Wednesday, 2 July 2014

Apple cinnamon bun eggnog bread pudding with vanilla icing baked or in slowcooker / crockpot recipe! Part 7 of Breakfast and brunch series!

So far in the Breakfast and Brunch series, we've covered...
Part one:  how to poach eggs and make Hollandaise sauce to make killer Eggs Benedict!
Part two: how to make the best customized pancakes! From chocolate, banana bread, carrot cake, lemon ricotta, tasty healthy and high fibre pancakes and more!
Part 3: how to make the best customized crisp and fluffy Belgium waffles!
Part 4: how to make Oven roasted garlic and herb crispy potato wedges with bacon!
Part 5: apple pie cinnamon goodness oatmeal
And what can breakfast be if there wasn't a sweet dessert at the end?  I've tried this recipe both by baking in the oven in a water bath and in a slowcooker (though you really have to butter the crock pot and watch so it doesn't burn!).  Served with a drizzle of vanilla icing, I topped it off with some Chantilly cream for a potluck brunch, but you can easily serve it with a scoop of vanilla icecream too!

Monday, 30 June 2014

Aja Sushi Restaurant Calgary, Ab - tasty Japanese sushi rolls in family run restaurant

On a recent trip down to Calgary, I took my cousin and his girlfriend out for lunch and we were super indecisive about where to go for lunch on a sunday where lots of places were closed.. until I tossed out the word: sushi.  They took me to Aja, which is a tiny hole in the wall restaurant run by an Asian family.  Service was excellent as were the rolls, and for the rock bottom prices - its hard to beat! Onto the food!

Wednesday, 25 June 2014

Apple pie cinnamon goodness oatmeal recipe - part 6 of Breakfast and Brunch series!


Its healthy, its breakfast.. it tastes like a dessert?!  I used to love oatmeal when I was a kid.. ate it every day for breakfast, and sometimes even for lunch or dinner.  My mom made a savory version not sweet and I had it day in day out... until one day I made a connection that hey.., salty oatmeal as the consistency of snot. HAHAHAHA!! So, it was years before I was able to touch oatmeal again - and it was in this almost dessert like form.  My boyfriend loves digging out apple filling of pies, tarts, strudels... and I didn't want to just make him the apple cinnamony goodness filling without making it healthy somehow.. and one day I had bags of apples to use up... so this recipe was born... alot of apples, a bit of cinnamon, a kiss of brown sugar, nutmeg and oatmeal for an apple pie cinnamon goodness oatmeal recipe.  Feel free to add even more apples - I made this once with 3 bags (over a dozen apples) and I just added a smidge more brown sugar at the end.  Save yourself a lot of work by using an apple peeler to quickly peel all the lovely apples for this recipe.

Tuesday, 24 June 2014

Gluten Free Cravings Food Fair in Sherwood Park, AB

A few weekends ago, we hit up the Gluten Free Cravings Food Fair in Sherwood Park.  I had missed out on last year's fair because by the time I heard about it, it was already said and done.  While a small percentage of the population is truly tested and gluten intolerant, there's lots of folks that choose to eat gluten free by choice.  I was excited to go this year as I have a few friends that have Celiac Disease and I wanted to see the tasty renditions local businesses were able to invent.  In the past, gluten free food was either extremely bland, lumpy, flat, or made you think you were chewing on cardboard.... luckily, we've gone a long way from that!  Disclaimer: SP Cravings had kindly invited us and given us a few sampling tickets to boot, so on a sunny Sunday afternoon, we headed off with our camera and empty tummies.  Thoughts and opinions on food as always are our own.

Monday, 23 June 2014

Seto Japanese Restaurant Vancouver, BC - traditional sushi and Japanese fare you'll likely not find anywhere else

If you know me, you know I love Japanese food... and I especially love Japanese food that still speaks to its traditional roots. Fusion sushi is hit an miss and abundant all over Vancouver, but the classic traditional fare is surprisingly rare in a place that has the ocean's bounty on its door step. Well, if you're looking for a great traditional Japanese meal with menu items you'll not likely see anywhere else.. head to Seto Japanese. They have incredibly great prices on lunch and dinner set meals that make me wish I had a longer stay in Vancouver just to try them all... but onto the fooooood!