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yyc pizza week + blogger challenge

September 23, 2015 By Fareen Leave a Comment

Starting on Friday, it’s everyone’s favourite week – YYC Pizza Week! What better way to support Meals on Wheels than by stuffing your face with delicious pie at participating restaurants. With so many options to choose from, you could technically have pizza for every meal – all for a good cause, of course.

I was happy to participate once again in the Food Blogger Pizza Challenge. We were supposed to pick two out of the four ingredients from The Italian Store to come up with our creation. The four ingredients were: fig spread, homemade pesto, ricotta, pitted assorted olives.

I chose to use fig spread and ricotta and Hubby helped in creating the Fiery Fig BBQ Chicken Pizza. The fig spread was used in creating the fiery bbq sauce. Made with the spread, poblano peppers, ketchup, balsamic and spices, the sauce was tangy and sweet and oh so good. We literally licked the pot clean.

I topped the pizza with cheese, bbq’d chicken and red onions. Once out of the oven, I topped the pie with ricotta fresca, which added a creamy, cool component to the pizza.

The pizzas from all the challengers will be posted on Friday where you’ll have a chance to vote. Be sure to visit a participating restaurant next week and support Meals on Wheels!

Fiery Fig BBQ Sauce

1 onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1/2 cup ketchup
1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
3 TB fig spread
1 tsp cumin powder
1 tsp coriander powder
1 tsp paprika
1/2 poblano pepper, roasted
salt
pepper
oil
sriracha, as hot as you like it

Heat some oil in a pan and add the onions and garlic. Add the ketchup, vinegar, fig spread and spices and cook for a few minutes. Add the mixture to a blender along with the pepper and sriracha. Blend until smooth. Enough for one pizza.

home for dinner, volume 1

September 21, 2015 By Fareen Leave a Comment

How can the love of food help the refugees of the world? Read on to find out!

With so many displaced people around the world, Julie Van Rosendaal came up with the idea of creating an ebook to raise money for an organization that supports refugees. It was to be a book to celebrate cultural histories with food. After a call out for recipes, the submissions were more than what would fit in one book. Volume 1, which includes Starters and Mains, is the first in a series of
collections of family recipes, celebrating everyone’s backgrounds.

For only $5, you will get a pdf of this fabulous cookbook filled with recipes from the heart all while supporting UNHCR Canada – the UN Refugee Agency.

Julie and a team of volunteers put together this beautiful book. Below is the list of recipes in the book. I can’t wait to get cooking! Click here to get your copy!

1. Cazuela De Pollo (Chilean Chicken Stew)
2. Tortiere
3. French Canadian Tourtiere
4. British Baked Beans Meet Punjab
5. Macaroni & Cheese
6. Baba’s Pyrohy
7. Turnip Cake/Lo Bok Cake/Radish Cake/Daikon Cake
8. Chestnut & Sausage Unstuffing
9. Grandma Elizabeth’s Turkey Stuffing
10. Sauerkraut
11. Lemon-Ginger Salmon
12. Big Mac Sauce
13. Cac Pizza
14. Cucumber Salad
15. Caesar Salad
16. Butternut Squash & Coconut Ginger SOup
17. Slow Cooked Blackeyed Peas and Ham Hocks with Wild Greens
18. Dutch Oven Cooked Meal
19. Grandma Leggett’s Beef Carbonnade
20. Nana’s Sandwich Spread
21. Mary’s Ukrainian Noodles
22. Maple Bacon Mac N’ Cheese
23. Hungarian Chicken Paprika
24. Chicken Birayani
25. Beet Leaf Rolls or ‘Beetniks’
26. Cod Filets Thermidor
27. Mom’s Spareribs
28. Red Chicken
29. Grandma Gerry’s Tomato Relish
30. Stoorum
31. Syrian Tabbouleh

canada beef and karisma resorts

August 19, 2015 By Fareen Leave a Comment

I first learned about the Canadian Beef Culinary Series last year, when I attended the Canada Beef & Karisma dinner at Rouge restaurant in Calgary. It was there that I sampled amazing beef dishes created by Chefs Allemeier and Rogalski and learned about Karisma resort. It was also there that I won a stay at the hotel in the Mayan Riviera, which turned out to be one of our favourite vacations (Part 1 | Part 2).

I was excited to be invited this month to the Karisma Influencer and Media event held at the new Canadian Beef Centre of Excellence which opened earlier this year in Calgary.

We were fortunate to be treated to a four course meal made by the talented chefs at Karisma Hotels featuring Canada Beef. With Jeroen Hanlo, VP of Food & Beverage Operations at Karisma Hotels, the chefs kept us entertained and well fed all evening.

We first toured the amazing centre – fully equipped with a consumer kitchen, commercial kitchen as well as the beef fabrication room. We learned a lot from Marty Carpenter, the Centre Director and Abe van Melle, the Centre Technical Manager.

The evening started out with a tasty bite – beef tartare with habanero aioli. The platter was beautiful arranged with flowers and the beef was served on potato chips.

Our first course was Canadian AAA Spice Rubbed Tri-Tip, Baby Beets, Blue Cheese, Chantrelle Mushroom prepared by Chef Florian Durre, Executive Chef and Elorado Royale.

Our second course was Canadian AAA Petit Tenderloin, Yucatan Sauce “Chimole” prepared by Chef Jonaten Gomez Luna, Executive Chef at La Chique.

Our main course was the Canadian AAA Aged Rib-Eye, Black Corn Truffle, Creamy Sweet Corn with Traditional Mole and Tamarind. The rib-eye was my favourite cut, soft like butter. This course was prepared by Chef Francisco Perez, Executive Chef and Dorado Seaside Suites.

The final course was an amazing sight. The chefs prepared dessert using liquid nitrogen! The nitrogen was used to make creamy rhubarb sorbet as well as icy beads of carrot juice. This along with some coconut sponge, yogurt foam and cotton candy made for a flavourful dessert with lots of textures.

It was a fantastic evening, combining a couple of my favourite things – beef and Mexico!

calgary food tours – craving kensington

August 13, 2015 By Fareen 2 Comments

I was thrilled to finally take part in a food tour a couple months ago. It was so amazing, I’ve been raving about it since. My friend Karen Anderson, the nicest person you will ever meet, started Calgary Food Tours in 2006. The tours take place through different neighbourhoods around the city (as well as some markets) while the tour guides share their passion for food along with some history.

The tour that I took was Craving Kensington which included two blocks of deliciousness in the neighbourhood of Kensington. The tour started at the beautiful Kensington Riverside Inn. Our tour guide Jenny filled us in on some interesting history of both Calgary and Kensington. Having been born and raised in Calgary, I was a little embarrassed that I didn’t know a lot of the information that I learned that day.

Next stop was lunch at Pulcinella. This gorgeous 2-story restaurant is family run and serves delicious Neopolitan pizza cooked in a wood burning oven from Naples. We started with crispy calamari and a tomato salad with creamy burrata. This was then followed by a couple of thin crust pizzas. A lot of food for four people!

Following our Italian lunch, we went to The Naked Leaf and had a little tutorial and tasting. The store boasts many organic teas as well as an amazing patio to enjoy the drinks on.

Wine lovers rejoice – there’s a stop at the Kensington Wine Market! The staff here are happy to share their knowledge and a glass or two of their favourites.

We moved along next to the Peasant Cheese Shop and tried out a few of their many cheeses. While there, you can also pick up some accompaniments like crackers, preserves and charcuterie.

It’s a good thing we were doing a little bit of walking because our next stop was more food. We stopped at Brasserie Kensington for some of their poutine. The fries were perfect topped with cheese curds and duck gravy. Definitely going back again for that!

We ended the tour on a sweet note – at Crave. We were able to tour their newly renovated store and we learned how to do their trademark swirl. We were able to practice hands on so that was fun. Of course, sampling was involved.

If you ever get a chance, definitely try out one of the tours offered by Calgary Food Tours. It was a fun afternoon and I left with a full stomach and so much knowledge!

taco casserole

June 9, 2015 By Fareen 2 Comments

Around here, we are huge fans of tacos. Soft wraps or hard shells, we love them all. With tacos being so easy to prepare and everyone loving them, they are likely to be seen on the menu once a week.

Our new favourite way to eat tacos is in a casserole! While boiling a pound of pasta, we cook off some ground beef with taco seasoning. When both are done, we combine the two, put them in a casserole dish and cover the mixture with cheddar cheese. The dish is baked until the cheese is ooey and gooey.

When we are ready to eat, we top the pasta with salsa, sour cream, onions, tomatoes and avocados. It’s like eating a taco with a fork! Perfect for taco Tuesday!

an evening with lynn crawford and catelli ancient grains pasta – giveaway

March 30, 2015 By Fareen 40 Comments

A couple weeks ago, I had the opportunity to spend an evening with some fellow bloggers learning about Catelli’s Healthy Harvest Ancient Grains Pasta from none other than Chef Lynn Crawford!

Catelli’s new pasta is made with five ancient grains – quinoa, amaranth, teff, sorghum and millet. Currently available in Western Canada, the pasta is available in three cuts – Spaghetti, Spaghettini and Rotini.

We were so lucky to have Chef Lynn make us a couple of tasty treats. The first was Rotini in a Marinara sauce topped with cheese and fresh mozzarella. The second was the Spaghettini, tossed with pesto and cheese. So delicious!

She shared some great tips with us – use the stems of cilantro, think salty sea when salting the pasta water, never rinse the pasta after cooking for sauces to better adhere to the pasta.

Chef Lynn then proceeded to show us how to make her Chilled Noodle Salad with Ginger Wasabi Dressing. We then headed to the kitchen to make it for ourselves.

It was such a fun and memorable evening! Want a chance to win a one year supply of Catelli Healthy Harvest Ancient Grains pasta? Enter below!

Chilled Noodle Salad with Ginger Wasabi Dressing

Prep Time: 10 min
Cook Time: 8 min
Servings: 4

Ingredients:

1 pkg (340 g)              Catelli® Healthy Harvest® Ancient Grains Spaghettini
2 cups (500 ml)           snow peas, thinly sliced diagonally
1 cup (250 ml)            shelled edamame
1                                  small English cucumber
2 cups (500 ml)           napa cabbage, finely shredded
1 cup (250 ml)             red pepper, cut into matchsticks
3                                  green onions, thinly sliced
1                                  ripe avocado, sliced
1/4 cup (60 ml)           cilantro leaves
2 tbsp (30 ml)             black sesame seeds

Ginger-Wasabi Dressing:

1/4 cup (60 ml)         seasoned rice vinegar
3 tbsp (45 ml)           canola oil
2 tbsp (30 ml)           soy sauce
2 tbsp (30 ml)           lemon juice
1 tsp (5 ml)               lemon zest
2 tsp (10 ml)             brown sugar
2 tsp (10 ml)             sesame oil
1 tsp (5 ml)               grated fresh ginger
                                  wasabi to taste

Instructions:

Cook pasta according to package directions; drain well. Rinse under cold water until well chilled; transfer to large bowl and set aside.

In a pot of boiling water, cook snow peas and edamame until tender-crisp. Drain and rinse under cold water until well chilled; set aside.

Meanwhile, halve the cucumber lengthwise and use the end of a spoon to scoop and discard seeds; cut cucumber into julienne strips.

Ginger-Wasabi Dressing: Whisk together rice vinegar, canola oil, soy sauce, lemon juice and zest, brown sugar, sesame oil and ginger. Season with wasabi to taste.

Add cucumber, snow peas, edamame, napa cabbage, red pepper, green onions and avocado to noodles; toss with enough dressing to coat.

Garnish with cilantro leaves and black sesame seeds.

Tip: If you have time, you can chill the noodle dish by refrigerating for 1 to 4 hours.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

banff springs hotel eats

March 18, 2015 By Fareen Leave a Comment

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!

lemon ricotta crostini with crispy lentils

February 22, 2015 By Fareen 2 Comments

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!

super bowl eats

January 31, 2015 By Fareen 1 Comment

It’s Super Bowl weekend! As much as it is about the game, it is also about the food. Here are some ideas for you to enjoy while watching the big game.

Sticky Wings
Wings are the ultimate party food. These sticky wings are sure to please!

Hot Spinach & Artichoke Dip
Every party needs something cheesy. This is perfect with veggies or chips.

Beef Ribs with Blueberry BBQ Sauce
These sweet and savoury ribs are tender and tasty.

Salsa
Every party needs salsa! This one is easy to make and makes enough to feed the gang.

Beef Bacon Boursin-Filled Prawns
This little morsels will impress your guests. They are delicious!

The Ultimate Grilled Cheese
A favourite for kids of all ages. Created by Q, this is ooey gooey delicious.

corbeaux bakehouse

January 17, 2015 By Fareen Leave a Comment

After seeing all the delicious pictures being posted on Instagram about Corbeaux Bakehouse, I couldn’t wait to check it out for myself. Located in the former Melrose, the space had been transformed and it looked like a little bit of Europe in Calgary.

We arrived early on Friday and were happy to be seated right away. I had a cup of hot chocolate while I decided on breakfast. There were a lot of choices!

We knew we had to try the bread so we shared the bread basket which contained a few varieties along with butter and jam. The bread was so good and comforting and way more than two people needed to eat.

I was happy to see the buratta on the menu and we definitely wanted to try that. The cheese was soft and paired well with the tomato jam that it was served with. The jam was our favourite, sweet with a kick of spice.

I opted for the duo of poached eggs with salt, pepper and gremolata. We also ordered some bakehouse potatoes to go with our eggs. The potatoes were cooked up in duck fat with some caramelized onions and green onions. They made the perfect accompaniment to the eggs.

We also indulged and ordered some hollandaise sauce for the eggs. Definitely worth the splurge!

Our very delicious and filling breakfast was finished off with brioche donuts with lemon curd which were served nice and warm.

Along with their sit down menu, Corbeaux offers a huge variety of pastries and cakes that you can enjoy. With his sweet tooth, I knew Q would love the almond croissant which he devoured after dinner.

It was a great morning and I can’t wait to go back to try out all their lunch and dinner offerings. Definitely a place worth checking out!