Back in December I decided that I was craving soft pretzels. Now I get pretty picky when it comes to soft pretzels and a lot of the ones out there just don't cut it. I'm seriously obsessed with Auntie Anne's soft pretzels and eat as many as humanly possible when I'm visiting the United States, but all other times... I get nothing. It's sad. We need a good pretzel place in Edmonton.

But now I'm off topic, lets get back to the story. In December my craving for soft pretzels was undeniable, so I decided it was time to make some of my own. I looked over a ton of different recipes for pretzels and didn't exactly find one I felt was right. And then it hit me - why not make my own version? So I spent an afternoon making pretzels and had my family taste test them. I made exactly 12 pretzels for a household of 4, and they were all gone within 12 hours. And I only ate one. What?

Seeing as it was unfair, I made another batch so I could eat some. Then I got sabotaged by my father 'cause he decided I needed to make millions of them so that he could give them away as Christmas gifts for our family friends. Long story short? These pretzels are really good. I've been getting lots of questions about the pretzels, especially after posting a picture of them up on Instagram. So here it is folks, the long awaited recipe. Enjoy!


The picture that started it all.

-----------------------------------------------RECIPE

1 cup milk
2 1/4 teaspoons (1 packet) active dry yeast
3 tablespoons brown sugar
2 tablespoons melted butter
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
1 finely chopped jalapeno pepper
water
baking soda
2 cups warm water
1/4 cup baking soda

makes 12 pretzels

1. Warm up the milk to about 110'F - it should be warm but not hot. Stir in the yeast and let sit for 5 minutes.

2. Add in the brown sugar and melted butter, stirring until thoroughly mixed.

3. Add in the flour and salt, combining the mixture together.

4. Knead by hand for approximately 10 minutes on a lightly floured surface. The mixture will be sticky, but should not stick to the surface you are kneading on. If it is, you may need some additional flour.

5. Place dough into a greased bowl, covering with greased syran wrap. Allow the dough to rise in a warm place for 1 hour.

6. After 1 hour combine 2 cups of warm water with 1/4 cup baking soda. Stir to dissolve and set aside. Preheat the oven to 450'F

7. Take the risen dough and punch it down slightly. Split the dough into quarters. From each quarter, further divide the dough into 3 portions. This should give you twelve balls of dough.

8. Take one ball and roll the dough into a long, thin rope. Make a pretzel shape with the rope, and while preserving the shape, dip it into the baking soda water. Place the pretzel onto a parchment lined baking sheet. Repeat for the remaining 11 dough balls, placing the formed pretzels 1.5 - 2 inches from one another (I like to do 6 pretzels/baking sheet).

9. If you want plain pretzels, sprinkle the tops with some sea salt and proceed to step 11. If you want jalapeno & cheddar pretzels, proceed to step 10.

10. Lightly embed pieces of chopped jalapeno pepper into the pretzels, ensuring that they will not fall off. Sprinkle with cheese to your liking, but don't be stingy!

11. Place pretzels into the preheated oven for 8-10 minutes, removing when golden brown or the cheese is bubbling away. Allow to cool slightly before eating - enjoy! Best baked & eaten within the same day.

I don't know about you, but in the winter all I want to eat is food in broth. It warms me up and is my go-to comfort food. One of the things I love eating within that category is hot pot - the ultimate food in broth experience. This past year so many different hot pot restaurants have opened up in Edmonton that it's hard to decide where to dine.

97 Hot Pot - 10602 97 Street - Edmonton AB

Last month, 97 Hot Pot was added to the lineup of hot pot restaurants with an all you can eat (AYCE) concept. For $25.95 per adult and $12.95 per child (3-9 years old) the prices are comparable to other hot pot restaurants in the city. I went out for dinner with my family on a cold Sunday night and the place was packed. Maybe their neon signage outfront really works to attract customers? For those unfamiliar with the area, the building for the restaurant used to be an Asian grocery store. Needless to say, extensive renovations have been made and each table is armed with induction cook tops to allow every customer to have their own individual pot.

At 97 Hot Pot, there is the option to have a flavoured soup base for $2 (chicken broth is free of charge). They've got a wide range of soup options and the individual cooking style is perfect when you and your dining companions like different flavours to your broth. I personally enjoy the regular chicken broth and choose to season my food with a combination of sauces for just the right flavour. Their sauce station is equally as impressive, with about 20 different options you can mix together to find your perfect flavour. I honestly think their selection is the best in the city, given that they have just about everything I could think of to offer!

At the table each person had adequate space and their own induction cook top for their pot. Each person was provided with a bowl, two plates, chopsticks and a mini ladle to eat with. The dishware that evening was very clean and featured a geometric pattern - but this might not last for long given that design will likely wear off. We were supplied one ordering sheet to write on for the table with about 100 items separated into different categories. Cold side dishes (pickled veg like cucumbers and kimchi) and appetizers (green onion cakes, spring rolls and edamame to name a few) are included and great to munch on while you wait for the raw food. I appreciated that there was a wide variety of food to order and everything was included in the price. Other hot pot establishments like King's Hot Pot and Urban Shabu charge extra money for certain items, so I was glad to see that we didn't have to pay extra for some of our favourite items (take enoki mushrooms and surf clams for example). And there's no limit to how many of each item you can order! My parents were pretty happy that they could have more than 2 oysters each.

Of all the items we ordered that evening, we really enjoyed the housemade meat/seafood "mashes" (shown below). They're basically different varieties of meat ground and seasoned so that you can form your own meatballs at the table. All the food that we ordered was fresh (especially the seafood!) and we were more than satisfied at the end of the meal. My aunt & uncle both ordered a flavoured broth, and felt that the flavours were watered down - so perhaps stay away from the additional soup bases. Saves you $2 too! At the end of the meal you also get complimentary dessert, and 97 Hot Pot offers up four kinds: osmanthus cake, daily tong shui (sweet soup), dessert tofu and ice cream. Of course I went with the ice cream, as I can't say no to anything mango!

One thing I should mention is their ordering system - when you order items that can be counted individually (like fishballs, meatballs, mushrooms, etc.) you write down the exact number that you want. With items that are harder to count individually (slices of meat, leafy vegetables, tripe, etc.) they have a set portion size, and the number you write down indicates the number of portions. A little confusing, but not hard to figure out.

I think it's pretty evident that I had a great night and have nothing but nice things to say about 97 Hot Pot. At least when it comes to the food anyway. Good service in these establishments is pretty hard to come by, and it is the same here at 97 Hot Pot. There aren't many servers so it can be hard to get someone's attention. The nice thing about it though is that there is a call bell at each table - if you need something, hit the button and the staff are notified that you're waiting for something. It's a temporary solution but nothing can replace the presence of another server working. Aside from this, I definitely recommend stopping by 97 Hot Pot for a delicious hot pot experience. I like that the workers and management do treat customers with respect and give you the best service they can. There's many hot pot restaurants in the city that don't necessarily adhere to giving the customer what they want. Restaurants like Urban Shabu and King's are well known (in the Asian community) for limiting your food - like "forgetting" your order of seafood, or "accidentally" giving you too much of a filler item that is inexpensive (like rice cakes or other starchy foods to fill you up quicker). Shady business, I tell ya.

I'm going to go out on a limb and say that 97 Hot Pot is my top hot pot restaurant in the city. Great variety of food, nice selection of sauces and a price tag of $25.95 which is average for hot pot in Edmonton. Go check them out on a cold night - but don't forget to make a reservation first! Consider yourself warned.

Click here to check out Linda's review as well!

H&M Jacket | American Eagle Sweater | Old Navy Coated Rockstar Jeans | JustFab Permberley Booties
H&M Necklace | Rings: Coach + Richmond Night Market | Coach Clutch
Dressing for winter weather can be tough. It can be considered an accomplishment in itself if you can stay warm and look stylish in the frigid Edmonton temperatures! This season, my favourite winter items have been knit sweaters and my trusty heeled ankle boots. Sweaters are so comfortable (when they're not itchy), and when paired with ankle boots you just get a comfy, chic vibe. Yesterday I was featured in the Edmonton Journal (my local newspaper) talking winter trends and my fashion tips for cold weather. Being interviewed, photographed, and published in a newspaper has been such an exciting experience, and you can read the full article here *click*.

Because of this, I just want to take a couple moments to say thank you to each and every person that clicks and reads this blog. I know I don't say thank you enough, but I am so appreciative of all the kind words, support, and love from everyone who has been part of this blogging adventure with me. Without you, I wouldn't be here today. I never envisioned for this blog to go anywhere and it's such an amazing feeling to be able to connect with so many people. Even if you're a silent reader, I have to say thank you for all that you do to support my work. Leave me a comment below, I'd love to get to know you!

So thank you again for everything. I owe it to you guys.