As much as we love to cook, there are days where we just don't feel like mucking about in the kitchen too much but still crave a delicious home cooked meal. This recipe for red wine braised beef is so simple that it can be put together in under 10 minutes allowing you lots of time to relax while it's slowly cooking in the oven. After 5 hours, the beef becomes perfectly tender while the flavours of the wine, veggies and beef simmer and thicken together to become the perfect sauce.  I'll admit that this is a pretty bare bones recipe so if you want to bump up the flavours you can add in herbs of your choice (rosemary would be great) and replace the water with beef or chicken stock.
Overall - 8/10
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Food - 7.5/10
Service - 8/10
Ambiance - 9/10
Chop Steakhouse & Bar on Urbanspoon




I saw this recipe recently on Chef Michael's Kitchen, where he made "Winterberry Shortcake" and had to try it.  To save on time, I decided to forgo the berry topping and whip cream.  Instead, I made the biscuits and stored them in a container over the week.  Whenever I wanted a biscuit, I would microwave it for 15 seconds, cut it in half and spread strawberry jam and a little pat of butter for extra buttery goodness.  The biscuits are so delicious and easy to make, especially with Michael Smith's tip of grating the frozen butter into the batter.




Overall - 8.5/10
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Food - 9/10
Ambiance - 7.5/10
Service - 8/10
Rocky Mountain Flatbread Co. on Urbanspoon



Overall - 8/10
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Food - 8/10
Service - 8/10
Ambiance - 7/10
Shikiji Japanese Noodles and Sushi on Urbanspoon


*Disclaimer: Rant ahead.  Take it with a grain of salt and a sense of humour*

Overall - 9/10
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Food - 9/10
Service 9/10
Sichani's Mediterranean on Urbanspoon
As you've seen from our previous post on eggnog french toast; leftovers are big part of the holiday season and trying to find ways to use them up can be tough. Here is a recipe that will quickly and deliciously use up some of those main course leftovers. A hash is a simple recipe that consists of two components: meat and starch. The secret is frying each component until caramelized and golden brown. Ours is made up from left over prime rib, sweet potatoes and parsnips. If you have left over ham, turkey, roasted potatoes or stuffing, they can all be used to make a great tasting hash. As a finishing touch, ours is topped with a sunny side egg.