foodmamma

chestermere eats: sunnyz vietnamese sub & amato gelato

February 27, 2014 By Fareen Leave a Comment

It’s always nice when new restaurants open in Chestermere. It’s even nicer when the food is delicious and the service is fantastic. This is the case with Sunnyz Vietnamese Sub & Deli. Sure there are a couple of other Vietnamese places in town, both of which are great, but another sub place is always welcome.

When I walked in to Sunnyz, I was greeted with a friendly hello. I couldn’t help but notice how clean the place was. The animated movie playing on the big tv was perfect to keep any child customers entertained.

The Lemongrass Sate Beef Sub was a flavourful sandwich with not a lot of heat so even Q could enjoy it. The bun was not too crusty and the pickled carrots and crunchy cucumbers provided a good contrast. The little shop also has a variety of bubble teas as well as spring rolls and salad rolls.

This is a definite must try! The perfect finish? Head on over to Amato Gelato next door for a cool tasty treat. With so many flavours of gelato available, it’s hard to just pick one!

win tickets to the calgary home + garden show!

February 21, 2014 By Fareen 6 Comments

There’s just one week left until the Calgary Home + Garden Show! From Thursday, February 27 to Sunday, March 2nd, be inspired by over 650 exhibitors, along with amazing designers and experts and even some TV personalities.

Along with all the ways to improve your home, the show has a couple of tasty features you won’t want to miss – The Beer Garden and Food Truck Alley! At The Beer Garden, you can wander through beautifully landscaped greenery while sipping a pint of local brew and snacking on goodies. Stop by the Food Truck Alley to score some top-notch eats from the kings of Calgary’s latest food craze. The food trucks at the show include Fiasco Gelato, Mighty Skillet, Shogun, Subs ‘ Bubbles, Sticky Ricky’s and Waffles and Chix.

Want to win tickets to the show? Leave a comment either here or on Facebook, or send me a tweet letting me know which food truck you are most looking forward to enjoying.

Contest closes on Wednesday, February 26th at 6am. Good luck!

win tickets to calgary’s winefest!

February 17, 2014 By Fareen 8 Comments

Winefest is back in Calgary for it’s 22nd year! Join fellow wine lovers at the Stampede Park BMO Centre this coming weekend, February 21st and 22nd. Sample hundreds of local and international wines and interact with wine experts looking to share their knowledge.

There will also be food! Attendees can nibble on a delicious selection of hors d’oeuvres from Stampede Catering, Springbank Cheese Company, COBS bread, Dave’s Hot Pepper Jelly, Nefiss Lezizz and The Ship & Anchor.

For tickets or additional info, go to http://www.celebratewinefest.com/.

Want to win tickets? I have a pair of tickets to give away for the Saturday afternoon session from 2 to 5pm. Comment on this post, on Facebook or send me a tweet. Winners will be chosen at random on Wednesday, February 19th at noon. Good luck!

happy heart day! celebrating with chocolates, cookies and treats

February 14, 2014 By Fareen Leave a Comment

Happy Valentine’s Day! Hope you all have a fabulous day spending time with the ones you love…or take the time to spoil yourselves rotten!

Hubby and Q woke up to a bouquet of chocolate dipped strawberries and some homemade chocolate turtles. Cocoa spiced pecans were also packed into jars for my two loves.

Every year, I make hubby a chocolate treat. In the past there have been truffles, home made Ferrero and even Almond Joy. This year, I decided on Turtles! They were super easy to make, although a little less time cooking the caramel would have been ideal.

In case you overcook your caramel like I did, just chop the chocolates up and use them to top chocolate covered strawberries! It adds the perfect crunch to the juicy berries.

Shortbread cookies for work and cupcakes from yesterday’s kindergarten party rounded out our Valentine’s table. I had a box of President’s Choice Red Velvet mix from the holidays so made up the batter for that as well as the batter for sour cream cake. A scoop of each created the perfect red and white cupcake for Q to decorate with cream cheese frosting.

Chocolate Turtles

1 cup whole pecan pieces
1/2 cup cream
1/2 cup butter
1 1/2 cup brown sugar
1 TB water
1 cup chocolate

Toast the pecans and place them in pairs on a parchment lined cookie sheet.

Combine the cream, butter, brown sugar and water. Stir over medium heat until combined and smooth. Let the mixture come up to a boil and cook without stirring until 240 degrees on a candy thermometer. Watch the caramel mixture carefully. Let the caramel sit for a minute and then pour a spoonful on each pair of pecans. Let the caramel set for at least an hour.

Melt the chocolate in a microwave, stirring after every 30 second interval. Pour a spoonful on each caramel pecan bite. Let the chocolates set in the fridge.

sweets for your sweetie

February 13, 2014 By Fareen Leave a Comment

With Valentine’s Day being tomorrow, it’s not too late to whip up something sweet for the one you love. Here’s a round up of some sweets for your sweetie. Be sure to check back tomorrow to see what I made for my loves.

Chocolate Truffles
Sugar Cookies
Chocolate Pot De Creme
Homemade Ferrero Chocolate
Homemade Almond Joy
Almond Crescent Cookies

wordless wednesday: death by chocolate (fairmont palliser)

February 12, 2014 By Fareen Leave a Comment

market turns one!

February 12, 2014 By Fareen Leave a Comment

It’s already been a year since Market opened it’s doors. Even now, I’m still enamored with the Urban Cultivator that they have. Hubby and I went to Market’s one year anniversary party on Sunday where they threw a great party with a delicious spread, live music as well as a silent auction. They also raised money for Grow Calgary, an organization which grows fresh local produce for the Calgary Interfaith Food Bank.

The food was amazing as usual. My favourite was the crispy quail, the crunchy breading topped with truffle aioli. The chocolate macarons were the perfect sweet treat, filled with chocolate and peanut butter.

Congratulations to one year Market! Looking forward to enjoying your food for many years to come!

cauliflower alfredo sauce

February 3, 2014 By Fareen 2 Comments

The other day, on Facebook, I noticed a recipe for cauliflower alfredo sauce. I was intrigued and knew I had to try it. Cauliflower seems to be the “it” vegetable lately, transforming into a variety of things like “bread” sticks and pizza crusts.

This sauce is super easy to make. In a blender, just whiz together the cauliflower, the water that it was cooked in, some garlic that’s been cooked in butter and a little bit of milk and you have a creamy, delicious sauce. I used a lactose-free milk so that the sauce could be enjoyed by everyone.

Top the pasta and sauce with some cheese and elevate the dish even further with a drizzle of truffle oil. So divine! It’s a perfect dish for Meatless Monday or with some chicken or shrimp.

Cauliflower Alfredo Sauce

1/2 head cauliflower
4 cloves garlic, or 2 tsp minced
butter
salt
pepper
1/4 cup milk

Saute the minced garlic in butter over low heat. Cook for several minutes until garlic is soft and fragrant.

Bring water to a boil in a large pot.Add the cauliflower and cook for approximately 10 minutes or until the cauliflower is tender. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the cauliflower to the blender. Add 1 cup of the cooking liquid, the garlic and butter, salt, pepper and milk and puree until smooth.

cruising on the disney wonder

January 31, 2014 By Fareen Leave a Comment

It’s been almost two months since our fabulous week on the Disney Wonder. Our ship sailed to the Bahamas and it was a great getaway from the cold that everyone else was experiencing at home. We were on the Disney Wonder leaving Galveston on December 7th and had stops in Key West, Castaway Cay and Nassau.

Ever since we booked our holiday, I had been researching, scouring the internet for tips and tricks. I wanted to be completely prepared for our magical vacation. Thanks to so many bloggers who detailed their trips, I knew what to expect.

From the second we got on the ship, they made us feel special. As you walk on, on the red carpet, they announce your entrance. Highlights included Pirate night, fireworks on the ship, the amazing Broadway- style shows, watching Frozen in the theatre on the ship, our stop in Castaway Cay and of course, the food!!