michelle amurao

NEW WEBSITE!!!

2009-05-14T20:57:00.001-04:00

COME CHECK OUT MY NEW WEBSITE HERE

I'm back... but I'm not the same person I used to be

2009-03-14T21:23:00.006-04:00

Wow.. how fast time flies when you're having fun!

It's pretty much been 6 months since I've written in this blog and I'd like to apologize for being away for so long. Between moving into a new condo, slowly renovating it, xmas vacation in England, and worrying about if I'll still have my job, I've been busy finding what my true calling in life is.

Almost everyday last year, well.. and this year... my friend Mark and I would ask each other, "What is your dream job?", "If you had money to start your own business, what would it be?". We both have a serious love for interior design and technology so ideas such as opening our own furniture store that also sells home stereo equipment came to mind. These are all just dreams right now... unless we win this weekend's Super 7 lottery.

But in the meantime, I had to find something that I could seriously do on the side and well... I found it! I decided to start my own Interior Design Consulting business. Thanks to my friend Tas, I had my first referral and it's been an exciting 2 months working on this project. You'll have to wait to hear and see any details of the project until it's completed which will hopefully be April 2009.

But besides having my current job and my Interior Design Consulting business, I still love to blog! I almost decided to completely shut this food blog down but I thought... you know what... I can't just talk about one thing. I love too many things to just not share it with people so I decided to revamp this blog into an interior design, photography, food, and technology blog. I know, it seems like a lot but I can't help it, I love a lot of things!

So anyway, I'm glad to be back and look forward to an amazing 2009!

Hangover Food

2008-09-13T16:41:00.007-04:00

So last night we checked out Fly for the first time and lucky for us it was Retro Night! Woo Woo! We haven't been out in awhile so we made up for lost time and enjoyed a few drinks (perhaps a few too many for some of us) and are dealing with the consequences today.

Just as a side note, we saw Chris Hyndman and Steven Sabados there and our friend Rick introduced us to Chris. All I remember is that Lou and I both hugged him and said he was awesome. We are officially the biggest los

ers.

Anyway, back to dealing with the consequences. As soon as I woke up, I was craving Mc D's Big Mac!! Lucky I had the "2 Can Dine For $8.98" coupon.

It is now 6 hours after I inhaled my Big Mac and now I'm craving fish and chips. I decided to check out what restos were delivering on www.orderit.ca (there's no way I was leaving the house to pick up food). We found a restaurant called Chippy's Fish and Chips so we decided to give it a go.

Survey says......... 6 out of 10.

It's over priced, fish is thin, curry gravy is well... for lack of a better word... disgusting, and the chips weren't your true thick english chips. And to top it all off, it took 1 hour and 20 mins for the food to arrive. The best part of the meal was the garlic mayo.

How to peel hard boiled eggs without peeling it!!

2008-08-27T19:02:00.002-04:00

Check this out!

Perfect way to start my Canada Day

2008-07-01T11:50:00.004-04:00

There is no better way to start Canada Day than with a perfectly brewed Tim Hortons coffee.

Toronto Summerlicious is back!!

2008-06-24T20:29:00.005-04:00

Don't let the summer go by without trying at least 1 restaurant that is participating in Summerlicious!

Click here to see the restaurant list.

Czehoski is definitely on the top of my list.

Loblaws Mango Chili Chicken

2008-06-19T18:45:00.004-04:00

I was at Loblaws one Saturday and they had a stand that was serving sample h'ordeurve size crostinis with mango chutney and mango chili chicken. Do you ever walk by the meat section where the butcher packages the meat for you and notice that they already have marinated meats? I walk by there all the time and don't ever think of buying these marinated meats. But when I tried the mango chicken crostinis... I was hooked!!!

I immediately purchased 2 chicken breast pieces and thought of recipes I could make with it. I went to a wedding last month and I remembered that the chicken meal that I chose actually had a mango salsa on top of the chicken supreme. It was accompanied with mashed potatoes and summer vegetables. It was one of the best chicken wedding dinners I've every had.

So tonight, I decided to make Mango Chili Chicken with mango salsa, green beans, and mashed potatoes.

I don't have the recipe for the mango chili chicken and what it was marinated in but all I did with it was bake it in the oven.

I can, however, share with you the mango salsa that I made. It's so easy peasy!

1 medium size mango (chopped into tiny cubes)

juice of 1/2 a lime

table spoon of chopped coriander

1/2 a cup of chopped red pepper

1 red chili pepper desesded and chopped into tiny pieces (this is an option if you want a little bit of a kick)

teaspoon of olive oil

salt & pepper to taste

All you have to do is combine all of these ingredients together and voila!

I would totally use this salsa with perhaps mahi mahi, tilapia, or red snapper fish.

Typical Sagittarius

2008-04-14T21:55:00.004-04:00

Many times I have read that a characteristic of a Sagittarian is that they don't finish what they have started. I confess, this is some what true for myself. There have been times where I get all psyched up for a project or task and then I just for some reason, I lose interest or just don't finish it for whatever reason.

Sad but true... my vegetarian challenge has come to and end :o( I survived 3.5 days of being a vegetarian and just the thought of another 4 days was extremely difficult. After the first 3 days, my body just felt weird. I can't really explain it but it was like my body was changing. It wasn't getting weak but it didn't feel the same. Not sure what it was exactly but in any case, my craving for meat was unbearable tonight. I had a bagel with cream cheese for breakfast and a veggie plate at Jimmy The Greek for lunch. But when I came home from work today, all I could think about was MEAT.. chicken to be specific!

I ended my vegetarian challenge with St. Louis Wings!! mmm..... YUMMY IN MY TUMMY!! 3.5 days of veg and carbs was all I needed to know that I could NEVER be a vegetarian. Sorry people... I love food and meat is a big part of it.

I think I could totally have lasted if I could have a least had seafood but I was cut off from that as well. Maybe I'll try that one week and see how it goes.

Sheryl... my deepest apologies for losing your challenge. I actually enjoyed the first couple of days but that was about it.

Til the next challenge.....

Day 3 - Sunday April 13th

2008-04-13T18:11:00.008-04:00

Happy Birthday Dad!!

Breakfast:

- 2 hashbrowns

Lunch:

- caesar salad

- Penne Rustico

Dinner:
- sweet potato fries (yes... again!)

Today is my dad's birthday and one of my parents favorites restaurants is Canyon Creek Chophouse. First thing that ran through my mind as I made the reservations for lunch was, "What a bad week to do a Veggie Challenge!". I would say about 95% of the menu in this restaurant is either beef, pork, chicken, or seafood. The only veggie item they had on the menu was a veggie burger. I thought, "Ok.. that's what I'll have. Even though I only like Lick's Nature burgers.. I'll try a different veggie burger.". Yeah well... my mind changed when I got the restaurant. I just couldn't take a chance on ordering something that I might not have liked. So... I ordered the only pasta dish they had called Penne Rustico except I had them take out the chicken :o(. The pasta had spinach, peppers, mushrooms, and feta cheese in a garlic tomato sauce. It wasn't bad actually. To start though, I did order a caesar salad. Chomp chomp chomp. 1/3 of the way done, I realized that there were bits of bacon on the salad! I was completely dumb founded. I didn't even realize it. I started to pick all of them hoping that I might not have eaten too many of them already. :o( I was quite upset. I was doing so good but I'll have to put it past me now and move ahead.

Next time I go to Canyon Creek Chophouse. I'd love to try the slow roasted pork chops with lingonberrry sauce. It looked so good!

Day 2 - Saturday, April 12

2008-04-13T10:40:00.005-04:00

Breakfast:
- poppyseed bagel with herb & garlic cream cheese

Lunch/Dinner:
- Tomato pizza and sweet potato fries

The sweet potato fries were sssoooo good!!! The brand that I purchased was Alexia. Today was also good as I stayed home all day and loafed around! I love rainy Saturday's.

Day 1 - Friday April 11

2008-04-13T10:35:00.003-04:00

Breakfast:
- apple muffin
Lunch:
- veg fried rice, noodles, and veggie spring rolls
Dinner:
- spaghetti with tomato sauce

So far so good. Today was an easy day. I went to Whole Foods with Sheryl & Dion and I couldn't believe that I found frozen sweet potato fries. I LOVE sweet potato fries and I've never seen a pack of frozen ones. I'll save it for tomorrow.

Tomorrow is the big day!!

2008-04-10T19:45:00.004-04:00

Ok so Sheryl has challened Lou and I to a Veggie Challenge. Problem is... Lou refuses to give up seafood so for her.. she'll be a pescetarian.

I've stocked up on pasta, veggies (of course), cheese, more pasta, pomodora pizza,. and more pasta. (I need to find some more recipes) Now just to clarify.. I know some vegetarians don't even eat cheese or eggs but according to Sheryl's challenge rules.. I can eat them :o) YAY!! Thank god!

So every day I will post a blog as to what I have eaten. I have to say.... I'm excited but am also wishing that I ate a street meat hotdog, a t-bone steak, a roasted chicken, and some bbq ribs this week but... oh well. I guess it'll have to wait.

Wish me luck!

It's "Empty out the fridge" night

2008-04-02T18:42:00.005-04:00

Now that I've moved to a shoe box, I'm so lucky to have a tiny fridge that fits practically nothing! (insert angry face). It's good in a way that I don't overload on groceries, however, I also have to be conscious of what I can fit in the fridge. Thank god for Ziplock large freezer bags!

Anyway, I had some food in the fridge that I kept forgetting to cook so today I decided to grab whatever ingredients I had to get rid of out of the fridge and make a pasta out of it.

This is what I had to get rid of:

- raw shrimp

- tomatoes

- mushrooms

Because I just sort of threw everything together, I don't really have a precise recipe. I can pretty much tell you what else I added to those ingredients to give you an idea of what you'll need should you ever want to brave making it.

So besides the shrimp, tomatoes, and mushrooms.... I used.

- butter

- olive oil

- garlic

- onions

- italian parsley

- nutmeg

- salt & pepper

- wholegrain spaghettini

First and foremost, I cooked my spaghettini in boiled water.

While that was cooking, I basically melted about 2 teaspoons of butter and cooked the garlic & mushrooms just until they started to get soft. I added the tomatoes and onions until the onions were soft. Then I added the parsley and just a little bit of nutmeg. (When I say a little bit... I probably stroked the nutmeg across my grater about 15 times..lol. Sorry... I'm crap at measurements). Then I added a good glug of olive oil and added the shrimp and of course salt and pepper to taste.

It took me about 20 mins to make which is just the way I like it.

Oh..lol. Just one more thing. I completely forgot to take the shell off the shrimp so you might want to do that before so that you don't have to do it after it's all cooked and get your fingers messy.

Bacon, Cucumber, and Tomato Salad

2008-03-29T11:25:00.005-04:00

So I woke up this morning and all I was thinking about was that I wanted bacon for breakfast! Not sure what I was going to make it with but I haven't had crispy bacon in ages. As usual, Lou opted for the bacon and egg sandwich but for me... I wasn't really craving egg. I thought... "hhmm.. maybe I'll have a BLT". Uh.. no. No salad in the house. So, I looked at what was in the fridge and I thought.. "I know, I'll have a bacon, cucumber, and tomato salad!".

I've never made it before or tried it before but I thought that I'd try it anyway. I have to say... I liked it. It was fresh, simple, with a touch of salt from the crispy bacon. And when I say crispy... I LOVE my bacon crispy to the point where you can hear it snap when you break it in half.

Here's the recipe. You can choose how much of the ingredients you want but this is what I used for 1 serving.

1 vine ripened tomato sliced

1/2 cup of sliced cucumber

thinly sliced onion (I wanted to use red onion but didn't have any). I don't like loads of onions in my salad so I literally only used about 7 thin slices for my salad.

5 pieces of bacon cooked til crispy.. REALLY CRISPY!

1/2 teaspoon of dried oregano

extra virgin olive oil

juice of 1 lemon slice

- Mix the tomatoes, cucumbers, onions, and bacon in a bowl.

- Drizzle extra virgin olive oil to your liking.

- Add the dried oregano and lemon juice and mix all of the ingredients together and serve!

Voila!

60 EARTH HOUR

2008-03-24T22:50:00.005-04:00

I know this isn't a food related blog entry, however, I think that saving our earth is extremely important.

Countries all over the world are participating in conserving energy for 1 hour. It started in Sydney, Australia and is spreading around the world. On Saturday, March 29, 2008, hundreds of thousands of people around the world are going to shut off all of their lights from 8pm to 9pm.

If you'd like more information and/or would like to sign up on the Earth Hour website, click on this link.

Angel Baby

2008-03-11T20:20:00.005-04:00

I was honoured and extremely happy to have been asked to take photos for my long time friend Ellen Fargas' organic baby food business. During the shoot I was so tempted to try some but didn't want to ruin the shoot with traces of my finger having been dipped into the food. Lucky Zach Attack gets to eat his mom's beautiful creation all day long.

It's amazing to me how organic food is just sweeping the world with so many more options of food and flavour. The organic food business is exploding and I truly believe that anyone in it, will be successful.

If you or anyone you know would be interested in more information of Angel Baby, call or email at the information below:

647-286-2989

order@angelbabyfood.ca

I will be back soon....

2008-02-25T22:15:00.006-05:00

Hi folks,

Sorry I haven't been around lately. It's been so crazy lately as I'm moving into a new condo. I've got LOADS of pics and blogs that I want to post but just have no time. Once I'm settled into the new place, I promise it'll be one big blog vomit.

Oh and I did visit the UK again and FINALLY got to London. Here's a couple of pics.

Enjoy and stay tuned....

Welcome to the blog world Martha!

2007-12-06T21:59:00.001-05:00

I must be slow but I just discovered that Marth Stewart started her own personal blog in October!

Check it out here.

I love it! It's a personal insight into her life that a lover of reality TV like myself would definitely be chuffed about! You can see her house and things that she does to it, her travels, her pets, etc.

Enjoy!

Happy Banana Xango to me!

2007-12-03T18:18:00.001-05:00

...creamy. light banana cheesecake wrapped in a pastry tortilla, dusted with cinnamon-sugar and served with warm caramel, ribbons of chocolate and french vanilla ice cream. (Moxie's Classic Grill)

The Best 5 minute Tomato Sauce!!

2007-11-26T18:44:00.001-05:00

I'M BACK!!.. Temporarily.

I had to blog about this because it was ssooooo good and so simple! Just the way I like it.

First of all, I have to say that winter is NOT a motivator for blogging. I get home at 4:30pm and it's already dark. How can I cook and take pictures without natural light? I don't have any fancy shmancy lighting and throughout the summer... the sun is what I relied on. Weekends have been busy with studying and other things so i'm too lazy to cook and take pictures and blog. Hopefully after Christmas I can get back into the blogging world and back to cooking new recipes!

Tonight, however, I was really craving pasta and was so impressed with this recipe that I had to blog about it. I bought fresh ravioli with spinach and ricotta and decided to finally use one of my San Marzano canned tomatoes. I've been saving these cans for a special recipe and even though this is such a simple recipe, it was so worth the wait! I quickly searched the www for a recipe and came across one from a woman who is an unbelievable cook! There are so many recipes of hers that I want to try. This was my first one.

Again, apologies for the crap pics.

My favorite salad

2007-10-21T17:48:00.001-04:00

It's been a busy quite stressful week and today is exactly what I needed!! I've finished the last 3 days of my course and now I have 2 weeks to study for my exam. My mind is completely consumed with studying studying studying as I'm worried that I won't pass this exam. I haven't had to study for anything for over 10 years and I admit.. it scares me. I even researched on what foods are good to eat when studying. Of course it was all boring veggies, nuts, fish - not that I'm comlaining cuz I love all that. I was just hoping that there would be some sort of brain nutrition in a Big Mac.

So after being in class for 3 intense days in a row and a day of studying on Saturday, all I wanted to do today was NOTHING TO DO WITH STUDYING!! Lou and I went to Milestones, one of our most favorite restaurants, then watched "Gone Baby Gone" at the cinema (which was pretty good btw), and then took Ziggy for a walk at Queens Quay where I grabbed a Tall Non-Fat No Whip Cafe Mocha at Starbucks. And now, I've finally made some time to blog and read blogs I've been wanting to read all week. Usually I'm on my laptop every night updating myself on everyone's blogs but I've forced myself NOT to get side tracked so I had to put the blogs aside for awhile.

When I woke up this morning at 11am, I knew that I desperately need a serious break. I don't think my brain could have handled another day of studying so when Lou asked me what I wanted to eat, the first thing that popped into my head was MILESTONES Vegetarian Thai Noodle Salad. I NEVER usually order salads when I go out to eat but this salad has me hooked. This time I ordered grilled tiger shrimp with it instead of the usual grilled chicken.

The ingredients of this salad are "Fresh chopped greens and oriental noodles stacked with artichokes, sliced mushrooms, shredded carrots, spicy house-made avocado and papaya salsas, feta and honey mustard vinaigrette".

I could eat it again right now!!!

Lou had the "CERTIFIED ANGUS BEEF® 8oz TOP SIRLOIN With trio of signature Steak sauces: House-made Worcestershire, Kobe mustard, Gaucho sauce with Black Peppercorn & Cognac sauce: Served with a grilled Portabello mushroom.". I would have had taken a picture of it but she said, "HELL NO" when I asked her to wait. Can't blame her really.. it looked so good. You could really taste the cognac.

Now when it comes to steak though, to us, nothing can compare to Ruth Chris Steak House. I'll blog about this next time I go which will HOPEFULLY be in 2 weeks because if I pass my exam, that's the first place I going to celebrate!

Montreal has poutine... Toronto has hot dogs

2007-10-15T20:06:00.001-04:00

I remember clubbing in Montreal and starving after last call. I must have asked 3 or 4 Quebecois where I could get a hot dog and no one had a clue. One person actually sent me to a place where they used toast (for the bun) and a boiled hot dog. It was disgusting but I was starving. I wasn't in the mood for poutine. All I wanted was a juicy bbq'd hot dog.

Toronto hot dogs ... aka.. "street meat" can be found on MANY street corners in downtown Toronto and outside of many suburban areas at Canadian Tire & Home Depot stores. It might be the weirdest thing for people from out of town to see but Torontonians can't live without street meat.

3am and most clubs have ended their night.

People spilling into the streets drunk, buzzed, high, but more importantly.. HUNGRY!

They want something fast, cheap, and easy to cure the drunkiness.

Street meat is the answer to all their prayers.

To top off your bbq'd hot dog, you've got a selection of condiments from ketchup, to hot peppers, to sweet corn relish. Personally, I take my dog with loads of onions, 3 or 4 peppers, and tons-o-ketchup!!

Many a times we've taken little Ziggy (my daschund) for a walk by the Harbourfront and we always stop at "Mike's Hotdogs". I keep forgetting the guy who actually makes the hot dog (don't know if he's actually Mike) but I know he's from Japan. Every time he sees Ziggy he says the same thing. "I had a hot dog dog once with my ex girlfriend in Japan. When I left, she took it.". Mike's Hotdogs is located at Bay and Queens Quay on the South West corner. He is by far the friendliest hot dog guy and has the juiciest dogs in Harbourfront.

If you're a hot dog vendor, you're lucky if you get the prime spots in downtown Toronto. Apparently, it's randomly selected each year where each hot dog vendor will be located each year. I remember one hot dog guy I spoke to (who was located on a side street right across the street from a car shop - not exactly a money making location) once said that while Mel Lastman was our Mayor, it seemed as though the Italians were getting all the hot spots like Yonge & Bloor but of course.. paid a nominal "fee" for it. Don't know if it's true but about 3 years a later, I ran into this hot dog guy by University of Toronto. I guess he moved up in the hot dog world! What more could a student want for a cheap and quick lunch. He seemed quite happy at least.

Another way to cure hiccups

2007-10-09T19:45:00.003-04:00

I was reading the Amateur Gourmet's "How To" section on his website and I saw "How to cure hiccups". I thought, "Oh.. I wonder if this is the same way I've heard you can cure hiccups.".

Actually... it wasn't.

For Lou's birthday this summer we went to Brownstone Bistro & Bar. One of our friends had the hiccups and someone heard that drinking water backwards was the sure cure for hiccups. Derek was the demonstrator and I'm sure that people were thinking, "What the hell is this guy doing?" lol It's definitely not something you'd just get up and do at a restaurant (or maybe you would) but it works!

lol... it's an odd thing to do but I swear.. it works like a charm. You just have to be careful that you don't spill water all over the place or laugh while you're trying to drink cuz you know you look ridiculous. lol You don't have to drink a lot. Just a big sip.

Make sure the glass is full to the top. It's easier to drink.

Check out this video on how to works.

Crepes a GoGo

2007-10-08T21:16:00.003-04:00

Happy Thanksgiving Canada!

I don't think I've EVER experienced Thanksgiving in 25 degrees celcius weather! It was so hot and humid today and I kept thinking that we need to try more restaurant patios before it gets cold. Especially since Sassafraz reopened. Wait a second... what the heck am I talking about. It's bloody October! It should be cold by now. It's bitter sweet really. I hate what's happening with global warming but at the same time... it's 25 degrees in October!!!!! They say that we will be experiencing warmer months than cold in the near future. I remember probably over 5 years ago, it was cold from September to May.

Anyway, I enjoyed my day off today with my friend Sheryl. We walked around Yorkville, checked out Whole Foods (unfortunately... came out empty handed because I didn't want to walk around all day with bags of endless delights), and finally stopped at a place called Crepes a GoGo.

I've only eaten at 2 crepe places before - Cafe Crepe & Le Creperie in Quebec City. When it comes to fruit crepes, the peach crepe at Le Creperie is at the very top of my list of the most heavenly crepes I have ever tasted. I've had a chicken crepe at Cafe Crepe and "eh".. it was ok - Nothing spectacular.

But today... Sheryl and I tried a scrambled egg, swiss cheese, mushroom, red onion and dill crepe. After walking around for over an hour with throbbing heals, it was just what the doctor ordered. The edge of the crepe was crispy just they way I like it and all the flavours of the filling were warm and fresh.

My favorite part of Crepes a GoGo is that it's a small family owned business and the staff speak french! I could have stayed there for hours just watching people coming in and out enjoying the best crepes in Toronto (in my opinion). Crepes a Gogo... I will see you again soon!

Let's give the General a try

2007-10-06T14:01:00.001-04:00

I know some will argue that it's not authentic chinese or anything but I have to admit that General Tso Chicken is a chinese dish I really enjoy. Even Wikipedia says it's more for an American/Canadian dish.

I've thought about making it myself but never really looked into finding a recipe until yesterday. I googled it and found many different recipes but found one that looked exactly what I'm used to seeing it look like as the end result. Some of them looked dry or not cripsy.

After preparing the chicken, frying, cooking, and of course eating this tasty delite.. I'm exhausted and admitedly so... too lazy to type out the recipe so you can find it here if you're interested.

The only thing I added was toasted sesame seeds, a bit of lime juice just before serving to add that bit of tang to it and served it with basmati rice.

Chilean Food & Wine Festival

2007-10-04T21:08:00.001-04:00

Last night was the 2007 Chilean Food & Wine Festival at the Distillery. I've lived in Toronto all my life and have only been to the Distillery twice. I can't believe I haven't made time to enjoy the Distillery in the summer months.... shame on me. For sure next summer I will make more of an effort to enjoy the restaurants, festivals, and the cobble stone roads that the Distillery as to offer. It kind of reminds me of being in Old Montreal.

This was my first wine festival so I had no idea what to expect. All I knew was that I was for sure going to bring my camera!! When I walked through the doors, I felt like a kid in a candy store. There were so many things that I wanted to try and to see and to take pictures of. There was so much wine to taste and food to savour! Why did I decide to eat dinner before the festival?? There were numerous wine tasting sections and food pairing tables. Unfortunately, the only food picture that wasn't blurred was the chorizo with mild and spicy chili sauce (I blame it on the wine). It was damn spicy alright! I did try other foods such as beef & chicken empanadas and avocado & chicken salsa. Unfortunately, the line up for chili lamb was way too long. I was gutted because it looked so succulent.

Now I'm not knowledgeable by any means when it comes to wine. All I know is that I love white wine over red and prefer fruity versus oakey wines. I love my white wine really cold, dry, and with a hint of sweetness. See... I told you I don't know much about wine. Oh... one other thing I do know is that I like the Sauvignon Blanc grape over any other. Out of all the wines I did taste, the contender was .... drum roll please.... Santa Rita Sauvignon Blanc Reserva 2007 Valle de Casablanca. That's the way uh huh uh huh I like it... uh huh uh huh.

Overall... the food wasn't overly spectacular and the wine was good.. again for someone who doesn't know much about wines. But the highlight for me... odd as it may sound... was the live latin band. Unfortunately, I didn't get the name of the band. For me... next to the food (which is always #1 on my list), the music at a party, wedding, event, festival, etc is what I remember the most when attending functions. Thanks to my parents who made my sister and I take piano lessons, which in turn created an interest for the guitar and saxaphone, I love live music as much as I love to devour food. So cheers to a fun evening and I look foward to attending the next food and wine festival in T.O.

Pasta Night

2007-10-02T18:49:00.001-04:00

In my last blog, I mentioned that I stopped by an italian shop by Yonge & Eglinton called Pascale Gourmet. When you open the door to the store and take one step in, it's like stepping into an italian house on a Sunday just before nonna's Sunday lunch is to be served. The smell of fresh italian bread, cured meat, and home made tomato sauce. They sell everything you need for an authentic italian meal... freshly baked herb bread, fresh pasta, home made meatballs, tomato sauce, etc. Sometimes after work, I'm in no mood to cook which I'm sure a lot of you can relate to. And if I do have to cook, I want something fast and easy. So... I couldn't resist to buy fresh spinach & ricotta ravioli and home made tomato sauce and meatballs. Oh and for those of you who are looking for San Marzano canned tomatoes, they sell them there too.

So tonight... I opted for an easy meal. I was in the mood for tagliatelle & meatballs and Lou was in the mood for spinach ravioli so I made both pastas. The best thing about cooking with fresh pasta when you want to make a quick meal is that it doesn't take very long to cook. 7 or 8 mintues tops!

Btw.. it's 7:21pm and IT'S DARK OUTSIDE!!! :o( This is depressing! It's going to be difficult to get home after work, cook, and take pictures of my dishes with natural light. One of these days I'll get the studio lights I want.

A cure for road rage

2007-09-30T15:15:00.001-04:00

Today, Lou and I decide to make an early day of our Sunday as we had lots of errands to run like grocery shopping, pet food shopping, and dropping off dvd's. Today was also the CIBC Run for the Cure for breast cancer so a lot of the streets downtown were blocked. We decided to go uptown by Yonge & Eglinton to walk around and find something quick to eat.

As I parked on Yonge Street, I noticed a cupcake shop right beside us called The Cupcake Shoppe. The window was filled with chocolate cupcakes with orange icing (decorated for Thanksgiving & Halloween) and I couldn't take my eyes off of them. We decided to grab something to eat first and then come back and pick up some of these perfect cupcakes for a nice Sunday snack.

After a couple of slices of pizza and a quick shop in an italian food shop (which I will blog about later when I make something with what I purchased), we headed back to the cupcake shop. It was a quaint little shop with 5 cupcake makers in the back and stacks of about 100 cupcakes. On the counter were about 6 different cupcakes to choose from. I wasn't in the mood for chocolate so I chose the "Lov'n Lemon" and Lou choose the "Strawberries in Cream". My mouth was watering when I was paying for them. I couldn't stop staring at the cupcake makers (do I just call them bakers? or is there a special title for them?) decorating each cupcake perfectly. They put the 2 cupcakes in a cute little pink and white box. I took the box into the car and placed it carefully in the back making sure that nothing could make it move or slide so that the cupcakes wouldn't get disturbed.

I have to say, one of my biggest pet peeves is TRAFFIC!!! The Run for the Cure had ended already but they hadn't removed the barriers around the downtown area so everyone was being diverted in every which way but where I actually live. It took me 40 minutes longer to get home from what would have been a 10 minute drive home. If there was a Road Rage Anonymous group I wouldn't only be a member.. I'd be the president! My blood pressure rises and my pulse travels north to my head. This is why I live an 8 minute walking distance from home to work. 8 minutes from my apartment door to my desk. I love it :o)

Anyway, the whole time I was in traffic, I couldn't stop thinking about sitting on the settee with a cup of tea and my beautiful lov'n lemon cupcake. I have to say, after sinking my teeth into this lemon treat I can actually say that it was worth the wait. Lou's saving hers for dessert.

Nikon D80 50mm f1.8

2007-09-25T20:50:00.001-04:00

My co-worker Mark recently got a new Nikon D80 and purchased a 50mm f1.8 lens. I wanted to test it out so I took a few shots. There's always people trying to compare the Canon 30D and the Nikon D80 but really, I think that they are equally good cameras.

Not a pretty dessert

2007-09-22T16:29:00.001-04:00

My dad has always been a dessert guy. Like having an "All day breakfast" menu... you could also have an "All day dessert" menu. Couldn't you? I'm sure my sister and dad would attest to it be entirely possible! My dad loved having apple or blueberry pie for breakfast and my sister IS and will always be infamous for waffles with ice cream for breakfast. And if I'm not mistaken... I think she even invites Aunt Jemima to the mix as well.

Oh... speaking of Aunt Jemima.. (Sorry have to mention this). Here in Canada, you can buy a bottle of Aunt Jemima's syrup for approx $4.00 CAD. There's no other syrup like it. Just like how I only purchase "Q-tip" brand cotton swabs... I'd only buy Aunt Jemima syrup for my pancakes and waffles. When I was living in the UK, I never had pancakes or waffles simply because I couldn't imagine them without Aunt Jemima syrup. Until one day... at the corner of my eye, I saw Aunt Jemima staring at me! It was if she was saying, "BUY ME... but I hope you have enough money in your pocket!". A smile from ear to ear immediately came upon my face. I was in Selfridges which is probably much like Holt Renfrew here only they serve & sell food that sometimes is completely out of the oridinary like chocolate covered grasshoppers for 19.00 pounds. They also sell imported foods from America and other parts of the world. It was here that I discovered Aunt Jemima at the corner of my eye. Within a split second I grabbed one of the bottles and stared at it lovingly. Then it hit me! My eyes were as wide as a deer in head lights. The cost for this bottle of sweet succulent syrup was 8.00 POUNDS!!!! Which is equivalent to approx $16.00 CAD. I instantly returned the bottle to it's place and walked away sad as ever. There was no way in hell I was going to buy that bottle for 8 POUNDS. That's extortion as far as I'm concerned.

Anyway... sorry for that side track. It actually has NOTHING to do with what I wanted to write about so back to desserts.

One of my favorite desserts that my dad introduced me to when I was a kid was avocado with evaporated milk and sugar. Yes.. you read it right. Avocado... Evaporated Milk... and Sugar. So simple!

I'm sure you're wondering what that tastes like and maybe how it looks like. It's not the most prettiest looking desserts but I promise you, it will surprise your taste buds.

All you have to do is take a ripe avocado and cut it into cubes.

Add approx 1/2 a cup of evaporated milk (I use Carnation Milk) or more if you like.

Then add teaspoon of

All you do is mix everything together.

Now if you don't normally store your avocado in the fridge, then once you've put this concoction together, I would suggest putting in the freezer for 5-10 minutes because to me, it just tastes better when it's cold.

Farmer's Market

2007-09-19T21:23:00.001-04:00

Today was my lucky day. The Farmer's Market Ontario was at Nathan Phillips Square today. I'm on course for 3 days for Project Management at the University of Toronto near Nathan Phillips Square so I decided to take my camera with me to experiment with sites around Toronto. I, unfortunately, haven't dedicated any time to my camera. Toronto is such a big city and there's so much to see - so much to capture. I've been wanting to take pictures of flowers, vegetables, and fruits in natural light and today couldn't have been a more perfect setting for this endeavour.

Saucy!

2007-09-17T18:08:00.001-04:00

This is going to be short and sweet as I'm in the middle of doing my laundry and waiting for my cup of proper English tea. PJ Tips!

I just happened to be in the mood for one of my favorite dishes tonight. #1 reason why this is my fav is that it's so easy to make. It's not an overly difficult recipe by any means but it sure is delish and spicy!

400g can crushed tomatoes

14 tiger prawns or more if you like. I usually aim for 7 per person.

1/4 cup of water

chopped garlic

chopped onion

olive oil

dried hot pepper seeds

chopped fresh parsley

arugula (rocket in the UK)

salt & pepper to taste

spaghettini pasta (I have a pasta measurer so I cooked enough pasta for 3 so I can have left overs for lunch tomorrow)

juice of 1/4 of a lemon

I wont' go into detail on how to cook pasta as I assume that most people know how to cook it.

Heat up olive oil and saute garlic and onions. Add crushed tomatoes, water, and hot pepper. Let simmer for a few minutes and add parsley. Simmer for another few minutes and add prawns. Cook the prawns until they turn pink and then add the arugula. Simmer for a couple of minutes.

The pasta should be done by now so drain the pasta. Add pasta to the sauce and add the lemon juice. Mix pasta and serve immediately.

VOILA... Spicy Prawn Pasta.

Not your usual fish and chips

2007-09-16T22:19:00.001-04:00

I didn't think I was going to have it in me to try a recipe this weekend as it's been so hectic with work, a Filipino 18th Birthday party which is similar to MTV's Sweet 16 parties but without a B-list rapper performing or the Range Rover or tiara as a gift at the end of the night, and the most important event of the weekend.... my grandmother's 98th birthday!

But today, I was compelled to try a fish recipe which I didn't exactly follow because I had the wrong kind of fish and the wrong kind of potatoes. It was originally a Creamy Baked Haddock & Tatties recipe, but I had cod and yukon gold potatoes.

I know it's weird that this dish has french fries with it but if you know anything about the British, you'll know that they eat practically EVERYTHING with "chips" (french fries). Lou eats lasagna, pizza, fish (any kind.. not just battered), chicken, and BREAD with "chips". Yes.. I said bread. Picture this... 2 slices of bread... buttered... with french fries in between to make what is called a "Chip Butty". But it's pronounced "chip bu-eeh". The "t" is silent. It's one of the strangest things I've seen thus far when it comes to British cuisine.

Anyway... the recipe is easy and if you want to try the original recipe, again.. you can find it on BBC GoodFood website. But for now, I'll put the recipe how I made it.

400g cod fish

1 trimmed leak, finely sliced

handful of parsley, chopped

142ml carton double cream

4 yukon gold potatoes, partially boiled

1 cup of grated white cheddar cheese

Firstly assemble the dish. Scatter the haddock, leek and parsley over the bottom of a shallow microwavable dish and mix together with your fingers or a spoon. Drizzle over half the cream and 5 tablespoons of water. Lay the potato slices over the fish and leeks and drizzle over the remaining cream. Season the potatoes with a little salt and plenty of black pepper.

Pre-heat the oven to 450 degrees. Cover the dish with foil and bake for 20 minutes. Put the oven on broil and remove foil from dish. Sprinkle the cheese all over the potatoes. Broil for 5-10 minutes until the potatoes turn brown to your liking. Serve straight from the dish.

Asian Persuasion

2007-09-12T19:29:00.001-04:00

So I'm on a recipe frenzy!!! This week has been my "Try a new recipe" week. It's probably cuz I love my new camera and just want more excuses to take pictures of food. So far I've tried 2 new recipies - Honey & Soy Chicken with Cashew & Coriander Rice and the Raspberry & Mascarpone Creams. I know... nothing spectacular but I'm getting there.

Tonight was Singapore Noodles! Yet again, I got the recipe from the BBC GoodFood website.

I compared the dish to the Singapore Noodles from Spring Rolls and it was very close. Unforunately, I had to use my crappy T-Fal non-stick pan instead of a wok. (For those who wish to get me a bday gift, I need a wok!) That's got to be why Spring Rolls is better. The recipe also says to put the hot peppers on top of the dish after it has been plated. I wanted the dish to be spicy so I cooked the hot peppers with the onions, red peppers, spices, etc. It still wasn't as hot as I would have liked. Perhaps I'll try some hot pepper flakes next time.

Raspberry & Mascarpone Creams

2007-09-11T19:17:00.001-04:00

Raspberries to me are bitter sweet. I love them because they are good for you, they have a vibrant color, and for some reason, I love the texture of the soft mushiness and the crunch of the seeds in my mouth. Are they seeds btw? What are those little things and stick in between your teeth?? (Hope that's not a Miss South Carolina type of question?) I love the sweetness of it but it does have that bit of sourness to it that I hate. I really have to crave fresh raspberries. It's not like a banana where I could probably eat it everyday.

In any case, I wanted a really quick, cold, raspberry dessert recipe and I found the perfect one on BBC GoodFood website. It can't get any easier than 4 ingredients! Raspberries, caster sugar (which is super fine sugar in Canada..thx for googling that up for me Sis), mascarpone, and whipping cream.

Much to my surprise, it wasn't really to my liking, however, it did look pretty in my martini glass. It was kind of boring. I'm not giving up on it yet but I will have to find something to add to it. Perhaps some sort of cake. Stay tuned to see what I come up with!

Stir-fried chicken with cashews & coriander rice

2007-09-10T20:40:00.001-04:00

I was surfing the net today looking for something different to cook. When I say different, I mean something outside of my usual menu of chicken pasta, fish or chicken with mashed potatoes, veggies and gravy, Mc Donald's, KFC, and lasagna with chips (yeah I know. It's weird. It's a british thing. Chips go with everything apparently). I wanted something fresh that had a lot of flavour. I came across the BBC GoodFood website and found a lot of great recipes that I want to try this week.

For today, I decided to try the Stir-Fried Chicken with Cashews & Coriander Rice. I thought, "Oh how I miss cashews in cooking." This is the perfect recipe for savory sweet & sour flavours and the freshness of coriander". So, I wrote down the ingredients and headed for the grocery store. Ok, I'm not a professional cook and I'm sad to say that I didn't know that coriander & cilantro were the same thing. :o( But hey, you learn something new everyday! I know that in the UK, it's referred to as Coriander and I've used it a lot there but never really cooked with it here so I had to ask for help from one of the people who work in produce.

Unfortunately, because I didn't start cooking until about 7pm, I didn't get the natural light that I wanted from outside so the pictures aren't as good as I wanted them to be. How sad... it's starting to get dark early!!

The recipe was so easy and only took about 30 minutes to prepare and cook. Now that's what I'm talking about!!

Finally... a new camera!

2007-09-08T11:09:00.001-04:00

For the past year now I've wanted a new camera. The one I've had my eye on was the Canon 30D. Now that the 40D is coming, 30D's are now on sale. PERFECT TIMING!!

So stay tuned to see better pictures of food, travel, and fun!

Ziggy loves Strawberry & Rhubarb pie

2007-09-03T15:00:00.001-04:00

It doesn't matter what you are eating, Ziggy will stare at you and your food until you give her a morsel to satisfy her curiosity. Apart from daschunds being stubborn, another warning we received from the PJ's Pet store assistant was that daschunds will eat and eat and eat and eat. Over the year, we've discovered that Ziggy loves to eat wood, rubber, foam, tennis balls, couch cushions, chicken, rice, potatoes, and strawberry rhubarb pie just to name a few.

I'm sure if Ziggy knew how to type, her food blog would be a very interesting read.

Pilipino breakpast

2007-09-03T10:26:00.001-04:00

Today is Canada Labour Day!

Wikipedia definition of Labour or labor may refer to:

- Work of any kind
A Labour Day is an annual holiday celebrated all over the world that resulted from efforts of the labour union movement, to celebrate the economic and social achievements of workers.

I don't think very many people really care how Labour Day came about. All they care about is that it's the last cottage weekend for the summer. When I think of cottage weekends I remember waking up to the smell of wet trees, fog, lake water, sand, and the first cup of coffee of the day. Now if I was at a cottage with Filipinos, for breakfast, we'd be eating fried rice (with last night's left over steamed rice), fried eggs, and the most important dish of all.... longanisa (long-ga-nee-sa)! Longanisa is a filipino sausage. It kind of looks like mini chorizo's but we cook it differently. Some might even say it tastes like a sweet chorizo as well.

Here's how ya make it!

First of all, you buy longanisa raw and frozen. You cook it in a pan with about 3/4's of an inch of water. You let it boil flipping the sausages every so often to make sure it's evenly cooked. The water will eventually evaporate. Once the water evaporates, you can.. if you want.. add a bit of oil to the pan so that the sausages don't stick. But just so you know, it's impossible to end up with a pan that doesn't have burnt longanisa remnants stuck to the bottom of your pan. But don't fear!!! There is a way to get it off. I'll explain in a bit. So, now that the water has evaporated and you've added a bit of oil, you can now cook the sausages so that they are browned on the outside and juicy in the inside. WARNING: If you try piercing the sausages with a fork, you better be wearing something to protect yourself from being splattered with scolding hot oil and sausage juices. Believe me, I know this from experience!

When your sausages are browned to your liking (my mom loves it burnt), remove them from the pan and put the left over steamed rice in the pan to make fried rice! Now you can start scraping all of the succulent burnt sausage pieces at the bottom of the pan and mix it with the rice! Jesus I'm drooling on my laptop.

Cook a fried egg and YOU'RE DONE!! Voila... a Filipino breakfast.. or "BreakPast hhhuuhhh".
Next time I'm in Birmingham UK, I'm going to Chinatown to see if they sell these bad boys. I'd love to cook this for my in-laws.

Fancy lunch

2007-09-02T17:07:00.001-04:00

If you ask some Brits if they like Jamie Oliver, they'll probably tell you that he's a twat. Pay no attention to what they say... they only say it cuz they're jealous! ;)

So today was just another ordinary Sunday where I wake up at about 9am, make myself a cup of Breakfast Blend Starbucks coffee, sit on the settee, watch Lou clean and watch HGTV or FoodTV. I watched a couple of my favs - Design Inc and Sarah's House. Then I got bored and hungry so I switched it to FoodTV. I don't normally watch "Tyler's Ultimate" (Tyler Florence) but he was making Chicken Parmesan with Pasta and home made Caesar Salad Dressing. Then I watched "Jamie At Home" :o) I LOVE THIS SHOW!! I hope one day I can have my own little organic garden as long as it's bug free!! Yeah right... that's wishful thinking isn't it? After about an hour of watching tantilizing dishes, I was inspired to cook up a feast! Well, not a big feast but a perfect light delicious late lunch.

We headed off to the shop to get some ingredients and when we came back, I had the menu all set - Seared Bacon Wrapped Rosemary Scallops, Mushrooms with Mozzarella & Thyme, and a Caesar Salad on the side. The scallop recipe and the mushroom recipe were courtesy of Jamie Oliver and the Caesar dressing was Tyler's own recipe.

I have to say, the $10.00 scallops were worth every penny. (Yes.. I paid $10.00 for 4 large scallops. That's my expensive craving for the week). I've never made scallops before so this was quite exciting stuff for me.

After I plated everything and took my first bite of everything, I have to say that the mushrooms were not as desirable as I thought they were. But I think that's because I took too long taking a damn picture of it that the cheese started to harden. Note to self "eat the mushrooms as soon as they come out of the oven and then take a picture of the last one". The caesar salad was as expected... just another caesar salad but I'm glad I actually tried making my own dressing things time. Tyler's recipe calls for the juice of 1 whole lemon which I found to be too much so next time, I'll only use 1/2 a lemon. And last but not least... MY EXPENSIVE SCALLOPS!! They were simply deeeeeeelish! The flavours of bacon, rosemary, and scallops in my mouth were endless. None of them overpowered the other. It was perfect.

Seared Scallops with Bacon and Rosemary - Jamie Oliver - Jamie at Home

- 4 large scallops

- 4 peices of bacon (Canadian/American bacon is thin and long. UK bacon won't work)

- 4 rosemary sprigs

- extra virgin olive oil

- sea salt & pepper

Take the rosemary sprigs and take off 3/4's of the rosemary leaves off the sprigs so you're left with a sprig that looks like a tiny tree.

Wrap each scallop with a piece of bacon and pearce the wrapped scallop using the rosemary sprigs so that it holds it all together.

In a pan with hot olive oil, place the scallops and sear both sides until the bacon begins to crisp.

Mushrooms with Mozzarella & Thyme

- cremini mushrooms caps

- small bocconcini mozzarella balls

- fresh thyme

- salt & pepper

Pre-heat the oven to 380 degrees farenheit on broil.

In a oven proof pan, place the cremini mushroom caps top side down and tear the mozzarella balls apart and place as much as you want on top of each mushroom cap. Add a little salt and pepper to the mushrooms.

Broil for approx 8 mins or until the cheese has melted to your liking.

mmmm Longo's Market Salad Bar

2007-08-31T18:52:00.002-04:00

Ever since Longo's Market opened up in Brookfield Place (previously know as BCE Place), the only thing I really buy there when it comes to fresh or cooked foods is THE SALAD BAR!!! Personally, I haven't seen anything like it. Apparently Kitchen Table has an impressive salad bar but I probably won't give it a try. If I like something a lot, I'll stick to it because if I try something knew I could probably be setting myself up for disappointment.

This salad bar at Longo's has everything from fresh fruits and salad to garlic and lemon marinated shrimps and meditteranean couscous. The items I usually get are the meditteranean couscous, roasted red peppers, garlic mushrooms, chicken breast, asparagus, and tomatoe and bocconcini cheese salad. YUMMY IN MY TUMMY!! The couscous is my absolute favorite! I will, one day, make this couscous myself. Speaking of making it myself, perhaps I need to learn soon because this salad cost me $6.00. I can't help it. It would take ages to make all of these ingredients in this salad mixture and life is too short :o) After all, life is all about variety!

My co-worker Steve and I don't care if it's inappropriate or weird to be eating a salad bar mixture for breakfast. It beats a boring toasted peanut butter sandwich. Plus this early in the morning, we beat the afternoon line up!!

So... if you're ever in the vacinity of Brookfield Place, drop by Longo's Market on the concourse level and indulge in a scrumptious salad!

EGG SANDWICH @ FIT FOR LIFE BCE PLACE

2007-07-29T09:37:00.003-04:00

There's this place called Fit For Life in the BCE place where, in the morning, you can get breakfast sandwiches like blt's, bacon and egg, or just a simple egg sandwich!! Now, some people prefer their egg sandwiches to be made with a medium egg which means the yolk is slightly cooked so that if you were to break the yolk, it wouldn't be runny.

But what about those people who want a sunny side egg sandwich that's perfectly cooked where the yolk runs ever so smoothly on the plate when you cut the sandwich in half and the egg white is not snotty. It's perfectly cooked? WHY IS THIS SO WEIRD!!??? WHY IS IT SO DIFFICULT TO MAKE THIS GOD DAMN SANDWICH??

This is what I said, "Can I get an egg sandwich on white but I want the egg to be soft... not medium?". This is what I got. A scrambled egg with no runny yolk. See pic on the left.

I said, "Excuse me, I want a soft egg... like a sunny side up egg".

This is what I got. 2 sunny side eggs in a container with NO BREAD.

I said, "Excuse me, Can you please take the white toasted bread and put the sunny side eggs in it and then cut the sandwich in half".

She says, "But the yolk will run".

I said, "YES... THAT'S WHAT I WANT!!!!"

The manager then proceeded to tell the fresh off the boat ignorant sandwich maker to do exactly what I said. So she puts the eggs between the bread and proceeds to cut it. And VWALA! THE YOLK IS RUNNY!!! YAY!!

Then she says, "See... look what happened"

I said, "YES!!! THAT'S EXACTLY WHAT IS SUPPOSED TO HAPPEN!"

Her manager then says to put the sandwich in the container since it's too difficult for her to put the sandwich on a paper plate and then put it in a small paper bag as all sandwiches come.

After bitching and complaining about the service from that place, we proceed to sit down and eat. Lou takes one bite of the sandwich and finds that the egg WHITE is snotty and is absolutely disgusting. So she throws it away and orders an Egg McMuffin from Mc Donald's!! You can't go wrong with Mc D's.

Bloody hell!!! Never again will I try to order this sandwich anywhere! Like they say, if you want something done right... do it yourself!!