Image: miss604

Spinnakers sits on a huge piece of land overlooking the harbour – their property includes the Brewpub, as well as a number of Guest Houses (they operate like a B&B for these) we also had a chance to tour. I was expecting, for lunch, that we’d all just be ordering off the menu. Not so! There was a huge meal planned, with 5 courses of food, 3 wine pairings, 3 beer & chocolate pairings, and liquor and cheese pairing to finish off. Crazy!

The lunch started off with a plate of cheeses & fish, followed by a salad, mussels, clams, and pork & risotto (miss604 has great photos of each dish). If you’re thinking this doesn’t sound like food a pregnant woman should be eating, you’re right! After the plates started coming out, we had to ask that a special meal be prepared for me – I got to eat a cheese-less salad and a mushroom & chicken pasta. Most of the ingredients at Spinnakers are local or organic, and the herbs are even partially grown on their guest house properties!

While I did miss out on all the fantastic wines and beers, I did have a chance to enjoy the O de Vie, a mineral water that bubbles up from an aquifer 225ft beneath the brewhouse. Delish. And I have to say I probably wasn’t the only one who felt spoiled after such an elaborate lunch – ok, everyone else probably felt it more than I did, what with all the wine & beer consumed, and the fabulous service we had while there!

Spinnakers, as Canada’s first purpose-built brewpub, has a long history of making beer. They produce at least 10 types of ale (no lager) on-site, and take great pride in the process. I know Ianiv had a couple of glasses of their Nut Brown Ale, with the Hefeweizen being a crowd favorite as well.

Sadly, I didn’t have a chance to try their Malt Vinegar, and I swear I mentioned that several times after I left there. Note to self: when pregnant, satisfy cravings! I’m going to need to go back sometime for their fish & chips so I can have one of their naturally brewed vinegars!

Not making the same mistake twice, we stopped at the Spinnakers giftshop on our way out to load up on cookies and toffees and more of the truffles that were served with the beer. Why not, right?

We are definitely lovers of tequila in this house. We have a couple of good quality ones, though none as good as the one we sampled there. For a fraction of the cost of a bar, we tried the Dos Lunas tequila, which is a 100% blue agave tequila. Unbelievably good.

Tags: tequila, vancouver, eat vancouver, eat vancouver 2008, vancouver events, food, food festival

1. Avoid carrot sticks. Anyone who puts carrots on a holiday buffet table knows nothing of the Christmas spirit. In fact, if you see carrots, leave immediately. Go next door, where they’re serving rum balls.
2. Drink as much eggnog as you can. And quickly. Like fine single-malt scotch, it’s rare. In fact, it’s even rarer than single-malt scotch. You can’t find it any other time of year but now. So drink up! Who cares that it has 10,000 calories in every sip? It’s not as if you’re going to turn into an eggnog-alcoholic or something. It’s a treat. Enjoy it. Have one for me. Have two. It’s later than you think. It’s Christmas!
3. If something comes with gravy, use it. That’s the whole point of gravy. Gravy does not stand alone. Pour it on. Make a volcano out of your mashed potatoes. Fill it with gravy . Eat the volcano. Repeat. 
4. As for mashed potatoes, always ask if they’re made with skim milk or whole milk. If it’s skim, pass. Why bother? It’s like buying a sports car with an automatic transmission.
5. Do not have a snack before going to a party in an effort to control your eating. The whole point of going to a Christmas party is to eat other people’s food for free. Lots of it. Hello?
6. Under no circumstances should you exercise between now and New Year’s. You can do that in January when you have nothing else to do. This is the time for long naps, which you’ll need after circling the buffet table while carrying a 10-pound plate of food and that vat of eggnog.
7. If you come across something really good at a buffet table, like frosted Christmas cookies in the shape and size of Santa, position yourself near them and don’t budge. Have as many as you can before becoming the center of attention. They’re like a beautiful pair of shoes. If you leave them behind, you’re never going to see them again.
8. Same for pies. Apple. Pumpkin. Mincemeat. Have a slice of each. Or if you don’t like mincemeat, have two apples and one pumpkin. Always have three. When else do you get to have more than one dessert? Labor Day?
9. Did someone mention fruitcake? Granted, it’s loaded with the mandatory celebratory calories, but avoid it at all cost. I mean, have some standards.
10. One final tip: If you don’t feel terrible when you leave the party or get up from the table, you haven’t been paying attention. Re-read tips; start over, but hurry, January is just around the corner.

Happy Holidays – and happy eating!

Thanks to Lynn for passing this on! Received via email.

Tags: holidays, christmas, eating, diets, diet

I may like desserts (a lot), but I am not willing to go into debt for them. The little creation above costs $14,500. Yes indeed, it’s like buying a car.

What: The Fortress Aquamarine
Where: Wine3 at The Fortress; Galle, Sri Lanka
Price: $14,500

This dessert, which debuted in March, was inspired by the success of the restaurant’s other gem-studded treat, the Bombay Sapphire Martini. The star of the show is an 80-carat aquamarine gem that rests on a sliver of chocolate shaped to resemble the traditional stilt fisherman that’s part of the resort’s logo. Handmade glass utensils (not included in the price) complete the presentation. And yes, diners can pocket the gemstone after polishing off the dessert. None have yet been sold.

Via crib candy, forbes traveler Tags: dessert, expensive, food, gourmet, opulence

7-Eleven stores will be handing out 1000 free 7.11oz Slurpees from 7am until 11pm (or until supplies last)

I’m a Coke & Cream Soda mixer. Mmm Slurpee.

And if you haven’t seen it, check out the awesome Kwik-E-Mart campaign they’ve got running across North America. There is only one in Canada – in Coquitlam.

Tags: slurpee, free slurpee, 7 eleven, free

So, today I scoured my cookbooks for some new things to try. Mostly not recipes we already know. A whole week of new things to spice things up a bit. We also plan to cook more at once, and just reheat, to deal with the expected busy times of our week.

Here are the items I’ve dug up for our week:

• jerk chicken
• cornbread (low fat)
• three-mushroom soup (low fat)
• baked risotto (low fat)
• roasted peppers
• baked cauliflower
• salmon with tequila cream

That should get us through Sunday to Thursday. Tuesday we have dinner at Ianiv’s mother and Friday we go away for our anniversary. Should be a yummy week. I might also toss in a banana lime bread I found a recipe for. It sounds very tasty.

Tags: menu, cooking, food planning

"Premium Sunflower seeds SUPERCHARGED with CAFFEINE, TAURINE, LYSINE and GINSENG"

Just odd, if you ask me…

Via strange new products ; Tags: sumseeds, caffeine, sunflower seeds, sunflower caffeine

Via BoingBoing

Anyone know where you can get some of these in Vancouver?

Make yourself into an M&M too!

Via Hsein