Road Trip to Kingston

This past weekend I went on a road trip with some of my friends from university to attend the 40th anniversary of the Film Department at Queen's University. It was great to be back in Kingston, where we had all lived for four years, and wander around the fantastic downtown.

Eve (just back from a four month trip to Africa!), Fleur, Me and Ashley at Windmill's Cafe for brunch. I had the super yummy German Apple Crepes :)

First stop on our tour downtown was to Tara's Natural Foods for the ladies to pick up some dried fruit.

I was too busy hanging around outside admiring the herb plants for sale. Having fresh herbs on hand is one of my favorite parts of the summer. I was just given a beautiful indoor herb garden for my birthday and I am itching to cook up some new recipes with them.

In particular, I want to use some basil. I love love love freshly chopped basil on pastas and pizza!

We popped into Tribal Voices to admire the electic jewelery.

I was glad to see that this used book store I loved was still around as well.

Need a Pep Talk?

Take it from this little girl:

Hope that you are all having a nice Saturday! :)

Playing Hooky for Cupcakes

Today I played hooky with one of my best friends and we headed up to Lollicakes in Davisville for a complimentary peanut-free cupcake for my belated birthday. (I just realized that this is the fourth post that I have made in the past week that is related to cakes, cookies, or cupcakes. I can see a pattern here).

I fully intended to take a picture of the beautiful cupcakes they gave us, but by the time I whipped out my camera there wasn't much cupcake to take a photo of.

Al's boyfriend was in the backseat and chirped up "That's it?!?! That's all you have left?!?!? After hanging out with us for over 5 years, you would think he would know better. Honestly, I really do try to savor sweets, but it just doesn't happen.

If you're ever near Mt Pleasant and Davisville in Toronto, stop by Lollicakes for a sweet treat. And don't forget to sign up for a free birthday cupcake on their website :)

Now Whiskey and I are off on a little roadtrip with the girls to my alma mater. Have a nice weekend everyone!

Cake Mix Cookies

I am all for baking things right from scratch, but sometimes its nice to take a shortcut too. These cake mix cookies are easy to make in a pinch and became a staple when I was living in university on a student's budget. I'd pick up a cake mix when they were on sale and make a bunch to freeze for when I needed a treat.

You can make any variety of flavour combinations, but this time I went with Devils' Food and raisins. 

What you'll need:
1 package of Cake Mix
1 Egg
3 tbsp of Oil
3/4-1 cup of Add Ins (Raisins, Chocolate Chips, Nuts, etc)

Mix the cake mix, egg and oil until combined. Stir in whatever add-ins you like. I went with raisins.

Drop dough by the teaspoon onto a parchment lined cookie sheet. Bake at 350 for 12 minutes or until done.

Then you should let them cool on a wire rack, but I already ate a few of these after they'd barely been out of the oven. (I have no willpower with freshly baked goodies). The recipe makes about 4 dozen small cookies.

Printable Version

May 2-4 Long Weekend Recap

This weekend was a whirlwind of friends, family and fireworks while I was celebrating my 25th birthday and the first long weekend of Summer here in Canada. The girls came up for some lasagna and birthday cake with my family, but the real party didn't kick off until everyone else got there on Saturday afternoon.

Its a steep walk down the hill from the house to the dock, but Ash seemed to be able to manage it.

...with only some minor stumbling in her flippy floppies.

It wasn't long before we had some beers cracked open and were all sitting around nibbling on a Layered Nacho Dip. (Unfortunately there were no pictures of that because...well...we ate it. A lot of it.)

Scott and I sat on the paddleboat with the intend of taking it out for a spin, but we didn't get it in the water until the next morning. For now it was just a convenient spot to sit and enjoy a nice cold beer.

Some of my favorite ladies. We had an absolute blast catching up (Look! There is evidence of layered nacho dip on the table!)

Johnny made an appearance and brought some Samuel Adams Summer Ale with him, which put him in my good books. I love this stuff!

Once it got dark, it was time for a nice BIG bonfire.

Sometimes in a relationship...

Did anyone else watch Cougar Town last week?!?!? I just got caught up, and I could not stop laughing at the scene where Ellie remixes what Grayson said to Jules (if you don't watch the show, I'm sorry to do this, but I had to. If you do watch the show, then hooray! you'll get this!)

The moral of this story is:
a) don't say something in a relationship that will bite you in the bite later on
b) don't let someone record you while you say it
and...
c) remixing people's conversations to put them out of context can lead to an impromptu dance party.

The Quarter Life Crisis

Today I can officially begin my quarter life crisis (that is assuming that I live to an even 100 years). Its hard to believe how fast the years have already gone by, and I hear it only gets faster. However, this weekend I've been living life in the slow and easy lane, hanging out with some good friends up at the cottage. I've lived off of a steady diet of burgers, fruit salad, birthday cake and cold drinks all weekend and it has been fantastic.

The weekend all started on Friday night when a few of my girlfriends from the city drove up with me to my parents' place to have dinner with my family.

..and surprised with with a birthday cake :)

See all those candles? That was because my sister read about the 8 candles on my previous post and decided she had to get all 25 this time (the 25th one is that wee little one in the middle. too cute)

The cake was from a nut-free company called Tickle Your Tummy.

And with cake, came presents...which Whiskey of course had to jump on my lap to help open. I was very spoiled, with lots of fun goodies that I can't wait to use. (including a new food processor! Woohoo!)

And a cute little butter dish!

I have more pictures and stories to share from this weekend, but I need to get back outside to enjoy the rest of the afternoon, so they'll just have to wait until tomorrow. What is a better way to finish off your birthday/long weekend than laying out on the dock in the sun, reading a good book? I can't think of anything I'd rather do right now (well...maybe eat more birthday cake. That stuff is addictive!)

The Armadillo Cake

I may have mentioned this before, by one of my all-time favorite chick flicks is Steel Magnolias. I don't know what it is, but I just love it. Even typing this up, I get the urge to go pop it in tonight. And this fact is not wasted on my sister, who last year went above and beyond what I expected for my birthday cake.

You see, she was home from university for the Summer and going a little stir crazy waiting for her job to start up, so she started getting into cake decorating for fun. I would literally come home to find a three tiered wedding cake in the middle of the table, complete with gum paste daisies.

My thighs have still not forgiven her for that one.

But then she did the unimaginable for my birthday...

She made me an armadillo cake like the groom's cake from Steel Magnolias.

I nearly died on the spot I was so happy and I may have strained my face from smiling so much.

Happy Birthday to me!

(P.S. - I did not turn 8...that was just how many candles we had.)

And what was the best part?

When you cut into it, the inside was red velvet cake!

...which is actually kind of disturbing when you think about it. Especially considering a vegetarian made it for me. But that didn't stop me from eating TONS of it over the weekend. The buttercream icing was to die for. How cute is the grass, little blue flowers and crumbled upper Oreo cookie "dirt"?

Speaking of birthday celebrations and eating copious amounts of cake, I'm turning 25 on Monday, so I'm heading up to the cottage tonight for the big long weekend birthday bash....or as I like to call it "Eat Your Weight In Buttercream, Burgers and Pasta Salad" weekend. Hoping that the good weather holds out!

Awareness Test

How aware are you? :)

Orange-Infused Chicken Couscous Salad

While I was reading Food & Drink the other day, I saw this recipe for Orange-Infused Chicken Couscous Salad and I just couldn't resist giving it a try. It seemed easy enough and the idea of a light citrusy meal was perfect for the warm weather.

Not only was this recipe simple to make, but it was delicious!

What you'll need:

2 cups of Orange Juice
1 Shallot, chopped

2 cloves of Garlic, chopped
2 springs of Fresh Thyme
1lb of boneless skinless Chicken Breasts
1/2 cup Chicken Stock
1 1/4 cup Couscous
1 small Red or Orange Pepper, chopped
2 Green Onions, sliced
1/4 cup Fresh Mint, chopped
1/4 cup Dried Apricots, diced
2 tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
2 tbsp Seasoned Rice Vinegar or Apple Cider Vinegar
6 cups lightly packed Baby Arugula (I used Spring Mix, because that is what I had on hand)
Salt and Pepper

 In a non-stick skillet, bring 1 cup of orange juice, shallot, garlic and thyme to a boil. Add chicken, cover and simmer for about 5 minutes.

Turn and cook for another 5 minutes, or until no longer pink inside.

Set the chicken aside. Right now it smells all citrusy and delicious!

Great Minds Think Alike

Don't you just love it when you pick up a magazine and see something that you've done in your own house? Makes you feel like maybe you're on the right page?

This Crate & Barrel catalog arrived in the mail the other day, and on the cover there were lemons similar to what I have in my living room right now. Interesting...

And then inside they had used the EXACT colour combination that I have been rocking in my kitchen: turquoise, lemon and green. (ignore the red plate peeking through...but that is very similar to the colour of the new plastic plates I bought for my picnic basket).

This isn't the only time that I've seen it this month. I was flipping through Martha Stewart Living at a doctor's office the other day and there was an entire page devoted to lemon and turquoise! I'm not a particularly trendy person, so when I get it right, it feels good :)

The next day I picked up one of my favorite magazines and there were a few more little coincidences...

Now, all of my out of province and US friends won't get this, but anyone living in Ontario knows the awesomeness that is Food & Drink. Best part - its free. The LCBO (Liquor Control Board of Ontario) releases a few editions every year and they are always full of fantastic recipes, ideas and interesting new wines and spirits. They are so coveted, that people keep entire collections of them. I have all of mine on the bookcase in the living room...my mother keeps them in her home office....my ex had stacks of them throughout his basement. They are inspirational to say the least. Several of my all-time favorite recipes have come out of them (see Peppermint Bark) and I am always excited to try a new recipe in each edition (check back tomorrow to see what I made this month). But you have to act fast because they fly off the shelves within a few days. Don't live in Ontario? Don't despair...they have a recipe search online!

The first thing I saw when I opened the magazine, were these fantastic paper lanterns. They are just like the ones that I am hanging up for my birthday party next weekend. I'm planning to hang them up in the trees at the cottage to add some light to the festivities. Fingers crossed it doesn't rain!

 I even saw a little write up on serving mini salads as appetizers, and there was one that looked very similar to the tomato, basil, mozzarella sticks that were served at my friend Sarah's bridal shower a couple of weeks ago. Super yummy and easy to make, but look great!

As for seeing my spring colours in Martha Stewart Living, it reminded me of a few times that my mother has done something and within days finds out that Martha is doing it too. We joke about it, saying that Martha is hiding behind a bush, or over the fence listening in, because it happens THAT often. Once we were out front at my parents' place re-covering some fabric lounge and directors chairs, when the mailman arrived. In his little bundle was the latest edition of Martha Stewart Living, so my mother and I decided to take a coffee break and glance through it. I kid you not, we turned the page and Martha was doing the SAME THING. She had painted the frames the same as us and had chosen almost the identical light floral fabric. We both looked at each other and almost got a shiver, it was that eerie. The chairs were still sitting on the driveway with the fabric half done.

Well, I'm off to pick up some more goodies for the May 24th Long Weekend. I'm having a whole gang of people up to the cottage for a bit of a Summer kick off (and my 25th birthday! woohoo!). I'm looking forward to a break from the city, lots of good food, great friends, and heading out on the lake.

(Be sure to check back tomorrow when I share what LCBO recipe I made this time. Its a good one - perfect for the Summer!)

USOL Draft Night

This weekend I made a return to The Duke of Gloucester for the USector Outdoor Soccer League's draft night. I hadn't seen a lot of these guys since our trip to Boston, so it was nice to catch up over some pints :)

They also handed out the awards for the indoor soccer league this past winter. Go Pandas! (Thats the team name, not just the cute black and white bears)

The trophies became the official drinking glasses of the teams. (I may or may not have had a sip or two from it. It really does taste better...stays colder in the metal!)

Cheers!

I love this picture just because it helped us catch this person putting wine in the trophy. What were they trying to do? Class it up?

I'm excited for a summer cheering on the teams from the sidelines with my favorite ginger there on the left. I don't play soccer...my short-lived career ended when I was 7 years old picking flowers on the opposite side of the field as all the action. There is video evidence somewhere at my parents' place. But its still fun to watch it with a few good friends :)

Sunday Neighbourhood Stroll

This morning the warm sunny weather was just too much of a temptation, so Whiskey and I headed out for a little walk around the neighbourhood.

I took a little peek in my neighbour's backyard to see how her garden is going. I sometimes see her out there with her little boy digging in the dirt. I would love to have a little garden like this behind my place, with a nice little patio set to sit out and read in the sunshine.

The lilac bushes are in full bloom all over the city. The smell is intoxicating :)

How gorgeous would these look clipped and arranged in a nice glass vase.

Bleeding Hearts

One of the adorable postage stamp size lawns in Little Italy. They really do take impeccable care of their little gardens in this area of the city. It makes for a nice walk home.