Letter to my crockpot: You have the summer to prove your foodie worth

Two years ago when I started food blogging I asked the question, "Crockpots: excellent kitchen tool or a waste of space?" I was surprised so many people loved them. What was I missing?

One time I did more than just consider donating my crockpot. It was in one of the big garbage bags getting taken to the thrift store as donations. But it was bothering me. It is such a cute crockpot but I had yet to come up with something that I loved to make it it other than roast beef and apple cider.

In the end, it was Reg who saved the crockpot. He just did not want me to let it go. He kind of insisted I give it another shot. So that is what I am doing this summer!

OK crockpot, you need to start showing me why you are so great. It is HOT now on the east coast so the timing is perfect. I need you to keep my kitchen cool and still make me foods I want to eat but don't dare turn on that oven. My first test? Baked potatoes and roasted corn!



It seemed simple enough. People just wrapped their washed, pricked and seasoned potatoes in aluminum foil, put them in the pot and let them cook the day away. For health reasons, I never allow my food to rest directly on aluminum foil so I used a Martha Stewart trick instead. I added a layer of parchment paper to protect the potatoes.



A Facebook friend named Michelle said she throws in corn on the cob too! I thought, well if it turns out well then the crockpot has really shown its worth. Because my slow cooker is so small, I had to cut the corn in half before wrapping in parchment paper and aluminum foil. No seasoning at this point.



I put two potatoes on the bottom, then the corn, then the last potato. It was the only way they would fit. I cooked them on low for six hours.



When dinner was almost ready I melted a little butter into some olive oil then added thyme leaves and smashed garlic cloves to infuse with flavour.



The top potato was smokin' hot but.... was undercooked. Oh no!!!!!! How was everything else?



Thankfully the bottom potatoes were completely cooked through. Reg actually said it was the best perfectly cooked potato he has ever had! I would not go that far. I much prefer my method for making baked potatoes because they have a crispy exterior but in the summer there is no way I was leaving my oven on at 500F for an hour! It was a great potato though and what a treat on such a smoldering summer evening without heating up the house!

The corn? Well, it was way over-cooked. We did not enjoy that dish at all, unfortunately. It even burned in a few areas and the flavour was not great. The other corn from the same batch we got and boiled the day was perfect. Sigh... Well I will heat the house less by boiling corn on the stove than baking a potato in an oven!

The garlic and thyme infused butter and oil was delicious by the way! I added it to the baked potato so I wouldn't have to drench it in butter and could use less because it was so flavourful. Then I added a dollop of low fat sour cream and some green onions. Very nice!

OK crockpot, you are showing some promise but your track record is far from perfect! I am going to continue putting you through the test kitchen and I do hope you end up proving your worth and staying in my kitchen. I didn't purchase you to just sit in my cupboard. I plan to utilize your super foodie powers once I figure out what they are!

Chex Savory Snacktime Chex Mix... My Way!

After making (and loving) the chocolaty and peanut buttery Chex Muddy Buddies, I wanted to do a savoury recipe test. I choose their Savory Snacktime Chex Mix recipe because I wanted to test the fact that they said you can use any version of their Chex and Cheerios cereals. Oh really??? Even ones with honey??? Sweet and savoury can be fantastic but I am super picky!!!



I used Honey Nut Cheerios and Gluten Free Honey Nut Chex, as well as some cashews, sunflower seeds, butter, Worcestershire sauce, paprika and garlic salt.



I melted the butter and added the Worcestershire sauce, paprika and garlic salt.



I added it to the mix of pretzels, cereal, nuts and seeds.



I microwaved for two minutes. Stirred. Microwaved it for two minutes.



Spread the mix all over paper towels to cool. The flavour was... OK but yes, a tad more sweet than savoury.



I added way more Worcestershire sauce, I mean, WAY more! I also sprinkled with a lot of onion powder and some cayenne pepper to help break the sweetness. I baked in a 325F oven for 20 minutes.



My Facebook friend Heather calls this kind of snack crack and I can see why! There is something about this type of mix that is so addictive. We enjoyed it thoroughly done my way. If you are going to be bad, be really bad and douse it with flavour people!

It was a great treat for the long weekend and easy to make. You could cook it in the microwave to keep the kitchen cool because it is getting hot people! Even on the east coast... Finally!

Cookbook Review: Bal's Quick and Healthy Indian

I was so excited to review the cookbook Bal's Quick and Healthy Indian by Bal Arneson, published by Whitecap Books. East Indian food is a world I had yet to really discover in my kitchen and I love trying new flavours and techniques. I bought all sorts of new spices, very excited to taste a brand new universe of food that came from my own kitchen, served on my own plates.



Her Mint and Ginger Chicken Kabobs with Spicy Raita was absolutely fantastic. I am not a big fan of mint so this was a real leap of faith when it comes to recipe testing and did it ever pay off. The chicken was flavourful (something I am not used to since I am not a big fan of chicken) and was probably the moistest chicken I have personal ever made.

My only issue was with the "spicy" raita. It was a dip with low fat yogurt, mint, chives, lemon juice, grainy mustard, salt and pepper. Where was the heat exactly?



Her Spicy Tomato Soup with Fennel Seeds was super easy, inexpensive, fast and delicious to eat. The fennel added a lovely exotic touch to a traditional dish but once again I was asking myself, if this is spicy, where is the heat? I was beginning to wonder if her idea of spicy is just, well, spices?! I think adding some heat to this soup would be a fabulous idea!



I was of course thoroughly impressed with her Crispy Pan-Fried Eggplant with Green Pea Sauce. Again, she made me enjoy an ingredient I am very picky about (eggplant) and turned it into a dish I would happily make for just about anyone.



The flavours of her Spinach and Basil Roti were great but I felt the directions kind of let me down.



Her broiled salmon was so boring and bland I had to turn it into salmon cakes (which were fabulous!). Her Spiced-Honey Chicken was just OK but gave me a stomach ache later on that night. I don't think that has ever happened to me before!

The worst was her Minty Lemon Lassi which I thought was, for lack of a nicer term, hideous. Perhaps you were supposed to add honey or something but there was no sweetener listed in the ingredients and you put yogurt, lemon juice, fennel and mint together without it... Horrid! I seriously have no idea why anyone would ever drink this.

This is a beautiful trade paper cookbook with lovely photos. Often the photographs were of ingredients and not the final dish which was not very helpful when you are cooking. Some recipes did not have photographs at all. The layout was excellent, very easy to read and follow while cooking which I appreciated so much. My only issue with the design is I personally would have made the titles of the recipes slightly darker and less subtle.

Bal's introductions to each recipe were lovely, just like her. I really felt she was there telling me about each dish and sharing a story with me. But! More rudimentary information such as what a "roti" actual is would have been very helpful for a novice to this cuisine like me.

The Spice Goddess really did want to spread the word that Indian cuisine can be healthy and not full of fat. Some recipes were fantastic but others were, well, really bad. It makes me sad. I adore Bal. She is the sweetest woman around yet I have to be honest, some of the recipes just did not work for me at all.

I can only give Bal's Quick and Healthy Indian three out of five wooden spoons. 

Suzie the Foodie finally visits Halifax Seaport Farmers' Market!

It is tough being a foodie not living in Halifax because that is where all the action is. I had been to the old market a couple of years ago and it was a bizarre labyrinth so crammed with people you could barely breathe. It wound all over the place and had nooks and crannies of vendors and musicians but it was so packed. I loved the character but the claustrophobia was intense.



The new Halifax Seaport Farmers Market is the exact opposite. Absolutely modern, well ventilated, lots of sunshine thanks to walls of windows, very roomy and impressively environmentally friendly. I do wish there was more parking but it is one of the few areas downtown that actually has free parking. We had to park elsewhere though, the place was packed so no free parking for us.



I gotta tell you it was not easy visiting the market on a budget. I do not live in Halifax and have been wanting to visit here for so long but thanks to my roof, I held myself back so we could go out for lunch. There were many foodie vendors, from farmers with yellow swiss chard to herbs and spices, baked goods... and even chocolatiers.



I got to meet a fellow foodie blogger Little Red Kitsch'n whose beautiful mini cupcakes were the shining gem of the show. So nice to meet you Jenna!



Right by her stand there is a bistro where Mike got his breakfast croissant sandwich. He tried so hard to resist temptation but finally caved and bought this sinful treat! I don't blame him one bit.



There was a lot of local colour, flare and wares as well at the market. Perfect place to go for Christmas presents or a treat just for you.



I finally got to see Foxhill Milk in person! This has got to be one of the most popular products down there. Good old fashioned milk in glass bottles! Now I would have bought this despite my strict budget but considering I live pretty far away, it was impractical. I envy people who live in downtown Halifax who can come here all the time and pick up their groceries. You are so lucky!



I could not go down to the market without seeing my dear friend Shelagh. She has been so kind and friendly to me, helped me see the sights around Nova Scotia and is seriously one of the coolest people I have ever met.



Not to mention talented! Her artwork is so cheerful and colourful, just like her. We have to make a plan to have another adventure together Shelagh!



You know you are at a Nova Scotia market when you see chocolate lobsters. I loved these!



The market is right on the water and the view is pretty spectacular. You can even go up to the roof and hangout with the windmills. I think people do yoga up there in the mornings. I like that there are resting places for people like me who need to take a break physically and who can get overwhelmed by crowds and noise. Sometimes it is hard for me to believe I am from Toronto! Perhaps it's PTS? This lady has the right idea, sitting on a bench watching the sailboats go by.

I did not buy anything on my first trip to the market but once we pay off our roof, I will be back to invest in all the goodies, I promise. I was considering avoiding the market due to our financial situation (I mean I am not a masochist) but I still got so much out of the experience and now I can share it with you.

Next time though, there will be much food tasting and shopping!

Darrell's Restaurant, Halifax, Nova Scotia

I have been being really good sticking to a budget and not going out very much but it is the long weekend! Reg and I went out with Mike and Jen yesterday and went to Darrell's Restaurant in downtown Halifax for linner, which is a late lunch that means I do not have to cook dinner. In a way, we got two meals for the price of one!

Above you will see my order. So many friends from Twitter and Facebook have mentioned Darrell's award-winning Peanut Butter Burger that I just had to see what the fuss was about. I have long discovered how fabulous peanut butter and beef are together but never considered adding peanut butter as a condiment for a hamburger! The bacon was nice and thin, as well as crispy, so you weren't fighting with your burger as you ate it. The bun was so soft and just the center was lightly crispy and crunchy from being grilled. Heaven! I hate dry crunchy buns that taste like styrofoam. These were absolute perfect, the best of both worlds.

The fries again, were so... perfect. I am using that word a lot here! Super seasoned and so colourful, my husband insists that to dunk them in ketchup was foodie blasphemy. So crispy and flavourful, these were some of the best fries I have ever had and I am not a fan of them in general. So good.



We sat downstairs because we came in through the back entrance. I found the dark Cheese Whiz wall colour a bit odd but realized that the wall colour matches their fries! You definitely get the university student hangout feeling on the bottom floor.



Jen got a pita, I believe it was the club, which also looked super impressive. I definitely will try and get that next time.



Mike also go the peanut butter burger and Reg got the B.L.T.C.M. which he raved about. This morning he said it was the best burger he ever had.

We all loved our food.

My dinner was just over $10 and this place was the perfect choice for gourmet flavours and generous portions on a budget. No wonder it is so popular with students!



We had to go upstairs and check out the rest for the restaurant. One area looks like a pizza parlour...



... And they had a great covered patio for those who like to eat outside. Makes me wish I lived in downtown Halifax!


I give our eating experience at Darrell's four and a half out of five wooden spoons.

Happy Canada Day! Let's Make Watermelon Granita!

This pink frozen treat is far from being bright red to celebrate Canada Day but it was the best I could do!



As you know, I have been trying to save money thanks to needing to get a new roof which we now have, feel free to come check it out. One way of course to save a few bucks is to buy produce that has been reduced for a quick sale. My store does this all the time and I have figured out which things to look for and what to avoid.

Tomatoes, lemons, grapefruit and bananas (if you have a generous freezer) are good choices. Avocados, grapes, cucumbers and now I include watermelon to the bunch you want to avoid. Yes, I might have paid only $2 for this little watermelon but it had ZERO flavour! So what to do with it? Make a granita!



In batches, put the peeled watermelon into a food processor and puree until smooth.



Because this is a small watermelon I put only 3/4 cup of sugar into 1/2 cup of water and brought to a boil, then simmered for five minutes.



Normally you do a 1/1 ration of water to sugar but because I did not want to wait around for this to cool I did a trick I learned from Jamie Oliver. I initially used less water and then threw in some ice cubes to cool it down at the end. Love that trick and use it all the time!



Mix it all together and put in a long casserole dish. For those who are fussy about texture, feel free to strain.

Put in the freezer and then scrape with a fork after the first 45 minutes. Then keep scraping every 30 minutes or so until you have the texture you want.



I am pretty forgetful so mine turned out lumpier than it should but who cares, right? I just did not want that watermelon ending up in the compost and wasting money when here I was trying to save some!

Pretty tasty for a fruit that appeared to have no flavour at all. The granita on its own was tasty but this is how we really enjoyed it:



I loved filling up a glass with the granita and then topping it with pink lemonade. Perfect for a holiday! The watermelon and lemonade were fabulous together. We have been enjoying this cold treat all week. For a little kick, I bet a bit of gin in this would be fantastic!

We had another mostly-dark week but shockingly the sun is here now and may actually stick around for most of the weekend, the temperature hovering around 20C. I can hardly believe it!

So cheers and Happy Canada Day to my Canadian friends today and Happy Fourth of July to our neighbours to the south on Monday!