Therapy Wine & Dak Galbi

One of my passions is psychology, so when I discovered Therapy Vineyards I just had to try their wines.  They have some interesting (psych nerdy) names for their wines, such as Freudian Sip, Freud's Ego, Pink Freud, etc..  I am a huge fan of Freudian Psychology (don't judge), and love that all the names and labels are related to Freud in some way.  This wine is not available in Saskatchewan, but you can get it in Alberta, BC, Ontario, etc..

I thought that this weekend was a good time to crack open the one bottle that I was lucky enough to get brought back for me from BC earlier this summer.  I like that this Merlot, called Therapy has a Rorschach inkblot on the label. 

The wine tasted as described, and was very nice served with dak galbi - a spicy Korean dish.

 

 

This dish is made with chicken (in a sauce that contains gochujang powder and paste, soy sauce, curry powder, sesame oil, cooking wine, etc.) ...

And rice cakes ...

As well as sweet potato, cabbage, onion and garlic ...  We didn't follow any particular recipe; we just threw in what we wanted, including some mixed greens that needed to be used up, and ginger because it is awesome.

If you've never tried Korean food, you really need to!  I haven't had any Korean dishes that I didn't love.

 

This meal was the perfect way to end off a pretty nice little weekend.

How was your weekend?  What are you passionate about?  Have you ever eaten Korean food?

Fill in Friday

A few bloggers are doing this fun survey thing ... I saw it on Lisa's blog.

I wish I was done my thesis.  It's a slow process on the university's side.
I want to go to Korea.
I always brush my teeth before bed.
I need to weed my yard.
I feel blessed.
I think about New York daily.
I ask a lot of questions (less now than I used to though).
I hear music most of the time.
I smell pizza.  Just made one.
I ponder everything.
I seek achievement.
I play to win.
I try to be nice to everyone I meet or know.
I prefer salty to sweet.
I wonder what my future holds.
I believe that happiness is a choice.
I mean to get up early, but it doesn't happen.
I never usually remember movies after I see them.
I plan to go to Mexico and New Orleans in the Spring.
I hope to also go back to NY in 2013.
I worry that spiders are infesting my house every time I find one inside.
I dislike most pizza crust.
I struggle getting up in the morning.

I like Fridays for more than the obvious reason.  I like that I don't have to pack a lunch for Fridays as some of my coworkers and I always go out somewhere quick.  Today was Taco Time.

I had a veggie burrito (couldn't finish all of it), and Mexi Fries Deluxe.

Orange Izakaya

Yesterday we went to a restaurant in town called Orange.  It is an izakaya style fusion (Korean and Japanese) cafe and bar with really nice decor and an extensive drink menu.  In my opinion, this restaurant has some of the best (most crispy) French fries in the city, however that is not what we ordered yesterday.

We shared the orange roll:

The volcano roll:

Some octopus balls:

And pork bulgogi:

I have also had the bee bim bop at this restaurant, and really like it.  Next time I am ordering the bulgogi sandwich with fries - mmmmm!

Do you have any fusion restaurants in your city?  What two types of food would you like to try fusioned together?  

I still want to try a Mexican Korean fusion.

The Perfect Dog

This is serious business.

It may look like Fall, but ...

The weather is beautiful, and I am holding on to summer with a tight grip.  That means hotdogs are here to stay for a while.

I like my gourmet food, as you know ... but this girl doesn't discriminate when it comes to food.  Hook me up with some Cheese Whiz, a corn dog, a hot dog, even some Kraft Dinner, and I am a happy camper.

The perfect hotdog is not something you can just throw together.  It involves a process.  

The dog should be cooked slowly, very slowly, until the point that it splits.

The bun should be thin so that it does not overpower the other deliciousness that is to come.

The toppings are crucial.  I like crisp bacon, raw white onion and kimchi.

And my condiments of choice ...

 

Perfection.

The only way to make a more perfect hotdog is to cook it over an open fire.  

Next time.

What would be on your perfect hotdog?  If you don't eat hotdogs, what summer foods are you hanging onto, if any?

Strong Spices

I am obsessed with strong spices; curry, garam masala, tumeric, cumin, etc. are helping me ease into fall.  I had some leftover rice from yesterday's curry dinner, so I fried it up with some extra curry powder, tomatoes and green onion.  On the side - a perfectly seasoned chicken breast.

The problem is my eyes have been waaaay bigger than my stomach lately and I was only able to eat about half of this delicious meal.  

 

What is your favourite spice?

Mystery Giveaway Contents

Last week I did a mystery giveaway ... now that the winner has received the package, I will show you what was in it.

A $25 Starbucks gift card:

Some Canadian goodies 

(I added these after I found out someone from the US won):

Dill Pickle Pumpkin Seeds (eat them whole - including the shell!)

Coffee Crisp, Mint Aero and Smarties

Maple Flakes (great on oatmeal):

A Clif bar:

Some fancy sea salt:

Two flavoured liquid stevia products:

Some Halloween chocolates:

And some pretty Fall napkins that I forgot to snap a picture of.

Have you ever won anything online?  

What is your favourite chocolate bar? 

Lamb Curry and Spiced Basmati Rice

The leftover lamb from Saturday was delicious in a lovely curry this evening.  

Lamb Curry 

 (rough measurements)

I am not 100% sure about the measurements, because we just randomly threw things together, but it contained:

1-2 T canola oil
1/2 large white onion, chopped
1 clove of garlic, minced
4-5 mushrooms, sliced
1 lb leftover lamb leg (cooked)
1 cup or so canned diced tomatoes (with liquid)
1 cup hot water
1 T parsley
1 carrot, chopped
1 celery stalk, chopped
1 bell pepper, chopped
2 T corn starch
about 3 T curry powder
1/4 cup cold water
garam masala, tumeric, cumin, more curry (to taste)
Salt and Pepper

Heat the oil and let the onions and garlic cook for a few minutes.  Add the lamb, mushrooms, tomatoes, hot water and parsley and let simmer on low for about an hour.  Add the carrots, celery and bell pepper partway through the hour.  After the hour of simmering, make a paste out of the corn starch, curry powder and cold water.  Add this and then season with other spices to taste.  Serve with rice.

Spiced Basmati Rice

1 cup Basmati rice
1.5 cups water
1 tsp garam masala
pinch of salt
pinch or two curry powder

Throw all ingredients into a pot.  Bring to a boil.  Switch to another burner that is on low and cover for 15 minutes.

Dinner was hours ago, yet the house still smells spectacular.  I'm very happy there is some leftover for tomorrow's lunch.

Do you ever turn leftovers into a whole different creation?

What do you do with leftover meats?

Am I the Only One & 10 Quirky Questions

This meme has been floating around the blog world.  

I saw it over at Lisa's Yarns ...

Am I the only one ...

- who doesn't have a smart phone?

- who refuses to call Wednesday "hump day"?

- who has never had a glass of egg nog?

- who still buys CDs regularly?

- who hasn't and won't read 50 Shades of Grey?

- who thinks cilantro is the greatest plant to have ever grown?

- who prefers to drink water that is room temperature (over ice water)? 

- who thinks Tim Horton's coffee tastes like poison?

Lisa also posted 10 Quirky Questions on her blog.  Here are my answers: 

Do you take the shampoo and conditioner bottles from hotels?
Occasionally.  I don't use them, but I drop them off at Carmichael Outreach, a great local, non-profit organization where one of my best buds works.

What is your biggest pet peeve?
Long (boring) story tellers who have no social awareness and can't take social cues.


Do you chew your pens and pencils?
Nope.


Do you believe in ghosts?
Nope.

What was your first concert?
Bush and Veruca Salt.


Have you ever cried because you were so happy?
Yes, once or twice.

Do you crave sweet or salty foods?
Salty.  

How late is "sleeping in" to you?
Typically around 10:00, but it has been later lately.


DJ or band at a wedding? 
Either, as long as the music is good.  Music and food are the two most important aspects of a wedding reception.

Answer any or all of the questions in the comments if you so wish!!  

Finish the sentence "Am I the only one ..."

Dinner Guests & Lamb

I have only had lamb a few times, as for a long while I thought I didn't like it.  I always thought lamb was gamey, but if cooked properly, it's not at all.  I had my first delicious taste of lamb at Jeff and Alaina's place.  They put on a great dinner party!  More recently I tried the lamb enchiladas at a local restaurant, and I was again impressed.  Yesterday I cooked lamb for the first time for some special dinner guests.

I spent Friday evening baking a pumpkin gingerbread loaf with spiced butter cream, rhubarb strawberry pie and dinner buns.  

 

I also made three sauces for the lamb: a mint sauce, a cilantro mint sauce and a red wine sauce.

We started with appetizers (bacon wrapped, cream cheese filled jalapenos, goat cheese, an apricot chipotle cheese dip, and crackers):

 

 

The lamb leg was served with roasted potatoes, dinner rolls and salad.

After letting the food settle for a bit, and having a nice visit, we enjoyed dessert.  

 

After dessert we went to the live theater to see A Closer Walk with Patsy Cline.  It was great!

How was your weekend?  Have you ever cooked lamb? 

Fall Eats & TV

I was huuuuungry all day today.  After work I had some errands to run and my stomach was growing away, so I snacked on this Cliff bar:

 

When I got home I made dinner - beets, chicken Swiss (like chicken parm, but with Swiss cheese) and some noodles with sesame oil, soy sauce and green onion.  

It is not quite Fall yet, but it is sure starting to look and feel like it.  I am craving heartier meals, and feeling like hibernating a lot more lately.

There are a lot of important things I could or perhaps even should be doing this evening, but what I want to do is snuggle up and watch the finale of Big Brother, and that's what I'm gonna do!  Go Dan!!  I am also excited for the shows that are starting up this fall, and just got Netflix yesterday, so I see a lot of cozy, snuggling evenings in my future.

Are you craving heartier meals yet?  Any recommendations for TV series or movies I should rent from Netflix?