Clearly the place to eat.

Baking is the easy part!

2012-02-05T22:25:00.001-07:00

I'm excited to be a part of my first bake sale. I'm going to go with two recipes that my co workers are oh so familiar with... S'mores brownies and Lemon glazed sugar cookies
February 11 & 12~ Casel Marché!

FB event link

Cupcakes and Cookies for Bowl for Kids

2012-02-05T17:18:00.000-07:00

Alley Burger (Food truck)

2012-01-31T21:19:00.000-07:00

https://twitter.com/#!/alleyburger

Well worth the wait. Is it the hunger buds that make it better?
Let's see, got there about 12ish, waited in line, walked back to car, actually sat down and ate about 12:50?

Not exclusive to tweets as they have their own website that displays their twitter feed. So for those of you out there who think you need a twitter account (well you should get one anyways...but...) you don't. www.alleyburger.ca
There always seems to be a line up... Anyways, the way it works is that you take one of the small menu sheets to fill out and bring it to the window.
The left column is the Spragg Farm’s Pork and Roasted Garlic Sausage Patty, the right column is Spring Creek Ranch 100% Angus Beef patty. You can choose from, single, double or triple. I know triple?? By the time we ordered they only had singles left. I'd say proportion size is similar to a regular fast food burger patty.
This really is the best damn burger that I have had.

The poutine is more to rave about though. Real cheese curds. Flipping delicious!!!

Without Papers

2012-01-04T19:33:00.000-07:00

If I could choose a winner for best pizza dough, it would be Without Papers. Located at the former residence of Nectar Desserts in Inglewood. Back to the pizza dough, not paper thin, but thin, perfect crispy texture.

1216 ~ 9th Ave SE
Calgary, Alberta

Monday to Thurs: 11am ~ 10pm
Friday and Saturday: 11am ~ 11pm
Sunday: 4pm ~ 9pm

Prosecutor: Pancetta, caramelized onions,
arugula, bocconcini
My favourite of the 3 we ordered.

Hawaiian 5-0: Canadian back bacon, grilled pineapple, jalapenos, aged cheddar, mozzarella, tomato sauce.
Don't be deterred by jalapeno's, they won't make your mouth burn. Very delicious.

The selection of Grizzly paw soda reminds me of diner style-teenage-neighbourhood hang outs.

Hog Wild: Spicy wild boar sausage, wild boar prosciutto,
braised rapini, fruilano, roasted garlic white sauce
Not a huge fan of the rapini on a pizza, I think you have to have an acquired taste. But good to try.

House made ice cream (chocolate), Note that the banana split. (he he he)

Selkirk Grille

2011-12-19T20:12:00.000-07:00

Located in Gasoline Alley, Selkirk Grille is a fine dining establishment in Heritage Park.

Despite the negative comments on Urbanspoon, my experience at Selkirk was pretty good.

Unfortunately eating on a time crunch, I was unable to try appy's or dessert. Will definitely be back to try the rest.

Blueberry infused whipped butter. Couldn't really detect the blueberry, but I do enjoy whipped butter.

I had the Berkshire pork chop topped with apple chutney on top of broccolini and yukon gold and sweet potato dauphinoise
The apple chutney with the pork was a delicious combo.

Braised Bison Short Ribs Cabernet with rosemary braising jus on top of truffle scented whipped potatoes,
honey glazed beets and cipollini onions, topped with parsnip chips

Pies Plus Cafe

2011-12-16T18:00:00.001-07:00

Link to official website for Pies plus

611 12445 Lake Fraser Drive SE
Calgary, Alberta, Canada
T2J 7A4

Hours of Operation:
Tuesday to Saturday 8:00am to 6:00pm

A savoury lunch for the winter months. I love the holiday dinnerware.

I had the chicken pot pie. The crust is very flaky and the chicken to veggie proportion is very good.

Btw, finally found a place nearby serving steamed almond milk.

Yes I had to take a pic of the salt and pepper shakers.

Rockyview Hospital Gingerbread house competition.

2011-12-16T17:38:00.000-07:00

Creativity at its best.

Happy Holidays!

Winter water land.

A Gingerbread Apothecary.

Salt & Pepper Mexican Restaurante

2011-12-13T02:18:00.000-07:00

I'm not sure why this place got such a low rating... I certainly enjoyed it. Very warm and upbeat atmosphere. The service was very attentive (only a delay in receiving the bill, but that's not really a complaint). Also worked out that Lolita's lounge is upstairs

Nacho's! Love the guac and the chips.

Combination Poblano. Taco, stuffed pepper, enchilada-with mole sauce. I liked the rice but there was so much food on this plate I had no room for the refried beans. My favourite of the trio was the stuffed pepper.

My friend got another dish I could not pronounce, but loosely equates to a best described baked dish of tortillas with lettuce, cheese, chicken,
beans, sour cream, avocado & tomatoes

(Dining Diva's) Skor Cake

2011-12-13T01:34:00.000-07:00

This is a first attempt and very amateur attempt at frosting.
Next time I'd rather use my own recipe for chocolate cake instead of the box mix.
Still delicious. Taken from Dining Diva's fb site.
Chocolate Skor Cake (Recipe courtesy of :http://therecipediva.com/recipe_print/11486/Chocolate-Skor-Cake)

Ingredients
[+] Add all ingredients
1 box of chocolate cake mix [+]
4 skor bars (frozen) [+]
500mL whipping cream [+]
1/2 cup sugar [+]
1/2 cup cocoa [+]

Method
1. Bake the chocolate cake in a bundt pan as per the instructions on the box. Let cool for at least 3 hours.

2. Mix sugar and cocoa in a small bowl.

3. In a large mixing bowl, slowly pour in the whipping cream, while stirring in the sugar mixture. Stir slowly, making sure not to whip in any air.

4. Refrigerate for at least 3 hours.

5. Crush frozen skor bars still in their wrappers with a hammer.

6. Cut the cake carefully in half horizontally.

7. Whip the cream mixture with a hand blender at high for 5 min or until it peaks (do not over-whip!). Fold in skor crumbs.

8. Ice the cake

(Fallen) Apple Cake

2011-12-05T03:18:00.000-07:00

Bundt pan failure. It's called impatience.
The recipe is convenient, and I thought I buttered and floured the pan well enough. A) I didn't wait long enough for it to cool. B) Forgot to loosen the sides with a butter knife.
Lesson learned. Still edible.

Recipe from Smitten Kitchen's: Mom's Apple Cake
6 apples
1 tablespoon cinnamon
5 tablespoons sugar

2 3/4 cups flour, sifted
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup vegetable oil (I used canola)
2 cups sugar
1/4 cup orange juice
2 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
4 eggs

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a tube pan. Peel, core and chop apples into chunks. Toss with cinnamon and sugar and set aside.

Stir together flour, baking powder and salt in a large mixing bowl. In a separate bowl, whisk together oil, orange juice, sugar and vanilla. Mix wet ingredients into the dry ones, then add eggs, one at a time. Scrape down the bowl to ensure all ingredients are incorporated.

Pour half of batter into prepared pan. Spread half of apples over it. Pour the remaining batter over the apples and arrange the remaining apples on top. Bake for about 1 1/2 hours, or until a tester comes out clean.

Gorgeous.

And then this happened.

And the rest finally came out.

Balsamic basil fetuccini from Dining Diva's page

2011-11-13T19:56:00.001-07:00

Taken directly from the Dining Diva's, this is another wonderful simple pasta dish.

I used fetuccini instead. "Worth every Penne"

Worth Every Penne – Modified from Eat Shrink and Be Merry

Ingredients

Sauce:

2 tbsp basil pesto

2 tbsp balsamic vinegar

1 tbsp EVOO

1 tsp liquid honey

¼ tsp fresh ground black pepper

Pasta:

1 cup uncooked whole wheat penne (I used fetuccini)

1 Italian sausage, sliced

1 chicken breast chopped

1-2 cups of sliced mushrooms

12 grape tomato, halved

1 red onion, diced

1-3 large handfuls of spinach

Romano cheese to taste

Directions

1. Prepare sauce and set aside.

2. Cook pasta, drain.

3. Cook sausage in large skillet with chicken, remove from skillet

4. Cook onion and mushroom for about 7 min. Add spinach and tomatoes. Cook until spinach is wilted.

5. Stir in the meats, add pasta, stir well.

6. Add sauce and cheese, stir until everything is hot.

(Movember) Apple Pie

2011-11-08T23:10:00.000-07:00

Same recipe from 'It gets better' Apple pie. But this time for Movember. And if you don't know what Movember is, then you must be living under a rock.

Mushroom rolls (from Dining Diva's recipes)

2011-11-02T19:06:00.001-06:00

This is a lovely appetizer to bring to a potluck. Or snacks for work.

I found this recipe on Dining Diva's facebook page. This page has some wonderful recipes accompanied with photos.

It was my first attempt at this and I used whole wheat bread instead of white bread. Still delicious!

Ingredients:

1 8oz package of cream cheese (light if you'd prefer)

1 package of bacon, cut into lardons

1 loaf of sliced bread

1 medium onion, minced

1 clove garlic, minced

1 square package of mushrooms, minced

Melted butter to brush with.

Directions:

1) Chop bacon into thin lardons, saute until crisp, set bacon aside, reserving bacon fat.

2) Mince onion and mushrooms, saute in bacon fat. Drain excess fat. Add bacon and combine.

3) Add cream cheese and cook until well combined. Set aside.

4) Cut edges off of bread and use a rolling pin to flatten out the bread.

5) Use a heaping spoonful of the mushroom mixture for each slice of flattened bread. Roll like you would a spring roll. Place on buttered baking tray.

6) Use a pastry brush to brush each roll with melted butter.

7) Pre heat oven to 350 degrees F. Bake for 20min or until brown and crisp.

8) Slice in half and serve.

Holy Smoke Barbecue and Smokepit

2011-11-02T18:38:00.003-06:00

Hello meat, meet my belly.

Is this food from the Whistlestop Cafe?(No this is not Frank Bennett)

I opted for the macaroni salad instead of the cornbread. It was alright, but I should've tried the cornbread. Oh well, that means I get to revisit this place soon!

Right off the corner of Blackfoot and Manhattan Rd (46Ave to the east).

Relative to a small diner, it is reminiscent of restaurant stops on a road trip.

I ordered lunch and dinner for under $15. 2 ribs, Small Beef brisket sandwich, Small pulled pork sandwich and a side of macaroni salad.

Ribs were delicious (not falling off the bone) I used some of their house and garlic sauce (not pictured).

I don't think one is better than the other but depends on what you're in the mood for. This is the BEST pulled pork sandwich I have ever had. There is some coleslaw on the pulled pork and a pickle on the beef brisket.

Tres Carnales Taqueria

2011-10-29T18:28:00.000-06:00

This is a pretty busy restaurant with limited seating.

Ordering style is order first, they give you a tag or a card and they will bring you your food.

I would recommend take out for sure but not to arrive in large groups as seating is limited.

We arrived as a 5 top and really did not want to wait for a table. We ended up eating next door, but I really really really wanted to try these tacos. Let me just say, this works well as breakfast in the morning! I will definitely have to try more from the menu next time I'm in town.

Located steps outside of Central station (LRT) on 100a St and Jasper.

I asked for recommendations and ended up with the braised pork taco (though the fish taco's are also very popular).

These are open faced mini taco's with a very spicy sauce (green) and refried beans in the other. I actually enjoyed it without either.

Corso 32

2011-10-29T08:41:00.000-06:00

This quaint modern Italian eatery is located on Jasper Ave and 103St. Parking is a bitch but it is within walking distance to the Coast Edmonton House.

I'll start backwards for a change.

I love anything with lemon so when I saw the ZEPPOLE, Limoncello I had to try it.

Not what I was expecting but very good regardless. More like stampede/fair food, they are fritters soaked in limoncello.

Vanilla panna cotta, raspberries Sassicaia grappa/ chocolate torta, salty hazelnuts/ ZEPPOLE, limoncello: My friends comment on the other desserts: The grappa over powered the panna cotta and the chocolate torta was a little too rich.

Tagliatelli with soppressata sugo and mint
The soppressata gave this pasta a nice kick to the flavour. The tagliatelli tasted very fresh, and overall made this my favourite dish.

Pumpkin ravioli in brown butter, sage, amaretti & reggiano
Mild but satisfying ravioli.

Gnocchi- with sauce made of wild boar & fennel sausage. I've had lots of gnocchi, even made my own. This is what light and fluffy is! Bravo! A place that makes gnocchi right!

Arancini: funghi misto & fontina (Crispy rice balls with mixed mushrooms) This reminded me of the risotto balls that I have tried at The Cheesecake factory and Tavern in the Square.

Pear carpaccio, arugula, pecorino tartufo & roasted walnuts

Something about the pear, walnuts and balsamic combo works.

Rutherford's (Coast Edmonton House)

2011-10-28T21:32:00.000-06:00

Standard pub fare for fairly reasonable prices. But the sweet potato/yam fries are DELICIOUS!!!

This restaurant is named after Alexander Rutherford and is the hotel restaurant for the Coast Edmonton House.

Chicken strips with salad and raspberry vinaigrette.

Sweet potato fries with garlic aioli and dry ribs. I tried some of the fries and they are absolutely delicious.

Gluten-free potato gnocchi with tomato sauce

2011-10-22T19:35:00.001-06:00

A well executed meatless dish.

I rarely, let's emphasize it RARELY omit meat from my main course. This recipe had to be tweaked a bit, but turned out marvelous! The carrots give the sauce a nice texture and overall very light in taste.

For a first attempt, the result was delightful. The cooking/prep time however took about 2hrs 45min for the gnocchi, and an hour for the sauce. The gnocchi took a long time due to 2 factors: 1) amount of gnocchi to cook, and 2) the first few test batches in order to determine the proper cooking time. The first batch we made were undercooked (gummy tasting @ first float and 5min). 7 min was the perfect cook time.

Scroll to the bottom for the full recipe.

Another factor to incorporate was the amount we made. Enough left over to probably serve 8 people and excess sauce you can freeze.

Instead of chopping the carrots, I continued to use a peeler to create carrot curls (easier to blend, faster cooking)

Hands work much better than a spatula.

The first of many... don't worry about the 'snakes' being the same length, they will be chopped into proper gnocchi sizes.

It doesn't look like a lot from this angle.

This angle is more massive.

Blended sauce.

Cooked!

Garnished with parm and black pepper.

Recipe adapted from Dario Milano and Jenn cuisine and About.com

For the Sauce

Ingredients

- 2 28-oz cans whole tomatoes, with liquid
- ½ cup olive oil
- 4 carrots, chopped
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, finely minced
- 1 tsp sea salt

- salt and pepper to taste

- 1-2 tsp oregano

- 1-2 tsp basil

- 2 bay leaves

- 3-4 tbsp of grated parmesan cheese

Directions

In a large, heavy-bottomed saucepan, heat the olive oil for a minute over medium heat.

Add the onions and carrots, and sauté for a bit until the onions are translucent but not brown.

Add the tomatoes, garlic and spices. Bring to a simmer and cook for 30 to 45 minutes, uncovered, until the sauce is slightly reduced. Use a wooden spoon to break up the whole tomatoes while the sauce simmers. Stir in Parmesan cheese.

Remove from heat and pass through a food mill, or purée in a food processor until smooth, working in batches if necessary. I don't own a food processor so I used my magic bullet and worked in batches.

Season to taste. Makes about 1½ qts tomato sauce

For the Gnocchi

Ingredients

- 1 kg potatoes (white potatoes)

- 280g GF flour

- 90g grated Parmesan cheese

- 2 egg yolks

1. Fill a large pot with cold water, place potatoes(skin on) into the pot. Bring water to a boil for 35-40 min or until tender throughout.

2. Drain, then peel off skin using a paring knife. Use a paper towel to combat the heat of the potatoes.

3. Mash potatoes in a large bowl with a fork.

4. Let the potatoes cool by spreading them across a cutting board, just long enough so that the egg won't cook when incorporated into the dough.

5. Return mashed potatoes into the large bowl and incorporate the egg yolks, flour and parmesan cheese with a spatula then with your hands. Work the mixture quickly but gently, the dough sould be moist but not sticky.

6. Cut dough into 6-8 equal pieces, then gently roll each piece into a snake like log with roughly the thickness of your thumb.

7. Cut the gnocchi trying to keep the size consistent. so they'll cook evenly. (If you are feeling fancy, you can use the back of a fork to create the dimples)

8. Bring a pot of water to a boil then cook gnocchi in batches. Use a slotted spoon to remove the gnocchi. Approx 7 min per batch. 1 batch= approx 2 small handfuls. When they are cooked they should float to the top.

* If you are not going to eat them right away, fish them out of the water a few at a time with a slotted spoon and transfer them immediately into a bowl of ice and water. The cold water stops the cooking process. After 7-8 min drain them from the water, transfer them into a container and drizzle with a little bit of olive oil to prevent them from sticking together, refrigerate until needed; they will last 4-5 days.

Plate your gnocchi and top with sauce, garnish with Parmesan cheese and black pepper.

Chocolate chip banana bread

2011-09-14T14:12:00.001-06:00

4 ripe bananas, smashed
1/3 cup melted butter
1 cup light brown sugar, depending on the level of sweetness you prefer
1 egg, beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 tablespoon almond extract
1 teaspoon baking soda
Pinch of salt
1 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
Pinch of ground cloves
1 1/2 cup of flour
3/4 cup chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 350°F. With a wooden spoon, mix butter into the mashed bananas in a large mixing bowl. Mix in the sugar, egg, vanilla and almond extract, then the spices. Sprinkle the baking soda and salt over the mixture and mix in. Add the flour, mix. Add the chocolate chips, and stir until just incorporated. Pour mixture into a buttered 4×8 inch loaf pan. Bake for 1 hour. Cool on a rack. Remove from pan and slice to serve.

Lemon curd tart- Joyofbaking.com

2011-08-26T13:23:00.001-06:00

If you make a pucker-face, then it might be too tart.

In my version I overdid it with the lemons. I used zest from 3 lemons, and juice from 3 lemons. I really like the tartness of lemons but for this recipe I would definitely cut down the lemon This lemon curd recipe doesn't have any flour or cornstarch so the texture is improved after refrigeration overnight.

Lemon Curd:

3 large eggs

3/4 cup granulated white sugar

1/3 cup fresh lemon juice (2-3 lemons)

4 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature

1 tablespoon (4 grams) lemon zest

Sweet Pastry Crust:

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour

1/8 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature

1/4 cup granulated white sugar

1 large egg, lightly beaten

Lemon Curd:

1. In a stainless steel bowl, placed over a saucepan of simmering water, whisk together the eggs, sugar, and lemon juice until blended.

2. Cook, whisking or stirring constantly (to prevent it from curdling), until the mixture becomes pale in color and quite thick (like a hollandaise sauce or sour cream) (160 degrees F or 71 degrees C on a thermometer/ medium heat). This will take about 10 minutes.

3. Remove from heat and immediately pour through a fine strainer to remove any lumps. Cut the butter into small pieces and whisk into the mixture until the butter has melted.

Add the lemon zest, cover with plastic wrap to prevent a skin from forming, and let cool to room temperature before filling the pastry crust.

Sweet Pastry Crust:

1. In a separate bowl, whisk the flour with the salt.

2. Place the butter in the bowl of your electric mixer, or with a hand mixer, and beat until softened.

3. Add sugar and beat until light and fluffy.

4. Gradually add the beaten egg, beating just until incorporated.

5. Add the flour mixture all at once and mix just until it forms a ball. Flatten the pastry into a disk, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 15-30 minutes or just until firm (can place in freezer for about 10-15 minutes)

6. Lightly butter and flour, or spray with a non-stick vegetable/flour cooking spray, an 8 - 9 inch (20 - 23 cm) tart pan with a removable bottom/ I used a pie plate. Once the pastry has chilled sufficiently, evenly pat onto the bottom and up the sides of the tart pan. Cover with plastic wrap and place in the freezer for about 15 minutes.

7. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F and place rack in center of oven. Lightly prick bottom of pastry crust with the tines of a fork (this will prevent the dough from puffing up as it bakes). Place tart pan on a larger baking pan and bake crust for 5 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees F (180 degrees C) and continue to bake the crust for about 15 minutes or until crust is dry and lightly golden brown. Remove from oven and place on a wire rack to cool.

Once the pastry shell has cooled, evenly fill with the lemon curd. The tart can be served immediately or covered and placed in the refrigerator until serving time. Serve plain or with softly whipped cream and fresh berries

Wurst

2011-08-22T20:02:00.000-06:00

Visit the official Wurst website

I will definitely be back, and I will be ordering the house chips. This new German restaurant took over the old Wildwood in Mission.

Hours of Operation

Lunch	Mon-Fri	11:00 AM - 2:30 PM

Dinner	Sun-Wed	5:00 PM - 10:00 PM
Thur-Sat	5:00 PM - 11:00 PM
Brunch	Sat & Sun	10:30 AM - 3:00 PM

The Wurst crest.

Main level. I absolutely love the trees.

*Not pictured is the downstairs area, where we could hear music that reminded me of Oktoberfest. Probably a perfect place to put the putsch into motion (kidding).

Wurst house lager

Btw, our server was kind enough to fix our wobbly table.

Bavarian Wings: Boneless & Pretzel Breaded chicken stuffed with sausage with a side of mustard.

It looks more like a whale tail.

3 ginormous wings, the mustard had more of a bite than the sauce on the wings.

This is a meal in itself. Very good.

Jäger Schnitzel:
Wild Forest Mushrooms & Crème Fraîche, Spätzle and veggies.

I didn't expect the veal schnitzel to be submersed in this gravy sauce. I've never had spätzle before, tastes like pasta (egg based noodle) I had to look it up: "Spätzle are made by scraping dough off a wooden chopping board ("Spätzlebrett") into boiling salt water where they cook until they rise to the surface. They are then skimmed and put aside."

I've always been critical about veggies that come with main dishes. I really enjoyed the beets in this dish.

The portions are large, I felt bad for leaving left over spätzle and schnitzel sauce. It was very delicious, only the bavarian wings really filled me up.

My friend had the St. Anton Griddle Burger:
Back Bacon, Aged Cheddar, Onion Kaiser,
House Chips and homemade Smoked Tomato Ketchup (whoops missed that pic).

My friend described the burger patty to have a sweetness to it.

I tried some of the fries and oh my goodness. BEST. FRIES. EVER. I thought maybe they were beer battered. Our server said they were fried in duck fat. Regardless, they were crispy and absolutely delicious. I apologize this burger is shy, just look at the lettuce.

Pear, Gorgonzola and Carmelized onion Pizza (homemade)

2011-08-01T02:12:00.000-06:00

Pear Pizza!

Pears, provolone, Gorgonzola, mozzarella, caramelized onions, walnuts

Butter-chives-olive oil-garlic-salt mixture

Caramelized onions

Mozzarella

Provolone

Packham pears

Gorgonzola dolce

Chopped walnuts, Before baking.

Result

Dough, adapted from a Wolfgang Puck recipe.

Ingredients
1 package active dry or fresh yeast
1 teaspoon honey
1 cup warm water, 105 to 115 degrees F
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, plus additional for brushing

Directions
1. In a small bowl, dissolve the yeast and honey in 1/4 cup warm water.

2. Large bowl, combine the flour and the salt. Add the oil, the yeast mixture, and the remaining 3/4 cup of water.

3. Mix until the entire mixture forms a ball. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface.
Knead by hand 2 or 3 minutes. The dough should be smooth and firm. Cover the dough with a clean, damp towel and let it rise in a cool spot for about 2 hours. (When ready, the dough will stretch as it is lightly pulled).
Divide the dough into 2 balls.

4. Work each ball by pulling down the sides and tucking under the bottom of the ball. Repeat 4 or 5 times. Then on a smooth, unfloured surface, roll the ball under the palm of your hand until the top of the dough is smooth and firm, about 1 minutes. Cover the dough with a damp towel and let rest 1 hour. *At this point, the balls can be wrapped in plastic and refrigerated for up to 2 days.

5. Preheat oven to 500 F or highest temp. Lightly oil cookie sheet with extra-virgin olive oil. Roll out dough ball, on a lightly floured surface, to the shape of your cookie sheet. Carefully transfer dough to cookie sheet, lightly press and stretch out to the edges of sheet.

Base
Ingredients:
2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
2 tablespoons melted butter
2 tablespoons olive oil
3 tablespoons chopped chives
1/2 teaspoon sea salt

Directions
Whisk together minced garlic, butter, olive oil, and salt. Brush pizza dough with mixture.

Toppings
Large sweet yellow onion
125g Gorgonzola
4 slices of provolone
A handful or two of mozzarella
1 cup chopped walnuts
2 pears, peeled and sliced

Directions
1. Caramelize onions: Slice onions. Heat combination of butter and oil in heavy skillet.
Add onions and a small amount of sugar (optional) and slowly cook over medium heat.
Cook until onions are caramel colored, stirring often, 30 to 40 minutes.
For more flavor, add a touch of balsamic vinegar at the end of cooking, stirring to deglaze the pan.

2. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

3. Top pizza dough with caramelized onions, mozzarella cheese, provolone, pear slices, Gorgonzola, and walnuts.

4. Bake pizza about 12-15 minutes, until the crust edges brown and the cheese is golden brown in spots.

5 Guys Burgers and Fries

2011-07-30T09:34:00.000-06:00

Fast food Burgers. Yum!

Buzz buzz buzz. I've been hearing about this place for some time now, boasting the best burgers in town. I just did not realize I was in close proximity to this joint. I believe this is the closest we can get to an In & Out burger. You have your choice of a regular burger (2 patties) or a little burger (1 patty) with any toppings of your choosing.

Idaho potatoes.

For about $11, I had a Little Bacon Cheeseburger with grilled mushrooms, onions, ketchup, regular pop and regular size Cajun fries. The Cajun fries had a little kick to it and they offer free refills on pop.

El Sombrero

2011-07-28T18:00:00.000-06:00

Located on 17th Ave, next to Ming's, up a set of stairs.

There are a few parking spaces behind the restaurant, fantastic way of avoiding parking on 17th Ave!

Chips and Salsa

Combinacion Mexicana: Combination with one chicken tostada, one ham and cheese quesidilla, one chile relleno, one beef taco, and an enchilada filled with chicken, and topped with tomato sauce and melted cheese, or mole sauce. The veggies are plain and could probably do without it. Enchilada was delicious.

Combinacion de la Casa: House combo, chef's choice. The pork chop was my favourite in this dish.

Coffee Cake

2011-07-10T17:45:00.001-06:00

Mocha Coffee Coffee Cake

recipe from joythebaker.com
adapted from The Gourmet Cookbook

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 sticks (12 tablespoons) unsalted butter, softened

1 cup granulated sugar

2 large eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 cup sour cream

2 Tablespoons cocoa powder dissolved in 1 1/2 Tablespoons hot water

2 Tablespoons instant espresso powder dissolved in 1 Tablespoon hot water

For the Glaze

1 1/2 teaspoons instant espresso powder

2-3 Tablespoons strong brewed coffee

3/4 cup confectioners' sugar, sifted

Make the Cake

Put a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees F. Generously butter and flour 8- inch (6 cup) Bundt pan.

Whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a bowl.

Combine butter and sugar in a large bowl and beat with an electric mixer at medium speed until pale and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition, then beat in the vanilla. Add flour mixture alternately with the sour cream, beginning and ending with flour mixture and mixing until just incorporated.

Transfer about one third of the batter to a small bowl. Add espresso mixture and stir until combined. Transfer 1/3 of the remaining vanilla batter to another small bowl and add the cocoa mixture and stir until combined. Spoon all three batters into the Bundt pan, alternating so each flavor is distributed through the pan.

Bake until cake is golden, or until a wooden spoon inserted in the center comes out clean, 55 to 60 minutes. Cool in pan on a rack for 30 minutes, then invert onto a rack to cool completely.

Make the Glaze

Stir together espresso powder and 2 tablespoons coffee in a bowl until powder is dissolved. Add confectioners' sugar and stir until well combined. If glaze is not pourable, thin with remaining coffee if necessary.

Pour glaze over coffee cake and let cake stand until glaze is set, about 10 minutes, before serving.

(This recipe can be doubled and baked in a 10- inch (12 cup) Bundt pan. Increase the baking time to about 1 hour.)

*Alterations:

I used a package of instant Starbucks coffee as well as a package of instant cocoa.

I also used brown sugar instead of white.

All I can say is, yum. It's exactly what I was craving! Best served hot.