Evening with the Dogs

Last night Whiskey and I took the bus to visit my family for the Civic Weekend
(It's a long weekend here in Canada! Woohoo!)

I settled in on the bus with my book, half my turkey sandwich from lunch with my beloved Diet Coke, while Whiskey bunkered down in his carrier.

He is all about the nap time.

I have to say it was a wonderful relief to be leaving all of this...

...for this. As soon as we started seeing green pastures I knew I was on my way home.

When we got to the bus station, my lovely sister was there to pick us up! Whiskey went crazy when he saw her. I was excited too, but I can contain myself a wee bit better.

Whiskey was greeted by an equally enthusiastic Shadow when we made it home. She loves her little buddy oh so much.

When we came in the house, Whiskey started running around the house trying to find everyone.

Sorry buddy, but they're away on vacation until tomorrow. It's just you and me.

Oh, and Shadow too.

Then I laced up my sneakers and went for a quick run through a nearby park. It was cool and crisp outside - just how I like it for a good run. It was weird running in my old shoes that I've left at my parents' place. They used to fit like a glove, but now I'm not used to them.

When I got back, I heated up some homemade beef stew leftover in the fridge. It's always fun to see what leftovers are at my parents. I'm always raiding their fridge when I get there!

I even shared a bit with the pooches in their dinner bowls because they were so good.

Just a lovely evening in with a couple of big goofs :)

Hope you're having a great weekend!

Thankful for the Rain

Its been a dry month here in Toronto and all the lovely plants were starting to look pretty parched. The drizzle the past couple of days has really perked things up and all the colour is thankfully coming back.

On our evening walk last night, Whiskey and I enjoyed all the lovely blooms coming out again. Rain really is a good thing :)

When I see beautiful gardens like this, I start to crave a place of my own where I can create gardens to suit my tastes. I really do think that flowers can make a world of difference of how you feel when you come home.

How can you not smile when you come home to see a beautiful rose bush like this?

There are a few of these hibiscus trees along a running route that I sometimes take and I absolutely love seeing them. I've seen some of the blooms get as big as my hand. Insane.

A yard full of Black Eyed Suzies.

Cleaning out my Closet

While trying to find one of my favorite shirts in my closet the other week, I realized I HAVE TOO MUCH STUFF. Clothes I don't wear anymore. Books I've already read and won't go back to again. Scraps of paper everywhere. Despite doing a big Spring clean earlier this year, it seems that I just didn't get rid of enough. Desperate times call for desperate measures, so I took the advice of Lisa from I'm An Okie (love that girl!) and went on a serious purge.

I first started dragging everything out of the closet, and I mean everything. It looked like a war zone. Whiskey was lucky that he was staying at my parents' place that week or he would have been very concerned about all the confusion going on. All the clothes came off the clothes rack. Every box was dragged out of the back of the closet. No drawer went un-dumped. It was total chaos and my initial thought was what have I done, but I soldiered on and focused on the end goal of a cleaner closet.

I tried on every piece of clothing and really thought about every object I pulled out and thus began the sorting process! Everything that I liked went back in the closet, but everything else went into these tagged bags I made:

TO MEND: I am always more inclined to mend something than just replace it, but I'm really bad about remembering to do it. I'll go to grab my favorite purple sweater, only to remember that there is a hole in the arm. I'll pull on my new jeans and realize I forgot to hem them. Enough is enough. Now I have a bag hanging in the closet and when I see something that needs mending, I toss it in. When a movie night comes around, I pull out the bag and start mending. This week I've already fixed three sweaters and Whiskey's dog leash. Bam. I'm on a roll.

GIVE AWAY: If I pulled anything out of the closet that makes me think of someone, I tossed it in this bag. A nice sweater that goes with my friends favorite shirt or even books that I loved and want to pass on went into this bag. If the people don't want it, it goes onto the next bag...

GOODWILL: I ended up having about four bags like this, which felt really good. Anything and everything that I don't want, can't mend or don't have a home already, goes in this bag. I only included things that are in good shape. I even gave away an old printer and a DVD player that were both in good condition, I just didn't need them anymore. I also went through the food cupboard at this time and looked for things to give to the Food Bank while I was at it.

GARBAGE & RECYCLING: I had a bag set aside for anything that needed to be trashed and a large box for recyclable things.

In the end I got rid of lots of junk, but I think I'll need to do this again in a few months, because I was still wishy-washy on some things. Its hard to break up with objects that hold sentimental value, but I'm starting to get there. Overall though, this was a great process and I'll be using it again.

Dill Bean Salad

A few weeks ago my boss pulled me into the office kitchen to try this Dill Bean Salad. At first I was hesitant, but one scoop and my eyes rolled into the back of my head. The fresh herbs, crunchy celery and delicious dressing are a wonderful combination.

Its cool, crisp and oh so easy, making it the perfect Summer lunch or side dish. The salad is kept separately from the dressing and you add as much as you like with each serving. I like to keep the dressing in a small mason jar, which is perfect for shaking it up before I pour it over the salad.

What you'll need:

Salad:
1 can of Chickpeas, rinsed and dried on papertowel
1 can of Kidney Beans, rinsed
1 can of Lima Beans, rinsed
2 Spring Onions, sliced diagonally
Handful of Fresh Dill, chopped
Handful of Fresh Parsley, chopped
1/2 Cucumber, peeled and cubed
2 stick of Celery, cut diagonally

Dressing:
1/3 cup Canola Oil
2 Limes, juiced
1 tbsp Herbes de Provence
1 clove Garlic, crushed
1/2 tsp Honey
1 tsp Powdered Mustard 

I love the smell of fresh herbs chopped up. These really make the salad have that fresh kick.

Toss all the beans, vegetables and fresh chopped herbs into a bowl together.

Add all the dressing ingredients into a small jar and shake to combine. Make sure to use Herbes de Provence. This is what makes the dressing so unique.

Serve yourself a bowl of the salad and pour some of the dressing over top. Resist the urge to lick your fingers afterwards.

This is an easy salad to make adjustments too. Feel free to add or remove as much or as little of the ingredients as you'd like. This is a great salad to keep in the fridge for quick lunches and fast snacks during the warm months.

Printable Version

Roommates Reunion

For the four years that I was at Queen's University, I lived with four amazing girls. We started out in the same residence together (except for one of us) and then moved into a big old Victorian house together for the next three years and affectionately became known as "The Blondes". I still have friends who refer to us like that, as in "How are all the Blondes?".

Here is a picture of us six years ago in the kitchen of our house (with our friend Laura beside me on the left)

And here we all are last weekend.

These lovely ladies were my family while I was at school and I love them to bits.

We shared our first home away from home together and grew up into four women in the process. This weekend we had our first reunion iun two years where all of us could come! With everyone traveling around so much and living all over the province, its been getting harder and harder to get together, but it was so worth it to see them.

We all met up at Jen's brand spankin' new house and started off the festivities with strawberry daiquiris.

They may have been a bit too thick, so we ate them with spoons. Delish!

Right away we got into reminiscing about all the adventures we've had together and talking about all our exciting plans for the future. Its been four years since we moved out and so much has happened in the time! We used to stay up all night in our kitchen talking about school, boys, swimming, boys, food, boys, boys, boys, you get the idea. This time around there was so much to share with everyone going off in different directions - there was talks of new jobs, moving, travel, engagements, weddings and even babies.

Words cannot express how much I still love these girls. Months may go by until we get to be together, but we just jump right back into conversations and pick up where we left off. I swear that we laughed so much that my stomach hurt the next day...and not because we drank waaay to much wine...which is probably what led to the impromptu dance party at midnight. The dog wasn't a very big fan of that, but we thought it was hilarious.

I'm determined to not let another year go by without seeing these ladies. They have all grown into such incredible women and I cannot wait to see where life takes all of them.

Relaxing Weekend

With the overwhelming heat of the past week, I took the weekend as a chance to escape the city for a little cool down.

First thing on Friday afternoon, I went out for a spin on the boat. Despite being overcast, it was still a gorgeous day on the water. There were barely any waves and it looked like glass. If I'd ever gotten the knack of waterskiing, it would have been a great day to do it.

As the evening cooled down, we headed out to the yard to play a little bocce ball.

My mother got the set for her birthday and we were all itching to try it.

Garrett and my dad got quite the competition going, but it was all good natured fun, even if our team did lose.

I played bocce ball for my first time last year at the cottage and I loved it. It'll be fun to play it with the family now and hopefully I'll start to get better.

Another much loved activity this weekend was lounging around in the pool. It was super warm and perfect for floating around in. I kept warning my brother that he looked too comfortable and he might fall asleep... I should probably just take it over for him :)

The unstoppable heat also played havoc on some beautiful chocolates my mother got for her birthday. The hand pointing is my sister, who was convinced that she could still determine which chocolates they were, even if they were beyond recognition.

Despite the heat, it was still a great weekend. Its been raining and thundering here all morning, so hopefully this will start to cool things down a bit! Hope that you all had a wonderful weekend and are ready for another week at work...I know I'm sure not ready. Why are weekends so short?!?!

Cooking While Camping

Before I went camping last weekend, there was plenty of discussion amongst the group over what we needed to bring for food. We would be cooking over a fire for most of it, so we had to stick to easy to cook foods, while staying away from processed foods. We're talking real meat, potatoes and veggies - I couldn't wait.

Earlier in the week, I made a big batch of my Chicken Kebabs to take with us. I let them marinade in the fridge for a few hours and then popped them into the freezer until I was ready to pack the cooler. They stayed nice and cool in the cooler until we were ready to cook them. On the side, I chopped up mushrooms, red onion, zucchini and green pepper to grill in a metal grill basket.

The kebabs were the perfect finger food to eat fresh off the grill. I'll definitely be taking these again camping.

Other campsites in our group were cooking some similar dishes such as grilled eggplant and steaks. Yum :)

There was also ALOT of  picanha being made, which is a Brazilian cut of beef that is super delicious. Usually you grill it and add cheese on top, but my friend here was getting all fancy on us and did a cheese stuffed version. Delish!

Brunch most mornings was a big fry up of peameal bacon (Canadian bacon), scrambled eggs, beans and toast. I was usually up way earlier than that so I'd have an apple and come cereal while reading on the rocks :)



Source

There were also many s'mores (and burnt marshmallows) consumed during the trip. Whatever it is about that great chocolate, graham cracker and marshmallow combination, I'm hooked. I have seriously been craving them all week. You'd think I'd had my fair share on the weekend. It looks like I may need to do another bonfire this weekend.

What are some of your favorite foods to take camping?

Are you a hot dogs and hamburgers traditionalist? A little more adventurous with beer can chicken?

A Special Happy Birthday

I want to say an extra special Happy Birthday to one of the most loving people I know.

My Mama!

She's a selfless woman who always puts the needs of others before her own - whether its for her family, her community or for the environment. She keeps a happy home, that has always been full of love and good food. She's taught me so much about life, love and cooking, and I'll carry those lessons with me for the rest of my days. She is one of the bravest and strongest people I know and I can only hope that I can emulate that strength. She's my confidant when I'm feeling low and is always there to offer support without question. I love her to bits and I hope that she takes some time today to herself! (You hear me, Mom?)

While going through my photo album recently, I came across some pictures from last year's birthday celebration. My great aunt and I had picked up a cake from a nut-free bakery downtown. It looked gorgeous, but it wasn't the best we'd had. Even a bad cake can't stop a great night of family and food.

My lovely sister bringing out the cake. Another great woman in my life. I'm a lucky duck.

There was plenty of birthday cheers and candle blowing.

Like I said, it looks delicious, but it wasn't the best cake I'd tried. The icing had no flavour to it and just felt like you were eating shortening and the cake itself was super dense. The bakery was kind enough to make up for it with another free cake later on in the year. We stuck to chocolate that time and it was much better.

Despite our cake fail, I think she still had a great night. Hopefully we'll be able to make some more memories tonight when I head over to visit her tonight with my Great Aunt. Its supposed to get to 48°C (118°) which means we'll be spending most of the night in the pool cooling off. I'll be glad to get out of the city for that!

The Itty Bitty Kitchen

The other day I realized that I've shown you guys plenty of pictures of the living room (spring/fall) and bedroom (spring/fall), but I'd yet to show you the most used room in my apartment - my itty bitty kitchen. Considering how much cooking and baking I do, it really is a tight space to work in, but somehow I've made it work for the past three and a half years.

I live on the top floor of my building, which means I have a pitched ceiling. I'm used to washing the dishes with the sink right by my forehead, but I've had some funny incidents of Garrett and friends smacking their heads. The kitchen has a little stove, a small sink area and a two cupboards. I had to bring in my own additional storage to make up for it.

On the window side, I used to have my table here, but I recently moved this around to make a home office. Now I have moved my microwave stand to hold my beloved toaster oven, store canned goods and house my extensive tea towel collection (I've got a problem). I also have one of my recovered chairs for guests to sit in while I cook, as well as my favorite picnic basket. It is garage sale find from years ago and its perfect for picnics in the park. You can also see my apron collection hanging above the chair.

On the other side of the kitchen is a rolling cart I bought from Canada Superstore when I moved in. It stores my cutlery and tools, baking supplies and cooking oils. It is also the only usable work surface and has gotten plenty of wear and tear. Behind it is the side of my fridge, covered in the usual coupons and family pictures. Thats my herb garden there, growing quite well. I love having fresh herbs in the house.

A month ago it was a different story in this kitchen:

It was a total mess. I was in the middle of shooting the film and was constantly battling with dishes. I was also continually having a problem where water was collecting at the back of the sink. The whole place is unlevel and crooked, but this was getting really bad. I kept mentioning it to my landlord and after months of harassing, he finally showed up.

This was his solution?!?!? He used caulk to essentially cover up the damage. I was appauled and started calling him again.

Eventually he showed up one morning and did this. It had promise.

In the end he installed a new, fresh countertop. I loved it, until I tried to turn the faucet handles. They are so close to the backsplash that you can't get your fingers around them. When I asked him if it was possible to fix it, he told me to learn to only turn the faucet with quarter turns :S

Despite this new little quirk (add it to the list), I love my little kitchen for now. I've got great memories in there of preparing my first batch of chili in my new Le Creuset, experimenting with stevia, making my first meal for the boyfriend, falling in love with Cauliflower Pizza Crusts, roasting more pans of brussel sprouts than I can count and sampling my fair share of deliciou desserts. When I leave here someday, I'll look back on this time fondly...but for now, I'll just stick to quarter turns on the faucet.