Christmas cheer with Cheesecake Burlesque -December 19

Cheesecake Burlseque are an incredibly talented group who manage to put a fun, cheeky twist on all special days in the Calendar.  What I loved about their Halloween show was the way they managed to make serve up traditional Halloween motifs that were sexy while at the same time playfully poking fun at our images of Halloween and what is sexy. Now as the temperatures drop, and we are counting down the days until Christmas the girls are getting ready to  shimmy again. Cheesecake’s invite to their Christmas event reads: What is the holiday season without tradition and nostalgia? Make new traditions while embracing the much loved as elves, reindeer, Santa Claus and other white trimmed surprises come to town!!!

I would recommend doing as they say and making Cheesecake Burlesque part of your Christmas traditions!

Details:

Saturday, December 19 Lucky Bar (517 Yates St) Doors 8:00, Show 8:30 Sharp!!! $15 adv/ $18 door ($15 with food bank donation). Advance tickets available at Lyle’s Place or at www.cheesecakeburlesque.com Dress Code: Your best holiday duds!!! Contests & Prizes!!! more info: www.cheesecakeburlesque.com

Cut & paste of Christmas theatre occurring around town!

Lots of Christmas theatre happening around town. Theme – tradition with a twist!

@ the Belfry

The Human Statues

2nd Annual Christmas Spectacular
Sunday, December 6 at 8 pm

Tickets 250-385-6815
$15 (advance) / $18 (door)
Folk – pop sensations The Human Statues return to the Belfry to spread the jubilation this holiday season.

Human Statues

The Human Statues are a Toronto-based folk-pop duo who are frequently likened to a blend of Beatles pop, Simon and Garfunkel folk, Flight of the Conchords humour and Jackson Five dance moves. This will be a great show.

Cinderella

@Royal Theatre. Cinderella “This brand new Cinderella will take place in Victoria, BC, circa turn-of-the- century, and be visually molded on the black and white silent films of the time that were projected in movie theatres such as the McPherson Playhouse (Pantages Theatre).” December 27 to 29. 2pm and 7:30pm. Ticket Prices: $50 – $40 – $30 – $25 (plus applicable Box Office charges); Seniors and Students: 20% Discount; Children: Half Price.

See website for more details

@ the McPherson Playhouse.The Nutcracker Suite and the Sugar Plum Fair

The ultimate holiday treat and a joy for the whole family! Canadian Pacific Ballet’s Nutcracker Suite follows Clara’s magical Christmas dream from her family’s holiday party and the gift of a mysterious Nutcracker doll, through a battle between mice and soldiers, an escape through a snowy forest into the Palace of the Sugar Plum Fairie, where Clara is presented the dances and gifts of all the sweets of the land. Narrated by an aged Clara Staulbaum, “The Nutcracker Suite” is sure to enchant audiences of all ages.
Don’t miss this chance to enjoy all the classic Nutcracker moments, with the additional magic of a Sugar Plum Fair, an interactive transformation of the McPherson Lobby, where children, young and old, can enjoy the sweets of the land.

The Nutcracker Suite and Sugar Plum Ball December 30th, 2009 Closing night of Canadian Pacific Ballet’s “The Nutcracker Suite” extends the magic into a Gala Reception, including a Silent Auction and a Sugar Plum Ball.
Come dance the night away with the Sugar Plum Fairie and her glittering Courtiers!

December 29, at 2pm & 7pm
Tickets: $46.50, $41.50, $36.50; $10.00 off for seniors and children.

More details and to purchase tickets see website.

Blue Bridge Repertory Theatre presents:
IT’S A WONDERFUL LIFE – THE RADIO PLAY
McPherson Playhouse
December 19, at 7:30pm
Tickets: $22.50 for adults; $12.50 for children 12 and under
————

It’s a Wonderful Life to be staged as ‘40s style radio show in conjunction with First Annual Art Auction fundraising event.

Thea Gill of Queer as Folk to play Mary Bailey; Janet Wright of Corner Gas to play ‘Mrs.’ Potter.

In the immortal words of Clarence, heaven’s hardest working angel-in-training from Frank Capra’s classic 1946 film, It’s a Wonderful Life, “No one is a failure who has friends.”

Blue Bridge Repertory Theatre is thrilled to announce some of Canada’s finest actors and some of Victoria’s brightest new talent will gather at the McPherson Playhouse for one hilarious, fun-filled presentation of Frank Capra’s classic film It’s a Wonderful Life adapted to the stage as a ‘40s style radio show.

“I like to think of this event as a Christmas card from our new company to Victoria’s devoted theatre patrons,” said Brian Richmond, President and Producing Artistic Director. “We’ve enjoyed unprecedented success in our first year and at an unusually challenging point in world economic history. Blue Bridge is very grateful to its Victoria friends for their support and so we intend to give back with this special show.”

Thea Gill, best known for her starring role in the five-season Showcase hit, Queer as Folk, will play Mary Bailey.
In an ingenious twist on casting, Janet Wright of the hit television sit-com Corner Gas, has agreed to portray the mean and miserly Potter. Casting is still in progress and a more comprehensive list will follow once all artists are confirmed.

For those who enjoy the ‘fine art’ of giving, plan to place your bid on any one of our selected artworks at our First Annual Art Auction. Bidding starts at 6:30 p.m. in the lobby via silent auction. Works have been donated by several accomplished visual artists, courtesy of Winchester Galleries, including -

- Shushan Egoyan
- George Gordienko
- Adam Noonan
- Manish Om Prakesh
- Duncan Regehr
- Deidre Robert
- Iola Scott

- Marney Ward

see website

@ the McPhersonThe Best Christmas Pageant Ever – Kaleidoscope Theatre December 5 & 11, at 7 pm; December 6 & 13, at 2 pm; December 12, 4 pm

http;//www.kaleidoscope.bc.ca

This hilarious story concerns the efforts of a woman and her husband to put on the annual church Christmas pageant despite having to cast the Herdman kids — the meanest, nastiest, most inventively awful kids in the history of the world. You won’t believe the mayhem, and the fun, when the Herdmans meet the Christmas story in a head-on collision!

Single Tickets: $23.50 for adults; $21.50 for seniors and youth. Subscriptions also available. McPherson Box Office, 250.386.6121, toll-free 1.888.717.6121 or website

Two local food events at Camas

A film screening and information workshop on growing winter herbs!

Keeping Healthy with Herbs in the Winter

Posted November 12th, 2009 by camas

Start: Dec 5 2009 – 1:00pm

Timezone: Etc/GMT-7

Brought to you by the Devils Club Apothecary

Learn about some local plants to use to keep yourself, friends and families healthy during the wet, cold, dark and maybe depressing season. We will look at the herbs in the Devils Club Apothecary and do little plant walk to meet some growing outside. we will sample some tea and learn what teas we can make for medicine.

Keep your health out of the doctors office!
We can create strong autonomous communities!

Homegrown Revolution Film Screening

Posted November 12th, 2009 by camas

Start: Dec 5 2009 – 7:00pm

End: Dec 5 2009 – 9:00pm

Timezone: Etc/GMT-7

HOMEGROWN REVOLUTION follows the Dervaes family who run a small organic farm in the heart of urban Pasadena, California. While “living off the grid”, they harvest over 6,000 pounds of produce on less than a quarter of an acre, make their own bio diesel, power their computers with the help of solar panels, and maintain a website that gets 4,000 hits a day. The film is an intimate human portrait of what it’s like to live like “Little House on the Prairie” in the 21st Century.

http://www.homegrownrevolution.com/

http://camas.ca/

Camas Collective Books & Infoshop
2590 Quadra St.
(corner of King St.)
Victoria, BC
V8T 4E2
Canada
Coast Salish Territorries

Phone: 250-381-0585

General Information: info(at)camas(dot)ca

cheap warming eats: Seoul Korean Barbecue

Seoul Korean Barbecue

Today is so cold and windy. Weather like this gets me thinking about warming food and drink. One dish that I often crave at this time of year is a popular Korean dish Bibimbap. The name means mixed rice and that’s exactly what bibimbap is. A large bowl of steamed rice is topped with small piles of seasoned vegetables, most commonly grated carrot, zucchini, cucumber, pickled bean sprouts, steamed seasoned spinach, doraji (belfowe root), and some fried beef (optional). Topping this all off is a fried egg. It is always served with kimchi (chilli cabbage) and a bottle of chili sauce on the side. Sometimes you also get little dishes of additional vegetables.

This week we had a impromptu visit to Victoria’s Seoul Korean Barbecue. We were scurrying from our car  to Pho Vj in search of warming Vietnamese soup when I suddenly spotted the Korean place. It’s been opened for a while and I’ve always wanted to try it. Suddenly bibimbap was a more appealing option than soup so in we went.

Cups of complimentary steaming tea

Interior of Seoul Korean

Interior of Seoul Korean

Bibumbap (back) and beef and vegetable soup (front)

Bibimbap

Blurry pic of my bibimbap mixed up

The first thing you’ll notice about Seoul Korean Barbecue is that it does not have a very ambient atmosphere and the second thing you will notice is that the service is extremely prompt and polite. As soon as we sat down we were presented with two cups of steaming tea, and menus, followed with a bow. I quickly ordered bibimbap (without beef) while C ordered beef and vegetable soup. Our dishes arrived quickly and again we received a bow. Both of the dishes were lovely and very good value. My only quibble with Seoul Korean is that the decor is rather harsh and cold. The tables, chairs, tiles, and wall paneling are black,  the floor is dark brown wood and the lighting harsh. All in all it is the sort of atmosphere that does not encourage one to linger. However, for a quick weekday supper this is not a big problem especially given that Seoul has all the other attributes you want; great value (tea, supper for two and tip for under twenty dollars) and quick, professional service. If you’re seeking a warming weekday supper I’d definitely recommend giving Seoul Korean a try!

Location:

768 Fort St
Victoria, BC V8W 1H2
Tel: (250) 592-4244

For directions see Map

How to make quince paste

Quince from Lifecycles

Making quince paste is relatively easy. The most difficult part is preparing the quince, which are very firm and difficult to chop. Once you’ve chopped your fruit, the remaining steps are simple and not very time consuming. One of the really lovely things about cooking quince paste is the aroma. The kitchen fills with a fruity scent that reminds me of herbal essences shampoo, but is sweeter.

INGREDIENTS

• 4 pounds quince (I picked mine through LifeCycles Fruitpick)
• 1 vanilla pod, split
• 2 strips (1cm by 4cm each) of lemon peel ( no white pith)
• 3 Tbsp lemon juice
• About 4-6 cups of granulated sugar, exact amount will be determined during cooking

1 Thoroughly wash the quince to remove all the fuzzy. Then peel and chop roughly. Place chopped quince in a bowl of water. Set the cores aside in another large clean bowl of water for two hours. You will use this water later.

After two hours remove the quince cores from your bowl of water and discard. Place quince pieces in a large saucepan. Add the “quince core water” to the saucepan so that the fruit is barely covered.  Add the vanilla pod and lemon peel and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer, cover, and let cook until the quince pieces are fork tender (20-40 minutes).

Raw quince with lemon peel and vanilla pod

2 Strain the water from the quince pieces. Take out the vanilla pod and discard but keep the lemon peel with the quince. Purée the quince pieces in a food processor, blender, or by using a food mill.

Making quince puree with the food-mill

3 For the paste you will need equal quantities of sugar and quince. Measure the quince purée. If you have 4 cups of purée, you’ll need 4 cups of sugar. Return the quince purée to the large pan and add the sugar. Stir with a wooden spoon until the sugar has completely dissolved. Add the lemon juice.

Quince puree and sugar

4 Continue to cook over a low heat, stirring occasionally, for 1-1 1/2 hours, until the quince paste is very thick and has a deep orange pink color. Test by dropping a little of the mixture on a plate to see if it sets to a jam-like consistency when it cools.

5 Preheat oven to a low 125°F (52°C). Line an 8×8 baking pan with parchment paper (do not use wax paper, it will melt!). Grease the parchment paper with a thin coating of butter. Pour the cooked quince paste into the parchment paper-lined baking pan. Smooth out the top of the paste so it is even. Place in the oven for about 8 hours to help it dry. Remove from oven and let cool.

Unset quince paste

5 When I turned my quince paste out I found that the underside was still not set. I simply returned the quince to the baking pan so that the uncooked part was on top. I returned the pan to the oven for three more hours until the paste was fully set.

6 To serve, cut into squares or wedges and present with the spanish Manchego cheese. To eat, take a small slice of the quince paste and spread it on top of a slice of the cheese.

7 Store by wrapping in plastic film and keeping in the refrigerator. Quince paste also makes a nice gift. To present as a gift, put a piece of the paste in a small plastic or wax paper gift bag.

Manchago cheese with quince paste

Quince paste gift!

Watch out my friends, you will be bombarded with my quince paste soon!!!

Little Piggy – Fernwood

Little Piggy on Fort St has opened a second, much smaller, location in Fernwood. This mini cafe has three tables and seats about seven people. The menu is small but the prices are excellent and the food is yummy. We popped over there today for a quick Saturday lunch. I had a lovely tasty creamy yam soup ($4) served with bread. The soup was lightly spiced with cardamon and cayenne pepper, sweetened with a touch of honey and given a fresh twist with some fresh cilantro. My boy had a butter curry served with brown rice as well as a bowl of the yam soup. The curry was very fresh and tasty. A very filling lunch served quickly, all for $14.  Another great cheap eat!

Christmas desserts -Cook local and seasonally with Eat Magazine

Pumpkin Cheesecake with gingershap base

CONTEMPORARY CHRISTMAS DESSERTS Since arriving in Victoria three years ago I’ve been a regular reader of the free food magazine Eat.* The restaurant reviews are a great way to learn about new places that have opened up around town and the easy to follow recipes are wonderful way to learn about what to do with local and seasonal produce. Eat’s Fall issue last year (2008) had a superb special on apples (see previous post for some of my favorites). Their current winter issue has a mouthwatering selection of Christmas recipes with a modern twist. I’m hoping to try them all this Christmas season. Last weekend I started off with the pumpkin cheese cake with a gingersnap base (it can be made with no gluten if you, or your loved ones, are gluten intolerant. ) The recipe is online at the Eat site (go to page 20).

The cheesecake recipe was relatively straight forward and only required a few adjustments. Firstly the recipe specifies 1/4 pound of gingersnaps. As I cannot eat wheat I substituted these for Patsy Pie, Snappy Ginger (available at Market on Yates.). I had to adjust the recommended quantity of gingersnaps. They recommend 1/4 pound but I found this was not sufficient to cover the sides and base of the springform pan and ended up using 1/2 pound of cookies. We found that the final crust was a little too buttery. If I was to make it again I would use 5 Tbsp of butter (rather than 8Tbsp) and 1/2 pound of cookies. The other area which I had to make an adjustment was the caramelized pecans for the topping.  The recipe also  says you need 1/2 cup of pecans but I found this was far too many. The top of the cheesecake was easily covered with a 1/4 cup of pecans. Luckily the left overs made a nice sweet snack so they did not go to waste! If you’re not already a regular reader of Eat I would recommend picking up a hardcopy at cafes, and grocery stores around town or reading it online (see December Issue).

Free, public Christmas events in Victoria – starting today!

Round up of some Christmas events happening in Victoria

TONIGHT 27 November Centennial Square Christmas Tree Light Up
Bring the whole family downtown to Centennial Square and enjoy free festivities and entertainment.  Schedule:
5:00 – 6:00pm The Magic of Christmas on the new Spirit Stage 6:00pm Watch the big Christmas Tree being lit up, then a Fire and Light Show.
Price : FREE

IEOA Lighted Truck Parade

IEOA Lighted Truck Parade – 5 December
Come out and see the wonderfully decorated trucks. You can choose your favorite decorated truck and donate to the Mustard Seed Food bank along the parade route. Over the past 10 years this even has raised a total of 90,000 pounds of food and $35000 for food banks and charities. For details of the route see the event website: http://www.ieoa.ca/

Price : FREE but you are encourage to donate to a foodbank

Victoria Harbour Ferry Santa Ballet
The Victoria Harbour Ferry Co. are presenting the Nutcracker Ballet hovering above water in the Inner Harbour. This musical, illuminated ballet will take place on Friday and Saturday evenings throughout the holiday season.  This event is in support of Santa’s Anonymous and The Victoria Cool Aid Society.
Hot chocolate, coffee and treats will be available at Ship’s Point, in exchange for donations of a Tin (canned food), Toonie or a Toque (or other warm clothes).  All Santa Ballet performances will begin in the Inner Harbour at 7:00pm on the following dates:
Saturday, November 21: Following the Island Farms Lighted Santa Parade
Friday, November 27: Following the Centennial Square Christmas Tree Light Up
Saturday, November 28
Friday, December 4
Saturday December 5: Following the Lighted Ships Parade in the Inner Harbour
Friday, December 11 and Saturday, December 12
Friday, December 18 and Saturday, December 19
The Santa Ballet is a free event for all residents and visitors to Victoria. Hot chocolate and hot dogs will be available at Ships Point, with donations of a Tin (canned food), Toonie or a Toque (or other warm clothes).
The best place to view the Santa Ballet is from Ship’s Point, or any point along the Causeway in front of the Empress Hotel.
After the Dancing Santas visit Ship’s Point to hand out candy canes, they will then take to the water for a Santa Parade around the Inner Harbour from Shoal Point to Dockside Green from 7:45-8:00pm.
For more information please visit www.victoriaharbourferry.com or call 250-708-0201.

Price : FREE but you are encourage to donate to the affiliated charities

 

Tuesday, December 1st, 2009 – Monday, January 4th, 2010
8:00 PM to 12:00 PM Festival of Trees

A  display of beautifully decorated trees at the Fairmont Express to raise funds for BC Children’s Hospital. As sponsors of this event, local businesses, organizations and individuals decorate the trees in a sometimes wacky, often irreverent, and always beautiful fashion. The Festival of Trees is open to the public who are encouraged to cast a ballot for their favourite tree.

Price: Free

 

More Christmas Fairs – 22 Nov onwards

Image from the book Hester and Lester which will be launched at Hemma Made

On the weekend I went along to both the Knitted Owl and the Out of Hand fairs.I loved the knitted owl fair where I picked up lots of pressies (see previous post) but found the Out of Hand Fair a little disappointing, especially given that entry fee was $7. However I did find one very nice item at Out of hand (it’s a X-Mass secret)  that was a bargain at a price $20 below the tag price in downtown stores. Over the next few weeks there are more small fairs offering free entry and free refreshments including warm cider!

Hemma Made, 28 Nov, 5-10PM this fair offering free admission and free cider in addition to a range of local hand made items, everything from kids items to clothing, jewelry and art.  Location: 1274 May Street, The corner of Moss & May St.

Annual Noel Bazaar- Dec 1-3

30 local artists, designers & crafters arepresenting their wares at this unique and popular Christmas Market.

Details: Admission by donation, licensed event.

Victoria Event Centre

1415 Broad St

Tuesday      Dec 1 5-9

Wednesday  Dec 2 2-9

Thursday     Dec 3 2-9

Dec 5- Dickens Craft Fair – Shop for unique homemade, homegrown or handmade items at this 29th annual fair, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. December 5 at James Bay Community School Centre, 140 Oswego. By donation. 250-381-5323. www.jamesbaymarket.com

Dec 5-6 Tribal Market - Get your holiday gift shopping done in one groovy place with five awesome vendors including a fine selection of crystals and gems, bamboo clothing, leather work, jewellery and original clothing designs, December 5-6 at the Base Lounge, 1303 Broad. 250-590-1816

 

Lure: one of the vendors at Holly Jolly fair

Holly Jolly Christmas Fair 12-3 Dec

Again you can enjoy Free admission, refreshments, (as well as plenty of free parking).

LOCATION: 950 Kings St at Can West University.

DATES: Saturday Dec. 12 and Sunday Dec. 13

TIME: 10-5 Saturday and 12-5 Sunday

For details of the vendors and some pictures of their wares check out their website: http://www.hollyjolly2009.com/whos_coming.html

Moss Street Holiday Market Dec 12-13, 2009

Finally there is the Moss St Market which will have many of your favorite summer summer time vendors returning with Christmas treats. They will be selling arts and crafts (cards, clothing, jewelry, pottery, glass, soap, bath products, etc.) organic baked goods, organic winter vegetables and so much more….

Admission the the market FREE and if you bring a mug you get FREE apple cider.!

TIME: 10am-4pm

DATES: Saturday Dec 12 and Sunday Dec 13, 2009

LOCATION: 1330 Fairfield Rd in the Fairfield Community Place and the Garry Oak Room.

Lots of parking, wheelchair accessible. Call 250 361 1747 for more information.

 

FINALLY remember to bring cash and/or a cheque book along as many vendors do not have credit card facilities.

Make your own dried apple slices

Dried apples

We have busily drying apples at our place for a couple of months now. But as my “boy” munches them up as quickly as I make them I’m going to have to make a few more batches this weekend. This time I’m going to be careful to hide them away before the boy gets a chance to gobble them up.

If you have not dried your own apples I would completely recommend giving it a go. It is very simple to do and the final product is not only delicious, it is very healthy.  Here’s how you make dried apples.

Ingredients

Apples - you can use any quantity of apples and any variety, but you should use fresh, ripe, firm apples. The yield varies depending upon the moisture content of the apples. Soft apples give lower yields.

Sodium bisulfite (optional)

Asorbic acid OR lemon juice (optional)

Equipment

“ziploc” freezer bags or Vacuum food sealer – for storing the bags.

Mechanical apple peeler (optional) – about $20 from your local hardware store. OR Sharp knife & (optional) veggie peeler

Oven OR Food dehydrator

Step 1 – Selecting the apples

This fall I’ve picked my own apples through LifeCycle fruit program but obviously you can also just buy your apples at your local supermarket or fruit and veggie market. However I would recommend trying to pick up some local apples. Many apples (such as Red and Golden delicious) do not store well and their flavor rapidly degrades after picking. Apples for sale in large chain supermarkets typically lack the wonderful flavor of local, recently picked apples.

Local apples picked through Life Cycles Fruit Tree program

Step 2- Wash the apples

Wash your apples in plain water. If they have stickers on the skin remove them.

Step 3 – Cut out any bruised or soft spots

Step 4 -  (Optional) Removing the apple skins

I leave the skins on my dried apples but you can if you wish remove them.If you want to peal your apples I would definitely recommend using a mechanical apple peeler (pictured). Once you’ve set them up correctly they really do work very well.

Mechanical apple peeler

Step 5 -  slicing your apples

When it comes to slicing your apples you have a few options. You can just use a ordinary kitchen knife to slice and core your apple (or you can use a knife and an apple corer). Alternatively you use a mechanical apple cutter. If you are planning on drying apples regularly I would really recommend getting one. They are not expensive.  We picked up our Kitchen Value Apple parer for $26 at our local hardware store and it speed up the process of preparing the apples enormously. With a mechanical apple parer all you need to do is simply push the bottom of the apple core into the spikes, set the cutter in place and turn the handle a few times.  Wohla, your apple is cored and you have a beautiful apple spiral that is about 1/8 inch thick. All that is left for you to do is cut a single slice and wohoo you have half a dozen little apple rings. Aren’t they pretty!?

Pretty apple slices

Step 6 -  soak apples in preservative or anti-browning solution

Recently I’ve been reading a lot of how to dry apples instructions on the web and I’ve found to my surprise that many do not suggest using additives to prevent discoloration or a preservative solution (such as sodium bi-sulfate). Indeed for some people one of the main benefits of making your own dried apples is that you can avoid sulfates and other chemicals. However for my dried apples I do choose to use a sodium bi-sulfate solution which prevents microbial growth and discoloration. If you want to avoid sulfates but want to preserve colour you can just use  an ascorbic acid, or lemon juice, solution. For my apples I dissolve 1/4 teaspoon of sodium bisulfite  in 1L of water.

sodium bisulfite

Step 7 -  dehydrate your apples

Dried apples should be 20% of the weight of fresh apples. So before you start drying your apples you need to weigh them. I have an electronic scales with a tare so I simply put one of the dehydrator trays on the scale, tare the weight to zero.

Put the tray on the scales and tare to zero

I then fill the try with apple slices, note their weight and calculate 20% of the weight. For example if my apples weight 250g then the final weight of my dried apples should be 50g.

 

Weigh the apples

Set this tray to one side, fill the rest of the trays and stack the dehydrator. I put the tray I weighted in last so I can easily remove it and weigh it during the drying process.  Then I simply turn on my dehydrator and leave it on for 12 to 24 hours until my apples are dried. Check in on the apple slices after about seven hours. If they are looking pretty dry start checking the weight of the apples in your top tray. When the apples hit your target weight they are ready.

Step 8 – Cool, then Fill the Zipper-type bags

I let the apples cool to room temperature (about 20 to 30 minutes), and  fill the zip lock bags making sure not to overfill and to remove all air pockets. I zip the top shut but leave enough space to insert the tip of a soda straw. When straw is in place, I remove the remaining air by sucking it out.  To remove straw, I press the straw closed where inserted and finish pressing the bag closed as I remove the straw.

Step 9 – Store the bags in a cool, dark place

Step 10 – Enjoy at eating your leisure!