In the Kitchen

Last night I made this for supper:

Carrots and Lentils in Olive Oil

The recipe it not only healthy (it uses 4 cups of sliced carrots and has 12 grams of fiber in one serving), it is really delicious too.

I also made a red velvet cake too last night, so I could make this:

Red Velvet Trifle with layers of cool whip,  chocolate fudge pudding, raspberries, and skor bits.

 My favorite part about making a trifle is you can bake a cake and eat bits of it too, and no one will ever know.

~b~

RANDOM!! A pictorial account of my recent wanderings and whereabouts as documented by my iPhone.

I'm pretty sure I promised a blog post days ago.  Here it is.

I had a last minute invite to see Keith and Renee, an opening act to bluessmyths at Lydias.  The music was so good that I ended up staying a lot later than I planned on.

bluessmyth at Lydia's

Sometimes when I'm at the bar at the end of the night, I wonder if the guys see me like this:

I suspect the the occurrence of good conversations will be inversely proportional to smartphone use.  

I planned a nice meal to eat with my son and then he stood me up!  I couldn't find anyone to come over at the last minute, but I made it anyway.  Eating alone sucks.

Quinoa Stuffed Red Peppers, Chicken with Butter and Chives and Garlic Bread.

I took this picture over a month ago.  I had a last minute supper invite and I'm glad I went.  I felt like it was the holidays with everyone crowded at the table.  We ate delicious food and even had dessert.  Good food is even better when it is shared.  

A variety of Ice Cream Toppings.  

~b~

Robbie Burns

The only thing crazier than the weather (from -33 yesterday to -3 today), is the fact that I never seem to get around to posting my blog posts.  Here is a blog post I wrote last week, but never got around to posting:

Besides loving the Outlander Series by Diana Gabaldon, and drinking Irn Bru pop, I really don't know a lot about Scotland, let alone who the heck Robbie Burns is.  However, I wasn't going to let that small detail stop me from attending a Robbie Burns Supper the other week.

I spent better part of the night trying to figure out who this Robbie Burns character was.  Robbie Burns likes women.  Robbie Burns seemed like a philanderer.  Robbie Burns had 11 children.  

We ended up sitting at a table with some older ladies.  They were retired teachers that come every year to the supper together.  They were very proud of their heritage.  One lady informed me that her grandmother came to Canada from Scotland.  Another lady at the table could trace her roots back to the 1600's!  They were very friendly.  In fact, I was informed that I sounded well read and was then recommended some books to read: The Kings Speech, and How Scotland Invented the Modern World.  I will have to have to put them on my books to read list.  

There are so many customs to a Robbie Burns supper which I found delightful.  Carrying the haggis up to the head table by an official Haggis Carrier, followed by an ode and then a toast to the haggis.

This year was the 250th annual Robbie Burns supper.  It is a way to celebrate scottish heritage through dance, music, and food.  I would definitely go back next year to celebrate and sit with people I don't know just to meet people and hear stories about their heritage.

~b~

Me Want FOOD!!

One of the things I love to do is get together with friends at some of Saskatoons restaurants.  Here are some places I've been to:

La Bamba

La Bamba is located on Boychuk and is an authentic Mexican restaurant.  I always order the tostadas with usually a Sol or a Corona to drink.  There is a lot of different items on the menu that are delicious, but I just always know I will be happy eating the tostada.   Every time I go, I find that the servers are always friendly.  Besides the awesome food, the great Mexican atmosphere with the bright walls and the Mexican music that plays in the background makes La Bamba one of my favorite places to eat.

Bamba Margarita

Konga Cafe

I met with a group of friends to enjoy some caribbean food at the Konga Cafe.  The server was very helpful giving me suggestions from the menu and we started the meal off with johnny cakes (a cornmeal flatbread), served with different sauces with various spice levels.  I was happy that the semi-private back room was large enough to fit our large group.  I would love to go back for lunch sometime, as I've heard the soup is amazing.  If you want to check out Konga Cafe, it is located on Avenue H.

Johnny Cake at the Konga Cafe

Alexanders

I took my mother and son to Alexanders for lunch and my son order some monstrosity of a burger.  I'm not a huge fan of burgers, and I'd rather meet for beer at Alexanders, but I found the sheer size of my son's burger to be astounding: 

Burger Monstrosity at Alexanders

 El Secondo

I was really excited to hear that Christies Bakery was opening a second location on Broadway.  My friend and I popped in to check things out and decided to grab a latte.  I loved the latte art my friend had, and was so excited to check out my latte art, but alas, it was just an abstract latte blob.  

Ricebowl

I was nervous about organizing a supper at the Ricebowl, as I had never been there before, but the night was definitely a success.  I can't remember what I ordered, but the server was very knowledgeable about all the dishes on the menu and gave some excellent suggestions.  I ended up ordering one of their Korean specialities, and really enjoyed my dish.  I even ended up ordering dessert, which is something I normally don't order at a restaurant.  

Korean dish with Sake at the Ricebowl

Dessert at the Ricebowl

Keos


I'll always remember the first time I had Pad Thai at Keo's and I'm so happy I live close by now.  Besides the Pad Thai, I enjoy ordering the Panag Curry (peanuty), and the Ginger Beef.  They also have these gluten-free treats that are in the shape of a lotus flower, and I always pick one up for my friend when I go.

Pad Thai at Keos

 Taj Mahal


I went to the Taj for lunch the other day, and ordered the Butter Chicken.  Although, the menu is quite limited at lunchtime, we all ordered Butter Chicken, which tasted fantastic.  The Naan bread was amazing and I'm not sure how I will adjust to eating Naan bread from the store after I have tasted how good Naan can really be.  I enjoyed the atmosphere and would definitely come back for supper sometime.  The service was quick and the servers were friendly, we even had the cook come out and discuss dietary concerns.

Taj Mahal

Here is a little 30 Rock humor to finish this post off:

~b~

Strawberry Cream Cheese Wontons

The Tasty Kitchen Blog featured a Nutella and Banana Wontons Recipe a while back.  The warm gooey inside contrasted with the crispy sugary outside made a very good treat (okay, okay, I actually made this for supper).  

I used plain old peanut butter instead of Nutella.  I'm not a huge fan of peanut butter, so I got to thinking of other combinations that could be made and came up with strawberries and cream cheese, sprinkled with icing sugar:

  

Here is my version:

1 package of Wonton Wrappers
Canola Oil
1 package of cream cheese
Strawberries, sliced thinly
1 egg, beaten
Powdered Sugar

Line a cookie sheet with the wonton wrappers.  Place thin slices of cream cheese and strawberries in the center.   Wet two adjoining sides of the wonton square with the beaten egg.  Fold the square and press the seams together to seal the wonton wrapper.

Pour enough oil in a frying pan to cover the wonton wrappers.  Set the burner on high and heat the oil.  When the oil is hot, fry each side of the wonton wrapper, to a golden brown color.  Remove wontons and place them on a paper towel.  Sprinkle with icing sugar and let them cool a bit before biting in.

For step by step instructions and photo's click HERE.

Enjoy!

~b~

Australian Burger

After writing this post I realized that it's pretty lame and pointless.  But it's my blog and I'm posting it anyway.  Feel free to stop reading and go to a better site.  It won't hurt my feelings, I promise, because I won't even know.

My co-workers and I often walk over to Innovation Place at lunchtime to eat at the Atrium Cafe.  This week they were featuring an Australian Burger:

Its basically a cheeseburger that is topped with pickled beets and pineapple.  I'm not a big fan of pickled anything, but I thought I'd give this burger a try.  

After eating I thought: Meh.  At least I tried it.

And that was the Australian Burger.

~b~

Off the Bookshelf: Skinny Bitch

My latest read:

Skinny Bitch looks like another weight-loss book with a fresh angle, it could have been subtitled:  How to get skinny from some smart-mouthed girlfriends.  This book is loaded with information about the importance of healthy food.  Skinny Bitch provides information on a variety of issues involving the ingredients in our diets: from the rampant antibiotic use in the meat industry and the problems with artificial sweeteners to the different types of fasts; to information on vitamins and nutrients and their importance to our bodies.  This book also offers great substitutes such as raw sugar, turbinado sugar, or even agave nectar or syrup as a sugar substitute.  The information is presented in a way that definitely isn't boring, especially with the frequent use of the words: ass, crap, bitch, and even poop.

Skinny Bitch details some of the horrible things that are included in our foods and which we ingest into our bodies.  And slowly, chapter by chapter this book persuades you to eliminate so many things in our diet which is essentially crap for our bodies:  simple carbs, sugar (the devil), and even meat.  You are encouraged to seek out sources of vitamins and enzymes through healthy, wholesome foods:  fruits and vegetables, whole grains, soy and legumes.  And while this book is touted as a How to Get Skinny book, it really is a book on persuading the general consumer to become a vegan.  

I was initially impressed with the many citations of facts, until I checked the sources consulted section and found them to come from highly biased sources such as Peta, milksucks.com and fishinghurts.com.  I also found some of the arguments to be highly skewed.  For example, "meat" is the decomposing, decaying, rotting flesh of a dead animal . . . You want to put a dead animal corpse-that has been rotting away for months - in your mouth?  In your body?  

This statement makes anyone eating meat sound disgusting, until I realized that really anything anybody eats is rotting and decaying to various degrees.  This book advocates a vegan diet that includes "meat substitutes", tofu and soy.  Its interesting that the authors can advocate eating organically and yet eat fake food in the form of meat substitutes.  That they can rely on soy beans as a main part of their vegan diet when (according to Food Inc), 90% of the soy crop planted in the United States is a genetically modified variety of soy bean.

Despite the authors use of highly bias sources and flawed reasoning I found this book to be persuasive.  Very persuasive.  During the time it took me to read this book I quit drinking coffee for 2 days.  Yes, 2 very long days.  (And if anyone knows me well enough, not drinking coffee is pure craziness).

It makes sense that eating natural, wholesome foods will be a healthier choice.  I like the the emphasis on the importance of the ingredient (which should be healthy, wholesome, and pure) rather than counting calories and fat grams.  Plus, any and all vegans and vegetarians I know seem skinny and healthy to me.  These two bitches know a lot of stuff about food and food ingredients and while I can't give up meat, or coffee, (and especially not cheese), I am more aware of what I am putting into my body and am consciously choosing to eat food that is healthy and wholesome.

~b~

Just Call Me Becky Crocker

When my son was in Kindergarden I held the crazy idea that to be a good mother, one must sent cupcakes to school on his birthday for the whole class to share.   And not just store bought cupcakes, but homemade cupcakes.  

And so I went to the store, found the baking isle and quickly located the cake mixes.  I stood there scanning the selections:  Devils Food Cake, Angel Food Cake, Chocolate Fudge Cake, Vanilla Cake, Rainbow Cake . . . the selections seem endless.  Now, all I wanted was a simple white cake so I could bake and then frost the tops with icing.  But I looked and looked and couldn't find any white cupcake mix.

They must be out of stock, I thought, so I left the store and when to a different store looking for some cupcake mix.  Same deal - the shelves were stocked with a ton of selections of cake mix, but not one box of cupcake mix was to be found.  

I was beginning to get frustrated, but knowing that this was the first year my son would be celebrating his birthday at school, I really wanted to send some special homemade cupcakes with him.  

And so, I went to a third store.  Again, the same thing happened - the shelves has so many cake mixes, but not one cupcake mix box could find.  I was starting to get frustrated, so I phone my good friend and relayed the entire story, complaining that I couldn't find a cupcake mix anywhere.

I was met with hystarical laughing coming out of the phone.  

I've come a long way since searching for the elusive Cupcake Mix,  here is my very first, (made from scratch) homemade cake:

Red Velvet Cake with Cream Cheese Icing.   

~b~

A Recipe for You

I'm sharing this pizza dough recipe with you because as I said before it is Absolutely Fantastic and Amazing.  Or something like that.  I made Double Pepperoni for the boy, because it's his fav.  I love Blackened Chicken with peppers, minced garlic, tomatoes, sweet onion and feta cheese.   You can find my blackened chicken recipe HERE.

Here's the recipe:

1 cup lukewarm water or beer

1 Tbsp sugar

1 Tbsp quick acting yeast

1 tsp salt

2 Tbsp vegetable oil

2.5 cups flour

Mix water (or beer-try Guinness), sugar and yeast in a bowl and let the yeast rise for 15 minutes.  Add the salt and vegetable oil and any seasoning you might want to add (I like adding Italian).  Stir.  Add flour and mix.  Knead on a floured surface until the dough is not sticky anymore, but still feels moist.  Cover and set in a warm place for at least 30 minutes.  Roll on a floured surface and place on a lightly greased pan.  (I sprinkle a Stoneware Large Bar Pan with cornmeal and then roll the dough out).  Add toppings and cook at 425F for 10-15 minutes.  

~b~

Amazing Appetizer

I'm not sure why I have to alliterate food names and descriptions, but that's not what this post is about.

I just wanted to share with you a really great appetizer.  I guarantee you that it will be quickly snapped up and eaten at any party you bring it to.

The picture isn't the greatest, it was taken at the end of a really long night, and I realized there was only 3 left:

The original recipe name is called Super (Appetizer) Bowls and can be found on the Tasty Kitchen Blog.  Besides being quite delicious, they are really easy to make, but look fancy.

All you do is cook ground turkey (I used pork) with minced garlic, ginger, green onion, and soy sauce.  And then add them to the wonton wrappers which have been baked into the fancy shape.  And finally add a dollop of wasabi mayo.

Yum!

~b~

The Seven Days of Ang

I just realized that I have spent every single day of the week hanging out with the same person.

So I'm gonna call this week: The Seven Days of Ang.

To celebrate this, I thought I'd make some appies and bring them over to the get together tonight.

One of the things I made was Pico de Gallo.

I'm pretty sure I could have used my Punchy Smashy to chop everything up quickly.  But I love to dice things.  Except maybe the jalepeno peppers which is making my thumb throb right now.  

Here it is, all mixed up:

So easy!   I recommend eating this with Nachos bought from the Bulk Cheese Warehouse.

~b~

Making Alioli Sauce Frightens Me

I'm sitting here trying to work up the courage to make the Alioli Sauce for one of the appetizers I'm making. I'm having company over tomorrow night and I've made some big promises of yummy appetizers. One of them being the Bread with Mushrooms and Alioli Sauce that I had at my cooking class at Wild Serendipity Foods.

I've never made a mayonnaise before, and not too sure if I can, so instead, let me tell you about the new recipe I tried over the weekend. It's called Peppery Chicken Curry and can be found here at Kayotic Kitchen. The recipe was so easy and so delicious. You just mix a few things together, let marinade and then puree a bunch of onions, add spices and chicken and let simmer.

I was expecting the chicken to be quite hot and spicy and was slighty disappointed that it wasn't. But with each bite I could taste the wonderful peppery flavor, and I think any spiciness would have taken away from the flavour.

And so, my review of this recipe is: I love pepper and I love this recipe, its definitely a keeper.

This photo just doesn't do the recipe justice. It is very hard to capture pure deliciousness when it is 8 o'clock at night, your hungry, and you have to take a picture under crappy incandescent lights.

But, on the positive side, my son also loved this recipe. It makes me happy when I find a recipe he enjoys eating, especially when it's an ethnic recipe. I must have done something right.

. . . .

Back to the Alioli Sauce, or maybe bed.

~b~

Tapas!

I spent Wednesday night at a cooking class at Wild Serendipity Foods.

The class was called Tantalizing Tapas and the menu consisted of: Chicken and Chorizo Empanadas, Bread with Mushrooms and Alioli, Patatas Bravas, Pan-Roasted Shrimp with Garlic and Sangria.

The classes are taught by owner, Michelle Zimmer (check out her blog).

Michelle demonstrated a few things, like making the elusive pastry (which I can never manage to get right) and the Alioli sauce. We were quickly set loose in the very large commercial kitchen to work on our assigned tasks:

This is the Chicken and Chorizo mixture that will be used in the Empanadas.

We used Yukon Gold Potatoes for the Patatas Bravas (which is just a fancy title for: crispy potatoes in tomato sauce). The potatoes coming out of the oven were such a beautiful golden color.

This is the Tomato Sauce that will be poured onto the potatoes:

Check out those diced onions (diced by yours truly) (also stirred with love by yours truly)

Michelle is demonstrating how to make our empanadas.

The making of the Alioli Sauce which did not "break". Michelle is such a pro in the kitchen.

Mixing up Sangria.

The Emapanadas, ready for the oven.

The best part of the evening was sitting down and eating.

The Pan-Roasted Shrimp with Garlic and the Patatas Bravas. Simply delicious.

Bread with Mushroom and Alioli. This was my very favorite. I can't even begin to tell you how wonderful this was. Lets just say that I had seconds, and I don't even like mushrooms.

The cooking class was very hands-on and a whole lot of fun. I had such a great night and met some very fun and nice people. I can't wait to sign up for some more classes.

~b~

Sugar Cookies

One of the first things I ever learnt to bake were these sugar cookies. I had my own little apron and small roller and would love cutting out the shapes with the cookie cutter.

And the recipe is so easy and tasty and it is, in fact, the very first recipe I put in my own recipe book.

Here's the recipe:

Becky's Signature Sugar Cookies

1 cup butter

2 cups sugar

2 eggs

1/2 cup milk

1 tsp baking soda

2 tsp cream of tartar

1 tsp vanilla

5-6 cups flour

Cream butter and sugar. Add eggs and milk and all that other stuff. Mix away and add the flour. Bake at 375 F for 12ish or so minutes.

I usually sprinkle with decorative sugar before I pop the cookies into the oven, but I used some coarser sugar I got from my sugar dealer, so with the ghosts, I added the sugar after they came out of the oven.

And now a little chemistry:

Cream of tartar is really potassium hydrogen tartrate (KC4H5O6) and is used to help activate the baking soda. The baking soda is added to raise the pH of the cookie dough which then weakens the gluten and the egg protein structure. This makes the cookie spread more and is crispier and browner.

Sorry for delving into the depths of chemistry, even if none of that makes any sense, this recipe is fun and easy and makes a very tasty cookie.

~b~

Monday Night Mayhem

Monday Night Mayhem is our family cooking night. Its a time to try out a new recipe and probably the only complete meal I ever make during the week. Last night we made Jambalaya and Corn Bread. Jambalaya is a Louisiana Creole dish, it's nice and hot. My son loved the spicyness and my tastebuds were doing the happy dance in my mouth.

He also loved the cornbread, I caught him vacuuming off the plate with his lips. I guess he was doing the Hoover.

It was a typical Monday night, I enjoyed the company in the kitchen and we both enjoyed the meal. We have previously made Cheese-stuffed Pasta Shells, Cold Smoked Pork Chops with Oven Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes and Grilled Asparagus and various Indian and Mexican dishes. I'm starting to run out of ideas.

Any suggestions?

~b~