I talk about food, you read it.
Product Reviews
Beso de Vino
018 hours ago
Valentines Day has now come and gone. While people (men) around the city were frantically speed dialling restaurants for dinner reservations and running to grab a bouquet of flowers I was at work thinking how nice it was not to celebrate this day of love. I am a lucky girl who gets random bouquets of flowers all year round and not just on Valentine’s Day. We also mutually decided on no gifts, no chocolates and no going out for food. It was a relaxing night in our home, except that J broke our promise. He ended up getting me flowers anyway and sitting right in front of the vase was 2 bottles of wine. Be still me heart.
The bottle we decided to open, yes just one, was the Beso de Vino. A red wine imported from Spain by Christopher Stewart Wine and Spirits Inc. It says red so I am assuming it’s a red blend, claiming to have roasted coffee, baked berry, chocolate covered espresso beans and sweet herb aromas. It is a medium to full body wine and reminds me most of a merlot.
J’s first reaction was a shiver. Not sure what that means, but I am thinking he wasn’t expecting a wine with this much body and flavour. I had made J’s favourite pasta for dinner which probably wasn’t the best food pairing. I think steak, rich stews, roast beef or a protein with a more hearty flavour would be better. I personally really liked it and would buy again. I also was under 20.00 which is always a bonus!
What the Huck – Huckleberry Wheat Ale
02 weeks ago
When it comes to the weekends I’d like to think anything goes as far as food and drink. We try so hard to eat right during the week, which may or may not actually work out. We’re pinched for time so we’re making foods that are fast and for those of you who have kids it’s also important that your kids are also going to eat without throwing food on the floor or running away.
I know for me the weekends that aren’t jam packed with events are the perfect opportunity to make those long slow cooked meals that fill your home with a delicious aroma of what’s to come. During that waiting period relaxing with a nice glass of wine or beer is essential. The last time I was able to do this I tried What the Huck, huckleberry wheat ale by Fernie Brewing Company.
It’s a little bit of a lighter beer and first reminded me of summer. I could imagine myself reaching for an ice cold beverage in the sweltering heat and huckleberry wheat ale could be that beverage. It’s crisp, tangy and slightly creamy. This is an unfiltered beer so it will be a little foggy looking. I think it would be great with chicken or citrusy seafood. This was originally a seasonal product but due to its popularity it’s now available year round. If you’re a fan of lighter unfiltered beer then definitely give this a try!
Phillips Longboat Chocolate Porter
01 month ago
Back in December my friend C had a bunch of girls over for a girls night where she cooked us lots of little yummy appetizers, drank wine and talked all night. One of my friends didn’t drink wine though, not that it’s a bad thing. In fact I have been thinking about her beverage of choice non-stop and wishing I had a case of it right now in my hot little hands. She brought a bottle of Phillips beer is made in Victoria BC and they have a lot of wonderful offerings that are both unique and traditional. You can read more here.
Being a port I had the feeling that it would be extremely heavy, thick and that I wouldn’t want more than a couple sips. Turns out it’s actually more like dark ale, except with very little hoppiness. The chocolate finish isn’t as subtle as one might think, it actually is quite chocolaty but that could be because of the ports maltiness. I drank this without food but I could imagine pouring this onto some vanilla ice cream and dying a little bit from tastiness, if people could die from tasty things. I can’t wait to get my hands on some more!
Que Pasa Taco Kit
01 month ago
A little know fact about me is that I dislike outer space. It’s not because I went into space and had a bad experience or that I watched some weird sci-fi movie and freaked out. I have never been abducted or seen a UFO. I just don’t like the thought of this dark, scary, never ending universe and not really knowing what’s out there. Some people have claustrophobia, well I definitely do not. I like my feet on the ground and the mountains hugging my world like a scarf on a cold day. And what the heck do people eat in space? Well I will tell you…..food that comes in bags, no refrigeration required, much like Que Pasa’s new taco kits.
The taco kit has everything you need to have a taco night, including the filling, which is a mixture of beef and bean in a bag that you boil to re-heat. I didn’t realize this when I bought the kit. I normally buy only the taco shells and make the spice seasoning myself but I really like Que Pasa products and I was assuming this kit would be good for nights when I was being lazy. You could imagine my surprise when I pulled this out of the pantry and read that there was a bag of beef in the kit.
When I opened the box, part of me wanted to just have cereal instead for dinner but since I had gone out and purchased sour cream, lettuce and tomato I felt like my commitment was to eat tacos. I also wanted to tell you all about this kit as well, so I took one for the team and proceeded with my dinner. I boiled the bag and voila…..dinner was ready. That was the fastest taco I have ever had, other than driving through taco bell.
The next step is to squeeze the filling out of the bag which immediately made me say “yuck”. Not something J wants to hear right before I say “dinners ready!” The filling resembled some sort of pet food but since its human food I should compare it to the filling in those frozen burritos. Except that the frozen burritos look more like whole beans and actual beef. I can’t really explain the taste, I guess it sort of tasted like beans but I couldn’t taste any of the beef that is supposed to be in there. The texture, consistency and appearance were so unappetizing that j and I just kept looking at each other wondering who was going to cave first and move onto to something else. Mr Noodles were looking like a pretty good alternative at this point. We both finished a taco and decided that the rest was fit for the garbage can.
I am really disappointed in Que Pasa for creating this kit. Que Pasa is a local company from Vancouver and is best known for their fresh organic products that don’t have preservatives. This bag of beef might be organic but the fact that it can remain in the pantry leads me to believe that there are preservatives in this package. Maybe if it tasted okay I would be more forgiving but there is nothing good about this kit. Sorry Que Pasa but you really dropped the ball on this one. The only people who should be eating meat from a bag (other than jerky) are astronauts and I doubt that they would like this either.
Pumpkin Pie Pancakes
03 months ago
I don’t know how many of my Canadian readers go across the border to Trader Joes, but if you haven’t its time you start! I’ve gone several times now and each time I come home happy as a clam that I have purchased a fun array of reasonably priced organic groceries. I shouldn’t even say “reasonably”, I should say CHEAP! The last time I went my girlfriend stopped me mid-aisle and showed me a box of Pumpkin Pancake Mix.
She has expressed to me how amazing it is in the past but since making pancakes is so easy I never really thought about actually purchasing a box of mix. Then I tried to imagine trying to come up with my own pumpkin pancake recipe and adding the necessary spices seemed easy enough but not the pumpkin. Who wants to mess around with pureeing pumpkin in the morning just to have pancakes?? So I took the plunge and bought the mix.
When I opened the bag it smelled amazing! It was seasoned with all the perfect pumpkin pie spices but I couldn’t see any pumpkin and became a little worried. Was this going to just be regular pancakes with seasonings? I read the ingredients and nope, there was definitely dried pumpkin in it. The best part is that you can use it to make pancakes and waffles! Equally enjoyable.
The recipe was really easy and took no time at all. Not only were the pancakes/waffles aromatic but they also are a lovely colour of orange. J and I really enjoyed these! These are the perfect breakfast for cold fall days!
Whistler Brewing Company’s Chestnut Ale
03 months ago
While driving to work a few weeks back I heard the radio DJs talk about, in great detail, how absolutely amazing Whistler Brewing Company’s Chestnut Ale is. At 8 am I was drooling and dreaming about how my life would be complete if I could just get my hands on some. Unfortunately for me, it was too early for any liquor store to be open so I pouted and went to work like a good little girl. I would probably also be fired if I showed up to work with an opened 6 pack in hand and blamed the radio.
At the end of that day I left work forgetting all about my inner beer tantrum from earlier and went home to make dinner and relax. It wasn’t until a few days ago, when I bought a 6 pack of Granville Island Winter Ale, my absolute favourite winter ale, that I remembered I had actually wanted something else. HOW on earth could I forget that there was this new and exciting ale calling my name? I was officially on the search which was a very frustrating search. I went to several liquor stores, some private and some government and couldn’t get my hands on it. Well, a tip to the wise…..it doesn’t come in a 6 pack. You find it in the section of imported and micro brewed beer in the large bottles.
Let me tell you about this beer. I think you’re going to have to file it under “must try” this fall. It’s the latest offering that isn’t of a pumpkin variety. A nice dark amber in colour but since I served it rather cold I missed the chestnut upon first sip. Just an FYI, ales should be served a few degrees less then what your fridge is at. Caramel was the first flavour that hit me and actually reminded me a lot of the GIB Winter Ale. It wasn’t until I was halfway through my glass did I get the chestnut flavours. I really enjoyed this beer but it is a little on the heavier side and with so much sweetness from the caramel it’s probably not something I would want to drink throughout an entire evening. Perhaps start your night with this longneck and move onto something else during fall festivities. I do highly recommend that you give it shot though, especially since it’s out for a limited time only.
The Great Pumpkin Ale
04 months ago
Halloween is almost here, the leaves have turned and I think the best part of fall is the Pumpkin. You can put it in foods, make pie, add it to lattes and also have it in ale. Not just any ale, but The Great Pumpkin Ale by St-Ambroise. This is probably the best pumpkin ale out there. It has the perfect amount of spice, creaminess and still has the flavour of a good beer. They go down way to easy!
Ciao Sangiovese
05 months ago
Long weekends have to be one of the best things in the entire world. If they also include something fun like camping then it’s even better. J and I went up to the Skagit River for 2 nights to do some fishing and good old camping. We brought up some beer but and wine. Wine and weekends are too important in my life to be thrown aside by some camping. The only downside is that you must remember a corkscrew and if you’re smart enough to buy a screw top then there is the chance that it could break en route. I have personally had a bottle of red break in a backpack, and it’s not enjoyable.
The best solution has to be the tetra pack wine. It’s easy to pack, it won’t break, and it keeps the wine remarkably fresh. I guess this is why apple juice has been packed in these for years! Tetra packs can also be compressed and recycled making it even better for us and the environment.
J picked up a pack of Ciao Sangiovese for this trip and the first thing I noticed was the value. It’s a full litre of wine, bigger then a bottle and it’s only about 12.00. Another bonus is that it’s organic. I personally don’t buy wine based on whether it’s organic but if this is a standard for your wine drinking then here is a great one to buy.
The wine itself if a very mild thin wine with a very slight hint of oak and slightly sweet. Due to its soft personality you really could drink this with anything as it won’t overpower your food what so ever. In fact it might get a little lost with rich foods so it’s perfect for camping! Now, I don’t want to put this wine specifically in a camping category but it was just the perfect wine for such an event. It is a very social wine as well so for any backyard bbq or girls night this wine could also be ideal, not to mention it would be a conversation piece. I would probably buy this again as it’s really convenient to tote around.
Kitchen Aid meat grinder and lettuce wraps
06 months ago
Before J and I got married we registered at a few stores and let me tell you how exhausting that was. It took us hours to walk through The Bay scanning items, arguing about what we need, and trying to convince each other that we were having fun. After a while we started to randomly scan things that were really expensive just to amuse ourselves even though we didn’t expect people to actually buy them. I guess you could call it wishful thinking.
Little did I know that some of my friends would put their money together to get me one of my frivolous gifts that I never thought I would own. They got me a kitchen aid mixer, a cover, and assorted attachments. I felt very spoiled after our wedding. I also couldn’t wait to try it out. Thanks everyone!!!
I didn’t start off making cookies or anything easy. I decided to make lettuce wraps for dinner and I got to use my meat grinding attachment for ground chicken! No more paying extra for pre-ground chicken or meat! Can you believe it? Okay, this post isn’t a recipe at all, I just wanted to brag. If any of you have a kitchen aid mixer, I highly suggest splurging on some attachments.
Here is the recipe I use for lettuce wraps, and they taste perfect every time! Especially when you sneak in some sriracha sauce to give it some kick!
Trugs Nicely Spicy Red Pepper Jelly and Roasted Garlic and Onions in Jam
06 months ago
For as long as I can remember my mom always served us some sort of snack before dinner. It could have been something as simple as a piece of cheese, crackers, breads and spreads. It wasn’t anything too heavy or an appetizer per say, but just something to tide us over while dinner was being started.
When Trugs sent me the nicely spicy Red Pepper Jelly and the Roast Garlic and Onion Jam I immediate thought of the jalapeño Jelly my mom used to put on crackers or bread for us. I decided to try out the Red Pepper Jelly with cream cheese on baguette and the Roasted Garlic Onion Jam with goat cheese on a baguette.
I tried the Red Pepper Jelly first and love it. It reminded me of a sweet chilli sauce but thicker and better. It wasn’t overly spicy but there was a slight kick to it and it had that homemade jelly feel to it. You could eat this on cream cheese, brie, goat cheese or even add it to meat. The Roasted Garlic and Onion jam was a thick savoury and slightly sweet jam. It had a stronger flavour so a little bit goes a long way. It was also really good and J was pleasantly surprised and really enjoyed it. This would be a great addition to gravy’s or in your French onion soup base. I would also be inclined to top this on a burger as well.
I was impressed with Trugs again and I found that all their products are really quite versatile. I also love how they’re all homemade organic products made with local ingredients.