Mis-steak Marinade

My cheat sheet for steak. 

Every now and then we all like a good piece of steak for dinner. Living in Alberta we have that luxury of getting great beef.

This is my favorite marinade for steak and as the title states it was by mis-steak. Ha ha get it mis-steak? Mistake? *ahem* Anyways. I know I know we shouldn't put anything other than salt and pepper and let the meat speak for itself. But think about it what do we do when we get our steaks? We sauce it up with either mustard or HP sauce, am I right?

I like to pan fry my steaks, that's right I said it P-A-N......F-R-Y. BBQ enthusiasts would call this blasphemy, but I think it's awesome and it tastes great! Each to their own I guess. I usually buy the fast fry steaks which are a lot thinner than your regular steak or I get the prime rib slices. You just need to turn on the stove to med-high heat sear both sides for about 3-4 mins and voila! you got medium rare steak. If you go with the regular cut then you may have to cook the steak at a lower temp then turn it on high to sear it.

Anyways back to the marinade, what you will need (measurements are estimates you can either increase or decrease to your liking):
- 4 steaks
- about 4 dashes Worcestershire sauce
- 4 tbsp Club House Montreal steak spice seasoning (if the steaks are big use a bit more)
- 2 tbsp Olive oil
- 1 tbsp Garlic powder

In a big mixing bowl rub the olive oil all over the steak, it helps the seasoning stick to the steak. Add steak seasoning, garlic salt and Worcestershire sauce. Mix well. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and put it in the refrigerator and let it marinade for min of 20 mins to overnight. Whenever you're ready to eat take it out let it warm up to room temperature and fry!

I usually eat this with rice and side of salad or with mash potato with corn. It's great the next day for breakfast (steak and eggs) or for lunch (steak sandwich)!

Doesn't that look delicious?!

Hope you like it and as always happy eating!

"We think fast food is equivalent to pornography, nutritionally speaking" ~ Steve Elbert 

***Please note the pictures here are not mine, I'll take a picture when I make this again.

The Infamous Chicken Salad Sandwich...

Before you roll your eyes and say "not another chicken salad recipe" I'm going to say this you haven't tried THIS chicken salad sandwich. I'll called it Huynh-ner (winner) Huynh-ner chicken salad dinner.  Like the play on my last name? =oD It's so simple and it tastes AWESOME-O. I've had a lot of people ask me for the recipe and when I tell them I always get the same reaction....THAT'S IT?! Yes that's it. Nothing fancy. Let's get to it shall we?! Oh just so you know, I didn't really measure anything I pretty much went by taste.

List of ingredients:
- Hellmann's mayonnaise, it HAS to be Hellmann's, it doesn't taste the same if you use another brand. Just do me a favor and try this first then you can alter it to your liking.
- About 1 tbsp Cajun seasoning, any brand will do
- 1 red onion
- 4-5 celery sticks
- About 2 tsp lemon juice
- Whole roast chicken, the kind you buy from the deli counter at grocery stores.
- Miss Vicki's jalapeno chips, it HAS to be this brand.
- Rye bread, you can use other types of bread but for personal preference I like rye.

Step 1, 1, 1, 1, You can have lots of fun. (For you NKOTB fans out there! =oD)
- Cut up the roast chicken into cubes, skin and all and put it into a mixing bowl. The skin adds a bit of more flavoring to the salad. But if you're a health nut then you can remove the skin, but what a waste! Live a little not like you're eating this everyday.

Step 2, 2, 2, 2, There's so much we can dooooo
- Chop up the celery and onions and add it to your chicken

Step 3, 3, 3, 3, It's just you and meeeee
- Now add the mayo to the bowl, depending on how you like it, add a lot if you like it saucy and vice versa. Add the Cajun seasoning, lemon juice and it's time to get dirty.

Step 4, 4, 4, 4, I can give you moooooore
Mix it all up with a wooden spoon or spatula or my preferred method with your hands! I just find using your hands is a lot easier and you can mix everything up really well. Remember to taste it and add more Cajun seasoning or mayo or lemon juice if you need to.

Step 5, 5, 5, 5, Don't you know that the time has arrived
Now take the mixture and put it on the rye bread, now pay attention to this part; take the Miss Vicki's chips and put a couple of them on top of the salad and then put the other slice of bread on top and enjoy! Trust me it sounds weird but it tastes GREAT. The chips give it a crunchy texture and it also adds a saltiness and a nice kick to the sandwich.

Annnnnnnnnd that's it! I really had to divide it up into 5 sections so I can finish the NKOTB song. lol

Enjoy and I hope you like the recipe. Feel free to let me know how it tastes or let me know what you did to make it your own!

Happy eating!

"Part of the secret of success in life is to eat what you like and let the food fight it out inside" ~ Mark Twain


***Please note the pictures here are not mine, I'll take a picture when I make this again. This one looks similar to what mine would look like! =o) 

The Angry Baker...

Hello y'all! Yes I know it's been a while since I posted something but life gets in the way! I'm sure if I was paid to blog then I would put more effort into it because if I didn't I'd be starving!

As you can see the title of this entry you'll know I'll be talking about baking. I tried baking cupcakes the other day and it did not turn out well. As my bf would say: "you're a happy cook but an angry baker." So true, so true. Here's what makes me angry when it comes to baking. lol

1. The measurements have to be EXACT. Use too much butter, you're screwed. Use too much sugar, you're screwed. Used too much baking powder, you're screwed. You get the picture. Sure if you're a professional then you'll know what to do but a commoner like me I most likely will NOT know what to add to make it balance. If I did this for a living I'm pretty sure I'd be fired.

2. Oven temperature and timing has to be EXACT. Accidentally leave the cupcakes in for another 2 minutes? Uh-oh no you have a hard crust on top and it's not as moist. Baked the cookies in a 450 degree oven instead of 350? Uh-oh you got burnt cookies.

3. I'm not familiar with all of the ingredients that is required in certain recipes. I guess that goes the same for cooking. *shrug* For example: cream of tartar, when I hear the word "tartar" I think of beef tartar or tartar sauce for your fish and chips but for baking? I recently discovered this ingredient while I was attempting to make Snickerdoodle cookies. Now explain to me why is it called cream of tartar but it's sold in powder form? Apparently you can use white vinegar as a substitute if you can't find cream of tartar. Interesting.

4. It's hard and too much work to decorate cupcakes, cookies, cake, etc. Maybe I'm just not that artistic or too lazy. It may be the latter. I have trouble with the piping bags for crying out loud, had to youtube how to put the piping tips in the piping bag. lol It's just too much work to make your baked goods look pretty. It all looks the same when you eat them. *rubbing tummy* Look at the picture to the right, that looks awesome and so cute! It's Cookie bloody Monster! I wouldn't be able to do that for the life of me, sure maybe with a lot of practice but really who has time? But man! Two thumbs up for the creativity! Totally jealous.

I must admit after all the heartache, troubles and a very dirty kitchen you are well rewarded with your finished product (if you bake it correctly that is). I just don't like the journey getting there. I'll leave it to the professionals and I will happily hand over my money for the convenience. Yes, I know baking is therapeutic for some people and some people love baking and that's awesome but to spare my bf, I won't bake as much because as the title says I'm an angry baker.

Happy eating!

"The torch of love is lit in the kitchen." ~ Unknown

So bloody cute! My head's about to explode like the bottom right cupcake. lol

***Please note the pictures here are not mine obviously since I confessed I don't know how to decorate my baked goods. =o)

D'Amore Italian Deli...

I really hate when lunch time comes around and I forget to bring lunch and I have absolutely NO idea on what to eat. By the time I figure out what to eat it's almost 1pm! After humming and hawing, I decide to go to D'Amore Italian Deli. No one really knows of this place except for the people who work around that area. They don't even advertise, it's all word of mouth that gets people to come to this place. You know the food will be good when they don't advertise. lol

Walking in it seems a little ghetto, I admit but like I said in my last posting "the more ghetto the restaurant looks the better the food because they put all their time and effort into the food!" lol ^_^ They have a pretty small menu but really you just need a couple of winners and you're set.

I usually get a medium assorted Italian deli meat sandwich with everything on it. It's just right for me, mind you I'm only 5'1 so if you're a big eater go for the large or XL sandwiches. The sandwiches are quite big and they load it up! You can get a medium sandwich with a drink for under $10! Nowadays that's a steal! You get the choice of either white or brown bread, also you can have them toast your sandwich if you like. I recommend toasting it, tastes so much better.

My delicious sandwich, realized I forgot to take a picture before taking a bite. 

I don't know if I should tell you guys about this place because then it'll be so busy and it'll take forever to get my sandwich! lol Just kidding! If you are ever in a mood for a sandwich and cheap lunch I suggest you go to D'Amore Italian Deli.

Strawberry Rating:

Service: 4.5 strawberries out of 5 (the old lady needs to smile a bit more lol)

Food: 5 strawberries out of 5

Price: 5 strawberries out of 5

Cleanliness: 3.5 strawberries out of 5 (don't get me wrong the employees are clean, they wash their hands etc etc. but they could spruce up the place a bit)

Overall score: 4.5 strawberries out of 5

You can find D'Amore Italian Deli at:

12943 127 Street Northwest

Edmonton, AB (780) 455-5233

Happy eating!

"In Mexico we have a word for sushi:  bait."  ~José Simons

Hi Ho Hi Ho It's Hainanese Chicken Recipe We Go...

My bf and I decided to take my mom for dinner and we all decided to go to Tropika (I'll blog about that later). This is where I first encountered a dish called Hainanese Chicken, it was about $13 for the dish. When the dish was brought out it doesn't look like much, all I could remember thinking was, "That's it? boiled chicken???"

Getting over my disappointment, I gave it a go and I loved it! You know what they say, looks can be deceiving. Apparently it also comes with Hainanese Chicken Rice which is just white rice cooked in the broth the chicken was simmering in.

I loved this dish so much that I set out to learn how to make this dish. My bf laughed at me but I didn't let that bother me, I put on my apron and I was on a mission! After some trial and error and looking up many many many recipes later, I have perfected my recipe, well for me anyways. lol Hopefully you'll like it as much as I do!

Ingredients:

• 4-5 chicken legs
• 1 "chunk" of peeled ginger (just cut a piece, peel it and throw it in the pot)
• 3 green onion, chopped in half
• 2 cups white rice, rinsed and drained well
• 4 cloves of garlic, peeled
• 1 tsp grated ginger (for the dipping sauce)
• 2 to 3 bay leaves
• Salt, to taste
• Chicken stock ( I use Knorr Homestyle stock cubes, pictured above) 
• Cucumber, few slices for garnish
• Iced water (to cool the chicken)

Method

1. Rinse chicken and drain well. Put all the chicken legs into a pot and fill the pot with water. Just enough to cover the chicken. Turn on the heat to medium and let it come to a boil. 
2. Once it starts to boil throw in the ginger piece, green onion, garlic cloves, bay leaves. Let it boil for 45 mins. To tell if the chicken is cooked, insert a fork into the thickest part of chicken leg. If clear liquid runs out, it’s cooked if not then cook it for a bit longer. 
3. Immediately transfer chicken legs into iced water and soak for 15 to 20 minutes. I read on numerous sites the ice water is a way of making the skin and meat of the steamed chicken become smoother and more tender. 
4. Once you remove the chicken add the Knorr's Homestyle Chicken broth cubes (1 cube would be enough) into the pot, I find it adds more flavour. Let it come to a boil. Add salt to taste. Voilà! You got soup to go with your chicken!
5. You can use some of the broth to make your rice or you can use plain water. Up to you. You can use  a rice cooker or use a pot.
6. When the chicken legs cool down, drain well. Chop into chunks and serve with cooked rice. Garnish with cucumber slices. Pour some soup into a small bowl and your meal is finished!
7. Last but not least to make the dipping sauce. Heat up a bit oil in a pan. When the oil becomes very hot, immediately pour the oil onto minced ginger. Add salt to taste. 
8. Time to eat!

Should of used a smaller plate, looks so sparse. lol

Sorry the picture is not that great. I'll take another one when I make this dish again! ^_^

Give it a try and let me know what you think!

Happy eating!

"Anybody who believes that the way to a man's heart is through his stomach flunked geography."  ~Robert Byrne

Bacon Wrapped Eggs? Yes Please!

My boyfriend was browsing through and watching random videos on Youtube and stumbled across a video called Bacon Wrapped Eggs by RecipeCards. I'm the chef out of the 2 of us, so of course I hear "HONEY! Come look at this!" I watch the video and I must say it looks delish! It's seems pretty easy to make as well.

Next day we decide to go to Safeway to buy our ingredients. Simple list really. All you need is bacon, eggs, cheese (your choice, I used Kraft Italian mix), fresh thyme, and  fresh chives. When it comes to herbs it's up to you, you can go with whatever you like. I stuck to the original so I used thyme and chives. I didn't use dill because I forgot to buy some. lol

Annnnnnnnnnnnnnnnd the finish product *drum roll*.....

OoooOoooO

Ahhhhhhhhh

Also made French toast and sliced up some left over steak and ta-da! You got the perfect brunch dish. Let me tell you this held me over until dinner!

You can check out the video here, background music is pretty dope:

Hope you like it as much as I did. Give it a try and let me know what you think!

Happy Eating!

"One cannot think well, love well, sleep well, if one has not dined well." ~Virginia Woolf

Pho Song Huong...

I'm always on the look out for good pho places here in Edmonton. For those of you who do not know what pho is,  it is a Vietnamese noodle soup usually served with beef or chicken. The soup includes vermicelli noodles made from rice and is often served with basil, lime and bean sprouts. The correct pronunciation would be "fuh". No I'm not trying to swear. lol

Back to Pho Song Huong, I always drive by this place while driving home with my boyfriend from his parent's place, and thinking we should try that place some day. Meeting up with some friends we decide to go there for lunch. The thing with pho restaurants is you're never going to find one that is "posh" looking, far from it. You want a nice place to eat at go to Earl's. Usually the outside would be ghetto looking and if you're lucky the inside may be decent looking. When you think about it you're really there for the food not for the decor. I always joke about it and say "the more ghetto the restaurant looks the better the food because they put all their time and effort into the food!" lol

Walking into the restaurant we got lucky because it's decent looking. Looked like they took the effort to make the place look nice. A for effort I say! The server comes up and asks "how many?" when we tell her the number she tells us to sit anywhere we like. Um...why ask how many people we have in the first place? Just wondering.  We find our table and sit down, the server hands us our menus. Looking at the menu it's pretty cool actually the covers are made of wood. Looking through the menu it's pretty basic just like any other pho restaurants, it has it's usuals.

We just cracked open the menu and the server is already asking us if we're ready to order. We tell her we'll need another couple of minutes. I decided on #27 which is the beef noodle soup with round eye steak slices and beef flank slices or pho tai nam in Vietnamese in a size small. My boyfriends orders #18 the special noodle soup combo that comes with round eye steak, flank, tendon, tripe and Asian beef meatballs also in a small.

Our soup is brought out and I take a look at the broth and I see that it's clear and no thick layer of oil. I have been to places where there's a thick layer of oil on top and it's pretty gross. Makes you lose your appetite. Who wants to eat a layer of oil? Second thing I notice is that they give you a lot of meat! That is a bonus, usually some restaurants skimp out on the meat and just give you more noodles.  Sneaky, I know! I give the broth a taste before I add anything to it and it was delish! It was pretty flavorful, instead of adding a heck load  of my usual hoison sauce and hot sauce to the broth , I only added a little bit of each out of habit.

I must say I finished the WHOLE bowl. I never finish my bowls because to be honest the pho is not that great at some restaurants. Even my boyfriend was surprised, he said to me "it must be that good eh?", yes sir it sure is! The service overall was OK, friendly and efficient, mind you when we were there it was not too busy. Can't say how the service is when the restaurant is busy. We did have to flag down someone for our bill and had to go up to the till to pay. Speaking of the bill it came out to $28 for the four of us. Pretty good, can't complain!

I will definitely come back for the food and recommend this place to everyone I know. Maybe next time when I come back I'll give their Bun Bo Hue (another type of beef noodle soup) a try.

Strawberry Rating:

Service: 3 strawberries out of 5

Food: 4 strawberries out of 5

Price: 4 strawberries out of 5

Cleanliness: 3.5 strawberries out of 5

Overall score: 4 strawberries out of 5

You can find Pho Song Huong at:

12929 97 Street NW

Edmonton, AB T5E 4C2

Phone:(780) 478-1557

Happy eating!

"Red meat is not bad for you.  Now blue-green meat, that’s bad for you!"  ~Tommy Smothers


***Please note the pictures here were not taken by me and it's not from the restaurant.

Koutouki - Downtown Location...

I've been to Koutouki a couple times and thought "hey let's write about my experience". I remember the first time I went I had no clue what I was in for and what to expect because I have never had Greek food before. Walking in you see plants and pictures all over the walls. Strangely it makes you feel at home or feel like you're in Greece.

A friendly server greets you and brings you to your table. Now looking at the menu it can be overwhelming for someone who has never been there before. Luckily for them the servers are pretty knowledgeable and can guide you through the menu and make suggestions. Everything in the menu is a bit pricey.

We decide to get a bunch of appetizers instead of the full meals. Gives you a chance to try everything. Being just the two of us (my boyfriend is the lucky person who gets to come with me on all my food cravings ^_^), we decided to go with calamari, Saganaki (pan fried Greek cheese), Dolmades (stuffed grape vine leaves), homous and pita bread, and Ouzo prawns.

As we sit waiting for our food, the lights are dimmed and all of sudden European techno music starts blaring and you hear bells? You see a belly dancer come out from the back and the "bell" sound you hear is her finger cymbals. For first-timers you would find this fascinating because where else can you find a belly dancer dancing while you eat?! But for regulars it kind of gets old. With the music being really loud forget trying to have an intimate conversation because you won't be able to hear each other. It'll be like "WHAT?!" "HUH?!" "WHAT DID YOU SAY?!" As if on queue the server brings our food. With failed attempts of having a conversation we decided let's dig in and eat!

Now being here several times before I've noticed the food didn't taste as good as the first time I was here. Dare I say it was a bit bland?? The only thing both my bf and I found that was good was the calamari. 1 out of 5 items is not a good sign. Adding to the disappointing food, every time you try to have a conversation the bloody music blares up again adding to our annoyance. I understand the belly dancer needs music to dance but does it have to be that loud?? The idea of having a belly dancer is great but it gets pretty annoying after the 2nd and 3rd time when you're trying to eat and she keeps shaking her hips at you getting you to dance and obviously tip her. It got to the point where you're thinking, "OMG go away just let me eat in peace, go bug someone else". You end up avoiding eye contact as well and you just keep your head down and eat. lol

All in all the experience I've had here was sub par. Seeing the price tag left a bad taste in our mouth as well. It was almost $100 for appetizers! It would be great for parties or for people who have never been there before. So if you want a intimate, quiet dinner.....go somewhere else.

Strawberry Rating:

Service: 3 strawberries out of 5

Food: 2.5 strawberries out of 5

Price: 2.5 strawberries out of 5 (cheaper if you go in a big group and share)

Cleanliness: 4 strawberries out of 5 

Overall score: 3 strawberries out of 5

You can find Koutouki at:

10719 124 Street NW

Edmonton, AB

Phone: (780) 452-5383

Happy eating!

"Great restaurants are, of course, nothing but mouth-brothels.  There is no point in going to them if one intends to keep one's belt buckled."  ~Frederic Raphael

***Please note the pictures here were not taken by me and it's not from the restaurant.