Mr. Mikes

Does everyone remember going to the Mr. Mikes steakhouse on Logan Avenue in Langley many years ago? Remember having a Mikeburger or their salad bar?

That restaurant is long gone but we've found a few in towns further north over the years such as Cache Creek, Quesnel, and Kamloops. I remember eating breakfast at the Mr Mikes in Cache Creek many years ago when my father and I were transporting my horse back down to the coast.

Then Mr. Mikes opened up again in Langley in the old Kelsey's restaurant on 200th Street and Willowbrook Drive. We went there for dinner a few months ago to give it a try. Its not a thing like the old Mr. Mikes. No salad bar and practically nothing for a vegetarian to eat. Nice enough restaurant and staff but no reason to keep me coming back here.

But for those of you who do remember enjoying a Mikeburger at the original Mr. Mikes, make a point of heading to their restaurant tomorrow, Sunday July 18, 2010. For one day only the original Mikeburger can be yours for $5.99. I do remember liking them as a kid back in the olden days when I ate meat! The closest restaurant is in Langley at 20020 Willowbrook Drive next to the Tim Hortons.

Enjoy

Surrey Leader delivery

Yesterday I received another elusive Surrey leader. In fact I received one this past Wednesday too. That makes more Surrey Leaders received in one week than the rest of the year put together. I saw yesterday's Leader in the mailbox when I was taking the dogs for a walk but I actually ran into the fellow delivering them just down the block and stopped to chat. I asked him if he was new and he said no. His route is in a different Cloverdale neighborhood and he said he's the substitute delivery person. He confirmed his first delivery to our neighborhood was last Friday. I told him that's the first Surrey Leader I've seen since January. He was quite surprised and pulled a little street and house map out of his pocket and asked where I lived. I pointed to my house, the house number is clearly marked on the delivery route. I said I just assumed there'd been no delivery person in our area because from time to time I get a notice in my mailbox that they're looking for paper carriers. He said something's not right. He asked if I'd complained about not receiving a paper and I said no. Its really no big deal to me one way or the other if I get one and I just figured there was no one assigned our route for the past few months.

I can figure this one out. Its happened plenty of times. The delivery person is dumping the newspapers somewhere instead of delivering them. Its quicker that way. And most likely why this person is out of a job. Someone on our neighborhood who actually likes reading the Surrey Leader must have complained they haven't been receiving them. Oh well. Wasn't me. Let's see how long it keeps up.

Weekend late night specials at Il Uk Jo all you can eat sushi

We got a nice surprise tonight when we went to our favorite all you can eat sushi restaurant Il Uk Jo in Fleetwood. Regular price is $20.99. We've been busy this week with work and it was just after 9pm when we arrived at the restaurant. The hostess asked us if we'd be having the late night all you can eat special of $13.99 so we said sure. Savings of $14 for the 2 of us right there. The late night all you can eat sushi has a slightly different menu but pretty much everything we order all the time anyway was on it so no big deal. The only noticeable exceptions were the prawn tempura and dragon roll, but hey we can skip those for the savings. Kerry was hungry tonight so they probably didn't make much profit on us! But we decided the savings was significant enough that we'll be returning more often on our Friday night date nights and waiting till after 9pm to dine.

Unfortunately this is only a summer special. :(

For those who haven't been before Il Uk Jo all you can eat sushi and Korean BBQ is located in Fleetwood on the southwest corner of the Fraser Highway and 152 Street in a small strip mall shopping plaza. Park behind the restaurant.

Playing at the Clova from July 16 - July 22 2010

As expected with their first run flicks on premiere day everywhere, Despicable Me is playing again this week at the Clova until July 22. Showing nightly at 7pm and lets out at 8:35pm.

New admission at the Clova is $8 per person with discounts if there are more people in your group. 2 people is $15, 3 people is $19, add $4 for each person in your group.

Cloverdale Banana Bread

I am not a banana bread fan. I like bananas. I buy them frequently, peel them and eat them. I just don't like them cooked.

Everytime I go to the produce store I buy a hand of bananas. Sometimes they get eaten before they turn brown. Sometimes not. They turn, I toss them in the garbage. What a waste.

And then one day I get to thinking. Just because I don't like banana bread doesn't mean that Kerry doesn't like banana bread. Maybe I can find a better use for those over-ripe bananas than letting them rot in the landfill. I've tried a few variations of banana bread recipe and I've come up with a pretty decent one that's easy to make. I've never actually eaten it myself. Kerry loves it and it doesn't last long once its out of the oven.

I call it Cloverdale Banana Bread, for no other reason than I live in Cloverdale and here's where I perfected the recipe.

1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup margarine
2 eggs
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
over ripe bananas - depends on how many I have, usually anywhere from 3 to 4 bananas

And there you have it. Ingredients that I usually have in the house around the same time the bananas are going bad. For the eggs, I buy farm fresh ones and often they are jumbo size, meaning I have 2 yolks in one egg. If that's what you use too, then only use one jumbo egg instead of 2 eggs.

Now for the fun part, the optional stuff. The above recipe stands on its own but Kerry likes a bit of variety so I might toss in a couple of handfuls of walnut pieces if I have them in the cupboard. Sometimes I'll shake in some cinnamon and pumpkin spice, but I guess other sweet spices like nutmeg would work in this recipe.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cream the sugars and margarine in a mixer at medium speed or wherever you're comfortable at where the ingredients don't splash out of the bowl. Add eggs and mix well. Mash the bananas and add them to the bowl. Mix in the flour and baking soda. If you're planning to add any optional items, put them in now too. Pour into a bread loaf pan that's sprayed with baking spray and bake for an hour and then check with a toothpick to see if its done. If the batter sticks to the toothpick put it in for another 5 minutes and check again. With my oven I usually find the bread is ready somewhere between one hour and five minutes and ten minutes but other ovens may differ in their heating. Put it on a wire rack to cool.

And here's where Kerry takes over. At some point he knocks the loaf out of the pan and transfers it onto a plate and then he eats it. Not all at once of course, but it doesn't last long. Now he happily informs me whenever the bananas are getting too ripe that its time to bake banana bread. Like today. With all the heat we've been having those green bananas I bought 3 or 4 days ago ripened really fast. I ate one yesterday and it was already past the stage that I like to eat them.

Enjoy!

Stinging Nettles

When I was growing up in Cloverdale we had a lot of bushes to play in. Stinging nettles grow abundantly all over the province and the ditches and woods around Cloverdale were full of them. By 5 years old I knew what a stinging nettle was and to avoid them. Live and learn. Stinging nettles form bumps on the skin that itch and sting for quite some time if you come in contact with them.

Tonight we were out at the farm with a friend in his mid-30's. He returned to his car to get the camera and when he rejoined us he said he touched a plant and now has hives and they hurt. I took a look at his arms and those hives looked like he'd been in contact with stinging nettles. I spotted some nearby and pointed to them and he said that was the plant.

What I can't figure out is how he got this far along in life without ever coming in contact with a stinging nettle or knowing what they are.

Free Slurpees at Cloverdale 7-11 on Sunday July 11

In a birthday promotion across the states and Canada, 7-11 is giving away 1000 free slurpees on Sunday July 11, 2010. They come in a special birthday container.

Does everyone get this? 7-11 is the name of the store. 7 11 is the date of the birthday. And how much does each Slurpee weigh? Could it be 7.11 ounces?

Here's the promo on their website. www.slurpee.ca/promos/7-eleven-day

Nowhere does it say the time the promotion starts. For all I know the promo begins at 1 minute past midnight. Only 1000 Slurpees per store. I guess when those birthday cups are gone you're paying for your Slurpees.

The 7-11 in Cloverdale is on the corner of 176th Street and 60th Avenue, across from the fairgrounds.