Christmas cookie countdown?

I'm thinking about doing a Christmas and/or holiday cookie a day at the store during December. Do you have a favourite holiday baked good? I want to make London Fog Icebox Cookies! 

dinner ditty ~ Headache - Frank Black

Visiting friends and far too much food...

Agnes came down to Sydney for a visit! Okay, she was here for work, but I am choosing to believe that it was just to see me. 

We ate at The Crown and Moose and Governor's Pub. Both were very, very good, but the lighting wasn't bright enough to take pictures. I will go back to both places to get pictures and write a proper post.

I think it was the first time I've eaten the large sundae, but it was delicious and worth it and in celebration of Agnes' big birthday coming up this week. 

dinner ditty ~ Get the Party Started - Shirley Bassey

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas baking...

Candy cane brownies! How could you not love these? I used the recipe from the Inspired magazine. It is possibly the best batch of brownies I've ever made. You should make them, too! The batter is really thick, and it bakes beautifully. Should you find yourself in a brownie bake-off (yes, it happens!) you should use this recipe. 

dinner ditty ~ Fearless Heart - Steve Earle

Bacon hot chocolate trumps chana masala

I was fully planning to make chana masala and write about it for today's post. Well, that went out the window this afternoon after I went to Winners and saw this.

Bacon hot chocolate! This could either be awesome or totally end in tears. I had to find out.

I always make hot chocolate with milk. I think it tastes gross mixed with hot water. I don't have a microwave, so I warmed it up in a pot.

I was in Shoppers today and saw this book. I had no idea it was out. I've been waiting for this book for YEARS. Hooray!

As for the hot chocolate? It didn't end in tears! When I make it again, I'll add a splash each of chocolate syrup and maple syrup. You can definitely taste the bacon. It's a bit of a shock at first, but it has a lovely aftertaste. 

Next time you come to visit, I'll make us some!

dinner ditty ~ Icy Blue Heart - John Hiatt

Chiffony fabulousness!

Finally! Maple chiffon pie!

Creamy broccoli soup!

Right then. 

I was invited once again for a meal at Zana's. I'm still hurty, but even if my jaw was broken and wired shut, I would have found a way to eat the pie. I went down after work and sat with the Zanas and Diane (a lovely foodie/regular customer) as Heather went out back to get me sorted for soup and pie.

I am spoiled. I was given a cup of coffee and we all giggled about how foxy Daniel Craig is as Bond. I would have been happy with just that... then the first course came. The soup was fabulous and smooth and broccoli-y and cheesy. Cream of broccoli soup is one of my favourite soups, and cheese makes everything better. There were some lovely cauliflower fritters on the side. If there hadn't been pie, I would have eaten the lot of them.

Then the pie. The pie! You should run to Zana's on George St. and have some pie. I'll wait here patiently for you to get there.

...

Are you there yet? Good. I'm sure you have at least a fatayer in front of you. Gobble that up so we can talk about the pie.

I have had lots of chiffon pie, but never a maple chiffon pie. This. Was. Incredible. When I was in my first year of culinary school, I had to make profiteroles for the black box in my baking course. I made a maple pastry cream for the filling, and was thrilled with the results. This pie made my profiteroles look like Twinkie left out in the rain. The texture was smooth, and I could practice making pie crust every day for all of eternity and my crusts still wouldn't turn out like Heather's. Her pie is in my top three of pies, which is quite a feat. 

I've eaten a lot of pie.

Next time you're in Sydney, I'm taking you for pie. Yes, you! You will love the pie, and you will love Zana's. 

dinner ditty ~ She's Got a New Spell - Billy Bragg

Gobble-free Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving! 

As you can see, I'm in the process of tweaking the look of Let's Eat Sydney! I have lots to post, mostly because I've been eating lots. And lots. 

It's Thanksgiving weekend. I've got heaps to be thankful for here in Sydney. I have a fantastic family, wonderful friends, a great job, a cute apartment, and a healthy appetite. Who wouldn't be happy?

To celebrate the turkey weekend, Aunt Margie, Blaine, and I headed off to Baddeck to Gisele's. I had heard it was pretty tasty, so I wanted to check it out. 

The outside, and the view! I love Baddeck.

I'm a bit funny when it comes to turkey. I'm not really a huge fan of it. I pretty much only eat it when it's prepared by a family member or friend. I never eat it in restaurants. I knew the special would be a roast turkey dinner, but I wanted to order off the menu. 

I went with the Hors d'oeuvres Plate, because I wanted smoked salmon. 

Duck! Baby Shrimp Aurora! It was fabulous.

Margie and Blaine went with the roast turkey dinner. The appetizer ~ 

I went with the Vegetarian Classic, which was described as 'Fresh vegetables, sautéed with garlic, herbs from our garden, house Marinara sauce with freshly grated parmesan on  

nine grain risotto.'

It was delicious.

Mushrooms! Asparagus! Risotto! I couldn't resist it. It was perfectly seasoned and super colourful. I wish I could have gotten a better photo of it, but I was sitting by the window and it was getting dark out, and the flash was throwing shadows. Anyhow, it was fabulous.

Here's the turkey dinner... it looked so good, I wish I had ordered it. Again, flashy shadows can't quite pick up how colourful the plate was.

There was some broccoli hiding behind the gravy boat! The plate really popped.

As for dessert, well, apple pie or crisp always wins. 

I loved the fork outline in the back. 

Again, this was perfectly seasoned and it tasted like autumn. The crust was fabulous. 

The dessert with the turkey dinner was equally as glorious. 

The restaurant was hopping the entire time we were there. The staff was friendly and the other customers were extremely happy with their meals. The bathroom was SPOTLESS (which is always a great sign when a restaurant is that busy). Cynthia, our server, was wonderful and had a great rapport with the other customers. 

Margie, Blaine, and I were stuffed like turkeys by the time we left. Stuffed with awesome!

dinner ditty ~ The Ballad of Peter Pumpkinhead - XTC

A day out with Lily

I had a proper weekend this week! Yup, I had Sunday and Monday off this week. It's the first time in months I've had a proper weekend. I got heaps done, and more importantly,  I was able to hang out with my cousin, Lily. We went out to North Sydney to check out the Black Spoon Bistro.

We were there earlier this summer, before 'Let's Eat Sydney!', and it was fabulous. I wanted to go back and get some pictures.

The outside.

The inside.

Cute, eh?

I had the lunch trio, which is a bowl of the soup of the day (Chipotle Chicken Chowder), half the sandwich of the day (Hawaiian Ham Panini), and the house salad. I had it with the house dressing, a lovely maple vinaigrette. A great deal at $8.99

A close-up of the deliciousness.

Lily had the Beef, Mushroom, and Swiss

Panini with the soup.

I had this the last time we were there, and it was pretty tasty. 

So, yes... it was all lovely... but we were looking forward to dessert. I decided I was going to get whatever Lily wasn't going to get, because I wanted to take pictures of at least two desserts. 

Lily went with salted caramel cake; I had this the last time we were there and it's AWESOME.

I was tempted, but I really wanted to try the peppered strawberries, mostly because I love strawberries and black pepper and vanilla and whatnottery. It was fabulous.

The owners, Monica and Mike, are super friendly and also have a fabulous bed and breakfast in town. Should you find yourself in North Sydney (you know, when you come down and visit me and we go out there), you should definitely head to the Black Spoon Bistro. The food is fresh and delicious, the decor isn't too busy (that drives me nuts), the menu is focused (I'm not a fan of huge, unfocused menus), the prices are reasonable, and the service is great. 

Lily and I were busy! Afterwards, we went into Sydney so I could pay the remainder on the chocolate brown couch I ordered. As we walked into the furniture gallery, Lily spotted a lovely yellow couch. It was lovely... so lovely that I asked if I could switch my order and pay the extra (it was $100 more than the couch I had ordered). Not only did they happily change my order; they gave me the yellow couch for the same price as the one I had originally ordered. Hooray!

Here is me on my new couch, which will arrive in a few weeks. 

I feel like a proper adult! I'm going to dress it up with some orange and grey pillows, I think. 

We didn't stop there! We also headed into Glace Bay, where I got some pics of the Chip Wagon (more on that tomorrow), and went to Lily's parents' home. 

It was a fabulous day, filled with family, food, furniture, and fries. Fantastic!

dinner ditty ~ Darkest of Discos - Slowcoaster

She ate reeeeeddddddddddddddddd velvet...

Red velvet fudge cupcakes, that is! 

More on this later.

Today, I went to the Cape Breton Fudge Co. for lunch. I was in there last week after I had already eaten lunch, so I didn't get to try the grilled cheese sandwich and soup they had for the special that day. I know! Me, turning down a grilled cheese sandwich! I am just as surprised as you are. Even better, they name the sandwiches after their regular customers. I imagine my sandwich would be called, 'Crazy Grilled Cheese Sandwich Obsessed Woman Wrap'. I'm fine with that. I hope it will have bacon, caramelized onions and shallots, pear, and goat cheese on it.

Here is how you'll find the tastiness downtown.

More signage.

This is what I saw when I walked in the shop.

But, I knew I had to eat lunch first, so I had a look at the sandwich of the day.

Duane, the awesome fella in charge, told me to have a seat. The decor is welcoming and has lots of charm.

I love this bench/table! 

Where the live music happens when it's happening.

I had a frosty root beer while I waited for my wrap.

The wrap of the day. Mmm... mapley!

It tasted even yummier and fresher than it looked.

I ate the design off the plate, and stopped short of devouring the toothpicks.

I wanted to get a shot of the delicious fudge with the Celtic Cream coffee, but Duane brewed a fresh pot for me, and I just couldn't wait. Patience, my friends, is a vulture.

So, you should head on down to Cape Breton Fudge Co. for fudge, popcorn, more fudge, sandwiches, coffee, even more fudge, some great tunes (I heard Meg Hutchinson for the first time, and loved the CD), and wonderful people like Duane and Mona.

I can't wait to go back!

dinner ditty ~ Sleep Tight - Rebecka Törnqvist