Saturday, June 19, 2010

Moms Prawn and Pasta!

I am currently in Toronto with my little bro and my mummy!!! I have some training for work next week so flew out for the weekend before to hang with Shayne, and my mom who happens to be visiting at the same time...yay! I arrived in the evening, greeted with smiles and hugs and a stomach wrenching drive to Shaynes apartment....I guess you have to be an aggressive driver in Toronto...but BARF! Mom and I yelled at him the whole way home.

I arrived at the condo, downtown TO, to a glass of vino waiting and was lucky enough to have mom cook for us....such a treat to have someone else do the cooking (although I am certain she was wishing for the same!). Mom has been here for the past week cooking and cleaning for her beloved bachelor son. Every time you visit Shayne, his fridge is filled with the same essentials. Juice, Beer, Soda Pop, Condiments that expired in 2008 and butter for popcorn (of COURSE...a family favorite!). So poor mom has been spoiling him with homemade soups, burritos, pork chops and love. What a great gal.

The night I arrived mom had decided on angel hair pasta with prawns and sauteed spinach....awesome. Truthfully I have never made angel hair pasta, and I didn't realize it only took about 2-3 mins to cook....great option for a quick side dish in a pinch. She sauteed some jumbo prawns up in garlic and a little sweet Thai chili sauce, then threw in a whole bunch of spinach (use lots because this stuff shrinks up like a willy on a cold day). She drained the pasta (be SURE to remove from the pot after 3mins max as it WILL get waterlogged and soggy), dumped the beautiful, fine and silky noodles into the shrimp/spinach/garlic, gave it a good toss, popped it on the plate with a sprinkle of parsley and Parmesan and how delicious is THAT! She also had some blanched asparagus on the side and corn on the cob....how lucky am I!

Please go give your family members a hug and a kiss if you are close by, and feel grateful that they are.

Enjoy

Tuesday, June 15, 2010

Cures For a Sad Day


Do you ever have one of those days where your heart is a pile of mush and all you can do is cry all day??? Okay, maybe the ladies have heard of this before...probably not the men (but possibly???). That was my day yesterday. I wont get into the specifics, but it was one of those life direction, which way is up type of raw, confusing days.

My face looked like a puffin..but not in the cute way...the sad way, so I even had to cancel dinner plans with my dear girlfriend Carmen. For some reason when I am really sad/confused/scared etc. I tend to need my own time. I don't call anyone, not even my parents (which is crazy, cause I call them a lot), I don't turn to girlfriends...and Ivan does what he can to cheer me up...which works temporarily...but I have found what works best for me is ME :)


I clawed my way through my work day and went to my wonderful Hatha yoga class after work at Semperviva (5 awesome studios with tons of different classes..really fantastic). Yoga is step #1 for me when pulling myself out of a bad mood or bad day. Moving my body in such beautiful ways subsequently calms my mind. Step #2 is always a MASSAGE! I absolutely love massages, I only know one person who hates massages and I think she is NUTZ! If I could afford to have one every day, I would! AND I almost can at Acalanatha Wellness Group at $38 dollars for 50 mins of BLISS...its such an unbelievable deal (no no... its not a rub and tug shop...although I'm sure Ivan wishes it was) You don't get all the bells and whistles of a fancy spa, but its really the massage that counts and Elaine and Sammy are amazing!!!! You can also find these prices directly across the street at Beautiful Feet but Acalanatha is a much nicer experience. They are not registered, so you can't claim it on your benefits plan..but who gives a flying Fu*k when its only 38 bucks.
So by now, I am feeling much much better and move onto step #3 of Heather Care which is a long scented bath, listening to Spa music and reading recipes....a gentle face mask in place and I have pretty much reached my happy zone.
Step #4 is food (of course). I made myself a simple salad for dinner ( instead of eating comfort food when I am feeling down, I go the opposite direction and eat well because I know comfort food aka. pizza/pasta/sweets etc...will only make me feel worse)....I haven't actually bought salad dressing in years (too many preservatives)...so for a no fail dressing that's always on hand mix 2 parts Olive Oil, 1 part balsamic, 1 part pure maple syrup, 1 part Dijon, sea salt and pepper, whisk and voila...works like a charm every time.. I paired this with a slice of grain toast drizzled with honey....my friend Anu mentioned to me over the weekend that she puts honey on her toast sometimes...and its something I have never done, and really enjoyed, as it seeps into the cracks and gets all warm....warm honey on toast...pretty darn comforting I'd say.
Hopefully your sad days are few and far between, as mine are...but if one creeps up on you, try out a few of these steps and you will be feeling bright and shiny all over again!!!
Enjoy

Sunday, June 13, 2010

Gold Fish Pacific Kitchen in Vancouver

Wow...this restaurant was amazing! I can't believe its taken me so long to hit this place up!....A fabulous West Coast feel with some sexy zing. Walking past Gold Fish Pacific Kitchen in Yaletown, feels sort of European with the windows wide open, the beautiful people sitting in the lounge overlooking the bustling Saturday night sidewalks of Yaletown. It feels like you have stepped into that dance scene with Kate Hudson from the movie NINE (a sexy chick flick that's pretty fun to see)....this resto took its time with the design and decor, and the room is gorgeous...splashes of bright colors, balanced with shimmering sea shell chandeliers over the bar, its a long room and at the back is a fabulous, modern outside patio/lounge with sexy white couches and brightly colored throw pillows...get there early to secure a spot!





What I really loved about this restaurant, is that it wasn't just the room that was ooozzzing with sex appeal, but so was the food. My friend Anu and I started with a martini called the Quincy Jones, which was infused with Organic Okanagan Quince Compote, and was fabulous paired with their fresh Oysters and Calamari...both an excellent choice. Again, the calamari didn't have too much breading, was nice and tender, with a perfect amount of spicy heat...careful with the dipping sauce as it was a bit salty, so you only need a wee bit.





We then moved onto our mains, I enjoyed the hoisin sake glazed sablefish...buttery and soft, excellent balance of Asian flavours, served with a few steamed greens below..this is a fabulous choice. Anu opted for the pan roasted Arctic Char, which was equally excellent, served with some crisp Asian pear slices beneath, which really added a nice sweet crunch to the flaky texture of the Char.



The sides were a la carte, which is always fun. One side is plenty for 2 people, and probably enough for 4 if you order a few. We paired our meals nicely with the grilled asparagus with shallot and warm sake which was gorgeous!!! Could have peeled off the woody ends...but it was still grilled perfectly crisp-tender. They offer brown and white jasmine rice, we opted for the brown, which felt nice and healthy and was delish. We also ordered a side of nan, which I don't recommend...it was not house made...more like Safeway made with a boring Greek style yogurt dip....skip this dish.



We completed this beautiful meal by taking a little peak at the dessert menu....nothing really jumped out at us, but we split the chocolate souffle cake for fun (ahhh...such a chore), which was warm, light and nicely paired with some simple vanilla bean ice cream.



I give full marks for Goldfish and suggest you get your butt there soon and



Enjoy!

Wednesday, June 9, 2010

Trick for Tomatoes

I was watching Rachel Ray the other day...who I think has some pretty great, quick family style recipes. I have one of her cook books and its loaded with great quick meals....I can see it coming in quite handy when we have kids. Most of her recipes I probably wouldn't entertain with...but for a quick casual meal with close friends...maybe.

But on her show the other day she had the BEST trick for cutting cherry tomatoes or grapes. You take two lids from plastic containers that are the same size (ex recycled yogurt or sour cream or even tops of the zip lock containers). Place a bunch of cherry tomatoes on one side (top facing down), then gently press and hold the other lid on top and run a knife in between the two tops....a perfect cut! And this means you can cut ten or more at once vs. one at a time...it worked like a charm for my roasted tomato pasta last night! This can be done with grapes too.

My pasta didn't quite turn out as well as I wanted....It would have, but I had too much pasta and too little sauce..which consisted of roasted cherry tomatoes, arugula and prosciutto, with a little red chilli fried up in Olive Oil...amazing combo..BUT you have to make sure you have the right amount of sauce per noodle....my take away lesson...always double the sauce, because left overs can be saved and savored at another time!

Enjoy.

Monday, June 7, 2010

Bao-Bei in Vancouver

Please, please, please go to this restaurant...it is AMAZING! I was lucky enough to be invited out to my friend Aryn's birthday dinner with her fabulous folks and her man Rob. Ivan was working...sucks for him as he missed out on an incredible evening.

Bao-Bei is a newer resto in Vancouver's Chinatown...they don't take resos, which was just fine by me, because we sat and sipped the most amazing Margaritas with a chili- salt/sugared rim... it was divine. Rob said his Pina Colada was the 3rd best he had ever had (can't remember where the first 2 were) The time zipped by with great conversation and we were seated at a table in the back. The room...was very simple...almost bare walls...save for a few photos...some even by Polaroid...but I liked everything about it.

I am going to try to remember everything we ate...but I can assure you, even if I miss something...every damn dish was tremendous. We ordered a bottle of some fabulous white wine ..called Domaine Du Tariquet it was crisp and clean, with a hint of smoke and it paired wonderfully with our Asian adventure. The wine list is short, priced quite sweet and really all the variety you need with spicy foods.

Being the foodie I am...I love to let people order for me..it actually excites me, not knowing what will be served next. And eating tapa style is so much fun with a group of people...very social because you can all discuss the flavours and textures of the foods you are sharing....(TIP: you should be a foodie or at least enjoy Asian foods before coming here..and come with Foodie friends so you can share and enjoy the experience....leave the guy at home who only likes chicken...and tell him to get a life).

We started with the sticky rice cake which was delish...great texture and phenomenal flavour, as was the Shao-bing a braised pork-butt dish..but how could these possibly be topped by the Mantou....a modern take on a steamed pork bun, with braised beef short rib, peanuts and a pickle...WTF??? As Aryn so politely put it...this combination of flavours just shouldn't go together...but my god, they certainly do.

I think the only veggie of the night was the King Pea tips, done in garlic....but really who needs anything else after you have tasted these! Tender, bright green with some mellow garlic....my mouth is watering. Paired nicely with a few different types of pot stickers and dumplings...each absolutely perfect.

We then had a couple orders of the squid, which were just amazing...WHY you ask...because they were pan fried with pork and bok choi...no breading, no coating..just beautiful tender squid with increadible flavours...watch out because they have the tentacle squiddies in there....I love em (Aryns fave)...but some folks may not (wimps).

We ended up back tracking and ordering a second round of almost everything...and even the second time I found myself excitedly shoveling in the delicious morsels. We also ordered the fish noodle soup which was awesome...1 big bowl enough for all 5 of us....did we stop there....ummmm NO...we asked the server to bring us a surprise dish..and that he did. A staff and client fave..the crispy pork belly ...it was exactly that...crispy on the outside and tender on the inside..which ended the savory part of the meal most wonderfully!

We sweetened our palates with a variety of desserts...each of them were delish...the one that stands out of course was the deep fried banana with lime coconut sorbet....unique and pretty awesome.

The evening wrapped up so nicely as we strolled through the Chinese Night Market , located right outside the restaurant...which was just fabulous in and of itself! Every weekend evening until September...if you have never been, you should check it out for fun. In fact..try Bao-Bei one weekend, then another weekend come back on an empty belly and try out some of the street vendors...each one looked amazing...as people walked by with noodles and fresh chips, pot stickers, fried chicken.....I will be taking Ivan there on a date night soon! I suggest you do the same with your sweetie...or maybe meet one there...and

Enjoy!

Saturday, June 5, 2010

La Bucca in Vancouver

So my wonderful husband received a nice cheque for his bday in the mail, from some very lovely in-laws...and what does he chose to do with that, you ask...well take his amazing wife out to dinner of course!!! Yipee. We decided to go to this little, hidden, local Kitsilano treasure called La Bucca. We have been here a few times, and really love the nice, cozy buzz in there. (tip: this restaurant gets LOUD on weekends when its packed, because its very small....so not a great place to go if anyone in your party is hard of hearing) Plus its only about a 20 minute walk, so you can build up an appetite! You probably wouldn't even see this place if you were walking by...it's so tiny and in amongst some nondescript stores, in a little strip mall type jobbie...along MacDonald Street. But you had better make a reso, because this place is always busy! And you will soon find out why.

We went early, at 6:30 so it was a little quieter than usual, but filled up by the time we left...and that was the only time we could get in. Each time we have been to this restaurant we have been impressed. Now, its not one of the best restaurants in Vancouver...but it is DAMN good.

Their fresh menu is constantly changing day to day, with their features on a huge chalk board at the back...it will take your server about 5mins to describe each one, leaving you totally confused and wanting everything. I really wanted to try their lasagna with roasted duck, apricots and mozzarella...it sounded so unique..but alas, my tummy wasn't up for something quite that rich...but I sure hope they have that on the menu again as the people beside us ordered it and said it was amazing!

Neither of us was too hungry, so skipped out on the starter and went straight for the vino...we had a little Quartino of wine to share, and it was the perfect amount...probably could have done 2 but we were trying to be "good". I ordered the house made Farfalle (bowties)with local wild mushrooms and pancetta done in a red wine sauce with a splash of cream...and it was delish! The pasta was a perfect el dente, and the sauce wasn't overthetop rich...but just a nice balance...loaded with flavour!

Ideally when at an Italian restaurant, I like to have a main, like a fish or a meat with a side of pasta...but this night I indulged in the full bowl. They give you a perfect portion of pasta as well...I'd probably get a side salad next time just to break up the flavours...sometimes if you are just eating a bowl of pasta you are eating the same flavours over and over and it can get a little boring. This was not the case, because the portion was on the small side so, really just enough to fill me up....BUT if you have a huge appetite and you are just ordering one of their delicious housemade pastas, you may want to order some of their savory focaccia.

Ivan opted for the lincod, which was divine...roasted with sundried tomatoes, olives and Italian sausage...wow...what a gorgeous dish...a little bit of orzo (rice shaped pasta) a little spinach...I loved this dish. The cod on its own is a very bland fish...but this was cooked perfectly..soft and delicate and the flavours were a celebration in your mouth.

All of their salads and appies are delish...lots of imported speciality foods and ingredients from Italy. And if you need to take a wee, you actually get to walk through the little kitchen and see the chefs in action...with all of their trays stacked up with roasted tomatoes, and decadent desserts just winking at you....they must do this on purpose so you order that 3rd course! I highly recommend this restaurant for a nice casual dinner with friends, or simple date night with your favorite sweetie.

Enjoy!

Wednesday, June 2, 2010

Breakfast and a Hike

To continue with our Whistler trip...the next morning, we walked around the village and enjoyed the people watching, and by noon we were starving...well perhaps I should say I was starving. Ivan's never starving...always content..hungry when I feed him...fine when I don't. But I, on the other hand, turn into a raging biaaatch when I am hungry. I can almost feel my blood sugars drop out the bottom of my feet and I morf into a real animal...please tell me that this happens to other women too??? anyone???

Well most times, I try to be proactive and bring snacks everywhere I go...emergency Kashi granola bars (you can get them at Cost-co, and are the only ones I will eat as the rest are filled with absolute shit) stashed in the car, almonds in my purse...I do my best, but sometimes I am empty handed and its just not pretty. Our girlfriend Cara once told me she gives her hubby a 15min warning...meaning, he had better find her food in 15 minutes...or else. I like this idea...so have been using it often. It actually works....sometimes. The other issue with me, is that I wont just eat ANYTHING. I don't eat junk food, or fast food and try to avoid processed food....all things that you can easily grab on the spot....meaning, we have to find something edible to ME. This can be a challenge at times, but it just so happened that I knew of this great little, local cafe called Beet Root Cafe 4340 Lorimer Road #129 (sorry, no web page). I have eaten here twice now and enjoyed each time very much. Its good, quick, casual food. They have great wraps, and they heat them up..use real ingredients (aka real chicken vs. Safeway deli meat...can you really even call that meat??), their soup is homemade and they also have a list of sandwiches made to order...a great spot for breaky, lunch or brunch!

We carried on home after filling our bellies with a huge breakfast burrito filled with fluffy eggs, cheese and bacon, with some house made salsa on the side....blood sugars regular once again, with a re-appearance of "nice" Heather.

We drove part way back to Vancouver, when Ivan decided we should hike the Chief! Great idea for a hang over...not! Neither of us had ever done this before, so it seemed like a good idea at the time. Totally unprepared for a hike...not to mention we are both in the worst shape we have ever been in...made for an interesting afternoon. We stopped to pick up some water (thank GOD) and innocently carried on. WOW, is all I can say. It took us almost 3hrs to the 2nd peak and back, with a lot of heavy breathing...and not in a sexy way...more like a beached walrus type way. But wow, was it worth it. Probably one of the most difficult things I've done in a long time...Ivan kept saying how proud he was of me....as I straggled behind...pretending to meditate and listen to the sounds of nature..the stillness of the forest...but really I was just trying to catch my breath, and remained far behind so he wouldn't see my eyes bulging out of their sockets.

The top part was crazy cool however...I won't ruin the experience for you...but you should do it...maybe not hung over...and not wearing a button up work shirt like Ivan was...or a double layer winter jacket, like I was....but who can prepare for those spontaneous moments in life...not I (although I can assure you we feasted cookies the second we got back to the car). I highly recommend this hike, and I hope you ENJOY!