Food Karma

The new @orchard.yyc restaurant officially opened tonight and their Garlic Bread Stuffed with Whipped Creamy Cheese is going to be the it dish. #Trust . Exciting to have such a gorgeous space and well thought out dishes by @chefjennykang @drewhamma @suchies We got a sampling of a few items from their menu, swipe : . 1 & 2.) Cheese stuffed garlic bread with herb, a nod to the Korean version, and as good as it looks... 3.) Tomatoes marinated in fermented plum vinaigrette, creamy burrata, smoked olive oil, crispy basil. Such an elevated take on a caprese salad 4.) Tiger Prawn with crispy rice crust, yuzu aioli, and refreshing salad 5 & 6.) Rougie Duck with rich sauce, pomme puree, carrot soubise, broccoli I, and chirizu (another fav dish of ours last night) 7.) Rocher Chocolate Cake with hazelnut bavarois, chocolate ganache and namelaka . Happy to have this gem open in #YYC and looking forward to returning. Thank you @orchard.yyc for hosting us, having us at our own table to ensure social distancing. #hosted See more

Croissants, Cream Puffs, and Ice Cream - I was so excited to see the Thanksgiving collab box between @butterblockyyc @milk.yyc and @cremecreampuffs Three female driven small local businesses who have put together this box of treats. . 3 croissants (1 almond, 1 chocolate hazelnut, 1 pumpkin pie) A dozen cream puffs (4 apple crisp, 8 pumpkin spice) 1 pint Vietnamese Coffee ice cream... . The Thanksgiving Box is available on Butterblock’s website for $50 . Disclosure: #gifted See more

MEATBALL MONDAY - Easiest meatballs & pasta for Monday dinner. Between the meatballs and the sauce, there were only 9 ingredients that went into this recipe! . I used the recipe from the new cookbook Nonna Said by local authors Sara and Nadia @a_tavolayyc who honoured their Nonna Rosaria by documenting her recipes. It’s a collection of their family traditions with a few touches from Sara and Nadia. #MeatballMonday #NonnaSaid . Documented the cooking process on my IG storie...s tonight. . Disclaimer: the cookbook was gifted. All ingredients were purchased. See more

Mortadella & Green Tomato Tempura Sandwich - just one of the many delicious dishes we had @vonderfels we are so happy they have reopened plexiglass, face masks, and all! . On our table (Swipe ): 1.) Mortadella & Green Tomato Tempura Sandwich with hint of red pepper that reminded me of Pimento Cheese.. a genius dish 2.) Pizza Fritta with Eggplant and Burrata. Loved this the first time we had it and had to order it again... 3 & 4.) This is currently my favourite #VDFYYC dish. Wild Caught Squid from @fogo_island_fish served fried and also in a Haskap Berry Aguachile 5.) Porcini Mushroom Sardinian Pasta with Roasted Yeast Butter, full of umami 6.) Lucky enough time enjoy some drinks from their new cocktail program 7.) Smoked Castelvetrano Olives (perfect for cocktails) 8.) The perfect Manhattan made me swoon . Although VDF is booked quite far in advance we lucked out with a last minute cancellation so make sure you check @opentable if you want a table. . @therealbuntcake See more

I’m cooking with my friend Dan Clapson of Eat North and food critic for The Globe and Mail for a good cause. We are raising money for Community Food Centres Canada by cooking a four course meal at Bridgette Bar Donate to the cause to attend. Details in the link below.

Crackling Roast & Dill Yogurt Baked Potato - I’ve been excited for dinner since last night. This crispy, crackly pork roast did not disappoint. . Used some goodies purchased at the @eatnorth Prairie Grid Market including the spice rub and Saskatoon Berry Hoisin BBQ sauce from chef @redekopps @hotelartsyyc for the pork roast, the Dill Salt from @dandytastingroom was perfect with a baked potato and @bleswoldyogurt Greek Yogurt. . And the gorgeous platter from @somethingwild.ca ...made everything look even better. . Buying and eating local is my favourite. See more

Duo of Korean Noodles - I love that the Korean-Chinese restaurant San Dong Banjeom offers a combo that is a half order of Jajangmyun (Black Bean Noodles) and half order of Jjamppong (Spicy Seafood Noodles). I don’t have to choose and get the best of both worlds. . This was a satisfying takeout for a Fall evening.

PIZZA - Grabbed a Margh pizza from @pizzafaceyyc while I shopped @mycnf It’s both incredibly convenient and dangerous being able to bring a pie home with my groceries. . And of course I had to douse my pizza with my chili oil. . PS: @proofyyc ‘s ready to drink cocktails was a great accompaniment for ‘za and chili oil. #eatlocal #supportlocal

VIRTUAL WINE DINNER - I had the honour of judging the pairings at the Somm Smackdown at @chefmeetsbcgrape tonight. It was such a well organized event and I was blown away when the kit arrived today with 9 Bottles of Wine (!!!!), the ingredients to cook the three course meal, and all the instructions. . 1st Course: Terrine of Rabbit, Foie Gras, and Ham Hock with pickled vegetables by @chefrobratcliffe of @poplargrovewinery paired with @lakebreezevineyards Alize Rousanne, @sum...merhillwine Cipes Brut*, and @culminawinery Unicus . 2nd Course: Smoked Sturgeon with Red Wine Sauce, Roasted Chanterelles, Boar Bacon Larson, and Pommes Purée by Chef @ross.bowles of @rivercafeyyc Paired with @tightropewinery Syrah, @joiefarm Reserve Pinot Noir 2017, and @stoneboatvineyards Pinotage* . 3rd Course: Innisfail Lamb (Roasted Loin and Pressed Shoulder) with Truffle Rosti Potato, Okanagan Sunchoke, Cardamom Jus, Fennel, Carrots by @chefmattbatey of @teatrorestaurant Paired with @dangeloestatewinery Tempranillo, @paintedrockwine Red Icon, and @blackhillswinery Syrah* . Sommeliers who paired tonight’s meal were @jean.taylor.56863 of @coopwinespiritsbeer , @owliedev of @annabelles.kitchen , and @alex.conne of @willowparkwines . Congrats Jean Taylor for the win tonight! Her pairings balanced all the dishes well and were so drinkable. I’ve put an asterisk next to my three favourite pairings which all happened to be Jean’s! . Thank you @bradroyale @winebcdotcom @culinaryca for hosting us tonight. Quite a few folks messaged me asking about tickets to this event. Unfortunately with COVID, the event was canceled. But it is such a wonderful evening, look out for it in 2021 . Love how so many people DM’ed me to say they liked the wine selection. Thank you for a wonderful evening. See more

A tad tired after a busy couple weeks but my heart is SO full from all the love for Popo’s Chili Oil! Because of all of you I ended up making and selling 180 jars of chili oil to raise funds to @ciwa_yyc (including a few extra last minute batches) . All your support, messages, and comments have meant so much, as well as having the opportunity to meet so many of you at @eatnorth ‘s Prairie Grid. Thank you! . Truly blown away by your support from folks who paid extra insisting ...the money go to CIWA, to everyone who patiently waited while we staggered lines and dealt with technology issues! A final tally of funds raised will be announced really soon... once I get off my butt to calculate the costs and money raised! . Thank you @dansgoodside @eatnorth for providing the Prairie Grid platform for this little fundraiser and to @bigredhansen for hustling my jars in Saskatoon and Calgary! See more

Check out the Eat North Variety Pack episode from yesterday. We had so much fun talking about the new Pumpkin Spice Kraft Dinner (love it or hate it?), to Black Fox Farm & Distillery, the organizers of Devour The Food Film Fest on the changes they have made to their festival, and also performance by Nicole Rayy Always a fun time chatting with Dan Clapson Mairlyn Smith

WAGYU BEEF BOWL - Made Gyu Don for dinner tonight using ingredients we had in the fridge. Thin slices of Wagyu @brant_lake_wagyu Oyster and Shimeji Mushrooms, Cabbage, Green Onions, 63 Sous Vide Egg served on rice. . Ingredients were simmered in Soy Sauce, Mirin, Sake. Topped with the Okazu Chili Miso Sesame Oil from @abokichilife which is delicious! . Process is in my IG stories!

LEEK, POTATO, CHEDDAR PHYLLO PIE - Alberta leeks @mycnf were the inspiration for this recipe. Buttery crispy layers of phyllo were filled with a decadent leek, potato, and aged cheddar filling. This hearty dish came together quite quickly... and it’s easy to make into a Vegan option. . The spiral pie is inspired by the Borek (a Turkish Phyllo Pie) that @dinnerwithjulie made, and the technique is much easier than I had anticipated. . I’ve posted the recipe in the stories highlight on my profile. #partneredpost #sponsored