Monika Korngut's Delicious Thoughts Blog

Sushi Dinner at TOWA SUSHI, Calgary, Alberta

2007-08-23T12:42:00.000-05:00

2116 4 Street SW

Calgary, AB

(403) 245-8585

Having recently moved to Calgary I have been excited to experience some of the city's restaurants, I've heard this city holds some true culinary treasures. That's why I was so excited to go to TOWA SUSHI restaurant that has come highly recommended.

I must admit that having recently been to Japan and experienced Japanese fresh and delicious sushi I have a hard time enjoying generic sushi. Towa did not disappoint.

The restaurant is quite small and quaint with warm light and smiling faces of patrons enjoying their every bite. Tables are near each other providing for a communal atmosphere. There are also bar tables, for more casual dining or for sushi on the go, very reminiscent of eateries in Japan. From the moment you walk in you feel welcome and at home.

The bustling staff is gracious and very hospitable not to mention very good at all other things that sometimes are lacking in many other restaurants in this city ... such as service.

I'm happy to say that I enjoyed dinner with 5 other people, I say that not only because the company was fabulous but the dishes come in very generous portions and it was wonderful to enjoy and try a large number of them while sharing them with friends.

One of the biggest surprises of the night came at the beginning of the dinner as an appetizer, agedashi tofu, deep fried tofu served in tempura sauce garnished with daikon radish and fresh ginger. Most things that are lightly battered are tasty (if prepared correctly) but this tofu was sweet and melt-in-your-mouth delectable. I would love to know what brand of tofu was used. The batter was crisp and light, perfectly complemented by the tempura sauce that it floated in.

Other dishes included the 'towa tempura' consisting of shrimp, broccoli, and yam. 'Black and white roll' made with salmon, 'calamari roll' with deep fried calamari, cucumber, lettuce and mustard, 'caterpillar roll' with fresh water eel, 'fire cracker roll' made with jalapeno tempura, sour cream and smoked salmon, 'scallop tempura roll', 'unagi roll' made with sweet omelet, avocado and fresh water eel. There might have been a few more but they were eaten too quickly...

Being pregnant, I could only indulge in eating non-raw sushi. For anyone who knows me, they know it is difficult for me to eat sushi and not eat raw fish however my fellow companions said it was perfect. For those of us who choose not to eat raw fish the other pieces more than made up for missing out on the raw pieces. First of all, all the pieces were incredibly fresh, not only the ingredients but it was obvious that they were all prepared freshly after we placed our order. In addition each order was beautifully presented. The menu is very unique and creative, it carries many different sushi combinations with native ingredients to Japan such as toro and many ingredients that are more common such as shrimp and squid. TOWA offers many culinary choices from common to unique and for someone who is not able to eat 'raw' foods there were plenty of alternatives.

Overall the eating experience at TOWA was incredible, the food was ingenious and delectable and well priced, not over priced. Service was prompt and diligent and the atmosphere felt like being a part of a big Asian family. I'm looking forward to going back and trying some other items of the menu. TOWA is a true culinary gem in the heart of Calgary. Sorry no pictures, I didn't bring my camera. For a quick peek inside the restaurant click here.

Holiday

2007-07-04T13:22:00.000-05:00

Squirl enjoying a nut at the cottage.

As you may have noticed there has been no post in quite a little while. It's true I have been 'internet free' as Kelly Rippa says, for over a month now. My time away from this site has been a combination of immensely pleasant moments at our cottage in Northern Ontario, and less pleasant days filled with packing our home into a million cardboard boxes, as my husband and I were getting ready to start a new beginning in Calgary, Alberta. After packing we had a delightful yet tiring drive through half of our vast and beautiful country to only find that our home where we were supposed to move into was not ready.... luck was on our side, in one day we found a new home, even better and nicer than the original.

This is one of my favorite pictures. I just love how it captures how Madison, our dog is shaking off water after swimming.

After countless days on the road, sleeping each night in a different motel it was nice to finally sleep in our own bed! Ahh... what a wonderful feeling not to be a nomad and having a home.The mandatory disconnect from a life to the net has been bittersweet. On one hand it has been refreshing not to sit in front of a monitor for hours and addictively checking e-mail, but it has been refreshing to connect to people face to face, and be more concerned with the hear and now.

A view of plains in the province of Alberta.

On the other hand it is impossible to let go of co-dependence to check what ever insignificant question might you have at the very moment you think of it. What's more, it's difficult to find a bearing in a new city without looking up where your favourite stores are, or where the post office is to once again forward your 'real' mail or to find a phone number to contact an internet provider to finally be 'connected'. As I have noticed, all TV commercials no longer list their contact numbers on the TV screen, but advocate to find them on line. A bizarre twist on modern life. After unpacking most of the boxes, settling in, and finally being on line I guess it is time to get back in front of the computer screen. I do love my computer and interacting with all of you. However now being in Alberta I think I will make more time to spend outdoors hiking and discovering new and interesting surroundings. Here I share with you a few photos from our drive across Canada. In my next blog I will write about food on the road.

Nose-hill Park, Calgary, Alberta.

Vanilla Rice Pudding Brule

2007-06-27T18:16:00.000-05:00

Click here to read the recipe.

Summer is in the air, I would hope at least in most places. It seems that in some places a little bit more humid than some of us can handle. Thank goodness for air conditioning.

I love this season, its just invigorating. School is out for kids and everyone, young and old, is out enjoying everyday to the fullest either through playing ball, going for a walk or taking a refreshing dip in a pool.

After an active day sometimes I crave for dessert something more than fruit. Few days ago I found in my cupboard left over Arborio rice. Instead of making risotto, I thought of making dessert. Vanilla Bean rice pudding. A perfect comfort food desserts. I decided to put a twist on this classic dish. A nice sugary crust on top of the melt in my mouth delectably soft rice pudding. Yummy, yummy... The varying texture of the soft and crunchy is simply irresistible. Try it for your self.

Apple Pancakes

2007-04-30T09:19:00.000-05:00

Click here to go to the main page.

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.

Fortune Cookies

2007-04-26T14:43:00.000-05:00

Check out the new full blog here

I love "Fortune Cookies". Most of us are familiar with these delicious treasures as they are served at the end of most Chinese meals.

They are paper thin, crisp, light and a perfect accompaniment to a filling meal. Baked inside each cookie is a tiny piece of paper with a message; words of wisdom, prophecy or lucky numbers. I don't believe everything I read but I can't help to look forward to reading my fortune. Just now I opened a cookie and the note inside read, "The gift is not as precious as the thought." How true is that.

Contrary to popular belief, Chinese fortune cookies did not originate in China, in fact they were invented in California around 1909. As with any invention this one also had its controversy as there were 2 companies one from San Francisco and the other from Los Angeles claiming they invented the cookie. In 1983, the court ruled in San Francisco's favour.

I must admit I have never made fortune cookies from scratch. This is probably because I usually purchase a bag of cookies for a few dollars and I can't imagine doing a better job. However, I did find what looks like a delicious recipe from one of the chefs from FoodNetworkCanada. Click here to see it. One of these days I will make them from scratch, but for now I just enjoy snacking on them.

As far as cookies go, these are pretty good to snack on, one cookie has approximately 30 calories and 0 grams of fat. Most of the calories come from sugar but nevertheless its a good alternative to a chocolate chip cookie. For a detailed nutritional analysis click here.

Ethiopian Beef Stew

2007-04-20T20:55:00.000-05:00

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

2007-04-09T13:15:00.000-05:00

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

2007-04-06T00:25:00.000-05:00

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.

Pascal Brodnicki: Show, Cookbook & More

2007-03-28T20:48:00.000-05:00

A few months ago I was chatting with one of my relatives in Poland about cooking shows. As I found out in Poland they have some of the same cooking shows such as ones with Nigella Lawson and Jamie Oliver that we here in North America know well, they are translated into Polish. But they also have their own celebrity chefs that I have never heard about such as Pascal Brodnicki. Pascal who?

This is a young man, who came from a half Polish background, his dad is Polish and mom is French. Born and grew up in France, then moved to Poland as a teenager and then went back to do his culinary training in France. A lot of moving... Now he has a very successful cooking show "Pascal, po prostu gotuj" (the name of the show translates to "Pascal, Simply Cooking"), teaching Poles how to cook delicious food from around the world.

My relative in Poland send me his cookbook because here in Canada it was nowhere to be found. It is a well made book, with beautiful illustrations of all the recipes, each one with personal note from Pascal. The recipes all look easy to prepare, and I can imagine that most people will actually try them.

After going through his book I got in touch with Dominika, my aunt that send me this beautiful gift, to ask her a few questions. Are all those foreign ingredients that Pascal is using such as ginger, lemon grass, Kaffir leaves; are they all readily obtainable in Poland? I know here in Canada, sometimes its hard to get them. She assured me that at least in Warsaw they are easy to acquire, there are huge oriental markets with everything under the sun plus smaller markets also carry a lot of diverse products.

Having gone through Pascal's book I was really looking forward to seeing his show. This past weekend I had a chance to spend some time at my parents place who have a satellite with Polish programs. The entire family gathered in front of the TV, including my dad who never watches food shows. In this episode he was preparing a sweat-sour soup with shrimp, Thai curry chicken, and coconut pancakes for dessert. We were all entertained to no end; we laughed at his candid mispronunciation of Polish words, and his endearing French accent while speaking in Polish. He captivated us with his sense of humor, love for food, and ease with which he made food not only look good but from where I was sitting taste delicious.

I don't mean to sound like I'm making fun of someone with an accent. I, myself, have an English accent when I speak Polish and I mispronounce Polish words all the time, sometimes changing English words to Polish, other times I just use wrong words at the wrong time. My husband also speaks a bit of Polish, although his Grandfather described it as "good Polish for someone who can't actually speak Polish". I have truly enjoyed Pascal's show, not only for his recipes, but because he is comfortable with who he is in front of the camera, and to some degree it reminds me of myself. In addition I love the fact that he has a large fan base (including some in Canada) and is successful due to his love of food and sharing it with the Polish public and his friends.

Now that I have watched one show, I was craving more. What to do when what you want is not available on regular TV channels? I went to the biggest online video website I know, YouTube. I did find a few video that are posted on line, however they are very poor quality. I guess I am out of luck and need to stick to reading his book and checking out what's new on his website and blog.

I wish him all the more successes in the future.

Click here for my recipe, Pot Stickers with Bok Choy and Cashews.

Mexican Chipotle Mussels

2007-03-21T09:29:00.000-05:00

Authentic or not authentic, this Mexican recipe for mussels is delicious and healthy. It reminds me of a time a few years ago when my husband and I were just dating. We were about to go on our first trip together, to the Mexican Mayan Riviera.

In anticipation of our trip, Lawrence made Mexican chicken breasts with chipotle sauce for dinner, it was an amazing meal. It was divine. This was the first time I ever had chipotle peppers and they came from a can with that delicious tomato-esque adobo sauce. "Wow, these peppers are so good, I love spicy food", I thought to myself. He only used a few peppers and threw out the rest, not knowing what to do with the remains of the can. I loved this recipe so much that the next day I decided we should enjoy a similar tomato-chipotle sauce with mussels. We went back to the grocery store and bought another can of chipotle peppers. This time I was in charge of making dinner. Not knowing how many peppers he used the day before I decided that half a can should be a good amount. Wow! That meal was amazingly spicy. Nevertheless, it really was delicious, although unbelievably hot, burning our mouths to no end. The problem was that it was so good, that we could not stop eating. We took a number of breaks, had a few coronas and just kept eating some more.

That was a very memorable dinner that we often think about with fond memories. Since then I have learned a lot about chipotle peppers. First of all, they are very spicy, so use them with caution. Any recipe with chipotle peppers, or any spicy peppers, use as a guide and add peppers gradually to control the amount of heat. Also it's important to remember that they will add an extra 10% of heat once their full flavour incorporates into the dish. Its best to taste whatever you are cooking after 10 minutes to determine if there is need to add more. One last tip, the unused peppers and sauce can be frozen in a plastic bag until they are needed again. Next time you need them, just break or cut off a piece.

I often make mussels because they are easy and take minutes to cook. This recipe from start to finish takes less than 30 minutes and that includes making the sauce. Mussels are also a good ingredient to add to a regular meal routine as its important to eat fish and seafood on a weekly basis. In this recipe I make the sauce, I often try to do that, its much healthier than purchasing them; they often are high in fat, additives and sodium. This a delicious recipe, perfect for a novice cook, and speaking from my own experience great for a quick and delicious date at home. I really enjoy eating this mussel dish as a main course, this recipe is very satisfying however if served in smaller quantity could also be a wonderful appetizer.

Click here for the recipe.

A wonderful accompaniment to it would be cilantro roasted bread, similar to a garlic bread. A delicious spread of butter or olive oil combined with a touch of cilantro and salt and pepper, distributed on fresh crusty bread and broiled for a few minutes until warm and slightly golden.

Mediterranean Tomato Salad

2007-03-15T11:04:00.000-05:00

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

2007-03-07T11:44:00.000-05:00

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

2007-02-27T14:59:00.000-05:00

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

2007-02-23T15:15:00.000-05:00

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

2007-02-18T19:29:00.000-05:00

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

2007-02-14T15:52:00.000-05:00

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

2007-02-09T10:36:00.000-05:00

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

2007-02-07T09:13:00.000-05:00

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

2007-02-01T09:21:00.000-05:00

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

2007-01-29T13:37:00.000-05:00

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

2007-01-22T11:48:00.000-05:00

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

2007-01-18T19:22:00.000-05:00

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

2007-01-18T10:14:00.000-05:00

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

2007-01-15T10:29:00.000-05:00

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

2007-01-12T13:37:00.000-05:00

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 :-)