Check The Fridge

Fresh Berry Custard Pie

2012-01-04T22:12:00.003-05:00

Nick loves custard, not any kind of custard, but custard made with Bird's custard powder purchased in the UK. Bird's custard powder in the UK is different from ones sold in Canada or the US. In the UK, it's made with cornflour, while in North America, it's made with Cornstarch. The result, they tastes completely different...the UK version is much MUCH better. Whenever anyone goes to the UK this is usually the item we get them bring back, and at 57p a can, it's super cheap, it just takes up luggage space. If you can get your hands on Bird's custard powder from the UK, do so....it's definitely worth it.

If you follow the recipe on your Bird's custard can (UK or the North American version)...please take note: On the can of custard, the instruction's calls for 2 tablespoons of custard powder to 1 pint of milk...this makes a soupy version which is a good topping for bread pudding, cakes or eaten as pudding. In order to get a thick custard consistency for a pie you will need to almost double the custard powder as we have done below.

Fresh Berry Custard Pie

Makes 1 pie

approx prep time: 30 min

approx cook time:15 min

approx set time: 1 hour

INGREDIENTS:

1 pie shell (I use Tenderflake Deep Dish pie shell)
3 tablespoons of sugar
3.5 tablespoons of Bird's Custard Powder
1 pint of milk (2 cups) (we prefer homo milk as it makes thicker custard)

2.5 cups of strawberries
1 cup of blackberries

HOW TO MAKE IT:

- Bake the Tenderflake pie shell according to the instructions on the box and then let it cool completely.
- Put 3.5 tablespoons of custard powder and 3 tablespoons of sugar in a large bowl with 4 tablespoons of milk. Mix thoroughly until all the lumps goes away and it's a smooth paste.
- Heat the remainder of the milk on medium in a saucepan on the stove until it's just about to boil (not actually boiling), and pour the hot milk into the large bowl with the custard paste mix, stirring well.
- Return the mixture to the saucepan and bring to the boil over a gentle heat, stirring constantly and as soon as it starts to boil (take it off as soon as it bubbles or it will burn), take it off the heat.
- Pour custard into a bowl and let it cool completely.
- Wash blackberries and strawberries and dry with a towel or paper towels, slice strawberries into equal proportions.
- Pour cooled custard into the baked pie shell, top with berries, and let it set in the fridge.

I'm linking up with:

Burger with Mushroom and Onions

2012-01-03T00:07:00.002-05:00

I've been eating burgers that Nick creates for more then 2 years now. I can say with extreme confidence....that they are freaking awesome! We like our burgers and are sad to say that most the gourmet burger joints that have popped up in Toronto in the past year or so have been very disappointing. The only place that continue to have decent burgers is Webers (I will post review later), and that's nowhere near Toronto, and nor is it gourmet in any sense of the word.

Nick always gets requests to make these for friends and family. They are so popular that he get's slightly annoyed when everyone always seems to request burgers and baked potato wedges (recipe here)....but I guess that's just proof of how great his burgers are. The addition of sauteed sweet white onions and meaty portabello just takes it over the top! :-)

Burger with Mushroom and Onions

Serves: Makes 4 Large burgers

approx prep time: 20min

approx cook time: 15min

INGREDIENTS (Makes 4 burgers):

- 2 1/4 lb Lean ground beef

- 6 slices of Thick Sliced Bacon (I prefer PC Old Fashioned Thick Sliced bacon), or 12 slices of the regular thin bacon.

- 1/3 of a large sweet white onion, finely diced

- 2/3 of a large sweet white onion, sliced.

- 1 large portobello mushroom, sliced

- 1/4 cup of diced sweet pickles or gherkins

- 2 tbsp Montreal Steak Spice

-1.5 cups of shredded Cheddar Cheese (I prefer extra old)

- Toppings of choice (Pickles, Tomato, etc..)

- 4 large kaiser rolls

HOW TO MAKE IT:

- Heat up a non stick frying pan with a little dab of olive oil.

- Add sliced onions and after a minute, add the sliced portobello mushrooms and sautee till brown, and set aside.

- Fry bacon in a cast iron pan on medium heat till crispy, set on a paper towel to drain and set aside.
- Mix ground beef, diced onion, diced pickles and steak spice thoroughly
- Shape beef mixture into 4 patties, roughly 1" thick.
- Cook patties to desired doneness in a frying pan, on an indoor grill or BBQ.
- Serve patty with bacon, shredded cheese, and topped with sauteed onion and mushrooms on a freshly sliced Kaiser of choice.

Creamy Mushroom Mini Pies

2012-01-02T23:04:00.003-05:00

It's been a year since the acquisition of our Breville Mini Pie Maker and we still love it. We've had many savory pies made of leftover meals such as Beef Stew Mini Pies (recipe here), and Mini Turkey Pot Pies (recipe here), so this time, we decided to stop using leftovers and make mushroom mini pies.

My brother and I grew up remembering eating tasty mushroom cream filling in puff pastry. They were sold in the freezer section of the supermarket, but over the years, somehow our supermarket stopped carrying them. My brother loved them so much he's been experimenting lately and made this recipe up from scratch. It tasted DELICIOUS, and super simple, especially in the Breville Mini Pie Maker. :-D Super crunchy thin crust and gooey mushroom filling is hearty and really hits the spot.

Creamy Mushroom Mini Pies

Makes 3 Mini Pies (machine has the ability to make 4 pies)

approx prep time: 10min

approx cook time: 20min

INGREDIENTS:

1 roll (1/2 a pack as PC puff pastry has 2 rolls per pack) of butter puff pastry, thawed.

1 medium onion, minced.

4 cloves of garlic minced or grated

2 lbs of fresh mushrooms (white button mushroom or mixed), diced.

1 lb of fresh white mushroom, diced

125g of cream cheese

Salt and pepper to taste

Olive oil and butter

Breville Mini Pie Maker

HOW TO MAKE IT:

For the Creamy Mushroom Filling:

- Heat olive oil in a nonstick frying pan, brown onions and then add garlic.

- Add a pat of butter and all of the mushrooms.

- Brown mushrooms until the liquid evaporates

- Stir in block of cream cheese till melted and combined

To make Mini Pies:

- Preheat the Breville Mini Pie Maker (Red light means it's heating, Green light means it's ready)
- Roll out the puff pastry crust, make sure to flour both sides before starting to roll it out thinly or it will stick.

- Stamp out 2 tops and 2 bottoms.
- Recombine the remaining pie crust, roll it out thinly, and stamp the last bottom and pie crust (you should now have a total of 3 tops and 3 bottoms)
- Place bottom crust into the machine, use the black push wedge from the pie maker to set it into the pan, fill each pie up to the top with the creamy mushroom filling and a bit more, making a mound on the top. (You need really over full filled pies in order for the top crust to brown and cook evenly, otherwise the crust can get undercooked because it doesn't fully touch the top heating element.)

- Top pies with the top crust.
- Lock machine, bake for 5-7 minutes, or until the crust is golden brown. Time to bake really depends on your filling, if it's cold, it will take more time to cook, if you put in hot filling, it will take less time to bake. Puff pastry takes less time to bake then standard pie crusts.
- Serve immediately

Aunt Geri's Magic Cookie Bar

2012-01-01T23:33:00.004-05:00

I was fortunate enough to visit Nick's Aunt while we were traveling and even luckier to be invited to dinner! She made delicious cornbread, homemade mac and cheese, and dessert was a plate of homemade shortbread and these Magic Cookie Bars (which I couldn't get enough of). I enjoyed them so much that I ate 2 and happily said "yes!" to taking 3 more with me for breakfast (Note: NOT a healthy breakfast) the next day.

There are several things I can never resist and chocolate and condensed milk being two of them. This recipe combines both in the best possible way....it adds a butter graham cracker crust, pecans and coconut into the mix to become the most addictive square that goes perfectly with a cup of tea or coffee. Aunt Geri sent me the recipe soon afterwards and I was glad to find out they are surprisingly easy to make. This is definitely dangerous for my waistline. :-D

Aunt Geri's Magic Cookie Bar

Makes One 12 x 9 cookie sheet, about 24 bars.

approx prep time: 20 min

approx cook time: 20-25 min

INGREDIENTS:

2 cups graham wafer crumbs (I used a food processor)
3/4 cups (175 ml) melted butter
1 can (300 ml) regular or low fat Eagle Brand sweetened condensed milk
1 1/2 cups (375 ml) of chopped pecans, semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 1/2 cups (375 ml) of semi-sweet chocolate chips (I prefer PC decadent chocolate chip brand)
1 1/2 cups (375 ml) of flaked coconut

HOW TO MAKE IT:

- Preheat oven to 350 F (180 Celsius ).
-Combine graham cracker crumbs with the melted butter.
- Press the mixture evenly over parchment lined 13 X 9 inch (3.5 L) baking pan
- Pour Eagle brand evenly over crumbs.
- Sprinkle with pecans, chocolate chips and coconut. press down firmly.
- Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until lightly browned.
- Cool thoroughly (and I'm seriously about this as I usually don't have the patience, it cuts and comes out of the pan a lot cleaner if you wait) and cut into approximate 24 bars or 2 inch squares for bite size..
- Store loosely covered at room temperature or put in fridge or the freezer for later. It's best the 2nd day, but I like to eat them warm and gooey. :-)

I'm linking up with:

Chocolate Honey Pecan Date Truffles

2011-12-27T14:10:00.004-05:00

It's the holiday season, and what is better then making decadent chocolate treats (and have the excuse to eat them?) They look and tastes great as gifts too.

Truffles, while not technically difficult, are really time consuming to make. They are much easier to work with when the centers are chilled and firm. So if it doesn't feel like they want to come together, stick the mixture back in the freezer and try again in 5 minutes. They do present wonderfully and just look on so cute in small boxes. :-)

Chocolate Honey Pecan Date Truffles

Makes approx 36 truffles

Approx prep time: 1h 30mins

Refrigeration time: 25mins

INGREDIENTS:

- 1/4 cup of butter
- 1/4 cup of honey
- 3/4 cups of chopped dates

- 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract

- 1/2 cup of chopped pecans

- 1 3/4 cups of Rice Krispies

- 250g of dark chocolate, chopped (I prefer Valhrona)

For Coating:

- 1 cup of unsweetened coconut (optional)

- 1/4 cup of cocoa powder (optional)

HOW TO MAKE IT:
- Melt butter with honey in a medium saucepan set over medium.

- Stir in dates and simmer for 3 min.

- Remove from heat and stir in vanilla, pecans and cereal.

- Chill mixture in the freezer until completely cool, about 10-20 min.

- Scoop with a tbsp measure and press firmly into 1 inch bite-sized balls. The mixture has to be cold to the touch or else it won't hold together, also, if you have warm hands, cool them in cold water and dry your hands before working.
- Melt chocolate in a microwave-safe bowl on medium for 2-3 minutes, stirring every minute to make sure the chocolate on the sides don't burn or overheat.

- Once 80% of the chocolate has melted, remove and stir until completely melted, the bowl should not be hot to the touch.

- Pour coconut into a small bowl and Cocoa Powder in another small bowl.

- Using 2 forks to hold balls (I used chocolate dipping tools), coat with chocolate, then roll in coconut or cocoa powder, or nothing at all and place on a waxed paper lined plate or baking sheet.

- Chill in refrigerator on a waxed-paper-lined baking sheet until chocolate firms up, about 15 min. - Store in an airtight container up to 1 week.

Recipe referenced from: http://food.chatelaine.com/recipes/view/chocolate-date-truffles/32936

Cornbread Muffins

2011-12-24T21:35:00.004-05:00

Nick's been asking me to make cornbread muffins for a month now, and I've been trying to find the perfect one. It's odd that most of the cornbread recipes out there seem to have very little cornmeal and a lot of flour. This recipe has half cornmeal and half flour and uses butter rather then vegetable oil. It's now a staple in our home and made weekly, and best of all... it takes less then half an hour to make from start to finish!

Corn Bread Muffins

Makes: 12 muffins

approx prep time: 10 min

approx cook time: 15 mins

INGREDIENTS:

- 1 cup of all purpose flour
- 1 cup of cornmeal
- 2/3 cup of sugar

- 1 large egg

- 2.5 teaspoons of baking powder

- 1 teaspoon of salt

- 1 cup of milk

- 1/3 cup of melted butter

HOW TO MAKE IT:
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
- Brush melted butter on the muffin pan

- In a large mixing bowl, mix milk and cornmeal together, set aside.

- In a medium size bowl, mix flour, sugar, flour, baking powder and salt (the dry ingredients).
- Add egg and melted butter to the cornmeal and milk mixture, then add in the dry ingredients.
- Mix until combined.
- Spoon batter evenly into the greased muffin pan.
- Bake for 15 minutes, until sides are golden brown, top is golden yellow, and a toothpick inserted into the middle of the muffin comes out clean.
- Serve with butter or a dollop of your favourite jam.
- Store in room temperature for up to one week.

Jam Filled Butter Cookies made with Egg Yolks

2011-12-22T00:20:00.006-05:00

The holiday season is among us, and what better to celebrate then to make lots of delicious and not diet friendly treats! I've been doing a lot of holiday baking lately, and while making french macarons (recipe that I will post later), there's always the problem with leftover egg yolks. What do I do with them? I had the option of turning them into creme brulee but I wanted something where I could make lots of them and that everyone could enjoy without feeling too much guilt.

What did I come up with?

Jam filled butter cookies made with egg yolks.

They were bite size, easy to make, keeps well for up to one week, a great way to use up leftover jam in the fridge, and accomplished my main goal, which was not to let egg yolks go to waste.

Jam Filled Butter Cookies

Makes 88 bite-sized cookies

approx prep time: 30 min

approx cook time: 10 mins (per batch)

INGREDIENTS:

- 1.5 cups of softened room temperature butter
- 1 cup of white sugar

- 4 large egg yolks

- 2.5 cups of flour

- 1/2 teaspoon of salt

- 4 teaspoons of vanilla extract

- 1 cup of fruit jam with the large pieces of fruit mashed into small bits.

HOW TO MAKE IT:
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C)

- In a medium bowl, cream together the butter, and white sugar.

- Add in egg yolks, salt and vanilla extract and mix together.

- Mix in flour a little bit at a time until a soft dough forms.

- Refrigerate for 15 to 20 minutes until dough is firm enough to work with.

- Roll dough into 1 inch balls.

- Place balls 2 inches apart onto ungreased cookie sheets.

- Use your finger (I prefer the index finger knuckle) or an instrument of similar size to make a well in the center of each cookie.

- Spoon fruit preserve into a ziplock bag (I prefer a medium sized ziplock freezer bag as it is thicker and easier to handle). Cut a small hole in the corner of the bag.

- Pipe or Fill the hole with 1/2 teaspoon of jam.
- Bake for 8 to 10 minutes in the preheated oven, until golden brown on the bottom. Remove from cookie sheets to cool on wire racks.

- Store in room temperature in an airtight container for up to one week.

Fluffy Wild Blueberry Buttermilk Pancakes

2011-09-10T20:33:00.004-04:00

"It's so fluffy I'm gonna die!!! It's so fluffy!!!"

- says the little girl, Agnes, from the animated film Despicable Me.

And I repeated that when I took my first bite of these pancakes. It's SOOO fluffy!!! Wild blueberries were in season so we put a few handfuls of that into the batter, but with or without fruit....these are definitely a winner for me. I will never need another pancake batter recipe. It generously feeds 6 very hungry people.

Fluffy Wild Blueberry Buttermilk Pancakes

Serves: 6 very hungry people

approx prep time: 15 min

approx cook time: 45 min

INGREDIENTS:

- 4 cups of all purpose flour
- 4 tablespoons of white sugar
- 4 teaspoons of baking powder
- 2 teaspoons of baking soda
- 1 teaspoon of salt
- 4 cups (1 liter) of buttermilk
- 2/3 cups of milk
- 4 eggs
- 1/4 cup + 3 tablespoons of butter, melted
- 2 cups of wild blueberries, or normal blueberries, whatever you wish (optional)

HOW TO MAKE IT:
- In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt.
- In a separate bowl, beat together buttermilk, milk, eggs, and melted butter. Keep the two mixtures separate until you are ready to cook.
- Heat a non stick pan over medium high heat
- Pour the wet mixture into the dry mixture, add blueberries now, and stir until just blended together. Do not over stir.
- Ladle batter onto the hot pan (to whatever size you prefer, we like small pancakes), once the batter has bubbled for a bit, flip the pancake onto the otherside and cook both sides to a golden brown.
- Serve hot, with fruit, berries, syrup, whipped cream, eggs and bacon, whatever you desire!

Fresh Peach Pie

2011-08-02T19:49:00.010-04:00

Nothing says summer like a fresh pie. We prefer using local Ontario peaches that have best flavour...not just sweet and sandy, but tangy, sweet and juicy. This recipe is as simple as it comes....just sugar, flour, and butter. There's no spices to complicate the flavour of fresh peaches. :-) It also only takes almost no time to make as it's just so simple. :-) The pie, since it has so little ingredients, depends solely on the quality of the peaches.

Nick loves pie. Whether it's Pumpkin Pie, raspberry, apple, blueberry or cherry, there just needs to be a pie each week or he's just not a happy camper.

Peach Pie

approx prep time: 15 min

approx cook time: 45 min

INGREDIENTS:

-10 medium peaches, pitted and sliced
-1/3 cup of flour
-1/4 cup of butter
- 3/4 cup to 1 cup of sugar (depends on how sweet the peaches are)
- 1 tablespoon of coarse sugar (I use organic cane sugar)
- 1 Tenderflake deep dish double pie crust (thaw @ room temperature for 10 minutes)

HOW TO MAKE IT:
- Set oven to 450 Degrees F.
- Mix flour, sugar and butter into a crumb stage
- Mix crumb topping with sliced peaches
- Pour peach mixture into 1 of the Tenderflake pie crusts and arrange accordingly so that the 2nd pie crust will be able to fit over it.
- Wet the rim of both pie crusts with water
- Top the 2nd pie crust over the filled pie crust, press down the edges a bit so the 2 crusts seal, then flute the edges with a fork
- Bake at 450 F for the first 15 mins, take out of the oven and sprinkle with some coarse cane sugar
- Put it back in the oven for 350F for 30mins.
- When the pie is done, turn off the oven and leave the pie in oven to cool and set for at least 2 hours. I usually let it set overnight.

Steak and Veggie stir fry

2011-06-17T16:52:00.001-04:00

Always a simple dish that's really quick to make and loaded with veggies. There's always a reason to insert steak into a meal. :-D

STEAK AND VEGGIE STIR FRY

Serves: 2

approx prep time: 10min

2011-04-12T21:58:00.000-04:00

This would be the quickie version of jambalaya. Not fussy, quick, easy, healthy, tasty and on the table with relative ease. :-) You can basically substitute with any vegetables or meats in the fridge. Last time, we had roast beef jambalaya (recipe HERE) which was basically a bacon and beef version. :-) A great alternative to pasta. Try it sometime.

CHICKEN AND SHRIMP JAMBALAYA

Serves: 6-8

approx prep time: 20min

approx cook time: 45min

INGREDIENTS:

- 1 large Red, Yellow or Orange bell pepper

- 1 zucchini

- 1 large white onion

- 1 large carrot

- 2 stalks of celery

- 1/2 cup uncooked white rice

- 1 large chicken breast

- 1 cup of large shrimps, peeled, with tail removed

- 1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese

- 1/2 bottle of Tomato Sauce or Pasta Sauce

- 1tbsp Vegetable Seasoning

- salt/pepper to taste

- 2 cloves garlic

- 2tbsp olive oil

HOW TO MAKE IT:

- Cook the rice according to the directions on it's packaging.

- Dice vegetables (Onion, Zucchini, pepper, carrot, celery) into medium size pieces and set aside.

- Dice chicken, and set aside.

- very finely chop garlic.

- When the rice is almost ready, heat two large non-stick fry pans over medium heat.

- In the first pan, add 1tbsp of oil, all the vegetables, garlic and vegetable seasoning, stirring often.

- In the second pan, add 1tbsp oil, and all of the chicken. Stir frequently.

- Season the chicken lightly with salt and pepper while cooking.

- When the chicken is cooked add it to the vegetable mix and using the same pan cook the shrimp, along with a little more pepper. Cook for 1-2 minutes, stirring once or twice.

- Add rice, pasta/tomato sauce, Parmesan cheese, and if desired additional seasoning to the vegetables.

- Add cooked shrimp to the vegetables.

- Mix well, and cook for 1-2 minutes on low.

- Serve hot!

BBQ Rotisserie Chicken

2011-04-06T00:27:00.000-04:00

Nothing is better then rotisserie chicken. No...not the Swiss chalet kind or the ones they sell in supermarkets, I'm talking about a fresh off the rotisserie dripping in BBQ sauce and that wonderfully crunchy skin. It's definitely a treat and my favorite thing to do to a whole chicken. Also, it's incredulously easy to do. Not a lot of recipe consist of 2 ingredients and come out tasting like perfection. Try it out sometime.

BBQ ROTISSERIE CHICKEN

Serves: 4

approx prep time: 10min

approx cook time: 1 hour

INGREDIENTS:

- 1 whole chicken

- 1 bottle of BBQ sauce

- 1 rotisserie grill or rotisserie attachment for your BBQ

HOW TO MAKE IT:

- If your chicken didn't come cleaned and tied, do that now.

- Place chicken on rotisserie spit, and season lightly with salt and pepper (if desired).

- Rotisserie for approx. 45 minutes (likely a bit less if using a BBQ)

- Brush with BBQ sauce, and continue to cook for another 10-15minutes.

- Brush lightly one last time with BBQ sauce, cook for 2-3 minutes.

- Cut into quarters and serve HOT with extra sauce on the side for dipping.

Asian Legends Toronto

2011-04-04T12:20:00.000-04:00

Location: 3636 Steeles Avenue East #152, Markham, ON, (905) 947-0370

One of my favorite Taiwanese restaurants is Asian Legends. They food they serve is consistently delicious, they have lots of appetizers to choose from as well as mains. My favorite things to get is appetizers (as I miss Taiwanese street food dearly)...and that's we did this time.

First up: deep fried tofu with garlic and hot soya sauce oil ($4.95). The tofu was perfect, crispy on the outside, tender and fresh on the inside, the minced garlic added the necessary kick. :-) I love fried tofu.

This dish is called "Fan Tuan" in Mandarin ($3.95). This is one of my favorite dish to get a Asian Legends, it's the best here. Glutinous rice filled with a crispy dough fritter and dried shredded pork floss. This is a very common lunch item to get in Taiwan, and it's oh so tasty. This one is wrapped in plastic because glutinous rice is very sticky. Chewy on the outside, crunchy on the inside, and the wonderful flavour of the dried shredded pork floss inside. I can eat these all day long. :-)

Hot and sour soup with chicken ($4.95). Get this if you like it with a lot of white pepper because I think they overloaded on the white pepper a bit. It was still very good and had a great kick though.

The best "shao long bao" (steamed soup filled juicy pork dumplings) in Toronto ($5.50 for 6). Thin dough skin wrapper, delicious seasoned pork juices that pour out once the skin is broken, and a juicy ground pork and spices nugget inside. Amazing dipped in some red vinegar with thin ginger spears.

This is just "Har Gow" or steamed shrimp dumplings ($6.50 for 5). I wouldn't recommend getting thisd at Asian legends, but my coworker really loved this dish and Asian legends is the only place that would serve Har Gow at all times of the day.

This is a treo of cold taiwanese appetizer dishes. ($5.95 to $7.95 for each selection) My coworker wanted to try things he never had before, so I picked the following:
Top left: Jelly fish in a bit of seseme oil. I LOVE jellyfish. I just love the crunchy but chewy texture and I usually only get to have it when there is a Chinese ten course banquet dinner.
To Right: Marinated duck tongue. Odd to most western cultures, common in asian cultures, just slightly salty and in a bit of seseme oil, it's delicious! :-)
Bottom center: Smoked fish. It's marinated in a sweet sauce, and it's been cooked for so long that you can eat ALL of the parts of the fish, including the fins and bones. I enjoyed this dish...the marinated fish is kind of like eating a candied salmon (and I love candied salmon).

Last dish that is also one of my favorites, is rolled onion pancake with sliced beef ($5.95). I think they wrap it in foil so that the entire pancake doesn't fall apart as easily. But this is so tasty, and slight greasy, that I have to order this every time.

I highly recommend this restaurant. There are other great Taiwanese restaurants in Toronto, but this chain of restaurants (with 6 location in Toronto) is one of my favorites and easily satisfies. :-)

The Home Made Double Down

2011-03-28T11:28:00.001-04:00

KFC has a pseudo sandwich called "The Double Down", a bread-less sandwich described as "bacon, two different kinds of melted cheese, the Colonel’s 'secret' sauce... pinched in between two pieces of Original Recipe chicken fillets." They brought it to Canada on October 18, 2010, but just a short month later, took the product off Canadian markets. The Double Down's 540 calories, 30 grams of fat, 1,740 milligrams of sodium left most Canadians (well, at least my friends that have tried it), with intense headaches from overdosing on salt.

Since neither Nick nor I had the chance to try the double down in Canada for the short time it was here, the thought of 2 crispy chicken fillets with cheese and good bacon sounded so good and bad for us that we had to try to make it for ourselves. Here is our homemade Double Down, with a heck of a lot less salt, and a heck of a lot more flavor. :-)

THE HOMEMADE DOUBLE DOWN

Serves: 1

approx prep time: 15min

approx cook time: 10min

INGREDIENTS:

- 2 fried chicken breasts. Using the recipe here.

- 2 or 3 strips of bacon

- 1/4 cup grated Mozzarella cheese

HOW TO MAKE IT:

- Before making the fried chicken (Recipe Here), fry up 2 or 3 strips of bacon and set aside

- Shred 1/4 cup of Mozzarella cheese, and set aside.

- Make the two pieces of Fried Chicken. When finished let them rest on paper towel for 30-40 seconds before making the sandwich.

- Using the fried chicken pieces as bread, stuff with bacon and Cheese.

- Enjoy!

Double Dipped Raspberries

2011-03-22T00:43:00.000-04:00

Well, it's about time for another chocolate dipped thing. To me, white and dark chocolate dipped raspberries are the ultimate king of chocolate dipped fruits. Raspberry is just such a great compliment to both a creamy white chocolate, and a good dark chocolate. When it comes to this kind of dessert, you really get what you put into it. Pick fresh firm raspberries and really good dark and white chocolate. I recommend Godiva white chocolate, and a Lindt or Valrhona dark chocolate for dipping. What is the key to making these look pretty and presentable? Having chopstick skills! :-P Yes, without chopstick skills you can still use your hands, but it may be a bit messier.

Double Dipped Raspberries

approx prep time: 10min

approx chill time: 20min

INGREDIENTS:

70g of Lindt Bittersweet Dark Chocolate Bar (approx 8-10 pieces)

1.5 bars of 43g mini bar (6 pieces) of Godiva white chocolate

1 quarter pint of raspberries

1 pair of chopsticks (optional)

HOW TO MAKE IT:

1) Line a large plate or baking sheet with parchment paper or wax paper

2) Break dark chocolate bar into chunks and crumble into a small bowl. Microwave dark chocolate 30 seconds at a time, stirring after each 30 second interval, until chocolate is just melted and smooth (do not overheat, chocolate can burn).

3) Dip one side of the raspberry into chocolate and place on wax paper. Using chopsticks makes the least mess or you can use your hands, but they won't turn out as clean or pretty.

4) Put in the refrigerator for 20 minutes or until the dark chocolate has hardened.

5) Peel off the dark chocolate dipped raspberries and repeat steps 2-4 to dip the other side of the strawberry with white chocolate, shake off excess chocolate (or don't, if you like more chocolate). :-)

5) Serve cold, don't let the dipped fruit come to room temperature.

6) Store leftovers (if there are any), in sealed containers in the refrigerator.

Canadian Burgers

2011-03-15T00:54:00.001-04:00

Known as Canadian bacon in the US, in Canada, it is known as peameal bacon or back bacon. It's delicious when made right, and like salted rubber jerky when made incorrectly. To the rest of the world, they think back bacon is ham. IT IS NOT HAM! Back bacon refers to either smoked or unsmoked bacon cut from the boneless eye of pork loin. Peameal bacon is back bacon, brined and coated in fine cornmeal. I especially like my peameal bacon on a bun with a fried egg and cheese....however, paired with Nick's burger, it's adds a whole new dimension.

CANADIAN BURGERS

Serves: 2

approx prep time: 15min

approx cook time: 15min

INGREDIENTS (Makes 2 burgers):

- 1lbs Lean ground beef

- 2 slices of Peameal Bacon

- 1 small white onion (or 1/2 of a large white onion)

- 1/4 cup Bacon Bits (Simulated, or small pieces of crumbled bacon)

- 3tbsp Montreal Steak Spice

- 2/3 cup shredded Cheddar Cheese

- Toppings of choice (Pickles, Tomato, etc..)

- 2 large kaiser rolls

HOW TO MAKE IT:

- Pan fry peameal bacon and set aside.
- Finely dice onion
- Mix ground beef, diced onion, bacon bits, and steak spice thoroughly
- Shape beef mixture into 2 patties, roughly 1" thick.
- Cook patties to desired doneness in a frying pan, on an indoor grill or BBQ.
- Serve patty with bacon, shredded cheese and desired toppings on fresh Kaiser roll.

Beef and Veggie Pasta Bake

2011-03-09T15:16:00.000-05:00

Baked pasta with crusty stringy cheese. Totally simple to put together and hearty. Unfortunately, it's almost mid-March, it's still snowing and freezing cold outside, so what could be better then staying in and the house filling with the aroma of baked pasta and cheese? This should be an easy kid favorite, there's as much vegetables as there is pasta, but it's hidden under a layer of delicious cheese. :-) Heck, neither Nick and I are kids (we're still kids at heart though), and we still love this. The leftovers are delicious reheated the next day as well.

BEEF AND VEGGIE PASTA BAKE

Serves: 8-10

approx prep time: 20min

approx cook time: 40min

INGREDIENTS:

- 2 cups leftover roast beef, diced/pulled or 1.5lbs ground beef, browned

- 1 package of Macaroni pasta (375g uncooked) - we used tri-colored pasta that worked quite well

- 3/4 to 1 bottle pasta sauce

- 1 red pepper

- 1 zucchini

- 1 large carrot, or 1 handful baby carrots

- 1 leek

- 2 bunches of green onions

- 3 cloves garlic

- 1 tbsp olive oil

- 2tbsp Italian seasoning

- 3tbsp veggie seasoning

- 4 cups shredded cheddar cheese

- 1/4 cup Parmesan

HOW TO MAKE IT:

- Dice all the vegetables into roughly 1/4 to 1/2 inch chunks and set aside. Chop or press garlic into very fine pieces and set aside.

- Cook the pasta you're using, per the directions, until it's al dente.
- While the pasta is cooking, saute the vegetables and garlic, along with the olive oil and vegetable seasoning in a fry pan, stirring often.
- Mix half the pasta sauce into the vegetables while still in the fry pan.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine meat, all the Parmesan cheese and 1 cup cheddar cheese.
- Add drained pasta, Italian seasoning, vegetables and 1 cup of cheese.
- Mix together thoroughly.
- Pour mixture into a large glass baking dish, making sure it's spread out evenly.
- Top the dish with the remaining cheese.
- Bake at 350F for 20min then broil for 3-4min to brown the cheese. Pay close attention to the oven while broiling to avoid burning the top.

Schwartz's Montreal Hebrew Delicatessen

2011-03-07T19:53:00.000-05:00

Location: 3895 Saint-Laurent boulevard, Montréal, H2W 1X9

When in Montreal, we highly recommend that you have a Montreal smoked meat sandwich at Schwartz. Schwartz is a famous Hebrew Delicatessen and they've been around forever. It's one of those joints that look like a hole, but has a constant line-up of people out the door, no matter how cold, or windy or wet it is outside. We went to this restaurant despite the 35km winds and -19 degree C weather in Montreal. I know from now on ONLY to vacation in Montreal in the spring to fall, the winters are much too cold for me.

As open the door to the restaurant and walk inside, you get a waft of amazing meat and spices smell. We come here all the time. Make sure you get your own plate, or else they charge a sharing fee of $3. Here's what we got for dinner. Note: All of the plates are the same size, basically appetizer plates:

Smoked meat sandwich (medium fat) with mustard on light rye bread - $5.95
Montreal smoked meat is made from the chest of the cow, basically Brisket. Brisket, when slow cooked, is absolutely amazing. :-D This is always the thing to get here, the smoked meat is steamed back to life and tender and moist. I'm not a big fan of rye bread, but it does suit the sandwich, and mustard is always a must with a smoked meat sandwich.

Nash with rye bread- $1.25

This was by far the cheapest thing on the menu. I had always wondered what Nash was, and it turned out just to be thin pepperoni sausage. It's not bad, I'd get it again if I need just a bit of extra food to fill up on. We ordered them grilled, but they will give them to you cold and plain if you'd like. It comes with 3 slices of light rye bread.

Giant Pickle - $1.75
The pickle does overtake the plate, but essential in enjoying the Montreal smoked meat.

Vinegar Coleslaw - $2.25

The coleslaw does come from a tub, but it's cold, fresh and crisp, a good compliment to the smoked brisket.

This is definitely are must eat joints and cheap eat joints in Montreal and great on a budget. They also have Schwartz beef and steak spice that you can take home with you for only $4 a bottle. It's GREAT on slow cooked roasts, like our slow cooked roast beef (recipe HERE). We use this spice quite often. In fact, we just slow cooked a brisket with this spice and it was just heavenly! This spice doesn't taste as good on steak though, only slow cooked roasts. If you're not heading to Montreal anytime soon, you can actually call them and get them to ship smoked meat or spice to you. It's pricier then eating it in the restaurant, but hey, if you can't go to Montreal....get Montreal to come to you. :-)

Panago: Near perfect Pepperoni Pizza

2011-03-05T21:06:00.000-05:00

Not every pizza is made equal. Pizza Pizza has got to be one of the worst, eating their pizza is equivalent to eating a cardboard box and I'm sure the cardboard box is healthier. Too bad Pizza Pizza is everywhere and cheap, so my company tends to feed customers that sad excuse of a pizza. They also give me the second worst after lunch food coma (Indian food, all you can eat would be in first place). After years of being fed that garbage, it's understandable why I told Nick that....I don't like pizza.

But the boy likes pizza, so what can you do? We walked by a Panago this summer and they had a large pepperoni pizza special for $9. Nick went in and ordered it, I told him at most I'll have 1 slice.

The pepperoni pizza was pretty darn good, the crust was just the right thickness and chewiness, they did not skimp on the cheese or pepperoni, the pizza wasn't greasy, the tomato sauce had just the right tang. I'm pretty sure I at least had 3 slices, while Nick devoured the rest of the pizza. We went back to try fancier pizzas, but they never did compare the tasty regular pepperoni pizza. We went back weekly till the end of the summer and sadly, the $9 promotion is over, it's $12 now....however we still get it occasionally and love it every time.

We've tried other types of pizzas from Panago, but the only pizza that is good at Panago is their pepperoni pizza. Nick tried the Philly cheese steak pizza once and it was very very disappointing, there was almost no meat, it looked nothing like the advertising, basically cheese and cheese sauce pizza, which was so gross that he did end up throwing a lot of it out.

All Panago pizzas comes with a free dip or shaker. I always tend to get the chilli shaker as I like to douse my pepperoni pizza with chilli flakes. :-)

Beef Stew Mini Pies

2011-03-02T15:27:00.003-05:00

Any reason is a good reason to use the Breville mini pie maker. It' makes picture perfect mini pies in 10 minutes, so what could be better? :-D I've yet to do a sweet pie with the Breville pie maker, but savory pies with the leftovers beef stew is just the thing on a cold night. If you prefer Mini Chicken Pot Pies, check out this recipe HERE. Enjoy! :-)

Beef Stew Mini Pies

Makes 3 Mini Pies (machine has the ability to make 4 pies)

approx prep time: 10min

approx cook time: 10min

INGREDIENTS:

- 1/2 pack of Pillsbury Pie crust (at room temperature)

- 2 cups of cooked beef stew leftovers leftovers (recipe HERE)

HOW TO MAKE IT:

1) Preheat the Breville Mini Pie Maker (Red light means it's heating, Green light means it's ready)

2) Take out beef stew, and cut any large chunks in the stew into smaller 1/2 inch cubes (such as potatoes)
3) Roll out the Pillsbury pie crust, stamp 2 bottom crusts and 2 top crusts.
4) Recombine the remaining pie crust, roll it out thinly, and stamp the last bottom and pie crust (you should have 3 tops and 3 bottoms)
5) Place bottom crust into the machine, use the black push wedge from the pie maker to set it into the pan, fill each pie up to the top with beef stew and a bit more, making a mound on the top. (You need really over full filled pies in order for the top crust to brown and cook evenly, otherwise the crust can get undercooked because it doesn't fully touch the top heating element.)

6) Top pies with the top crust.
7) Lock machine, bake for 9-10 minutes.
8) Serve immediately.