You Gotta Thai Here: Thai Palace Restaurant Review

Lovely ambience here

Meal featured: fresh tofu spring rolls and chicken Pad Thai

Originally a Torontonian, I always loved the diversity of not just the people but the variety of cuisines and cultures that intermingled within our community. Moving to a much smaller-populated city like Windsor, Ontario, and being a Windsorite for many decades, it didn’t take long to realize that our local restaurant community here was filled with passionate creators who made mouth-watering dishes for their patrons and offered top-notch customer service. 

The restaurant scene here has continued to blossom into a food-lovers paradise for all palates. Sadly as some doors closed, others ones have opened. If you’ve ever run a restaurant or know someone who has, you know the blood, sweat and tears that goes into it. 

Today I wanted to mention Thai Palace, a special gem in our city that has been around since 2007 and offers authentic Thai cuisine. They have a wide range of menu items from delicious fresh spring rolls to start your meal off to flavourful noodle dishes and an assortment of curries – which can be spiced to order (spice level of 0 to 5), or they let you know it’s already spiced hot at a starting level 1!  It is a welcoming place for everyone, as there are vegetarian and vegan options available and gluten-free too.

Thai Palace excels at offering high food quality, generous portion sizes, a warm atmosphere, as well as daily specials to enjoy for a quick lunch or a leisurely dinner. You can also do take-out and just recently, they now offer delivery. As this may feel typical to your favourite restaurant, I wanted to share a special moment that I witnessed with my husband one evening that made us really pause and smile.  

While waiting for our food, among many other patrons in the restaurant, we saw one of the staff sit down at a table and actually assist someone dining alone with their meal. This person had a visible disability. The staff member sat down in a chair and helped feed the customer without hesitation. It was a beautiful experience and honestly not something either of us had seen before during a busy evening rush. It made a lasting impression.

From that day, we’ve been back many times and shared great memories with others, over a little pad thai and bubble tea beverages.  So many of our celebrations (anniversaries, birthdays, etc) have been spent here over the years and you know, that little dash of humanity always makes a meal taste better.

💜Website: Thai Palace

Welcome to Windsor: Marhaba Bistro & Cafe

A lovely new place opened up right near us called Marhaba Bistro & Cafe (6152 Tecumseh Rd E), which is Windsor’s first majlis style bistro and cafe.

They have a good sized menu, so there is something for everyone to enjoy. We ordered the 3araby chicken shawarma with Fattoush salad. The food was delicious and flavourful. I really loved the pickled turnips on the side and how vibrant they looked. Also this was the first time having shawarma presented like this, instead of in a full wrap format. 

It was a bit too hot to dine out on the patio, so we stayed inside which had a nice cozy atmosphere.  I think we have a new favourite place to enjoy. 

Definitely try it out!

💜IG: Marhaba Bistro & Cafe 

Choose Wisely: Erie St. Gastro Pub Food Review

One thing to love about Windsor is the food. We have so many places that have been in business for ages, and for good reason. As life changes, as it always does, it's exciting to see plenty of new local spots with creative and passionate chefs that are popping up that really seem to have the bones for lasting a long time - well, as long as they are supported. 

Erie St. Gastro Pub has a great minimalistic look but is still bright and welcoming with elegant touches of decor. If you're in the mood for a hearty burger, a little asian fusion or even something off the vegetarian/vegan menu, this might be the place for you.  

Dinner & Thoughts:

Steamed Dumplings (Appetizer)- A great start to the meal. We had veggie dumplings which were tasty with a sweet chili sauce. The freshly chopped green onions were a nice addition.

Pho -  I haven't had Pho (pronounced "fuh") in a while, so I was excited to try it out here. It had a heaping amount of chicken, noodles, and a very flavourful broth - I could taste the coriander with every slurp. The bowl was large enough that I have a bit of leftovers for lunch.

Double Pork  -  If you know Bill, he loves a good pulled pork sandwich. He really enjoyed his meal - the pork was soft enough but still with a little bit of chewiness. He also really loved the blend of mustard, chipotle mayo and honey ginger bbq sauce and the Vietnamese slaw. It was incredibly filling.

Usually a side salad is nothing special, but this one was elevated with the right amount of lettuce, shredded carrots, peppers, cucumbers, tomatoes, a little slice of avocado (he didn't eat that but a nice touch regardless). It was complemented by a delicious carrot/ginger dressing.

Warm hospitality - Maggie was top notch as our server, with a bubbly personality and just so accommodating to whatever we needed from the moment we sat down to the time we left.  We don't drink alcohol (if you do, they have a huge menu to choose from) but that was not an issue at all, as our glasses never remained empty for long, whenever passing by to check on us.  

Overall, I am confident to say that this time, we have chosen wisely. :) 

💜Website: Erie St Gastro Pub

💜Facebook

Windsor-Essex 2022 Carrousel of the Nations

 

Left - Caribbean wings (Caribbean Village)

 Right - Schnitzel with potato salad and sauerkraut (Bavarian Village)

I am so glad that the return of Carrousel of the Nations was able to happen this year in-person. Going strong for 47 years now, the Multicultural Council of Windsor and Essex County organizes this event with the help of many volunteers and sponsors. It's actually deemed one of the most celebrated events of its kind in Canada!

It's a great way to celebrate and learn about different cultures, try new cuisines or even enjoy favourite traditional ones, and sit back and enjoy some spectacular performances.

Unfortunately, we couldn't get to all of them in the two weekend span, but we managed a few for a really fun date night, including  Greek, Caribbean and Bavarian Villages. Above are just a few samplings we had! 

Funny enough, we missed going to the Serbian Village, but living so close in proximity to where it was held, we were able to hear a lot of the music from a really cool Serbian band called Mystique throughout the evening time with just our windows open.

Here are some previous blog posts from other Villages we went to over the years that you can browse through!  

💜https://blissfulmuse07.blogspot.com/2015/06/carrousel-of-nations-eating-our-way.html

💜https://blissfulmuse07.blogspot.com/2015/06/carrousel-of-nations-eating-our-way_22.html

💜https://blissfulmuse07.blogspot.com/2011/06/round-and-round-at-carrousel.html

Check out what's going on with the MCC at:

💜Facebook

💜IG

Hope you see you out at Carrousel of  the Nations 2023!

The Giggle Mat: In The Mood For Food

COME JOIN US FOR EPISODE 8: IN THE MOOD FOR FOOD

🌈 The Giggle Mat 🌈 is made possible through the wonders of modern technology. To maintain the safety of everyone, we are still utilizing the virtual space, however we are able to appropriately social-distance for any additional filming. 

Come visit Dizzy, Mr. Purpleman, Miss Kate and Uncle PJ as they discover, explore and express themselves in the amazing world around them through stories, music, dance, crafts, juggling, magic, laughs and more!

We are now on EPISODE 8 and have several local #YQG authors who will be featured in the next few months, plus some other exciting news to share with all our fans!

Don't forget to like The Giggle Mat on Facebook to keep up to date with more content, games, outtakes/bloopers, contests and info on upcoming episodes!

Our shows are also available on Youtube, so you can watch Episode 8 and check out all the other episodes too!!

💜Supported by the City of Windsor’s Arts, Culture & Heritage Fund (ACHF) achfwindsor.ca

Keep up the BEET: Wholly Veggie Patties Review!

Wholly Veggie is a Canadian company (based out of my hometown of Toronto!) founded by two friends who love their veggies and want to make sure every table has access to them! Their mission is to create a more sustainable food system, which I think is very important considering the incredible population growth reaching now 7.8 billion in 2021.  How do we continue to feed everyone? This is definitely a challenge but they are up for it!

The company has a great line of veggie products to choose like their taco bites which has a sweet potato crust (yum!), Buffalo Cauliflower wings, veggie pizzas and more! 

Trying out the "Southwest Beet Burger" the ingredients and nutritional profile looked great.  Beets are loaded with various vitamins and minerals, including potassium, magnesium and Vitamin C. 

Packaging

I sliced a beet patty into strips and added some dressing

on top underneath a mixture of zucchini and carrots.

My Honest Thoughts?

By themselves, these patties are fairly bland tasting and a bit more on the chewy side, as opposed to a softer texture that I was expecting. I'm not sure if "beets" are more of an acquired taste overall, but I don't like to turn down a healthy vegetable.  Since 4 patties come per package, day two of trying these out tasted a lot better. I enjoyed them more sliced up, instead of like a regular patty.

Although it does have some spice, it's pretty minimal, so it helps to add your favourite condiments!

They also check off the boxes of being:

✔vegetarian 

✔gluten-free

✔soy-free

✔dairy-free. 

So if those are labels that are important to you, then this would be a good fit!

Another awesome thing to know is that you can "donate a meal" by making a purchase on their website.

"For every meal you donate, we'll match it with another meal to Community Food Centres Canada. 

Your meal donation will go to Harmony Community Food Centre (CFC), one of 13 Community Food Centres supported by CFCC. Harmony CFC is a welcoming place in Toronto where people come together to grow, cook, share and advocate for good food. Their programs support local families and individuals by increasing access to healthy food, skill-building, knowledge sharing, and providing leadership and advocacy opportunities."

I'm excited to try other products from this brand, and I'll be sure to fill you in on whether they'll make my shopping cart again or if they'll stay on the shelf.

Try them out and let me know your thoughts! You can leave a comment or send me a private email using my contact form!  I always love to hear your comments. 

💜Wholly Veggie Website

💜IG

💜Facebook

*Note: All opinions of this product are always my own.

A Pancake Mistake: Q&A with Author, Stri Anderson

A Pancake Mistake is a delicious story by Windsor, Ontario author, Stri. This book is stacked high with fun rhymes and energetic illustrations that everyone can enjoy reading. Also a good reminder that even in the messiest of situations, a good laugh together can always make everything better.   

Stri's book A Pancake Mistake will also be showcased Sept 1, 2021 on The Giggle Mat , so you’ll want to tune in for that. 

Enjoy my Q&A with Author, Stri.

Stri and his little Riv

1.  Okay let’s get the BIG question out of the way, what do you put on your pancakes?

Syrup of course. My son and I are BIG fans. Occasionally I'll use jam though. 

💠

2.  The bond between a father and a son is very precious, and I know you dedicated this book to your son, Riven. What was his reaction when you showed him the book? 

My son was an integral part of the process, and I couldn't have done this without him. The book is dedicated to him, yes, but his consistent assistance was as always, invaluable. That said, he WAS extremely excited when I first told him what I was planning, and that I wanted him to help with ideas and sketches throughout development. 

Even if this book isn't extremely successful, just seeing the smile on his face as he held a physical copy for the first time, definitely made it all worth it. 

💠

3.  Writing a book is not always a linear path. Did you encounter any obstacles in creating this book, if so, how did you navigate that? 

There's always challenges when creating anything, but this book in particular, thankfully had very few.

Creatively, we didn't really see any obstacles we couldn't easily circumvent, except perhaps how/where to publish and advertise.

As a new author, I'm not really sure of the best ways to get the word out, so for me personally, it's still an on-going learning opportunity.

💠

4.  I read that you consider yourself an “adversity survivor” so can you tell me a little more about how that term fueled your passion to write a children’s book?

There are plenty of reasons I could consider myself a survivor, but the truth is, the REAL survivor is my son Riven. 

He was born in The Hospital for Sick Children, with a Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia, Hypoplasia, and dextrocardia. Basically, that means there was a hole in his diaphragm, which allowed his intestines to enter and crowd his chest cavity, thus causing severely depreciated lung tissue, whilst pushing his heart into the axilla region (armpit).

In the hospital, during our many, lengthy visits to soothe Riven when he was in pain, I would sing/read him nursery rhymes. Eventually I ran out though, so I turned to writing poetry. I would read my poems to him so often, that other ill children began to gather and listen in. Their parents soon joined as well, until one day a parent suggested I write for children in a professional fashion.

I suppose that was the first time I had even thought about it, much less considered it. As a single father, I had spent many years by my child's side, worried about his well-being and inevitable future health complications. So my priorities had to remain there, with my little Riven, until his health improved.

Despite his prognosis, he has not only surprised the medical professionals, but has exceeded ALL expectations and I honestly couldn't be more proud. 

The love and mutual admiration my son and I have built and share, is a joy I hope every parent can experience one day. Thinking back, I truthfully cannot remember what it was like without him in my life, and for that, for HIM..I am eternally grateful.

Dedicating a series of rhyming, poetry based children's books to him, is just one small way I'm attempting to show my son just how much I adore him.

We have certainly struggled in numerous ways in addition to what I've said, but the bottom line is, together, we have successfully made it to today and because of this, I have found some time to pursue this poetic passion.

💠

5.  Will there be other books on the horizon for you?

Actually yes. This is shaping up to be a series. 

In fact, book two (titled: "Where'd you go? I don't know.."), is already written now and ready for purchase here!

💠

Check out all of Stri's links below!

💜Amazon: A Pancake Mistake  

💜IG striPlay

💜Facebook We See Poetry 

Say Cheese: Violife Vegan Cheese

I was really excited when I received my package from Sampler in the mail, which had Geovita rice and lentil blend (I haven't tried it yet!) and included a coupon for a new vegan cheese brand called Violife.

I'll admit, I'm not a huge "cheese" person anymore but sometimes when grocery shopping, I will pick up a small brick or two to satisfy the craving. Before the pandemic, if we ate out at a restaurant, I would order something with cheese, as it was more of a treat than a staple in the home. Let's also be frank, the bloated feeling after eating cheese at times is painful and uncomfortable, so I was hoping this wouldn't leave my stomach in knots.

The choices at the grocery store when I went to purchase Violife were pretty limited to either: cheddar shreds or cheddar slices, so I got:

Violife Vegan Cheddar Shreds

We had some hamburger buns left in the freezer, so I popped one into the oven and just did a wee sprinkling of the Vegan Cheddar Shreds on each bun. I also added some chives, as I just seem to love chives on everything!  Now I realize that there isn't a lot of cheese on here, but honestly, I wasn't sure how much I was going to like this and I hate wasting food.  I am really used to dairy cheese, so I didn't want to smother it with this type and have to toss it entirely out if I couldn't eat the rest.  

Lunch time #samplerlove

Homemade broccoli soup! The cheese made such a nice addition, along with chives.

#samplerlove

Thankfully, it was delicious! I don't think you can really compare to regular cheese though as this is made with coconut oil, potato starch and corn starch. It also didn't melt as much as I had expected either but maybe I needed to leave it in the oven longer and use more cheese.

On the side, I wanted to get my greens in, so a simple salad of arugula with diced cucumbers, carrots and a honey mustard dressing. 

After looking at the website, I am curious to know what other styles taste like, especially the vegan cream cheese! Mmmm...  Am I going to replace cheese with these alternatives? Honestly, I don't really know. I just like having choices and I'm happy that I found a good brand like Violife to add to my shopping list. 

Pros:

✔Tastes great (no weird aftertaste like I have heard from other vegan cheese alternatives)

✔Excellent for people with multiple allergies/sensitivities

✔Good for the environment

✔Resealable bag

✔Easier on digestion (at least for me so far)

Cons: 

❌A bit expensive at almost $6 a bag for 227g. Have to keep my eyes open for sales!

Have you tried this vegan cheese? Let me know your thoughts by commenting below or send me an email!

💜 Visit Violife's website: https://violifefoods.com/

💜 Join up with Sampler: https://sampler.io/

Spice It Up With Altius Spices & Seasonings Inc.

It all started when I finished my last batch of cinnamon. Usually I could just mosey to the grocery or bulk food store to buy it, but welcome to 2020, where even the most common used spices are out of stock! I love sprinkling cinnamon on oatmeal for breakfast, making pancakes, baking cookies and even a dash with a cup of tea. 

So after some sleuthing on the Internet, I found a Canadian company called Altius Spices & Seasonings Inc. They are a full service spice house and so whether you're a regular home-cook like me, part of the food service industry and buy in bulk or even want to take things a step further to create your own label with expertise from their in-house R&D team, check them out!

Here is an example of some of the spices from the Encore Gourmet section that we have used at home and love so far!  Note these are small sizes, but you have options to get larger bottles too!

There is a HUGE inventory to choose from, so you can mix and match your favourites and since they are reasonably priced, you can even go ahead and try out new spices to experiment with. 

They are also committed to food safety and you can read more about steps are taken to assure safe quality products: https://altiusspice.com/food-safety/

I am very excited to try more spices from Altius. I hope you'll give them a try for all your flavourful adventures!

High Quality Spices ✔

Budget-friendly ✔

Variety  ✔

Safety ✔

and a Canadian Company! ✔

💜

Shop directly online: https://altiusspice.com/shop/  (FREE shipping is available too!)

For tasty recipes, gift ideas and more, visit them on Facebook

Dinner In A Box: PC Chef Meal Kits

Tonight we tried PC Chef's Meal Kit: Oaxacan Pork Tacos Meal Kit with Mango Salsa and Smashed Avocado.    

Serves 2, time: approx. 25 mins

                                                   

Who is PC Chef?

We’re on a mission to make dinnertime feel effortless. Our subscription-free meal kits simplify the planning and prep with pre-portioned ingredients and step-by-step instructions, so you have more time to eat together more often.

What is included in the box?

• Ground pork (raw)
• Mango spears
• Avocado
• Roma tomato
• Diced onion
• Lime Pickled jalapeño peppers
• Cilantro Oaxacan-style spice mix (black pepper, onion powder, cinnamon, oregano, smoked paprika, cumin, garlic powder)
• Mini tortillas
• *Nutritional info is on the link at the top of the page

                                                    

This meal was really tasty!  I tweaked it of course to our liking.  Immediately discarded the jalapeño peppers (actually they are sitting in a container in my fridge for anyone who wants them!).

Instead of mashing the avocado like a guacamole, I cut it into more chunky pieces and just tossed it into the mango salsa mixture.  I also used a lot less seasoning on the pork because opening up the pack, yikes, a whiff of it and I had a feeling it would be a little too spicy for me - mild eater in the house! I also had my husband look up how to prepare fresh cilantro as I've never made it before. The love it or hate it battle of cilantro is strong in the culinary world, but i'm in the middle ground camp. Also added some pickles on the side.

This is the first time I've made dinner from a meal kit.  It was a cool experience and pretty easy to do. The price of these kits can be a little expensive (this one was $18), but you are paying for the convenience of pre-portioned ingredients and planned out step-by step instructional meals that won't have you slaving away in the kitchen for hours on end. Plus clean up is a snap. 

One thing that PC has mentioned in their FAQ is that they are working towards better environmental practices. I loved seeing the recyclable cardboard box, but opening it up, eek. I was struck immediately by the amount of plastic used for some of the ingredients, like the mango spears, diced onions and the spice pack/cilantro. 

Have you tried any meal kits from PC or elsewhere? If so, drop me a note and tell me. I'm always curious to hear other suggestions.

Food Review: Heating Up The Kitchen With Club House Organic Spices!

I received complimentary packages of Club House's Organic Kung Pao and Taco Seasoning Mix from a great site that I belong to called Influenster.

These are the two packages I was sent in the mail.

I couldn't take the heat from the Kung Pao rice dish, so I enjoyed the tasty fries!

My honest thoughts: The packaging was okay, although I would love to have a re-sealable option so I don't need to transfer any leftover spice mix into another container for later use. The spice definitely packs a punch, so a little goes a long way for any recipe. I could smell it a mile away. lol The heat is very much present in each bite for the rice dish that I made but Bill found that despite the heat, it didn't have a lot of flavour. I wish there was less sodium in each package too because that is a bit of a deterrent. This won't be a staple spice product for our home, but it was good to try out.

The Taco mix though was really tasty! A lot of flavour and a great blend of spices. My baked fries turned out excellent. It had a bit of a zesty taste, but still tolerable. I would definitely make them again and we still have quite a bit left of the mix to enjoy!

So there you have it. These goodies that I got in the mail was a nice surprise and if you haven't already joined up, I would encourage you to check out Influenster (totally free to be a member!) so you can have an opportunity to test out all sorts of cool new products that launch.

Have you tried any of these organic spices out yet? If so, let me know your thoughts!

Flavour.ca  Influenster Canada #HelloFlavour #Complimentary

Healthy Yet Fiery Start To Autumn

I made this delicious vegetable dish today that I wanted to share with my readers.

It has chopped kale, broccoli, zucchini, roasted sweet potatoes, onions and peppers. I sauteed everything in a pan with a few squeezes of fresh lemon (i'm kind of on a lemon kick right now), and then topped with some sunflower seeds. I also added a bit of balsamic dressing afterwards and it was really tasty!

I was ready to snap a photo when I started to hear loud bangs, followed by people screaming outside. THIS was actually what was going on about a block away. A shed caught on fire somehow and it just escalated from there. Thankfully it seems like the fire department has things under control, so i'm back in the house, safe and sound. *breathe*

Saturday fire on Balfour St.

Back to my veggie bowl...

What are your favourite veggies for this season? :)

Spicing Up Your Life: A. Vogel Herbed Sea Salt Review

It’s always a bit of a panicked feeling when you realize that you’re pretty low on spices and yet in your head there are numerous dishes that you want to make. I received a complimentary bottle of A. Vogel Herbed Sea Salt from Social Nature, which came to the rescue today for lunch!  I will admit that i’m not usually a big fan of sea salt, but lately it’s been really growing on me.

The blend of organic spices (rosemary, thyme, basil, chives, etc...) mixed in is quite tasty. I added only a sprinkling to my veggie/hummus wrap and a little bit on the sweet potatoes, which was the perfect amount.  I can envision putting this in mashed potatoes, meatloaf, and all kinds of soups! I honestly don't think I would like this as much without the herbs.

My lunch - Mixed veggies with hummus on a tortilla wrap,
side salad with blueberries, roasted sweet potatoes and pickles!

The bottle design was a bit tricky to figure out with opening at the top, but I really like the sliding feature that allows you to put in the desired amount and then just gently slide back into place to seal and stay fresh.

Instead of having the salt shaker around, I think this Herbed Sea Salt by A. Vogel, has earned a place on the table.

A few extra bits of product information claims:

Free from artificial flavors, additives, and preservatives
Free of top 11 allergens
Certified Organic
Non-GMO Project Verified
MSG and Gluten-Free

#trynatural  #howdoyouherbamare #gotitfree

Snack Review: Berry Goodness with Patience Fruit & Co

Dried cranberries usually have a distinct tart taste but these ones by Patience Fruit & Co are quite the opposite, which I believe is from the sweetened apple juice. I am also amazed at how plump and juicy they were compared to just a regular dried cranberry that you'd buy at the grocers or at the bulk food store.

These were tasty in my oatmeal this morning and due to their sweetness, only a few were needed, mixed with some apples.  I would definitely recommend this product and would enjoy trying out the other varieties, like the blueberries.

Thanks to Social Nature for this yummy treat!
#trynatural

Morning oatmeal breakfast.
Look at how plump those cranberries are?!

Happy Thanksgiving!

My craving has been satisfied with a delicious slice of Farmer's Market Pumpkin Pie.

I forgot the whipped cream, so just sub'ed with some strawberry yogurt on top. Driscoll's raspberries made this pumpkin pie perfect. :)

Happy Thanksgiving!

Food Review: A crunchy bite with Flamingo!

Photo by Melissa F. Arditti

It's really great when I come across a product line that offers delicious quality and taste because I know many people are always looking for easier ways to get dinner on the table.  Sometimes it's awesome to cook from scratch, but other times, if you can find a quick and healthy meal option that won't break your budget, why not?

Well I'd like to introduce you to a fantastic company that has been around for over 50 years and sought after by those in Québec, called Flamingo. Available all across Ontario now too, they offer a large selection of chicken and turkey products that you can see on their product list here: http://www.flamingo.ca/en/products

I have only tried the Breaded Chicken breast Strips so far, but after purchasing one box, I went out and got another because they were so good! Sadly, most of the other varieties seem to be out of stock all the time, so I haven't been able to really experiment with other products, but I would like to.

A few things to mention:

• Flamingo prides itself on offering many gluten-free options.  Personally, this was not a deciding factor for me, but if you or a loved one does suffer from Celiac Disease, I would highly recommend checking out this brand

• The bread coating is made from puffed rice! I love the crunchiness too.

• Far less greasy than most breaded chicken strips that I have tried in the past.

• Lower in sodium (always a good thing!)

• Place into the oven for about 20-25 minutes, make sure to flip over half way, cook the rest of the time and you're done.

• Happy that they didn't stick to the tinfoil like many other frozen food products

• Bake in the oven the whole batch and then use the rest for leftovers, which turns out great.

• I really enjoyed dipping them into a honey mustard sauce for added flavour.

• Breaded and unbreaded varieties are available

My only negative is that the price can be a little high at $10 per box, BUT they always seem to have promotions going on and if you can get a coupon (I lucked out on getting a $3 off coupon) and see a discount sale in-store, you can't beat that! Plus they are a healthier alternative than a lot of other frozen chicken products that are loaded with sodium and really greasy, so that is something to keep in mind.

Food: Nutrition of Green Beans

It is technically not quite summer yet, but I am seeing a lot of delicious produce and when those sales come on, it's easy to pack away the frozen vegetables for a later time and opt out for fresh.

Green beans are a personal favourite of mine. If you didn't know, they are packed with a lot of nutritional value, like Vitamin A, C, K, and of course dietary fibre, which you read more in depth from this site here that has a lot of good articles on health and nutrition:  Nutrition of green beans 

They were in a giant crate at Metro for $1.88/lb, so we bought a good amount to last us the week. We used them as side dishes, and incorporated into our salads.

I know that some people can wash green beans and then consume them raw, but personally I find this extremely difficult on my stomach and digestion.  Once they are cooked, I have no issues eating them cold, but that's as far as I go!

Anyhow, just a quick photo of some fresh green beans that I steamed up, sprinkled with a bit of oregano, maple bacon salt, and a little melted butter. Yum!

How do you like your green beans? Send me an e-mail or leave a note under this post!

Customer Service: Pizza Hut Listens After All.

So after close to a month of no-reply from Pizza Hut about our terrible experience on New Years Eve, after I filled out their "Pizza Hut Listens" customer service satisfaction survey, requesting a manager contact me, and going through the modern-day version of telephone tag over social media with Pizza Hut's Facebook rep, I received a phone call today from the manager.

I am happy that my concerns were fully acknowledged and I didn't get a lame excuse of "well you know we were very busy that night..." It was clearly, yes we messed up and you should have received proper service, like any other day. Taking almost a month to get back was inexcusable.

I appreciated the additional conversation of explaining how their system works, the problems they do encounter, but trying to improve upon, and making sure I was okay with their offering, IF we want to give them another opportunity to serve us either by ordering online, dine-in, take-out or delivery. I also liked that I was informed on who to directly contact if things go astray again.

So here it is folks, if you make a mistake (yes we all do this, no one is perfect!), own up to it and ASK what you can do to resolve the situation and even offer some suggestions on how to provide a better experience/service next time. This makes a person feel validated. They may still say to you "there is nothing you can do, i'm never using your services/buying your product again" but at least you went that extra step. Just saying "i'm sorry" and leaving it like that doesn't make someone feel any better and it could result in lost business and you know how fast word-of-mouth spreads. Be proactive and go beyond "i'm sorry."

Recipe: First Time Cabbage Rolls

With food prices soaring, we're eating a fair amount of frozen vegetables, instead of fresh ones. Fear not, despite what many have said, they are just as nutritious! My boyfriend, Bill,  went shopping the other day to pick up a few items and came home with a large cabbage. The previous one was made into cabbage soup and many days of raw cabbage salads and steamed cabbage and mixed vegetables. 

Thanks to Google I was able to type in "what to make with a head of cabbage" and cabbage rolls popped up. I love watching Youtube cooking videos because I am definitely a visual person. Just giving me instructions to cook doesn't always work.  So I came across Jenny Jones' Cabbage Rolls recipe. A couple seconds into the video, it occurred to me that this woman not only looks identical but also sounds like the famous talk show host "Let's Do A Makeover" Jenny Jones! I didn't know she was a cook, so this was a surprise.

Just a few things to note.

• We used some different ingredients that suited us best, so i'll show the recipe below and what we used. Tweak to your tastes and I am sure these cabbage rolls will still turn out amazing.

• We have also done this recipe many times without any meat, so it's vegetarian, just with rice and lentils. 

• Be cautious when taking out the cabbage from the boiling water!

• It took longer than 10 minutes for the cabbage we bought to soften enough to peel the top layer off and after a few layers in, we put it back into the boiling water for another 5 minutes to soften more.

Cabbage Rolls

Prep Time: 1 hour

Cook Time: 1 hour, 30 minutes

Total Time: 2 hours, 30 minutes

Makes: 16 to 24

Ingredients:

1 large head of cabbage (about 3 lbs.) – or use 2 smaller heads

1 Tablespoon olive oil

1 cup diced onion

2 cloves garlic, minced   Used a variety of Epicure spices to sprinkle into the meat mixture

2 large mushrooms, finely diced - 1 1/2 cups (optional) Bill does not like any 'shrooms

1 pound ground sirloin   we used extra lean ground beef

3/4 cup uncooked long grain rice 

1/4 cup chopped parsley

1 cup Pomi strained tomatoes or canned tomato puree   Large can of Hunts Tomato Sauce (look for low sodium kinds!)

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

pepper to taste

3/4 cup liquid (beef stock, cabbage water, or combine with some leftover tomato for 3/4 cup)

Instructions:

Bring a large pot of water to boil. Cut center core out of cabbage and place, core side down, in boiling water. Cover and simmer for 10 minutes.

While cabbage simmers, heat oil in pan over med-high heat and sauté onion and garlic 3-5 minutes until browned. Add mushrooms and cook another 2 minutes. Transfer mixture to a large bowl to cool.

Remove cabbage to a rimmed baking sheet, keeping water in the pot. Gently remove leaves from cabbage, cutting away from the core with a small knife. Set aside the best 16 unbroken leaves and cut off the thick spine in the center for easier rolling. Set all remaining broken or small cabbage leaves aside. (If the core is too firm, return it to boiling water for a few minutes to soften)

Preheat oven to 350° F.

To cooled onion mixture, add meat, rice, parsley, tomato, salt & pepper. Combine well.

Place about 1/4 cup of filling in each leaf, roll, and place seam side down in a 13 by 9-inch pan. Pour liquid over rolls and lay some leftover leaves on top. Cover pan tightly with foil, and bake for 1 1/2 hours. (Place pan on a cookie sheet in case it drips)

Remove from oven and let rest 30 minutes or better still, refrigerate overnight. 

Smelling these from the oven, we couldn't wait to eat them. After that we let the rest cool, put some in the fridge, delivered a couple to a friend who was ill, gave my parents some to try, and the rest went into the freezer!

Taken out of the oven

Ready to eat

Thanks again to Jenny Jones for a terrific recipe that we'll be making again since we just purchased another cabbage!

If you make these cabbage rolls, send me an email, or leave a comment on this post, letting me know how they turned out and what tweaks you made to this recipe!

Stratford Trip

Bill had a gig up in Stratford yesterday and so I came along. He mentioned we would get to go to Fellini's Restaurant again, so how could I say no? :)

We had a delicious lunch! I love the atmosphere, as it reminds me of many New York-style restaurants that I visited many years ago. The service at Fellini's is always top-notch too. If you have never been here, I would highly recommend it. If you are going for dinner though, make reservations, as they get really busy!

Check them out on Facebook or their website

Artistic menu cover

Perfect place for a party!

Lots of booths to choose from and on the other side, you can watch the chefs cook

A peek into seeing the chefs cook

Appetizer -  bruschetta

Main dish - fusseli with chicken, grape tomatoes, and almonds in a white wine pesto sauce. Delicious!

Orange Almond Cake. A nice light dessert.

Afterwards, I just took a walk around and did a little window shopping, while Bill went off to perform.

Downtown Stratford

Memorial Gardens