HomeEc #1 (Bring Your Own Bar Snacks) was an awesome night!

More than 30 people showed up (despite the first real snowstorm of the season) with food through the evening.  There were some awesome tastes and everyone met new people.  Sharing went beyond the plates and included some great conversation, recipe exchanges and just a great casual evening.

Our friend Margaret Mulligan (her personal photoblog is here) surprised us by bringing her camera and took some amazing shots despite the lack of light in the cozy confines of The Avro.

Here’s some shots and some of the ‘blow by blow’ of the evening.

I think some brought their own plates – this was a tremendous piece of strategy which I’ll need to incorporate in the future.  Here’s a sample of Margaret’s awesome spread:

Here’s a list of some of the things people brought (we had recipe cards so these are all of the ones I was able to find at the end of the night to share with you here):

• Gayle’s Maple Tamari Almonds (almonds, maple syrup, tamarin, 5-spice powder)
• Kyle had some Salt and Pepper Kawartha Peanuts
• Kyle also brought his haggis Scotch Eggs (his haggis included pork, chicken and lamb)
• Kyle (an awesome overachiever) also had foie gras Kawartha popcorn.
• Our friendly bartender Emily even chipped in with her home-mixed Chex Mix
• Dawn (and husband Marc) drove an hour to get here and brought a three-onion dip (her food blog is being worked on – you’ll see it appear soon, called “Joyous Food).
• Mary Ann (and daughter Alena) showed up with a reuben braid – homemade bread that’s baked with pastrami, 1,000 island dressing, Swiss and Havarti cheeses and homemade sauerkraut stuffed inside!  It was amazing.  They shared that the recipe came from an awesome but now dormant blog named The Knead For Bread.
•  Mary Ann (and daughter Alena) also brought my personal weakness, beer nuts.  They assure me that they’re easy to make and I really must try soon.
• Margaret (our awesome photographer) brought “Not-Copy Pop” – a ‘bastardized recipe from her Mom’s 1980 microwave cookbook.  Hers included homemade brown sugar, smoked paprika, salt, corn syrup and vanilla.  Of course it also included popcorn.
• Deborah brought some awesome spiced roasted chickpeas.  They were made with roasted garlic, coriander, fennel and Thai chilli.
• Kerry brought maple spice pecans (which may be my favourite nut of all-time)
• Mike (of Ed’s Real Scoop) brought a tray of ‘ice cream cupcakes.  It’s essentially ice cream inside a chocolate cup.  I had a maple-syrup bacon combination that was fantastic.
• Jessie and Patrick brought crispy farfalle with Parmesan and truffle.  Deep-fried pasta goodness!
• Brandi had these most amazing homemade pretzels that everyone was lining up for (she had two types: plain and garlic).
• We brought my Smoky Spicy Salty Bitter Sweet Roasted Nuts (our ‘secret’ ingredient of coffee was a hit).
• Dawn brought Dawnabelle’s Spicy potato chips (these were off-the chart good).  They were made with celery salt, smoked salt, sugar, paprika, habanero, onion and dry garlic.  Dawn’s posted her recipe from the night on her great blog here.

I know there was more but these were the ones I was able to find at the end of the night!

Kyle (from Sausage Partners) brought these amazing haggis-wrapped Scotch Eggs (a hard-boiled egg, wrapped with Haggis and then deep-fried).  They were amazing:

If you look carefully at the background of the photo above, you should see “WP” floating in the background.  Margaret made this amazing bokeh (a cut-out for her lens) that had a “WP” cut out of it; somehow this turns the blurry lights in the background to little WellPreserved icons.  Here’s how she made it.  Take a look at the photo below if you can’t make them out and check it out again:

Kelly and Aaron made grab bags (featuring a “Jumpshot” Margaret had taken of them previously).  In addition to sharing their recipe, they shared props to her.  Even though Aaron and Kelly live an hour away they’re quickly becoming part of the community (we hope others will do the same).

Part of the crowd hovers like friendly vultures around the snacks:

This was the signature cocktail of night (since it was inspired by a cocktail named “The Journalist”, Emily donned it “The Blogger”).  Each night will have its own signature drink that will be a collaborative effort between The Avro and WellPreserved and we’ll share the recipe whenever possible.  The recipe follows the picture for this one.

WellPreserved’s Ginger-Lemon-Maple Cordial
This is an intense bittersweet cordial that is meant to be mixed with other things:

• 2-3 pounds of organic lemons, each quartered, then cut in half (8 pieces each).  Skins and seeds are fine; this is where the bitter comes from.
• A whole bunch of ginger, roughly chopped (we used about 6 inches).
• Enough water to cover everything by an inch.
• Maple syrup to taste (we used 9 tablespoons)

Directions

1. Toss everything BUT the maple syrup into a wide pan.
2. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer.
3. Leave on a gentle simmer until your liquid (after pressing the lemons) is about 1.5 cups.
4. Allow the cordial to come to room temperature and add maple syrup to taste.  You still want it to be bitter so mix enough maple to make it just palatable by itself (remember that this is an INTENSE cordial).

Emily’s “The Blogger”

• 1.5 ounces of gin
• 0.5 ounces of dry vermouth
• 0.5 ounces of sweet vermouth
• 0.5 ounces lemon juice
• 0.75 ounces of cordial (above)

Shake and stir!

A big thumbs-up to Emily – these were fantastic and had many talking about them through the night.

It was a fantastic night – we hope you’ll join us Feb 20th for HomeEc 2: Preserve Swap.  If you can’t make it then, know that they happen on the last Monday of the month!

PLEASE NOTE: The event of this date that was published on Jan 31 has CHANGED (as of Feb 9).  We are doing our best to get the word out to all effected.  We’ve had to move it up a week to the night of Monday, February 20.  An unforeseen business trip has required the changing of our plans.  We are doing all we can to get the word out – if you have concerns or ideas to improve the process or just want to vent (seriously) – you can reach him at: wearewellpreserved (as) elevenideas.ca.  We have also moved our evening at the Theater (to see Seeds) to the next evening; Tuesday, February 21.

We quietly announced the theme for February’s #HomeEc last night: Preserve Swap.  If you’ve never preserved before, don’t be intimidated – there’s lots of time and we’ll be posting Winter Preserving Recipes for a few days (starting on Thursday).  If you’ve never preserved before, now’s a great time to learn!  This is also an invite to meet some great people, ask them questions about preserving and learn from each other!

Winter is a great time for a SWAP – many people now know which batches of things they have way too much of are excited to add new flavors to their pantry during a time of year that you otherwise can’t.

Here’s the basics of this event:

• As per all the HomeEc nights, it’s on the last Monday of the month.  Officially from 8:00-10:00 but you are welcome to come early (the bar opens at 7) and stay late.  There will be lots of friendly people to meet and we’ll do our best to mix the crowd up.
• We will be working with the Avro again to create a custom cocktail for the evening (last night’s “The Blogger” was FANTASTIC).
• There is no cover for these events though we do hope you’ll support the bar as they are donating the space to us.
• The event is 19+ as it is held at a bar.
• From 8-9 you’ll have a chance to see what everyone’s brought – but the swapping won’t begin until 9:00.  The ramp-up is a big part of the fun.
• Bring as many or as few jars as you’d like.  Know that the community is somewhat obsessive and some will bring 24 jars.  It’s not a competition – the number just means more variety for you.  Of course you can bring multiple jars of the same thing.
• In order to swap, you’ll need to sign a form saying you know you are trading for homemade goods (as opposed to professionally made items) and accept the risk for that.  We’ve learned that this is best practice at most food swaps and have decided to incorporate it.
• There will be a one-off badge (a button) for this event.  If you show up with preserves to swap, you’ll earn your Preserve Swap badge (3 of us had ‘boy scout’ vests (used suit vests from Value Village) last night and I know a few are scouring the neighborhood for one of their own (and a few are looking for sashes).
• There’s no rules to jar sizes – the crowd will decide what’s a fair swap.
• The Avro is indeed cozy so be early to be guaranteed a spot; even with the snow we had last night we filled the bar (comfortably).
• If you don’t have preserves (and don’t make any in February), you’re welcome to attend and meet people.  These events are as much about creating community and meeting others as they are about the actual food and connecting to it.

We’ve added an RSVP to the FaceBook Pae – would love to know if you’re coming here!

If you’re unfamiliar with #HomeEc, here’s the basic premise.

We’ve figured out how to create; the event on Facebook – if you’re coming, we’d love to know about it by accepting our invite here (you don’t need to follow WellPreserved to accept the meeting).  It’s not required but will help us plan. 

We’re less than a week from our first food event of 2012 – #HomeEc at the Avro.

We’re using today to answer a few questions (we’re learning on the fly!)

Here’s some updates:

1. The Avro is small so don’t worry about brining a lot.  Simple is great and enough samples for 15-20 is probably a very high amount.
2. Bring  a container in case there’s left overs.
3. I’m buying a vest at value village for my #HomeEc badge, Dana’s looking for a sash.  I hope we won’t be the only keeners and if you bring a homemade snack you’ll get a one-time-only badge too!
4. There will be lots of interesting people – many who are on Twitter, blogs and other social media.  Bring a pen (or a smart phone) to stay in touch!

The Avro is a small space; we will do our best to accommodate everyone but be early to guarantee space.

The full details on B.Y.O.B.S. can be found in last weeks post here.

Hope to see you there!

* If you’re from outside of Toronto and you wish your city had this type of event, please scroll down to the  bottom of this post for more info.

The Avro and WellPreserved are pleased to announce the first Home Ec event of 2012:

Bring Your Own Bar Snacks – ideal for any social gathering and even more relevant for those of you looking for ideas on want to munch on Superbowl Sunday (the following weekend).

Here’s the simple idea:

Come to the bar with a snack to share (preferably something homemade).  There will  be no prep room or power at the Avro – keep it simple, keep it easy.  This is about having fun, sharing and meeting others.

Event Details

1. There is no cover (but we do hope you’ll support our friends at The Avro who are providing the space without a charge).  It’s at 750 Queen Street East (east of Broadview, North side)
2. This is a 19+ event as it’s at a bar.
3. The event starts at 8:00 and formally ends at 10:00 – this is a mix and mingle so you won’t get the boot if you’re having fun.
4. Try your hand at Making your own Bar snacks!*  We’ll include links and inspiration below. Feel free to bring a copy of your favourite recipe to share!
5. Keep it simple.  The Avro is a charming, tiny space. There will be no power available, or serving vessels…we will provide napkins. 
6. Enjoy our custom Cocktail!  A collaboration between WP and the Avro, It will be available in limited quantities, one night only!
7. *Earn your Bar Snacks Badge! If you bring a home-made snack we’ll give you a button to prove you’ve mastered this essential skill…collect them all, there will be one at each Home Ec event!  (’m planning on getting a vest at the Value Village to sport the badges of the events; any other freaks out there with me?)
8. Share your recipe/ingredients! You will be asked to complete a small info sheet on your snack so people know a bit about what’s in it.  Nothing complicated, it will just help people make informed decisions to try it (i.e. popcorn popped in bacon fat could be an unwanted surprise for our vegetarian friends).
9. The Avro is a cozy space.  We’d love to know if you’re coming in the comments (we’ll also be setting up an invite on our FaceBook group to track attendees so we can forecast any capacity issues.
10. The background on Home Ec is here.

Recipe Ideas:

We asked the FaceBook Community for their ideas on great bar snacks – here’s some recipes based on their suggestions:

• Elin Suggested “Dark sourdough rye bread cubes roasted/toasted/fried with butter and garlic. (Essentially super-garlicky croutons.) All the bars in Estonia have them these days – sooo tasty!”  There’s a recipe for croutons here that you could easily adapt to her suggestion (and now I want to go to Estonia!).
• It will be tough to find decent corn this time of year but The Root Cellar’s Garden suggested Homemade Corn Nuts (why haven’t I done this in the summer?) She also suggested, crackers, cheese and pickles – easy peasy!
• Kaela (of Local Kitchen Blog) made these Rosemary Roasted Cashews (from The Kitchen Sink Recipes) and said they were great.
• Mary Ann called for beer nuts.  Here’s a vegetarian recipe (I say that because the link is to ‘Bacon Magazine’) that’s super easy to make.
• Norm suggested The Union Square Cafe’s Bar Nuts saying they were easy to make and easy to find the recipe.  It looks great!
• Kelly, Chris (who oughtta know since he runs TorontoBeerBlog) and Auburn Medow Farm both shouted out for Pickled Eggs.  Since the Avro sells pickled eggs, I don’t feel right stealing their thunder (but if you really want to make them, know that the National Center For Home Food Preservation reccomends that they be stored in your fridge).
• Chris likes all pickled things, including pickled garlic (as well as eggplant, branson pickle or picalili).  Our recipe for pickled garlic is here – if you already have some, don’t miss out on our “Vampire Begone” free labels for your jars.
• Kelly also loves tomato jam.  Here’s an archive of Tomato Jam recipes by Marisa of Food In Jars.
• Shanelle suggested popcorn; we made Curried Popcorn in bacon fat that was just awesome.
• Audrey had a variation on popcorn called “Drunk Popcorn Balls” which sound sinister (in the best of ways): “Drunk popcorn balls. I make regular popcorn balls and add booze soaked dried fruits and other things. I really like rum soaked raisins with crystallized ginger. And I’ll dehydrate citrus peels through the year then soak them in tequila and when the balls are finished Ill roll them in salt for a Margarita ball. I make the balls half the normal size so they are 2 bites. “
• Leesie says caramel corn tickles her fancy.  Here’s a recipe for Caramel Corn without Corn Syrup.
• Leesie also liked peanut brittle - I turned to Kaela to find this great sounding recipe for ‘Pepita Brittle’.
• Kendra likes Spicy Rice Crackers.  These sound great!
• Shana (Folks Gotta Eat) suggested “Hot Tamari Almonds” from Bymark (a Toronto restaurant).  There’s a recipe for Tamari Almonds here that you could add your own heat too!
• These Sweet and Spicy Salted Roasted Nuts were also a big hit.
• Diana was being cheeky when she suggested that Cheetos could eliminate the need for homemade snacks – so I’ve decided to up the ante and found a link to low-carb, baked homemade cheetos just to stir the pot!
• Jam It, Pickle It, Cure It and Shanelle suggested pretzels.  There’s a recipe for homemade pretzel bites here.  If that sounds ambitous,  you could easily make Kaela’s homemade mustard that she shared on Food in Jars.
• Jam It, Pickle It, Cure It also expressed a desire to find a way to make homemade Goldfish Crackers.  The Root Cellar’s Garden provided two helpful links here and here (the last one even shows you how to make your own cookie cutter for them).

What would you make?  And who’s coming out on January 30th?

* For those of you from other cities wishing you had something like this: we are considering working with others to globalize the idea of “Home Ec” through a network of people with similar values and mission to inspire people to connect with their food and each other.  We have no idea how this will work though have been approached by several in the 3-days since announcing the event.  We will always encourage people to do their own thing and create their own events, however, if you’re interested in joining forces, send us an email and we’ll compile a list of other people interested in bringing Home Ec to their area and we’ll consider the possibilities of working with others to expand this idea once we get a few events under our belt.  Email is at: wearewellpreserved (a) elevenideas.ca

We are super excited to share news we’ve been bubbling about for weeks – WellPreserved is teaming up The Avro (legitimately our favourite watering hole in all the land; we wrote about them here) to announce a series of food events called “Home Ec.”  And if you’re not from Toronto, there’s still some great news from the series!

The Avro lives for community.  It is part of their mission to engage with our community, encourage people in the bar to meet each other and regularly hosts events which bring people together.  WellPreserved is also about community and increasing connections to people and food (and the two together).  We had our first event there last year (click here to see the post on that event) and we’ve been going back and forth with the team at The Avro on ideas ever since.

Here were some of the photos from that swap (there were more than 500 items traded by around 30 people).  It was a frenzy!

The concept of the events are as follows:

• They are intended to be fun, casual and inviting.  We want people to come to meet new people, share their passions for food and have fun together.
• The events will occur on the last Monday of every month.  They’ll start at 8:00 and formally finish by 10:00 but people are welcome to stay after of course.
• We want to keep the events free to join though ask people support the bar for hosting (that’s a request from Dana and I, not something they asked for but it’s important to us to support them).
• Some nights will involve bringing food to share or swap (including preserves).
• Each event will have a theme.  Although we have over 60 ideas picked we are going to take ideas and recommendations and be open for input.  We want this to be your night too!
• Each night will have a feature beverage (likely for one-night only) that will be prepared by the Avro and WellPreserved working together.  We will provide recipes for those of you who are far away so you can make it yourself too!
• There will be a limited supply of one-of-a-kind buttons for each event.  I’m planning to buy a ‘suit vest’ to wear my pins on – they will be different for every event.

Here were more pictures from the event last year (funny piece of trivia: our swap poster was featured in a magazine in Netherlands last year):

The first event is Monday, January 30th.  We’ll share the theme on Monday and announce February’s theme there.  Are you gonna come on out?