The Adventures of Bob & Shan

an unfolding story of food & adventure.

Raspberry Ice Cream

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Rewind back nearly a year and a half ago… Shannon comes over with a beautiful (/ancient) ice cream maker, a bag of fresh raspberries, her best friend Olya, and a plan. The time in our relationship has come. We are going to make ice cream.

I’ve never made ice cream, so naturally I was a bit nervous with my inexperience. Fortunately, Shannon assured me everything would be just fine. It wasn’t her first time. I rifled through the supplies, unsure of what to do with the large bag of salt, but the rest seemed straight forward, I could do this. We whipped up the ice cream base, and we’re about to get things going, when I realize my ice supply is out…rookie mistake. After a quick trip to the corner store, bag of ice in hand, the time had come. We fill up the ice cream container, surround it with ice and salt, and get the motor going. It was loud, we had to stop a few times, adjusting the ice to keep it churning. I definitely expected things to go much quicker. As it turns out, our little old ice cream maker likes to take its time (this wasn’t its first rodeo!). Finally, after about an hour and a half, our cream had become ice cream!…

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Mushroom & Barley Salad

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Lately, I’ve been lusting over the idea of grain-based salads. Summer is over and we find ourselves cuddled up in blankets, rather than basking in the sun. Light leafy greens just don’t seem to cut it. Inspired by this beautiful salad from Bon Appetit, along with a shameful bag of pearl barley, that’s been sitting in a cupboard for at least 5 years (embarrassing, I know), Shan and I picked up some groceries, and put this on our to-do list….

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Escaping, while in Saskatchewan

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I have two primary flaws. The first, wanderlust. Bob knows this. I like to think it’s one of my many charms, along with my burger infatuation. (Aside: My burger love is definitely worth teasing me about. I’ve lied to Bob before about what I had for dinner. I later came clean about that lie, but only because I got caught.) Back to this wanderlust though. Bob thinks of me before he thinks of himself, and when he thought of what might curb my lust for adventure, he found the only solution. So, we signed up for the Saskatoon Canoe Club. I found myself free to kayak down the South Saskatchewan River whenever the impulse struck. Honestly, it helped so much….

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Pork Meat Pies with Scallion Butter

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Confession. I’m into women. Sometimes it’s their intelligence. I’m crushing on a psychologist I think is incredible right now. This time is different though, pure lust, infatuation. I adore Lady and Pups’ food blog. She’s captivated me with her fluid writing, precise styling, and one section entitled “Shit I eat by myself”, which let’s be honest, is hilarious and wonderfully indulgent.

I’ve been an admirer of her blog for some time now, but had many other recipes on the go, so I hadn’t tried one of hers yet. But today, I did. Am I ever glad I did. Let me just start out by saying I’m so thrilled with how straightforward and approachable the technique is for dealing with the dough. The last time I wrestled with dough, I tackled sourdough bread to surprise Bob.  It was such a huge disappointment because it involved a loving, 8 hour process. To have that fall flat and resemble naan bread weighted with stones made me so sad. (Bob still ate some because he’s a saint.)…

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Chocolate Hazelnut Tart

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Our love was impulsive, this hazelnut tart, and I. We sort of fell into it swiftly. I’m pretty sure I searched for dinner recipes, and this little sneak fell on the same page last week. This, my friends, is clearly not a dinner recipe. It’s more of a “delightful add on to an already debilitating dinner coma” type thing.

What I did, you see, was take the night off work so I could compile ingredients and dedicate my day to blanching, peeling, and toasting hazelnuts. In addition, I’ve been dying to make some heavenly meat pies from Lady and Pups, so I went about doing that too. It made for good timing, alternating between recipes and pulling together a delicious, and ridiculous dinner….

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Beet & Zucchini Soup

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Soup, soup, soup, soup, soup… Judging by how many soup recipes we have up on the blog, you’d think that’s all we ever eat. Shan jokingly told me I couldn’t blog this one. Maybe we just need a rule? Five regular posts between every soup post? Rules are for suckers though! Plus it’s getting cold out, and cold weather = soup.

Anyways….

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Beet Green Ravioli

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I love pasta. It’s a good thing I love vegetables too, or I would be destined to look a little more round than I do. I didn’t plan to make this. I was sitting on the couch drowsy from cold meds, fighting to focus on homework. Everything went to shit when I smelled sauteed beet greens, and saw their gorgeous fuchsia coloring. I found Bob in the kitchen, where he suggested making beet ravioli, and all thoughts of homework left me. Actually, all thought left me. Despite being inhibited by meds, I managed to pound out more than twice as many ravioli as Bob did. (Sorry babe, I’m telling on you.) Bob boasts precision, but I boast productivity. He teased me that all of mine would fall apart, but you know what? They all turned out beautifully.

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Proscuitto Wrapped Pork Loin

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It rained this morning. Something about rain makes for the perfect setting for staying in (bed). Ahem. I mean writing the essay due tomorrow. Fortunately, I decided I could easily dissuade myself from doing that by planning dinner for my mom. (A wise and mature decision that would make any mother proud.) So, I quickly closed my essay tab, browsed fall recipes online, and came across a lovely Bon Appétit recipe. Closing my essay window eased my guilt, and before I knew it I threw on some rain boots and headed to the grocery store.

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Pesto & Almond Fettuccine

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Shan and I don’t eat pasta very often, and I have never considered myself much of a pasta person, that is, until I started eating fresh pasta. Making pasta from scratch is far easier than many people expect. Even though it’s takes more time than whipping out a box of Barilla, it’s 100% worth it. Not only does it taste way better, but kneading the dough, rolling it thinner and thinner, before cutting it into your desired shape, is so satisfying….

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