Manu's spicy olive tortilla wraps

A great place for picking up new recipes after confirming their tastiness are work functions. Especially if your work is fond of the potluck party.

Manu, an colleague from an old job has given me tasty recipes in the past: Manny's heavenly hash, chicken soup. Another party pleaser that he often makes are his spicy olive tortilla wraps. I can never have just one. So when my new workplace had a potluck party, I e-mailed him for the recipe. And here it is:

	green onion, finely chop
1 can	black olives
6 cloves	garlic
1/4 bunch	cilantro
2 containers	Herb and dill cream cheese
1 tbsn	paprika
1/2 tbsn	pepper
2 pinch	salt
	burrito shells

Instructions

1.  Chop up very finely a bunch of green onion, can of sliced black olives, 6 cloves of garlic, ¼ bunch of cilantro and throw in a bowl
2. Add 2 containers of herb and dill cream cheese (Don’t use low fat, the real stuff) add to bowl
3. Add a table spoon of Papirika, ½ table spoon of pepper and a couple pinches of salt (Manu's notes: I like it spicy so I add a generous amount of chilli flakes or cayane pepper)
4. Mix it all up real well and taste – if you want add more of something now is the time to do it
5. On a regular size burrito shell (doesn’t matter flavor, white or brown) spread a layer all over
6. Roll it up, cut the ends off (either throw them away or eat yourselves), and with whats left cut in about1.5 inch pieces

The Finished product - sorry it's so blurry!

Ariana helped me make these - and if a 2-year old toddler can make them, anyone can. She even declared them to be "good" and couldn't stop pinching them. They were quite garlicky and slightly spicy so I'm surprised she didn't spit it out. But then again, she is part Romanian and it was inevitable that she like garlic!

Notes: 
1. I mixed all the first ingredients up in my food processor to "finely chop" everything. It didn't detract from the taste, but I think the next time I do this, I'll manually cut up the olives to improve the texture of the rolls. I think it need some chunkiness to it. 
2. I didn't buy two separate tubs of herb, and dill cream cheese (since the combination didn't exist and I wasn't entirely sure if that was a typo on Manu's part or not) but one large tub of herb and garlic.

A great vegetarian finger food for future parties. Thanks Manu!  

Salmon with Sesame Ginger Citrus Glaze

I had Sandy and her family over back in August for dinner and found this recipe for salmon:
http://cary.wholefoodsmarketcooking.com/recipes/11780_salmon_with_sesame_ginger_citrus_glaze

Serves 4

• 2 Garlic cloves, minced
• 4 teaspoons grated ginger
• 1 tablespoon Brown sugar
• 1/4 cup Orange juice
• 3 tablespoons Soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon Sesame oil
• 1 dash toasted sesame seeds
• 1/4 teaspoon Red pepper flakes
• 2 Scallions, optional
• 1 20-oz salmon fillet (cut into 4 5-oz pieces, season with salt/pepper)

In a small bowl, mince garlic and grate ginger. In a large zip tab plastic bag, combine next ingredients brown sugar, orange juice, soy sauce, sesame oil, sesame seeds, and red pepper flakes. Then, add seasoned salmon, garlic, and ginger to zip tab plastic bag; seal. Marinate in refrigerator for 2-3 hours. Coat broiler pan with cooking spray. Place salmon on broiler rack and brush glaze on top. Broil for 8 to 10 minutes or until lightly browned. Thinly slice scallions and sprinkle the scallion slices over the cooked salmon as a garnish.

I bought wild salmon from Costco and I was so impressed with how this came out. It was moist and flavourful and super delicious. I'm having another friend over this Monday and I can't wait to make it again. Photos to come!

Lemony Lemon Brownies

Damn you, Pinterest. It's visual crack and I can't stop pinning!

A friend Victoria recently pinned a recipe for "lemony lemon brownies". Sounds gross, right? Brownies to me mean chocolate. Don't worry - this recipe doesn't have any of that. It's more a lemon-bar, really. Anyway, wanted to bake something to take to a Christmas party and this recipe seemed super simple.

The original recipe site:
https://sites.google.com/site/beckycharms/cakies/lemony-lemon-brownies

The "Brownie" Batter

3/4 cup all-purpose flour {King Arthur All-Purpose Flour}

3/4 cup granulated sugar

1/4 teaspoon salt {Sea Salt}

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened

2 large eggs

2 tablespoons lemon zest

2 tablespoons lemon juice

Tart Lemon Glaze

1 rounded cup powdered sugar

4 tablespoon lemon juice

8 teaspoons lemon zest

Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease/Spray an 8-by-8-inch baking dish with butter/cooking spray and set aside. 

Zest and juice two small/large lemons; set aside. {whatever you have}

In the bowl of an electric mixture fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the flour, sugar, salt, and softened butter until combined. 

In a separate bowl, whisk together the eggs, lemon zest, and lemon juice until combined. Pour into the flour mixture and beat at medium speed until smooth and creamy, about 2 minutes. 

Pour into baking dish and bake for 23-25 minutes, or until just starting to turn golden around the edges and a toothpick inserted into the center of the brownies comes out clean. Allow to cool completely before glazing.  Do not overbake, or the bars will be dry. {even with the yummy glaze}

When brownies are cooled completely, make the glaze...sift the powdered sugar, add lemon zest and juice, and whisk together all three ingredients. Spread 1/2 the glaze over the brownies with a rubber spatula.  Let glaze set.  Spread the remaining glaze over the bars, and let it set.  This glaze does not harden like most.  Cut into bars, and serve!

The batter looked heavenly after it was mixed. I wanted to eat the whole thing! It was like whipped lemon heaven. 

 

Unfortunately, I don't own an 8x8 pan only a 9x9 one and so the end result was kind of thin (like a little over a cm) after about 18 minutes. It didn't rise any. I used a silicone pan which made the brownie/cake tear when I popped it out. The glaze was runny (as warned) and it took about 4 small lemons to make it. Anyway, I used one of those flat scrapers to try and cut it and what a mess that made. I switched to a pizza cutter about 3/4's of the way through and that was a much, much better idea. Less mess and clean cuts!

 

The husband said it was tasty and my 2 year old toddler kept sneaking in and taking them. The people are the party I went to gave it high reviews too. Next time I make it I'd like to try and find a smaller pan.

Update March 3 2013: I've made this three more times since my initial attempt. I use my rectangular baking pan lined with parchment paper which works a lot better. Especially since I can just lift the parchment and put into a re-purposed chocolate tin. 

The first time I took it to a friend's house for her Oscars party. Either the lemons weren't super fresh or I stored them too close to a squash or used a knife that I had used to make squash soup (which I admit I made that same day), because it had a squashy flavour about it. Or maybe it was just the piece I got? One guy couldn't stop eating them. Nica said the last time I made them the bars were better.

The second time I took them into work. Weren't bad. I think I still overcooked them by a minute but the frosting really saved it. I selectively gave them out so had leftovers and when Nica and I ate them a couple of drunken nights later they were AWESOME. 

The third time I made them I used Trader Joe's gluten-free flour which you can use "cup for cup like real flour".  I wasn't sure of the chemistry of everything because after beating the butter, flour, sugar and salt, the resulting mixture was more solid and moist than crumbly like it normally is with regular flour. And after adding the lemon and egg mixture, it wasn't fluffy and creamy and almost looked like the lemon curdled. But I baked it anyway and it turned out super moist!  Thumbs up gluten-free recipe and in fact, I think I almost prefer it to the regular flour kind. Upping the rating from 8.5 to 9 out of 10. 

So my tips with this recipe?
* Use parchment paper to line whatever you're baking it in. Easier to transfer out of the pan (and clean), easier to hold in the glaze and easier to cut.
* Use a pizza cutter to slice the cake.
*  I used a KitchenAid mixer to mix everything. Probably not a tip since I'm sure you can still use an electric beater. I just wanted to point out that you don't HAVE to.
* You will need 6 (small) lemons to make this recipe and you will have leftover juice that you can freeze in ice cube trays for future use. 2 lemons for the cake, 4 lemons for the icing.

This is a super simple recipe that I can even get my toddler involved in. The hardest part is getting the rind off the lemons.

Apothic Red

This is a food and WINE blog... so where's the wine, you ask? Good point. I haven't reviewed wines for so long which doesn't by any means mean that I haven't been drinking it... just bad at reviewing and posting!

I have to credit Andrea for introducing me to this next wine - Apothic Red. It retails for about $20 in BC Liquor stores and half the price down in the States. Yes, I know. We get ripped off.

Here's a link to their website: http://www.apothic.com/wine.html

Essentially, in lamen's terms, Apothic is a shit mix of varieties. But a GOOD shitmix. It has Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot blended together for this smooth, chocolately velvet taste. Fantastic smooth finish. None of that gross dryness or tannins on your tongue afterwards. You should probably let it breathe a few minutes before drinking but I had bought one of those Vinturi wine decanters and none of us could taste the difference. Maybe I wasn't drunk enough but this wine sure had me reaching for my glass a lot!

Anyway, all in all a great wine. Sophisticated label, worth the price range (even at $20) and a bargain if half the price.

Pineapple Carrot cupcakes

Attempt #2. I'm still on the hunt for that delicious recipe that my high school home ec. teacher gave out. Here's a recipe I tried tonight for pineapple carrot cupcakes. Figure cupcakes are so much cuter to eat!

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/carrot-cupcakes-with-white-chocolate-cream-cheese-icing/detail.aspx

pre-icing. Serious quality control issues!

For some reason, some cupcakes totally rose and some didn't. I skipped the walnuts and white chocolate icing since my sister is allergic to nuts and I didn't have any white chocolate on hand.

• 2 eggs, lightly beaten
• 1 1/8 cups white sugar
• 1/3 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 cups shredded carrots
• 1/2 cup crushed pineapple
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/4 teaspoons baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease 12 muffin cups.

Beat together the eggs, white sugar, and brown sugar in a bowl, and mix in the oil and vanilla. Fold in carrots and pineapple. In a separate bowl, mix the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger. Mix flour mixture into the carrot mixture until evenly moist. Transfer to the prepared muffin cups. 

Bake 25 minutes in the preheated oven, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean. Cool completely on wire racks before topping with the icing. 

I used this recipe for the cream cheese icing. Holy moly, did it ever use a lot of cream cheese. (Handy tip: go to the States to buy the cream cheese. Sooooo much cheaper! It was $6.45 for a 3 lb or 48oz brick. Yeah. I know. You can pick your jaw up off the floor now.)

• 2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 2 cups sifted confectioners' sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

In a medium bowl, cream together the cream cheese and butter until creamy. Mix in the vanilla, then gradually stir in the confectioners' sugar. Store in the refrigerator after use. 

final product

I think the cupcakes are ok. Nica keeps sneaking into the kitchen to eat them so he must think they're pretty good. Wait... he just told me he gives them a 9 out of 10. Personally, I think I'm closer to 7.5 or 8. We'll see what the family says at Thanksgiving tomorrow!

Pavlova WINNING

After telling my tale of pavlova woe to my friend Victoria, she sent me her pavlova recipe:

3 egg whites

.75 cups white sugar (regular will do, or you can take the coffee grinder to it for superfine sugar)

pinch of salt

whipped cream and fruit for topping

hand beater is a must

line a cookie sheet with parchment paper

whisk the egg whites with a pinch of salt in a large bowl until they for white, soft peaks -- can stand up on their own but are still kinda foamy

whisk in the sugar, a little at a time, whisking until the sugar is completely absorbed/incorporated into the egg 

it needs to be white and glossy and be able to stand up in a peak on its own

spoon it onto the baking sheet. i like to make a blob and then smooth it into a circle or whatever, and peak it up at the edges.

preheat the oven at 275 F or 140 C, cook for 1.25 hours.

turn off the oven but leave it in there.

for at least another hour. really, until its cold.

i've left it over night. if you aren't eating it that evening make sure you store it in an airtight container. 

and don't prep it until you are ready to serve it, or it will go soggy.

My modifications:

I know Victoria said it was a must, but I couldn't find my mom's hand beater so I used a Kitchenaid mixer. And I made little pavlovas instead a singular large one because I had pavlova meringue on my mind (I was trying to imitate what I had at Bistro 101 the day before). Finally, I had to turn off the oven at about 45 minutes because it was browning and they were super dry already. Which makes sense since there were many little pavlovas instead of one large one. 

Although I wish I had turned off the oven a little bit sooner, the mini pavlovas were delicious. They melted in my mouth and tasted a little like the outside of a toasted marshmallow. They were the perfect accompaniment to my mango chantilly cream (whipped cream beaten with pureed mango added at the end) with fresh raspberries and mango coulis. It was a nice light dessert and got thumbs up all around.

I'd like to try this again, adding some strawberry flavour to the meringue. I'd also like to make all the pavlovas the same size to try and make little mini cookies (like macarons but without the ground almond). I'm also going to make white chocolate buttercream. Stay tuned!

June 13, 2011 update:
I did indeed make the meringues again with freeze dried strawberries from Trader Joe's. I had to grind them up in my mini food processor which worked ok... it created a cloud of strawberry smoke which I'm sure was bad to inhale. It didn't do a consistent job either. Maybe next time I'll use a coffee grinder. Anyway, the freeze dried strawberries totally tasted like the strawberries you get in the Special K Berry cereal.

My mom loved the mini strawberry meringues. I couldn't quite make them look like macarons because when you pipe them, they always get a peak and they only harden and don't melt in the oven. So instead of meringue sandwiches, I served them singly with a dollop of white chocolate vanilla cream. I sort of followed this recipe from the bravetart website for it:

To make white chocolate ganache for the filling, bring 6 ounces heavy cream to a simmer with a split vanilla bean. Shut off the heat and steep for 10 minutes or up to an hour. Remove the vanilla bean, scraping out the cream from inside each half-pod, and return the cream to a boil. Shut off the heat and whisk in 10 ounces good quality white chocolate, chopped and 1/2 tsp salt. Depending on the sweetness of your white chocolate, you may find you need more salt. Cool the mixture to room temperature, and then whip on medium speed with a whisk attachment for about 5 minutes to lighten it a bit. 

Meatball Bonanza!

When Sacha and Kat had their baby Lukas, two years ago, I had the privilege of going to the baby shower at Diana's house. She had these AMAZING meatballs that I just couldn't get enough of. Here's her recipe share:

1 cube vegetable bouillon
1 cup boiling water
1 1/2 cups ketchup
2 tbsp worcestershire
1 tsp dried mustard
1 tsp dried onion flakes
1 1/2 tsp salt
2 tbsp brown sugar
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
2 tbsp brown sugar
1/2 tbsp vegetable oil
1/2 squeezed lemon
1/2 cup honey
4 cloves garlic
1 bag of italian meatballs from M&M meatshop

Mix the bouillon and water together. Then mix all ingredients and boil, then simmer for 10 minutes.

She served it in a slowcooker, which always makes me think that you have to slow cook this recipe, when in fact it's actually super simple and super fast. I have made it twice now (both times, served in a slow cooker for ease of transport) and have always received compliments! Thanks Di.

Broccoli Salad Recipe

For the Love of Bacon! My sister gave me this recipe today after dining at her house and enjoying her broccoli salad. It has bacon so of course it's yummy-licious. She says she's had lots of requests for the recipe and I can taste why!

Fresh Broccoli Salad
Ingredients

* 2 heads fresh broccoli
* 1 red onion
* 1/2 pound bacon
* 3/4 cup raisins
* 3/4 cup sliced almonds/cashews
* 1 cup mayonnaise
* 1/2 cup white sugar
* 2 tablespoons white wine vinegar

Directions

1. Place bacon in a deep skillet and cook over medium high heat until evenly brown. Cool and crumble.
2. Cut the broccoli into bite-size pieces and cut the onion into thin bite-size slices. Combine and mix with the bacon, raisins, almonds and cashews.
3. To prepare the dressing, mix the mayonnaise, sugar and vinegar together until smooth. Stir into the salad, let chill and serve.

Can't wait to try this out myself and will have 'Beano' on hand due to the raw broccoli. ha ha!

Update June 4, 2010:
Well, I tried making this and I followed it exactly as the recipe stated except I only used slivered almonds. The result? WAYYYY too sweet! I would totally cut back on the sugar next time. changing the rating from 9 out of 10 to 7 out of 10. Although when Jen makes it, it's definitely a 9.

Cooking website

After months and months of wanting a pasta maker, I finally bought one last week. I'll put a separate review of my experience with that.
In preparation for my first pasta-making experience the geek in me decided I would try and learn how to do it online first. I ended up stumbling upon this website:
http://rouxbe.com/?l=t

TOTALLY awesome instructional videos with lots of different 'how-to's'. I only browsed through it as a guest but they have everything!!! What's great is that they actually show you both what you should look for and what you shouldn't. Most places only show you what you should see, so you never know if you've done something wrong.

Maybe one day I'll buy the full subscription but for now I'm satisfied with all the free videos that they offer.

Easy Peasy Cheesecakes

Easy Peasy Cheesecakes

A good friend of mine, Julie, was recently married. In celebration of this marriage, her aunts threw her this insane bridal shower/stagette complete with feather boas, tiaras, champagne and of course: good food.

Now I just recently admitted to myself that I was lactose intolerant (after the last reaction caused me to almost crap my pants). So I've really tried to watch what I eat. However, that night one of her aunts made these super cute cheesecakes. They were individual sized in little cupcake holders and after popping a couple of lactaid, I have to admit: it was worth it! They were light, fluffy and perfectly portioned.

Here's the easy peasy recipe:
1 package Mr. Christy's Nilla wafers
2 packages Cream Cheese
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 eggs
3/4 cup sugar

Mix all ingredients with a beater and then bake in a 350 degree oven for 15 minutes. Top with whatever topping you want (e.g. blackberries with blueberry coulis, etc).

I tried this recipe at a work party last week and they were a total hit. I did modify the recipe a little bit by using 3 eggs (to try and achieve super fluffiness) and I measured out 1 cup of sugar instead. I wasn't able to eat them that night but feedback was very positive.

Notes about making this though (thanks to my colleagues for helping me out with this): While mixing the ingredients in the Kitchenaid mixer, there were lumps of cream cheese. Try to beat it as much as possible to get rid of the lumps. A few leftover lumps are ok since they'll melt when you bake them. Also, after mixing the resulting mixture will be very liquidy, but it solidifes after the baking process.

Winzertanz: Gustav Adolf Schmitt

Nica found this German white for me one day in the liquor store. I always lingered around the German whites because honestly, I think they make the best whites in the world. Cheap, cheerful and just the right amount of sweetness. This wine is also sold in the 2 litre format which is even better for under $15!!! (obviously you can see why I like this wine so much). The only place I've found it in the 2 litre format though, it the BC liquor store on 41st and Cambie. I pick up a couple bottles everytime I go visit my parents.

Anyway, solid 9 out of 10 from me on this one. Easy to drink is an understatement. I can finish off a whole 2 litre bottle in one night and I can't even drink that much water in one sitting. Sometimes if you're drunk enough, it only tastes like apple juice. Clean start, clean finish, sweeter wine and great chilled. The price is worth it as an everyday wine.

Manny's Heavenly Hash

Manu, a colleague at work, is always bringing in delicious lunches. They're usually leftovers from his dinner the night before and amazingly (yes, I'm being sexist here), he makes them even though he's married. Yes, the husband cooks! In fact, he's usually the one to make dinners.

Here's a recipe he gave me for hashbrowns. His said his aunt gave him the recipe and whenever he takes it to potlucks, it's always the first to go:

1 kg bag of hashbrowns
2 cans of cream of mushroom soup
1/2 cup butter
2 cups cheddar cheese
1/2 grated onion
salt and pepper to taste
dash of hot sauce (optional)

Mix it all up in a casserole dish, cook for an hour and a half at 350 degrees. I think it's a heart attack waiting to happen but it's darn good.


Update December 22, 2012:
Woke up this morning and had a craving for something with potatoes and sour cream for breakfast. I thought of this recipe had sour cream in it too! Apparently not. So I bastardized the recipe. Instead of a bag of hashbrowns, I actually used real potatoes (whoaaaa, crazy eh?) and used my new food processor to grate them. BTW, I LOVE my food processor. How did I live without one? I only added one can of cream of mushroom soup, used a whole onion (because mmmm onions!) and tossed in about 1/2 cup of sour cream that was leftover from dinner. I also tossed in some garlic and herb seasoning because I love it and I was too lazy to peel and mince real garlic. No hot sauce since I wanted it to be toddler-friendly. Waiting for it to come out of the oven now...

Baby Back Ribs

Next recipe to try (Thanks to Jen for giving me this!):

Here's the recipe:
3-3.5 Lbs pork country style ribs
1 cup ketchup
1/2 cup finely chopped onion
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1/2 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp liquid smoke (I didn't have this)
1/4 tsp garlic powder (I used fresh)
1/4 tsp bottled hot pepper sauce

1. Place ribs in a 3.5 - 4 qt slow cooker. In a small bowl, combine
ketchup, onion, brown sugar, Worcestershire sauce, chili powder,
liquid smoke, garlic powder, and hot pepper sauce. Pour over ribs in
cooker, turning ribs to coat.
2. Cover and cook on low-heat setting for 10 to 12 hours (I did this
for 9 hours) or on high-heat for 5-6 hours
3. Transfer ribs to a platter; cover to keep warm. Skim fat from
surface of sauce; pour sauce into a medium saucepan. Bring sauce to
boiling; recue heat slightly. Boil gently, uncovered, for 5 to 7
minutes or until thickened to desired consistency (should make about 1
cup). Pass sauce with ribs.

Update: Have made this in my slow cooker. Thumbs up! the liquid smoke is a definite must. I bought some at the Gourmet Warehouse for $6 and then bought two more bottles from this place called "Deals only" in Bellingham, Washington for 99cents each. I took some leftovers into work once and everyone was salivating over the smell. 9 out of 10.

BBQ garlic mayo

I remember the first time I ever had flavoured mayo. I was at this cafe downtown with Mela and we had ordered yam fries and the side dressing was this BBQ mayo. When I asked the waitress what was in it, she was a bit elusive. She never said "mayo" but told us eggs. I thought that was weird.

This is my take on their sauce:
* 1/2 cup mayonnaise
* 1/4 cup BBQ sauce
* few cloves of garlic (I use anywhere between 3-4 because I'm a garlic freak)
* seasoning blend



Toss it all into a blender. I use the "party mixer" I bought last year. I think I'll write a whole post on its own for that one because it really sucks and I wouldn't recommend it to anyone.



I digress. The BBQ garlic mayo is simple, easy and we love using it on everything. Pizza's, pasta, fish, meat, fries... the list goes on!

Rating: 9 out of 10
Wouldn't change a thing.

Garlic dill dip

So, again I rave about the Cactus Club food. This time, it's about the sauce they serve with their yam fries. If you've never had this sauce, you have to have it at least once. It is soooo good.

We asked the waitress what they put in it and here's what we were able to gather: mayonnaise, garlic, fresh dill and lemon juice. That's it. I don't know what proportions of each but mmmm mmmm mmm! So yummy with the hot crispy yam fries.

Rating out of 10: 9
Try it again? ohhhh yeah.

Update Jan 26, 2008:
I tried making this at home. Didn't realize before I started that I didn't have enough mayonnaise. So 6 cloves of garlic later, have a super garlicky dressing/dip. Tastes awful. Will leave for husband to eat.

The Brazilian

Sometimes it seems like drinks never change. You have the mojito, the Cosmopolitan, the rum and coke, etc. It's rare that I find something I like because I really hate those drinks that scream "I'M BOOZY!" Plus due to liver memory, my body isn't letting vodka near it without reminding me of the times I prayed to the porcelain god, which really sucks because most of the tastiest martinis and cocktails are made with it.
Anyway, I'm always open to new things so when I tried the Cactus Club's Brazilian the other night, I was floored.

They've muddled fresh pieces of kiwi, lime and sugar cane with rum and soda and I could drink them forever. They are so good! I want to try and make it myself at home but where on earth do you buy sugar cane?! Maybe I'll have to take a trip to Chinatown.

More to come...
Rating: 9 out of 10! Yes, it was that amazing.
Try it again? Yup.

Update: Found some sugar cane drink at T&T and attempted to make this 3 times. Was an absolute disaster on all fronts. i think I'll leave this drink to the pro's at Cactus Club.

Aveda Comforting Tea

I visited the Aveda Academy salon last week to have my hair coloured and while waiting, they offered me tea. I've been on a green tea binge lately and was slightly disappointed to learn that it was a herbal tea. HOWEVER, my disappointment would soon change...
The tea is called "Aveda Comforting Tea" and it was so good. Although they told me no sweeteners had been added, it was naturally sweetened with licorice (which you couldn't taste by the way and I detest black licorice) with a refreshing end to the sip with mint.

This tea scores a 9 out of 10 for me.
Try it again? For sure. In fact, I'm going to try and buy it!

Red Sangria

We use to frequent this restaurant called "La Bodega" a lot. It's a Spanish tapas restaurant downtown and it has the best sangria ever (not to mention food). We could order pitcher after pitcher and our conversations would only get louder and louder. Pat and Ali were able to convince the waitress to give them the recipe.

Years ago, I had copied this recipe from Ali on 3 separate occasions. Each time (perhaps due to drunkenness from the Sangria) I lost it. Embarrassed, I never asked Ali again and thankfully, one day while sober I stumbled upon one of the copies. I quickly filed it away and reminded myself to make it for the next girls night.

On the day of my party, I tucked it away in my pocket to go shopping for the ingredients but took it out while chatting with Andrea on the phone at work and forgot it on my desk. So when the party started, I had to use my aging memory to try and remember what was on it.

I put Tricia to work on this. Here is what I told her:
1/2 bottle of the 1.5 Litre cheap red Californian wine
2 shots triple sec
2 shots st. remy's brandy
2 shots orange juice
2 shots lemonade
6 shots 7-up

We used an orange and an apple as our fruits. We put it all in the pitcher which I think was a mistake because it ended up being really hard to pour. 1/4 of each would have been fine. The apples were sliced super thin too which was also a mistake because once they were saturated, they just kind of crumbled apart. And once I found my recipe at work, I realised we also forgot the lemons.

All mistakes aside, everyone enjoyed it. I made the third batch to which I added a shot of peach liquor and Mela really liked that version but Nica hated it. Ivan G uses that in his sangria and personally, I think it adds just a little more sweetness.

Make it again? For sure!
Things to change: Use less fruit in the pitcher and remember the lemons, slice apples thicker, chill the red wine before it's served (or add ice cubes to the mixture)
Rating: 9 out of 10.