I think you can tell so much about a person by their fav food list.  So here’s a start on ours and please add yours in the comments.  I will get a followers favourite list together with your responses.

Cake-easy…Jeanne’s Banana Cake in the log style because that way you get more icing.  I’ve been requesting this for my birthday since I could speak.  One year I bought one for myself.

Cookie-easy again.  Imperial Cookies.  I like them best from the east side of  Lake Winnipeg.  We couldn’t get in touch with Einfeld’s to order them for our Son’s wedding so we’ve ordered Diplomat cookies from Gunn’s instead.  We heard that Imperial Cookies been served at the upcoming Golden Globes in Hollywood this weekend.

Chips….a bit harder as it is a tie.  They must be kettle chips.  And it is  between the course pepper ripple chips from Costco and the Miss Vickie’s Lime and Pepper chips available most places.  We also loved the Basil and Rosemary chips that Miss Vickie’s had out for a while but we must have been in a minority because we can’t seem to find them any more.  I know I should be saying an Old Dutch variety to support a home town product.  We used to get cast offs from the factory when I was growing up and they were my favourite because they were too brown and folded together.  The first time we tasted a kettle chip was on our honey-moon in Cape Cod and they were called Cape Cod chips.  I’ve also found them in Toronto.

Tortilla Chips-La Cochina hands down.  The tortilla chip I’ve tasted anywhere including Mexico.

Fries-I have an in town version and a lake version.  In town I would say Daly Burger’s but I am willing to continue my quest for the best Winnipeg fry.  I would love to say from the blue chip wagon on the way to Lester Beach but they’ve closed.  Kenora’s fries are up there but I’m a Grand Beach girl myself so I just can’t declare them the winner.

Ice Cream Cone-a chocolate dipped chocolate swirl in a sugar cone, rolled in peanuts from the BDI.

Gelato-one scoop of coconut and one scoop of mango from the little Eva’s on west Corydon near Kenaston.  This was the first Eva’s and is walking distance from our home.

Burger-Pete’s Place on Main St.  Has to have a steamed bun and fried onions.

Breakfast-Falafel House if you can get in.

Fish and Chips-I would love to say the Valley Room at Eaton’s because they had the most authentic served in Winnipeg for many years but Ducky’s on Notre Dame is probably my new fav.

Steak or Prime Rib-hands down The Keg.  Been enjoying these for 35 years and they are consistently still our first choice.

Dim Sum-Dim Sum Garden on Rupert at lunch time.

Vietnamese-Little Saigon on William.

Thai-Sukhotai on Osborne.

In the pizza category there are 3 categories:

Retro Pizza-Gondola thin crust bacon.

Boutique Pizza-Pizzeria Gusto on Academy.

Friday Night Pizza-I hear Diana’s is excellent but haven’t had a chance to sample.  We like Colloseo’s and Mona Lisa’s but there are really too many for me to declare my fav.  We’ll have to continue the quest for this one as well.

Perogies-Anne’s in the North End are very good but I also like the ones made by the babas as a fund raiser for the Holy Family Nursing Home.  A new entry on the scene are the ones made by the youth group at St. Aidan’s Church.  When my Mom was young enough to make them though-they were absolutely stellar.

Hot Dog- Lockport Skinners of course.  Half Moon a close second but they have to be a European Wiener with the crunchy skin.  When we have wieners on the barbecue I love mine burnt-don’t knock it til you try it.

Salsa-homemade of course but if purchased, another tie between the lime salsa at Superstore and the deli salsa at Safeway.  The mango salsa from Sobey’s is right up there.

Cheese-Bothwell‘s black truffle!  (enough said)

Bread- Gunn’s marble rye.

to be continued……

Football and food go hand in hand in our family. There is a gang assembled to watch NFL every Sunday. At the cottage in the summer we watch the CFL at “the big cottage” which is owned by my brother and Mom. At the latter there is an open invitation and you bring along a munchie and your chosen beverage. If my niece is there for the weekend it means Miss Vicky’s chips and some exotic beer or cocktail as well.

On this night we were invited to another brother’s home to watch the CFL final-the Grey Cup. It was an exciting and close game and so there was less interest in noshing than usual. I took along a dip for pre-supper nibbling. I had found some spreadable chevre at 50% off this week and so I’ve plopped it onto a plate and roughed up the surface. I then mixed a balsamic glaze with some honey and poured that over top. Toasted almonds go onto of that. When we arrived, I cut up a green and a red apple and put the slices all around the cheese. It was a big hit. Sister #2 took her famous hot mushroom dip. This is truly addictive and very rich for the old digestive system but remains one of my all time favourites: cook ½ lb. of bacon until crisp. Drain and reserve 2 T of drippings in skillet. Crumble bacon and set aside. Add ½ lb. of sliced fresh mushrooms, 1 finely chopped onion and 1 clove of minced garlic and cook over medium heat until tender and most of the mushroom liquid has evaporated (about 6-8 minutes). Mix in 2 T flour and a dash of pepper. Reduce heat and add 4 oz. of cream cheese (cut into smallish pieces) and ½ c cottage cheese. Also add 2 t Worcestershire sauce and 2 t Soya sauce. Stir in ½ c of sour cream and the bacon. Serve with a solid cracker as this dip is heavy with good things.

Another football favourite is La Cocina’s Hot Hamburger Dip. La Cocina is a Manitoba company that makes the best tortilla chip that I’ve ever tasted. It is airy light and salty. The chip is more fragile for dipping but this keeps me from going over board (will power would also do the trick). We also like to scatter the chips over a Mexican dish or salad (a good use for the last ¼ of the bag). I digress…the Hot Hamburger Dip recipe is: Brown 2 lbs. of ground beef and 1 chopped onion. Add ½ lb. of cheese (processed like Velveeta is best but we rarely have it in the house). Then add 1 can tomato soup and 1 can of mushroom soup as well as ½ a chopped red pepper and another ½ chopped green pepper. This is where you can experiment by adding other peppers, celery, carrots, etc. Finish with 2 t chili powder and ½ t garlic salt. Simmer 20-30 minutes and serve in small bowls or in a crock pot.

Seafood Pizza

Another of our family traditions (we are a family who loves traditions) is Friday night pizza night.  We’re rarely order in-if we are heading up to the cottage we may stop and pick one up at Sobey’s on the way out of town or we also love the Oetker thin crust pizzas.  When our kids were young we would make ham and pineapple or triple cheese (so called because even when our kids were very young they were impressed with “gourmet” names to everyday food) it would have mostly mozzarella, a little but of cheddar and Parmesan.  Nowadays we love to experiment.  My husband has mastered a traditional margarita pizza with a homemade sauce: raw mozzarella and fresh basil leaves.  Last night we had a fruita de mare pizza because we searched in Cinque Terre when we were there this fall for the best that my husband had tasted on a previous trip but were unsuccessful.

Disappointing Pizza in Riomaggiore

We bought a frozen seafood mix which included mussels, shrimp, squid and octopus and let it partially thaw.  When the pizza was almost baked we put it under the broil to ensure that the fish was cooked enough but not too much.  The moisture in the fish spread around the pizza top and that makes all the difference in taste.  All it needed was a dash of pepper and a good glass of white wine.

I have a bread maker and make our pizza dough out of the basic white bread recipe on the dough setting.  I actually never bake anything in our maker as I find the shape too odd and also find that the bread sweats in the chamber.  We love our bread to be crunchy on the outside and light and soft on the inside so we have a tendency to make two long skinny loaves out of one batch. There are all kinds of other recipes that I use this basic dough for including submarine and hamburger buns, along with braided breads and pull-apart recipes.  My families’ favourite bread variation is this one:  from one batch of bread dough, roll out two long and skinny loaves.  Along one edge cut the dough with kitchen scissors every ½ inch (but not right through) so that it resembles a comb.  Then pull one piece of dough in one direction and the next in the opposite direction.  It doesn’t really matter what it looks like because the goal is just to create lots of uneven bread surface.  In the mean time melt ½ cup of butter with liberal amounts of dried herbs (fresh are to delicate for this robust taste) we like rosemary, oregano and basil and LOTS of garlic salt.  When the bread comes out of the oven, move to a platter.  Then pour all of the butter sauce directly onto the bread.  Encourage people to pull off a chunk and mop up the additional butter that will have pooled onto the plate.  In our house whenever I make this, my son says it smells like Christmas.