Tasting Session - New Cafeteria Recipes

What do you want to eat at school? We want to know!

That's why we're hosting tasting sessions to get the community's feedback on new recipes for TDSB cafeterias. All of the dishes have been developed by the talented students at George Brown College’s Food Innovation and Research Studio, who were tasked with creating stuff that's not only tasty but also follows the strict food guidelines set by the province. How'd they do it? Magic, probably.

Parents, students, and community members are all welcome to attend. Sign up for one of these sessions:

Northview Heights CI - Thursday, April 3, 6:30 p.m.
L’Amoreaux CI - Monday, April 7, 6:30 p.m. (FULL)
Lakeshore CI - Thursday, April 10, 6:30 p.m.

Please register in advance. One registration must be completed for each guest. Each location has a maximum of 50 spots.

Top 5 Food Songs (You've Never Heard)

Okay, the Internet is full of Food Song Lists like these but they usually put up the same tunes over and over again. Eat it by Weird Al is always on them. The food song from Little Mermaid is usually there. And of course, Milkshake by Kelis. The thing is, you’ve probably heard most of them a million times already. 

So how about some obscure little morsels of gastronomy-themed music? 

Here’s a Top 5 List of the best food songs you haven’t heard. And if you have heard them already, then we should definitely hang out and trade mixtapes. Are you ready?

5. Soul Food – Gary U.S. Bonds 

In this song, Bonds sings about taking his girlfriend out to a fancy restaurant and being disappointed by the food. What would he rather eat? Soul food, obviously! Stuff like collard greens and ham hocks. You can’t help getting drawn into his upbeat rock’n’roll howl without craving a plate of grits for yourself.

4. Roast Fish and Cornbread – Lee Perry 

Lee Perry is one of a kind. Part madman and part genius, he’s a famous reggae producer who’s worked with the likes of Bob Marley and the Clash. This song just has the feel of a smokey BBQ on a hot summer day – it’s like you can almost smell the deliciousness on the grill through Perry’s laid-back echoing soundwaves.

3. Be Healthy – Dead Prez 

Dead Prez are like hip hop dieticians. In this one, they rap about maintaining a healthy lifestyle and eating nutritious things like lentil soup because it's "mental fruit". It’s actually pretty refreshing to hear such conscientious rhymes about caring what you eat. Parents: just ignore the marijuana references in it, okay?

2. Eggs and Sausage – Tom Waits 

If you ever want to know what it feels like to sit alone in a greasy diner, in the middle of the night, after you’ve just been dumped, just listen to this song.  You can just feel the heartache - but when the chorus comes in, and the waitress lists what’s on the menu, you’ll feel a little grumble in your belly too.

1. Junk Food Junkie

X-Ray Spex were a punk rock band from London in the late 1970s. If you haven't heard of them, trust me, they're awesome. They played anti-consumerist anthems featuring a saxophone and a screeching singer with braces named Polystyrene. In my opinion, a lesson on nutrition never sounded cooler.

So that's the top 5...mine at least. What is your favourite song about food? Tell us in the comments!

10 Comfort Foods to Get You Through Winter

As we begin to put on our mittens and zip up our overcoats, it can only mean one thing: winter will soon be upon us. And while the temperatures may drop to bone-chilling lows, at least we can warm up with our favourite comfort foods.

Here’s a list of the top dishes that help us get through the fall and winter chill.

1.  Chicken Noodle Soup  

Andy Warhol silkscreen

Trust your mom (and science) - this classic soup beats the winter sniffles like a champion MMA fighter. 

Recipe here.

2. Beef Bourguignon 

Photo: www.tablespoon.com

TV chef Julia Child described it as "one of the most delicious beef dishes concocted by man.” We just say, “Om nom nom.” Pieces of beef, simmering for hours with red wine, garlic, onions, spices, and mushrooms, until it’s so tender it just melts in your mouth…and warms your heart.

Recipe here.

3. Chili

Photo: www.browneyedbaker.com

Back in the day, San Antonio had Chili Queens who served bowls of chili out in the streets - kind of like a warm introduction to Mexican cuisine. That must be the reason why eating a bowl of chili today feels like you’re being hugged by royalty. Now that's comfort!

Recipe here. 

4. Roasted anything 

Photo: www.livelearnloveeat.com

There’s just something about a roast that makes even the coldest of cold snaps seem insignificant. Hmm, maybe it’s because the heat from the oven seems to warm up the whole house like a massive toque made of deliciousness.

Recipe here.

5. Yorkshire Pudding 

Photo: www.simplebites.net

Yorkshire Pudding is one of those amazing sides that can even outshine the main. I mean, when those light, airy puffs soak up the gravy and juice from a roast beef, freezing cold temperatures cease to exist. No wonder British scientists do studies on them.

Recipe here. 

6. Mashed Potatoes 

Photo: www.simplyrecipes.com

You know that awful feeling of getting up in the morning when it’s still dark outside, and the world beyond your warm and toasty comforter is cold, evil and gross? Well, mashed potatoes are the exact opposite of that feeling.

Recipe here. 

7. Pho

Photo: www.inspiredtaste.net

Eating this Vietnamese noodle soup is a lot like slipping into a jacuzzi - one that's filled with tasty beef broth, slices of rare beef, rice noodles, bean sprouts, Thai basil, a twist of lime, and of course, a couple squirts of Sriracha. Dayum, that's hot.

Recipe here. 

8. Pumpkin Pie

Photo: www.simplyrecipes.com

There’s a reason why Cinderella hitches a ride in a pumpkin on her way to and from the Prince’s party: it’s because they're super cozy. That’s why nothing protects you from cold weather like a piece of warm pumpkin pie. 

Recipe here.

9. Spicy Hot Chocolate 

Photo: www.gimmesomeoven.com

The perfect winter drink - it could very well be the literal flavour translation of “warm and fuzzy”.

Recipe here. 

10. Mac’n’cheese

Photo: www.kitchentreaty.com

Looking at the origins of macaroni and cheese is like taking an excellent adventure through culinary history. From its beginnings in medieval French cookbooks, through Britain’s Victorian era, to an American President that simply had to import its ingredients from Europe, mac’n’cheese has come a long way just to warm up your day.

Recipe here. 

There you have it. What are your favourite comfort foods? Let us know in the comments section!

Dessert: Easy As Pie

image: www.abeautifulmess.com

Baked Apples 
Serves 4

Ingredients:

2 apples
1/4 cup brown sugar
a few pinches of cinnamon
1/2 sheet of puff pastry.

Directions:

Core apples and slice in half.
Coat the inside with brown sugar.
Slice up the puff pastry into thin strips and create a lattice design over the apples.
Sprinkle with a little more sugar and cinnamon.
Bake at 400 F for 16-18 minutes until puff pastry is golden brown, and apple has softened.
Serve with vanilla ice cream!

From: http://www.abeautifulmess.com/2012/10/bake-fruit-3-ways.html