Savoury Sites - Eggton {Salty Wit With A Sweet Tooth}

Savoury Sites is a post that attempts to showcase the beauty of blogs that I love and I want others to know about. All photos are from the written about blog. I hope you take a look! Today's blog of choice is Eggton.



Eggton's - Scallion, Olive, Red Pepper, Roasted Garlic Hummus

There are tons of blogs that have good stories, but it's a rare one that actually makes you laugh out loud. The first entry I read involved the dear author (Katherine) scrambling around on her knees exploring her neighbours torn insulation (you can read about that particular adventure HERE). I basically fell in love with her blog from that moment on.


Eggton is a blog of amazing photos and delicious looking recipes (I haven't had the opportunity to cook any of them yet), but the highlight for me is definitely the stories adventures that seem to occur during Katherine's week. She seems to be one of those gals who seems to attract adventures, whether they be good or bad, and still manage to come out of them with a positive attitude. Eggton is a blog without secrets as Katherine seems fairly frank about what occurs in her life. How refreshing!


Grilled Turkey & Havarti Sandwich with Strawberry Wine Jam

Even though I'm still a relatively new follower for the Eggton blog, I can already tell that I will be an avid follower. Maybe I'm simply living vicariously through Katherine's life, but her blog is one that I enjoy reading, and often makes me laugh out loud. An actual LOL. Not just saying "LOL" but really staring at a computer screen, I mean I really LOL'd.

As always, Katherine finishes her blog off with a shot of her beloved Thunder. How could you not love that face?

Eggton's faithful companion, Thunder





Bang Bang Cauliflower

I have been remiss in doing any serious cooking in the last couple of weeks. Luckily, I am done school and am free to start experimenting and eating! And now that it's basically summer, I'm going to have to transition from soups, stews and casseroles to salads, hamburgers and other wonderful summer dishes! I think this year I may attempt a nice cedar planked salmon!

Bang Bang Cauliflower. Now there is a name that catches the eye! My good blogger buddy Leanne over at Around the Table: Loving Food in RI and Beyond made this tasty looking dish that I couldn't help but notice! Leanne has a knack for making simple, beautiful and tasty recipes, and I always find something when I visit (She just posted about Spicy Sea Scallops that look AMAZING). If you haven't had the opportunity to check out her blog, it's simply a must do!

Bang Bang Cauliflower is spicy, hot and flavourful. It makes an excellent side dish, especially alongside fish or Asian themed foods. Cauliflower has been so unappreciated by myself, and I'm only now beginning to realize it's versatility. There are so many different things to do with cauliflower that go unexplored. Be adventurous!

As a side note, the fiance and I had hoped to use the leftovers as part of a sushi roll, but lacked the necessary ingredients. If you have leftovers, this may be something to consider! We did end up making some into Salad Rolls, but perhaps that is a different post!

I should also point out that I roasted the cauliflower in the oven, but only because it was a rainy day. Because I'm expecting 25 degree weather (that's 77 Fahrenheit for you Americans), I would also suggest that it can be done on the BBQ.

I hope you like it!


Bang Bang Cauliflower

Cauliflower - 1 head, broken into florets
Eggs - 2
Bread Crumbs (Panko if available) - About 2 cups
Salt and Pepper - a healthy pinch
Green Onion - 1 sprig, diced

Mayonnaise - 1/2 cup
Sriracha - 1/4 cup
Rice Vinegar - 2 tbsps
Sugar - 4 tbsps

Cut the cauliflower into florets. Pre-heat the oven to 400 degrees C. Grease a large baking sheet

In a small bowl, whisk the eggs together, then set aside. In a separate small bowl, mix together the bread crumbs, salt and pepper together.

Dip the cauliflower florets into the egg wash, then dip into the bread crumb mixture. Set on a large baking sheet. It's easier to toss the florets into the eggs, and then into the bread crumbs, but you'll notice an uneven layer of breadcrumbs. It's actually tastier (although time consuming) to do the wash individually or in small batches. I always end up doing some well done, and then the speedy version for the second half.

Bake in the oven for about 20 minutes, or until the cauliflower is golden brown. I actually liked mine cooked a little longer so they were crunchier, so you may want to darken them a bit more.

While baking, mix together the remaining ingredients in a small bowl then set aside. When the cauliflower is done cooking, toss with the sauce. Sprinkle on some of the green onion and serve.

It's a Matter of Convenience

While at work today, I had the strangest thought as I watched people stroll by with their large Slurpee's and bags of chips from the convenience store next door. Let's face it, those stores are basically "Bad For You" stores. Cigarettes, sugar drinks, sugar snacks, hot dogs, taquitoes, and all other sorts of un-holistic items. I guess I should mention they have a basket of fruit... but still, it isn't a place where people would run into to grab something healthy.

And then my crazy, hair brained, obviously on drugs, kind of thought comes to me. What if convenience stores were actually health stores... Crazy right?

Imagine that someone runs inside to quickly grab a banana, or a basket of  blueberries, or a fruit smoothie. Instead of picking through a bag of chips, people munch away on a bag of strawberries.
Instead of paying only $1.49 for a large slurpee, you pay that for some slices of pineapple (Which cost about $4-5 in the grocery store.

To keep this neurotic thought going, I imagined that grocery stores were the places that were full of the unhealthy alternatives and snacks (I mean more than they have already, think of it as a sugar stop). And instead of people paying ridiculously cheap prices for oreos, chocolate bars or ready-made microwave meals, they pay the same steep prices that are placed on fruits and vegetables (especially organic or responsible companies).

Apparently I need more sleep at night, or more things to do during a work day.

Oh Sweet Honey

This post is more of me raising a question, because I honestly don't really know the answer.

What is your opinion on honey?

To get to my point, follow me on this little sidetrack/backstory.

I just finished reading the book "The Year Of Living Biblically" by A.J. Jacobs. This isn't a book to tear down the bible, and it isn't one that preaches that Christianity is the only way to live. Instead, the author simply goes through trying to follow as many of the bibles rules and regulations as possible. He lives a whole year (including growing a beard the entire time, as the bible declares you shouldn't trim that sucker up. The guys poor wife...). It was an enjoyable read, and one that I would recommend. He also has a book out called "Drop Dead Healthy" about how he spends two years trying to be as healthy as possible... sounds interesting doesn't it?

Anyway, back to my point about honey. Jacobs was starting to include honey in all his meals as the bible has several verses about the benefits of eating honey. However, at one point his slightly wild/hippie aunt admonishes him for this because of how honey is a bad choice. 

My eyes narrowed.... What? Honey is bad? Since when? 

I couldn't really understand it, as I had always been of the belief that as far as honey is concerned, it isn't bad for you. In fact, I had believed that honey was actually a healthy option, especially when you replace sugar with it. But the aunt wasn't concerned about honey being bad, it was more about how bees were treated.

I will admit, I know absolutely nothing about treating bees. I thought it was a fairly simple process...
However, it appears that beekeeping has turned into more of a beefarming or beefactoring. Major bee corporations have been accused of the following

• All honey is removed from the hive before winter, leaving the bees with nothing to sustain them
• Some farmers will replace taken honey with high-fructose corn syrup (sugar water) which doesn't sustain the bees
• Exposure to pesticides
• Some Bee Hives are simply destroyed in the winter and started again the next year. All bees are exterminated.
• The Queen bee is expendable. If a hive is aggressive, the queen is killed in that the next queen won't get the hive all riled up
• Some Queen's are also artificially inseminated
• Genetic weakening of bees as they are forced to construct larger hives, exposing them to mites and diseases which are not as common in the wild.

Interesting stuff isn't it? And I had no idea. Although I suppose if we invent unhealthy light-less chicken coups and massive beef herds, doing the same to bees shouldn't be a surprise.

It seems to me that taking care of bees in a responsible manner should be fairly easy. Don't take all the honey, leave some for bees to survive. Don't kill them off every summer either... It just seems to be common sense, but sometimes the world doesn't really work that way.

In terms of treatment of the Queen, I really have no knowledge on the subject. I know that the Mayans had actually bred a stingless bee, which would be argued against now as damaging nature. Perhaps the culling is actually a must needed practice for beefarmers, I really can't be one to judge on that.

So what does a guy do? For me, it's about finding locally owned or sold honey, or at least determining how the honey I use is produced and sold, at least if I wanted to be responsible about it.

Did you know this about beekeeping? Will it affect what sort of honey you purchase?

Basic Waffles

What do you do when your fiance stomps into the house after a bad day and needs something for dinner?

You run for the hills...

But I'm getting married soon, so that option really is unavailable for me.

So tonight... I'm making waffles! Quick and easy and always delicious, waffles are a pretty good fallback option for those in need of a quick dinner option, which as you can guess, I was. I'm just lucky I didn't get into a fight about not having dinner ready for when she got home from...work... hmm. A gender reversal... I'm not sure I'm a fan. I guess I had better watch more Mad Men episodes to get it right!

As I mentioned however, this is just a quick meal and a quick post as I have two final exams in the next two days. Sorry it isn't anything too exciting, although at one point I'd LOVE to make This Waffle Recipe again, as it was truly amazing. I just never got the chance to write about it!

Anyway, I should get back to the books! Wish me luck!

Waffles

Flour - 1 1/2 cups
Sugar - 2 tbsps
Baking Powder - 1 tbsp
Salt - a healthy pinch

Eggs - 2, beaten
Milk - 1 1/2 cups
Melted Butter - 1/4 cup

In a large bowl, stir the dry ingredients together.

In a separate medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk and butter. Add to the dry ingredients.

Beat this mixture until smooth, but don't over due it. You want it to be well blended, but not whipped.

Ladle or pour into a waffle iron and cook until desired colour (Golden brown of course!)

Serve with butter and actual maple syrup! None of that Aunt Jemima sugar liquid! 

Savory Sites - Crumb: A Food Blog

There are thousands of food blogs out there, serving delicious food, taking amazing pictures, inspiring with health and nutrition tips. But because there are so many of them, they can sadly get overlooked or missed. There are several little food blog communities, almost like high school cliques, as they hang out, share, and communicate only within that group, rarely going out of their way to find new and exciting food blogs.

Crumbs - Rhubarb Eaton Mess

I think especially as blogs get larger, it becomes more difficult to deal with the hundreds of followers and comments, and they don't get the opportunity to see what else is out there. Who knows, maybe their hobby only extends as far as their own web page.

I don't have to worry about hundreds of comments, so I am perfectly happy in letting other people know about what other great food blogs are out there!



So today I would like to share with you Crumb: A Food Blog written by Isabelle Boucher.

Crumbs - Zucchini, Pea and Mint Fritters

Isabelle lives in Canada (a fellow Canuck!) and has been a blog writer since 2006. I had originally followed her blog back when it was called Good Food, Good Wine, And A Bad Girl, and I stuck around when she made sweeping changes and renewed her blog.

Crumb is one of those blogs that keeps you coming back for more. I love that she cooks real food that I could make for breakfast/lunch/dinner anytime (although shes more of a seasonalist like myself). And while the recipes are generally simple, she has such unique and interesting twists that you can't believe you had never thought of it before.

Perhaps the best part about viewing Crumb are the photos. Both the photos in this post are from her blog, so it's easy to see what I'm talking about!  So clear and light, I'm insanely jealous every time I visit. She always seems to have the perfect set up around her dishes, I don't know where she stores all her plates and bowls!


In short, this is definitely a blog you should be visiting if you haven't had the opportunity to yet. I guarantee that she will have something on there that will make you raise your eyebrow and cause you to wonder if you have all the necessary ingredients in your house to get cooking.

When your done, all that will be left, will be the crumbs.

Apple Nachos

It is pouring rain today! It is the first time since spring has hit, that we have had some actual, serious rain. Now this may be a downer for some, but I always look forward to the first big rain shower of Spring. Maybe it's because I am tired of brown grass or white snow covering the landscape, and I know that with the coming of the rain, good weather is not far behind.

I'm not sure how I would handle living somewhere like Vancouver, Seattle or London where rain is a common occurrence. I think that it would get quite tiresome, although I'd probably have a much better raincoat! But perhaps If I lived in cities such as those, I would look forward to the days of actual snow, or hot sun! 

I love the first rainy days so much, I even have a playlist for the day! Some of my favourites include:

Eddie Rabbit - I Love A Rainy Night

Ok Go - Let It Rain

Phil Collins Ft. Eric Clapton - I Wish It Would Rain Down On Me

Eli Young Band - When It Rains

CCR - Have You Ever Seen The Rain?

There are several more, these are just a few of the classics! Do you have any rainy day songs I should know about?

Anyway, it's raining, and I'm happy inside with a hot cup of tea enjoying the view from my window as I study for upcoming final exams. And then I realized that this is the perfect time for procrastination and blog writing! So here is a tasty snack that could be enjoyed while looking out your window! I actually saw this one on Pinterest, and had it bookmarked right away! You can find it on the blog Manifest Vegan. I keep trying to find healthier snack alternatives, and luckily this one seemed to fit the bill! I hope you like it!

(Sorry the pictures suck, I ran out of batteries and had to use the simple point and shoot. They look way better in person!)

Apple Nachos

Apples - 3, sliced (Think good apples with crisp, tart flavours such as Granny Smith)

Lemon Juice - 1 tsp

Peanut Butter - 3 tbsps

Almonds - 1/4 cup (I combined whole and slivered almonds)

Walnuts - 1/4 cup

Dried Blueberries - a few sprinkled on

Dried Cranberries - a few sprinkled on

White Chocolate Chips - a few sprinkled on

Slice the apples into this bite sized pieces. Drizzle the lemon juice over the top to stop them from browning. 

Melt the peanut butter in a small sauce pan over medium heat, stirring often, until runny. Drizzle over the apple slices. Top with the remaining toppings. Drizzle a bit more peanut butter over the top. 

Serve right away, and with napkins! That peanut butter gets messy (which makes snack time awesome!). Remember the toppings are pretty much whatever you would desire on your apples! Feel free to substitute melted chocolate for peanut butter if you want to be extra sweet! Enjoy it everyone!

Overnight Crockpot Oatmeal

This post is going to be a life update. So much is going on and my brain is frazzled, so I'm just going to unload some thoughts and hopefully be able to clear my head up!

I just noticed that I can finally reply to comments left under blog posts! Huzzah!!

This was actually one of my biggest complaints about the blogspot network, was having all these wonderful comments and not being able to write back to people very well. It felt like I was starting a conversation, letting people reply, and then the whole thing would stop. It always made me feel bad, but no longer!

Life is starting to pick right back up again. I got an e-mail today from a professor regarding final exams... 20% of the mark, and there are only twenty questions. AND it's based on an entire semester worth of material and textbook reading! Farewell free time...

I'm also back home from house/dog sitting. And while I enjoyed the king size bed and the four shower-head shower, I'm really happy to be home! Hopefully one day the fiance and I will be able to get a house of our own and it will really be home.

In wedding news, I think we are hitting the calm before the storm, although I know that I have a bachelor party coming up soon. Don't expect me to write any blog posts for a week after that night... I'm already dreading the morning after.

That's really all that I wanted to unload! If you bothered to read through all that nonsense, I'm impressed! Hopefully my next blog post will be a little bit more concise and interesting than a random spiraling of thoughts.

This particular recipes has been on my eye forever, but I was unable to make it. The fiance hates to have dried fruit in oatmeal, so I never wanted to inflict it upon her. However, when my dad visited a week ago, I found the perfect excuse to make one up! This recipe caught my eye on the blog Plate Fodder originally, but right before my dad visited, it was also made by Aimee over at Simple Bites. They both go about making this recipe differently, but it's relatively the same thing. However, you should look at both blogs to determine which recipe is right for you!

I made the Plate Fodder recipe this time, only because I'd been sitting on it for so long. However, I'll definitely be giving Aimee's a try, especially because she adapted hers into an apple pie version. *DROOL*
She also sent me a link that highlights Steel Cut Oats (the main ingredient in this dish), and some delicious recipes that go along with them. So definitely go check out That Article as well, especially if you are an oatmeal fan.

Anyway, that's enough blab/blogging for now. I really should delve into these textbooks. Wish me luck!!


Overnight Crockpot Oatmeal

Steel Cut Oats - 1 cup (do not use rolled oats, or the whole thing will become mush!)
Water - 4 Cups
Milk - 1/2 cup
Butter - 1/2 cup
Dried Apricots - A handful (about a 1/4 cup) You can either roughly chop them or keep them whole.
Dried Cranberries - A handful (1/4 cup)
Salt - a healthy pinch
Cinnamon - a healthy pinch (about a 1/2 tsp)

Walnuts - for serving, roughly chopped
Brown Sugar (optional) - sprinkled on top

Place all the ingredients in your slow cooker and turn to low. Cook for 8-9 hours, so set right before you head to bed.

Death by Chocolate

I have never been a huge fan of chocolate. I never hoarded it away for when it would later be needed. I have never really had massive chocolate cravings where it was all I could really think of. I've just never been that person! Even as a child, I preferred to have white chocolate over all others. Don't get me wrong, I still enjoyed munching away on a small slab, or enjoyed a chocolate turtle, hedgehog or Easter rabbit. It was just never an important food item for me.

Easter is upon us. While it's a holiday meant to be spent for its religious implications, it has also become a holiday for chocolate lovers, especially children.

We eat chocolate now because in medieval times, Christians would give up exotic and luxury items for lent. As Easter was the end of lent, often rich foods were reintroduced into the diet. Chocolate used to be considered a luxury, so it became part of the Easter tradition.

There is a dark side to chocolate though, and it is one that is not often spoke of. Major chocolate companies collect their chocolate from an commodities exchange, where chocolate is collected from around the world and mixed into one pile. The Ivory Coast supplies up to 60% of this collection of chocolate, and 90% of the chocolate they collect is through child/slave labour.

Let me say that again. The chocolate being purchased by big companies such as Nestle, Mars, Hershey, and Cadbury, is collected through child slave labour. (Actually, I just noticed at work that Cadbury's Dairy Milk bar is labelled as fair trade now! I purchased it right there just to show you, GO CADBURY! Here's an article I found on it when I wanted to research it some more - (Calgary CTV). (After even more research, I discovered that Cadbury is only able to do this in the U.K. and Canada, but not the United States because Hershey owns its producing rights)

These companies are able to avoid being tagged with "Slave Labour Chocolate" because they purchase their chocolate from this international commodities exchange. Because the chocolate isn't purchased directly from the farmers, the companies can then claim they do not participate in slave labour. But they do. It is too difficult for them to clean up their supply chains. It's something that they are very aware of, but don't do anything about. Under government pressure, they came out with several deadlines to review and clean up their act. Those deadlines were in 2005, 2008 and in 2010 and no changes have been made. Hollow promises.

I had just finished reading the novel The Book of Negroes by Lawrence Hill. It was a historical fiction novel that documented the slave trade of Africans and how they were removed to work in the Americas and Europe. It was a revealing and depressing book, but excellent in how it was written. What really stood out for me though, was the uncaring attitude of all those involved in slavery. Even those that did seem to care could not, or would not, go against the system. They would sit back and let the system work around them. Horrible right?

It's comparable to the modern day. Although today, they do a better job of keeping this sort of thing a secret. So what can you do? Imagine if you will that those huge corporations announced that they would only purchase fair trade chocolate? Would those chocolate farms still forge ahead with slavery, or would they change to meet the demands of these huge companies? I'm sure that some wouldn't change, but I am also sure that several would be forced to change in order to continue their business.

So next time you munch down on a Snickers, Wunderbar, or even a Hershey Kiss, consider where that chocolate came from and the price that was paid to give it to you. For those chocolate lovers out there, finding some fair trade chocolate isn't really that hard. Remember, the consumers hold the power. And fair-trade chocolate is still chocolate, just with a lot less emotional baggage.

Just some food for thought.

Irish Soda Bread

I came across the cookbook Irish Pub Cooking in the clearance section of Winners one day as I waited for the fiance to check out some clothing. It was on sale for only five dollars, and after a quick flip through the book, I decided that there were definitely some recipes worth making.

This cookbook appeared on my shelf several months ago, long before St. Patrick's Day was even in sight! However, I was happy that I had some recipes that I could now share with the blogging community that may be different from the typical Irish Cuisine. I had settled on making a nice loaf of this great Irish Soda Bread recipe due to it's ease and lack of ingredients. I'm also hoping to get more into the bread making habit, instead of just purchasing store bought stuff.

Little did I know that the entire blogging community seemed to have their own Soda Bread recipe saved up this year as well! As my life revolved more and more around the university library, recipes of this loaf started to spring up all over various food blogs. With a sigh, I watched as St. Patties day came and passed within a chance to make this tasty looking loaf. 

Until at last, a month later, I finally managed to march into the kitchen with the expressed purpose of baking some bread. As soon as it was in the oven (a mere 15 minutes later), I couldn't believe that I hadn't made it sooner! Cooking procrastination really let me down this time...

Luckily, I now have a great tasting Irish Soda Bread recipe that I will undoubtedly make several times again before St. Patties rolls around again! Besides, you don't need to wait for a holiday to have good food! It makes an especially good grilled cheese or fried egg sandwich. I only regret I didn't get the chance to make it into french toast! But soon I hope! 

Irish Soda Bread 

Flour - 4 cups

Salt - 1 tsp

Baking Soda - 1 tsp

Buttermilk - 2 cups

Vegetable Oil - for brushing

Preheat the over to 425F. Brush a baking sheet lightly with the vegetable oil and set aside. 

In a large bowl, add the flour, salt and baking soda. Stir together until well blended. Make a well in the center and gradually add the buttermilk. You want the dough to be soft, but not too wet. If you have some buttermilk left over, just keep to the side. Mix well with a wooden spoon as you add the milk, then with your hands until the dough forms a small ball. 

Turn out the dough on a lightly floured counter and knead lightly and briefly. Shape into a round loaf, approx 8" across. Place on the greased baking sheet. 

With a sharp knife, cut a cross into the top. According to Irish mythology, this cross is to ward off evil or to let fairies out. It also has the benefit or helping the bread to rise. 

Bake for around 30-40 minutes or until the top of the bread is golden brown. When lifting the loaf and tapping the bottom, it should give a nice hollow sound. Let cool on a wire rack for a few minutes, then serve warm. 

Homemade Creamy Tomato Soup

Hello. What's new with you?

I am extremely behind on getting some blogging done. I could lay the blame at the feet of a whole host of incidents and reasons, but in reality, I am just behind. Maybe I've been on more of a cooking roll lately than an actual writing roll. Who knows what my role actually is?

I need to apologize to Amy from Fearless Homemaker, as I informed her that I was going to be making her amazing looking, delicious sounding, drool inducing tomato soup several weeks ago. I then proceeded to tell her that I had tried said recipe, and that I had loved it and would be writing about it soon. And there... my friendliness seemed to cut short, as I left poor Amy probably wondering if her soup was really any good.

It was delicious.

I am simply behind.

Actually, this soup was beyond delicious. It was way above expectations (which were high enough already), and left me in a sort of soup stupor. Especially, especially, when you serve this soup with some grilled cheese. This is by far the best soup for a soup/grilled cheese sandwich combo that I have ever come across. I even made my own bread just to make more grilled cheese to go along with. I kid you not!

And so, at least, here is Amy's delayed Creamy Tomato Soup, which I heartily recommend and suggest for all those that love tomato soup, and for those that love grilled cheese.

Enjoy.


Homemade Creamy Tomato Soup

Butter - 3 tbsps
Bacon - 2-4 slices, finely chopped
Onion - 1, diced
Carrot - 1 large, diced
Celery - 1 stalk, diced
Garlic - 5 cloves, minced
Flour - 4 tbsps
Chicken Stock (Low/no sodium) - 4 1/2 cups
Crushed Tomatoes - 1 (28oz) can
Tomato Paste - 1 tbsp
Crushed Red Peppers - 1/4 tsp
Thyme  - 5 fresh sprigs (or in my poor man's version, about 2-4 tsps)
Bay Leaves - 2
Salt and Pepper - a healthy pinch of each

In a large frying pan, melt the butter over medium high heat. Add the bacon and cook until crisp and browned, about 3-5 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon and place on some paper towel. Press out the oil, then set aside.

Lower heat to medium, and add the onion, carrot, celery and garlic. Saute, covered, until soft (about 8 minutes). Stir in the flour and cook for an additional 5 minutes. Add the broth and crushed tomatoes.

Add the tomato paste, crushed red pepper flakes, thyme, bay leaves, and the reserved (now chopped) bacon. Lower heat to low and simmer, covered, for about 20 minutes. Keep track of the bay leaves and thyme, or else they become easily lost in the soup.

Remove the bay leave and thyme stems (if using) from the soup. With an immersion blender, or by transferring small batches to a blender or food processor, puree the soup until smooth. Add the salt and pepper, reheat the soup to a medium temperature, and serve....with hot grilled cheese.


Love it!

The Legendary Wing King

The fiance was off to work last night, but as a special surprise present, she left me some money to purchase myself a little treat. I decided to make it a night for myself, so as I finished watching the hockey game, I got myself a gory movie that I wouldn't normally get a chance to watch (Die Hard, the original of course), and enjoyed myself a little chicken wing snack.

The Legendary Wing King is a local establishment in Lethbridge that aims to make quality chicken wings. They are a take-out or pick-up service only. No tables or chairs available except for a bench (for picking up) and a few bar seats facing the window. While that doesn't really boost it's atmosphere, it's covered in a brilliant hot pink that attracts the eye and sucks you in. It's located downtown at 1-1515 Mayor Magrath Drive South, but hidden around the corner from the main road which hides it from possible customers.

Because the fiance had left the cash, I didn't want to drive across town for a pick-up, so I called for delivery. Because I can't really judge on the waiter and staff, the phone person gets a review! And she was delightful. Okay, not exactly charismatic, but she handled the call clearly and efficiently, which is really what a business should want from their employees. No complaints here! I ordered 3 1/2 pound orders, which is targeted at about $5.99. One pound of wings costs $10.99, which when comparing with the neighbourhood pubs, is actually a few bucks cheaper. However, those same pubs usually bust out a "wing night" which attracts crowds. Wing King unfortunately has no such deal... Anyway, I got myself three kinds of wings. I got the dry "Roasted Garlic and Pepper", "Honey Garlic", and of course "Hot" wings. The wings are marketed as "always fresh, never frozen" and "quality" wings, but they don't really explain where or how the wings are obtained.


They took about 30 minutes to arrive, which isn't bad being that it's a 15 mins drive across the city. And it did give me time to set up my fortress of solitude. The fellow dropping the wings off was also a nice guy, which was also a nice bonus. Once again, nothing special, but got the job done and was positive about it. The total was $26.00 (Plus tax and tip), which seemed a little expensive for 18 wings, but when comparing again with the bars, it actually seems to come out on top.

Now, as for the wings themselves. Served with a blue cheese dressing and some veggies, they actually look pretty good, and are a definite improvement over the classic bar type in terms of size. I went straight for the hot wing, which was.... disappointing. It tasted more like a sweet and sour sauce to me, and I even ended up checking the box to see if a mistake had been made. Disappointing for a hot wing, when I'm expecting some serious heat. The other wing flavours were pretty much what I had expected, but once again wasn't really anything to brag about. They had flavour and it was nice, but I don't know if they were really anything special. I was really hoping for some oomph from them, but sadly wasn't really getting astonishing. The veggies were...veggies. The blue cheese dressing was a pleasant surprise, as it was really lightly flavoured and not too strong (Sad if you want a strong blue cheese dressing then) so it would be good for blue cheese amateurs.

So really what it comes down to, is that if you are a big wing fan, and don't mind paying the $12-$14 dollars for a dozen wings at a bar, then the Legendary Wing King is your place to go. You save a few bucks and you get bigger, better wings! However, the flavours are about what you would expect just about anywhere. If only the hot wings were hotter... However, if you only like going for the 25 cent wings, then Wing King will probably not be worth it in the end. For a guy lazing around on the couch watching a Die Hard movie though, they suited me just fine.



Staff and Service - C+
Food and Flavours - B-
Atmosphere - C+