These are a few of my favorite people...

Hello all!

Today's post is all about my favorite professional foodies (from my favorite channels - Food Network and TLC).

Here are my TOP FIVE...

#1: Buddy Valastro - Host of Cake Boss and Kitchen Boss (TLC)

(Image borrowed from http://www.brides.com/wedding-ideas/wedding-cakes/2009/06/buddy-valastro-on-the-latest-wedding-cake-trends)

Buddy is an AMAZING, artistic baker and a wicked awesome CHEF!!! I watch both of his shows EVERY DAY at least once if not more. I really love his style and his personality. He seems like a really nice guy too! He runs Carlos Bakery in Hoboken, New Jersey with his family. Here are his sites...check them out! Very entertaining!!!!

http://www.carlosbakery.com/

http://tlc.howstuffworks.com/tv/cake-boss

http://tlc.discovery.com/tv/kitchen-boss/

#2: Chuck Hughes - Host of Chuck's Day Off (FOOD NETWORK)

(Image borrowed from http://network.nationalpost.com/np/blogs/theappetizer/archive/2009/03/23/q-amp-a-chuck-hughes-takes-a-day-off-cooking-to-cook.aspx)

Chuck is a really awesome chef. He runs a restaurant called Garde Manger in Montreal, Quebec. He is enthusiastic and very fun to watch. On his show, he cooks for friends, family, and anyone else he feels like treating. I've tried a couple of his recipes and they were DELICIOUS!! His love of food runs so deep that he's got tattoos of his favorites on his arms. No joke! He also just beat Bobby Flay at Iron Chef - one of the best moments of MY life. It really had me at the edge of my seat - I was so absolutely THRILLED when Chuck won!

http://www.foodnetwork.ca/ontv/shows/Chucks-Day-Off/show.html?titleid=229156

http://www.chuckhughes.ca/

#3: Giada De Laurentiis - Host of Giada at Home (FOOD NETWORK)

(Image borrowed from http://www.foodnetwork.com/giada-de-laurentiis/index.html)

Giada is the cute and cheery host of Giada at Home, where she cooks, bakes and entertains her friends and family with her delicious Californian-style Italian recipes. Her food always looks delicious, but is simple to prepare. You can tell how enthusiastic she is, because she's always smiling. A real treat to watch!

http://www.foodnetwork.com/giada-at-home/index.html

#4: Michael Smith - Host of Chef at Home (FOOD NETWORK CANADA)

(Image borrowed from http://www.theex.com/concerts-events/celebrity-demonstrations/)

Michael cooks from his home in Prince Edward Island. He prepares everything from outdoor seafood feasts to desserts and breakfast delights. His recipes always contain fresh ingredients, and he often brings his cameraman along to the grocery store if he's looking for something particularly interesting. His son Gabe is his biggest critic but so cute to watch!

http://www.foodnetwork.ca/ontv/shows/Chef-at-Home/show.html?titleid=82664

#5: Ricardo Larrivée - Host of Ricardo and Friends (FOOD NETWORK CANADA)

(Image borrowed from http://www.citylifemagazine.ca/tag/ricardo-larrivee)

Ricardo hosts his show from Quebec. He cooks food for friends in his home...very delectable creations. I have tried a couple of his recipes as well - they turned out great and were so unique! A fun chef to watch with French flair.

http://www.foodnetwork.ca/ontv/hosts/Ricardo-Larriv%C3%A9e/host.html?hostid=41070&titleid=101887

*For some reason the blogger template did not allow the links to show up when I posted them as links...so I apologize people, you'll have to copy and paste.

Happy Reading!

Healthy Snack Idea #1

Hola everybody!

As an avid (and constant) snacker, I decided to share with you some of my ideas for easy-to-make, healthy-but-delicious SNACKS!!!

Here's what I've come up with today.

Greek Yogurt with Granola Cereal and Mixed Berries

Add as much of your favorite plain yogurt to a bowl (THE LESS FAT/SUGAR the BETTER - Greek Yogurt is FAT FREE - it's made with skim milk - only 2g of sugar and 120 cal in 3/4 cup of it...and it tastes CREAMY like sour cream). Top with your favorite granola cereal and mixed berries (I added blueberries, raspberries and blackberries - H&W has them all on for CHEAP and they're GOOD). The crunchiness of the granola and sweetness of the berries complement the slight tartness of the yogurt brilliantly - you won't even MISS adding sugar. A delicious, filling and sweet snack!

Happy (healthy) eating!

The Hunt for the Chocolate Moose!!!!

Hello all!

No, that is NOT a typo..I did not mean MOUSSE the dessert..this entry features my most recent culinary adventure in MOOSEJAW, Saskatchewan (pop. 35,629), home of the Chocolate Moose Fudge Factory - absolutely DELECTABLE creations!

Here's a teaser:

Now before I dive right in, I'd like to set the scene for you. I recently visited Regina, SK..for the first time in my life. Quite an adventure from the get-go. Below was the inside of our PLANE (I apologize for the somewhat blurry image - I was laughing so hard my hands wouldn't stop shaking).

It seated 50 people including the captain and the stewarddess. I tell you this is the smallest plane I've ever been on in my LIFE. No video screen, just a tray table. And we were seated over the wing, so every time the wind blew, the plane SHOOK. On our return flight, we were seated in the front so we told ourselves we were flying first class. HAHA! But honestly, on THIS plane, everyone was in PEASANT CLASS. OH! And also, we had to walk OUT onto the TARMAC to board the plane! I felt like an unemployed celebrity.

And now for some of Regina's natural wildlife...

They weren't pigeons...more like partridges I believe. Probably edible. HA but don't worry, I didn't eat them!

And now...for our 30 min ROADTRIP! WOOO!!! Moosejaw here we come!

Again, sorry for the blurry photo. Potholes!

The back alleys of Moosejaw...

I had to take a picture of this because I just couldn't believe it. FREE PARKING?! We were lucky we went on Sunday!

And now, for the moment you've all been waiting for...*drumroll*...

...THE FUDGE!!!

Here's what we ordered (I averaged my and my two fellow foodies' ratings)...
Summer Turtle

My first bite was a whole pecan, which I did not enjoy...but after trying it again, I found that this was one of my favorites! The texture of this flavor (and all the others we tried) was sinfully and delectably sweet! (7.7/10)

Maple

A truly Canadian flavor...I could really taste the Maple and I thoroughly enjoyed it! (6.8/10)

Heavenly Goo

Goo indeed - it was a mixture of chocolate, vanilla and caramel flavors...joining together in a symphony of heavenly flavors! (7.7/10)

Cookies and Cream

A light flavor with a hint of crumbly chocolate - tasted just like the Hershey's chocolate bar! (8.7/10)

Orange Cream

It tasted EXACTLY like ORANGES...MMMmmMMM. YUMMY. (7.8/10)

And that's not all! The fudge factory also sold maple syrup, berry creations (spreads, jams, etc.),

silly souvenirs,

and...

GELATO!!!

OF COURSE, we had to try some.

I had the Mint Chocolate Chip - delicious, but had an odd extra-minty-toothpaste aftertaste which I didn't really enjoy (6/10). My accomplice had New York Cheesecake - ABSOLUTELY DIVINE!!! It tasted JUST like a cheesecake! YUMMY!!! (8/10)

Last but not least, a few interesting things I saw in Moosejaw:

-Murals on buildings - that was really neat and reminded me of London.

-A SPA! What do you know!

And across from it, a casino. The town that has everything. Haha.

-Moosejaw's historic and majestic City Hall

-A bakery! Though I really wouldn't recommend it...we went inside and it looked quite shady. But, I thought it was notable to mention that no matter where I go, my food/bakery radar is ALWAYS ON. 24/7/365. Hehe.

Both myself, and Massey the Moose (that really is his name I didn't make it up),

hope that you enjoyed my adventure in one of Saskatchewan's many hidden gems - Moosejaw - Surprisingly Unexpected.

My second bakery adventure...how did I not know about this place???

Hello everyone!

Today I stumbled upon (I'd like to say "discovered" but this place has been around for over 50 years) a bakery that I'd never been to...in a city I grew up in! It was a very exciting and SCRUMPTIOUS adventure!

What: The Italian Bakery (http://www.italianbakeryedm.com/index.html)

Where: Two locations, but I visited the one at 4118-118 Avenue, Edmonton, Alberta.

What I brought home: cannolis, Italian biscuits, a coconut streudel, coconut tarts, a chocolate cigar, gnocchi, ravioli and a tomato basil sauce.

The details...
Absolutely. D.E.L.I.C.I.O.U.S. I was EXTREMELY satisfied with my purchases, everything was tasty and reasonably priced. The bakery was HUGE and had ample parking in the back. Not only did they sell baked goods, but also fresh and dried pastas, sauces, empanadas, deli meats and cheeses!

Now for my ratings...

Cannoli

A deep fried crust filled with light and fluffy cream. I am actually embarassed to say this, but this is the first time (after a lifetime of dreaming of doing so) that I have EVER tasted a cannoli! So I really don't have anything to compare it to, but I still give it an 8/10. YUMMY!

Coconut Streudel

A flaky pastry; a beautiful union of coconut, apple pie filling and pecans. This was VERY different than your average grocery-store streudel. I am afraid I will have to leave my grammar behind in order to describe this treat: coconutty, pecanny, with a hint of lemony. I give it 9/10.

Savoiardi (I HOPE I spelled this correctly)

A light, crispy but airy Italian biscuit. It had a hint of lemon, with a light dusting of icing sugar on top. Can be enjoyed alone, dipped in your favorite hot beverage, or immersed inside a yummy tiramisu! I give it 7/10.

Chocolate Cigar (I'm not a smoker, but I'd have one of these ANY day!)

MMMMMMMMMMMmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm. This delight tasted like a thick, chocolate-infused, croissant. It was simply amazing and had a JUST-sweet-enough chocolate flavor. I devoured it slowly and piece by sinful piece. 9/10!

Coconut Tart

DELICIOUS!!!! (Honestly, I am going to have to start using my thesaurus more.) I think this was definitely one of my favorites. The coconut, cinammon/nutmeg(?) and lemon flavors just ERUPTED into a symphony of nuttiness. At the same time, the sweetness of this dessert carried a thick and creamy texture - a sweet heaven of delectable flavors. 10/10!

All of the above came in a lovely box for about $8.50! AWESOME deal!!

And finally, the savory part of my adventure.
I also purchased gnocchi (dough-ey potato balls), roasted vegetable ravioli and a tomato basil sauce. Both pastas and the sauce were in the frozen section, but they had been made fresh, locally and without preservatives. A perfect meal in a pinch!

Gnocchi

Sadly, as I did not cook the gnocchi tonight, I've only posted a picture of the package.

Roasted Vegetable Ravioli with Tomato Basil Sauce

This meal was a perfect end to today's adventure. The ravioli was HUGE. It was stuffed with a paste of mushrooms, spinach, onions and spices - truly delightful. The sauce was a perfect balance of tomatoes, sweet basil and a deliciously spicy aromatic flavor. 10/10!

Oh yes, and I also bought Pistachios! The shells had been roasted and coated in lemon and coarse salt...which you don't taste unless you put the whole shell in your mouth. A very unique treat! 8/10

That's all for now folks, until next week, HAPPY EATING!