Antojito's!

Ok they sound way cooler than they are. In reality, they should be called Spicy Cream Cheese in a Tortilla Roll. And some people do stick with this basic concept. However in Lethbridge, a fancy sports bar called Shark Club serves these tasty little morsels under the Antojito title, so i'm doing the same! However, they charge people the usual $9.00, which you will laugh at when you see how easy these are.

In reality, Antojito's are considered as appetizers in Mexico. Taco's, chalupas and quesadilla's are a few common examples. They aren't meant to be the main course, which is a habit I dont particularly believe in. Nothing beats taco night!

Before I get too distracted by taco's, I should probably get back to the matter at hand. Antojito's were introduced to me by a roommate. We were preparing to head to a potluck dinner, and had only an hour to go. I had been bustling around for an hour, making up some Schwarties Hashbrowns when he dashed in and created a miniature cream cheese storm . He was even done before I was! And they tasted pretty good! Not as good as my potatoes... but for the amount of effort, they were pretty good.


Antojito's


Cream Cheese - 1 cup
Salsa - 1/2 cup
Jalapeños - 1
Red Onion (I used because of the mildness) - 1/2
Tortilla's - 2

*These ingredients are just an approximation, I just eyeballed this one myself

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

In a large bowl, mix together the  first four ingredients. It may be easier to have the cream cheese out for a few minutes so it warms up and is easier to stir.
Spread the mixture over the tortilla's and roll them up. Place in the oven. Keep in for about 20 minutes, turn half way through. You want the outside of the tortilla nice and crispy!

Now, you can cut it up right then and there and eat so they are nice and toasty, but I found them pretty hard to keep together. Its easier to pop them in the fridge and let them cool for awhile and they are much easier to cut.

Pretty easy stuff! They are a tasty treat and good for a potluck or for a snack. Definitely worthy trying sometime!

Greek Tzatziki Dip

This is one dish that suits the summer completely. It's a tasty little snack that cools you off when sitting out on the back deck enjoying happy hour! Nothing else seems to help personify a Greek meal than Tzatziki dip.

It's odd how there are so many variations for such a simple dish. You would think that something called Tzatziki would be fairly standardized in its ingredients, but that doesn't seem to be the case. The first recipe I looked at didn't have dill in it, which I always thought was fairly important ingredient. Another recipe didn't even have garlic in it, which had to have been written by someone who has never tasted some real tzatziki!

Some people like theirs runny and soupy, some like theirs chunky, some like it full of flavour and others prefer a bare subtle taste. Even the version in the traditional Greek restaurant differs from the version made by the Greek family at the farmers market. It just seems to be one of those dishes that just differs in flavour and texture for everyone!

Being that this is my first time making this dish, I dont really know what my particular style is. However, this first attempt wasn't too shabby and i'll probably stick pretty close to it. It made quite a bit, and next time I would try to make it a bit thicker, but I wont change much else. And that way, it stays as MY Tzatziki recipe. Critics be damned!


Tzatziki Dip

Plain Yogurt - 2 cups
Cucumber - 2 cups - peeled and shredded
Garlic  - 2 Cloves - minced
Lemon Juice - 2 tbsp
Olive Oil - 2 tbsp
Fresh Dill - finely chopped - handful
Salt & Pepper - dash



The original recipe I looked at instructed me to peel, de-seed and shred my cucumber. How does one go about de-seeing a cucumber? I left that step out as I wasn't worried about a couple seeds here and there.

Peel the cucumber with a sharp knife, then shred the remainder using a cheese grater.

In a large bowl combine the yogurt, cucumber, garlic, lemon juice, olive oil and dill... heck, sprinkle in the salt and pepper as well. Stir it all up and your set! Next time I will probably take my immersion blender to this just to chop it down a little more, so you may want to do the same, blend or food processor it.
Chill in the fridge for at least a half hour before the meal and serve.

It goes great with pita's (especially ones with some olive oil on top, some paprika, and toasted), potato chips, chicken souvlaki, or even a nice fish meal!
This recipe serves a lot... and has lots of leftovers. And I made it for two. You may want to consider cutting back, especially on the yogurt as I will be next time.

Chicken Souvlaki

I suppose that one of the marks of becoming a better cook is when you start cooking more than just one dish at a time. At the beginning, the very thought of cooking several dishes at once was a terrifying concept. What to cook first? In what order? The heat of the oven and how long it would take to cook the various selections. So many problems I never gave my parents credit for!

I was down visiting my girlfriend and we decided to create a nice Greek meal. Chicken Souvlaki, Tzatziki sauce and pita's, a Greek Salad and some roasted potatoes. It was quite an interesting menu, and most of the items we had never tried before.

I think that this Greek feast was an excellent place to start cooking multiple dishes at once. The dishes can be completed ahead of time with lack of stress and you can easily shift focus from one dish to another. The Chicken Souvlaki skewers were definitely a highlight and will be added to the prestigious "Favourites" recipe list.

The idea for this dinner was a fairly last minute plan, so I googled "Chicken Souvlaki" and took the first recipe I could find! Luckily, It was one of the best choices I could have made as it tasted so good! You can find the original recipe at My Recipes. I did change it a little, so here is my variation.


Chicken Souvlaki

Chicken - (I used 2 breasts) - bite size pieces

Lemon Juice - 9 tbsps
Oregano - 3 tsps
Olive Oil - 6 tsps
Garlic Cloves - 4 - minced

Red Peppers - 1
Red Onion - 1
Zucchini - 1

Bamboo Skewers - 8-10

Start by soaking the bamboo skewers in water for about half an hour before cooking. I started soaking them as soon as I started thawing my chicken, but definitely a half hour minimum.

Chop the chicken into bite size pieces and set aside.

Mix together the next four ingredients and pour into a shallow baking pan. Add the chicken and marinate for a half hour, flipping them once.

Pre-heat the BBQ and set on medium.

Once marinated, assemble your ingredients and start to place on the skewers. I liked to go chicken-vegetable-chicken, but im a big fan of this chicken. If you prefer the veggies, go for it! It also depends on how many of the veggies and chicken you prefer on each skewer. I preferred mine more spaced out.

Cook on the BBQ on medium for about 3 minutes a side, but keep a close eye on them. They should cook through pretty fast.


So GOOD! The chicken was amazing, and the flavours really stood out in it. I will definitely be giving this recipe another go soon, and I would heartily suggest that you do the same!

Pizza Summerfied!

When you cook pizza in the winter time, it can warm up the entire house and fill it with a delicious aroma. It can be the perfect cold day meal! Homemade pizza, can also be a great meal in the middle of summer as well, you just have to change up the atmosphere. No hot stove in the middle of the summer, because that is the last thing anyone would any in the summer. Instead, BBQ!!

And why not? It fulfills the same end goal of the stove, and adds a whole new experience to cooking. I would suggest creating a pizza that goes along with the great outdoors. Some fresh summer flavours may include lime, fennel, spinach, red onions, pineapple and so on! You could even try to recreate pizza "types" such as a Philly Cheese Steak with red peppers, onions, steak and of course cheese.

The trick that I wanted to add to this pizza was actually one of the most common ingredients in a household and completely suits some outdoor cooking. Barbecue sauce! I am sure that this isn't the first time bbq sauce has been used on a pizza, but sometimes people just need a reminder so they can try it themselves! So here is my attempt at...


BBQ Chicken Pizza

Pizza dough - My original recipe found HERE
Chicken - 2 cups cubed - precooked
Green Onion - diced
Red Pepper - 1 - small cubes
Grated Cheese - handful
BBQ Sauce - a couple of squirts

I would recommend making sure that the bbq grill is properly greased before starting. Then at a medium heat, pre-cook the shell so it's easier to use. Let the shell solidify, but dont let it start to darken. This will allow you to place the ingredients on without a lot of difficulties.

Assembling a pizza does not take a lot of planning. I mostly just took my ingredients and tossed them all together. I just spread a bit of the bbq sauce on top to make it complete.


Once again, pizza has demonstrated why it is the favourite of so many people. There are so many possible variations of this recipe, you would be hard pressed not to find some sort of combination to try out.

Food Blog Musings

I am sitting here in my new house with my girlfriend watching the movie Julie and Julia. How can someone have a foodblog and not write about this movie? It is difficult watching this movie and not feeling the urge the post a blog entry of my own. We are just at the moment where the Julie's are making the famous beef bourguignoun. Isn't it remarkable that one dish can completely help define a person?
There are a couple aspects of this movie that I have been pondering whilst watching, and it occurred to me that the best place to write about those concerns would be on my blog.

I love food! Watching this movie is a disaster for my stomach. I had just finished eating some chicken fajitas for dinner and was thoroughly stuffed, and yet I still felt stomach pangs as I looked at the chocolate almond cake, the artichoke leaves in hollandaise sauce, even the lobster being forced into the pot got my mouth watering.

Ah to have the old fashioned kitchen devices. No food processors and no microwaves. Just lots of hard work and love that went into her creations. As a history major, it is cool to look back at the history of food and of cooking. You have to wonder how long the mortar and pestle have been around, or who invented the rolling pin? This movie offered a rare glimpse into the recent past and how cooking was perceived then... and it was surprising to note how much different it is from now. Does anyone even cook with real butter anymore?

Concerns of an emerging blogger... I can completely understand the desire for a blogger to know that someone out there (That isn't their mother...) is actually paying attention to the musings and adventures of some random college guy. What keeps a blogger writing when no one may even be reading it? I suppose in the end it doesn't matter, as it is something that I just enjoy doing, but it would be nice if it had some importance to it.

This movie was a nice one to cuddle up to and enjoy. Although all I can think about now is the next recipe that I should try out. Maybe beef bourguignoun will have to make an appearance one day although Summer is rather difficult to cook in due to the heat. You have to salute Child's adaptation of the culinary world, and then salute Powell for her more modern views. I wonder if I'll be able to be the harbinger of a new cooking technique one day... We will have to see! And in a typical cliche moment... Bon Appetite!