Food Mamma

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Food Mamma is 5!

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It’s my birthday! It’s the perfect day to start celebrations for 5 years of Food Mamma. Q was in diapers when this blog was started. Now he is talking about starting a blog of his own. Time sure does fly!

Food Mamma has been a great outlet to share my love of food and family. Thanks for all your support and your feedback – it is always welcomed and appreciated!

To help celebrate, I have teamed up with some awesome sponsors for some great giveaways! For the next two weeks, be sure to check back often for your chance to win some delicious prizes! To be sure you don’t miss out on any chances to win, be sure to follow me on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and Pinterest.

A huge THANK YOU to Cococo, Chocolaterie Bernard Callebaut, Earls Kitchen + Bar, Edo Japan, President’s Choice and Smashburger for your generous prizes!

Let’s start off with a giveaway. Leave a comment on my Facebook page letting me know how you celebrate birthdays. All comments posted until March 21st will be entered into a draw. Good luck!

banff springs hotel eats

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After a hard week of moving, I am dreaming of an escape. I loved my little getaway last month to the Banff Springs Hotel. Although I was there for work, I was able to enjoy a lot of what the beautiful hotel had to offer. Finding a place to fill your belly was an easy task with all the dining options available. There were so many places to eat, there are still a lot more places I have yet to visit. Here are the few I was able to check out.

In-Room Dining
I was exhausted my first night and in-room dining seemed the way to go. I made a great choice with the Grown-Up Mac and Cheese.  The decadent pasta contained lobster, foraged mushroom and truffled Boursin cream. It was rich and was the perfect bowl of comfort food.

Samurai Sushi Bar and Restaurant
This popular sushi restaurant located close to the spa is one you definitely want to make reservations for. I was able to get room at the sushi bar and enjoyed a couple of rolls. Definitely helped with my sushi craving.

Castle Pantry
This deli in the hotel was perfect for grabbing something quick and delicious. I had heard lots about the seafood chowder – filled with fish and shrimp. Definitely a must try. Hubby had the chili and was delighted with the meat-filled dish.

Rundle Lounge
Afternoon Tea is a must try, located on the second floor of the Rundle Lounge. It’s a great way to spend the afternoon. Read more about it here.

The restaurant is also a great place for lunch. We ordered the Lamb Donair Flatbread which had hummus, onion and was topped with yogurt. It was cheesy and delicious.  We also tried the Surf & Turf Roll, minus the bacon. The sandwich was filled with lobster, shrimp, scallops and smoked salmon – the perfect dish for seafood lovers. Served with a side of sweet potato fries, our meal was filling and delicious.

I’m looking forward to my next visit to the castle in the mountains!

joey’s urban – chestermere

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It’s been a crazy week! We sold our house and had just a week to pack up, put our things in storage and move out. It’s amazing how much stuff you can accumulate in nine years! I am so thankful we had our family to help us out. I think we all agree that moving is not something we want to do again any time soon!

We were lucky to have Joey’s Urban open up in Chestermere last week. Dinner most days was take out, something fast and easy. The new addition to the neighbourhood gave us a new place to try out and order from.

I stopped in to pick up our order and was greeted by the owner, a friendly face behind the till. The place smelled great and just walking in made me hungry!

We ordered fish and chips and fish tacos. The food was great, the fish nice and light and crispy. The tacos were packed with flavour, topped with a delicious pico de gaillo. Everyone was impressed with the taste and quality.

Looking forward to going back!

willow stream spa

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Just over an hour away, is a sanctuary for any tired mamma. Located in the Banff Springs Hotel, the Willow Stream Spa is the perfect place for some R and R. Hubby and I took advantage of a kid free weekend and enjoyed some time at the spa.

With most spa services, hotel spa access is complimentary. Spa access allows you to take advantage of the 3 waterfall treatment whirlpools as well as the mineral pool and the outdoor whirlpool. Even if you don’t get a treatment, you can relax the day away in the sauna, steam room and inhalation room.

There’s even a co-ed resting lounge where you can hydrate with flavoured water and enjoy some snacks like cookies and granola bars. The granola bars are my fave and the attendant happily brought me some when I noticed they were not out. They are the best! You can even order some lunch, relaxing in your robe.

It was such a great day and a much needed break. I can’t wait until my next escape!

2-ingredient nutella brownies

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Hello March! You came by too quickly but we are very happy to see you! March is birthday month (yay?) but also Blogiversary month! It’s been 5 years since the creation of Food Mamma. We will be celebrating all month long with giveaways from some awesome folks – more on that to come!

When I saw the post about brownies with only 2 ingredients, I was intrigued. When I learned that one of the ingredients was Nutella, well, I just had to try it for myself.  The recipe called for 4 eggs, I had 3 and I still needed to make breakfast. I used one egg for french toast and the other 2 to make a small batch of these brownies.

With two ingredients, the batter came together quite quickly. The waiting for the brownies to be baked and cooled, well, that seemed like it took forever. Q came into the kitchen every five minutes, is it done yet?

To make it look pretty, I did add powdered sugar, but you don’t have to. The brownies were dense and fudgy and oh so good. I kind of wish they weren’t so easy – it’s a dangerous recipe to have!

2-Ingredient Nutella Brownies
Recipe from Diethood

4 large eggs
1 cup Nutella

Preheat oven to 350.
Line an 8×8 brownie pan with parchment paper; set aside.
Place the eggs in your mixer’s bowl and beat for 5 to 7 minutes, or until the eggs have tripled in size.
Heat the Nutella in the microwave for 60 seconds. Remove and stir.
Slowly pour a stream of the warm Nutella over the eggs, beating until mixture is thoroughly combined.
Pour batter into prepared pan and bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out with very few crumbs.
Remove and let completely cool before cutting.
Dust with powdered sugar.
Cut into bars and serve.

afternoon tea at the banff springs hotel

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We are so lucky to have the mountains so close to us. With Banff just an hour away, I always feel like we should go more often. One of Banff’s gems is the Banff Springs Hotel. Like a castle among the rockies, this historic hotel is one which we love to visit.

While at a conference there a couple of weeks ago, I had my afternoons free to do what I pleased. I decided afternoon tea for one was in order. Afternoon tea was on the second level of the Rundle Lounge. The view was absolutely stunning!

There was a whole list of teas to choose from, ranging from the classics like Orange Pekoe to some fun ones like Bubble Gum. They had a tea cart holding all the choices and they happily obliged when I wanted to smell them all. I decided to be safe and enjoyed the Earl Grey.

Before the tea even arrived, my lovely server brought a bowl of fruit to start, a palate cleanser.

This was followed by a couple of warm scones served with clotted cream and strawberry jam. Scones and clotted cream – yum!

Next came the three tiered tray filled with sandwiches and dessert. The sandwiches were so tasty and included egg salad, smoked salmon, heirloom tomato, grilled vegetable and waldorf  chicken. These were so good and were more than enough to fill me up. My favourite was the smoked salmon and the grilled vegetable.

Tea service ended on a sweet note with a variety of desserts. Coffee macarons, french Madeleines, cake on a stick and little tarts were part of the finale. By the time I was done, I was stuffed and satisfied.

 It was a great afternoon with a great view. Definitely an experience I’d like to have again with hubby or with some girlfriends.

pampa brazilian steakhouse

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We are so lucky to have some great new restaurants in the city. One of the new additions to Calgary is Pampa Brazilian Steahouse.  I was lucky to be invited to a media dinner for the new restaurant and try out their amazing offerings. This restaurant is every meat lovers dream!

We were greeted by owner Oscar Lopez, who welcomed everyone with a drink – either Caipirinhas or Guarana, Brazilian sodas.

Chef Joao gave us a bit of history before we were treated to a delicious meal. The buffet was unlike any one I have seen at a Brazilian steakhouse. The variety of items was astonishing – from salads and vegetables to beef carpaccio and a wheel of parmesan. Definitely something for everyone.

The meat – oh my! Here’s some of what we enjoyed: marinated chicken thighs, garlic steak, top sirloin, bottom sirloin, ribeye and lamb chops. My absolute favourite was the house specialty – Picanha. Also known as beef rump, it was sooooo tasty and melted in my mouth. The food was delicious and the meat made everyone at the table quite happy.

The evening ended on a sweet note – passion fruit mousse with a red wine reduction and chocolate mousse with an orange and star anise reduction.

The place was fantastic, the food was delicious and I can’t wait to go back for more!

lentil cookie bars

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Any chance that I can add a secret ingredient to up the nutrition factor in an otherwise non-nutritious recipe, I’ll happily take it. I loved the idea of adding lentils to one of our favourite cookie bars. These cookie bars have a cup of lentils added to the crust but you would never know! The addition of fibre via the lentils make me feel a little less guilty in indulging.

These bars were so good, they didn’t last long! They were perfect with a glass of cold milk.

Lentil Cookie Bars

20 Maria Biscuits
1 cup cooked lentils
1/4 cup softened butter
1/2 cup condensed milk
1 cup flaked coconut
1/2 cup chocolate chips
1 cup pecan halves

In a food processor, pulse together the biscuits, the lentils and the butter until well combined. Press the mixture into a parchment lined 8″ x 8″ pan. Cover the bottom layer with condensed milk and top with coconut and chocolate chips. Add the pecan halves. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes. Let cool before digging in.

lemon ricotta crostini with crispy lentils

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It’s Oscar Sunday! Although I haven’t seen a lot of the nominated movies, it’s a great excuse to have a party. If you’re looking for an appetizer, here’s a tasty one!

Toasted baguette rubbed with garlic topped with a refreshing ricotta spread that’s brightened with lemon and basil – yum!. This crostini is complete with a topping of crispy lentils. The ricotta makes it nice and light while the lentils add some crunchy substance.  It was hard not to eat them all myself!

I became a fan of crispy lentils after trying it on a pasta dish at the Food Bloggers of Canada Conference. They are so easy to make, just tossing some cooked lentils in the oven with a little bit of olive oil. It took about 25 minutes and a couple shakes throughout the process. The crisped up lentils are great on their own but perfect as a topping.

What are you serving at your Oscar party?

Lemon Ricotta Crostini with Crispy Lentils

1 baguette
300 grams ricotta cheese
1/2 large lemon, juice and zest
2 TB chopped basil
1 cup cooked lentils
olive oil
salt
pepper

Spread the lentils on a baking sheet with a little bit of olive oil and salt and pepper. Bake at 375 degrees for about 25 minutes.

In a bowl, combine the ricotta, zest of half a lemon, juice of half a lemon and the basil. Season with salt and pepper.

Cut the baguette into slices, drizzle with olive oil and toast.

Add a spoonful of the mixture on the toasted bread and top with the crunchy lentils. Enjoy!

win tickets to the calgary home + garden show!

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Mark your calendars! The Calgary Home + Garden Show is taking place at the BMO Centre from February 26 – March 1.

This is always a great event with so many ideas for your home. Our new place will be ready soon so I am looking forward to checking out ideas on decorating. With Canada’s favourite home, horticulture and landscaping specialists, including HGTV’s Carson Arthur and design duo Janette Ewen + Jef Hancock, plus more than 650 exhibitors and features, there is something for everyone!

I love that they have Family Day with lots for the little ones to keep them entertained. This year, Family Day is on Sunday, March 1st.

There will be food! Once again, there will be Food Truck Alley with some of Calgary’s delicious trucks to keep us fed while we browse the displays and get some inspiration. There is also a Beer Garden and Portside Lounge.

Want to win tickets to the show? Enter below by spreading some love. Winner will be chosen the morning of February 20th. Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway