Posted on

BKH Jerky

I watch Dragons Den on TV with my husband, and I love Beef Jerky. When I heard about the Dragons liking BKH Jerky I knew if and when I go west, I would have to give this jerky a try! So, we got our act together one afternoon and made it to BKH Jerky for fresh jerky!

The store was located at:
BKH Jerky
3201 Fraser St
Vancouver, BC

It wasn’t too hard to find, but we did have a GPS with us. The hours they are opened are from Tues-Sun 10-6 and
Monday/Holidays 11-5. They are decent hours and we got there at 3pm on a Monday, and there was no one there. We asked for a bag of Pork jerky and a bag of Beef jerky, and they got it fresh from the back… and then vacuumed sealed the package closed for us! We were excited as there were some that were already pre-packaged!

We didn’t actually have time to eat the Jerky while we were in Vancouver. We brought them home before we enjoyed them. We started with the Pork Jerky which we really liked. The texture was amazing, and there was a hint of smoky taste that we loved. The jerky was really tender, and it was just amazing!

The Beef Jerky, we had high hopes for. At the end of the session, we all felt the pork jerky was just a little bit better. The flavours are so good, and the freshness really makes a huge difference! The store does nothing besides make jerky and I wish they were in action – making the jerky while we were there, but it’s alright! We love this place and next time, I will bring some home to give to people!

Posted on

Yung Ho Soy Drink 永和豆漿

So, we were traveling and we went to Richmond, British Columbia. We stayed at the Radission hotel, which was located at a convenient location. There was a walkway on the 2nd floor over to a food court – and it connects to their T&T. One morning, we decided to have breakfast at this food court – and we settled at Yung Ho Soy Drink.

We were a table of 3, as my father-in-law joined us for this meal – and, he ordered a hot soy drink with Chinese Deep Fried doughnut. He seemed to really enjoy it! The deep fried doughnuts were amazing! They were crispy and light, and it didn’t feel greasy!

I ordered a combo – the Combo 7 which came with a hot soy drink, and original stuffed rice. I love stuffed rice, and these ones were the sticky rice! What a perfect little breakfast, as I love both of these 2 items. The best part of it – the combo was only $4! As funny as it sounds, I actually don’t have a picture of the sticky rice from the inside. I opened it and started eating it… and forgot to stop to take a picture! I guess it tasted great! 😉

My husband ordered Combo 4 which was fun, since we didn’t know what it was. It says it comes with Salty Pastry with Scrambled Onion Eggs and Soy Milk. The salty pastry was pretty much the texture of “Chinese Onion Cake” and Puff pastry mix… and it wrapped some scrambled eggs inside. It tasted really good!

Overall, we loved this place! The people behind the counter was extremely friendly and patient. I don’t speak Mandarin, but they spoke slowly and loudly… and they repeated many times for me. It was definitely an experience and we love it! When we’re back in the area, I’m sure we’ll be back!

Yung Ho Soy Drink 永和豆漿 on Urbanspoon

Yung Ho Soy Drink 永和豆漿

#2255, 8181 Cambie Road
Richmond, BC V6X3X9
(604) 232-9969

Posted on

Shady Island Seafood Bar and Grill

So, my first trip to Vancouver – and on the first day right after I got checked into my hotel, I found myself wanting seafood! Calgary doesn’t offer anything great since we’re not near the ocean, and the front desk agent recommended us to Steveston which really wasn’t far away at all! We parked our car and took a walk towards the wharf and saw a restaurant called Shady Island Seafood Bar & Grill. How bad can it be? There was guests in the restaurant constantly at the odd hour we were there… so, we walked in for a try! Right at the door, it advertised Award Winning Seafood Chowder, so I knew I was going to get a bowl of soup!

This wasn’t really a meal and more like a huge sampling snack! So, the first thing we ordered was Mama’s Seafood Chowder which was really delicious actually! It was creamy with quite a few chunks of seafood in the chowder!

Then, we also had some BC Crab Happy Cakes which was a plate of crab cakes with a roasted red pepper aioli and tartar sauce to dip in. The crab cakes weren’t the best I have ever had, nor were they the worst. They were decent, but they were filled with lots of crab meat inside – without too much binding agent.

Our main was the Seafood Melt which was a patty made with baby shrimp & crab with mayo on foccacia – then topped with mozzarella and probably put in the broiler to melt the cheese. It came with a huge bed of fries on the side – which we never finished. Out of the entire meal, and if I had to pick something I didn’t like the most – it would probably be this main. It didn’t taste like there was enough taste to it and it was rather dry.

To our main dish, we shared a side dish, the Lobster Morsels which was lobsters and scallops on a cast iron plate – so it was sizzling! This dish had more of an Asian flair to it as it was seasoned with basically ginger and soy sauce.

My overall experience was decent. The place was a little dark, but it was a gloomy day. The bathrooms were on the upstairs, and it was a tad creepy. The food was quite good, so we left quite satisfied! We definitely can’t get anything like this back home, so we got nothing to complain about!

Shady Island Seafood Bar and Grill on Urbanspoon

Shady Island Seafood Bar and Grill

#112 – 3800 Bayview Street
Richmond, BC V7E5W3
(604) 275-6587
Steveston

Posted on

Homemade Simple Vanilla Creme Brulee

Home Made Crema Catalana

I’ve always loved Creme Brulee for any part of the day – dessert, snack with coffee/tea, and sometimes, even breakfast! I use to buy the pre-made ones, where you pour some sugar on top and burn the sugar with a torch. Then, recently, I started ordering them for dessert at restaurants, and realized it’s just not the same!! It’s suppose to be creamier and lighter and more “mousse” like than “pudding” like. So, I found a simple recipe which is slightly modified from Anna Olson’s show “Bake With Anna Olson” on Food Network.

Ingredients: (Serves 2)
1 cup cream
1 tbsp of vanilla paste
2 egg yolks
1/4 cup sugar

First, preheat the oven to 325F, and place some ramekins in a heat safe pan with sides – so we can give the creme brulees a water bath when we’re ready to bake. Also, set a strainer with cheese cloth on stand-by as we will use them!

Then, place the cream in a pot and heat it up really slowly. Add the vanilla paste in to infuse the cream. You can use the actual vanilla seeds if you have the vanilla pods. Stir gently and wait until it’s hot – but not boiling over.

Next, in another bowl, cream the 2 egg yolks together with sugar. Then, slowly combine the cream mixture into the egg yolk mixture. Be sure to go slow so you don’t cook the eggs!

Now, pour the mixture through the strainer with the cheese cloth so it’s strained into the ramekins! Use a spoon to take out all the air bubbles that you see on top! Then, place this in the oven and pour some boiling water into the deep dish that holds the ramekins – making sure you fill up to at least half way up the ramekin dish itself to gently cook the creme brulee.

Now, bake for about 20-25 minutes in the oven. I set my oven too high, and caused the egg to cook on the top – but it still tasted great! 🙂

Let the creme brulee chill completely, and then place into the fridge for at least 3 hours. When you’re ready to enjoy, sprinkle a layer of sugar on top and use a torch to burn the sugar!! It’s done and you’re ready to eat!

Sit down anywhere, anytime to enjoy this delicious and somewhat refreshing dessert as it’s creamy and decadent with a hint of sweetness!

Posted on

Homemade Nutella Cookies

Easy Nutella Cookies

So, I guess there’s something called International Chocolate Day, and once I heard that, I went through my pantry to see what I had… so, I found enough ingredients to make a small batch of Nutella Cookies that are quick and simple! I must say, the house smells absolutely amazing right now!

Ingredients: (Makes about 18 cookies)
1 cup Nutella
2/3 cup All Purpose Flour
1/3 cup Wheat Flour
1 egg
1/4 cup sugar
splash of milk

First, preheat the oven to about 350F, you have to do this right away, since preparing the batter is quick and easy! Then, just mix all the dry ingredients together in a large bowl and mix lightly.

Once all the dry ingredients are incorporated, add the egg and nutella into the mixture. This will make a super sticky batter – but try to mix well. If you need the batter to be less thick, add about a tablespoon of milk. If it’s still really sticky, add more until the cookie dough combines into a nice consistency.

Then, I like to line my cookie tray with parchment paper, and I spoon out little cookie dough balls about the size of a ball that fits into a tablespoon. I roll these balls lightly and just place onto the cookie tray. As the cookie bakes, it will flatten itself, so you don’t need to flatten it – unless of course you want to! After all, they are YOUR cookies!

Now, you just place in the oven for about 10 minutes, and they should be a little lighter in colour and should be even colouring. You can always do the toothpick test if you want. But, remember it will continue to cook a little as you’re they’re resting on the cooling rack. So, this means you need to cool your cookies first on the cooling rack!