I have had a problem with the Starbucks VIA sleeves since their launch back in 2009. A ready brew coffee, by one of North America's most beloved coffee joints seems like a marvelous idea, until you try to work out the logistics.

On the side of one panel a woman is carrying a tote, her VIA sleeve sticking out, on hand for use at any moment. Another panel shows a guy, a VIA sleeve in his shirt pocket. On the go! Clearly Starbucks VIA seems to be targeting those of us who don't like to stay in one place for too long.

But all I keep thinking is; where are these people going to get hot water? Someone suggested in a post on the Starbucks website that they would use it at the airport. I cannot think of a single airport that does not have a Starbucks, are they really going to make a Starbucks VIA, when freshly brewed Starbucks coffee is conveniently available? And even if there was no Starbucks or the Starbucks was closed, again, where would they get the hot water?

If people think other restaurants are just going to give them hot water, I would say they are quite likely going to be sadly disappointed. Maybe you will have to buy a tea and use the hot water to make the coffee? In fact, on a recent trip, I confirmed my suspicions that these VIA are problematic for people on the go. An independently owned Starbucks was charging clients for hot water. Oh, not 50¢ but the full price of a tea!

That said, Starbucks VIA could have some potential advantages. Thanks to a unique manufacturing process VIA can be easily dissolved in cold water or milk, so if you like cold coffee that would be great. Finding cold water should not be a problem as there are countless fountains available outdoors to fill up a bottle and add a VIA packet for a refreshing cold coffee. With Starbucks VIA selling for about 72¢ per sleeve, it is worth it?

Prepared as described with hot water, I found that the Starbucks VIA breakfast blend was very weak, however, both the French roast and the Italian Roast coffees were quite enjoyable. That said, I thought the flavored coffees were way too sweet. Then I prepared each with cold water and ice, and the tables were flipped. I liked the flavored coffees more, but found that they were not strong enough for me.

The only time I could see using something like this is on the Amtrak train between Montreal and New York (11hrs!). They serve Green Mountain Coffee on that train and I have to confess, that I cannot stand their coffee! I would have to pay for the hot water and I think I would be able to sweet talk the Amtrak service guy or galinto into refilling my coffee mug with more hot water after the first purchase. A sleeve of Starbucks VIA would be useful in that situation, plus it would give me an excuse to buy their awesome looking 10oz. VIA Tumbler!

This week, I stopped by my local IGA and lo and behold, Classico Traditional Basil Pesto was on sale, along with all the other Classico sauces. The 10 ounce jar of pesto was just 2.49$ and I had a 50¢ off coupon to boot. Could I make this much pesto, at home for less? I already know that the answer is no, so the real question would be, can it taste as great?!

You've heard of ossobucco right? A decidedly decadent dish of veal shank that has been braised in wine and stock. There are many different recipes for ossobucco, traditional recipes typically have a gremolata and use bay leaves, more modern versions use tomatoes, carrots, celery and onion.

My personal preference is for a more traditional ossobucco, and one of my favorite recipes is one by Mark Bittman, who sneakily includes the recipe in his book, Quick and Easy Recipes from the New York Times. The joke is that there is no way you're going to develop that fork tender perfection in 30 minutes!

I often make this prepare this recipe using bone-in veal shoulder <pictured> and finishing my sauce with a little bit of butter, it adds the richness I am missing because I am not using the shank. Then, recently, I passed a counter with pork shank. It was very inexpensive and that's when the light bulb went off in my head. I was going to make my cheap-o-bucco, even cheap-o-er!

I didn't really alter the recipe much, except to replace the veal shank for pork shank. I have also read of people replacing the veal with turkey, so it just goes to show you how well braising can be adapted to suit many different meats.

The New York Times, simply exchange the veal shanks for pork shanks and follow the process as is!

This past weekend I was chained to my desk, working on closing out a project by Monday morning. This was a time crunch of epic proportions and so I felt that maybe this is what all those frozen meals and convenience foods are made for. Instead of spending time making everything from scratch, I decided to buy everything ready-made; most of it frozen.

I bought several items that looked interesting, but not too complicated. Burgers, pork ribs, pizza and a chicken pie. I also bought some sides, like frozen roasted sweet potatoes and grilled vegetable mix, some instant single serving rice, and the only fresh items were eggs and tomatoes.

Friday morning I made good use of the eggs and made a batch of soft-boiled eggs to use throughout the weekend work blitz. Cold soft boiled eggs are one of my favorite snacks, topped with a little salt and pepper, and balance on a piece of toast, I could easily down a dozen.

By early afternoon, I was ready for my first test subject, the Juicy Sirloin Burgers from Presidents Choice. You cook them from frozen which IS very convenient, no thawing, no thinking, just plop it into the pan and cook. This was the simplest preparation of everything I made this weekend. It takes about 8-10 minutes from pan to plate. They were actually very good, I could and will keep these stocked in my freezer.

For dinner, I just couldn't get excited for anything in the freezer, so I ordered sushi from Sushi Yu Mi, it would allow me to get a little fresh air and I couldn't fight my mood.

By Saturday afternoon I was ready to try the pizza. I am very picky when it comes to pizza. I like a very bread-like crust and according to Panebello, that was exactly what I was about to get. I like that you can bake these from frozen, again, it doesn't require me to plan ahead, I can decide I want pizza and be baking it by the time the oven reaches the proper temperature. I didn't particularly like this pizza (Vegetables & Goat Cheese), though the topping was good, the crust is too flaky for my taste and not as bread-like as I would have hoped.

Saturday evening I chose to make the Pork Ribs, another Presidents Choice product. The Slow-Cooked Smokin’ Stampede Pork Back Ribs are fully cooked, which is good because you don't have to worry about the temperature too much. The caveat is that you have to thaw the ribs before you bake them, so it requires a little planning the night before. That said, it was easy (but a little messy) to prepare and they were fall-off-the-bone as ribs should be.

With the end of the weekend drawing near and the project deadline looming, Sunday afternoon was just about a write off. I just snacked on various junk foods, until I realized it was almost supper time!

Supper was served within an hour of realizing the time. I pulled out the Chicken Pie from St. Hubert and was pleased to see I could bake the pie and fit in another hour of work before it would be ready. I hate to admit it, but that pie was very good. I liked the crust, it wasn't soggy or too "stiff" and there was just the right amount of filling. You bake it from frozen, so again, it is something I could think of and just take and bake.

Overall, I don't think I would want to have these convenience foods often. Once in a while, as back-up plans, or if it's something I really liked and wouldn't make myself, like the Chicken pie. It did cut down my prep time, but overall, I didn't find there to be that much of a time savings. I could just as easily stock my freezer with homemade versions of many of these items.

Sushi Yu Mi offers a good selection of sushi at reasonable prices. I went and made an order to go last night. I have dined on site a few times in the past and have found the food to be quite tasty. They are located in the basement of a row of commercial stores on Sherbrooke street West but they are easy to miss and so, if you plan to visit them, take the address!

The restaurant is quite small, maybe 7 or 8 tables, and in the summer, 4 or more tables are placed outside. Its decor is very casual which I like, my only issue with them is that when I have been there before, they tend to play the music fairly loud, making conversation out of the question but not enough of a problem to deter me from returning.

I really like their selection of starters from salads to soups and even an Asian influenced panini. What I didn't like was their Ten Ten Tuna Tartare, for me, it really missed the mark. It's served with soggy sweet potato chips and really had an unpleasant texture. Next time, I will gladly order my current favourite, the Kizuna Salad.

The numaki are really good as well, and are especially nice if you are on a low-carb kick as they do not contain sushi rice and tend to have a good measure of vegetables. My personal favourite is the vegetarian.

The maki menu is nice too, I don't like crab stick so I can appreciate that they do have a crab meat option with the Vancouver roll. I also really enjoy some of their more adventurous flavor combos, like the Tuna Gaza (asparagus, tuna, avocado) and the Warm Shrimp, Tuna and Mango makis.

Sushi Yu Mi also offers a tasting menu for under 20$, which is what I plan to order on my next visit!

5124 Rue Sherbrooke West
(514) 227-5300

This weekend is going to completely blow-up. I have several work projects to complete for Monday and Tuesday and I don't forsee having even 10 minutes to spare that shouldn't be dedicated to sleeping. I didn't have anytime to prepare meals to grab and go, so I decided to use prepackaged meals.

Some of the frozen convenience items I picked up include:

• St-Hubert Chicken Pie
• Dr.Oetker Panebello Vegetables and Goat Cheese Pizza
• PC Thick & Juicy Sirloin Burgers
• Europe's Best Fire Roasted Sweet Potato Slices & the Roasted Tuscan Inspired Blend.

Sadly, I didn't pick up many any fresh items aside from tomatoes. I cannot live without cheese and tomato sandwiches! This is not to say that I won't have any unprocessed foods this weekend aside from tomatoes, I do have some fresh produce leftover, including some beautiful lettuce, and some lovely cheeses.

I am curious how all this processed food is going to effect my energy and mood. It all starts tomorrow, so look to my twitter feed for any signs of weakening!

Failed! Maybe one of the reasons I don't generally follow recipes is because I inevitably don't get the results I was expecting. Unless a recipe is super well written, I somehow always end up missing a step, or worse, an ingredient. Like these Cream Cheese Brownies from The Mixer Bible by Meredith Deeds & Carla Snyder, the recipe is not very well written.

The problem with the recipes in this book is not just that some of the instructions are not very clear, but also, they are not very well formatted. This particular recipe only has three paragraphs of instructions and the first two are dedicated to a layer each. This makes it a challenge to follow along and easy to miss a line.

Also, I didn't like order of the directions. It starts with the brownie layer, then to the cream cheese layer, and finally assembly, which starts with 2/3 of the brownie layer. I would have started with the cream cheese layer, as that would require a smaller reserve bowl, and a lot less messy clean-up before starting the brownie layer.

In any case, it all started out great, I made the brownie batter and had just started on the cream cheese layer when I realized I hadn't put flour into anything. Really? I missed a line, "Stir and mix in flour in 3 additions, and"? There it was, the line between instructions to beat in the 3oz of melted chocolate and blend in the salt. I was able to fix the brownie batter, but that goof up set the mood for the rest of the recipe.

Onto the cream cheese layer. There is only 1/2 a brick of cream cheese in the fridge! Where'd the other half go? I don't know. I ended up subbing a soft goat cheese for the other 125g.

After that, I was no longer committed to the recipe, I just scooped the entire batter into the pan, poured in the cream cheese/goat layer, swirled it around and baked it.

I am not convinced that I would have enjoyed this brownie even if I had been able to execute it perfectly. The texture of the brownie wasn't chewy the way I like it, a little too eggy. The cheese layer was actually pretty good, I liked the contrast of the goat cheese.

Oh well, next time, I'll use a tried and true brownie recipe and make my own goat cheese layer. We'll see how that works out!

The Mixer Bible by Meredith Deeds & Carla Snyder is available at your local bookseller or online at Amazon.com/Amazon.ca

Oh, Le Maitre Boucher, I love you! Smack in the middle of Monkland Village, I could easily spend an hour here, even though there are but 4 aisles to wander. I always find something extra to throw into my grocery bag. Last night it was some of their house made sauerkraut; tomorrow it could be an artisanal squid ink pasta.

I probably drive the staff crazy here, with a million questions about anything and everything in the store. Where is this from? How is that made? What makes this brand special? They must think I am a little over the top, but I am simply very inquisitive. Even so, the staff always seems eager to answer my questions and tell me the story behind the product.

Le Maitre Boucher is a great one-stop shop for a wonderfully decadent meal, with a good selection of quality cheese, deli meats and a fully stocked butcher at the back of house. I particularly enjoy their marinated meat selection, like the "Poulet Papillion a la Maitre Boucher" or the Lamb Kamouraska. They make the perfect one-pot meals, just dump everything into the slow cooker, and leave it alone for 6 hours or so and voila, dinners on the table!

Le Maitre Boucher also keeps a stocked counter of prepared meals; it seems to be a rotating menu, since I rarely see the same dishes. I have seen eggplant Parmesan and fillet de sole meuniere, to name a few. I have never personally tried these, so I can't speak to their value, but they always look good and fresh.

Le Maitre Boucher is not a place to go with restrictive budget. Nothing here is going to be cheap, but for the quality and in particular, the attentive, knowledgeable service, Le Maitre Boucher is totally worth it!

Le Maitre Boucher
5719 Monkland Avenue
(514) 487-1437

I went out to do some groceries yesterday and suddenly I was hit with a craving for macarons. I don't know why, it kind of came from out of nowhere, but I am not one to deny myself a treat now and again so I picked up my canvas shopping bag and headed up to Nancy's.

Nancy's carries about 18 or so flavors of macarons. Some flavors intrigued me more than others and I narrowed my choices down to 5 flavors: exotic, chai, celery, licorice-lavender and salted caramel. Macarons are quite expensive, here they are 9$ per 100 grams (keep in mind that means they are 90$ a kilo!) and my 9 (2 of each of four flavors and just one salted caramel) tasty treats came to just about 16$.

The macarons were quite good, and I loved the celery and the licorice-lavender flavors. I am admittedly becoming a little obsessed with celery lately, and the celery macron was as delicate in flavor as it was in texture. The surprise was really with the licorice-lavender it blew my mind! It wasn't anise or licorice root; instead, I was hit with cherry licorice, how amazing is that?

Nancy's also sells their homemade jams and sorbet, as well as pastries and marzipan treats. While I contemplated my flavor choices I ordered an almond croissant. I didn't much care for it. The ends were kind of hardened and the almond paste was a bit scarce.

I saw some wonderful cakes leaving the kitchen, and seemingly happy customers enjoy a quick lunch with friends. So, next time I am up that way, maybe I'll stop in for a quick bite and just a few more macarons of course!

Patisserie De Nancy
5655 Monkland Avenue
(514) 482-3030

I'm a sucker for salmon. Smoked salmon, fresh, whole, filets, steaks even canned, I just love the stuff! So it's no surprise that when I came across these single serving cedar planked Atlantic salmon filets, I just had to bite. 



Apparently, Cedar Bay Cedar Planked Salmon have been in grocer’s freezers for a while now, though they are more elusive in Quebec. And here I am, discovering it only at the end of their season, as they are only being sold from April to September.



There were several flavors available at my local Provigo, including

•    Lemon & Dill Cedar Planked Salmon
•    Maple & Smoked Pepper Cedar Planked Salmon
•    Applewood with Orange & Ginger Cedar Planked Salmon (the one I chose)

According the The Cedar Bay Grilling Company website, the cedar boards used are "hand cut from Canadian renewable forests" and they use Nova Scotia maple sugar.



Each package was 141g (give or take) in the freezer with other frozen fish and seafood products. I scooped these up on sale for 4.99$ their regular cost being upwards of 7$-8$. In 2010, they won the Healthy Innovation New Product Award for its Cedar Planked Atlantic Salmon.



This salmon is extremely easy to prepare, and for those that are squeamish about touching fish, they'll just love the hands off approach this product allows for. All that is required is to thaw it, 30-45 minutes in a cold-water bath, or overnight in the fridge. Once thawed, you simply remove it from the vacuum pack (minimally messy) and stick right onto the BBQ, or in the oven, plank and all.

I really enjoyed the flavor of the salmon, the ginger really came through, and the orange wasn't over powering. If you are in the mood for an experiment in planked cooking, this is a foolproof way to introduce the method. Once you've tried planking once, I warn you, you'll want to plank everything.