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a delicious way to start the morning: fried egg sandwich from cafe mauro

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We’re less than a month away from our big office move.  I know many of my co-workers will miss Cafe Mauro, which is located in the lobby of our building.  Everyone raves about Sal’s sandwiches – the bocconcini sandwich served on top of focaccia or the chicken parmesan on toasted baguette.  My favorite meal though at Cafe Mauro is breakfast; in particular the Fried Egg Sandwich.

Nestled between two pieces of toasted and buttered sourdough bread are juicy tomatoes, the fried egg and provolone cheese.  Its a simple sandwich but so delicious, and a great way to start the day.

Caffe Mauro on Urbanspoon

sumo does good sushi

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It had been a long week and definitely a day to order in.  We needed something that would keep a picky 18 month old and a dieting hubby happy.  Sushi it was! 

We order sushi often from Sumo Grill in Sunridge Mall and enjoy doing take out so Q can thoroughly enjoy the sushi and we don’t need to worry about making a mess at the restaurant!  The sushi is fresh and the high quality of the food entices us to go back again and again.

We ordered spicy salmon rolls that were covered in a creamy sauce with some kick.  Q loved the simple avocado rolls and the delicious yam tempura rolls.  My favorite at any sushi place is dynamite rolls – filled with tempura shrimp, yummy!  The salmon and tuna sushi were melt in your mouth good.

Satisfying and delicious, can’t wait to have some more.

Sumo Grill Japanese Restaurant on Urbanspoon

pecan oatmeal cookies – another hit from the barefoot contessa

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Its no secret that one of my favorite channels is the Food Network.  I can sit for hours watching chefs turn ordinary ingredients into mouth watering creations.  One of my faves is Ina Garten, the Barefoot Contessa.  I have recreated her recipes many times, and they are always a hit.  Her recent episode “Outdoor Entertaining” featured Raisin Pecan Oatmeal Cookies and they looked so good, I had to try them for myself.

I substituted the raisins for chocolate chips (gotta have the chocolate!) and found that these were the most delicious oatmeal cookies ever.  Another winning recipe from Ina!

Raisin Pecan Oatmeal Cookies
(Adapted from Ina Garten, Barefoot Contessa)

1 1/2 cups almonds
1/2 pound (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup dark brown sugar, lightly packed
1 cup granulated sugar
2 extra-large eggs, at room temperature
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon kosher salt
3 cups old-fashioned oatmeal
1 1/2 cups chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar together on medium-high speed until light and fluffy. With the mixer on low, add the eggs, one at a time, and the vanilla.

Sift the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt together into a medium bowl. With the mixer on low, slowly add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture. Add the oats, raisins, and nuts and mix just until combined.

Using a small ice-cream scoop or a tablespoon, drop 2-inch mounds of dough onto sheet pans lined with parchment paper. Flatten slightly with a damp hand. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes, until lightly browned.

Transfer the cookies to a baking rack and cool completely.

easy shrimp salad rolls

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Anyone who knows me knows how much I like Vietnamese food. At least once a week, I venture out to a great Vietnamese shop a couple of blocks from work. Sate beef with vermicelli and spring rolls makes for a very satisfying meal. One of my favorite things to eat at home are the Shrimp Salad Rolls. It is the easiest thing to make and, you can have the perfect appetizer or snack in minutes.

Shrimp Salad RollsCooked shrimp, approximately 3 per rolls
Rice wrappers
Cooked vermicelli
Mint
Lettuce or Spinach

Place the rice wrapper in a bowl of warm water until soft and transparent. Line up 3 shrimp in the middle followed by a mint leaf, greens and vermicelli. Fold in the two ends and roll.

Serve with hoisin sauce and Sriracha chili sauce.

Watermelon, Feta and Mint Salad

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Watermelon, feta, mint….who knew combining sweet watermelon with creamy cheese and mint would taste so good. It’s amazing how well it works together – trust me.

After cold weather and a snow fall this month, it’s nice to finally have lovely May weather.  The weekend was spent outdoors. We enjoyed the plus 20 temperatures that we had eagerly been awaiting.  Sunday afternoon on the boat led to barbecuing indian spiced and korean bbq ribs. 

This watermelon, feta and mint salad was such a refreshing accompaniment to the meal.  This unexpected combination of sweet watermelon, creamy cheese accented with sweet red onions and mint definitely felt like “summer in a bowl”.  Take it to your next potluck – it will be the most talked about dish.

Update – August 2019 – My 5 year old helped me make this salad today. He was so confused about the addition of onions to his beloved watermelon. He would not try the salad but I was not upset about it. It just meant there was more for hubby and I to enjoy!

 

 
 
Watermelon, Feta and Mint Salad
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Ingredients

  • 2 cups watermelon, cubed
  • 1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
  • 1/2 small red onion, thinly sliced
  • 10 mint leaves, sliced thinly
  • 1 TB red wine vinegar
  • Juice of 1/4 lemon
  • 2 TB olive oil
  • salt and pepper

Instructions

  1. Combine the watermelon, feta, onion and mint in a bowl.
  2. Combine the red wine vinegar, lemon juice, olive oil, salt and pepper and shake well.
  3. Pour the dressing over the watermelon. Enjoy!
7.8.1.2
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https://foodmamma.com/2010/05/summer-in-bowl-watermelon-feta-and-min/

 

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cheers to mothers with faluda!

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It was a lovely Sunday celebrating the important women in our lives – our mothers.   Lunch consisted of fried kabobs (thanks to my sister-in-law) and nihari, a beef shank curry.  The best way to top off this delicious meal had to be with one of my favorite drinks/desserts – faluda.  Faluda is a mixture of rose syrup and milk accented with ice cream and vermicelli.  This cool, creamy drink is the perfect way to toast all the amazing mothers out there – Happy Mother’s Day!

Faluda (10 Servings)

1.5 litres whole milk
2 cans evaporated milk
1/2 cup vanilla ice cream + more for serving
5 TB rose syrup
vermicelli or rice sticks
red food coloring

Cook the vermicelli in boiling water for five minutes.  Drain and rinse with cold water.  Add a few drops of red food coloring until the vermicelli are pink.

Combine milks, ice cream and rose syrup and chill until ready to serve.

In a tall cup, add a spoonful of noodles, a couple scoops of ice cream and top with the milk mixture.  Serve with a straw and tall spoon.

the famous roasted red pepper dip

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I started making the roasted red pepper dip about 4 years ago.  I had just gotten married and was excited to be hosting parties in my new home.  The dip, which is so easy to prepare, got rave reviews and soon became my signature dip.  Rarely is there a party at my house without the famous roasted red pepper dip.  Served in a red pepper or a simple dish, it is the perfect accompaniment to veggies or grilled crostini.

Roasted Red Pepper Dip
1 red pepper
3 cloves of garlic
2/3 cup of mayonnaise
salt
pepper
olive oil

Quarter the red pepper and place on a baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil, salt and pepper and roast in a 400 degree oven for 15 minutes. At this point, you can remove the skin, but I prefer to leave it on.

In a blender, drop in the garlic and blend. Add the red pepper and blend again. Add the mayonnaise and blend a final time. Ready to eat!

prawn curry

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I am a huge fan of prawns so naturally, one of my favorite curries is prawn curry.  Thankfully Q is a huge fan as well, making it an easy excuse to have it often.  I tried a different recipe this time, one from my mother-in-law, who is an amazing cook.  Try it out, you’ll love it!

Prawn Curry

2 TB oil
2 onions, sliced
1 lb. prawns
1 tsp. ginger
1 tsp. garlic
pinch tumeric
1/2 tsp. coriander powder
1/2 tsp. cumin powder
2 tomatoes, blended (or 1/2 c. crushed tomatoes)
1 TB tomato paste
salt
1 TB lemon juice
1 TB garam masala

Saute the onions in the oil until soft and translucent.  Keep the heat on medium-low and add the shrimp.  Add the ginger, garlic, tumeric, coriander, cumin, tomatoes and salt and let the shrimp continue to cook.  Once the shrimp are done and you have reached the desired consistency, add lemon juice and garam masala and serve!

good food, good friends…dinner at olive garden.

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It had been a while since we had spent time with some of our dear friends.  Life just seemed so busy and weekends were filled with errands and family commitments.  Tuesday was the perfect day to get together for dinner at Olive Garden.

It had been a while since I had been here and I had forgotten about the wait there always seemed to be for a table.  I guess our 35 minutes wasn’t as bad as another group who had been given an estimate of an hour and a half!

We started off our meal with warm breadsticks and the signature salad.  Q was all over the breadsticks and loved the tangy dressing on the salad.

Hubby and I shared the lasagna frittas to start – parmesan-breaded lasagna pieces, fried and served over alfredo sauce, topped with parmesan cheese and marinara sauce.  This appy was delicious but also very rich, we couldn’t finish the serving.

Our main meal was the new grilled steak fonduta – Grilled lightly seasoned steak medallions topped with caramelized shallot-butter, served with curly mafalda pasta tossed with balsamic onions in a four cheese fonduta sauce.  This dish was delicious!!  The steak was wonderfully seasoned and the cheesy pasta was the perfect accompaniment.

Our friends had the stuffed chicken marsala and the chicken and gnocchi veronese – both of which looked delicious.

Sadly I forgot my camera but managed to capture a few fuzzy shots on my blackberry.

Olive Garden on Urbanspoon

brie and chocolate…a decadent combination!

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I had the perfect sandwich yesterday.  Brie and chocolate!  Now I know some may never accept such a combination but it definitely deserves a try.  The creamy, rich brie paired with the sweetness of chocolate, then grilled to perfection – the perfect sammy for fans of sweet or savory.  Top it off with a tall glass of milk and you’ve got the perfect snack!