Sneaky Dee's

We rolled into Toronto just around dinner time last night, connected with our good friend Adam who is graciously putting us up during our apartment hunting, and went out to his #1 place to eat (I know this because it's one of the few joints I've been to with him). Sneaky Dee's serves a wicked Tex-Mex menu on the corner of College and Bathurst. It's great for it's tasty and full-sized portions, but it's even better for it's rough around the edges, noisy atmosphere. I chose the Veggie Quesadillas that came with a side of re-fried beans, rice and a delicious cilantro filled salad. It's a wonder that I also ordered a cup of lentil soup because the portions are huge. I knew this going into the restaurant, but have a weakness for lentils. The soup was tasty but I couldn't resist adding a dash of their signature habanaro hot sauce. James and Adam both took advantage of the all-day breakfast. I would have too if I hadn't already had a big breakfast that day. James picked the Hamburger Patty & Eggs while Adam went for the Steak & Eggs. Both came with home fries,toast and we're devoured long before I decided to take half of mine home. Good eats, good prices! Here's a link to the menu.

http://www.sneaky-dees.com/menus.html

Sugar-Free Recipes

Later tonight I'll gather some of our favourite sugar-free dessert recipes and post them here. I still have some unpacking to do and will hopefully find the favourites. I'll also consult my mother who is a genius at making Sugar-Free Pumpkin Cheesecake. I must also remind myself to add her broccoli salad recipe...sugar-free with vegetarian optional. While I'm at it, I have some great chowder comparisons as well.

Delayed!

Today is the first day of the Culinary Tourism Management certificate program at George Brown College. Sadly they are having technical difficulties and it will be a few more days. (sigh)

Green Tea Ice Cream

I'm sure this will be my first of many posts about green tea ice-cream. There's no better flavour. Not for me anyway. I checked to see what they were saying about Green Tea ice-cream on wikipedia. I'm sad to say, not much. I don't know anywhere you can get it in Ontario aside from most japanese restaurants. I hear that Häagen-Dazs makes a green tea ice-cream but I don't think it's available in Canada. I'll look into it. I've bought it on Vancouver Island (thank you Island Farms) and not just in a tub. There were these weird little ice-cream balls covered in a strange dough-case-thingy. I wish I could remember what they were called. So weird at first...then highly addictive. Mike, if you're reading this. The next time you're near Fairway Market in Langford, can you check it out for me? Also, it's good to know where you can get them. That's where.


One thing they did mention on wikipedia is that Barack Obama has stated that he is a fan of Matcha Ice Cream. I guess that's a neat little fact.

Matsu Sushi in Peterborough

Yesterday I drove my good friend Michelle to Peterborough. We arrived just in time for dinner and she took me to her favourite sushi restaurant. Matsu Sushi is ridiculously fun as you walk in or out the door to a chorus of "HELLOOOOO", or "THANK YOUUUU....GOODNGHT". It's a nice intimate sized room, with walls covered in polaroids of happy customers, playful pictures in crayon by the younger regulars, and a few decorative paintings. The tables are nice (and fairly private) with a few even more private booths along the wall. These booths looked pretty cozy with their curtains. We'll have to be sure to sit there next time.

At the moment, Michelle can't have raw fish and I thought I could go without, but I caved and got the sashimi sampler for $11.95. It was delicious, fresh and a great deal.
The sampler included the follwing sashimi : 6 pieces salmon, 3 white tuna, 3 tuna belly, and 3 snapper. Not bad at all!
We also ordered avocado maki, mixed pickle maki and an order of tomago sushi (which came as maki by mistake - still pretty tasty). All delicious and all at a very good price (under $5.00each).
Michelle ordered some grilled tuna with lemon and I completely forgot to ask her how it was. Maybe she'll read this and add her own comments below.

About the mixed pickle maki. It has pickled cucumber, radish and squash. I've had pickled mushroom rolls before...and they are super good, so we thought we'd give these a try. They are totally worth it and have a great crunch factor. Yum.

After we satisfied ourselves with this feast, I ordered some take-out for the folks back in Brockville. I chose the Peterborough roll (tuna, salmon and green onion with roe) and the pickled squash roll (only $3.95!!!). While waiting, we shared a bowl of green tea ice-cream topped with parsley and a maraschino cherry. Now I can totally do without the cherry, but the parsley was genius. Great combo of flavours.

This meal cost us a whopping $47. What a deal! Good sushi at a good price can be hard to find.

Here's the problem with ordering take-out. When ordering something this delicious and snackable, always order twice the amount you think you need if you're drive for 3 hours afterwards. I don't know how I saved any of this for James at home. I ate most of the pickled squash and some of the Peterborough maki. If I had to go vegetarian sushi for the rest of my life...pickled squash would make it less challenging.

I promise I will keep my camera with me from this point on.

Jay Reatard

I feel the need to post about Jay Reatard. He passed away in his sleep on January 13th at the age of 29. He was one of the best, I listen to his music nearly every day. It's his songs that get me going to work in the morning. It's his music that sticks in my head while I'm cooking. He and his songwriting will be missed.

Hey Dad! This one is for you...

Pound cake refers to a type of cake traditionally made with a pound of each of four ingredients: flour, butter, eggs, and sugar. Ta-Dah!

Cream Cheese Pound Cake

Before heading home tonight, I need to pick up the ingredients to make Cream Cheese Pound Cake. It's been almost two years since I made this cake. The best way to describe it is this...

Once upon a time, Cheesecake and Poundcake fell in love, got together, and the result was a heavy, rich and delicious Cream Cheese Pound Cake.

This recipe is sooooo simple and made from everyday ingredients you probably have on hand. The amount of mixture generally makes two cakes.

You will need:
3 c. butter
3 c. sugar
6 eggs
8 oz. cream cheese
3 c. flour

> Pre-heat your oven to 325
> Cream butter and sugar together
> Add in eggs and softened cream cheese
> Add flour and mix well
> Pour into pan(s) - you be the judge
> Bake for 1.5 hours at 325

Ohhhhh sooooo good! It's delicious served with a warm blueberry sauce.

Blueberry Sauce

1 1/2 c. Blueberries (fresh or frozen)
1/4 c. Sugar
1/2 tsp. Cinnamon
1/4 tsp. Nutmeg

Bring ingredients to a boil in a saucepan. Simmer for 5 minutes. Done!

Things I Learned Last Week

So, I'm without internet at home for the week. This entry comes from a rushed visit to the local Starbucks. This time next week I'll be back to regular daily posts.

1. Beet sugar - Sugar in Canada is also produced from sugar beets grown in Alberta. The white sugar beet is from the same family as the vegetable beetroot but contains a high concentration of sugar (sucrose) – 15 – 20% by weight. The sugar beets are harvested in the fall, and then processed to extract the sugar and separate it from the fibre, water and other non-sugar materials. Major by-products include molasses and beet pulp, which is used to produce a highly nutritious animal feed.

2. I just found out that there is a Canadian Sugar Institute. I guess that makes

http://www.sugar.ca/english/index.cfm

3. Chinese Five Spice powder formula is based on the Chinese philosophy of balancing the yin and yang in food. Although this spice is used in restaurant cooking, many Chinese households do not use it in day-to-day cooking. Star Anise is a key ingredient (I just picked some up today to try making my own five spice powder).

My time is up, or I would tell you more.

Oh, Starbucks introduces it's new loose-leaf teas tomorrow. Exciting!

Roasted Cauliflower with Garlic and Hazelnut Oil

I've probably made this healthy snack as least once a week for the last year. It's up on the list with that Candied Salmon I was writing about a few days ago. It's so easy to make and gives me an excuse to use my nice Hazelnut oil.

I'm not even going to give an ingredients list. It's too simple.
- Preheat your oven to about 400F.
- Chop up a head of cauliflower into bite size pieces and place on a baking sheet.
- Roughly chop anywhere from 2 cloves to an entire bulb of garlic (to your taste)and add to cauliflower.
- Drizzle 3 to 4 tablespoons of hazelnut oil on the cauliflower.
- Add salt and pepper to taste.
- Thoroughly mix all ingredients and pop in the oven for 30-45 minutes.
- You'll know it's done when the pieces are turning golden brown around the edges.

Enjoy this. If you love (or even just like) cauliflower, you'll make this all of the time.

*** If you don't have Hazelnut oil, may I suggest La Tourangelle. They have a variety of delicious gourmet oils including Hazelnut, Almond, Grapeseed, Walnut, Avocado, etc.

http://www.latourangelle.com

Pear and Ginger Cheesecake

I promise that the moment I find some dried pears and we've all recovered from the holiday treats, I will make this cheesecake and tell you all about it.

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/eating-well/pear-amp-ginger-cheesecake-recipe/index.html?nl=ROTD_010610_2

(I'm having a little trouble inserting links...it will be all fixed soon)

Herbal Pink Lemonade

Years ago when I was working at Bridgehead in Ottawa, I would make a pot of my favourite herbal infusion and mix it half and half with the lemonade (we juiced all those lemons ourselves back then - I wonder if they still do). If you are one of those people who loved it too, or would just like to try an absolutely delicious and refreshing iced beverage...this one is for you (and especially for LaurieCat).

In a large teapot or jug add:
- 2 teaspoons of hibiscus
- 2 teaspoons of spearmint
- 2 teaspoons of lemongrass

*Fill with boiling water, stir and let sit for about 5 minutes
*Strain the infusion into another jug suitable for the fridge
*Let the infusion cool to room temperature before storing
*When ready to serve, mix half and half with your favourite lemonade and pour over ice

Seaberry

I've been home from work for a couple of days now with an awful cold and flu. With the loss of most of my voice, you can only imagine how many cough drops I've gone through. I needed a change...so off to the cough/cold aisle in Shoppers. I found a few new options and chose the unfamiliar Seaberry Ricola. I'm no stranger to Ricola, but clueless about Seaberry. Reading the ingredients, I decide that if it goes so well with grapefruit, I'll probably like it.

Seaberry flavoured Ricola is different. It's not quite as soothing as the original Ricola, but it's bright and fruity (a welcome change from all the menthol).


This Just In
- Seaberry is more commonly referred to as Sea-buckthorn. It grows from the Atlantic coasts of Europe right across to northwestern China. In western Europe, it is mostly confined to sea coasts where salt spray off the sea prevents other larger plants from out-competing it.
- The female plants produce orange berries 6–9 mm in diameter, soft, juicy and rich in oils.
- Harvesting is difficult due to the dense thorn arrangement among the berries on each branch. A common harvesting technique is to remove an entire branch. A branch removed in this way is next frozen, allowing the berries to be easily shaken off.
- Sea-buckthorn berries are edible and nutritious, though very acidic and astringent.They are unpleasant to eat raw, unless frosted to reduce the astringency and/or mixed as a juice with sweeter substances such as apple or grape juice.

So much to learn about Seaberries. Thanks Wikipedia!

Hardy Buoys

When anyone asks me what I miss the most about living in BC, Hardy Bouys Smoked Salmon is usually near the top of the list. When asked what my favourite food in general is, it's still up there. Now, it can't be just any smoked and candied salmon. Oh no! It has to be fresh, locally caught salmon from BC. It also has to be smoked in Port Hardy, using only the most delicious authentic ingredients and pure Alderwood chips. This may sound a little extreme, but just you wait. I'm not setting anyone up for disappointment here. It's truly a special (and somewhat pricy) treat. This year for my birthday I picked up a few handfuls of Original Candied Smoked Salmon Nuggets and Maple Candied Smoked Salmon Nuggets for around $35.00. Quite the price, but worth every penny. If you're visiting Vancouver Island and happen to love salmon, do yourself a HUGE favour and pick up a couple of chunks!

http://www.hardybuoys.com

***Oddly enough, I don't like cooked salmon all that much. Just Smoked, Candied, and Raw.

What I Learned Last Week

In the spirit of Adam M's What I Learned This Week posts, I'd like to start one of my own.

1. Anise hyssop has been used by North American First Nations people as a breath-freshener, as a tea and as a sweetener. An infusion of the herb was used for chest pains, and the roots were used for coughs. (and I use it in a wonderful cookie recipe)

2. 100% of the cups at Starbucks will be reusable or recyclable by 2015.

3. Grapeseed oil has a really high smoke point which makes it excellent to cook with.

4. A solar cooker is a device which uses only sunlight to cook. Because they use no fuel and they cost nothing to run, humanitarian organizations are promoting their use worldwide to help slow deforestation and desertification, caused by the need for firewood used to cook.

5. Sweet potatoes are native to the tropical parts of South America, and were domesticated there at least 5000 years ago.

6. Banchan is a side dish that accompanies rice and soup. It can be anything from Kimchee to sauteed vegetables, tofu, cuttlefish, etc. (Korean cuisine)

Herb Wreath

What a wonderful Idea. Decorations you can eat. I must remind myself to make one of these next year.

I Love Spaghetti Squash : Part One

I worked a lot over the holidays. On Christmas Eve I made sure I had all the ingredients necessary to make one of my favourite spaghetti squash recipes. The plan was to make it for my family at some point during the four days we would all be together. Of course I was called into work after frying up the first four pancakes, so I showed my brother Trevor what to do and left him to it. I hear they were a big hit! Here's the recipe...

Spaghetti Squash Pancakes with Feta and Oregano

Ingredients:
1/3 of a whole cooked spaghetti squash
1 egg
4 tbsp. flour
3 tbsp. feta cheese
1/3 tsp. chili flakes
2 tsp. fresh oregano, chopped
salt & pepper
1 tbsp grapeseed oil

- Mix the egg with flour, salt and pepper to form a thick dough
- Add chili flakes, oregano, salt and pepper to the cooked squash
- Combine both mixtures
- Add in crumbled feta cheese (keeping the feta chunky)
- Heat grapeseed oil in the pan, scoop 1 large tbsp. of mixture and press into pan to form a pancake
- Cook on both sides at medium/high until golden and slightly crispy

Makes 6 pancakes

Culinary Tourism Management?

I've started a new project. As of this week I'm taking on certificate program entitled Culinary Tourism Management. The program encompasses a lot of what I want to get out of school and a career at the moment. This blog is where I intend to share my recipes, experiences and thoughts while working through this program and beyond. Good times.