Canary Melon meets 100 Mile

I just had a weird moment. I was sitting down to enjoy my first ever bite of a Canary Melon, which travelled all the way from Brazil, while watching the first episode of the new Food TV Canada series 100 Mile Challenge. Strange...I know. I'm a huge fan of local foods, and I've always been a regular farmers market shopper where ever I live, so hence the odd moment of eating this distant melon while watching a food about local eating.

Anyways, back to the melon. Having never picked one up before I punched it into google and found a great description over at Wikipedia;

The Canary melon is a large colorful melon that has a bright yellow outer rind with a pale green to white inner flesh. This melon has a distinctively sweet flavor that is slightly more tangy than a honeydew. The flesh looks like a pear but tastes like a cantaloupe. The name comes from its bright yellow color, which resembles that of the canary(bird).

It's a great description for a wonderful melon. Count me in as a fan. The new show has planted a seed in me, we'll see if it gets enough water and sunlight in the next few episodes to really grow. I'm glad they picked 6 families to follow, allowing us a fairly rounded view and I already feel sorry for the first family to drop out. It looks like in the coming weeks we will lose a couple more. Check it out if you can, let me know what you think.

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culina millcreek - edmonton, ab

culina millcreek
9914 89th avenue
780.437.5588


Before I asked last week for birthday suggestions, I had mentally narrowed my birthday dinner search to Red Ox Inn, Wildflower Grill, and Culina. Having been away from Edmonton for a while and looking for somewhere out of the norm, I knew these three options would easily fit the bill. I mean with delicious reviews like this, this, this, and this how could any of them disappoint. What pushed me over the edge? Well, you and your suggestions.


As my days start relatively early I was glad to get a 5:30 reservation, as I’m usually chomping at the bit for supper at this point. The three of us showed up to a completely empty restaurant and were greeted by two welcoming ladies. As we had all taken a gander at the online menu, we were pretty much decided; the hardest decision being whether to start with the calamari or the scallops. The scallops won out and our order was quickly dispatched. Before you know it we had 5 absolutely gorgeous scallops in a ginger-butter sauce and bacon gremolata in front of us. Needless to say, we made quick work of these babies.


I ordered the slow braised lamb shank in spanish tomato sauce on a bed of green lentils, while my dinning companions had the brome lake duck breast on roasted local potatoes in a white balsamic and cherry reduction and moroccan vegetable tagine with grilled flatbread. The lamb shank was fantastically tender, pealing away from the bone with nary an effort. The perfectly cooked lentils and tomato sauce combined wonderfully with the lamb. My only request would have been a bit more sauce, as I ran out before the other two components were finished.


While not the best duck I've tasted, it was a little too cooked for me, the balsamic and cherry reduction was what we all agreed made this dish a success.


The real surprise was the moroccan vegetable tagine. It was the most delicious blend of eggplant, zucchini, carrots, cauliflower, and tomatoes in a perfectly spiced curry. I kept sampling this dish, and started questioning my choice after a few bites. The generous amount of grilled flatbread had a light dusting of spices and sesame seeds; a fantastic side to the dish.

We finished the meal with coffee and, thanks to foodie suz's excitement, sesame banana fritters with coconut gelato. The bananas showed up with a candle, in honor of my birthday, which I thought was a great touch. I am definitely on the band wagon for this dessert. The mix of coconut gelato, warm ripe bananas, and crisp coating was a perfect topper to the end of our meal.


I really, really enjoyed my birthday here. We were able to relax nicely for an hour and a half, received great attentive service from two lovely ladies, and dined on 5 successful dishes. I do think Culina is a little liberal with their casual dinning statement, as I see this as more of a destination restaurant than random drop by. I definitely recommend Culina MillCreek for your next special dinner; unless of course money is no object, in which case I suggest you keep going back until you have sampled all the dishes. At least that is what I would do!

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the week that was and is - march 18th 2009

I hope everyone has recovered, if that's how you roll, from St. Patty's day;

• As reported by my fellow local bloggers, Liane Faulder, one of Edmonton's food writers, has started a blog. Great addition, as I'm usually left wanting more every Wednesday.

• We have another late night food option on Whyte with Origin India now its fare via a take-out window right on the street. While I wouldn't consider it a healthy option, it will be a nice change for those who normally only get pizza or a donair. I'm curious to see how the demand is.

• If you are a "foodie", it might be worth trying to convince your friends to head to Vegas for spring break instead of the typical coastal beach fronts. Looks like the food, even at the buffets, is really improving. I'll have to make it down there one day.

• Would you eat pizza made by vending machine? Check out what those crazy Italians are making. Not only pizza, but whole restaurants made up entirely by vending machines. So much for complaining about the poor customer service :)

• Anthony Bourdain was venturing around Vietnam this past week. I've never been, but for some reason it has always occupied a soft spot in my heart which made me enjoy this episode even more.

• Speaking of Mr. Bourdain, he was recently interviewed about food based television shows. I think it's hard to be critical when you are celebrity chef because the knife can swing your way on any given day, but his responses are good. Check out his disappointment with this brutal Kwanzaa Cake.

• Did anyone see the new Food Network Canada show, Ultimate Recipe Showdown. It's hosted by Guy Fieri and Mark Summers, it sounds like Mark is no longer co-hosting, and has 9 home chefs battling for the prize. I'm not sold yet, as I don't like shows that create forced drama by adding 5-10 seconds of 'anticipation'.

• John Mayer recently twittered on his love for a certain flavor of Campbell's soup only to have his agent asked by the media if he is being sponsored. He isn't, but it shows how fast the media is jumping on to this twitter mayhem.

• So not having any time to prep some St. Patty's Day goodies, I brought a tray of Turkish Delights in - pistachios are green right :) Oddly I was surprised in some way to find out that nobody had ever had one before. So the question is, have you?

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the week that was and is - march 11th 2009

Hope everyone is warm. Sure was a little cool this week.

• Pizza Delivery Man or Rambo?

• So you lose the Oscar Mr. Pitt..here is a 10lb chocolate mold of your bulging chest.

• Having lost a good portion of weight in my life, I can't fully agree with the idea of making a healthier donut. I understand why people would want a healthier donut, but aren't treats and other goodies just that. Something you have in either small amounts or on special occasions. Anyone else?

• I didnt' know about the 100 mile cookie contest until I saw it in the Edmonton Journal last week. Sounds great, and while I was too late to enter, it's something I'm going to attempt for myself in the coming months.

• An article on Chow - Do Eggs Need to Be Refrigerated? - got me thinking. While everyone I know here puts their eggs in the fridge, this wasn't the case where I lived in Guatemala. Even in plus 35, all the eggs were outside on the table and I never got sick once.

• The four-part food series "The Great Food Revolution: A Citizen's Guide to Eating in the 21st Century." begins on CBC starting next Thursday (March 19th). As I'm always interested in learning about food, I was surprised to read "Last year alone, 18,000 products were developed for North American consumers. However, nine out of the 10 didn't make it to store shelves."

• Finding this link, is Tau Bay Open?, through Only Here for the Food has made my day. With Tau Bay being my favorite Pho in the city, I've been disappointed countless times after making the trip and finding they are closed.
  

• Anthony Bourdain's experience in Sri Lanka last week was very interesting. It was very down to earth episode and seeing Tony suffer what seemed to be either travel/food related problems gave me an even bigger appreciation for his commitment. How can you digest some uncommon foods and interact effectively when all you want to do is put your face in a toilet.

• Oh and in case someone has a some money lying around they don't need. Please lend it to me so I can purchase a dream and a prayer. John Mayer brings you "The Black One"
  

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the watchmen

Not knowing much about the Watchmen, but buying into the hype, I fulfilled my duty yesterday and braved opening day to see the movie. I had heard about the graphic novels years ago, but like Sin City, it never really became my cup of tea. Either that or I was just too lazy to buy the copies. Without saying much; the movie is long (2 hours 41 mintues), which makes sense as the story is complicated and quite developed. You can sense, and feel, the anti-government 80's cold war vibe quite strongly. The characters are played wonderfully and can easily bring about life's bigger questions; the existence of gods, quality of friends, good vs. evil, and if some sacrifice is worth a greater shot at peace.

Go see the movie is my suggestion, just go easy on the pre movie drinking, and be ready for the graphic part, of graphic novels. Here is my inspired hero, care of a link I found through make-it-known.

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the week that was and is - march 4th 2009

Another week and here we are in March! Spring is only a few weeks away so don't forget about Day Light Savings.

• More recalls but still plenty of food left to eat - "nearly 2,200 items made by more than 250 companies have been pulled in the outbreak, which has sickened 666 nationwide, including 13 in Oregon, and been linked to nine deaths". Another day and more food troubles. I know I'm not the only person who likes knowing where their food comes from, but how much bigger are these recalls going to get?

• Health Magazine did a study of America's Top 10 Heathiest Fast Food Restaurants. They "...scored the chains on such factors as the use of healthy fats and preparations, healthy sodium counts in entrées, availability of nutritional information, and the use of organic produce to determine the 10 highest-ranking restaurants." No real luck for use up north other than McDonald's at 8 and Taco Del Mar at 10.

• Looks like gourmet cooking magazines are finally reflecting the budget/monetary problems becoming prevalent and offering options and ideas that don't include "...haute pub food, exotic fruits like yuzu, and restaurants that dehydrated, foamed and froze everything from meat to dessert."

• I never realized that amount of money (nearly $500,000) that could be used "...in joint funding on marketing Atlantic Canadian lobster."

• Sex > Food? A very interesting idea about how far we have come with regards to "...mindful eating and mindless sex."

• Anthony Bourdain hit up some local Manhattan establishments last week. I enjoy these collage type shows quite a lot as it allows him to entertain different dishes without extensive travel and really showcase a city. Plus I think we all have a soft spot for long term, never changing, classic shops.

• Sharon (Only Here for the Food) blogged about a 25 Best Things to Eat in Edmonton list that made its way into the new edition of Avenue. These are great articles and can give you an incentive to try a new spot...good to note they say it's just the tip of the iceberg, as I think a few things are missing.

• 2 Hours of 24. Oh Me Oh My. Jack continues to show dedication to his job. I wish at times people "enjoyed" their job as much as he does.

Upcoming Food days include;
March 4th - Poundcake Day
March 6th - Frozen Food Day (Actually all of March is Frozen Food Month)
March 9th - Carling Day (time to get your drink on and just claim you are from Scotland)

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the week that was and is - wednesday february 18th 2009

First - does anyone know anything about blog trackers. There seems to be quite a few options, so I'm basically looking for some personal insight. Oh yeah, it should be free. Now the week.

• I feel words like 'organic' can leave themselves a little wide open at times, so it's nice to see some standards being put in place. "...under the new federal regulations, only products with organic content greater than 95 per cent can be labeled organic, and use the new logo from the Canadian Food Inspection Agency."

• Cornell University commissioned a study to "... look at how popular cookbook recipes have changed during the past 70 years in the United States, in terms of how they may contribute to weight gain....They found a nearly 40 per cent increase in calories per serving for nearly every recipe reviewed, about an extra 77 calories..." More reason than ever to keep those old, tattered hand me down cookbooks.

• Looks like our friendly Canadian coffee icon, Tim Horton's, is teaming up with Cold Stone Creamery in the US and testing the coffee/ice cream relationship. Each will offer up 50 stores for the test run - Tim's will sell Cold Stone products, and vice versa. I imagine these will be similar to our Tim's/Wendy's combination's once the stores are remodeled.

• Readers digest put together a top 10 edible aphrodisiacs list; avocado, banana, chili peppers, honey, pine nuts, figs, arugula, oysters, coffee and of course at number one, chocolate.

• In case you missed it, yesterday was customer appreciation day at McDonald's. They were offering a second burger/sandwich for a single penny when you purchased one at regular price. Nothing says economy boost like 2 for 1 Big Mac's.

• Michigan Brewing Company out of the States has approved a Kid Rock line of beer. I wonder if it would complement the above mentioned Big Mac...or is that too classy for Kid Rock.

• Jack Bauer can't be stopped, why even tempt him to show you.

• My man friend, Mr. Bourdain was in the Philippines this week. A great episode. It's nice to see a section of that countries cuisine, as even my own Philippino friends rarely, if ever, partake in their national dishes. It's a shame because even at 9 am, I'm getting hungry just looking at goat head stew and pig skin. Next week - Manhattan.
  

And finally, this upcoming week is made even more delicious with February 20th being Cherry Pie Day, 21st is Sticky Bun Day and next Tuesday the 23rd is Banana Bread Day. Time to get your baking on.

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hearts, hearts, and more hearts...

Working through my first Valentine's Day on the solo in quite a while and being a car guy, I couldn't help but laugh when I saw MSN come up with a list of 'cars that will keep you single' -

• Minivan's
• 80's Camaro's
  
• Chrysler Dynasty
• E-350 Econoline (or any commercial vehicle)
• Geo Metros (Suzuki Swift etc...)
  
• Pontiac Fieros
• Pontiac Aztecs
• Toyota Corollas.

With the 80's Camaro making the list, I guess my dreams of buying KITT are out. For some reason I don't think it will be that hard to avoid the above next time I purchase a car.

Cheers to you (and yours). Now go shower your significant other with attention or, like me, accomplish some grocery shopping, watch an Oilers game, and cook yourself supper while listening to John Mayer.

* The first Edmonton Foodie get together is being put together by Hanne, Sharon and Courtney. Here's to the first of what is hopefully more.

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the week that was and is - wednesday february 11th 2009

• The Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada released a report saying "Some Canadians are paying between double and nearly six times the average price for healthy foods depending on where in the country they live..."
• Denny's delivered one heck of a promotion last week (Feb 3rd), when they gave away a free Grand Slam Breakfast to their patrons, from 6am to 2pm. Word on the street says they gave away nearly 2 million Slams. A good way to kick off their promotion; A Grand Slam Year (total cost 15 Million - 12 in food and 3 in advertising).
• While not as 'free' as the above, IHOP has also commented on the depressing economic times by offering All You Can Eat buttermilk pancakes.
  
• I could have sworn Smitty's was offering a similar deal 'unlimited pancakes when you order a meal that includes them' but I can't find the promotion , so I make no promises if you devour a pile of them. In looking for the promotion, I did find out you can now buy Smitty's brand coffee. Has anyone ever had this? Is it any good?
• The pictures on This is why you're fat are something else, but I still think someone needs to submit Paula Deen's "Lady's Brunch Burger". I mean really it's one thing to top your burger with bacon; but adding an egg on top of that and replacing the bun with two donuts - classic!
  
• I read an article where some folks were expressing their frustration about the amount of Peanut Butter products being recalled, claiming it was overboard and in doing so invented what I think will be a new catch slogan - Maple Leaf Syndrome. A friend recently came into a pile of free PB that they were no longer able to sell. Now is that food russian roulette?
  
• No Reservations was good this week. It wasn't what I expected, but Food Porn did have some interesting items. I think the best showing was by our boys from out east. Next week - The Philippines.
  
• Looking around for new ways to produce my no-knead bread, I've stumbled across clay baking tools called La Cloche. It seems like a good way to get a more french loaf shape instead of the typical round pot/dutch oven shape. Now if only I could spoil myself right now.
• Speaking of no-knead bread. The below is a 60/40 whole wheat mixture topped with roasted sesame seeds. The seeds add a nice flavour, something that I will use again. It has so far made for a delicious turkey and tomato sandwich.

• Congrats to John Mayer, two Grammys this week, and to Jack Bauer, first time in the White House after all these years!
  

Besides Valentines Day, this coming week sees Burger Lovers Day on the 15th and Almond Day on the 16th.

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kimchi, oh the kimchi

What a delicious and wonderful treat. This may seem extremely random, but I have to admit my love for this Korean side dish. Is it so wrong that I can turn this into a meal. And what I mean by meal, is a bowl of kimchi with a side of kimchi. I can't seem to recall where I first encountered kimchi, or even when I fell in love it. I do know that I can't stop eating the style of kimchi available at my local Korean Central Market. First it was small containers and those would disappear in a night. Next up the medium size containers, hmm somehow those disappeared in a night. Whoa what's this...a larger size; same thing. Where can I go from here, well I've graduated to buying the $19.99 tub.

I have tried to make my own kimchi, 3 times now, but I can't seem to really pull it together. Maybe I don't put the right spices in, let it sit long enough, cast the right spell...If anyone has any tips or suggestions to making your own kimchi; I would love to hear them. While $20 for a bucket (look at it compared to a 2L Pepsi) is a good deal, making it myself would make it that much better. Especially since H&W almost always has cabbage for cheap.

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the week that was and is - wednesday february 4th 2009

I am hoping to start a random 'update style' post once in a while and today seemed like a good day to start. I've been inspired by various other updates; Baking Bites, Only Here for the Food are two examples, so here is my crack at the can. I don't feel I have my ear as close, or near, to the ground as many locals (especially the bloggers) do, but hopefully I can bring the occasional interesting item. Also, while I will probably keep most of the information food related, I do enjoy the automotive, music, and technology industries so they may sneak in from time to time.

• I'm always happy to have No Reservations back on the air, I adore Mr. Bourdain in that man-crush kind of way, but not as much as I do Keifer. This past Monday's show was filmed in Chicago. Probably my 2nd favorite episode this year, after the season opener in Mexico, and featured quite the array of goodies. From hot dogs stuffed with tamales and famous chicago deep dish pizza to edible cigars and roadkill. I definitely need to take a trip to the windy city one day. Next weeks episode looks great - FOOD PORN!
  
• Liane Faulder wrote an article in the Edmonton Journal's bistro section today about Montreal Style bagels and their lack of availability here. I'm lucky to have first hand experience with them while living in Ottawa and our family made regular trips to get fresh bagels. I can't stop but wonder if my father covered more of the car, or my brother and I, with poppy and sesame seeds as we consumed a good portion of them on the way home. While Liane mentions ordering them from Montreal, your next bet may be to befriend someone from Vancouver and have them send you some Siegel's Bagels. At least that way they aren't traveling as far. Seriously...they are that good.
• The Pioneer Woman was lucky enough to have a personal sushi chef visit and in turn has posted a few sushi lessons with more to come. How great would a gift like that be?
  
• I noticed a bag of shredded zucchini in the freezer last night, and had some fresh left over from a stir fry, so this morning I whipped up some muffins. They turned out delicious if I do say so, with that extra dense moistness that zucchini's always bring to the party. The recipe says 12-14, but I easily made 18 without the nut of fruit additions.
• Don't forget those all important upcoming food days - the 7th is fettuccine alfredo day, while the 9th is bagels and lox day.

Well, that is that!

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Dinner in the Valley of the Buffalo

A quick stop over at Buffalo Valley Variety Meats Inc recently led to the discovery of a '20% off all frozen' buffalo sale. After a quick look around and discovering some interesting meat options (python - although there was none in stock), I was leaving Blaine Verbeek's shop with a chunk of frozen buffalo sirloin.

I knew all it would take was a quick stop in the fridge last night to thaw the buffalo before I could dig in today. Cutting into the plastic package this morning, I found a heavy, dense and dark red steak ready for a small dash of cajun spice before going back in the fridge to relax in a nice spa of spicy goodness. Cooking the steak in my trusty cast iron pan for just over 2 minutes a side left it ready for a temporary tinfoil home. While letting it relax for a few minutes, I cut up some fresh cut green bell peppers and dished out a side of kimchi. The meat is fantastic, almost 'butter like' and I just about forgot to take a picture due to the tasty buffalo party going on in my mouth. I'm really happy how the cajun and kimchi flavours worked, and you have to like a healthy supper. I added a gala apple for dessert and I'm now ready to relax for Superbowl Halftime. Giver Bruce!


Sorry about the photo. My camera and the skills behind it are very poor, and nothing compared with my brothers.

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the start

As a daily visitor to many food and blog sites, I've decided to jump on the wagon and put some roots down online. I hope to show a bit of my passion for the food world in this, my first ever blog, while offering an intriguing place to visit once in a while.

the name - eating is the hard part - might seem funny for a guy deeply in love with food, but that is the irony of my own personal journey. My love of all things edible has me around delicious and not always healthy food options through the day. I'm a nibbler, a food picker if you will, and come from a family that would eat every meal in under 10 minutes. Growing up in this sort of environment left me with no natural off switch; but after living and volunteering in Guatemala in 2007, I discovered what a truly Western diet does and made a personal commitment to eat and live in a better way. See, eating is the easy part, especially because I love to cook and food is plentiful here. So my goal - eat slower, eat better, eat less of everything while making it wholesome and colorful.

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