Ox and Angela for dinner

On his birthday, I took my husband out for dinner at Ox and Angela. If you go there, do yourself a favour and get the ‘spanish table’ meal. You won’t regret it (and you won’t have to look like a fool not knowing what you have ordered, since most of the items on the menus are tapas). Unfortunately, I do not have pictures to back it up – the food was great, the ambiance was perfect, and we were having a great time, so there was really no time to think about taking pictures.

Sandwiches for dinner

I dread dinners. We usually have a salad in the evening, but I get bored with them after a few evenings. The other day, I had this fantastic idea of making a sandwich with chicken leftovers from a roasted chicken and fresh veggies. We had them for dinner for three or four evenings in the row, until I got bored. Again. But they’re still tasty!

Beets and horseradish salad

Nothing compares to the sweet taste of beets flavoured by the tanginess of horseradish. Sprinkle some salty, creamy feta cheese, and there you go, a work of art!

Dinner at Wurst

We tried Wurst (2437 4th Street SW) for dinner a few evenings ago. We had been there for brunch, but somehow the idea of ‘wurst’ is not the most appealing to me. Granted, given the name of the restaurant, one would be entitled to expect a wide range of sausages on the menu. If that’s what you’re after, then the restaurant will disappoint.

Baked garlic potatoes

Ever since my friend first introduced me to this recipe, I cannot get enough of these potatoes! It takes around 10-15 minutes to prepare them and they’re ready in 30-45 minutes.

Lunch at 80th & Ivy

A few weeks ago, we gave 80th & Ivy a try for lunch. I had been waiting for an opportunity to try this place ever since it opened up (1127 17 Ave SW, Calgary): it looked good, great patio for people watching and I really liked the big windows. I did not know there’s a ‘back’ that looks more like a bistro than a pub – lots of natural light, simple and clean decorum, view of the kitchen and lots of plants.

Restaurant view.

Quinoa soufflé

Quinoa gratin with chicken – my lunch.

 

I am trying to warm up to quinoa (with little success, so far). I got this recipe from the President’s Choice mobile app and used a bit less cheese than recommended. The recipe is fairly simple, and since the link is above, I won’t summarize it here. Suffice it to say you need quinoa, leeks, bell peppers, eggs and some cheese.

Smashburger

After months and months of trying to make it to Smashburger, we finally had lunch over there last week. Disclosure statement: I don’t like burgers. I know the picture this paints, but here you go, I live in Calgary and burgers are not my type of food.

Smashburger logo

Coffee & Tea in Calgary

Coffee and dessert at Phil and Sebastian

For me, a coffee/ tea house should be a small meeting place. A place where you sit and sip coffee/ tea for the socializing aspect of it: you watch people coming and going, the music plays in the background, the place is almost-full and the nice murmur of people chatting warms you up. I’m quite picky about such places, so my taste may not be your taste. But here are some nice places I like to go to in Calgary:

Easiest asparagus in the oven

Baked asparagus

This is a quick and easy to prepare side dish, where you bake the asparagus in the oven (rather than steam it, as in this recipe).  The trick is to use garlic and to let the asparagus bake until it’s a bit crunchy (when it darkens and looks wrinkled, it’s ready!).