french toast a la mike
cafe haven
Some disclosure here: I grew up in Sherwood Park back in the 70’s, and there were not many dining options at that time. When McDonald’s opened on Wye Road when I was in high school, it was a BIG DEAL. We used to hang out at the Dairy Queen and eat Peanut Buster Parfaits, which seemed to be to be much larger than they are today. Maybe it is because I was much smaller then. And we would get Slurpees from the 7-11, which was really open 7 am to 11 pm, and had the Slurpee machine stashed behind the counter, before the days of self-serve.
When my parents took us out for dinner, we drove into the city to either Bonanza or Captain John’s on Kingsway. Captain John’s had broken shells embedded in the tables. I remember that.
Fast forward about thirty years, and my daughter Ella had a soccer game in Sherwood Park tonight, so we dropped her off for the warm up and wandered over to Cafe Haven. Cafe Haven has a big presence in the Twitter world, and an intriguing website. I can confidently tell you that dining options in Sherwood Park have changed in the past 30 years. And the previous monopoly of chain restaurants is no longer. Cafe Haven is giving them a run for their money.
in the vault
I especially love the space at Cafe Haven. It is in a converted bank, complete with a vault. We could not help ourselves. We sat in the vault. (Pictured above). It was cosy and private in that vault. We felt very safe.
view from the vault
Outside the vault, the rest of Cafe Haven is decorated in royal colours, and adorned with oversized armchairs and couches. Very cosy. It felt like being in the large living room of your especially funky friends. There were board games and magazines available to add to that community feel. Sometime indie coffee shops try to do too much and feel disjointed. Cafe Haven isn’t like that – it feels well designed, well executed and focused on their outputs – good food and exceptional coffee.
menu board
The eatin’ was thus:
- a glass of perfectly acceptable house wine (Merlot)
- a cup of fennel soup – peppery and hot, perfectly textured and seasoned, and adorned by fresh dill. Usually soup is just a device for me to dip my bread in. Not this time. I slurped the whole thing up.
- hot hummus and goat cheese – baked with a big dollop of goat cheese and fresh nacho chips. The hummus was especially citrusy with a good dipping texture
fennel soup
hummus and goat cheese (partially consumed)
Cafe Haven is a lovely find. Worth a drive out east to Sherwood Park for us city folks…a rare cafe that just gels together and works. Highly recommended for coffee, a casual dinner, or to listen to live music. The food scene in Sherwood Park has changed…and for the better.
Cafe Haven
9 Sioux Road
Sherwood Park
(780) 417-5523
sweet lollapalooza
My husband snapped this picture today with his Blackberry. It is a sneak peek through the window of Sweet Lollapalooza, scheduled to open on Monday in Commerce Place.
All I can say is mmmmmmmmmmm. Chocolate. And what a fabulous creative name for a sweets business. I hope the chocolates taste as good as they look! (Since mwaddingham has a client in Commerce Place, I expect a steady stream of chocolates arriving home).
snickerdoodles
I don’t know if you know this, but Ella, my 13 year old daughter, is not just a crackerjack baker. She also plays electric guitar, gets straight A’s in school, and is mad about the Twilight series.
Ella plays forward on a club soccer team, which means at least 3 practices a week and one game. Anyone has a kid in club level knows there has to be a serious commitment to the sport – Ella eats and breathes soccer.
This weekend the girls had a tournament in Red Deer. We drove down early Saturday morning and returned tonight. The three games were lively and highly entertaining. Now I’m the kind of gal who spend a lot of time in the library in high school, and took the minimum requirement for phys. ed. But I have learned to appreciate soccer, and understand why it is called the beautiful game. As the girls get older and their soccer skills mature, watching them play is a pure delight.
The last game was the game for the gold medal. Ella’s team was trailing 4-3, with only a minute left. One of their defense players got ball possession and shot. And scored! With 0.5 seconds left. Amazing. Sadly, they lost in the subsequent shoot out. BUT they ended up with a silver medal. And this lesson:
Never ever ever ever ever ever ever give up.
I wanted to make cookies for Ella’s lunch tomorrow. I seem to be on a Smitten Kitchen jag. These are from Deb again, but they remind me of my mom’s own Snickerdoodles. Here’s the recipe – I followed it exactly. The cookies are soft in the middle and crisp on the edges. I’m so proud of my girl, and a little Snickerdoodle baking is the least I can do.
cheesecake marbled brownies
CAUTION: GUSHING.
Holy mother, this is one delectable brownie. Please make these if you want a little bit of swirly chocolate-cream cheese heaven melting in your mouth. And them making its way into your tummy. And in my case, straight to my hips.
As is my tradition, I bring you an entirely unoriginal recipe. That I found off the Internet. By way of one my favourite blogs. Baked by Ella, age 13. Eaten by Sue, age 40-ish.
Smitten Kitchen is a skilled baker, writer and photography. I’m blown away by how she’s kept up her food blog, even after recently given birth to a baby boy. Wow.
I love the way she describes her recipes, so I’ll link to her here. Next time you go shopping, pick up a block of cream cheese, chocolate squares and chocolate chips. You might want to invite Ella over to do the baking for you, like I do. You’ll thank me for it. Trust me.
gnocchi with mushroom, arugula and pepper sauce
Being married to a good ole Alberta boy, we eat steak here about once a week. Mike asked that I photograph his steaks. Here is your steak, Mike:
steak
I served them on a bed of arugula, with parmesan butter slathered on top, lemon squeezed over, and this balsamic sauce.
I had some gnocchi languishing in the freezer. I sure do love gnocchi, although I’ve never made it myself, and always buy it pre-packaged. I had the most amazing homemade gnocchi when Ella and I were in Seattle. I can still remember how it tastes.
Anyhow, I made a mushroom sauce to go along with my frozen gnocchi. It ain’t no dish from Tavolata, but it sure tasted good – very hearty and peppery to go along with those soft gnocchi pillows.
Gnocchi with Mushroom Arugula Pepper Sauce
-adapted from Gourmet recipe
Package of gnocchi (or, if you are more creative than I, make your own)
2 Tablespoons butter
2 Tablespoons olive oil
2 cups mushrooms, any kind, sliced
1/4 cup chopped red onion
2 cups chicken stock
1 Tablespoon fresh sage, chopped
salt and lots of pepper
grated parmesan for topping
Cook a package of gnocchi until they float to the top. Drain and set aside.
Melt butter and olive oil in a heavy frying pan until brown. Add mushrooms and onion and saute about ten minutes. Add sage and chicken stock – cook until stock is reduced, about 8 minutes. Season with loads of pepper and salt. Top with grated parmesan.
lemon meringue cake from duchess
I had a very pleasant Sunday afternoon food shopping in Edmonton. Usually I feel rather despondent about living here (I’m old remember, so I’ve put in my time in this city), but every once in a while, a glimmer shines through, like today.
First I dropped of Isaac at work at the grocery store, where he’s very diligently stacking produce, I’m sure. Then I picked up a triple non-fat Americano Misto from a place that’s not very local, but it is locally everywhere. I overheard people talking about going to church and yoga class. I did neither, but I should.
I walked over to Greenwoods and purchased a big fat novel to read: Barbara Kingsolver’s The Lacuna based on a review I read in the NY Times. The writing in this book is so beautiful I’m savouring it slowly.
I stopped by Planet Organic to get G’s Hummus, which is still my favourite, with its chunks of garlic, and Happy Camel Pita bread. Planet Organic only seems to sell whole wheat pita and we like the white, but oh well, we warm the pitas up in the microwave and it is all good.
Then I drove to Duchess and bought the only Lemon Meringue Cake that was on display. I told the woman behind me: ‘I’m buying that’ so she wouldn’t get her hopes up. The place was packed. Good for them for closing on Mondays and Tuesdays. Bakers need a life too.
Then up to Paddy’s Cheese Shop. How lucky are we to have a dedicated cheese shop? I hope this place never closes down. I bought an incredible chunk of Smoked Applewood Cheddar (a stunning $17 worth that Ella will happily consume) and a chunk of Manchego, which I adore. Buying cheese made me very happy.
Now I am going to retire to couch with a cup of tea to read my book. As one of my very favourite Natalie Merchant songs says: Life is sweet.
chocolate chip cookie by way of michael smith
I’ve been carefully following Julie Van Rosendaal’s accounts of being a host at Christmas in November at Jasper Park Lodge. I gobbled up her accounts of the food and drink preparations and feasting. I wish I was there. I’m trying not to be green eyed (even thought I AM green eyed) and just happy for all the participants, but it is hard. They had an amazing array of celebrities from the Canadian food world, like Julie, Anna Olson and Edmonton’s own Lianne Faulder.
While I could not justify the cost ($749 per person for two nights, which is not unreasonable for a gorgeous Fairmont property and all that food), I had to make due with reading Julie’s posts and eating only vicariously. When she recounted a session where Chef Michael Smith (Chef at Home) made what he termed an ultimate chocolate chip cookie – I thought: I CAN DO THAT! That’s one thing I can do, is bake cookies, even if it is in my modest (mouse infested) kitchen in southwest Edmonton.
The recipe? Is on Julie’s site here. Along with a very amusing photo of her husband dancing with a feather boa.
And the result? As promised, a soft on the inside, crunchy on the outside old fashioned chocolate chip cookie. I think I over-measured my flour (I had a little friend helping me) so these were rounder and more substantial than the original. But a classic winner, without my usual additions of oatmeal or cinnamon. Just the thing to bake and eat on a homebound Friday night.
arugula salad
I think this salad is just lovely. I picked up a bag of arugula at the Italian Centre for $2.99. This pleased me. Then I tossed it with salted tomatoes, mushrooms and little baby mozza cheeses. Topped off with crushed garlic, balsamic vinegar and olive oil from Le Magnolie, this was a perfect accompaniment to a spaghetti dinner.
I love having a Sunterra Market nearby, but I have to be very very careful just to buy specific specialty items there and NOT go grocery shopping. For it is too expensive for everyday groceries.
But for:
a. cheese scones
b. ginger pasta salad
c. metro lemon water
d. applewood cheddar
e. food magazines
f. the butcher’s wares
I will make exceptions for these items.
There is a knowledgeable lady butcher behind the counter. From her, I buy their premade burgers. Sometimes they are bison, but this time they were maple cheddar. They were most delicious – a perfect combo of cheesy filling, ground beef and carmelized maple topping.
maple cheddar burgers
I like my burgers without a top bun and piled high with mushrooms and spinach sautéed in garlic. And you will see a slice of processed cheese peeking out – I am a bit of a neanderthal that way.
One of the blogs I follow is Straight from the Farm. Ella and I tried to make her Rustic Pear Tart tonight. It was a bit of a disaster. Pastry and us do not get along. Pastry ripped and I forgot the sugar and so put it on top and of course it leaked all over the baking pan, and we didn’t have enough pears so I put in a couple of apples and blueberries and it just went on and on. But we will try again! We will not be foiled! Here is a photo, but check out Straight from the Farm for the proper recipe and lovely pictures.
rustic pear tart
