Crescent Roll & Hotdog Pull-Aparts

Breakfast today -> Crescent Roll & Hotdog Pull-Aparts.
Made a Crescent Roll & Hotdog pull-apart late last night while the oven was still hot from making the roast beef.  I just took a canister of grand crescent rolls, sliced it into small squares, and wrapped it around a piece of hotdog in a loose ball.  Put them into a little pan so they are touching.  I set the oven to "roast" instead of "bake" because I wanted the top to be browned too.  Cooked at 375F for 15mins.

Crescent Roll & Hotdog Pull-Aparts.

It was really good.  Each "ball" pulled away easily.  This would make a good snack when entertaining.

Bloody Medium Rare Roast Beef.

Dinner today -> Roast Beef
Boneless Blade Roast was on sale at Farmboy.  I picked one up.  I would have prefered with bone in for more flavour and I could use the bone in soup, but this was good too.   I dry rubbed with a basic salt, black pepper, onion powder, and garlic powder rub.  Cooked it to just under medium rare (I like it bloody).

Bloody Medium Rare Roast Beef.

Useless Gaming News:
3-Player gaming after work today.  We played Castles of Burgundy.  It took us about 2hrs to finish, but it was a good game.  Evan ran away with the lead early but James won in the long game.  BUT it was a tainted victory as we misplayed the first few turn orders because James went 2nd when it should have been me.  So the game might have been closer or Evan may have won.

Castles of Burgundy.

Kroc

Lunch today -> Mushroom & Fish Cake Medley.
Took today off just to use up a vacation day.  Still have 2-3 more days to use up by end of April.  I went to The Fry in Barrhaven to get some Korean Fried Chicken, but when I went in, the staff was cleaning.  The boss told me they open at 4pm on weekdays!  D'oh.  I was starving too!
So I went to Loblaws and got 2 packs of white mushroom and 1 pack of portobello mushrooms.  They were 50% off.  I then went home and cooked all the mushrooms with ground pork, garlic chives, and korean fish cake. 

Mushroom & Fish Cake Medley.

This was satisfying.  I almost ate the whole bowl in one go.  Had to take a nap after :)

Useless Transformers News:
Pick up a missing Transformer yesterday: Krok.  Got the last one from Toys R Us Kanata.  Thanks Gordon for letting me there was a 5th figure in the deluxe wave.

Krok

Arriba Red & White Corn Chips

Snack today -> Arriba Corn Chips.
Got some new Old Dutch "Arriba Red & White" corn chips with white cheddar at Walmart.  Tried them out today.

Arriba!  Eh!

The corn chips inside are a unique red and white.  The coating on the chips is similar to the Smart Food popcorn white cheddar.  They taste good, but I found it lacking abit more "punch".  These chips would probably be really good with abit of salsa on them.  I'd probably get these again.  They are 2 for $4 at Walmart.

Lunch today -> Snak Man Doo General Tao.
Went to Walmart at lunch time and picked up this box of frozen "Snak Man Doo" General Tao bites.  It was 30 bites for $5.50. 

Snak Man Doo

Microwaved half the box for lunch.  They aren't that good.  I taste mostly celery while eating them (and I hate celery).  And they are spicy.  Abit too spicy for General Tao Chicken.  I think I was expecting too much from this product, because I like the box and name of the product.  Too bad.  Won't be getting these again.

Celery Flavour Bites.

Weekend Report -> Happy Birthday Grandpa!!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY GRANDPA!!!

Food this weekend ->
Made Congee after work on Friday.  I used chicken stock, dashi, sliced shitake mushrooms, preserved duck egg, and ground pork.  When it was done, I finished it with some chives and ginger powder.  The congee was really good.  I was thinking afterwards that I should have added some abolone.  Maybe next time.

Delicious Congee.

Hung out with Julie on Saturday.  We watched "Sing" on DVD and finished iZombie Season 2.  Before that we went to Costco and picked up some dinner.  There were a couple bird getting dinner at Costco too :)

Birds at Costco.

For dinner we got Stuffed Peppers and Quiche Lorraine and baked them in the oven.

Stuffed Peppers and Quiche Lorraine.

The stuffed peppers were good and big, but I felt they need something to go with it.  Maybe sour cream?  I like the Quiche Lorraine too.  Very flavourful.

1st Helping :)

Sunday night the family went out for Chinese Buffet on Merivale for my grandpa's birthday.  I haven't been there for a dinner buffet in a long time, and it was good.  My first plate(s) consisted of only seafood: crab legs, cold mussels, hot mussels, shrimp, and sashimi.

Seafood Plate.

I got some roast beef on the 2nd plate.  It wasn't seasoned very much, but was OK.  The short ribs looked good, but they weren't good.  Very tender though.

2nd Plate.

Didn't make my usual congee bowl this time.  Got a dessert plate with a good strawberry cake, ice cream, and almond cookie.

Dessert Plate.

Useless Transformers News:
Picked up some new Transformers on Sunday.  Picked up Broadside, Bumblebee, Sky Shadow, Perceptor, Kup, Topspin, and Quake.  Didn't find Gnaw or Kickback.

Newest Transformers.

La Noodle Visit

Lunch today -> La Noodle.
Peter, Steve, Ed and I went to La Noodle for lunch today.  I was able to watch the cook pull the noodles this time (or atleast watch the top half of the pulling).
Steve ordered G2 Stir Fried Hand Pulled Noodle with Shredded Pork.  It looked really good.

G2

Peter got G4 Stir Fried Hand Pulled Noodle with Lamb.  That also looked good.  Big portion too.

G4

Ed and I both got the J2 Hand Pulled Noodle with Braised Beef.  We also added an egg.

J2 with Egg.

I tasted the broth first.  It didn't taste as good as Cindy's order a couple weeks ago.  I tasted abit watered down.  The braised beef was still good as before.  The noodle size I got this time was one recommended by the waiter (the first one on the left in the menu).  They were OK.  Thicker than I would have preferred.  I got to say that adding the egg was totally worth it.  It was really good.  It was marinated in a sweet soy sauce.

French Bakery

A new French bakery opened in Kanata.  It's called "La Maison du Kouign-Amann",  It's by Big Rigg, between the Karate dojo and Daycare on Schneider Road.  Peter and I checked it today just before lunch time.
Lots of sweet and savoury treats in the place.

Need to Try Plum Cookies.

I think it was the owner that told us that the top row of sweet pastries was the standard ones available.  The 2nd row was what the bakers wanted to make that day.  It's nice that the options rotate daily.

Sweet Pastries.

I picked up a butter chicken tart and a tomato, bacon, caramelized onion tart for lunch.  I also got a lemon tart and a 3 chocolate mousse for dessert.

Today's Lunch and Snack.

The butter chicken tart (more like a quiche) was good.  The tomato, bacon, onion was ok, but probably won't get that one again.  The lemon tart was really good.  The shell was crispy and soft, and the filling had a really fresh lemon taste.  The 3 chocolate mouse was awesome.  I only had a third of it as I shared it with Peter and Katie.  The prices were OK.  Not too high.  Good place to splurge now and then.

Indoor Golf Simulator

Snack today -> Strawberries.
Picked up a box of strawberries at Loblaws.  They were OK.  I was expecting sweeter.  I also got another box from Farmboy.  Those were really sweet.  I'll save the Farmboy ones for another day.

Loblaws Strawberries.

Useless Golf News:
Ben, Jeff, Anthony and I went to GolfOMax to try out their indoor golf simulator.  It was pretty fun.  We played 9 holes in 2hrs at Pebble Beach.  I think my arms will be sore tomorrow.

Fongpay.

NotJeff.

StayPuft.

ThatGuy.

Jeff destroyed us in the end.

Final Scores.

Excalibur Batman

Lunch today -> Glen's Fries.
Went to Canadian Tire at lunchtime.  I got a large fries with salt & vinegar from Glen's.  It's so good piping hot in the cool weather outside.

Fries for Lunch.

Snack today -> Mini-Oatmeal Raisin Cookies.
Also hit Farmboy at lunchtime.  I picked up some fresh mini-oatmeal raisin cookies.  They really hit the spot in the afternoon.  Nice and chewy, but not too sweet.

Chewy Oatmeal Raisin Cookies.

Dinner today -> T&T Food.
Susanna and I went to T&T tonight.  I picked up sweet & sour pork, bean curds with mushrooms, and some sushi.  The salmon roe sushi was really good.  2 pieces wasn't enough.

T&T Food.

Useless Toy News:
Final found the Lego Dimensions Excalibur Batman at Centrum Walmart.  I didn't get it the first time it was there and when I went back it was gone.  I paid regular price, but I wanted it and didn't want to miss it.

Excalibur Batman Pack.

Weekend Report -> Amazing Salad.

Food this weekend ->
Went to Frank's Sandwiches on Friday at lunchtime.  I got some #1 Frank's Specials.  It's been awhile since I've had one.  I was awed by the amount of meat stacked in the sandwich.

Lots of Meat.

I had to split each half in half and eat then open faced.  Couldn't fit it in my mouth otherwise.

Went to Julie's place on Saturday night for dinner and watch some movies/TV (Moana, Chicago, iZombie).  Julie made an amazing salad for dinner.  The base was this bag of "Beets & Greens" premixed salad from Loblaws. 

Salad Base.

Then she added blue berries, quartered strawberries, and small cubed cheddar cheese.  It was so good.  We also got a roast chicken and some scalloped potatoes for dinner.  I got to take the leftover salad home and ate it Sunday :)

Yummy Salad.

Spent most of Sunday playing Zelda.  I don't think I got that much further.  I just kept exploring for shrines and killing monsters so I could collect enough money to buy the stealth armour pieces.  My big meal for Sunday was pork wontons with egg white noodles.

Wontons with Egg White Noodles.

Useless Gaming News:
3-Player gaming on Friday night at Brian's.  We played "Guilds of London".  Brian gave up on the 1st turn and was throwing the game.  It was really annoying.  I asked twice if we should quit and play another game, but we played on and he played on his tablet. 
We also played Tokaido.  This is a great simple game.  With 3 players it is limited and has less strategy, but this game with 4 or 5 players would be great.

Tokaido.

Nintendo Switch

Snack today -> Peanut Butter.
There were some free packs of peanut butter in the kitchen.  I grabbed a couple ate them straight from the package for a quick little snack.  It was tasty and I wanted to go buy a jar and eat out of it.

Peanut Butter Snack.

Dinner today -> Cheesy Chili Salsa.
Heated up a can of Chunky Roadhouse Chili with a can of Diced Tomatoes with Olive Oil and Garlic.  When it was just about to boil, I added 1/2 cup of Tex-Mex cheese.  Ate the cheesy chili salsa with Scoop corn chips. 

Cheesy Chili Salsa Dinner.

I ate almost the whole bag with almost all of the salsa.  I was sooo full I had to take a nap :)

Useless Gaming News:
Picked up a Nintendo Switch last Friday from Toys R Us.  They had guaranteed 10 in each store.  I lined up at 8:30am and was 3rd.  The 2 others before me lined up at 7:30am.  When TRU opened there were only 6 people in line.  The got 3 neon version and 7 grey.  I got a neon version (red and blue controllers). 

Neon Nintendo Switch.

I also picked up Zelda and have been playing it all week for a few hours a night.  Awesome game and lots to explore and discover.  I think I want to get Bomberman later.  Not sure if I will get the 1, 2, Switch game.

Rooster Corn Flakes

Dinner today -> Maple Teriyaki Chicken with Broccoli and Cauliflower.
Dinner was just leftover maple teriyaki chicken.  I reboiled the pot with the marinade with the chicken drumsticks to heat it up.  I think I will make more while I still have this awesome sauce.  I also made a side of quick fried broccoli and cauliflower.  Fried it in olive oil and butter.

Dinner.

Useless Food News:
Saw these Year of the Rooster Corn Flakes at Loblaws.  Kind of neat.  Almost bought one, but I prefer Frosted Flakes.

Rooster Corn Flakes.

Pi Day

Lunch today -> Pies.
Today was Pi Day.  I picked up 10, yes TEN, pies for everyone at work.  I got apple, pecan, strawberry rhubarb, triple berry, and lemon meringue.  This was pretty much my lunch too.

Pi Day.

I started with 3 slices, but by the end of the day, I tried them all.  The apple was very good.

1st Pie Plate of 3 Pies.

Dinner today -> Maple Teriyaki Chicken and Mushrooms.
Boiled more chicken drumsticks in my leftover maple teriyaki marinade.  It's a really good sweet and savoury marinade.  I also chopped up a couple boxes of white mushrooms and pan cooked them to go with the chicken.

Maple Teriyaki Chicken with Lots of Mushrooms.

Useless Plant News:
I want these double peace sign rabbit plants.  They are soooo cute!  Hopefully I can find some at the garden centers in the spring.

Braised Beef Bowl at La Noodle

Lunch today -> La Noodle.
Took a vacation day today.  Spent the day hanging out with Cindy.  We went to "La Noodle" for lunch before going shopping.  I got a medium J7 Seafood with the 3rd hand pulled noodle option (looks like a ribbon).  It was OK.  I didn't find it very special or amazing or anything.  Just standard.  Like something I could cook at home.

Meh.  Seafood Pulled Noodle Bowl.

Cindy got a medium J2 Braised Beef with the 5th hand pulled noodle option (long, medium thickness udon like noodle).  This noodle bowl was amazing!  The broth was so tasty.  And the braised beef was very good and tender.  Lots of meat too.  I highly recommend this dish.

Amazing Braised Beef Pulled Noodle Bowl.

Dinner today -> BBQ Pork Buns.
I ate the home-made baked BBQ pork bun and steamed BBQ pork bun Linda and Cindy made for dinner tonight.  Both were good.  The baked one wasn't dry, as Linda thought it might be.  The steamed one was shaped kind of flat, but it was still good.

Baked and Steamed BBQ Pork Buns.

Weekend Report -> No Rice

Food this weekend ->
Potluck and games night at Jeff & Linda's place.  Linda's sisters were visiting: Elizabeth, Cindy, and Margaret.
Ben made soup with nappa, shitake mushrooms, devil tongue knots, and tofu.  The soup base was dashi, chicken ramen powder, and sriracha.  Good soup... but it seems very similar for some reason.

Ben's Soup.

Linda and Jeff made sheperd's pie.  It was good and filling.

Sheperd's Pie.

Linda also made fudge brownies and squash filled with egg & bacon bits.  Cindy made vegetables and baked BBQ pork buns (no pic).  I made chicken drumsticks marinated in maple teriyaki sauce.  It was sweet and savoury.  (BTW: I spilt alot of the teriyaki sauce in my trunk during transport.  It made a huge mess.  Glad most of it was on my tarp and in my collapsible box.) 

Potluck Food.

To Cindy's disappointment, there was no rice to go with my sweet chicken ;)

Useless Gaming News:
Played lot of games during the pot luck: Tumbling Dice, Roll For It, Guillotine, Sushi Go Party, Telestrations, and Deception.  No pics.  I forgot because I kept blowing my nose.  See why below.  Man, some of the Telestrations drawings by Jeff and Cindy... hard to figure out :)

Gordon, Ben, Brian and I also played games Friday night.  We played Dr.Who, Code of Nine, JeJu Island, and Roll For It. 
Dr.Who isn't that great (no pic).  I don't see us playing it again. 
Code of Nine is an excellent game.  It's a worker placement game where the game scoring rules change every game depending on which "memory" cards are drawn by each player.  Each player only knows their own memories (scoring rules) and you need to use actions to discover the other players memories (ie You might start collecting something that is worth negative points).  I think this game is fun and might get this game too.

Code of Nine.

4-player JeJu Island was fun.  I kind of want to pick up this game too.  It's so simple yet strategic.

JeJu Island.

Useless Medicine News:
I used Steve's recommended "Tylenol Complete" for most of the weekend.  It works alittle bit, but really... it doesn't work.  My nose was block or running most of the time it was suppose to be in effect.  It really wasn't working at all during the potluck.  On Sunday I had to go out and buy Advil Cold and Sinus.  That stuff works and works fast.