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If Bob Blumer Can Do It, So Can We. Taking Up the Glutton for Punishment Onion Peeling Challenge.

February 6, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Thanks to Brie Mason, I’ve recently discovered a rather delectable piece of kitchen candy, Bob Blumer.  Curious … does anyone know if he’s single?  All over a man that knows his way around the kitchen.  mmm…mmm…mmm

Photo Courtesy of Roland Tanglao

At any rate, Brie’s and my new Monday night tradition is curling up to the Food Network Canada to watch Bob battle it out on Glutton for Punishment for yet another Foodie World Record.  Now, neither of us have really ever been couch potatoes.  We like to be a little more engaged, and as such, we decided to take Bob on at his own game and see how we’d fair at the competition for this Monday’s episode – the Onion Peeling World Record.  We’re both pretty decent cooks, so really how hard could this possibly be.

We’ll we found out just that on Friday night, as we reverted to high school (…umm … I mean university) with rum and cokes (in Brie’s soap opera glasses) and a series of tricks up our sleeves.  You see, we were set to compete with each other in peeling onions, and unlike Bob, WE didn’t need 3-minutes, 1-minute would do.  Now I say ‘tricks’ to be polite, as in reality, Brie is a CHEAT. She snuck a few onions in the freezer as apparently that makes peeling them easier and bites back on the tears.  I on the other hand, did not cheat, but rather did a little research being a conscientious student and all. What I learned was that soaking onions in water is suppose to make peeling them easier.

Maybe I should have listened to that onion peeling video a little closer – those tips were for pearl onions and garlic, not walla wallas.  Have no clue how Bob is possibly going to peel 50 pounds of onions in less than 3 1/2-minutes.  I guess we’ll have to tune in on Monday.  Glutton for Punishment is on the Food Network Canada at 7:30 pm EST and at 4:30 pm and 11:30 pm PST.

Special thanks to our pro video team – Young Master Mason ( aged 10 ) on camera and Little Miss Mason ( aged 8 ) on the timer.

Kisses,

Emme xoxo

Filed Under: All the Gossip, Brie Mason, Buds, Contests, For Kicks, Recipes, The Tube Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Winter Pick Me Up: Hot Apple Mandarin Toddy

November 5, 2010 By 2 Comments

Been feeling a little fragile this past week and whether it’s a cold, matters of the heart or that time of the month, I decided that it needed to be nipped in the butt this evening.  And so what better way to nip the cold weather blues away then with a Hot Apple Toddy with a sunshine twist. So I invented my very own Hot Apple Mandarin Toddy and if I do say so myself it pretty yummy. Here’s the recipe:

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 cups of apple cider
  • 3 cloves
  • a stick or a dash of cinnamon
  • mandarin peel
  • one mandarin segmented and cut in halves
  • 1 tsp of honey
  • 2 oz of whisky

Preparation

  • Heat cider, cloves, cinnamon, mandarin peel, mandarin segments and bring to a rolling simmer.
  • Put honey in a mug.
  • Add whisky to a mug.
  • Pour cider into the mug and stir with a spoon.
  • Optional to add the mandarin segments and cinnamon stick to the mug.

Enjoy!

Oh and please let me know if you come up with any other variations.

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Summer Tastiness: Sapphire Smoked Melon Soup

June 11, 2010 By Leave a Comment

About to turn off the computer and go in search of what looks like some a sunny weeks end night. But first, in honour of what I am hoping is a sunny, summery weekend, a tasty little treat for all of you …. Sapphire Smoked Melon Soup cooked up by Chef Rob Rainford:

Tried this yummy concoction a few week’s back at a rooftop barbecue sponsored by Bombay Sapphire.  The recipe itself can be found below:

Honey Dew Melon Soup
Original Recipe by Chef Rob Rainford

Ingredients

  • Alder wood chips, presoaked for a minimum of 2 hours
  • 1 Honey dew melon, cubed and peeled (approx 1?2 cup)
  • 1 cup Pineapple juice
  • 1 Lemon (juice only)
  • 1 Lime (juice only)
  • 6 pc Basil leaves, chopped
  • 3 Tbsp BOMBAY SAPPHIRE gin
  • 4 Tbsp Simple syrup

The Rainford Method:
It’s time to get your charcoal grill or gas BBQ ready for smoking.

  • Charcoal grill: Using your chimney starter, light the coals. It should take you around 15 minute to light 15-20 pieces of lump charcoal. Once the coals are lit, add 2 handfuls of soaked alder wood chips directly to the coals. This will give you big smoke. For the flavor profile required, you only need to smoke for 15 to 20 minutes.
  • Gas BBQ: Prepare smoke pouch. Place 8 cups (2 liter) of alder wood chips into a bowl of cold water to soak for 1 hour. Reserve 4 cups (1 liter) of dry wood chips. To build a smoke pouch, drain 2 cups (500ml) of the wet wood chips and squeeze excess water out. Spread wet wood chips on a large piece of aluminum foil. Place 1 cup (250ml) of dry wood chips on top. Mix them together. Close the foil around the chips to make a sealed foil package. Use a fork to puncture holes in the top and bottom of the foil pack to allow the smoke to flow through and infuse the meat. Repeat to make 4 pouches. Place the smoke pouch on the side of the grill with direct heat.

To prepare the Honey Dew Melon Soup, place your halved and peeled honey dew melon on the indirect heat side of your smoker or gas grill. Allow the smoke to do its work and envelope the cavity of the smoker or gas grill. After the desired time (15 to 20 minutes), remove the honey dew from the grill. Cut the honey dew into bite size pieces and liquefy it in the blender on high speed along with the pineapple juice, lemon juice, lime juice, basil, simple syrup and BOMBAY SAPPHIRE gin.
Note: For best results, let this mixture to sit over night. This allows the flavor of the gin to flourish.

Serve BOMBAY SAPPHIRE gin Honey Dew Melon Soup chilled with a dollop of Lime Sorbet.

Serves 8

Oh and don’t let the word ‘soup’ fool you, this is really a bit of summer poured into a cocktail glass.

Now, who wants to make me some this weekend?

Filed Under: All the Gossip, Recipes, The Tube Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Toasting yff10

May 27, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Whilst the rest of you in Canada are just recovering from your long weekend, I am getting started into mine, as this is one of my favourite weekends of the year, Yorkton Film Festival weekend!!

In honour of the festival kicking off today and one of my favorite film festival goers and gin lover, Richard Gustin, I am raising a rather delectable glass of Sapphire Barcelona. A very lavish and luxurious tasting gin drink, made for kicking off film festivals in exotic locals, like Yorkton, Saskatchewan. So that you too can toast the launch of the film festival, here is Merlin Griffiths and Vancouver darling, Lorraine Murphy, concocting this delectable bevie:

Filed Under: All the Gossip, Canada, Events, Recipes, Saskatchewan, Television / Film Festivals, The Tube, Travel Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

A Taste of Poland

January 28, 2010 By 3 Comments

One of the things I’ve always loved about traveling is discovering new cultures and sampling the local food and booze.  This is why I am now getting seriously stoked for the Olympics!!!! I finally clued into this most delightful thing called the Cultural Olympiad, in which we all get to celebrate in the cultures of the various countries that will be visiting this fine city of ours.  And better yet, many of these cultural experiences are free or at least cheap.  Music to my ears in a city that has just gotten rather expensive due to the Olympics (has anyone else noticed our obscene gas prices?).

Now, I must admit there was a catalyst to my change in spirit that came in the form of a rather scrumptious beer that was introduced to me on Monday at the CW Asia Fund Fundraiser. The beer in question? Karpackie from Poland.  Fantastic stuff!  I tried three of their beer – the Premium Lager, Super Mocne Piwo Jasne, and a third beer whose chicken scratched name I can’t read off of my ‘yummy list’ (Okay – found it’s name online – Zlaty Hrad Strong).  All very good, but the true delight came in the cultural banter.  You see I discovered that in Poland, you pour the Super Mocne Piwo Jasne in a pot and heat it up until the fluid begins to move, and then you dissolve a teaspoon of honey into the beer and enjoy it hot.  All I can say ….bloody fantastic!  Where’s Poland House????

Gives me a whole new goal to the Olympics – sourcing out a whole list of yummy recipes.  If your lucky, I might decide to share them.

Oh – and you can find Karpackie and Zlaty in the BC Liquore Store, just don’t go sticking your grubby little paws on the ones in my neighbourhood liquore store.

Filed Under: All the Gossip, Olympics, Recipes, Travel Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
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