Wednesday 15 August 2012

Happy Birthday Julia Child

Happy Birthday Julia -- you'd be 100 today!  Your legacy lives on in those of us who cook with passion!

Monday 13 August 2012

Mo:Le Revisted

John and I went whale watching on Monday August 6 as the kick off to our staycation.  This was a Groupon we had for whale watching on July 13th but winds prevented us from going.  We had rebooked to go during our August week off.  The whale watching was with http://5starwhales.com/  and photos can be seen at www.kayakyak.blogspot.ca/2012/08/hanging-with-j-pod-again.html After the whale watching we had plans to have lunch at The Joint Pizza http://thejointvictoria.com/  but they had closed for BC Day.  So we wandered around along Johnston Street (aka LoJo) trying to decide if we should have breakfast lunch at Jam Cafe http://www.jamcafevictoria.com/   We do love Jam Cafe bacon!  Along the way we noted Mo:Le which we hadn't been inside for a year or longer.  John being very hungry by this time and needing to eat couldn't drag his body any further and Jam seemed faraway.  We succumbed to delicious food smells and were provided with a table for two without any waiting time.

We hadn't eaten a large breakfast as we were going to be on the water and we have found eggs cause upset stomachs.  By the time we got off the boat and wandered around it was now almost 2pm. Last food we'd eaten was at 7am and by now we were well into the famished stage.

First we ordered drinks -- John had his usual diet Coke and I had a soy milk chai latte.  Soy, almond and hazelnut milk is offered, as well as gluten free bread, options available for those of us with allergies. We ordered the basic breakfast, with a side of bacon each.  Everything was tasty, the homemade hot sauce is really good and the pesto pan fried potatoes are the best part of the breakfast.  My latte was a bit cold though.    The service is attentive, we were checked on by the serving staff several times to ensure we had drinks and food.

Nice to revisit Mo:Le and have a meal that is consistent a year or two later.

Saturday 11 August 2012

Cabin 12 for Breakfast and Cabin 12 for Dinner

John and I have been on vacation this week, or rather staycation as this time we did not leave Victoria to take advantage of a Groupon coupon vacation. This meant we got to find fun things to do around Victoria.  Based on finding a 2 of 1 coupon in the Saanich News that is good until August 15th we decided to try Cabin 12 http://www.cabin12.ca/ for lunch, only we discovered and were told by our friendly waiter, the lunch menu isn't as extensive in the burger offerings as dinner.  We had breakfast for lunch instead.  Our eggs were done to our liking, the requested crispy bacon was done to perfect crispiness, the toast was good and the hash browns were the regular fare offered at other locations, such as John's Place http://www.johnsplace.ca/     Good but nothing to write home about.

We returned to Cabin 12 on Thursday for dinner to use the 2 for 1 coupon.  The burger selection is extensive and deciding wasn't easy.  John had the Enforcer -- one juicy burger with salami on it.  He said he would never have thought of putting salami on a burger but it was a damn fine idea.  I had the Big Kahuna -- delicious beef (yes I had beef) with a teriyaki sauce and a grilled pineapple ring -- messy but OMG!  My green salad was very nice, with peppers and lettuce other than iceberg, plus I gave points for getting the dressing on the side without having to ask for it that way.  The dressing was excellent.

Obviously we enjoyed our dinner because I've clipped the coupon in this week's Saanich News to have dinner there again this coming week after my chiropractor appointment.  Going for the vegetarian Birkenstock burger.


Tuesday 7 August 2012

Two Salad Dressings

Not being a huge caesar salad fan I still wanted to find a dairy free one that I could have in my recipe collection to present to guests.  I found one online, really what isn't online these days, and made it without having all the ingredients called for.  Again improvising a recipe to compensate for my dairy allergy. I've indicated the original and then noted what I did with the recipe from what was available in my fridge.

Caesar Dressing -- Dairy Free

2 Tbsp of mayo -- vegan
I used fat free Miracle Whip which contains egg yolk no other dairy

2 Tbsp mustard

1/2 the juice from one lemon

2 tsp worcestershire sauce
I used BRAGG instead as it is dairy and gluten free

2 zested garlic cloves
I used 1/8 tsp of crushed garlic and then a bit more to taste

salt and pepper to taste

Stir all ingredients together, taste and adjust.  Remember that it will taste a bit different the next day.  I used a bit more Miracle Whip after I stirred it all together.  On a taste test with my partner he said it was like Caesar salad dressing.

Dressing #2 was inspired by receiving fresh basil in the food box.  Fresh basil smells wonderful and begs to be used in a pesto.  As I've cut down on eating pasta to almost not at all I decided a dressing for a salad of tomatoes and cucumbers would be perfect.

Fresh Basil Dressing

1 cup of fresh basil

2/3 cup of olive oil

1/3 cup of lemon juice

1/8 tsp of salt

Put basil in a blender, with the lid on the blender but the center lid off, gently pour in the oil as you blend the basil.  Add the lemon juice and salt, blend until mixed.  Store in a glass jar until ready to make the salad.  I like to leave dressing overnight or make them earlier in the day so the flavours have time to blend. 

On a side note, I was surprised the basil and oil didn't go all over my kitchen walls.  I think I will use less lemon juice next time.  Otherwise I really like this dressing.

1 cup of fresh basil