From the Archives

Here is a log of some new food experiences I found lost in draft status. Enjoy taking a trip back five years.

11/21/09 Chocolate Covered PEI Potato Chip - It was a ripple chip covered in chocolate and it tasted exactly like that. The oiliness of the chocolate-chip combination robbed it from the crunchiness I was  expecting. If it had retained its crunch it would have been very good.

11/21/09 Blackberry - It was pretty big. The berry bits were a lot larger than I was expecting and the mini berry seed crunch wasn't very mini, but still enjoyable.

11/16/09 Bruschetta - Kristin really likes bruschetta and when we went out to eat after our English movie on her birthday we got a sampling of apps. I tried the bruschetta. I like everything that goes along with it, like the fancy toast and the cheese, but the bruschetta itself I'm just not a fan. Kristin took heaping forkfuls to top her toast. I took small fork tips.
VERDICT: Owen List

11/15/09 Feta - Like the hard-boiled egg, feta was a topping at the Bergers. It was a salad topping (along with corn if you can believe it) and again it tasted a lot like cheese. I can confidently say my fear of feta has been vanquished.

11/08/09 Chestnut Cream - This was one topping for the crepe party at the Bergers. It is made with chestnut paste and real whipped creamed stirred together. It is sweet and very nutty. Okay, but couldn't compete with the nutella and dark chocolate spread.

11/03/09 Cranberry - This was the next day. Nicole bought all the fruits I tried this day just so I could try them. I liked cranberries the most of the bunch. They were fresh and therefore very tart. I love tartness!

11/02/09 Plum - Tried it during the same tasting session as the kiwi. Though I ate the skin I still don't think I'd like it skinless. Just not a taste that agrees with me.
VERDICT: Owen List

11/02/09 Kiwi - Tried it on the day my teachers found out I was a relatively inexperienced fruit eater. A kiwi tastes kind of like the child of a generic citrus fruit and a grape. Way better than a plum.

09/29/09 Chinese Fondue - When we went out for our anniversary to La Maison de la Fondue. We had an entirely fondue meal. I'd never had fondue with oil before, nor with chinese broth. It was excellent!

Bits & Bites 2

OH CANADA EDITION

This week has been pretty monumental.

- On Canada Day itself I tried rhubarb pie. There are many reasons I've never tried rhubarb pie, but they boil down to two main hangups: my pie aversion and rhubarb is just plain scary. It looks like celery, but is treated like a fruit.(Isn't part of the plant poisonous?) However, I was at a friend's house celebrating and his mom had just made it. It was still warm. This is apparently a good thing for pies, rhubarb especially. I couldn't refuse. The first bite through me for a loop: sweet, yet quite tart. I kept eating and it started to grow on me. I'm a sucker for sour it seems. Halfway through my slice someone tried to make sure finishing was a challenge by asking if tapioca was in the pie, like usual. My brain heard the comment, but by sheer force of will my taste buds never received the message.
VERDICT: Polite. If offered, I'd gladly eat rhubarb pie again. Who knows, maybe after a few times I'll even upgrade it to Order status.

- Today we had garden salad with supper. I decided I'd just eat the cucumbers and peppers, if I got any. Normally, the "if I got any" would mean I'd be using the hyper-picky tongs when filling my plate; however, I only used the slightly picky tongs and crunched down on some non-leafy vegetables with supper.

- When cutting up vegetables for make-your-own pizzas tonight, I had an unnatural urge to pop a fresh mushroom in my mouth. I resisted. (Hopefully Kristin eats them all before she reads this.)

Sushi Lesson

Always ask what's in a roll before you order it, especially if you're late into an all you can eat session. Ordered the DF roll from Sushi Hut. Was stuffed to the eyeballs when it came. Kudos to KBL for knowing it'd be deep fried, but neither of us predicted there would be four kinds--FOUR KINDS--of fish inside!
On the plus side, I was too full to eat all of it. On the double plus side, it wasn't real bad.
VERDICT: Polite. The sort of polite where if you accidentally order it at an all you can eat restaurant you eat it because you have to.

Green Smoothie

I tried the smoothie Kristin made tonight. It was a melon & spinach smoothie and it probably had some yoghurt in it. I can't sugar coat it, especially since the smoothie wasn't sugar coated, it was terrible!
VERDICT: Gross. I think Kristin would even agree with me on this one.

Bits & Bites 1

This term the room I share during my prep has changed and I've enjoyed getting to know another one of the English teachers at the school. Unfortunately, for my picky self that is, he is both a gourmet and a gourmand. He puts me to shame. While in Japan, he even taught himself to eat natto! So, I've been braver than usual lately.

• Last week I ate a cookie with raisins in it. I didn't squirm. I didn't flinch. I didn't even squinch! In fact, I barely noticed them. How many cookies have I turned down needlessly? No more!

• I declined guacamole on a hamburger when out for lunch and found I couldn't justify why I didn't like it. So, a few weeks later I picked up some sushi for supper. I had a vegetarian roll that just so happened to have some avocado in it. I was brave. I removed it from the roll and ate it on its own. It tasted like nothing I've ever, well, actually it tasted like nothing. It was soft, mushy nothingness squishing terribly in my mouth. I remember why I don't like avocados.

Tomorrow, we're going out for lunch again. Wish me luck.

Double Processed Grilled Cheese (with Bacon)

Yesterday I went out for lunch and ordered a grilled cheese sandwich with bacon. Five minutes later, much to my chagrin, I realized I had not inquired as to the type of cheese the restaurant used in their grilled cheese sandwiches. When it arrived I was not surprised to find melted processed cheese-food oozing out of the sandwich. I was surprised, though, to find there were two types of cheese-food used in the sandwich: the regular light, school-bus orange-yellow plus white! It didn't make for much of an improvement, but I swallowed my dismay and persisted in swallowing the sandwich.
VERDICT: Polite. Bacon makes everything better and liberal amounts of ketchup doesn't hurt either.

Spicy Chicken Nachos

We've been using the barbeque quite frequently this summer and recently came up with a killer meal: Spicy Chicken Nachos!

I took a few chicken breasts and put 'em on the grill. While one side was cooking I covered the other in Frank's Xtra Hot. When I flipped each one I doused the newly exposed side with hot sauce. I did this about five or six times, building up a wonderfully spicy, crunchy coating on the chicken.

Once the breasts were cooked, I took them inside and cubed them. We then topped chips with the chicken, red pepper and a whole lot of cheese and stuck it into the oven until the cheese was good and melted.

VERDICT: Favourite!

Desperation

This Friday I was busy making preparations for a weekend away and forgot to have lunch, after only having a few cookies for breakfast. The hunger hit me early into an hour long drive. I tried to endure the gnawing, twisting stomach, but knew it was going to be a long drive. This desperation lead me to do the unthinkable. Kristin brought a banana with her for a snack, and ..., and ..., well, I asked her for a bite!
 I took a big bite because I knew that I wouldn't be able to force myself to take another. It was excruciatingly gross. Soft and mushy and gloppy. Chewing it is impossible, it just goops it to new areas of my mouth. I had to focus and slow my breathing so I wouldn't be sick. Eventually I was able to swallow. I lived and didn't need any more food during the drive. Whether it was because the banana was filling, or the overwhelming grossness killed my appetite I'll never know.
VERDICT: GROSS!

Spinach Dip

I've always known that I didn't like spinach dip. It's hard to convince people of this though, so this last weekend I tried Tostitos Spinach Dip. I even used a Tostitos tortilla chip when I tried it, since I figured they would be designed to work best together. I still didn't like it. It isn't gross, but it is nowhere near good.
VERDICT: Owen List - It's not that it's disgusting, but I just can't like it!
photo from: http://www.islandprovisioning.bz/tostitos-creamy-spinach-dip-15oz

Guest Post: I Heart (Ham)burgers

This summer, my husband and I went on trip to Minneapolis, MN. While we were there, we hit up a quaint little Cuban place called Victor's 1959 Café. We went there because we had seen it featured on an episode of the Food Network's Diners, Drive-ins and Dives. We were seated outside and given menus. After humming and hawing over what to get, I finally decided on the Black Bean Burger.

According to the menu, the Black Bean Burger is "a veggie burger with a Cuban twist!" On it were black beans, sliced tomato, cheddar cheese, sour cream and spring mix. I opted to add sliced avocado to the burger as well. It was served up on toasted Cuban-style bread with yuca frita on the side.

All I can say is that this burger changed my life. It was no average veggie burger - it was slightly crispy, and flavorful with a delightful texture. The avocado and sour cream were a divine combination to the crispy patty, and the bun...THE BUN! It was lightly toasted on the bottom and insanely soft and no other word but HEAVENLY on the inside.

As you can see, it was also HUGE. Which I didn't mind, as this delicious burger served as both lunch and supper that day (and tasted mighty fine cold to boot!).  And in case you were wondering, the yuca frita (root fries) were also sooo good. Like a potato with a slight hint of sweet potato, and maybe turnip? Hard to explain, but delicious.

In summary, this was probably the best burger I have ever eaten in my entire life. Looking at this is making me drool - can I eat this every day, please??

VERDICT: Favourite! Maybe even Last Meal worthy!

Breakfast Sandwich Win

Sausage patty, fried egg, ketchup, crispy bacon on a fresh biscuit and stacked nearly as tall as a coffee mug.

Gotta love Christmas Brunch!

Chef Boyardee Ravioli

Chef Boyardee is a staple of some people's childhoods. It wasn't for me. I don't recall ever eating it. Kristin was shocked and appalled when she heard this. Chef Boyardee was her version of my Alphaghetti. So, one day we were grocery shopping, as we semi-regulary do. We had to get a can of CB Ravioli, because I hadn't truly lived (or something like that). A little while later I tried it. I probably should have had it as a child. I think the foods we grow up on are imprinted on our brain and no matter what they actually taste like our brain gives a positive response to them. I did not get a positive response from CB Ravioli. It was fine for canned pasta, I guess, but it weren't no Alphaghetti, if you ask me. Then again, maybe Alphaghetti would taste the same without nostalgia?

VERDICT: Polite - Not terrible, but my memories are always going to chose Alphaghetti.

Tomato Update

Last week I was at Mum's at the golf course for lunch. Every once in a while I get adventurous on my own, or at least that is what I tell myself. It is quite often some sort of social pressure that I rationalize into me deciding to try something.
Anyway, I made no special request for my burger. When I do this I usually remove anything I don't like when the burger arrives. I did it a little differently this time. "Do tomatoes really have that much of an impact on a burger? Have I actually tried a tomatoey burger, or is this just a picky tradition?" So, I left the tomato on and took a bite.
Tomatoes are still gross!

A Home-grown First

Today was the very first time I can remember using something I have grown myself in a dish. This summer we bought a chili plant. It has lived on our balcony and in our living room. It has been a very thirsty plant. We've watched lots of flowers bloom, close and fall off, but three made it and slowly transformed and grew into chili peppers. This week the first one became fully mature and had the privilege of being cut up and used in tacos tonight! It felt good being able to utilize something I'd taken care of over time. (And the taco meat I made with the chili was really good too!)

Grape Juice

I like grapes, yet I've never really liked grape juice or grape flavoured things. Yesterday I decided to try a box of grape juice with my lunch, just to see if I still felt that way. The first sip and I was like, "Hey, not so bad. Why don't I like this?" And then I kept drinking and I was reminded that, yes, I don't like grape juice. I can't pin it down. I don't enjoy it after the first sip. HEY! This may be classical conditioning. Throughout my life, once a month I have had a very small amount of grape juice with Communion.
Could that be why a regular glass is just weird?
VERDICT: Still not something I'd chose for myself.

Burger Bulletin

On my birthday this summer I was lucky enough to go Mum's at the Golf Course. It had a very different atmosphere from their other location, which has a diner feel. I had previously been told by a friend that there was a burger I needed to try here: the 40 Creek Double!

It comes with lettuce, tomato (I gave mine to Kristin), strips of bacon, two types of cheese, 40 Creek BBQ sauce, condiments and two patties of your choice, either 6 oz. handmade or 4 oz. sirloin (or angus, I can't remember which).
I chose the handmade patties and, man, did I chose right. Amazing beef! It was cooked through and seasoned well.
Put all together it is quite tall. I had difficulty biting from top to bottom, but the burger is so good that you don't really care. You just shove your face into it to get another amazing bite, regardless of the quickly accumulating mess.
This is the best burger I've had eating out in Brandon and suggest everyone try it, but make sure to bring a hearty appetite.

In a more recent burger development, A&W has expanded their burger offerings beyond the Burger Family to their close personal friends: Four Buddy Burgers are now on the menu.

The Little Buddy Burger

They are smaller, snack oriented burgers and are available as a single or double, with or without cheese. Starting at $1.75 with the Little Buddy Burger, A&W's value burgers are more expensive than the McDouble and some don't even have cheese.
I'm personally fine with cheeseless burgers, so the only issue to settle is whether or not the Buddy Burgers are worth the extra money.
I tried the Little Buddy Burger. It's composed of a fluffy, seedless bun, tantalizingly seasoned patty, Teen sauce (aka mayo, which I declined), ketchup, mustard and fried onions. They come in a pap--
FRIED ONIONS?! No fast food place offers fried onions on a value, snack burger. My mind has already been blown and I haven't even tried it yet.
It is a very good little burger. The onions complement A&W's secret seasoning very well. There is a generous squirting of both ketchup and mustard, plus the bun looks, feels and tastes like a real bun. I bought two buddies since we were driving through supper to visit family. I'd devoured one before I'd even finished filling up on gas. It's a burger I never want to stop eating.
Thinking of going back to a McDouble now feels like thinking about eating doll-house food. The extra 36¢ (plus more for upgraded Buddies) is worth it every time! Better quality + Fried onions = New snack of choice. If I subtract will power from that equation then the result would be: EAT EVERY DAY!!!

Buddy Burger picture courtesy of http://s3-media4.ak.yelpcdn.com/bphoto/L_TgQpUfhjeRgpgWeZeCQw/l.jpg

Cream Corn Soup

In the broadest sense of the word soup encompasses a very wide range of textures and thicknesses from consommé and miso to bisque and chowder. My personal soup spectrum is not broad. I have strict limitations as to what makes an edible soup, namely,

• clear broth without bits
• clear broth with tasty bits
• tomato soup without bits
• crumbled crackers are an acceptable addition to any soup.

I have shied away from thick soups as a rule. (Tomato soup overloaded with crackers is the only notable exception.) I'm afraid of the texture. Also, the thick soups that I've usually been exposed to are either mushroom or seafood based and those are at the top of my never-ever-never-never list.

Two weeks ago I had the chance to expand my soup experience. We visited friends for supper and had cream corn and home-made tomato soups. I am missing the gene that enables a person to say no to tomato soup. I had to pick it. The cream corn soup was thick and intimidating, but I made a point of trying it and not just sticking with what I know.

It was much more than I had been expecting. There was the corn, of course, which is always welcome, but there was also cheese and smoky ham! What could be better? I'm still not used to the thick soup texture. It kind of feels like it gets stuck in my mouth. That being said, having the co-mingled flavours of corn, cheese and ham in my mouth, for any length of time, is highly desirable.

It is soups like this that will put thick soups back on my menu.

VERDICT: Make

Experiment II - Best Food Ever?

I had this idea a few days back. We were having grilled cheese and I was thinking about how much I love grilled cheese. On a side note, I love grilled "cheese", but not grilled "processed cheese". Anyway, I was ruminating on just how amazing a crispy, buttery, molten-cheesy can be. Deep in thought I remembered that I had said I could live off garlic bread a few days before. Inspiration settled upon me. What if I made grilled cheese and used garlic butter to make it? Or made a regular with grilled cheese with some minced garlic inside? I plan on trying making as many variations of this idea as possible and reporting on just how amazing each and everyone of them are.

+

=

?? BEST FOOD EVER ??

photos from http://umami.typepad.com/umami/images/imp061115_014_1.jpg and https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhq5kqgPCEZbTWHryCKkwe_S1vbaAQSHOP1ffnPMLbwLJfeVjsGNFSAcrowKoOQqT2KXk2qrATDhBGuLkuxhDfbsrOBtsIViIxDy4dg9olcd1f88XBSFYzsgnqnqAl5KfshkZgKpCIZwQuy/s320/DSC06780.jpg

Experiment I

Question: Co-op Gold Cola + Co-op Gold Black Cherry = Cherry Coke?

Result: A definitive NO!

Burger Brief

It has been a considerable time since I've written about hamburgers. I have been considerably busy, though I have also eaten a considerable amount hamburgers in this time. Here are the burger highlights
Weirdest - Burger Pizza

We had borrowed bikes from the city of Adelaide and taken a ride down to the closest beach. We took a tour and decided to get some lunch. I was intrigued with the burger pizza that was on menu. I've had them before, but when this one arrived it was unlike anything I'd ever encountered before. The bottom was a pizza topped with beef, onion and cheese, basically a normal burger pizza. The toppings didn't end there, however. On top of the pizza was fresh lettuce and tomatoes and a quartered burger bun! It was the most literal burger pizza I've ever eaten. I'm sure it tasted fine, but in the end its strangeness is what sticks in my memory the most.

Top 3: The best of the best of my burger encounters since being back in Manitoba.
3 - Blondie's

1/2 burger

Shortly after we got back my mom took us to Blondie's, a burger joint on Main street in Winnipeg, just south of Kildonan Park. The place has a unique atmosphere (click the link to find out more) and a dazzling array of burgers starting at large and building up enormous beyond all reason. I chose the 1/2 pound burger and it was as big as Kristin's head. Luckily I was very hungry. I quartered it with the steak knife provided in lieu of the usual toothpick or plastic sword. The remaining quarters were still bigger than the largest burger I could buy at McDonald's or the like. It was delicious and beyond filling. It took some doing, but I did manage to eat the entire thing.

2- Dave's Hot 'n' Juicy Burgers

Recently Wendy's upgraded their burger offerings. Their classic burgers have become Dave's Hot 'n' Juicy Cheeseburgers. Wendy's has always been my favourite fast food chain. I feel it is the least like fast food. I was a bit worried when I heard of the change. It's not often good to mess with a good thing.
Then I tried them. Mess away, Wendy's, mess away! The beef definitely lives up to the name and is a definite upgrade. The toppings, as always, are fresh. What brings it all together and takes it over the top for me is a brand new addition: the butter-toasted bun. The added crispness of the bun and butter flavour make for a great burger that is unlike any the competition can offer.
Dave would be proud.

1 - Lots of Meat Burger

My favourite burger of the last while, is also the most recent. We went to the Clay Pot in Brandon. It's just down the street from us and yet I'd never been there. The menu is quite diverse, from diner style burgers and sandwiches, to more normal entrees and even a wide selection of sushi! It's everything I've ever wanted.
I had the Lots of Meat Burger because, well, I love meat. It has a patty, cheese, bacon, a slice of fried ham and a fried egg. Fried ham was the only burger topping I'd never encountered before. The burger was very good. The beef was savoury and plentiful. All the toppings worked well together, especially the addition of the ham. It makes me want to go to the Clay Pot everyday. I'm pretty sure I could never get tired of this burger, but, hey, if I did I could just order the sushi.

photos borrowed from: 

http://www.urbanspoon.com/rph/332/1443832/464180/winnipeg-blondie-s-restaurant-it-s-as-big-as-his-head-photo

http://the305.com/2011/09/20/40335/

http://www.urbanspoon.com/u/map/1559458/restaurant/Winnipeg/Clay-Pot-Cafe-Brandon