maxmillan

I got an email about this place which is located on the 2200 block of East Hastings. The fun part is that they have hot chocolate making classes for kids in the morning. Below is the link: http://schokoladecafe.com/ Wondering if anyone has tried their chocolate?

Thanks to everyone for your suggestions on Japanese green tea. I'm finding that the caffeine is not affecting me well. I understand rooibus has just as much antioxidants but no caffeine. Can someone suggest a place to get a good quality rooibus (preferably organic.) I don't know much about this tea except that it originates from Africa. Any info would be greatly appreciated.

Found it! It's actually called "Mighty Leaf" and they were on sale at Choices. If anyone is interested, the tea is in a silk pouch sewn sealed around the border.

I'm looking for a particular brand of tea called "Maple" or "Maple Leaf". I believe they have a vanilla flavor. Anyone know where I can find this? Thanks.

The Hilton at Metrotown serves a Christmas brunch buffet and a dinner buffet on Xmas for those who are interested next year. They have a slightly differest set of selection for the two meals but the dinner sounds wonderful with seafood included. Reservation is highly recommended.

Perfect! I think I will buy the tea flavored truffle and wrap them in a beautiful tea pot. I will probably go over my budget but I really like the packaging idea - unique, practical and environmentally friendly. Thanks to everyone for the the inspiration.

Now that Nalgene bottles have been pulled off the shelves atf MEC, I want to find a stainless steel water bottle that won't cost too much. And I don't want any noxious coating on the inside. I presently use a sippy plastic Rubbermaid bottle with a flip up straw-like extension and find it convenient compared to the bicyclist's-style spout. I'm sure there is even some leaching of chemicals from this bottle. I'm changing a lot of my storage containers to glass as well. If there is such a thing as a glass water bottle with a harmless spout, that would be perfect. Weight is not an issue. I simply need a drinking container that does not leach BPA or other chemicals and with a sealed top to prevent spillage and contaminants flying in. Any suggestions?

Daddy-a, I think I'm going to get the cooling rack for myself as I'm more of the baker than he is. Zucchini Mama, thanks for the suggestion. I laughed when I saw the last line on your post. It sounds like a tribal chant! But I will definitely head out this week to check it out.

I'm searching for ideas to give to a guy for Christmas. I want it food related. My budget for this particular gift is $20. I'm thinking of tea, as this person has every possible flavor of tea in his apartment. Is there a brand or set of tea that one can suggest? Are there any unique tea paraphernalias aside from a teapot? Maybe a kitchen tool? I thought of filling a reusable dish/container with special chocolates? What have you bought or received in the past that you really liked that is within $20? Thanks!

Last night I thought of the following to add to a bar: maple syrup or agave syrup or stevia, crushed organic cereal made of ancient grain from Nature Path, various seeds and nuts (pumpkin seeds, sesame seeds, etc.), flaxseed oil, cinnamon, dried apples (from the Farmer's Market), coconut, nut or seed butter (a change from peanut butter)and dark chocolate. And maybe protein powder. I think the above might meet my requirement for protein, omega-3, complex carb, and fiber. I'll have to figure out the right combination to make it from into a bar without baking. I'm assuming this will have to be refrigerated. If it works out, this will make the perfect Christmas gift for someone who does a lot of outdoor activities. Any other suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

I'm going to experiment with making protein bars. I found a recipe through the internet offered by Alton Brown. It has soy protein powder as an ingredient. Is that the same as soy flour? Most recipe uses wheat (oat bran, wheat germ, and whole-wheat) which I'm not keen about. I'm looking at using ancient grains (quinoa, kamut, spelt, etc.) Also, I prefer not to bake the bars to preserve the nutrients (the Alton Brown recipe has eggs) and I plan to use freshly ground flaxseeds. Does anyone have a recipe they can offer that follows the above criteria? Is there a thread or site that you can point out? Are there tips and secrets to making the bars so they don't fall apart or become dry (which seems to be a problem with a lot of recipes?) I'd appreciate any feedback.

Thanks to everyone for your suggestions. Muzi sounds promising (thanks Rhea S.) But I will certainly check out the other sources as I will be promoting this to my family and friends. I have been reading a lot of literature at the BC Cancer Research Centre and concluded that there is a positive link between the polypehnols in green tea and reduction of cancer. My family and friends drink a fair amount of Chinese tea but Japanese Green tea seem to be more favorable as far as health benefits go.

I'm not well versed in tea. But I'm looking for sencha-uchiyama and gyokuro. I've checked Fujiya and the best they have is sencha of varying locations. If there is a thread about Japanese green tea please direct me. I'm hoping to get the tea for someone who will be going for chemo and radiation treatment for cancer. These two types of teas had one of the highest EGCG. Also, what are black raspberries and where can I find them? Thanks for your help.

Thanks for the replies. The brand I use to drink when I was young is Sunrise and Superior. The beany flavour is good. I never thought of what they do to get the bean taste out. but it sounds highly suspicious. I'll give the old brands another try and hope that I haven't lost my appreciation for it.

I've been buying "So Nice" for the last few years and finding that the price is becoming astronomical, especially at Caper's where the price is twice that of Superstore. I use to drink the one that you use to buy in the Chinese grocery and now it's sold side by side with So Nice. I forget the brand name but it is sold in a two or four litre plastic bottle and much cheaper. However, So Nice is fortified and taste less beany - maybe that's why it's pricier? The "Chinese" brand is not fortified and does not have as long a shelf life. I know there is a difference in taste but due to cost I'm thinking of switching brands. Does anyone know what the biggest difference is as far as processing goes between these two brands? I don't need the fortification but need the soy for it's estrogen-like quality. I hope this is in the right thread to post as it pertains to two specific brands found in BC.

Thanks for the info. I'm going to try it today. It looks similar to Corinne Tran's recipe in her book, "Authentic Vietnamese Cooking, Food From a Family Table."

Are you using water in your dipping sauce, too? I've been googling and find some recipes call for water, while others call for lime/lemon juice or rice vinegar. Which is more authentic or tastes better? The water sounds like it might be too mild for the heavy Vietnames dishes. What do most restaurants use?

I haven't been to Anton's in a while. Everytime I pass by they have a long line up which I'm not willing to do. I find the menu very limiting, that is, mainly pasta. But Anton's is fine when I have a harsh cravng for just pasta.

I only indulge in a pigfest very rarely. What's good is that I have leftovers for the next day or more. I don't usually see people eating an entire large plate of food judging by the take-out container they walk out with. But when making the statement, "I don't want to criticize or judge", then don't. Back to the original topic of the thread. La Regalade was mentioned. Can you tell me what the price point is and what do you suggest is their specialty?

I don't know if there is a thread on this but after researching for a place to bring my friend (who is a big eater) I thought I'd get some ideas here. My friend likes Bon's off Broadway and the Mexican restaurants across the border because of the huge portions. Now, I'm not looking for the best service or the best tasting food. But it should pass the Food Safety Inspection and you should get your meal within an hour. For me, I like the Japanese/Korean barbecue buffet and the brunch buffet at the Delta in Whistler. I know there's a thread on buffet restaurant but I was looking for restaurants with large portions. What have you tried?

Thanks to everyone for your suggestions. The "apartmenttherapy" has given me some ideas. I have 40 pounds of Mutsu so plenty of room for error.

onetoughcookie, thanks for the info. Maybe I could coat the wet side with a fine crumb of Oreos, icing sugar, cocoa before dipping?

I want to make caramel apples but in individual slices as opposed to a whole apple on a stick. Do I need to dip the slices into lemon water before dipping it into caramel? Or will the caramel aone prevent oxidation? Also, I want to dip some of the caramel apple slices into chocolate for a two layer effect. Is this possible? Also, I want to roll/stick marshmallows and nuts on top of the caramel slices and caramel chocolate slices. Should I do the quick method (melting caramel candies) or the slow method (made from scratch?) Would the taste differ that much? I basically want to make bite sizes and present it as dessert. I thought of doing this to the whole apple (just like Rocky Mountain) and slicing it but the apple would be exposed to oxidation and would not look appealing after a couple of hours. Thanks for any help and suggestions.

Thanks very much for mentioning Klippers. Through deduction I figured out it was them and I have emailed them about the apples. Next week is the last Riley's Farmers Market so either go there to buy your apples or order in bulk from their site either by phone or email. http://www.eatlocal.org/farm%20vendors/klippenstein.html

I went to the Riley's Farmers Market today and bought some organic Mutsu apples. They were the most crispy apples I've ever had in my entire life! I cannot remember the name of the vendor and hope that someone on this site can direct me to an email or phone number. The vendors had the most varieties of apples and they had a sign that stated the price of apples if you wanted to buy 20 pounds or more. They said with proper storage, it can last till February. (I highly doubt my purchase can last that long.) You have to place an order and they will bring it to the last market next Wednesday for pick up. You can even order 10 pounds of two different varieties. If anyone can provide me a link so I can place an order I would be most grateful. I highly suggest buying apples from the Farmers Market as I find that I have not found anything better. As I mentioned in another thread, the organic local gala I bought at Capers were bland and the texture seem to indicate that they were stored too long or not properly.