Food Mamma

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easy eggs benedict

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To celebrate our anniversary, hubby and I thought it would be fun to spend some time in the kitchen and attempt to make eggs benedict.  I had made it years before but the hollandaise just didn’t seem right and the poached egg did not look like what I would order at a restaurant.  I am so thrilled that I found Kitchen Magpie‘s instructions on making EASY eggs benedict.  When I poached eggs years earlier, I had used a huge pot.  Turns out all you need is a pan – less depth seemed to hold the eggs together.  1 TB of vinegar in boiling water, 3 minutes later, you have the perfect poached egg.

The blender hollandaise was super easy and came together perfectly.  3 egg yolks, 2 tsp lemon juice and a pinch of salt whirred together.  1/2 cup of hot melted butter drizzled into the mix and you have the simplest and tastiest hollandaise.

The perfectly cooked poached egg was laid upon a slice of turkey bacon on an english muffin.  Topped with the buttery sauce and some pepper, it was a tasty way to start the day.

happy six year anniversary!

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Today hubby and I are celebrating our six year anniversary!  It seems like just yesterday that we were planning and organizing our big event.  The years have just flown by.  For our honeymoon, we took a Caribbean cruise.  While docked in St. Thomas, hubby and I did an underwater scooter adventure – the BOB (Breathing Observation Bubble).  Basically you ride a scooter under the water and only your head is covered in a bubble.  Being somewhat of a chicken, it was something I never ever imagined myself doing.  We had such a great time and we purchased an underwater camera just to capture these moments riding with the fish.  We returned from our trip and completely forgot about the camera with the precious pictures.  This past week, I found the camera!  I rushed to get it developed hoping that the film didn’t get damaged after six years.  Even though they were a little fuzzy, I was thrilled to see the pictures were still there!

Happy Anniversary love!  Looking forward to many more adventures with you.

tango bistro

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Hubby and I were able to take some time a couple of weekends ago for date night.  We had a voucher for Tango Bistro and, after hearing so much about their “small plates”, was excited to try something new.  Tango Bistro is part of the Smuggler’s group and in the same complex as Smuggler’s Inn, Bolero and Open Sesame. 

We had a super friendly waiter who was happy to make recommendations and help us choose what to eat.  We started out with the Wonton Crusted Prawns.  These were served on top of some Togarashi Mayo and were delicious!

The next item that was brought out was the trio of dips. The dips included an olive tapenade, a sesame lime hummus and a goat cheese with sundried tomatoes in olive oil.  The goat cheese was my favourite!  The dips were served with a nice soft flatbread that was perfect for scooping.

I am so happy that our server recommended the Seared Sea Bass.  This was my favourite meal of the night and was served with a roasted garlic risotto and mushrooms.  The fish was cooked to perfection and the sauce that was on top was light and flavourful.  My mouth is watering just thinking about it.

Our last dish was the Mixed Grill.  This dish contained a few pork items but the restaurant was happy to make some substitutions and accomodate us.  Venison smokies and an Alberta tenderloin served with some potatoes on the side.  Just looking at this dish, you can tell that this was hubby’s favourite.

We were incredibly stuffed from our meal and had no room for dessert.  With all the tasty offerings though, we are sure to be eating there again.

Tango Bistro on Urbanspoon

chevdo

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It’s exactly two months until my sister gets married!  We are super excited for her big day so she can marry the love of her life.

A huge part of an Indian wedding is the food.  With lots of people traveling for the wedding, it’s nice to have snacks around, like chevdo.  Chevdo is an indian snack mix, mostly filled with fried lentils and peanuts.  With my sister’s allergies, this is something she has had to stay away from.

I was intrigued when I saw Aarti Sequeira’s recipe for chevdo that had no chickpeas.  The peanuts were easily replaced and it made for a dish that my sister can actually enjoy.  I knew I had to give this recipe a try.  I made an addition of coriander seeds, which added a lemony taste to the mix.  I still had some Christmas Rice Krisipies left which added some fun colour with flecks of red and green.

Looking forward to my sister’s return so that she can finally try some chevdo.

Chevdo
Adapted from Aarti Sequeira of Aarti Party.

2 cups Corn Flakes
2 cups Rice Krispies
1/4 cup almonds, halved
1/4 cup pumpkin seeds
2 TB oil
1 tsp black mustard seeds
1 tsp coriander seeds
5 dried curry leaves
1/2 tsp turmeric
1/2 cup plantain chips
salt

In a large pan over medium heat, toast the cereals, pumpkin seeds and almonds for about 2 minutes.  Remove from the pan.

Warm the oil in the same pan over medium heat.  Add the mustard seeds, coriander seeds, curry leaves and turmeric.  Cook for 30 seconds and remove from the heat. 

Add the cereal mixture and plantain chips.  Season with salt and toss until combined.

live with kelly and barpa bill’s

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This past Monday, I dragged my mom with me to Banff to try and get in to a taping of Live with Kelly.  We weren’t fortunate enough to get tickets but after hearing that people in the stand by line were getting in the day before, I knew I had to go. 

When we reached the Banff Centre, they just let us right in, no waiting in line!  It was a great show and it was nice to see it live.  Kelly was even more tiny in real life and, with her co-host Peter Facinelli, they made a beautiful hosting team. 

We even got to see the infamous Gelman who spent some time with the audience teaching us all how to clap.  Did you know clapping at double time makes it sound louder?  Guests of the show included Johnny Galecki from the Big Bang Theory and Juno award winning Melanie Fiona.  The episode that was taped on Monday was shown today, April 4th.

After the show, I wanted to take my mom to my favourite place in Banff, Barpa Bill’s Souvlaki.  Hubby and I had discovered it a few years ago and we always make a stop there when in the area.  Located on Bear Street, it’s easy to miss if you’re not looking for it.  A tiny little place located beside the Home Hardware, this place is always busy.

I ordered my favorite, Lamb Souvlaki.  The lamb was flavourful and moist and stuffed into a pita wrap.  Filled with veggies and a garlicky tzatziki, it was so tasty and filling.  We also ordered a side of fries.  Crispy and seasoned perfectly, they were a great accompaniment to the souvlaki.

Next time you’re in Banff, definitely check out this family-run gem.  Keep in mind that they are cash only.

Barpa Bill's Souvlaki on Urbanspoon

food mamma is two! celebrating with le creuset and a giveaway!

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March is full of birthdays including my blog’s.  Food Mamma is TWO!  Hard to believe that two years have gone by since that first post. This blog has been so much fun and even more so with the help of my 3 year old.  In fact, to commemorate two years, Q decorated this mini-cake.   Even he knows you can’t celebrate a birthday without cake!

A fabulous gift completes a fabulous birthday.  I am happy to announce that Le Creuset is helping celebrate!  One Food Mamma reader will win the  Le Creuset whistling kettle in Marseille, the newly launched colour for 2012.

Performance-focused design, hand crafted in France since 1925, Le Creuset is consistently chosen by leading chefs, restauranteurs and those who refuse to compromise when it comes to cooking.

Colour is synonymous with Le Creuset; a vibrant palette of innovative, contemporary and classic colour schemes allows users to match cookware to their environment, preferences and seasonal celebrations. I’m loving their newest colour, Marseille, a beautiful vibrant blue.

This contest has now closed.  Congratulations to Angee for winning the beautiful tea kettle!

Here’s how to win.

1. COMMENT on this post, answering this question: What is your favourite cake flavour?

2.  For an extra entry, FOLLOW both Fareen (@fareenjj) and Le Creuset (@LeCreuset) on Twitter, and tweet about this giveaway: “Food Mamma (@fareenjj) is 2! I just entered to win a whistling tea kettle from @LeCreuset and you can too! http://bit.ly/H1VgAH“.  Be sure to leave a comment saying that you’ve done so.

3.  For another entry, LIKE Food Mamma and Le Creuset on Facebook. Be sure to leave a comment saying that you’ve done so.

Contest closes on April 5th at 11:59pm MST.  Open to residents of Canada.  Winner will be chosen via random.org.

hot spinach and artichoke dip

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One of my favourite things to order when out with friends is spinach and artichoke dip.  The warm dip and the ooey gooey cheese just begging to be picked up with a tortilla chip.  Mmmm.  What better opportunity to try making this dip than for our appetizer party.  I searched for a recipe online and was drawn to this one since it was a lighter version.  With all that cheese, one would never know that it was a healthier option.  The dip was a hit, even with the kids.  Also turned out to be a great late night snack!

Hot Spinach and Artichoke Dip
Adapted from Gina’s Skinny Taste 

1 can artichokes, drained
1 pkg frozen spinach, thawed and squeezed
1 small onion, chopped
1 heaping TB minced garlic
1/2 cup greek yogurt
1/2 cup mayo
2/3 cup parmesan
1 cup mozzarella
salt
pepper

Preheat oven to 375°.

In a small food processor, coarsely chop the artichoke hearts with the garlic and onions.

Combine all the ingredients in a medium bowl. Place in an oven-proof dish and bake at 375° for 20-25 minutes, until hot and cheese is melted. Serve hot.

happy birthday dad!

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Happy Birthday to my dad!!

We celebrated my dad’s birthday this past weekend with a surprise party.  We had it at a local indian restaurant and, although they forgot about our party, we managed to get sorted and seated before my dad showed up.  Knowing that my dad hates surprises or any sort of attention, he didn’t expect us to celebrate the big 4-9 (wink wink).  He had absolutely no clue but was happy to celebrate with his family.

The coconut cake with nutella was such a hit a few days back, I had to make the same for my dad.  Two layers of coconut cake with a generous layer of nutella holding the layers together.  This was topped with a cream cheese frosting and chocolate.  I got the idea of the maltesers from Alison who had made cupcakes topped with maltesers for the Food Blogger Bake Sale.  The idea of the chocolate fingers came from Pinterest.  It was a fun and easy cake to decorate and everyone enjoyed it.

an appetizer party – take two

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As much as getting older is not fun, I am one of those people that celebrate their birthdays for days.  Celebrations started early with an appetizer party with a few of my favourite people.

Dessert first!  Any good party has to have cake!  I made my favourite coconut cupcakes.  Each cupcake was filled with nutella and topped with buttercream.  It was really fun making the swirl with two colors – easy by placing a purple icing bag and a white icing bag into another icing bag.

The addictive chocolate chip cookies were made on request and were a huge hit.

Appetizers were a joint effort with each couple bringing a couple dishes.  I made kale chips and tested a new recipe, hot spinach and artichoke dip (recipe to come).

Hubby made delicious ribs, lots to keep everyone satisfied.

The L’s made delicious stuffed mushrooms which were cheesy with a hint of spice.

They also brought over some chicken and chicken wings which were tossed on the bbq.

The T’s made some juicy beef kabobs which were tasty and spicy!  They also brought some sweet corn on the cob, which once bbq’d were smothered in butter and spice.

It was a wonderful evening with great friends.  What else could a girl ask for.