My Blog = My Life: pizza

The Round-up:

• Food - 3.5 out of 5
• Service - 3.5 out of 5
• Atmosphere - 3 out of 5
• Overall - 10 out of 15

It's slightly gutsy to open a restaurant on a semi-abandoned block in downtown Regina that has seen its share of restaurants come and go over the years.

But entrepreneur Astrid Baecker did exactly that two years ago when renovations at 1822 Broad Street got underway. After sitting empty for a few years, the building was looking in pretty rough shape when things got started. Within a few months Baecker and her team added plenty of shine.

What's now known as Bitten used to be home to Gingerz. Before that it was a satellite location of India House for a matter of months. And wayyy before that it was New Orleans. And that's all the history I know of the place.

The room itself, long and narrow with a balcony looking over the main floor, is an awkward shape for a restaurant. That being said, Bitten has made things work by modernizing the colour scheme and placing high-top tables with bar stools on the main floor that can be easily moved around to accommodate groups of all sizes.

The second floor balcony is cozy and closer to the bar. If drinking is your main reason for visiting Bitten, sit upstairs.

The menu has grown over the last two years. It's now several pages long and covers a surprisingly wide range of cuisines. If you want Asian, Bitten does that. If you want Italian, Bitten does that. If you want Cajun, they do that too. While the variety is nice, the menu lacks focus overall. Some of the appetizers, like the stuffed mushroom caps, seem like a throwback to the '80s.

On the other hand, appetizers come in very generous portions. Some might even find them large enough to be a meal. They definitely make for good sharing in a group.

As for the rest of the food, it's generally good. Some entrees, like a Surf and Turf I had around Valentine's Day in 2009, lacked flavour. However, the pizzas and salads are filling, tasty, and priced just right.

I've been to Bitten five or six times in the last two years and the service has always been good, no matter the server. Service isn't always lighting fast, but it's attentive. And Bitten isn't really the type of place you go for a speedy meal.

I can't finish this review without talking about dessert. Bitten's motto, after all, is "Life is Short... Have Dessert First."

The menu features a whole page of desserts to choose from, all of them made in-house. Bitten does a good job of classics like the Creme Brulee and Creme Caramel. The Mascarpone Toffee Parcels were delish when I tried them a few months back. I haven't had Bitten's version of Sticky Toffee Pudding just yet, but that's next on my list.

My advice: check Bitten out if you haven't been, or if it's been awhile. It's worth supporting a local eatery that's breathing life into our downtown core.

These recipes are reprinted with permission from the authors.

Just Like Wheat Thins Crackers | Trim Healthy Mama,
I had my doubts about this recipe. "Just Like Wheat Thins?!" Yeah, right. You need refined flour and sugar to achieve that kind of deliciousness, don't you? Apparently not. These crackers are amazing and taste like the real thing I can't seem to keep our house stocked though - they disappear quickly!

• 3/4 cup flax meal
• 3/4 cup almond flour
• 2 egg whites
• 2 Tbsp. nutritional yeast
• 1 Tbsp. parmeasan cheese
• 1/4 tsp sea salt
• dash of black pepper, onion powder, and garlic powder
• 1 Tbsp olive or coconut oil
• 1/2 tsp baking soda

Fooled Ya Pizza | Trim Healthy Mama,
I've always felt bad for Brad who used to eat cardboard-like gluten-free pizza crusts while we enjoyed the gluten packed version! I had heard rave reviews about this cauliflower crust from other mamas on the Trim Healthy Mama plan and decided to give it a try even though it sounded pretty gross. Boy, was I wrong! Our entire family enjoys it just as much as the real thing! You'd never know cauliflower was the magic ingredient!

• 1 bag (16 oz.) frozen cauliflower (I used fresh)
• 3/4 cup egg whites
• 2 cups skim mozzarella cheese
• sea salt and other seasonings (I used Epicure's Pizza seasoning blend)
• pizza sauce and other pizza toppings (I used pepperoni, green pepper, red onion, cheddar and mozzarella cheese)

Add egg whites and pulse again.
Add cheese and other seasonings (sea salt, Italian seasoning, onion and garlic powder). Mix ingredients together well with a spatula.
Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper and grease well. Spread crust mixture evenly across cookie sheet. Bake at 450 for 20 minutes. Cool.
Add pizza sauce and toppings and broil until toppings are done (I baked it at 400 for 8-10 minutes).

Peanut Squares | Trim Healthy Mama,
These squares are so yummy! A combination of sweet and salty, we enjoy them as a snack and a dessert. They're gerat to give along with a meal to a new mom too.

• 1 cup almond flour
• 1/2 cup dry roasted peanuts, chopped
• 1/4 cup melted butter
• 2 tsp Truvia
• 1 pkg cream cheese, softened
• 10 tsp Truvia
• 2/3 cup peanut butter
• 3/4 cup whipping cream

While crust is baking, beat cream cheese and second measurement of Truvia together until light and fluffy. Add peanut butter and beat some more.

In a separate bowl, beat whipped cream. Fold into cream cheese mixture and spread over cooled crust.

Place in refrigerator to chill until set.

Cheeseburger Pie | Trim Healthy Mama,
This is probably our #1 favorite supper on the plan. It's all the goodness of a cheeseburger without the bun. You would never miss it! This is so satisfying and delicious. I make once a week in place of burgers on the barbie.

• 2 lbs of ground beef
• 3 tsp. onion powder
• 1 tsp. sea salt
• 6 oz. grated cheddar cheese
• pickles, tomatoes, red onion
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup mayo
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• sea salt
• ground pepper
• 6 oz. grated cheddar cheese

Chunky Cream Pops | Trim Healthy Mama,
This frozen dessert reminds me of my favorite ice cream, President's Choice Chocolate Fudge Crackle... except it's waaaay healthier, made with good fats and no sugar. We love this treat. It's Brad's favorite of all the desserts I've made from Trim Healthy Mama so far.

• 1 batch of Skinny Chocolate
• 2 8oz. blocks of cream cheese
• 10 tsp. Truvia
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 2 heaped Tbsp. peanut butter

Spicy Chicken Wings, pg. 323

Taco Salad, pg. 347

Special Agent Brownies, pg. 383

Trim Healthy Pancakes, pg. 223

In the interest of full disclosure, some of the links in this post are “affiliate links.” This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I receive an affiliate commission. I only recommend products I use personally. Your purchases through these links help support Growing Home. I humbly thank you for your support.

Does your house ever become a pig-sty? Maybe you prefer the term warzone or pit.
It’s okay. It happens to even the biggest neat freaks sometimes. You get sick, busy, have a baby, or maybe you just take the week off from housework. You turn around and the next thing you know you discover a fossilized piece of pizza in a couch cushion.

There will be times when your house simply just gets out of control. Here’s how to get it back to normal again without going insane.

Unless you’re feeling very industrious (or have help) give yourself at least a week to get a very messy house clean. Could you completely clean an entire house in less than a week? Probably, but this game plan takes errands, small children, and life in general into account. Very few of us can get 12 hours of uninterrupted cleaning, so spreading out massive cleaning over a week only makes sense.

If, however, you get a call from your mother-in-law saying she’ll be stopping by in an hour all bets are off, it’s time to start shoving clothes, toys, and dirty dishes in the closets. Just make sure you don’t accidentally push a child in one in your mad-dash cleaning spree.

From Pigsty to Palace In One Week: The Game Plan

Before You Start

* Buy all the trash bags, cleaners, and all the paper towels that you will need. Also consider buying paper plates, and utensils for the week. The environment will forgive you. It’s just for one week.

* Plan simple meals for the week that are easy to clean up.

Day One

* Do all dishes and put them away.

* Clean kitchen counters.

* Take a trash bag and donation box around to each room get rid of as much stuff as possible. This will infinitely speed up cleaning this week.

* Take a box for misplaced items around to each room, and fill it with any odds and ends that are out of place. Tomorrow you’ll begin putting things from this box away.

Day Two

* Put away all misplaced items in their proper places.

* Pick up and put away all stray clothes in your home

* Clean your bathrooms

Day Three

* De-clutter your dining room, living room, and kitchen. Make sure everything is in its proper place in these rooms.

* Organize these spaces as needed.

Day Four

* De-clutter the bedrooms and family room. Make sure everything is in its proper place in these rooms as well.

* Organize these spaces as needed.

Day Five

* Catch up on laundry.

* Put away all clean clothes.

* Vacuum and sweep the entire house.

Day Six

* Clean the windows and dust.

* Wipe the walls as needed.

* Wipe down all kitchen appliances

* Properly file or shred paper work and mail.

Day Seven

* Maintain everything you’ve cleaned, then:

* Rest.

Bonus Jobs If You Should Happen To Have Extra Time

* Clean out the refrigerator

* Clean out and vacuum your vehicle

* Clean up your desk area or office

* Store out of season clothes Want a deeper clean? I highly recommend Sarah Mae’s 31 Days to Clean.

What are your best cleaning tips? Let us know in the comments!

KM Logan is a wife, mother, teacher, and Amazon best-selling author. She is wholly inadequate but strengthened by the Lord. She’d be tickled pink if you stopped by her blog and said hi.

***This post contains affiliate links

The Round-up:

• Food - 4 out of 5
• Service - 4 out of 5
• Decor - 3.5 out of 5
• Total - 11.5 out of 15

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Until about a month ago I'd never ventured into the warm and cozy world of Skara restaurant.

I don't exactly know why this is.

Maybe it was Skara's former life as a middle-of-the-road family restaurant that kept me away -- it's hard for a restaurant to reinvent, after all.

Or maybe it was the fact that until quite recently I lived and worked downtown. A jaunt to South Albert Street wasn't as routine a thing as it is these days.

Maybe I just didn't like Skara's red-and-black colour scheme. Or its aura. OK, kidding about that last part.

Whatever my reasons, I've come to realize they were wrong. All wrong. I've now been to Skara twice with plans to go back for more.

The first thing that struck me about Skara was the size of the place -- a lot bigger than I'd imagined. The restaurant houses a moderately sized dining room with plenty of comfortable booths; a lounge with more booths, several tables and TVs for watching sports; and a private dining room large enough to seat 30 or 40 guests. Even the bathrooms are roomy at Skara (truth be told, I can only speak for the men on that point). The best part of Skara's decor? There's plenty of deep, dark wood and dim lighting. It's like an old-school steakhouse without all the velvet. And it's very relaxing.

Now, as for the food? On both of my visits it has been delicious. The appetizers and a number of the entrees have a Greek/Mediterranean flair to them -- the restaurant is under Greek ownership, so it figures. And of the ones I've sampled, everything has been pretty much perfect. The Calamari is crispy without being too chewy; the Shrimp Ouzeri (tiger prawns and cherry tomatoes sauteed in ouzo) was absolutely delicious, striking just the right blend of sweet and savoury.

The other night I opted to try something from the entree menu. It was a tough choice between the Skara Stuffed Chicken (recommended by our waiter), the Greek Chicken, or the Tomato Feta Garlic Prawns. In the end, the prawns won out. Mr. K, my pal and tablemate, went for the Stuffed Rainbow Trout.

Neither of us were disappointed. The food was brought to the table in good time by our excellent waiter. My prawns were artfully presented in a mound, next to pan-friend veggies and a stuffed potato. Yes, there are many stuffed things at Skara. This isn't a bad thing, in my books.

I guess my only complaint about my dish was that there wasn't quite enough of it to eat. It wasn't exactly small, but then it wasn't huge either. And I have a bit of a reputation for being a "big eater". Or so I'm told.

On the other hand, I definitely didn't go home hungry.

As I hinted above, the service at Skara has been good-to-excellent on both of my visits, particularly the last one on a Friday night. Staff seem to genuinely want to make sure that diners are happy and enjoying their meals -- not always the case in other eateries.

All in all, Skara, you have a new friend. A hungry one. See you again soon.

THE ROUND-UP:

Food - 3.5 out of 5
Service - 4.0 out of 5
Decor - 3.0 out of 5
Total - 10.5 out of 15

1970 Hamilton Street
Regina, SK
306-205-8345
fliprestaurant.ca
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Flip Eatery opened its doors in November 2011 on a slushy mid-fall day just before Remembrance Day. The timing isn't likely the most common for a restaurant opening, but from Day 1 folks flocked to Flip in droves.

Tucked into a new addition to the Avord Tower just behind Atlantis coffee shop on Hamilton Street, Flip is all windows, wood, clean lines, and simple modernism. It's one part Ikea, one part EQ3, and a pinch of boho chic as far as style goes.
While it might not have the glam factor some people look for in a downtown restaurant, Flip has plenty of good going for it. The huge, unobstructed windows onto Hamilton Street are a big contrast from almost any other restaurant downtown, most notably Golf's, the Diplomat, Crave, and Memories (all within a couple of blocks of Flip). It's as though we're finally celebrating downtown Regina and not covering it up with drapes and heavy velvet in order to pretend we're somewhere else.
Flip's menu is classic comfort food for the very large part - several sandwiches, a couple of burgers, a risotto, a bit of seafood, wings, salads, and, of course, soups make up the majority. And there's a deadly poutine that comes with the option to add in shortribs or pulled chicken as a bonus. (Try either or both, you won't regret it, and the portion sizes are heart-friendly, for poutine that is).
Prices fall in the mid-range. You're looking at roughly $15 for lunch (with a drink) and $25 for supper (with an appetizer and a drink). It's not cheap, exactly, but Flip definitely won't break the bank.
An informal survey of my friends regarding the restaurant resulted in everything from, "Love it!" to "It's good but not quite great." Some were less excited about the decor, and others feel the menu could use some pizzazz. From my perspective, Flip could add some variety to the lunch versus supper menus (right now they're the same). While I understand the benefits of having one menu for a chef and owner as far as minimizing food wastage and cutting down on prep time and ordering, the supper menu still feels a bit too "lunchey". I'm more likely to stay home if a sandwich is what I'm craving for supper.
That being said, Flip deserves huge credit for turning a non-descript piece of land into a happening downtown hangout. As Regina grows, more people are seeing downtown as a place to live, not just to work. Places like Flip make our downtown core even more attractive, and that's always a good thing.

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