Fork in Food: July 2009

I love everything CUPCAKES!!

I love everything cupcakes! I found this cute fabric button on Etsy and had to share it with you. It can also be made into a magnet. I love how it's handmade and unique.

I especially love that she has a "No thank you" button for those allergic to peanuts.

Check out her site and see what other cool buttons and magnets she has for sale.
http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=28544781

My cousin's daughter planned a surprise party for her mom last week. She's only eighteen so it was a potluck dinner thing. I LOVE potlucks! It's a great opportunity to try new foods and taste other people's "gourmet" dishes. I made some chicken souvlaki. It was delicious! But I had to SELL my dish to everyone. "Have you tried my chicken yet?", "It's really tender and juicy.", "Hey I didn't see you have any of my chicken!".

I'm sure by the end of the night people were turning corners as soon as they saw me coming! My favourite dish of the night was this Biryani Rice dish. I'll call it Sunita's Bestest Biryani Rice. I couldn't get enough of it! I was selling her rice as much as I sold my own. I NEED that recipe!!!

Congee Queen - Markham

We had a very busy weekend visiting my sister in Orillia, Ontario. Traffic is always bad coming home on Sundays and we were caught in traffic for about two and a half hours. I definitely did not feel like cooking after sitting in the car with screaming and whining kids for that amount of time. We scooted off the highway and hit on of my in-law's favourite places, Congee Queen.

Here is what we devoured...

Minced beef and egg on rice (a raw egg is the hidden treasure in the middle of this dish)

Deep fried squid

Salmon Filet Congee

Deep fried chicken wings

Absolutely satisfying for tired and hungry kids! And heaven for parents to have a moment's peace while they are stuffing their little faces.

The Cheesecake Factory - Buffalo, NY

We ended the weekend with lunch at The Cheesecake Factory. Have I mentioned that I LOVE The Cheesecake Factory? I don't think I've ever had anything that I didn't love!

I LOVE their Caesar Salad...so cold...so garlicky? DELICIOUS!!

My friend from Ft. Meyers recommended that we try their new summer pasta, Crispy Chicken on a bed of Basil Pasta topped with Prosciutto and Arugula. I'm not a big pasta lover but this was very good.

My favourite is this combination...Steak Diane and Chicken Medeira with garlic mashed potatoes. I can't get enough of this!

Of course we also had a slice of cheesecake. We forced ourselves to share the White Chocolate Raspberry Truffle. I forgot to take a photo...

I always leave The Cheesecake Factory feeling so satisfied. Mouth is watering just looking at my pics!

Over the Border - Cranberry, Pennsylvania

Last but not least of the birthday celebrations. My friends took me to Grove City, PA to shop at the Prime Outlet last weekend. What a treat to shop and eat all weekend! Our first dinner was at the Ponderosa in Butler, PA. It was good but in all the excitement of eating there I forgot to take pictures.

The second night we had dinner at Over the Border, a Mexican restaurant. It was really delicious. I rarely eat Mexican food except the occasional Taco Bell Soft Taco and Fries Supreme so it was nice to sit down and actually eat a great Mexican meal.

We started off with tortilla chips and salsa. The chips were so fresh and the salsa had just the right amount of kick. We couldn't stop eating them! They even gave us a refill and then packed it for us to bring home.

We then shared three entrees...

Chicken Enchiladas

Beef Fajitas

Pulled Pork Fajitas

This is the side dish for the fajitas. We had two of these since we ordered two different fajita entrees. Rice and Beans.

Dim Sum at Best Friends Seafood Chinese Restaurant

Happy Canada Day everyone!!! It's a holiday here in Canada. There's nothing open except restaurants and tourist attractions today. My husband thought it would be a nice treat to bring the kids for some dim sum. We haven't had this in awhile and he wanted me to try this new restaurant that he had gone to with his parents. I don't know how or why the Chinese always pick odd names for their restaurants...perhaps it's just a direct translation of the Chinese version but I don't think I would have chosen this restaurant based on it's name.

Dim sum is usually served on a cart but here we had to tick off what we wanted on a little paper menu. I think restaurants prefer this method because you tend to order too much. The food came steaming hot and I have to admit it was pretty tasty.

Here is what we ordered...

Shrimp Spring Rolls