The Norwegian Adventure | Le Cafe Francais

I am 2 weeks into my Norwegian Adventure and if you follow me on Twitter or have read any of my previous entries, you would know that I could very well re-dub this trip the Norwegian Café Adventure. I have experienced all types of cafes, bakeries, restaurants and the like- all of which have been amazing!

I was asked recently “What is Norwegian cuisine like?” and truthfully, I haven’t been able to decipher what true Norwegian food is. I know Stavanger’s LOVE pizza- the pizza aisle at the grocery store isn’t just 1 aisle, it’s 2; and Stavanger’s also have quite an affinity for Mexican food, which I found slightly odd, seeing as Mexico is so far from here- and it’s not really true Mexican, it’s more Old El Paso and such; but I’m okay with that, I didn’t come here for poor American renditions of Mexican food, I can get that at home.



One of my favorite café’s so far, is the Café Francais- I’ve been there twice already; and I plan on going back again before I leave. And it’s not just a French café run by a Norwegian, it’s a French café run by a French expat, who desired to have a taste of his homeland in his new homeland.



On the outside, this place is very Norwegian- meaning I can’t understand any signs or what any passerby is saying; but as soon as I walk in I feel like I'm in France. The wait staff speak French, French news plays on the television and the assortment of baked goods are as French as one could hope for in Norway.



Pain au chocolate with the flakiest crust and fluffiest center; crème brulee with a perfectly torched crust and smoothest crème filling; the BEST café latte I have had since I’ve arrived- and I’ve had many! And the most interesting take on a chicken club sandwich- no bacon, just the most flavorful marinated chicken, tomato, lettuce and cucumber on the most authentic French baguette; in short heaven for my taste buds on all fronts!



The Café Francais is somewhere you go and laze for hours; starting first with a café latte and pain au chocolate, then with a chicken club and sparkling water and finishing with crème brulee and another café latte- to give you the much needed sugar rush and caffeine buzz to energize you for the- sure to follow- traipse through the cobblestone streets that surround this place.

If you ever have the chance to visit Stavanger- among all the other amazing things you must do- visit the Café Francais; I stake my reputation on it, you will not regret it!




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The Norwegian Adventure | Cafe Culture

The café culture in Norway is out of control- in a good way! There are so many cute little cafes sprinkled all over the landscape; even in small little suburbs one can find a cute café or bakery without too much effort. I have been allowing myself to indulge in $10.00 lattes and baked goods every time the opportunity presents itself- what are vacations for!

My cousin and her friends hit up cafés at least twice a week- and you will not find me complaining. I don’t need any excuses to lounge for hours over warm drinks and delicious baked goods. Although my cousins friends are slightly unfamiliar with the whole blogging thing, I have gotten more than a few sideways looks from some of her cohorts when I bust out my camera, hoping to capture every moment- one of her more outspoken friends exclaimed in her heavy Scottish accent “ Cassandra, your cousin is a fruitcake, she’s taking a picture of a latte”- one day in the far off future she’ll understand!



I’ve been here a week and I have been to a café almost every day; and, after spending hours with a group of mothers, I know WAY more than I care to know about the whole new motherhood experience- that alone is the BEST.BIRTH.CONTROL.EVER.



‘Nuff said.


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The Merits of Soup

I love soup; it is no secret that soup is one of my favorite dishes to make. Soup to me, is so many things, comforting and filling, complex yet so simple. When I indulge in the pleasure that is soup I find it conjures up a feeling of coziness- soup is familiar. The idea of so many ingredients, playing so nicely together is the true spirit of soup; soup shared between friends on a cold day is the definition of hospitality. The art of making soup is like building a house, when built- made- on a strong foundation of quality ingredients, the result is something magical.

The merits of soup are not only rooted in an emotional response, soup is also one of the cheapest ways to eat; in soup, the “bad” cuts of meat are given the forum to shine, and “back of the fridge” finds read: leftovers, are given the opportunity to shine once again. Soup is equal opportunity.



Fall has fully descended on Edmonton, the Indian summer has long passed, the trees are bare and it’s cold. Old man winter is circling the block and soup has become more fitting than ever. I- getting into the full fall spirit- made a soup last week that still has people talking; I was calling it southwest soup- because of the black beans, corn and cumin- but my friend Sarah called it Sante Fe soup and I like that much better. It is the simplest soup to prepare; all it requires of you is assembly and BOOM hearty home cooking in minutes!

We enjoyed this after our- very frigid- pumpkin carving adventure- and it was perfect.

The recipe is posted on my food blog and isn’t titled Southwest Soup or Sante Fe soup, it’s actually titled Hearty Chicken, Vegetable and Bean soup- what can I say, I like variety! Check it, prepare it and be warm and fuzzy on the inside- in that exact order!

Hearty Chicken, Vegetable and Bean Soup



My Friday gift to you is soup! Happy Friday everyone!


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Meals with Friends

One of my favorite ways to spend my time is enjoying meals with my friends. There is nothing like a good meal shared between great friends.

I have the wonderful pleasure of being with my friends around food all the time; we love to meet for lunch, we plan dinners on the regular and we love wine; and wine- naturally- goes best with food.



This past week I went to Café Select with my lovelies Caitlin and Suzy, and if you follow my Twitter, you would have know that I was all a-twitter over our delicious French feast! Café Select has the most amazing French food, we dined on Mac & cheese, steak tartar, grilled romaine salad and baked goat’s cheese; washed down ever so nicely with the best Sangiovese red wine I have ever tasted!



My lovely friends Tiffany and Danielle hosted myself and 2 others to a pasta feast- oh and what a feast it was. Goat’s cheese (noticing a cheese trend?!) on warm baguette, spring green salad with balsamic glaze, homemade lasagna, garlic bread and macaroons for dessert; and of course wine- gimme a break, I’m in my twenties!



Saturday was unseasonably warm in Edmonton, so, naturally, I met up with Sarah and Tony on the patio at Café Leva- the coolest euro style coffee café- for a sandwich and a latte! I was really hoping Edmonton would be gifted with an Indian Summer, as summer was complete bubkus this year; and we did! If we get 1 or 2 more weekends like the last, I will be forever grateful. I hope you heard that Mother Nature.



And, lastly, the spread the ladies and I enjoyed at the swap- Italian meats and cheese, bread, bruschetta salad, wine AND Caesars!


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Pasta with Roasted Asparagus and Goat's Cheese

Isn’t it amazing how when life gets busy the first thing to go is eating? I work around food yet in the past 2 weeks, I have found myself ravenous despite food being everywhere. The irony that I feed people but forget to feed myself is not lost on me.

So upon some prodding from my mother to plan ahead, I decided to go to the Italian grocery to get the “plan” going. As an aside, I love the Italian grocery store, so many great deals and the deli is the best ever; although I could do without the 20 minute long queue and the deli attendant constantly correcting my pronunciation of Bruschetta, apparently it’s brou-sket-ah.

After perusing though a Martha Stewart cookbook, I decided to try a pasta- because I thought it would be fitting seeing as I was at the Italian center. Roasted asparagus, goats cheese, crispy crumbled prosciutto (an ad lib on my part), chives and pasta equals fast and delicious. Oh Martha, how are you so damned good?!

Roasted Asparagus and Goat’s Cheese Pasta adapted from Martha Stewart
1 pound asparagus, tough ends removed
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
salt and freshly ground pepper
8 ounces dried short pasta
4 ounces fresh goat cheese, crumbled
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
2 to 3 tablespoons snipped fresh chives
4 sliced thick cut prosciutto
In a large sauté pan, un oiled and heated to medium high heat, cook the prosciutto until browned and crispy. Once cooked place on a plate with paper towel and set aside.

Preaheat oven to 450°. Place asparagus on a large rimmed baking sheet; drizzle with olive oil. Roast until tender, tossing occasionally, 10 to 15 minutes. Remove from oven and cut into 2 inch lengths.

Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to boil; add a generous amount of salt. Cook pasta until al dente according to package instructions.

Reserve 1 cup of pasta water, drain pasta. Heat a sauté pan over medium heat with the butter. When hot, whisk in the goat cheese, ground nutmeg and the reserved pasta water and cook until the goat cheese has melted. Toss in the cooked pasta and the asparagus. Taste and season with additional salt if needed. Garnish with fresh chives or parsley.

Note- I used white asparagus, which is why it looks like there isn't any at all.

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Black Coffee

I am an admitted caffeine addict; I love it in all deliveries, but I enjoy it best, hot on a cool morning. My day is known to hit the skids by 3 pm if I haven’t had my morning caffeine jolt.

Last winter, as a challenge to myself, I gave up caffeine for a month and a half; the first 2 weeks were hell, I had a splitting headache throughout and I was beastly in demeanor, to say the least. After the shakes passed first, things were going well; and then Costco happened. While I was on one of my regular Costco trips, they were sampling- as they often do- free gourmet coffee; I didn’t see any harm in having a small tester, but as that hot noire nectar billowed down my throat, I was in trouble. To make matters worse, McDonalds- that very same day- starting offering free coffee for a whole month. Now, I’m a lot of things, but foolish is not one of them; and it would have been foolish to pass up a deal like that. As an aside, their coffee is quite good- but that’s an aside.

In any case, I was back on the hooch after the free month, and seemingly more coffee hungry, it didn’t help that I had become obsessed with Viet Iced Coffees.

After spending my summer wound up by all the caffeine I consumed, I decided to swap (some of) the coffee I drink with green tea, the antioxidants alone made this a wise choice.

Rather recently I found a cool photo blog and the only subject is coffee, and it is right up my alley! Coffee porn if you will!

Because I believe in moderation, I have a link for the best Viet iced coffee; and for the days when coffee is a no no- a link to some lovely coffee pictures!


Coffee Notes
Viet Iced Coffee- via my food blog


Bottoms up!



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Chicken Bruschetta Salad

I was salad crazy all summer, making up all kinds of salad creations; but this is by far my favorite. It has all my favorite things- chicken, almonds, sweet butter lettuce and bruschetta; and it’s beyond healthy.

I love salads that deliver both on flavor and benefit; because let’s be honest, some salads don’t. And although those wonderful calorie laden salads have their place, why would I waste a day and half’s worth of calories on one salad when I can have this salad in its place? And, with all my caloric savings, I would definitely be having ice cream for dessert!

(click to view recipe on my food blog)