Alo Drink Review

I like purchasing new products, so when I saw this drink at Farm Boy I thought we'd give it a try. I usually check sugar in each drink I buy for my child, and this one didn't seem too bad compared to what some other juices have. For 240 ml serving it has 17g of sugar. They have different flavours and the one I bought had Aloe Vera and 12 fruits and vegetables. I notice on their website that it says Aloe and Pulp, which I didn't notice when I bought it, or else I don't think I would have bought it. We didn't like the flavour, it was mild aloe flavour but didn't sit well with us. The thing we hated most is the 'aloe pulp'. I drained the container through a strainer so you could see the pulp, it was approx a 1/4 cup of this gelatinous globs. Have fun trying to drink that through a straw!!

Layered Mexican Dip in Martini Glass

Here is a great idea if you were serving layered Mexican dip at a party. I like the idea because once a few people scoop into a normal full sized dish of the layered dip, it starts looking pretty gross, and then no one else wants to eat it! I started with canned refried beans (you could make your own) ~don't you hate how when you open a can of refried beans the initial smell is of canned dog food~or is it just me!! Then some mashed avocado (I normally make guacamole but I figured all the other ingredients in guacamole are already in the other layers of the dip...) . I usually make homemade salsa but bought some from Farm Boy this time, and I was shocked at how much water I drained out of it...here is a pic of how much water came out! The container wasn't large to begin with. When I make salsa at home, I squeeze each tomato out, so that it's not watery salsa. Next layer sour cream and then whatever cheese you'd like. Unfortunately I bought the pre-shredded Taco and Nacho cheese, which wasn't great for this recipe because it is meant to be melted so the pieces are large, I would prefer a finer sized grate.

You can layer it which ever way you like, just don't top it with the avocado/guacamole because it will brown when exposed to air, so it's best to have it in between a layer. Also most people will top with either slices of Jalapeno peppers or slices of olives or perhaps both.

Spinach Ricotta Cannelloni

Hi, there are various recipes all over the web to make Spinach Ricotta Cannelloni, here are just some tips to share. I actually used manicotti shells instead, not sure that it's a huge difference except for size! I made a meat sauce to line the bottom of the pan with. I use a piping bag to get the mixture into the tubes. I find a great tip is that once the shells are boiled to keep them separate so that they don't get all stuck together, and the best way I find is to put them back into the plastic trays that they came in (not if they are still piping hot though...don't know about the plastic being too safe with hot foods), until you are ready to fill them, also when they are filled if you don't have the sauce/tray ready you can keep them in there. I made a white sauce to top it with before sprinkling the cheese on top, I hadn't done it before but I really like the results. I find if you just put a thin strip of either spaghetti sauce or white sauce down the middle of the shells like most pictures show...then it get the noodles all crunchy once you bake the cheese and I don't like that! I topped with cheese (mixture of parmesan and mozzarella) and baked 350degree oven until top was browned (forgot to take picture!). I know my pictures suck, but that's not my forte!

Cannelloni Filling
2 egg, lightly, beaten
1 package frozen spinach, cooked, drained (squeezed) chopped
1 tub ricotta cheese
1/4 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
salt & pepper to taste

1/2 onion cooked till translucent

Basic Béchamel Sauce
1 cup milk
A piece of onion or garlic
1 x bay leaf
1 to 2 Tbsp butter
1 to 2 Tbsp flour
salt and pepper

Basic Béchamel Sauce (I doubled the recipe and added fresh parsley)
Steep the milk with a piece of onion or garlic and a bay leaf for 15 minutes. Melt the butter in a saucepan. Whisk in the flour and cook for a minute. Gradually whisk in the milk. Cook, stirring constantly, until thick. Season.
For thick béchamel, use ratio of 2 tablespoons butter + 2 tablespoons flour for 1 cup/250 ml milk

Stuffed Shrimp

I saw them make this stuffed shrimp on America's Test Kitchen. The taste is outstanding, refreshing. Very highly recommended. The recipe seems to make the stuffing filling too wet, even though I didn't add at least three tablespoons of the wet mixture to the bread crumbs, so next time I would probably add more bread crumbs so the mixture wasn't so wet. I think my shrimp were half the size they asked for, but that's the biggest they had at Costco in frozen section today. Perhaps if you use the size they ask for then the tail would fold neatly back over the stuffing and look better for the presentation.

Ingredients:

4 slices high quality white sandwich bread, torn into pieces

1/2 cup mayonnaise

1/4 cup bottled clam juice

1/4 cup minced fresh parsley

4 scallions, minced

2 garlic cloves, minced

2 t. grated zest and 1 T. fresh lemon juice

1 T. Dijon mustard

1/8 t. cayenne pepper

Salt

1 1/4 pounds colossal shrimp, about 12 per pound, peeled and deveined

Directions:Adjust oven rack to upper middle position and heat oven to 375. Pulse bread in food processor to coarse crumbs. Transfer crumbs to broiler pan bottom and bake until golden and dry, 8 to 10 minute, stirring halfway through cooking time. Remove crumbs from oven and reduce the temperature to 275. Combine toasted breadcrumbs, mayonnaise,clam juice, parsley, scallions, garlic, lemon zest and juice, mustard, cayenne and 1/4 t. salt in large bowl. Pat shrimp dry with paper towels and season with salt. Grease empty broiler pan bottom. butterfly shrimp by using a sharp paring knife to cut along but not through the vein line, then opening up shrimp like a book. Using the tip of the paring knife, cut a 1 inch opening all the way through the center of the shrimp. After the shrimp have been butterflied, and the opening has been cut, flip the shrimp over onto the broiler pan. Divide stuffing mixture among the shrimp, pressing to adhere. Bake until shrimp are opaque, 20 to 25 minutes. Remove shrimp from oven and heat the broiler. Broil shrimp until crumbs are deep golden brown and crisp, 1 to 3 minutes. Serve. Makes 12 or serves 4 to 6

Here is a picture of how the shrimp will curl back over the filling if using bigger shrimp, and perhaps leave shell on the tail....

Batter Blaster

I had heard about this pancake batter before somewhere~ in a spray can (like a whip cream spray can), and when I saw it at Farm Boy (Merivale) I had to buy it. It was $5something. I normally don't buy prepackaged foods at all, and would normally steer clear of something so 'packaged' but when you have one child to make pancakes for...then trying to make a single serving of pancakes, or Aunt Jemina mix in half...it's a chore and too much leftover batter. I wasn't expecting much from this product but was pleasantly surprised. It is a very light fluffy batter, almost so light that my thicker spatula couldn't turn the first pancake without mashing it... It is "organic" batter, but that isn't important to me. My child said it tasted good, and I did a taste test myself and would agree. I would say it probably wouldn't make $ sense if you had a whole bunch of people to make pancakes for, but for a single person, or person who rarely makes pancakes, then I think it's a great idea.

Kowloon Market Somerset

Went to Kowloon Market in China Town~Ottawa. We got little cookies, curry pastes, noodles, etc. The funny thing was a bucket of chickens and a sign that read "Semi-Old Chickens".... I did pick up some different flavours of Jello (Knorr brand) that you can't usually find in supermarkets. They had Pina Colada flavour and Honey Dew and Lime flavours ($1.09 ea). You can always find great flavours of Pocky that you won't find in a normal grocery store, like dipped in crushed almonds. Kids love the "Hello Panda" little cookies with chocolate filling. Really looking forward to the new T&T Supermarket opening on Hunt Club.