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the great canadian beef cookout (#ExperienceCDNbeef)

October 17, 2014 By Fareen Leave a Comment

One of my favourite events that I attended this summer was one involving
Canada Beef, Karisma Hotels in Mexico and Jackson Family Wines. It
was a fabulous event in the garden of Rouge Restaurant learning about this partnership, highlighting Canadian beef in Mexico and enhancing beef and wine pairing knowledge.

Launched in January 2014, Karisma Hotels & Resorts’ inaugural Canadian Beef Culinary Series, by Karisma, invites guests to relish the taste of Canada’s top culinary talent and best cuts of prime beef while enjoying a Gourmet Inclusive® vacation in Riviera Maya, Mexico that is as delicious as it is unforgettable.

We were spoiled with delicious creations by the talented chefs Michael
Allemeier and Paul Rogalski.

The dishes were stunning to look at and
even better in my belly. Here’s a look at what we tried:

Beef Tataki with Vegetable Yuzu Salad

Oxtail broth, Roasted Garlic and Bone Marrow Pearls

Top Sirloin with Watermelon, Feta and Lime

Smoked Brisket Sticky Buns

Manhattan Strip with tortilla Fried Avocado

Beef Cheek Arancini, Blue Cheese Cream

The evening included a seminar by Jackson Family Wines and how different wines paired with different beef.

The best part of the night was a giveaway – a week’s stay at Karisma
Hotels in the Mayan Riviera, enjoying their gourmet inclusive experience. I was ecstatic
when I won!! We are so looking forward to a relaxing getaway and
delicious food. Less than two months away and the countdown has begun!

vinay virmani from dr cabbie talks food

September 19, 2014 By Fareen Leave a Comment

Opening in theatres today is a movie which I can’t wait to see – Dr. Cabbie. It’s a plot that may ring true for so many immigrant professionals who end up unable to practice what they were trained to do in their homelands. Vinay Virmani plays Deepak, an Indian doctor who emigrates to Canada with big dreams. Unfortunately his training is not recognized, he is forced into life as a taxi driver.

The movie has some great actors such as Kunnal Nayar from Big Bang Theory, Adrianne Palicki and Rizwan Manji.

Vinay was kind enough to talk about everyone’s favourite subject – food!

Coffee or Tea?
I love my coffee, especially in the morning. I need my Nespresso to get
me started. There’s a Roma flavor that is very woody and roasted.

What is your signature dish?
I’m not much of a cook, but I enjoy making simple dishes like grilled
chicken marinated in lemon and spices, with a green salad.

What kind of food do you go out for the most?
I’m a big sushi guy. I could eat it everyday. Love spicy tuna rolls!

What would your last meal include?

It would have to be my mother’s home-cooked Indian food. Butter chicken, Indian-spiced potatoes and fresh crispy roti.

Check out Vinay and the awesome cast of Dr. Cabbie, in theatres today!

pc spice of the prairies burger

August 31, 2014 By Fareen Leave a Comment

It’s hard to believe that summer is almost over. We had a great few months, and the heat that we enjoyed was so welcomed. The summer has definitely been one where we got out of the kitchen and used the grill as much as we could.

Earlier this year, PC challenged chefs throughout Canada to create the Ultimate Burger for their region using PC products. Food writer Dan Clapson created the Spice of the Prairies Burger made with PC Free Bison Burgers.

The folks at President’s Choice sent me some ingredients to try out Dan’s creation for myself. Dan’s creative take using the bison burger and a spicy blueberry aioli was made even better with the crunch of PC Regular Potato Chips. The heat from the aioli is mellowed out by the coolness of the lettuce with PC Sweet Vidalia Onion Salad Dressing. Add some provolone and put it all in a pretzel bun and you’ve got yourself a winner. Click here for the recipe – it’s definitely a must try!

keeping it local with red hat

July 24, 2014 By Fareen Leave a Comment

It’s been a couple weeks since the Stampede took over our city. With
pancake breakfasts and the guilty pleasures at the grounds, it was a
wonder that one of the best meals I had that week was fresh and clean
and a great feel-good lunch.

I was invited to the Red Hat Co-operative Stampede lunch at Bite
Groceteria. Red Hat is a group of local Alberta growers, whose offerings
were showcased at this delicious lunch. With over 50 members, this
group is committed to getting you the best quality of local produce.

The guilt-free lunch had us feasting on salads made with the tastiest
tomatoes, peppers and cucumbers, flatbread with eggplant and fried
jalapeños. There was even a juice bar using the local veggies.

We were lucky enough to take some veggies home and I immediately made a
caprese salad to keep enjoying those flavourful tomatoes.

Keep an eye out for Red Hat at your local grocery store. You can collect
grower cards in their products which could lead to a beach getaway. Good
luck!

avocado pasta sauce

April 11, 2014 By Fareen Leave a Comment

I have a new favourite pasta sauce / dressing! After seeing so many people post pictures of the avocado pasta on Instagram, I decided that it was something I needed to try. I know the recipe is in Angela Liddon’s new “Oh She Glows” cookbook but I was so happy that I was able to find it on her blog.

With lemon, garlic and basil incorporated into the creaminess of the avocado, it is perfect on pasta – so fresh and flavourful! I find it also goes great with salad, brightening things up immensely.

The sauce comes together easily in a food processor and was so simple to make. Q took charge of this one, tossing things in. He loved it so much, he licked the processor bowl! We threw the sauce with orecchiette and topped it with roasted salmon. Just thinking about that satisfying meal makes me hungry.

Avocado Pasta
From Oh She Glows

1 medium sized ripe avocado, pitted
1/2 lemon, juiced
1 – 3 garlic cloves
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 cup fresh basil
2 TB extra virgin olive oil

Place the garlic cloves, lemon juice, and olive oil into a food processor. Process until smooth. Add the avocado, basil and salt. Process until smooth and creamy. Pour sauce onto pasta and toss until fully combined. Serve immediately.

chestermere eats: sunnyz vietnamese sub & amato gelato

February 27, 2014 By Fareen Leave a Comment

It’s always nice when new restaurants open in Chestermere. It’s even nicer when the food is delicious and the service is fantastic. This is the case with Sunnyz Vietnamese Sub & Deli. Sure there are a couple of other Vietnamese places in town, both of which are great, but another sub place is always welcome.

When I walked in to Sunnyz, I was greeted with a friendly hello. I couldn’t help but notice how clean the place was. The animated movie playing on the big tv was perfect to keep any child customers entertained.

The Lemongrass Sate Beef Sub was a flavourful sandwich with not a lot of heat so even Q could enjoy it. The bun was not too crusty and the pickled carrots and crunchy cucumbers provided a good contrast. The little shop also has a variety of bubble teas as well as spring rolls and salad rolls.

This is a definite must try! The perfect finish? Head on over to Amato Gelato next door for a cool tasty treat. With so many flavours of gelato available, it’s hard to just pick one!

cruising on the disney wonder – palo restaurant

We had a fabulous brunch at Palo. Recommended by veteran cruisers, it was a definite must-do and we discovered for ourselves why. Located on the 10th deck, the restaurant has a great view of the ocean while you dine. Your brunch, now $25 per person (an increase of $5 from when we booked) includes a glass of sparkling wine or a mimosa.

There are a few tables full of delicious food as well as a selection of entrees that you can order. My favourite table was the seafood one. Crab, jumbo shrimp cocktail, salmon mousse, cajun ahi tuna, scallops and caviar. It was amazing and I would have been happy with just this one table.

There was a huge table filled with cheese and crackers and another with Mediterranean dishes like hummus and sundried tomatoes and a really lovely tuna nicoise salad made with ahi tuna.

There were two tables filled with sweet treats. One with pastries like croissants and cinnamon buns, the other with items like panna cotta and cakes. It took a lot of restraint to not try it all but the couple that I did try definitely satisfied my sweet tooth.

We had a fantastic server from Croatia, Tony. He was helpful and attentive and provided amazing curstomer service, like we experience through out the ship.

If you have a little bit of time, I would definitely recommend Palo for brunch.

cruising on the disney wonder – castaway cay

http://www.foodmamma.com/2014/01/cruising-on-disney-wonder.html

We lucked out on our day at Castaway Cay, Disney’s private island in the Bahamas. It was a sunny day, 28 degrees celsius and the water was a lovely blue, so clear that you could see the fish swim right by our legs.

There are 4000 chairs, so no need to rush off the boat to claim one. Right when you get off the ship, there is a post office, where you can buy stamps and mail some postcards. There are two post cards in each room but you can always ask for more from your state room attendant.

Just past that, we were greeted by Donald, and down a little ways, Minnie. It was a great chance to get some pictures with the characters without standing in long lines. We got off the boat an hour after we docked, so perhaps we beat the rush.

There is a tram that takes you to various points on the island. We got off at the first stop which was close by one of the souvenir shops as well as to Cookies, where lunch was going to be served. If you continue on the tram, it ends up at Serenity Bay, the adults only part of the island.

Lunch was a big barbecue with burgers, hot dogs, ribs, cajun mahi mahi and rotisserie chicken. It included all the fix-ins like coleslaw, potato salad and corn on the cob. For dessert, there was cobbler and great big chocolate chips cookies. There were also stations set up with whole and sliced fruit, ice cream and drinks.

Hubby went snorkelling and saw a submarine with an abandoned ship under the water. It was a fantastic stop and made for a really fun beach day.

cruising on the disney wonder – the food

The food on the Wonder was amazing!! There was a huge variety and there was something for everyone. There were three restaurants that were in our rotation – Triton’s, Parrot Cay and Animator’s Palate. There was also a buffet, Beach Blanket, which you could go to if you didn’t want something so formal. There were a couple of options by the pool, Pinnochio’s Pizzeria, Pluto’s Dog House for burgers and hotdogs as well as Goofy’s Galley for things like sandwiches and salads.

Here is just a glimpse of some of the delicious meals we had.

chinese new year

January 30, 2014 By Fareen Leave a Comment

This year’s Chinese New Year will be celebrated on January 31st ushering in the Year of the Horse.

Food is an important part of the Chinese culture and a lot of significance is assigned to different foods for the New Year. Several foods are consumed to usher in wealth, happiness and good fortune.

Here are the top 10 lucky foods to usher in the New Year:

Dumplings: Symbolizes wealth as the shape resembles Chinese ancient money.
Rice Dumplings: The round shape of the rice dumplings represents reunion and their stickiness symbolizes cohesiveness.
Mandarins or tangerines: The roundness of these fruit suggests abundant happiness and wholeness. Their Chinese names are also homonyms for “gold” and “luck.”
Lettuce: As a homonym for “making money” in Chinese, lettuce symbolizes the fulfillment of wealth in the coming year.
Whole fish: The Chinese word for “fish” is a homonym for “abundance.” In Chinese culture, eating fish represents having a surplus throughout the year.
Whole chicken: A whole cooked chicken symbolizes prosperity and togetherness of family.
Melon seeds: These snacks symbolize fertility along with sunflower and pumpkin seeds.
Fried sesame balls: The round shape and golden colour of these snacks are considered lucky. According to the Chinese, since they increase in size as they are fried they are a metaphor for a small venture growing and bringing back a large return.
Deep fried pastry with sesame: This snack’s name in Chinese translates to “smiling mouth,” which symbolizes the happiness it will bring to the family.
Rice cakes: The Chinese name of rice cakes ‘nian gao,’ literally means a “higher year” or year of improvement or advancement.

Adding to the already impressive assortment of international foods
available at Real Canadian Superstore® locations, select new T&T®
brand products are now in-store making it easier than ever to celebrate
Chinese New Year on January 31st . A box of some of the goodies that they offer was sent to me. A few items included:

T&T® Philippine
Dried Mangoes: These dried mangoes originated from the Philippines’
famous mango city, Cebu. The warm, sultry climate and fertile soil of
Cebu make it ideal for producing the most delicious mango variety. Lush,
creamy and aromatic, these mangoes are a unique blend of sweetness and
tartness. Use them for a garnish in salads or as a substitute for other
dried fruits.

T&T® Dried Shiitake Mushrooms: The
quality and rich flavour of T&T® Dried Shiitake Mushrooms is
signified by their large cap, fissures and thickness. With a long shelf
life, these mushrooms rehydrate quickly in warm water and are great to
enjoy on their own or in your favourite mushroom recipes.

T&T® Senbei Rice Cracker: Senbei rice crackers are made with the
best rice from Thailand and are a type of Japanese rice crackers that
come in various shapes, sizes and flavours. Senbei are often eaten as a
snack with green tea and offered to visiting house guests as a courtesy
refreshment or can be used to make your favourite canapés or hors
d’oeuvres.

T&T® Biscuit Egg Roll: This traditional
street food of Hong Kong and Asia is made with flaky egg dough from
simple but fresh ingredients. Try these biscuits as a delicious
complement to ice cream.

Real Canadian Superstore®
locations will also be carrying a wide assortment of fresh quality Asian
produce for Chinese New Year including Pomelos, Chinese Mini Mandarins,
Guava, Star Fruit, Long Beans and more. I especially loved their shrimp dumplings which were available in the freezer section.

Using the Shiitake Mushrooms as well as the Korean Kalbi Marinade Sauce, I made up this delicious dish. The mushrooms were meaty and absorbed all the tasty marinade. Even Q, who doesn’t like mushrooms, loved it. Not that I told him that they were mushrooms….

Disclosure:
I received a variety of products from President’s Choice along with a
gift certificate to try out some of their frozen items. I was under no
obligation to write about them. Opinions are my own. – See more at:
http://www.foodmamma.com/2013/12/presidents-choice-for-holidays.html#sthash.DMZwkj7b.dpuf

Disclosure: I received a variety of products from T&T/Real Canadian Superstore along with a gift certificate to try out some of their frozen items. I was under no obligation to write about them. Opinions are my own.

Shiitake Mushrooms in Kalbi Sauce
Recipe from T &T

1 can of T&T® Chicken Broth
15 pieces T&T® Shiitake Mushrooms
60 g T&T® Korean Kalbi Marinade Sauce
Chopped parsley

Soak T&T® Shiitake mushrooms in warm water for 1 hour. Remove the stems.

In large saucepan over medium heat, add mushrooms, chicken broth and kalbi sauce. Stir well, then cover the saucepan and allow the mushrooms to cook for 3-5 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Simmer covered for 1 hour.

Spring the parsley over the stew and serve immediately. Makes 2-4 servings