Ling

Canada (or at least, Vancouver) seems to have all the candy bars that aren't available anymore in the States. We have 3 Musketeers and Charleston Chews. What is a Clark bar?

Yes, Peanut Butter. I have 1 Peanut Butter, 2 Cookies and Cream, and 1 Almond Brownie left in the box. The Almond Brownie one is the worst! (Oh yeah, just ate another egg and some cheese. 4 eggs today!)

I had 3 scrambled eggs just now (for my 2nd lunch, I guess) and a diet coke and 2 glasses of water. Still kind of hungry (must be the cold, rainy weather) so I'll have some cheese before I leave for work. After work, I'll be going to Bread Garden (chain that serves sandwiches, some hot pre-made food like quiches, lasagna, etc., and dessert) to study with my friend. I'm not going to eat there though (food's not very good, even for a sandwich place) but I'll order a drink so the manager won't kick me out. Yes, I'm one of those annoying students who orders one drink, brings a pile of homework to do, and takes up a table for an hour or two. What can I say--we're cheap and poor and the local library closes early. Also, I'm bringing an Atkins bar to eat there after work.

Thanks for the compliments! Aren't the baby zuchinnis cute? Yes that's me; the pic was from my birthday 2 weeks ago.

I had tea for breakfast. I had to use the old teabag I saved from last night's cup b/c I only have 2 teabags left and can't make it to the grocery store until after school tomorrow. Also ate a can of sardines in tomato sauce. Here's a link to the picture of the last "real" meal I cooked. It was rabbit (my first time cooking and eating rabbit) braised in some mustard sauce. I also made risotto with the rabbit stock, porcini mushrooms, and finished it with parm reggianno (sp?). The appetizer I made was some sort of escargot dish--that wasn't very good. The dessert was coffee brandy creme brulee or something. Didn't bother uploading the pictures for that b/c they turned out really blurry. http://f1.pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/y_lorna/l....src=ph&.view=t

I think Chef Hawksworth is disgusted by our discussion of processed foods.

Forgot to add that I had 2 monster-sized chicken breasts (defrosted in the microwave) and sauteed onions (a big one--I bought the 4 biggest ones I could find at Safeway yesterday) for dinner. Then had 2 cans of diet pop and a big cup of orange pekoe tea with sugar and milk. Then spent time surfing the net (especially egullet) when I should have been studying...oops. I was looking in the Toronto forum, since I hope to be moving there soon. The menus for Bymark and North 44 look good. Is it just me or does the name "Bymark" remind you of some low-cost supermarket ("Buy-mark", I guess)? My midterm is on Friday and I haven't even read most of the chapters for the first time yet!! I am studying with a friend tomorrow after work though. Guess I will be pulling an all-nighter again.

The Whoppers up here in Canada are actually pretty good for a fast food burger. I like them much better than anything at McDonald's.

On Top 5, I believe they used canned green beans in the casserole. Is this the way it's done, or can you use fresh green beans too? And would you blanch the green beans before covering them in the sauce--if you were to use fresh ones? (Maybe I'll make this for Christmas...) I've never seen the french fried onions in supermarkets up here though. Suzanne: You're right. I am so weak...

Hi! Like tammylc said, I think Canadian Thanksgiving fare is similar to what's offered at an American Thanksgiving table. I'd have to add that I'm Chinese, and this was our first Thanksgiving dinner with more traditional Thanksgiving food. In years past, my mom roasted a turkey and made sticky (glutinous) rice as stuffing (both inside the bird, and another huge wok full of it since it's so damn good). Also, other Chinese side dishes that you would find at any big dinner (like braised shitake mushrooms, egg "pockets"--tiny egg crepes filled with seasoned meat, Chinese roast pork, etc.) For Christmas, I think my mom and I will both cook so we can have the best of both worlds! I want to make the sausage stuffing again, but I missed the sticky rice and other sides over the weekend.

I didn't know about the green bean casserole topped with french fried onions, and smothered in cream of mushroom soup until I saw it on that FoodTV show, Top 5. I think the category that night was "Food Trends of the 70s" or something like that. I actually don't think it sounds that horrible. I like cream of mushroom soup occasionally, and how can crispy fried onion pieces be bad? For lunch today, I had 3 hardboiled eggs (brought to school in a tupperware container), and I ate an Atkins bar (Peanut butter flavor--haven't tried them all, but this is what I like best so far) on the bus ride after school (surreptiously, of course, since we're not supposed to eat on the bus). Had a few minutes before work, so I went to Safeway to buy my student a treat--Sour Patch Kids from the bulk bin. I also bought a small handful of nuts for myself. The bill (for both the nuts and the candy) was only $1.00. Ate the nuts while walking to work. My student (Alex) didn't do his homework for the third week in a row, so I gave the Sour Patch Kids to his older brother Anthony (whom I also tutor, but on a different day). Alex cried and I felt bad, even though his mom always tells me to be more strict with him. Then, during the last few minutes of class, I caved and told Alex I would bring him a treat tomorrow if he finished his homework. Why do kids have to be so darn cute.

Well I'm not in any hurry to see him on the cover of Cosmo anytime soon. [Do they even put men on the cover of Cosmo? They should! I'd buy it!] We get Cosmo's "All About Men" issue once a year (it's a special issue). Don't they have it in the States? Always a hot guy on the cover. Lots of pics inside too. I've never really paid enough attention to Cosmo to notice. But I'll be on the lookout for a man-issue. Is it sold on newsstands, or only available to subscribers? When does it come out? Yes, they're sold on newstands. I believe they come out around May-June. :)

Well I'm not in any hurry to see him on the cover of Cosmo anytime soon. [Do they even put men on the cover of Cosmo? They should! I'd buy it!] We get Cosmo's "All About Men" issue once a year (it's a special issue). Don't they have it in the States? Always a hot guy on the cover. Lots of pics inside too.

My favorite is Coffee Crisp. You can find it everywhere in Vancouver. I also like Reese Peanut Butter Cups and Twix.

I only got a few hours of sleep last night because I spent an hour or two pouring over old InStyle and Vogue issues. Finally got to bed a little after 1am, after snacking on a few BBQ chicken wings I found in the fridge. Woke up at 6am to make breakfast--scrambled eggs (3), that old piece of brocolli, and some luncheon meat (roast beef). Sprinkled a godly amount of salt over everything too--as directed by my cardiologist to help raise my blood pressure a little. Drank a big cup of tea (orange pekoe) with sugar and milk. That was a pretty big breakfast...should tide me over until my first break at school.

Dinner was essentially whatever I could shove in my mouth in under 5 minutes (in between students). Opened a can of chilli and nuked it: 2 minutes Ate a handful of cashews while waiting for the chilli to heat. Downed that big bowl of lukewarm chilli in 3 minutes, and was out the door again. After work, I headed to Safeway to buy some groceries. Hothouse red peppers were on sale for $1.49/lb., and I bought some onions too. The 24 count packs of fat-free cheese was buy one get one free, so I added that to the basket. And 1 L of skim milk. Thinking of trying the South Beach Diet for a week to lose the couple pounds I gained from the last few days of gluttony. :) It's similar to Atkins, but more carbs are allowed, and fatty cuts of meat are not encouraged. No counting calories either.

had 2 diet pepsis, a hardboiled egg, and a bowl of (dry) fiber1 cereal for lunch. now must run to 1st student's house. should be faster than waiting for the bus.

Aren't Matsutake mushrooms quite expensive? I think I remember Ming Tsai saying that on his show. I didn't know you can just pick them in the wild!

Wow, thanks for all the great meal ideas! I'll have to remember to pick up some pasta from the bulk bins later. (And omigod, Chef Hawksworth replied to my thread....!! ) No school today (I managed to arrange my schedule so I only have classes on MWF) so I'm at home studying for my midterm. For breakfast, I had a glass of diet Pepsi (I've been out of milk for about a week) and a big cup of Chinese green tea. Also, I had 2 slices of Dempster's whole grain toast (defrosted in the microwave, then toasted). I had to eat it dry since I don't have butter at home. (Don't have peanut butter or jam either. In fact, I haven't bought "extras" in the past few months.) The loaf of bread came from Dempster's Discount bakery, which is like a wholesale place next to where I work. They have an area in the back for all the bread that's going to expire in a day or two, all marked down to 69 cents a loaf/package regardless of how much the original price is. They have buns, and tortillas there too...basically anything they sell that's about to expire. It was my greatest find over the summer. I buy a couple loaves at a time and stick them in the freezer.

Thai curry sounds really good! I've never made it at home before. I must try it sometime this week. :) I went home and found one slice of cheesecake left in the fridge. At least it was a big slice. That was one good cheesecake recipe. (For those just skimming this thread, here's the link again: http://food.epicurious.com/run/recipe/view?id=106231) I usually double the cookie crust, b/c that's my favorite part of the cheesecake. Anyone else have a favorite recipe? I find that most of the ones on Epicurious are similar...4-5 packs of cream cheese, a couple of eggs, a cup or more of sugar, and a sourcream topping. There was also some cornbread left, so I ate 3 generous slices covered in butter. Mmmm.... I also finished off the stuffing (cold, straight from the fridge and eaten with a fork from the tupperware container.) Except for some turkey and gravy, the Thanksgiving leftovers are gone. My dad is melting down rock sugar for the tofu pudding right now. I'll probably have some in a few hours as my pants are already straining. Tomorrow I plan on eating a little healthier, doing some grocery shopping, and hitting the gym before I go to work. Wonder what goodies will be on sale. OT: Just saw the pictures from Varmint's Pig Pickin'. The food pictures are amazing...especially the dessert table! http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?act=ST...97&t=21108&st=0

Yeah, the eggs and mushrooms sound good. That's what I'll be eating for dinner. BTW: I also found a can of vegetarian chilli hidden in the cupboard. What are you doing with your eggs, Bruce? What are everyone's favorite low-cost, easy-prep meals? I've been subsisting on meal-replacement bars for lunch at school. They're easy to carry, fairly cheap (compared to buying a lunch at school) but taste horrible! My bf is eating leftover cheesecake right now, and he's going to a Thanksgiving dinner tonight with his co-workers at his boss' house. He invited me to come along, but I have to study. Guess he'll be eating something decent tonight though. He usually eats no-name mac and cheese (only 25 cents a box at Superstore). If you think Kraft mac and cheese is bad, you should taste this! The cheese sauce is really thin and pale yellow. His typical dinner is a box of this vile stuff with a big squirt of ketchup, eaten directly from the pot.

It's almost 4pm and I just woke up. I was up late watching 'Bend it with Beckham'. I'm still full from last night's dinner, but here's a look in my pantry/fridge: -7 cans of tuna (no-name brand, 87 cents a can) -1 can of sliced mushrooms (generic brand that I bought at 4 cans for a dollar) -a few eggs -1 tired-looking piece (head?) of brocolli -a couple packages of low-calorie jello (generic brand, on sale at 6 boxes for a dollar) -some Diet Pepsi -1 can of sardines in tomato sauce (79 cents a can) -3 or 4 frozen dinners (on sale at Safeway...these have been sitting in the freezer for months!) -1 jar of Healthy Choice tomato sauce (also bought on sale) Sadly, that's about it. What should I eat for dinner?

My dad likes to pour a couple cans of beer in the pan not for the veggies, but for the gravy. We roast our turkey directly on top of a huge pile of cut up vegetables: carrots, red onions, celery, a few tomatoes (too many tomatoes and the gravy gets sour), peppers, potatoes, sweet potatoes, etc. The juices from the vegetables combine with the turkey juices and the beer, and then we strain the fat from the liquid and thicken the liquid for gravy when the turkey's done. The veggies don't get crispy--in fact, we usually just throw most of them away since all the flavor has been cooked out of them. Then you can just season it according to your tastes. There's no water, soup base, or anything else that goes into the gravy. The gravy is always very good--better than any gravy I've had at friend's houses, or at steakhouses.

What do you teach the peanuts to do? English, of course!

I cooked for about 10 people. There were supposed to be more relatives coming, but I had to change the date at the last minute (b/c I have to study for a midterm) and they already had plans for tonight. My family was very appreciative of the meal, even though they paid for the groceries. I was rather disappointed with the brined turkey. I've read how much tastier a brined piece of meat is, but I honestly couldn't tell the difference. Oh well. Still delicious slathered with cranberry jelly and gravy. For the brine, I used the Chez Panisse recipe off the internet. I ate four servings of stuffing. I am...stuffed. Also had 3 big pieces of cornbread (I'll remember to adjust my recipe and add a little more sugar next time. It was moist and the crust was crisp though). Now, half the pumpkin pie is gone. I also put away a slice of the sponge cake, and a huge slice of the cheesecake. Also had some chocolates that my bf brought over. OK, more like the first tier of chocolates. I was 109 lbs. yesterday. I wonder how much I'll weigh tomorrow? I've probably had more sugar today than most people eat in a week! I also took some digi pictures of my cheesecake. Maybe I'll post them up tomorrow if anyone wants to take a look. Suzanne: I saw the plastic bag tip on FoodTV, but I couldn't find any heavy duty ones yesterday. Thanks for the tip though! :) The doorbell just rang. My sister's bf just got off work and now he's eating dinner.