Food Truck Politics on the CBC

25 Jun

Yes, I’m a big nerd and I listen to CBC Radio. In fact, I listen to The Current every day on my way into work.

Today they had a great segment about food truck politics. You should really check it out if you get a chance – listen here. The long and the short of it is that the established food culture (restaurants, restaurant associations, governments etc.) are scared that if food trucks are unleashed on Canadian cities that mayhem will ensue and that nobody will ever go to a restaurant again. Ever.

OK, maybe I’m being a bit dramatic, but I certainly don’t think a handful of well-regulated food trucks will mean a major syphoning of restaurant patrons. Some people want to sit while they eat in climate controlled comfort and that won’t ever change. Just pass a bylaw that says you can’t park within 50 feet of a restaurant and call it a day.

What do you think about food trucks? What kind of laws would you like to see around them? Would you be game to see more in your town?

Neato graphics thanks to MeanRedProductions. And yes, there is a real Big Gay ice cream truck in NYC.

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Recipe: Mexican Chicken Skillet

24 Jun

For those of you who have not jumped on the Pinterest bandwagon, you’d better get there soon before the wagon fills up. It’s a great place for recipes, home decor, craft, organizational and other ideas. It’s also a great place to waste a lot of time so beware 🙂

Most ‘pins’ come from blogs, magazines, or other kinds of websites, but more often now people are just uploading photos of their dinners directly to the site with a bit of rough explanation for a ‘how to’. That’s where I found this rough recipe (pin). I wish I could give credit where credit is due, but I’ll just have to send a random ‘thank you’ to the interwebs cause this was a winner. It was quick, easy and had a nice spicy flavour. Low fat too!

Mexican Chicken Skillet
2 large chicken breasts, cubed into 1″ cubes
1 can of Rotel
1 packet taco spice
1 1/2 cups water
2 cups instant rice
2 cups grated cheddar, Mexican blend, or marble cheese

Over medium high heat, place the cubed chicken in a deep 12″ frying pan sprayed with Pam. Fry until just brown and then add 1 can of Rotel, 1 1/2 cups of water, taco spice and salt. Stir to combine and let it come to a good boil. Throw the rice in and stir. Reduce heat to low, cover with a lid and let it simmer for about 7-10 minutes or until the rice is cooked through. Add the 2 cups of cheese to the top and cover again until it melts. Serve with taco chips.

Notes, tips & tricks:

  • Use heavy duty kitchen shears to cut through meat. It’s fast and easy and you don’t have to dirty a cutting board!
  • If you don’t have Rotel, you can substitute 1/2 can of diced tomatoes and some diced jalapeno.
  • Other substitutions: swap the white rice for brown, add a can of black beans and a can of corn to feed a larger crowd for less (or just add those and omit the chicken for a vegetarian option).
  • Tired of Lean Cuisine for lunch? Make a double batch and package the leftovers in microwaveable/freezable containers. You’ll never be scrambling for a lunch in the morning again.

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Making a Run for the Border – Part 2

23 Jun

In part one, I talked a bit about American treats that I get nostalgic about as well as some American-only pantry staples. Today I’m going to talk a bit about US shopping options close to Ottawa and why it’s often worth the price of gas and bridge fair to get there.

Image courtesy of ashphaltplanet.ca.

For those of us who live in eastern Ontario, there are a few options within a short drive:

  • Ogdensburg, NY – A short 1 hour drive down the 416 and over the bridge from Prescott, Ogdensburg is a smallish border town but it has a Lowes’, a Walmart, several options for groceries and pharmacy products and a couple of women’s clothing stores.
  • Watertown, NY – About 2.5 hours from downtown Ottawa and across the Thousand Islands Bridge between Brockville and Gananoque, Watertown has a lot more to offer with a small mall, perennial favourite Target and my personal favourite – Kohl’s. Kohl’s is a department store with great quality and on-trend clothing and home products at excellent prices. If you go, check out  the Texas Roadhouse for lunch. They make a mean steak and will stuff you until you’re about to burst.
  • Massena, NY –  Massena is 2 hours from Ottawa but a quick 20 minute trip from Cornwall. Similar to Watertown, it has a small mall but lacks some of the big box options like Target and Kohl’s. It does have a Home Depot though as well as several grocery stores and pharmacies.
  • Syracuse, NY – Syracuse is the big daddy of shopping options in the area but it’s also the furthest away – a 3 hour jaunt. It is doable as a day trip, but I like to turn it into an overnighter. They have a large mall, and just about any big box store you could want in nearby Clay, NY.

Why Make the Trip?
Invariably when I tell some folks I’m planning to make a trip down, they ask me why I’d waste my gas to go down there when Ottawa has a pretty good shopping selection. Two reasons: variety and price. Even with gas and bridge fare, the new personal daily exemption of $200 means I can get a lot of deals without having to pay any duty. Even when you do get dinged for duty because you’ve crammed your car full of ‘deals’, it’s STILL worth it.

Here’s just a few examples of why it pays to go:

  • Pop – The pop deal in Canadian flyers lately has been two 12 can cases for $10 – that’s .41 cents/can. At Price Chopper last week I picked up two 24 can cases for $12 – that’s .25 cents/can. This week they’ve got four 12 can cases for $9 – that’s even cheaper!
  • Eggs – Much like milk whose price is regulated in Ontario, eggs are a better deal south of the border. I saw a flyer that was advertising a dozen large eggs for .99 cents and turkey bacon at the same price. You’d be hard pressed to make a $2 breakfast for a large family in Canada unless you served oatmeal.
  • Cool Whip – In my local Independent Grocer, Cool Whip is around $4 Canadian. It’s on sale for $1/tub this week.
  • Yogurt – Single serving greek yogurts are prohibitively expensive here running around $1.70/serving but are usually on 10/$10. You’d save $7 just going for yogurt alone.
  • Old Bay seasoning – A hard to find item in Ottawa (only Sobey’s seems to carry it), a 74 g tin is around $4.70. I picked up a 170 g tin for $4.24. That’s more than double the amount for less money.
  • I also got deals on fresh chicken, jambalaya mix, brownie mix, clothes, toothpaste, makeup and even a bike!

Despite the deals, there are some items that are either priced the same in Canada, or are even more expensive in the US. Before you leave, check the flyers (they’re all available online), know your prices for your usual items and know the rules about what you can and cannot bring back.

Happy shopping!

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Making a Run for the Border

21 Jun

Growing up, I spent a lot of time in the US on vacation and day trips, and then later working over the summer. Because of how much time I spent there in my formative years, I get a bit nostalgic for foods that you can only get on that side of the border.

Because of that (and because of the great deals that can be had – I’ll talk about that in another post) I try to make the short trek to Northern New York at least a couple of times a year.

On this trip, I spotted something in particular that brought the memories flooding back – an orange sherbet push-up pop. Even though I had indulged in the bacon sundae earlier in the day, for .75 cents I had to have one.

I vividly remember riding my bike to the camp store at the State Park with my mom and having her fish one of these out of the freezer as a treat. It tasted just as good as it did then and to this day, remains one of the few orange flavoured things I actually enjoy.

However, my usual American grocery list goes well beyond ice cream in a tube. Here’s a list of things that just aren’t available north of the 49th parallel that I invariably wind up throwing into my basket:

  • Jiffy cornbread mix – Cornbread is a great side with chili, tortilla soup and anything with a BBQ sauce. Jiffy’s mix is DIRT cheap and makes throwing together a batch so easy. I’ve been meaning to try adding half a box of yellow cake mix to it based on a tip from The Sister’s Dish on Pinterest. There are a lot of great recipes as well that call for a box of the mix so it’s handy to have around.
  • Cherry Pepsi – The one thing American grocery stores have us beat on, is sheer variety and they have it in spades when it comes to pop – there’s vanilla, lemon, lime, raspberry, black cherry with vanilla and that’s just cola. (Cherry Pepsi happens to be my favourite – tastes great with a shot of rye!) There are also several flavours of Sprite, Mountain Dew and let’s not forget Faygo! 
  • Rotel – For the uninitiated, Rotel is a handy mix of diced canned tomatoes and chilis. Many Mexican and southwestern recipes out of the US call for a can or two. I like to throw some boneless skinless chicken thighs into a pot to simmer with a can of Rotel and a packet of taco seasoning for a quick chicken taco filling.
  • Natural casing hot dogs – While in Michigan, I fell in love with natural casing hot dogs from Koegel’s. The natural casing gives a nice snap and keeps the great flavour inside. Once you’ve had one, Shopsy’s will taste like No-Name brand. In Michigan, Kogel’s dogs are the foundation for most of the Coney dogs served in the Flint and Detroit areas. There, Coney dog shops are like Tim Horton’s here – EVERYWHERE. Alas, meat regulations prevent me from having Koegel’s ship me a crate of hot dogs, so I picked up some Nathan’s Orignal famous beef franks. They don’t quite have the depth of flavour of the Kogel’s (which are beef and pork) but they do have that lovely snappy texture and are a pretty good substitute for a DIY Coney dog. If you’re in Michigan, Koegel’s are available in many local supermarkets.

DIY Coney Dog Recipe

1 package of natural casing hot dogs
1 package soft hot dog buns – I prefer the ‘toast’ style that are cut along the top
1 can Hormel chili with no beans (another US only product) – It’s not quite what you’ll get in Michigan, but it does in a pinch. If you want try to make your own, try this recipe.
1 vidalia onion, finely chopped
grated cheddar or marble cheese
ballpark yellow mustard – optional

Heat the hot dogs in a frying pan with a small amount of oil. A couple sprays of Pam will do. While they’re cooking, throw the can of chili in the microwave and heat until warm, dice your onion and grate your cheese. Pop the buns into the microwave to steam for 30-40 seconds before placing the hot dogs in. The dogs should be golden and heated through. Top generously with sauce, a thin line of mustard (optional), cheese and then onions. Don’t even attempt to pick it up unless you want to hose yourself down after dinner. This is a fork and knife type meal.

Enjoy!

Apologies for my terrible food photography.

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Taste Test: Burger King Bacon Sundae

19 Jun

Oh yes, you read that right – bacon sundae. Half of you are now making disgusted faces and half of you are salivating.

This treat is currently only available in the USA as Burger King doesn’t seem to think us Canadians can handle meat in a dessert.

Unlike most fast food food, the reality of the sundae matched the look of the one advertised and even actually exceeded it – the sundae was much larger than pictured!

For comparison’s sake – ad on the left, real on the right. Was surprised to get a full strip of bacon!

How did it taste??? A-mazing.

The sundae is vanilla soft serve with chocolate sauce on the bottom, topped with chocolate and caramel drizzle and a generous amount of real crunchy bacon chunks. A full strip of bacon is tucked on the side.

The salty/sweet combination works surprisingly well and the crunchyness of the bacon provides a nice counterpoint to the creamy sundae.

Would I eat it again? Heck yes.

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Tools of the Trade: Cast Iron Enamel Dutch Oven

18 Jun

The Tool
Most foodie folks lust after the Le Creuset cast iron dutch ovens and pots. So many pretty colours… and *womp womp* a not so budget friendly price.

However, if you’re willing to forego the fancy name and get a pretty good quality pot for 80% less cash, get thee to Crappy Tire (otherwise known as Canadian Tire) this week and take advantage of their sale on this 7 Qt. Kitchen Aid model – regular $199.99 on for $69.99.

The Review
I tried out my own earlier this week (a birthday gift from mom & dad – thanks!) and was really pleased. Let’s hope that it lasts a bit longer than the last one I had which was a from an un-named celebrity chef’s line. (*cough* Emeril *cough*) I certainly wouldn’t pay regular price for this product, but it’s definitely worth the $70 plus tax. Just make sure you check yours as soon as you get home – my first model’s enamel finish was marred but Canadian Tire was happy to swap it for a good one.

Why Do I Need This?
A good dutch oven is a staple pot in any kitchen. It works great both on the stove top and in the oven and is handy for soups, stews, chilis, spaghetti sauces and (what I made for my pot’s maiden voyage) Low Country Boil! A pot like this should last for decades when cared for properly and the enamel means you don’t have to worry about keeping it seasoned like a non-enamel cast iron pot.

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Who knew Ottawa had a food truck scene?

17 Jun

Call me surprised too. I thought all Ottawa had to offer was chip trucks… Nothing like the awesome rolling purveyors of tastyness that you always see on the Food Network or that you see in other (perhaps more progressive) cities like Calgary (shout out to Perogy Boys).

But there is hope! A new generation of foodies are jumping on the food truck bandwagon and as luck would have it, a very tasty one frequents the neighborhood I work in: The Merry Dairy – a frozen custard truck!

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Yes, it even has ‘ice cream’ truck music. And WiFi – score! (Courtesy of The Merry Dairy.)

The Merry Dairy is the brainchild of Marlene Haley. For those of you who’ve never had frozen custard, it’s a little firmer than Dairy Queen soft serve but much, much creamier and smoother thanks to the addition of eggs. Marlene keeps it simple – just vanilla and chocolate for now, with chocolate, strawberry or caramel sauce and chocolate or rainbow sprinkles. It doesn’t need anything more.

Find out where Marlene will show up next on The Merry Derry website.

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This is getting a bit melty but still so tasty. What can I say, it’s been HOT here!

(For a full list of local trucks, check out this great list from Kathy Eats).

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Bienvenue to bacon avec bacon!

15 Jun

What goes better with bacon, than more bacon? Nothing, that’s what. Thus ‘bacon avec bacon’. (For those of you who are not ‘frenchified’ avec is French for ‘with’.

On this blog I’ll be sharing food finds, recipes, cooking tips and tricks and other random things.

I’ll endeavour to follow my own advice and post often enough to keep you all entertained.

And now the patron saint of bacon, Ron Swanson….

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