Search Results for: ice cream

mucho burrito

May 29, 2012 By Fareen 1 Comment

We’ve been wanting to go to Mucho Burrito for a while and this busy Monday was the perfect chance to grab some quick takeout. It was a long drive home having to smell all that Mexican yumminess.

The favourite of the night was definitely the nachos. We chose beef to top the nachos and the shredded marinated meat was packed with flavour. Q couldn’t get enough of the chips that were topped with the queso cheese, shredded cheese, the beef and salsa.

We also tried the chicken quesadillas. Stuffed inside a tortilla were sauteed peppers and onions and cheese. I was surprised by the bold flavours of the grilled chicken. Sometimes, the chicken can get lost in a quesadilla but this one really stood out.

We also had the soft fish tacos. We were given the option of a flour tortilla or a corn tortilla. I was really impressed with the fish which was a pan seared tilapia with a herb crust. The fish tasted fresh and the guacamole that we added to the taco was nice and creamy.

It’s always a good thing when Q just gobbles up his food. We were thrilled at how he devoured the nachos and the meat and veggies that were topping it. I can’t wait to go back for more!

egg boats

May 26, 2012 By Fareen Leave a Comment

Hard to believe my sister is getting married in two weeks! With her and her fiance living in two different countries, it’ll be nice for them to finally be together.

Before my sister and her fiance headed out of town for one last adventure before their wedding, we had a little family breakfast as a send off. We had lots of sweets – pain au chocolat, tres leches cake, chocolate chip cookies. We also had fresh fruit, turkey bacon, chicken sausages, hashbrowns, samosas…and egg boats!

I was going to do my usual frittata. Always a hit and super easy, it’s one of my go-to breakfasts. I came across this egg boat though on Pinterest and knew I had to change it up.

This recipe comes from the site Spoon Fork Bacon. I loved the idea of the eggs baked into the bread with all those veggies. The result was a very tasty breakfast and something a little different.

Instead of using mini baguettes, we used two long ones to feed the crowd. I kind of wish I did one more to enjoy for breakfast the next day. This recipe is definitely a keeper!

Egg Boats
Adapted from Spoon Fork Bacon

1 long baguette
6 eggs
1/3 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup grated cheddar
2 green onions, sliced
1 red pepper, diced
1/2 onion, diced
salt
pepper

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Cut a deep “V” through the top of the baguette until about a 1/2 inch to the bottom. Partially unstuff the baguettes.

Place the eggs and cream into a mixing bowl and lightly beat together. Whisk in the remaining ingredients and lightly season with salt and pepper.

Pour the mixture into the baguette boat and place onto a baking sheet.

Bake for 35 to 40 minutes or until golden brown, puffed and set in the center.

Allow to cool for about 5 minutes, cut and serve.

an appetizer party – take two

March 19, 2012 By Fareen Leave a Comment

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.

tres leches cake

February 23, 2012 By Fareen Leave a Comment

I am still thinking about our trip last month to Mexico. Apparently Q is too, since every couple days, he asks to go back. One of our earlier nights there, I tried the most amazing cakes – tres leches cake. It was so moist and delicious. My friend S encouraged me to get the recipe. On our last nights, Chef Fernando and Chef Ivan, with the aid of a translator, shared the recipe.

This is a picture of us with the chefs. They were super helpful and happily obliged with this foodie’s request.

I wish that I had come home and made this cake right away. Instead I waited, and in the waiting, some of the translation was lost. The measurements were also for 100 pieces so I didn’t think it was a good idea to even attempt it.

It was definitely a cake that I wanted to make though, for my mother-in-laws birthday. There were so many variations on google but I finally settled on one that I had seen on the Food Network show, Mexican Made Easy by Marcela Valladolid.

After I pulled it out of the oven, it fell in the middle but I covered it up with whipping cream. No one was the wiser. This cake was quite different from the firm cake we had in Mexico but the taste was delicious. The sweetness of the milk that was absorbed into the cake and then oozed out when it was cut into was amazing. This cake was light and rich all at the same time. The best part – my father-in-law requested the same for his birthday next month!

Tres Leches Cake
Adapted From Marcela Valedolid, Mexican Made Easy

Nonstick cooking spray, for the cake pan
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting the cake pan
1 tablespoon baking powder
4 large eggs, separated
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/2 cup whole milk
1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
1 (12-ounce) can evaporated milk
2 cups heavy cream, divided
1 tablespoon powdered sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon cocoa

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spray and flour a 10-inch cake pan with 2-inch high sides and then line with parchment paper. Grease the parchment paper.

Mix the flour and baking powder in a medium bowl. Set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, using an electric mixer with the whisk attachment, whip the egg whites until frothy. With the mixer running, gradually add the sugar and beat to stiff peaks. Beat in the yolks, 1 at a time, blending well after each addition. Add the flour mixture in 3 additions, alternating with the whole milk in 2 additions.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake until a tester inserted into the center comes out clean, about 30 minutes. Cool the cake slightly, about 10 minutes, then invert onto a platter with 1-inch high sides.

Pierce the top of the cake all over with a thick skewer. Mix the sweetened condensed milk, evaporated milk, and 1 cup heavy cream in a medium bowl. Pour the mixture over the cake while warm. Cover and refrigerate until cold, about 3 hours or overnight.

Combine the remaining 1 cup heavy cream and powdered sugar in a medium bowl. Using an electric mixer, beat the cream until soft peaks form. Spread the whipped cream onto top of the cake and sprinkle with the ground cinnamon and cocoa.

biscuit pudding

January 18, 2012 By Fareen 24 Comments

It’s so nice to have my parents back home after their five weeks away in India. Q was lost without them and couldn’t wait for their return. We wanted to make them something to welcome them back home. One of my dad’s favourite desserts is biscuit pudding and my aunt happily shared the recipe.

It’s the simplest thing to put together and is a comforting dessert. The Maria biscuits absorb the sweet milk making it almost cakey in texture. Kinda sorta like tiramisu, without the coffee. The layers of cookies, whipping cream and nuts is comfort in a bowl.

biscuit pudding

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Ingredients

1 package Maria biscuits
1 can of evaporated milk
1/2 can of condensed milk
4 cups heavy cream
1 TB icing sugar
1 cup nuts
grated chocolate

Instructions

Mix the evaporated milk and the condensed milk together.
Whip the cream and the sugar to make whipping cream.
Line a 13" x 8" dish with a layer of biscuits. Pour 1/3 of the milk mixture over the cookies.
Cover the layer with 1/3 of the whipping cream and 1/3 of the nuts.
Grate some chocolate over the nuts.
Repeat for another 2 layers. Refrigerate over night.

https://foodmamma.com/2012/01/biscuit-pudding/

chocolate and almond whipped shortbread

December 20, 2011 By Fareen Leave a Comment

It’s no secret that I love whipped shortbread cookies. Easy and fast, they are a staple for any occasion. They are even great to give to little kids to decorate, keeping them entertained for some time.

The addition of chocolate and nuts make these shortbread even more of a favorite. This recipe can be found in Club Club’s Community Cookbook.

Chocolate and Almond Whipped Shortbread

1 cup butter
1/2 cup icing sugar
1 1/2 cup flour
1/4 cup mini chocolate chips
1/4 cup sliced almonds

Cream the butter and icing sugar together. Add the flour and beat for 10 minutes. Add in the chocolate and nuts until well incorporated. Place spoonfuls on an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 12 minutes. Makes 3 dozen small cookies.

celebrating 37 years with a turtle cheesecake

August 6, 2011 By Fareen 2 Comments

My parents just celebrated their 37th anniversary! This definitely called for a celebration, and every celebration calls for cake. Tired of making the usual though, I wanted to do something different. I decided to do a cheesecake, a dessert that my dad loves.

I knew this cheesecake needed nuts, chocolate and caramel and after doing a search, this recipe was found on the Kraft website. The layers of caramel and pecans are divine. As good as it tastes when you first make it, it tastes even better the next day, if there’s any left!

Happy Anniversary Mom and Dad! Love you lots!

Ultimate Turtle Cheesecake

2 cups chocolate cookie crumbs
6 Tbsp. butter or margarine, melted
1 pkg. caramels
1/2 cup milk
1 cup chopped pecans
3 pkg. cream Cheese, softened
3/4 cup sugar
1 Tbsp. vanilla
3 eggs
2 squares chocolate, melted

Heat oven to 325°F.

Mix crumbs and butter; press onto bottom and 2 inches up side of 9-inch springform pan.

Microwave caramels and milk in small microwaveable bowl on high 3 min. or until caramels are completely melted, stirring after each minute. Stir in nuts; pour half into crust. Refrigerate 10 min. Refrigerate remaining caramel mixture for later use.

Beat cream cheese, sugar and vanilla with mixer until well blended. Add eggs, 1 at a time, mixing on low speed after each just until blended. Pour over caramel layer in crust.

Bake 1 hour 5 min. to 1 hour 10 min. or until center is almost set. Run knife around rim of pan to loosen cake; cool before removing rim. Refrigerate 4 hours.

Microwave reserved caramel mixture 1 min.; stir. Pour over cheesecake. Melt chocolate and drizzle over cheesecake.

anniversary dinner at teatro

May 25, 2011 By Fareen 1 Comment

Hubby and I celebrated our five year wedding anniversary last month. We never got around to going out for dinner though. It had been a busy few weeks and weekends never seemed to be working out. We had planned this dinner so many times but something always came up.

Maybe not planning dinner in advance is the way to go. We decided in the afternoon that it would be the perfect evening for date night and our belated anniversary dinner. We had a voucher (yes, I love my deals) for Teatro and I had been itching to use it for a while. I had been to Teatro once before but it had been so long since I had been there, I was looking forward to going back.

Our wonderful server Mitch started our evening off with an amuse-bouche, tuna tartare. The tiny morsel tasted fresh and left us wanting more. We were also served little chewy focaccia buns that we devoured with olive oil and balsamic vinegar.

We chose to go with the Alberta Bison Tartare for our appetizer. Topped with a quail egg, this was served with a tiny crostini with triple creme brie as well as a small arugula salad. The flavours of the bison were incredible, especially paired with the arugula. Our only complaint was there wasn’t enough of the crostini to eat up all the tartare with. Mitch happily brought us some focaccia bread which was a great accompaniment.

Our next course was also a sharable – the Pappardelle. Noodles coated with a green curry mayo, tossed with avocado and topped with grilled lobster. This was an amazing dish but very spicy. Even hubby who can actually eat spice found it quite spicy. The taste was amazing though and it would be a dish I would have again.

By this point, we still had our main course to eat, but we were completely stuffed. For my main, I went with the Honey-Rosemary Seared Duck Magret. This was served with polenta verde, caramelized cippolini, and fig fricassée. There was also supposed to be some pancetta which they happily left out for me. This dish was so delicious! The duck was moist and the flavours were incredible. The pesto in the polenta went really well with the duck. I was very happy with my choice.

Hubby went with the Milk Fed Veal Striploin alla Milanese. This was served with creamy spaetzle, green olive, spicy rapini, and fried capers. The meat was moist and the tasted amazing. We found that this tasted even better the next day. Of course, there were leftovers!

Despite the fact that we were full, we couldn’t leave without having dessert. Tempted by the creme brulee, we decided on chocolate instead and shared the Chocolate Varieta. This dish had chocolate three ways with chocolate marquis, milk chocolate semifreddo, and a cocoa ginger madeleine. You have to love chocolate to enjoy this dish. It was a great way to end a fantastic meal!

fried fish tacos

May 19, 2011 By Fareen 7 Comments

The best thing about this nice weather we’ve been having is cooking outside. The bbq has been on a lot lately and it’s been great! I felt like having Mexican food and the first thing that came to mind were fried fish tacos. As much as I love fried foods, I don’t like to fry in my house. I took advantage of the warm weather and set up a frying station on the side burner of the bbq. As the fish came out of the fryer, they were sprinkled with salt and squirted with fresh lime. The fish was crispy and tangy, the vegetables added were fresh and the combination was amazing. They reminded me of the tacos we had on the streets of Ensenada a few years ago. We rounded out the meal with nachos on the side. It was a great fiesta!

Fried Fish Tacos

Sole, cut into strips
1 cup + 1/4 cup flour
1.5 cups club soda
salt
pepper

Toppings: onions, tomatoes, avocado, salsa, sour cream, lettuce, cilantro, guacamole

Combine 1 cup flour, club soda, salt and pepper and let it rest for 5 minutes. Dredge the fish in the flour and then put into the wet batter. Once the batter turns golden, put on a paper towel and sprinkle with salt and squirt with fresh lime.

ruth’s chris steakhouse

March 11, 2011 By Fareen 1 Comment

To celebrate Valentine’s Day, hubby and I chose to have dinner at Ruth’s Chris. We had been to one Ruth’s Chris in Vegas a couple of years ago but we hadn’t tried the Calgary location. We had heard such a range of reviews, we just had to check it out for ourselves.

For Valentine’s Day, Ruth’s Chris was offering up their date night menu – an appetizer to share, an entree each, a dessert to share and wine for $99. It was a good thing we had reservations because the place was busy! The restaurant, located in the Tower Centre, was on the 2nd floor and had a good view of downtown. Ruth’s Chris provided parking in the Tower Centre.

To start, we settled on the mushrooms stuffed with crabmeat. There were four mushrooms and the crab stuffing was pretty good. We were also served garlic bread and cheese bread, both of which were delicious and we had inhaled them long before our steaks arrived.

For our mains, I ordered the 8 oz petit filet and hubby ordered the 12 oz new york strip. The steaks came sizzling to the table in butter, how could that not be good! The petit filet was perfect if you were looking for meat that was soft and melted in your mouth. For flavour, the new york strip was the way to go. By ordering one of each, we had the best of both worlds.

We were able to order two sides to go along with our meals. We ordered the sauteed mushrooms and the mashed potatoes. Unfortunately, the sides were bland and disappointing. The mushrooms tasted like they were straight from a can.

To finish off our meal, we chose the creme brulee. Creme brulee is one of those desserts that we order every chance we get. This was one of the best brulees we have had! The sugar topping was light and delicate and the custard was creamy.

All in all, we enjoyed our meal. Except for the sides, the food was good. The service, which is a huge factor for me, was really good. Our waiter was very attentive and even the manager came to every table to ensure that everything was going well. We will definitely go back for the steak!