Health, Wealth and Good Wine...

Crazy Weed Kitchen

2009-01-02T20:34:00.000-08:00

This New Year's Eve, I think I died and went to culinary heaven. I have been blessed with being able to travel the world and experiment food from every corner of the earth. Nothing prepared me for the food I ate at the Crazy Weed Kitchen in Canmore, Alberta, Canada. The adjectives 'sublime','amazing' don't do justice to the food.
It was a fixed menu for New Year's Eve. My entree was seared scallops on greens with a peanut/chili based vinagrette that was music to my tastebuds. I followed that with a winter salad. The compote in the middle of the salad had cinnamon and clove that counterbalanced the frisee salad. My mouth waters just thinking of it. My main course was the beef tenderloin, medium rare with a caramelized agridoce shallot gravy on top, served with parmesan batata rosti...DIVINE!!!!!!!!!!!
The ambience felt like I could have been in a restaurant in New York, Sao Paulo or Rio de Janeiro, airy and modern with very tongue in cheek photography gracing the walls. I was transported from the mountains of Alberta to another world. All that was missing was a movie star to walk in with their entourage.
This place is a MUST!!!!

1600 railway avenue
canmore, alberta
t1w 1p6

email

phone
403 609 2530

fax
403 609 2501

hours of operation
sat & sun
mon - fri
everyday
closed 10:30 - 3 brunch
11:30 - 3 lunch
5 - late night dinner
statutory holidays

Middle Eastern Food

2008-08-10T05:04:00.001-07:00

When anyone mentions the Middle East these days, usually the first thing that comes to mind are the conflicts in Iraq, Israel,Lebanon, Osama Bin Laden and Al Queda.
Its unfortunate, because out of the cradle of civilization, comes some of the most amazing food you will ever eat.
I had the lucky chance to dine with a Lebanese friend and his family in Paris when I was 18. The lunch his mother prepared was beyond anything I had ever had a chance to taste before in my life. Kebobs of lamb with mint and yogurt dip. Various small plates of food set before me, each one with a different taste and texture. A few years later I had the chance to go to Syria for a fashion shoot with French Marie Claire, and I was already well versed on the cuisine from this part of the world.The small plates of food are called 'mezze' and are to be eaten with the right hand. A luch or dinner can last for hours and conversation is lively.
One of the most famous dishes is Hummus. Made with chick peas and tahini, it is full of protein and one of my favorites. I found this recipe on the internet, and it is really the best hummus I have ever tasted.

Yes, My Kids Eat Ice Cream and Chocolate Cake

2008-07-16T13:35:00.000-07:00

....but only one dessert for the two of them, and only once in a while.

My Favorite Restaurant in Rio de Janeiro

2008-06-11T15:17:00.000-07:00

Today, I took my two boys out for lunch. Where did they want to go? Our favorite restaurant in Rio de Janeiro, Wasabe. It had been well over a year since we had been there and to my surprise, it had expanded, but still had the South Hampton-meets-Buzios feel to it.

Being the polite Canadian, I asked the owner if it was okay to take photographs of his restaurant and I explained about my blog. So in effect, this is my first real restaurant review. All comments are welcome,folks!.
Wasabe is a fusion restaurant in Barra da Tijuca owned and run by Alex Jorge. He has been involved with food since 1988 when he started out as a sushiman. At that time, he also got involved with Italian cooking. Sushi restaurants abound here in Rio, but Alex took his sushi to a new level. Over the years, Alex has fused oriental food with a Brazilian touch, by using local ingredients. Imagine a grilled fish kabob with mangos and leeks...divine. When I asked Alex to sum up his feeling about his type of food, he said that the most important for him is that it is done with love. And it is.

The view from the restaurant is amazingly beautiful, looking over a lagoon and the mountains, on a clear day you can see up the back of the Gavea Rock and the Floresta da Tijuca...Venice meets Rio.

The chef, Vitor Lisboa, puts out dishes such as 'Crock Nira', made with salmon, kani and nira rolled in a tempura batter and lightly fried, and Fish Tataki, made with assorted fish, green onions rolled in an edible rice paper.
There is, of course, the sushi bar with two sushimen cutting fish and rolling to feed the demand for classic Japanese fare. My son Caetano is a big fan of the sushi, and my other son, Cristiano, can't get enough of the rings of squid, done tempura style.My favorite is the seared tuna sashimi with black sesame seed crust....mmmmm.
Wasabe has a bit of everything for everyone, so it is a good option for grownups and for kids (it also has a kids menu).

Wasabe
Shopping Barra Point
Av Armando Lombardi 350,3rd floor
Barr da Tijuca, Rio de Janeiro
Telephone (21) 2491 2920
www.wasabisushi.com.br
Open Daily from 12h -24h
Prices from R$3.99/100g during the week at lunch, R$4.29/100g weekends and holidays
Evening buffet from R$42.90 during the week, R$45.90 on weekends and holidays
WiFi available
All credit cards accepted

Obesity...So True!!!

2008-06-06T04:42:00.001-07:00

The United Nations food agency chief Jacques Diouf noted Wednesday that billions of dollars are being wasted feeding the world's obese people. The indirect costs -- from obesity-related disease and premature death -- stack up to $100 billion, he declared.

This is What is Happening in the Minds of Young Girls

2008-05-23T22:11:00.000-07:00

This was blatantly taken from a website in Sweden for an awareness campaign about anorexia/bulimia. A picture really speaks louder than words....

Need I Say More?

2008-05-23T22:02:00.000-07:00

Anorexia/Obesity...What's Up With Us??

2008-05-20T04:36:00.000-07:00

When my 11 year old son was born here in Rio de Janeiro, my parents came down from Canada to help out. My parents also travelled around Brazil. One thing I vividly remember my mom saying was how impressed she was with how Brazilians took care of themselves and how fit they were. Seven years later, she came back and was in shock. She couldn't believe it. "Did they open up McDonalds at every corner? They all look like your typical fat-assed Americans!" Living here, I didn't notice the change, but when I looked again, I realized that my mom was right. Men and women were literally obese. They caught the 'bug'of obesity.
When I was growing up, out of 30 kids in my class,there was maybe one that was chubby. Nowadays, I see 10 year old boys with muffin top bellies, and girls with cellulite on their butts. Good Lord!!! Being healthily slim is a rarity these days. One is either fat, or wasting away with eating disorders.
I am no psychologist, nor do I pretend to be one, but this epidemic of obesity has its roots in various places.
1. Kids dont play outside anymore. Its all about Playstation and computers nowadays. My mother used to have to drag me into the house for lunch and dinner. I would be playing frisbee with my friends, riding my bike to my friends'house and to school. Or I walked to school!!! The only times I was picked up from school was when I had a doctor's appointment. Phys Ed at school has been cut back.

2. Fast food. Not just McDonalds(which is EVIL),but packaged processed food. Zero nutrients and high in salt and fat, never mind the unpronouncable ingredients. With two income families, mom doesnt have the time to make a healthy meal like she did when most of us were kids.

3. The Media. Actresses and celebutantes that splash the pages of the magazines. What most people don't realize is that these images have been Photoshopped, and that these actresses have personal chefs and trainers to keep them in that shape. It creates an unattainable image that causes girls (and boys) to either become so obsessed that they fall into the category of anorexia or bulimia. The other end of this is the people that can't keep up with the image dictatorship and just give up and eat everything and anything.There is no balance.One is either fat or thin.

As a parent, I strive to feed my children healthy and tasty foods. I do not ban fast food, as I believe prohibition only causes more curiosity. I made my kids watch the movie "Super Size Me", which was enough to scare them from McD's forever.

I suggest the book by Jamie Oliver called 'Jamie's Dinners'and recipes from Canadian Living. My mother fed four of us ,nutrionally rich, yet on a budget. It can be done. The idea that obesity is the major health concern today is very frightening. It will eventually strain our healthcare system to the limit.
It can be avoided.

Ikea Hacker Website

2008-05-06T10:03:00.000-07:00

I too, have my Martha Moments. I came across this site and I have become addicted. Its called www.ikeahacker.blogspot.com. Inovative ways to transform Ikea furniture...Check it out

Brazilian Wine

2008-05-05T19:40:00.000-07:00

I am not sure if one can get Brazilian wine in Canada at the moment, but I believe that in a matter of a few years, everyone will be talking about it.
Why?
A mixture of factors that will scare the Frenchmen out of their baguettes!!!
Climate:
In the southern Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Sul, the area known as the Vale dos Vinhedos (the wine valley)has a good climate for wines. Longer days and altitude make for interesting wines.It is at the same lattitude as Argentinian and Chilean wines. The original settlers to the area were Italians, and they brought over the first vine cuttings. Wine experts from California and France have been there to help wine growers adjust their wines, and the result is more than promising.
Up in the San Francisco River Valley at 8 degrees latitude, French winemakers are able to pull two crops per year...unheard of anywhere else that I know of. The wine RioSol has a reserve of Shiraz that is just to die for.

Now one can add 'wine'to the ever growing list of amazing exports that are coming out of Brazil.

It's Not Easy Being Green

2008-04-27T10:19:00.000-07:00

The eternal lamentation of Kermit the Frog.....As Sesame Street is entering into its 39th season, the idea of being 'green' has changed drastically from its days of being bummed out because of your skin color. Nowadays its all about 'green' this and 'carbon' that.
I would like to do my part in saving the planet, but at what cost??? My sanity? I tried the diaper washing thing, didn't work...who has time to boil dirty diapers when you have TWO kids(father and son)begging for your every minute? I don't think so!! Hello Huggies, sorry landfill.
So years after my kids have left their carbon footprint with Huggies, I would love to redeem myself to Mother Earth. I am looking for a new car. I would like to buy a Prius, but God are they UGLY!!!!!!!Can't Toyota make a station wagon for us soccer mom's? Would fly out of the showroom!!!!!! A Volvo XC 70 station wagon AWD Hybrid is my consumeristic dream...Think about it!.....
Suddenly being green is not that hard. I wish the car executives would listen to me.

How to Live to be 103!!!

2008-04-25T08:41:00.001-07:00

My great grandma Metheral lived to the ripe age of 103. When she turned 100, there was a huge party for her at her nursing home. All of the descendants were there for the proverbial photograph and my Gran was interviewed for the Calgary Herald, as part of a piece on centenarians.
These are some of her sound bites:

1.Never do anything standing that you can do sitting down.
2.Walk a mile a day.
3.Eat carrots everyday.
4.Have a nip of sherry or port before retiring.

Basically, exercise, eating well and indulging moderately.
All of her daughters lived to be 99,98,100 etc.My mom is 76 and has more energy than most teenagers......
Oh yes...good DNA helps

Wines from Chile...a surprise at every turn

2008-04-25T08:41:00.000-07:00

As I am presently residing in Brazil, the gamut of Chilean wines is quite broad. There are lot of wines that are the same as we can find in Calgary at the Co-op Liquor Store and Superstore. Prices are the same. A bottle of PKNT Cabernet here is equivalent to about 10 dollars, in Canada one can find it for around 12 dollars. Strange when one considers that Brazil is much closer to Chile than Canada is, and that the consumer buying power is much less in Brazil than it is in Canada. Shipping costs in South America are exhorbitant, obviously.
That said, I am giving my two bits worth on Chilean wines that I have found here that are a good bang for your buck. Starting with Concha Y Toro 'Travessia' Cabernet Sauvignon/Merlot blend. I got a few at the Mundial supermarket in Barra for 11 reais a bottle which is about 7 dollars. Smooth, rich and very drinkable, it is a great companion for filet mignon and heavier winter stews and fondues. Open and let it breathe for a bit, helps get rid of that inicial waft of alcohol and lets the wine interact with the air, giving it that smoothness that we all look for in a red wine.
The only drawback? Its a killer on my ceramic braces, it stains my elastics....Oh well, now I will be in the market for trying white wines(shudder....)