Now I don’t remember what I was searching on he net to have fallen on this product…but I was bent over laughing. Pre seasoned beer cans for your chicken. It is freaking hilarious…but it is also genius. 

Vinny is the actual owner of the company and has a rather humourous company site: Vinny’s Best Kept Secret. You’ll find their other products, recipes and his cookbook. It does not appear to sell products online though. You must email them.

A funny find to share

Rosemary has been with the group since almost the beginning – going on 3 years now. She is also a cake decorating specialist and is Baker Co-Coordinator for Cupcake Camp Montreal.

Take it away Rosemary…..

For the latest installment of Cheap Ethnic Eatz, our dining experience was more “cheap” than “ethnic”. St. Pius X is a high school in the north end with an associated Culinary Institute, offering an adult vocational program in culinary arts. Two days a week, the institute opens its dining room to the public, and a lucky few get to eat what the students have recently learned to cook. Every week the menu changes, but prices are kept very low – appetizer, main dish, plus dessert usually ranges from $12 to $16. I’ve been here several times for lunch and supper, in a table of two or three, and always enjoyed what was served. On Friday November 6, I had the opportunity to bring 18 Makan Kaki (eating buddies) with me for supper.

On this particular occasion, it was the last public meal for the graduating class, nicknamed the Soup’s On Chefs. I did not know this till I arrived. Normally the menu for each week is published a few days in advance, but tonight it had been kept under wraps till the last minute. Hopefully we weren’t going to end up with peanut butter sandwiches! But the sample plates in the showcase looked tempting. There were 4 appetizers, 5 main courses, and 4 desserts to choose from. In this dining room, typically you order your entire meal at once, instead of one course at a time.

Also for this night only, a video was being filmed to promote the school. Another last-minute surprise! Everyone who was at the school that day, and potentially in the camera’s path, had to sign a release form consenting to being videotaped. (No one from our group was interviewed for the video, although the release form made mention of recorded audio as well as video.) A few nervous giggles, and a quick makeup check for some, and we were ready for anything!

While we waited for the appetizers to arrive, we dove into the baskets of warm bread. I have a weakness for homemade bread, and tonight’s crusty rolls and cheese twists did not disappoint. Apparently my tablemates are equally fond of bread, as the baskets emptied out rapidly.

Once the appetizers hit the table, there were many oohs and aahs. I had chosen the pumpkin bisque, sweetened with maple syrup and swirled with cream. The golden puree was almost thick enough for the spoon to stand vertically in the soup. And it was silky and sweet – almost sweet enough to come at the end of the meal instead of the beginning. I polished off every drop. I looked down the table and noticed every single one of my dining companions had also cleaned their plates. This was encouraging – to both the workers in the kitchen, and to me as a first-time dinner host.

The main dishes arrived, one flavor at a time. First out was the Brome Lake duckling breast, with a crisscross of grill marks and a sauce studded with small berries. It was closely followed by the sirloin steak, drowned in three-peppercorn sauce and accompanied by a stuffed potato and a roasted red pepper. The menu had noted that there were limited quantities of the steak, so only a few selected it. From down the table came a groan. “The steak is perfect,” one of those lucky diners stage-whispered with a big smile. I chose the teriyaki salmon, which arrived with several sides: a mild chunky pineapple salsa, a pale yellow rice pilaf, three artfully arranged asparagus spears, and a small heap of well-seasoned sprouts. Everything was flavorful and the salmon had a light crispiness on top. It all tasted as good as it looked. Only the skin stayed behind when I finished eating.

But there was yet more to come. Rich dark chocolate mousse, an open-top apple pie with a tiny scoop of homemade ice cream, tall Napoleons with snowy white cream and jewel-like strawberry slices tucked inside. And then arrived one of the students with an apology. “I’m sorry but we have only two crème brulées left.” Quick discussions ensued over who would get their first choice, and who would have an alternate dessert. Crème brulée isn’t my thing, too eggy for me, but I was one of the last to get dessert. I hadn’t been able to decide – the mousse? the pie? I couldn’t manage one of each –“Whatever you have is fine,” I assured the worried student – and magically appeared the delightfully decadent mousse. Who could resist?! As an apology for what the kitchen perceived as slow service, and to make up for the shortfall of crème brulée, additional small squares of Napoleon were brought out to share.

Our foray into the world of “student food” cost us only $15 each for our entire meal – tax included. We had eaten some pretty fancy food for that unbelievable price. And we had given the chefs of tomorrow an opportunity to cook for us. Several of my tablemates look forward to a return visit. And so do I!

(For a change of pace during the dinner, we held a door prize. My mom and I made a batch of sweet red pepper relish, which we have offered at the fall farmer’s markets in Rosemount. One of these bottles went home with one of tonight’s diners.)

Rosemary Warren
Montreal, Quebec, Canada http://rwarren.150m.com

Baker Co-Coordinator for Cupcake Camp Montreal: 
Nov 22, 2-5, Bitoque Restaurant http://cupcakecampmtl.org
Register by November 17! ask me for info!

The first test is the magnetic lunch shelf. Just stick on your neerest lamp post and you can place your food on the shelf.

Next is the clever Hydrantable. Yep turn your fire hydrant into a table. This wood plank has a center cut out the size of the hydrant’s top nut (n o its not a pervert comment) and thing below to stabilize it flat.

The next project in development: The Hammock Bag…TBC

Well if we keep thing along the line of Cheap (as in Cheap Ethnic Eatz ) well this idea gets a total 2 thumbs up.

I received my 4th exchange pacakge from Baltimore MD with Tasty Trix. Wow thank you so much. I got some of my favorite thing on this exchange like Clam Chowder and a seasoning mix for crab cakes. Love sea food. Also got Utz chips, one regular on crab seasoning flavor. And finlly these amazing Berger cookies.

I have 2 more exchanges in the works from Oklahoma City and NYC. Come join us in the group, you’ll love it!

Hugs and Biscuits
Evelyne

This was a suggestion my friend received by a chef to serve with those delicious molten lava cakes. Well I was over for dinner last night and she served that mini orgasmic cake and we tried the coulis. Sounds odd…but it was good. We did the coulis approx since we had no recipe. I did a bit f online search and came up with a possible improvement.

It sounds weird but if you want a a fresh and tangy coulis with your desserts give it a try!

Avocado Banana Spicy Coulis

Ingredients

• 1/2 avocado, ripe
• 1/2 banana, ripe
• 3/4 cup sour cream
• 1 tablespoon lime juice
• cayenne or chili powder to taste

Directions

In a food processor or blender, combine avocado, banana and sour cream for 1 minute then add lime juice, and hot ingredient before turning off. Pass mixture through a fine mesh strainer and thin with a little water if coulis is too thick. It should be sauce consistency.

Hugs and Biscuits
Evelyne

Well I have been thinking about it, did my research, talked to people. Last week I went to a party where most of the people present work in a hospital and they said they were refusing it. They told me why as well. The whole major debate is over the added squalene adjuvant.

Anyways I am not writing this post to be controversal…but as you can guess probably I have decided to NOT get the vaccine. So then what can I, or you, do to prevent getting the H1N1 virus? I found some great info:

- Eliminate sugar and processed foods from your diet. Sugar consumption has an immediate, debilitating effect on your immune system.
- Take a high quality source of animal-based omega 3 fats like Krill Oil.
- Optimize your vitamin D levels. Vitamin D deficiency is the likely cause of seasonal flu viruses. Getting an optimal level of vitamin D will help you fight infections of all kinds.
- Exercise. Your immune system needs good circulation in order to perform at its best for you.
- Get plenty of good quality sleep.
- Deal with stress effectively. If you feel overwhelmed by stress, your body will not have the reserves it needs to fight infection.
- Wash your hands. But not with an antibacterial soap. Use a pure, chemical-free soap.

Finally a site that says the antibacterial stuff is not good. YAY. I have avoided the stuff for ever because you need to be in contact with everyday bacteria to build general, everyday antibodies.

So back tot he food recommendations. First one is easy and obvious. But the other two…where can you find animal-based omega 3 and more vitamin D in your diet?

Find animal-based omega 3 in: anchovies, herring, mackerel, salmon and sardines. Krill oil and green-lipped mussel oil capsules sold in pharmacies. Eggs, cheese, milk, yogurt and meat from grass fed animals.

Find vitamin D in: well its pretty similar to omega 3…herring, mackerel, salmon and tuna, egg yolks, beef liver. Also fortified foods (added vit D see package) like margarine, breakfast cereals, orange juice, soy milk  and  milk. But of course the best source of vitamin D is the ultraviolet B rays of the sun….so go outside and take in some sunlight (without sunscreen) in the fall and winter for 15-30 min.

Stay healthy!

Hugs and Biscuits
Evelyne

photo credit www.panchovilla.cl

Last night I had my friends over:  Manon,  Hector and their 6 months old Antonia…my “niece”. She is TOO CUTE and she loves me he he.

As silly as it may sound its the first time ever Hector came to my place..after him being in Manon’s life for the last year and a half-ish. He is Chilean and moved here a few years back. So I decided to prepare a traditional Chilean dish: Tomatican Con Pulpa De Cerdo, in English Corn And Pork Stew. This is a traditional mountain/farmer recipe that is served like once a week, at least according to him.

Although I got the basic recipe online what I am posting here has been modified. Once I got enough wine into him I asked him for a sincere critique and so I adjusted the recipe to make it really traditional. He only made two suggestions. Besides that he loved it, was touched and said it really brought back memories for him.

Its cheap, easy to make and very hardy! I served it on rice. Enjoy!

Ingredients

• 2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
• 1 Pound Pork — Cubed
• 3 eggs
• Salt And Pepper — To Taste
• 1 Large Onion — Sliced
• 2 Cloves Garlic — Chopped
• 2-3 Teaspoon Cumin (to taste)
• 1 Teaspoons Oregano
• 2 Cans Tomatoes — Chopped
• 1 Cup Corn with liquid
• 1/2 Bunch Cilantro — Chopped
• 1 small Jalapeno — Chopped
• add water if needed

Directions
Saute pork in oil just to brown a bit.

Season with salt and pepper and add onions and eggs, saute until onions are a bit translucent and eggs are cooked and scrambled

Add garlic, cumin, oregano, and tomatoes, simmer 30 minutes.

Add corn, cilantro,  jalapeno and water if it is too consistent (it should be liquid a bit) , simmer 15 minutes and serve on rice.

Serves 4

Hugs and Biscuits
Evelyne