Schmalentines Surfing

MEALS. 02.14.11

Hello friends,
it's been a while since my last post...my apologies...but I come with peace offerings: great mouth watering pictures!!

Boyfrand and I decided to NOT exchange gifts for valentine's this year, because...we're not into the material things in life....in other words, we are both lazy. THEREFORE! We just got together for a nice homemade seafood dinner. It was....divine! and here is my documentary--


We've been wanting to have a seafood night for quite some time now...and what better time to do that other than the evening of LOVE...*puke*

Boyfrand purchased a Himalayan Salt Block for about $40CDN including shipping. We put the block of salt on a portable stove (ones you have hot pot on) and elevated it with a metal rack. After about half hour of heating up, this baby is ready to cook up a storm.

BUT WAIT, first I must introduce my Asian Salsa of love. Why "love" you ask? NO, it's not because it's Valentines. It's because I hand chopped it...out of love...so there. In my big Bowl-of-love, I have the following ingredients:

Celery, Cilantro, Cucumber, Corn, Tomato, Peppers (orange & red), Red onion, a can of Tuna

This big o' love salsa didn't have the word "Asian" in it for no reason. Normally, we would put in Italian or Balsamic dressing but to accompany the rest of our menu roll up better, I decided to "asianize" it. In it, I added:

The Asian FAIL-PROOF combo: Sesame Oil, Soy Sauce, and a little bit of Salt to taste

See? I even ate it with chop sticks.... (no I didn't really, I just took a picture with it...lol)

 After a bit of mixing and tumbling, put the Asian Love Salsa into the fridge to chill it. It tastes better when it's cold! This dish is awesome to eat on its own as well. It'll taste even better the next day. Guess what I'm having for lunch today? Try it out!!

 Don't they look pretty together? Aww...ok that's enough mush.

NOW! On to the yummy part of this romantic dinner of ours...

Thanks to Group Buy United, we were able to purchase quality Sashimi at a decent price at Black Ocean Seafood Wholesale in Richmond....Stuff there are resonably priced. Check out this video, for that strip he/she's cutting...it was about 15 dollars? Not badly priced in my opinion!

So for dinner, we defrosted and cut up the following items:

Wild Pacific Salmon

$13 for a big strip, what you see is only 1/3 of it

Ahi Tuna

$11, again- we only defrosted 1/3 of it

Albacore Tuna

$12- same as above

Jumbo Shrimp

From Black Ocean $30/box of 16?...I'd say they're about 12cm long...

Scallops

from T&T





OH THE EXCITEMENT!

((TA-DA))

First up, we have the scallops on the block: one mistake we made though, we put margarine on there...so this was a total fail... but it said to do so on the instruction video! Because of the moisture combined with margarine, the scallops completely absorbed the salt...I was scared that my hair would fall out after tasting one of them. Quick fix though, we scraped off the margarine, and all was back to normal! This tasted really good with the Asian Love Salsa. The sweetness of the corn balanced out the saltiness.

After we picked up our hair off the ground, we continued on with the jumbo shramps. We set off the smoke alarm because their brains were oozing out onto the block, which then turned into smoke... (see how much the scallops shrunk?)

The shrimp won over the scallops. It was juicy, and tender on the inside. Boyfrand said it tasted mighty fresh, which I agree with completely! The block was blackened quite a bit by the brain juice... so we'll have to figure out how to solve that problem next time! (suggestions?) All in all, I LOVED the shramps. They were so yummy!!

I didn't end up cooking too much sashimi on the block..because I like them better raw. But we felt fancy and creative so we seared the sides of the tuna and made it pretty.

Yea, I was pretty proud of myself...haha!

and that concludes our Schmalentines Schmeafood Feast! Definitely will have to try out the steak on the salt block next time...and also! I'm marinating the scallops!

Until next time, followers!

Winnie-OUT



Weekend

Coming up this weekend...


FRIDAY AFTER WORK:

Appy Hour at the BoatHouse! Daily 3pm-6pm
 

Buck a Shuck


My favorite: Buck a shuck
Check out the rest of the Appy menu here! 

I know Dine Out menu is out, but I can't say no to oysters, drinks and appies...and chances are, by the time we're done with those, I'll be too full to eat anything else.













SATURDAY- LUNCH:

Mondo Burger, in the heart of Steveston- Richmond

"Welcome to Good Burger, home of the Good Burgers..."

 ...sounds like a burger joint to me...but it is apparently a sub-division of another restaurant called: Papi's Ristorante Italiano

I've never been, but the BF got the coupon on Groupon...so we will go and give it a try.

The selection sounds mouth watering! Thanks to Urban Spoon, I was able to look at their menu, check it out here.

Remember my last post on Burger Heaven? It'd be interesting to compare the two, considering the Mondo's "canuck burger" sounds almost like the one I had at Burger Heaven....I might go for Kangaroo this time! boing boing!!!


Anyway, that's all we have planned for....also planning doing a crabpot night sometime this weekend. :) which I am super excited about!

Until then...2 more days 'til the weekend!!!!
Winnie-OUT!

...it's like I died and went to Burger Heaven

MEALS. 01.22.11

Burger Heaven, in the heart of New Westminster. Also known as the place that makes you wish you had a bigger mouth...so you could fit a good bite of that burger in there. Cute little place, but if you're looking for a nice light lunch.....I'd say starve yourself until dinner (well don't ACTUALLY do it.) Their portions are HUGE-MONGUS! 

The boyfrand and I went there for a late lunch, we were in the area. We thought, they're burgers....we walked around as we shopped, so we should be able to finish everything, no big! Well, we were wrong.

As soon as we stepped in, we were greeted and taken to our seats. Then came the menus...so many life choices...which heart attach should I go for today? Please excuse me as I do the dramatic *WHY* to the sky.

I went with their featured entre that day: "The Beef Burger" $13.45

Sounds kind of boring doesn't it?

But wait, there's more! (I've always wanted to say that...) This Burger is loaded with the following heart stopping goodness:

• Chipotle sour cream
• bacon,
• jack cheese
• deep fried onion rings (!!)
• non important stuff: lettuce, tomatoes, onions

You get to pick your buns, white or whole wheat...and in my attempt to be SEMI-healthy. I went with whole wheat.

...and in case you were wondering....Yes, it had me at Onion rings.

Madness in the mall...

DEALS. 01.23.11

I went to Guildford Town Centre in Surrey, BC with my dear mother on the weekend...After being pushed and shoved numerous times by people, I felt like I needed to chow down a couple Big Macs...(yes, I eat when I'm angry and stressed...lol)

But for the sake of saving money...I stuck through it...and I didn't eat any big macs, so you can start clapping for me....NOW. :)

If you like 5 dollar sweaters, 5 dollar jackets, 2 dollar tank tops....this post is for you. Not sure whether this applies to all BLUENOTES location, but the one in Guildford Town Centre sure is trying hard to get rid of their winter stock.

If you have the time and patience, they have racks and racks of cheap goods in the store.

• Winter jackets for sale for 50% off the lowest ticked price. My mom and I got a few puffy jackets for 5 dollars....(5 dollar! 5 dollar foot long!!!!!!!!!!)
• Tank tops and tees- 5 for $10 bucks
• Knitted Sweaters, for women $5, and 2 for $10 for men
• Hoodies for women $5
• Guys Jeans, $10
• Accessories table, scarfs, hats, panties, socks and other knick knacks are also 5 for $10, and you CAN combine them with other items that are 5 for $10

Sure, you wouldn't be shopping for your "night-out-in-town" attire here, but who runs out of tees and tank tops?

There are more things on sale in the store, but those are the ones that stuck out to me...so go check it out!

Winnie-OUT!

Experiment #1: Tortilla Pie

And here it is! The highly anticipated (by 2 people) 7 Layer Tortilla Pie! I must say though, it tasted better than it looked. It was then when I realized that cooking AND documenting WHILE being hungry is quite the task! Thanks to the boyfriend who did all the chopping while I cheered him on. I helped layering...HAHA

SO after giving it some thought, of how we could make the healthy dinner entre into a heart attack...we decided on the following ingredients:

• Ground pork seasoned with Fajita seasoning, and pasta sauce
• Diced tomatoes 
• Onions
• Garlic
• Mushrooms
• Red Pepper
• Refried Beans
• Salsa
• Crab meat (yum!)
• The tortilla of choice was SPINACH TORTILLAS

...and so it begins...

1st Layer: Refried Beans, salsa, garlic and cheese

Doesn't this look lovely? My thoughts exactly....

2nd Layer: Pork, peppers, mushrooms, garlic, onions, CHEESE!

Yap, this layer looks way better

3rd Layer: Salsa, onions, garlic, tomatoes, peppers, and of course, MORE CHEESE!

I think by this layer, we pretty much determined that this dinner is going to be a hefty one...hmm! What to put on there next?

4th Layer: beans, crabs, tomatoes, onions, peppers, garlic, and you guessed it...formage.

lol what more do you want me to say? I never sais this was going to be a healthy meal....

*intermission*

                O                                   M                                  G

5th Layer: Crab meat, tomatoes, onions, peppers, garlic, and cheese

this is probably the only layer that didn't look like a clogged up artery

6th Layer: Remainder of the meat, beans, salsa, mushrooms and...cheese

By this time I was jumping up and down for excitement...and forgot to take a picture of the layer....

7th Layer: all the veggies, cheese, and more cheese (marble and asiago)

Yes...I am aware the amount of cheese in that pie....and I love it.

VOILA! Done and Done! Now it's time for the super oven to do its magic! But in the meantime, check out these layer pictures:

Aww...it's like growing your own baby...a FOOD BABY that is...

BEHOLD! The moment of truth!

...yea, it doesn't look that great...but boy did it ever taste good! I was quite happy with the flavors that came through... presentation-wise, not so much. But that's got something to do with my cooking skills I think, which definitely has room for improvement!....maybe next time I'll toast each layer at a time to get the edges more crunchy!

I didn't get to finish my slice of pie...and I plan to make tortilla soup with the leftovers...HAHA! How brave I am!

And that is all!!

Winnie-OUT!



 

Layer My Tortillas

Mexican food makes me happy. Not sure why....the fish bowl margaritas might have something to do with it...but hey, whatever!

I'm going to attempt this on the weekend...except the sound of just black beans is just too healthy...so I'm going to make it MAN-STYLE.....with meat HAHA

Remember to check back next week to see how it turned out!!

Seven Layer Tortilla Pie

Ingredients

• 2 (15 ounce) cans pinto beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 cup salsa, divided
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
• 1 (15 ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1/2 cup chopped tomatoes
• 7 (8 inch) flour tortillas
• 2 cups shredded reduced-fat Cheddar cheese
• 1 cup salsa
• 1/2 cup sour cream

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
2. In a large bowl, mash pinto beans. Stir in 3/4 cup salsa and garlic.
3. In a separate bowl, mix together 1/4 cup salsa, cilantro, black beans and tomatoes.
4. Place 1 tortilla in a pie plate or tart dish. Spread 3/4 cup pinto bean mixture over tortilla to within 1/2 inch of edge. Top with 1/4 cup cheese, and cover with another tortilla. Spread with 2/3 cup black bean mixture, and top with 1/4 cup cheese. Repeat layering twice. Cover with remaining tortilla, and spread with remaining pinto bean mixture and cheese.
5. Cover with foil, and bake in preheated oven for about 40 minutes. Cut into wedges, and serve with salsa and sour cream.

Recipe Courtesy of AllRecipes.com

PENH-tabulous

MEALS. 01-08-11

Let's face it, as bad as they are for us, deep fried food makes the world a better place. Phnom Penh would say no different! They are located in China Town, perhaps the busiest restaurant on the block! This restaurant serves Vietnamnese/Cambodian cuisine, prices are average, and the food is....phNOM phNOM phNOM....We decided to hit this lovely place up to see what everyone is raving about... these dishes are what they're known for:



Butter Beef

I know...the butter beef doesn't look as appetizing as it sounds, but trust me....this is GOOD! We were trying to figure out how it's made, and this was our guess: first, they lay the thin slices of beef on the plate. Then they put on the sauce (tastes like vinegar, soy sauce, and something else). After that's done, they quickly steam the plate (to get that half cooked look)? and sprinkle on the green onions, A LOT of garlic, and cilantro. This dish screams with flavor and the presentation is beautiful....my taste buds were freaking out!!

Butter Beef



Deep Fried Chicken Wings

Remember what I said about things being deep fried? These babies are the mother of all deep fried goodness (did I really just say that? it doesn't even make sense, but i'll run with it). Their wings are HUGE! We ordered a half plate, because we knew we weren't going to finish it. They sprinkle the wings with garlic, chili and green onions....finishing up with a lemon & pepper sauce for dipping...need I say more? it tastes heavenly. Definitely a must-try dish at this restaurant.



Deep fried Chicken wings- half order



Next up, we have "let's order something random"

their menu is crazy long, and if I could, I would give all of their dishes a try! or maybe 2....err more like 7. Anyway, here are some other dishes we ordered, they were all so very delicious! The squid...so tender...so yummy...and...can someone take me there now??





Deep Fried Squid- half order



Dry egg noodle with sauce, seafood and meat



Because we were keeners, we arrived at the restaurant on a Saturday morning at around 10:45am (FOR LUNCH). We encountered no lineup, and very friendly service. The crowd started trinkling in at around 11:30...and people stared at us because the food we ordered took up the whole entire table...I'm sure they were just jealous.

We weren't able to finish all that in one sitting. The leftovers lasted us 2 more meals after that, and they were JUST as good! Definitely looking forward to our next visit!

Question: What are YOUR favorite dishes at Phnom Penh??


Dear Phnom Penh, you did good!

Winnie-OUT!