Becky Gean

Posted on April 3, 2013September 9, 2020 by Becky Gean

tales of the travelling crockpot. the beginning.

on the very last evening of winterlicious this year, a group of women, who also happen to adore food, went out to dinner at kultura (delicious!) on king st east in toronto. this was the first and formal gathering meant to hash out all the details of what was to become “the travelling crockpot”. how that name came about is beyond me. i remember talks of the sisterhood of the travelling pants novels and that of crockpots… there you have it. when it comes down to it though, we want to – try new things – step out of our comfort zones – talk about food – and enjoy the company of others.

join us into our journey of food exploration.

Posted on March 20, 2013September 9, 2020 by Becky Gean

make ahead meatballs. a recipe.

meatball-recipe what do you bring to a reunion?
what are usually served at cocktail parties?
what do you bring to a potluck?
meatballs of course!
if you don’t bring them, someone will! once i realized how easy it was to prepare these little mouth popping morsels, i was hooked.

meatball_recipe

check back for when i share my favourite meatball sauce recipe.
it’s sweet, savoury and oh so yummy!
happy cooking – wherever you are.

Posted on March 17, 2013September 9, 2020 by Becky Gean

until we see each other again…so…tomorrow.

my brother is now a travelling tourist. first stop – taiwan. follow his adventures – here.

technology amazes me. once i said “see ya later” to my brother, it began to sink in that i wouldn’t get to hug him for an entire year. he’s off on his own – exploring and adventure seeking. i couldn’t be happier for him. i also miss him a lot.
skype & facetime, you are forever a favourite of mine. connecting me when i wouldn’t have the ability otherwise.

who have you been able to connect with because of skype and/or facetime?

Posted on March 6, 2013September 9, 2020 by Becky Gean

our save the dates. an engagement movie trailer.

Josh and i made this little movie trailer to send to our guests telling them to save the date for our wedding.

if only i had known i would get proposed to on that camping weekend, maybe i would have booked a hair appointment and done something to those roots! good grief! alas – it was a magical weekend that i shall never forget.

Josh was taking videos on his blackberry from the moment we got in the car, headed to algonquin park – i wasn’t suspicious of anything at this point. when we were 20 minutes outside of the park, we stopped at the LCBO. knowing we were backcountry camping and wouldn’t be able to lug around a lot – my drink of choice? a tiny bottle of fireball whiskey. compact and tasty i thought! mohawk wouldn’t have it. he went for a bottle of champagne. hmmmm… i began to wonder. on the outside i seemed calm and collected and like everything was no big deal – but hello! my insides were doing triple backflips!

enjoy.

video made using the sports movie trailer theme on iMovie.

what do you think about save the dates? are they even needed? let me know! i’ll be sharing more of my wedding planning experiences as time goes on. i hope i’ll give you some insight and laughs – whether you’ve already had your big day or are in the exciting planning stages.

Posted on March 4, 2013September 9, 2020 by Becky Gean

what’s your space jam?

happy monday – wherever you are.

Posted on February 24, 2013September 9, 2020 by Becky Gean — Leave a comment

5 kitchen gadgets i own and love.

a mini whisk. a favourite of mine for mixing up salad dressings and fancy flavoured lattes (nutella!!!!).

kitchen shears. they cut things. yes, that includes food.

measuring spoons. i love their durability and they stack perfectly on top of one another – wonderful for my lack of drawer space with the amount of gadgets i own.

where would i be without my trusty disney bottle opener? the one on the kitchen shears just won’t do.

and of course – a tea infuser.

Posted on February 19, 2013September 9, 2020 by Becky Gean — Leave a comment

learn by doing. a williams-sonoma cooking class. omelettes.

omelette

the first thing mohawk said when i walked in the door having just been to a free williams-sonoma cooking class on how to make omelettes was “i’m hungry”.

“great! want an omelette?” was my immediate response. let’s see if i learned anything during the one hour-long demo the store puts on. it was a long hour to have to stand in one spot (my back hates me) but well worth it if i could bang out a killer omelette.

lo and behold – the top picture was my first attempt! yippee! i was so happy with the turn out, i made mohawk wait to eat it so that i could take a picture.

this was my second time attending a williams-sonoma cooking class. classes are always on saturday mornings at the location i go to. the pan-frying class my mother and i attended paid off in my kitchen so i think its fair to say i’ll be attending as many of the classes as i can. call ahead, reserve your own spot and at the end of the class you’ll get a 10% discount to use on anything in the store. i can’t wait to re-create the philly cheese steak omelette that was prepared for and then devoured by all the participants at the cooking class.

so – how did i make my spinach omelette?

this calphalon nonstick fry pan* would be ideal. any non-stick pan will do. turn your stove on to medium to medium-high heat. butter in the pan. swirl to coat the pan. leave it be while you do the next step.

bowl. crack eggs into bowl. however many you’d like. 3 goes a long way and in a medium-sized pan – fits & cooks up well. i used 5 left over egg whites from crème brûlée i made on valentine’s day and added one whole egg to the mix. salt & pepper. 1 tbsp of milk. whisk for 20-30 seconds… with a whisk. a fork won’t allow enough air to travel through the goo. don’t over mix your eggs – it will make them tough.

the butter in the pan will be foamy at this point. pour those eggs into the pan. grab a spatula. something that has some give to it. i have a favourite spatula from williams-sonoma that i use in my kitchen. don’t fuss around with the eggs too much. lightly pushing at the sides of the pan, loosening the egg and tilting the pan to allow the runny bits to fall below. i added chopped up spinach to half of the omelette once it was just a gooey centre, and proceeded to hold my breath as i attempted to roll the omelette up into a perfect package. i think i succeeded! what do you think? do you have omelette troubles of your own?

note: an asterisks indicates an item i covet, not one that i own. a girl can dream.

Posted on January 31, 2013September 9, 2020 by Becky Gean — 2 Comments

what to do on valentines day when it falls on a thursday.

when valentine’s day falls on a week day, i can hear the sigh of relief coming from partners who loathe the holiday. who loathe it even more when it falls during the weekend, because well, it’s the weekend, so to us romantics it means an entire weekend full of lovely doveyness. you’re off the hook this year. next year though – be ready. you have been warned. valentine’s day is on a friday and a weekend gateway to a cozy bed and breakfast might be expected.

me? i like to celebrate all the people i love on valentine’s day. i like homemade cards and cookies decorated with red and pink and white. i don’t want or expect anything elaborate from my significant other. mohawk knows this, but still always gets me flowers and chocolate – and i love him for that. classic.

so – what to do on a thursday evening?

1. make dinner together. if you drink – pop open a bottle of wine. if you don’t drink, pizzaz up your favourite juice with fizzy water and frozen pieces of fruit.

photo by scarlet o'neill — photo by scarlet o’neill

VERY IMPORTANT DETAIL: there are two things you can do to avoid fighting while in the kitchen together.

one needs to have a plan – take on the role of the chef (you don’t need to admit that this is the case to said other as to not hurt their ego.)
one needs to be the helper (or in my case, the strong man who can open lids that i can’t and chop those vegetables that are so tedious.) also, make it easy! dinner doesn’t have to be a 6 hour labour intensive process to be delicious and yummy. taste your food and trust your taste buds.

2. take a bubble bath.

or if you think cramming into a tiny bathtub together could be uncomfortable – have a really hot shower and rub each other down with big loofah sponges full of scented puffy soap suds. if that doesn’t get you in a lovey mood – you’re not putting that loofah in the right places. (gasp!)

3. watch a movie.

a scary one or romantic one. romantic-comedies are my favourite. they are cheesy and awesome. don’t deny it. declare a snuggle fest and settle in for the night.

alone on valentine’s day? no problem. you can still do everything i just listed here. you can. trust me.

have a happy valentines day lovers – wherever you are.

Posted on January 27, 2013September 9, 2020 by Becky Gean

getting a little personal about my lately – and a pic of my cat.

sunday tut.

sunday_tut

aside from my regular 9-5 job, i find myself wanting to learn to the fullest without actually stepping foot inside a school. there’s a little bit of fear and regret still lingering in that department, but that’s another story. i’ve been reading books, magazines, blogs (of course), free ibooks that come on my phone (they rock!), news articles, independent magazines, cookbooks (LOVE!!!!!!) – you name it. i find i jump all over the place which keeps my brain happy and my thoughts flowing.

i’ve been working on this blog. in the background. the behind the scenes.

you know when a movie ends, the credits roll, everyone gets up and leaves? well – i don’t. i stay. some of my favourite moments with mohawk are when we’re sitting in a movie theatre, lights are lifted ever so slightly and the movie theatre staff start filtering in with brooms. yes, i realize they must dislike folks like me – who stay until the very end.

three reasons i do this.

you never know if there might be a teaser or a fun blooper at the end. if there is, yippee! you are part of the select few who got to view this secret part of the film. and doesn’t it feel awesome?!?!
you have time to relax, reflect and/or talk and discuss with the person you came with. did you enjoy it? did you relate with any of the characters? could you believe the action scenes?
reading the credits. the names of the people who put that entire film together. i realize that there is a ridiculous amount of work that happens behind the scenes and i want to celebrate those folks. mohawk likes to try to find funny job titles. i like names of people. so i read them to myself. as many as i can. i like to think a feeling of warm fuzzies comes over the people whose names i read. ridiculous, i know. but it makes me happy.

with blogs – there are also credits. just the list is usually a lot shorter. only now am i starting to realize there are REAL genuine people behind all these amazing blogs i read. real people who also have crazy lives, hopes, and dreams just like me.

i realize i’m not perfect. nowhere near. and neither is this blog. but that’s okay. we’re all constantly finding our way. bumps and bruises are to be expected. i’m barely skimming the surface into my hopes for what this blog will become.

here’s to taking all my reading into implementing. and being a little more honest. with myself – and with all of you who read this little blog.

i have given myself two focus words for this coming month. organize and intention. forgive me if i disappear from time to time with my postings or if the site looks strange one day and different the next. i’m not forgetting about you – just getting a little organized first.

happy sunday – wherever you are.

Posted on January 24, 2013September 9, 2020 by Becky Gean

and the fog rolls in. a little road trip to arkansas.

the sunrise that is at the top of my blog, is a special one.

it is of the ozark mountain air. arkansas.

my grandpa and grandma built the cabin which gets to view that breath-taking sunrise each and everyday.

my brother was on the porch to take that beautiful sunrise shot – so early in the morning.

i tell you this and share these photos of our wonderful road trip because i’m not sure how much longer that photo will be gracing my front page.

changes are a coming. in a good way. at least – that’s the idea. i hope that you will continue on this journey with me, into… whatever this blog is becoming.

driving — all photos in this post by – chad siddall

you’d think you were above the clouds – but it’s fog.

all photos by chad siddall. see more of his photos here and here.