morning mates

Imagine... a bagel and a package of jam all in one handy-dandy package. Hell, don't even bother imagining it. It's a complete waste of your time.

What the heck was Dempster's thinking about when they put out this "innovation"? A bagel can be bought (freshly toasted, might I add) on practically any street corner of the city. Why would I need to buy one that's been sitting on the shelves for a few weeks, packed full of preservatives, and probably stale for that matter?

(Note: no one has dared to open the package as yet.)

It's great and all that they were handing them out at Union Station today, but really, the only people that should be in line for this are the people who can't afford to buy food, and even then, they'll get a better meal at the nearest soup kitchen.

Watch out for these at your neighbourhood grocery store. Watch them flop, and watch Dempster's parent (Maple Leaf foods) take a beating in their next quarter results.

Imagine that.

using up the leftovers

Lemon lime meringue, using up the leftover lime curd and egg whites from the weekend. Not quite as good as the others because I ran out of the lime curd, but devoured really quickly nonetheless.

Conclusion: More lime curd = better cupcakes = more raves

indulgence

I'm a little hard pressed to say which one of this weekend's cupcake experiments turned out better. Cupcake A is a remake of a blueberry lime curd cake (sans blueberry) that I tried a couple weeks ago and bombed. Cupcake B is a decadent chocolate shiraz that I pulled out of a book and altered slightly.

Cupcake A, according to the cousins and the cousins' beaus, is absolutely fabulous and the best cupcake they've ever had. The cake is airy and light, and the tang of the lime curd filling is perfectly complemented by the whip cream frosting.

Cupcake B, (not yet tested by anyone other than myself at the moment) is smooth and chocolately and absolutely decadent, with the fullest hint of the shiraz that was used. Chocolate AND wine... can there be anything better? I think not. Only downer is the super-sweet water icing. I wanted it to look a certain way, but I think I'm going to have to tweak the icing a bit when I do this again. The taste of the shiraz gets a little lost amongst the flavour of pure sweetness. Still, the cake itself is amazing... and, it's pretty.

what a waste of cuteness!

So incredibly easy to make, I can't believe people actually charge $0.75 a piece! Nothing more than royal icing and a little colour, piped onto parchment paper and then stuck onto a sugarcube.

I love the effect, and want to make a lot more, only I don't know what to do with them once I've made them. Do people really eat them? Put them into their tea or coffee?

Maybe I should take orders... $0.50 a sugarcube... it's a bargain! Anyone?

cupcake math for the geek in me

+

=

&

rambutan

I can't believe it's taken me almost 30 years to try a Rambutan. Actually, I'm sure I've tried it sometime in a prior life, but I brushed it aside as a "meh" and then quickly forgot about it.

Rambutan has the texture of a Longan or a Mamoncillo (spanish lime), meaning that the flesh of the fruit is a lot more firm and chewy than a Lichee. It also means that it's a lot more work to eat one. It has a slightly more citrusy flavour and none of the tonguebiting aftertaste of the Longan... bonus.

The spiky spines are somewhat intimidating at first, but they're actually kind of soft and pose no harm when you grasp the fruit and crack it open to reveal the shiny eyeball-looking fruit inside. Eat the flesh, not the seed. I was told the seed was bitter, so I took a bite (spat it out). Found out later that it's poisonous. Whoops.


Still not a rave. More of a "meh." Nothing that I would crave and make a special trip to buy. But then again, I don't really like Longans either. It's a texture thing.

the-bear-that-walks-like-this...

The meaning behind the name of this Russian confectionary was more entertaining than the candy itself. Actually, the motions of the woman who was trying to tell me how the bear walked was more entertaining than the name of the candy.

It's a cross between a Coffee Crisp and a Bounty with nary a hint of coconut. Slightly creamy with a dark chocolate outside, it's not too bad if you're looking for a chocolate that's not too sweet. Too bad it's got that slightly chewy wafer in it that reminds me of a stale Kit Kat. Otherwise, I'd be all over that Russian teddy bear.

just because it's halloween...

... doesn't mean you can try to kill us.

Tastes like pumpkin flavoured sugar with a strange stale cookie crunch. Feels like you're biting into a mouthful of plasticine. The orange icing looks a lot like plasticine.

'nuff said.

Hurts me that I bought one when they were giving them away free at the counter.

cafe supreme...at yonge and queen

Smoked salmon and cream cheese in a whole wheat grilled pita, stuffed with just enough capers, sweet onions and black olives. Accompanied by a side of sun-dried tomatoe couscous, and a spicy asian slaw.

For under $10.

What the heck took me so long to try this place?!

Their sandwiches look amazing and their soups are better than the run-of-the-mill-fresh-out-of-the-can type that everywhere else in the vacinity offers.

Henceforth known as my new go-to place near the office (besides the Victoria St. diner, of course).

where: SW corner of Queen and Victoria, just nestled behind 1 Queen St E.

too much of a good thing

I love these little roasted crabs. I really do. But after you've played with one for a while, and posed it for pictures, it just doesn't feel right to eat it anymore.

It's just too damn cute.

where: Galleria Supermarket

tastes like crap, but comes with a SPORK

Ramen. Gotta love it.

Chef Woo^TM. Gotta hate it.

Baked, not fried (chant with me, people...ohm...), the baking process seems to have taken out all the taste and comfort of good ol' fashioned ramen noodles. All that's left is the msg "chicken" (aka salt) flavoured broth, a lot of dehydrated/rehydrated carrots that make it look healthier than it really is, and noodles that never get beyond chewy. Two bites of noodle, and a bit of broth was all I could muster.

At 190 calories for half a bowl, it's a waste of calories. Give me half a pack of Nong Shim^TM Shinramyun instead and I'm much better off. It's a few more calories and probably a lot more grams of fat, but definitely worth the extra 15 minutes on the treadmill.

Someone warned me once about these. Maybe I should have listened.

Only redeeming factor: comes with a spork... and sporks are cool

pom pom madness

Variation on a pom-pom theme

INGREDIENTS
pomegranate seeds
3-4 mint sprigs
1-2 tsp sugar
juice of half a lime
1 oz Stoli Razz
champagne

DIRECTIONS
1. muddle mint, sugar, lime (blah blah... )
2. add Stoli Razz, "juice" from muddled mixture and pomegranate seeds into a champagne flute
3. top with champagne
4. garnish with a mint sprig (if you want to get all fancy schmancy)

Pomegranate seeds will rise and fall with the champagne bubbles. For more pomegranate taste, add in a bit of fresh pom juice.

i'm going to iron chef yo' ass!

Sometimes it's because we have nothing better to do. Most times, it's just a ton of fun to get together and cook up a storm.

Today, IronChefBBQ vs. IronChefPaprika, in a rematch 10 years in the making.

Secret ingredient... pomegranates...

Pomegranate Stew with Chicken (Khoresh Fesenjan)*

INGREDIENTS
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 1/2 pounds chicken legs, cut up
1 white onion, thinly sliced
1/2 pound walnuts, toasted and finely ground in a food processor
1 teaspoon salt
4 cups pomegranate juice
1/2 teaspoon cardamom
2 tablespoons sugar

DIRECTIONS
Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Place chicken and onions in skillet, and cook 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Mix in pureed walnuts, salt, pomegranate juice, and cardamom. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 1 1/2 hours, stirring occasionally. (If the sauce becomes too thick, stir in 1/4 cup warm water.) Mix in sugar, adjust seasoning, and simmer 30 minutes more.

"Chicken, onions, finely processed walnuts, and pomegranate juice are simmered to perfection. The sauce should be as thick as a good chili. Serve with saffron steamed basmati rice. Enjoy! If you prefer, substitute angelica powder for cardamom; instead of pomegranate juice, you can substitute 1/2 cup pomegranate paste diluted in 2 cups water."

Original recipe yield: 6 servings

PREP TIME 15 Min
COOK TIME 2 Hrs 30 Min
READY IN 2 Hrs 45 Min

*recipe courtesy of allrecipes.com

this girl loves her street meat... korean styles...

Soondae aka Korean Sausage.

Discovered quite accidentally while looking for pork bone soup in North York, this tasty treat has become one of my craving staples! Made with vermicelli, green onion, garlic, rice, minced pork, and a host of other things you probably don't want to know about, soondae is a Korean street vendor favourite.

The sausage is steamed, sliced and typically comes accompanied by steamed lung and liver slices. No such luck here. The soondae I ordered was served on its own with a nice little dipping side of spice and salt. The crunchy salt grains contrast nicely with the tenderness of the sausage while the chili provides a tiny kick to enhance the subtle flavour of the soondae.

And darned it, if I could remember what hole-in-the-wall restaurant served it in the first place, I wouldn't have had to crave it for the past six months. But thankfully, I found out that Galleria makes it's own... fresh! I bought some this morning (still warm), and piglet that I am, it's already been devoured.

congee, you make everything better...

There is nothing better than a hot bowl of congee on a cold fall day. The salty warmth of the thick rice porridge is enough to sooth even the most savage of moods.

Every spoonful brings back memories of a childhood long past and of Sunday lunches filled with family, laughter and happiness.

Ladened with salted pork, conpoy and thousand-year-old-egg, every bite is wonderful and leaves you wanting more. Alas, my stomach can only hold so much...

Best: Mom's homemade
Second Best: Congee Wong

Everyone's interpretation of congee is different and it is very much subject to taste. Meats vary, fillings vary. Some places make the porridge thicker, some a little more soupy with the rice boiled down to almost nothing. Chiu Chow style looks like boiled rice water with nearly whole grain rice and little bits of meat or veggies.

Me, I like mine a little more soupy and salty than the rest of my family, so I find Congee Wong perfect to suit my congee needs... whenever I can't get homemade, that is.

My Flav Raves: salted pork with 1000yr-old-egg, chicken & duck with a raw egg, white fish & pig jello

egad... yet another food blog...

I love food, and I live to eat good food.

I don’t consider myself a foodie or even a chowhound. I don’t eschew fast food, nor do I let the critics tell me where to eat. I might let them guide me once in a while, but often times, they are wrong.

I let my cravings dictate my meals, and my meals dictate my life.

I don’t profess to be a “normal” eater and love that I have a reputation for delighting in the unusual. I’ve been known to eat pork jerky for breakfast, and snack on nori throughout the afternoon. Growing up, my mother used to give us ice-cream for breakfast.

It’s never been a question of what will I eat, more one of what won’t I eat.

I will try everything twice… even if I hated it the first time...