Rock Cakes Anyone?

For anyone who’s ever read Harry Potter, they will probably remember Hagrid’s famous rock cakes (the ones that will break your teeth). I decided to use the Unofficial Harry Potter cookbook that I own to try and make my own version of these biscuits. There were good directions in this recipe, it was made similarly to how you would make a biscuit. I got out all my materials and then mixed all the dry ingredients together. After that I added the butter and then the wet ingredients and finally some raisins. It formed a sticky dough which I just scooped in balls onto the cookie sheet.

            When Harry and Ron talk about the rock cakes in the books they mention how they can hardly eat them because they will break their teeth! Unfortunately for them they didn’t have my version of the cakes which were very good. I found the recipe very easy to follow and the product turned out light and fluffy just like they were supposed to. I had to work hard to keep my sisters away after they came out of the oven.

            For anyone who is interested in trying to make these rock cakes themselves I would highly recommend this recipe, or if you are a major Harry Potter fan like myself I recommend the whole cookbook!

            Happy cooking.

The Famous Warehouse

 Working on a Thursday night, one of my co-workers had asked me if I wanted to go to a restaurant downtown. He told me it was very cheap there and good apparently. So later on after he sent me the website link so I could look up the menu and prices, and I was very surprised at it. I was very surprised to see that every item on the menu was $4.95. Actually, I found it pretty unbelievable. Everything was besides the specials. On Mondays they have all you can eat pasta for $6.95 and on Tuesday, they have Taco Tuesday where its all you can eat tacos for the same price. Also, on Wednesday, they have wing day, where all day, wings are for 15 cents with your choice of flavour; salt and pepper or hot.
  Besides having amazingly affordable food, apparently, they also have good music that plays in the restaurant. The operating hours for the restaurant are everyday, opening at 11:30am and closing at 2:00am. However, as told by my co-worker, its better to get there early, because comming later, it would be much harder to find a seat available. This restaurant is located Downtown Vancouver on 989 Granville street. With the price of the food, location and music, I honestly believe that this is a good restaurant and I'd recommend others to visit it, and have a good experience at The Famous Warehouse.

Eat Right 4 Your Type

There are 1000's of diets; however, they come with 1000's of different opinions. All I know is that one diet works and for everyone....

In mid grade 11 I was constantly easily physically and/or mentally fatigued, always hungry and thirsty and couldn't gain any muscle mass. My circulation was terrible along with my digestion which makes simple things in life unpleasant. These problems are things that almost everyone experiences, surprisingly these problems come from food we eat. The Blood Type Diet was recommended to me by a naturalistic doctor at "Biological Analysis" in Burnaby. The diet states that you should eat depending on your blood type, this sounded weird to me at first, but started to make more sense as I think one's blood type is a vital aspect to a person. I decided to give the diet a shot and it sucked at first, someone with blood type A like me must avoid many things, some of the notable ones include red meat, potatoes, corn and dairy, but there are many more, basically all you can eat are most vegetables,  most fruits, chicken and ancient grains. It was tough in the beginning because I crave all those foods, but after the first few months it's all good, you end up not wanting to touch the stuff as you realize how harmful they were to your body. After just 3 months I noticed slight changes in energy and at the moment I have never felt better. What happens at the office is you go in and the doctor takes two different samples of your blood and puts it under a microscope and hooks it up to a monitor so you can see your live blood cells and the doctor shows you exactly what's wrong for example your protein digestion, parasites, early cancer signs, toxins, immune system, and thousands of other cell issues. After that you start the diet and a few months later you do the same thing and you will see a difference in your sample. The diet certainly changed my life and I think it is the only good diet.

roundel cafe

For the one full day I spend at home during spring break, my dad dragged me out of the house to the Roundel Cafe on 465 East Hastings Street. I was jet lagged and annoyed that he woke me up just to go to some diner and I expected to hate it. The restaurant was filled so we had to wait for about 15 minutes, which didn't impress me too much. While waiting I noticed everyone had some sort of tattoo, piercing or unnatural hair colour, from a gay couple in the corner to a young family with a baby.

The waitress led us to a seat by the table, but we had to squeeze past chairs, tables and bags. I tried my best not to trip and ruin someones meal. When we finally completed the maze, I started to look through the menu. They had everything from tofu burgers to huevos rancheros to corned beef hash to a side dish of vegetarian bacon. I ordered the tofu scramble and my dad ordered the huevos rancheros. The food came fairly quick despite the crowd.



I am not exaggerating when i say this was the best tofu scramble I have ever had. The tofu was mild and slightly sweet, mixed with spinach, sesame seeds and peppers. It came with roasted white and sweet potatoes and a simple salad. It is a really good dish as an introduction to tofu, because it was cooked perfectly and was defiantly not plain or boring.

I give the Roundel Cafe 9.5/10.

Why Eat Healthy?

1. To provide the necessary nutrients that your body needs to create new cells, clean toxins, and to just function every day!

2. Eating right now can help prevent future diseases such as diabetes and cancer.

3. You will have more energy and be more alert.

Since you are growing, you may find that you are more hungry, or are hungry more often. This is perfectly normal, as long as you need the extra calories to grow.

Overeating and not exercising can lead to unhealthy weight and body conditions. Obesity is defined as having more than 20 percent more than the "ideal" body weight for someone your age and height. If you think that you may be overweight or obese, talk to your parents about ways to become healthier.

If you want to eat healthy, it is important to make healthy choices in what you eat all the time -- meals and snacks.

Foods with refined grains, such as white flour or refined wheat, have high amounts of starch that the body just stores away and doesn't use. Try to eat more whole grains such as whole wheat (bread, etc.), brown rice and oats -- which provide energy over a longer period of time after you eat them.

The food guide pyramid outlines the basic areas of foods:

• Bread, cereal, rice and pasta (remember: whole grains are healthier!)
• Fruit
• Vegetables
• Milk, yogurt and cheese
• Meat, poultry and fish
• Fats, oils and sweets

Remember to eat a balanced, varied diet, and eat sweets and foods that are high in fat or calories only in moderation. Following a healthy diet is something you must do for your entire life.

You don't have to give up cake, ice cream or pizza, but remember not to eat these often, and to eat lower-fat or lower-sugar versions. Have milk or juice instead of soda, or have diet soda. Instead of cookies after school, have fruit, veggies, popcorn (low fat -- don't use too much butter) or pretzels.

Healthy Snacks:

• Fruits
• Veggies
• Popcorn
• Rice cakes
• Whole wheat bread or crackers
• Dried fruits (raisins, prunes, etc.)
• Fat-free or low-fat cheese or yogurt
• Pretzels
• Cottage cheese

Getting Crafty with KD--Period 5

And the results from Period 5:

Teriyaki Kraft

with ham and cheese

Chicken Macaroni and Cheese Lasagne

Mac 'n Broc

Layered Mac and Cheese

casserole

layered casserole

stuffed in a chicken breast and baked

Getting Crafty with KD--Period 4

The assignment? Take a box of Macaroni and Cheese and make something exciting out of it. After all, this will be a staple for many students when they first move out on their own. Here are the results:


Manly Man-wiches of Manliness



casserole

Salad

 Pesto Macaroni

SS Kraft 

casserole

with olives and peppers

cold salad

with penne pasta

Yes we Canape

as a filling for turnovers

part of a pizza

pasta in minestrone and cheese sauce on vegetables

Let's Go To Paris

                       As Paris is commonly known around the world as being a huge tourist attraction, the expectations are greatly increased and Paris did not disappoint. On my visit there, my family and I took on the challenge of climbing the Eiffel Tower. The beauty of the tower is obvious from the outside, however what lies between the 3 floors is amazing. 

                        The climb ended quickly and after getting on the elevator, we slowly made our way up to the second floor. Located on this floor was one of the nicest restaurants I have ever see. Le Jules Verne is beautifully decorated to fit the vibe of the Paris life and the food, mon dieu, incroyable! From great service to even greater french cuisine, Le Jules Verne is a perfect fit to a remarkable landmark. The menu matching the decor was impeccable. From pasta to lobster and a variety of deserts, the food was delicious. As for price, being located inside a tourist attraction, the prices were a bit higher however   my dad gladly took care of the bill, so of course I decided to go straight for the lobster. 

An experience of a lifetime for sure, I highly recommend trying Le Jules Verne if you ever visit Paris. Along side this wonderful restaurant, the first floor also has a restaurant and the third floor holds a bar. The Eiffel Tower has beauty on the outside and now turned itself into a work of art on the inside.




http://www.lejulesverne-paris.com/
http://www.restaurants-toureiffel.com/

behind the window

During the summer, I worked at a summer camp. We got about 120 kids a week, plus staff, and had to cook 3 meals a day for them. We also had an awesome reputation for the food we served. For the whole summer, I did not work in the kitchen. I would work hard and anticipate a delicious meal on the table. All I had to do was scooping it on my plate and enjoy! I never truly appreciated all the hard work that went into my meals. During a weekend camp, I was put in the kitchen. I gained a new appreciation for all the hard work that went into making my food, as well as what went into it. Some of the equipment in the kitchen was very different than the small utensils I was used to using. The coolest thing was probably the dishwasher. It took about 30 seconds to wash a whole load of dishes. The dish pit got so hot though! On one side, someone would be raising the dishes and scrubbing any that were really dirty, and then loading them into the trays to be put through the dishwasher. Then the other person would push down the top and turn it on. When the clean dishes came out, they were so hot that no one could touch them!

10 Reasons to Stop Eating Wheat!! This includes cereal, pasta, bread or anything that says “wheat” on the label!

And yes, even the 100% whole grain, 20% of your daily fiber, 100% natural wheat.

1. ACNE! Wheat is associated with acne and also other problems like eczema and rosacea. If you suffer of chronic acne, cystic acne or any kind of acne, it definitely could be due to wheat in your diet!
2. HEADACHES! The American academy of neurology has linked consumption of wheat to severe headaches. So if you are constantly suffering from severe headaches and/or migraines, it would be a good idea to try and see if eliminating wheat from your diet will help.
3. ALL OF IT IS JUNK! For the most part, anything with wheat in it is processed to the hundredth degree. This includes things like cereal, bread and pasta, which are usually filled with other junk and not just wheat. It’s things like artificial flavors, colors and preservatives. Foods like whole wheat bread actually are dyed brown and foods like cereals are sweetened with artificial flavors, all kinds of sugars and addictive chemicals. So it’s best to just avoid wheat all together so that you don’t eat all the other junk that comes with it.
4. ACCELERATES AGING! Wheat does this by disrupting cell adhesion molecule 1. Now stay with me, I know that might sound complicated, but all cell adhesion molecule 1 does is it plays a major role in tissue regeneration and getting rid of white blood cells that have toxins in them. White blood cells are responsible for getting pathogens out of your body and inflammation. We have to unload the bad white blood cells because if we don’t, the blood becomes toxic. Now without cell adhesion molecule 1 we can’t get rid of those cells and rebuild new tissue which can excel the aging process.
5. DISRUPTS DIGESTION! Wheat can cause irritable bowel syndrome, constipation and bloating. Unfortunately when eating wheat, it can depredate the little villi in your small intestine. The villi are responsible for nutrient absorption. When you eat gluten (wheat) it covers and shortens the villi.
6. IT’S ADDICTIVE! Wheat increases your hunger and craving for it. Have you ever noticed how when you stop eating bread and cereal, you’re hungry for it all the time? This is because you’re probably addicted to it! The reason it can be addictive is because the gluten polypeptides cross the blood brain barrier and act very similarly in the brain as opioids do. Opioids, like heroin, are so addictive. So the fact that wheat acts in the brain like opioids, such as heroin, tells us why it can be so difficult for some people to stop eating wheat.
7. YOU MIGHT BE INTOLERANT! One in every hundred people has an intolerance to wheat.
8. IT’S PRO-INFLAMMATORY! There are chemical messengers in your body called cytokines. There are pro-inflammatory cytokines and anti-inflammatory cytokines. When you eat wheat your immune system increases production of pro-inflammatory cytokines which is very bad!
9. IT’S BAD FOR YOUR BRAIN! Wheat can inhibit serotonin production which is a vital neurotransmitter which plays a big role in your mood, your appetite and your overall well-being. So if you’re feeling depressed, lethargic or always hungry you should try eliminating wheat from your diet. Another way wheat can affect your brain is by increasing Glutamic and Aspartic acid which are two amino acids that are liked to Alzheimer’s and ADHD as well as some other mental conditions.
10. BAD FOR FAT LOSS! Wheat contains Amylopectin-A which is converted to blood sugar faster than any other form of sugar! So your insulin levels are through the roof for hours on end and when they finally come down you are going to be starving again and craving wheat! Another way wheat hinders your weight loss goals is by binding to your Leptin receptors in your hypothalamus. For those of you that don’t know, Leptin is a hormone that tells your body when it feels full. So without enough Leptin you will always feel hungry and you’re going to turn to food and binge all the time.

Now most of you probably think I'm nuts, but try cutting back or eliminating wheat from your diet for a couple weeks and you could be amazed at some of the differences it makes! For a video with additional information click here!