Tuesday, November 27, 2012

Christmas cookie countdown?


I'm thinking about doing a Christmas and/or holiday cookie a day at the store during December. Do you have a favourite holiday baked good? I want to make London Fog Icebox Cookies! 

dinner ditty ~ Headache - Frank Black

Monday, November 26, 2012

This will only end in tears


I saw these in the local bargain store. I laughed, snapped the picture, posted it online, and forgot about them.

Silly me. I got helpful suggestions like, 'Jam that mutha in with a fork!' and 'Don the flame-retardant gear, keep a fire extinguisher and phone handy, and give them a try!'.

Well, since I always listen to what people tell me to do online, I AM going to give these a try. I may rethink 'jamming that mutha in with a fork', but you only live onceish, right? I'll pick up the bags this week, and see what I come up with... after I get apartment insurance, of course.

Any suggestions?

dinner ditty ~ The Night The Drove Old Dixie Down - The Band (the version from The Last Waltz... almost makes me cry)

Sunday, November 25, 2012

Perks of the job


Tomorrow, I'm making a guest appearance at a local high school. I'll be showing them how to make a quick, tasty chilli. It has chocolate in it! I love teaching children and teens how to cook. I'm hoping I'll get to do this on a regular basis. I'll post tomorrow on how it went!

dinner ditty ~ Just Like Heaven - The Cure

Saturday, November 24, 2012

Pork belly-isma


Pork belly, before cooking.

Holy feckinshitcookies, this is just too much fabulousness. My friend, Charlotte, let me know that I should try pork belly marinated in soy sauce, maple syrup, Chinese five-spice, and vegetable oil. Seeing as I had all those on hand at work, I decided to try it with my lovely meat boys* and coworkers.

I didn't measure anything, I just threw it all together, lined a hotel pan with tinfoil and a rack (it gets messy), placed the pork belly on the rack, and left in the oven (400°F-ish) until it got crispyish. 

Lord Scandinavian Jesus, it's good. Delicious. Possibly one of the best thing I've eaten all year. You should try it. You won't be disappointed. Really. 

I'm going to play around with this recipe to make it even more awesome. Any suggestions?

dinner ditty ~ Me in Honey - R.E.M.

*meat boys is a general term for my lovely meat coworkers... there are two women included in the meat boy crew. 

Friday, November 23, 2012

Street Meat Friday


Street Meat Friday is the best day of the food week! Every Friday, I make a different meat dish from around the world. Today's dish was picadillo. It was very well received. Here's the recipe!

Picadillo

1 tablespoon vegetable oil
2 medium onions, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
500 g lean ground beef
1½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon ground cloves


¼ ground cumin
1 can Aylmer Accents Fire Roasted Tomatoes
1/3 cup raisins
¼ cup blanched almonds, toasted and chopped
¼ cup tomato paste
½ cup dry red wine
1½ tablespoons honey
1 bag Cavendish Farms Rustic Red Potatoes, cooked according to package directions.

1. On medium-high heat, heat oil in pan; add onions and garlic, cook, stirring, until onions are soft. Add ground beer, cook, stirring until changed in colour.
2. Stir in spices, tomato, raisins, and the almonds, cook, uncovered, three minutes. Add tomato paste, wine, and honey, simmer five minutes or until most of the liquid is evaporated.
3. Add the cooked red potatoes to the beef mixture; stir to evenly incorporate ingredients, for about three minutes until evenly heated through. Enjoy!

dinner ditty ~ Rock Steady - Aretha Franklin

Thursday, November 22, 2012

For the love of scallops


Oh my. I don't think I've talked about how much I love scallops. People ask me all the time what my favourite food is, and I have to be honest, it's a toss-up between scallops and apple pie. They would be part of my favourite meal. I like them raw! I like them sauteed in butter! I like them wrapped in bacon! I like them in chowder! I would probably like them in apple pie.

Last week, I went to Tempo with my loves. We had the tapas and tinis. I went with the kataifi (pictured above) and the fried dough (pictured below).


Along with some lovely colourful drinks... here is the Key ~


So. Lovely! The staff is friendly, the food is fabulous and reasonably priced, and the drinks are girly and delicious. It was a great night, and it made me miss Halifax even more than I already do.

dinner ditty ~ These Days - Nico

Wednesday, November 21, 2012

Visiting friends and far too much food...


Agnes came down to Sydney for a visit! Okay, she was here for work, but I am choosing to believe that it was just to see me. 

We ate at The Crown and Moose and Governor's Pub. Both were very, very good, but the lighting wasn't bright enough to take pictures. I will go back to both places to get pictures and write a proper post.

I think it was the first time I've eaten the large sundae, but it was delicious and worth it and in celebration of Agnes' big birthday coming up this week. 

dinner ditty ~ Get the Party Started - Shirley Bassey

Tuesday, November 20, 2012

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas baking...


Candy cane brownies! How could you not love these? I used the recipe from the Inspired magazine. It is possibly the best batch of brownies I've ever made. You should make them, too! The batter is really thick, and it bakes beautifully. Should you find yourself in a brownie bake-off (yes, it happens!) you should use this recipe. 

dinner ditty ~ Fearless Heart - Steve Earle

Monday, November 19, 2012

Computer issues...

Whew! I'm in the process of getting a new computer. I'll be posting more this week!

dinner ditty ~ So Lonely - The Police

Sunday, November 18, 2012

My other brother...




It's been a fabulous weekend! Food! Drinks! Friends! Loveliness!

I'll post one at a time.

On Saturday, my old friend (old as in I've known her a long time, not old as in decrepit), Agnes, and I went to the NSDCC Designer Craft Show Christmas 2012. So much amazing talent! I can't even begin to imagine. We picked up some lovely things. We hopped on over to the Farmers' Market for more lovely things. Plum berliners for the win! 

After the market, we went up to Darrell's. Darrell's has been around for twenty years and it's pretty amazing. It's best known for its peanut butter burger. I knew right away that's what I was gong to order. 

The menu board.


The infamous peanut butter burger. 



Yup. There's the peanut butter. So. Good.


Agnes' order, the Hen Den Burger with a fabulous salad.



I love the food action shots. Agnes is a great sport! She really enjoyed her meal.


Yup, that's me stuffing my piehole.


I've noticed that most my X-ring is very prominent in all my facestuffing pictures. I'm going to start telling people I majored in Stuffngmyfaceology.

The mess after the first bite. 


Darrell's is an institution here in Halifax, and deservedly so. The service is fabulous (Becca was lovely!), the food is delicious, and the atmosphere hasn't really changed much since the place opened. I was stuffed afterwards... stuffed full of awesome! 

dinner ditty ~ Barely Legal - The Strokes. 

Saturday, November 17, 2012

Another late night and computer troubles...

I got home late tonight after another fabulous day of food and hanging out with lovely loves. When I switched on my computer, I found the power cord was no longer powering. I am able to write this post because I dug an old extension cord from my father's entertainment unit and it luckily fit in my netbook.

I'll write more tomorrow! With pictures and hopefully a proper cord!

dinner ditty ~ It's My Own Fault - Johnny Winters. I laughed so hard I almost choked at this tonight. Best friends are awesome.

Friday, November 16, 2012

Home a bit late, double post tomorrow!

Whew! I got home a bit late after a great night out. I have pictures and reviews I will post tomorrow!

dinner ditty ~ Rivers of Babylon - Steve Earle

Thursday, November 15, 2012

More food on the road!


Wild mushroom risotto. 

I had a pretty important chef meeting today. I'm pretty excited about the future of my job. After the meeting, we went out for dinner at Ryan Duffy's in Truro. We had some appetizers which weren't on the proper menu. Prime rib crostinis! Calamari! Shrimp! Fabulousness!

The risotto was very tasty, too... I'm hoping it tastes even better for breakfast. I took half of it home. 

I'm looking forward to some eating adventures this weekend. Stay toooooooooned!

dinner ditty ~ Going Back to Cali - LL Cool J

Wednesday, November 14, 2012

On the road again...


Yum! I'm away on business. I'm staying at the Holiday Inn in Truro. My old partner-in-crime, TD, and I tore up the mainland today, fueled on coffee and not much else. 

I haven't been eating much because it still takes me forever to get through a meal. I figured salad would be easy. This was fabulous... it had proscuitto, arugula, fresh mozzarella, mushrooms, and blood orange aioli. Always a win! I love blood oranges. I have to buy new cutting boards every winter because I stain the hell out of them with blood orange juice. 

Can't wait to hit Halifax. Soon!

dinner ditty ~ Hero - Family of the Year

Tuesday, November 13, 2012

Programming note

I'll be on the road for the next few days. I have a meeting on the mainland on Thursday, and I'll be heading to Halifax that night. Can't wait! I'll be eating delicious food and writing about it, so stay tuned!

dinner ditty ~ Paloma Blanca - George Baker 

Monday, November 12, 2012

Bacon hot chocolate trumps chana masala

I was fully planning to make chana masala and write about it for today's post. Well, that went out the window this afternoon after I went to Winners and saw this.


Bacon hot chocolate! This could either be awesome or totally end in tears. I had to find out.

I always make hot chocolate with milk. I think it tastes gross mixed with hot water. I don't have a microwave, so I warmed it up in a pot.




I was in Shoppers today and saw this book. I had no idea it was out. I've been waiting for this book for YEARS. Hooray!


As for the hot chocolate? It didn't end in tears! When I make it again, I'll add a splash each of chocolate syrup and maple syrup. You can definitely taste the bacon. It's a bit of a shock at first, but it has a lovely aftertaste. 

Next time you come to visit, I'll make us some!

dinner ditty ~ Icy Blue Heart - John Hiatt


Sunday, November 11, 2012

For the love of peanut butter and Mom


Behold the humble peanut butter sandwich.

I love sandwiches. I love grilled cheese sandwiches. I love ham sandwiches. I love BLTs. I even love the sixty zillion breakfast sandwiches I ate at my last job. I am an equal-opportunity sandwich lover. 

Alas, if I had to pick a favourite sandwich, it would be the peanut butter sandwich. Crunchy peanut butter on whole wheat or multigrain bread. Not toasted. No jam or jelly. No banana. The only thing I like with it is a glass of milk. 

When I was in high school, I had to bring my lunch to school. I had the same thing almost every day; a peanut butter sandwich, a granola bar, and an apple juice. My mom would make it for me (these were the days before I could cook), and she always offered to make something else. Why bother? To me, that lunch was perfection! (That said, sometimes, Mom would make me an egg salad sandwich, which was almost as delicious. She makes the best egg salad). 

I've been out of school and on my own for a long time. I can make my own sandwiches, and they taste pretty good. I still love the peanut butter sandwich; in fact, I just ate one. Sure, it took a little while to eat it, thanks to my little drama queen toof, but it was still delicious. And, yes, my mom still makes me the odd sandwich. When I moved down to Sydney earlier this year, my mom packed lunches for me, my dad, and my uncle. We tore into them once we had the truck packed up. We were so hungry and those sandwiches tasted SO GOOD that I'm sure any of us would have caused serious damage to anyone foolish enough to stand in our way of said sandwiches.

I hope she packs a lunch for me next week...

dinner ditty ~ What Ever Happened - The Strokes

Saturday, November 10, 2012

Chiffony fabulousness!

Finally! Maple chiffon pie!


Creamy broccoli soup!


Right then. 

I was invited once again for a meal at Zana's. I'm still hurty, but even if my jaw was broken and wired shut, I would have found a way to eat the pie. I went down after work and sat with the Zanas and Diane (a lovely foodie/regular customer) as Heather went out back to get me sorted for soup and pie.

I am spoiled. I was given a cup of coffee and we all giggled about how foxy Daniel Craig is as Bond. I would have been happy with just that... then the first course came. The soup was fabulous and smooth and broccoli-y and cheesy. Cream of broccoli soup is one of my favourite soups, and cheese makes everything better. There were some lovely cauliflower fritters on the side. If there hadn't been pie, I would have eaten the lot of them.

Then the pie. The pie! You should run to Zana's on George St. and have some pie. I'll wait here patiently for you to get there.

...

Are you there yet? Good. I'm sure you have at least a fatayer in front of you. Gobble that up so we can talk about the pie.

I have had lots of chiffon pie, but never a maple chiffon pie. This. Was. Incredible. When I was in my first year of culinary school, I had to make profiteroles for the black box in my baking course. I made a maple pastry cream for the filling, and was thrilled with the results. This pie made my profiteroles look like Twinkie left out in the rain. The texture was smooth, and I could practice making pie crust every day for all of eternity and my crusts still wouldn't turn out like Heather's. Her pie is in my top three of pies, which is quite a feat. 

I've eaten a lot of pie.

Next time you're in Sydney, I'm taking you for pie. Yes, you! You will love the pie, and you will love Zana's. 

dinner ditty ~ She's Got a New Spell - Billy Bragg

Friday, November 9, 2012

The waiting is the hurtiest part...

So, I'm still off my food. I just ate a piece of black forest ham rolled up with some Monterey Jack. It hurt. 

I went to see Skyfall tonight because I'm a big geeky Bond fan and I couldn't wait any longer. The only disappointing thing about the movie was my inability to eat popcorn. I went alone, which ensured I would not inappropriately laugh out loud during the Kids Help Phone ads when someone whispered something in my ear. Ahem. 

Anyhow, it was a movie without treats. What are your favourite movie treats? 

dinner ditty ~ A View to a Kill - Duran Duran

ps... I loved the movie. Loved. Loved! Anyone who knows me well and has seen the movie can pick out two things (aside from Daniel Craig and Javier Bardem) I would love to get for Christmas.

Thursday, November 8, 2012

Mrwoaf

I had a root canal today. It didn't hurt at the time, not even a little. It was just uncomfortable. Right now, my jaw is achy and I'm feeling a bit raw.

I don't really feel like talking about food right now. I had a peanut butter sandwich for supper. It was about all I could handle.

But, tomorrow... tomorrow, I shall have soup!

  Mmm. I love me some soup!

dinner ditty ~ Funky Kingston - Toots and the Maytals with Bootsy Collins and the Roots

Wednesday, November 7, 2012

Loving the loaves!


Meatloaf. 

I think all food should be loaved. Loafed? Loved!

I'm a huge fan of meatloaf. From the bog-standard ground beef, egg, milk, breadcrumbs, and seasoning, to fancier loaves with foie gras and truffles... I love it all. And I'm not alone! When I was in culinary school, meatloaf day came five times a school year. You always knew what day it was, because you would hear excited shouts down the halls, 'Hey! It's meatloaf day!'

Meatloaf day, indeed! It was the same when I worked in restaurants. Everybody still got excited about meatloaf!

Why? It's comfort food! It makes you think of running home after school, finishing your homework, playing with your sisters in the backyard, then coming in for supper. It makes you think of fighting with your brother over the last piece, which may or may not have included stabbing him in the back of the hand with your fork to get it...

Do you have a favourite comfort food? What is it? Why? 

dinner ditty ~ Sorrow - David Bowie

Tuesday, November 6, 2012

Can't type... following election

The political junkie in me is hooked on election results! Be back tomorrow...

dinner ditty ~ Rock the Boat - Hues Corporation

Monday, November 5, 2012

One of my favourite ingredients!


I love truffle salt. Love. I air-pop popcorn, and top it with grated Asiago, melted butter, and truffle salt. It is DELICIOUS. You need to try it now.

This little jar of happiness is on its way to me (or will be, at some point) from one Mr. Bear. I use it sparingly, because I never know when I'm going to run out and not be able to find some (like I just did). The last few times I bought it, I lucked out and got it at Winners. I check every time I'm there, but no luck. 

I also put it on vegetables before I roast them. So. Good.

What are some of your favourite ingredients? How do you cook them?

dinner ditty ~ Girl - Beck

Sunday, November 4, 2012

Non-foody knitty stuff


I don't only eat and cook and eat... I also knit! I'm getting my knitty stuff together for product assessment at the local centre for craft and design. i just finished this cowl. It'll be a while before I am ready to sell any of my work, but it's good to get the process started. I think it's important to have my work assessed as I am an instructor at the centre... I want to be able to put my money where my mouth is. 

Wish me luck! 

dinner ditty ~ How'd We Ever Get This Way - Andy Kim (it's cheesy, but it's been in my head all week!) 

Saturday, November 3, 2012

Feed the chef

Ham kobasa


I work in a supermarket. Much to my happiness, customers sometimes get confused and come to the store to give me food, instead of coming to the store to buy food. This has happened on more than one occasion.

Today was one of those occasions. One of my regular customers and fellow foodie was in Toronto on business. He came back with 100 kilograms of top grade ham kobasa. He brought me some to try. I thanked him profusely and tried to pay, but he'd hear none of it (note... foodies in Cape Breton are ridiculously generous). 

I took it home, snapped a photo and ate a piece with some cheese. I instantly realized two things. One ~ I need to buy fancier cheese. Two ~ I am going to give myself gout unless one of you comes over and helps me eat this glorious piece of kobasa.

My customer wasn't kidding. This is the best kielbasa/kobasa/kubasa/whatever name you know it by that I've ever eaten. It would make a few grown men I know (I'm looking at you both, Mr. Bear and Mr. MKT) weep great big man tears.

I'm going to make some marinated olives (I'll post the recipe and pictures when I do) and chutney, get some fancy crackers and cheese, and have a fabulous charcuterie board. Let me know if you would like to join me and we'll sort out something. Since this lovely kobassa was shared with me, I'd love to share it with you!

I also need to get some of this and make some banoffee pie. Yum!

dinner ditty ~ Can't Stop - Red Hot Chili Peppers

Friday, November 2, 2012

Maple chiffon pie and the obsession with staff meals

I am obsessed with staff meals. 

It is my dream to walk into a restaurant and be asked to join in the staff meal, as they sit around and eat delicious food not found on the menu. The picture above is of mohinga, a Burmese dish. 

There is a restaurant in Moncton, Delightfully Delicious, owned by a Burmese family. It's a Japanese restaurant that serves some of the best Thai food I've ever eaten. I used to go there with my coworkers. We all ordered the same things; I used to get the avocado salad and Pad Siew. YUM. 

I was talking to the owner one day and asked him if they ever served mohinga. Mohinga is a fish soup with rice noodles. It's pretty much Burma's national dish; they eat that tastiness for breakfast.

He told me they only have it as a staff meal, because he didn't think it would appeal to the fine folks of Moncton. He asked me to leave my number, and he promised me he would call me the next time they had it. A few weeks later, I got the phone call. I went down on a Sunday afternoon and they sorted me out with some mohinga.

It was fabulous! It tasted like I was back in Burma. I was very much happiness. They gave me some to take with me when I left, and refused to let me pay for any of it. 

I was the happiest girl in Moncton that day.

Today, I went into Zana's Diner to try some of their maple chiffon pie. They had none left, which doesn't surprise me because it sounds amazing and I should have gotten there sooner to try some. I mean, it's pie! I knew they were making it; Zana told me the other day!

I didn't have any time to be upset about the lack of maple chiffon pie, because I was invited to sit down to have some of the staff meal with Zana, her mom (also Zana!), Heather (the pie maker and server extraordinaire), and a regular customer. I had homemade cheese and homemade flatbread. I had Swiss chard (from Zana's garden!) lentil soup with garlic and noodles. We talked about food and Syria and cooking and other stuff that makes me happy. It was lovely. 

I will be going back for some kibbe and maple chiffon pie as soon as I can. 

I tell you, this move to Sydney was a good one.

dinner ditty ~ A Quick One, While He's Away - The Who

Thursday, November 1, 2012

Gyoza for the win!


Gyoza! Whenever I get homesick for Japan, I pick up some Japanese pork dumplings from Bento, the sushi shop at work.

This is what they look like when you buy them ~ 



You could heat them up in the microwave, but then they would taste like sadness. I don't own a microwave, so it's not an option. Here's how I heat them up so they taste just like they do in Japan.

I heat up a dry frying pan ~ 


I heat them for a minute or two, just until they brown and crisp up on the bottom. 


After I check them, I make sure they're sitting up properly. Please ignore the burn on the back of my hand. Stoopid oven rack.


I add a splash of water and return the pan to the burner.


I cover the pan and let the dumplings steam for another minute or two, just until they're a bit soft. They take very little time to heat up.


I throw them on my $1.86 koi plate and eat them with chopsticks. When I heat them up this way, they taste just like they did when I would buy them under the train tracks in Japan. Bliss!



You need to try this at home. You won't be disappointed! Please don't heat them in a microwave. Please. 

dinner ditty ~ Let's Groove - Earth, Wind & Fire

It's November!

It's November! In my old blogs, I tried to post every day in November. Wish me luck!