Rockit Burger Bar Brunch {Review}

Brunch. It's a meal I enjoy on weekends but not nearly enough as I'd like. But I finally had a chance to enjoy an awesome brunch with my friend Melissa. It was a pretty special outing because it was also her birthday! So to celebrate, we enjoyed an amazing experience at Rockit Burger Bar. If you're a Chicago Cubs fan [The Baron], you'd appreciate this restaurant since it's located directed across the street from the famous Wrigley Field. This makes for great sidewalk eating to take in the vibe of Wrigleyville.

So what can you expect at brunch from a burger bar? I was especially impressed with the delicious offerings...

We left it to the expertise of Chef Amanda to show us how this burger bar does brunch... and they sure do it well. To start, we got settled in with some bubbly... mimosas!

Chef Amanda kicked off our brunch with some variations to brunch favorites. She presented us with these lemon thyme waffles served with fresh whipped cream and berries. The lemon notes came through perfectly with hints of fresh thyme. It has a slightly savory flavor but it balanced well with the fresh berries.

Another common breakfast item is oatmeal... however Chef Amanda's version was probably the best oatmeal I've ever had. This was a vegan version made with almond milk and topped with plump blueberries, bananas and toasted walnuts.

As a palate cleanser, this crazy good bloody mary found it's way on our table. If you are a bloody mary fan, you need to come check this place out. Rockit Burger Bar has a great bloody mary bar where you can customize your drink. The one we enjoyed had a rim of really good spicy parmesan cheese that made it so good. {Note to self... try this at home!}

Round two. Chef Amanda presented us with some of the best breakfast flatbread pizzas I've tasted. I especially liked the sausage and egg pizza. Breakfast sausage, fluffy scrambled eggs and a nice sprinkling of cheese topped this version, with a splash of color from green onions...

Melissa enjoyed the mushroom and cheese... which was a nice balance of cheese, mushrooms and a touch of fresh thyme. Doesn't this look good?!

And because this is a restaurant that specializes in burgers, how could we leave without having a taste? Chef Amanda presented us to two different burgers for round 3. Melissa, the fellow vegetarian/part time vegan, had Rockit's BBQ red bean burger. It's slightly sweet with a smoky flavor...

For me, I got to get a sneak peak taste of the new breakfast burger that will be making it's way out on the menu. This is a bagel burger stuffed with thick sliced bacon, arugula, tomato and a perfect sunny side up egg...

And since we were celebrating Melissa's birthday, she got the Rockit Rockstar treatment when she was surprised with dessert while enjoying a tomatillo bloody mary...

For dessert, we dug into sopapillas, which are crisp tortillas sprinkled with cinnamon sugar and served with a healthy mound of vanilla ice cream. Light, sweet and a perfect ending to our meal...

And if our amazing brunch wasn't enough, Melissa was spoiled with a card signed my the staff, filled with gift cards to some of the restaurants in the group including Sunda, Rockit Bar & Grill and Rockit Burger Bar. 

If you're ever in Wrigleyville either as a local catching a game or even a visitor to check out the popular neighborhood of Wrigleyville, you must stop in at Rockit Burger Bar. They have an amazing brunch and their extensive menu for the rest of the day is just as outstanding! This was probably the most fun brunch I've been on, thanks to the wonderful staff of Rockit Burger Bar, the talented Chef Amanda and of course, the birthday girl herself who was great company.

Read more »

New Brunswick is a Canadian (and North American) Leader In Early Autism Intervention and School Autism Services

New Brunswick is a Canadian, and North American,  leader in early autism intervention and school autism services.  I do not doubt that that statement is enough to prompt a retort from many jurisdictions.  New Brunswick is not one of the wealthiest jurisdictions in Canada, let alone North America, but the fact is that New Brunswick has had publicly provided early ABA autism intervention to the extent of 20 hours per week for ages 2-5 for several years.  700-800 education aides and resource teachers also  received the same UNB-CEL Autism Intervention training.  

These services have been provided by both Liberal and Conservative governments.  The drive to put these services in place resulted from intense, persistent and well organized parent advocacy.  Above all we had the advantage of guidance from local autism experts.  The UNB-CEL program that provided these autism services was able to do so in both of New Brunswick's official languages, French and English, even though the French language Université de Moncton chose not to participate in developing the program.  Ultimately NB was recognized as a leader in provision of early intervention by Dr. David Celiberti of the Association for Science in Autism Treatment.  

Over the past year several international and local experts, listed in the attached letter from Nicole Gervais, Executive Director, have developed an on line program which has provided ABA based autism training to NB teachers and aides. They did so in conjunction with the NB government's new, combined Department of Education and Early Childhood Development. The predecessor Department of Education's officials had long felt that paying the UNB-CEL for the autism training was too expensive and were clearly annoyed that the program resulted from parent advocacy, professional advice and direct political initiative. Officials including the Director of Student Services moved to assert control over autism programs in the Education Department, even going so far as to threaten me with legal notice to stay out of a meeting between the Department and ASNB at which autism training was discussed. Nonetheless senior department officials essentially claimed ownership of the program developed by UNB-CEL and have, over the past year, developed the in house departmental training program described in Ms Gervais letter:

I am very impressed with both the international and local autism expertise involved with developing the program and I have to believe that this program will bode well for New Brunswick children and youth with autism spectrum disorders. Many of the concerns which I raised in a  recent letter to NB autism officials, and raised several years ago, as an Autism Society New Brunswick representative, when advocating for provision of UNB-CEL autism training for resource teachers and aides are dealt with in this program as described. Given the recognized expertise of those who developed the UNB-CEL program further I am certain that the program itself will be excellent.  

I am much less assured though by the in house elements of the program, particularly the evaluation of the candidates practicum completion, in the context of a collective bargaining environment where the parties conducting the evaluations are representatives of the employer in the collective bargaining relationships with NBTA and CUPE Local 2745 representing the teachers and aides respectively.  I have 30 years experience as a labour lawyer in New Brunswick and federally. I have also been very active as an ASNB representative on autism education issues over the past dozen years. On these issues I do not defer to the Department autism experts or to their in house legal advisers.  There will be grievances filed if any aides or teachers fail their evaluations with resulting pressures on those conducting the evaluations.

CUPE Local 2745 in particular has been averse to even supporting autism training for the aides they represent for fear that older aides would be unable to complete training and their ability to utilize their seniority for preferred assignments would be compromised.  As an ASNB president I had invited and met with the then CUPE Local 2745 President to discuss autism training for TA's (Education Aides) at a breakfast meeting at Bolden's Cafe in Fredericton.   She was totally disinterested in my suggestion that CUPE support parents in advocating for autism training for teachers and education aides.  Her successor, the current CUPE Local 2745 President, Sandy Harding, has been much more openly hostile to our efforts advocating for autism trained education aides in their bargaining unit. 

Notwithstanding my concerns over the in house elements of the program I do recognize the considerable expertise both of the international and the local experts involved in the development of the program and that expertise bodes well for New Brunswick children and students ... particularly if the Department officials have the will to properly evaluate those who take the training.  If education officials can stand up to CUPE 2745 pressure and provide honest, accurate evaluations of autism course participants New Brunswick will continue as a North American leader providing early autism intervention and autism school services to ALL students not just those who can afford specialized instruction or live in Fredericton where evidence based intervention and autism instruction have historically been embraced.

Read more »

Celebrate Friendship with... Chocolate

Happy Friday! With summer drawing to an end, The Baron and I are spending time with close friends while our schedules still allow. Not everyone keeps childhood friends throughout the years due to a host of variables... but when folks are able to do so, it really is a special thing. I met The Baron's best friend, G, last year and I remember being so nervous to meet him. Thankfully, we soon became friends and had some time to get to know one another. Both of them grew up down the street from each other when they were kids and have since maintained a very strong and close bond. I like seeing The Baron light up when he talks about the crazy fun they've had together with the usual pranking, joking, and just silly antics they got into. When we found out G and his partner were moving out west earlier this year, we were sad to see them go. Helping them move and packing up their moving truck didn't help either. But at least we're getting the opportunity to spend time with them and check out their new surroundings! Friendships... they are something that should be treasured and I'm thankful to have my share. Even better is when someone you love invites you to share theirs too.  With all the fuzzy feelings of friendship in the air, I've partnered up with Merci European Chocolate who's highlighting friendships of all kinds this month. To celebrate, we're giving away a Friendship Kit!

This Merci European Chocolate item features a fine assortment of European chocolates. The assorted chocolate box features seven varieties of rich European chocolates. This finest chocolate collection comes with 20 individually wrapped pieces.

For this giveaway, we're sharing what makes our friends special and meaningful to us. A random winner will be chosen and receive the following in their friendship kit... because what's a better thank you [or 'Merci!'] than chocolate?!

• 7 ounce box of Merci Chocolates
• a picture frame to display a photo of you and your friends
• a chocolate scented candle
• a $25 gift card

If you’re interested in participating, leave a comment describing your best friend and what makes them special or meaningful to you. A winner will be randomly chosen on Sunday, September 1st at midnight [CST] and announced on Monday, September 2nd to claim their prize via email.

Good luck and I can't wait to hear all about your friendships!

Read more »

LifeProof Frē Case is now Locally Available in Philippines

Protecting the smartphones is one of the best investment that one user can make once you got a new iPhone or that latest Samsung Galaxy smartphones. Good thing thing that there is a case that not only it protects it from shock but from water, dirt and even snow(not that we need it here).

The new LifeProof frē Case offers full access to all key functions while the sleek, lightweight design provides all the protection consumers have come to expect from LifeProof, including against water, dirt, snow and shock.

Read more »

Read more »

Fresh Corn & Avocado Salad

This time of year sweet corn is readily available and I love when my favorite market has it on sale. In fact, I recently scored a good deal [6 ears for $1] and stocked up on corn to play with. My immediate thought was to just boil the corn and serve on the cob. But because I had a handful of kiddies coming over, I figured it would be easier to serve the corn off the cob. That's when I thought a corn salad would be a good addition to my menu. A great salad that highlights the sweet flavors is this Fresh Corn & Avocado Salad. Sweet corn is tossed with creamy avocados, diced onions and snips of basil in a simple vinaigrette...

So far this summer, this is my favorite salad recipe. It's easy, quick to make, colorful and definitely a perfect seasonal dish to let sweet corn shine. I guess if you had a hankering for a corn salad when it's not in season, you could substitute the fresh corn for canned or frozen... but it really isn't the same. The freshness makes all the difference both in taste and texture!

Fresh Corn & Avocado Salad

recipe adapted from MyRecipes

6 ears of fresh corn

1/4 cup minced red onion

1 avocado, diced

1/4 cup chopped fresh basil leaves

2 tablespoons white wine vinegar

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

salt and pepper to taste

In a large pot of boiling water, cook corn until tender, about 7-10 minutes. Remove corn from pot with tongs and place on a baking sheet to cool. Once cool enough to handle, cut the kernels off the cob and place into a large bowl.

Add the onion, avocado and basil to the bowl.

In a small bowl, prepare the dressing by whisking together the vinegar, mustard and olive oil. Carefully pour the dressing into the corn mixture and toss gently to combine.

Read more »

Cinnamon Nut Roll Coffee Cake Redux

EVERYBODY (every Buddy) BAKES

After a harrowing kitchen experience – thrice unlucky - followed by a resounding success, I shared my Cinnamon Nut Roll Coffee Cake with the Bread Baking Babes and, as is the tradition, invited others to bake along with us and earn their Buddy Badge. Not to mention allowing others to have such a fabulous yeasted coffee cake in the kitchen. And from what I have heard, there wasn’t coffee cake in the kitchen for long! This is the kind of treat that disappears in no time at all, it is that good!

So, without further ado, here are this month’s Bread Baking Buddies and their own Cinnamon Nut Roll Coffee Cakes:

Kelly of a Messy Kitchen

Karen of Karen’s Kitchen Stories

Claartie of Claire’s Baking Journey

Carola of Sweet and That’s It

Louise Persson

Thank you all for baking this scrumptious yeast Cinnamon Nut Roll Coffee Cake with me and the Babes this month and congratulations on earning your Buddy badge!

Did you know that Life's a Feast now has a Life's a Feast Facebook Page? Join the community by simply clicking on the "Like" button... Join a group of wonderful friends to keep in touch and keep up to date.

On another note, Ilva is back from Sweden, which means that Plated Stories will soon be back to normal. In addition to the stunning images and evocative words, we will once again be adding a recipe to each and every post, each and every Monday. We continue to weave a tale around what many consider the most banal, or we weave a tale around what many do not consider at all. Dirt, Red, Thyme, Sugar… everything around us leads to the kitchen. Food as an emotional experience, a nostalgic voyage, a romantic discovery.

Do hop on over to Plated Stories and savor our latest post Flowers. You can also become part of the Plated Stories community on Facebook by simply "liking" our Plated Stories Page.

And I leave you simply with some photos of my latest stroll through my city Nantes.

 Mais oui! Voyage à Nantes leads to a very French burger!

A seafaring life in Nantes... along the Erdre River.

We do not mention this to Marty.

 Beautiful interplay between stone and flora. Just look up.

 Angels over Nantes.

 Passage Pommeraye. 

Voodoo. 

Read more »

BPI 24/7 GetOutMore promo and get a chance to win a trip for 2 on a Dream vacations to Asia

Here's another good reason to pay your bills online and forget the hassle of getting stuck in traffic and waiting in-line to pay your monthly bills. The best part is you get a chance to WIN a vacation package from BPI 24/7.

The Bank of the Philippine Islands (BPI) has adventure-seekers covered as it brings bigger and more exciting opportunities for them to travel and see more of the world with the return of its promo, Get Out More (Find Something “Whoa!”).

Read more »

Read more »

Recipe Roundup! Peanut Butter & Chocolate Love

If there's a flavor combination that The Baron and I really love, it's peanut butter and chocolate. Surely we can't be the only ones so for those that share this same love affair, this is dedicated to you! Here's a delicious round up of 12 peanut butter and chocolate treats that will definitely curb your cravings for the best flavor combo there is...

Chocolate Peanut Butter Rice Crispy Treats

The classic rice crispy treats are elevated to a more delicious level
with peanut butter and chocolate chips swirled throughout. Mmmm...

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

These Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies are perfectly balanced with its peanut butter
cookie dough studded with semi sweet chocolate chips. To take it a bit over the top,
we made ice cream sandwiches using them for an extra special treat!

Chocolate Peanut Butter Mousse Parfait

Beautifully layered in a martini glass, the smooth and creamy mousse

is heavenly decadent and rich. 

Chubby Hubbby Fudge

Rich chocolate and creamy peanut butter are swirled together and 

studded with {gluten free} pretzel sticks to create a fun and easy confection...

Chocolate Cupcakes with Peanut Butter Frosting

Rich chocolate cake is enhanced with a touch of coffee and topped with a 

luscious peanut butter frosting that puts it over the top. Any chocolate and 

peanut butter fan would go nuts over these...

Chocolate Peanut Butter Granola Bites

These make a great snack and doubles up as a fun twist on the usual breakfast cereal!

Peanut Butter Brownie Pie

If you're a fan of peanut butter and chocolate (specifically, brownies), then this is a pie for you!

Peanut Butter & Chocolate Chip Muffins

You'll be surprised and feel good to get an extra dose of something healthy in these muffins!

Chocolate Peanut Butter 'Pieces Ice Cream

Reese's Pieces candies adds an extra burst of peanut butter and a nice touch of color too!

Chubby Hubby Cookies

This has got to be one of my very favorite recipes for chocolate chip cookies 

because the addition of crushed pretzels just adds the perfect bit of saltiness.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Mini Cakes

The perfect garnish for these chocolate peanut butter mini cakes 

are lightly toasted and salted Viriginia peanuts...

Peanut Butter Cup Chocolate Cupcakes

The middle of this cupcake truly is the best part!

Read more »

Smashed Steakburger Sliders

Over the weekend, we had friends come over for a relaxing and lazy Sunday at the pool. It was a great time for everyone - especially the kids! With both kids and adults in mind, I wanted to prepare a lunch that all ages could enjoy. Sliders seemed like a great choice since kids can appreciate the small portion size, while us parents could play with the buffet of toppings I provided. For me, I personally liked how easy it was to prepare in advance and with little effort! These Smashed Steakburger Sliders are bursting with beefy steak flavor, shallots, garlic and a hint of Dijon mustard and are baked in the oven to save time...


When I entertain family and friends and home, I like to focus on menus that can be made in advance. For these sliders, it helps to make them in a day early so that the beef can truly absorb all the flavor from the seasoning as well as the additional ingredients. That's really the secret to this recipe so the beef comes out really flavorful and juicy. This recipe makes 24 sliders but you can easily half the recipe. I would also suggest to make the full 24 slider recipe, using half for sliders and the other half as meatballs to serve with your favorite pasta dish. You can make the meatballs and freeze as well. If you wanted to involve the kids in the kitchen, they can help smash the burgers onto the baking sheet - Joel enjoyed this immensely lol. And I found that whenever he helps me make a dish, he's more likely to eat it when its on the table!

Smashed Steakburger Sliders

recipe adapted from Cooking Light

makes 24 sliders

1/4 cup minced shallots

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

3 pounds ounces ground sirloin

2 tablespoons steak seasoning [I used Urban Accents]

cooking spray
24 King's Hawaiian rolls [I used GF Udi's French Rolls]

slider garnishes:
cheddar cheese
roma tomatoes, sliced
green leaf lettuce, torn
1 small red onion, thinly sliced
your preferred condiments [ketchup, mustard, relish, mayo]


In a large bowl, combine the shallots, mustard, ground sirloin and steak seasoning making sure not to over mix. Divide the beef mixture into 24 portions and roll each portion [about 2 ounces] into a large meatball. Place all the meatballs in a baking pan, cover with plastic wrap and chill to allow beef to absorb seasoning flavors. [I chilled overnight.]

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Transfer meatballs to a baking sheet, spacing them out 2 inches apart. Carefully smash or press down on each meatball to form a patty. Spray the tops of each patty with cooking spray and bake in the preheated oven for 12-15 minutes.

Remove sliders from oven and place on roll bottoms. Add your preferred garnishes and top with other half of roll.

Read more »