we are all in different parts of the province. Usually we only get to see each other maybe once a year. Boo! Anyways, we were able to get caught up on each others lives and have a few laughs before it was time to say goodbye again. Sigh.

Katie & Myriam
Myself and Myriam hanging out in my apartment before meeting up with the rest of the girls.

Cuppycakes
With the extra time we had, we decided to make some super happy looking cupcakes for us all to binge on.

Okay so that appears to exhaust my stock of photos from the weekend! Originally I wanted to do a photo montage type o' deal from our little gathering but being so busy with non-stop talking, there wasnt much time for picture taking as you can see. And in my attempt to find a vintage group shot of us ladies, I find myself at a dead end... apparently we're a hard group to get into one picture. Except of course for the photo below!

Post-Grad celebratory meal
Us after our Graduation. Clockwise from far left: Kelly, Jaclyn, Myriam, Katie and Shannon in centre.

Of course this isnt an authentic group photo. Shannon wasn't able to make it to our Graduation so we planned this photo around an empty chair and I photoshopped her in afterwards. Sneaky.

Until next year! <3!

Tuesday, September 28, 2010

Stasia and Rob's Wedding

Birdies

Congratulations to Stasia and Rob who tied the knot on September 5th! I know this post is waaay over due... but I finally have some time to share a few photos with you guys. Remember how I had problems getting a dress? Well I had a lot of people reinforce the idea that wearing black to a wedding was fine and so I thank you for that because I found the best black dress! and for cheap! Hurray!

Thanks to our friend Julie Yan over at The Photo Pantry for the pictures! You worked very hard that day! Also, people! Please check out her blog! If you like food and you like photography then it's the place for you! It's very, very yummy.

Classic fight for the bouquet
Doing the classic "GIVE ME THE BOUQUET!" photo op. Good times.

Dance time!
Kate (right) and myself "cutting a rug". Please ignore my awkward dancey hand gestures.

More dancey
I have a feeling we were dancing to "Single Ladies" at this point. Put your hands up?

Again, a warm congratulations to our friend Stasia and her new husband Rob! It was a great wedding and I had a blast! First comes love.. then comes marriage... then comes that thing that I'm not allowed to mention. :)

Katie for F3

Saturday, September 18, 2010

The Continuation of Apple Challenge: Apple Strudel

As per Katie's post a few days ago, we both got a HUGE bag of apples to go home with after our trip to th Apple Orchard. With these apples in hand, the first thing that came to my mind was APPLE STRUDEL.
It is always a struggle whenever my boyfriend and I are at the bakery... he is a Cherry Strudel kind of man... and I am always an apple kinda of girl.

This apple strudel is my go-to recipe whenever I want some quick and last minute treats. This apple strudel with puff pastry is super fast & easy, when compares to the traditional phyllo strudel receipe. Seriously who has times to work with Paper thin phyllo when you want something quick?!

Here are just a list of simple ingredient..

- 1 sheet of Butter Puff Pastry (get the pre-rolled ones, it will save you a LOT of time & hassel!)
- 2-3 Apples (depending on size)
- 1/4 cup of Sugar
- 1 teaspoon of Lemon Zest (approx. 1/2 of lemon)
- 1 table spoon of Fresh Lemon Juice (approx 1/2 of lemon)
- 1 teaspoon of Cinnamon
- 1/4 cup of Raisins (optional)
- 1 Egg
- 1 tablespoon of butter
- Powder Sugar (optional)
**you do not have to follow it exactly, ingredient can be added or subtracted base on taste and what you like!

of course... first you will need to peel the apples!! I find peeling apple is extremely relaxing!

O ya! preheat your oven to 425 degree (or refer to your puff pastry box for suggested temperature)


Zest your lemon using a zester into a Large size bowl. Then cut your lemon in half, pick out as many seeds as possible, stick a fork in the lemon & twist to squeeze the juice into the bow.


Remove the apple cords, and slice apple into 1/8" thick. Put apple, raisins & cinnamon into the bowl with Lemon. Then Mix.


Line a rimmed cookie sheet. Lay puff pastry at upper portion of cookie sheet, then arrange the apple mixture onto bottom half of the pastry, then pour excess juice over arranged apple slices.

Dab couple small butter pieces on top of apple mixture


Mix the egg with one tablespoon of Water. Brush egg wash around edges of puff pastery. Fold over, and press fork at the edges to crimp the edges.

Brush top of pastry with egg wash, then sprinkle sugar on to. Slit top of strudel 5 times to allow steam to vent.

Place on middle rack and bake for appox 25 mins or until pastry is crispy and golden brown.

Let cool on rack, slice into pieces and dust with powder sugar if desired.

Viola! Grab a fork & enjoy!



Kate for F3

Wednesday, September 15, 2010

Apple Crisp

Mmmm!
So imagine 10lbs...  now imagine 10lbs of apples. That's a lot of apples. Kate and I decided that the best way to handle it was to divide them up and each work on baking up different apple creations. Otherwise we'd be toting a couple of apples to work each day, trying desperately to finish them before they went bad. Maybe to some people thats okay but I'm not exactly an apple person. The idea of an endless amount of apples was a tad daunting to me. So we were off! Each with our own apple baking idea.

**I cant believe I used the word 'apple' in EVERY SINGLE ONE of the sentences above! Sorry for the repetition**

The only apple baked thing that stands out in my mind is Apple Crisp. My mom would make it a lot for my siblings and I while we were growing up. Since I've been out on my own for quite a few years I honestly cannot remember the last time I had any! Lucky for me I was taking a trip home to my parents in Guelph and thought it would be a dandy idea to drag my apples along. Somehow I managed to talk my Mom into baking them up for me in her traditional apple crisp way. Huzzah! I wanted to help and figure out the recipe so I could post it here but she pretty much wings it each time. After a quick check on the internet, a very similiar recipe to hers can be found at AppleCrispRecipe.com... very convenient website title.

Oats!
Blending up the "crisp" ingredients.

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Pre-Baked Crisp.

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Post-Baked Crisp. Mmmmm!

On top of all that, it was my Mom's birthday weekend! Now before you go thinking I'm a terrible daughter, making my mom bake away my apple troubles, see below! My sister Kirstie and I had some fun and made some love inspired cupcakes for my Mom. <3!

W is for Wendy!

Katie for F3

Saturday, September 11, 2010

The Apple of My Eye


 Apple season is open! What better way to spend a Sunday morning than going out for a road trip, load up on freshly picked apples and have a bit of an adventure? Take a bite out of life, you know?

Last weekend we decided to do just that! It proved to be sliiightly more crisp than we're used to at this time of year but the sun warmed up and served as the perfect backdrop for our first crack at apple picking.

After a brief roadtrip into the country we found ourselves at Albion Orchards. Immediately we were drawn in to their very charming store by the smell of freshly baked apple pies. Inside were many varieties of apples, different types of tea, butter (apple, maple &, magic), baked yums and fresh veggies. We paid the fee (10 pounds for $10! A steal!), grabbed our basket and took advantage of the scenery.


On Katie
Checkered Aline Top: H&M, Varsity Cardigan: BDG, Skinny Jeans: Dex, Scarf: H&M, Converse Flats, Apple Ring: H&M.


On Kate
Embroidered Fringe Top: Forever 21, Legging Jeans: Gap 1969, Lace-up Wellies: Joe Fresh, Ring: Forever 21







Kate and Katie for F3

Wednesday, September 8, 2010

Let's go to the Ex!


Well folks, it's September. The summer months are behind us and it's only a matter of time before Fall is officially here. One thing to look forward to during this transition is something of a favourite for Torontonians (and those in the Toronto area): The CNE! 

The Canadian National Exhibition, or The Ex to those more familiar with the annual event, is an 18 day extravaganza including food, entertainment, midway rides and games. This past Labour Day Monday brought an end to the CNE, so F3 decided to join the party before it packed up and disappeared for another year.
Katie crossing the bridge to the CNE. The Jonas Bros. were playing at the Amphitheatre on the other end of the bridge. Many-a-young girl were passing by with glittery signs and giant smiles. The excitement was contagious.
Kate takes a moment to pose with a giant pink Teddy. Check out the cage of stuffed animals behind her!
Food item #1: Poutine! But here's the twist.. it's Mexican style. It was amazing! They take a traditional poutine (for anyone needing an explanation, poutine is french fries with cheese curds and gravy) and add a generous helping of lettuce, tomatoes, beef, jalapenos, sour cream and guacamole. Other options included "The Canadian" with strips of bacon or "The Lumberjack" which had sausage and a fried egg stacked on top. Say whaaaat?

Food Item #2: It's a Cheeseburger in a Bag!! Throw in cheeseburger-esque ingredients into a Doritos chip bag, shake it up and say hello to noms!
We stopped by the farm area to say hello to some animal friends. I'm pretty sure that these Alpaca have their hair coifed and maintained more frequently than we do.

Coy Lamb. Breaking our hearts with its cuteness.

There were also some cows... but after an unfortunate incident involving a cow's mouth and Kate's shirt I'm sad to say that she is still feeling bitter from the experience. We dont like to talk about.
Lights of the midway. A great summer night with lots of buzz and excitement.
Food Item #3: Deep Fried Butter Balls. I know, I know. You're probably thinking about how terrible and unhealthy these things are. And actually, you'd be right. We did not like these at all but we have no regrets. You only live once I guess. There was much hype built up around these guys and people stood in line for an hour or more just to get them! Not us though, I think it took 10 minutes and some moments of narsty PDA from the couple ahead of us. Hmm.. maybe that affected our appetites?


Food Item #4: Chocolate Covered Bacon. One word: Mouthgasm!

All in all, the Ex was great! Neither of us had been in quite a few years so it was good to get that feeling back. I think this photo shows just how much we enjoyed it! .. as well as how much we love the bacon...

Kate & Katie for F3

p.s. If you're feeling like you need some more eye candy, please visit our Facebook group and check out more photos from the day!

Monday, September 6, 2010

Epicute.com!

Today we were lucky enough to have our sweet little button cookies featured on Epicute.com! We are more than excited about this. I especially love that it's dripping in 80's references. Please check it out!

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Katie for F3

Tuesday, August 31, 2010

Beautiful Day


Richard+Cheryl [Same Day Edit] from spotstudios

First of all, I would like to apologize for the lack of new postings in a couple of weeks on my part. It has been a couple crazy weeks as my summer has been filled with endless number of Weddings.

If you remember, I am part of the Bridal Party for my  BFF, Chery's wedding, (and we threw a beautiful bridal shower). Cheryl and her wonderful husband, Richard have finally tied the knots over the past weekend.

I was so emotional during the entire weekend, I think I shed happy tears in 10 different occasions! What can I say I am just over the top happy for the newlyweds! Both bride and groom looked amazing! The groomsmen were such great sports during the entire day, including during the traditional Chinese doors games (if you don’t know what door games are, then click here)

Needless to say it was the most beautiful and most perfect wedding I have ever attended.

Congratulations again, Richard & Cheryl. It was such an honour to be part of your amazing day.  You both deserve all the happiness in the world.

Lastly, make sure to check out the amazing Same day edit video of the Wedding from Spotstudios. They have captured the entire day perfectly!


Kate for F3

P.S. Katie and I will be working on some GREAT new posts in coming weeks! Make sure to check back SOON!

Saturday, August 14, 2010

Dress Dilemma

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One of our friends is getting married in September and I like to remind her that there are "X" amount of days left until the wedding. However, the lower that number gets the more I realize that I too have something to be worried about: I have nothing to wear! Okay, okay... I know my situation is nowhere near as dire as hers must be but I'm allowed to be overwhelmed too. Right?

I've gone out a few times but its hard to stay focused. Also, I have this bad habit of buying my clothes in black and I dont want to fall into the same pattern for this dress. My first round of dress shopping resulted in me trying on five black dresses! During my second round I think I squeezed in the colour grey somewhere. Thats progress right? Ugh.

And get this, Kate's got TWO dresses in mind to choose from. Jealous!

Anyways, sorry for the lack of posts! We're working on it so keep checking in!

Katie for F3

Sunday, August 1, 2010

You can call me Mrs. Fields

When I was organizing my cookbook collection recently,  I started to wonder how many recipes I had actually made from these beautiful cookbooks.  As it turned out what I have mostly tried were all Baked goods/desserts.

Seriously, I am 24/7 on Baking/Dessert autopilot.  I always just end up book marking baking websites & blogs, or flip to the dessert section of each cookbooks. (ya, my daily thoughts are shoes, bags, dresses, cookies, desserts... lather, rise and repeat)

So “When did this baking obsession start?” I asked myself.  Then I found this old gem which  was the 1st cookbook I had ever bought:

Mrs. Fields Best Ever cookie book!


 I just love the title.  Its name suggests that it is not just any cookie book, but the BEST cookie book, with exclamation point! As if the title is dying to be screamed out on the mountain top.  (This just reminds me of that Seinfeld episode)

I have this book for over 10 years, but I have only gone thru first 10% of the book.  I always seems to be stuck at Chocolate chip Raisins cookies.  I don’t know why this combination is not so popular? The hint of bitterness from the semi-sweet chocolate chip with the sweet tanginess of raisins seems to be a match made in heaven.

 This book is out of print, but if you ever have a chance to acquire one, I highly recommend it! It is easy to follow and with over 200 different recipes!

Now come to think of it… should I do a “Julie and Julia” with this cookie book?


Chocolate chip Raisins Cookies
Make about 4.5 dozens

2 cups All Purpose Flour
½ teaspoon Baking Powder
1/3 Cup packed Light Brown Sugar
1 Cup Sugar
2 Sticks (1 cup) Salted Butter, room temperature
2 large Eggs, room temperature
2 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
2 cups Raisins
2 cups Semi Sweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 300F

In medium bowl, whisk flour and baking powder together, set aside

Blends Sugar & brown sugars in large bowl with electric mixer at medium speed.  Add Butter and mix until grainy.  Scarp down the side of bowl.

Add eggs and vanilla extract, and mix at medium speed until smooth.

Add the flour mixture, raisins and chocolate chips.  Blend at low speed until just combinded, do not overmix

Drop by  rounded tablespoons onto cookiesheets (1.5 inch apart).

Bake at medium rack for 18-20 minutes.  Transfer to cooing rack to cool.

Kate for F3

Wednesday, July 21, 2010

Let's talk eyetalk


It all started when our friend showed us this link. It blew our minds! We thought it was insane how a little eye glue and some make up (okay, a lot of make up) could make a person look so different. While Kate was on Vacation visiting her family in Hong Kong, she was able to snag up a bottle of this stuff. Time to experiment!

We are aware of the surgery that exists for this very thing but we arent here to make any commentary on that.. or to encourage/discourage anyone having this done. Really, the glue is just for fun for us. Katie didnt want to feel left out, so she tried out the glue too. We thought about doing a serious product test and comparison but.. naaah, we didnt want to take it too seriously.

Thanks to the magic of youtube, we watched the tutorial and were ready to go!

Kate finds her sweet spot.

Katie works on packing on the glue.

Using the stick to create the crease.

Using stick to shape already existing crease.

Finished eye (on Kate's left) vs. Regular eye

Finished eye (on Katie's right) vs. Regular eye

Final thoughts?

Kate says: the glue works like magic to make my eyes look bigger, but at the end I do not recognize myself after the applications.  The glue was quite uncomfortable as if something is pulling up my eyelids and not letting me blink!  I think it is a FUN product and does magic for those who has minimal eye creases... but at the end I prefer what my parents gave me

Katie says: It was hard to look at things normally. I had to tilt my head downwards when looking at things so that my eyes could sit comfortably. The glue basically swallowed my eyelid and blinking felt terrible. It's a neat way to reshape your crease and eye shape.. but I found out what I already knew: eyelid glue does not work on my non-asian eye. Jealous!