Orange Eggnog Smoothie

1.5 cups Commercial light eggnog ("Commercial"? really?)
Half Banana
2 tbsp. Orange juice concentrate
Pinch each nutmeg and cinnamon

***

Well, it is back to my favourite time of year. Well, that's only because eggnog comes back out to the supermarkets. I've written before for my affinity of eggnog products here. By gosh, I think I've even written about a smoothie as well...

Regardless, the latest smoothie/eggnog incarnation is pretty tasty. I've managed to have about 4 last week when I came home for lunch. It only takes about 2 minutes to make.

Taste-wise it's a thicker, more frothy version of eggnog. The banana thickens it up and the orange juice concentrate adds a little citrus flavouring to the drink.

A-ha! Refreshing!

The photo:

The grade: 7.3 out of 10.0.

Mead

1 Bottle of Mead - Suggested serving is cold, over ice.

***

Well, we can thank Sherbrooke Liquor for allowing me the opportunity to pretend I was a (drunken) knight at the Round Table. I think they have the widest beer selection in Western Canada. They even sponsored an oak-aged beer tasting event that a friend and I attended back in March. Great place with a great selection of beer.

Mead you ask? Aye, m'lord.

Made from honey. Alcoholic beverage. Sweeter than peaches in June. Honestly though, if I had to describe it, I would say that it tastes like cheap ice wine. not bad, but nothing fancy. It smells like the Yorkton, Saskatchewan man's favourite after-shave.

Here's the photo. Sorry, I think I misplaced my receipt (with price details to add up top) while I was harassing the serving wench (just like in Savage Sword of Conan). Crom's Gut! It's hard to get good service here!!

The grade: a 6.2out of 10.0.

Kit Kat - Edamame 枝豆 Flavour

Kit Kat - Edamame Flavour

**
Well, this was an unusual one.  All my sous chefs know about my love of Nestle products. Here is one I've never had before.

To be honest, it has a very mild flavour - I can't taste the edamame at all... It's basically a white chocolate bar.

The photograph:

The grade: 7.2 out of 10.0.

Crabbie's Original Alcoholic Ginger Beer

1 500ml bottle of Crabbie's Original Alcoholic Ginger Beer - $4.49 (CAD)

***

I think what really captured my interest in ginger beer was a conversation I had earlier this year with my mother after I had read an article in what I think was the Edmonton Journal. It was basically a "how-to" instructional guide on how to make your own ginger beer (I think I have misplaced the article, unfortunately). After I commented on the article to my mother, she noted that either her dad or her paternal grandfather used to make their own ginger beer, and that sometimes you would hear a big "pop" under the stairs, as the bottles would lose their corks during the aging process. I somehow doubt that Ukrainians were big on ginger beer, but that matters not, it is clear that my love of ginger beer came from my forefathers.

The net result is that sometime later I had a conversation about ginger beer with my friend Allison, and she recommended that I go to one of the Liquor Depot stores in Edmonton and try a bottle of Crabbie's ginger beer. So that's exactly what I did this past weekend.

The bottle is cool - there are even pictures of elephants on it. So that must mean that Thais approve.

Supposedly it's best served chilled over ice with a slice of lemon or lime. In my case I used a wedge of lime.

It was fresh, sharp and fantastic! Basically a fancy Canada Dry ginger ale - but infused with the sweet taste of booze! It's pretty sweet, too. I don't think you could make a night of pounding these back - I think this is much more of a "dessert" beer that you enjoy while your minions clean the dishes...

The photographic evidence:

The grade: a solid if unspectacular 7.6 out of 10.0.

And what could be better than a bottle of Crabbie's ginger beer? A FREE second bottle of ginger beer. Many thanks to the sous chef Sean for leaving his beer Chef Jeremiah's car ;)

Broccoli, Red Pepper, and Cheddar Chowder

1 small bunch broccoli (1/2 pound)
1 large boiling potato (1/2 pound)
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 large onion, chopped
1 red bell pepper, cored, seeded, and cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1 large garlic clove, finely chopped
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
3/4 cup heavy cream
1 1/2 cups coarsely grated sharp Cheddar (about 6 ounces) (CJ used Old Cheddar - is Sharp cheddar an American term?)

***

Well ladies and gentlemen, I've found my new favourite soup. I'm just going to throw out the grade right now: 9.0 out of 10.0. Yes, it's THAT good. It looks great, easy to make, creamy and that cheddar just adds a new level of flavour to it. Noooooo, I didn't add any Essence of Pure Flavour - I didn't have to.

I highly recommend you try out this recipe if you are into something simple (it will require 2 pots) and delicious.

Here's the photographic evidence: (notice the chunks o' broccoli?)

Michelada

1 Sol Beer
Juice from 1/4 lime
Sea Salt
Ice
Cold, frosty mug (purchased at Canadian tire for about $4.99, as both WalMart and Safeway had none)

***

I saw an episode of "Mexican Made Easy" on the Food Network a few months ago, and the hostess (Marcela Vallodolid - she looks like a younger, latina version of Mariah Carey) was preparing all these treats to watch the big game. I'm not sure if the big game was "soccer" or "football", but she prepared some tasty treats, including some Micheladas.

I don't know if I was supposed to use sea salt, but I thought it would be cool. So some lime juice on the rim, some sea salt, ice in the mug, some lime juice in the mug then follow it up with some beer! Wow. And before you can say "Bob's your uncle" you have yourself a Michelada!

Hmmm. It was okay. It wasn't as refreshing as I was expecting it to be. She basically said you had to drink it fast before the ice melts. I don't know, I might as well just have had a Sol or Corona by themself(ves). It was interesting, and I'll probably give it a second chance.

The photographic evidence:

The grade: about a 6.4 out of 10.0.

Food Don't Lie - Contest Winner

Winner, winner chicken dinner!!
1 Alabama Calaboose

***

Indeed, miracles do happen. While Alabama did not correctly guess the #1-viewed page on Food Don't Lie (he guessed Phuket Prawns, which was the 3rd most-viewed) he was the only one to submit a guess... The correct response was:

http://fooddontlie.blogspot.com/2011/02/blog-post.html

Yes - fish sauce is the winner!

Below, you can see a photo of |the self-coronated "Prince of Montague" when he found out that he had won the Chef Jebediah Culinary Challenge, Part Un:

Notice the Yorkton-esque haircut? And the denim made from the finest tailors in White City? And the gnarled hands stuck inside the front (to obviously make up for a lack of "bulge" in his pants) of the aforementioned "jeans"? Indeed, Alabama is riding high on life. He gets a free meal from Chef Jebediah...

280 Barbeque - 85-3001-8 (G20718) Propane

1 280 Barbeque - 85-3001-8 (G20718) Propane
4.5 months
5 episodes of "Criminal Minds"
1 episode of "The Glades"
4 Kirin Ichiban beer (CJ must admit, he's a big fan of Japanese (and most Asian) beer)
1 Fuller 160-piece Tool set



***

Well, my sincerest apologies for the very late post. A thousand pardons. I tell you what, if you come to visit, I'll make the most delicious dessert you've ever had - it'll make you weak in the knees...

Seriously, I had to get a replacement laptop, as my last one met with an unfortunate accident...

And, lo and behold - CJ FINALLY got his birthday barbeque set up. You can see up above that it took a purchase of a tool set and a lot of time to get things organized, but the BBQ is finally ready to roll. I'll have a test steak tomorrow night to ensure things are how they should be, then I'm sure I'll have my Guiness burgers, and another type of burger in short order.

The assembly wasn't overly complicated - you just need a ratchet and some screwdrivers, and it would have helped to have had a sous-chef assisting you. So, that's why it took me about as long as the "Criminal Minds" marathon on Sunday. I have to admit, that's not a bad show. There's no fembots, of course, but the profiling of serial killers was intriguing...

As always, see below for your viewing pleasure.

Unpacked and before assembly on my living room floor:

And, assembled and ready to roast on my balcony:

A grade? Well, for mere timing alone I'd give it an F+, complexity wasn't difficult at all (A-) but I'd have to wait until I test it with real food before I can note whether it passed or not...

PS: I checked the stats on my blog today: Guess which post is the most highly-viewed? I'll buy/make dinner for the first person who guesses correctly. To count as a legitimate guess, you must leave your guess on the comments section of this post. 3 guesses max per person. I'll give you all until the end of the month to get your entries in.

Chocolate Banana-Stuffed French Toast

1/3 cup chocolate-hazelnut sandwich spread
8 slices D'Italiano Whole Wheat Thick Slice Italian Style Bread
2 large firm ripe bananas
3 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup milk
2 tablespoons butter

Chef's note: Recipe was halved

***

Isn't it amazing where we get our inspiration? For instance, I was shopping in the bakery section of our local Superstore, where I happened upon some decent-looking bread. Something a little different than what I'd usually get, and I picked up this Italiano whole wheat bread, and lo and behold: A recipe! Well, shit. I had to get it. And the recipe above is the recipe contained on the bottom of the bread bag.

I know I mentioned just a short while ago that I wasn't too thrilled with egg-dipped sandwiches, but I had to give this a try. I've only had Nutella once or twice in my life, and for this recipe I got the President's Choice proxy for it. It's alright. It's not good enough to put in ice cream or anything, but I figured it would do the trick.

The dish is very quick to make. No problems with assembly or preparing the ingredients at all.

As far as taste, it was okay. I had it for supper a few nights ago. It seems more like a breakfast dish, but honestly, I'd rather just have regular French Toast with some sexy Grand Marnier berry compote. It tastes decent. If there's a next time, maybe a little more chocolate spread on the bread?

The photograph:

No. No pickles here.

The grade: 6.8 out of 10.0. The grade in honour of the jersey number of his holy hockey mulletness.... god, is that jersey for real? That's worse than the Yorkton Pylon's bantam jersey from back in 1985. DREADFUL. Downright embarrassing. No wonder he's hiding in Omsk...

Arugula Salad

1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1/8 teaspoon dried thyme, crumbled
1/8 teaspoon salt
Pinch of freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 pound arugula or watercress, coarse stems discarded (4 cups) Le Grand Chef used about 1/2 bag of 5-leaf lettuce. Or whatever. Some bag of mixed greens.
8 cherry or grape tomatoes, quartered
2 tablespoons shredded carrot

***

This is one quick salad. Honestly, shredding the carrot was the most time intensive portion of this dish.

You basically just make the dressing, then throw all the greens and tomatoes and carrots in an toss. Bam. Done.

I should note that I didn't quite have enough salad/arugula mix that it called for, so maybe the dressing was a little too much. And, as much as I love olives, I just found the olive oil a tad bit intense - (like your first game of Call of Duty: Black Ops. Man, I still get destroyed in that game) . Maybe some vegetable or canola oil next time?

The proof:

The grade: 7.0 out of 10.0.

Spanish Ham and Cheese Monte Cristo Sandwiches

8 1/2-inch-thick slices sourdough or country-style French bread (each about 5 x 3 inches)
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
6 ounces Manchego cheese, *thinly sliced
2 ounces thinly sliced Serrano ham or prosciutto
4 tablespoons membrillo (quince paste) or quince preserves
4 large eggs
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) butter

Chef's Note: I halved the recipe for dinner last night

***

What better way for the Chef to celebrate Cinco de Mayo than to write about a Spanish-style sandwich he ate last night? Well, to write about it while drinking a delicious "Sol". Imagine, a holiday to celebrate a military victory over the French. Hmmm....

Anyway, I have only had one or two Monte Cristo's in my life to date. I always thought they were decent. Then I saw this recipe in a "15 meals in 15 minutes" article, so I thought it was a perfect time to get some quick meals down pat, as my CASB module 2 begins tomorrow. <sigh>.

Some of the ingredients took some time (and traveling) to find. The Manchego cheese, the Serrano ham, the quince preserves (just a jam, really) along with the country-style French bread were all purchased at the Italian Market in Edmonton. Good stuff.

In terms of preparation, it was all pretty quick. I spent more time waiting for the butter to melt. And speaking of butter, I think next time I'd go a little easier on butter. Maybe halve it or cut 25% off.

The recipe calls for cooking the sandwich on a skillet, but I used my panini-press/griddle. 8 minutes is all the recipe calls for, and I gave it about 9 minutes. I might suggest maybe 10 or 11 minutes should be the maximum, depending how you like your cheese.

All in all, it worked out alright. I remembered that I'm not a huge fan of egg-dipped sandwiches after trying it out. I automatically just compare it to French Toast, and it just doesn't measure up. The ham was more than a little salty (no surprise there) and the cheese was forgettable. I might try a cheddar and granny smith apple mix next time. Without the egg.

Monte Cristo? Related to Marquis de Sade? Unlikely.

The photographic evidence (notice the Yum-Yum pickles? CJ's momma says it's not a grilled-cheese sandwich without the pickled sidekicks):

The grade: A solid, if unremarkable 7.2 out of 10.

Cuban-Spiced Chicken Thighs with Chrizo and Rice

Marinade:
1/4 cup fresh lime juice
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro stems
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon finely grated lime peel
1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme

2 teaspoons chopped seeded jalapeño chile

2 teaspoons Hungarian sweet paprika (Chef used regular paprika)

2 teaspoons ground black pepper

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon ground allspice

10 chicken thighs with skin and bone (about 4 1/2 pounds)

1 tablespoon olive oil

1/2 pound fully cooked Spanish chorizo or Portuguese linquiça sausage links, cut into 1/4-inch thick rounds (Chef used Hot Italian Sausage, as Camrose was suffering from a chorizo shortage)

2 cups finely chopped onions

1/2 cup chopped red bell pepper

3 garlic cloves, chopped

2 cups arborio rice

2 1/2 cups of low-salt chicken broth

2 medium tomatoes (CJ had 3 roma tomatoes), diced

2 teaspoons Hungarian sweet paprika

1/4 teaspoon saffron threads

1 canned piquillo pepper or 1 whole canned pimiento, cut into thin strips (Chef was only able to obtain some jarred, sliced pimento).

Garnish:

1/2 cup coarsely chopped fresh cilantro

Lime wedges

***

I mentioned a few posts ago that I was trying to find another one of my Cuban dishes. And what better way to celebrate May Day than by preparing the marinade. All this followed up by cooking up the chicken while enjoying a Cuba Libre, watching the Flyers host the Bruins, playing a little "Call of Duty: Black Ops" and watching the Canadian election results (yawn!).

I have a few notes that I'd like to share:

- I used my cherry red 6.7 L enameled cast iron le creuset pot to make this bad boy, and I'd recommend a larger vessel: There was just a little too much crowding for the chicken, and this left the chicken a little undercooked, which I had to compensate for by cooking the complete dish for about 20 or 30 minutes longer than the recipe suggested. Unfortunately, this resulted in my adding a little more broth than required which led to the rice being too mushy.

- Make sure you get that chicken brown! You really need to get some colour onto those thighs!

- Pour out more of the oil/fat than the recipe suggests. Too greasy/oily of a dish.

- That saffron is damn expensive. But is smells good and added to a gentle, smoky flavour to the dish.

- Make sure you have a 2nd Cuba Libre while you enjoy your meal...

Here is my dish: two chicken thighs along with some rice.

This was my second time cooking the dish: the first time had been early in 2007. I was still a little disappointed with it: I think a bigger pot or even halving the recipe is warranted.

The grade: 5.9 out of 10.0

Frozen Chocolate Monkey

"Just like the taste of chocolate banana. Vodka, banana liqueur and chocolate ice cream."

Chef's Note: 1% milk was added.

***

Does anyone remember "Maxwell Taylor's"? There was one location on Jasper Ave, and another right near 51st Ave. and Calgary Trail. They didn't last too long, but we did frequent it as much as we could going all the way back to 1994. I do believe that the Maxwell Taylor's brand re-opened maybe in 1999 or 2000, but it just wasn't the same.

The menu from the original restaurant (which I was able to obtain all those years ago) is a mouth-dropping 35 pages. No shit. And my favourite pages are 4 and 5. Those pages are these reason why we frequented the eatery so often. Ice Cream Drinks. Yes, a full-two pages of ice cream deliciousness.

As I've moved just a few months ago, and I unpacked a lot of stuff that had been in boxes and stored away, I happened upon the Maxwell Taylor's menu. It was essentially like finding a $20 dollar bill in your coat that you haven't worn since last winter...

The photograph:

As there were no exact measurements, I had to estimate all the inputs. My only thought would be that I put in just a little too much banana liqueur. Still tasty, though. The grade: 7.9 out of 10.

Red Pepper Soup with Toasted Cumin

2 tablespoons grape seed oil (CJ used vegetable oil)
1 small red onion, chopped
1 tablespoon chopped garlic (CJ used a little more than 1 tablespoon. maybe 1.5 or 2)
1 teaspoon mustard seeds
1 teaspoon coriander powder
1 teaspoon asafoetida
1/2 teaspoon Spanish paprika (CJ only had regular paprika at hand).
3 red peppers seeds removed and sliced
1/2 cup organic vegetable broth
1/2 cup white wine ( I used a 2008 Chardonnay - Le Fat Bastard) Où sont tous les hippopotames?
pinch salt and freshly ground pepper
3 tablespoons cumin seeds (for garnish)

Chef's Note: I would suggest doubling the recipe if you want to feed more than three people.

***

Well, I've been meaning to make this soup for a few weeks now. That Spice Goddess has some good stuff going down. The reason for the delay was the unavailability of asafoetida around these parts. I had to ask a kind female, east Indian shopper at the Superstore in Edmonton for some help in finding it. Let us all thank the "Big J" (that's what we/my family referred to him as for my cousin's wedding in Rio) for her help... Honestly I think the Thais and the Cariocas are the friendliest people on this planet - no question.

CJ has also received a lot of positive feedback about his ability to sexify the AIMCo black jacket in the IKEA cafeteria entry down below... but you will all just have to wait just a little bit longer for the Maître to make his appearance. Yes doesn't the beard look good? I'm sure the beard's appearance makes ALL females weak(er) in the knees. As the Count Halabuza (YESSS that's his beautiful main droit that holds the maple leaf) would say, it's very Bautista-esque...

This soup was probably the best tasting new/freshly cooked soup CJ has yet to blog about. No word of a lie.

Appearance-wise: it looked like that sauce covering buttermilk chicken, bright-red and full of promise.

Scent-wise: it was fantastic. I can't ever recall cooking with a Chardonnay before. As soon as it hit the saucepan, it tickled my olfactory glands like nothing else. It's a tempting mistress this scent!

Taste-wise: very heavy on the red pepper flavour. Not overly sweet at all. AND I was even more than generous with the salt and pepper during the seasoning as well.

What do the Sous-Chefs want? They have a photograph don't they? CJ is more than happy to oblige:

Those toasted cumin seeds are darn well near a genius idea. It adds to the viewing, tasting and smelling pleasure. CJ was REALLY  surprised how something so simple could add so much.

Grade: 8.9 out of 10 on a first night tasting!! The Chef will have a re-taste mañana...

Breakfast Combo with Bacon & Swedish Coffee - Ikea

Breakfast Combo -$1.00 (all prices are in CAD) - this dish was 2 mini-sausage, scrambled eggs, and hashbrowns
Bacon - $0.99 for 3 small pieces of bacon
Swedish Coffee - $1.00

***

Well, this was my first foray into the cafeteria over at Ikea. Not only was the meal inexpensive, but we also had our dishes served up by both Linus and Magnus, as they had their job-training that day, as their final shift for their current jobs end on Sunday. Yes, it was quite the celebrity event: all we were missing was Mats Sundin and Beaker helping out the Swedish Chef in the kitchen...

There really isn't much to say about this breakfast. It was cold, miniscule, and uninspiring. Not unlike the Edmonton Oilers of 2010-2011. Or the Edmonton Oilers of 2009-10. Or the Edmonton Oilers of... well, never mind. But, it was pretty cheap.

The cafeteria was busy, but we were able to get some seats with a beautiful stunning view of the South Edmonton Common parking lot. We really lucked out.

Here is the photographic evidence:

You can see Chef Jeremiah above, pointing  to the "deluxe" breakfast. No breaking the bank or pancakes for him! Notice the left hand trembling before his first morning coffee? Those were difficult times...

And here is the dish:

Grade: 5.8 out of 10. But can you really go wrong for $3.14?

Jalapeño, Chicken and White Bean Chili

1 1/4 cups dried navy (pea) beans
1 tablespoon each cumin and coriander seeds
2 onions, quartered
4 cloves garlic (unpeeled)
1/4 cup vegetable oil

12 jalapeño peppers

2 teaspoon each dried oregano and salt

3 pounds chicken thighs, skinless

1/4 cup chopped fresh coriander

2 tablespoon lime juice

Chef's note: recipe was halved.

***

Chef Jeremiah made this a few nights ago. CJ's momma actually found the recipe when we were in line at the grocery store a few months ago. Then when I had my interview at "The Firm", I noticed that they had it along with the rest of the reading material they leave out for their clients. It just took me several months to remember (and then find) the recipe.

Hmm. The hardest part of the recipe was finding the dried navy beans. No kidding. I searched Superstore high and low, and no dice. I even asked the manager and she had one of the cashier ladies try to help me find it. Nope. It wasn't until my quick trip to WalMart did I find those elusive beans.

The other disappointing part of the dish involved the beans too. Not only did I soak the beans for an additional 8 hours that the recipe recommendation, but they were still a little too hard. Was my water not powerful enough to penetrate this ivory-skinned legume? Or does WalMart grow a particular hardy bean? Chances are we'll never know... But we do know this: soak those beans for at least 24 hours.

This is a refreshing dish. It can certainly be muy caliente if you don't seed the jalapeños too much or go easy on the cumin.

Actually, this dish reminded me of one of my favourite Cuban dishes..some chicken with saffron dish...geez.... I need to find it.

Anyway, a tasty chicken dish.

Here's the photo:

The grade: 7.5 out of 10.

Strawberry Smoothie v 2.0

Vanilla Ice Cream
Strawberries
Captain Morgan Spiced Rum

***

Well, I've kept this recipe for about 9 or 10 years now. I think I saw when I was living out in TO.

Chef Jeremiah has never made it, until last night. You see, CJ isn't a big fan of spiced rum at all, ever since that fateful day back when I was *18: we had been drinking at my friend's house, and I proceeded to take a shot of spiced rum. It didn't agree with me at all, and I then puked all inside my friend's Philadelphia Eagles cap. I felt pretty bad about that...

And I now know I've been so hesitant to make this frosty beverage. It's a little on the tart side, but what really sets me off is that spiced rum. We have NO chemistry together.

Here's the photo:

The grade: 5.6 out of 10. Although I figure if you have a love-on for the spiced rum, you'd probably like it. What IS the rum spiced with anyways? All my bottle said was a "blend of Caribbean and Canadian rum"...

Big Ass Cab - 2008

"Just what it says. This is a big, intense, lush Cabernet Sauvignon. It may not be for everyone, but if you are serious about Cabernet, you should be extremely happy.  Very enjoyable right now, with potential for aging well into the next decade."

Price: Approximately $21.99 CAD. Add your tax and deposit on to that, too.

***

The Chef bumped into this wine just over a week, ago, when he was out looking for a dry red wine for the "Italian Baked Pasta" dish. I chuckled a little at it's name and label (the bottle comes in two distinct labels...).

Then it dawned upon Chef Jeremiah that perhaps it was a sign of things to come. "Monster-in-Law" with Jennifer Lopez was on the television later that day. Not that the Chef is a big fan of movies like that, but it was the scene where J-Lo had her short dress on, when she met the in-laws. She had to bend over a chair or something, and the Chef just about spit out his blueberry cocktail. Damn! She has some fine assets.

Then, later in the week, I flipped through Canada's Crappy Music Video channel, and it was one of those "a panel of underemployed (and unattractive) individuals critique various videos" shows. I don't much like those. But they had Nicki Minaj's "Right Thru Me" on. Go to about the 4:48 mark of the video. Yes, the video is the "clean" version. The Chef runs a respectable kitchen, after all... Well, the gentleman in the mock-video commented that in that shower scene, Nicki's ass looked like "two buttered pumpkins". Oh, the Chef laughed a long time at that one. He then proceeded to eat one very healthy serving of fresh pumpkin pie...

Hmmm, hm hmm hmm hmmm.

Well, here's the fuckin' bottle:

Don't waste your hard earned cash-money on that bottle. Better bottles for less $ to be had. Easily.

The grade: The wine? Darn well near a "fail". I'd give it a 6.0 out of 10. Nicki's pumpkins? About a 9.6...

Baked Pasta with Ricotta and Ham

Yes, my little Sous-chefs, I won't be posting the recipe this evening. No sense when I took it from here.

The Chef's inspiration for the dish comes from a foodie within the Capital City.I've never met her, but here's her blog. Thank you, Ms. Yeo!

I have to admit, that for the recipe I did use dried thyme, and that after reading "Only here for the Food" I doubled the amount of sauce (a wise girlfriend once told me that it's all in the sauce. I don't think she reads this blog...). No italian ham was used either - I don't think I can find any in Camrose. The recipe really should have been halved, unless I was going to feed this damned city of Vikings I live in.

The sauce portion took the majority of my Sunday morning. What else can I do? And when the ham was browning with the vegetables and the Chianti was added, I really should have recorded that smell. It was de-LISH!

In the end, it was a fancy Mac & Cheese with ham and bits o' onion in it, that's how I would describe it. It was pretty cheesy, and with every bite, you could catch a hint of Chianti in it. Beats Kraft Dinner, that's for sure.

I'm not sure your kids would like it. But it's worth a shot. Final Outcome: 7.1 out of 10.

Strawberry Banana Smoothie

250 mL milk
125 mL frozen strawberries
1/2 banana
50 mL plain yoghurt
15 mL liquid honey

***

This is a pretty easy, quick and refreshing drink. I don't know why I added "breakfast" to the labels, but I think it would make a suitable "drink-on-the-go" that you could take with you on your way (walking, driving, riding?) to work. Just slide that into your travel mug and away you go! Enjoy it's cool freshness. Your tongue will soon smack those lips of yours after that first quaff. Soon, you will be a greedy little piggy and slurp down the rest of your drink. Without ever thinking of sharing, of course.

If you like your beverages not too sweet, then this is for you. While it certainly has the look of a milkshake, the taste is much more tame.

The whole "blueberry versus strawberry debate" won't be discussed here, but Chef Jeremiah highly recommends you try this recipe substituting some blueberries in for your strawberries at least once. Then tell me which you prefer.

I might also suggest some low/zero lactose milk. I was told this was a milk option at Starbucks a few weeks ago, but I keep forgetting to look for it at Safeway.

Prognosis: delicious! A commendable 7.9 out of 10 for a 2-minute effort. Kudos!

Breakfast Enchiladas

2 cups finely chopped cooked ham (black forest ham)
1/2 cup sliced green onions
1/2 cup finely chopped green pepper
2 tbsp. oil
8 flour tortillas (7 inch)
2 1/2 cups shredded cheddar
4 eggs
2 cups light cream
1 tbsp flour
1/4 tsp garlic powder
2-3 drops hot pepper sauce (I used tobasco sauce)

salsa
sour cream

Chef's note: I halved he recipe above.

***

I've had this recipe for about four years now. It's been in my binder ever since it was given to me and on Sunday night I finally dusted it off.

It's only been in the last nine or ten years that the Chef has ordered and even eaten egg dishes. Indeed, my tastes have changed.

Hmmm. I would say I was a little low on the green onion mix - the dish was a little low on the vegetable quotient. Otherwise it was pretty tasty. A savoury dish. The ham took care of that.

Certain things I'd change next time would change the green onions to spanish onions. Maybe even substituting the ham with chorizo sausage? All this in addition to including some guacamole, of course. :)

The dish plated just hours ago...

The grade: a respectable 7.2 out of 10.

น้ำปลา - Num pla

Anchovy fish extract
Water
Salt
Sugar

***

You get 57% of your Daily Value of sodium in a single tbsp serving.

Question: What is indispensable to Thai cooking, yet has such a pungent smell? Fish Sauce

Here's a piece of advice from the Chef: ensure your fish sauce does NOT spill during your move. Don't let it spill on your clothes, in your car or on any of your stuff. You will regret it.

Chef's Note: Check out that Sapporo beer can in the background! Good stuff!!

Phuket Prawns

6 tbsp vegetable oil
1 lb. tiger prawns, shelled (I think I had about 1.5 pounds - too much, really)
4 cloves garlic, finely diced
1/2 cup thinly sliced green bell pepper
1/2 cup thinly sliced red bell pepper
1/2 cup thinly sliced mushrooms
1/2 cup thinly sliced onion
1/2 cup Thai basil leaves (I had to omit these, as the City of Leduc enacted a rationing of these goods. Just kidding. Seriously, there's nowhere in Leduc to get any of these)
2 tsp. curry powder
1/4 cup fish sauce
2 tbsp. oyster sauce
3 tbsp. sugar

serve with steamed rice - I cooked 1.5 cups of Japanese sticky rice - enough to feed 4
***

Well, I busted out the Thai cookbook tonight. Actually, I busted it out last night, and took out the shrimp so they could thaw for tonight's meal. Honestly, it takes maybe 30 minutes. And most of that is just waiting for the rice to cook. Pre-cut the vegetables and your cooking time is down to about 5 minutes - if that. So wait until your rice is done before you start the shrimp and you are laughing.

Well, here are two memories I have of Phuket:

Yeah, that's Darcy's (he of TDWaterhouse-infamy) armpit. And just above and to the right is this hot Russian chick's bum-bum. Yeah, she was there good-looking but a little pale. Still, I'd wager a princely sum that the view to our left was way better than the view to our right. We had about three fifty-something year-old french women without their tops on and who were as brown and leathery as saddlebags.

That's Chef Jeremiah playing in the water. I look like one of those constipated kids who sits in the shallow end and piles sand on top of themselves, don't I? But I don't usually get constipated. In fact, we had the opposite problem our second night there...

Well, there are a few other things I remember. Like seeing that Israeli guy who was getting out of the tuk-tuk at his hotel with a latex-clad (Thai, female) nurse and a latex-clad (Thai, female) cop. Maybe he wanted to discuss Thai health-care and Thai law enforcement?


Back to Phuket. So, this dish is Phuket Prawns, and as mentioned above, you can cook it up in a snap! Mere minutes is all it takes.

Chef Jeremiah was, of course, nearly overtaken by the fish sauce. I mean, that stuff really assaults the ol' olfactory glands, but it sure adds flavour. Yum! And the oyster sauce, too! CJ hasn't cooked with that stuff for months. No question it was worth the wait.

The vegetables weren't overcooked - still crisp. With the shrimp being done maybe only 20 seconds too long. I often overcook those little crustaceans, so I was pleasantly surprised the way they turned out - not chewy at all. Even the sauce was done well, slightly sticky and a little sweet - and with just a hint of curry. Someone very wise once told me that it's all in the sauce... Darn well near perfect!

Here are the prawns (honestly, is there a cooler accent than that? The answer is "No", of course). But that's not the type of prawn you see below:

Day-um! Judging from the focus, Chef Jeremiah needs to upgrade his camera from the BlackBerry Curve 8330..

And the Jeremiah-sized serving:

Yeah, Chef Jeremiah and his crew even ate it with spoons. No farang here!

Grade: A solid 8.4 out of 10. It's a great quick dish.

Chef's Note: You won't see anymore photos from the Chef's kitchen. In fact, a move is imminent! Soon a new kitchen will be established in the Land of the Lutherans. So my little sous-chefs, don't fret if you don't see an update for a week...

Kit Kat

Nutrition Facts (per 45g bar):
Calories: 230
Fat: 18% of Daily Value
Cholesterol: 2% of Daily Value
Sodium: 2% of Daily Value
Carbohydrate: 10% of Daily Value
Vitamin A: 2% of Daily Value
Calcium: 6% of Daily Value
Iron: 8% of Daily Value

2 Bars of Nestlé products for $2 CAD at the local Petro-Canada here in Leduc.

***

Nestlé has always had a special place in my heart. With such scrumptious candies, I always wanted to cash in with their goods on Hallowe'en as a child...

The Kit Kat bar has recently moved into Chef Jeremiah's "Top Three Chocolate Bars". The number one slot is occupied by "Smarties" (another Nestlé product) - don't you EVER offer me any M&M's, otherwise I'll respond like this. The Silver Medal belongs to "Skor" (go for a Skor Blizzard at Dairy Queen. It is Divine. I swear they even meet the Virgin Mary's approval). Number Three is now the Kit Kat, with the Coffee Crisp close behind.

My allegiance to the Kit Kat shifted this past summer, during my tour against communism. We weren't allowed to leave the facility during our break time or for meals. So our Beloved-Employer-Corporation provided us with meals and snacks. Said snacks included fruit, banana bread, youghurt, cheese, leftovers from previous meals. And candy. If dentists had a Saint, I'm sure she/he would have rolled their eyes in disapproval.... but Chef Jeremiah's palate has a hunger for sweets. Chocolate in particular.

Most of the chocolate bars came in those small sizes that you'd hand out to children at Hallowe'en. Indeed, I think the Beloved-Employer-Corporation was dippin' into their supplies a little early.

Regardless, I had a lot of Nestlé in the summer. There's just something about those four crisp wafer bars of a Kit Kat surrounded by chocolate. I just love it. Sweet. Smooth. Creamy. Delicious!

I wonder if they've ever thought of increasing the size of the bar to include a fifth bar?

Keep your panties on - I know how badly you want to see one:

I'm not a marketing major and I'm far from a customer-service expert, but I think this bar is superb. Grade: 9.3 out of 10.

Chef's Note: It turns out those teeth-molesters DO have a saint. Appollonia is her name, and sounds like getting her teeth smashed was her game. Ouch.

Boston Brute w/ side bolognese, 2 mug Canadian draft, 2 side Clamato juice - Boston Pizza

Boston Brute - A deli style sandwich for the ages, this BP Favourite is loaded with Genoa salami, pepperoni, smoked ham, pizza mozzarella, onion and pizza sauce w/ a side of fries. Baked on a French-style bun. $9.95 CAD
With bolognese meat sauce. $2.25 CAD
2 Mug Canadian Draft - $8.00 CAD
2 Side Clamato - $1.90 CAD

***

I have no idea why they don't have a write-up on the beer or Clamato. That stuff goes together like the Dude and White Russians.

Well, it's pretty easy to make an Edmonton Oilers - Minnesota Wild regular season NHL game more entertaining - just do something else while the game is on. Seriously. I cannot remember the number of times I curse the Heavens for investing 2.5 hours into watching those games. Even the Count can't count that high. After watching too many Wild games, you become a broken man...

Anyway. So for what we all knew was going to be a boring game, a little sandwich with meat sauce and beer is a good solution.

I think there's one that Boston Pizza does well - their pizza sauce. Other than that, they are mediocre. Not terrible, and not fantastic. The atmosphere in the lounge was fine. Not too loud. Service wasn't bad, although the big screen tv had a few technical difficulties, making the game awkward to watch.

Jade, our waitress, was quick with the beer and drinks. And I didn't have to ask twice for the Clamato. Nothing causes rage like having to order your clam a second time.

The sandwich, while it has gotten smaller over the years (I had the "pleasure" of working at the Leduc BP when I was a teenager), was still pretty tasty. That salami and onions dipping into that sauce is all good. It helps when everything is still hot too. Generous portions all around.

Photo:

The grade: 6.4 out of 10.

Barley Sushi Salad with Nori

3/4 cup pearl barley
5 shiitake-mushroom caps, cut into strips
1/2 cup sliced smoked salmon
1/2 English cucumber, seeded and sliced into half moons (I used a non-English cucumber - I forget which type)
3 tbsp pickled ginger, coarsely chopped
2 tbsp rice vinegar
1 1/2 tsp granulated sugar
2 tsp dark sesame oil
1/2 tsp salt
1 sheet nori seaweed
1 tbsp toasted sesame seeds

***

Well, here is the Chatelaine recipe, Part Deux.

If I had to describe this salad in as few words as possible, while still maintaining it's "character" I would say: "Virgin Sushi Salad". Those three words is all it takes.

"Virgin": because it's close to raw fish, but not really, and the barley is a proxy to the rice

"Sushi": because it's still fish and there's the pickled ginger you will find accompanying said sushi.

"Salad": because it is indeed a salad.

In fact, I might even suggest this dish to someone who hasn't had the pleasure of tantalizing their palate with sushi before - a good "Virgin Sushi" dish... Like for that uncultured friend/relative of yours who has trouble trying something new. Nothing ventured, nothing gained.


I spent quite some time at my not-so-local Asian market to find the ingredients. My suggestion - find the Japanese section, and you'll find most of the necessary reagents there and not have to waste your time wading through the other sections.

In terms or preparation, this bad boy only takes about 30 minutes, most of which is spent waiting for the barley to cook.

Taste was pretty fresh. Not too overpowering, but I do like the combo between the pickled ginger and sesame oil/rice vinegar. It just reminds me of sushi.

Evidence:

It doesn't look fancy. I really should have spent more time separating the salmon, but, proper food presentation is a harsh mistress. I have yet to learn all she has to teach... Additionally, maybe a bit more barley to salmon/ginger ratio would be suggested too.

Overall, a solid if unspectacular grade of 7.6 out of 10.

Velvety Beet Cupcakes with Raspberry Icing

  Cupcakes:
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder, preferably Fry's
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 398mL can beets, rinsed, drained & patted dry
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup safflower oil
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup buttermilk
  Icing:
1/2 250g block light cream cheese, cubed
1/2 cup icing sugar
1/4 cup frozen raspberries

***

Ahh, cupcakes. I always let out a little giggle when I hear that word. Ever since that fateful day of basic training in the army I had in the Summer of 1996... We were learning how to use to radio, how to sign-off, speak correctly, and how to use the phonetic alphabet (A - Alpha, B - Bravo, C - Charlie, D - Delta, etc...). Well one of the guys in our troop began the alphabet with "A - Alpha, B- Butterfly, C - Cupcake...." that was as far as he got until we all started laughing. "Butterfly"? "Cupcake"? Oh goodness, even our instructors had a chuckle after they berated him with numerous colourful, enlightening and confidence-boosting expletives (they would have made my potty-mouthed sous-chef "Nikki" blush), and before they punished us by sending ALL of us to run around the building 10 times. I tell you though, that guy in our group was a piece of work... not only did he lose a machine gun barrel, but he "forgot" that he had a machine gun (the Canadian C-6) in his locker. No shit, the Chef is not making this up. Oh boy. There was no helping this dude. No doubt in my mind some of the other guys were thinking of "fixing" the problem with one of these. That, thankfully, didn't happen, but I don't think anyone ever ate with that dude again after his clusterfuckups...

Back to cupcakes. I found this recipe in the January 2011 edition of Chatelaine. I was only reading it because it was on our kitchen table. Honestly.

But two recipes caught my eye: Velvety Beet Cupcakes with Raspberry Icing and Barley Sushi Salad with Nori. Both being on the same page, too.

So I ripped out the page, purchased the missing ingredients on the weekend (after my Eggs Benedict, in fact), and prepared to bake.

Beets in a cupcake does sound odd, doesn't it? Well, to be honest, you can't tell those little red devils are in your cupcake. I think they just add some moisture to the dessert.

In terms of preparation, everything went smoothly, EXCEPT for the icing. I didn't let the cheese melt enough before blending in the raspberry goodness and the icing sugar. So what happened was that instead of a fluid, uniform texture, my icing had lumps of cream cheese in it.

As always, the evidence:

The cupcake was quite delicious and moist. Although I think I would use less cream cheese next time - the icing is just too rich. And I'd blend it together better, too.

Final grade: 8.3/10. These might work well for Valentine's day - the pink icing and all. Unless you plan on your Valentine's Day to look like Jenn's... damn she looks good. Good like the way porkchops look good when you've had applesauce on the brain. All. Day. Long.

Eggs Benedict - Café Upper Crust

Eggs Benedict - 2 poached eggs on an English muffin, with back bacon & Hollandaise Sauce; hashbrowns & fresh fruit garnish - $11.25 CAD

Chai Latté - $3.75 CAD

***

Yes, I met up with a few of my AIMCo ex-corkers again. This time for breakfast. Yes Felix and Kim (the woman who ate my sandwich). We just chewed the fat about their work, my new work, my CASB results, winter tires, Christmas holidays and nothing about the New Orleans Saints. That was surprising.

It seems like the Upper Crust is in an older building. In need of a bit of an update. Like new windows and/or a new furnace, because it was darn cold in here (it was a balmy -26Celsius outside...) and my nipples were harder than diamonds. It's a fairly open dining room, and a little noisy considering that the average age of the patrons had to be about 50 years old.

I've been hankering some eggs benny for some time, so my decision was made moments after I opened the menu.

The food came within a reasonable time frame. It looked delicious. But it was cool - maybe it was due to the poor climate control or the fact that our waitress was, as Felix would say "on a Sunday pace on a Saturday". Disappointing. Regardless, it was still quite tasty - the Hollandaise sauce met the Chef's approval - just enough lemon juice to please the palate.... The fruit salad/garnish was definitely not made of "premium fruit", but those melons were still refreshing. Not a lot of hashbrowns, and they were cool but they were still seasoned well enough. Felix complained about his bacon - guess he's not a fan of Canadian back bacon...

Yeah, the waitress had some very nice legs (the Chef would give those an 8.2/10) it's just too bad she/they weren't coming over to check up on us often enough. Seriously, considering how busy it was (it wasn't), I don't know why it took so long to get our drinks or to get our(my) coffees refilled.

Here's the evidence:

Yes - if you look closely enough you may notice some food in my ketchup, but that's because some must have flown out of Kim's mouth onto my plate because she eats like this guy. I'm only kidding... well, half-kidding.

Overall I'd give my Upper Crust breakfast a 7.0 out of 10.

Guru Restaurant & Bar

1 Tahiti Treat $7.00  (no, not the soda pop)
2 Cobra Beer $12.00
1 Guru Sparkler $7.00
1 Butter Chicken Samosa $11.00
1 Fish Pakora $13.00
1 Lamb Vindaloo $18.00
1 Chana Masala $14.00
1 Coconut Rice $6.00
1 Saffron Rice $7.00
1 Paneer Naan $6.00
1 Rabri Gulab Jamun $8.00
1 Gajar Halwa $8.00
1 Kulfi $8.00

***

Chef's note: all prices in CAD. while I would normally give the entire menu description of my food choices, I just felt that providing a link to the restaurant site would be more efficient. Translation: I'm too f@cking lazy to type them all up.

I had first seen this restaurant late in the summer, back when I was driving to and from my work battling communism. It had only been about three weeks since my last visit to an Indian restaurant, but with nary a dinner date with my food friends for months and their recent move to St. Albert, I thought something on the west side of town would be appropriate. So I set the reservations for Friday evening and we were off!

The decor was quite nice - dark browns and nice lighting. Very clean. We also got a table near the naan ovens - and I with a direct view of the naan chef and said ovens.

The service was quite friendly, and for the most part quick and knowledgeable - just not very quick with the description of the Guru Sparkler, which my friend's wife had ordered.

First up - our drinks and appetizers! The beer was fine, nothing to write home about, but I was quite impressed with the Fish Pakora (not fishy at all) and even more so with the Butter Chicken Samosa. Honestly, I could have eaten those samosas all night. They were packed full of buttery chicken goodness, and cooked just right. While enjoying our apps, one of the chefs came out to check on us. Impressive.

The entrées came soon thereafter. The coconut rice was surprisingly good and sweet. Honest chunks of coconut and not just shavings were contained therein. The saffron rice, however, was a little disappointing. Maybe we were all just expecting too much? It was fine, but the flavour was quite faint. Probably a good thing so it could accompany and not over power the Lamb Vindaloo and Chana Masala (vegetarian dish). The lamb was seasoned and cooked just right, and the dish was quite spicy (you may notice that I had to have 2 Cobras....). The vegetables (chickpeas, onions & tomato) was also in a gravy, and was surprisingly hot as well. A friendly disagreement broke out between my friend and his wife over which dish was hotter. Using my quick wits and diplomacy, I was able to diffuse the situation by mentioning Nigella Lawson and her boobs... Not really - we just talked about how much of a crapbucket of a show "Village on a Diet" is. Again, the same chef came out to check on our food. Most impressive.

We had more than enough food, and I was certainly glad to not over eat. Our desserts comprised of: Gajar Halwa - shredded carrot mess (my dessert), Kulfi -frozen mango stuff (Chantelle's) and Sean had the Rabri Gulab Jamun - dumplings. At least that's what our bill says. I'm not so sure that's what he got... Regardless, saying I was disappointed with my dessert would be akin to saying that the Chargers' were disappointed with this guy. Yeah... I paid the price for getting something new, for going outside the box. Poor decision. The gajar halwa wasn't nearly sweet enough for a dessert, and the texture was very couscous-like - not my favourite. I shouldn't really say it was a poor dessert, rather I should say that my palate and my expectations were clearly too refined this evening.

The evidence:

Here's the Guru Sparkler.

The main courses:

Check out the Svenson elbow! You think those strips on the Lamb Vindaloo are bamboo shoots? So was I, but it's actually ginger.


Very good meal indeed. I'd give it a solid 8.1 out of 10. No question I would go back.

Pumpkin Soup

1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 cup diced onion
1/2 cup diced celery
1/2 cup rinsed, sliced leeks with tops
1 garlic clove, minced
1 teaspoon ground ginger
4 cups chicken stock
3 cups peeled pumpkin chunks or 2 cups plain canned pumpkin purée (I used the canned pumpkin)
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons light brown sugar
1/8 teaspoon freshly grated or ground nutmeg
6 tablespoons low-fat yogurt or reduced-fat sour cream

***

Well, I just happened on this recipe yesterday. This was after I saw some canned pumpkin a few days ago and was wondering just what the heck can you make with canned pumpkin. "Pies and cheesecakes" was my mother's response...

So I decided to give this recipe a shot. It certainly looked exciting.

I haven't had it "the day after" yet, and I'll add a comment tomorrow if I've changed my judgment.

Overall, I must say that I'm a little disappointed with the soup. Oh sure, it was hot and the pumpkin adds some creamy texture to the soup, but the pumpkin taste is really a little too "docile" if I may say so. In fact, it's a little hard for me to pinpoint the major taste in the soup. I'm sure it's all healthy for you - but it's quite bland. I would think that maybe a little more ginger or some honey might sweeten it enough to make it a little more enjoyable. If there is a next time, I'll certainly keep that in mind.

The photographic evidence:

It doesn't look like much, does it? Well, it doesn't grade very well either: 5.5 out of 10. No, it's not bad, but certainly not on my list to make again anytime soon.

Chef's Update: I just ate some soup for lunch here at work, and it has improved somewhat. I'd update the score to 6.0 out of 10. It could use some more pepper or maybe some curry.

Mexican Chocolate Cake with Dried Cranberries

   Cake:
1 cup unsalted butter
1/2 cup Dutch-process unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tablespoon instant coffee
3/4 cup water
1 cup sugar
1 cup packed brown sugar
2 large eggs
1/2 cup buttermilk, sour cream or plain yogurt (The Chef used sour cream)
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1 cup dried cranberries
  Glaze:
1/2 cup whipping cream
3 oz. bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped

***

Well, does anything reduce the stress of a Thursday night like baking a cake? I'm sure something does... Regardless, I tried this recipe I had for over 3 years. Not once did I make it until now. We can thank the Edmonton Journal for this beauty - I still think they have their "Bistro" section on Wednesdays or Thursdays. It's not all bad. Oh no, it's no rag, it has some good stuff.

I'm a big fan of chocolate and cranberries. I don't know if they have chocolate-covered cranberries, but you'd think that Glossette/Hershey's would get that out soon and somehow - because it's a fantastic combination. And this cake is the perfect vessel for delivering "C&C" to your quivering palate.

It's a surprisingly easy cake to make too. Everything went swimmingly. No issues at all.

After having mixed the batter, I began pouring it into the bundt pan. It was as smooth as Barry fuckin' White. No kidding. Well, at least his voice, when he was alive. It tasted perfect - in the raw. I licked the spatula clean.

After it was cooked and cooled, and the chocolate glaze settled for a few minutes, I had a piece. This is a great cake. Not too sweet at all, chocolatey with a hint of coffee, and of course the cranberries. I think those little guys keep it pretty moist. Warm chocolate cake it pretty good, but I held my judgement in check until today, when I had a day-after piece. The glaze had hardened a bit (similar to the chocolate on chocolate-covered strawberries) but the rest of the cake was still moist and delicious.

And of course, the photographic evidence:

Before baking:

...and après baking and still-warm glazing:

Final judgment: Day-um! Downright delectable. Success! I'd give it a grade of 9.2 out of 10. Yesssss. It's that good.

Garlic Lime Chicken Breasts

1/4 cup fresh lime juice
1/4 cup olive oil
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
4 chicken breast halves (2 pounds total), rinsed and patted dry

***
I got this recipe from my Gourmet cookbook. It's a fantastic book, a Christmas gift from a couple of years ago. Lot's of good stuff (Cuban sandwich and some mouth-watering pancakes...). But this recipe just didn't cut it.

Well you marinate the chicken for at least two hours (which is what I did). But the lime and garlic flavours didn't end up penetrating the chicken all that well. That and the chicken cooked a little too unevenly - some overly cooked - dry, like that muffin at had at the Camrose Starbucks a couple of days ago. (Why do I keep going back there? I swear it was like eating a mouthful of the Sahara. Awful.) Anyway, some of the chicken was still a little pink.

Very little taste to the chicken, and I would highly recommend that you let it marinade for more than 2 hours, just for the hope the flavours develop a little more.

As always, here is the photographic evidence:

As for the grade: a 5.5 out of 10. Yeah, that's pretty bad for Chef Jeremiah. But I calls it like I tastes it - cuz Food Don't Lie...

Dubliner Cheddar Bacon Burger with Hungarian Potato Salad - Ceili's

Ceili's signature beef burger, maple peppered bacon, melted Dubliner cheddar, served on a Kaiser bun with lettuce, tomato, onion, mustard and barbeque bourbon aioli. Side - Hungarian Potato Salad - $15.75

Actually, that's a lie. That's from the Calgary menu, and I can't quite read the Edmonton location menu at this time. Suffice to say the burger is quite similar but the fixin's are a bit different.

***

So I went to Ceili's for lunch over the holidays for a bite to eat. Ja, ja, your regular Irish pub fare, albeit a bit pricey.

I just don't think any restaurant burger compares to a homemade burger - save those from DeLux. And that's a maybe. The net result wasn't bad - it was quick, cooked well and the cheese was very much melted. It wasn't on a Kaiser bun, but a brioche bun (very soft - with a bit of a sheen to it) that was well suited to the task of transferring it's tasty goodness to my mouth. The sauces and condiments were all quite good and appropriate.

The Hungarian Potato Salad on the other hand, was quite disappointing. All my little Sous Chefs will know that I like a good potato Salad (Russian or German), and now we have the Hungarian.

Needless to say, my expectations were high - (is that Hungarian Paprika on top???). And this potato salad failed. Not spectacularly mind you, but still failed. It was like the New Jersey Devils of the potato salad world - playing not to lose, not playing to win. Oh the potatoes were soft, and it was a creamy dish, but it just didn't have the chutzpah to make my über-palate take notice. No interesting flavours to enjoy or think about. Correction - no flavour at all... And nothing to remember it by other than the partially filled void in my stomach. I think my Warm German Potato Salad was much better. Which, as I've just noticed, I have not yet written about...

Here is the evidence:

Bah! Well the burger was good, I'd give it a 7.0 out of 10 - a pretty good score for a restaurant burger (although still over-priced). The potato salad a 5.0 out of 10. The"104th Avenue Boring Potato Salad" would have been a more apt name.