OMG, ARLENE ACTUALLY COOKED

There's this little place in the Next town over that I have jokingly called Hams-Are-Us

or House-O-Hams because that is almost all they sell. They are really called The Canadian Honey Ham Company and boy is that great HAM. I'd say it was the Cadillac of ham. I have heard it said that grocery Store hams are like hot dogs in comparison. Who ever said that was right.

This ham was tender and juicy and even when we were late had not dried out. It's Spiral sliced and comes in many different sizes for different size crowds.

Want to empress a crowd of ham lovers, get yourself To the

Canadian Honey Ham Company

551 Hespeler Rd.

Cambridge

519-740-7447

Toll Free 1-877-819-7441

www.canadianhoneyham.com

It is a real treat that I wholly endorse!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Chez Reitzel

STAR WOK (at ZELLER'S PLAZA)

94 Bridgeport Rd. E. Unit 30

Waterloo

519-886-1688

As you already know almost every Friday night Scootor, Tracy, Alan, and I go out to dinner. This week we tried something new. Tracy had heard about this new Chinese Place right around the corner from us called STAR WOK.

STAR WOK has only been open a short time and I guess the word is being spread.

It is a brightly lit very clean little place. To order you step up to the counter place your order and pick out a place to sit. There are a few booths and some tables but I think a lot of their business is from Take-out.

Tracy and I agreed on the menu and we went to pick it up and toted it over.

As we pulled up to their place we were very impressed by the tasteful outdoor lighting, reserved and classic. When we entered it was like we were in the very heart of Christmas itself. The decor of Reds and golds was lovely. The tree was a vision and best of all the place was not too hot to bear. It was just delightful.

We retired to the immaculate and well appointed kitchen area where a cafe table was set perfectly and unpacked dinner. We ordered 3 egg-rolls, House Special Fried Rice (with chicken, pork, and shrimp) House Special Chop Suey, General Tso Chicken, Beef and Broccoli, and Honey Garlic Chicken. We all started in to eating and everything was delicious with few complaints, The General Tso chicken, a usually spicy dish, was really toned down and I could actually eat it. The Honey Garlic Chicken was good just not enough garlic for me. The Beef and Broccoli (very crispy) was good as were the Chop Suey and the Fried Rice. My only major complaint was the lack of Fortune Cookies. If not stale (or lemon flavor) they are lovely. So Alan had beer, Scootor and I had ice water(great ice) and Tracy had the house red. So $52.21 for 4 WITH leftovers seems a bargain dinner to me.

Empress of India

103 King St. South

Waterloo

519-883-1314

Arlene chose the Empress of India as she had been there before. Both she and her daughter Erin loved the Butter Chicken, which was what she ordered along with their Garlic Naan bread (a fluffy white flour bread) was very happy with her choice. She and Scootor started with the Veggie Samosas. Scootor did say his Samosas were the best he's ever had; and I agreed with that. However, I didn't like the Tamarind sauce; it was very weak and watery and without the punch that I am used to.

Her husband, Bob, a true Irish meat and potatoes man, ordered Beef Korma and was NOT happy with his choice. He just plain didn't like it. He said the meat was tough, stringy and very hard to chew. I tried the sauce and it was OK. Scootor tried it and said it gave him a large mandibular work-out. It was not a successful pairing.

We heard Scootor's meal before we ever saw it. His Tiger Prawns came out of the kitchen under a cloud of fragrant steam on an cast iron pan that was very hot. He really enjoyed his choice and the Chapatti bread we both ordered. His memorable quote: "my tongue is dancing with an array of spices." He just cracks me up.

Before I tell you about my dinner I must tell you about my inability to eat spicy food. I have this theory about people who serve spicy food that they do not understand that there is a big difference between say Indian mild and woosey-white-person mild. There just is. So when our server, the helpful Sonny, said he could "tone my dinner down", I was relieved. My relief was short lived. I'm sure they toned it down, but not enough for me.

Now to my dinner. I love Okra. I really do. I am an Okra eating fool and put it in almost everything. I figured that "toned down" okra would be perfect or so I thought. It arrived in a small bowl -- the perfect size to eat and share. It came with a very light and lovely rice. I ordered Chapati with my Okra perfect for scooping. I dug into my bowl and popped it into my mouth and OMG was it hot! WHEW! I made several attempts to salvage my dinner with some of Arlene's Butter chicken sauce and Bob's Beef Korma sauce. They helped some, but not nearly enough.

Empress of India is a nice-looking place with wide tables and straight backed wooden chairs. They were great with enough room for four to sit comfortably and a great chair for my big old butt. Service was great with Sonny and others were around all the time filling glasses and asking how we were doing.

So let's tally. Arlene loved her Butter Chicken, Garlic Naan and Samosas. Scootor loved his sizzling Tiger Prawns, Samosas and Chapatti. I would have loved mine if I could have tolerated the spice, and Bob, I think, was waiting for Scottie to beam him up. So if you like your food spicy this is the place for you. I would go back for the Butter Chicken.

TTFN

Meg

Tongue In Cheek

EMBERS

30 Fairway Road South

Kitchener ON

519-894-3511

We drifted into the Holiday Inn on a zephyr of chlorine fumes. (I wanted to say wafted in, but my editor said it was the wrong word.) Not the best way for a dining experience to begin. Embers has enough ambiance but there is that pesky chlorine smell.......We arrived on time and, shock of all shocks, Al and Tracy had arrived first.

Tracy, who is always cold, picked a table next to one of several fireplaces in the room. I was at the far end of the table as I am NOT a fireplace girl. Thankfully, it never got as warm as I had dreaded.

You remember my rant about hating large cute menus? Embers menu was anything but. It was very brief. There was the obligatory burgers and pizza to French Onion soup and Caesar salad to BBQ ribs. I didn't really think much of it.

To start Tracy ordered a wheel of smoked salmon. It was a very busy plate that came without and bread or crackers. She mentioned this loss to our server (the lovely Annette) and a few minutes later appeared with not only a basket of bread but a plate of freshly pan-toasted, buttery crostini. Those very thin slices of bread were the most delicious thing I'd eaten in a long time. They accompany the baked Brie so if you go to EMBERS they are not to be missed! YUM!

Both Scootor (my husband) and Alan (Tracy's husband) ordered French Onion soup. They said it was good and liked it. I tried it and it tasted like a beef soup with some onions instead of French Onion soup. There was no body to the soup and no richness either. The small pop of Sherry or red wine sadly was missing.

Now for my Caesar salad. A salad, any salad should start with DRY greens. If it's wet, the dressing gets diluted and won't stick. While I really hate salad with too much dressing and usually order it on the side, this time I didn't and ended up the sorrier for it. So for the first time ever I ended up with an almost dressing-free plate. I could have gotten more dressing but more dressing wouldn't have helped a soggy salad. I wasn't at my happiest.

Then as if on cue a pack of half naked screaming kids burst into the restaurant because that's where the exit to the pool is. Who in their right minds would put the pool next to where people are eating? Got me.

The entrées were a wonder. Tracy ordered the Eye of the Round Steak with grilled peppers and onions. When Annette asked Tracy how she wanted her steak and Tracy said medium, I was shocked. To me Eye of the Round is a tough piece of meat that needs to be pot-roasted. I was even more shocked when I tasted it. Medium it was and tender as well; it was good.

Both Scootor and Alan ordered the ribs. They were both happy with their choices and when I tasted the meat not only was it tender but the BBQ sauce was terrific.

Now for my dinner. The menu, however good, was kind of ordinary except for my dinner. I ordered Veal Cheeks. Don't leave me yet. I watch a many food shows and everyone is always mentioning cheeks and there they were. I was stunned and quickly ordered them. OMG were they good! Succulent and tender and perched on top of a hillock of wonderful mashed potatoes surrounded by a very velvety Jus. I was in heaven. YUMMO!

We skipped dessert and the boys had coffee, which Scootor pronounced as excellent.

EMBERS was a pleasant surprise and and any place that can produce those cheeks get's my vote. So if the smell of chlorine isn't a major issue by all means go to EMBERS. Order the Veal Cheeks too, you'll be so glad you did.

Bon appétit!

Meg

Tea Party Cookies

1 cup (250g) Butter
1 cup (250g) Sugar
2 Eggs
1 pinch salt
2 cups (500g) Flour
1/2 Teaspoon Vanilla

Method:
Cream the butter and sugar together. Add eggs and vanilla. Sift in flour and mix the rest of the ingredients until a soft dough has formed. Form cookies on a chilled cookie sheet. Bake at 400 degrees for approximately 10 minutes.

I'm going to Bulk Barn for all their neat baking decorations.

Enjoy!!!!!!!!
Meg

Awesome Leek Soup

I made some of this soup for a friend’s dinner party this weekend, and she called me during her party saying her guests thought the soup was awesome and were begging for the recipe. So, here it is. Let me know what you think.

Rinse 4 leeks well. Slice them up. If you don't care that your soup has a pale greenish tinge use some of the green part of the Leek; otherwise, stick with the bulb.

Sauté the leeks with butter in a large pot with 2 chopped onions. Add 3-4 diced potatoes the pot. When softened, add 6 cups of chicken stock (Campbell's Low Salt Chicken Stock is fine if you don’t have any made). Simmer for 40 minutes.

When the potatoes are tender remove the soup from heat and allow to cool. When cool, put in the blender in batches and process until smooth. Of course, if blended soup isn't to your liking, don't blender it.

Add 2 tablespoons of Creme Fraiche for tang or heavy cream for mellowness, both are good choices. More dairy can be added to taste.

To reheat, gently simmer on low until the desired temperature is reached. Add salt & pepper to taste. Sample it and if it needs more cream add it now.

Yum Yum Yum!

Meg

Ennios Restaurant - Great Italian

384 King St N.
Waterloo
519-893-0543

Last week, Tracy and I decided to do our standing Friday night dinner at Ennios in Waterloo. In the dim and distant past my husband and I went to the original Ennios in Stanley Park. It was a Mom and Pop Italian place that was small and always packed, and a bit noisy but well worth it.

There were six in our party on Friday. Myself, my husband Scootor, Tracy, her husband Al, their son Josh and his fiancé, Jill.

The menu was a treat. I hate large menus with cutesy names for things and this one was simple and easy to read.

We all had starters. I had crisp and tasty Calamari with a creamy sauce, which had too much dill in it for me, but everyone else loved it. Scootor had the soup de jour, which was a nice tomato and spinach mixture. He loved it. Tracy, Al, Josh and Jill all had the Caesar Salad. I had one too that came with my dinner and it was davoon!! I think it may have been one of the best I’ve ever had.

Tracy bought Pazzo Bread for the table — fingers of fried dough with a Marinara sauce for dipping. Everyone else really liked it a lot: I did not. That left more for the rest of the table and they were all the happier for it.

The entrées were very good and didn't disappoint. Now I LOVE Gnocchi, and I have never met a Gnocchi I didn't love. The usual presentation is covered with Marinara. I had mine "A la Nona." This means in the Grandmother's style. Plump and succulent pillows of potato dough fried in butter with garlic and Parmesan. The portion was so large I had enough for lunch the
next day.

Tracy and Al both had Pizza. They loved them. At Ennios pizza is crisp crusted and full of toppings. Jill and Josh both had spaghetti and meatballs. They both enjoyed theirs, and Josh finished up Jill's when she got full. The success of a restaurant is after dinner being just full enough not to need dessert.

Ennios is a nice, warm, real family place. The servers are prompt and courteous. So, if you want a nice, real, and relaxed Italian meal with really good food Ennios will be the place for you.

Reservations are recommended as they fill up fast. There is another Ennios at 655 Fairway Road South in Kitchener. You can reach them at 519-576-9552.

We are going to try this one soon, hopefully with friends Arlene and Bob. I can hear those Gnocchi calling my name.

Bon Appetit!
Meg

Beets - Roasted Bottoms & Sauteed Tops

Get a bunch of beets (or 2 or even 3) with the tops. Cut the tops off and put them in a sink full of cold water to rinse and refresh. I’ll get back to them later.

Rinse the beets to remove the dirt. Do not peel the beets or your hands will be very beet colored. Latex or vinyl gloves are an option; just don’t use the powdered kind.

Wrap the beets in foil with salt and pepper to taste and a tablespoon of butter per bunch. Fold up the foil and put the little package either on the ‘Que on Medium or in the oven at 350 degrees.

About 45 minutes later you will have a terrific feed of the best beets ever. Give them the poke test before opening to make sure they are done. Stab each beet with a fork and gently scrape the skin off with a spoon. I will guarantee you the best unpickled beets ever and no beet hands.

Cook's Tip: As you may have noticed, I am not a measurer of ingredients kind of girl when cooking. In baking however, it being an exact science, I measure carefully and have found that a lot of substitutions don’t work.


Now to the beet tops. Drain them in a colander but do not pat dry. In a skillet melt one tablespoon of butter and one tablespoon of oil. Add either half a cup of garlic scapes cut into 1" pieces or three large cloves of thinly sliced garlic. Feel free to add more if you prefer a stronger garlic flavour. When you can smell the garlic, start adding the beet greens. Saute for a few minutes; when they are good and wilted they are done. Just add salt and pepper to taste and enjoy.

This recipe may be used for all the Greens. If you are a meat eater, you may want to add a chopped up slice of bacon or a small piece of well-rinsed chopped up salt pork.

So, get your fresh seasonal produce and don’t worry about experimenting with food. It’ll be fun and taste great.

TTFN
Meg

Yummy Yum Yum Yum!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

We went to Dana Short's last Friday for her seventh anniversary party. The place was packed with not only people, but all these food samplings as well. I was nibbling my way through all the goodies and found a man giving away tastes of his chocolates. Boy were they good. My tip for the day is run don't walk to Dana Shortt's place - 55 Erb St. E.

Waterloo

519-880-1555

and pick up some Ascot Chocolates.

519-603-0173

www.ascotchocolates.com

I do a lot of my Christmas shopping at Dana's place for gifts with some real OOMPH.

So try Dana's and try Ascot Chocolates.

TTFN

Meg

We're Back

At last we are back blogging away. Stay tuned for more reviews and fun food facts.

So, TTFN,

Meg

Our Milestones Adventure

Milestones, The Boardwalk Plaza, Ira Needles Blvd Kitchener, Ontario

Always eager for a new dining adventure, our monthly dinner companions Bob and Arlene, joined my husband, Scootor, and I to try out the new Milestones Restaurant. Unfortunately, the evening did not start well. When we arrived promptly for our 5:30 pm reservation, our table wasn't ready and there were no other tables available. So we waited. The hostess was so embarrassed she gave me one free starter coupon (a lovely gesture), but still we sat, and sat and sat.

I was getting tired of waiting so I went up to the hostess and upon finding out our table still was not ready, I requested three more free starter coupon cards. She was more than gracious as she gave them to me; however, we continued to sit. The waiting area was very warm and even Arlene, who is ALWAYS cold, said it was warm. After one full hour, Arlene and I both returned to find out the status of our table, and as we approached, she told us they finally had a table ready for us. It was not the table that we had reserved, but another close by.

When we sat down, our wonderful server, Julie, said that an appetizer had been ordered for the table. It arrived as we were choosing our four freebies. It was a lovely little loaf of bread with Bocconcini (little balls of fresh Mozzarella) sitting on some sort of a sundried tomato pesto sauce. It was very nice and took the edge off.

The appetizers we chose were Yam Frites, Risotto Balls, Spicy Asian Chicken Bites, Honey Phyllo Shrimp, and a Naan (more like a pita than naan) bread with Goat's Cheese and two chutney-like small dishes — fig jam and a cranberry relish — that came with only one little spoon. The fig jam was very tasty, sort of a savory sweetness, and the cranberry relish was the tartest thing I'd ever tasted.

The shrimp were wonderful, plump and moist on the inside and crunchy and non-greasy on the outside. The spicy Asian chicken bites were yummy. They tasted a lot like the General Tso’s chicken you can get at most Chinese food restaurants. It had a nice spicy sweet sauce and a sprinkling of sesame seeds. The Yam Frites (my choice) were good. They could go face to face with any others around. We figured they must be fresh-cut as some of them were still a bit crunchy in the middle. The three Risotto Balls were interesting. I've had rice balls before but the risotto made them a completely different texture. They were OK. They sat on a little puddle of a tomato-based salsa that I wasn't crazy about. I'm a sauce on the side kinda girl.

The mains listed on the menu are all over the place; they have something for every one. They will accommodate any food issues you have if they can and even have Gluten Free and Vegetarian choices. Kudos to them for this!

I ordered the Hamburger. It was good; not my favorite rare in the middle juicy yummy burger, but it was OK. The toppings were fresh and flavorful and the avocado salsa was divine. What was NOT divine were the roasted potatoes that I chose for my side. They were way over-cooked and sadly wrinkled. They really should have never left the kitchen like that.

Scootor ordered the Shanghai noodles with chicken, and he said the chicken was delicious but the noodles had a taste he couldn't recognize and didn't like much. He did, however, bring his leftovers home to have for lunch at work. Arlene was satisfied with the appetizers and chose not to order a main. Bob, the last member of our jolly crew, had the prime rib. He's a pink-in-the-middle kind of guy, and this came to the table without a hint of pink in it swimming in jus.

Now, I will admit that a major pet peeve of mine is the whole "au jus" thing. The stuff your French Dip Sammy comes with is JUS just jus. Au jus means with jus. So to say it comes with au jus is saying it comes with "with jus". Like Pizza pie, Pizza means pie, so repeating the word pie is redundant. Whew, I feel better for having set that straight.

Anyway, Bob said it was OK; but he is a very accommodating guy, who doesn’t enjoy making a fuss. I’m sure he almost had a stroke every time Arlene and me weighed in with our comments.

So to sum it all up, they have just opened up and are ironing the kinks out. We had several people stop by to apologize for our wait which was lovely the first few times, but grew tedious the fourth, fifth and sixth time. You'd have thought we were going to sue them or something to make them keep coming back.

The place was packed, so make your reservations early. I give the place a solid "B" and will probably be back.

Bon appetit!
Meg