Public Service Announcement

Dear Internet,

I would be doing you all a great disservice if I did not tell you to drop what you are doing and make this immediately...IMMEDIATELY!!

Rachel Ray's Braised Beef

It.  Is.  Amazing.

You're welcome.

-Kristy

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Pinterest Challenge Day 7 - Pumpkin Curry with Chicken Meatballs

And here we are at the end of the challenge! I've made a good dent in my untried Pinterest recipes and had some awesome (and some not-so-awesome) meals!  Yay!

The last recipe on the list is Pumpkin curry with chicken meatballs!  I've had this one pinned here forever and just ever got around to trying it out!  I figured the pumpkin flavour would make it a perfect end to  cold Fall week!  Here's how we did:


Substitutions/Additions:
1) 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon in place of the stick
2) Regular coconut milk instead of low-fat
3) Added 1 tbsp of soy sauce
4) 1/2 cup chicken broth in place of bouillon and to thin out the curry a little (it was super thick!)










And now for the ratings:

Taste: A.  We both really liked this one! This was warm, spicy and hearty and I can't wait to eat the leftovers for lunch today!  I think if I were to do this one again, though, I'd use strips of chicken in place of the meatballs or I would add some breadcrumbs to the balls -they were a little dry. 
Cost: A-.  Using ground chicken makes this very budget friendly!  If you already have a decent spice cabinet at home, you probably don't need to buy any of the seasonings!
Nutrition: A.  Between the spices and the veggies, there's tons of anti-oxidant goodness in here! Between the carrots and the pumpkin you'll get a good dose of beta carotene!  Also, the chicken is nice and lean.    
Simplicity:  B. Using some strips of chicken would save the time and mess of the meatballs, but they were kind of unique and cool so I'm torn...
Overall: A.

And that's that!  Will you be trying out any of these recipes yourselves?  Which ones?  

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Pinterest Challenge Day 6 - Double Feature!

Helllooooo!

How was everyone's Halloween?  Ours was busy!  We got close to 500 trick or treaters!  Insane!  In any case, on to the food! I didn't get any good pictures of these recipes because the lighting in our house sucks.  You'll have to use your imagination!  Let's start with the chicken:

This recipe is pinned here.  Here are our substitutions/changes:
1) We used chicken thighs instead of breasts
2) We added about 1 tsp of dijon mustard to the topping mix.
3)We used Hellmen's  half the fat olive oil mayo

Taste: B.  Dawson liked this one more than I did.  He devoured his.  I just thought it was "ok".  I'd eat it again, but it wasn't my favourite.
Cost: A-.  Not expensive fora main dish at all. Most of this stuff you probably have in your kitchen already. 
Nutrition: B.  Not bad. Not great, but not bad either. The mayo is calorie-dense but heart healthy and the chicken has good lean protein.    
Simplicity:  A+. Super easy!  No complaints here.
Overall: B.

Now for the cauliflower! This one is pinned here and is coincidentally from the same blog as the risotto I made earlier this week. So far the author is 2 for 2, because this was actually even more awesome than the risotto! Wee!

No subs or additions made to this one.

Taste: A+.  If there was anything above A+, I'd give this recipe that! We loved it!  This one is definitely going to find itself in heavy rotation at our house!
Cost: A. This one is cheapy cheapy. 
Nutrition: A. This is a super tasty way to get your veggies in! We liked this so much we ate an entire head of cauliflower between the two of us.  I generally don't even like cauliflower!    
Simplicity:  A+.  Doesn't get much easier than this, internet!
Overall: A+

Only one more day left in the challenge! Exciting! 

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Pinterest Challenge Day 4 - Mushroom Risotto

Hello Internet!

Tonight we made mushroom risotto, which I have pinned here.  Of everything we've made so far, this was by far my favourite! It was rich, creamy and tasty! Mmmm, risotto...  I believe this kind of thing is really supposed to be eaten as a side dish or appetizer, but we made this as our main dish because I love risotto that much and I was in the mood for some good comfort food after yesterday's fiery inferno.  I doubled the recipe and was shocked at how much food it made - we both have leftovers for lunch tomorrow!

Here's how it turned out:

Yummy, yummy, yummy!

Substitutions/Omissions:
1) We used low sodium chicken broth in place of regular
2) We omitted the butter at the end, it didn't really need it.
3) We cut the cheese down by ~25%, again, it didn't really need that much











Here's how we rank this one:
Taste: A.  I love risotto and this one was really tasty! I just finished eating and I'm already looking forward to eating the leftovers tomorrow!
Cost: A-.  This is relatively inexpensive, other than the cheese.  
Nutrition: B-.  As a side dish, this is actually not too bad - there are some good veggies in there, but as a main dish this isn't really balanced. When I make this next time I think I will substitute some olive oil for the butter just to decrease the saturated fat a little. 
Simplicity:  B-. Realistically, this is a risotto and risotto is labour intensive.  All that stirring takes time, but it's oh, so worth it.  My only other complaint is the way the ingredients list was written.  I was confused by the ingredients that were listed twice.  I think they should have been listed once but marked "divided" instead. 
Overall: A-.

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Pinterest Challenge Day 3 - Pigs in Ponchos

...or a series of small failures.

So...if you cross-reference this post with my original "intro to the challenge" post you will see that this is not what we originally intended to make today.  We intended to make mushroom risotto, but that plan was quickly derailed when we discovered that I forgot to buy the Parmesan cheese...oops.
This was failure # 1.
Failure #2 came when we decided to try tomorrow's recipe today (Pigs in Ponchos pinned here), got started and then realized that Dawson had already eaten the cheddar cheese I had intended to use for this recipe.  Again...oops. Apparently today is not our day when it comes to cheese.
Failure #3 came after a trip to the grocery store when we actually tried to make this recipe and it was a complete mess...a fiery mess.

I chose this recipe because it wasn't something I wouldn't normally make.  I figured it would be something different and fun...not so much. Here's how we made out.
Brace yourselves, I didn't even bother trying to make this one look attractive...

Yuck. 

Substitutions:
1) Regular salsa because I couldn't find salsa verde
2) Whole wheat tortillas in place of regular
3) Of the mustard options presented, we went with the honey mustard











Here's how we rank this one:
Taste: C+. Meh.  It was a hot dog wrapped in kind of a weird combination of stuff and I wasn't really all that excited about it.  Dawson thought it was "okay" but did think the honey mustard was a little weird.
Cost: A-.  This is relatively inexpensive, other than the cheese.  
Nutrition: D.  It's no secret that hot dogs are not exactly a health food.  Combine that with 2 non-whole wheat wraps, a bunch of cheese and almost no veggies and this is really pretty junky. If it were tastier it might be worth it...
Simplicity:  D.  These were messy, way too big, and a lot more work than I feel like hot dogs should be...plus they caught on fire, yes,...on fire, when we attempted to grill them. Not so awesome.  I have no desire to make these again.
Overall: D.

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Pinterest Challenge Day 2 - Brazilian Shrimp Soup

Hello!  Tonight we're cooking Brazilian Shrimp Soup, which I have pinned here.  It appears to be from Food and Wine Magazine and is promised to be "tested until perfect".  It also gives a suggested wine paring that we did not try...because it's Monday and we have jobs to go to tomorrow.  Here's how we did:

Soup is so unphotogenic...

Our substitutions for tonight:
1) We used red lentils in place of rice because we only had brown rice in the house and it was late and we didn't want to wait the 45 mins for it to cook.
2) Red and Orange peppers in place of green because that's what we had and I was too cheap (are you sensing A trend here?) to buy more.







Here's how we rank this one:
Taste: B-.  This was good but kinda boring.  It needed some jazzing up - I doused mine in siracha and Dawson dipped pepperoni sticks in his.  I think next time I'd use chicken broth in place of water to add more flavour. 
Cost: A-.  Soups go a long way!  We usually get at least 4 or 5 servings out of a pot.  This one loses the tiniest of points because shrimp can get expensive.
Nutrition: A. I love soups because it's so easy to throw a ton of veggies in there. The soup is also kind of awesome since it has 3 food groups all included (assuming you use the rice like you're supposed to) which makes it nicely balanced!  The only downfall is all of the saturated fat from the coconut milk, but really, overall this is pretty good. 
Simplicity:  A.  This is just about as easy as they come.  Chop some stuff, throw it in a pot and voila!
Overall: B.

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Pinterest Challenge Day 1 - Chicken Enchilada Pasta

Hello Internet!
Here we are at the first day of the Pinterest Challenge!  Wee!  Today we made Chicken Enchilada Pasta, which I have pinned here.  The link I have pinned takes me to some site with the ingredients listed but not the original source of the recipe, which is here (on what looks to be an awesome blog with a ton of amazing looking food btw).
Here's how it turned out!

Spicy cheesy goodness!

We made a few substitutions/additions because I can never just do what I'm told:
1) We used a tsp of chili powder in the sauce in place of the tbsp (ours is crazy spicy)
2) Used whole wheat penne in place of regular for added fibre
3) Used chicken thighs in place of breasts because we generally like them better and I'm cheap.
4) Added a small yellow and orange pepper for added veggie deliciousness
5) Used cheddar cheese in place of monterey jack because we already had it in the house and I was too cheap to buy more cheese.
6) We stuck the whole skillet in the oven at 350 for 5 mins to melt the cheese.



Here's how we rank this bad boy:
Taste: A-.  It was pretty good! We both enjoyed it and are having the leftovers for lunch tomorrow.  I do think it would have been lacking without the veggies though.  In fact, if I were to make it again I would add even more veggies and maybe some black beans and probably reduce or completely eliminate the of chicken.
Cost: A-.  This was decently budget friendly.  The chicken and cheese are the only expensive ingredients here.
Nutrition: B.  As it's written, this recipe was severely lacking in veggie goodness and using regular pasta is just a missed opportunity for fibre!
Simplicity: B.  The recipe is pretty simple and was relatively quick.  My only complaint is that the order the steps are written in makes the timing of this recipe a little wonky.  In my opinions step 1 should have been to make the sauce, step 2 to boil you pasta and step 3 to cook everything else.  As it's written, the chicken is cooked well before anything else is ready to go and there's a lot of down time.
Overall: B+

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Episode 107 - The Incredible Disappearing Blogger!

Oh hi!  Just thought I'd let you know I'm still alive! It seems that at this time every year I fall off the face of the internet for a few weeks.  Maybe I should start making it a scheduled thing... in any case, I'm back!  I've been busying myself with the usual things - work, Zumba, and nail polish (oh, so much nail polish!  I should really start another blog just to tell you about all of the wonderful nail polish!).  I've been cooking, but mostly just remaking a few of my favourite recipes that I've already posted on here (mostly soups) and then a few from some other really great places!  The recipe I'm suggesting today actually comes from Food Network Magazine. If you like fall comfort foods you NEED to make this.  Need.  We've made it twice this fall already and I'd probably still make it again today.

Baked Beans with Bacon

Photo stolen from Food Network Magazine.  Ours was less pretty...but every bit as delicious!
Click the title above for the recipe!

The only change we made was skipping the pancetta, just because we figured 5 slices of bacon was plenty or cured, fatty meat for us.  It works out fine this way.  

In other news, Dawson left today to go hunting (with his barber.?!..for reals!) until Wednesday so, it's just me and the animals until then.  Hopefully nothing goes horribly wrong while he's gone.  Have you ever noticed that there are just a few things around the house that are definite "man jobs"?  These are the reasons women need men around...or sorry, not "need", but enjoy having men around. Don't send me any feminist hate mail, mmkay? Some good examples are cleaning the hair clogs out of the shower drain (I gag just thinking about this), taking out the garbage, killing spiders and anything having to do with plumbing.  Because I'm spoiled vacuuming and scraping the frost off of car windows have also been designated "man jobs" in our house.  Here's hoping the pets stop shedding until he gets home...and that my car will fit in the garage.  I don't think "Sorry I can't come to work because my windows are frosty and there's no one here to scrape them" will fly as an excuse at work...

Now finally, this is completely unrelated but I'm putting it here anyway because it's just so darn pretty - my nails with some petty new polishes I got this week - A England's Tristam and St. George.  Do you own these?  You need to own these.  

I'm a sucker for a gradient manicure!

So that's all folks!  Hopefully I'll be around more frequently from now on!  

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Episode 101 - Mug Shot

Ok internet, we need to discuss something I recently discovered - MUG CAKES!  Yes, mini single-serving cakes you make in 3 minutes from stuff you probably have lying around your kitchen!  Amazing.  Dawson is eating one riiiight now and it's awesome.  I don't really invent recipes for baking (since they require...you know, precision) but if you google "mug cake" you should come up with a plethora of options.  Here is the one we (Dawson) made:

Peanut Butter Mug Cake


recipe from//Kirbie's Cravings 4 tablespoons all purpose flour 4 tablespoons white granulated sugar 1/4 tsp baking powder 1 egg 3 tablespoons peanut butter 3 tablespoons milk 3 tablespoons vegetable oil Combine all ingredients in an oversized coffee mug. Whisk well with a small whisk until smooth. Microwave on high for 1 1/2 minutes and then take it out to check to see if it is done. If not, continue to microwave in thirty second intervals.  You don’t want to overcook it or it will become rubbery. You can also make this into two smaller-sized mugs. You can mix the batter all in one mug and then pour half into another mug. Make sure you cook each one individually. Delicious.

 

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Episode 99 - Samba Time

Ok internet, I need to tell you about our weekend getaway because:
It.  Was.  Awesome.
First of all, we checked into what was quite possibly the nicest hotel room I have ever stayed in.  I'm pretty sure the square-footage rivaled the first floor of our house!  There was a sitting room with double french doors leading to the bedroom with a huge king-sized bed with a leather headboard!  The bathroom had a stone accent wall and a huge tub and there was a Keurig coffee machine!  It was amazing.  Really, props to you Chateau Cartier - that hotel room rocked! After marveling at the incredible room for about an hour we set out for dinner.

Is this not insane?!

I wanted to steal the headboard for home...

We took advantage of a really awesome Groupon to a restaurant called "Ekko de Brasil", which included dinner, 2 Brazilian caipirinha cocktails, a bottle of wine and 2 Brazilian coffees all for the ridiculous price of $80!  That deal would be awesome at any ol' restaurant but let me tell you, this isn't just any ol' restaurant!  There are live samba dancers, music, a huge salad/side dish bar and gauchos serving you all-you-can-eat meat off of swords.  Swords! We had steak, bacon wrapped-chicken, beer-basted chicken legs, Parmesan pork, and the most ridiculously awesome leg of lamb ever!  Honestly, it was to die for! We made a very firm decision to go back with friends and family at the first available opportunity!  If you're ever in the Ottawa-Gatineau region you should definitely check it out!

Switching gears a little, I also want to tell you about the bacon roll-ups I made for the annual Canada Day BBQ we went to.  This recipe is not my own creation, but is awesome and you should definitely make it.  Comments from our friends about these little gems included:

"These are the best food I have ever eaten"

and

"Ever since I ate those bacon things, all I can think about is those bacon things"

...so you know they're kinda good!

Bacon Roll-Ups 

2 lbs bacon

1 loaf brown bread

1 can sweetened condensed milk

¼ cup prepared mustard

1 tsp Worcestershire sauce

2 cups Colby or medium cheese

     Preheat the oven to 375 F. Start the prep work by cutting the crust off bread and then rolling each slice flat with a rolling pin.  Next, cut your packages of bacon in half.  Mix the remaining ingredients in a medium bowl and set aside - don't be freaked out by the randomness of these ingredients, they will taste awesome together, I promise.  

    To assemble the rolls, lay three pieces of the halved bacon on the counter overlapping slightly.  Top this with one slice of the flattened bread and about a tbsp of the crazy mixture spread evenly over the top.  Grab the edge of the bacon and roll the whole thing into a log.  Secure the log with 3 evenly spaced toothpicks and then slice into 3 pieces.  Repeat with more bacon bread and crazy mix until all your ingredients are used up.  Bake in the preheated oven for 15 minutes then switch on the broiler and broil for 5 minutes or until the bacon gets nice and crispy.  Stick 'em on a platter, serve them to your friends and prepare yourself to receive at least one marriage proposal.  Seriously - people like these that much. 

   Overall, I'd say it was a pretty spectacular long weekend!  How did you spend your holiday this year?

·    

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Episode Idon'tevenknowcuzI'mtooexcited - EEEK!

Moving day is 1 week today!  Are you excited?  I'm excited!  New recipes from a brand new kitchen coming soon!

Until then, entertain yourself with our absolute favourite summer BBQ recipe - Jerk Pork Tenderloin from Cooking Light Magazine!

Jamaican Jerk Pork Tenderloin

Recipe By :Cooking Light Magazine. May 2001. 

Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method
-------- ------------ --------------------------------
2 cups coarsely chopped green onions
1/2 cup coarsely chopped onion
2 tablespoons white vinegar
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
2 teaspoons kosher salt
2 teaspoons fresh thyme
2 teaspoons brown sugar
2 teaspoons chopped peeled fresh ginger
1 teaspoon ground allspice
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 Scotch bonnet or habanero peppers, seeded -- (1 to 4)
and chopped
1 pork tenderloin (1-1/2-pound), trimmed
Cooking spray

1. Place first 15 ingredients in a blender or food processor, and process until smooth.

2. Slice pork lengthwise, cutting to, but not through, other side. Open halves, laying each side flat. Slice each half lengthwise, cutting to, but not through, other side; open flat. Combine pork and green onion mixture in a dish or large zip-top plastic bag. Cover or seal; marinate in refrigerator 3 to 24 hours. Remove pork from dish or bag; discard remaining marinade.

3. Prepare grill. 

4. Place pork on grill rack coated with cooking spray; grill 8 minutes on each side or until meat thermometer registers 160 degrees (slightly pink). Yield: 4 servings (serving size: 3 ounces pork).

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -




Grill it up with some plantains and maybe a pineapple salsa on the side and you have yourselves a delicious, summer-y dinner, my internet friends! 


See you soon!

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Episode 55 - Love-fest

Sorry internet!  I feel like I've been a big giant whiner lately and I think it's high time I redeemed myself!  I swear, I'm usually a very happy person and I blame the recent "*blah blah blah* my car is broken, my cell phone sucks, I had to wear a jacket today *blah blah blah*" junk on my aforementioned end of summer depression.  So much negativity.  Now suddenly it's Labour Day weekend!  Summer's last hurrah!  So, in honour of this wonderful holiday I thought that rather than mourning the death of my favourite season, from now on (or for this year anyway) I should celebrate!  Positivity begins now!

So, without further ado, here is a decidedly positive list of things I am currently loving, in no particular order.

1) Krema brand Greek yogurt.  Oh my, have you tried this stuff?!  Its like eating a bowl of cheesecake batter with a spoon except you don't have to do it all 007-style when no one is looking.  It just might be my favourite dairy product and that's saying a lot coming from someone who believes that Brie cheese is essential for life.  It's just so creamy and thick!  Do you remember that old oatmeal commercial with that Scottish (at least I think he was Scottish, I'm terrible with accents) guy claiming that real oatmeal should be "thick enough to stop a bullet"?  Well, internet, this yogurt is probably juuust about bullet proof - being 9% milk fat will do that to a yogurt.  That's right, 9%.  This stuff enters dessert territory- go easy on it...or learn to like running marathons.


2) This song:


3) Actually, while we're on the subject of music, this song too:


Both of these just give me this uncontrollable urge to dance around the room and sing the lyrics at the top of my lungs.  So! Darn! Good!

4) My new riding boots!  On my last day of my retail job I was given a cash bonus!  I think it was half to let me know I was an especially good retail slave and half to try and bribe me into staying.  Obviously the bribe was unsuccessful BUT I took the bonus anyways (duh) and bought myself these babies!  Can't wait to wear them, the box they are currently sitting in just does not do them justice!

5) Perogies.  When I was at university in Kingston my roommates and I probably ate perogies 3 times a week.  At least.  We ate so many perogies that I'm surprised we didn't cause some sort of perogie drought across the city of Kingston.  I know.  The dietitian side of me cringes with I think about it.  After graduation, and when I learned to cook things other than perogies,  my obsession subsided a little and up until I found this recipe, it had been a good couple of years since I last had any at all.  I'm sure market shares of perogie companies have suffered greatly.   In any case, if you like perogies you need to try that recipe.  Homemade perogies trump frozen perogies anyday and these instantly brought back memories of living with my roomies and all of our shenanigans the studying we did.  I  miss you guys!

6) Sephora by OPI nail polish in "Under my Trenchcoat".  Sephora describes this as "opaque light-grey khaki with metallic gold".  I describe is as the perfect neutral color to wear to my internship during which I'm not supposed to wear nail polish.  I know I should just suck it up and follow the rules about the "no nail polish" thing but it's really a silly rule and silly rules were meant to be broken.  Plus, who could be opposed to such a pretty, professional looking color?!  I must buy this nail polish.

7) The movie "Crazy, Stupid Love".  This movie has everything - love scenes, fight scenes, that guy from Breaker High's abs...you can't afford to miss it.  I saw this with Dawson on a date night at the drive-in.  Which brings me to my next point...

8) The drive-in!  The only one around here is behind a barn in Port Elmsley - Port Elmsley Drive-in.  You need to go.  It makes such a perfect date night (side note: I also love date nights)!  Wear your pjs, bring some snacks and cuddle up with your love over a double feature!  All this for only $10!  Go before they close for the season, showtime starts at sundown!

9)  Old photos.  This isn't new; I've always loved photos.  Dontcha just love looking through your parent's old photo albums?  Incredible.  Go ask you parents if you can borrow one for awhile and spend some time reminiscing.  You just might find some gems like these:

Dawson is such a little man.

Little blondies - my brother and I.

 10)  Vacations.  Everyone needs a vacation now and again, right?!  I just love travelling and visiting new places!  Last year, Dawson and I went on a last minute trip to Cuba and it was the most relaxing, wonderful week of my life.  This year, since being a student doesn't pay very well, it's not looking like we're going to get to go anywhere.  *insert teary sad Kristy face here*  In any case, the following is my bucket list of places I need to go before I die:

• Bali
• Fiji
• Thailand
• Spain
• Greece
• Turks and Caicos
• Portugal

I just realized that pretty much that entire list is composed of beaches I need to visit and foods I need to eat. At least I know what my priorities are!

So there you have it - 10 things I love!  I promise to try to be less of a grump from now on...or at least until winter hits!

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Episode 41 - Where I Eat

As shocking as it may be, there are days when even I don't feel like cooking.  On those days when the fridge is bare, the grocery stores are too much of a hassle and I'm just generally a lazy butt I like to go out and have someone else cook my dinner.  If you ask me, these are some of the very best places to stuff yourself silly!

Bally Giblin's - Carleton Place, Ontario

This place is amazing for a few reasons - 1) It uses local, seasonal ingredients from farms around Carleton Place, 2) The menu changes regularly and always has something new and delicious sounding to try (the desserts are made fresh and change daily!) and 3) It's 2 minutes from our house.  Awesome.  I also love this place because it somehow manages to be both a "special occasion" location and just a place to get an awesome burger and a beer (even the beer is from local breweries!).  Give it a try!

Favourite Dishes - Any of the burgers, cedar plank brie, Chipotle Chocolate Cake

The Good Food Company - Carleton Place, Ontario

Just a few doors down Bridge Street from Bally's is this adorable little place! Apart from having what is probably the best name ever, this place also has some pretty delicious dishes!  Like Bally's, they also use locally sourced ingredients and change their menu seasonally.  They bake all their desserts and breads fresh and always have an awesome selection of cool deli salads to try!  I'm pretty sure that if I were to open a restaurant it would be just like this place - cute, cozy (there are only 6 or 7 tables!) and only open for breakfast and lunch.  I recommend trying out their Sunday brunch!  Call ahead though - this place fills up quickly!

Favourite Dish - Springtime Grilled Cheese, Huevos Rancheros and pretty much any deli salad!

Louisiannies - Stittsville, Ontario

If you like cajun food this is a must try!  We've only been once but believe me, it was incredible!  The decor is simple, casual and a lot of fun!  The night we went there was also a live band playing the blues to accompany my dinner - probably the best jambalaya ever!  Spicy and fresh the food here is well worth the drive out to Stittsville!

Favourite dish - Jambalaya

Phnom Penh - Kanata, Ontario

This place is, without a doubt the best Thai/ Cambodian food in Ottawa!  I first fell in love with all of these dishes when living a 10 minute walk from the original Phnom Penh restaurant in Kingston, Ontario.  Needless to say, moving home and away from the source of my Thai food addiction was a little heart breaking, so discovering that they were opening a second location right in my hometown was probably one of the greatest moments of my life!  Always perfectly spiced and deliciously sauce-y every single curry on the menu is good!  Be adventurous and try something new!

Favourite Dishes - Golden Chicken, Phenom Penh Soup (VERY spicy!) and Thai Style Chicken and Shrimp

MHK Sushi - Nepean, Ontario

It's no secret that I LOVE sushi.  Like...love love.  It's probably my favourite food.  Within the last few years, tons of sushi places have popped up all over Ottawa but this one was here and serving me first!  They are also far and away the best sushi I've had.  This place is so good that I actually still have their phone number stored in my cell phone!  Their rolls are different than any other place I've been and are plated so intricately that they're almost too pretty to eat!  The prices are high here compared to other (lower quality) sushi places around, but believe me, it's worth it.  If you aren't up for paying premium prices per roll, they now also offer a more reasonably priced (but also more restricted) all you-can-eat menu that's also pretty good.

Favourite Dishes - Spicy Kiss Roll, Dancing Eel Roll, Hawaiian Roll

So, that pretty much wraps up this volume of "Where I Eat".  I'm sure I'll do another one of these sometime after I've explored a few more menus!  If you have any favourite restaurants in the area feel free to tell me about them!  I love trying new places!

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MMMMmmm Thai Food.

This is not my recipe but it is absolutely amazing and everyone should try it.  It's thick and creamy and spicy and peanut-y all at the same time.  Just do it.

http://www.bonappetit.com/recipes/2010/07/red_curry_peanut_sauce

We had it with stir fried chicken, red pepper and onions over rice. Delicious.

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