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Blondes Diner – Calgary 4th Street

The most wonderful meal for me is breakfast – and my favourite place to enjoy breakfasts are at diners. I love them, old style, new style or even no style! I first heard about Blondes Diner from watching TV actually… on Top Chef Canada, they have a chef that’s a contestant on the show. Right away, I knew I had to try this diner! The location of this diner is right on 4th street and I believe it use to be a Greek restaurant at this location. It’s easy to find and quite spacious inside. Parking is a little trickier, but that’s the area!

We went in on a Sunday, relatively late in the afternoon – for sure past noon. There was still a line up for a table which is a good sign! The service was casual, but it wasn’t slow! By the time we got to our table, our waitress came right away. It was a awful weather outside, so I decided to have a nice cup of Hot Chocolate which I enjoyed thoroughly! I wish it was a tad bigger because I was almost done my hot chocolate by the time my lunch got to the table. Well, maybe I was just enjoying it too much! 🙂

Looking around the restaurant, it was really clean and modern. There were seats with plastic chairs and some cozy chairs! I was fortunate enough to sit by the window in the cozy chairs! It was a really relaxing experience at Blondes, and that’s something I love!

I love coconut, and so when I saw it on the menu, I knew I had to try their Crispy Crepe which the menu describes it as coconut frangipane, seasonal compote, whipped creme fraiche! It turns out as a delicious thin crepe with shredded coconut filling inside, and topped with pineapple compote! Wow, this was such a delight to have and something I wouldn’t mind having again and again!

We didn’t know what else to order, and thankfully they had a delicious sounding featured breakfast! This breakfast was a hot beef sandwich with a side of chickpea salad. The hot beef was full of flavour and it sat on a nice thick toast with tons of gravy on top. The chickpea salad was so refreshing and would be an awesome side for a summers night!

Overall, we had a great time here! It was fun and exiting and a nice modern take on a diner and more upscale. With that said, it’s just a nice breakfast/brunch/lunch place instead of a diner! But, worth it was worth the visit!

Blondes Diner on Urbanspoon

Blondes Diner

2005 B 4th St SW
Calgary, AB
(403) 474-3867

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Homemade Pizza

I just made a bunch of ham and what I really wanted was a ham pizza. So, instead of going to the grocery store and purchasing a premade crust, I figured I would try my hand at making one.

Ingredients: (makes 1 medium or 2 small)
2 cups of All Purpose Flour
2 cups of water
1 package of yeast (traditional)
1 tsp salt
1 tsp sugar

The first thing you need to do is activate your yeast. I poured my yeast into a little bowl and put 1/4 cup of warm water to dissolve the yeast. Then, I added my teaspoon of sugar. Just leave it for about 10 minutes and it should have expanded and almost doubled in size.

From here, I mix together the flour and salt and the yeast mixture. Then I slowly combine with the rest of the water in stages. I keep mixing until a ball of dough forms. My dough ball here was much more sticky than it probably should have been, but I left it anyway. Just knead it for a few minutes and when you’re ready, let it sit to rise and rest. I put saran wrap on top and left it for about 45 minutes.

After the ball of dough has doubled in size, you can knead it out on a floured surface to the crust shape you like. I didn’t use a pizza tray or anything as I like it kind of rustic, so I just rolled out a thick crust of a random shape on my silicon mat.

After I got my crust ready, I now preheat my oven to 425F and I start decorating my pizza with toppings. I do this rather gently as I’m probably letting it rise again for the second time as I wanted my crust more bread like.

When your pizza is topped with all the goodies you would like, pop it into the oven for about 25 minutes. It comes out delicious, kind of like a pizza bread! 🙂 You could have brushed the crust with butter or oil or even egg wash if you like a prettier crust. I just left mine as is.

Now, after the cooking period, take the pizza out of the oven, and slice it if you want – but you’re ready to enjoy a simple and delicious home made pizza!

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Schneiders Pepperettes – Smokey Bacon

I was wandering around the grocery store and I decided I would really like some pepperoni sticks. I walked by and found my favourite brand Schneiders Pepperettes and of course a new flavour! This flavour was the Smokey Bacon so I was delighted to bring it home to try.

I love the texture of pepperettes and the conveniences of them being shorter than the usual pepperoni sticks. The flavours are really good, you don’t get much bacon flavour, but you definitely get the smoke flavour. I really do enjoy this snack, and I’m really glad I got it as it totally fulfills my craving!

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Tutti Frutti Frozen Yogurt – 17th Avenue Calgary

So, this is an interesting post. It’s not my first invite to Grand Openings and whatnot. However, I must say – this is the first time I’ve attended any invite from my activity in the blogosphere. How could I resist such an invite to Tutti Fruitti?? I’m sure glad I attended as it was what I really wanted – delicious, creamy, indulgent. light and refreshing frozen yogurt! This store front location is perfect as it’s near tons of people, both residential and commercial so this really is an ideal location.

Once in the store, you basically greet the amazing team, and walk straight to the back where the frozen yogurt dispensers are! You first start by picking up a cute cup – large or small, which really depends on how much frozen yogurt and toppings you want to put on. I totally recommend just grabbing the big cup since you never know when you’re going to dispense too much frozen yogurt – or decide on too many toppings. These cups are weighed at the end when you’re ready to enjoy – and at $0.55 an ounce, it makes it a great treat, big or small!

Once you’ve filled up your cup with the frozen yogurt, take a walk back to the front of the store where an huge array of toppings are presented for you to choose from. These toppings range from brownies, to tapioca pearls that have a little burst of flavour, to regular candies and snacks you love to enjoy anywhere! You can really be here forever – and this is where a BIG cup comes handy! Don’t walk too fast like me, I didn’t see the Ghiradelli caramel and chocolate syrups till I was done my yogurt.

I ended up enjoying a delicious cup of yogurt with coconut and pineapple twist (middle lever is a mix of the 2 flavours) as I love that combination – like a Pina Colada! It always transports me to somewhere warm and special – so I love that combination. The frozen yogurt here is really creamy, smooth and light. The texture is great as there isn’t ice crystals throughout! My toppings was simple, I choose some mochi and lychee boba. I love the boba’s Tutti Frutti has to offer from here!

This is really the place to be at – hot or cold outside, it’s the perfect light and delicious treat where you can decide anything! I’ve learned from the past place with so many options… taking everything you like in one doesn’t taste the best when it melts together. My advice now: Have lots of separate cups! 🙂 This place will be a heaven for kids and just a fantastic place just to hang out and catch up with friends and family. This location offers a great comfortable downstairs as well, making it one of the largest Tutti Frutti store fronts out there!

Tutti Frutti Frozen Yogurt on Urbanspoon

Tutti Frutti Frozen Yogurt

858 16th Avenue SW
Calgary, AB T2S0B7
(403) 460-8846

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World Ground Cafe – Oakland

One afternoon during out trip to California, we decided to slow down the pace and start the day with a nice hot drink. We came across a place called World Ground Cafe which was still in Oakland. We actually like to come here often to pick up some drinks on the go! The location is great for us, the people are always friendly, and the drinks are always fresh and delicious!

I really like to order their Hot Chocolate as it’s rich and creamy! It’s never too greasy tasting – but yet, I don’t ask for whipped cream. It seems to be my “go to”drink in the morning, which I have no problem with!

The other drink we seem to enjoy ordering a lot was their Spicy Chai as it was a nice spicy chai. It’s not the same as the ones we get back at home, but it does leave a nice fragrant note and flavour in the mouth. It definitely warms up the body on those cold wintery months!

Overall, we like this place as it has what we need, at a price we like, and the location that is convenient for us! Most importantly, it’s worth the price we pay too! Especially for something as basic as hot chocolate! I am sure I will be back next time I’m here – since I’ve been back for a few years now!

World Ground Cafe on Urbanspoon

World Ground Cafe

3726 Macarthur Blvd
Oakland, CA
(510) 482-2933