berry desserts: December 2012

Countdown to 2013: Best Main Dishes of 2012

I'm a little late joining up, but here's my roundup of my main dishes of 2012!

Well, not so much a roundup... Basically I've learned that I didn't post many savory recipes at all this year! Oops. It is soooo on my resolution list for 2013 to be better with blogging recipes! I have tons of pictures on my camera, just haven't blogged about them.

So here are two delicious mains for you :)

Grilled Filets with Bourbon Butter

Ranch Taco Salad

More roundup posts coming :)

Peace, and bacon grease!

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Countdown to 2013: Best Breakfast Recipes

This year has been a lot more of baking and sweets. Strange, me being a steak and potatoes kinda gurl and all. Next year I hope to have more of a variety of recipes on my blog. Resolution #1 for 2013.

So, there weren't many breakfast recipes on the blog this year. I present to you, the best breakfast recipes of 2012!!

Sausage and Hashbrown Bake

Blueberry Muffins with Cream Cheese Filling

Sausage Cheese Breakfast Biscuits

Whole Wheat Honey and Goat Cheese Biscuits

Join along for the countdown fun here!

Peace, and bacon grease!

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Wylde on Health by Bryce Wylde

Wylde on Health
Your Best Choices in the World of Natural Health
by Bryce Wylde
Trade Paperback, 352 pages

I was pleasantly surprised at how thorough and insightful this book on health was. I have to admit, my early flower-child years with parents who eschewed regular doctors for naturopaths, etc., left me suspicious of alternative medicine for quite some time. (Note to all hippie parents out there - if your child wets the bed - suggest peeing before going to sleep, rather than vibrationally charged homeopathic medicines. Just sayin'.)

Bryce Wilde encourages his readers to take charge of their health through education, nutrition, exercise, traditional medicine and alternative medicine - together for a whole-being, whole-person, healthiest living possible. I love that. He also calls out the myths and snake-oil types of alternative medicines and gives you all the information you need to make healthy choices.

The well-organized, quite thorough book is also filled with links that can be scanned with a QR Smart Device and/or accessed by web page - to view video clips that further illustrate the subjects.

Wylde on Health goes above and beyond expectations and will be the perfect guide book for a healthier new year and a healthier new you.

Wylde on Health

Contents include:

Chapter 1 - Introduction

Chapter 2 - How Healthy Are We?

1. They've Got Us Surrounded

2. The Digestive System

3. Of Men and Women

4. Pumping Iron

5. The Life of the Mind

6. A Pain in the Life

7. A Matter of Years

Chapter 3 - Getting Healthy

1. The First Defence

2. What Goes In

3. Sexual Healing

4. Wide Circulation

5. Compos Mentis

6. Dealing with Pain

7. As Time Goes By

Chapter 4 - Staying Healthy

1. The Immune System in Balance

2. Your Guts, Your Glory

3. Libido for Life

4. Changes of Heart

5. Mind Your Own Brain

6. Anti-Inflammation

7. Beyond Your Years

Chapter 5 - Conclusion:

Past, Present and Future Medicine

BRYCE WYLDE is the author of the national bestseller The Antioxidant Prescription. He graduated with a combined honours degree in biology and psychology from York University in Toronto. He went on to pursue a career in complementary alternative medicine and nutrition, graduating with a diploma in homeopathic medicine and health sciences (DHMHS) from the Ontario College of Homeopathic Medicine. Known as a world leader in complementary alternative health, Wylde is a highly knowledgeable and respected natural healthcare practitioner specializing in homeopathy, clinical nutrition and botanical medicine and whose focus is routed within functional medicine. Wylde began his television hosting career with CTV in early 2008 with the highly-rated weekly television show Wylde on Health. Wylde lectures frequently on the prevalence of junk science in the natural health world and has made it his mission to “debunk the junk.” Bryce Wylde tweets @wyldeonhealth out of Toronto.

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Willows Inn (Lummi Island, WA): An Unforgettable Experience

My favorite meal in 2012? Easy. Willows Inn at Lummi Island is a small inn on a small island in Washington, with a restaurant helmed by Chef Blaine Wetzel, a young native of the area who had worked at Noma (you know, the world's best restaurant). When they talk about local ingredients, they really mean it. It isn't just produce from the state, but really local. Chef Wetzel forages around the island. A lot of the fish used are caught in the waters around the island, just five minutes from the restaurant.

Willows Inn is a 2-hour drive from Seattle plus a 10 minute ferry ride, and it's not only worth it but the journey adds to the experience.

There's only one seating every night which is at 6:30. The ferry only runs every hour and we didn't want to be late, so we took the 5PM ferry and ended up with time on our hands when we got to Willows Inn. Time to sit on the patio staring into the sunset while sipping cocktails. The cocktails here had quite a few interesting ingredients. I loved the Pacific Gin Fizz (gin, wild pineapple weed, egg white - $14)

What is wild pineapple weed, you ask? I didn't know it then but apparently it's wild chamomile. Whatever it was, it was my favorite out of the cocktails we tried. We also had time to peek into the kitchen as they were prepping.

Finally we got called and seated in the small dining room.

The dinner is "five courses" with a lot of "snacks", which meant way more food than five courses. Our meal started with a small wooden box.

As you open the treasure box: a whiff of smoke, and baked sunflower root

Next is a Crispy crepe with salmon roe, sandwiched between green onions. The crepe was a thin crisped salmon that held everything in a perfect bite-sized morsel.

Pickled oyster with sorrel was beautifully presented on a bowl of rocks

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Restaurant Review: Paula's Cafe in Downtown Cincinnati

I had heard good things about this "7-minute burger". Apparently it takes 7 minutes to make. Did you guess that? Apparently it is also one of the 40 best burgers in Cincinnati according to Cincinnati Magazine.

So I made PJ take me out on a lunch date to Paula's Cafe, home of that 7-minute burger.

It's located on 4th Street in downtown Cincy so be sure to bring some change for meter parking! It's small inside with not much seating, and I hear it can get pretty busy with lines out the door, so be ready. But we didn't have a wait when we went luckily.

It was a bit confusing when we came in. There was a big sign telling us to "Order Here" at the register, so we walked up to order. We had never been there before and didn't know how the ordering process went, and the lady rudely acted like we should know and handed us some paper to write our order on. We wrote down our burger orders. You can choose which toppings you want on it. We remembered after she rang us out that we also would like something to drink. She did not offer that to us when we were ordering, no "would you like drinks with that?" or anything like that. No biggie, but then when I tried to add the drinks on she had the nerve to tell me that there is a minimum amount you must order to use credit card, and that I would have to spend more to reach that minimum amount to pay by card. Even though we JUST purchased $20 worth of food. I wanted to bop her in her face. There was no way I was spending more so we just had to suffer with no drinks. Great service!!! Sike.

Then we went to sit down and the lady who rang us out was saying that since we ordered at the counter that it was supposed to be a to-go order and kinda made a big deal about us dining in. Well then it needs to be more clearly displayed when you come in. I shouldn't have to come in to a restaurant and be so confused how or where is the proper place to order. If it really mattered, and she knew we had never been there before, she could have asked us if it was for dine in or carry out. I'm sure you have new customers there on more than one occasion so it would be nice to not assume that everyone who comes in knows the "correct way and place" to order. Sure hope that wasn't Paula herself.

Off to a bad start, customer service-wise.

On to the food.

PJ ordered the 7-minute burger ($7.45) and fries ($1.75). The burger is a half pound hand pattied fresh ground Angus chuck cooked to a perfect medium with whatever toppings you want on it. PJ got lettuce, tomato, onion, mayo, sauteed mushrooms and onions (add $.50 each) and cheese. There may be an extra charge for cheese too.

I also ordered the 7-minute burger and fries, but with different toppings on my burger. Mine had mayo, sauteed onions and mushrooms (add $.50 each), and fried egg (add $.95).

I was pleased with the burger. It was tender, juicy, and definitely had that fresh-not-frozen taste. You could tell they were hand pattied because they were so plump. It's hard to find good burgers so I appreciate this one. It's also a messy burger, so have lots of napkins on hand, and no white shirts! I liked the egg and runny yolk with it, but next time I think I'll try it with other toppings. I also liked the thin, crispy fries.

So food = win. Service, not so much. But I'd be willing to go back again. Definitely wanna get my hands on that burger again!

They also have salads and sandwiches if you aren't in a burger mood.

But you really should be :)

Peace, and bacon grease!

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The New Year's Eve List List

I'd do a list of New Year's Eve dinners but other people have done a good job of it, but if you're still looking for options, here are some nice lists that other people have put together. Well, OK, I added a few of my own ...

For dinners, LA Magazine has 37 great options for a range of budgets.

Eater LA also just came out with a "complete" (maybe not, but definitely large) list of NYE dinners. PS. I was told that Slater's 50/50 had cancelled their NYE trivia plans though, so might want to double check that one.

Don't forget Open Table's list of their participating restaurants, plus with this you can find out which is still available. I'm eyeing n/naka's Japanese celebration with lobster, white truffles and wagyu beef. Now, where did I put that $200 ...?

Or if you're totally broke from Christmas shopping, Tom Bergin's is doing their Tuesday at Tom's special on NYE! Chicken Fried Steak with dessert is just $15 plus oatmeal stout for $4.

I don't really do clubs and parties so I'll direct you to HuffPo for that list.
I hate these slideshow type "articles" though, so I'll just tell you the what caught my eye was the party at The Edison and the Spanish Masquerade at The Bazaar.

Where LA also had a very comprehensive list from parties and balls to dinners.

Sassafras is also having a party with open bar for $70.

If you're looking for a show rather than just dinner, I'm personally curious about the Intimate Illusions magic show with Ivan Amodei (the 10pm show is sold out but 7pm is still available), or this Lucent Dossier party. El Cid is also having a flamenco dinner show for $45 ($65 late seating)

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Born Weird by Andrew Kaufman

Born Weird
by Andrew Kaufman
Trade Paperback, 288 pages

It is apt that Weird is in the title and also the last name of the family featured in this book as it is an odd, quirky tale that reads like fable, although more modern than some.

The Weird family was given blessings that turned out to be curses (blursings) by their grandmother, each as they were brought into the world. In a "be careful what you wish for" sense, grandma (The Shark) realizes on her deathbed that the blursings must be undone for each Weird child (now semi-functioning adult) to live life fully.

Angie Weird has only two weeks to find and assemble all of her siblings to be present for The Shark's passing and the undoing of their curses.

Born Weird is a modern fairytale, effusively and joyously filled with the F word. It reminds me a little of the television show Pushing Daisies, with its quirky narration. A fun and unique book to brighten up these dreary months ahead.

Photo credit: Lee Towndrow

ANDREW KAUFMAN is the author of All My Friends Are Superheroes, The Tiny Wife, and The Waterproof Bible. He was born in Wingham, Ontario, the birthplace of Alice Munro, making him the second-best writer from a town of 3000. His work has been published in 11 countries and translated into 9 languages. He is also an accomplished screenwriter and lives in Toronto with his wife and their 2 children.

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Christmas Roundup: 20 Holiday Treats

I know, I know. I've been a bit M.I.A. when it comes to recipe posts this month. I have managed to whip out a few restaurant review posts for the local Cincy readers. But what about my other readers?

So since I don't have a new recipe for you today, here's a roundup of delicious goodies for your holiday baking extravaganzas!!