Bay Tree

I impulse purchased a little bay tree this Spring and planted it in our garden. 

I've done no research into if it will survive the winter, but it was only $10. 

I am hoping it will survive, I've long envied European cooking books and shows that flaunt their fresh bay. 

 In other garden news, I added another type of mint, bringing my total to 3. 

The chives are trying to take over the garden, and for now I'm letting them. We've cooked with chives this year more than any other. 

The oregano has been neglected the past few years, and I'm thinking of pulling it out; we never use it. 

Peas and raspberries are our big crops again this year. 

They are the boys favorites; it's a fight for anyone else to get any if he's around.

Jacob's Noodle and Cutlet

I finally got to eat at Jacob's Noodle and Cutlet a couple of months ago. 

 They've been open about a year now, in the former Felix on Fourth location at 260 4th Ave. 

The place was busy, the service was pretty good. 

I had the Spicy Chicken.  It was spicy!  But delicious.  Served with rice on the side.

The Mister had Lunch Special A - pork cutlet, tempura, salad, and miso soup.  

His was served with 3 dipping sauces, plus sesame seeds in a mortar and pestle that were to be ground up and sprinkled over.....something.  

Our waitress told us nothing about the sauces or what to do with the seeds.  We survived, but some advice would have been nice.

Website here - Jacob's Noodle and Cutlet

Mountain High Pizza

One of my favorite things about a trip to Sun Peaks is pizza at Mountain High Pizza. 

SO good!

I love to get the pizza to go and eat outside and people watch.

I've been lucky enough to have made 3 day trips to Sun Peaks this summer already, and 2 of those visits included  pizza.

The Bryndian (pepperoni, bacon, garlic, olives, mushrooms, OMG YUM) (below) is delicious.  

My current favorite.

Visit them here: Mountain High Pizza

How to: Freeze tomato paste

Just like I freeze ginger, I do the same with tomato paste.

Most recipes I make that call for tomato paste only need one or two tablespoonfuls. 

So annoying to open up a can for only a little amount.

I occasionally buy tomato paste in tubes, but lately I haven't been using them fast enough before the tubes spoil, so I'm back to freezing the paste in spoonfuls.

This is much faster and less messy than the ginger.  No prep required!

I lay out a piece of plastic wrap.  

You want to leave a couple of inches between each blob of paste 

and down the side for the sealing step.

Spoon the paste onto the plastic wrap.  I did mine in one tablespoon blobs.

Fold the plastic wrap over the paste onto itself, like you're making ravioli.

Press the plastic wrap all around the paste to seal.

Cut the plastic wrap between each tomato paste package to separate.  Fold over any extra wrap to seal up.  Place the blobs in a freezer bag, and put in the freezer. 

Instagram mini reviews

I joined Instagram a while back.  While I'm still not completely sold on posting there, I am loving the photos of the people I'm following.  

I've been working on a cookbook review/purge project over there the past few months - partially to pare down my cookbook collection and get rid of the books that I don't and never will use, as well as to get us out of the cooking and eating rut we've been in the past year.  

So far I've reviewed 26 cookbooks from my shelf.

The taco meat recipe from Maui Tacos, maple candied bacon from 5 Ingredient Fix, Mad Dog Salad from Jamie's America, peanut sauce from Little Saigon cookbook, and chocolate coconut pudding from Family Meals have been standout dishes so far.

I started off feeling bad about saying I didn't like a book, or that it would be going to the donation pile, but I'm feeling a little more cutthroat lately.
More mini reviews coming soon, so you can breath a sigh of relief.
It's so damn hot here, who wants to cook, much less read recipes???

If you're interested head over to see here.

 

Arigato Sushi - again.

14 months ago I wrote my last post about lunch at Arigato.  

We were there last week, and it's just as delicious as ever. 

After Miso soup, which I managed to get 3 spoonfuls of before the boy had mine finished, we shared the Biminbap, and a Bento Box A.

Biminbap is one of my most favorite meals. 
We've become kimchi addicts,
so we now happily dig into the little dish that comes with the rice bowl.
My only quibble would be that the kimchi is in such large pieces.
Am I supposed to eat giant pieces of spicy cabbage,
or try to cut them smaller with my
chopsticks???

Good food, good service.

Still open Sundays.

Pickled Beets

I have a love/hate relationship with beets.  

For a long time there was only hate.  My mom would make borscht every fall.  Pots and pots of it.

Not my favorite.

I like them better now, although I mostly like them grated into veggie pancakes or diced in salads.

What I don't like is the mess.  The mess!  The red fingers.  The stained cloths and towels.  Grabbing my white cutting board instead of the black one.  The juice splattered everywhere from little dye bombs masquerading as vegetables.  

I am horribly messy in the kitchen without the added fun bonus of beet juice.

I'd bought a bunch of beets recently to use in a pork recipe, and the rest sat in the fridge ignored.  I didn't want to put off using them too long, but nothing was inspiring me to use them.  And then I thought - pickles!  Easy and guaranteed to be eaten by my husband, who has never met a pickled vegetable he didn't immediately devour.

I used this recipe at My Recipes.  With 6 ingredients and less than an hour we had a jar of pickled beets in the fridge, a happy husband, neon pink fingers, and another stained shirt.

Recipe: Easy Pickled Beets

Arigato Sushi

There are still no Vietnamese restaurants in Kamloops. My count since my last Vietnamese meal is approximately 9 months.

But sushi rules too. And tempura, noodles.......yum.

I've been to Arigato twice recently, and we enjoyed both visits very much.

The first time was for a family birthday and the family fell upon each dish like rabid badgers, so there are no photos.

We tried the vegetable and shrimp tempura, a sushi roll that I can't remember the name of, but it had salmon in it, so I didn't try it, gyoza, salmon salad, bento boxes, yakisoba, and chicken donburi.

It was all so, so good.

So, so good that we went back a couple of weeks later.

 The madness began the moment the green tea and miso soup hit the table.

As you can see, the 4 year old is pulling the soup over to him.  2 of his FAVORITE things in the world are green tea and miso soup.  I love it.  Except when I lose my green tea and miso soup to him.

This was, I believe, the crazy california roll.  It was.......crazy good.

They arrange their tempura quite nicely, and then my child knocks it over to get to the shrimp.

 Biminbap. Which is one of my very favorite dishes, but I've never seen it with lettuce before.  Pretty cool.

And also?  They are open on SUNDAYS.

Arigato Sushi

70-1395 Hillside Dr

250-314-1185

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Haute Dogs

"The noblest of all dogs is the hot-dog; it feeds the hand that bites it." ~ Lawrence J. Peter.

 Hot dogs - what's not to like?  BBQ'ed, pan fried, cooked over a fire.  With ketchup, or sauteed onions.  Maybe some cheese?

I can't say we are overly adventurous in our hot dog toppings, which makes it cool to come across a book like Haute Dogs by Russell van Kraayenburg.

 This is a fun but serious book all about the lofty dog - after an introduction to the history of the dog, the author moves into the anatomy of the dog and instructions on various cooking methods - more than I would have thought -that go from microwaving to roasting to steaming.

There are more than 40 recipes, many with variations for other delicious creations, and if that wasn't enough - buns and batters, sausages, and condiments and toppings.

We tried the El Completo from Chile:

Scott had his with sauerkraut, I had mine without.

Next was the  Columbian Pineapple Dog from Columbia.

This one made me a little nervous - we made a pineapple relish, and salsa golf, then added ketchup, mustard, cheddar, and potato chips.  But it was quite delicious.

I also made the Classic Hot Dog Buns

And our final, and favorite of the 3, the Danish Hot Dog - topped with the MOST delicious Remoulade sauce ever. 

Thank you Quirk Books!

Smackdown - Drop Biscuits

Ok! Let's do another Smackdown, shall we?

 This time we're moving into the land of carbs with biscuits. Drop biscuits.

First up is Trisha Yearwoods Easiest Muffins recipe. Yes, it's called a muffin, but I think that it's more like a biscuit, and this is my blog and my Smackdown.

Anyhoo.

What drew me to this recipe was the incredibly short list of ingredients, and the addition of sour cream. These came together super quick and looked pretty darn good.

They tasted good too - and I loved the tang from the sour cream.

Unfortunately, I found these were best eaten right after they were made, which for a small family caused a problem - we can't eat 12 biscuit/muffins in one sitting.

I took one to work the next day with my lunch, but I did not enjoy it. The many leftovers were tossed a few days later.

Competing against Trisha is The Pioneer Woman's Cheddar Chive Drop Biscuits.

A few more ingredients and a bit more time than the easy muffins.

 But they too came out of the oven looking like a biscuit should:

I usually only buy mild cheddar,so the cheese didn't particularly add anything to the biscuit. The green onion was nice, and they had a good texture. 

These held up well as leftovers, and got the seal of approval from my father. 

The winner - by a hair - 

The Pioneer Woman. 

The texture, appearance and leftover factor pushed it over the edge.

Mexican Brunch Tart Pizzas

I wanted to make a meatless brunch today before our big Easter dinner. 

 I was thinking I'd have to go with my usual pancakes and smoothie, but I had some pretty awesome ingredients in my fridge - guacamole, salsa, and pillsbury wiener wraps.   

Breakfast tarts!  Breakfast pizza?  Whatever.

 I unrolled the wraps and preheated the oven to the suggested 375'. 

I put the wraps (6 to a package) on a parchment lined baking sheet and gently stretched each piece of dough out a bit to make a slightly larger tart/pizza. 

I started with a spoonful of salsa on each piece.

Then scrambled 2 eggs and topped the dough with the eggs and some shredded mozzarella and cheddar cheese.

Baked for 12 minutes, until the crust was browning.

We topped our tart/pizzas with sour cream, more salsa, and guacamole.

I love these!  Easy and really really good. These have infinite possibilities for any meal.

Goodbye to Mori Mori

I was sorry to learn last week that Mori Mori Grocery is closing down.  

This is my favorite place to buy my noodles, sauces, vinegars, rice, etc.  

It was on last summers list of my favorite Kamloops restaurants.  

The store is closing at the end of April,and currently most groceries are 10% off.

I was excited to learn that they will still be selling the take out prepared food out of Sanbiki Restaurant though.  So that's something.

Oh Kamloops.  Why can't we have nice things?

Kamloops Symphony Book Sale

I hit the symphony book sale on the way home today and scored 4 cookbooks for $2 each.

They are in Aberdeen Village - on the opposite side of Hillside Drive from Aberdeen Mall - until April 19. 

Only open until 5pm, they are quite the sticklers on everyone out by then.

Bites 11

I have not done much bread baking lately - since November(!). I made some basic white rolls to ease myself back into the game.

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This is a corn dish I made  - the recipe is photocopied from a book so I have no source, but it was onion sauteed in oil, corn, curry, lime juice and coconut milk.  Different and very nice, although I thought it was a little too liquidy - was it the coconut milk I used?  But it was good, and I will make it again.

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Who remembers the Brie Bagel Melt  I made last year?  Well.

This is raisin toast with brie and honey and walnuts.  OMG. 

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Rice bowl!  I love them so much.  This one had ground pork and zucchini and carrots over coconut rice and topped with a fried egg and some sweetened soy sauce.

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This is another version of the breakfast buns 

Ham and cheese baby!  Can't go wrong with a classic.

What lies beneath

On Thursday I decided that I would make a treat to take to work on Friday - yesterday. 

I was thinking cookies - maybe the very decadent Baci di Cioccolati, maybe something new - and just like that - I was running out of time. 

 It was 8:30, I was tired, trying to get the boy to sleep, still needed to figure out lunch and dinner for the next day. I really had no interest of baking, but I also knew I had promised a treat to my coworkers, and did not want to be in trouble for not making good.

 I checked my saved bookmarks - nothing there. Skimmed my posts here that were tagged "Cookies", but nothing grabbed me, and I didn't have all the ingredients needed for the Baci. 

 On my pinterest board I found the answer to my problem - a no bake chocolate and peanut butter bar recipe. 

Perfect!

I didn't have the required graham crumbs, but I did have chocolate crumbs - double chocolate peanut bars? Oh yes. 

 I also used a slightly smaller pan than the recipe calls for, and cut back on the amount of chocolate for the top layer. That was out of necessity - I used all my chocolate chips and buttons and still didn't have much, so I pilfered a dark chocolate Santa that my parents bought the boy from Rogers Chocolates in Victoria and called it a day. 

Yesterday morning I hacked off a piece to leave at home and carted the rest to work. 

At 8:30 I put them out, thinking is it ever really too early for chocolate? 

The answer is no, of course. 

Recipe: Reeces Peanut Butter No Bake Bars

Paleo casserole and Potluck

This is another dish I cooked from Quick and Easy Paleo Comfort Foods that I just loved.  It's a chicken and broccoli casserole, and the sauce is made from cauliflower and coconut milk and curry powder.  Delicious!  And thankfully the leftovers reheated well, because we had leftovers for a few days.  I like this book a lot.

I'm recovering from our latest potluck at work - what a feast!  My friend made a baked corn dish that reminded me of a souffle, and I really liked it.  There were lemon meringue pies in mason jars (so cute) and a decadent mint chocolate milkshake too. 

I was on salad duty and I wanted something different.  After searching Pinterest for 3 days I found a contender - a sweet potato salad with a cranberry chipolte dressing.  Yum!

I tested it out at home and loved everything about it, except that I found the dressing to be a bit too spicy for me, and I know a couple of the ladies attending the potlucks aren't fans of spice. (Yes, they suck.)  So I cut way back on the chipolte, and added a smidge more honey.  I took the salad unassembled to work, so I had 6 containers of various sizes to haul to work.  But who cares, it's potluck day!

I decided the night before to bring some extra cranberries, and I rough chopped them and folded them in the salad along with the pumpkin seeds (perfect touch in the salad), cilantro, green onions and dressing.

Everyone enjoyed it, and it was a nice healthy dish to stand up to the pie, milkshakes, and rice that was on the table.

Original recipe here

Smackdown - Sneaky Mac n Cheese

Sneaky food is everywhere these days - avocado in chocolate mousse, prunes in cake, oats in smoothies, pureed veggies in EVERYTHING. 

And I have nothing against sneaky food, especially since my lovely child becomes more and more picky each day. 

Sneak away, my friends, sneak away. (Foodwise, that is. Behave yourselves!) 

Here's our 2 competitors 

Food Networks Mac n Cheese with secret ingredient cauliflower 

vs 

The Sweet Potato Chronicle's Sweet Potato Mac n Cheese

In the Food Network's corner is mac and cheese that was served as a side dish with bbq chicken in the Jan/Feb 2014 issue.  Cauliflower is cooked until soft in milk, then pureed, and cheese is stirred in.  Sauce done.  Add your cooked noodles, a splash of pasta cooking water, stir, and serve.

I enjoy Food Network magazine and have cooked some good dishes out of some issues.  Regardless of the outcome, I'll be adding this to my list of go to recipes.

Over in the SPC's corner is Sweet Potato Mac and Cheese.  This is a more traditional m&c - a traditional white sauce that has cheese and mashed sweet potato stirred in, and peas are added to the pasta cooking water for the final minutes of cooking.  

This book and I do not get along - I had a high number of iffy/failures from the book.  But this recipe produces a smooth and delicious mac and cheese, with bonus peas.

This was another toughie - these were both excellent recipes that I would make again and again.

The verdict?

Mac and cheese with cauliflower, from Food Network.

I love how simple but flavorful the sauce is - no roux, no flour - and the creaminess the cauliflower adds.  The sweet potato mac is also delicious, and also a must try.

Recipes

Food Network Mac and Cheese

Sweet Potato Chronicles Sweet Potato Mac and Cheese

no ingredients were measured in the making of this meal

I had a craving for chicken stew a few weekends ago, but I couldn't find a recipe that appealed to me, so I winged (wung?) it. 

I heated a couple of tablespoons of olive oil over medium high heat, and added chopped onion, celery, and carrot.

While that was softening, I cut some potatos into chunks.

Back to the pot - in went a couple of spoonfuls of flour and chopped garlic.  Stirred often over medium heat for about 10 minutes.

I added a carton of low sodium chicken broth,turned the heat back up to medium high, and stirred until it was thick and simmering.

Next I added chopped cooked chicken, and seasoning - salt and pepper, thyme, a bit of poultry seasoning and also some saltless seasoning.

A couple of minutes before serving I stirred in a few handfuls of frozen peas.

It was delicious and easy!

Has Spring sprung where you live?  Yesterday afternoon was so beautiful and sunny.  My fingers are crossed that Spring may be here to stay!

Vietnamese Subs and Crock Pots

I'm here! I didn't go away again! 

We - and by we I mean pretty much everyone I know - has been sick.  This has been a bad year for flu and cold bugs.  I think we're mostly over everything now, but my boy is still not 100%.  

Nothing very thrilling has been going on around here, and that includes cooking.

I've had this recipe saved on Pinterest for a while. 

This is my favorite kind of food - I think I've documented that well over the years.

I liked the recipe, but didn't love it.  I found the sauce too strong and salty.  But I would try again, with modifications - cut down on the soy and hoisin, add more broth or water. 

My favorite Vietnamese style sub is still my no-recipe recipe for chicken subs.

No-Recipe Recipe

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We've got a very busy few months coming up, and I thought it would be wise to plan ahead for dinners to make it easier on busy days.

I've been trying to find some make ahead meals and crock pot recipes, but I haven't had much luck so far.  Today the crock pot is cooking a beef roast in homemade bbq sauce - I'm hoping to get 4 meals out of the pot, one for this week and 3 to go in the freezer.  I also assembled and froze a turkey meatloaf recipe, and froze some leftover baked pasta.

I bought some bulk ground pork, ground beef and chicken thighs, and froze them in 1 pound bags.

But now the hard part - finding something to DO with them. 

Grocery Shop Feb 16, and Energy Bites, via Pinterest

 Coconut milk, ginger ale, juice, yogurt drink, milk, margarine, peas, blueberries, blackberries, avocados, cauliflower, salad kit, strawberries, broccoli, apples, grapes, sweet potatos, kale, tomato, cilantro, ground pork, chicken breast, bread, deli ham.

Total $95

I found a recipe on Pinterest - here - for Energy Bites - oats, peanut butter, chocolate chips and honey.  We all like all those ingredients, so I made a batch this morning.  

I really like them, but I'm the only one.  

I'm a bit irritated, but there's no accounting for taste, I suppose.  

Now they're all mine, and I'll take them to work tomorrow.