Return to The Stockyards

On my first full day of my Christmas vacation in Ontario, my sister took me to The Stockyards for lunch.  I tried The Stockyards' fried chicken and ribs the previous Christmas holiday for take-out, and with my sister having talked about the small joint's brunches favourably several times, I had to try it for myself as well.

Greek Serendipity

On my latest daytrip to Winnipeg I was actually undecided on where to go for dinner for a while, and I hadn't picked at least figure out a shortlist before my trip.  After a short drive down Osborne and Corydon I decided to give Kristina's on Corydon a try.  I didn't know what cuisine to expect there, but once indoors I discovered it was a Greek restaurant.  It was a small, cozy place, and, on that evening, it was nearly full of diners and abuzz with conversation and laughter.  The only visible indications that it was a Greek restaurant were all indoors with paintings of coastal Greek scenery along the tops of the walls, and two guitars and a mandolin hung on a wall, waiting to be played at any time, not to mention a fiery serving of saganaki at one point, with the flames shooting several feet into the air.

A cup-sized portion of Avgolemono topped with some freshly ground pepper.

An Honourable Mention to a Hotel

Normally I wouldn't mention anything about hotel breakfasts.  Where they are included in my past hotel stays, they were often Continental breakfasts.  Those are fine during the warmer months, but I personally like to have a hot breakfast during the winter.  Some hotels in which I've stayed provide breakfast buffets which include your standard hot fare like scrambled eggs, bacon and sausages, but I got a couple of pleasant surprises during my stay at Holiday Inn Winnipeg South.

Sunday Brunch

It's been a while since I had a Sunday brunch, and it's also been a while since I made myself such a big early meal. There are several reasons why I haven't made big breakfasts or brunches that often since moving to live and work on my own:

Egg-static!

Posted by Andrew


















Yes, it's probably hard to believe, but until last night I've never made a frittata, or at least a proper one, beforehand. Oh well, as one saying goes, "better late than never!"

With that in mind I'd picked up some chorizo sausages a week or two ago to put in the frittata, amongst other ingredients. For this one I made last night, I also added sliced mushrooms, half a red onion, baby spinach leaves, shredded mozzarella and grated parmegiano (~1 cup each of both cheeses). With a 12" cast iron pan in hand, I went with eight large eggs, beaten and mixed with a bit of salt and freshly ground pepper mixed into it. After sauteing the mushrooms and onions over medium heat I finished cooking the slices of two chorizo sausages that I'd just parboiled earlier. Once the chorizo slices were cooked through, I added most of the spinach, letting them begin to wilt before I poured the eggs in the pan, adding most of the mozzarella and some of the parmegiano as well. As suggested by Bonita I folded the egg mixture occasionally as it slowly began to set to help give it a fluffier texture, but the folding also helped in the mixing of the ingredients into a more even consistency.

With the egg mixture almost set I popped the pan off the stove, sprinkled the remaining spinach and cheeses on top and put it under the broiler for a few minutes to finish things off.

For a first time attempt, this was a success, and I was giddy as a schoolboy after I took the first bite. The chorizo gave a nice kick to the frittata, complemented by the natural sweetness of the onion and mushrooms. I could perhaps add a bit more spinach next time, and definitely herbs are in order, such as basil. No worries... I intend on making a Chorizo, Mushroom and Spinach Frittata for my colleagues at the upcoming pot luck. Oh man, with the dishes I make for the pot lucks at work, am I spoiling them rotten or what?