God Bless America!

Ed. note: Alright, folks, I feel as though I've been failing you all here a bit.  After the Weeks of Insanity died down at the end of October, I guess I never fully bounced back.  As it is, it's the middle of the day, and I'm dozing at home due to some sort of stomach/flu/throat soreness bug that I can't seem to shake.  I'm all "sleeped-out" for the moment, so why not regale you with tales of some of the delicious food I've been eating?  Here goes...

As many of you know, I did my Masters degree training in Detroit, which isn't that uncommon for a lot of Canadian students.  Crossing the border every day to get to school (and being subjected to the whims of the U.S, Border Patrol) was a bit of a drag, but it meant that I had daily access to things that Canada (as wonderful as it is) couldn't offer me.  Things like Cherry Coke, Chipotle, Panera Bread, Target, and a "local" Ikea... fantastic.

I seriously pine for this stuff... particularly the "Zero" version.

Back in October, before the Weeks of Insanity, I took a trip down to Lincoln, Nebraska to visit one of my former classmates (who became a dear friend), Steph.  She and I are very much in the same boat: we moved away from our friends and family to a city where we didn't know a soul, all for the sake of being a practicing clinical genetic counsellor.  Hooray for work experience!

It should come as absolutely no surprise that food played a prominent part in our weekend.  Let's start with IHOP, as we did for breakfast (brunch?) several hours after my 3 am arrival.  I am a HUGE fan of the International House Of Pancakes (or potatoes, if you ask Kiks...),  even if they fall a little bit short of good international representation.  Given that it was Thanksgiving weekend, I opted to try their special pumpkin spice pancakes.  These were fantastic... pretty much the best combination of pumpkin pie flavour and moist pancake texture that a girl could ask for.  Top it with butter pecan syrup, and you've got yourself a meal!

And here they ar--uh, oops.  Sorry.  Must've devoured the pancakes before I could get a picture.  The advert on the table will just have to do!

For dinner that evening, we went to a local brewpub chain called Lazlo's.  It had a bit of a Chili's/TGIFriday's kind of feel to it... standard American food fare (not that I'm complaining... I mean, who DOESN'T need cornbread AND fries as side dishes?).  I had a major red meat craving, so I went for a burger.  I was NOT disappointed.  It was juicy, well-cooked, and came with tons of deliciously drippy toppings.  This suits me perfectly.  And the crinkle-cut fries were perfection!  It was a bit finer of a crinkle than I'm used to, which increased the critical surface-area-to-volume ratio (I can hear my old physics teacher cheering), coated in cracked black pepper and sea salt.  Yummy!!

FANTASTIC.  Definitely beat the cow craving right out of me.

Steph, enjoying some barbecue pork roast, fries, and cornbread.  That counts as two vegetable sides, right?!  Potatoes and corn? Ah well, when in Rome...

Your very own Honeybee, tucking in to the burger deliciousness.

After our filling dinner, we headed to downtown Lincoln to see the sights.  There was a huge railway display, and some funky sculptures and so on.  One thing in particular did stand out to me:

NEBRASKA wine sampling?!  Nebraska makes wine...???!

I'm a firm believer in the saying: "You learn something new every day."  Based on my drive into Lincoln, I was already overwhelmingly aware of how much Nebraskans love their corn (more to come on that below...), but wine grapes?!  When I really stopped to think about it, though, Nebraska is approximately on the same latitude as northern California and southwestern Ontario... so it seems less ridiculous now that they could produce wine.

The little giftshop/wine store displaying this sign was staffed by a charming, witty guy.  I have to admit, the wine we tasted was pretty delicious!!  The whites tended towards the sweet end of the spectrum, which was great for me.  I very nearly bought a bottle of white wine in a bright red glass bottle, for the sheer novelty of it... but I'd already used up my booze importing limit at Target.  Seriously, though, when your favourite Barefoot Pinot Grigio is only $5.50 a bottle, how do you NOT buy one??

In addition to wine, this gift shop was practically blanketed in the red and white of the University of Nebraska Cornhuskers football team.  It was EVERYWHERE we went.  And, akin to the cheese hat worn by Green Bay Packers fans, the "Huskers" fans have been known to sport this extremely corny (heh, heh) headgear at games.  It's mortifying, really, but I posed for this pic at my dad's request.  Hope he's happy.

Steph and me, decked out in Husker gear.  We couldn't help poking fun at the families we'd see walking around, all dressed in Huskers gear (and it wasn't even a game day!!)  Sadly, this was not at the aforementioned gift shop... the local J.C. Penney actually had all of this gear in a special section.  I bought a shirt for the sheer hilarity of having "Cornhuskers" written across my chest.  And those N-bedecked women's jean capris?  Designed by Alyssa Milano!  Who knew...

Ahem.  Sorry.  I think I'm done insulting the locals for their obsession with football.  Back to food!!

One of the things that Steph introduced me and my classmates to while in the U.S. was Chipotle Mexican Grill.  I understand that there are a few of these fabulous burrito chains located in Toronto now, but they certainly haven't made their way to Winnipeg as yet.  These things are, to put it simply, AMAZING.  I fell in love with them in Chicago, and most definitely smuggled a few of them back to Windsor for quick dinners with Hubs.  I shall let the pictures speak for me:

And so it begins, with a mystically foil-wrapped package of goodness.  This weighs, no joke, probably around three pounds.

Cross-section.  Allow me to orient you, from top to bottom: fluffy cilantro lime rice, vegetarian black beans, Monterey Jack cheese, mild tomato salsa, spicy chili salsa, guacamole, lettuce, and barely peeking in (though I assure you there was plenty of it), barbacoa beef filling.  I made barbacoa once, to try to recreate this deliciousness... it's basically beef stewed in chipotle pepper adobo sauce.  I cannot even accurately describe the flavour to you... it's just a huge party in your mouth, all surrounded by a warm flour tortilla.

As the wise and gastronomically inclined Professor Albus Dumbledore once said: "TUCK IN."  Eating these are a challenge, though I pride myself in having successfully eaten these behemoth burritos while driving.  TWICE.

Steph opted for the healthier and tidier option: you can have all your burrito fillings, minus the tortilla, as a salad instead.

I love that Chipotle is all about fresh, naturally raised ingredients.  They're also pretty funky, for a fast-food chain.  Check out the soliloquy on chips that one patron sent them... they put it on their cups!  Cool!  Added note: I love that Dr. Pepper is so easy to find in restaurant soda fountains in the States.

We left Chipotle, my inner burrito-craving beast sated (for now).  After more sightseeing, shopping, and enjoying the University of Nebraska at Lincoln's dairy program's ice cream (yummy!), it was time for me to say goodbye and start my drive back to Winnipeg.  I wasn't about to leave the States, though, without a couple more special treats...

Panera Bread, known to us GC students for its fantastic sandwiches, bagels, baked goods... and yes, breads.  This is a pretty big chain of stores, too... and they make some top-notch nosh.  We used to get their sandwiches as a free lunch once a month for cancer genetics educational presentations... mmm.

My sierra turkey sandwich, on asiago focaccia, with some sort of delicious aioli.  It WAS Thanksgiving Monday in Canada, after all... I had to have SOME of the bird to celebrate.

In Grand Forks, North Dakota, I stopped for dinner... and enjoyed a U.S.-only sandwich from the golden arches: the Southern Fried Chicken sandwich.  It's a different chicken patty than they use on their typical chicken sandwich... this one is thicker, juicier, and in my opinion, less processed.  Topped with a few pickle slices on a slightly sweet steamed bun, this thing is delightful...

...especially when paired with McDonald's fresh-brewed Sweet Tea.  This is NOT the same as the lame Nestea that Canadian McD's have.  This is The Real Deal.  It's things like this that make me wonder if I was a Southern Belle in a previous life...

So there you have it.  A successful weekend in the U.S. of A, visiting a dear friend and pigging out on all the unique and delicious foods that I've missed.  I have heard rumours that Winnipeg will be getting an Ikea and a Target in the relatively near future... is it too much to hope that some of these American gems will follow?

Unashamedly proclaiming her admiration for the red, white, and blue,
-Honeybee

The Best (and Worst!) of Winnipeg

I wrote this as I was minding Brodie, my coworker’s adorable subservient quadruped, so I thought I’d share some of her suggestions for me when I asked, “Anyone got any blog ideas for this weekend??”  Luckily, Shannon had a few, and last weekend I set out exploring them.
 

First up was Mitzis chicken finger restaurant, downtown at St. Mary’s Ave and Garry St.  Meaning “tasty food” in Chinese (not sure if it’s Cantonese or Mandarin), Mitzis has a fun backstory.  I love the idea of a home-grown, family-based restaurant, particularly when it has a “secret recipe” it’s adapted itself to please the customer.  So, large library book/solo dining companion in hand, I took a drive down to sample their famous poultry offerings.

Starter consommé soup, with green onions and rice, alongside my dinner companion book.

Stand in awe.  This were FANTASTIC.

I was NOT disappointed.  Aside from the huge portion (I ordered a “medium” platter), these suckers were juicy, tender, perfectly cooked, well seasoned, obviously hand-made, and piping hot.  The fries were your standard crinkle-cut, and were quite tasty.  Best of all: the dipping sauce.  Judging by the jar on my coworker’s table, the concept of honey dill chicken finger dipping sauce isn’t unique to Mitzis, but it was a first-time experience for me (could it be a “Manitoba thing”?) Not too sweet, and with that delicious dill flavour, this was a great condiment for the chicken.  I’ll have to find a recipe for it and use it at home, though that certainly won’t stop me from making another trip back for more of the original.

The next day, I took a trip out to the Bridge Drive-In, also known as BDI.  We’d had a conversation at work about this soft-serve ice cream/milkshake/sundae joint, and it sounded fantastic.  Fun little side note, though; not being familiar with the name, I originally thought the place was called “The Beady Eye”… and later mistakenly referred to it as “The Hairy Eyeball”.  Not exactly appetizing… luckily, the true place didn’t disappoint.  It is all soft-serve ice cream, but they offer truly unique combinations of flavours and toppings all at a very reasonable price.  I went for vanilla soft-serve swirled with black cherry flavouring… and yes, little brother, if you’re reading this, they do have the “blue goo” variety that you so enjoy.  Despite the cooler bite in the air, this place was still hopping.  I’ll definitely be back next season, once Hubs is here, for a romantic stroll on the epynomous bridge across the Red River.

  

So there’s two of the “bests” that this city has to offer.  Now, before I go on to the “worst” of Winnipeg, I need to clearly state that this was NOT one of my coworkers’ suggestions.  In fact, everyone at work warned me AGAINST trying out the following establishment.  It was I who chose not to listen.  I will never stray from their sound advice again…

Cue the omimous music...

Obviously, one of my goals has been to try uniquely Winnipeg- or Manitoba-based food fare.  Salisbury House fit the criteria.  Kyle told me a little bit about this home-grown burger joint and their relative success.  As far as I’m aware, Salisbury House does not exist outside of this fair province.  How could I live here and NOT try it?!  They’re seemingly EVERYWHERE, including the HSC cafeteria, YWG airport terminal, and the famous Esplanade Riel.  There had to be SOMETHING about them that kept people coming back, and I would not be left out of the loop.  So, last Friday I left work and drove about a block down Notre Dame Ave. to a location I’d seen before, strategically placed across the street from a Burger King and McDonald’s.  Fierce competition!

Right from the get, I was uneasy.  I quickly scanned the menu up on the wall behind the open kitchen, and politely told the surly and unpleasant employee that I’d like a cheese “nip” (aka burger) dinner to go, please.  The nice part was that I got to watch my order be made by a much more pleasant cook.  This was definitely not “fast food”; my burger was made right from ¼ lb of ground beef and formed into a patty right before my eyes.  That part I could get behind.  The display of red velvet cake, pie, and homemade doughnuts also looked tempting.  The whole place had the feel of a Waffle House (if you’ve ever been to one in the southern United States), which I enjoy… and their greasy-spoon breakfast menu looked quite yummy.  I started to wonder if my coworkers had been over-exaggerating a touch.

Um, no.  They weren’t.  I got home and opened up my takeout package… and saw this:

Okay, so looks aren’t everything.  Let’s rearrange:

 Slightly better.  And now to the tasting… what a letdown.  Despite being almost wafer-thin, my burger was still pinkish and cool in the middle.  I did like the cheese and fried onions, but was slightly disappointed that I was responsible for all my other toppings.  The bun was almost like cotton candy, the way it sort of dissolved as it hit my mouth… NOT good eats.  I like a bread with backbone, and this wasn’t it.  The whole mess was just as greasy as can be… it sort of reminded me of a larger White Castle burger (which is not a compliment, in my mind).  Well, okay.  Usually fries can save this kind of burger mess.  Nope, not in this case.  Y’know how sometimes fries can have a mealy, almost grainy interior and a dry, cardboard-esque exterior?  The kinds of fries that make the potato gods weep with fury?  Yeah, these were a prime example of that.  To top it all off, after eating the grease pit that was dinner, I ended up feeling a touch queasy.  

Figgy liked the coleslaw... and he seemed to be fine after his little taste.

 Not a pleasant experience, overall.  Perhaps I’ll visit the Provencher Bridge location one time in the future to enjoy a piece of cake and a coffee while looking out onto the Forks, but that’ll probably be my last Salisbury House experience.  I only wish it had been my first.

Hoping that hardcore ‘Peggers don’t run me out of town for bashing their fast food chain,

-Honeybee

Last weekend (aka "the inspiration")

So, as Hubs kindly pointed out to me last night, I haven't yet fully shared all the deliciousness from last weekend that prompted this blog.  Yes, dear.  Sorry that I beat you to the blogging game, though I'm looking forward to reading yours once it's up and running :)

Before I get to the good stuff, though, a quick note: I'm not 100% sure if I'll be posting recipes here to accompany the pictures.  Reason being: a lot of them will likely come from my G.I. Diet cookbook (more on that some other time), and I'm really not up on my copyright laws.  If Hubs (a font of useless obscure knowledge) or any fellow food bloggers want to jump in and clear things up for me, feel free; but for the time being, we'll stick to stories and pics.  If I yanked a recipe from the World Wide Web, though, I'll link to it... it's public domain at that point, right?? :)

So here we go.  This is what happens over a 24-hour period, when you're all alone (save for a dog and two cats) with a well-stocked fridge and pantry and about six different J.D. Robb books from the library:

Breakfast, of the "-in-bed" variety.  L-R: ramekin of peaches and mandarin sections, cherry pomegranate yogurt, ancient grains toast with margarine and cherry-blueberry jam, royal gala apple slices, my secret coffee blend, OJ, and a Lieutenant Eve Dallas tome.  Perfectly lazy.

 I know what you're thinking.  That breakfast looks... simple.  Bordering on lame.  Those who know me know that I went through a huge period in my formative years where an indulgent breakfast would include a homemade belgian waffle, smothered in chocolate syrup, maple syrup, and whipped cream.  In comparison to that, yes, this looks a touch meager... but think of the goal here.  Bed.  Sweet, comfortable bed, while reading.  I didn't want to have to muck around with a fork, knife, and ridiculously gooey pastry while trying not to smear the pages of my library book.  I wanted to be LAZY, and I was.  The real star here was the tray.  As my parents can attest, all my early attempts to serve them breakfast in bed came on a well-seasoned baking sheet... not the most elegant.  But thanks to Walmart and my sister Sara's mad assembly skills (thanks again, sis!), I have a coffee table with a drawer/tray insert. Voilà!

Lunch was a similar affair that day: tray, collection of food, little preparation.  It was more the feel of the meal than the complexity; I yearned for the simplistic but amazingly delicious lunches that I shared with my family during a trip to Europe two years ago.  Nothing, NOTHING will beat our simple picnic of baguette, olives, cured salami, aged goat cheese, and cheap inexpensive French wine on the banks by the Pont du Gard... but I came somewhat close.

Lunching on the patio. L-R: Water with lime, platter of aged cheddar, farmer's cheese, smoked gouda, seedless red grapes, Breton-like copycat crackers, Wasa rye crispbreads, and the remainder of my last bottle of my Gewürztraminer 2008 (yeah, I'm cheap, I bottle my own).

The view from the top... I love being seventeen stories up, even if my side of the building doesn't face the river...

A toast to the city I'm currently calling home!

 Midafternoon snack follows.  I swear, if I were completely left to my own devices, I'd be like a hobbit: breakfast, second breakfast, elevensies, luncheon, tea, dinner, supper...  Baking is one of my passions, though I'm usually too chicken to get too far into the realm of pastries.  Something about needing all that cold butter, plus the astronomical failure rate, keeps me away.  Maybe someday that'll change, but for now I stick pretty closely to cakes, cookies and breads.  Many will attest to how strongly I cling to my Favourite Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe (yes, it deserves capitalization).  It's one of Anna Olson's, and is just about perfect in every way.  With this last batch, I think I expanded on the perfection: I used not only a bar of Hershey's Special Dark chocolate chopped into chunks, but also two packages of Reese's Peanut Butter Cups, hacked into small pieces.  Oh my.

Delish chocolate-chunk-and-peanut-butter-cup cookies, with more coffee and more mystery/smut.  Yes, it's a different book than at breakfast.  No, I didn't just switch them for the pictures; I'd actually finished reading the first and moved onto a second.  My voracious appetite extends to more than food, it would seem.

The aptly-named Snickers, my canine charge for the weekend, joining me in relaxation.  HUGE thanks again to Tori and Graham for not only buying me patio furniture, but also making the ungodly 2-day trek to the 'Peg to visit me for a week.  You guys are true friends!

 Dinner, of course, was conceived in my mind before the last cookie was devoured.  I wanted a BURGER (yes, all caps this time).  I wanted a burger like my mother used to make- thick, juicy, flavourful.  I'd never quite hit on the right combo of additions ("fillers" for the ground-beef-only purists) to mimic hers.  Today would be the day.  Slight problem: at this point, I'm still lounging in PJs, and don't feel like leaving the sanctuary of laziness that is my apartment to buy hamburger buns.  No worries; I'll MAKE them.  See above feelings re. baking: breads are okay.  Though, past attempts at light and fluffy buns typically ended with quite hard, dense rock-like substances.  I must've really been feeling it, since I decided to tackle these, too.

Ready to rise.  See the green flecks?  I decided to put herbes de Provençe on my counter while kneading and rolling out the dough; I was craving something like the Italian herbs D'Italiano packaged buns (but without all the preservatives)

Finished product.  If you attempt these, don't skip the egg wash; it made such a delicate, delicious light brown crust.

Now the beef.  I just tried to stop over-analyzing mom's tried and true recipe, and go with gut instinct.  I, of all people, should know that the knowledge of how to make a fantastic, meaty, juicy burger isn't inherited... but still.  Call me superstitious if you want.  I reached for some dried breadcrumbs, an egg, some grated parmesan cheese, a packet of onion soup mix (which, I suspect, was the key ingredient I'd been missing all these years), and an extremely healthy splash of Worcestershire sauce.  Done and done.

Grilling away, crossing my fingers that they'll come out meeting all expectations.  And I know, I'm a terrible person: I don't have a proper grill (indoor, outdoor, propane, charcoal, or electric), despite being able to keep one on the patio.  I'll leave the procurement and installation of such a contraption to Hubs; he uses it more anyway.

The "accoutrements", as Irene would say... pesto aioli, smoked gouda, tomatoes, red onions, and baby spinach.

Side dish: blanched baby potatoes, fried up in the same delicious beefy juices that the burgers gave off, with another healthy sprinkle of herbes de Provençe.

The finished product, with some asparagus to assuage my guilt.  Don't lie, you want to sink your teeth into this (barring vegetarianism, of course...)

Et voilà.  My day in food.  This obsession with preparation and photography continued into the next day, but I'll leave that for another time.  Like any proper foodie, I'm off to peruse the offerings at the fantastic seasonal outdoor market in St. Norbert.  Those Hutterites sure know how to grow their veggies, no doubt about it... and maybe this time, I'll spring for some bison meat and really get into the Prairie flavour.

To quote my nerdy/foodie crush, Alton Brown, I bid you good eating ;)  Cheers!
-Honeybee