A Dad In The Burbs

Instant Pot Pork Chops

Posted on June 20, 2018 by stacey

I got home yesterday to find that there was nothing in the fridge to feed the family. And they were hungry. Hungry and quickly transitioning to hangry.

Instant pot

What to do? Yes, that is correct, I turned to the Instant Pot. And, I went way out of comfort zone because I put FROZEN meat in my Instant Pot.

I had four pork chops frozen. Frozen into one solid block. Rock hard.

Did I mention the kids were about to turn on me? They were. So I turned the Instant Pot to sauté, added some olive oil and I let it heat up.

Then I dropped in the chunk of frozen pork. And poured in a cup and a half of chicken stock. Put on the lid, flipped to the lid to “seal” and the timer for 15 minutes. And then I stepped away to start working on some Carolina-style barbecue sauce.

Because the chunk-o-pork was frozen it took a few minutes for the liquid (chicken stock) to get up to temperature. Once it did, the timer started counting down from 15 minutes.

Once we got to zero, I was anxious to see what was inside so I did a “controlled quick vent”. Opened the lid and saw that my chunk-o-pork was now four sort of frozen pork chops. Good news!

I poured the Carolina-style barbecue sauce into the Instant Pot and put the lid back on. Sealed it. Set it. 15 minutes.

In no time the Instant Pot was up to temperature and under pressure.

15 minutes later I did another quick pressure release and opened up the pot. The pork was now ready to be “pulled” which I did in a large stainless bowl. Using two forks I pulled the pork into shreds.

I ladled on a little of the barbecue sauce and mixed it all together.

I split a few Kaiser buns and placed them under the broiler for a couple minutes to get them browned.

Instant pot

Then I scooped some of the pulled pork onto the bun, added a scoop of coleslaw onto the other side of the bun, ladled on some more of the Carolina-style barbecue sauce, and got ready to eat.

The most amazing thing? Both kids liked it and they actually ate it!!

And just like that, they went from neatly hangry to fully happy.

That’s A Dad in the Burbs style cooking!

Here is my A Dad in the Burbs “recipe” for the Carolina-style barbecue sauce:

1 cup of apple cider vinegar
3/4 cup of ketchup
1 teaspoon of Worcestshire sauce
A scoop of mustard – about a tablespoon
1 tablespoon of brown sugar
1 tablespoon of honey
1/2 teaspoon of salt
1/2 teaspoon of pepper
1/2 teaspoon of red pepper flakes

I added all the above ingredients into a medium sized saucepan, brought it to a boil, reduced the heat to low and let it simmer while I waited for the pork to cook in the Instant Pot.

The Carolina-style barbecue sauce has a strong vinegar hit – much different than the sweeter Texas style barbecue sauce – which I quite like. I just wanted to try something different this time.

That’s it!

Posted in In the Kitchen | Tagged barbecue, Instant Pot, pulled pork | Leave a comment

My Tour of the Vancouver Filson Store

Posted on June 15, 2018 by stacey

Earlier this week I was invited to a wine tasting event at Vancouver’s Filson store in Gastown. While taking the time to taste the 1000 Stories Zinfandel wine, I took the time to thoroughly tour and drool over the amazing variety of goods that Filson has in their store.

As well as admiring all the beautifully crafted durable goods in the Vancouver Filson store I couldn’t stop myself from dreaming of “gearing up” and heading out for an expedition in the great woods of the Pacific Northwest. Their gear is what dreams are fueled by.

I did manage to get some photos which I have turned into a short video so that you can have a tour of the Filson store. Enjoy.

Another note about the 1000 Stories Zinfandel – the rep told me that they call this wine a “throwback-style” of wine because it is aged in bourbon barrels like many California wines were in the very early days of wine-making in California. At $30 a bottle it is not cheap wine but I found it to be a very enjoyable, full-bodied wine. I will be buying more of this!

Disclosure: while I did enjoy a couple glasses of wine compliments of the brand rep from 1000 Stories Wine, I was NOT compensated for this blog post or video by the wine brand nor the Filson store. As always, editorial control of what is added to my blog belongs to me.

Posted in Luxuries | Tagged durable goods, EDC, everyday carry, Leather bags, wine | Leave a comment

Marlondo Leather Traveler’s Briefcase

Posted on June 11, 2018 by stacey

Some few weeks or maybe even a couple months ago I bought a Marlondo Leather Travelers Briefcase in their water buffalo leather line. They are discontinuing their water buffalo line so I bought the bag at a pretty deep discount.

As I say in the video, I really like the feel of the water buffalo leather but…

I will still be buying more from Marlondo Leather, maybe even a Travelers Briefcase in their cowhide so I can compare the two.

Posted in Luxuries | Tagged briefcase, leather goods | Leave a comment

The Rad Power Bike Radrover

Posted on June 8, 2018 by stacey

I’m loving this Radrover bike. It is a beast of a machine!

Rad Power Bikes

This morning I rode to school and it didn’t take me even five minutes longer than if I drive my car. It might have even been faster.

Rad Power Bikes

In case you don’t know, the Radrover is an electric bike. It has two options – first, a battery that provides “pedal assist”. Basically, it makes it easier to pedal especially when going up hills – that option is called pedal assist.

The other option – you can roll on the “throttle” like you would on a motorcycle. However, once you are up to 32 kmh there is a governor that kicks in so that it is then pedal power. That’s “the law” for electric bikes. Anything above 32 kmh and you are considered a motor vehicle and you need to have insurance and a bunch of other stuff.

As for the riding part, I can completely understand why people prefer bike lanes that are separated from the traffic. Today I was riding along in my marked bike lane and a woman driving beside me just moved into my lane essentially forcing me off the road. When I yelled at her she just looked over at me with her mouth hanging open.

Commuting on my Radrover is like riding a motorcycle – you have to assume people in cars can’t see you.

As for the Rad Power Bike concept, I am loving it. The fat tires on my Radrover get everyone talking and makes people smile when they see it. They just look beastly. And when I’m riding they smooth out the little bumps in the road. I love them.

The pedal assist/electric motor doesn’t do all the work; I still pedal while I’m riding. The pedal assist just makes it so that the hills are not so crushing to the spirit to a “non-seasoned” rider like myself.

I will do another YouTube video of the bike in the next little while and I’ll also try to get a video of my friend’s Radcity Commuter bike to show some of the differences.

Posted in Vehicles | Tagged commuting, electric bike | Comments Off

Dirty Apron Cooking Class

Posted on June 5, 2018 by stacey

Last week I attended a cooking class at the Dirty Apron cooking school. The name of the class was Meat Eaters Unite. It was not vegetarian friendly.

Above is a photo of the lamb chops I cooked. Start on the grill to get the grill tracks set and then into the pre-heated oven for SIX minutes! So juicy. And delicious.

The key takeaway for me was just how easy it is to make beautiful, healthy, and delicious food with a few simple ingredients.

This is the Pork Wellington we made – it was incredible. Braised, seasoned, coated with a Dijon mustard sauce, wrapped in puff pastry and then cooked to 145° internal temperature. A game changer for me. So juicy. So tender. And safe to eat!

Ribeye steak – seasoned and marinated in a bourbon maple syrup, soy sauce with some fresh thyme and rosemary. On the grill to get the grill marks and we are good to go.

The entire Dirty Apron experience was great. Very friendly, professional, and informative. I learned many simple things that I am sure will make me more effective in my kitchen.

I’ll add more info as soon as I get an opportunity.

Posted in In the Kitchen | Tagged cooking class, meat | Comments Off

Filming the Recording of a Podcast

Posted on May 30, 2018 by stacey

As one or two of you know, I’ve started a podcast on which I discuss whatever random topic piques my curiosity.

For giggles one night I filmed myself recording my podcast.

That’s my recording studio – the back porch.

That’s my recording equipment – an iPhone. Which I’ve now “upgraded” by using the earbuds to get better quality sound.

That’s my podcast equipment.

Posted in Life Musings | Tagged podcast | Comments Off

Biscuits, Crisp, Croissants, and Lamb; A Weekend of Eating

Posted on May 29, 2018 by stacey

I started my weekend of eating and foodie explorations with my usual Saturday morning attempt at baking biscuits.

I have to say, I had a reasonably successfully experience. The biscuits were light enough but the texture still is not as soft inside as I remember the ones my mother used to make. Or were the biscuits of my childhood really that good?

Saturday morning breakfast for the kids and I was biscuits with cheese, tomato, and some cold cuts. And of course a coffee for me.

Later on Saturday afternoon I went to the Burnaby test kitchen and had a lesson on making a strawberry and rhubarb crisp – using a handmade gluten-free flour mix.

Along with the 9″ x 13″ pan full I also made two individual sized portions for my kids. Unfortunately/fortunately they did not enjoy the tartness of the rhubarb as much as I thought they would so I had to eat both portions. The things I do for my kids…

Funny how kids will eat sour candy but can’t eat a bit of rhubarb.

And then Sunday morning took me out to Fort Langley and the Blacksmith Bakery. Their croissants are out of this world delicious. They are more flaky than you know who. And that is flaky.

After a day of cycle touring the Fraser Valley, we ended up down on Brewers Row in Port Moody for a late Sunday afternoon snack. Truth is, if you want to get your kids to eat their veggies, deep fry them. The veggies. Not the kids.

The cauliflower “wings” from the Wings Food Truck are out of this world delicious. Soft tender insides and a crispy batter exterior. Even Pick Pants ate them and declared them “good enough to eat”.

To finish off the weekend of eating I grilled up lamb “donairs” that I bought from Josh at Farmtown Meats in Burnaby. Yeah, they don’t look all that photogenic but they were a taste sensation for the wife and I. Not so much for the kids. The flavour is pretty strong – I like that – kids not as much.

A great weekend of eating. Biscuits, croissants, rhubarb crisp, lamb on the grill, oh my. What a great weekend.

Posted in Food and Drink | Tagged biscuits, croissants, grilling | Comments Off

Burgers on the Grill

Posted on May 24, 2018 by stacey

We did it again – we did burgers on the grill.

I have to admit that once again, I made them too thick. You’d think I would’ve learned after doing this once already!

Another thing I would probably do differently next time is get actual hamburger buns because the ciabatta buns I got were too tough to bite through for little kids’ teeth.

But the bacon from Farmtown Meats was perfect for the grill! Lots of meat that crisped up just beautifully.

In spite of my couple complaints (issues that I had total control over – but made poor choices about) the burgers were pretty amazing tasting.

Posted in In the Kitchen | Tagged burgers, grilled, grilling | Comments Off

Victoria Day Long Weekend

Posted on May 21, 2018 by stacey

I spent most of the Victoria Day long weekend in and around the Fraser Canyon with my kids. We came home late Sunday because traffic on the Monday of the long weekend is a nightmare I can seriously do without.

We started out Friday afternoon of the Victoria Day weekend with a drive up the Scenic 7. I can no longer handle the pace of traffic on the #1 so we always travel the Scenic 7. And besides, it is much more scenic!

First stop for dinner was the Mission Springs Brewing Company-restaurant. Although you would think that the building that the brew-pub is located in has been there for a 100 year, it was actually purpose built back around 1996. Very cool in a Canadian Pickers-style kind of way. There are an endless number of old farm tools and implements inside.

As well as a “Tailgate Dinner” which is actually just the biggest buffet of golden fried food you will find anywhere. Including deep fried pickles. And they have a taco bar – the kids were in heaven!

After my belly was stuffed full of tacos and deep fried goodness I needed a little pick-me-up to continue driving up the Fraser Canyon. Stop in Hope BC for a cuppa ethical coffee from the good folks at the Blue Moose Cafe.

As soon as we go to the cabin the girls wasted not a minute to pull out the new Shel Silverstein book and start reading the poetry.

I waited until the kids were in bed asleep before I opened my new bottle of single malt Scotch whiskey. A superb whiskey with a strong taste of honey and citrus. I will definitely be enjoying a wee dram of this whiskey now and again.

The morning after the night before I get to make breakfast. Picky Pants only likes hashbrown potatoes so…we have hasbrown potatoes. This time we tried the small bites – like a flattened tater tot. They were well received even though there was significant suspicion about their “weird shape”.

For my foodie daughter and I it was farm fresh eggs scrambled “Ramsay-style” served on the croissants that I had sliced open and warmed in the oven. I grated some of the 3 year old hard cheddar we picked up at Agassiz’s Farmhouse Cheese shop onto the eggs and we both agreed, these were amazing eggs.

After breakfast we spent the day exploring the waterways and watching the wildlife. Just a peaceful and quiet day exploring. No electronics. Other than my phone which is only good for taking photos when we are up in the mountains.

On the way home we stopped at 293 Wallace for an early dinner. Grilled cheese and fries for you-know-who and a Caesar salad with a bowl of the soup of the day – corn and bacon chowder for me and the family foodie.

The chowder had just the right creamy thickness and the hint of maple in the Caesar salad croutons was a pleasant surprise. All reports were that the grilled cheese (off the kids menu) was also a hit with no surprises.

All in all, a wonderful weekend away with my kids. What a great time to be alive.

Posted in Food and Drink, On the Road | Tagged road tripping | Comments Off

Instant Pot Pork Chops

My Tour of the Vancouver Filson Store

Marlondo Leather Traveler’s Briefcase

The Rad Power Bike Radrover

Dirty Apron Cooking Class

Filming the Recording of a Podcast

Biscuits, Crisp, Croissants, and Lamb; A Weekend of Eating

Burgers on the Grill

Victoria Day Long Weekend

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