la vie en fuchsia

Project 12 : Resolution

2012-01-30T20:13:00.000-05:00

I'm quite tired and run down lately, between working full steam on the nursery and a few other things around the house since the holidays. This weekend, I finally sat still long enough to get some missing software loaded up onto my new laptop and could finally get some photos sorted. That means that I'll soon be able to update you on a few things that I've been sitting on since Christmas (finally, I know).

Today though, since I've left it to the absolute last minute, I'm here to show you my first submission to the 2012 Project 12. The topic was 'Resolution', which seemed fitting for the first month of a new year. But you know? It was hard!

So let's discuss, shall we?

I read a bunch of definitions of resolution in an effort to try and inspire myself to come up with something cool and applicable to photograph, but the creative juices just wouldn't flow. Instead, I had to put it into my own words.

When someone makes a resolution, it means to me that they are;

Starting something new,
Turning over a new leaf, or
Making a fresh start.

Putting that into perspective for me, left only one logical option for this topic...

What is more of a fresh start, than a new baby?

So here's my new beginning, become a mom!

(I'll also kindly point out that this is your first sneak peak of the new nursery too! You're welcome.)

So, what were your resolutions? or if you didn't make any, what does the topic resolution mean to you?

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year!

2012-01-01T23:52:00.000-05:00

As the holiday season comes to a close around here, we're starting to get ready for the next *big thing*. The mister and I were shamelessly spoiled for Christmas this year, which shouldn't have been a surprise because we always are, but this year so was the wee-one! I tell ya, this kid has so much stuff and has yet to show up! I hope everyone else's Christmas (or whatever holiday is your deal) was awesome and altogether enjoyable. Sometimes life can just get so busy, especially over the holidays, that it just becomes too difficult to stop and enjoy (because let's be honest, there really is no stopping)... so I hope you all had time to stop.

As for getting things ready now, this was our plan for the new year. Today I painted the first wall of the nursery, and hope to finish the first round tomorrow. The paint job is going to require a couple steps, so I won't show you until it's done, but rest assured - it's started! Soon we'll be going to pick up the furniture and before long it'll all be together... wish us luck!

I do have to admit though that it still doesn't feel real. I'm having real trouble wrapping my head around the fact that my due date is in 3 months. I'm having trouble working on the room and/or buying things because that timeline is just not possible. I don't even feel very big! I'm a planner though, and cannot under any circumstances leave this to the last minute, so on with the room we go and I just have to keep reminding myself 'why'.

One of the ways in which I was spoiled at Christmas was due to the new laptop that the mister bought me. To say that my previous one was on it's last leg would probably be an understatement. It would overheat like no one's business and shut down at it's convenience, also my DVD drive quit on me a little while back and slightly more recently the speakers stopped too. Apparently, due to overheating, something on the motherboard likely cracked leading to the demise of the speakers... so yeah, pretty done. Anyway, my point is that I took a bunch of pictures over the Christmas season to share with you but just have to get my editing software back up and running on the new computer, before I do.

While I am here tonight though, I wanted to show you something that I read today. Since my project 365 didn't make it, but I enjoy a good project and I foresee a lot to think about/do over the next year, this challenge was more fitting -

MCP Project 12 is a themed monthly photo challenge, from a blog I read, designed to help develop photography skills. Last year, they did Project 52 which in retrospect would have been better for me but I digress. I bought a much needed flash on boxing day (we live in a mid-row town lacking in natural light), and would like to practice as much as possible, so I signed up! I hope this project is a little more reasonable for me and that I actually learn something from it. I fully intend to share whatever I come up with, with you along the way.

Anyway, that's my update for tonight. I hope everyone had a great New Year celebration last night and that good things are expected for 2012!

Happy Holidays from our family to yours!

Cute and easy Christmas ornaments courtesy of Pinterest

2011-12-20T08:30:00.000-05:00

Have you been on Pinterest yet? I'm sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but if you haven't you're missing out. Further to that even, if you don't know what I'm talking about I can only assume that you have been living under a rock, sorry but it's true.

Never fear, let me get you up to speed-

This is Pinterest.

In order to join Pinterest, you need to a) request an invite or b) ask me nicely and I'll send you one. :)

Pinterest is a visual bookmarking site/social network all rolled up into one. The beauty of the social networking part is that other people have some pretty fab ideas. You either repin things you like and want to save in Pinterest itself OR you can pin things that you love from your favorite blogs and websites. This year, I thought it would be a pretty nifty idea to ~~force~~ ask nicely, that the mister join up so that I could make my Christmas list on there. I think the novelty was well received.

Picture those mood/design boards that we all see on those TLC/HGTV shows that we all know and love and pretend that you made one for Food, Home design/renovations, Things you want, Places you want to go, Books you want to read.... you get the idea, so yeah, picture that. That, my friends, is Pinterest.

I highly recommend that you check it out! (I've even added a button on the left side of the screen so you can find me)

Ok, so now for the real point to this post-

I was looking for a way to make traditional looking Christmas ornaments to fill my tree a little and found a pin for these;

via

Here is my interpretation-

What do you think? A little Krylon gold never hurt anyone, I say.

Sometimes I get an overwhelming need...

2011-12-19T21:05:00.001-05:00

...for 'stuff' of the sweet variety.

Let me show you what saved my sanity last night -

Ohhhh yeahhhh.

The mister made me dinner like he has been doing pretty much every night lately, and it was delicious. We had lobster with melted butter, and tomato salad. That all sounds pretty nice, right? Well it was! The problem arose when I got comfy on the couch after dinner to watch the survivor finale, as that was when I got that overwhelming need for rocky road. Let me first mention that I've never made rocky road before, but I assumed it was easy and was non-negotiable anyway. So I set off googling like crazy to find the easiest, and quickest, rocky road recipe. It was a huge success, in my humble opinion, because it was easy and just what I wanted. I thought that the nicest thing that I could do for you today was to share the recipe -

First, here is my disclaimer: I only *somewhat* followed the ingredients. As far as I was concerned, they were clearly suggestions! (See below for my 'adjustments')

Super-Easy Rocky Road Fudge

Prep: 10 Minutes

Cook: 10 Minutes

Ready in: 1 Hour 20 Minutes

Servings: 48 (...if they say so)

Ingredients:

- 1 ~~(12 ounce)~~ pkg of however much is left in the bag that hasn't been snacked on yet, semi-sweet chips

- 1 full package of dark chocolate (50%) chips

- A small sprinkle of white chocolate chips

- 1 (14 ounce) can Sweetened Condensed Milk

- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

- 3 cups miniature marshmallows

- ~~1 1/2 cups coarsely chopped walnuts~~

Directions:

1.	LINE 13 x 9-inch baking pan with foil; grease lightly.
2.	MICROWAVE morsels and sweetened condensed milk in large, microwave-safe bowl on HIGH (100 percent) power for 1 minute; stir. Microwave at additional 10- to 20-second intervals, stirring until smooth. Stir in vanilla extract. Fold in marshmallows and nuts.
3.	PRESS mixture into prepared baking pan. Refrigerate until ready to serve. Lift from pan; remove foil. Cut into pieces.

You can find this recipe in it's original form here.

I hope you try it, it's simple and delicious!

Aren't the holidays great for treats?

Err, we should probably talk...

2011-12-06T21:03:00.001-05:00

You may or may not have noticed that I've been slightly on the MIA side lately, and by lately I mean since September. Oops. Here's the thing, I had a project 365 mishap. At first I scrambled to try to come up with a solution to salvage it but I quickly realized that there was a lot of other stuff going on and my energy was ~~slowly~~ rapidly dwindling, so I admitted excruciating defeat.

So here is the story; when we returned from Martinique I was most certainly behind on the blog and it took me some time to catch up but all the while I kept taking my daily photos. Usually my photos were taken with the DSLR or at the very least our point and shoot but on certain occasions I took them on my Blackberry because; 1) I was out and didn't have one of the other cameras 2) it was more suitable for the subject or 3) it was just easier. The problem you see, is with those Blackberry shots. I still had an older Bold that had a trackball. I was warned when I first got it that any kind of cream or dirt, yadda, yadda, yadda, could muck it up and cause problems, sure, gotcha. Can you guess what happened to my trackball? Yup, it upped and quit on me one day this summer or fall (I honestly can't remember anymore). I followed all the instructions that I could find on how to disassemble my phone and clean it, ever so delicately, in order to get it back on it's feet but no, it didn't work. At some point between when my trackball quit and the last (of many) times that I disassembled my phone, I lost a bunch of blackberry pictures. :( You know the ones, the ones I needed for my project. Damn. Like I said before, I tried to salvage things by trying to piece together other things that I had taken but I would rather start over and do it properly, maybe, you know... if I have the time. So needless to say, I never did (or will) catch up.

The theoretical 'straw that broke the camel's back' in this case was when, through all my scrambling I realized that I didn't have a sliver of the energy I usually did (which, take it from me, isn't much to begin with). It's really difficult to find the motivation to continue (salvage) something that requires so much effort, when you are severely lacking in the 'awake' department. As much work as it was though, I did enjoy the project overall. I will do some incarnation of it again, and soon.

Fear not readers! I have done many things (through slits for eyes) over the last couple months and have taken a bunch of pictures (both on cameras AND on my new Bold :P), so I will have a bunch of things to share in the coming weeks, regardless of project 365's demise. Also, we're working on another project that will surely provide plenty of fodder for my little blog; we're working on our very own baby! Well I guess I mostly am, but the mister has been extremely supportive so he's been very busy too (because I am one hell of a handful)! We found out in August, which is why by September I was a zombie and sick to top it off, but that has since let up (the sick, not the zombie, though I do feel a bit more normal - whatever that means). We're over half way now, at 22 weeks and are on track for a due date of April 9th!

So that's that really. My full confessional about why I'm having to drop out of project 365 and my exciting news that will hopefully make up for it! I haven't been cooking as much lately (I'm being taken care of) but would like to get back into that very soon. Also, stay tuned over the next little bit when I'll get you up to speed on some projects that I've been working on since the summer. I've completed (or almost completed) a bunch of refinishing projects; a desk and chair for the spare bedroom, a dresser which is being used as a buffet in the dining room, and the most recent beast that was hogging the garage; a hutch that is also now in our dining room! The mister has said no more for awhile because I'm tired and the snow is here, so the garage is for the truck not spray painting!

Forgive me?

Roses

2011-09-22T21:27:00.000-04:00

6.13.11 : 164/365

More flowers from my garden... perfect.

Have I ever mentioned that I don't tend my garden? I try and make a 'good' attempt at planting everything and then the mister looks after it as I have what some may consider; two black thumbs. Also, I hate worms. Am I the only one that thinks they are one of the most vile creatures on the planet? Yes? Oh... ok then.

Steak!

2011-09-22T21:23:00.000-04:00

6.12.11 : 163/365

Look at that... makes you hungry, doesn't it?

Well, it's making me hungry, I know that much!

Cottage Life

2011-09-22T21:21:00.000-04:00

6.11.11 : 162/365

We don't have one unfortunately, though sometimes I really wish we did. I say this knowing full well that we are not overly cottage people. I mean sure, we enjoy going but don't usually miss the fact that we don't have one to go to... it's hard to explain.

Anyway, this here was a picture from the mister's boss' cottage that his entire team made their way up to on this semi-fine Saturday afternoon. It was windy as all get out but the cottage, food, and company were lovely!

Happy Birthday Sam!

2011-09-22T21:15:00.000-04:00

6.10.11 : 161/365

Well, that's what we said in June when we actually celebrated it!

It was a great night among friends as usual. There certainly is a lot to say for having people you love sharing their special days with... that ain't about to change!

More Peonies

2011-09-22T21:12:00.000-04:00

6.9.11 : 160/365

As if you wouldn't have expected it, they went from really pretty to really stunning!!

I wish these flowers lasted longer, they are insta-sunshine.

Peonies

2011-09-22T21:10:00.000-04:00

6.8.11 : 159/365

I got some gorgeous peonies this year and thankfully we didn't miss them while we were away.

I just love taking pictures of them when they are covered in dew drops, it just makes them prettier!

The Aftermath

2011-09-22T21:08:00.000-04:00

6.7.11 : 158/365

This is just proof that I spent a good chunk of time sorting and editing what felt like approximately one million vacation pictures... I'm a big cry baby! At least it's a good reason for it having taken me so long!!

What's my excuse for taking so long with these posts, you ask? Hmmm... I'll have to get back to you!

Lilacs

2011-09-22T21:01:00.000-04:00

6.6.11 : 157/365

Came home to these, aren't they pretty?

Day Eight - Heading for the airport

2011-07-26T20:37:00.001-04:00

6.5.11 : 156/365

In an effort to make the most of our final day, we went on a final little tour prior to packing up the car for the trip to the airport and handing over the keys.

Joséphine de Beauharnais aka first wife of Napoleon Bonaparte, was born Marie Josèphe Rose Tascher de La Pagerie in Trois-Îlets, Martinique to a Wealthy, white Creole family who owned a sugar plantation. La Pagerie and the ruins of the sugar plantation were our destination during our last few hours of vacation.

In summary, our short week vacation was really quite fantastic. We got to visit several different, and gorgeous beaches, some beautiful natural sites (I've now climbed that volcano twice), and some real island culture. We had an amazing time, and truly cannot wait to return!

I hope this re-cap really showcased some of the islands natural beauty and appeal. I'd love to hear stories if anyone decides to go.

Thanks for sticking around, even if the re-cap did take forever! :)

Day Seven - Our final full day

2011-07-26T19:52:00.000-04:00

6.4.11 : 155/365

I know I shared the pictures of the village we were staying in, but as you can see that is my picture for this day since it was actually the day I took them... I'm all about getting this project, right.

This was just another day spent at the beach and walking around to visit. We did head back to Fort de France to pick up the things we weren't able to the first time at the market. I still didn't take a pictures, but that was apparently a ball I was destined to drop the whole time. We picked up a few things to bring back with us but there were a couple local things that I would love to introduce to you;

The first and most well known item was local and pure vanilla extract. You can get a big bottle of this for pretty cheap on most of the islands and it's delicious and aromatic.

The second is a West Indian/Creole curry blend called Colombo spice.

via

Colombo is orange in it's raw form but cooks up almost olive green in colour. This is definitely reminiscent of curry but different and so very delicious.

Another little 'something' that I would like to introduce you to, is our little buddy for the week we were there.

You see, in an effort to avoid any theft in the village we were in there were dogs that pretty much held down the fort. This guy here lived in the parking lot of our rental and while he snapped at us the first time we met, we all quickly became friends. He was such a sweetheart! We watched him take off after someone one day, so he certainly was no pushover... he took his job seriously.

There were other dogs around the village, and they were amazingly well behaved. They would walk along the sidewalks, safely cross the roads and just go about their business, not bothering a soul... they were amazing!

For this entry, I leave you with some scenery pictures that we took on our last evening there;

Day Six - A little piece of paradise

2011-07-17T20:58:00.000-04:00

6.3.11 : 154/365

On the sixth day we made our way back to the beach that we had checked out earlier called 'Le Diament'. This name covers a town, beach and that rock you see up there in the distance. The rock itself is 2.5 miles off the coast and stands proudly out of the water for everyone to see. The beach is very long and the water is active and yet crystal clear. Thanks to the sheer length of the beach, large portions of it were virtually secluded - fantastic!

Here were the fruits of my shutter happy labours, it was just so beautiful;

I'm pretty sure this is where the crazy waves took the goggles clear off the mister's face!

When we got back to our village, there was a really pretty sunset;

What a relaxing day!

Day Five - Mmmm Chicken!

2011-07-13T22:27:00.000-04:00

6.2.11 : 153/365

Thursday, June 2nd, 2010 was a stat holiday in France meaning there wasn't much to do by way of relying on businesses in Martinique... no trouble at all, we are very versed in entertaining ourselves!

To start we went for a drive. We were told, the evening prior, that because it was a stat we would be able to find that marvelous road side chicken that I promised the mister I would find for him. Turns out, this is really just a weekend thing (I was starting to panic when I couldn't find it), but stats are like weekends, so this was our day. So yes, went for a drive and purchased a road side smoked chicken, six cod accras, and a pineapple, all just outside of a roundabout (I'll show you more pictures of this in the next installment).

After all of this though, we spent a fair bit of time at the beach. It was busier than most days because the locals were out in full force, spending time with friends and family on the beach, swimming and playing a little 'football' (read: soccer). After a relaxing morning, we decided to go for a drive to explore the south Caribbean portion of the island that we had yet to discover.

Here are some pictures of Le Diament in the distance (more to come);

After a long afternoon drive, we went back to the flat and settled in for dinner;

Fresh pineapple from the roadside stand...Delicious!-

A totally relaxing and awesome day!

Day Four - Major Activity in Martinique

2011-07-13T22:08:00.000-04:00

6.1.11 : 152/365

Day four was an incredibly busy one. We took off early in the morning and went for a scenic drive around the island. Basically, the way that the highway works in Martinique is that it hugs the water for most of the trip around. Plans today were a very easy; Climb the volcano and visit a distillery... no biggie, right?

Here we are coming up on Saint Pierre near the north Caribbean sea area of the island, home of black beaches and the original capital of the island that was destroyed by lava in the 1902 eruption of the Mont Pelée.

Here you can see the Mont Pelée in the background as we start to approach it;

This was just a nice church that we found along the route;

Here is the first picture of our trek, taken from the parking lot situated at 824 metres above sea level;

You can see the aforementioned parking lot in the background here;

There's the parking lot again;

And again;

A sign!

Saint-Pierre (remember that place?)

Another sign! (This is as far as we made it... even with two large bottles of water, we ran out!)

There is that parking lot again... we had to start heading down again to be able to see it;

Here are some signs that will help explain the 'route';

After the volcano, came ice cream, but after the ice cream came the distillery!

I remembered Saint James from being there 15 years ago, so I was looking forward to bring some back!

Here are some pictures of the rum museum;

(that's all the residual sugar cane from making the rum)

So the day was a scorcher and we probably lost A LOT of weight via 'sweat out' on the volcano itself but it was amazing... truly fulfilling!!

Day Three - We took a boat to get a little fresh air.

2011-06-27T21:29:00.000-04:00

5.31.11 : 151/365

Fountain and interesting houses across from Fort de France cathedral

I can't complain about the heat, I really, really can't. Take my word for it though, Martinique is HOT!! Just to give you an idea of the heat, daily temperatures ranged in the 30's (generally mid to high) plus humidity. Most, if not all days came in over 40 degrees, at least. This didn't let up either. In my experience when I've dealt with heat like that during the day, the night provided significant relief, but for at least the time we were there it was hot and humid 24/7. Again, I am totally not complaining but want to make sure that anyone considering going has the full story. After our week, it was nice to have a fresh summer evening to come home to but we'll most certainly go back.

The hottest of the hot was Fort de France, the capital of the island. It's densely populated and bustling, so without a slight breeze, you had to plan on 'melting'. On our third day, we hopped the ferry from the harbour in front of our apartment and crossed the bay to FDF. The breeze on the boat was everything we hoped it would be and more, but we had no idea what was waiting for us on the other side.

As we disembarked and started heading into the city, we passed a sign with the temperature boldly listed at 41 degrees, and it wasn't even 10 in the morning! Well, if the breeze off the water was only keeping the harbour front at a balmy 41 degrees, you can just imagine what it felt like in the busting market, right?

I'd love to tell you that I got these awesome pictures of the market filled with Martiniquaise ladies selling their spices, sauces, flowers, produce and souvenirs (for good measure), but I can't. I was so hot I just wasn't thinking straight. I didn't buy a damn thing because I was so overwhelmed by it's busy'ness' and the heat!

Luckily enough, I found some to show you anyway. My hat is off to the people that had the piece of mind to take these, I just wasn't that 'on top of things'!

via

Here are some pictures that I did manage to take-
Heading towards Fort de France from la Pointe du Bout:

The cathedral area in Fort de France:

Heading back into the Pointe du Bout harbour:

After we got back, we jumped in the car (after a heat inspired nap, who am I kidding) and took off to visit my uncle. My uncle (husband of my father's younger sister) is Martiniquais and after spending many years in France, meeting and marrying my aunt and settling her into her home nicely, he now heads back and forth to Martinique to work on the house that they will retire in. This is what we went to visit, his property and the current house progress. The outside is looking nice, the work (in my uneducated opinion) left to do on the outside seems largely cosmetic. I believe he is now concentrating his efforts inside.

Here are some pictures of our visit-

G with his coconut stick.
He knocked a coconut each out of the tree for us:

Took the top clean off of them so we could drink the coco water:

The mister, doing this for the first time:

G's goats, there is a mom and tiny baby in the first picture, and the dad in the second:

The house and property:

One of the banana trees:

Finally, one of the views:

That was our busy, busy day three!

Day Two - A little exploring in Martinique

2011-06-26T22:17:00.000-04:00

5.30.11 : 150/365

On day two of our trip we spent the morning at our little beach down the street from our apartment but then decided to head out and see what the 'nicest beach on the island' was all about. We went driving from our little spot towards the very south of the island and ended up at 'Les Salines' beach near Ste-Anne.

After doing a little swimming in the turbulent but nice Atlantic water (this was on the bottom east corner of the island or the south Atlantic coast), we were hungry. There was a little food 'truck' across the parking lot from the beach and while we were having a bite, this little guy poked the mister in the foot. He looks cooked, right?

After the beach, we took off on an impromptu hike in search of 'La Savane des pétrifications' (the petrified savanna).

All those little things that look like rocks are the edge of the water are tiny crabs

See?!

And again as they were fleeing!

Cabrits Island with the Cabrits 'lighthouse'

'The Devil's Table'

Almost lost my flip flop in that tiny bit of water while crossing the rocks

Across this bridge is where the savanna is said to begin. I've looked and looked for a reasonable explanation of what this place really is, and it's near impossible to find. I must say even while we were visiting it, we still weren't sure just what it was!

Here's what little about it I could find (in french);

Au sud de l'île entre la plage des Salines et l'anse Trabaud, vous trouverez une zone aride, un véritable désert : La savane des Pétrifications. Il y avait avant une forêt qui fut engloutie sous la lave lors d'une éruption volcanique particulièrement violente. Les anciens troncs d'arbres ont peu à peu disparu, mais le spectacle est resté impressionnant. (via)

Essentially, what this is telling us is that once upon a time a volcano engulfed a forest and what we are left with is this;

The mister, checking things out

There you have it... day two was great!!

Day One - Arriving in Martinique (Extremely picture heavy)

2011-06-18T23:21:00.000-04:00

5.29.11 : 149/365

One of the first shots of our island home for the next 7 days.

It was fun that we got to fly right over where we were going to stay on our way in. See this tip, right in front, on the left? We were there... fantastic! It's called la Pointe du Bout, and it possesses a really nice beach along the Caribbean Sea, with the calmest, clearest water we'd ever seen; la Plage de l'Anse Mitan.

If you don't know anything about Martinique, let me fill you in. (I'll leave it to the experts, though)

Located in the heart of the Caribbean archipelago, Martinique is one of the Windward islands in the Lesser Antilles group. Its eastern coastline borders the Atlantic Ocean while its western coast is flanked by the Caribbean Sea. The island is 4 350 miles away from France, 1 950 miles from New York and 275 miles from the closest South American coastline. The closest neighboring islands are to the north: Dominica, 16 miles away, Guadeloupe, 75 miles away, and to the south: Saint Lucia, 23 miles away. Martinique is equidistant from the coasts of Venezuela and Haiti/Dominican Republic (497 miles). (via)

Martinique has a surface area of 425 square miles. At its greatest length and width it measures 50 miles and 24 miles, respectively. The rugged mountainous landscape to the north is geologically young. Mount Pelée is the island’s highest peak, culminating at 4 500 feet. The north is characterized by dense forests, rivers and waterfalls. In the center, the Lamentin Plain transitions to the south’s gentler and geologically older landscape of rolling hills. The southern coast is dotted with many picturesque bays and coves. In the southernmost part of the island, a savanna of petrified trees is an unusual geological sight. (via)
Martinique has a fairly mild climate and the heat is never excessive. Thanks to the average temperature of 79°, Martinique is the island of the “never-ending summer.” The trade winds from the east and northeast provide a steady breeze that constantly refreshes the air.

Due to the tropical climate conditions in Martinique, the island is lush with vegetation: lavish tropical forests, groves, savannas, countless species of trees, fruits, plants and flowers, not to mention the mangrove forests. All in all, the island is an extraordinary garden. The wildlife mainly consists of birds, fish and shellfish, as well as small lizards called “mabouyas” and “anolis”, iguanas and trigonocephalus snakes that are only found in Martinique. The “manicou”, a type of opossum, is one of the rare mammals to be found in the Antilles. The mongoose, however, was introduced by humans to control the snake population. (via)

Martinique has a multiethnic population. This diversity stems from the cultural mixing of the island’s successive inhabitants: Amerindians, Europeans, Africans, Indians, Levantines and Asians. Approximately one quarter of the population resides in the administrative capital, Fort de France. Martinique is truly a land of tradition and culture, with a rich history of crafts and literature by renowned authors and famous poets, music and dance, lifestyle and gastronomy. Numerous religious denominations are present in Martinique. The official language is French, although everyone speaks Creole, a language that is a blend of Old French, English, and African languages, as well as surviving Amerindian terms (via)

via

One thing that is not as widely known (as this is not a largely commercial island) is that Martinique is not a country, but rather a department of France

We stayed in a rental apartment just big enough for the two of us, and walking distance to the beach in Trois-Ilets. Actually we weren't in the town itself but Pointe du bout is sort of an 'outskirt' of the town.

About Trois Ilets;
You can get here by car of course, but also on a ferry from Fort-de-France. The Pagerie Museum is in this town, set up on the spot where Empress Josephine was born. A number of musical and cultural events are organized in the Park of the Trois-Ilets close to the island's magnificent golf club. You must not miss the Market or the Sugar Cane Museum. The pottery center, where the objects are handmade by local craft artists, is also worth a visit. (via)

The first day we spent getting in tune with our surroundings (our 'village');

Accras de Morue

Planteur Punch

So that pretty much gets you up to speed on the location and details our first day more or less. Hope you enjoy the week-long coverage!

Happy Birthday Ash!

2011-06-18T11:19:00.001-04:00

5.28.11 : 148/365

You got to see pictures of J's 30th birthday celebrations recently, and now here are some for Ash's twenty-something birthday celebrations at our place...

Yeah, we had Raclette... we're cheese fans, what? :)

Happy birthday (again) Ash! I hope it was everything you hoped for!

Warm asparagus salad with chive vinaigrette

2011-06-18T11:06:00.000-04:00

5.27.11 : 147/365

Made this Warm asparagus salad with chive vinaigrette tonight... fresh and fantastic!

Warm asparagus salad with chive vinaigrette

Cooking time 3 minutes
Preparation time 8 minutes
Makes 4 servings

Ingredients
1 bunch fresh chives
3 tbsp (45 mL) apple cider vinegar or white wine vinegar
1 tbsp (15 mL) each Dijon mustard and liquid honey
1 tsp (5 mL) dried tarragon
1/2 tsp (2 mL) salt
1/2 cup (125 mL) vegetable oil
2 bunches asparagus

Directions
1.Coarsely chop chives. Whirl with vinegar, Dijon, honey, tarragon and salt in a blender or food processor until evenly mixed. With motor running, gradually pour in oil. Pour into a measuring cup or small bowl. Use right away or cover and leave at room temperature up to 4 hours or refrigerate up to 3 days.

2.Partially fill a large, wide frying pan with water and bring to a boil over high heat. Snap tough ends from asparagus and discard. Add asparagus to boiling water. Cook, uncovered and stirring occasionally, until tender-crisp, 3 to 4 minutes. Drain well. Arrange on plates. Stir dressing, then drizzle over asparagus. Delicious warm or at room temperature with garlic toasts.

Nutrients per serving
4.5 g protein
22.4 g fat
11 g carbohydrates
2.7 g fibre
1.4 mg iron
42 mg calcium
248 calories

Packing

2011-06-18T10:57:00.000-04:00

5.26.11 : 146/365

For this trip, I made it my mission to pack lightly, and I think I succeeded. We didn't want to check our luggage on the way there, so we used our small suitcases and packed only what was needed for a week on a tropical island. While it was completely our of character for me, that meant no heels, make-up or hair tools and you'll never believe it, but not only did I manage to do it but I survived! More to come...

Baby Geese

2011-06-18T10:53:00.000-04:00

5.25.11 : 145/365

How amazingly adorable are these little babies that we've been driving by everyday? The mister slowed the truck down long enough for me to get a few pics from the window on our way home. This was about the moment when mama started to get a little annoyed. I promised that I was done and we made our way out of there... no need to upset this adorable little family! I'm please that I got a picture to share though, because they really made me smile!

A birthday gift-to-be

2011-06-18T10:48:00.001-04:00

5.24.11 : 144/365

Found this in the mail, it was a gift for a friend whose birthday was being celebrated later in the week. More pictures to come.

The mister is a huge fan of his growing Global knives collection, and Ash (friend in question) is starting to collect them too! She's a wiz in the kitchen and her gift that our group of friends got together to buy for her (it's a tradition that's worked really well between us) should help that right along! Stay tuned...

Flowers II

2011-06-18T10:42:00.000-04:00

5.23.11 : 143/365

Here's my lilac making a go at it. This is it's second year, as it was a housewarming gift from my parent's last spring, and it's doing incredibly well. It has at least doubled in size, beautiful!

Beef Carbonnade (Beef in Beer)

2011-06-17T23:27:00.001-04:00

5.22.11 : 142/365

This:

Turned into this, Beef Carbonnade:

We used an adaptation of the Beef in Beer recipe from Laura Calder's 'French Taste: Elegant Everyday Eating' cookbook.
Beef in Beer
Makes: 6 Servings

2 tbsp butter or beef drippings, more as needed
1 tbsp olive oil
3 pounds sirloin tip, cut into fat strips
3 large onions, sliced
4 garlic cloves, chopped
2 tbsp flour
1 tbsp brown sugar
1.5 c beef stock
2 c dark or amber beer
1 tbsp red wine vinegar
Salt & pepper
1 bouquet garni (bay leaf, thyme sprig, a few parsley stems)

Heat the oven to 325F. melt butter with the oil in a saute pan over medium-high heat, and, working in batches, brown the beef strips on both sides. Remove from the pan. In the same pan, fry the onions until soft, about 15 minutes, then add the garlic and cook for 1 minute. Remove from the pan. (Check if there is fat in the pan. If not, add a good tablespoon of butter and let it melt. Add the flour and sugar to the pan, and cook, stirring, for 1 minute to make a roux. Gradually whisk in the stock, and bring to boil, stirring. Add the beer and the vinegar, and bring back to boil, cooking until thickened, about 10 minutes. Remove from the heat.

In a large casserole, layer the onion mixture alternately with the beef strips, seasoning each layer as you go with salt and pepper. Tuck in the bouquet garni, and pour the liquid over. Cover, and bake for 2.5 hours. If you can wait a day before eating*, cool the dish completely when it's out of the over, and refrigerate overnight. The flavour will be even better when you reheat.

*we couldn't wait!!*

When we were in Belgium several years ago now, we had this 'sauce' with beef remnants in it smothering famous Belgian fries... out of this world... I can't make that up!!

A party for everything

2011-06-17T23:04:00.001-04:00

5.21.11 : 141/365

As I mentioned in my last post, we headed up to North Bay for the weekend as there was a big party planned for the mister's aunt and uncle's birthday(s) and 40th wedding anniversary. It was a party-of-everything and it went off wonderfully. I have a ton of awesome pictures but I don't like including people or their children on the blog since they may prefer to avoid being broadcast... so I'll have to ask you to pretend that you saw a lot of awesome pictures! :)

Spotted!

2011-06-17T20:35:00.000-04:00

5.20.11 : 140/365

A moose crossing the road!

This was on a drive up to North Bay, Ontario for the weekend. We were minding our own business driving up highway 17, when this big cutie decided that they were ready to cross. Truth be told, they didn't seem to be in much of a hurry either!

Presenting the new bbq...

2011-06-17T19:06:00.000-04:00

5.19.11 : 139/365

Told you she was shiny and pretty!!

Summer in a bowl?

2011-06-17T18:46:00.000-04:00

5.18.11 : 138/365

Here's a tasty idea for a nice light summer side, it's just simple vinaigrette with tomatoes and artichoke quarters. Simply fresh!

Simple vinaigrette
(to taste)

White vinegar (or another type to change the taste)
Dijon mustard
Salt
Pepper
Olive Oil
(you can splash a little lemon juice, Herb de Provence, other herbs of choice or even some minced garlic if you wish)
Enjoy!

Grey Skies

2011-06-17T18:41:00.000-04:00

5.17.11 : 137/365

We had our fair share of grey skies in May, probably due to the delayed spring. So here's my pictures, just another cloudy day.

Flowers

2011-06-16T22:04:00.000-04:00

5.16.11 : 136/365

A few more garden shots. You probably already know this but I'll tell you anyway; I didn't start any of these from seeds on my own, we all know how the herbs turned out!

Something Borrowed, The movie.

2011-06-16T21:32:00.001-04:00

5.15.11 : 135/365

I'm a big fan of Emily Giffin and actually Kate Hudson too, who as it turns out stars in the film adaptation of Giffin's book, 'Something Borrowed'. We recently went to see this (yes, the mister comes with me... he's a good sport, remember?) and found it incredibly entertaining. Some aspects are true to the original novel and others not so much, but it was an all-around good time! I highly recommend it, and actually I even insist that you go and see it if it's still in a theater near you, because how well this movie does will dictate whether or not it's sequel 'Something Blue' is made... I loved SOBO and desperately want SOBL!!!

Go and see it... NOW! :P

A 30th birthday gala!

2011-06-16T21:20:00.001-04:00

5.14.11 : 134/365

Happy Birthday again to our dear friend J, who included us in his incredible gala celebration. We had a fantastic time and have some awesome aaaaand 'interesting' (leaving those ones out!) pictures to show for it!! :)

Ohhh Shiny!

2011-06-16T21:03:00.001-04:00

5.13.11 : 133/365

We decided to finally replace our old, less than 'good' bbq with a new, shiny one! (Wait until you see it in action!)

This was a very exciting purchase for us as it's no secret that we love our B. B. Q.!!

Ethereal (Wordless)

2011-06-16T20:56:00.001-04:00

5.12.11 : 132/365

Another installment in the life and times of my herbs.

2011-06-16T20:51:00.001-04:00

5.11.11 : 131/365

These things have long gotten out of hand (since this is way in the future, I have now let them dry up and they will be replaced by plants that have already been started by the gardening professionals), and act as a testament to the fact that I should not be permitted to buy anything in seed form. People are paid to start plants for people like me, no sense in taking work away from them, now is there?

I love books!

2011-06-16T20:44:00.000-04:00

5.10.11 : 130/365

My workplace does a lot of fundraising for United Way every year, including used book sales. I love books a lot, if you haven`t noticed and I`m not the library type so it`s an expensive habit! The odd used book sale totally works for me because I usually find the not `hot off the presses`books that I still want to read. This time I found `Fifth Business` by Canadian author Robertson Davis, which is the first book in a trilogy of which I have already read the other two. `Further Under the Duvet` by Marian Keyes, the second book of short stories by Marian. I read the first one just recently (received it for Christmas) and discussed it here. Lastly, I got my hands on `The Complete Works of William Shakespeare` which I may or may not read at some point in the next 40 years. If I am being truthful (and why wouldn`t I be... feel free to judge), I just thought it was a good thing to have AND it looks pretty on my buffet sitting with my copy of `Gone with the Wind` done in the same vintage look!

So there you have it, I`m just another nerd that gets excited by a used book sale! :)

Spring Buds

2011-06-16T19:57:00.000-04:00

5.9.11 : 129/365

Even though I know that my blog is very behind, I'd still like to share the pictures that I took along the way.

We weren't in our house yet in early May last year, so this is the first I got to see of how pretty our little tree is in the Spring (keeping in mind that we had a late spring this year).

Here's to working on catching up... slowly but surely!

A new garden

2011-05-22T23:15:00.000-04:00

5.8.11 : 128/365

The original owners of our house had what some may consider a garden in the front, but some may also have considered it a mess. The mister and I, being in the latter camp. During the summer last year, with a lot of help from his mom, the mister dug up the disaster of 'garden' and set it all up to have something a little more civilized this year.

Behold the new, improved and more civilized garden that we planted in the front of the house.

Hopefully it'll mature and be everything we hope for it and more. If it doesn't, we still take comfort in the fact that we don't look like the crazy house on the street anymore.

The best ever fish tacos... for real.

2011-05-22T23:03:00.000-04:00

5.7.11 : 127/365

We received a really handy gift for Christmas from my new Sister in law and we knew exactly what we were going to use it for. We've become great fans of hitting up a concert at the New York State Fair whenever possible (last year was a bust... blasted honeymoon ;) ) and have already chosen one for this year. I'll let you know how it is afterwards... there is a little while to go!

Dinner was a little bit of deep fried this, and a little bit of deep fried that... but O. M. G. my heart flutters for these Calamari and fish tacos... FLUTTERS, I tell ya.

These are the mister's signature Calamari. He is an expert and I challenge anyone to say that they aren't the best!

Another dish that we have been dying to try for awhile is a deep fried version of fish tacos. We made a non fried version last year and while it was good, we weren't blown away. Now that we have tried these, it is obvious that this was the way to go.

These are the taco we made after stumbling across her show one day. Seriously, they were fantastic... I don't have any other words!

Baja Style Fish Tacos

Recipe courtesy Marcela Valladolid, 2009
Show: Mexican Made Easy Episode: Family Favorites

Ingredients

Beer Batter:
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 cup dark Mexican beer*
Cream Sauce:
1/3 cup mayonnaise
2/3 cup Mexican crema** or sour cream
1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons water
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Fish Tacos:
Oil, for frying
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt, plus more for seasoning
2 pounds skinned halibut cut into 5 by 1/2-inch strips
Freshly ground black pepper
Corn tortillas
2 cups shredded cabbage
2 cups tomatillo salsa (store-bought or homemade) for garnish, optional
Pickled jalapenos, for garnish, optional

Directions

For the Beer Batter:
Mix the flour, salt and pepper in a medium bowl. Gradually add in the beer while whisking. Set aside and let the batter rest for 15 minutes before using.
For Cream Sauce:
Add the mayonnaise and crema to a medium bowl. Whisk in the lemon zest, lemon juice and water. Season, to taste, with salt and pepper (can be made 3 days ahead, covered and refrigerated).
For the Fish:
In a large skillet, over medium heat, add enough oil to reach a depth of 1-inch. Heat the oil until a deep-fry thermometer registers 350 degrees F or when the end of a wooden spoon sizzles when inserted into the oil.

On a large plate, combine the flour and salt. Season the fish pieces all over with salt and pepper and coat with the flour. Working in batches, dip the fillets in the beer batter and coat on both sides. Fry in the hot oil until golden brown and cooked through, about 5 minutes. Transfer to paper towels to drain.
Make tacos with the tortillas and fish and top each with cream, shredded cabbage, tomatillo salsa and pickled jalapenos, if desired.
*Cook's Note: Crack open a cold Mexican cerveza like a Negra Modelo or a 2 Equis (XX) Amber to make this tasty beer batter, which will change the way you think about fried fish! You can use it for vegetables, too.

**Cook's Note: Mexican Crema is Mexico's version of creme fraiche and is found at many supermarkets and can easily be substituted with sour cream

Enjoy!

Back issues for life!

2011-05-22T22:27:00.001-04:00

5.6.11 : 126/365

A reader and friend emailed me some time ago and discussed having tried one of the Chatelaine recipes that I made and gave me some suggestions of her own. She also mentioned that she had some back issues collected and that I was welcome to them if I was interested. Naturally, I was interested as I am always excited to try new recipes out of the magazines and less is not more when you run out of things to make before the new issue arrives. I honestly had no idea at the time that she meant that there were four magazine filers full of back issues headed my way... I've got my work cut out for me!!!

If I run out now? There is something wrong with me!

Baking some Flax Banana Muffins

2011-05-22T22:22:00.000-04:00

5.5.11 : 125/365

I want to talk about baking...

...Zucchini Loaf...

...and Flax Banana Muffins.

I can't share the recipe for the loaf because it was my grandma's and if I share it, I render myself useless but I would like to share the wealth on these muffins. They were on an index card that I picked up at the Women's show or something like it at some point over the last uhhh, many years. Surprisingly, a Weight Management Clinic (www.weightclinic.ca) recipe but they were really good. Great for a breakfast grab or just a snack!

Flax Banana Muffins (Makes 24 muffins)

1 3/4 cups all purpose flour
3/4 cup ground flaxseed
3/4 cup sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
2 eggs
1/3 Canola oil
1 cup bananas (2 or 3 ripe), mashed

1.Mix together flour, ground flaxseed, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a bowl
2.In a separate bowl, beat together eggs and oil
3.Add dry ingredients and mashed bananas alternately to egg and oil moisture, stirring until dry ingredients are moistened
4.Spoon into 24 nonstick medium muffin cups. Bake in 400F oven for about 15-18 minutes or until firm to the touch.

**I used whole wheat flour and should have upped the liquid a touch as they were a little drier than I would have liked, but I know for next time.

Nutritional note (from card):
Flaxseed is one of the richest sources of lignans. Lignanas are phytoestrogens - compounds which may help protect against certain kinds of cancers, particularly cancers of the breast and colon.

Nutritional Info Per serving (1 med muffin)
Calories 140
Carbs 19g
Fibre 1.3g
Fat 6.4g
Protein 2.7g

Choices: 1 Grains/Starch, 1 Fat

Editor's note: Card states that recipe is from; Simply Great Food, by dietitians of Canada, 2007. Published by Robert Rose Inc.

Sad or no?

2011-05-22T22:00:00.000-04:00

5.4.11 : 124/365

Proof of my sickening addiction to flyers... I'm a lazy 'window shopper' because I do it from my couch, with a sharpie. Judge away...

Did someone say Civic duty?

2011-05-22T21:20:00.000-04:00

5.3.11 : 123/365

After our votes were cast, we moved on to our next duty... the 2011 Census.

Again, I have complete and utter faith in anyone who reads my blog, that you all understand and appreciate the importance of a national Census. If for some reason, the actual way in which it applies to you is escaping you, I would be happy to toss some ideas around, to ease your mind, just let me know! As Canadians, we need to be clear about our needs (remember me saying that recently), so that they can be met. Enter the Census...

Do you vote?

2011-05-22T21:15:00.000-04:00

5.2.11 : 122/365

In honour of election day, here is a snap of our voter cards. After this picture was taken and a quick jaunt to the school up the street, votes were cast and the waiting began. Unfortunately, the vote didn't go as I had hoped but hopefully the next four years will fly by so we can exercise our civic duty once again, and hope for a better outcome.

Did you vote? If you didn't, are you pleased with the outcome? Would you do it differently if you had to do it over again?

Do you know how important it is that we demonstrate our wants and needs as a democratic country by voting for the individual who we believe represents our best interests? I hope you do...

...of course you do, I have total faith in my readers! :)

Seared-salmon salad with ruby grapefruit and snow peas

2011-05-22T21:06:00.000-04:00

5.1.11 : 121/365

This was a light, summery salad that was surprisingly filling and satisfying thanks to the grilled salmon and richness of the avocado. To my great pleasure, this salad was quite the hit and will probably grace our table again before the cold returns!

For the birds

2011-05-22T20:57:00.000-04:00

4.30.11 : 120/365

Saw these little cuties in my backyard as we often do. This is as close as I could get before scaring them off, but it just goes to show that they seem to like something about our fence.

It's a Royal Wedding!

2011-05-22T20:43:00.000-04:00

4.29.11 : 119/365

As I mentioned in my last post, we were doing a little meal planning in order to have a quintessential English meal in honour of the royal wedding, and that's just what we did.

Our menu for the evening was;

Sorrel, Lettuce, and Quail Egg Salad (recipe to follow)-

Bangers & Mash with Red Onion and Wine Gravy(ditto)-

Banofee Pie (again)-

The first two recipes were from the great cookbook that I talked about here.

Sorrel, Lettuce, and Quail Egg Salad (Makes 4 servings)
12 Quail Eggs
2 bunches sorrel leaves, about 4oz total weight.
2 heads butter (Boston) lettuce
3 fresh tarragon sprigs
6 green onions, white parts only, thinly sliced
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon tarragon vinegar
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
Fine sea salt and freshly ground pepper

1.In a small saucepan, combine the quail eggs with cold water to cover. Bring to a boil over high heat and boil for 2 minutes. Immediately plunge the eggs into cold water. Set aside to cool.

2.Strip away the stems of the sorrel leaves by folding the sides of each leaf inward and pulling the stem toward the top of the leaf. This will split the leaf in half. Tear the halves into bit sized pieces and place in a bowl. Remove the outer leaves from each head of butter lettuce until you reach the heart. Reserve the outer leaves for another use. Separate the leaves from each heart, rince, and dry. Add to the bowl with the sorrel leaves and toss to combine. Strip the leaves from the tarragon stems and add to the salad with the sliced green onions.

3.Peel each quail egg under cold running water, being sure to remove every speck of eggshell. Pat the eggs dry with a kitchen towel. Cut the eggs in half and add to the salad.

4.In a small bowl, whisk together the olive oil, vinegar, mustard, and salt and pepper to taste. Drizzle over the salad and toss gently to combine.

5.Arrange the salad on individual plates, dividing the quail eggs evenly. Serve at once.

Bangers & Mash with Red Onion and Wine Gravy (Makes 4 servings)
2 lbs good quality pork sausages
1 tablespoon sunflower oil

For the mash-
2 lbs Yukon gold potatoes, peeled and cut into large chunks
Fine sea salt and freshly ground pepper
1/3 cup whole milk
2 tablespoons unsalted butter

For the gravy-
2 tablespoons unsalited butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 red onions, halved and finely sliced
1 1/2 teaspoons all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon red wine vinegar
1 cup red wine
1 cup homemade chicken or beef stock
Fine sea salt and freshly ground pepper

1. Preheat the oven to 400F. Place the sausages in a roasting pan, drizzle with the oil, toss to coat, and spread out in a single layer. bake, turning them after 15 minutes, until evenly coloured, about 30 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, to make the mash, place the potato chunks in a saucepan with water to cover, salt the water, and bring to a boil over medium heat. This will take about 15 minutes. Continue to cook until the potatoes are tender when pierced with the top of a knife, about 15 minutes longer. Drain in a colander, cover with a kitchen towel, and let stand until dry, about 5 minutes. In the same pan, combine the milk and butter, and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Remove from the heat and set aside. For the fluffiest texture, pass the cooked potatoes through a food mill fitted with the medium disk or through a ricer. Alternatively, place in a bowl and mash with a potato masher. Pour in the hot milk mixture and beat until smooth. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

3. To make the gravy, in a wide, shallow nonreactive saucepan over medium-low heat, melt the butter with olive oil. Add the onions and cook, stirring frequently, until collapsed, about 4 minutes. Reduce the heat to low, cover the onions with roughly crumpled parchment paper, pressing it down on the onions, and cook until the onions are meltingly soft, about 20 minutes. Remove the paper and raise the heat to medium-low. Using a wooden spoon, stir in the flour and cook until lightly coloured, 2-3 minutes. Stir in the vinegar and cook until evaporated. Stir in the red wine and stock, raise the heat to medium, bring to a boil, and simmer until a luscious sauce forms, about 10 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

4. Divide the sausages and mash among warmed individual plates. Spoon some gravy over the sausages and serve at once. Pass the gravy at the table for guests.

Lastly, for the Banofee pie the recipe is from here and well it seemed to turn out it wasn`t really my favorite. As I understand it, this is supposed to be a great dessert so I may have to keep trying...

1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs

1 cup butter
1/2 cup granulated sugar
3 teaspoons ground ginger
1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
2 bananas, sliced
2 cups heavy whipping cream

Mix graham cracker crumbs, sugar, melted butter or margarine, and ginger until well blended. Press mixture into a 9-inch pie plate. Cool in refrigerator.

Use one of the following three methods to prepare the toffee:
Oven Method:
Pour sweetened condensed milk into 9-inch pie plate. Cover with aluminum foil; place in larger shallow pan. Fill larger pan with hot water. Bake at 425 degrees F for 1 hour or until thick and caramel-colored. Beat until smooth.

Stovetop Method:
Pour sweetened condensed milk into top of double boiler; place over boiling water. Simmer over low heat for 1 to 1/2 hours or until thick and caramel-colored, stirring occasionally. Beat until smooth.

Microwave Method:
Pour sweetened condensed milk into a 2-quart glass measuring cup. Cook on 50% power (medium) 4 minutes, stirring briskly every 2 minutes until smooth. Cook on 30% power (medium-low) 20 to 25 minutes or until very thick and caramel-colored, stirring briskly every 4 minutes during the first 16 minutes and every 2 minutes during the last 4 to 10 minutes.

Pour toffee into pie crust. Allow to cool.
Slice bananas over toffee.
Whip the cream stiff, then spoon it on top of bananas.
Refrigerate before serving.

Preparing for London night!

2011-05-22T18:49:00.000-04:00

4.28.11 : 118/365

Given the British fever, and huge festivities on the 29th. We contributed our own mini celebration by deeming it 'London Night'. Dishes were chosen out of another of my beloved Williams-Sonoma cookbooks, and I found a dessert recipe online. This required a little planning but luckily one of the dishes was something that we had been wanting to make for awhile. Didn't everyone do London night? Wasn't everyone as obsessed as me? :)
From the Publisher:
Williams-Sonoma Foods of the World London captures the excitement of this vibrant urban center. This volume explores where to find wonderful artisanal cheeses and locally brewed ales; the best markets, delicatessens, bakeries, and specialty merchants; and describes London's most celebrated chefs and restaurants.

You can find the book here, though you may want to check http://www.amazon.com/ as they seem to have them in stock.

Kung pao chicken

2011-05-22T18:42:00.000-04:00

4.27.11 : 117/365

This Kung pao chicken made for a quick and easy meal. Everyone has time to pull this one together and it is advisable that you do!

We're really finding a plethora of recipes that we can use all our new ingredients for, one of which is our 'hot chili garlic sauce' that we picked up for one of the earlier recipes. We always pick up whatever we need and then end up with a fridge full of condiments that we are never sure what to do with but I've found that since cooking with Chatelaine, the recipes use a lot of the same items which is a total bonus for people like us. If you've been cooking along with me, you're probably using up your hot chili garlic sauce, fish sauce, and hoisin sauce too!

Spaghetti-squash tetrazzini

2011-05-22T18:32:00.000-04:00

4.26.11 : 116/365
This Spaghetti-squash tetrazzini made an awesome dinner. I'll admit, it was a little unconventional for us (especially me because I love my carbs) but I'm thrilled that we tried it. There was one moment where I was hoping with every inch of my being that it would taste like spaghetti, but it didn't. No harm though, as long as you remember that... it's great!

Before:

After:

Yum!

Fabric shopping

2011-05-17T21:31:00.000-04:00

4.25.11 : 115/365

Disclaimer: I've been a very bad blogger, I'm sorry. I have what feels like a million item to-do list and yet can't seem to get any of it done. I'm just frazzled, but I really have to make an attempt at staying on top of things, like my blog!

I now have a fun stash of fabric to use for all of my Goodwill finds and then some! I'm very excited about it all but can't seem to find a spare moment to work on them, so I think I'll have to get down to it as soon as we get back from our vacation. It's going to be a really busy month.

Easter with Family and Friends

2011-05-07T11:23:00.000-04:00

4.24.11 : 114/365

As someone who loves being a hostess, ensuring that I had some fun and unique favours for my Easter dinner guests was crucial.

I made these marshmallows from this recipe, added some food colouring, cut them with a round cookie cutter, stuck a stick in them, and drizzled them with melted chocolate chips. I was too full to indulge in mine right after dinner, but once I did, I was happy to say that they were fabulous! I'm pretty proud of myself (even if they were a cinch to make - shhh) !

Here are some other photos from dinner -

Heirloom carrots

View my table from a guest's perspective

FOOD! Lots and lots of it!

(Unfortunately, I didn't get a picture of dessert, Raspberry-rhubarb pavlova cupcakes, put together but the recipe can be found here and I highly recommend giving them a shot as they are the perfect spring sweet, pretty easy and very, very tasty!!)

Some Goodwill finds

2011-05-07T11:22:00.000-04:00

4.23.11 : 113/365

This was a goodwill 'score' trip, can't wait to get to it! Stay tuned for progress and finished product pictures.

Finally finished an awesome book!!

2011-05-06T19:56:00.000-04:00

4.22.11 : 112/365

When Lauren from Aspiring Kennedy sent me this book, she said that she had really enjoyed it. Now that I've finally had the time to read it (I would win an awesome advance copy of a book when I'm too busy to breathe), I couldn't agree more...it was fab!!

'From Notting Hill with Love... Actually' is the debut novel by Ali McNamera. I am really quite a fan of her work and cannot wait for another book. This was chick lit through and through, and just the kind of light read that I've come to know and love. The premise that rom coms could be a real part of every day life? Perfect!! Let's be honest, who doesn't love a rom com? Especially a British one... don't lie, if you don't love them, you may not have a pulse.

I can't give you much of a review because in all honesty I would just babble on about different parts of the book and totally spoil the whole lot, and we both know that would be a shame. Instead I'll start by giving you the details according to amazon.ca;

'She was just a girl, standing in front of a boy ...wishing he looked more like Hugh Grant. Scarlett loves the movies. But does she love sensible fiance David just as much? With a big white wedding on the horizon, Scarlett really should have decided by now ...When she has the chance to house-sit in Notting Hill - the setting of one of her favourite movies - Scarlett jumps at the chance. But living life like a movie is trickier than it seems, especially when her new neighbour Sean is so irritating. And so irritatingly handsome, too. Scarlett soon finds herself starring in a romantic comedy of her very own: but who will end up as the leading man?'

I'm actually so behind on my blog because I didn't have the time to devote to writing this, as this book deserved. I didn't know what to write, I just love it so much. Look at me, I'm gushing!

So all in all, I'm smitten and am already scheming and plotting on how I am going to get my hands on a copy of her next book; 'Breakfast at Darcy's' which is only due out in November (whether or not that's in the UK first again, I'm not sure). How will I ever make it?? Ali? Any thoughts?? :P I heart you!

We have a house guest...

2011-04-22T16:57:00.000-04:00

4.21.11 : 111/365

The mister's mom is in town for Easter along with this little guy, Gizmo. Riley loves Gizmo because he's another little boy and all he wants to do is play with him, however Gizmo doesn't seem to share that affection. As far as we can tell. Gizmo HATES poor Riley. :( Doesn't seem to deter my little buddy though, he is ceaselessly trying to win Gizmo over, ambitious little dude.

Savoy Cabbage Rolls with Halibut, Browned Butter, and Capers

2011-04-22T16:51:00.000-04:00

4.20.11 : 110/365

In addition to my subscription to Chatelaine that I received for Christmas, I also received a subscription for Bon Appetit magazine. On Wednesday I made our first meal from the magazine and it turned out really well!

I will be making this recipe again, in fact, I already want it again... mmmm browned butter.

Radish and Edamame saute

2011-04-22T16:45:00.000-04:00

4.19.11 : 109/365

Made this radish and edamame saute to try edamame for the first time. We enjoyed it, however the dish as a whole grew on us much more once reheated. I will certainly try edamame recipes again, so if you have suggestions, I'd love to hear them.

We also made Chicken with Maple Hoisin Sauce, and it turned out well.

I much prefer this 'maple chicken' to the one I made here and will absolutely make it again.

Serves 4

1 tsp vegetable oil
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1/4 cup maple syrup
2 tbsp hoisin sauce
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
2 tsp Dijon mustard
1/2 tsp minced garlic
1/4 tsp minced ginger root

1. Preheat oven to 350 F.
2. In a large nonstick skillet, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add chicken breasts and sear for 1 to 2 minutes per side or until golden brown. Transfer to baking dish.
3. To make sauce: stir maple syrup, hoisin sauce, balsamic vinegar, Dijon mustard, garlic and ginger root together.
4. Brush the sauce over chicken. Bake in centre of oven for 25 to 30 minutes or until juices run clear when chicken is pierced with a fork.

Spring? What a tease...

2011-04-22T16:08:00.000-04:00

4.18.11 : 108/365

We haven't being dealing with the best weather around these parts lately, but spring still seems to be trying to take over, here's hoping it wins, and soon.

Seafood and Saffron Tomato Fennel Soup

2011-04-22T16:02:00.000-04:00

4.17.11 : 107/365

Let me introduce you to a tried and true favorite in this house.

I came across this recipe in an unusual way. Somehow several years ago an edition of Canadian home & country (October 2007 Ed.) made it's way into my office along with a bunch of other magazines. One quiet lunch hour I was flipping through the home & country and stumbled on this recipe for Seafood and Saffron Tomato Fennel Soup and decided to give it a try. Listen to me carefully, this soup is incredible. Did you get that? A.mazing!!

You should make it immediately, I'll get you the recipe;

SEAFOOD AND SAFFRON TOMATO FENNEL SOUP
Serves 6

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
3 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
1 cup finely diced fennel
1/2 cup finely diced celery
2 cups finely chopped onion
1 48 oz. can diced tomatoes
4 cups water
1 cup white wine, divided
Large pinch saffron
1 tbsp freshly chopped thyme
2 tsp kosher salt
2.5 lbs. fresh mussels in the shell
1 lb peeled large shrimp
1 lb fresh halibut, cut into large pieces
1 tsp finely grated orange zest
2 tbsp finely chopped chives

Heat the olive oil in a large stock pot over medium heat. Add the garlic, fennel, celery and onion and saute for 5 minutes, until vegetables are softened. Add the tomatoes to the pot along with their water, 4 cups water, 1/2 cup white wine, saffron, thyme and kosher salt. Simmer gently for about 30 minutes. Meanwhile, steam the mussels in the remaining 1/2 cup wine in a large skillet just until they open. Allow to cool slightly and then remove the mussels from the shells and strain the liquid. During the last five minutes of cooking, add the mussels and the steaming liquid, shrimp and fish to the tomato saffron broth. Stir in the orange zest. Serve soup with dollops of saffron aioli (recipe follows), sprinkles of chopped chives and baguette crisps.

Full disclosure: I have never included the orange zest or chives, only include saffron if I have it on hand and only periodically make the aioli. The aioli is delicious though, so I highly recommend that you try it but the soup is good with or without. Since you must try it at least once, I'm including the recipe below.

SAFFRON AIOLI
Makes 2 cups

1 egg
1 tsp Dijon mustard
2 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 clove garlic, minced
Large pinch saffron
1 tsp kosher salt
1.5 cups vegetable oil

Place egg, Dijon, lemon juice, garlic, saffron and salt in the bowl of a food processor and mix together. With the machine still running, slowly drizzle in the oil, allowing the mixture to emulsify. Add dollops to soup.
Enjoy! (What am I saying? You will.)

Pulled pork with ginger-bourbon sauce

2011-04-22T15:12:00.001-04:00

4.16.11 : 106/365

I modified this one slightly as we didn't have any bourbon and didn't think buying any was a sound decision since it's not really our beverage of choice, but I threw caution to the wind and threw in the Canadian Whisky that we had on hand. They aren't exactly the same thing but I had good reason to think it would be fine and it was. Honestly, this recipe was a bit too sweet for me because I'm generally more of a savoury fan. The pulled pork expert in the house (the mister obviously, he's the only other person here) was a HUGE fan, so I would consider it a solid success!

You guess it, it's another recipe from Chatelaine!

As a side we made Artichoke chickpea salad, and while we could manage a taste (wayy too full off sandwiches) and it was great, it does lend itself well to being packed up and taken for lunch the next day!

Yum!

It's Friday!

2011-04-22T14:56:00.000-04:00

4.15.11 : 105/365

(Did I get that song in your head?? Sorry. No really, I am.)

Ginger-coconut chicken

2011-04-22T14:55:00.000-04:00

4.14.11 : 104/365

In all fairness, this *looks* gross, but it tasted much better! :D

I'm not very good with coconut milk I guess, as this isn't the first time that I've made something with it that was lacking something esthetically. Taste is all that matters, right? How do you make it look...uhh, not like this??

Here's the recipe.

Sesame ginger steak and noodle salad

2011-04-22T14:51:00.000-04:00

4.13.11 : 103/365

More rice noodles! I'm really liking them.

Check out another great Chatelaine recipe.

I'm not used to not needing to cook things, so the noodle texture is a work in progress but I'll be practicing a lot because they really are great.

Forgot something!

2011-04-12T22:25:00.000-04:00

4.12.11 : 102/365

Oops! It was brought to my attention that none of the pictures I posted yesterday showed our kickass new lights. I bet you were a little frightened that we kept those nasty globes! Well, we didn't... because well, they were disgusting.

Here are some pictures of our two super sweet new 'vintage-inspired' schoolhouse lights;

There you have it, light picture overload!

A Reveal? The kitchen reno is done!!

2011-04-11T21:28:00.000-04:00

4.11.11 : 101/365

First things first, we finally got around to framing the two gorgeous paintings that we bought in Saint Tropez on our honeymoon, last year. I must say they look great, now we just have to figure out where they are going to live!

Now for the kitchen! There are a few things left to be done (mostly just paint touch ups - you may notice some spots in the pictures), not to mention that this may be an ever evolving project, but for better or worse, here is our newly renovated kitchen revealed...

Before:

After:

The coffee/hot beverage corner (next purchase - stainless microwave)

The kitchen is so much brighter now, especially with the new under cabinet lighting.

These drawers make me so happy, we have a huge amount of storage now. Also the new cork floor is amazing!!

'Baking/prep Station'

The beautiful built-in that mister made. It's now the home of the pretty cookbooks (you know the ones), a plethora of kitchen items, and some vintage/family heirloom items too!)

Still need a couple bar stools, we're currently on the hunt.

Breakfast bar/ Chef's desk also built by mister (reclaimed barn wood table top)

So that's that! Isn't she gorgeous?? I know it's maybe not design magazine worthy but it's perfect for us, and totally suitable for real life yet still esthetically appealing, win-win!

If you are interested in the gorgeous prints we have around the kitchen they can be found on the following fabulous blogs. These are some extremely talented ladies, I highly recommend that you go and check them out and feel free to tell them I sent you.

I love us print - Eighteen25

Things to do print - Eighteen25

Do what you love print - How Joyful

The world go round print - Brooklyn Limestone

Menu planner - Ollibird

Thanks for checking our reno out, we hope you love it as much as we do. Let us know what you think... be gentle!! :)

(Can I just tell you how nervous I am to hit 'publish post' on this one?!?)

What am I? + Gluten-Free Pad Thai

2011-04-11T19:51:00.000-04:00

4.10.11 : 100/365

Another 'What am I?' for my 100th picture of my 2011 365 project;

Any thoughts? :)

Dinner tonight was fantastic and really easy since the mister prepped everything for me!

From Canadian Living, Gluten-Free Pad Thai.

I omitted the green onions (I can take 'em or leave 'em) and the tofu (totally not my bag) but added extra shrimp for fun. This meal was very tasty and handy that it's gluten free too, I'm sure it's nice to be able to eat 'specialty' foods without sacrificing taste.

Here's a picture -

Make this one tonight. Seriously.

RACLETTE!!!!!!

2011-04-09T22:37:00.000-04:00

4.9.11 : 99/365

We finally did it!!!!

I promised that I wouldn't talk about it until we finally did it.. so there, done!

Sammi shared the bottle of wine we brought back from France, on our honeymoon, for her... it was the perfect touch!

Oh dear

2011-04-08T21:02:00.001-04:00

4.8.11 : 98/365

Am I or am I not, the biggest disaster when it comes to painting activities???

Behold the product of Michelle staining something -

Tsk, tsk.

For shame.

Don't run with scissors...

2011-04-07T21:50:00.001-04:00

4.7.11 : 97/365

No wait, wrong message...

...don't run in the stairway with 8 foot long fence posts.

Yup, that's it.

Another something new...

2011-04-06T20:24:00.001-04:00

4.6.11 : 96/365

We now have a spot in the kitchen for these!

Did you check out my bookends? Those were a Christmas gift from the mister, how cool are they? The best part is that one is significantly larger than the other which is totally representative of our pugs!

Anyway, another sneak peak for you... getting anxious to see the finished product yet? We are! :P

Because we don't have enough on the go...

2011-04-05T21:23:00.001-04:00

4.5.11 : 95/365

...we stopped by here today to get the materials to make a little something special in the new kitchen.

Teaser: This building actually has a little of the same 'feel'.

Proud

2011-04-04T20:30:00.000-04:00

4.4.11 : 94/365

Look how well my herbs are doing!!

It's all me this time, I'm finally remembering that plants need water!! Awww all grown up! :)

Sunday Brunch

2011-04-03T22:44:00.004-04:00

4.3.11 : 93/365

Got around to this at 8. PM! We may have been busier that expected today. :)

On that note, the floor is pretty well done, so hopefully I'll have some after pictures for you before long but I think I'm going to have a long week of painting still ahead, so you'll have to wait a little longer.

You don't see that everyday.

2011-04-03T22:44:00.002-04:00

4.2.11 : 92/365

As if we aren't busy enough, the little miss Stella decided that she wanted so badly to get into the garage while I was painting that she jumped into my paint tray. Are you seeing a trend here? I'll help... the princess is the trouble maker, you got that? She'd deny it.

On another note look who stopped by the house today, at least they didn't hop through my paint.

Something new, to me.

2011-04-03T22:44:00.000-04:00

4.1.11 : 91/365

This is going to be part of my new kitchen. I just thought I'd give you another little glimpse!

What am I?

2011-04-03T22:43:00.004-04:00

3.31.11 : 90/365

Go ahead... guess!

Five-spice beef and broccoli stir-fry

2011-04-03T22:43:00.003-04:00

3.29.11 : 88/365

This dish opened my eyes to two new tastes; Hoisin sauce and 5 spice powder. I'd heard of Hoisin sauce but had never tried it and I can't even say as much for 5 spice powder mix. When I couldn't find the mix at the grocery store, I googled it only to find out that I should have checked the international section - so back to the store I went! Both were pretty awesome and I must say, I really enjoy trying new things. The recipe for this can be found here, and I'll leave you with a few progress shots. I can't wait to make this again, it was so simple and quite good.

It just looks awesome!

Cookies!

2011-04-03T22:43:00.001-04:00

3.30.11 : 89/365

Part of my prize package from the awesome Aspiring Kennedy (tell her I sent ya), were these amazing caramelised biscuits from Lotus (a company from Belgium). They were so good actually that they really didn't last very long so I quickly set off to research where they were available (assuming that we would have to pick up a stash next time we were in France OR beg mom and dad to pick some up this summer). In my search I found that Anna's thins were the same company and that the cookies were available in Canada... at Ikea! With this kitchen reno consuming our lives, we were making near daily trips to Ikea (and Lowes, don't forget Lowes) so I made a point of searching them out last time. I bought four (yes, four) packages because I wanted to try each kind (and I needed two ginger ones). Did you know that these boxes cost $1.29 a piece??? That's cheaper than their hot dogs, which they pretty much give away.

Here's the deal, ginger and almond cinnamon - so good, Cappuccino - not so much (make that, not at all, you want them?).

They really aren't the same as the delicious Lotus ones, which I will pick up at any opportunity but they certainly are good cookies and make the perfect after dinner snack with a Dolce Gusto (quickly becoming a prized possession of ours) lungo.

Who knew, it could get worse?

2011-04-03T22:42:00.002-04:00

3.28.11 : 87/365

Just look at my hands... I am officially out of control!!!

While I have you here, I want to share something else that we managed to throw together amidst the rubble that was our kitchen recently. It was really good and super healthy (the salad anyway - both good, salad healthy) so I couldn't wait to share it with you.

Disclaimer: These pictures will provide a tiny sneak peak into some new aspects of our kitchen, please refrain from discussing this anywhere but on this blog or with me personally. What I mean by this is, I know that this blog feeds automatically to facebook but please do not comment about it there but rather here only... capiche?

Behold, Kale slaw salad:

(I'm refraining from discussing the cleanse aspect of the article but if you must know, I do not necessarily agree with cleanses perse but I do feel that what is discussed in this article does not constitute a 'cleanse' the way most people understand it.)

Also, we had veal scaloppine with a white wine sauce, melted mozza...yum!

First sign of life!

2011-03-27T22:35:00.000-04:00

3.27.11 : 86/365

I planted some herbs to keep in our new kitchen and this morning the mister pointed out a little sprout! I'd be lying if I said that I haven't studied every other pot for any kind of life too but alas, it's too soon.

Hope you all had a great weekend. Ours was busy and I woke up this morning with a sore throat which is very lame but I'm thinking since I woke up with it today, I can wake up without it tomorrow! :)

Not Optional.

2011-03-27T22:21:00.001-04:00

3.26.11 : 85/365

The new kid.

2011-03-27T21:25:00.001-04:00

3.25.11 : 84/365

A little sneak peak into the kitchen -

The air up there.

2011-03-27T21:04:00.001-04:00

3.24.11 : 83/365

Tonight after running some errands, the mister and I noticed a low flying plane for a fleeting moment, and naturally thought it was a little odd. Next thing we know, it seems to be doing laps over the burbs...weird.

Here it is flying over our house after we got home-

Amid the disaster and freezer pizzas (don't pretend you didn't see it all in the mess of cardboard), we're trying to eat like our normal selves a little. It's not easy but it's also not optional so we do what we can. Dinner tonight was tasty, we had;

Sweet and spicy glazed salmon and greens (but we switched up the greens to Chinese lettuce)
and
Emerald kale salad.

We're big fans of both, these will become repeat players around here.

Spring?

2011-03-24T21:11:00.000-04:00

3.23.11 : 82/365

The only problem with this is that an attempt was made to tear them all out last year, and it seemed successful until now. The worst part? the ones that are now in the middle of our lawn because we reformatted the previous owner's jungle of a garden.

Maybe we skipped summer... anyone?

2011-03-22T20:39:00.001-04:00

3.22.11 : 81/365

Deceiving sun.

At least the snow you dumped on us yesterday has melted again! :( Brrrr...

Perma-paint? But it's acrylic!

2011-03-22T20:25:00.001-04:00

3.21.11 : 80/365

This mess is from Friday (but obviously picture taken today), and I'm not done painting. There is a good chance that I won't ever again be paint free.

At least it's a neutral?

Living in chaos!

2011-03-22T20:17:00.002-04:00

3.20.11 : 79/365

Probably not legal

2011-03-22T20:14:00.001-04:00

3.19.11 : 78/365

We make things fit in our truck that have NO business fitting in there. The result is usually me, squished in the backseat with whatever the offending items du jour are. Saturday was a new one for me though, I was both beside and under a large selection of the lumber department Lowes. We could probably open a Lowes at this point, not kidding. Seriously. :)

About the renos, while I may share the odd random picture I will not be sharing anything obvious until I have a finished product to show... sorry, you'll just have to stick around for this one!

Bloggers day of silence / For Japan with love

2011-03-22T20:06:00.001-04:00

3.18.11 : 77/365

I'm not officially participating as I don't have enough of a following, but in that case I want to be the one to break the silence in order to draw attention to it, as I truly appreciate the gesture on the part of the participants. This is an awesome collection of bloggers coming together to support a great cause. I will simply state that if you have the means to give anything to anyone in need (Japan and recently New Zealand were in the spotlight, but everyday there are so many) please do so, everything counts. There is a donation link on that page above if you are at all interested in this movement.

Hope you had a Friday everyone, and keep the victim's (sorry, horrible word but I'm lost for another) Friday in mind, their weekend probably didn't hold the same appeal.

Now as promised, my kitchen before:

Yuck.

Before the kitchen...before.

2011-03-17T22:10:00.001-04:00

3.17.11 : 76/365

It's going to be a busy weekend...

...my house is in shambles!

I think tomorrow I just might share our kitchen 'before' because at this rate, the 'after' isn't too far away.

All BBQ, All. The. Time.

2011-03-16T21:53:00.000-04:00

3.16.11 : 75/365

It's been a great week here in (formerly) very snowy Ottawa.. keep on melting!

Royal Mail!

2011-03-15T22:25:00.000-04:00

3.15.11 : 74/365

Not royal mail, but Royal Mail... as in, move over Canada Post... England's in the house!

I received a package from Oxford today, remember how I told you that I won that giveaway on Aspiring Kennedy?? Well, it's here... and I'm giddy!

So Lauren is some kinda awesome, I can't lie. My package was stuffed with the promised; Pucci inspired mug, Marks and Spencer tea, and a signed copy of Ali McNamara's first novel, 'From Notting Hill... With Love Actually' (due in North America in April). In addition to the expected goodies, there were also a couple kinds of cookies (umm, tasty!) and because I couldn't decide which kind of tea that I wanted...she included both! So sweet! I can't wait to dig into everything (well, the stuff I haven't tried yet) but I'm in the middle of a book, so this one is up next. I'll review it as soon as I get through it and I hope (and expect) that it will be before it's out here, so that I can assure you that you should pre-order it, even though you should probably just go ahead and do it now.

Check it out-

Seriously, giddy. Thanks so much Lauren!!

Oh and look what else was in the fun (mail)box today...

...flooring samples!!! Kitchen reno totally coming together! (You should probably stay tuned for that too!)

I also just want to add that I'm getting into channeling my 'inner Upper East Side' lately as it seems this whole Gossip Girl thing is going to my head. So, I may need to move to New York... can I borrow some cash for a Fifth Avenue penthouse? I'll pay it back, promise.

It's summertime!!

2011-03-14T22:26:00.000-04:00

3.14.11 : 74/365

So maybe it isn't actually summer, but I did stand outside this afternoon in a tank top and not freeze... things are looking up!

Some neighbour somewhere around here thought it would be a good idea to stink up the place with BBQ, and we thought that was a pretty good idea!

Really? It was amazing and it tasted exactly like summer...just perfect!

School night food

2011-03-14T22:20:00.000-04:00

3.13.11 : 72/365

I don't know why but for the longest time I have referred to work nights as school nights. Maybe it's my lame way of being clever, my inability to function unless I adhere to the same sleep schedule as a 6 year old, or the inherent similarities sometimes...but one way or another- school nights.

School nights spell out different food choices than the weekend. Friday and Saturdays get booked up very quickly with the many meals we want to make (I'm two issues behind on my cooking my way through Chatelaine... Hello!?!) We ate pretty good this weekend but Sunday still re-incarnates the greens and other veggie intensive food. You know, sometimes (ok, often) I wish I could eat pizza and heavy cream meals everyday, but I like my garden food too... I don't know, maybe I'm feverish.

Good friend(s) and a glass of wine

2011-03-14T22:05:00.000-04:00

3.12.11 : 71/365

On Saturday night, we had plans to have a couple friends over to finally christen our Raclette machine. Now I know that I have talked a lot about this fancy machine and yet it's all been pillow talk so far because it has still sat unused. Well kids, today is no exception. Saturday morning we headed down to the Byword market and hit up the Italian market for some awesome meats, and the cheese market for the better part of a wheel of cheese (I may be exaggerating a touch but seriously, only a touch). After that we got lunch at our favorite french bakery and full and happily headed towards home. One of the invitees was really not feeling well and at the time of this being brought to my attention, only half way through a major work shift. Given that this is the kind of meal that would suffer heavily if done half-assed... we postponed. No worries, I rang up the cheese market where I had just purchased the sizable chunk of cheese and discussed my options. I was assured that it was totally 'freezable', and so now it is safely tucked away in the freezer until we have our do-over! (I won't tell you when that is, I won't even mention it again until after it has happened... promise!)

Anyway, when all was said and done my friends still made it over but we had considerably more low key, drinks and a small Jersey Shore marathon. Here's the deal; I'm perplexed by it all, I spend the majority of the episodes with my jaw hanging open or my hands over my face... but I completely get why this is a lot of people's guilty pleasure... I really do! It's almost impossible to look away!! I have enough guilty pleasures that I'm in no position to judge anyone for their choice of entertainment, one being the fact that I made it through the first season of Gossip Girl this past weekend. I'm dying to get started on season two!

Hostess with the... Ugh I'm stopping, that's lame!

2011-03-14T21:54:00.000-04:00

3.11.11 : 70/365

The mister and I are hosts by nature. We love having people over, cooking for them and entertaining them. Friday night however we took a good friend up on an offer of dinner at her place. For all the hundreds of times we have hosted her, she wanted to get the chance, for a change. For dinner we had; Caprese salad and shrimp and salmon pasta, and they were wonderful! This friend in particular has done a TON for us over the years, not the least of which was being the best damn Maid of Honour (I'm Canadian folks, that's not a typo!) a girl could dream of! Now, she has one more hat to hang... Great host and great cook! (I hear fables of divine cupcakes too!)