Cooking with Alison

Archive for the ‘Reviews’ Category

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Review of Royal Caribbean Cruise Line in Comparison to Princess

In Reviews on May 6, 2012 at pm

I cruised to the Western Caribbean with the Royal Caribbean cruise line on the Liberty of the Seas ship in January, 2012.  This is a brief review of the Royal Caribbean cruise line in comparison to the Princess cruise line, Caribbean Princess ship.  See here for my original and detailed review of the Princess cruise line food.

I am officially hooked on cruising and I plan to try ships from the other major competitors over the next few years, including Celebrity, Holland America, and Norwegian.  I can’t wait to declare a favourite company!

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Vern’s Toffee House’s All Natural Butter Almond Toffee

In Reviews on November 19, 2011 at am

I would like to introduce you to my favourite gourmet toffee.  Vern’s Toffee House makes an all natural butter almond toffee that is covered in either milk or dark chocolate.  It needs to be stored in the refrigerator or freezer and I love to eat it frozen.  It is truly addictive and unlike artificially preserved toffees, this won’t leave a weird taste in your mouth no matter how much of it you eat in one sitting.  (This was tested with an entire pound of toffee being ingested non stop. ;) )  I love the crispy whole almonds and the crunchy, buttery and sweet toffee.  My only criticism is that I don’t love the chocolate that they used (milk or dark).  But then again, the toffee is the star of this candy.  Although it is a bit pricey, you can taste the freshness in the almonds and the quality in the toffee.  This is great to have on hand for entertaining and it makes an excellent gift.  Just a heads up that since this product is all natural, it has a short shelf life, but can be stored in the freezer for a few months.  Note that although Canada is not listed as a shipping destination on their order form, they do ship to Canada, but you will have to place the order over the phone.

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AnyLock Reusable Food Storage Bags and Sealers

In Reviews on October 20, 2011 at pm

I am conscious about being environmentally friendly, and I always feel guilty about the number of disposable freezer bags that I use.  You see, most of the time I’m cooking for one, so I make large batches of food, divide them into one or two serving portions, and freeze them.  I try to use tupperware containers as often as I can but they disappear with Ed and my sister, Krystal, for months at a time (I deliver most of the frozen meals to them).  I have already purchased many tupperware containers and I simply don’t have the storage space for more.  Also, freezer bags don’t take up as much space, and freezer space is a hot commodity in my apartment.  So I was very excited to discover AnyLock’s reusable food storage bags and sealers (Slide ‘n Store).  They work better than disposable ziploc bags while reducing waste!  Furthermore, AnyLock’s sealing rods are the best bag closing/sealing product I have ever seen or used.  I’ve shared my detailed review of these products below.  Note that this review is based only on my personal opinions and experience with the product.

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My First Wedding Cake (and the Sugar Shack that Anthony Bourdain went to in No Reservations)

In Cake Decorating, Cakes, Reviews on September 17, 2011 at am

Two of my good friends got married on September 10, 2011 at Sucrerie de la Montagne in Quebec, Canada.  On a side note, Chef Anthony Bourdain went to this very sugar shack for his television show, No Reservations.  My friends had an intimate wedding and invited their friends and family to bring cakes for dessert.  So I took this opportunity to make my first wedding cake.  It was a one-tier, two-layer chocolate cake with strawberry raspberry jam and vanilla Swiss meringue buttercream.  It was covered with marshmallow fondant and topped with fresh, fall coloured flowers.  I was very happy with how it turned out and people loved the way that it tasted.  My cake decorating skills have come a LONG way since my Michael’s cake decorating course.  :)   This cake was surprisingly easy to make.  See below for the recipes and a few tips.

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Miniature BBQ Menu and Recipes (and a review of PC’s summer 2011 products)

In Appetizers, Hors D'oeuvres, Snacks, Main Course, Other Dishes, Reviews, Sides and Sauces on July 21, 2011 at am

A few of Ed’s friends stopped by in Kingston for lunch one day.  We only had two hours notice, but that was enough time to put a menu together, run out and get groceries, and host a miniature BBQ.  Luckily, I had some miniature frozen strawberry pies in the freezer.  (See the menu and recipes below.)  I love miniature food (see my miniature food display here) and I think it’s a great way to entertain, especially if you’re serving a light meal or throwing a baby shower.  I love that this was all finger food and cutlery was only required for the dessert.  A review of some of President’s Choice’s new summer 2011 products is also provided below.

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The Halal Guys, New York City Street Food

In Reviews on June 14, 2011 at am

I always rave about the chicken kabobs that you get from the NYC street vendors.  Forget the hot dogs, the pretzels, or the toasted nuts, have a chicken kabob!  They’re about $5 a skewer but they’re the best chicken kabobs I’ve ever had.  When I told my cousin how the streets of NYC ruined all other chicken kabobs for me, he told me that I had to try The Halal Guys at 6th Avenue and 53rd Street.  This specific location is very well known for their chicken and rice dish (photo below).  From what I’ve been told, no other location of this chain compares.  We went there late on a Monday night and there were 10 to 15 people in line ahead of us.  To my surprise, my cousin and his friend told me that we were lucky that the line was so short.  The line up at this location is usually horrendous.  In fact, someone was once stabbed for cutting in line.

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How to Make Almond Milk (and a Comparison of Milk Alternatives)

In How To, Reviews on May 23, 2011 at am

Normally, I’m a regular consumer of cow’s milk and Chinese soy milk drinks.  But challenging myself with a month long detox diet (see post here) led me to explore non-dairy (casein free) and non-soy milks.  The options include coconut milk, almond milk, rice milk, and hemp milk.  I also heard of a potato based milk alternative, DariFree by Vance’s Foods that comes in a powder.  I don’t like the taste of fresh coconut juice and coconut milk is too rich (for my tastes) for drinking, so this post will focus on a comparison between almond, rice, and hemp milk.  Also, see below for homemade rice milk instructions and a very simple and versatile almond milk recipe with flavour variations.

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GATEAUX bakery and cafe, New Jersey (an excellent Korean bakery)

In Reviews on April 24, 2011 at am

The GATEAUX bakery & cafe is a wonderful Korean bakery in New Jersey.  They have impressively beautiful cakes that are delicately light in texture and flavour.  They are perfect for celebrating any occasion.  I love that they’re not too sweet.  Also, they won’t sit heavily in your stomach like other bakery cakes that are too rich or dense.  Thanks goes out to my cousin for introducing this bakery to us!

GATEAUX bakery & cafe doesn’t have a website at this time.  But here is their contact info:

Address:  877 U.S. 1 Edison, NJ 08817-4676
Tel: (732) 248-5555

The red bean cake is shown below.

The tiramisu cake (with candles) is shown below.

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Have You Tried Ice Cider?

In Reviews on April 10, 2011 at am

During a visit to Montreal, Quebec, Canada, a friend of ours introduced us to the most wonderful dessert  wine – ice cider (cidre de glace).  Canada (Ontario in particular) is very well-known for its ice wine, which is made from frozen grapes, but few seem to know about ice cider, which is made in the Quebec province using frozen apples.  I’ve never liked ice wine, because I find the sweetness to be overwhelming without complexity.  But I love ice cider, because its sweetness is accompanied by a wonderful apple flavour.  I can’t believe that it isn’t more well known!  I’ve only tried the brand Neige.  Although it is close to the affordable end of dessert wines, I have fallen in love with the packaging (shown on the left in the photo above) as well as the taste.  (I will update this post when I try a more expensive brand for comparison.)  If your local liquor store doesn’t carry ice cider, try ordering it online and be sure to pick up a few bottles at a SAQ the next time you’re traveling through Quebec.  Enjoy it ice cold!

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La Maison du Chocolat Truffles (and their Recipe)

In Reviews on April 6, 2011 at am

I never understood the popularity of chocolate truffles until I tried a dark chocolate truffle from La Maison du Chocolat.  I took a small bite of the plain, cocoa dusted truffle and let it melt in my mouth.  It was incredible.  It was truly the best chocolate and the best truffle that I have ever had in my life;  Better than any Belgian, any German, and any famous American chocolate that I’ve tasted. From what my cousin tells me, the freshly made truffles at the store are even better.  I will definitely try this the next chance I get.

These handmade French chocolates are sold all around the world.  I tried the chocolate from one of the New York City locations.  They are expensive, but worth it in my opinion.  They would make a phenomenal gift for anyone who enjoys chocolate or indulgence.  You could even try making them yourself!  The La Maison du Chocolat recipe for their truffles is posted online (see below).  Smitten Kitchen tested the recipe and provided detailed photo instructions here.  One day I’ll try making these too and I’ll let you know how they compare to the store bought truffles. Read the rest of this entry »

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Review of Nobu vs. Morimoto Restaurants, New York City

In Reviews on April 2, 2011 at am

I am in love with Japanese food, so I was very excited to eat at two world renowned Japanese restaurants in NYC.  I went to Nobu for dinner on a Sunday night and then to Morimoto the next day (Monday) for lunch.  (If you’re planning on going to either restaurant, be sure to make reservations weeks in advance.)  The dining experience at these restaurants couldn’t have been more different.  Nobu disappointed me on all fronts, while Morimoto gave me the best meal of my life.  But having said that, there were definitely some things that Nobu did better than Morimoto.  So this is my review comparing Nobu (not Nobu Next Door) and Moriomoto.  Photo below:  The entrance to Morimoto.

Note:  Normally I don’t like to take photos of food in restaurants, but I couldn’t help myself at Morimoto, because the dishes were so artistic and creative.  We were in awe of the presentation of each course and blown away by the taste and interesting food pairing.

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Baked by Melissa Mini Cupcakes, New York City

In Reviews on March 27, 2011 at am

We tried the miniature stuffed cupcakes by Baked by Melissa at the SOHO location in NYC and they are now my favourite cupcakes.  Prior to trying them, I foolishly thought that they had earned their fame solely because of their adorable size (diameter of a quarter crosswise; diameter of a loonie or toonie across the top) and extensive selection of flavours and bright colours.  But they are so much more than that.  So let me count the ways that I love Baked by Melissa’s mini cupcakes:

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