Day in the life of a Food Ninja

Norman is GONE!

2007-02-14T17:02:00.000-06:00

I Just took a trip to our butcher Norman's Meats on Roblin and saw a notice on the door it read Property and contents seized dute to back rent and taxes to the amount of 32000 dollars.

Eek I am sad that they are gone, but the last time I was there I tried to use a coupon for 5% off that we got out of book of savings and they wouldnt honor it because we were buying hamberger and that isnt part of the deal, and they posted a sign on the window stating that fact.

We left feeling a bit hurt that they wouldnt honor the coupon and even more so that we have been shopping there for the last 4 years, and didnt seem to care. and now they are closed...... hmmm did I curse them for giving me a hard time? Do I have hidden super powers? I will have to watch what I say from now on!!!!

Car Day

2007-02-07T16:32:00.000-06:00

I was going to go geocaching today when the car wouldnt start with out a boost. This lead me to believe that the battery was toasted by all the boosting I have been doing at work. It was a streassfull morning trying to get colleen to work while every intersection it held the potential of stalling and dying. We got her to work and the car said "Thats it I aint going anywhere with you bub." We had to get a tow to a garrage and $250 later new batter, oil change, and car is running fine. Maybe caching tomorrow?

Curry Carrot Overload Soup

2007-02-01T00:05:00.000-06:00

The end of December there was a 2 week break at Fresh Options where we weren't getting vedgies for the week. We ran out of carrots so we picked up a bag and then the didn't stop coming after the Fresh boxes resumed... I don't really care cause it causes me to be creative with vedgies so this is a soup I threw together

Curry Carrot Overload Soup.

The Hardware
Blender
Cup Measure
Chef Knife
Large Size pot, Or a wok,,, I make just about everything in a wok
Small Sauce Pan
Box Grater

The Software
14 med sized Carrots
1L of Vedge Stock
3Tbsp of Curry Powder
1Tbsp of Powder Ginger
2C of Milk or Soy Milk substitute.
2Tbsp of Margarine

The Application.
Chop all but 2 carrots into smallish bits and then boil in the vedge stock till soft, pour the the carrots and all into a blender and Puree till smooth, do it in batches if you don't have a bitchen blender like me. Return the mixture to the pot and continue to heat. Grate the 2 left over carrots on a Box grater and add to the pot.

In the small sauce pan add the margarine and let it melt on low heat. When it is liquid add the curry and ginger powder and cook for 2 min, once done add to the carrot mixture.

Now just add the Milk beverage of your choice, bring to heat and serve.

Witty comments comming soon.

Shoe death and India

2007-01-30T22:49:00.000-06:00

Today is a sad day for me I do beleive that My very first pair of Converse shoes are dead. I have worn them hard through out the year. I have climbed many of structures and slugged my way through many of swamps with those Granny smith Green Chuck Taylor high topps. I can only hope that come spring I can afford a new pair. It isnt like we are so poor that I cant afford shoes but we are saving for a new car and that takes all priority... Bloggerbot through hello has been bitchy latley so I dont know if I can post a picture of the shoe-y carnage.. RIP your box will continue to hold my CD's

So Wal-mart has anounce that it will open stores in India within the next year. They have joined forces with Bharti (india's) equivelant to Rogers communication to set up the enterprise. They have put out a survey to see who is interested in going to India for set up. I said that I would go. It would be an adventure and a fantastic experience so .... Will I go or not... Knowing walmart it will either happen right away , 12 months from now, or never.

To night I am doing laundry .... watching HOUSE the tv show and making Brushetta... mmmm...

have a good day all...

Daily Report

2007-01-25T07:39:00.000-06:00

I snuck out of work a bit early today, I am tierd I havnt slept for the last 32 hours and I am just ready to crash for a good 6hrs, you see that is a good nights sleep for me I normaly get around 3-4 hs a day it works I run fine on that ... it just that things have been going so good around here (home) and I dont want to sleep right now.

I made really good onion soup yesterday I didnt use much but it tasted good, I post the pictures and recipie in the next few days.

Colleen was a sweetie yesterday and packed me a proper lunch, I usually take like 3 pieces of fruit and some crackers... she made sure that I got all 4 food groups. it was nice, but I ate it all by first coffee break.. damn I forgot how hungry I get when I dont sleep.. guess she didnt forget..

I am contemplating a new job,, maybe withing walmart may be outside. duno .. getting borring at that place now.. may be I will wait a month and see if I am still boared..

I want to hit geocache 400 by the end of the month that only gives me like 6 days to knock off 23 caches.. so lilkly you wont hear from me after the soup post.. untill feb.. so take care all.

Double Chocolate Vegan Cookies

2007-01-18T14:09:00.000-06:00

Click picture to enlarge

Double Chocolate Vegan cookies.

This is fab, I just altered it a bit from the original Maida Heatters recipe. I got that cook book in a bloggy food exchange a few years ago and still use it regularly.

The Hardware.
Mixer
2 Bowls
Spatula
Cookie Sheet.

The Software
1 3/4 C AP Flour
1/4 tsp Baking Soda
1 C Margarine
1 C White Sugar
1/2 C Dark Brown Sugar
1/3 C Cocoa
2 tbsp SooNice Soy cream. (or coffee cream 10%MF)
1 Handfull Walnuts
1 1/2 Handfull Vegan Choco chips.

The Application
Heat oven to 350 D. Sift flour and soda together in small bowl. In the larger of the bowls cream the margarine, then add the sugars. Then after your mixmaster has almost had a stroke, add the cocoa and then the cream. Now you have to switch to either the manual spatula or the dough hook on you Kitchen Aid. add the dry flour mixture and mix till good and put together. Now that your apron is covered in fine brown dust from all the cocoa add the walnuts and choco chips mix some more. Roll in your hand into balls and press flat either with your fingers or fork and place on a cookie sheet Bake for 12 min and alls good.

"In my long and checkered career I have been witness to, party to, and even singularly responsible for any number of screw-ups, missteps, and over-reaches."- Anthony Bourdain.
I Love the way this guy writes. There is something so identifiable with his tone, He is an executive chef raking in the dollars, working every living minute that he is awake. And that he is painfuly aware of his mistakes, but doesnt dwell on them. Something I feel I do in my professional life as well. There is nothing that upsets me more than consistently negative people that just live to make other people think that everyone's lives need to suck as much as theres. Forward movement will abolish all sins of the past you are responsible for making your own life better not your boss or your spouse, If your not happy find a new job.

meh.. that is all for today..

CouscouS apricot and Cashew

2007-01-11T16:31:00.000-06:00

Granted the picture isn't very good but it tasted very good.
This is something I threw together for breakfast one day, I am sure it would be more appropriate for a side dish at supper time, but you do what you got to.

The Hardware
Chef Knife
Sauce Pan
Fork

The Software
1 C of Water
1/3 C Cashews Chopped
1/3 C Apricots Dried and Chopped
250 Grams of Couscous
2 Tbs olive oil

The Application
Bring water to boil, while it is coming to boil chop nuts and apricots. Add them to the water, now let them Co-mingle for a few 45odd seconds so the water takes on some of the fruitty nutty goodness. Once the water is good and rolling take off the heat and add the couscous. All the water should be absorbed by the couscous. After about 1min add the olive oil and fluff with a fork. Dig in.....

Now playing-> U2 One. This song brings back so many emotions from my childhood. listing to it puts me back to a time when I was living in my parents basement. Saving up for my first car. Learning to be an adult, finding out that they are just winging it too. That time seems so long ago.

Days off to do list

2007-01-02T08:23:00.000-06:00

This is something I used to do to make sure I got all my crap done during my days off and I didn't just spend the days sleeping and baking.

1. Hang new mail box. DONE
2. Clean out fridge, I have been doing a good job of keeping the kitchen clean but the fridge is getting yucky. DONE
3. Find out about passports, we may need them to go see blue man group in April
4. Fold laundry AND put it away.
5. Make more food from the Asian cook book I got for Christmas.
6. Shovel more of the side walk out side. I just cleared enough to get from the garage to the house, one shovel width. DONE
7. Spend at least one day caching, but its not like I need to remind myself of this one, but I want to do the nasty stuff on the list before I do this one. DONE
8. Get water. DONE
9. Take down the Christmas tree. DONE
10. Maybe go to the IMAX and watch one of the movies in 3D, possibility for lameness is high but still might be fun. DONE

Now to get busy.

Samosa

2006-12-30T08:29:00.000-06:00

I got a few cook books from my sister for christmas, and this is one of the attempts from them The Book is called Nita Mehta's Indian Cooking.

The samosa is the perogy of the Indian world. Deep fried in all its glory. I wont post the recipie b/c in needs fiddling. I found it a bit tart and needs more spice in the dough and the filling.

And dontcha love the pink paper towel Sexy eh?

S'all for now.
End Post

Back to work

2006-12-28T08:00:00.000-06:00

I just remember when I go back to work what a mess I walk into, Not that I think I am gods gift to walmart but for pete's sake can someone make a decision with out hand holding for once.

Scarry thing happend, as we were short I assigned myself cardboard duty. This involves compressing empty boxes all night. Also I have to throw out the trash. As I was pitching handfulls of plactic into the garbage shoot my wedding ring flew off my hand into the shoot.... Shit.. I grabbed a flash light and dove right in. It so reminded me of starwars when they were trying to escape from the empire and dove into the the garbage pit... after 30 min of rummaging I turned up the ring and got out of there as fast as possible YUCK....

Now turkey for supper... MMMMmmmm

End Post

Christmas is Over

2006-12-27T11:28:00.000-06:00

Hi There, well more than one post this month, arnt you lucky.

We just got back from Hamiota and did the christmas thing, I must say it was one of the best holiday events in recent memory, for one, I didnt spend it in a walmart store eating a pb&j sandwich, and for two everyone got along.

We got tons of cool swag. some of the noteable stuff is a new mail box(yes we hate our came with house one and got one from Myra) 2 bitchen cook book I am hopping to dive into and do some blogging about soon, just got to stock the cupboards up a bit... all money on gifts none on food. Lots and lots of other cool gifts. Colleen hit the sock jackpot this year something like 15 pair of girly girl socks.

Tonight is the MBGA christmas party and then it is back to work. But look forward to more posts at least untill the snow melts.

End Post

Return

2006-12-13T17:23:00.000-06:00

Now that the summer is over and it is colder outside, and I am blowing all my money on ruddy christmas and other usefull junk the Geocaching is slowing down. There is less caches published now, and I have found many in my are so now I am forced to travel more. There is still quite a few to be found in the south end of the city, but for some unknown reason I have avoided that area of the city.

I have been cooking more, and just generaly bumming around the house. One thing that I have to do is fix up the golf so I can sell her. I tried to start it up yesterday but the battery is dead. It is still full of crap, that I have accumilated there for quite some time. If I get the inside clean for some reason I think that will make working on the engine easier. Colleen has been reminding me now and then about getting this done. I know it has to get done, but for some reason I have been putting it off for months. Subliminaly I think it is because I love this car it was the first car I bought new and has been great to me. I know this is very much a man/car love moment, but baby and I have been through alot together.

It will be sweet however to get the new car we are hopping for, Toyota Prius

About 1/4 saved still a way to go.

End Post

Winnipeg Faves, through my eyes.

2006-12-11T09:02:00.000-06:00

Alrighty I have decided to put together a list of my personal top restaurants in Winnipeg, for no other reason than I want to... so there. I will update and add as time goes on, or subtract if needed.

Alycia's classic Ukrainian food, this is the food of my childhood, perogies, cabbage rolls, and garlic sausage oh my. The place is reasonably priced, but be warned if you are watching either fat or collesteral intake steer clear.

The Fyxx Great sandwich and coffee shop. My personal faves are the Tandoori's Box - Roasted chicken, peach salsa, jack cheese and greens with a tandoori mayo between Sal's corn bread and an Italian soda.

Falafel Place Perfect place for your vegetarian or vegan friend who you don't know where to go for coffee too. Some of the best borcht that I have ever had... sorry grandma.

Enorae Bistro This place states that it sells Sexy food, and man does it ever. The Wraps are out of this world, I think this may be my next great love. Also serves Organic fair trade coffee.

The Round Table Steak House 800 Pembina virtual nothing on line about this place. Great English style food. My personal fave is the Stuffed Yorkshire pudding... Stuffed with what? Beef!

Dandelion Eatery Totaly Organic, local where ever possible. This place always has a shifting menu based on what is in season, and what farmer shows up at there door step. Price can set you back a bit, but damn tasty.

Punjab Sweet House vegetarian never tasted soo good. No frills and the odd toddler running by. but it is fun. The buffet is where it is at, $6.50 for Indian buffet is unheard of.

Nods to the following, Cookatoo's, Hanabi, Be One, and Oceana.

All I want for Christmas.....

2006-12-04T15:36:00.000-06:00

Hi there it is that time... And for the people who wonder what to get us.. I have decided to make it easy for ya...

For My sweetie.

iTunes gift card (for her snazzy new iPod)
Girly girl socks
The devil wears Prawda DVD
Final Fantasy XII Guide purchased
Final Fantasy XII PS2 game
Trip for two to Vegas.
dyson vacuum cleaner

For Me

emulsion blender
stone wear loaf pan
Howles flying castle, click here for picture of package DVD
blue jeans size 40x30 baggy fit 725 from walmart
Crosby Stills Nash and Young Cds
Newest best of U2 album
damn big good glasses that wont chip in my dishwasher (restaurant grade)
Magellan explorist 210 ( or any gps with a data cable) If someone won the lotto

well for now that's all I can think of I will add more when I think of it... Oh yes I will think of more..

FTF list

2006-08-16T17:33:00.000-05:00

1 Welcome to Ontario (West) TCDNON by winnipegk5
2 Em-Bear-assed Cache by polarbeardiggers
3 The Bear Naked Cache by polarbeardiggers
4 Missing Keyes YLHDMB by bevro
5 In The Garden by abeja2
6 MARSHAL'S LUNDAR CACHE by polarbeardiggers
7 Dude Where's My Cache by polarbeardiggers
8 THE QUICK FIND CACHE by polarbeardiggers
9 Sunday Kruz 2 by kruzrrr
10 Sunday Kruz 3 by kruzrrr
11 Sunday Kruz 4 by kruzrrr
12 Sunday Kruz 5 by kruzrrr
13 Sunday Kruz 8 by kruzrrr
14 Sunday Kruz 9 by kruzrrr
15 Sunday Kruz 10 by kruzrrr
16 Sunday Kruz 12 by kruzrrr
17 Pass By Kenora by bevro
18 Lotto 6/49 - District 2 by ertyu
19 Boom! by abeja2
20 Teeny Timbit the Dust by 1Queenand4Jokers
21 Lotto 6/49 - District 5 by ertyu
22 Lotto 6/49 - District 6 by ertyu
23 Care Bear's Stash by Spaceman_baz
24 Nobody's Home by Lizardo
25 Welcome to the Swamp! by Ginny212
26 KNOT ANOTHER MICRO CACHE by polarbeardiggers
27 Whity Cache by spaceman_baz
28 Multilingual Multi Cache by MB Country Girl & cdnwpgr
29 Money Tree in Beaudry Park by EJ/SJ
30 Gull Cache by Spaceman_baz
31 Olson's Corner Cache by The Old Bat & Junglehair
32 Flee Island Cache by kruzrrr
33 Mayor of Winnipeg - St. Charles by Spaceman_baz
34 Collector Edition "H" by polarbeardiggers
35 Collector Edition ' J ' by polarbeardiggers
36 Collector Edition ' V ' by polarbeardiggers
37 Collector Edition ' D ' by polarbeardiggers
38 Collector Edition ' B ' by polarbeardiggers
39 Collector Edition ' i ' by polarbeardiggers
40 Heidi Hide , Heidi Home by Sam and Lily
41 Jim's Cache by tracama
42 Happiness is a Warm Puppy by tracama
43 Welcome to the Hills by HoggerJeff & the Piglets

Thunderbay

2006-05-10T19:06:00.000-05:00

Hiya,

I am in thunderbay, we have had a bitch'n time along the way, we have taken an 8 hour drive and turned it into a 19 hour drive, sure we stopped to sleep for 3 hrs in the kenora tim hortons parking lot. We plotted a course that involved us doing tons of geocaches, we saw some beautiful sights and took pictures, I will upload them when I get home.

this has got me out doing more activity and seeing things that I have never would have guessed are out there. Reading other peoples thoughts in the logs that accompany the caches is fun too.

later days.

Geocaching

2006-05-04T15:19:00.001-05:00

The Geocaching post

I have been delaying posting about this topic untill I found out more about the subject. I started geocaching when I got back from holiday, My gurl bought me a gps for my birthday. Now you say my birthday isnt till august, well you would be right. My gurl is funny that way, giving me what I cant afford and saying happy birthday.

Now what is geocaching. It is a "sport" that is requires one thing, a GPS, now that I had one I am free to cache. You download coordinates from the geocaching.com web site, and imput them into your gps and go find treasure

I have found about 20 sites in winnipeg and brandon, they range from empty peanut butter jars to 35mm film canasters,

The thrill of the hunt makes it all worth the find.

My name is what?

2006-05-04T13:04:00.000-05:00

Your Porn Star Name Is...

Xavier Dicks

What's Your Porn Star Name?

These thing are soo trashy but i just cant help myself,,, more substance comming soon

Crack Pipe

2006-04-29T19:10:00.000-05:00

Now I have heard it all,

it is no secret that my adventure in a new store in my city is not going well, the people that are working for me don't see eye to eye with me, for one thing they are all alot shorter than me, and for two, they don't take kindly to people not from there neighborhood, I actually was told that I smell like Charleswood, I asked what that smell was, and they said flowers and grass and stuff.

so it was no surprise that today the boss asked me into his office and asked me to recall a night when I worked so that he could question me about an associate issue. On the night in question, did I walk to Tim Hortons, get a coffee, and behind the said coffee shop, smoke crack cocaine?
My first reaction was to laugh my ass off, I though this was a joke. But I held it together to strongly deny my drug use. And state the fact that I did not leave the store in the night in question.

anyway it looks like I will be moving out of that store soon, because my store manager and I are of the same school of thought it wont be long before someone else comes up with another store like "He touched me" and then I find my ass fired because it is my word against them.

Later Days,

Sick Kitties

2006-04-27T16:57:00.000-05:00

Hiya

What a shitty day, my co-worker at my "new" store had her mother dye in an accident yesterday, sucks for her.

and when I get home I had to take our cats to the vet, they are not eating well and are sneezing alot. so the vet gave me extra smelly food for them and showed me how to force feed them till they get over there kitty colds. needless to say force feeding cats is not high on my list of fun things to do.

but on the good news front Dr M is comming to stay with us on sunday and she is going to be loads of fun, but we have to get the house ready for her.

blah.. Cant wait till the day is over.

Happy Easter

2006-04-24T10:27:00.000-05:00

Hiya, this is an eater egg that was given to me by one of my crew at work, it is as I am told a traditiona Macedonian easter egg. Macedonia is a small country north of greace, the worst offence is to call a Macedonian Greek. I have hired a few people from this small country over time and they all have turned out to be very nice people who love life, work hard, and like to laugh.

Falla (thankyou in Macedonian) I am picking up a bit here and there.

BBM update,

2006-04-23T09:50:00.000-05:00

Whoooo there folks, K the bbm thing, it is Done, over finnished, For all of you that did not get a package please know that I am truly sorry. Even my wife got shorted too. The following are the steps I took to try and get'er done for you.

Step 1 Just a friendly reminder that MRS X hasnt gotten your package please update me on its status.
Step 2 I am sure by now that you have got your package from the swap PLEASE recipricate!
Step 3 It is unfortunate that you entered into a swap with no intention of sending a package, alot of people put alot of time and effort into this and it really sucks that they get nothing in return.
Step 4 You will not be allowed into anyother swaps that I host.

Mean people suck yes we all know this, and we all know that they are out there and sometimes they poop on your head it is unfortunate, although as my dad says it builds character learning to deal with things like this, lets just say turn the other cheek and move on.

Meet the New family Members

2006-04-20T05:54:00.000-05:00

Hiya, we have been wanting a cat for the longest time so the time is right and we have all the stuff we go to the Humane society with our pet carrier, that has never been used to pick up our new kitty. Low and behold we fall in love with a pair, thats right two kitties, Chloe and Callie there owner died recently and they were turned into the pound, we just couldnt split this pair up. So home comes a kitty in the carrier and a kitty in a box. Chloe is 4 and very much the one in charge, however a little timid. Callie is adventure waiting to happen, been everwere and done everything.

Chloe

Callie

I am sure there will be more pictures comming, however they are still in the "I just want to hide" process of comming home. I am just glad to see that they are hidding in the places that we are able to find them. and not behind the fridge.

What A nice town you have here!

2006-04-20T05:42:00.000-05:00

There are those things that you see when driving that make you wish that you had a camera with you well this is one of those things.

A tropical paradise, untouched by man... where a bizarre civilization exists.

Ok I know it isnt spelled the same but freaky non the less.

The Journey of Spot

2006-04-20T05:36:00.000-05:00

This is the story of a lady bug named Spot. Spot is a bed bug who spends most of his time guarding house hold items, ensuring that things stay the same.

Now spot got bored and convinced his keepers to take him to the land of lobster and beer, that’s right Halifax. Now the trip was arduous and long but being put in the over head compartment isn’t as bad as it sound, and it is only for take off and landing. Most of the time spot talked his way into his keepers lap.

Now the first thing that was in Halifax of notation was a sign that the keepers were taken with. It seemed that this was a concept that struck a chord.

And so they did. the five fishermen was a wonder for them and the hosts of the group. Not to worry aphids where on the menu as well.

and desert of course

From there there was a love affair with a market with Pete's Frootique Pete is the food hunter from the food network Canada. The store was amazing and had so many interesting displays with tons to look at while shopping. It had a full serve meat and fish section as well.

It is too bad that Pete him self wasn’t there because There was someone who wanted a cook booked autographed. We hear that he works the store on a regular basis.

There was an amazing store there called The Freaks Lunch box that carried many kinds of candy and sweets that are hard to find or imported. And look they hire ummpa loompas

The hostess of the group had a hankering for Perogies so after the trip to Pete’s we all stayed up till two in the morning and boiled, mashed, rolled, pinched and boiled again. Good times where had by all.

The next day was a trip to Peggy’s Cove to see a light house Spot being a Prairie bug was enthused by this. The sign on the light house was worth the trip in its self.

It was too dark out to get a good picture of the sea or the light house itself, however Spot managed to take a picture of the group.

In order Jason, Jon, Dr M, and The Gurl. It felt like family the whole trip the closness was unbelievable. Jon is the Dr.’s room mate and he made us feel so welcome. And gave us a few lessons in wine.

It wasn’t too long till the trip was over and we all had to go home, alas there was one last lobster to kiss at the airport.

All in all they all liked the trip, Spot got to spread his wings and see the rest of the country. Halifax sure was a nice place, even a possibility of living there wouldn’t be out of the question. Aphids year round with out having to dig through the snow.

Low-ish fat Strawberry chocolate torte.

2006-03-07T14:27:00.000-06:00

I Just recently when over to a dear friends house for supper. Of course I am bringing something. There is no flour in this so it is good for people that have an aversion to that kind of thing. It is low fat but super high sugar..

Torte,

The Hardware
Double boiler
Wisk
9 inch cake pan

The Software
2 C of chocolate chips
6 oz of fat free strawberry yogurt
1 C of granola(no raisins)
1 C egg whites
3 tsp of 1/2 and 1/2 cream
2 tbsp of lemon juice
1/4 c of powder sugar

The Application
Preheat oven to 350. Spray pan with cooking spray.

Reserve 1/2 c of the chocolate for the glaze, place the rest into the double boiler with the yogurt and melt. When the mixture is totally liquid add the granola and then the eggs, mix till combine and pour into the cake pan. Pop into the oven and set timer for 20 min. It is cooked when the sides are taller and the middle is firm. (if the middle has risen too the torte has been over baked) the center will be shiny.

Cool for 1 hour. Then invert onto a plate and it should pop right out. Back to the double boiler. Place the remaining chocolate in along with the cream. wisk the mixture till smooth and then take off the heat for about 30 seconds and pour ontop of the tort, and spread with a spoon. Cool in fridge till hard.

In a small bowl mix powder sugar and lemon juice and mix till combine, pace into a pastry bag and decorate the torte in the Atari symbol or any other way you feel.

I have taken to the habit of reading the cooking mags at work and then photocopying the recipes that I like out of them. It feels wrong, but I totally don't want to pay for a mag that has one recipe that I want to try, Besides I pay for the photo copy so that makes it ok right?

Now Playing:Gilbert and Sullivan-A more humane Mikado never did in Japan exist

Temp Blogging Hiatus

2006-03-01T18:35:00.000-06:00

Hiya,

I am needing to take a break from blogging, not that it is too stressfull to continue, but due to the fact that I am going on vacations soon, and need to prepaire.

I will update the bbm info about once a week.

thanks.

Coconut Oatmeal Cookies

2006-02-15T14:07:00.000-06:00

Hiya,

I make about a batch of cookies a week on my days off, it is something to snack on as well as to tip the Organic food delivery guy. This weeks cookies were freaking amazing. They were soo crisp it was un real.

Coconut Oatmeal Cookies

The Hardware
Bowl
Mixer
Baking sheet

The Software
2 cups ap flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 tbsp milk
1 cup brown sugar, firmly packed
1/2 cup white sugar
2 eggs
1 cup quick oats
1 cup shredded coconut

The Application
In a small bowl sift together flour, soda, baking powder, salt and cinnamon. In a larger bowl cream butter and sugar till combined. Beat in vanilla, milk and eggs for about 2 min, stir in flour mixture, add oats and coconut. Drop in small tablespoons on to a baking sheet and bake for 11 min in a 350 d oven.

TODAY -47 Holy crap! Welcome to Canada eh!

Yorkshire Pudding

2006-02-13T14:32:00.000-06:00

Hiya,

Sorry for the delay inbetween the posting of the picture and the write up, I started a new casual job at a printing company doing bindery work, I am just trying make up some exta cash to go to visit my sister in a few weeks, and my gurl has been glued to her neopets account for some time now too.

Enough of my bitch'n on to the Pudd'n

Yorkshire Pudding

The Hardware
Wisk
Bowl
6 tin muffin pan

The Software
vedge oil
1 C ap flour
2 eggs
1 C milk
1 tbsp salt

The Application
Heat oven to 450 d and then in the mufin tray pour oil till1/4 inch in each tin, heat in oven for 8 min, while the oil is heating wisk together eggs, flour, milk, and salt. When the oil comes out of oven pour equal amount of batter into each tin, becarefull of over flow, you are working with very hot oil here. Place tin in oven and bake for 20-30 min, you really have to start to check after 20 min cook time can very due to the amount of oil in each tin.

I recently got an email from a blog reader who is a stong vegitarian, they where upset about the amount of meat in my blog and strongly suggested that I stop posting it. There were vauge threats of them contacting PETA about my blog. In responce WTF I apprecate your concearn for the animals that I am eating, I do my best to buy local products from local producers I know the chicken I eat is free range and not from a comercial opperation, as well as the eggs. The beef is Manitoba local for pete's sake I know the name of the farmer who gets me my roasts. -Rant Over!

Now Playing: Moist-Resurrection

My BBM4 Package

2006-02-11T16:11:00.000-06:00

Hiya,

I got my package Friday from Amy who lives in Japan, I am soo excited about this, I woke up to go and get the gurl at work and as I was locking the door, I saw a messenger notice on my door, I was all squeals, I rushed to the bank and picked up the gurl and then off to the air port to get THE PACKAGE.

I was totally surprised to see what was coming from Japan, the box was about 1/2 the size of one of my shoe boxes, still sizable considering my size 13's. I stared at the writing on the outside of the box for quite some time, as it is 90% in Japanese. When the moment came to open I totally shocked to see how much Amy had packed into that box.

I will attemp to tell you what was in the box, however there was very little English on it and mostly I can tell you that it was tasty.

Miso Packets
Several types of Pocky
Nori
Chopsticks
Two of the most awesome Kit Kats I have ever tasted
Many Kinds of cookies
Dried Fish and cheese, A snack food
Something that looked like Chocolate magic mushrooms
A wonderful note
A CD of Australian Rock
Miso
A type of peanut that I can only described as nutty and spicy

That is as much as I can describe right now. I have tons of posts to put up this time of stuff that actually worked out.

A side note does anyone else find it funny that the us media is pouncing on Gretzky who is the coach of the Canadian Olympic team just before the games?

Gelatin; thou fusty dismal-dreaming lewdster!

2006-02-08T09:16:00.000-06:00

Ok my problem with gelatin, is making me curse it in shakespearean tounge. I have to date only had one successfull run in with the gel'n agent. I have a long list of failed dishes inluding, Panna Cotta, fruit salad, jelly, and a tea based jelly.

Where have I gone wrong that nothing sets? If you have any ideas PLEASE let me know... This is what I have done to create this round of liquid in a vessel.

The Software,
3c of fruit juice
2 sleaves of Knox Gelatin; Infirm of purpose!
2 Kiwi

The Application,
Placed 1 1/2 c of liquid in a bowl and added the gelatin and allowed it to bloom. I heated the other half of the liquid till boiling and added it to the cool and bloomed portion.

I lined 4 containers with thin sliced kiwi and poured the liquid into the containers, and placed into the fridge overnight, in the morning I hoped out of bed and ran to the fridge to find 4 containers of fruit juice with kiwi floating in them.

On a lighter note, if you are a mother you gota check this link

Now Playing: David Bowie-Under Pressure

Mango Chicken Chutney Wrap

2006-02-03T12:47:00.000-06:00

Hiya,

I have been on a bit of a cooking marathon lately, It is a nice change from all the boring-ish food we have been having lately, This is something that is derived from This dish That my sister made some months ago. I love flat bread and the endless possibilities it brings.

Mango Chicken Chutney Wrap

The Hardware
Heavy Fry Pan (oven safe)
Knife

The Software
4 Breast of Chicken
1 bell pepper, I used green
3 onion
8 large mushrooms
1 head of garlic
1 tbsp cumin seeds
6 pcs of flat bread, I used spinach.
2 C cooked rice
2 tsp organic corn oil
4 oz of Mango Chutney, the one I used.

The Application
Heat 1 tsp oil in pan, chop onions, bell peppers, and mushrooms, while coming to med-high heat. Place the cumin in the pan. Now add the vedge and fry for 1-2 min, remove and set aside. Add the rest of the oil to pan and sear the chicken on both sides till browned. While chicken is gaining colour, use a chef knife and cut the top off a head of garlic. Top with chutney, add the head of garlic to the pan, and roast in a 350 d oven for 35 min.

Once the chicken is fully cooked remove it from the pan and cut into strips.

The Assembly
Lay down a piece of flat bread, now take the head of garlic that roasted with the chicken and squeeze it so that the cooked garlic comes out like toothpaste, place a dab on the flat bread and spread like butter.
top that with a few tbsp of cooked rice.
top that with a small handful of the cooked vedge,
top that with one sixth of the chicken,
fold like a buritto and enjoy. I usually Zap mine in the microwave for 30 seconds prior to eating just so that everything is at even temp.

My next project in the coming days is trying to make a homemade gelatin thingy with kiwi. We are trying to cut out all preservatives, dyes, and artificial flavors from our diets.. so that means JELLO is out the window

Now Playing: Wide Mouth Mason-Change

Sopel Chef IV

2006-02-02T17:37:00.000-06:00

Sopel Chef IV
OK This is the fourth installment of the Sopel chef challenge, for those of you unfamiliar with this event it is an extreme rip off of Iron chef. My three siblings, and I all submit dishes under a common theme and present them to a judge. NOTE this round will involve the patriarch of our family, our dad, big Joe.

The theme, I won the last round with this dish so I get the pick the topic, I choose Biscotti

The RULES
A picture and preparation techniques must be emailed to Oblio before the 20th of February. From there she will post the pics and text on herblog (that way there will be no telling who prepared what dish) and a judgewill decide the winner.
Scoring will be based on :
Aesthetics Max 5 pts-
Eatability Max 5 pts-
Originality Max 5 pts
For this round the judge is an old friend of mine, one that all participants know, but not a blogger. Thanks again to last guest judge Nic

Basic Meatloaf

2006-01-31T19:04:00.000-06:00

It shall soon be February and that marks the return of our weekly fresh box, this is a container filled with local and organic fruits and vedge that a local company called Fresh Options puts together for us. We had to give it up for a few weeks to get the Christmas bills paid for, so I am excited that this week we are getting to snack on fruit again.

This is my basic meatloaf, I do like meatloaf but in my opinion it should not be cooked in a loaf pan, it should be free formed by hand and cooked on a baking sheet so that the extra fat can run off.

Meatloaf

The Hardware
Bowl
Baking sheet
Knife

The Software
3 cloves of Garlic minced
2 lb of ground beef
1 egg
1 C of cornflake crumbs
1 tbsp cumin
1 tsp Dijon mustard

The Application
Mix the above ingredients together in a bowl with your hands till they have become combine. Then line a baking sheet with tin foil and free form the meat into a loaf shape, be sure not to make it too large or it shall not cook through in a decent time. Bake in a 375 d oven for 1 hour and 15 min, or until internal temp comes to 160 d Break out the probe thermometers for this one folks

Now Playing: Chrystal Method-Trip like I do

Beef and Broccoli

2006-01-26T09:51:00.000-06:00

Hiya,

I know it has been spuratic at best with me putting up posts, I have never hosted a blogging event before and I am finding that it is alot of work, very satisfying and rewarding, although it takes me away from blogging a bit. Now it is January and the belt must be tightened both financially and cloth speaking. So it is light and tasty month in the ninja house hold. This dish is a one of my all time fave Chinese dishes the beef always comes out very tender.

Beef and Broccoli

The Hardware
Knife
Bowls
Wok

The Software
1lb of steak, I use what ever is on sale!
1/4 c of soy sauce.
2tbsp of corn starch, divided
1 clove of garlic, minced
1 tsp of powdered ginger
2tbsp of vedge oil, I like organic corn
2 onions cut into wedges
3 large carrots cut into coins
1 bunch of broccoli cut into florets
1 1/4 c of water, divided.
1tsp of honey

The Application
Slice steak into thin slices (I find it best to partially freeze it before slicing), place slices in a bowl. Add soy sauce, 1tbsp of the corn starch, all the garlic, and ginger. Mix well and set aside for about 10 min, I usually prep the vedge in this time.

In wok heat 1 tsp of the oil then stir fry the steak on high heat with sauce till browned. Remove beef and set aside again.

Heat the remaining oil, and stir fry the onions for 1 min, add carrots, broccoli and 1 C of the water, cover and steam for 4 min.

Then once the 4 min is up add in the remaining water, corn starch, and honey the sauce in the wok will thicken, once that happens add the meat back into the mix and heat till hot.

serve over rice or noodles.

Bit from an artical CUTBACK CUISINE Toronto's best chefs talk Kraft Dinner and hot dogs

..Susur Lee, who dazzles salivating patrons with exotic Asian accents at Lotus, actually craves his wife's down-home "Winnipeg-style hot dog." Topped with navy beans and fried onions, the dog is fashioned after the famous "Kelekis" hot dog (the epitome of a greasy spoon diner that's been an institution in Winnipeg for more than 50 years)...

Now Playing: Danko Jones-Sound of Love

BBM4 The Line Up.

2006-01-11T09:25:00.000-06:00

Hiya,

Sign ups are now closed, we have many internation paricipants in this addition. There are a few people who have signed up and have not replied to the auto message, so check you In-box, Bulk Folder, Spam box. You need to be able to recieve mail from me in order to participate.

Here we go!

Australia
Andrea
Ed Package recieved

Belgium
Eva Package in the post

Canada
Jason Got his package from Amy
Nadine Got her Package from Swee - Package in the post

Channel Islands
Mae

Italy
Chiara
Ivy
Sandra Got her package from Amanda
Winnie

Japan
Amy

Malaysia
Swee
Rachel Got her Package from Rorie

Singapoor
Cheryl Package in the post
Gauri Package in the post
Joycelyn
Jayne
Liling
St Low Package recieved

South Korea
Jenn Got her package from Santos

Spain
Jorge Has recieved his package from Melissa

Sweden
Kristina Got her Package from Sweta

Panama
Melissa

Philippines
Karen Got her package from Cathy

United States of America
ARIZONA
Michele Got her package fromHeather, Package is in the Post
Teya

CALIFORNIA
Karine Got her Package From Andrea
Kristy
Lori
Mary
Maya Got her package from Rosie
Rorie Got Her Package from Dixie
Sean

DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
Amanda Got her package from Michelle

GEORGIA
Katrina Package is in the Post
Tami got her package from Holly

GUAM
Santos

INDIANA
Lauren

IOWA
Darla

KANSAS
Eva
Heather Got her Package from Ed, Package is in the post

MARYLAND
Cathy Received her Package From Lindys Cathy has mailed her package
Mia Package is in the post.

MASSACHUSETTS
Eling Got her Package From Dani

MINNESOTA
Lisa Got her package from Sandra

NEW YORK
Andrea Got her package from Winnie
Dani Got her package from Stephanie -package is in the post
Heather
Jennifer
Jessica Got her package from Mary

NORTH CAROLINA
Jennifer

OHIO
Holly Got her package from St Low
Rose Got her package from Tami Package is in the Post

OKLAHOMA
Bev

OREGON
Michelle Got her package from Eva

PENNSYLVANIA
Lindys Got her Package from Karen
Stella

RHODE ISLAND
Bill

TENNESSEE
Dixie
Stephanie Got her package from Jennifer

WISCONSIN
Sweta

If you notice an Error PLEASE EMAIL ME thefoodninja(at)yahoo(dot)ca Swap partners will be out very soon.

Turkey Pot Pie

2006-01-09T23:34:00.000-06:00

Hiya..

This is one of the many things I did with all the left over turkey from Christmas. I love this pie. I made it with whole wheat pie crust the filling was something that I whipped up. I love cooking on the fly.. Plus I am pretty good at imitation cooking, I can eat something and usually reproduce it myself, one exception would be Indian food. I am poorly at curry.

Turkey Pot Pie.

The Hardware.
whisk
Knife
Pot
Pie Plate

The Software
3tbs butter
2C sliced mushrooms
1/4C ap flour
1C turkey stock (made the stock from the left over turkey bits and bones)
2C whole milk
Assorted spices from my pantry about 1/2tsp of thyme, sage, s&p
3C cubed turkey
3C of cubed carrots and frozen Peas.

The Application
Melt 1 tsp of butter in a deep sauce pan and add mushrooms, cook till moisture has evaporated they shrink a bit.Add the rest of the butter and then the flour. Blend. Whisk in milk and stock. Bring to boil and then remove from heat. Whisk often to maintain smoothness. Add in turkey and vedge.

Roll out pie crust and place bottom in pan do not prick. add the above filling and cover with other crust. Bake at 400 for 6 min and then reduce heat to 350 and bake for 30-35 min. Let rest for 10-15 min before serving.

Now Playing Filter:-Take a picture

Spicy Peanut Sauce

2006-01-05T11:30:00.000-06:00

There was a time when we used to frequent a restaurant that had a Spicy chicken Pizza with peanut sauce, I have spent a long time trying to reproduce this sauce and finally SUCCESS. I am totally stoked about it bc that restaurant went out of business 4 years ago, and it has been a while since I have gotten my fix. The dough recipe is the old stand by , but sally forth for the sauce.

Spicy Peanut Sauce

The Hardware
Blender
Spoon

The Software
1 215g can of Herdez Chilpotles Chilies
1 C of smooth peanut butter
1/4 C of Soya sauce
enough beef broth to make it the consistency of tomato sauce

The Application
In a Glass blender mix the above 3 ingredients and puree add broth in until you get the constancy you desire. I topped this pizza with Turkey, onions, mushrooms, and green peppers.

But I frequently look back at my life, searching for that fork in the road, trying to figure out where, exactly, I went bad and became a thrill-seeking, pleasure-hungry sensualist, always looking to shock, amuse, terrify and manipulate, seeking to fill that empty spot in my soul with something new. -Anthony Bourdain

MEME ~ You Are What You Eat

2006-01-02T08:29:00.000-06:00

Weeee. I have been tagged for a Meme, by Linda . I love doing these, This one is lists off your top ten foods. This was started by a fellow Canadian, Ruth of Once Upon a Feast. With out further hesitation

1. Steak. Cooked over charcoal or wood, I am a rare kinda guy, I just like the steak warm but still bloody. I do most of my grilling on a small burner that travels with me to many locations.

2. Provolone Cheese. I am a big cheese lover, this is the one that I could eat till I pop.

3. Saskatoon Berry Pie. We pick pails of berries every year, and we make tones of pies to get us threw the winter.

4. Black Olives. In bread with herbs, in a sexy Greek salad, or just plain in a jar. I love salty foods.

5. Perogies. I have come the the conclusion that every culture has some form of this food. My fave is a potato, onion, bacon, and cheese mix that I entered in the Taste of Canada do in July.

6. Butter chicken. This is an Indian dish that melts me all over, it might have something to do with all the saffron in it.

7. Brownies. I have so many different recipes, I think my Best Ever Brownie recipe is still my fave, with my toffee one in second.

8. Pork Sovloki. Something I discovered last summer, Greek food Rocks my Socks any day of the week.

9. Singapore Fried Noodles. I have a killer recipe from Ming Tsia from back when he did East meets West on Food network.

10. Pizza. I make my own pizza I just discovered Peanut sauce, I made Spicy Turkey pizza the other day and that will be my next blog entry in a day or so..

Tag your up.
Megan at Treats & Chortles
Grommie at Fabulous cheese babe
Sam at The_Samantha_Files

Christmas Bling

2005-12-28T07:24:00.000-06:00

Hiya,

I just wanted to show off some of the great stuff I got for Christmas this year and then it is back to making stuff and putting up recipe's, Oh yeah!!

1. The Greengrocers Kitchen an amazing collection of recipies that offer solutions to any vedge quandry, the author is Pete Luckett this gift was given by my sister, who buy the way has shopped at Pete's Frootique in Halifax

2. The Alcatraz Woman's Club Cook Book this retro 50's cook book is a collection of recipies that was gathered by the families of the jail guards that lived on the "Rock" Thanks Gill

3. A beautiful Trifle dish that was given to us by my sister there is just one small problem, I need a trifle recipe, Hmmm,,, I wonder who has one....

4. Not shown but a Hamilton Beach food processor, thanks mom.

5. A boat load of music that we have been wanting thanks, Steven and my gurl.

6. A screened awning for the killer mosquito's that invade ever summer, thanks dad.

now back to the tomcookery.

Only 29 Cents Each

2005-12-21T21:05:00.000-06:00

Hiya,

One of the things I do that drives myself nuts latter on is that I pick up hoards of coupons while I am at stores, now when I pick up the stack of 30 or so coupons I don't by the item then Nooooo I wait till it goes on sale and get it for practical free. some time in about June ish I got a bunch of coupons for Dole juice 75 cents off, not too bad, but at the time the juice was 3.12 a liter. Well today it was on sale for 1.02.... Cha-ching.. stock up time.

Now some of you know that I work in a retail store that sells groceries, now that I have well over 30 liters of juice what to do with it?.. stack it of course.

The reason the coupon thing drives me nuts is that they expire so I am forever throwing out old coupons that I don't use, a small price to pay for several months of juicy goodness.

The work place dainty tray

2005-12-16T09:07:00.000-06:00

Hiya,

Hooo boy what a season, I love Christmas and all that it brings, however when you work in retail. There are terrors that go along with it. I love baking for the staff when we do a pot luck or anything of the such. This is a tray of squares that made.. 3 different kinds. This is my 3rd tray this season, sad to say not my most photogenic, the one I made for my gurls staff party was smoke'n cool.

Square 1

Best Ever Brownies.

The Software
3 tbsp Cocoa
1/2 C Margarine
2 Eggs
1 C Sugar
1/2 tsp Vanilla
1/2 C Flour
Dash Salt

The Application
Melt margarine in a small pot with cocoa. Beat eggs till foamy, add sugar while beating. Then stir in chocolate mixture, and vanilla. Add flour and mix till smooth. Pour into a 9x9 lined pan* and bake in a 350 Degree oven for 30 min

Square 2

Jason's wacky toffee bar????? I made this one up.. it doesn't have a name

The Software
1/2 C Margerine
1 tsp of Vanilla
1 tbsp of molasses
1 1/4 C of Brown sugar
2 Eggs
1 package of Chippets Score toffee Chunks

The Application
With an electric mixer cream margerine, then add vanilla, and molasses continue to mix with the electric mixer and add sugar. Add eggs and continue to beat on medium for about a minute.
Now with your spatchula blend in flour and then once mixed well add 1/2 package of toffee, mix and pour into a lined* 9x9 pan and bake for 35-40 min in a 350 degree oven.. these will be gooey... once out of the oven sprinkle with loose toffee chunks and garnish with a few mini-chips.

Square 3
Butterscotch Chocolate Chunk Blondies
stolen straight from another blog...

* I find it most benifital to line my 9x9 pans with tin foil and then spray them with cooking spray before putting in the oven.. this does a couple of things, first it makes clean up quicker, I find it cooks more evenly, and then if doing multiple squares you can just pull the foil out reline and pour in next batter.

Blogging by Mail 4 Music Edition

2005-11-27T19:38:00.000-06:00

Click the laguage to translate blog. Italiano Português Japanese Español Français

Hiya,

Welcome to the fourth edition of Blogging by Mail, First conceived of and hosted By Nic. What it is plain and simple is a food swap, it is a chance for all the food bloggers to get to know your fellow blogger, to see the hand writing, to witness the craftiness of the packing, taste local treats from a far off land. In this edition my I suggest that we make it musical as well as tasty. Along with your foodie contents you may enclose a cd that you compiled from you selection of mp3's, now I know that not everyone has a cd burner so this optional for the swap.

Blogging by mail is an international event, and you dont need a blog to participate. So are you in? Of course you are, here is how to participate.

Send me an email thefoodninja(at)yahoo(dot)ca with BBM4 in the subject line. No latter than Jan10-06 I am making this an extra long sign up so that folks can get there holidays stuff over with before having to mail out more packages.
Include your name, address, url of your blog(if you have one), any allergies, or dislikes.
Genre type of music if you will be sending a cd I will try and match you to someone of your own taste.
If you want to ship within your own country please indicate that as well, otherwise all participants may draw an international partner.
I will send out the swap partners by the 15th of Jan.
Please ship all parcels by the 1st of Feb.
I will be having a running round up just like Cathy at my little kitchen, so once you have received your parcel please send me a link, or if you dont have a blog send me a write up and I will host it for you.

I am stoked to be the first Canadian hosting, and my first ever hosting duties, Let me know if I have missed anything.

Vous remercier Nico

2005-11-24T09:09:00.000-06:00

C'est le troisième acompte du Blogging mon courrier. Cette fois j'ai obtenu un colis de wonderfull de la Caroline du Nord, Nico Envoyé me le suivant,

Chocolat belge,
De la sauce intéressante à BBQ,
Une pâtisserie de chocoprince
Pain d'épiceFrangipane
un gâteau rempli par amandeet
une lettre et une recette de wonderfull pour le ragoût.

Mon épouse est très excitée trop pendant qu'elle est de décent belge aussi bien, je ne peut pas attendre pour employer la sauce à BBQ dans ma prochaine aventure de poulet. Je peux être écriture Nico pour plus avant qu'elle soit tout épuisée. Merci. Et désolé au sujet de mon pauvre Français.

Now In English.

This is the third instalment of the Blogging my mail. This time I got a wonderfull parcel from North Carolina, Nico Sent me the following,

Belgian chocolate,
Some interesting bbq sauce,
A chocoprince pastry
Spice bread
Frangipane an Almond filled cake
and a wonderfull letter and recipe for stew.

My Wife is very excited too as she is of Belgian decent as well, I can not wait to use the bbq sauce in my next chicken adventure. I may be writing Nico for more by the time it is all used up. Thanks. Sorry for my poor french.

Squashapalooza

2005-11-21T10:24:00.000-06:00

only 36 days till xmas... gwack...

this is a good dish if you like potatoes and are watching carbs..

The Hardware
Large cassrole dish
Kinfe
potatoe Masher

The Software
1 large butternut squash
1/2 C of pecans
1/4 C of brown sugar

The Application
Peal Squash like an apple, slice in 1/2 and gut the seeds and other "stuff" for lack of a better term. Cube the squash and put into a cassarole dish and top with nuts and then brown sugar. Roast in oven for about 20 min uncovered. Then cover and roast for another 15 min.. Mash and searve like mashed potatoes..

cant wait till xmas is over...

Tortiere

2005-11-12T08:19:00.000-06:00

Look I made minis with the left overs.....

Sooo flakey mmmm

The Tortiere (tort-c-air) is very much a clasic french canadian dish, this recipie comes from my gurls side of the family and she was very leary about letting me publish it, there were some conditions apon publication... This should be know from here on in and any time made as the SOUCEY Family Tortiere.

The Soucey Family Tortiere

The Hardware
Fry pan
Knife
3 9inch pie plates

The Software
1lb ground beef
1lb ground veal
1lb ground pork
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp celery salt
3 bay leaf
1/2 tsp alspice
1 C onion chopped
1 C water
3 C bread crumbs

The Application
Fry meat and onions, then add spices and water simmer for 1 hour,(simmering will cause people living in the house to go madd due to wonderfull smell) Add crumbs and cool, Put meat mixture into three raw pie shells and top with crust. I prefer the full top to lattice top on this one.

Next on the hit list Cabbage rolls.

Long Live the Grill

2005-11-09T08:43:00.000-06:00

I once saw Alton gill tuna on charcoal starter, and ever since then I have been in love with this rather inexpensive article of tomcookery it is defiantly cooking for one friendly. Today the gurl has gone to work and I am home just coming off shift hungry, so the freezer says BURGERS... my tummy can not disagree. I set up my burner on the back step and after 10-15 min I am ready for hamburgery goodness. What blew my socks off is that the burner melted all the snow within a 10ft radius of it. This isn't really a recipe entry it is more like a foodies ramblings.... I get off work at 8am, the neighbor's still look at me funny when I start BBQ'n and drinking beer at this time of the morning.

"I am very much at home with charcoal. I love Charcoal. I can reach a Zen-like oneness with the coals." -Alton Brown from his book I'm just here for the food.

And So it Begins

2005-11-01T09:21:00.000-06:00

I have started my Holiday cooking, I will be doing mostly holiday posts from here on in till Janruary, I am sure that everone else in the blogging community is in the same boat. At the store the toy manager said that In 60 days christmas will be over,,, that kinda made me gasp and thing I had better get going with stuff.

Beat Leaf Buns.

The Hardware
Large bowl
Baking sheet
Knife

The Software
1 C Milk
1/4 C Butter
1/2 C Sugar (white)
1 Tsp salt
2 Eggs beaten
6 C Flour AP
2 Tbsp Yeast
1 C Warm water
hand full of baby dill
1 C of beat leaves cut into strips

The Application
Scald milk and add butter, then water, Cool till luke warm. In a large bowl mix 3 C flour with sugar, salt and yeast. Make a well in flour an add in milk mixture and eggs. Mix well and add 1 more C flour. By now you should be able to turn onto a floured work surface, continue to add flour till just tacky. knead for about 10 min. then cover with a tea towel and let rise for about 1 hour.During the rise time wash beat leaves and slice in long strips with a sharp knife. When the bread is done rising, punch down tear off a small piece of dough (about the size of a quail egg) and take a small sprig of dill place in the middle of the dough and then wrap in strips of beat leaf.

Arange on a baking sheet and bake at 375d for 15 min, .... Freezes well, from freezer I fry in butter then plate. Traditional Holiday side dish for our family,

Next Tortsier.

Take that Rachael Ray

2005-10-23T20:56:00.000-05:00

With the holiday season now in full swing at my big blue store I am reduced to making quick meals that some times are old standbys and not to tasteful, but are nutritious. But the one above went from inspiration to plate in 9 minutes. 30 Minute meals are for amateurs, just kidding, Rachael you can come live with us anytime.

Please read on for the exciting Interview below.

Pizza Bread.

The Hardware.
Knife
Box Grater
Baking Sheet

The Software
4 1inch slices of Bread(I used homemade sundried olive and herb bread)
4 Tbsp of Tomatoe Paste
1/2 a can of Pineapple bits
100g of sliced ham.
1 C of shredded Mozza

The Application
On a baking sheet lay out bread top with tomato paste, ham, cheese, and pineapples. Broil in oven for about 4-5 min till golden and toasty.

I have just made the last job offer for our temp Holiday Staff. I interviewed over 30 people to obtain the 10 people that I feel are the best for retail night work. Out of that 10 I will estimate that 3-4 will quite within the first week, due to either note being able to work the 11pm-7am shift, or not able to do the job physically. Each day the expectation is to process 7 skids of freight each box weight on average 10lbs, 35 boxes to the skid equals 350lbs per skid, times 7 skids equals 2450lbs that each person has to lift in a 7.5 hours of work.

So with 1 in 3 people getting the job this means that 2 of three suck! lets look in on last nights interview.

Me".......... so the expectations is 1 skid per hour"
Him"uh hu shurr snow problem"
Me(wondering why he is slurring his words) "Can you subtract 12 from 51 for me"
Him (proudly) "22"
Me "are you sure?"
Him"Yep"
Me (Looking at him close) "touch you nose with your right index finger"
Him*pokes himself in the cheek*
Me (Hmmm screw it, I am just gona ask what I am thinking) "were you drinking before you came in here today"
Him "just to calm my nerves"
Me "How many?"
Him "4"
Me "I see, we are done here"
Him "You will call?"
Me "No we won't"

Then I think to my self at least thisone was wearing shoes.

Shrimp Salad

2005-10-16T17:11:00.000-05:00

Ana at the Pumpkin Pie Bungalow Inspired this dish I must say it turned out devine. It is a good way for me to eat avocados, I dont particularly like the green little things but they come in my fresh box every now and then and I keep forcing myself to eat them. even though it is as simple as saying "FOOD people no more avocados" I like to think that I can eat everything as long as I find the right recipie...

Shrimp Salad

The Hardware
Knife
Bowl
Wisk

The Software
2 avocados
1 shrimp ring
1/2 C of pecans pieces
juice of 1 lemon
1 clove of garlic minced
2 tbs of olive oil

The Application
Dice the avocado and de-tail the shrimp and combine in a bowl with the pecans. In a seperate bowl wisk together the lemon juice, garlic, and olive oil. then add the dressing to the shrimpy goodness and enjoy.

I am so proud of me I was able to keep my kitchen clean all work week. Gold star for me!

Tour de Kitchen

2005-10-13T11:01:00.001-05:00

Okay..

This is something I have been wanting to do for some time now, but I have not been able to figure out how to do multiple pictures on one post.. Well today I did it.. I probably did it the long way but I did it!.

This is my kitchen. We bought the first house we seen when we were house shopping and there was many determining factors in it but for me, I fell in love with the kitchen. It had everything I needed. No renovation no mucking about... Move in and start cooking. We are hoping to change out the appliances over then next few years. Everyone is doing the stainless steel thing.. I am thinking of buying a plain jane stuff and have a machinist replace the cover plates with copper I love that look and how it ages.

The tour starts with!

The overview

The stove with my 'Media center' it holds my cd's cook books and if you look close a chef!

The view from the window above the sink!

The fridge and dishwasher
----------------------
On either side of the kitchen window there is display space below is both of them one is mine and one is my Gurls.

Mine

The Gurls.

well that's it please exit via your nearest door, and thank you for keeping all arms and legs inside the vehicle during the ride.

Chunky Monkey Cake

2005-10-12T23:38:00.000-05:00

Hiya,

I know with Christmas coming blogging is going to pick up for most people in the foodie world, I however regret to say that I am going to have to slow myself down for the next few months. I work in retail and Christmas in retail, is nuts. I have not been able to keep up with my house work either, Grr I hate clutter.

Chunky Monkey Cake

The Hardware
2 9 Inch cake pans
large bowl
electric mixer

The Software
1 package of 'Pre-measured' golden cake mix (*sigh*yes, package cake mix)
3 Eggs
1&1/3 C water
1/3 C oil
2/3 C chocolate chips
2 Mashed bananas
1 Sliced banana
large handfull of pecans

The Application
Preheat oven 350 D

In a large bowl mix on low speed cake mix, eggs, water, and oil. Then add mashed bananas, and mix on low til smooth. then by hand fold in sliced banana, nuts, chocolate. Pour equally into cake pans and bake for 35 min. they have never made it to the icing stage yet with me.

I promise more interesting things to come soon.. maybe from the Book of Great cookies

Do you have $20.00 to spare

2005-10-12T08:17:00.000-05:00

If you have some extra money and an some time to spare this thursday or friday, and live in winnpeg. Why not take me to the Flatlander's beer fest it is a tasting of beers of the world. This is an anual excuse for like minded people to come and drink with an air of suphistication about them.

I wish I had the cash to go :(

Sorry I have been a bum and not blogging latley.. work work work.. BLA!!!!

Blue Chips

2005-10-06T09:40:00.000-05:00

A long time ago I used to be a day manager at my big blue store, I ran the home and garden depts, go figure eh? Me and housewares! When it came time to order seed potatoes for the next season I saw these blue potatoes and knew that My store had to sell Blue potatoes. My store general manager was not a fan of this non proven item. I ordered several hundred units and crossed my fingers. Not having a garden and not being able to contribute to the sales of this risky item, I was nervous. The day they came in, 8 months later, I did a large display and watched them sell out in only a few days they were a hit, customers comeback year after year looking for them. I however never tasted them so when they came in my fresh box I was very excited. I decided to make fries out of them, I love yam fries and was told that these Russian Blue Potatoes were yamish. They turned out marv and just thought I would share this story with you.

Our Hamster

2005-10-04T16:12:00.000-05:00

Our Beloved hamster Ginger passed away today, He will be missed very much by our family. Ginger came to us before we moved into our house. Last December at 5 minutes after midnite the three of us moved into the house together and been here eversince. Everyday when I got home form work I would peek at him and ask him how his nightly adventures were. About a month ago he developed a lump on his chest, we took him to the vet and we tried to treat it, However the lump go bigger and he lost his battle with cancer. He was with us for two and a half years, those years were ever so richer and fuller due to his presence in our lives.

Butterscotch Brownies

2005-10-02T09:34:00.000-05:00

These may be the most wonderfully thing I have ever baked, infact I think they contributed to my waist band issue, In other news our front trees are nearly nude all the leaves are on the lawn, I cant wait to do all that raking :P

Butterscotch Brownies

The Hardware
Electric mixer
9 Inch sq pan
Spatula
Tin Foil
Bowl

The Software
1/4 brick of butter
1 tsp of vanilla
1 tbsp of molasses
1 1/4 C of brown sugar packed
2 eggs
1 C of AP flour
3/4 C of pecans

The Application
Preheat oven to 350 D and line pan with tin foil

In a large bowl cream the butter, beat in the vanilla and molasses. Add the brown sugar and mix well. then add one egg at a time, beating inbetween eggs for a minute. be sure to scrap sides every now and then. Now mix in the flour with a spatula and then add nuts.

Pour batter into the pan and bake for 32 min

I have been very into my music collection lately, there is nothing I like better than going into the kitchen and turning on the music and making anything, it is to me, my escape, some people play video games, some people drink, I prefer to put on some Bif , Danko Jones , or Moxy Fruvous and grab a sharp knife and create something tasty to forget my corporate worries.

Leek and potato soup with Sausage.

2005-09-30T09:57:00.000-05:00

Hiya..
This week in the fresh box I opened it up and got a strong pull of inspiration, I saw Leeks, and for some reason I thought soup. I am going to try to do the Wednesday dinner meal with what comes in the box now. I thought this soup turned out very well,

Leek and potato Soup with Sausage

The Hardware
Knife
Stock Pot
potato Masher

The Software
6 Small Leeks (just the white and light green)
6 C of diced potato
8 Mild Italian sausages (Small)
2 Tbsp of Fennel seeds
1 L of chicken stock
2 C of Water
2/3 C of heavy cream

The Application
Remove the casing from the sausage and begin to fry in the stock pot, after about 2 min add Chopped leeks and fennel. Fry for about 10 min. While the leek is cooking peel and dice the potatoes, I used Yukon golds. Add potatoes, chicken stock, and water. Simmer uncovered for about 20 min, or until the potatoes are very soft. then mash with a potato masher for a bit to give the potatoes a bit if texture. Add cream and heat for 5 min. Serve, It made about 8 servings for me.

I am looking forward to my days off this week ... I have some cooking to catch up on. and that cookie cook book has been calling my name.

24 karat Cookies

2005-09-29T08:32:00.000-05:00

I got this great cook book in a swap and it is full of cookies... Yaaaaay.. so I am slowly trying some of them.

24 karat Cookies..

The Hardware
2 Bowls
Electric mixer.
Baking sheet
Wooden Spoon
Box Grater

The Software
1 C ap flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 stick of butter 1/4 pound
1 egg
1/2 C honey
3/4 C of Grated carrots
1/2 C of oats
1/2 C raisins
2-1/2 C of walnuts

The Application
is small bowl mix together the flour, powder, soda, and salt. In a large bow cream butter with electric mixer and then add egg, then honey, then carrot. at this point switch to a wooden spoon and mix in above mentioned dry. Then in mix in oats, raisins, and then nuts.

Drop 1 inch potions on a cookie sheet

Bake in a 350 oven for 15 min, turning the pan at the 1/2 time point

Very yummie and with carrots and Oats... healthy too ... right.... ya... sure....

The Beverage Post

2005-09-28T11:12:00.000-05:00

Hiya...

I covered for a coworker the other day when he was sick and he said "thanks I owe you a beer" Little did I know he would pay up in my fave beverage.. Newcastle.. I will give a more when I get up in the Evening.. Now I am going to savore my spoils and watch the Amazing race.... Too bad it was just one.. Thanks Fry guy...

Sopel Chef III

2005-09-26T08:46:00.000-05:00

OK This is the third installment of the Sopel chef challenge, for those of you unfamiliar with this event it is an extreme rip off of Iron chef. My three siblings and I all submit dishes under a common theme and present them to a judge.

The Ingredient: My sister Soaps won the last challenge and she now gets to pick the next theame

"It will be any king of food, dessert, soup, meatloaf , whatever as long as it has pumpkin in it! My favorite holiday is coming up, so I says pumpkin is the competition and.......LETS GET IT ONNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN"

The RULES

A picture and preparation techniques must be emailed to Oblio
before the 20th of october. From there she will post the pics and text on her
blog (that way there will be no telling who prepared what dish) and a judge
will decide the winner.

Scoring will be based on :
Aesthetics Max 5 pts-
Eatability Max 5 pts-
Originality Max 5 pts

And the judge is yet to be choosen But I have a list to work with.. Thanks again to last guest judge Dawna

------------------------------------------

Also for all family members please check the Christmas menu button on the right... I am hosting this year Invites to come in mail soon. If you would like something to be added let me know...

BBM 2

2005-09-23T22:09:00.000-05:00

Blogging By Mail was an idea brought forward by Nic at Baking Sheet Blog The Idea was that several people throw there names into a hat and then everyone gets a person to send something to. This time I drew a person from New York whom I think has not gotten her package yet, However this time I received my package from Cathy who's blog is My Little Kitchen her profile picture is a cute kitchen that reminds me of a flat kitchen I once had.

Most of you know I work nights... While I nodded, nearly Napping, suddenly there came a tapping. As if some one gently rapping. Rapping at my chamber door, but there it was a package sitting by my chamber door. And there he was the man I had been expecting the most, with the emblem apon his tunic blazing "Canada Post"

"Sign here" Said the man, and with this request I did comply. Fore what was in the package I did anticipate brownies, cake, or Pie.
-------------------------
That was fun....

The low down what was in the package.

A large package of Pecan Halves
Brownies with nuts Mmmmm
A cookie cook book
Some spices, for chicken
A bag of Candy corn (my fall fave)
A bag of dried cranberries
A Reese Peanutbutter cup.
Nibby Bar
Toll House Cookie bar
Pay Day Bar

This was soo cool A cook book the gift that keeps on giving.. I love Payday this is not available in Canada. This package was soo cool and very fun. Thank you very much Cathy everything was wonderful.

Roasted Stuffed Peppers.

2005-09-19T19:36:00.000-05:00

Hiya...
Hoo boi.. a long busy night at work, but super productive my crew emptied 3148 boxes last night. that works out to be 2 semi trailers full. each person has to put out a box every 2 minutes to meet there goals for productivity it is great when we go beyond expectations like that..

Anyway the food... We got lots of yellow bell peppers in our food box last week and I have always wanted to make stuffed peppers, I dont know I have always loved stuffed things.. Turkey, perogies, spring rolls... Mmmm

Stuffed Bell Peppers.

The Hardware
Knife
Bowl,

The Software
1 1/2 pounds sweet Italian sausages, casings removed
1 1/2 cups coarsely grated zucchini (about 1 large)
1/2 cup finely chopped red onion
1/3 cup minced fresh parsley
1/4 cup fine dry breadcrumbs
1 large egg
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon minced fresh rosemary
4 medium-size red bell peppers

The Application
Preheat oven to 350°F. Mix first 9 ingredients in large bowl until well blended. Fill pepper halves with sausage mixture, dividing equally and mounding slightly. Arrange in 13 x 9 x 2-inch baking dish. Bake peppers uncovered until tops are browned and thermometer inserted into filling registers 165°F., about 1 hour.

That is all I know it feels like I didnt put much heart into this entry and for that I am sorry, I love cooking, and when I do it I feel like I am in my own world it is me, my music, knife and food. it makes me happy to make thing that feed our family.

AB's Meat Loaf

2005-09-17T11:58:00.000-05:00

I am a huge fan of Alton Brown. I have been meaning to make his meatloaf since I seen the episode like 2 years ago.. Well I finally did it. The picture doesn't do it any justice, Hands down the best meatloaf I have ever tasted. Very Spicy...

GOOD EATS MEAT LOAF

The Hardware
Loaf Pan
Blender
Knife

The Software
6 ounces garlic-flavored croutons
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 onion, roughly chopped
1 carrot, peeled and broken
3 whole cloves garlic
1/2 red bell pepper
2 lbs Ground Beef
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 egg
For the glaze:
1/2 cup catsup
1 tablespoon ground cumin
Dash Worcestershire sauce
1/4 tsp curry paste
1 tablespoon honey

The Application
In a blender, combine croutons, black pepper, cayenne pepper, chili powder, and thyme. Pulse until the mixture is of a fine texture. Place this mixture into a large bowl. Combine the onion, carrot, garlic, and red pepper in the blender. Pulse until the mixture is finely chopped, but not pureed. Combine the vegetable mixture, ground beef with the bread crumb mixture. Season the meat mixture with the kosher salt. Add the egg and combine thoroughly

Pack this mixture into a 10-inch loaf pan to mold the shape of the meatloaf. Onto a parchment paper-lined baking sheet, turn the meatloaf out of the pan onto the center of the tray. Insert a temperature probe at a 45 degree angle into the top of the meatloaf. Avoid touching the bottom of the tray with the probe. Set the probe for 155 degrees.

Combine the catsup, cumin, Worcestershire sauce, curry paste and honey. Brush the glaze onto the meatloaf after it has been cooking for about 10 minutes.

We're still all about the food, and puppet, and the occasional bad movie rip-off, and food, and strange camera angles, and bad shirts, and food. - Alton Brown

I have a cool t-shirt collection that comes mostly form Value village.. I can afford new shirts.. but I like the funk..

Here comes the Judge.

2005-09-14T17:06:00.000-05:00

Hiya. Due to uncontrollable circumstances The Watermellon is not able to judge our Sopel Chef Challenge. However Dawna has agreed to take on the robes of judgeship. Good luck to you and happy judging.. You will do a great job.

Buttermilk Scones

2005-09-12T07:56:00.000-05:00

Wow,, busy weekend, Lots to tell. First off, The F.O.O.D. People called and told me that they are not able to bring me on now as they have hired someone else, however they are starting up a new route in a few weeks and would like to keep me in mind for that. I was totally excited about it, I have no problems waiting I know there is other jobs out there that I can do, however I really would get sense that I am doing something to promote health and community by getting invlolved at this place.

Secondly there is a Menu button on the right of my blog now that I am going to try to follow, once a week I will plan the next weeks meals, in an effort to be more organized. This also will help me with shopping, and food prep.

Oh Yeah scones,,, This is another recipe that I have shamelessly stolen from Nic's Blog she has some of the best recipes. This was so fluffy and moist, I browned them a bit too much but still very yummy

The Hardware
Wisk
Pastry Cutter
Bowl
Baking sheet

The Software
1 cup flour
1 tsp baking powder
¼ tsp baking soda
1/8 tsp salt
2 tbsp sugar
3 tbsp butter, cold and cut into small pieces
5 tbsp buttermilk1 tsp vanilla
¼ cup dried cranberries
Topping
1 tbsp buttermilk
1 tbsp sugar

The Application
Preheat oven to 400F.
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
In a large bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and sugar and whisk to combine. Rub butter into the flour mixture with your fingers or a pastry cutter until the mixture resembles very coarse meal.
Stir in buttermilk and vanilla, adding the dried cranberries as the dough starts to come together. The dough should be sticky but not runny.Form dough into a disc 1 inch thick and place on your baking sheet. Cut the dough disk into 4-6 wedges using a knife or a pizza cutter. Brush with 1 tbsp buttermilk and sprinkle liberally with coarse sugar. You may separate the scones or bake them together and break them apart after they're baked.
Bake at 400F for 15-18 minutes, until lightly browned.
Let cool for a few minutes before serving.
Makes 4-6 small scones

Once again the recipe is taken directly from Baking Sheet Blog Check it, she does great stuff.

Operation Surprise the Gurl.

2005-09-10T08:21:00.000-05:00

Click to enlarge

Hiya...

I didn't pack a lunch for my gurl and rushed her out the door and told her to be at her picnic table out side her office at noon.

So that was at 7:30. I had planned up to that point, I made it a point not to plan a meal I wanted to make this on the fly. I was going to hit local hot spots and get inspired.

First I went to my local butcher Norman's Meats and looked at what he had to offer, however I was keeping in mind that this was lunch deal, I opted not to go with red meat, it would be kinda heavy.

Next stop was Dino's India Grocery Maybe I could do a Tangri Kabob.. but most everything in the store was frozen, there wasn't much fresh to look through.

Next stop was The Gimli Fish Market there has been alot of adds on tv for endless shrimp at a big red chain restaurant and it has been driving me mad. We have vowed never to eat at a chain large chain restaurant again due to the trans fats issues that they cause. So as anything else anything they can do I can do... So I got a great deal on shrimp a big bag of 30 for $10 and a few scallops to boot.

Aright so I have my main thing, back in the car I get together the rest of what I am gona bring. I decide one

Grilled shrimp and scallop skewers
Grilled corn on the cob
Rice pilaf

By this time it is 10:30 and that leaves me only 1 1/2 hours before lunch. At home I get some music going and get prepping. I toss together a marinade for the shrimp.

1/2 C of Olive oil

1 Tbsp of oregano

3 Cloves of garlic minced

Juice of 1/2 lemon

To prep the corn I peel back the husks of the corn and remove the silks, replace the husks and place them in an icecream pail and cover with water... from here I will grill them for 20 min turning every 5.

As for the rice I cook as normal and toss it into a tinfoil packet still leaving it a little damp so it can steam on the grill .

I love charcoal, the taste I find is second only to cooking over a fire with hickory wood. I arrive only 45 min till lunch and get the charcoal grill going it takes about 15 min to get up to temp. Then I start grilling the corn and the rest is a wonderful lunch that got stares of envy from the gurls co-workers..... She tells me that there will be alot of uncomfortable husbands tonight as the word gets out of what I did within her work environment.

" I was surprised by how many things other than food are factors in a great meal - you know, company .. what's going on around you... is there sand between your toes... you know, thes are powerful factors" -Anthony Bourdain

Oatmeal Cookies

2005-09-07T21:31:00.000-05:00

Every now and then I do random acts of baking, what this is, is that when we order out we will tip the delivery driver in cookies, biscottie, or loaf of bread. The above picture is the last thing I tipped, Some times I worry that people think I am trying to poison them, Last year they had to actually say on the local news "don't take food from strangers" Because someone got surprised by "special brownies" at the local Folk Festival.

Oatmeal Cookies

The Hardware
Bowl
Baking Sheet
Hand Mixer

The Software
3/4 C margarine
3/4 C Brown Sugar
1/2 C White Sugar
2 Egg
2 Tbsp Water
2 Tsp Vanilla
----
3/4 C AP Flour
3/4 Tsp Baking Soda
1 Tsp Cinnamon
----
3 C Oatmeal
1 C Semi Sweet Choco Chips

The Application
Cream together the first set of ingredients with a hand mixer, till light and fluffy.

Add in the second set mix well.

Add in the third set mix about well and drop on a greased baking sheet in balls about 1 inch around. Bake for 12-13 Min in a preheated 350 D oven.

This is an odd recipe that I found in my Gurls recipe book, it wasn't written in the style that she usualy writes so it made me try it, She didnt even recognize them, Sometimes I think she writes in her sleep :P

Eggless Chocolate Cake.

2005-09-02T21:13:00.000-05:00

Hiya. Whaaaa Life is taking me for a ride as of late, Money Money Money.. this gosh darn house is costing soo much,,, during our dinner party last week, we had plumbing back up... so welcome to our home(pssst you cant use the toilet,, there is a subway down the street) Soo I am looking at getting a second job... I hear that the Organic Fruit and Vedge delivery co. that we order from is looking for pt drivers,, so I might try there.. if not I have always wanted to work at the falafel place (A local Jewish Restaurant),,,, so down to business..

Vegan Chocolate Cake

The Hardware
1 9 inch baking round (pan)
1 flour sifter
1 Fork

The Software
1 1/2 C Flour
3 tbsp Cocoa
1 tsp Baking soda
1 C White sugar
1/2 tsp Salt
5 tbsp Oil
1 tbsp Vinegar
1 tsp Vanilla
1 C Cold Water

The Application
Sift all dry ingredients into the 9 inch baking pan (grease the pan first)

Make 3 wells in the dry powder, one big one, and two smaller ones... I should kinda look like Mickey mouse. Pour the oil, vinegar, and vanilla into each of the wells. Then pour cold water over top everything and mix with a fork quickly, and as soon as there is no lumps or dry on the bottom of the pan put it in a 350 D oven as quick as possible. Bake for 30 Min.

Wrap it

2005-09-02T11:04:00.000-05:00

Hiya.

I have made some nifty wraps with the left over souvloki, the contents are just warmed up kabobs, and some left over carrots pan fried with tsatsiki sauce.

The sauce is something that is near and dear to me, I am very fond of it, however my gurl is not... so I only make when we have company b/c then I get help eating it.

TSATSIKI Sauce

The Hardware
Knife

The Software
2 cloves of garlic minced garlic
1 C of plain yogurt
1 C of seeded cucumber diced fine
1 tbsp of mint.

The Application
In a bowl Add yogurt, cucumber, garlic, and mint... Mix real good with a fork.. and I use it as I would mayo...

I am looking forward to the long weekend I can do some hard core baking,, I cant wait to get my swap partner for blogging by mail two..

Right now I have Cake in the oven... MMMMMMM Vegan Cake... No eggs.. its true it can be done.. I wouldn't have thunk it.

Summer BBQ

2005-08-31T20:40:00.000-05:00

We had a wonderful BBQ yesterday I was able to make a nice souvloki. I had a friend over that I have not seen for a few years. She brought her two girls over and her husband, It is amazing how fast kids grow.

The BBQ went very good, and a good time was had by all.

Pork Souvloki

The Hardware
Knife,
Skewers

The Software
3 Large pork chops Cubed
1 Green Peper
12 Mushrooms
1/4 C Olive Oil
2 Tbsp of Oregano
1 Lemon Juiced.

The Application
Combine the Oil, Lemon Juice, and Oregano in a container and marinate the pork in overnight. Then on a skewer alternate meat and vedge. Roast over an open flame (I used fire wood) for aprox 5 min per side.

Work has been hard as of late.. too much to do in a night and not enough staff to do it with. I wish I could blog more but I have just been eating what ever has been convient. (no fast food thou) it does mean alot of noodles with mushroom soup

Battle of the Lion Kings

2005-08-30T08:35:00.000-05:00

As part of my birthday, I got tickets to the Manitoba World Invitational Lion Dance Festival. This has been something that I have wanted to see since I heard about it. Teams from all over the Came to our city to participate.

There were 5 teams.
Team Canada
Team USA
Team Hong Kong
Team China
Team Macau

I truly felt as if I was watching an Olimpic event,I got all teary eyed when they played O-Canada/God Save the Queen.

The goal of each routine is to tell a story of the lion climbing up a mountain searching for the flower of immortality. Upon finding the flower of immortality, the lion eats it, but soon feels remorseful and spits it out. With the poles representing the mountain, ranging from 3 to 9.5 foot high, it leaps its way up till it reaches the flower. Elaborate spitting and washing ritual of the lion is part of the traditional dance. While on jumping up and down the mountain, the lion’s expressions of happiness, excitement, and fright are portrayed as much as possible like a real animal.

Canada came in last, however, it was an honor to host, and an even bigger honor for me to be there. I wouldnt have missed it for the world. If you are interested team Macau Won and along with winning they were the only team other than Canada to not fall off their poles.

Sopel Chef Challenge II

2005-08-25T08:51:00.000-05:00

OK This is the second installment of the Sopel chef challenge, for those of you unfamiliar with this event it is an extreme rip off of Iron chef. My three siblings and I all submit dishes under a common theme and present them to a judge. Watermellon is our judge and she rates, scores, and sometimes I think makes the said dishes to try some ( pure speculation on that last point)

so if you want to check out the mad sibling cookery you can check the blog who is hosting the event, we have a 3rd party judge and a 4th party host the event to ensure anonymity until the judging is over.

There is pictures of the dishes there you just have to click the link to see them, there was a technical problem with the picture hosting this time. it will be fixed for SCCIII.

This months theme is DIP. So check and leave your vote for the peoples choice prize.

Shoo Fly Pie

2005-08-25T08:42:00.000-05:00

This is the third in a group of recipes that I am testing for the Good Home Cookbook It is kinda of like the Sugar pies we had in Quebec. It was very tasty, the #1 ingedient is molasses.

I wonder what they will send me next!

Savoury Corn Bread

2005-08-23T05:09:00.000-05:00

If you have noticed most of my pictures are dark,This is mostly due to the fact that I sleep during the day and am up at night, I am the mad Baker what bakes at midnight. If you know the reference I am impressed and I will mail you one Canadian dollar. I work the night shift and I dont switch around for my days off so that means that I am up either cooking or watching competitive cheerleading on tv. Hence I also take my pictures at night too. This is my fave cornbread and the calorie count is huge, but soo tasty.

The Hardware
Fry pan
Wisk
2 bowls
Cast Iron Pan 8-9 inch
(you can sub a cake pan of the same size)

The Software
2/3 cup unsalted butter, divided
1 x leek, thinly sliced (white and light green parts)
1/2 cup finely chopped sweet onion
coarse salt and freshly cracked pepper
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 tbsp granulated sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup cornmeal
2 x eggs
3/4 cup buttermilk (I do the sour milk thing with lemon juice)
1 tbsp chopped fresh chives
1 cup corn kernels
1 cup shredded aged white cheddar

The Application
In a medium saucepan heat 1 tbsp. of the butter over low heat. Add leek, sweet onion, salt and pepper. Cook for about 20 minutes, stirring frequently to stop onions from sticking. Cook until leeks and onions are very soft and just starting to turn golden. Let cool.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Place 1 tbsp. of the butter in an 8 or 9-inch cast iron skillet and heat in oven.

In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Stir in the cornmeal.

Melt the remaining butter and whisk in another bowl with the eggs and buttermilk.
Pour the wet into the dry ingredients. Sprinkle with cooled leeks and onions, chives, corn and 3/4 cup of the cheese. Stir with a wooden spoon until just combined and some flour remains visible. Do not over mix.

Swirl hot pan to coat with butter. Spread batter into pan. Sprinkle with remaining cheese. Bake for about 30 to 35 minutes or until tester inserted in centre comes out clean and edges are crispy and golden.
Let cool in pan on rack for 5 minutes. Serve hot or warm.

My Gurl and I were for a walk tonight at about 4am I love this time of day the streets are quite the air smells of bread from a local bakery. And Cats are roaming the streets looking for people to pet them... Tonights cat sat on my lap and purred... it then proceeded to follow us for a legg of our walk...

New Pizza Dough

2005-08-20T08:49:00.000-05:00

I have been tweeking my pizza dough recipe to make it a bit more fun, I also made a garlic infused oil that I spread on the pan before I put on the dough and it flavored the crust very nicely. I feel so good about making this b/c we have been living off of freezer meals and pavilion food for so long it is nice to get down to some home cooking again.

Today I hope to make my most sinful cheese corn bread, and Monday shoo fly pie day... yay... for pie

Pizza Dough

The Hardware
Large Bowl
Spatchela
Pizza Pan

The Software
1 1/2 C AP Flour
2 C Whole Wheat Flour
1 Tsp Salt
1 Tbsp Honey
1 Tbsp Instant Yeast
1 1/2 C of warm water
3 Tbsp of Olive oil
a mixture of herbs such as oregano, basil, and anything else you have Italian-ee

The Application
Mix together in a bowl AP flour, salt, yeast, oil, and herbs. In a two cup measure fill with the 1 1/2 C warm water and then add the honey, stir well. Add the honey water to the flour-herb mixture. Mix until moistened and let sit for a minute.

Now Gradually stir in the 2 C of Whole wheat flour (reserving some for roll out) Then knock out onto a floured counter and kneed for about 5-10 min.

Let rise for about 45-60 min, punch down and separate into three and let rise again.

Now roll out and place on an oiled pan and top.

Bake for about 15 min @ 400 D

Garlic Oil

In a small sauce pan heat 2 c of vedge oil, add in one bulb of garlic that has been pealed cook on LOW till the garlic become mushy, remove the garlic and let oil cool. Funnel into a cool bottle and voila.

Garlic Butter

I take the cooked garlic and place it in a bow with about 2-3 sticks of real butter and 1/2 C of parsley mix it up real good and then place into a container. This is a staple in my fridge :)

Braised Beef Brisket

2005-08-18T08:20:00.000-05:00

Hiya.. This is another recipe test dish for The Good Home Cookbook and like the potato pancakes I feel I shouldn't post the recipe. This was the most expensive roast I have ever cooked the brisket itself cost $30 But it was SOOO good. it made a wonderfully gravy. I have one more thing to make and it is Shoo Fly Pie. The recipe book is focusing on 'American' Traditional dishes and sometimes it is comical because I have never heard of Shoo fly pie.. and was quite happy after reading the ingredients list.

I have been working alot as of late, I havnt had any time for tom-cookery even thou we need bread. That big corporate wheel continues to turn.

that's it for now..

Portugal Pavilion

2005-08-16T18:08:00.000-05:00

This was a very buisy and crowded pavilion, it was extreamly hard to find parking/seats. The fair was very pricy as well for two peices of chicken it was $10.00 so we seatled for a very yummie cream horn

Struddel and Schnitzel Oh My.

2005-08-15T13:18:00.001-05:00

The Alpine Pavilion

This is the first year they have not done a Octoberfest theme. But if you are afraid of Umpa pa music you should still stay clear, this year they did 'Christmas in the Alps' theme, it was very nice, we even met Santa although he did have a bit of a tan,, I think it was from being on a lawn chair in Florida thou..

I have never had schnitzel before, and was delighted to find out it was breaded chicken, there was also spiced potatoes and sauerkraut, all very tasty. The pretzel was for my Gurl whom has a small addiction for the salty.

The deserts were also tasty, the cake had a nice shot of some kind of liquor that left me 1/2 cut bye the time I left,(I am a cheap drunk) and what is the Alps with out some struddle, the whole spread cost about 10 dollars very affordable by folklorama standards.

Chile Pavilion

2005-08-14T18:22:00.001-05:00

Not to be confused with the Chile Lindo Pavilion, They represent two different areas of this vast nation, I was able to use my ninja powers of persuasion and sneaked into the kitchen where I snapped a shot of the emphanada factory in full swing,

Folklorama came to an end on this past Saturday, we had a great time, and I still have 4 more entries to post till I have wrapped up.

on other news I have completed the Sopel chef challenge dish and sent it in, other sopel chefs please anti up..

Japan Pavilion

2005-08-12T19:00:00.000-05:00

The Japan Pavilion always rocks, The food is good, shown above is two trays one is the sushi bento and it is basic rice and vedge rolls, however there is one crab roll in there. The other is a Beef Bento it has a salad with raspberry dressing, a Maple shabo shabo beef, I think that is beef cooked in maple flavored water, and the little pastry on the side had raspberry filling and was very good.

The show was wonderful too. The highlight for me is always the taiko drumming it is so high energy. My gurl really wants to take lessons, but it is in a dodgy area of town and I work when they are so I cant go with her :(

Potato Pancakes

2005-08-11T07:42:00.000-05:00

Yay.... They are letting me test recipe's for the Good Home Cookbook this is the very first one, I am not going to publish a recipe because I don't think it would be fair to them.

We ate alot of potato pancakes as kids, I am sure thankfull now of how much gratting that must have been for mom (we were a family of 6) I know most people put apple sauce or sour cream on them, in my house however we put whipping cream on them and salt.

-end post

Nic's Bananaanadamarama

2005-08-09T13:25:00.000-05:00

This is an interesting Banana Bread that I made. I shamelessly stole the recipe form Nic and added to it. The bread itself is based on some American folklor. Anadama is the name of the base bread Nic added Bannanas to the recipe calling it Bananaanadamarama. I cant resist tampering a bit myself and added Poppy seeds to the mix, but I have not come up with a snazzy name.

I have been on holiday for the last bit, and with my Gurl at work now, I am turning into a blogging addict. I should be out mowing the lawn and such... but alas.. this is much more fun.

Banana Anandama Bread

The Hardware
Large Bowl
Spatchela
2 Loaf Pans

The Software
1 tbsp active dry yeast
1 cup warm water
1/4 cup cornmeal
1/4 cup molasses
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 cup poppy seeds
2 tsp salt
1 cup mashed banana
1 egg
4-5 cups ap flour

The Application
Combine yeast and warm water and leave to proof for 5 minutes, until bubbly. Stir in cornmeal, poppy seeds, molasses, cinamon, salt, banana, egg and 1 cup of flour until smooth. Add in the rest of the flour gradually, until the dough comes away from the sides of the mixing bowl in a ball.
Remove dough to a floured surface and knead, adding additional flour if necessary, until smooth. Place dough into a large, oiled bowl and leave to rise until doubled in size, 1 - 1 1/2 hours.
Grease two 8x4 inch loaf pans. Divide risen dough into two pieces. Flatten each piece into a 10x8 rectangle and roll up (beginning with the longer side) as you would a jelly roll. Tuck in the ends and place into one of the prepared loaf pans. Repeat with second piece of dough.
Let the loaves rise until nearly doubled, about 1 hour.
Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 375F.
Bake loaves for 30-35 minutes, until nicely browned on top and they sound holly when the bottom is tapped.Allow to cool on a wire rack before slicing

This is coppied directly from Bakingsheet

Borscht

2005-08-08T14:49:00.000-05:00

finally after about two weeks of procrastination I have made borscht. This can be a completely Vegan dish(except I used Beef broth instead of vedg broth). the good thing too is it is low calorie as well. I am just wondering how long it is will take to get the red off my hands, it looks like I was responsible for a great beat massacre. I did a lot of looking for a good recipe and kinda smooshed a few together to make this one I think it turned out very well!

Borcht

The Hardware
Sharp Knife
Vedge Pealer
LARGE! Stock pot
Blender
Spider(Asian handheld strainer)

The Software
1 1/2 lb of Cubed potato
6 Nice sized Beats Cubed
2 Red Onions Chopped
2 1/2 C of Cabbage Chopped Fine
4 Cloves of Garlic Minced
6 Tomatoes De-Skinned (is that a word?)
2 Tsp of course cracked Pepper
1 Tsp of Curry Paste
3/4 C of Fresh Dill (adjust this to taste, I like Dill)
3 Sprigs of parsley Chopped
4 C of Beef Broth (sub vedg broth for Vegan option)
4 C of Water
1 Bay Leaf

The Application
In a Large Pot Fry onion, Cabbage, potato till onion goes translucent.

Add the rest of the ingredients bring to a boil and simmer for about an hour. Once all the vedg is nice and soft, with the strainer scoop all the solid vedg into a blender, pulse on 'chop' for a few seconds and then return to the broth (I had to do it in two portions) of course if you chopped all of your ingredients uniformly in the first place you can skip this step, I found raw beats hard to work with thou. Ladle into bowls and serve. Freezes well.

Sopel Chef Challenge II

2005-08-08T11:43:00.000-05:00

I am Proud to announce the second Sopel Chef Challenge. This time there is all Four Participating siblings Myze, Soaps, Bubbles, and Myself of course. Since Myze won the last contest she gets to pick the theme for this contest...... drum roll please.... She picks "DIP: Nacho, chip,

veggie, dippity-doo, whatever, if you can dip it you can do it. No restriction

of origin, so Mexican, Italian, mom's or whatever Steven scraps

off the back of his refrigerator, it's all game as long as the previous

rules are followed ie picture required along with recipe."

The RULES
A picture and preparation techniques must be emailed to Oblio

before the 25th of August. From there she will post the pics and text on her

blog (that way there will be no telling who prepared what dish) and a judge

will decide the winner. Once again our returning judge is Watermelon

Scoring will be based on :

Aesthetics Max 5 pts-

Eatability Max 5 pts-

Originality Max 5 pts

Previous chef challenge
Dish 1
Dish 2
Winning Dish

Basic Corn Muffins

2005-08-08T09:13:00.000-05:00

This is one of my corn bread recipes, I have a much more fun/yummy/fattening one that I just don't have the ingredients for right now, but as soon as I do I will make it. I love corn muffins first thing in the morning, it is very filling and great for a car breakfast if you are running late.

The Hardware
Two Bowls
Wisk
12 Pack Muffin Tray

The Software
3/4 C Corn Meal
1 1/4 C Milk
1 C Flour AP
1/3 C Sugar
1 Tbsp Baking Powder
1/2 Tsp salt
1 Egg
1/4 C Vedg Oil

The Application
Combine the corn meal and milk and let stand for 10 min.

In a different bowl mix all the dry ingredients.

After the 10 min add the egg and the oil to the corn mixture and mix well.

Add the dry to the wet and pour into the muffin tins, bake in a 400 degree oven for 15-20 min

Very tasty the mixture can be made the night before and just baked in the morning.

Sign Up Time

2005-08-07T17:14:00.000-05:00

I have signed up to test recipies for the Good Home Cookbook They will be sending me 1-10 recipies to try out for them and give my feed back on. That is of course if I am accepted, my application is pending. If you would like to sign up click the linky recipetester@collectorspress.com

It is also time for Blogging By Mail Part 2 It involves getting a package from a far of place full of goodies made by the sender and local treats that are not availible where you live. You are also required to send a package out as well, you can request a domestic swap partner or an international one. So far there are swappers from Spain, Singapoor, Italy, US, Canada, and more. You dont have to be a food blogger to get in on the crazy trading action.. Deadline is August 19th. so get in if your gett'en.. I had tons of fun in BBM I so I highly recomend it, click the link above to find out more. FYI it cost me about $8.00 Canadian to send my package to the southern US.

end post

Indo China Pavilion

2005-08-07T09:20:00.000-05:00

The Indo China Pavilion is the most user friendly pavilion that we have been to, it is in a mall that holds a theatrical company, that is on summer break. The hot food was the normal Fried rice, mixed vedg, and spring rolls. It was the sweat table that grabbed my attention. We tried the Butterfly pastry, and the Jellied Green tea. Jelly was for sure one of the most interesting and tasty things we have tried on our trips. The butterfly pastry was incredibly flaky.

The show was very good with Martial Arts Woo Shoo style, a Lion dance, and several types of dancing.

________________________________________
The Scotland Heavy Games.

I am sneaking this in shhhh. We attended the heavy games at the Scotland Pavilion and it was a good time had by all. They did a call from the crowd to see if anyone wanted to try the Farmers Walk. Me and my gurl both signed up. Now the farmers walk involves lifting a 185 lb (men) 85lb (women) weight in each hand around a 100 foot straight line. When you get to the end you turn around and come back. I placed 3rd with 100ft even I couldn't make the corner. My gurl came in 2nd in her class with 111 feet 4 Inc..

Monday Borsht, no more procratsinaton!!

The Gurl Post

2005-08-06T08:52:00.000-05:00

I have been neglecting my blogging pastime as of the last week during that time there has been several things going on in my life. The biggest one involving my Gurl. My Gurl has gotten herself a new job working at a Bank now this isn't normally a big thing, however it is a departure from her normal Spy work, that's right I said spy b/c she works alone and spys on people working and reporting back to The Cheif fortunately no messages that she receives from CONTROL self-destruct. So back to the story at hand. She put in an application and did the interview and heard not much after that so she thought she didn't get it. But last Monday, on a bank holiday, she gets the phone call saying she got the job. This sets off a flurry of events, that include shopping for - shoes, lunch box, and clothes. In all this this makes a total of 3 jobs that she holds down now.

Of course we are still going to folklorama every night, she works 9-5 so the evenings are free. Today is her second day at work and I am finally beginning to slow down a bit... you are thinking how does this affect me? Let me tell you! I am an obsessive compulsive planner and a neat freak, so as all this kaos is happening around me away from my normal routine I try and keep up to her and help out of course this means,

Making lunches
Sending her off with a healthy breakfast
Ironing her work clothes

and I am keeping up to my normal stuff too.. I have posted a Pic of my gurl below.. I think she is Hot stuff.

Now that she is at work for the day I have a bit more time on my hands and with this I am plotting a few things.

More time gardening
More Baking Woot!
Plotting how to ambush her on her lunch and make tasty food on a portable grill in her parking lot.
I can do work on our poor car that has been overlooked for the last little while.
Home improvement projects like Painting the inside of the house and maybe renovating the bathroom down stairs.
I can finally make Borsht

I have also found a cool music site Gorillaz that plays there videos and tunes I highly recommend if you are into that kind of stuff.

Celtic Ireland Pavilion

2005-08-06T08:37:00.000-05:00

There are two Irish Pavilions every year, Last year we found out that one is MUCH better than the other. This year we whent to the party place. I was sad to find out that the Dust Rhinos were not playing this year. The place still rocked thou.. we came early because there is always a long wait. This year they put us up in the bar and we were able to watch the tail end of the preformance from the previous show.

Ehem the food uh ya.. I didnt take part in the food this year for a few reasons 1. We are watching the money situation, and 2 it is mostly deep fried fish and chippy stuff.. things I can make at home. So I took pictures. I kinda have a rule of thumb when attending pavilions, that being if I can make it at home already.. I am not going to buy it for $10 at a pavilion for it. However I wish that our trips had an alcohol Budget, I am very much into UK beers. My fave being a British Ale named New Castle. Much to the dissapointment of the entire empire thou I like my beer/ale cold.

India Pavilion

2005-08-06T08:21:00.000-05:00

The India Pavilion is always a Highlight for us it is one of the pavilions we go to every year with out fail. My main reason is the food (of course). Featured above is the menu, and what we had. It is the Appetizer/snack of two Samosas and the Chole (chick peas) and the Butter chicken meal Rice, Naan, Salad, and Butter Chicken. Butter chicken is one of my favorite things in the world, Bad for the waste line...

As always the show was high energy and explosive. I will post links as soon as my gurl puts them up for me.. (she is my main picture hoster)

The Czech and Slovak Pavilion

2005-08-06T08:00:00.000-05:00

The Czech and Slovak pavilion was good when it comes to the show and the quality of the performances, not so much when it comes to the food, Growing up in a family that has eastern European roots the food came off as very bland and uninteresting for me the menu consisted of:

Roast pork with cabbage dumplings.
Bryndozove Halusky (that is what is shown above) I think it was perogies with out the casing
Roast peppers with rice and tomatoes
Dumplings filled with strawberries
Sausage and mustard
potato Pancake
Ham Sandwich
assorted pastries

I read reports of bloggers being sued for saying negative things of restaurants.. so as my disclaimer this is my opinion only and you should go and make your own decision, I really hope no one is basing there folklorama trips based on what I say

The show was wonderfull however ,show pictures

Chile Lindo Pavilion

2005-08-02T12:33:00.000-05:00

The Chile Lindo Pavilion

Canada streaches from ocean to ocean, we have many cultures within, Chile is the same in that respect, Also there is many different foods within the country.

Above is a mosaic of all the different kinds of Empanadas availible at the pavilion. I have always loved empanadas they are the original fast food.

The show was wonderfull as well there is the devil dance that always blows me away. I wish I know how to post multiple picture in one post.

Tonight the Indian Pavilion

-end post

Philippines, Pear of the Orient Pavilion

2005-08-01T06:02:00.000-05:00

I work with a lot of people that immigrated to Canada from the Philippines, I have great respect for them and the culture. I always love the pavilion as well the shows are wonderfully. Full of Elegant dancing and Great singing.

Above is a picture of the dish we ate, BBQ pork and Lumpia (a kind of spring roll) I love taking pictures of the people working the food lines .. they have such energy and care for what they are serving. These people have been at this post for 7 hours and now at the end are still smiling.

-end post

Folklorama Kick Off

2005-07-31T13:15:00.000-05:00

Picture removed at request of the subjet.

This Saterday was the folklorama Kick off. There was an all day event at the Forks in Winnipeg, Last year was a low key kick off. This year however was a much bigger deal. There was a group of Brazilian Martial Artists, also called Capoeira, there that Rocked. As well as a Lion Dance demonstration as well. We have tickets to the World Lion Dance compitition that is being held in town too. This is the first time that it is being held out side of Asia.

I was dissapointed that there was no Ethinic food booths there, but the shows were amazing.

Sunday night.. Pearl of the Orient Philippine Pavilion Deffinate Foodie pics coming from that one.

More Folklorama Pictures

end post

IMBB 17

2005-07-31T02:07:00.000-05:00

Is My Blog Burning is an international food blogging event that is held every month. This month it is hosted over at a la cuisine The theme this month is Tea. This was an easy one for me I thought of Bubble Tea at first but I opted for a more traditional entry.

Barm Brack is a traditional Irish Fruit bread, I am 1/4 Irish so it was a dish that worked well for me. For Halloween traditionally, special lucky charms would be added to the Bracks (loaves) for the children, the lucky one receiving the slice containing the charm. Watch your teeth folks!!. For birthdays in my family my mom would put quarters into the slices of cake.

The tea that I used is from my Blogging by mail patron Samantha who got it from adagio.com. Adigio is also giving away free tea to Canadian and US food blogers for more info click here

Barm Brack

The Hardware
Loaf Pan
Large Bowl
Tea Pot
Kettle

The Software
1 C Cold tea (I used Earl Grey)
1 C Raisins
1/2 C Mixed peel
1/2 C Currents
1 C Sugar
1 Large egg
1/4 C Butter
2 C Flour
1 Tsp Baking powder
1/4 Tsp Baking soda
1/4 Tsp Salt

The Application
Combine Tea, Raisins, Peel, Currants, and Sugar in a large bowl. Cover and soak overnight.

Stir in egg and butter to fruit mixture.

Combine the flour, salt, powder, and soda in a small bowl and mix into the fruit mixture. Stir till combine well. Spoon into a loaf pan and bake in a 350 d oven for 60 min or till toothpick comes out clean. Let stand for 10 min before trying to remove from pan.

*note to silicone pan users (I am one of them)* Reduce heat to 325 and bake for an extra 20 min.

"Make honest food from honest ingredients" -Rick Kirby

Tabbouleh

2005-07-27T20:46:00.000-05:00

This is a totally Vegan Dish. I love this ever since a friend brought it over for a dinner party one day. This is the first time I have made it and it turned out well, and it made lots, this is great for me because I can have this for a quick snack before bed.

Tabbouleh

The Hardware
Knife
Large Bowl

The Software
2 C Bulgur wheat
3 C Parsley
4 Tbsp of dried mint
3 Green Onions Chopped fine
2 Tomatoes Chopped in 1" pieces
1 Cucumber Chopped in 1" pieces
1 Avocado Chopped in 1" pieces
Pepper and Cumin to taste
Juice of 3 small limes
3 Tbsp of Olive oil

The Application
Place all items in a large bowl except the lime juice and olive oil. Mix them all well and then add the lime juice and refrigerate overnight. Before serving Toss with olive oil and then serve.

-end post

'Crab' Quiche

2005-07-27T05:50:00.000-05:00

I have been flipping between Vegitarian and Meat meals as of late. I have been having my Vedge stock pile up a bit.. My latest abundance is Beats I duno what I am gona do with that. My Gurl is not too found of them.. I dont have a good borscht recipie either, My grandma is keeping that one kinda close to the cheast. Anyway back to the Quiche at hand. Traditionally quiche is a small individual size pie, this one however is made in a 10 inch pie plate. The dish comes from my Mother-inlaw She made this one up.

'Crab' Quiche

The Hardware
Bowl,
Pie Plate

The Software
4 Eggs
1/2 C of Cheddar, Shredded
1/2 C of Milk
1/4 C of Onion (chopped fine)
2 C of Pollack Flakes
1/4 tsp Dry Mustard
1/2 tsp Worcestershire
Dash of Paprika

The Application
Beat Eggs, Milk, Mustard, Worchestershire, and onion. Pour over pollack in a raw pie crust. Sprinkle with cheddar and paprika. Bake at 450d for 5 min and then turn down to 325d for 40 min.

Cauliflower

2005-07-25T21:04:00.000-05:00

This is a dish I have made several times. The first 3 times I failed, it is no surprise why, I am bad for 'Eye balling' Ingredients (however I post them straight from the source) The last few times I followed to the letter. Wow, I know that it is not very impressive, this is food for my life, tasty! Cauliflower has been a standard in my Fresh Box so this is my second choice to Aloo Gobie.

Cauliflower W/Cheese

The Hardware
Knife
Casserole Dish
Large Pot
Sauce Pan

The Software
6 C Cauliflower
1 Tbsp Butter
2 Tbsp AP Flour
1/2 Tsp Dry Mustard
1 1/4 C Milk
1 C Grated Cheddar
1/4 Tsp Salt
1/2 C Cornflake Crumbs
2 Tsp Butter, Melted

The Application
Cut Cauliflower into bite size bits. Boil and cook to tender crisp, then shock in cold water. In a sauce pan make a roux with flour, 1tbsp butter, mustard, add milk and bring to a near boil, thicken for a bout 5 min. Add chedder, and remove from heat. In a small bowl combine crumbs and melted butter, mix till combine. Put the cooked cauliflower in a casserole dish, pour cheese sauce over top, and then cover with crumb mixture. Bake in a 375 d oven for 15 min.

You need persistence, the ability to understand that with every mistake comes valuable information-Anthony Bourdain

Folklorama!

2005-07-24T13:09:00.000-05:00

It is time to Get Cultured!

It is the end of July and that means only one thing to us in Winnipeg Folklorama . This is an annual festival that has over 40 pavilion each of a different culture or nationality to visit in just two short week.

At each Pavilion there is a show that usually involves Great dancing, Or Mind blowing Taiko drumming (seen above), a cultural display from each countries home land, And of course ... FOOD.. Diet g'bye, I'm gettin out the fat pants for this one ... Everything from Samosas at the Indian Pavilion to Hagus at the Scottish pavilion.. to Vodka at the Russian pavilion. Last year we were lucky enough to win passes to every single pavilion at the kick off this year we are going back to try and win them again. However if we don't win each pavilion is gona set us back 3.75 per.

Oi!

Blogging by Mail 2

2005-07-23T07:52:00.000-05:00

Ok I sent my Blogging by mail entry and I thought I recieved my package,,, but much to my suprize I was WONG Bing bong the door bell rings and our postman hands me a package. I was totaly shocked Samantha was my real exchange partner and the previous package was a just gifty from Nic I was super shocked and Surprised.

A List of the yummies
1. Chocolate espresso Brownies
2. Cherry Biscotti
3. A LaraBar
4. Chocolate Walnut cookies
5. Loose tea, Earl Grey, From adagio.com
6. Annie Chung's Udon Soup
7. A Cd of Funky music
8. A list of Samantha's fave recipes

What to say I am over the moon.... I will deffinatly participate in the next one YOU should too Samantha will be hosting so keep an eye out for it!