5 Ways to Learn the Ropes

If you are considering starting or buying a restaurant or food truck, you need to start with research.  Here are a few serious suggestions that will help you make this decision.

1) Start with your local Health Department/ Food Services Commission. Research regulations, and necessary government paperwork first. This is a terrible thing to leave to the last minute. Do you want to have a restaurant and staff "ready to go" and then sit and wait 3 weeks for permits? No.

2) Next time you go out to eat, evaluate the menu for ingredients, popularity, equipment etc. Can YOU cook what's on the menu?  Count the number of tables and staff etc. Start considering numbers, rather than your own personal meal decisions when you eat out. See things through a restauranteur's eye.

3) Take a marketing class. Read blogs. Learn how to use Facebook and Twitter for business.

4) Start going to the gym every single day.  Why? Because if you can not commit to a "chore" like exercise, then it will be near impossible to run a restaurant which is a "7 day a week, rain or shine, happy or sad", business.  This isn't a joke. There are days you will NOT want to get up, stock, prep, deal with staff and then cook for 12 hours. Commitment and stamina are the absolute keys to success.

5) Write a business plan and have people in the industry review it for authenticity and accuracy of projections.

5 Things I've Learned

This has been the longest and most harsh winter in our province's history. Such adverse conditions can affect your building, your traffic, your guests' attitude and your own mental health.

5 things I have learned:

1) There are some things you can't control. Weather is one of them!
2) Your warmth and positive attitude will be contagious. Share it!
3) People will travel and brave the elements when you have a quality product. Never compromise your quality.
4) Marketing is a good thing. Use the resources in your community. Partner with other businesses to bring unique and thoughtful offers to the table.
5) Invest time and energy into training your staff. They are your best asset.

One Banana = Two Happy Kids

If you had one over-ripe banana and a spare 30 minutes, you too could make these delicious banana muffins!

There's nothing like Google to put a recipe at your fingertips and that's exactly how I created a little breakfast magic this morning.  "One banana muffins" is what I typed into the search bar and a plethora of recipes were presented. Gosh that was easy!

When the kids awoke to the smell of fresh banana, chocolate chip muffins I felt like mother of the year! Of course that was a fleeting moment when they realized lunch kits were already packed with "lame" and school WASN'T cancelled on account of the 20cm of snow that fell overnight.  But, I'll take the applause when I can get it and today, was muffin magic.

No Fat Salmon

How are your New Year's resolutions coming along? Still sticking to your healthy eating prescription? It's a challenge isn't it? I'll confess...  I had some carrot cake tonight, from the downstairs freezer while I was doing laundry! But you have to forgive yourself the little "cheats" and keep on trying.

Here's one of my favourite recipes for moist, full of flavour fish:  I simply take 2 lemons and slice them thin. I use the slices to line the baking dish. In this example, pictured,  I've used 1 lemon and 1 lime for a more complex citrus flavour. I placed the filets meat side-down on the lemon slices. Then I used sea salt, cracked pepper, dill weed & onion flakes on top of the skin. When the skin is removed it takes the spices, but leaves a fair bit of flavour. That's great if you are also watching your sodium.

There are no additional liquids or any fat added. The broth you see in the photo (cooked) is simply the moisture from the lemons/limes and the fish as it breaks down during baking.

I cover the pan with foil and bake in the oven at 325 for about 40 minutes. Time will vary on your type of fish (my favourite is salmon), the thickness of the cut and whether you started with fresh or frozen filets.

This is a great main course to serve with veggies and brown rice. Use leftovers on a salad for the next day's healthy lunch.

Baked lemon/lime salmon filets

Simple Soup

When winter weather hits and you are tempted to hibernate, isn't it a wonderful and comforting thing to have homemade soup?

I made this soup as a hearty and salt-free gift for my father. He, like so many others, watches his sodium intake carefully. Have you ever read the label of an inexpensive can of soup? 35% or more of your daily sodium requirement in one serving! And when you become conscious of your sodium intake anything over-flavoured with salt leaves your mouth dry and gasping for alternatives. That's why homemade soup, started with love and quality ingredients is always far superior.

I chose to start this soup with a ribeye steak. Ribeye is very tender and fairly fatty. It is not a typical tough soup or stew cut of beef. I selected it so that every bite of steak was a reward, not just a chewy chunk. It was the star of the show, as it should be.

The broth was favoured with two types of onions, celery, garlic and carrots. I used a variety of coarse and fresh peppers to add a bit of spice. Later I added soaked organic barley.

This beef barley soup, served with fresh rolls or rye bread could be the perfect answer to the winter chill you are feeling.

What would happen if...

This January we each resolve to do two things?

1. Use our recycled bags at the grocery store and at the mall.

2. We tried to eat "cleaner"... you know, foods that are closer to the farm. Foods that are more natural and are less fabricated. Foods that have fewer additives and preservatives.

Will you try?

Take Time to Cook for Yourself

Skip the store-bought sushi tonight!
Truly treat yourself to home cooking!

When was the last time you had homemade soup? Or the casserole your mom used to make when you were a kid?

You see recipes posted by your friends every day on Facebook. You see recipes on Pinterest to drool over too. But when was the last time you actually did it... followed a recipe?

Maybe tonight's the night. Dig out the book that has the butter stains and your grandma's handwriting.

Time to taste a little nostalgia! You deserve it. Slow food... YOU food... is SOUL food.