Apple Pancakes

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When I was growing up in Poland, Apple Pancakes were one of my favourite childhood treats. Now when I'm looking for comfort food I will often make them.

Typically pancakes are made with white flour. Traditionally Polish pancakes are fried in butter or oil, by no means a healthy snack. I recently transformed my childhood treat to something that is equally delicious using whole wheat flour without all that added fat.

Typically I like serving them with a little bit of maple syrup or some powder sugar. These are so good, try them as an alternative to regular pancakes. Click here for the recipe and nutritional analysis.

Ethiopian Beef Stew

Recently I read a culinary blog about Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. It was very exciting to read about it as it is such a remote country historically plagued by droughts and war. I smiled while reading this expose, remembering my near death experience in Addis Ababa and oddly wishing I was there again.

On a trip to Tanzania, we had a flight stop over in Ethiopia. The plane started descending and while we were still flying through the clouds all of a sudden I (along with the pilot and other passengers) saw a farmer with a cow walking just below the belly of the plane. Wow! I'm not kidding. I could see the men's surprised face and his every wrinkle it seemed. Within a moment the plane started to pull up as if it was a fighter plane but much slower, like a donkey running in a horse race. As we ascended back through the low cloud ceiling I could see endless walls of mountains surrounding what was surely Addis Ababa beneath the clouds. The plane seemed to circle indecisively until the captain came on to make an announcement.

The captain explained that we were in unparalleled fog and that the airport was nestled high up in the mountains in a valley amongst peeks and the airport had no technical support to help the plane land. The captain missed the runway the first time and now he would attempt to land again. I was frightened to death, I could visualize all the bodies splattered on the mountain walls.... and here we are attempting another landing. This could not be safe. This attempt failed and the pilot made another announcement in Ethiopian apparently indicating he was not going to try that again. We survived and were re-routed to Djibouti, a military state next to Ethiopia across the straight from Yemen. We were told to stay in the plane, and with the big Apache helicopters parked next to us, we were happy to have survived and were praying no one was going to try walk off the plane because surely they would be shot dead.

After a few hours the fog lifted in Addis Ababa and we returned to it's airport, safe and sound. We only had a few hours at the airport. Nevertheless I remember Ethiopia very fondly, all the people were so kind, and I do hope to explore this country properly at a different time. This recipe is my tribute to my memories of Ethiopia. I love how foods can transport one in time and space to different places in the world.

Click here for my Ethiopian Beef Stew recipe and transform yourself to Africa... with a guaranteed smooth landing.

Easter Weekend: Traditional or Non-Traditional

Check out the full recipe and website here

Typically I spend Easter with close family, as all other major holidays, however this year this was not possible. In actuality many of my friends stayed in London hence we decided to spend this holiday together. To ease the preparation for our host, and really make our event about celebrating new life and spring we decided to do a pot luck dinner.

Each couple brought a different dish; to start we enjoyed water chestnuts wrapped in bacon, rice crackers with my favorite Polish cream cheese, smoked salmon and port jelly, and for main course we delighted in Moroccan chicken, raisin couscous, and roasted vegetable. For dessert I brought a Lemon Gelato.

My Lemon Gelato was a huge success. It was light in flavour but very satisfying, a perfect end to a delicious dinner. Best of all with a few easy steps and less than 10 minutes, plus 30 minutes in the ice cream maker, (we can't speed that up) a delicious and celebratory dessert was born.

The dinner was a medley of flavours and we all enjoyed them and had a wonderful time. Traditional or not, that is the essence of spending holiday time.

Click here for my Lemon Gelato recipe.

Trip to Calgary

My friend Sarah and I share a deep love for all things cheese. This recipe is from the archive for a delicious Creamy & Cheesy cauliflower.

Its been a little while since my last post, and I apologize but this post has nothing to do with the upcoming Easter holiday, but that's because I just spent the last 5 days in Calgary, Alberta.

My husband and I, will be moving there in about 2 months for duration of 2 years and I had the pleasure of going out west to find accommodations, thank goodness for my friends Sarah and Mark. Wow!!! Not only were they perfect hosts, but they drove with me all over the city day after day looking for a place to live.

People in Calgary say its tough finding a place to live not just because it is very expensive (current price of a home, condo, or townhouse is over $460 000) but because the city is bursting at its seems and there is not a lot of vacancies to rent or real estate to buy. Growing up in Toronto I was optimistic that I have seen everything, the traffic, the insane real estate prices and the general mayhem of living in a large metropolitan. Nothing was further from the truth, Calgary stands on its own, with no comparison.

There are an endless number of people moving into the city everyday, there is no shortage of jobs. The city is constantly buying out homes to expand the city streets, construction doesn't stop... except when its too cold to work. People drive erratically, rushing due to the long commutes.... nevertheless this young city outpours with positive energy, and vigor for life. Most of the people in Calgary are not actually from this city but they don't want to live anywhere else. They love having the mountains a 45 minutes drive away, fabulous skiing in the winter, hiking, kayaking in the summer plus endless other sports are at everyone's fingertips, this a very active city. In addition Calgary is a multi-cultural center and over the last years it developed an amazing array of different restaurants everywhere, not just downtown. A truly great place to live.

Coming to Calgary I met a lot of wonderful people. The locals, as soon as they found out that I'm a food writer couldn't stop telling me about all the best places for grocery shopping, gourmet cheese shops, their favorite restaurants, family recipes for "Ginger Beef" (that's for another blog entry), the best pancake recipe and endless food related stories. I have the fondness memories from Calgary and can't wait to experience it all and write about it.

Between looking at homes I also had the pleasure to come along to a real cowboy bar (Ranchers) with live country music. Hanging out with a brigade firefighters and paramedics (my friends friends) I knew I was in safe hands. In addition to experiencing the cowboy night life, Kyle one of the firefighters, a champion two-stepper, taught me how to country dance. That was a lot of fun!! I am sure I will be doing some more two-stepping when I'm back in Alberta.

Who could say no to this sweet little face?

The day before my flight back I finally saw a few places that were nice, close enough to the hospital and not exuberantly out of our price range. Talk about moving fast, on the day of my flight we put an offer and when I landed I found out that it was accepted. Shopping for a home in 5 days, who said it couldn't be done!! :-) There is still one very important condition that has to be met, Madison our black lab needs to be approved by the condominium committee. Wish us luck!

Click here for my Creamy and Cheesy Cauliflower recipe.

Mediterranean Tomato Salad

This past weekend we were invited to our friends house for a little get together; to catch up, have some laughs, alongside with delicious food and wine. I took upon my self to bring a few appetizers. I love bringing food when getting together with friends, little less for our hosts to think about and to do. After all, getting together should be fun not stressful and time consuming. Having a busy day myself, I was looking forward to making something easy, delicious and something that wouldn't keep me in the kitchen for too long. One more restriction, Celiac-friendly.

I was still in a mood for something Mediterranean, to transport me to a warm and sunny place, this winter has been too long. As a result I felt like making my wonderful Escargot Stuffed Mushrooms and a delicious Mediterranean Tomato Salad with gourmet tomatoes. My local supermarket sells pre-packaged "Gourmet Tomatoes", my inspiration for this salad. Inside the plastic container are countless varieties of tomatoes; some are very small, some are larger, they include cherry and grape varieties, some are green, orange and the list goes on. I'm not sure of all the different kinds but one thing is for sure, they all are delicious, sweet and taste as if kissed by the sun. Unlike some other tomatoes that are tasteless, green from being picked to early and stored in the fridge for who knows how long.

Buying such a delicious product makes making a delectable salad very easy. I combined the tomatoes with some good quality olive oil, balsamic vinegar, fresh basil and sage leaves, seasoned with some sea salt and black pepper and garnished with good Romano cheese.... My friends loved it!! They said they never had a better tomato salad, I can't take all the credit, hat's off to tomato farmers where ever they are.

To view a full recipe click here.

The Making of a "Good" and "Good for You" Recipe

I really like the taste of watercress, its crisp and tender and a little peppery. A very tasty green that can take center stage in a dish such as in my wonderful mango-watercress salad. With all that research into the benefits of watercress, I'm looking to create a new recipe with watercress. This time I am hoping to compose a recipe where this green plays a supporting role. This should be easy as firstly it's yummy, and secondly it has a delicate flavour so it should be perfect for sharing the dinner limelight.

The result. Sage Scallops on Watercress.

I apologize for using references to actors and movie making, however assembling a recipe is like producing a movie. If the right actors are picked for the dish and the ambiance (screen play) is right, the Academy (your guests) are happy and you are left with deserving praises. Unlike in the movies, your guests can't go to their local video store and simply replay your award winning dish. You might have a surge of guests coming back for a re-screening - unless of course you share with them your culinary secrets.

Thinking about the health benefits of watercress I instantly realized that the perfect leading role partner for watercress is the sea scallop. Scallops contain omega-3 fatty acids that have been linked to lowering heart disease. A perfect recipe, healthy and delicious! Furthermore scallops are tender, a little sweet, and they are also fashionable in that exclusive expensive way. For those of us who don't have the luxury of not thinking about how much things cost; scallops do go on sale. If they are not on sale, for an appetizer dish such as this you don't need that many. They are a wonderful treat and if purchasing a small quantity they make a perfectly elegant appetizer, without breaking the bank.

As a result Sage Scallops on Watercress recipe comes to life. Taking a few quality ingredients such as scallops, watercress, adding a few sage leaves and topping with hazelnuts is what makes this dish complete. A delicious and good for you recipe. Sometimes a few good quality ingredients make perfect culinary creations and with healthy inspirations the results are always praiseworthy.

The information about the study indicating the potential health benefits of eating watercress can be found on the following page, click here. It may not be realistic to eat watercress day after day, yet the health benefits of eating watercress are a motivational force to include this green in everyday meals.

For the details of the recipe click here.

Oscar winning Tuna Salad

Every weekend is another reason to eat well and to celebrate something or other. If there is nothing to celebrate we enjoy an easy and relaxing but festive weekend at home with our puppy. Last weekend I wanted to make something special.... hmm... I was lost for ideas. I asked Lawrence if he had any special cravings. He had a simple one word dinner idea. TUNA.

Tuna sounds perfect. I bought two beautiful tuna steaks and instead of making our favorite sushi I made delicious tuna steaks. I will post the recipe for that tuna steak dish at a later date. However the most remarkable culinary invention was the reinvention of the left over tuna into an Oscar-winning Tuna Salad. I know, I know, who can believe that we didn't finish our steaks but they were very big and in reality it was me who didn't finish. What can I say, I was full.

The next day the leftover tuna became transformed into an amazing tuna salad with a delicious Asian flair. One of my best concoctions Lawrence declared. I'm not sure how accurate his review is since he loves everything I make but in his defence it was delicious, light yet filling. A perfect dinner salad.

As we sat watching the Oscars, eating this delicious salad and sipping our Champagne we couldn't imagine the stars having a better time and better food.

To see the full recipe click here.

Cool Cucumber Salad

A few days ago I was inspired to make a salad that was light, refreshing, and would remind me of hot summer days. Winter in Canada always seems long and harsh. By the end of February I long for those hot summer days...

All this day dreaming took me back to the innocent days of my childhood. All the kids at our families cottage running around freely, our mom's calling us for dinner and at the table waiting for us was "Mizerja" salad. Yummy, creamy, refreshing and of course delicious. There never seemed to be enough, we engulfed it, literally. The word Mizerja translated to a cucumber salad that is made with fresh cucumbers cut into thin slices, seasoned with a dash of salt and freshly ground pepper plus a generous amount of sour cream or whipping cream and often garnished with dill.

I was craving Polish Cucumber Salad, but without all all that extra fat and calories from sour cream or whipping cream. Yoghurt? Why not! I love yoghurt, especially natural Balkan style yogurt, it has a little bit of fat, but it tastes delicious and typically it is a good quality product. Plus it has much less fat and than sour cream or 30% whipping cream. Changing a recipe with a lot of fat to a small amount of fat and still keeping all that creamy texture, in this recipe really worked out well, a moment of brilliance. On an aside, I'm sure this dish would be similarly tasty using 1% or 0% yoghurt.

The brilliance of this recipes is straining the whey through which we eliminate a lot of excess water and sourness. The final result is a more creamy flavoured and thick textured yoghurt. To the yoghurt add thinly sliced cucumber, salt and pepper, and for a modern twist instead of dill add sliced mint leaves. Voila!! Easy and delicious.

Yes, this salad was perfect, a perfect salad for a hot summer day... now those hot summer days need to arrive. However I can only do so much.

For a full recipe click here.

Dark Winter Days with White Hot Chocolate

It's mid February and it seems that winter has been around for too long. How is it where you are? Here in London, Ontario it has been frigid cold, and the wind has been as sharp as a blade. But I know it can be worse. Everyday I turn the Weather Network on and I find that our friends to the south, in the Northern states have more and more snow. You can't even see outside the window and snow is piling up high to the roof tops. Wow... I'm glad that I don't have to shovel that.

Nevertheless, I'm still complaing about this harsh winter. I can't imagine what to expect next season when we'll move to Calgary, Alberta. I don't want to go out now, next winter its going to be even colder. It's hard to be stylish with all those layers.

It may seem that I'm a wimp when it comes to frigid weather but I still muster the strength to go outside, if not for myself then for my puppy. She is now a big puppy, 8 months, but still a bundle of joy, for those of us who don't have kids. She can be very demanding when it comes to her time outside. When the sun is shining we skillfully get dressed very warmly, 4 layers of shirts and fleeces and 2 pairs of pants and we run and play, jump through big piles of snow, chase squirrels and spend least 30-45 minutes outside. For a warm person like myself I'm very proud of my outings. I may look like a Michelin tire but I'm warm. To me, delicious living includes staying warm ....

When we get back inside my favorite thing to do is to make some delicious hot chocolate. These days I'm in love with White Hot Chocolate. Unfortunately I can't say that I actually go home and make it from scratch. I would love to do that but when my fingers are frozen and can barely hold a cup I reach out for a quick fix: powder mix. My favorite can be purchased from Second Cup. Oh, its so delicious and creamy. Melt in my mouth fabulous!!! I always make it with milk not water, I microwave it until it almost boils. (This takes some skillful trial and error with your microwave to know how many minutes it will take for milk to reach this temperature). In my microwave it takes 3 minutes. Perfection!! But if its not as hot it's better than over cooked and spoiled all over the inside of the microwave. Unscheduled cleaning when not called for is never a good thing especially when you are itching for that delicious hot and creamy winter drink in your mouth. I love it and Lawrence and I enjoy it all the time in the winter. After all most days I spend 1.5 hours outside jumping through the snow, in my mind I definitely deserve it.

I hope wherever you are you are keeping warm unless you are one of the vistors from West Africa or other warm places then I hope you are keeping cool.

Valentine's Day

These days there is a lot of hoopla that surrounds Valentine's Day.

I keep hearing people's discontent about commercialization of this day especially by Hallmark, the absolute need to buy cards. Television News broadcasts are filled with statistics on how much a man spends on their girlfriend and how much less a husband spends on their wife. Not to mention how much price of roses drops one day after Valentine's day.. blah blah blah....

I must be a romantic at heart because I love Valentine's Day. I don't love it because of the chocolates or cards, although they are nice. I like Valentine's Day for its purity at the heart of the holiday. The idea of an international day to celebrate people's love for family, friends and significant others. Its almost like Christmas but without all the religious divisions to mess things up.

I agree it can become too much when people take elaborate initiatives to show their significant other how they feel about them and have a need to top it from year to year. What's more socially jaded is when they feel they need to spend exuberant amounts of money.

In my opinion this is a day to spend time together, call family and friends. I think human contact can be more enriching than elaborate gift. Having said that I do love jewelery. :-)

Going back to commercialization of Valentine's Day by Hallmark I refuse to buy cards and I send my family and friends free Hallmark e-cards. I think I'm not the only one because their server is really-really slow today. :-)

To contradict myself now, I will say that my husband and I are going out to a special Valentine's Day dinner. I'm very excited and I can't wait. It's a new French bistro restaurant right here in London, Ontario called Auberge du Petit Prince. Its been noted that French people know how to love ;-). I'm very delighted that he made the reservations and we will have a wonderful night away from home savoring delicious French cuisine.

Happy Valentine's Day to Everyone!!


xoxo

Monika

Valentine's Day Pink Risotto

I love the idea of making dinner together, especially at Valentine's Day. My husband and I often do that, and it's really relaxing and soulful. I ask him to help stir and he always feels important and delighted to help.

It a great way to spend time in the kitchen together because the process of making risotto is just so easy, no room for fights :-). Especially as its slow-paced and leaves a lot of time for talking and stirring. I always put some slow and sexy music in the background, light candles and open a bottle of bubbly or our favorite wine of the moment. It doesn't have to be an expensive bottle, it just should be something that you enjoy.

Before making risotto, cheer to your happiness and many years of love to come. Then stir and chat and have a sip of champagne or wine while making your meal. The final result is not only delectable but your combined labour of love. A delicious and wonderful way to celebrate Valentine's day and any other day. Visit my site to read this recipe.

Delicious Labour of Love - Valentine's Day Dish

A long, long time ago I had a delicious dinner in a Thai restaurant. It was Coconut Shrimp Curry. I fell in love with that recipe and since then I have been trying to re-create it. I think I finally found the perfect combination of ingredients, it might be even better than the original Coconut Shrimp Curry that I had back in high school. As you can tell I always had love for food.

There are a few steps that need to be made. 1)making of coconut curry sauce 2)sauteing shrimp 3)cooking rice 4)steaming bok choy. Don't give up on making this recipe just yet. Regardless of all the steps the time to make everything from start to finish is less than 1 hour and to help with managing your pre-dinner time, most of them can be made a head of time. Belive me when I say this dish is delicious and is wonderful for a special occasion such as a Valentine's Day.

I have made it many times and always it has been received with applause and eagerness for seconds. So make a lot! To reduce the fat content use a 'coconut milk light'.

I often experiment with different ingredients and I suggest you do the same. If you don't like bok choy or it's not available in your market use broccoli. Instead of shrimp use chicken breast or turkey breast.

Here is a link to the recipe.

http://www.monikakorngut.com/coconut_shrimp_curry.htm

Try it and savour all the delicious flavours. :-)

Dinner in North Bay's Canadore College Culinary School

Last week while visiting our family in North Bay we were lucky to have lunch at the North Bay Canadore College Culinary School. I say that we were lucky because there appears to be an air of exclusivity to dine there. There is a substantial waiting list, and the school does not publicly advertise however somehow everyone knows about it and people wait months to have lunch or dinner at the school.

Apple Fritters. They may not be in the category of 'diet foods' however they are delicious. A pure perfection. The best I ever had.

Lawrence and I were were looking forward to this lunch for months, very exciting. How often do you get a chance to dine at a culinary school?

Spring Rolls. Delicious spring rolls wrapped in philo pastry. Yummy and sizable appetizer. One of my favorites.

The best thing about this experience is that you participate along with students in their learning, while they train in the many aspects of hospitality industry. It is great to see how professional they are while serving water, how masterfully the table is set, and its wonderful to reassure them when they get a little nervous that they are doing a good job.

Mulligatawny Soup. With a touch of curry and apples a magnificent concoction.

The lunch menu had a choice of 3 appetizers, 4 main courses and 3 desserts. Between my husband and I and his parents we tasted almost everything. Collectively everything was delectable and service flawless. As far as I know the menu changes each semester. It really adds to a dinning experience and the students learn to make different things.

Salad Algonquin.

I would recommend that you look into contacting a culinary college in your community and see if they serve lunch or dinner. This really was a wonderful and unique experience partially due to the educational aspect but also to the wonderful menu slections that were representative of the local Northern Ontario region. At the end of the day the food may not be as perfect as in a high-end professional restaurant but to me it was a heart warming experience to participate in a learning adventure for those students. Plus it can be surprising how good the entire ambiance, food and experience can be, much better than in some 'established restaurants'.

Beef Provencal.

Jamaican Vegetable Turn-Over.

Raspberry Mousse Mirror Cake.

Coupe Pomegranate.

We had a wonderful, interesting and most importantly delicious experience. Hopefully next time will try dinner! :-)

A Dazzling Dinner Party and The Best Wine Ever

Over the past week my husband and I took a week off to visit family and friends. In the next little while I will write about all of the interesting and delicious things we did however today I will write about one of the highlights of our vacation which was visiting our dear and wonderful friends. Our schedules and the fact that we live in different cities don't allow us to see each other too often. However when the stars align at the right moment and we finally get together we always have an amazing time.

For this visit we decided that we would have a cooking party at their beautiful home. I love these types of gatherings, the atmosphere is more personable and relaxed, everyone feels at ease, we all can catch up and at the same time lend a hand with making something delicious and simple.

The menu idea came from Lawrence and myself. Since we just recently returned from Japan we thought it would be fun to make sushi for our friends. Hence the Asian dinner theme developed. On the menu: Variety of Dim Sum Dumplings, Spring Rolls, Vegetable and Shrimp Tempura and Sushi. Plus a lot of delicious and breathtaking wines.

To celebrate our visit our friends opened a number of very special wines from their wine cellar. They were all delicious and melt in your mouth delectable but one in particular stood out from the rest.

Alban Vineyards Reva Syrah 2003, Edna Valley, Calfornia, USA

This wine was 'melt in my mouth' perfect. A full body syrah with immense aromas of cassis jumping out of the glass. However the wine didn't taste overpowered by fruit, it was thick and smooth and extremely velvety. This wine is perfectly balanced, it spilled all over the taste buds creating an unforgettable experience of luxury and wine perfection. The tannis are detectable but blend marvelously in with all the other flavours to create a velvety mouthfeel.

This wine is perfectly crafted and balanced. The best wine I have ever tasted and if I could imagine a perfect wine this would be it.

As the evening grew into the night we spend countless hours chatting, laughing and enjoying each others company. We ate delicious food, we drunk amazing wine and even some fabulous pink champagne. It was a perfect night with perfect friends, and we look forward to many more.

Thank you so much for sharing your treasures with us, we truly appreciate it and we can't wait to have another wonderful evening with you guys as soon as the stars align to a perfect consolation.

My New Favorite Product

I like to try different types of cuisines and I enjoy recreating them at home with my own healthy twists. One of my favorite dishes to make is Coconut Curry Chicken or Shrimp served with rice and vegetables.

Last time I was at the grocery store I was leisurely strolling through the many aisles when I discovered this product, "Patak's Pappadums: Black Peppercorn". I thought it would be a great addition to my Coconut Curry dish. I was looking to add something crisp to contrast all that delicious comfort and softness of rice, curry sauce and vegetables.

I picked it up and took notice of its nutritional information. One pappadum (10 grams) contains 30 calories and 0.2 grams of fat. For anyone who doesn't know, pappadums are Indian paper-thin lentil crackers that are hand rolled and dried under the sun. They also do not contain any gluten and can be a delicious addition to anyone who has Celiac disease or are is on a gluten-restricted diet.

I picked up the black peppercorns pappadums, a little spicy, but there is also plain and garlic variety.

It is recommended that they be deep fried or brushed with oil and placed in the microwave, to help them puff up. However in efforts to keep the fat content low I tried brushing a little bit of water on both side of the cracker, covered with paper towel and placed it in the microwave for 45 seconds. The cracker puffs up fabulously! If not all of it puffs up, add another 10-15 seconds. This time may be longer if more water is on the papadums. You can serve one pappadum per person with a curry dish or break it up into several pieces for an interesting shape that can be inserted to the dish.

I love going to grocery stores and discovering new products. I don't know many people who have time to make all the accompanying items to make a dish look like a it was made by a gourmet chef. I like this product, it makes home cooking easier, delicious and it doesn't add unwanted fat. Try it as an interesting texture to add to a regular meal, or as a cracker topped with chutney, also serve it as an accompaniment to a dip, lots of options. :-) Fun, easy and delicious.

Red Wine "The Lackey" Find

Recently I was looking for some delicious red wine for a dinner party my husband and I were hosting. I like to try different wines, but you never know if the new wine will meet your expectations and will delight your palette. I love buying wine, the little butterfly anxiousness, the thrill of the chase of spotting a great find amongst all those bottles.

Last time I was at the liquor store I saw a new wine, "The Lackey". I knew I had to get it the moment I saw it! Our good friends name has the same sound although a different spelling, nevertheless, a wonderful coincidence. We bought that wine for no other reason than the name. When we opened it we were astonished by its delightfully delicious fragrance and taste. Wow!! Amazing. And to think that I have bought it simply for the name. Maybe I shouldn't pay that much attention to the description at the back of the bottle.... Maybe that's one habit that may be hard to break as I know what I love and what tastes good.

But one thing is for sure, "The Lackey" is a delicious wine.

Read my wine review, and try it for your self.

http://www.monikakorngut.com/australian_shiraz.htm

A delectable wine that won't break your budget. A delicious find. :-)

Dining Out in London, Ontario

A few days ago my husband and I went out for dinner. I was very excited because we were going to eat at a local restaurant called MINT. Several of our friends ate there before and everyone was delighted with the service and delicious food.

In the middle of the week at 6pm there weren't that many customers. All the better for us because we had impeccable service. We were greeted at the door, our jackets were hung at the nearby closet and with a smile we had a choice of seating. Of course we sat in a beautiful and cozy booth with candle light, our evening started delightfully. More so, our server did a good job helping us pick a nice red wine to accompany our dinner, and with a glass of nice wine in a beautiful place the evening started just right.

I ordered the miso glazed scallops with Thai bacon as an appetizer and medium-rare tuna steak for the main course. My husband had salmon terrain for an appetizer and salmon steak for dinner. All our dishes were delicious. The scallops lacked a true miso taste but nevertheless were perfectly done and tasted amazing. I will definitely try to create something like that at home. The salmon dishes were fabulous.

Although we didn't have time for dessert the evening was flawless. The staff were well versed in knowledge of food and wine and were very accommodating if you needed anything changed. Food wasn't overpriced for an upscale restaurant and more importantly the entire experience was delicious. The evening was wonderful. We'll definitely go there again and bring family and friends to share a similar experience.

Trip to the Tea Specialty Store

Last week I happened to stumble upon this cute little store with jars and jars of different varieties of teas. I think they mainly carried teas from "The Metropolitan Tea Company". After much internal debate as what to get I decided to purchase Rooibos Tropical Sunrise, Number 20. It looks and smells delicious, just see for yourself. Some of the ingredients include rooibos, apple bits, red currants and cornflower blossoms.

I really enjoyed drinking it. It's very fragrant and with a dab of sugar it tastes delicious. Especially if you like exotic and different teas, you will love this one.

However my favorite thing is to put 2 teaspoons of this tea in to a small pot, add 500mL of water and boil gently on low heat. I boil it all day long and keep adding more water as water evaporates. I absolutely love this intoxicating smell. The flavours are heighten by the warmth of the burner and the aromas spread throughout my home. I like to do this when friends come over, immediately they feel welcome and relaxed. I think this would be an excellent thing to do for an open house, I even think it's much homier than the scent of baking chocolate chips.

Anther wonderful thing about boiling tea all day long is that the water is a natural humidifier. As water evaporates all day long, and is replenished in the pot, it naturally increases water content in our closed proximity environment and prevents our skin from looking and feeling dry and tough. This is especially true on cold winter day when we crank up our heaters.

Exotic tea, delicious not only in a cup but all over the house.

Trip to the Butcher Shop

I often go to a butcher shop for my meat purchases. Before I started going I never realized how much fresher meat can be in comparison to meat purchased from a large supermarket. Now that I started shopping there I don't want shop anywhere else!!

Yesterday I saw a nice piece of pork, it looked fresh, very lean and absolutely delicious. However I was looking to purchase some ground pork to make my delectable Italian Wedding Soup. Without moments thought I asked the sales lady if I could have it ground. With a smile on her face she said of course. Wow, not only did I get exactly what I wanted but with a smile. What wonderful service. Best of all, I know exactly what is in my ground meat and I think that is very important. More often than not we don't know what is in that ground up meat and we just hope for the best. Also I don't know too many people who have time to ground their own meat and have room in the kitchen for another large kitchen gadget. I think a trip to 'the butcher' shop is a great alternative, sure it may be a little out of the way but I think for fresh, delicious product it's worth it.

I highly recommend to everyone who is not a vegetarian to find such a place in your city and visit them to see and experience the difference for yourself. Of course one place may not carry the same quality of products as the next so I suggest to ask someone who already did the leg work.

My experience is from a store in Mississauga.

Eddie's Meat Products Factory Outlet Inc
1577 Sedlescomb Dr
Mississauga, ON L4X1M4
(905) 625-9617

Good luck and delicious shopping :-)