Welcome to Toni Taddeo's Tuesday 4 kept in memory of her.
Let's talk about food this week shall we?
Most people enjoy eating good food after all.
1. What is/are your favorite foods to eat ?
I don't think I have one favourite. There are just so many good foods out there. But if I really have to choose, I would say roasted Greek potatoes and toasted pita bread with tzatziki sauce.
2. How often do you cook at home and what kind of meals do you make?
I cook at home most days. I cook a variety of things. I'm not a fancy cook and I would call my cooking style old fashioned home style cooking. In fact, I came to cooking rather late. I only really started cooking on a regular basis after I stopped working.
My mother was a fabulous cook and she loved to do it. She would often come and visit me for extended periods and do all my cooking, shopping and other jobs I just didn't have time for working very long hours. Once I stopped working I had time to learn how to cook some things. The two main things I wanted to learn were how to bake bread and how to cook beans from scratch. I already knew how to cook basis meals because my mom raised all of her children to have basic skills in cooking, cleaning and even sewing.
Even though I cook regularly, I can't say it's my most favourite thing. I think it's because it just takes so much time with all the thinking about meals, buying and prepping food, cooking and then cleaning. I'd rather be reading, lol. But I'm grateful I can cook and I'm grateful to have food to cook.
Here are the few meals I made over the past week.
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Sausages with onions & apple, pasta with beans & onions, Caesar salad
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| Ground beef & veggies in gravy over boiled red potatoes |
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| Spaghettini with meat & lentil sauce, garlic toast |
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| Chicken wings, chips & coleslaw |
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| Roasted chicken served with roasted root vegetables |
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| Spaghettini with meat sauce, green salad & garlic bread |
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| Air fried pork chop, pasta with spaghetti sauce & cucumber salad |
I also made a large Blueberry Upside Down cake with some blueberries that were starting to go soft. We ate some and I froze the rest for when we (I) have a sweet tooth.
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| I didn't make any whipped cream topping |
I go through periods of time where I eat out more than others, anywhere from once a week to once a month. Even a simple restaurant meal is very expensive so I've cut way back on eating out over the past several years.
A meal for one costs a minimum of $20 (Canadian) without a beverage. Of course you need to double that if you are eating out with your spouse or a friend. If you add drinks, I would say a simple meal costs no less than $60 for 2 people not including the tip. That's a lot and I'd rather spend that kind of money on other things I need.
3. When you go out to eat what foods do you find yourself ordering most?
I mostly go for Vietnamese food (Shrimp Salad rolls and a combination meal in a bowl are favourites) or Japanese food (usually a bento box). There are both Vietnamese and Japanese options aplenty in my neighborhood. I also like western foods (Clubhouse sandwich with fries, pork chops and mashed potatoes, Baron of Beef Dip) and Greek foods, especially Chicken Souvlakia platter (Greek salad, rice pilaf, chicken kebab, lemon herb potatoes, pita bread and tzatziki sauce. Greek food is a big treat and I have it once or twice a year.
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The combo bowl I like to eat
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| Beef Pho Soup & Shrimp Salad Rolls |
4. Can you recommend a restaurant in your area? Why do you like it?
I would recommend 3 restaurants where I eat my favourite foods (Thai Son Restaurant, Sushi Kaido and Helen's Grill). It just depends on what you like. There are many restaurants in my neighbourhood and most are within walking distance. In fact, 2 of them have Michelin stars (Published on Main & Burdock & Co.). I've never eaten at them because they are both incredibly expensive. But the menus do look very interesting and they seem well patronised. Perhaps I will have a chance to experience one or both of them in future.
