The Burgerthon

Is this the perfect burger?

My husband is a burger guy. Seriously. We can be at a world class restaurant, with mouth-watering selections tempting us, and he, undoubtedly, unceremoniously, and much to my chagrin, orders the burger. I used to be annoyed by it; Why could he not open his palate to new flavors, new experiences? I have since changed my tune, and decided to join him on his sandwich choosing adventure. Because a burger can be so many things, and offer countless amazing flavor nuances, I have challenged myself to a burger-o-rama. Or at least maybe just an adventure into Calgary's culinary offering on the subject. Here is my list of potential challengers, as gathered by friends, colleagues, tweets, and Google...

1. South Street Burger Co. (voted best burger by the Fan 960, and my first foray into the challenge. More on that later this week...).
2. Five Guys Burgers and Fries
3. Charcut (they have this really cool secret called "alley burger," check it out. AND Charcut's Chef Connie DeSousa will compete for top honors in Top Chef Canada on the Food Network. Deliciously awesome!).
4. NoTable
5. LoungeBurger
6. FatBurger
7. Open Range (I have been to this fantastic restaurant many times, so this won't be a new experience, only the burger).


I do not have any specific rules. Just a tasty offering that takes into account the big three indicators; Quality Canadian meat, excellent bun, variety of toppings. Plus a little on the room and accompaniments, of course. In the interest of not gaining 30lbs in this process, I will report back to you within the next few months. If you would like to join me on my quest for a perfect burger in Calgary, send me a note! Likewise if you have a burger secret that you want me to try!


Happy Burgerthon to all! 

P.S. Just after I posted this challenge, I found out about a contest to attend the eatwriteretreat food blogger conference in Washington, D.C. How perfectly things sometimes come together?!!

Recipe Share: Roasted Lund's Carrots

Mix it up!

From my last post on eating real food, and disparaging those bullet shaped carrots, I wanted to post a fantastic recipe for Roasted Carrots. When I can, I buy my carrots from Lund's Organic Farm. These can be picked up from the Kingsland Farmers' Market in Calgary. Right now, they have beautiful bags of multi-colored carrots (purple, white, orange and yellow) that taste so good! Check out all of the reasons why they are so tasty here (caution: you may also not want to buy conventional carrots anymore!).


Here is a recipe that is my own, however, I add the caveat that I have a lot of inspiration from my favs like Jamie Oliver, and America's Test Kitchen. The addition of the vinegars really gives the carrots just a hint of acid that combines nicely with the sweetness in the carrots. 


Roasted Carrots

Even the compost is pretty!

10 carrots, multi-varietal if possible, peeled, washed and sliced
4 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil
2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 tbsp red wine vinegar
1 tsp fresh, or 1 1/2 tsp dry, thyme
1 tsp dry tarragon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp cinnamon 
sea salt and cracked black pepper to taste


Toss all ingredients together. Roast for about an hour at 350 degrees. Before serving, top with two pats of unsalted butter, and sprinkle with a bit more sea salt. Or try these variations: 


- Top with truffled salt instead of sea salt before serving
- Add maple sugar to the seasoned carrots before roasting
- Replace the balsamic vinegar with 2 tbsp of honey or maple syrup
- Replace the cinnamon with cracked red chili peppers for some heat
- Replace the thyme & tarragon with a good 'herbes de provence' blend
- Add toasted, chopped pecans or walnuts to the carrots before serving

Lund's Organic Carrots

This is perfect alongside a Sunday roast dinner with family, but are yummy as leftovers too. These carrots look amazing as crudités as well. If you try this recipe or know of another great one, I'd love to know what you think! 

Eat Food!

Bullet Shaped Carrots

Looking for blog inspiration this week, I was struck by a fantastic article in the Calgary Herald, written by my friend and dietician Andrea Holwegner. In it, Andrea writes about how in many families, children are not aware of where their food comes from. While this strikes me as a little sad (re: her line about tiny bullet shaped carrots), I know that it is also quite true. I was lucky enough to have parents and grandparents that taught me about farming and gardening at a young age. However, I can see how that might not be a part of the conversation these days. How do we eat actual nutritious food (i.e. whole, organic, locally grown) without compromising taste or desire to eat it? My friends that are parents can attest to the difficulty of getting their kids to eat anything remotely related to vegetables and resorting to "hiding" them in food that kids will eat (i.e. pureed squash or cauliflower in mac and cheese), never-mind teaching them about how that squash gets into their fridge.

Garden Fresh

My mother-in-law has a very cool tradition with her grandkids at Easter that is both fun for them, and mildly educational. She will purchase a bunch of carrots with the green tops still attached (harder and harder to find, I am told), and bury them in her garden. Then the kids head out Easter morning, and "pick" the carrots for the Easter Bunny. While the ground is likely still frozen in April in Calgary, this tradition teaches the kids that carrots grow in dirt and opens the floor for conversation around the topic. The possible distraction from all of those chocolate eggs present during Easter doesn't hurt either. 


I am interested in your tips to get your spouse, children, parents, to eat more real food? OR, how you educate yourself on the topic? AND, where you buy your real food from? 


One last note; My very favorite food author (or my "food-boyfriend", as my husband calls him) Michael Pollan has 7 poignant words of wisdom: Eat food, not too much, mostly plants. Sounds good to me, pass it on.