SUSHI!

When I was 18 I got the opportunity to work at a really great Japanese restaurant in Winnipeg. I started off by making sushi boxes for local grocery stores and then graduated to working sushi bar at one of their two locations. It was a great experience and I learnt a lot.

I make sushi for my family or friends at least once a month and I have also made platters for family parties and for friends as well. Here are some pictures of what I've done.

 Photo reprinted with permission from Danielle Gzebb

 Photo reprinted with permission from Danielle Gzebb

 Photo reprinted with permission from Danielle Gzebb

 Me hard at work when I was a sushi chef. Photo by my auntie Sandy

This is a roll that I always do at home. It's cheap, easy and tastes great. Yam, cucumber and avocado.

I often use vegetables for my sushi because you don't have to make a special trip to get sushi grade fish every time you want to make sushi. Here are some fillings that I often use:

-Yam, cucumber and avocado

-Beets and cream cheese

-Asparagus with goma ea sauce(sweet sesame sauce)and thinly sliced seared beef on top

-Grilled peppers and zucchini

Sometimes when I have a bunch of stuff I put anything I think will taste good but the ones I listed are the most popular and they're very easy to do. Do you have any favorite fillings you like to use? Let me know and I'll try them out!

Marielle

Mmmm birds!

On one of my days off I decided to put on the Food Network and watch Chucks Day Off. Chuck Hughes is my future husband. Not really. I wish. The episode I watched was great because he was cooking for his kitchen staff. One thing I know is that if I'm making something for my kitchen staff, I want to make it amazing. So Chuck being his bad self decided to make TURDUCKEN! This is something I've only ever talked about making and dreamed about.

When I worked at a local restaurant we would have Christmas potlucks so I decided one year to make The Legendary Turducken. A turkey, with a duck in it and a chicken in that duck. I called Miller's Meat Market and ordered all three birds deboned. It was just a little over $100 which I think is pretty decent. 

I didn't follow the recipe exactly but I never do. I do have to stress that you should use the cornbread stuffing. It made everything so much more amazing. We didn't use the oysters and instead of Morteau sausage we used some elk sausage we had on hand. 

Here are some pictures of us putting the bird together. 

 The birds laid out and the fixings for our stuffing portioned and ready to go.

Adding a layer of cornbread stuffing between each layer of bird.

Stitching up the final product is a two person job.

Me being proud of my master piece.

The finished product!
All photos taken by Helena Nicholson

I suggest everyone try making a turducken at least once in their life. It is something you can clearly blog about.

Marielle

Happy birthday!

Around this time of year more than 5 people in my family celebrate their birthdays. My grandparents, two aunties, an uncle, my mom and my sister. Which made me think about my birthday(July 16th)and what I love the most about it... getting to eat all my favorite foods.
It's always hard answering a question like "what is your favorite kind of food" but I have decided to take on this question as best as I can! Here it goes...

Beets: This is like the candy of root vegetables for me. When I make sushi at home I love to put it in a roll with cream cheese. I got the idea from my favorite local restaurant Wasabi. I also put it in salads and of course, borscht.

Pasta: I found a pasta machine in my basement one day and went nuts making home made pasta one. It's an easy and fun activity to do with your friends. Depending on how much you make, it is a two person job.

Corn: The one thing I look forward to the most in summer is making corn on the cob. I found this great idea on the internet one day where you soak the corn for 15min in water, shuck it back a little, brush on garlic butter and then put the leaves back and throw it on the BBQ. Sounds amazing right? It really was!

Bread and eggs: I know this sounds so simple and basic but making an egg in a basket is probably my go to meal when I have nothing else to eat at home. We've been making a lot of bacon recently so I keep the bacon fat and brush it on one side of my bread before putting it in the pan. Probably the best idea I've come up with in a long time. This picture is actually my own. I used a shot glass to make the perfect circles.

Bison: Bison meat isn't easy to get everywhere but we do have it in Manitoba. It's more expensive but well worth  the money. Fude had(has?) a great bacon wrapped stuffed bison with maple BBQ sauce. I have dreams about this meat.

I realize I could probably get carried away with this so I will stop myself here. What are your favorite foods? What do you CRAVE?!

Marielle

PS. This food gives me....

Thank you for the music...

Working long hours in the kitchen can be either very stressful or just plain boring, depending on the day. The best way to make those hours go by fast is music. I think we can all agree on that. About a year ago when I was working in a local restaurant I noticed that we would work faster or slower depending on what was playing. Andrew WK always seemed to make us work much faster where as the Reservior Dogs soundtrack made us groove but maybe work a little slower.

At home we have a TV station called Galaxie which plays all different kinds of music so that is usually what I listen to. Here are some songs that make me move faster in the kitchen and groove at the same time.

Hello- Martin Solveig & Dragonette
Barbra Streisand- Duck Sauce
Sexy and I Know It- LMFAO
Bucky Done Gun- MIA

Ain't Like You- Blood For Blood
Pride- Madball
Always- Warzone
Hated and Proud- Death Threat
Let It Ride- Floorpunch

Fight To Live- The Bouncing Souls
Better Be Women- Dwarves
Basket Case- Green Day
Lorraine- Bad Manners

What do you like to listen to while you cook?

Marielle

She eats therefore she runs

My sister Danielle lives in Scotland and has started a great blog for people who love running and love food. So check her out if you like both!

I Eat Therefore I Run

A picture of my sister and I at her wedding this past July.

Marielle

Valen-times!

The day of love and Hallmark cards is almost upon us! It's a time to spend with your loved one going out for dinner, buying them stuffed toys that will be put on a shelf to collect dust and also a time for you singles to hate those who are in relationships. I will be spending my time with some lovely single ladies at a local pub. I MIGHT be nice enough to make some chocolate strawberries which reminded me of the time I tried to melt chocolate when I was about ten years old....

In my young age I had no knowledge of how to melt chocolate. I knew it melted in my hand but I had no idea it would burn in my pan. I threw some chocolate chips in a pan and put it on high. My mom warned me that they would surely burn but at my young age I thought "what does she know!"
I have matured a bit since then and know now that I should put the chips in a metal bowl over a pot of boiling water. Here are some pictures of what they looked like last time I made them.

I used my silpat sheet so they wouldn't stick. I often use it for cookies but wouldn't suggest super high heat with them as this is how my friend Danielle found out that they don't do very well in high heat....

Photo reprinted with permission from Danielle Gzebb

What kind of deserts do you like to make on Valentines day? Let me know!

Marielle

Get this!

The other night while having dinner, my roommates and I were talking about fun food facts. So I thought I would look more up and share five of my favorites with you.


1. In the 1800's, rum was considered excellent for cleaning hair and keeping it healthy. Brandy was believed to strengthen hair roots.

2. Sometimes frozen fruits and vegetables are more nutritious than fresh. Maybe frozen isn't such a bad word?

3. With two forks and a charge, a pickle will emit light. This makes sense since they're the light of my life!

4. Pearls melt in vinegar. That is why diamonds are a girls best friend!

5. If you put a raisin in a fresh glass of champagne, it will rise and fall continuously.

Do you know of any others? Share them with me. The weirder the better!


Marielle