apology to our blog

Where has the time gone? When we started Chubbi Bunnies a couple of years ago (June 2008, to be exact), we had the best of intentions to blog all the time.

But then we got lazy.

And busy.

And probably lazy again.

So the blog posts are rare and sporadic, but every time I think about blogging about food, I get excited again and have all these grand schemes in my head.

So, no more grand blog plans - just a simple promise that I will try to blog here at least twice a week.

Starting in October. LOL.

Why October? Because Suzisaurus and I will be travelling to Hong Kong and Tokyo together (along with our husbands) and what better way to "re-launch" the blog than with a TON of foodie photos and adventures halfway around the world?

Stay tuned! We'll be back soon with (hopefully) lots to share and a renewed passion for Chubbi Bunnies!

eating vegas style

Last November (yes, I know, this post is a little late) my hubby and I went to Las Vegas for the first time. This was more a trip for him, as he had always wanted to go. Vegas wasn't high on my places of "must visit before I die" but I went along and happily planned all the great places I'd be eating at while I was there.

That's one thing about Vegas - if you're not a gambler (I'm not a gambler) but you're a food-lover (yep, that's me!) Las Vegas really has it all. There are SO many restaurants here, and so many celebrity-chef restaurants, that it's hard to know where to even start!


We ended up having breakfast every day at the Bouchon Bakery (by Thomas Keller), which was conveniently in our lobby and had the most amazing pastries. Check out the sticky bun and the lemon macaron! (That macaron was the size of the palm of my hand. Ok, I have small hands, but still...it was huge)



We also ended up spending our "one really good meal" at Bouchon (also Thomas Keller), which was in the Ventetian. Unfortunately, it was really dim in the restaurant and our food shots came out...very dim, so I'm only going to share the exterior restaurant shots for now. The waiter was amazingly nice and we had a really great dining experience here. The food was exactly what you would expect from a high-end Vegas celebrity-chef restaurant.


We both had a lovely soup du jour to start - I can't remember what it was, but it was green and creamy and was topped off with creme fraiche and truffle oil - and then hubby had a place of fresh oysters while I enjoyed the duck confit. For dessert, what else? Creme brulee.


We also HAD to (according to my hubby) eat at the Burger Bar, which is a really popular restaurant. You pick your bun, your meat and your toppings. Seriously - the best burger I've EVER had.

Hubby's Kobe beef burger, with mozzarella on a ciabatta bun.


My Angus beef burger, with mozzarella and priuscutto on a ciabatta bun.


Oh, while in Vegas I also had the best hot dog I've ever eaten - at Nathan's. By the time I got my camera out, it was already almost too late...


The guidebooks also told me I HAD to stop at the famous Jean Philippe Patisserie to gaze at the world's longest chocolate fountain...but I got distracted by their chocolate Louis Vuitton suitcase cake.



And I gained a few calories having their "must have" dulce de leche brioche (I'm drooling at the memory), although the powdered sugar made a mess.


There was also $7 gelatos, the Bellagio buffet and a few other food gems that I'm sure I've forgotten about.

Needless to say, I had an absolute fabulous time in Vegas and I can't wait to go back since there's still so many places to eat there!

Oh, in case you're wondering, after this trip was over, I had lost 4 pounds overall. Must have been all that walking from restaurant to restaurant.

mmm...macarons!

My sister went to Las Vegas a couple of weeks and brought me back a SUPER treat.

When my hubby and I went to Vegas back in November, we stayed at the Venetian and every day we had breakfast at the Bouchon Bakery (it was in our hotel lobby). I got to try a different item every day (mmmm, macarons, chocolatines, sticky buns...)

Anyhow, we had told my sister and her husband about the Bakery and they ended up falling in love with it as well. So as a souvenir they brought us back a pack of Bouchon macarons!

Look at them!!! (Did I mention that these are HUGE? Like almost 2.5 inches wide!)

MMM....each one was a different flavour:
- pink: passion fruit (I think - it was fruity)
- green: chocolate mint
- yellow: lemon

- cream: vanilla
- light brown: coffee
- brown: chocolate

Kaiseki Yu-Zen Hashimoto

As I mentioned earlier, me & Dave went to Kaiseki Yu-Zen Hashimoto to celebrate Valentine's day! Unfortunately customers are not permitted to take pictures in the restaurant, but their website is full of wonderful pictures and videos.

The tiny, but charming restaurant seats a maximum of 6 people and reservations need to be made well in advance, as the menu is catered to the amount of persons planned to eat at the restaurant each day.

It was definitely an incredible culinary experience and worth the money. The food was fantastic and you could really taste and feel the amount of passion and love for food the owner Hashimoto has.

We enjoyed a 6 course meal that was made up of mostly imported food from Japan. Most of the things we had never tried before, but everything had a very familiar and comforting taste.

At the end of the meal Hashimoto himself came out to thank us and chat with us. He chatted us about the food, the cuisine of Kaiseki and his experiences. We learned that a minimum of 10 years is required to master Kaiseki and the artform includes a more formal tea ceremony and even Ikebana floral arrangement.

I`m sad that he will soon be closing the Mississauga location and moving to the Toronto location in the fall, but I am happy that he will be continuing bringing this very unique and lovely experience to the area.

I don`t think my short review does this dining experience justice, but I definitely encourage you to check out their website and the below mentioned Toronto Life magazine to learn more about the art of Kaiseki.

For a comprehensive review, check out the article found in Toronto Life written by James Chatto.

sencha green tea

While eating at Kaiseki Yu-Zen Hashimoto , me & Dave fell in love with the green tea they served us, so we asked what it was and where we could purchase some.

They directed us to the cutest little tea shop, Ko-no En, located in the Japanese Cultural Centre in Toronto (near Eglinton and Don Mills). We purchased 100g of Sencha green tea leaves (imported from Japan) and are excited to brew some at home and enjoy the sweet green tea we enjoyed during our Kaiseki dinner

spaghetti squash

I was watching Dr. Oz and he was doing another bit about losing weight and one of the recipe substitutes mentioned was using spaghetti squash instead of pasta, with pasta sauce.

I've always wanted to try cooking spaghetti squash so I picked one up while grocery shopping today.

I cooked it according to the label that came stuck on the squash (baking in the oven) and eating it with pasta sauce, and it wasn't halft bad. Although it is more expensive than eating pasta and a little more time intensive.

Eating healthy & low calorie sure hurts the wallet.

Kaiseki Yu-Zen Hashimoto

Me & Dave are going to Kaiseki Yu-Zen Hashimoto to celebrate Valentine's day! Unfortunately customers are not permitted to take pictures in the restaurant, but I'm still super excited!

cheeseburger cupcakes

As I mentioned in a previous post, I found a cute tutorial on how to create cheeseburger cupcakes!

I had a go at it today and they turned out not TOO shabby for a first attempt. Check out the pictures -

wasabi (mississauga)

Me and Dave had dinner at Wasabi Japanese Buffet (Mississauga location) tonight. I am STUFFED!

It's brand new and it's gigantic! It's so much better than the other locations we've been to in Scarborough and Richmond Hill! The service is 100-times better and there is a lot more food to choose from.

But, I think my favourite is still Prince Sushi for Japanese buffets in Mississauga. If you can get a table at Prince Sushi and like more authentic Japanese food I would recommend it.

If you're wanting to try out either Wasabi Japanese Buffet or Prince Sushi they're located on Hwy. 10 (Hurontario) at the Courtney Park AMC complex.

bakerella

Wow, check out this site - Bakerella !!! I love it! I can't wait to try some of these goodies!

Thanks to Sweet Things for introducing me to the site!

Those are cupcake & brownie hambergers and cookie fries in the picture above in case you're wondering!

Images from: bakerella.com

zoku quick pop maker

I was clicking around as usual on my twitter account and I found the Zoku Quick Pop Maker! I watched the video on the William Sonoma website and it's pretty awesome!

Customized popsicles in only 7 minutes! Time for bacon-apple popsicles!!!!!

Image from: williamsonoma.com

cheeseburger cupcakes!

I've been using twitter lately, and it's great because it introduces me to lots of new and awesome things.

Just recently I blogged about Sweet Things which I found through one of the people I follow on twitter, and tonight I found another awesome link at cheeseburgercupcake!

She has a "how-to" on her page and I cannot wait to try it out (maybe next weekend). I've seen hamburger cakes (via Sweet Things), but since I'm not as skilled of a baker & cake decorator these cupcakes seem more like something I might be able to pull off. Wouldn't these make the perfect dessert at a bar-b-q?

Image taken from: cheeseburgercupcake.wordpress.com

8-layer dip

Me & Dave have to bring something to a potluck and we chose appetizers, only to realize afterwards that we have no idea what to bring. So after racking our brains a bit, I decided to try making a 8-layer dip like the one I used to buy from Costco.

Layers (from bottom to top)
1. refried beans
2. guacomole
3. salsa
4. sour cream/cream cheese mixture
5. tomatoes
6. lettuce
7. shredded cheese
8. chopped green onions

I'm not sure about the layer ordering right now, but I guess it doesn't matter as it all mixes up anyways.

I wonder if it's too summery an appetizer to bring....

kettle corn popcorn

I had another opprotunity to try (a.k.a. stuffing my face with) kettle corn popcorn. I didn't like it the first time I tried it, but this time around I fell in love with it.

I ran out to buy some today and although they didn't have the brand my friend was stocking at Superstore, i picked up a different brand which is shown in the picture. It's oh-so-good I can't stop eating it!

According to Wikipedia:
"Kettle corn is a sweet-and-salty variety of popcorn that adds granulated sugar, salt, and oil. The flavor of kettle corn is less sweet than caramel corn. It is a lighter sweetness that contrasts subtly with its saltiness."

I love that sweet 'n salty yumminess!

Image via: popcornindiana.com

sweetthings.ca

As an fan of Food Network's show "Ace of Cakes", I was enthralled when I found Sweet Things which is based out of Toronto! I happened to click to the site by chance through 1 of the people I follow on twitter - I love finding awesome sites through chance curiosity.

I love all the cakes on her page and her blog! They are adorable! I wish I could make such wonderful looking yummy pieces!

Check out her website at: sweetthings.ca
Check out her blog at: sweetthings-toronto.blogspot.com

She mentions various cake decorating courses she's taken at George Brown and the Bonnie Gordon School. I'm tempted to take a couple of courses, but....I have to learn how to bake a decent cake first I think.

smores to you

My friend gave me & Dave this cute little tree ornament to commemorate our first Christmas together as a married couple and it's perfect for the foodies in both of us.

It's a smores couple! haha. At first I thought they were 2 snowmen, but then I noticed the chocolate and graham cracker they were standing on.

I can't wait to put this on our future tree.

brick toast - trial 1

I am actually having trouble finding powdered milk NOT in bulk quantities at my local grocery stores. Dave suggested I try Bulk Barn, but the 1 near our house is closed for renovations, so I decided to try the eaglebrand.ca brick toast recipe.

Ingredients:
1 loaf unsliced white bread
1 can Sweetened Condensed Milk

Preparation:
1. Line a baking sheet with foil.
2. Slice bread into l ½” (4cm) slices. You should get approximately 8-10 pieces. Place on baking sheet. Score each piece from top to bottom with an X. Spoon 1 tbsp (15mL) condensed milk over bread. Let sit 5-10 minutes.
3. Place under broiler and broil for 1 minute or until bread starts to get golden. Watch it carefully as it can burn quickly. Serve immediately.

I burned one of the slices a bit, but all in all it turned out very good. Success!

I can now enjoy the loveliness of brick toast IN BED!

au pied de cochon

We ate at the famous Au Pied de Cochon, and I must say it was probably the best food I`ve ever tasted. This was my first time trying froi gras and it definitely lived up to the hype.

I would recommend anyone (that likes meat) visiting or living in the Montreal area try out this restaurant if they haven`t already.

Here are some details about the restaurant -

Restaurant:Au Pied de Cochon
Location:536 Duluth Est, Montréal

What we ordered:
- the daily special: gnocchi in duck confit
- Duck in a can
- Tatare
- some drinks, including Pied de Cochon beer



The meal started off amazingly with the gnocchi dish (pictured above). It tasted very very fresh and the duck consume was to die for. After the appetizer I already knew this was to be one of the best meals I have ever had in my life.





I was really dissappointed in myself for ordering the Tatare and not the duck in the can. The duck in a can comes as the name states - in a can & the server opens the can on the spot and pours all the goodness onto your plate. Luckily I was able to steal some wonderful morsels of duck off of Dave`s plate. I am usually very skeptical of duck, as Chicnese restaurants usually win hands down int he duck preparation department, but I must say that this was absolutely the best duck I have ever had. The delictable duck flavour was so incredibly and wonderfully powerful. I`m drooling just thinking about it. I was seriously considering calling my dish a write off and ordering a whole other meal. Don`t get me wrong, the Tatare was fine, but definitely nothing compared to the duck in a can.

brick toast

I've been searching on the internet for possible recipes for this Bubble Tea joint-favourite. So far I've found:

Via eaglebrand.ca

Ingredients:
1 loaf unsliced white bread
1 can (300 mL) Regular or Low Fat Eagle Brand® Sweetened Condensed Milk

Preparation:
1. Line a baking sheet with foil.
2. Slice bread into l ½” (4cm) slices. You should get approximately 8-10 pieces. Place on baking sheet. Score each piece from top to bottom with an X. Spoon 1 tbsp (15mL) condensed milk over bread. Let sit 5-10 minutes.
3. Place under broiler and broil for 1 minute or until bread starts to get golden. Watch it carefully as it can burn quickly. Serve immediately.


Via chowhound.chow.com

Ingredients:
1/2 cup of non-fat powered milk
1/3 cup of granulated sugar, dial down for less sugary result.
1/3 cup of salted butter (Margarine is actually a better substitute as it melts much faster)
1/2 egg yolk
2 slices of 1″-thick brick toast.

Preparation:
1. Preheat toaster oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Score the toast in a pound sign (#), marking the large toast slice into 9 squares. Make the incisions deep to allow better butter penetration.
3. Mix remaining ingredients in bowl with spatula, resulting in bechamel-esque paste below.
4. Split mixture evening into two portions, and spread evenly onto toast. Be sure to cover the edges so the tip of the crust won’t burn. Place into toaster oven for 6-7 minutes, or remove when sugary mix is lightly browned.

I can`t wait to try both recipes!

things i want to do in 2010

- make brick toast at home -- Done successfully
- learn to make pasta (inspiration from CinnamonKittin) -- Failed attempt 1
- eat healthier
- reduce my potato chip intake
- reduce my Coca-Cola intake
- eat at least 1 serving of fruit per day
- eat at least 1 serving of vegetables per day