The remains of a Cupcake

What is the downside to a cupcake? Not much, unless you're calorie counting that is. So on a dreary supposed summer day with a little boy that didn't want to nap I decided it was time for a road trip. By road trip I mean getting in the car and driving across town to the closest "Cupcakes" bakery. I stopped along the way to pick up a friend and extend the drive since of course by this time I had a snoring little boy in the car seat. On our way to "Cupcakes" we discovered that the road ahead was closed for a festival and after a short attempt to find parking we moved on to plan B, a different cupcakes shop called Big City Cupcakes on 4th. Upon first entering the store I was not instantly impressed, the decor was cold and basic and the selection not quite as extensive as I was hoping. I made my choice of a New York Cheesecake cupcake and it was placed in a plain white paper bag with a business card taped to the front of it. So far this was turning out to be a big city disappointment. I went on my way and upon returning home I finally got a chance to try it. Not having the great little boxes that Starbucks uses for their cupcakes, my cute little cupcake was a bit mushed. I took a bite not expecting much and a big WOW, disappointment it was NOT! The cake portion was moist and tasty and the cream cheese icing complemented it nicely. The balance of icing to cake was a perfect combination and I instantly devoured the entire thing. This is when I remembered that I should have taken a picture to share so instead I took a picture of what was left.....the wrapper! Don't be fooled by first impressions, it was love at first bite for me with these cupcakes.

July 1, 2010: I went back and this time I took a picture before we munched!

Foody Baby, or NOT!

For someone who loves good food it amazes me that my son is not a natural foody. He's a vegetarian by choice and throws up if you try to give him any kind of meat other than fish. He loves tofu, cereal, bread, congee and applesauce. I can get him to eat yogurt as long as there aren't any fruit bits, funny though for grandpa it doesn't matter if there are fruit bits in his yogurt....? hmmmm? I tried the organic veggie purees, homemade, store bought and discovered that if there is any chewing involved my son will have nothing to do with it, but if its mush it's acceptable. I believe he's being lazy and not wanting to chew unless it's crackers or cheese toast. For all those chocolate lovers there, not to worry my little man will throw up on cue if any chocolate makes it into his mouth.... So what do I do? I keep trying! Today we went to dim sum and to my complete surprise he had rice rolls, bean curd and almost an entire sticky rice (minus the meat). Some days can be brilliant and certainly make up for all the others.

Where to get it?

I am constantly on a search for something new. It could be Sambal Oelek chilie sauce or Cassava Chips. Here are a few of the places I can always count on to find something different:

Gourmet Warehouse, 1340 Hastings Street, Vancouver, BC
Specialty items, spices, kitchen gadgets/hardware and the only place I can find to get a true "Brown Betty" teapot

Galloways Specialty Foods, 7860 Alderbridge Way, Richmond, BC
Grains, flours, beans, cereals, and many more bulk items

Rice World, Garden City Road, Richmond, BC
Don't let the name fool you, there is a great deal more than just rice here. A wide variety of Asian food items.

Meinhardt Fine Foods, 3002 South Granville Street, Vancouver, BC
A little pricey but worth it for those hard to find items.

Celtic Treasure Chest British Imports, 5639 Dunbar Street, Vancouver, BC
Looking for Marks & Spencer tea or crisps then this is your stop, check out the deli and bakery items too!

The Patty Shop, 4019 Macdonald, Vancouver, BC
Jamaican patty's at their best but bring cash, sorry no debit!

I have come across many more and will keep adding to the list. Stay tuned!

Lunch with a friend

Many people shy away from a vegetarian meal and as my mom would say, she was not completely full unless she had meat in her meal. I think this couldn't be furthest from the truth and with a little imagination you can have a wonderful healthy and meat free lunch. My friend came over to help me after my recent move and I took the opportunity to make a lovely salad. My question is always do you like this.... on your salad and it was great to have someone say sure, anyway you want to make it! I had some artisan greens I picked up at Costco and added arugula, carrots, celery, cherry tomatoes, sliced almonds, and to top it off drizzled it with lemon juice and basil infused grapeseed oil. Now we can't be totally healthy, where would the fun in that be. I severed the salad with Lemon Chili Cassava chips. For those of you who haven't tasted cassava, it closely resembles potatoes and makes for great crunchy chips. You can find them at specialty food stores or Punjabi markets. Happy shopping!

What's in a Pantry?

In our recent move we upgraded our two bedroom 880sq ft condo for a 3 bedroom 1350sq ft condo with a WALK IN PANTRY!!! What mysterious treasures can I fill it with? Easy, all of them. I plethora of spices from Turkish Oregano to Chinese five spice. Fish sauce, thai curry paste, rice wine vinegar and Ovaltine just to name a few more. My friend asked me how I came to have so many pantry items, was it a recipe that needed it or did I simply wander through the spice isle and think "that sounds interesting, I wonder what I can make with it". My response, both! After all you never know when you're going to need ground polenta or carnaroli rice. A true foody lives here->

Popcorn for dinner

What is wrong with this? Absolutely nothing! There are some days when all you need is a little pop and popcorn hits the spot. Now I'm not talking about that microwave last resort stuff. I'm talking fresh steaming hot air popped gourmet popcorn. Drizzled with melted butter and seasoned with one of many popcorn toppers, my favorite being a combination Kick Yo Ass Hot Popcorn Seasoning and White Cheddar. It satisfies the snacking need and fills the flavour gap. I wonder what's for dinner tomorrow?

Mom's Sheppard's Pie

I learnt to make Sheppard's pie from my mom and when I met my husband he proceeded to tell me that it was upside down. Coming from a Costa Rican family I had no idea what a true Sheppard's pie was supposed to look like. Nowadays I use one of my largest casserole dishes when I make Sheppard's pie and my husband would eat it alone if he could. So here is the secret to "Costa Rican Sheppard's Pie". I start with Yukon gold potatoes and boil them, once soft I strain and add butter, cream/milk, seasoning salt and a smidge of sugar. The creamier the potatoes the better! I put the potatoes as a thick layer on the bottom of the casserole dish. In a frying pan I saute chopped onions until soft and add ground beef. As it cooks I add Italian Seasoning, fresh cracked pepper and a few splashes of Maggi seasoning. Once the meat is cooked through add a mixture of cornstarch and water to thicken. I add this to the top of the potatoes and spread evenly. In a bowl I mix a can of creamed corn and whole kernel peach and cream corn and spread the mixture on top of the meat. The final piece de resistance: grated cheese!!! This goes in the oven at 375 f for about a 1/2 hour until the cheese bubbles and browns slightly. It may not be traditional but it sure is yummy!

Pita Bread Factory

Every so often you come across a great deal you must simply share with everyone you know. This was the case when a co-worker and friend told me of the Pita Bread Factory. Hidden away on the New Westminster/Burnaby border is this bread factory outlet store. How good are the deals?? Well have you ever seen a bag of approximately 12 pitas for $1 or two packages of the large flavoured tortillas for $1.50? I hadn't until one afternoon when on my lunch break a friend and I went to find out if it was worth the trek. I was happy to discover that it most definitely was and will make the trek again. Bagels, pita, tortilla's, naan bread and more for prices that fit a family budget! If you want to check it out 7070 14th Ave in Burnaby is where you will find these outrageous deals!

Salsa the way it was intented to be!

For the past 5 years I have suffered silently and loudly from an intolerance to tomatoes. Without going into details I can say it was not a pleasant experience if I accidentally ate something with tomatoes in it. This was a devastating blow to a salsa lover such as myself, and even worse I no longer made it for my friends and family. After many years of not trying to eat tomatoes I thought maybe things change??? There went nothing and my first bite of real pizza was devoured. I waited patiently and was pleasantly surprised to find that nothing happened. This could have been a fluke so I tried again. Before I knew it I was eating everything from lasagna to fresh salsa and loving it. So this is for all you tomato lovers out there, enjoy!

Tomatoe Salsa:

12 ripe Roma Tomatoes

1/2 Red Onion

3 fresh Jalapeno Peppers

2 Limes

1 Lemon

1 TBSP Olive Oil

1 Bunch of Cilantro

Sea Salt & Pepper

Chop tomatoes, onion, peppers, and cilantro. Add juice from limes and lemons. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

For Huevos Rancheros: put 1/2 cup salsa in a small frying pan and heat over med high heat. Once hot add 2 eggs and cover with a lid. Lower heat and let simmer until eggs are to desired consistency. Serve with warm corn tortillas.

For Avocado Salsa: Replace tomatoes with 4 large ripe avocados cubed finely and add 1/2 red bell pepper chopped finely. Combine gently and enjoy! (this one's for you coz)