Eggplant parma-BBQ!!

What does a mini BBQ and a bag of eggplant from Costco equate to? Burger BBQ time, egg themed?  Take a look at an eggplant...it's purple...and healthy...and edible...just looking at that eggplant inspired this meal... I mean, they are so pretty !  All at once my day turned into prepping food to make this bitchin' meal, a lovely BBQ supper to share with some of the best guests!
    My next brainwave, after deciding that I'd make homemade burgers was to slap some fried eggs on top of those bad boys!  Has anyone ever heard of this?  It's an amazing revelation...I'd really like to eat it in some trendy big city restaurant someday!  Speaking of big city restaraunts, this summer I got to spend some time in a culinary jungle...New York!  I ate at a trendy big city restaurant, a Hard Rock Cafe, multiple hot dog stands, and though I did not eat at one, I saw many a' foodtruck !  (just like on Eat Street!).  Perhaps I'll own one someday ;-).  An interesting sidenote, while we were dining at the one trendy big city restaraunt ( I completely forget what it was called), the waiter said something interesting...as light hearted as he meant it, I'm wondering if there was actually an air of truth to it.  As he was clearing away our plates,  he said that we must be Canadian, because we are polite enough to finish everything on our plates...or maybe he just thought we were fatty's =P !
    Anyways back to the meal, so homemade burgers with fried eggs on top, with BBQ slices and seasoned eggplant and potato skins !  My first stab at making potato skins,  which turned out to be a success, albeit with bacon bits and not real bacon.  I love those little devils so much.  And a spinach tossed salad,  because you got to eat your veggies too!

Here's how I did it:

Burgers:
2 packs of lean ground beef mushed into a bowl
4 cloves of garlic pressed garlic
1 egg and some flour to hold it all together
Worchestire sauce
mustard
garlic powder
Steak seasoning
chopped onion


-This made a tone of burgers for 4 people with lots left over!
The burgers were later BBQ'd with a special sauce I made !

Special sauce I made:
-plain BBQ as the base
-buffalo sauce
-plum sauce
-steak seasoning
-soya sauce
-and I forget what else...haha

Eggplant:
slices the egg plant with skin on
oiled both sides of each disk of eggplant
seasoned with garlic powder and wraped in tin foil to be cooked on the BBQ and then put on top of the burgers with cheese!

Potato skins:
-baked the potatoes in the oven, each wrapped in foil
-once baked, cut each in half and hollowed out most of the potato, with a nice layer left on the skin
-brushed oil and sprinkled with pepper on both sides-baked on one side for 20 mins at 400 degrees then baked on the other
-fill with grated white cheddar cheese and bacon bits and spinkle with garlic powder and back for 2 mins until cheese is melted
-add chopped green onion sprinkled on top and VOILA ! -and dipped in sour cream


Then just a plain ol' tossed salad !!

So really yummy BBQ happened. Indulge me if you will and check out the results !!

Yum !

Slainte

p.s Remember that poutine mac 'n' cheese I was talking about...that didn't happen yet, BUT I did make poutine in a bun ! It's exactly how it sounds...make it !

luck of the pot

Mac with Zing

Classic Mac

 POTLUCK!!??....the kind of invitation I love !
As soon as I heard potluck my insta thought was CASSEROLE DISH full of awesome, so  my contribution to the schmorg was Mac 'n' Cheese and deviled eggs.  My mac 'n' cheese dishes were well received and dug right into, but looking back I would have added a lot more cheese and found some way to make it creamier!  The deviled eggs were tasty as deviled eggs always tend to be. Though admittedly I find them to be quite a cliche dish to make.  A little cliche for a potluck, perhaps a little overdone, but always a winner, so why not, I thought!  As for the Mac 'n' Cheese I made two different versions.  I thought of what I would enjoy in Mac 'n' Cheese the most, (but still be budget friendly), and went to!

Here's how I did it:

#1 : Mac with zing
-elbow noodles boiled,drained and buttered
-green onion chopped up ( as fine as I could without zee Chef's knife, which is currently packed away)
-1 Jalapeno chopped up in little chunks (seeds in ! those little devils are what make Jalapeno's hothothot)
-melted a cheese sauce including Ricotta, Swiss, Old White Cheddar and Orange Cheddar
-mixed all together and smooshed into casserole dish
-toasted brown bread and crumbled on top for a top crust
-baked in over at 350 until done ( your judgement)
Things I learned from making this :
-crumble the bread finer
-make the cheese sauce creamier !

#2: Mac with cheese, classic.
-elbow noodles boiled, drained and buttered
-melted the same cheese sauce, but included more cheese
-sprinkled orange cheddar on top to make it look colourful

The zing in Mac # 1 came from the onion and jalapeno, it added a little bit of extra pow on top of the already heartwarming cheesey goodness!

Shout out to all the other dishes and talented friends who made them, that made this Potluck filling and delicious, especially for me because these are what I enjoyed the most! Taco salad (Geoff), Artichoke dip and Bruchetta (Leila), Mexi Spread (that's what I'm calling it) and Brie (Desi Rae), Coleslaw (Josh), Spinach dip (Molly), Cheesecake and Naniamo Bars (Lauren)

Does this sound good to anyone? Mac 'n' Cheese poutine?

Slainte

sushisush

Sushi! It had to happen.  It usually has to happen...and usually it should happen at New Island Sushi (just saying...go there..winkwink).  Everytime I've eaten sushi, I have always thought about how fun and complicated it looks to make! I thought, how the heck does the rice stay in there like that and not fall out in a million little ricey pieces....how do they roll this green sea weedy-stuff....and why is it sooo filling, (for little round rice and fish filled rolls?!?!).  So with my curiosity and a little extra cash to spend  on sushi supplies and a whim to go out on, I decided sushi had to be made!
Here's how I did it:
-boiled the rice (special rice for sushi making..which is how it sticks together so well..woo!)
-laid the seaweed out and painted the edges with water so it would stick together when rolling them up ( I bought the seaweed at an Asian Market which I'm currently forgetting the name of, but I also feel like you can probably buy seaweed packs at Superstore..cuz it's super there!)
-spread the rice on the seaweed and laid a row of crab across the rice
-then rolled them up  and voila! (easier peasier than I anticipated)
-served with wassabi and soya sauce and chopsticks! (don't eat your sushi with a fork, just don't!)


So the sushi turned out (according to my 'amature and always will be' scale) and decently satisfied the sushi craving !  This was my first shot though, and admittedly I was more concerned about the construction of the sushi's (plural?), versus the diversity of the sushi I made.  If I ever make sushi again, and I intend too, (perhaps after another long needed trip to a sushi place, so I can be inspired) I plan on being more creative with what I stuff them with (technical term)!

If you have never tried sushi, I hope this entry made you yearn for it, and if you haven't had any in a while, go get some ( and bring me back a fishy bag! [?]...get it?)

Comedic Foodie quote:  " Rice is good if you're hungry and want 2000 of something"- Mitch Hedberg

Slainte

well my mom thinks I'm cool

Breakflast in a Pan (look at that mouth watering yellow layer of butter..mmm)

This morning I realised, my absolute favourite smell ever ever is the smell of breakflast cooking away !  It is just a wonderful smell, full of love, as if the breaklast loves you and wants you to eat it, and you'll willingly submit because you love it dearly, right back.  The smell is especially wonderful when breakflast is being made for me, but today is mothers day.  I got my sleepy buns out of bed this morning and made breakflast to celebrate my mom! Unbenounced to me though, she cannot even enjoy a bite of it because she got a little food poisoning last night from a restaurant (*cough..I won't say which one, mostly because I don't know if I'm allowed to hate on restaurants in my blog..and I did have a pretty enjoyable meal myself last night, with no food poisoning to boot).  Anyways, back to the breakflast topic.  Today I made 'Breakflast in a Pan', which is literally just how it sounds.  A shmorg of breakflast food packed tightly in a 9X12 pan and baked for an hour...mmmmmmmm!  I didn't invent this one, but I did definently use my own judgement when it came to the onion-cheese-bacon ratio.  The more the better I always say !

Here's how I did it:
-dragged myself out of bed ( late night last night...but the Avengers are worth it)
-lined a 9x12 inch pan with bread (crusts off)
-put a layer of cooked bacon or ham on top ( BACON it is!...both would be good too)
-sprinkle 2-2 and a half cups of shredded cheese ( more more more!)
-top with another layer of bread
-pour a mixture of beat eggs (6), milk (3 cups), chopped onion (quarter cup) [okay folks, seriously a quarter cup is NOTHING...never follow that instruction], chopped green bell pepper (quarter cup...pfft!), Worchestershire sauce (1 teaspoon...plus a touch more), and dryed mustard sauce (1 teaspoon).  I also added garlic powder for extra yum factor.
-pour this all over the layers in the pan
-sprinkled cornflakes (crushed or hole) all over the top ( this acts as a crust...and your cereal factor of breakflast if you just can't go without your cereal in the morning, like me)
-pour half a cup of butter all over the top and bake at 350 for an hour !

The first bite was divine...and every bite after did not disapoint!  Imagine the eggy-bacony-buttery-bready goodness, all in one bite!  Or even better, try your hand at this dish for yourself, OR make it for someone you love because who doesn't like being cooked for?!


Fact about this dish:  It also used to be called 'The Wife Savers Breakflast' or 'Lazy Man's Breakflast' ( think what you will about those two names...I had to laugh!)

So in closing, Happy Mothers Day to all the best moms in the world and to my mother, get better so you can maybe enjoy some breakflast for supper ( always satisfying!).

Slainte


P.S here's a picture of the bacon sizzling away...it's just a beautiful sight, so I thought I'd share it, incase you haven't had bacon in a while !

no menu

egg that looks like the universe (sick!).

I have been inspired by the stars. Literally. I was looking up at the sky tonight, and those beautiful stars inspired me...in relation to food! ( of all things ).
Here's how it happened:
-I was driving home around 1 a.m in the morning, listening to some 'Cherry Bomb', completely in my own little world...and then...I looked up.  Looking up I do realize probably isn't the best idea ( keep your eyes on the road right?), but nonetheless look up I did.
-So I'm admiring the stars ( as I frequently do) and all the sudden this thought dons on me : What foods would I miss the most from this world If I was blasted off into space to some other planet...perhaps some other dimension? (lol)...with absolutely none of the same food?!
-And then I thought to myself, what's a foodie blog without a list of the foodies favourite foods in this beautiful and familiar world?

So here's my list of my favourite foods:

Sourdough bread
cheese
olives
cobb salad
Franks Red hot
oreo blizzards
kiche
shrimp
leeks
fish
mushy peas
pickled asparagus
pizza
boiled broccoli
potato skins
spinach dip
hotdogs (roasted over the fire or bought from a vendor!)
hotdogs with K/D
Jambalya (extra spicy)
Ratetouille
peanut M&M's
deviled eggs
Shepards pie
guacamolie
onion rings
poutine
dill pickle chips
doritos
beer sticks
mexi fries
samosa
perogies
fish and chips ( with vinegar and tartar)
milk
ginger ale
ceaser's

Now, does that list not cause you extreme hunger or at least a craving?  It also amazes me that my list is barely a dint of all the foods that exist in the entire world ! ( Mind blow).  So take a minute and look up at the stars and then think about your favourite foods, I guarantee both will make you feel happy and on top of this world ( thankfully not out of this world,where none of these amazing foods exist, haha!).

So in closing, someone please warn me if the world is about to blast us all off to somewhere else...so I can stuff all this food down my gullet !

Slainte

Big Occasion Meal-First timer!

So one of the ultimate culinary tasks...putting a full meal together...to match perfectly a special occasion!  When it comes to special occasions, I've found you have to really put some thought into what kind of people your serving to and what kind of cuisine that specific special occasion calls for.  I'm still learning the whole art of special occasion cooking...my repertoire is still pretty small...but that said, this past Thanksgiving (forever ago, I know !), I took it upon myself to make the entire meal, including the meat portion, for my extended family!  So there it was, I had an audience (oldies) to cater too and an occasion to match food too.  Now, first of all note, when I say "match" I don't mean pick the same ol' turkey slapped on a plate and bowl a box of whipped up potatoes, but I mean think about what delicious food and smells warm your heart on this occasion.  Convey a sense of classiness and respect for what kinds of food the occasion calls for, but add your own special touch, that can only come for you!  The next step was planning a menu for this fantastic brainwave I had.
This is what I came up with and How I did it:
-Sundried tomato and white bean crock pot cooked ham : tossed in the crock pot cans of sundried tomatoes, white beans,worchesire sauce,water, a bay leaf, and a bunch of secret spices ( use your imagination)
-homemade cranberries : bought a fresh bag ( is that an oxymoron?) of cranberries and boiled their little berry lives away, plus sugar, then refrigerated.
-homemade buns: found a dinner roll recipe on the interwebs and baked the little devils.  I also made an executive decision to make them somewhat smaller so there were more !
-baked puff potatoes (puff means...there PUFFED !...just fluffy and melt in your mouth type good): boil potatoes then whip them up real good with cream and an egg. Proceed to spice ! I used garlic powder and dill and a pinch of dried mustard.
-boiled carrots: cut enough carrots into little round orange disks ( you know how that goes...) then boil them until their nice and soft to bite.  These should be ready to go just has your setting everything else on the table. Season them with a little salt and parsley right before serving !

-crock pot...slowly cooked...stuffing! : bread chunked...cut up celery...threw in some butter...minced onion...eggs...can of chicken broth...parseley...minced garlic gloves...rosemary...and let the crock pot work its magic
-pumpkin pie truffle (keepin' it real...truffle style!) : found a recipe on the internet..and followed it to a tee, because I can't lie, this was at risk of being the biggest screw up !

So my first big occasion meal turned out to be a success.  You can usually tell when a meal is a success when people are filling up their plates 2-3 times over, which is basically what I am basing my success rate off of.  Also, my taste buds tingled in agreement.   One of my favourite things about cooking is making people eat it !  Luckily everyone is usually willing !  After this meal was over, I was later told that it was thought that my first time big occasion meal was going to be a disaster....something akin to what's pictured below.

Bender-Futurama (Whatever...I'd eat his cooking!)

                                     

But me, being unaware that screw up rates are high for first time big occasion meal makers, dove into the thick of it with confidence and spice ! ( Which is what everyone should do ! There is nothing to be afraid of!) Below are the results !

Sundried tomato and White bean ham

buns...puff potatoes...stuffing...carrots

Pumpkin pie Truffle ( I could work on my food photo skills ! hehe )

Fun foodie fact: apples, potatoes and onions allegedly all taste the same when you plug your nose !  Can anyone confirm? I plan of testing it out.

Slainte

French Onion Soup-A pull at the heart-strings

French Onion Soup ! If this was the soup of the day everyday and everywhere I'd be quite content....not to undermine many other soups, after all soup in general is simply heartwarming!  There is just something about French Onion Soup though, perhaps the declaration of 'French' tricks your mind into assuming that the soup is going to be wonderful, like many French cuisines.  Or maybe it's the delicious brainwave of actually including bread IN the soup, not on the side like a bread outcast.  Although, do not get me wrong, having a dinner roll on the side of anything is a delight!  French Onion Soup most likely has enhanced soupy goodness because it has its very own type of bowl (as seen above)...French Onion Soup Bowls...just would not taste the same out of a regular bowl.  So with no recipe around and a natural soup craving, I decided to take a stab at this famous soup.
Here's how I did it:
-Canned beef broth
-chopped white onions
-chunks of baguette
-grated old white cheddar cheese
-oregano
-Worcestershire sauce
-pepper
-put all the ingredients evenly between two bowls, set them in the oven and baked ! (Note: yet another aspect of this soup that is amazing..it's BAKED!)

You may have realized, that the above is hardly a recipe.  I recommend using your own judgement with the ingredients.  Soup is one of the most fun things to be creative with !  If you have never had French Onion Soup before though, checking out a recipe is always a good backup plan.  I'd recommend one to you, but I have yet to try out an actual recorded French Onion Soup recipe.  This soup is also featured on many fine food establishments starter or appy menu's, so next you time you have the opportunity, take it !

A foodie Quote : "We should look for someone to eat and drink with before looking for something to eat and drink, for dining alone is leading the life of a lion of a wolf" -Epicurus

Slainte

P.S I'd love to hear about any French Onion Soup recipes or amazing French Onion Soup experiences you've had while dining out !