…my nose in a bookFood, research, yoga and music. . . is there anything else?

So my flight was suppose to leave right now from Honolulu International Airport to take me back to Vancouver.  It has been a relaxing time with @nachoman, and we have watched most of the 2010 Vancouver Olympics Games from the comfort of shaded lanais.

Tsunami Alarms, Finding Emergency Groceries & Water

At 6am this morning (the DAY we were scheduled to leave – Saturday Feb 27th, 2010) the Tsunami Sirens began to blare out over all of Waikiki beach.  Any of the beachfront hotels and residences within the Civil Defense Tsunami Evacuation Zones for Oahu were evacuated quite quickly and efficiently.  While the ABC grocery stores remained completely closed all along the Waikiki Beach Blvd, there were a few 24 hour convenience stores about 6 blocks inland that were open.  The grocery stores were packed, and there were 2 case limits to purchasing SPAM.  There were no bottles of purified water available even at 7:30am. Everyone was calm and civil, even though there were half an hour long waiting lines to pay for purchases.

Road Closures

By 10:00am all the streets within Waikiki had been shut down, with police car patrols using loud speakers to direct people back into their residences or to the temporary shelter at the Elementary school (which happens to be right beside our hotel/apartment). A rare occurrence, Waikiki beach cams were showing that the beaches were completely empty. The only thing visible on the water was waves and one or two surfers trying to catch a wave. (Extremely silly and dangerous of them).  The Honolulu Fire Department helicopters had an amazing response time in announcing to all the surfers or beach-goers that they should leave the water.

If people are residing within the evacuation zone they would have to leave their residence, hotel or workplace.  Luckily we are WAY out of the way, all the way beside the safe are of shelter.  On the map you will see Jefferson Elementary School, which is right in front of us.

Weather, Waiting & Wave Watching

At 11:00 am, the highway cams were showing police blockades and not a civilian vehicle to be seen otherwise.  On occasion from looking out of my condo window, I saw a stray car trying to leave but getting redirected by the police back to their home. Since we were supposed to be checking out an hour ago, we have a delay on our check-out since there is a vertical evacuation in effect for our area (we are not in the flood plane, and are in the safe evacuation zone). Upon the tsunami alerts being lifted, we will be moving ourselves over to the Aston Waikiki Banyan Hotel across the street (Our current hotel does not have any available rooms). Every hour, the tsunami alert sound rings through the city of Honolulu, bouncing off of Diamond Head, creating an eery echo in combination with the empty streets, and the lack of hustle and bustle of vehicles.

11:15am Waiting for the announcement about what is happening in Hilo. The weather in Waikiki has changed, the sunshine has vanished and clouds and a lack of rain has emerged.

11:30 I have been watching the tsunami television cams document the ebb and flow of the water in Hilo Bay.  There has been drastic and visually breathtaking inhales and exhales of water along the beach shores, yet there has not been any severe waves as expected.  While the forecast for the initial wave was for 11:05am, only about 20 minutes off was the visual beginning of the effects of the tsunami.

12:30 Watching KITV Breaking News on Channel 4 in Honolulu, their video camera just showed two people trying to ride the surf.  While the waves this morning would have been ideal for some amazing surfing, it really isn’t worth someone’s life to catch a great wave! The weatherman/surf reporter on the KFVE news on Channel 8 is an avid surfer and refused to announce the surf conditions this morning, Good for him!

12:45 It has been a continual day of telephones and email.  Telling family and friends that we are alright, and that everything will be fine.  Oahu has put into effect something like 30 Million dollars of tsunami awareness and preparedness recently. (So, Mom, see I will be just fine!).  We have called our travel agents, insurance companies and transportation to arrange our getting back to Vancouver, though nothing can be done until the Civil Defense department lifts the Tsunami warning.  At this time, Civil Defense is still stating that there still is a Tsunami warning, yet the effects of the tsunami don’t seem to be as extreme as initially expected.

Some Cars Moving, Things are Looking Better

So, as of right now, we are just playing the waiting game, watching all of the cars on higher ground begin to move down the hills.  It almost seems like the city is once again waking up from a complete freeze.  Our flight of course has been delayed, and we will have to wait for the announcement by West Jet that we will be able to catch a flight, but in the meantime, we will be up on the pooldeck of the hotel, relaxing in the cloudy & windless stillness that seems to have enveloped Waikiki.

Aloha for now. Keep in mind if you are trying to get ahold of a loved one or friend out here, the cellphone networks are pretty much down.  We are even getting busy signals from AT&T out here.  Our hotel phone lines are intermixed with the sounds of the radio signals.

It is currently 1:02pm, the tides and waves are relatively low right now, it looks like things are going to be okay.  Of course, I will be continuing to listen to the Civil Defense Department and the National Weather Service.

I will keep you updated. We are safe and doing wonderfully.  If you have any questions, email me at dccp@me.com!

~Deanna

Waiting for the Tsunami Alert to be lifted - In a Safe Zone

Hi Everyone,

After reading @peechie’s most recent post about “Q&A” on Formspring, I decided to sign up for the Question Asking service as well.  Just click here, type in your anonymous question, and I will answer it. So if there is anything that you really wanted to know, you can ask it here.

You can also click on www.formspring.me/dccp

Cheers

Deanna

Round 2: Wheat-free Muffins

The next project in the Martha Stewart Baking Handbook that I thought I would attempt would be muffins.  The pictures in the book and the recipe seemed fairly straight forward, and I figured it would be a good recipe to try to adapt to a wheat-free recipe.  The recipe is Blueberry Muffins (click here to get the recipe), though I revised the recipe to be blueberry-less as there were no good local blueberries at the market in the middle of winter-time (I try to limit the distance my groceries travel from to a 250km/155 mile radius when I have the chance).  I revised the recipe to be pumpkin oatmeal muffins instead, using pumpkin puree, oatmeal, molasses and cinnamon in place of blueberries.

Here is what I substituted:

- Instead of regular flour: 1 cup white rice flour and 1 cup corn flour

- Gluten-free Baking Powder (instead of regular baking powder)

- Instead of blueberries: 1/2 cup of pumpkin puree, 1 tsp of cinnamon, 1 cup of oatmeal, 1/4 cup of molasses

As noted in my previous posts, instead of butter to grease my muffin tins, I use extra virgin olive oil and then dust my tins with white rice flour.  Of course you can use butter if you choose, but it is just my personal preference to use olive oil (less cholesterol and seems to work better with gluten-free flours).

When mixing the ingredients in the electric mixer, you may find that mixing for an extra 10 minutes or so will help blend the chunks of oatmeal and accommodate the thickness of the molasses.

Batter and my awesome electric mixing paddle

I found that when cooking the muffins, I needed to cook them for an extra 5-7 minutes to accommodate the extra ingredients. Of course, as with any wheat-free cooking, you will want to keep an eye on your baking in the oven, as dependent on your oven you may need less cooking time.

Upon trying the cooked version of the muffins, they were fluffy and moist, and due to the oatmeal, corn flour and molasses, they had a unique texture.  Keep in mind that these muffins will be a slightly browner color than in the cookbook, as the corn flour and molasses will brown the batter and make it a bit denser.

Muffins Baking in the Oven

All in all, this was a successful baking adventure.  If you decide to make a wheat-free version of these muffins with the blueberries included, I would love to hear about how it went. Hopefully my substitutions and wheat-free trials have been helpful.  See the picture below for my final muffin batch:

Yummy Finished Pumpkin Muffins

Next on Wheat-free baking with the Martha Stewart Baking Handbook… Gingerbread Cookies!

Ciao!

Deanna

Round 1: Wheat-free, Chocolate-free, & Healthier Version of Martha Stewart Baking

The first recipe I tested out in the Martha Stewart  was the Chocolate-Glazed Gingerbread Cakes (found on page 191).  While the recipe seems straight forward I had to reassess how I would tackle it in a wheat-free and chocolate-free way.  As noted in my previous post, I not only have to make food that is wheat-free but also chocolate-free and MSG-free (Don’t want to cause anaphylactic allergies for any loved-ones).  Since I was already adjusting flour and chocolate within this recipe, I didn’t dare attempt to make it vegan too, though I plan in the future to try it out with vegan butter and eggs.

These little fluffy cakes looked absolutely delicious in the cookbook, covered in a chocolate ganache. I assessed the needed ingredients, placed them all out on the counter, and began substituting.  Here are my three substitutions (not bad really):

- gluten-free baking powder (replacing regular baking powder)

- white rice flour (replacing the regular flour)

- carob flour (replacing the chocolate/cocoa in the ganache – p. 387)

Pouring the batter into the tins

In mixing and preparing this recipe, I found that the rice flour needed a bit more mixing than regular flour, which when using an electric mixing bowl is really a piece of cake (mind the pun!). For the sake of using the least amount of dairy as possible in this recipe (as it uses butter), I greased each of the muffin tins using extra virgin olive oil.  This has proved to be a successful form of greasing pans when using rice flour, as butter or non-stick spray seem to be useless on gluten-free products.

Baking time: add 3-5 extra minutes to your baking time, as it will help cook the cakes more thoroughly.

Upon pulling out the muffin tins with the gingerbread cakes fully cooked inside, they smelled amazing.  The only visual difference from the “Martha” cakes was that these little cakes have an indentation in their centres, which once they are flipped over is not noticeable in the least.  Since I planned on putting a warm ganache over these cakes, I figure having a well to hold the yummy sauce could be advantageous.

Fresh Out of the Oven - Had to eat one (oops!)

When making the ganache, I found it useful to heat my carob flour and heavy cream in the microwave beforehand, since organic carob flour doesn’t easily mix with the milk. I found that microwaving for 15 second intervals and then stirring until it was bubbling made it thick and gooey.  (The standard heating it over a stovetop would work just fine too, but will take a little longer.  I tried both ways). I made two batches of ganache: one with the ingredients from the book, and the other one I added a cup of Sweetened Condensed Milk to help thicken and sweeten up the sauce.  Both versions were delicious, but I found the one with condensed milk to be tastier.

Gingerbread Mini-Cake Awaiting Ganache

So all-in-all, the “de-wheatifying” of these gingerbread cakes worked out fantastically.  As for substituting the chocolate for carob – When @nachoman (the guy that is allergic to chocolate) tried out these little morsels fresh out of the oven, he stated “how dare you feed me something so delicious! now I know what I have been missing”.  When a chocolate loving friend ate one, she noted that it was extremely tasty and moist.  So I have to conclude that Round 1 of baking without wheat or chocolate was an absolute success.

Next time on Wheat-free baking from the Martha Stewart Handbook is . . . Muffins!

Ciao!

Deanna

A few weeks ago I mentioned that I was going to be trying out different recipes from Martha Stewart’s Baking Handbook.  Well, after substituting wheat flour for rice flour in a few recipes, I realized that a majority of the recipes in the cookbook are able to be wheat-free and yummy at the same time!

Now keep in mind, that with cooking in general, my kitchen is completely chocolate-free due to deadly allergies to cocoa in our household.  Not only did I substitute all wheat products with rice flour or corn flour, but I also substituted all chocolate ingredients in the recipes with carob flour and carob chips.  Trust me, it is not an easy task when used to making delicious desserts with chocolate.  All in all it worked out.

Sometime in the next couple days, between reading papers, students and life in general, I will be posting a couple of my favorite recipes and how I made them.

Happy New Year Everyone!

Ciao!

Deanna

I am not one to go to shopping malls. Truthfully, I hate them. They are crowded, busy and no one ever seems happy. Online shopping is one of my favorite things. I don’t have to deal with line ups or not finding the right item. I also only purchase the exact thing I wanted, no impulse buys (for the most part). As you likely know, I even have my groceries delivered via an online store.

As for Christmas presents this year, I don’t forsee myself stepping foot into a shopping mall. I will wait and see the deals online and whether there is anything that really is worth while to purchase. What is the point of buying a gift just to say you bought someone a present. Aren’t presents suppose to be heartfelt and thoughtful?

So far in this lovely month of December, at least two dozen people have asked me if I have my Christmas shopping done? What do I say? NO!
Many people are aghast that my shopping is not complete. Many people try to make me worry I won’t get it done in time. Hah! In time? I think I might wait for the boxing week sales online to finish my shopping. You heard me, I might wait until after Christmas to purchase gifts at a significantly lower price.

So to alleviate anymore confusion, my Christmas shopping may or may not get done in time for Christmas Day, that really isn’t my priority. So please stop asking! If I do buy gifts you can bet I purchased them online while wearing my pyjamas, and that my mail-lady happily drops the packages off at my front door. (another fun tip – presents you buy online, depending on the company, can come pre-wrapped!).

Have a Merry Christmas everyone! And remember to enjoy it – not stress over it.

-Deanna

With the emergence of red and orange leaves across the Vancouver skyline, it is evident that the fall season is here.

My favorite part of the autumn season is the smell of campfire and wood burning fires. Lucky enough, I was able to enjoy a fantastic wood burning fire outside this week, before the rain began.

Ahh how it would have been nice to have vegan sugar-free marshmallows, but I sadly had none in my pantry. (this was an impromptu backyard fire).

I’m looking forward to this winter season, sitting under the deck, warming myself by the fire, roasting marshmallows and sipping carob cocoa. Ahh how I love autumn.

Oh and p.s. the daylight savings time changes this weekend. Your clocks fall back one hour. Yahoooooo for an extra hour sleep.

Ciao
Deanna

It is the Thanksgiving (Canadian) long weekend, and one of the busiest traveling weekends of the year. Many people travel from Vancouver to Vancouver Island (Victoria) quite frequently, and even more so on this long weekend to visit family and friends. Yesterday the Spirit of Vancouver Ferry (the Tsawwassen – Swartz Bay Ferry) had a standby generator set on fire, which of course has completely setback the ferry schedule for the weekend. (There were no available reservations for the ferry routes either)

If you were to arrive at the BC Ferries terminal in Tsawwassen (Vancouver) this Saturday morning, you would be in for a big surprise. Not only was the Highway leading to the ferry terminal backed up, but there was a 3.5 to 4 sailing wait looming over every vehicle waiting in the long line ups to even reach the toll booth to pay. While there was a ferry almost every hour, if you were trying to catch the 11am ferry, I hate to say, you likely were going to be arriving in Victoria (Swartz Bay) by 4:35pm at the earliest. (Not exactly the most enjoyable way to spend a Thanksgiving Saturday).

I have run into numerous problems like this over the years, going back and forth between Vancouver and Victoria, where there are 5+ hour sailing waits for a 1hr 35 minute ferry ride. Not my cup of tea.

So today I wanted to go and surprise my grandparents and have some dinner with them, just pop over on the 11am ferry and go home on the 7pm ferry. Between the outrageous price of vehicle fares and the long line ups and waits, I couldn’t justify spending over $150 on a day of travel. But wait!

Ahh the zen of motorcycle riding (so peaceful and relaxing), a little hint. . . You don’t have to wait in the line ups at the ferry, and you get a half price vehicle fare on BC Ferries. So @nachoman and I rode off this morning over to the island, to go visit in Victoria. Not only did we show up at the Tsawwassen Ferry Terminal at 5 minutes to 11am, we were able to hand the cashier our money and drive past all the lanes of waiting traffic and hop onto the 11am ferry.

Deanna Gets on the Ferry without having to make a Reservation or Wait in Line

We were able to arrive in Victoria shortly after 12:30pm, visit with my grandparents, have some dinner and then hop back on the Highway to get on the 7pm evening ferry (Which I must say is quite the nice ferry, it is one of the new Coastal Celebration Ferries;  cushy seats, ample legroom and a wonderful German sounding female elevator).  You really must try it out sometime, the regular seating is so comfortable that you don’t even feel the need to go to the Seawest Lounge upstairs.

All in all, by taking motorbikes to get to and from Vancouver to Vancouver Island, you save money, save a ton of time, and you also are helping help the environment by using a vehicle that has a lower environmental impact.  Best of all, it is a fun way of getting around.  Yes it is cold out, but with a heated jacket and layers of leather and Lululemon apparel, I am never cold (while on the bike).

So next time you are stuck in the long ferry line ups, wishing you had an easy way to get on the ferry sooner, take a peek at the front of the line up (usually in lane 1), where you will find some happy riders about to get on the ferry without waiting.

Cheers everyone, I’m going to relax with a cup of hot chocolate after a long day of travel and visiting.

~Deanna

Ahh. . . The 5 minute wait to get onto the ferry. How can you go wrong?