Restaurant Review: The Club

If you're anything like me, you like to get a feel for a restaurant before you go there - you seek them out online in hopes of finding some quality food porn, you most definitely search for their menu to see what they have to offer, and you probably search the interwebs for a review or two - in other words, you become a little bit of a stalker, which is possibly what has brought you here - welcome, you're not alone ;)

As mentioned in a previous post, since there are so many restaurants popping up in St. John's, and so many we've yet to try, my friends and I formed a group in which we try to visit a new/different restaurant each month - emphasis on 'try', as we only managed 7 in 2013. In any case, on January 6th, 2014 we hit the 1 year mark of outings, and decided, what better way to celebrate than by returning to our favourite spot?! After a quick poll, it was obvious we were heading back to The Club!

If you've never been, it's a pretty wicked spot. Not only does it have an awesome vibe, it has the best food! I kid you not. I can't think of anyone who wouldn't enjoy the food. Every time I go, I leave happy and very full!

I also really enjoy how they seem to work traditional Newfoundland into their entire menu, including the drinks! Case in point, the Jam Jam pictured below -  Purity Syrup, Grand Marnier, Iceberg Vodka and frozen Raspberries - served with an actual jam jam 'wedge' as garnish. They also serve a drink called the Humphy Dumphy, which has Newfie Screech & Pineapple Crush on the rocks. I mean, where else can you buy these?!

Mini Burritos

Did you know, the word burrito translates into 'Little Donkey' in Spanish? And that it supposedly gets its name because it looks similar to the packs donkeys carried? Yeah... me either! But pretty cool hey? 

Wikipedia tells me that 'donkey' translates to 'burro' in Spanish, and the 'ito' is the diminutive form of the word. So I guess, rather than calling this recipe 'Mini Burritos', I should have called it 'Burritoitos?!' ...see what I did there? I added an extra 'ito' to create the diminutive of burritos? ...yeah, it probably doesn't work that way. I never was very good with translation.

ANYwhooo, moving right along, after putting my head down on what to make for this weekend's Super Bowl party (I'm only in it for the food), I thought, why not mini burritos?! They're total Super Bowl food - they're hearty, delicious, and filled with meat, cheese and beans?! You just can't go wrong!

Zucchini Pickles

This past Fall, I had a mini panic attack about my future with traditional 'Newfie' foods. I realized that much of my generation, though not really at a settled age yet, aren't doing the traditional Newfoundland activities that my older relatives have always done. For example, moose hunting... I know very few people my age who go each season, or at all - I personally have never gone. So how the heck am I supposed to get my feed of moose, when my older relatives stop going?

The same goes for many other seasonal traditions like growing my own veggies, picking berries, making homemade jams and pickles - even baking my own bread. There are so many things that I feel I need to start learning/doing now, so they're not lost. I would hate to see the day, when I'm looking back at the 'good old days' when all I would have to do is hint that I was getting low on moose, then suddenly have my pick of my uncle's freezer... or when I would be dying for a taste of my Nan's beets or some pickles and have no idea where to start.

I consider myself lucky to have realized this as a 20-something, and plan to take as many opportunities as I can to learn while all the masters are still teaching. So with that sentiment in mind, I bring to you my great-aunt Patsy's recipe for Zucchini Pickles!

DIY Kitchen Wall Art

Every now and then it's nice to switch things up and start fresh with something new - that my friends, is exactly what the hubby and I have been doing with our place! In fact, during the blackout a couple weeks ago (Shout-out to #DarkNL), we sat down by lantern-light and drafted up all the changes we wanted to make to each room. Little-by-little, and day-by-day we've been making great progress and this past weekend, I crossed another to-do off our list, my very first DIY kitchen project - wall art!

After browsing Pinterest for some ideas, I came across a few that I really liked. Many of my favourites included silhouetted kitchen utensils/appliances and bright colours, patterns or recipes. Using the elements I enjoyed most, I created my own variety :)

Makeshift Lebanese Cheese Pie

Alrighty! Soooo way, way back in March I was sent away to Ottawa for training. It was a 5 day trip (with one day missed courtesy of Newfoundland and it's pea soup fog that week), with training during the day and group outings during the night. We toured Parliament, the War Museum, and even hopped over to Quebec to visit the Sugar Shack (*drool*)!!

All-in-all, it was a great trip! I even got to visit with one of my close friend's Aunt's, who not only picked me up on arrival, but dropped me off at the airport too! And if that wasn't enough, on my last day there, she brought me to a Lebanese bakery to introduce me to my first Cheese Pie!!!

Now, if you've never had Cheese pie, it's DE-LICIOUS!! It's basically bread and cheese warmed in an oven - so in other words, heaven! The only problem I have with Cheese Pie, is the lack of it here in Newfoundland. And despite my friend's aunt bringing me cheese pie on her last 2 trips home (♥♥ God love ya ♥♥), I wanted more!! Sooo, like any good husband would, Nick made it happen by concocting this makeshift version. I was very doubtful at first, but when I tried it, I was impressed - not exact, but so close! So if you are dying for a bit of Cheese Pie, or you're a fan of cheesy bread concoctions, you should give this a try!

Eggs & Polenta

Tis the season for making and/or breaking your new year's resolutions, and if you happen to have made a resolution to shed a few pounds, or to tone up a few of the flubbier parts on your bod, then you're probably trying to eat lighter, cut back on your portion sizes and spending every other day googling 'healthy recipes'. Not the easiest thing to do. Luckily for you, I've been there and done that (a few times... lol) and as a result have found a few gems along the way.

One of those gems is this recipe - a staple in our house. I can't recall where I first saw the idea, but I do recall my concerns about the polenta... I had never cooked it before, nor had I ever tasted, so I really wasn't sure what to expect, turns out it's like a yellow version of Cream of Wheat. If you've never tried it, here's your opportunity to experiment!

My Year in Food 2013

After a few delays and many a power outage, I FINALLY bring to you my 2013 Year in Food!

Just like the song says, 'Another year over and a new one's just begun'. Like many years, 2013 had its ups and downs, but I can honestly say, overall, it was a good year. Not only did I get a new job and travel to Ottawa for training (my first time there), I also traveled to Toronto for my birthday to see a couple of amazing concerts (Beyonce & Jay-Z/JT - also my first time there), and my husband and I finally bought some camping gear and spent several days camping in Gros Morne (also my first time there!) To cap it all off, we spent a nice long Christmas vacation with both of our families, in two separate parts of the province. I have so much to be thankful for this year!

With that said, 2013 started off a little rough for my family, as we were forced to say goodbye to my Nan. Although I attribute my cooking skills to my mom, I like to think I've inherited a little bit of my Nan's cooking abilities as well. I have so many memories of Nan's food, and even though I wasn't a big fan of 'cooked dinner' as a kid, I did love her boiled puddings - in particular her 'plain pudding' - and of course her desserts! It was rare to visit on a Sunday, without an apple pie, or sponge cake - or both - for dessert! She grew the best veggies, made the best rhubarb jam and you couldn't find better bread - something she taught me to make back in the summer of 2012.

So as 2014 is upon us, I have a couple of things I want to make happen - I would like to prepare more of the snacks and breads I eat, I would like to cook without a recipe more often, I of course want to continue trying new foods and I definitely want to give my Nan's bread recipe another go! I am very excited for the food adventures to come in 2014, but without further delay, let's look back at what deliciousness 2013 had in store :) ...you can see 2012 here!

Deli-Wrapped Cheese for Christmas!

I, myself, have a sweet tooth; whereas, my husband has more of a 'meat' tooth. So naturally, when I told him my plans to wrap deli meat around cheese as a Christmas treat, he was over the moon! To be honest, I was half expecting cartoon hearts to start pulsing from his eyes.

Well friends, there were no hearts, but there sure was a lot of praise. In fact, I count myself lucky that I was able to photograph the finished product! I left the kitchen for a little while to test how well the wrapped cheese would set (just to ensure your 'ribbons' wouldn't start falling off 10 minutes after setting them in front of guests), only to return to a chopping board covered with empty toothpicks - I seriously have no idea when he even got into the kitchen?! In any case, there were a few remaining and I was able to successfully test their ability to stay intact at room temperature and in the fridge.

I may be a tad biased here, but I think these are most definitely the cutest, easiest (while looking most complicated), treat you can whip up this holiday season! A definite for your hor d'oeuvres table for sure ;)

Warning: Cheesy, deli meat presents, may turn your loved ones into sneaky food-stealing ninjas.

The Ultimate Fun Foodie-Friendly Gift List Take 2

Step into Christmas - Elton John

So here we are again, Christmas is creeping its way towards us. The big question remains, are you ready? Have you started shopping? Are you on-the-ball and into the 'final stages' of your gift buying? In any case, I have compiled a list of the most wonderful, random and exciting foodie-friendly gifts that anyone would enjoy.

Naturally, before you commence scrolling and 'oohing' and 'awwing' at the compilation of stellar gifts below, be sure to hit play on the Christmas video - after all, you must listen to Christmas music while you Christmas shop! I'm pretty sure that's a rule somewhere ;)

Note: For anyone shopping in St. John's, I've starred the items I've seen Downtown! The best stores for items like this were Living Planet/Johnny Ruth, Home on Water St, and Living Rooms.

Shrimp and Bacon Carbonara

I've always been a fan of carbonara in restaurants, but for whatever reason, I'd never tried making it at home! To me it sounded 'fancy' which, in my brain, translated to 'complicated'. That thinking, could not be further from the truth! If you can make spaghetti, you can make carbonara!

Below is a recipe the hubby and I came up with after testing out a few different versions. This is definitely a favourite dish of ours - not only is it super yummy, but it's also very easy, quick to make, AND there are always tonnes of leftovers!

PS the leftovers taste just as good!