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Search Results for: cheese

an appetizer party for easter

April 27, 2011 By Fareen Leave a Comment

Our friends and I had such a great time with our Progressive Dinner a couple months ago, we were looking forward to our next dinner party.  The theme for the party was appetizers.  A whole meal of just appetizers!  I could not wait.  We took advantage of the long weekend and made a lunch of appetizers to celebrate Easter.  Each couple were responsible for two appetizers, none of which were coordinated.

Salted steamed edamame as well as cocoa spiced pecans were placed on the table for munching.

Q helped me make these shrimp gyoza.  These were stuffed with shrimp and loads of ginger, pan-fried and then steamed.  This was served with my new favorite sauce – ponzu!  How did I not know about this sauce earlier?  Ponzu is a citrus-based soy sauce and is delicious!  In the past week, I’ve had it with every possible food item, the bottle is almost done.

The boursin stuffed prawns wrapped in beef bacon were something I definitely wanted to share with our friends.  Even those who weren’t really seafood fans enjoyed these.

Hubby made up some beef shortribs in three varieties – East African hot, Korean bbq and a fusion of the two.  These are usually served up at any gathering we have and they were delicious!  The fusion ones were my fave.

Our friends brought over two different kinds of flatbread – cheese and herb.  These were served with bruschetta and a spicy hummus.

One of my favorite appetizers to order at a restaurant is the chili chicken.  Our friends made this without the crispy coating and it was delicious.

Chicken kabob skewers with veggies were grilled up and they were oh so tasty.

Our friends also brought over Aloo Tikki.  These are basically Indian patties made with mashed potatoes and herbs and spices. Served with various chutneys, it was a great addition to our meal.

We rounded out the meal with a bowl full of nutella almond ice cream.  It really was the perfect meal – little bites with amazing friends.  A meal of appetizers is something we’ll definitely be doing again.

Filed Under: foodmamma Tagged With: appetizers, party

beef bacon wrapped boursin filled prawns

April 19, 2011 By Fareen 4 Comments

Rob Rainford was on CityLine last week and he made these amazing looking stuffed prawns wrapped in bacon.    These looked like the perfect item for our upcoming appetizer party.  I made a few changes, using ingredients that I had in the house.  Trying to stop the cheese from oozing out while wrapping the prawn with the bacon took some effort.  After making only 8, I decided that these may be more work than they were worth.  I was wrong!  These tasty bites were so amazingly delish, I wish I had made more.  The creamy garlic from the cheese, the sweetness from the soy, the grease from the bacon – they just made us wanting more.

Beef Bacon Wrapped Boursin Filled Prawns
(Adapted from Rob Rainford’s Stuff Jumbo Prawns with Goat Cheese Wrapped in Bacon)

8 jumbo prawns, peeled and deveined
8 tsp boursin cheese
4 strips beef bacon (or any bacon you wish to use)
4 TB sweet soy sauce

Butterfly each prawn and fill with boursin cheese.  Take half a strip of bacon and wrap around the prawn, holding it together with tooth picks.  BBQ until prawns turn pink, basting with the sweet soy sauce on both sides.  Gently remove the tooth picks before serving.

Filed Under: foodmamma Tagged With: bacon, cheese, shrimp

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!

Ruth's Chris Steakhouse on Urbanspoon

Filed Under: foodmamma Tagged With: eating out

making butternut squash ravioli from scratch

January 22, 2011 By Fareen 2 Comments

Last year, at one of our family dinners, my cousin AJ made us butternut squash ravioli with sage butter sauce from scratch.  It was so rich and flavourful and ever since, I order butternut squash ravioli anytime I get a chance. When I bought my pasta machine this past Christmas, I knew the first thing I wanted to learn and make was my cousin’s pasta.

AJ came over yesterday and taught me how.  I couldn’t believe how easy it was.  I found it amazing how the pasta machine could take a ball of dough and turn it into something so long and thin.  Amazing that all it took was flour and eggs.  The word of the night was amazing.

The dough was just 1 1/2 cups of flour, 3 eggs and a little bit of olive oil.  It came together pretty easily and then we kneaded it for over 10 minutes.  We let the dough rest while we prepared the filling.

I had roasted the butternut squash earlier in the day with some olive oil and salt and pepper.  It was really tasty and it was hard to not eat the whole thing before pasta making time.  For the filling, we heated up some oil and sauteed a shallot with one clove of garlic.  We then added the squash and 150 grams of goat cheese until it was all incorporated.  We took it off the stove and mashed.  We then filled up a ziploc bag, our makeshift piping bag.

The dough was put through the pasta machine a couple times on each thickness.  By the time we got to the thinnest plate, the dough was long, thin and pliable.  We piped the squash on one half of the dough and folded the dough over.  Air pockets were removed and the dough was cut with a pizza cutter into squares.  We boiled the ravioli for only 3 minutes!

We topped the pasta off with a sauce made with browned butter and sage ,and some parmesan cheese.  So simple and with so much flavour!

I had so much fun making pasta. The end result was a very tasty, rich pasta.  Amazing!

Filed Under: foodmamma Tagged With: pasta

a night at NOtaBLE

January 14, 2011 By Fareen Leave a Comment

My husband has a new job.  For the past few years, hubby has been a construction project manager, working on office buildings, supermarkets and large box stores.  I am excited about his new venture with LUX Group where he will be in charge of building restaurants and coffee shops.  Yes, food establishments.  Hooray!

Hubby’s new boss B and his girlfriend M (who it turns out I went to high school with!) were kind enough to take us out for dinner at NOtaBLE, Michael Noble’s restaurant located on Bowness Road.  I had heard and read great things about the restaurant and was excited to check it out.

We weren’t able to make reservations for the day we went and the restaurant was busy – we did have to wait about 30 minutes for a table.  We were quite hungry by the time we were seated and went straight for the main course.  I ordered the char-grilled and braised lamb shank served with chanterelle mushroom and asiago risotto.  It was a great choice.  The lamb was moist and the risotto was creamy and delicious.  My mouth is watering just thinking about it.

Hubby ordered the whole grilled sea bream with lemon, thyme, and red wine butter sauce.  Our server offered to debone the fish for him, although he didn’t take her up on the offer.  The fish was moist and very tasty.

There weren’t a lot of vegetarian options for M but the kitchen was kind enough to make her gnocci with assorted veggies which she seemed to enjoy.  B ordered the New York steak which looked juicy and tender.

We had to of course order dessert.  The double baked chocolate cake was served warm with a scoop of chocolate sorbet and was delicious!  B ordered the stilton cheesecake and enjoyed it even though he didn’t like blue cheese.  The cheesecake was served with a rhubarb compote.

Michael Noble worked with B on the menu for Kayne’s so I did get an introduction after our meal.  He was even kind enough to take a picture with me.  We had a great time at NOtaBLE – great food and great company.

NOtaBLE on Urbanspoon

Filed Under: foodmamma Tagged With: eating out

kayne’s restaurant

November 23, 2010 By Fareen Leave a Comment

This weekend we had the opportunity to go to the opening of Kayne’s Restaurant in Calgary.  Kayne’s is a venture by Lux Restaurant Group and features a menu that was developed with Chef Michael Noble.  Located on 17th Avenue, this modern-looking pub boasts a lounge area with a wall of flat screen tvs.

There were so many great things on the menu, it was hard to decide exactly what we wanted to try.  We decided to make a meal of appetizers and they were delicious!

We started with the Bison Pops.  These are indian-spiced bison meatballs served with a garlicky tzatziki.  These skewers were exploding with flavour, we had to resist the urge to order some more.

Being the cheese lovers that we are, we just had to try out the Crispy Brie.  The brie was lightly breaded with panko and the warm cheese just oozed out with every bite.  This was served with a sweet cranberry sauce and was fantastic!

We also tried out the Seafood and Chicken Purses.  These were fried wontons stuffed with a shrimp and chicken mixture.  Another great appetizer.

One thing that stood out in all the dishes was the amount of flavour! Great food and great service – we will definitely be back to try out the rest of the menu.

Kaynes on Urbanspoon

Filed Under: foodmamma Tagged With: eating out

celebrating eid – tomato and bocconcini salad

September 11, 2010 By Fareen Leave a Comment

Today is Eid, a festival which marks the end of Ramadan and a month of fasting.  On this joyful day, people celebrate by going to mosque and sharing a feast with friends and family.  This year’s dinner consisted of a fabulous meal made by my mother-in-law which consisted of biryani (a rice and meat dish), and freshly fried samosa. 

My contribution to the meal was a Tomato and Bocconcini salad made into an appetizer by placing the cherry tomato and cheese on a toothpick.  This is one of my favorite salads – the combination of the lemon, garlic and basil adds so much flavour to the otherwise flat-tasting cheese.

This is a ridiculously easy to make salad and a great way to use up those summer tomatoes.  Its packed with so much flavour, and is a hit everytime it is served.

Tomato and Bocconcini Salad

200 grams mini bocconcini
1 pint cherry tomatoes
zest and juice of one lemon
2 garlic cloves, minced
basil bunch, chopped
2 TB parmesan cheese
1/4 cup olive oil
salt
pepper

Combine lemon, garlic, basil, parmesan, olive oil, salt and pepper.  Add cheese and tomatoes and toss.

Filed Under: foodmamma Tagged With: cheese, salad

greek chicken kabobs

July 28, 2010 By Fareen Leave a Comment

We finally had a fabulous hot weekend and it was the perfect weather to enjoy the Kensington Sun and Salsa Festival.  We tried many different salsas – spicy, cool, red, green – but my favorite was Broken Plate’s greek salsa made with feta.  It was delicious and I was inspired by the mediterranean flavours.  I had thawed chicken breasts waiting for me at home for the next day’s dinner, the perfect canvas to play!  A little of this and a little of that and I came up with this tasty marinade that left the chicken flavourful and juicy.

Greek Chicken Kabobs

1 cup plain yogurt (Balkan style or homemade)
1/4 cup seasoned feta cheese
2 TB greek seasoning (I used Club House)
2 cloves of garlic
Zest of one lemon
Juice of half a lemon
3 chicken breasts, cubed

In a bowl, mix first 6 ingredients.  Add the chicken and marinate overnight.  Skewer the chicken and bbq.  Perfect with salad and grilled smashed potatoes.

Filed Under: foodmamma Tagged With: bbq, chicken

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

June 9, 2010 By Fareen 1 Comment

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

Filed Under: foodmamma Tagged With: breakfast, eating out, sandwiches

Watermelon, Feta and Mint Salad

May 18, 2010 By Fareen 1 Comment

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
100
https://foodmamma.com/2010/05/summer-in-bowl-watermelon-feta-and-min/

 

Looking for some more watermelon recipes. Click here!

Filed Under: foodmamma Tagged With: cheese, fruit, salad

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Hello!

My name is Fareen and I'm so happy you stopped by! This blog is about my favourite things - family, food and travel. Here you will find adventures with hubby, my two boys and my great big family. There is food (lots of food!), as much travel as we can squeeze in and just life in general.

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