workin' for the weekend

i. can. not. believe. it's. friday. again.

how the heck did this week fly by so quickly?

i've been super busy with cupcake special orders, 308 south dessert deliveries and two caterings yesterday. needless to say, i'm way behind schedule & have my work cut out for me today.

so far, i've finished a huge batch of seafood chowder. this batch has smoked haddock, sea trout, tilapia (one of the most sustainable fish around) & mussels all purchased at the fish shop. the veggies are celery root from hutten farm, leeks from selwood green & pei potatoes. $7 

i also made up a new vegetarian concoction - asparagus, foxhill parmesran & caramelized onion strata. it's a savoury bread pudding that would be great for either breakfast, lunch or dinner. with a side salad & a poached egg on top it would make a great meal - i sort of want one for myself today... $15

i'm currently in the midst of making british seafood pies. it's been awhile since i've had these on the menu, but they've been very well-received thus far. it's a thick & creamy bechamel sauce with leeks, celery & peas mixed with seafood (the same combination as the chowder) and then layered with lemon-dill mashed potatoes on top. 

small $11 large $22

the quinoa salad will be exactly the same as last week with blanched green beans, artichoke hearts, mustard, lemon & dill. the wild rice salad will have balsamic roasted beets, tomatoes, garlic & lots of fresh herbs.

i also hope to have enough time to whip up some smoked salmon/ dill/ goat cheese & mushroom/ swiss/ caramelized onion quiches, but that remains to be seen, it all depends on how fast i can bake.

i've settled on a permanent rotation of 5 flavours of cupcakes: red velvet, chocolate, vanilla, carrot & banana chocolate chip - maybe now i can experiment with new flavours of frostings... i'll also have snickers brownies, lemon tarts, mint oreo cheesecakes, macaroons, oatmeal cookies and maybe something festive...

in other news, i made the best pie of my life this week.

it's a classic pecan pie but made a bit more festive with dark callebault chocolate, dried cranberries, raisins & the zest of a clementine. maybe i'll make some miniature versions for the market. 

plus i made a signature cupcake for a friend's father's birthday party. the order came in all the way from california & it was super flattering to be thought of for the event.

it's a combination all of his favourite flavours, so they're a sweet potato (what ?!?!) cake with lots of fresh ginger, then the tops are soaked with a spiced maple syrup & finished with maple cream cheese frosting. it was a brand new concoction, slightly nerve-wracking & a fun way to spice things up.

ok. time. to. bake.