Two Hungry Piglets

Merry Christmas!

noreply@blogger.com (Lee P) — Thu, 27 Dec 2012 02:31:00 +0000

Hello my devoted Piggie readers!

I'm sorry I haven't posted anything in a while but I have good reasons! First, the holiday season just tends to drive us all mad but more importantly, we've moved on and up! Check us out at our new site:

www.twohungrypiglets.com

There's a few kinks still to work out but it's up and running and hopefully you'll enjoy it as much as we have! In the next few days, when you come to this site, you'll be automatically be re-routed to the new page. Thanks for your patience!

Lots of love and oinks,

The Two Hungry Piglets ^('@')^ ^('@')^

White Chocolate and Cranberry Cookies

noreply@blogger.com (Lee P) — Sun, 23 Dec 2012 18:55:00 +0000

Day 9 of the 12 Days of Christmas Gluttony!

WAY too much chocolate, pumpkin and gingerbread lately so I decided to change it up a bit. I was inspired to make these cookies due to the Cranberry Bliss Bars I've seen around except that I think the icing is a bit much. Who doesn't like a combination of white and red colours and cranberries with white chocolate? It's a quick and easy recipe that you can probably bake and make in and around an hour so perfect if you're looking for that last minute baking sesh before guests arrive/you set off somewhere. Enjoy!

Baked Mini Gingerbread Doughnuts

noreply@blogger.com (Lee P) — Sat, 22 Dec 2012 21:44:00 +0000

Day 8 of the 12 Days of Christmas Gluttony!!

Why did I make this recipe? Because they're super cute. Why is it great for the holidays? A) you don't feel as bad eating mini things and B) these are AMAZINGLY good! They've got a bit of gingerbread spice that's nice (ha!) and the glaze on top will just knock your stockings off. It's like this caramel-y butterscotch-y glaze that just pushes these doughnuts to the next level. The only thing now is to keep myself from finishing the whole batch off before the family arrives... *sigh* I have such a hard life... Enjoy!

Baked Mini Chocolate Doughnuts

noreply@blogger.com (Lee P) — Sat, 22 Dec 2012 18:55:00 +0000

Day 7 of the 12 days of Christmas Gluttony!

It's the holidays and I've been indulging WAY too much... so am I going to post a recipe that's healthy? Um, no. These are the 12 days of Christmas GLUTTONY, not a prelude to your New Years health and diet resolutions. These doughnuts will not help you lose weight. These doughnuts, however, are not as bad as the conventional doughnut you know because a) they're baked and b) they contain less fat and sugar than any other doughnut recipe I've ever worked with. So what does this all mean? I don't feel AS BAD when I shove half a dozen of these down the hatch and you will too because they are DEELISH! Enjoy these at your own risk!

Pearl House Restaurant - Burnaby, BC

noreply@blogger.com (Lee P) — Fri, 21 Dec 2012 03:17:00 +0000

I often have many discussions about food at work: what place do you like to go to? Where's the best place for pho? Have you tried this place? And so on and so forth... I'm fortunate to be working in a place with so many food passionate people. So one insignificant morning at 5 am (yeah, brutal but it's my own fault), one of my work homies mentioned a place in Burnaby she says is her favourite Taiwanese/BB tea place. So after a tiring 10 minute really expensive trip to Metrotown, Mr and I decided to go for a cheap meal.

Pearl House is located in South Burnaby in a small cluster of restaurants. Nothing exceptional on the outside or the inside and we honestly wouldn't have ever come across this place if it hadn't been for my dear homie. It's starting to snow - we definitely have to get something to warm up!

Nutella Sugar Cookies

noreply@blogger.com (Lee P) — Fri, 21 Dec 2012 03:13:00 +0000

Day 6 of the 12 Days of Christmas Gluttony!

I love sugar cookies during the holidays but I absolutely HATE making them. They are so labour intensive, not because of the baking itself but all the decorating involved! You have to pipe this and that, make all sorts of icing colours, buy tons of sprinkles blah blah blah. I remember one year I made a sugar cookie Christmas tree for Mr. Piglet's family that took hours - making several Christmas tree cookies, decorated and mounted onto sticks and then placed so they formed a Christmas tree in the planting pot... when I brought it out, I was so proud of myself. When they ate it entirely in under 10 minutes, I vowed never to make it again. Well, the holidays are here again but this year, the sugar cookie is twisted into something less labour intensive and much more tasty. Enjoy!

Chocolate Gingerbread Loaf

noreply@blogger.com (Lee P) — Thu, 20 Dec 2012 02:26:00 +0000

Day 5 of the 12 Days of Christmas Gluttony!

I think we need a little break from the cookies, don't you? Like chocolate? Like ginger? Why not combine the two? Oh, that never occurred to me. The mix of traditional Christmas spices with chocolate is uber intoxicating and this is a super moist bread. Have one of these out for breakfast or break this holiday season and you'll be the favourite at the office and at home. Bon appetite!

Blue Bottle Coffee Co - San Francisco, CA

noreply@blogger.com (Lee P) — Wed, 19 Dec 2012 00:43:00 +0000

You know that cup of coffee that you're sitting there waiting for? The one that you KNOW is going to be absolutely amazing and you just can't wait for a sip? Well, I've never had that feeling... until now.

The Boathouse - Vancouver, BC

noreply@blogger.com (Lee P) — Mon, 17 Dec 2012 17:11:00 +0000

It's Mrs. Goose's birthday and we're going out for brunch! It's been a busy year and we haven't had the time to see Mr. Piglet's family too much and when we were invited to his aunt's birthday with the whole family, we had to say yes. We're meeting up somewhere that's close to Grandma Badger's place so Mr. Piglet and I end up at The Boathouse in Kitsilano, which in my opinion is the best location of all the locations. It's right on the beach, there's great lighting and has beautiful views of the water. What a way to start a slow Sunday!

I know this is a chain restaurant and I tend to stay away from reviewing these types of places but since I'm here, might as well review it right? The food may be more or less the same at each location but I find that the service at the Kitsilano branch to be the best. Ok, enough about the service, what about the food?

Red Velvet Cookies

noreply@blogger.com (Lee P) — Mon, 17 Dec 2012 17:06:00 +0000

Day 4 of the 12 Days of Christmas Gluttony!!

So I've made green cookies, so I have to make red ones too! Here it goes! I've always wondered why people were so fascinated with red velvet - it looks beautiful but what is it supposed to taste like? Well, I had no idea that it was supposed to be chocolatey until now. These cookies have the best chocolate flavour of all the red velvet baked goods I've ever made and they will look really lovely on your dessert table or cookie tins! (Right beside the green ones!) Enjoy!

Osaka Teppanyaki - Vancouver, BC

noreply@blogger.com (Lee P) — Sat, 15 Dec 2012 17:50:00 +0000

Happy Birthday Mr Bluebird! After a night of good music (yay 80s and 90s hits!), a fantastic slideshow, surprisingly tasty catered food and great friends, Mrs Bluebird has invited a ton of people out for dinner a few days afterwards. So nice of them, especially when all I did was hang some paper lanterns for the party... oh well. I'll just ride on the backs of the hard work the Teddys and Mr Piglet did for the party!

We're invited to Osaka Teppanyaki - I don't know much about this place but I've been here at least twice before. In typical teppanyaki fashion, there's a chef that cooks on a flat top in front you whilst performing various tricks and stunts with sharp knives, hot oil and lots of flame-age - the types of tricks that would end with many appendages being severed or being seriously maimed if attempted by you or I. After commandeering 3 tables (there's a lot of people here!), the chefs get ready for the show and my tummy gets ready for the chowing!

Mint Chocolate Cookies

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 14 Dec 2012 19:16:00 +0000

Day 3 of the 12 Days of Christmas Gluttony!

These look great in cookie tins and gift bags because of the vibrant colour. Come to think of it, they'd look great for St. Patrick's Day as well... Anyhoo, they're a classic mix of chocolate and mint and what's not to like about that? Stay tuned for other coloured goodies to mix in with your holiday cookie gifts! Bon appetite!

Motomachi Shokudo - Vancouver, BC

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 13 Dec 2012 04:34:00 +0000

It's a BEEYEWTEEFUL Saturday afternoon, Mr and I have gone to the Winter Farmer's Market, gotten some great local and organic sprouts, kale and eaten THE BEST ice cream sandwich from Earnest Ice Cream. I don't like eggnog and I don't particularly care for rum but Earnest has spun it's magic and made it into the most DELISH ice cream sandwich I've had in a very long time. We've had dessert already, so what's for lunch?

Christmas is coming fast so we figure we're already in Vancouver so might as well stay in Vancouver. It's sunny out but super cold so we need something to warm our bones. What better than a bowl of hot ramen? Neither of us had even heard of Motomachi before but I remember seeing it down the street from a few other popular ramen places and thought, "might as well give it a try". Let's go!

Ginger Surprise Cookies

noreply@blogger.com (Lee P) — Wed, 12 Dec 2012 03:08:00 +0000

Day 2 of the 12 Days of Christmas Gluttony!

Well, you can make these into a surprise if you like, it's really up to you. What's the surprise you say? Well, right in the middle of these delicious light ginger cookies is a square of chocolate - you can use either milk or dark chocolate and both taste good. Or if you want to forego the surprise chocolate gift, you can also use just regular semisweet chocolate chips but I like the little surprise of chocolate in the centre making it more Christmasy - like finding a nice chocolate gift on the inside! ANYHOO, I brought these to test of my fellow piglets and they went bonkers for it. BONKERS. Just make sure you set some aside for yourself or you'll be left out in the cold like I was. Enjoy!

Charcoal Sushi & BBQ Restaurant - Richmond, BC

noreply@blogger.com (Lee P) — Tue, 11 Dec 2012 03:03:00 +0000

For once, I've decided to be a good girlfriend and meet Mr. Piglet for dinner in Richmond before his hockey game. No time for him to come home and eat a meal so I might as well drive out there for a meal with him before his game. I'll make him pay to make it worth the drive. Ha! We meet at the mall since I've decided to knock a few Christmas gifts off my list to get a head start of the crowds. What's near the mall we haven't tried yet? Well, there's this place...

I don't really have a background on this place and have never even heard about it but we chose it because we'd never been and it was just across the street from the mall. We walk in and there's no one else seated. The servers and chefs speak Chinese. Not to knock one ethnicity specializing in another is a bad thing but... I am knocking it. Usually it turns out not very good. Oh well, I am and will remain optimistic. Bring it on!
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Roli Roti - San Francisco, CA

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 10 Dec 2012 02:50:00 +0000

Oh man, Mr and I definitely ate WAY TOO much (as usual) but as we're rolling through the Farmer's Market, we see another little food truck at the end of the row vendors. There's stanchions set up and people in line... What's the big deal?

THIS is the big deal. Pork seasoned and stuffed with herbs slowly roasting rotisserie styles in a truck until the skin is crispy. Hey! I remember this truck from the Food Network show Eat St! I also remember seeing it the day before at the Off the Grid gathering but we didn't pay them any attention. Je regret. ANYHOO, the slow roasted crispy pork is then chopped in front of you, placed into a wicked looking bun and topped with crispy skin, caramelized onions and arugula. OMG. SOLD. We don't care how full we are, we are eating this sandwich.

Neptune Seafood Restaurant - Richmond, BC

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 07 Dec 2012 22:54:00 +0000

It's one of those rare days when Mr. Piglet and I are up and ready early in the morning but we didn't have a choice about it. My dear mechanic only had one time slot for the day and it just so happened to be only 9:30 am so now we're stuck in Richmond without a car, it's raining and I've just been told that it will take several hours. Nothing to do but go and eat!

After a gruelling 30 minute walk (ok, it wasn't gruelling - just trying to be dramatic), we find ourselves on No. 3 Road. We actually meant to go get a coffee but I spot Neptune Seafood Restaurant out of the corner of my eye. A few years back they had a dim sum special where you would get discount for eating before 10:30 am. FYI, there is not discount anymore. LOL. Oh well, we've already walked in so we might as well sit down and have a meal. It's been renovated for a few years now and it looks great but hopefully the food is good too...

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Shortbread Cookies

noreply@blogger.com (Lee P) — Thu, 06 Dec 2012 01:31:00 +0000

Christmas is coming!! In celebration of the holiday season, I've decided to try a collection of goodies this year called the 12 Days of Christmas Gluttony! Enjoy!

I think I need to start with something simple but still rich... In an ode to Mr. Piglet's British family, I decided to play around with some shortbread cookie recipes and this is the most delicious one that came out. I think I'm going to bring over a batch to Grandma Piglet's house this Christmas to go with coffee and tea after dinner. Believe me, it doesn't look like much but they are REALLY good and super easy to make. Hope you Piggies like it! (And don't worry, if this is too tame as a Christmas treat, there's more recipes coming!)

Pho Ten - Richmond, BC

noreply@blogger.com (Lee P) — Tue, 04 Dec 2012 18:04:00 +0000

Worked an 11 hour shift today. No cooking will be happening, that's for sure. Take me to food Mr. Piglet! But where? Since we've started blogging, we've eaten at a lot of places in Richmond. I know we haven't even scratched the surface but it always seems we end up suggesting/thinking of the same restaurants. How are we going to fix that? Urbanspoon App to the rescue! Shake function and here's where we end up!

I have no idea what this place is even about except that a coworker of mine may have suggested it to me but I can't remember when or who even did so. We park and I'm immediately surprised at how clean, organized and modern this place looks. The ambiance is nice, but what about the food? Let's see!!

Lao Shan Dong Homemade Noodle House - Burnaby, BC

noreply@blogger.com (Lee P) — Mon, 03 Dec 2012 18:35:00 +0000

Another lazy day at the Piglet household and neither Mr or I want to cook, especially when just waking from one of those really bad good naps. You know those ones where you feel great from napping but it's screwed your night's sleep - great, now we're going to be up til 3 am. I'm tired of going to Richmond so Mr suggests Burnaby and I know there's a bubble tea place I've always wanted to try. It's closed today. Fail. Ok, we'll go to the next best thing then!

Lao Shan Dong is a place I've wanted to try for a while but am rarely in that area. We try to avoid the Metrotown neighbourhood like the plague but it's about 8 pm mid week so it shouldn't be too bad. It's a cold rainy day and we're in the mood for some handmade soup noodles. The Teddy's have just come back from an epic hour plus drive home and are too tired to cook as well - we pick them up and head off! Can't wait to get some food in my belly!

Namu Street Food - San Francisco, CA

noreply@blogger.com (Lee P) — Sun, 02 Dec 2012 04:22:00 +0000

We are at the Ferry Plaza Farmer's Market and I made my pick of ramen so Mr. Piglet goes to wander around to see what his choice will be. It takes a while since there's a lot of choices - not just vendors but food items. Each stand has their own little specials and Mr just can't decide! Come on now! We have the rest of San Francisco to explore!!

Mr finally settles on a Korea fusion stand Namu Street Food, an offshoot of Namu Goji, a family run joint (3 brothers) that prides itself on New Korean American food. We're not sure what that means but it looks like they serve a mix of Korean foods with other cultures such as Chinese and Mexican. The pictures on the menu look great and the smells emanating from the tent are amazing. Done.
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Kale Chips

noreply@blogger.com (Lee P) — Sat, 01 Dec 2012 04:38:00 +0000

Healthy chip? As much as you want to believe it, it's not going to happen. Chips are chips and they will always be chips no matter how "low fat" or "baked" they claim to be. So when Mr. Piglet wanted a nice snack to go with his beer and we had a bunch of kale left from the Vancouver Farmer's Market, a lightbulb went off. Kale chips! Ok, so for those who are looking for a chip replacement, this is not it. These will never be "real" chips but they are a nice snack that give you that salty flavour you crave while giving you a dose of vitamins, beta-carotene, calcium and more more other nutrients that chips will never be able to provide. So open up your mind, and palate, and you'll find you won't even miss chips after having these for a while. Bon appetite!

Tai Hing Congee and Noodle House - Richmond, BC

noreply@blogger.com (Lee P) — Fri, 30 Nov 2012 00:30:00 +0000

It's a late Friday afternoon and Mr Piglet and I are absolutely pooped. We were planning to go home after a long day at work but as soon as we hopped in the car, turned on the local traffic station and found out there was an accident on the bridge, we knew we were hooped. Ok, nevermind about going home. It's raining and when it rains in the Lower Mainland, people suddenly can't remember how to drive. *sigh* We need something warm, comforting and quiet. No flashy lights, yelling servers or techno-remixes for us tonight. So we drive around and stumble upon the deserted Tai Hing Congee and Noodle House. Perfect.

When I say deserted, I mean DESERTED. There's one single man eating, the server is wiping down the mirrors and there's nothing else to describe the interior except "dive". Hm, my experience is that the food will be pretty darn good. We're handed the small menu, we order and wait quietly for our food...

Chickpea Kale Salad

noreply@blogger.com (Lee P) — Wed, 28 Nov 2012 20:08:00 +0000

So Mr. Piglet is trying to eat more healthy (oh no!) and while watching Chuck Hughes' "Chuck's Day Off", he spotted this recipe and through the power of the interwebs, he decided to re-create it. Mr doesn't cook very often, mainly just things that are already pre-made or require very little prep work. How did the salad turn out? It was a very good effort and it was not at all bad but I think the recipe itself was missing something. Who can eat 2 cups of parsley??? So I took the recipe, twisted it a bit, added some stuff, took out some stuff and this is what came out the other side. Enjoy!

House of Tofu Soup - Richmond, BC

noreply@blogger.com (Lee P) — Tue, 27 Nov 2012 20:46:00 +0000

Guess who's birthday it is? Mine! Yay! I'm turning 25 again! This year has been super low key since I've been working like a maniac so I left it up to Mrs. Teddy to plan a low key dinner. She gave me a few options but I chose this place since Godzilla said it was amazing. Godzilla and I don't see eye to eye on our restaurant picks so I had my reservations about going. We'll see how it goes...

It's pretty bare in here... Usually Korean places are a bit more intimate and they have some Asian decor flare but this place looks more like a furniture store than a restaurant save for the tables in the place. Hm, pretty busy for a Thursday night. I love it when we have these family dinners because then we get to try a little bit of everything. We end up ordering almost the whole menu and wait for our dishes...
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