New cafe in town  located not too far from our store – was recently reopened – they were formerly the home of  another eating place  who had moved to another location not too far away from its original place.  Anyhow – after having eaten so much wanton soup – and laksa compliments of Jen from Passion4food – I decided to try out the new business – afterall, we have to support our downtown businessmen right..??   This new cafe serves Lebanese food – the Friday’s special was Garlic Chicken & Potatoes.  Don’t be deceived by the plain looking box and uncolorful meal – the food was pretty good.  The today’s special goes for $7.95 + tax and the portion was big enough for 2 person if it was a wee bit more.  But nevertheless, good value for what we paid.

PB had the chicken and I ordered a beef pita – just because I didn’t wanna have the same kinda food.  The beef wasn’t wrapped into the pocket but laid on top of the pita and wrapped together.  Although the food was pretty good – the beef was a bit tough for my liking .. and as expected it all fell apart before i got to the rest of it.   A small pita was at $5.95 + tax – very good value for money because of the size of the pita.  I didn’t finished it of course and only ate half of the whole pita and the ingredients of the second half.

This cafe  is cozily decorated – I didn’t take any pictures because I left the camera since we closed the store to get lunch as it was raining. The inside was very nice indeed and definitely got potential – but the outside building didn’t compliment the inside – I had joked that they should get the landlord to paint the outside only to learn that the landlord’s wife was the one serving us – hahahha!!  but no i didn’t mean it in any disrespect.   Would I go back and try more food ..?? for sure.. !  I hope they continue to bring other dishes for their specials and maybe a wi-fi in the cafe would definitely encourage tourists and passerby to drop in.   A good coffee machine is definitely a plus too.

Jen Cheung from Toronto is someone I met online who became fast friend with myself and Chloe – not only is she talented with her hands  – she is very enterprising.  Jen has 2 blogs : www.charmoflove.ca and www.passion4food.ca – Jen has a charming personality – probably that’s why she chose Charm Of Love for her first blog – hehe!   Anyhow, Jen knew that Chinese New Year was round the corner and had offered to buy some CNY stuff for me and Chloe and as you can see – she bought more than just CNY stuff.

Jen had taken the trouble to look for stuff for Chloe and I and not only that even took time to meet up with PB’s cousin – Lynn who was on her way back for a short visit – weekend only – to hand over the goodies to Lynn for us – so that she can buy more stuff for us by saving on the postage. Look at how thrilled Chloe was..! that is Chloe’s favorite jello!

There were pork floss – lychee jello – ang pows – laksa, mee siam, candies and even Chinese noodles for Chloe.

A Hello Kitty toy – stickers – BBQ Pork.

Hello Kitty bowl, cup and a plate too – and some Chinese New Year’s couplets for the store and for Chloe’s room.  So thoughtful right?  Thank you .. so much Jen..!!  we don’t know how to repay your kindness..!  You surely outdid yourself here.

My Chloe is a very blessed girl  – not only did she recieved another ang pow all the way from Malaysia from Auntie Barb and Ashley – she also received an Winter Olympic Toque and a Valentine Chocolate from Auntie Macy & William from Vancouver.  This Auntie Barb is so tech savvy and sent her ang pow by paypal some more!  super tokong right ..??  Thank You .. Barb and Macy .. for your thoughtfulness..!

We don’t really get to celebrate Chinese New Year here in Canada but this year – we were not only invited for a get together with some chinese kids and their families, Chloe also received a ang pow mailed all the way from Singapore.  Of course – we all know who it is from – it’s from her Kai Mah !   Chloe’s Kai Mah is really , really thoughtful and you will see why below.

Chloe was very excited and cannot wait to show off her ang pow to everyone – it was already night time by the time we brought it home because it was a registered mail.

Not only was there money in it – they were “new” money – something I haven’t seen nor practice for the longest time since arriving here in Canada.  As much as I would love to keep tradition going for Chloe – it is sometimes hard to do so – because I can’t even find an ang pow without getting it from the city.  But we do try and it is people like her Kai Mah from Singapore that helps with teaching Chloe the culture I grew up in – afterall, she is half Chinese eh.

We rarely eat at our local McDonald’s because they really, really sux!  big time!   but since we were getting some free insurance quotes – we decided to head there first.  But the food is not only mediocre – they get your order wrong – don’t give you the proper condiments to go with your food  – charge you wrong and on top of it – no indoor or outdoor playground for the kids.  While other McDonald’s in the city would have renovated at least a few times since I’ve been in Canada – this one refuses to upgrade to a better environment.  But i can’t blame them – why spend more money when the ppl still come and eat and have their kid’s party there.

But we went anyways – because it was PB’s attempt to try and make my Sunday a good one – coz’ i complain A LOT!  that my Sundays are not fruitful.  And of course – they did all the above – as mentioned – Chloe entertained herself with the very little they had there – we ended up half full after spending like almost $9 on a pancake (no butter given) – 2 hashbrowns (that were not ready) – a sausage Mcmuffin (but turned out to be with eggs when we specifically told them no eggs please) and a large coffee because that was the deal they said (but i ended up paying more by $0.50)

While we were there – an employee was mopping the floor and i can understand why she did it at that time – since that was in between breakfast and lunch.  But boy! i wouldn’t want any old folks to be walking in or out because the floor was so wet – you could probably kill yourself if you slip on it.

We brought Chloe’s own milk as you can see – she finished like half a pancake and a bite of the hashbrown and that was it.  So pretty much a big waste.  No i don’t like going to Mcdonald’s in this town.

During Christmas – Lina – Chloe’s Kai Mah from Singapore – sent me these ingredients for my soup – because she knows that I can’t get some of them here.  So she packed carefully dried oysters and dried scallops and mailed them so generously to me.  I didn’t get a chance to make any soup till this week – because i couldn’t get any lotus roots from this small town.  But Mr R – was so kind – to pick it up for me.. when he was in the city this week – so I hurriedly boiled soup in my slow cooker in the morning and cooked some rice for dinner for Chloe and I.

Chloe loves the soup and ate 2 dinners with the soup.  I usually put in rice and soup for her and fried some luncheon meat to entice her to eat.  I was heavy handed with my dried oysters this time.. so was afraid she won’t drink it.  The day that i boiled the soup was a very, very cold day – we had so much snow.. PB and I spent hours shoveling ourselves outtta the driveway that morning.  School were closed and we only opened store at 1pm, therefore it was quite comforting .. to come home to a boil of soup from home.  Thanks again .. Lina..! your generosity warms not only our heart but our tummy.

I took pictures of the baked Alfredo Chicken Bites and thought I should show you how they looked like after they are baked for 20 mins.  I usually leave them in the oven for another 5 mins .. but i turn off the oven – to let it cool down.  Like i said in my previous post – the bites are pretty good and can be eaten as a snack – good for an appetizer  or finger food if you are having a party.

So Mr R was up in the city and so generously offered to go pick up some Chinese food from the Asian Grocery store for us at Queen Street.  We ordered a box of food and miscellaneous and we had fish cake with Wanton noodles.  I haven’t had wanton noodles for a few months now – so it was really good.  Chloe loves it but she had hers with chicken – because she refuses to eat fish cake therefore I have to go to www.supplementreviews.org to read all about the stuff i have to give to chloe for an alternative.

Chloe is so fussy with her food – it really makes it hard for me to cook anything for her – so i try to slip in the good stuff for her – even though it’s little..  i feel it is better than none.  She loves her wanton noodles and luncheon meat though – you can offer it to her everyday .. and she will have no problems with it.

Gong Hei Fatt Choy ! to everyone !  I’m sorry it took me so long to write up a post for you all.  This year’s Chinese New Year had been a really busy one – and i’m sure you already know that.  We had our first Chinese gathering with friends who have adopted Chinese kids from China and this was arranged by good friends Adele and Gerald who came to pick us up for the gathering and dinner and sent us home as well.  So even though I had to do a quick trim fast cleanse reviews I had to make sure i find time for them.

We also managed to do up a basket of oranges for the Zhu’s from the Chinese restaurant – sent out some gifts for Chloe’s Kai Mah – in Singapore and give our a few ang pows while we were at it.

I missed all the goodies from home but I know – blogging friend Jen from www.charmsoflove.ca will be sending some stuff to us from Toronto – so I’m not so homesick now.  How about all of you ..?? how did you make out this Chinese New Year ..?? did you win a lot on the mahjong tables..??  did you Low Hei yet..??

It was Chloe’s grampie’s birthday a few weeks ago – but as you all can see, we had been so busy that we didn’t have a chance to get him a cake till yesterday.  We had Mr B’s sister – Crystal – she is so talented do us a boobie cake for Grampie.  I had wanted Crystal to write “Happy Birthday, Old Fart” on the cake but she must have forgotten .. muahahah!!!  I had also wanted to get him some wrinkle creams but PB said he won’t use it – so i bought some for myself instead.  The cake tasted really good – according to Chloe’s grampie – even better than Sobey’s he said – so i’m really happy about it.  What do you think..?? like the boobie cake..??

It’s chocolate and white cake inside.

I’m not really a cheese person but I do take them because of the calcium i need .. but like Chloe, I too, am attracted to anything pink although not as crazy as Chloe.  So this cheese is cheddar and come with vintage port too.   Very pretty looking if you asked me – and am so tempted to buy.  But alas, PB only takes cheddar plain – he is not into the arty farty things, he said cheese is cheese.

They are not very expensive either – about $5 a block – anyone tried it, please let me know what you think of it.  I prefer the creamy cheese but not too rich please.  What type do you take..??  I know, I know – to the cheese lovers it’s like asking them if the Ferrari parts are good for a Ferrari owners.

Not quite Valentine’s Day yet but since we were out getting a  doorbell button , the ang moh cannot helped but get a Valentine’s Day cake – not for me .. mind you .. but for himself – for you all know that i don’t fancy cake, plus being a diabetic it’s rather hard to get to like it that much.

Cakes are cheap here – and the ones you get from Sobey’s they are pretty good and it wouldn’t break your bank even if you get them for your friends and family.  The thing is this – this cake is gonna end up in the store because we are not gonna be able to finish it and it would go to waste if we don’t share it with our customers.   So why do the man still buy cakes..?? like i said..  it was cheap.

We were at M & Ms buying my pineapple chicken in a stick ( my version of satay in Canada)  and PB was also looking around and found these chicken Alfredo Bites.  It was on sale as you can see – so he bought it because I always want something different and looking out for foods that burn fat .  Being diabetic and all makes it harder to find the right food and since you all know that PB and Chloe are fussy eaters – one can only crossed one’s fingers and hope at least one would like it.

So how did it turned out ? pretty good  – in fact PB liked it – and would eat it again but you see – we found out later that they were on discount because they were phasing out this product ! what a bummer eh..!  it’s pretty easy to cook it – 400degree and 22 mins in the oven and eat it when it’s fresh outta the oven – don’t try to microwave it later – they tasted alright but not as good as when they were freshly outta the oven.

So we were invited for dinner to celebrate Chinese New Year with some friends – but it isn’t at the usual restaurant that we go to – but that’s alright – afterall, i haven’t eaten in Lotus Garden like in 6 yrs or maybe more.  Well, my verdict after eating the restaurant…??  Well, we had to wait for an hour and i even managed to finish reading up on the adipex reviews while waiting and when the food arrived – i had to pack 3/4 of it home and didn’t even managed to finish eating it after 2 days.   So yes ! it was not as good as I would hope for it to be.  The buffet didn’t look as good as New Century restaurant and definitely the ingredients were different – but they were packed.   So they must be doing something right eh?

Chloe is a very fussy eater who would love to have pond kits like any other kids.  I’m sure you all know by now but she never refuses mashed potatoes with ham and corn.  So this is what we give her on Sundays when we don’t have to work and the “ang moh” can cook for her.  I only cook lunch for her and dinner – “ang moh” gotta do it for himself and Chloe.  I wished i could give her this for lunch every day when she is in school but if we did, she wouldn’t eat them all – either she wouldn’t finish her potatoes or her corn.  I think it is because we have to dump everything into a thermos, therefore it probably doesn’t look as nice – and plus she is in a hurry to go out and play with her friends – so usually end up not finished – sometimes really hard to please that kid.  Most kids at this age eats just about everything right?  but nope .. not mind * roll eyes *

Jessy’s Pizza is new in town – they just opened last week.  I’ve seen Jessy’s pizza in the city before – so it isn’t really new to me.  So today, the “ang moh” decided to try it out .. he ordered some fish and chips  – i told yer .. the man eats lots of fish and chips.  It was a 20 mins wait – we ordered take out – when the “ang moh” went to pick up the food – there were 5 ppl working and one table – but it was late 3.30pm.

It came in a paper box and was staple together but would have made more sense just to slip the flipper into the box but it was no biggie lah.  So how was the fish ..??  well, the fries was not as good as another establishment that we frequent and the fish – it was ok.. but the batter the “ang moh” didn’t care for.  But we are not gonna cut them off of course just because one dish wasn’t good..  we’ll give them a chance and try some other things.  Price was almost the same as the other pizza place – so more reviews up soon.

President’s Choice has a new marinated tofu on the shelf last week – they usually have the ones marinated with teriyaki sauce but they have certainly become a lot more adventurous.   It wasn’t cheap for 2 pieces of tofu .. that I’ll have to say .. at about $ 4.99 – daylight robbery right..?

Back home where one can buy tofu for 0.20cents a piece, i had to debate with myself in the beginning when these tofus came out.  But i gave in to my craving, bit the bullet and never looked back and got hooked onto this kinda tofu.  I think it had been almost a year now.  But the tofu with coconut curry is new..  only a few weeks old.

And the taste .. i hear you asking..?? i must say it was pretty good.. but  more curry gravy would be better.  A little taste of home is better than nothing eh.

Yes..!  almost looks like we are only hanging out at Jungle Jim’s eh..??  well, if you want fast food .. and at reasonably priced and you don’t have to cook – with reasonably good service – this is where i recommend for Canadian food.  Chloe’s meal came with a sundae and even though she couldn’t finished it (everything in moderation) tis’ alright.

As usual, Chloe was well behaved but ate only very little food and in my opinion still a plain waste of money to bring her out to eat.  Well, unless this was a Japanese restaurant or a Chinese one – else no way was she gonna eat anything besides fish and chips and even then .. only a few bites.

And what did “ang moh” and I eat..??  the lunch special for 2 can eat for $12.95 – he had fish and chips and i had chicken fingers.  I find eating out quite a waste of money lor.. especially when we can eat this just about everyday.  What about you ..?? got problems a not.. eating with your kids and your spouse..??

As you all know Chloe had been sick for a few weeks now – from a cold to cough and then very bad sore throat – followed by suspected asthma and then this morning – diarrhea.  As all mothers would know – it is darn hard to feed a kid – and with a sick kid – it’s even harder.  Had we been in Asia – congee or porridge as we called it would be the ideal – but my kid doesn’t like to eat congee at all.   She wouldn’t eat anything – even the soup needs to be a certain kind of soup.  And I thought I was bad and choosy – when it comes to life insurance rates – the kid is much worst with food.

So they didn’t have any vegie soup at Tim Hortons – only chicken noodle soup – so what would you do..??  and nope.. she wouldn’t drink chicken noodle soup.. yes..! what a silly girl right..??  so what did i do to make her drink her soup..??  I LIED..!!!  YES ! I LIED!!  well, i make up a story – i told chloe that the gals at Tims heard that she was sick .. and scrambled around to get some “chinese noodles” into a soup for her.. but they don’t have the exact kinda noodles.. they had to make it in a special shape -butterfly – .. because Chloe is a princess you see.  And that the gals at Tim’s would be very sad .. if she didnt drink it up – so yes – she was trick.. and she drank the soup up and ate all the butterfly pastas.  And Chloe said.. the gals at Tim’s were so nice to her.. she would draw them a picture to thank them.. waahahhahahaha!!!  Mother’s are the GREATEST eh..??  they can cook up any kinda stories just to make their kid eat and drink .. muaahahhaha!!!  i’m evil ..!!  hahaha!!