Burger King FREE Breakfast Sandwich

I’ve never tried BK’s breakfasts and opted for the “healthier” english muffin ($3.54) rather than their croissant. Tastes like McDonald’s but juicier, and since I haven’t eaten that in 10 years, it tasted better than my memory of McD’s. Plus, being FREE made it taste even better! Only 5 people were ahead of me at 10:30 am, Ironwood location. No one else had the coupon.

2 Thumbs Down on Fruit Chips

Everything was bland except for bananas, and we saw about 2 pieces of pineapple in the entire bag, nevermind seeing all that was shown on the front photo. Will not be trying this brand again.

Wang’s Shanghai Cuisine

Like a pilgrimage, we sought the source of reputed dumplings in Crystal Mall, Bby. It’s on the upper floor, last stall, surrounded by clients willing to wait for freshly made dumplings. The filling exploded with juices and the taste was so home-made! The dumpling photo is short 2 because it was all we could do to restrain ourselves from eating it all before a photo could be taken.

Costco: Blue Diamond Smokehouse Almonds

Sold in US for $9.71 (38 oz / 2.4 lb / 1 kg). So addicting and haven’t gotten tired of them yet.

Dollar Store Bags

Can you imagine the heartbreak when i had packaged my biscotti up in these beautiful snowflake dollar store bags only to have them split on me and then having to clean them all out of the gift box? I didn’t have anything else for xmas at the time, so resorted to using the white ribbon generic one. I noticed right away the huge difference in thickness and material. Later I found more strong cellophane versions (snowman and holly, 20 each for just $1.50) at a dollar store in Metrotown near Zellers. Wish I kept the packaging of the blue snowflake so I’d know to avoid that brand in the future…

Tamarind Candy

I prefer the brand on the right. Found it at Henlong Market at 104 ave + 144 Street, Surrey.

Burgoo

Butter Chicken – thumbs up! Mac N Cheese: very heavy; Burton’s version is better.

Kentucky Burgoo. Corn chowder soup and chicken clubhouse sandwich.

And the combo that has us coming back for the 3rd time:
corn chowder and grilled cheese sandwich

Italian Chestnut Cutter

Saw this last February on the far back wall amongst the gazillion gadgets sold at Gourmet Warehouse. I was told by an employee that they are sold out by xmas and hard to re-stock because it comes from Italy. Finally unveiled and promplty used at xmas, my giftee pronounced the invention amazing and opens the chestnuts extremely well. I’m looking forward to taking photos of it in action.

Thai Green Curry Rub

Did you know that you can use Thai green curry paste as a chicken rub? I had no idea until a friend bought me a big tub of paste (Aroy-D) and told me about it!! It’s amazing! Just wash your chicken pieces, salt and pepper them. Rub the green curry paste all over on both sides and bake in a casserole dish at 375 degrees for 45 minutes. I also shut my oven off after 45 minutes, then left chicken in there for an additional 15 minutes and the chicken went super tender. Almost fall-off-the-bone tender!

Thai Green Curry paste as chicken rub on free run chicken thighs (bone in). Delish!!

Meloty

Hong Kong tea in a Victorian setting, complete with ornate iron gazebo sitting areas and fine china inducing the pinkie pointing while sipping tea and infusion coffee. Intended to go for waffles because they are somehow different from infamous fluffy Takeuchi recipe, but they are served at 2 pm.

#1161-8328 Capstan Way
Richmond, B.C.  V6X 4B4

Tel: (604) 214-4691
Fax: (604) 214-4692

http://www.meloty.net

Duck linguini was not overly creamy. Focacia sandwich and wraps were thumbs up as well. Swiss chocolate coffee was very smooth. Apparently an special pot boils the water from below and filters upwards, then filters again on the way back down while cooling, yeilding a smoother cup of coffee (at $8 I savored it slowly). Iced coffee with ice cream was a tad sweet, but maybe in contrast to my Swiss coffee. Darling salt and pepper shakers were nice ratio next to their honey pot.

Overall a wonderful place to sit and chat quietly with lots of room – certainly a treat.

Biscotti 2009

Sheer brilliance! Starbuck’s Via instant coffee is a perfect addition to these (oh god, can’t I make room in my cupboards?) beautifully ornate coffee mugs – this year’s vessel for biscotti batches.

This year, there are TWO new flavors! 1st: Café mocha (1 Via package / 1/2 cup dark chocolate chips for half batch of biscotti dough). As I worked the dough, the instant coffee started to melt and marble. Too bad it’s not as visible after baking.

2nd: Coconut Lime (3/4 cup coconut / zest of 1/2 lemon for half batch of biscotti dough). Sadly the festive lime color is muted, and next time I’ll use the zest of a whole lime for more punch.

If you look closely, there are brown freckles on the dough – it’s from using the Organic Cane Sugar rather than refined white. I find it less sweet and quite like that.

Pomelos

Every person I’ve asked “How do you choose?” has responded “Choose the heaviest”, but my wise mom-in-law clued me in that the Thailand ones are sweetest. It was described as “Red Pomelo” at T&T, sold for $3, and has a label stating “HK”. It’s a little smaller than the ones from China and the sections are distinctly pink at the outer edges – sweet, not a hint of tang, mildly floral, and very easy to peel.

Came across another called “Honey Pomelo” in a Vietnamese store in Surrey (same price), but didn’t know where it was grown. Not as sweet as HK, but very flavorful nonetheless.

Meok Ja Gol Korean

Tried smaller dishes on their menu since it was just two of us eating this time. Bee Bim Bab, Noodles, and Potstickers along with condiments. Although not the array of their BBQ menu, very satisfying.

Cono Sur – 2 Thumbs Up

Waffle Cookies

OK, I tried it and now I can let it go. My first attempt at making a waffle cookie with a splotch of dough in the middle ended up falling apart into 4 mini sections. So rather than fight it, I decided to make 1 huge waffle cookie and let it fall apart on purpose because then I’d be done faster anyway. It certainly looks appealing but it’s kinda dry, and the waffle iron ends up quite messy. Overall, I’d rather stick with a cookie sheet.

Meok Ja Gol Korean

The best Korean dinner we’ve ever had! Charcoal tubes are lowered into their grill and skewers automatically rotate, making a smokeless environment and the juices sealed in. The marination is lighter than most restaurants, so I taste the meat more.  The waiter had our meal timed to perfection, removing the meat from the skewers and cutting, then placing on the grill top to continue cooking if you wanted your beef well done. It was certainly more relaxing than having to be concerned about it yourself.

Dumplings were gone in a NY second. Grilled mackeral was crispy all the way to edges. Eel was tender and fought over to the last piece by the boys.

Fried noodles (Jap Che)  were a little sweeter than I’ve usually had, but was still tastier than most. Nothing comes close to my friend’s mom’s homemade version, but it’ll do nicely. The pancake was loaded with seafood and the texture was so light and fluffy, it prompted compliments from the first bite.

Seating was very roomy – so much more comfortable and all the better to reach for that last rib! The charcoal takes about 1/2 hour to prepare, so it was a good thing we called ahead and had them start. The “MJG Dinner BBQ Combination B” feeds 4-5 people for $100. In our case, it fed 2 couples and 2 boys, and everything was polished off except for one slice of pancake. It was very filling and extremely satisfying. Even if you don’t have enough mouths to experience the self-rotating charcoal dinner, the flavors and quality of the other dishes alone will have us coming back for more.

Meok Ja Gol: 4992 Newton Street (and Kingsway), Burnaby, BC (604) 436-5005

Make Cookies in 90 Seconds with Your Waffle Iron

Martha’s version:

http://www.marthastewart.com/recipe/chocolate-waffle-cookies?autonomy_kw=cookies%20waffle%20iron

Fine Cooking’s version:

http://www.finecooking.com/recipes/oatmeal-chocolate-chip-waffle.aspx

Karen’s Beans

I admit I use the word “cute” a bit too often, but just look at how the pink and prussian blue variegation go so well together. This is from Karen’s garden, which we’ve been plucking from and saying “THANKS” to before our meals.

The Galley

The Galley Patio & Grill

1300 Discovery Street
Vancouver, BC V6R 4L9
(604) 222-1331

Fries are nothing to write home about, but the $10 burger was very tasty with a view we take for granted here.

Sponge Pizza Dough

Book: Pizza Doughs and Crusts

This savory crust has an intriguing light texture that works with almost any topping.

Yields 4 large 8-inch pizzas.

Greek Garlic Pizza Dough

Book: Pizza Doughs and Crusts

Flavorful garlic and Greek Kasseri cheese lend a tantalizing taste and aroma to this matchless pizza dough. If Kasseri is not available, substitute it with freshly grated Kefalotiri, Bitto, Grana Padano, or Sardo.

Speedy Pizza Dough

Book: Pizza Doughs and Crusts

The fastest of my pizza doughs, Speedy Dough can be prepared from start to finish during the 30 minutes it takes for the oven to preheat. The recipe calls for rapid-rise yeast, and the dough is kneaded for leass than a minute and rises only briefly. The result, surprisingly is a wonderful crisp, light crust.

Roscan’s Pizza Baking Stone

You can now achieve at home the same great pizza you enjoy at your favorite pizzeria. The Roscan pizza baking stone is made of natural stoneware providing even heat distribution and moisture absorption to make lighter, crispier crust on your pizza.

Olive Oil Pizza Dough

Book: Pizza Doughs and Crusts

Adding olive oil to pizza dough, creates a thick, hard crust with a cake-like texture. This dough is ideal/or toppings that are very moist.

Thick & Creamy Yogurt

If you like super thick yogurt (almost sour cream consistency), this one is awesome. I first tried the Black Cherry flavour and it reminded me of ice cream. It’s not super sweet, but super creamy.

Liberte Mediterranee (greek style thick yogurt)

Available at Whole Foods and IGA. I recently discovered coconut flavour (has bits of shredded coconut in it) as well as hazelnut (which I haven’t tried yet). Aprox $4.50 at Whole Foods (sometimes on sale for $3.69) (Cdn) 500 g.

Burnaby Farmer’s Market

Burnaby Farmer’s Market

Every Saturday 9 am – 1pm, June 13th – Oct 24th
North Parking Lot at Burnaby City Hall, 4949 Canada Way at Deer Lake Parkway

We’ve tried the Italian and Garlic Sausage – both very full of flavour. 4 links of sausage for $12. While frying the ground beef for fried rice, it had none of that metallic “je ne sais quoi” smell found in other mass produced meats. It was also ground into textured pieces, not mushed-ground. Haven’t tried the lamb or pork yet (below).

Evaporated Cane Juice

We prefer the taste of natural sugar over white sugar, because it’s not as sweet and has a lighter taste. We saw this first in Costco USA and bought it try. The equivalent is so expensive in Canada. It took us over a year to see it again in Costco – so this time we bought 4 bags for $8 each.

Fish Ice Cream

First time I saw this in Uwajimaya, Seattle, it was so soothing after our long ride down from Vancouver on a hot day. Vanilla ice cream sidled next to red bean and covered with a soft waffle shell protect your teeth from freezing – what can be more blissful? Now I’ve found it at Great Two Supermarket 2760 Kingsway, Vancouver, BC V5R 5H5‎ – (604) 433-8132

Pita Factory

Do not re-adjust your monitor. This really is how much pita you get for $1. Blueberry bagels for $2.25 (I think they were previously frozen tho). Don’t forget they also sell fajitas.

Finally went there myself yesterday and couldn’t believe how many people came and went like a turnstile at PNE opening day.

PBF Pita Bread Factory Ltd.

7070 14th Ave. Burnaby
(604) 528-6111
www.pbf.bc.ca

Open 8-4 daily, closed Saturdays.

Google Map

Veggie Crisp from Costco

Got these in US Costco ($5.50 I think), but survey says they prefer IGA’s version more.

Boomer’s Drive In

Our first “drive-in” experience came with waffle fries from www.boomersdrivein.com

Stuffed Pork Tenderloin

I found a recipe at Canadian Living the other day and meant to test it out. But their website was down. So from what I remembered in the ingredients, I improvised and I think I did pretty good, if not better then the original.

Serves 2 to 4

Ingredients:

one pork tenderloin (approx. 1 lb)
1/2 jar (approx. 1/2 cup) of olive oil soaked sundried tomatoes with capers
1 tbsp. of capers
1/2 cup of black olives
1/2 cup of flat leaf parsley
1 head of garlic
1/2 cup of olive oil from the sundried tomatoes
salt and pepper to taste

1. Combine all the ingredients except the pork tenderloin into a food processor. Puree until it looks like a paste.

2. Butterfly the pork tenderloin lenghwise, be careful not to cut through the meat.

3. Spread about 4 tablespoons worth of the paste on the tenderloin.

4. Secure the pork with butcher twine (or toothpick)

5. Place on greased grill over medium heat (approx. 350′c) and cook for about 15-18 mins, turning occasionally. Remove from heat and let meat rest for about 5 mins. before serving.

Helen’s Food Finds

City Fresh Market
128-8171 Ackroyd Road
Richmond, BC V6X 3K1
(604) 244-8300

• Fresh CRABS cheap (staff speaks limited English)

Name Unknown
South West corner of Kingsway and Fraser
small corner grocery store next to it

• Fresh SPOT PRAWNS

Famous Food
1595 Kingsway (near Rona across from White Spot)
Vancouver, BC V5N 2R8
(604) 872-3019

• Frozen whole CHICKEN (non-medicated, natural feed) on sale for $1.99/lb

Kadoya Sesame Oil

H Mart carries Kadoya sesame oil, and it’s got an ingenious spout that prevents the backsplash glug glugging drama.

Simon’s Fruit Drink

2 cans Lychee, sliced (save 1 can of the juice)
1 can Jackfruit, sliced
1 can Palm’s Seed, sliced
1 can Arroy-D Coconut Milk
1/2 jar Buenas Sugar Palm Fruit, sliced
1/2 tsp salt
12 ice cubes

Mix all ingredients, add ice cubes, and enjoy cold.

Blueberry Pie

Tried the “Rita’s Simply Blueberry Pie” recipe and it worked very nicely. I was surprised by how wet the dough was, but it worked well. However, I’d double the salt to 1 tsp next time instead.

Tamako’s Tandoori Chicken

• Chicken Thigh         1lb (500g)
• Plain Yogurt            60cc
• Honey                     1tbsp
• Curry Powder            1tbsp
• Ketchup                  1tbsp
• Cooking Oil              1tbsp
• Soy Source               1/2 tbsp
• Garlic minced or grounded    1/2 tsp
• Salt                         1/4 tsp
• Black pepper              pinch
• Nutmeg                    pinch

Remove fat from chicken and cut into small size.

Mixed all the ingredients.

Marinate the chicken about 2 to 3 hours.

Bake in the oven (400˚F) or BBQ them.

Sprinkle salt over for the taste if you desire.

Blueberries

Cherries 2009

This cherry pitter was purchased in Rome in a kitchen supply store, after hunting and testing numerous ones. The handle is secure, not wobbly, and the spring felt very smooth. It can also be used to pit olives. It makes eating a mouthful of cherry true joy because you don’t need to fuss with the pit. Also found a twin cherry, which my cat enjoying smelling.

Simon’s Korean Beef Skewers

Requested by popular demand, Simon has finally measured his marinade for striploin beef skewers. Marinate 6 hours or overnight.

• 2 Costco striploin steaks, sliced against the grain, 4-5 strips, 1/8″ thick
• 1/4 cup sesame oil
• 1/4 cup soy sauce
• 3 tbsp honey
• 1 tbsp sugar
• 1 tbsp garlic, minced
• 1 tbsp ginger, minced
• 2 stalks green onion, minced
• 1 pinch sesame seeds
• 1/2 tsp salt

Thomas Haas for brunch

Good thing they’re so far away from us.

• Moroccan Chicken Panini: Moroccan spiced chicken breast, Fuji apples, toasted almonds, watercress, havarti cheese and mayonnaise on organic ciabatta
• Double Baked Almond Croissant
• Café Mocha

Edamame Dip by Alton Brown

Prep Time: 15 min
Level: Easy
Yield: about 2 cups

Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

Michele’s modifications: 1 packet Vanilla Sugar, 1 cup pecans, substitute with cane sugar (Panella), and extra large raisins (pre-soaked). Warning: they disappear in a day. Crispy yet chewy.

36 cookies

Cookie science

What makes a cookie chewy, soft, crunchy, cakey or crispy? This article helps explain. – Michele.

Memphis Blues Dry Rub

Well, the BBQ weather is here and time to fire up the grill!! I found this in Memphis Blues cookbook by George Siu and Park Heffelfinger. Lots of fantastic recipes in this book. You must pick one up for summertime cooking!

From the cookbook:

A dry rub is a mix of herbs and spices rubbed on a cut of meat before it’s barbecued. Some people rub the night before and refrigerate, while others rub just before they put the meat in the pit. The choice is yours.

Pear Tree

More of a visual diary: Lamb (tender, not gamey, but still heavy meaty taste) with grilled scallops (a tad dry). Halibut brioche (yes you can taste all that butter), beans (very young and tender), and tomato jam. Dessert: Ganache with oranges and chocolate orange sorbet. I’m not a huge fan of mixing chocolate and orange, but was convinced they know how to do it right here.

Pita Factory

$1.75 for 3 stacks of fajitas!!! Can’t beat this deal. Just freeze the rest.

PBF Pita Bread Factory Ltd.

7070 14th Ave. Burnaby
(604) 528-6111
www.pbf.bc.ca

Open 8-4 daily, closed Saturdays.

Prawns, Spotted in Vancouver

What the stickers on your fruit tell you

This website, http://www.earthyfamily.com/A-GMO.htm, shows you how to tell whether the fruit you’re buying is organic, genetically modified or is grown conventionally.

Basically, the first number on the stickers of the fruit tells you the following:

4 = conventionally grown

8 = genetically modified

9 =  organically grown

Chocolate Caramel Crack(ers)

From SmittenKitchen.com

My friend made these and posted in her Facebook. They look so incredibly delicious, I’m scared to make them for fear I will eat them all…

Chocolate Caramel Crack(ers)
Adapted from David Lebovitz, who adapted it from Marcy Goldman who is the genius that first applied this to matzo.