Saturday, January 31, 2015

My Year in Food 2014



So despite my efforts, it seems I've waited til the very last day in January to share my year in food. To be honest, I'm not sure what happened to January, but I am sure of two things: #1 The Steve Miller Band totally nailed it in Fly Like an Eagle, cuz let me tell you, 'Time keeps on slippin, slippin, slippin, into the future...' and #2, I have been all kinds of slack with my blog these past couple of months!

Nevertheless, I have still been running around seizing foodie adventures and enjoying lots of delicious foods, a.k.a. stuffing my face and loving every minute of it! Overall, 2014 was pretty great - we spent loads of time with family and friends, vacationed in London, experienced some new dishes and enjoyed some foodie firsts - just what a good 'Year in Food' needs.

For 2015, I wish for the same. I'd also like to carry forward a few of my foodie resolutions from last year including my plan to cook more often without a recipe (so far, so good!). I'd also like to retry my Nan's bread recipe - I want to master it! Or at least succeed with it... lol. And finally, a resolution I always have - to get out to more restaurants I've had my eye on (Chinched, I'm looking at you!).

But for now, I would like to share my 2014 Year in Food. If you enjoy this, I encourage you to check out My Year in Food 2013 and My Year in Food 2012 for many more drool-worthy moments ;)



This past year, I tried several foodie spots, I'd been meaning to get to:

The Rooms Cafe - just give me all the lamb burgers!

Fixed Coffee - I'd always heard so much good stuff and for good reason, it seems.

J Korean - the only spot in town where you can partake in Korean BBQ! Be sure to reserve the BBQ table if you go, there's only a couple.

Uptown (a.k.a. Yuk Yuk's)

I enjoyed a few new restaurants that opened in the city:

Mohamed Ali's Middle Eastern Cuisine - Yum!!

Beavertails!

Legros & Motti, which sadly will be closing at the end of this month - so, today I guess.

Saigon Bistro - go now! Order the Bun Thit Nuong or the Pho and a pork bun!. Nomz!

Tavola -  It's not pictured but they have Duck Confit Fettucine!!

Lester's Farm Food Truck - The Harvest Hut


I came up with some of my own concoctions:

Mini Burritos Perfect for Superbowl or lunches if you don't slice them :)

S'mores Poutine
PK's copy cat Pizza Fingers
Italian Chicken Casserole with Quinoa
Strawberry and Cake Kebobs

And attempted a few traditional recipes I've grown up loving, but have never made on my own:

Nan's Touton's, or what our family always called toutons. They're made with pork scrunchions and potatoes, they're super yum, I'll share this recipe soon!

Molasses Tart

Nan's Rhubarb Jam - I think I added too much sugar, but it totally brought me back to childhood and all the rhubarb sandwiches I used to bring to school.

Turr - I LOVE turr and turr gravy!!

Crab legs - they were already cooked and flash-frozen at the plant, so we just had to thaw them. Some good though.

Snowballs - To be honest, I was never a big fan b/c I was never a big fan of coconut, but nowadays coconut isn't so bad, especially in the form of snowballs! Recipe coming to the blog very soon!


I was adventurous and tried several new foods:

Oysters in 'Oysters Rocky Harbour' at The Club, now to try the truly raw variety...

Catfish & Okra (both pictured and both delish)
Jamaican Meat Patties (love them) and legit Jerk Chicken from the Farmer's Market. The jerk chicken nearly burned my mouth off but was super tasty!

Paella - always see it on Food Network shows and have wanted to try it for a long time. Finally got the chance on our London vacation!

Clotted Cream - another from our London vacay, it's pretty much the best thing ever and all I want to do right now is eat crumpets, with clotted cream and partridgeberry-apple jam!! *drool*

Mooncake - this was delicious and a purchase from Saigon Bistro during the Mid-Autumn Festival. I will definitely be getting one or two of these again when they're hopefully available next year!! :)



I whipped up a few cakes:

A two layer Brownie Cake with Chocolate Fudge Icing and Salted Caramel Drizzle

My first ever Buttercream Transfer. Gangster Sloth for the win! Check out the youtube video for the tutorial!

My mom's 60th Birthday Cake (yes, she's 60! There are good genes in my family) - Swiss Chocolate cake with Caramel Buttercream and Chunks of Turtle Chocolates

Other food highlights from 2014 included:

 

Experiencing my first High Tea, in London of all places! It was perfect, we were seated at a table on a balcony of the Queen's House overlooking the The Royal Observatory. I mean, really?! It was incredible, I loved every minute!

I visited the Agrifoods and Garden show for the first time and discovered all kinds of goodies, including Kohlrabi which was a first for me. I will definitely be going back again next year, and maybe taking in one of the food demos. Such a great event and a fine spot to discover local producers and to support your local farmers.

We also bought a steamer and can now have dim sum at home! It's not available anywhere that I know of in St. John's - bits and pieces but not the full deal, but you can buy pre-made dumplings and buns at the Magic Wok Grocery on Duckworth Street. Just check the fridges in the back! I've only tried a few things but the custard buns are definitely tasty! :)

Annnnnd that's about it! Quite the year in food! I hope you enjoyed your Christmas as much as I did, and your first month of resolutions ;) Stay tuned for plenty more foodie adventures and recipes from me in 2015 - I swear I'll be more on the ball! As it turns out, I have so much to share over the coming months as I seem to have developed a bit of a backlog during my slackness. In any case, be sure to keep up with me through social media as well, you can find me on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Google+ and my favourite, Instagram!!

Happy 2015!! :)

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