A lot of baking (and cooking) happened over the holidays… and I’m just trying to catch up now with my posts.

Croissants are my favourite item to buy from the bakery. Cheese croissants heated up a little, fresh chocolate croissants… buttery, flaky… so good! I didn’t have a recipe on hand from anyone that I knew, and none of my cookbooks really covered it at all. I did a search online but was pretty unsatisfied. I finally found one that looked like it would work (and altered the steps a bit, added fillings etc), and I set out on a baking mission. I knew it wouldn’t be easy!

Note: You will get dirty. It’s a lot of work. You will need 2 days. Also — you will need a scale for this recipe. I know it seems like a pain, but once you have one you won’t be able to live without it. Baking is a million times more accurate by weight, as the volume of flour and other ingredients changes depending on the season, humidity and your room temperature, etc. You can pick up a scale for $10 at any cooking store, or you can splurge $30-80 on a digital one.

Here’s the recipe and photos of my steps:

Stuffed Golden Flaky Croissant Recipe

350g unsalted butter
50g icing sugar
30g sunflower oil (I buy mine from Gourmet Warehouse/Whole Foods. You can also sub for olive oil here)
7g salt
2 large eggs
42g FRESH yeast (this is important! You can find fresh yeast at most bakeries or at Granville Island)
200mL milk (2%)
500g all-purpose flour
An additional egg yolk to brush the croissants and different fillings such as cheese, chocolate, fruit, etc.

1. Cover your working surface with parchment paper. Knead down the butter by hand until it is relatively flat. Then fold the parchment paper over and use a rolling pin to get the block to be very rectangular. Use a measuring tape or ruler and try to get the butter block to 8.5×6.3 inches and about 1 cm thick. Place the block in the fridge to chill no longer than 30 minutes.

2. Now make the dough. In a mixing bowl, dissolve the yeast in slightly warm milk and then combine with the sugar, eggs, oil, flour and salt. Mix gently and then knead very lightly.

3. Form a rectangle with the dough that is double the size of the butter block (approximately 19 inches by 13 inches). Place the chilled butter in the middle and then fold the dough over the butter. Do not stretch. It’s really important that the sides are covered with enough dough, as if it gets to thin, the butter will ooze out when you are doing all the folding. Carefully press the edges together and seal in the butter. Make sure all air as been released by pressing on the dough.

4. Roll the dough package with a rolling pin (dust the outsides with flour), turning the dough over occasionally to keep the edges event. Try not to let the the dough get so thin that the butter squeezes out. Continue until it is very thin, about  1 cm thick or as thin as you can get it.

5. Now start folding the dough. The folds of the dough are what make the croissants so flaky… so the more folds you do, the flakier the croissant is and the more it will puff up! Fold the dough into thirds (like a letter). Now rotate the other way and do the folds again. Now cover with foil or saran wrap and chill for 30 minutes.

6. Do several more folds (I did about 6, but 2 or 3 should suffice) and then cover and chill overnight.

7. The next day, cut the dough in half and roll out to about 3mm thick. Cut in pointed triangles and fill with different stuffings… I used cheese blocks and some nice bittersweet chocolate… don’t put the fillings too close to the edge or they will ooze out while baking.

8. Start forming the croissant crescents by rolling the shortest side up to the tip of the triangle. You will want to roll these VERY tightly. Press together all the sides and make sure they are sticking while together. When placing on the baking sheet covered with parchment paper, make sure to put the tip of the triangle underneath the croissant so that it cannot fold out. If you do not wrap the croissants taut enough, they will unroll while baking (as I learned from experience… it was a disaster). So make sure to stick them well together

9.  Brush the croissants VERY lightly with egg yolk… if you like your croissants darker, brush more egg yolk. Let rise for 15 minutes.

10. Bake in pre-heated oven (355 degrees F) for 15-25 minutes until golden brown.

And that’s it! Here’s a photo of my croissant torn apart while I was eating it so you can see the flakiness They tasted SO good… just as good as bakery if not better, but I wish they looked a bit better. Rolling the dough a bit thinner and rolling the crescents more tightly would fix that next time I think. I also would drizzle chocolate over the chocolate croissants if I had a bit more time!

Cheesy Tomato Basil and Green Onion Savoury Scones Recipe plus Cranberry Breakfast Scones Recipe

I will post the recipe in the comments to save space. These scones were a huge hit on Christmas morning. So savoury! I split the mixture into half to make two different kinds of scones… but in retrospect I would just make the cheese scones again. So good!

Parmesan, cheddar cheese, cherry tomatoes, basil, green onions… mmm! What more could you want in a savoury scone?

Dried cranberries and a little sugar added for some sweeter breakfast scones.

The finished result!

What do you think? Let me know if you have any questions

Part One of our journey to Kicking Horse Mountain and Golden, BC is posted up and now we’re onto Part Two of Three!

After a day of boarding at Kicking Horse, we headed down the mountain for a delicious dinner experience at Cedar House Restaurant.

The restaurant is tucked away in a residential area in Golden, BC just outside of downtown… and it’s one of those places that you would only really find if you heard about it from the locals. It really is a secret spot! I also noticed that they have chalets for rent beside the restaurant, so although I didn’t get to check them out, it seems like a neat place to stay as well.

We also got to meet our guide Mike, from Canadian Powder Adventures who was going to take us hiking/ski touring into the Kicking Horse back country the next day. That guy could really sing and play! On an interesting side note, I’ve noticed that a lot of people in Golden seem to be multi-talented. Everyone does a couple different jobs and helps each other out with different businesses. It really is a cool and diverse community. Allan is still trying to convince me to move there.

They bill themselves as “Fresh Grown Rocky Mountain Cuisine”, and they aren’t kidding! They actually grow most of the vegetables consumed in the restaurant in an organic garden they have planted outside. Everything is organic, and is locally sourced. This crab bisque was really good.

The free-range chicken looked pretty amazing…

I tried the halibut myself and it was awesome… tasted very fresh and rich.

Of course, the real highlight of the dinner for me was the freakin’ incredible toffee bread pudding! Now, to be honest I’ve never had bread pudding before, so I didn’t know what to expect… but it was soooooooooo good. I may have to try and find this somewhere in Vancouver now. Any recommendations?

Also, the cocktails were good. I ordered a cosmo. And is not at all the reason why we had a late start the next morning.

The next morning (well, I should say early afternoon… we slept in a little), we met our guide Mike at the top of the gondola on Kicking Horse mountain. We snowboarded a bit down one run, made it up a chair, snowboarded along the ridge and found ourselves riding down some fresh powder leftovers (I couldn’t believe it wasn’t all skied out) in the “Fuse bowl” just off the side of the resort.

The back country near the resort at Kicking Horse is AMAZING. It’s all so accessible and it all funnels down back onto the bottom of the resort so you can either take the gondola back up or easily get to where you parked your car. So many people ski tour around here it is crazy… and I can see why.

We rented our back country gear like our backpacks, shovels, probes, and beacons from Avalanche Safety Solutions in Golden, and we got our snowshoes and poles from 180 Mountain Sports in town. We even got to try out a Snowpulse Airbag backpack… which we will of course save for our awesome HD snowboard video coming up

Here I am with Mike, our fantastic guide from Canadian Powder Adventures. I honestly didn’t even know that you could hire someone to take you into the back country for a day trip… and when we met Mike in the restaurant it just seemed like a great idea. I am SO glad we did. He was so patient with us (even though I am totally out of shape and was super slow), and taught us a lot about avalanche safety as we went along on the tour. Allan and I are really new to the back country stuff… we did out AST-1 avalanche training course last year, but this is the first time we’ve really been out in the backcountry when it hasn’t been a course.

The snow was just perfect. Really stable, super soft but yet firm enough to hike on, and of course… we had a blue sky day… can’t ask for much more than that!

The views were just beautiful off the top of the ridge. I was amazed how much accessible backcountry there was… we didn’t come across anyone during our hike and we rarely saw other people’s lines.

Yeah, it took me a little longer than it should have to hike, plus we got a late start… so we did get to see the start of a beautiful sunset

Here is our trail from the gondola to where we rode down. Mike says it would take him 40 minutes to do it… it took us 2 and a half hours. Haha! I couldn’t believe how far we went though.. Mike really chose a great trail.

Here I am at the bottom of Kicking Horse, super tired and exhausted! Haha! It was a perfect day though, and I really can’t wait to show you guys all the video footage we got! Saving the best for last for sure……

I’ve been haggling for good deals ever since I was old enough to spend my own money. I’m not sure why that is… (Mom?!) but for whatever reason it always seemed like a good idea to me.

I was interviewed on Virgin by Buzz Bishop at one point about my haggling… and I’ve had several people ask me over Twitter and e-mail lately if I could share some of my ideas on haggling. Soooo here we go. I’m no professional haggler or negotiator, but here are a couple tips I’ve found that really work.

In General

Rule #1: Create a win-win situation. Haggling is really just another word for negotiating. In negotiations, the goal is not to get what you want and screw the other person over… it’s to create a win-win situation where both parties are happy with the end result. The same is true for haggling.

Rule #2: Don’t be embarrassed. Negotiating isn’t about being rude or pushy… but it does require you to be confident. It also doesn’t mean you are “cheap” or stingy… it just means you are looking for the best possible price.

Rule #3: 99% of the time you can get a better price. Yes, there a few cases where haggling isn’t appropriate (e.g. at a charity sale or when buying from a friend), but 99% of the time you really can negotiate a deal. Yes, even in department stores. I’ve gotten discounts at Aritzia, Future Shop, Rogers…

Rule #4: Know when to call it a day. Sometimes, you will have to walk away from a deal. That’s okay, there will be others. And sometimes, you won’t get the price you were looking for, but it’ll be good enough of an offer to accept. That’s okay!

Rule #5: Give a reason. Sometimes it helps to give a reason why you are looking for a discount. Don’t lie, be honest. Here are some examples: “It would really help a lot if you could discount this item for me because…” a) You have student loans b) Credit card debt c) Changing jobs d) Having a tough time financially e) Have a mortgage f) Have kids g) Your rent cheque just came out etc etc… the list goes on. Don’t bring this up if you aren’t in a bad situation, but sometimes it can help to give a reason for someone to help you.

Rule #6: Have fun! Don’t take yourself too seriously. If you look sad and worn down, a seller is less likely to offer you a good deal because they feel like they have the upper hand. Be nice, friendly and happy… people would rather deal with a friend than a foe!

In the last 2 months, I’ve saved over $3,000 just from haggling. Let me share some tips with you from specific situations.

Wireless/Mobile

When buying a new cellphone, do your research on what the other wireless carriers are offering. Be prepared to tell the salesperson you’ve found better deals elsewhere and are hoping they can beat it. Start negotiating on each of the bullet points. Can they give you a student plan? Can they give you an early evening start time? Can they take away the system access fee? Can they throw in a voicemail/text/etc package for you? Can they take off $50 from the phone price? Can they throw anything in for free?

Using this strategy I got a student plan, early 5 pm start, no system access fee, discounted voicemail package, and $75 off my phone price… plus a free memory card and case at Rogers.

Craigslist

I always check Craigslist to see if there is anything for sale there when I’m looking to buy something new. I’ve gotten some great deals on Craigslist. However, negotiating on Craigslist is pretty tricky!  Here are some tips.

• Don’t dress up. If you dress casual and leave the bling at home, sellers will be more likely to give you a good deal.
• Know the actual retail sales price for an item before going. Sellers will often say they bought something for 2 or 3 times what they actually paid for it.
• I don’t recommend flirting. Sellers will see right through you, and plus you don’t want to lower yourself to that, right?
• Don’t say anything about a lower price in your initial email or phone call. Sellers will hold out and won’t bother meeting with you.
• Pay with cash.
• When you show up, make sure your cash is pre-counted in your pocket for what you want to offer. Have the extra cash in the other pocket if you need it later. Sellers won’t accept a lower price if they see you counting out your cash in front of them. They also don’t want to give you change if they gave you a good deal.
• Adjust your price for the item’s value. For furniture and electronics, you can ask for a significant discount, $50-500 or so. For smaller items like clothes or decor, you can usually only haggle $5-20 or so.
• Bid low, but not so low that it’s a bad deal. For example, on a $200 end table, say something like (but DON’T LIE, come up with your real reasons) “So I was wondering if you’d be willing to accept $100 for this… I will take it off your hands right now, plus it would REALLY help me out a lot because I’m still paying off my student loans… it would really mean a lot to me.”
• Get used to counter offers and how to respond. If the seller says, “Well how about $150?” then they are in a negotiating mood and you can probably get a great deal… say, “I’m sorry but that is still out of my budget, can you do $125?”. They are likely to accept. If they say, “I can’t budge on this at all, it’s great quality etc etc”… then they are not likely to negotiate much. You may have to walk away. A last ditch effort would be to say, “I definitely understand. Can you even help a little bit? Maybe just $20 off?”… they are likely to accept.

Using this strategy I’ve saved $500 on a bed frame, $200 on end tables, over $1000 on patio furniture, and hundreds more on electronics, cookware, etc. Craigslist is awesome.

Clothing Stores

Independent stores are the best, because often the salespeople are the owners and they can actually make a decision on if they can give you a price decrease or not. However, you can even get a great discount at a chain retail clothing store. First of all, pick your target. This should almost always be the manager. Decide what you want… a couple different options are 2 for 1 on an item, no GST, a 15% discount, etc. Personally I like the no tax option, it almost always works at retail stores. If possible, wait till the manager is at the sales counter, preferably when there are no other customers around. Then go up to them and say, “This is a really great ______, but it’s so far out of my budget. Is there anything you can do on the price?”. Let them answer, they may offer a discount. If not, then say, “Could you at least leave off the tax for me? It would make a huge difference”… they will almost always accept.

Using this strategy I’ve gotten 50% off on things at Holt Renfrew, no tax at Aritzia, 2 for 1 deals at indepedent clothing stores etc… always a few hundred dollars savings. Well worth it!

Book Stores

Of course this works best at independent stores, but I’ve had some good success at Chapters too. Try and find a book that is a little bit scruffed up or folded over (DO NOT VANDALIZE THE PRODUCT YOURSELF). The best situation is if it is the last book left. But even if not, this still works. Find the manager (preferably no other customers around), and ask if they can give you a discount since the book is damaged. They will almost always accept.

Using this strategy I’ve gotten $50 off a book at Chapters, and $10-15 dollars off books at Book Warehouse and used book stores.

Sporting Goods, Electronics etc

This is one of my favourite categories to haggle with. Computer, snowboards, golf clubs… all have extremely high mark up. My strategy here is to pick a salesperson who doesn’t look very busy. Go up to them and say, “I really want to buy something today, but I want to walk out of here with a good deal, can you help me?”. This indicates that you are a serious buyer (commission sales people hate wasting time), and that you want a good deal. Let them show you different products. Hopefully you find the one you want. Don’t seem overly into the product, but say, “How much for this one?”. Appear displeased when they tell you the price. Say, “I think this is along the lines of what I was looking for, but is there anything you can do on the price?”. If they offer you a discount, either accept or ask for something lower. If they say they can’t, ask if they can speak to their manager. Give the same story to the manager, make sure you give an honest reason, e.g. student loans or hard financial time. Make sure you get a discounted price. Only after you are given a better price, then say, “Yes, that definitely helps. Thank you so much for the discount. Is there anything you could throw in? I’m having a really hard time because this product is still over my budget even with the discount”. Then ask for add-ins… perhaps an extra mouse, maybe free snowboard goggles, a box of golf balls etc. It really works.

Using this strategy I’ve gotten 50% off a snowboard, a free router and mouse with a discounted laptop purchase, $300 worth of golf extras (extra club, balls, hat, and glove) with a discounted driver etc… this is really your area to shine. Hardgoods are very easy to haggle with!

Cars

I’ve only had experience with this once, so I’m sure there are way more knowledgeable people online that have tips for this, but here are mine. First of all, do your research. Find out what the base price (what the dealership paid for it) is for the car and what the margin is the dealer is making. You can find this information online. Again, pick your mark. Pick someone who isn’t busy. Indicate your commitment: “I want to walk out of here with a car today, so can you help give me your absolutely best deal?”. The salesperson will be super excited that they get to make a commission today. Then when you find the one you want, say “I know the base price for the car is $____. But I want both of us to get a great deal out of this. Can you give it to me for $_____?” Indicate maybe $3-5 grand over the base price. The salesperson will appreciate a quick sale. However, you can only do this if you are ready to buy, so make sure you are. Also make sure you haggle on the warranty and the maintenance etc.

Using this strategy I saved $13,000 on a car. I’ve since sold the car, but it was definitely my best haggle to date

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I hope you enjoyed this guide. I’m sure there is a lot more I could add to this, but my lunch hour is nearly over.

Please share your haggling stories below! Have any questions? Please ask! I’d be happy to share a strategy for a particular situation.

I’ve finally had a chance to post this up after many weeks… I hope you enjoy my little recap of my adventures trying to find surf in Japan. I only had time to do a day trip in Japan, so this isn’t a good guide for week long adventures in Japan… but if you happen to be out there and want to make a quick trip out to the ocean for some waves, then read on!

I’ve posted this picture before. This is Shonan, near Kamakura. The waves roll into this bay and clean up quite a bit. The downside is, it is super crowded and the waves are usually smaller here compared to the exposed side on the ocean. I do recommend you check it out if you have time though!

The first step is to plan out your route. Most people will be coming from Tokyo. Your goal is to get to the Kazusa-Ichinomiya station. In my case, I was coming from the Hamamatsu-cho station near the Tokyo Bay hotel (where I was staying for work). Your best bet is to go up to the information counter and purchase your one-way ticket to the Kazusa-Ichinomiya station. You will have to likely transfer at Tokyo station, and then catch the rapid train out to Ichinomiya. I paid around 2,000 yen ($25 or so) for the entirety of my one-way ticket out there (and the same coming back).

Once on the train, you’ll keep going east out of Tokyo, passing many cities, skyscrapers, housing developments, parks, and even cemeteries.

Eventually you’ll be further and further out of the city and you’ll see more rural landscapes, such as fields and forests and more traditional-looking houses.

You’ll pass through the Chiba prefecture and you’ll want to get off at the end of the line, which is the Kazusa-Ichinomiya station. If you want, you can connect here to the Torami station which is a bit closer to the surf schools. Unfortunately, I didn’t get off there but I probably should have.

Once you’re out of the station, orient yourself and make sure you’re travelling East towards the Ocean. There’s a long road that goes straight to the water. In my case, as soon as I got out of the station I turned left, crossed railroad tracks, and past a few businesses. You’ll also pass a Surf English language school on your right. If you hit this, you know you’re going the right direction.

I found myself on a beautiful palm-tree lined road with fields on either side. So serene.

I stooped down to take a photo of this little wooden structure… it caught my eye in the tall grass.

After about 30 minutes of walking, I re-assessed my sitation and decided it was best if I hitch-hiked. I knew it was going to be about an hour more of walking according to the GPS on my Blackberry, and I didn’t want to waste any time in my day since I had to catch my flight home the next day and didn’t want to get back too late. I stuck my hitch-hiking thumb out for about 15 minutes before a very cute older Japanese woman picked me up in her beaten-up white farm truck. She gestured at me in both a friendly and impatient way and so I ran over to her and got in the truck. In Japan, people drive sitting on the right side of the car, so sitting on the left sure felt weird! We weren’t able to communicate very well since I spoke no Japanese and she spoke no English. All I knew how to say was Hello, Goodbye, Please, and Thank You, and “Ocean”, “Surfboard”, and “Wetsuit”. That wasn’t enough.

She drove me all the way to the ocean (Bless her heart!) and I understood that she was saying that there were 3 main surf spots in town. She showed me spot number one.

And then spot number two.

And then I was finally able to communicate to her that I didn’t have a wetsuit or a surfboard and I needed to rent one. So she dropped me off at some of the surf stores in town. I walked along the road going into every store, but no one really spoke English and I was able to discern that they didn’t do any rentals and didn’t know anyone that did.

I kept walking and finally came upon the Surf Garden complex. Up the stairs to the left (very hidden) is a gym… (yes, a fitness centre), and surfboard rentals. LOL! What a strange combination.

I had a strange conversation with the man running the shop since he also didn’t speak English, and was able to eventually rent a wetsuit and board for the day for 6,000 yen, about $70. Expensive, like everything else in Japan. But still worth it!

He called a girl downstairs to come help him, and she spoke more English. She was a complete angel, and made sure I had the right size wetsuit and was even able to find me a board I liked… a 7′8″ expoxy board in nice condition. They even lent me some flip flops.

I was stoked.

Then they led me across the street and pointed at the forest and told me to go through it. I asked them twice to make sure I was hearing them right, but they assured me there was ocean and surfing through there. Check out my video.

It was a leap of faith but I ran through the forest and over some bluffs and sure enough, I saw waves. And even a couple surfers, but not crowded at all.

So I grabbed my board, ran out, left my flip flops right on the beach like all the other guys there (no one steals ANYTHING in Japan, apparently… one guy even left his cellphone there)… and started surfing.

It was a little mushy, it wasn’t a huge day, or as epic as they say it is normally there, but it was a great vibe and I had a blast surfing in Japan.

After a few hours I came back to the shop and they even had a little indoors shower for me. Awesome!

I hung out with my new girl friend and we talked about Japan, about Canada, and about surfing. What a different life. So strange to see someone just like me, living the same dream as me but on the other side of the world.

We went down to the bar to have a drink, and only after I had ordered it did I realize that I had spent every single yen I had on the train and the rentals. I had nothing to my name, and they didn’t accept cards anywhere there. So my new friend talked to the manager and he was nice enough to comp my drink and even offer me food if I wanted. I took lots of pictures together with my new friends.

She even offered to give me a lift back to the station… and no matter how many times I declined, she insisted. So I got a ride all the way back to the station in town. What a sweetie. I can never thank her enough. I gave her my card and told her to call me when she visits Canada one day.

Back on the train, the sun is setting and I’m driving by all sorts of sights I didn’t notice on the way there. The tankers, the ships, the ports… even Disneyland!

We went right by a giant Ferris Wheel too.

Finally back in the city I’m craving some food, so I stop by the very busy Shibuya station to get some ice cream from the Stone Cold Creamery. I wait in line, listen to them sing old 50s tunes while sculpting and mixing toppings and ice cream on a ice cold stone slap. A delicious way to end the day.

Surfing in Japan. I’ll never forget it!

Here’s a map for reference: