Scrub Daddy

Why would I pay over $5.00 to buy a Scrub Daddy? Well, I can give you at least 5 reasons.

Reason #1: It adds a je ne sait pas quoi to the kitchen.

Reason #2: It is one of the most successful Shark Tank featured products.

 Reason #3: It's a sponge that acts like a normal sponge in warm water.

Reason #4: But when the job is tough, use cold water and it becomes a tough scrub daddy.

Reason #5: It smiles at me when the job is done. I love you Scrub Daddy.

Mink Gold

Mink Chocolates

863 West Hastings

Vancouver, BC

www.minkchocolates.com

This is Mink Chocolates'  Gold Medal Winner at the 2015 International Chocolate Salon in San Francisco.

A very well deserved award - this chocolate bar tastes like gold. Chocolate with cinnamon, cardamom, pepper, cloves, ginger and turmeric - an indian curry taken to a golden heavenly level with chocolate. A bar to sure try; but buy more than one - the first bar will disappear very fast. Enjoy.

A Product Not To Buy

Umi's Kitchen Butter Chicken Simmer Sauce

www.umisindiankitchen.com

It looks great on the shelf.

You read the list of ingredients - cream, water, tomatoes, fresh onions, extra virgin olive oil, lime juice, fresh ginger, cashew nuts, fresh garlic, sea salt, Xanthan gum, spices, cilantro, cayenne - and you think all natural.

Cuts down the Butter Chicken cooking time by 75%. Locally made a bonus.

But something went amiss when used. The expected dark orange Butter Chicken sauce colour came out as a bright yellow orange.

The taste was more like an asian nut sauce - it must be the cashew. Mental note - do not buy again.

A Product To Buy

Mama Mary's Ready Made Pizza Dough

www.mamamarys.com

A great product that you buy off the shelves with no need to freeze or keep in the fridge. Quoting their website "They contain no cholesterol, MSG, trans-fats or animal fats and are lower in sodium than most other brands". And it worked extremely well for an empty-the- fridge-pizza night.

The first crust was covered with ketchup and oregano (mom's version of pizza sauce). Mushrooms, green peppers, tomatoes, ham and cheese, with pizza ready to eat before you can figure out Domino's online ordering system.

The second crust turned into a greek vegetarian pizza with red peppers, tomatoes, black olives and feta cheese.

Now if I can only remember where I bought them from!

Grill Toy

Look what I found at London Drugs and for a price cheaper than a hotel room in Mission.

The production opportunities are endless but I opted to start big - steaks.

Marinated all day with BBQ sauce and a drizzle of olive oil, the steaks grilled beautifully and quickly.

Not as impressive as my fire place grilling, but delicious nonetheless.

And no, I did not eat all three steaks. Company was coming.

Soon you'd hear about my other new London Drugs toy, so stay tuned.

 

Simplified Simple Meal Leftovers

Leftovers from yesterday's simple meal were recycled tonight.

But with a twist - a can of Gold Seal Crabmeat was added to the leftover pasta after warming it up a bit; the making of a warm pasta crab salad.

Keeping it simple, the warm pasta crab salad was accompanied by grilled pita cheese.

Pita is a wonderful bread to grill - it takes only a minute or two on each side and the cheese inside melts beautifully.

A simplified simple meal.

 

A Delicious Wacky Dip

A great product discovery - Gold Seal skinless boneless salmon - was waiting for me at Buy-Low.

I was so excited to try it when I got home that I did not even try to search for recipe. The excitement grew further when I opened the package and saw what looked and smelled like fresh salmon.

 

Salmon, a Tbsp of mayonnaise and a Tbsp of hot horseradish plus something green (I used mint but parsley would have been a better idea).

 

And a delicious healthy salmon dip was ready in less than 3 minutes.

 

I cannot wait to do real cooking with this lovely product.

 

Wacky Toast

I just love sweetened condensed milk. It is so white, creamy and I can eat it by the tablespoon if I didn't have to watch my weight.

I discovered this brand of condensed milk, Longevity Brand, at a convenience store in the neighbourhood. 

Highly recommended by the store owner, I have to admit it is a good one.

Even better the owner's recommendation of breakfast - a toast with nothing but a layer of condensed milk.

Now Those Are Marshmallows

Many of you know what a big fan I am of Chocolate Arts. (Read The Best of the Armoury District). So seeing a pack of marshmallows as Chocolate Arts was difficult to pass (think white and creamy).

Unlike many of the fancy marshmallows found at the Urban Fairs and Wholefoods of the world that are mainly sugar and colouring, those looked natural (as much as marshmallows can be) and wholesome.

Wow is the only word to describe how well they grilled and how caramalizingly fantastic they tasted.

Chocolate Arts, please promise to continue carrying them all year...

 

Chocolate Arts Café

1620 West 3rd Avenue

Vancouver, BC

www.chocolatearts.com 

 

A Product Worth Endorsing

This bag is one of the best products I found at any Vancouver bakery.

It is sweet e's'  bag of chocolate chips cookies.

The best quality flour, sugar, chocolate chips - all packed up for you. There are very clear instructions on the back.

It is not 100% open and bake - you still need to do some work, like adding some butter, eggs and milk.

But it is worth it.

So why, you ask, would I pay for this when chocolate chips cookies' recipes are all over the web?

Because, I answer, you get a professional bakeress' measurements, the best chocolate chips to add, and they bake so perfect, you cannot stop eating them.

Sweet e's

2032 West 41st

Vancouver, BC

www.sweet-e.ca

 

Using My Gifts

I am not talking about gifts I was born with, but the gift of having friends who gift me beautiful surprises. You know who you are and I am very thankful for your beautiful gifts.

All the way from France, a  thoughtful jar.

It adds flavour without strong salty taste.

I tried it on green beans and it just brought a unique taste out of the vegetables that was extremely refined.

Another thoughtful gift from closer to home is JB's Saskatchewan Steak seasoning.

Rumour has it that people come from all over the world to buy this spice mix. Having tried it, I can see why - it is unique.

It is not spicy, hot, lemony, but a unique mixture of salts and peppers' tastes to bring out the most of your meat.

With lent ending soon, I restrained from trying it with meat, but sprinkled it on fish before grilling. Nice, but too strong for fish.
 
I hear it is best with lamb. Soon....

 

Snowy Monday

"Where do you think you are going in all this snow" asks catsess.

Obviously nowhere. I am officially snowed in - a perfect way to catch up on the mounting work.

But it is too gloomy to be at my home office desk downstairs. 

Well, I am going to make this day a very special snowed in day.

Start a big fire, move the office upstairs, listen to your cat and get the day going.

A special snowed in day is a perfect opportunity to try a new discovery that everyone around me is talking about - Kicking Horse Coffee.

You've got to respect a company with guts to name its coffee blends Half Ass, Kick Ass and Smart Ass.

Intrigued to find out more, I learned that this is an almost 20-years old company that started in the owners' garage in Invermere, BC. Today, you can buy Kicking Horse Coffee almost all over North America, but the same passion about the coffee made in the garage remains driving the company.

In my younger days, I drank 5 Starbucks cups a day. So even though my readers know me more as a tea lover, I know a thing or two about coffee.

This cup of Kicking Horse Coffee I made was excellent. A flavour that is rich, almost sweet, without the burnt or bitter taste that many coffees have.

Fantastic taste and aroma that a cup of tea gives me, but with a perfect buzz that only coffee can deliver.

Just imagine how exceptional this experience is if I drank a professionally prepared cup at their Invermere Café. Hmmm, an adventure in the making....

After a productive day of Kicking Horse Coffee, jam and bread sandwiches, I was ready for a nice warm meal.

So I ventured out in the snow and managed to cross the street to My Dear Lovely Neighbour's kitchen.

The beautiful aromas of coffee and fireplace continued into my neighbours kitchen with a delicious warm spicy meal of mince, vegetables, fish curry and Indian pancakes.

Great idea Catsess. Thank you.