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!

Halloween 'Finger' Food!!

To me, one of the biggest challenges at Halloween (aside from eating all the treats before giving them out) is coming up with new, 'cool looking' treats to serve at our party. In our 8 years of annual extravaganzas, we've learned that salty trumps sweet and people gravitate towards the dips and chips vs. the cookies and cakes. This may be a little different at kid parties, or work parties, but when there's alcohol involved, there's definitely a greater interest in savory.

Despite this, you're pretty hard-pressed to find a savory recipe anywhere, that looks good on its own - that is, it looks good without a name tag explaining what it's supposed to be. If I have to stick a toothpick in something explaining it, it's not as fun to me, I want to look at it and be grossed out/amazed right away! This year's new treat requirements also included the ability to be served cold, quick to prep and it couldn't be a dip (I already had 3 planned) - bonus points if it was cheap!

Somehow, thanks to Pinterest, I found a winner!! Thankfully, it's still okay to have high standards for Halloween treats! ;) Behold... Halloween 'Finger' Food!

Halloween Witches' Brooms

October is EASILY the busiest month of the year for me. Sure Christmas is hectic, but the minute October hits, it's officially Halloween season, and myself and the hubby can be found all over the city checking out the latest Halloween props at whatever store carries them! Between costume planning, prop building and party prepping, October seems to fly by and yet again, here we are with 6 days to go for our annual Extravaganza!

Tonight I was testing some quick and easy treats for next weekend's party, and thought it would be great to share on the blog... as you may have noticed, there has been a lack of posting since October set in ;)

Anywho, if you're looking for an easy treat to make, this is it! I won't take the credit for the idea as I saw it online, cropped the picture, and now I have no idea where it's from! I do remember there were no instructions with it, so I've listed below how I made it happen :)

The Proper Way to Eat Chips!

Face it, unless you're at a social gathering, you're eating your chips straight outta the bag! This can be bad enough when you're eating alone - you're rolling up your sleeve, avoiding greasy knuckles - let alone when your sharing the bag - adding a second hand to the equation, or even worse, a third! All of a sudden it stops being about eating chips and your instincts force you into survival of the fittest (fattest?!) - rules are out the window, and mess is an afterthought as you fight your way to eating the most chips of everyone involved.

Now, suppose I told you there was a better way? An easier way to indulge your love of tasty potato chips? A superior way to share with a friend, without (God forbid?!) dirtying a bowl! Suppose I were to share a little tip - something I learned from my chip-loving father? Suppose I introduced you to a little technique that will forever change the way you eat a bag of chips?! Behold, The Goblet!

BAM!

Disclaimer: I take no responsibility for any weight-gain resulting from use of this technique! Use at your own risk.

How to throw a 'Nerdy Thirty' Birthday Bash!

What happens when two slightly nerdy buddies turn 30 within 3 weeks of one another? Why, a Nerdy Thirty party, that's what!

Somewhere in the midst of summer, my hubby and our close friend both hit their 30th birthday milestone. Neither of the two were too interested in a big celebration, but since they were the first to 'level up' in our group, we knew they had to do it in style. Combining all their favourite nerdy themes, we created the ultimate Nerdy Thirty Birthday Bash, and in the end, two very happy nerdy 30 year old's ;)

I know this is a food blog, but we had such fun with the decorations that I wanted to include those as well, so without further ado, here's how you throw a Nerdy Thirty Birthday Bash!


For starters, get people interested from the beginning with some quality invite copy!

and finding a great picture of those being celebrated, is always a nice touch too!

Halloween photos are perfect for this!