Loving…

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With a quick two-day jaunt to Ottawa for a certain someone’s graduation (my boyfriend is a master, y’all!), this week has flown by. And, judging by my evening plans over the coming weeks, seems like summer time is in full swing once again.

Listening:

This song makes me think of a cooler, slightly rainy night by the beach. I’ve been hearing it on the radio a lot lately and it’s made its way onto a few playlists already.

Craving:

I have mentioned Town restaurant before (when I said Ottawa is a foodie delight), and the celebratory lunch we had the other day more than lived up to my internal hype of the place. The food is beyond delicious, but there is one particular dish that I could eat over and over again: Mortadella Crostini. I don’t actually have a picture of it (I did find one taken by a Yelp user), but it’s meaty, it has nuts, it’s on toasted bread and it comes with an egg (in sandwich form) – I don’t think I need to sell it any more. One of my favourite dishes of all time, hands down. I sure will miss it!

Anticipating:

Hitting the golf course with my dad on Sunday for a nice round of golf and some cold beers on Father’s Day!

Wanting:

To finally take the plunge and buy a camera. I think my iPhone has taken me as far as it can…right now, I’m looking at something in the Canon family (aka “the known entity”). I like the Rebel series, and their new EOS SL1 seems to be super lightweight and offers the right digital SLR qualities I’m looking for.

Loving:

This view of my fair city (taken last weekend from a boat my friend rented for his moving away party!)

toronto skyline

 

Happy Father’s Day and have a great weekend, everyone!

Night Out: Wine and…Tacos?

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Tonight I had the privilege of attending the summer opening of Mavrik Wine Bar. It’s a well-known fact that I love wine and anything wine bar related. Sadly, I had never been to Mavrik before but, after this introduction, you can bet I will be going back.

Grapefruit + wine + berries is delicious!

Grapefruit + wine + berries is delicious!

This little Queen West haunt is owned by two ladies who did the unthinkable – left their law and investment banking jobs to pursue a passion and open their own restaurant. They differentiate themselves from all other wine bars in a really great way, offering up local wines that are produced in small quantities (read: too small to be found at the LCBO) and a really good selection of fresh, healthy cooking.

A small sampling of Mavrik's menu - awesome tacos and great wine pairings

A small sampling of Mavrik’s menu – awesome tacos and great wine pairings

I got to sample two of their tacos with wine pairings. The first was a Portobello Taco with guacamole, tomatoes, red peppers, black beans, jalapeños, and basil aioli. While I’m not the biggest mushroom fan, this taco had great texture and flavour to it – not too spicy, just tangy enough, with the basil aioli adding a unique taste to otherwise “typical” taco fillings. The second – and my favourite – was the Sweet Potato Taco, filled with sweet potato, black beans, quinoa, parmesan and lemon aioli. This taco was so refreshing, tasty and was fabulously complemented by a Niagara Region Muscat. This was a perfect summer meal.

Portobello Taco (left) and Sweet Potato Taco (right)

Portobello Taco (left) and Sweet Potato Taco (right)

The vibe of the place is great – small and cozy – and, aside from the wonderful and unique food, there is also a healthy selection of cheese (after all, wine + cheese are the best of friends). My only gripe? With the wines being so local and limited in supply, you may fall in love with something that you can’t get your hands on too easily at the LCBO or Wine Rack. I guess that just means you have to return to Mavrik again.

mavrik vibe

This Bread is Bananas

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Banana bread – one of the easiest things to bake and so delicious. Last night, having an abundance of ripe bananas in our house, I decided to make a loaf for dessert and work snacks. Nothing beats a fresh-out-of-the-oven, still warm, buttered piece of banana bread.

banana bread

 

Blue Ribbon* Banana Bread:

Ingredients:

4 ripe bananas

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (or whole wheat, if you’re looking to get healthy)

1 egg

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 cup sugar

1/3 cup melted butter

1 tsp baking soda

mixing it up

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

2. Mash bananas with a wooden spoon in a large bowl. Mix in melted butter.

3. Add vanilla. sugar, egg and baking powder and stir well.

4. Add flour and mix until fully coated and thick.

5. Pour mixture into a buttered loaf pan and place in oven. Let bake for one hour.

There you have it! Super simple and delicious. Plus a good way to use up those bananas that are maybe just a little too brown for anything else.

 

 

*ok so it hasn’t actually won any awards…but the alliteration was too good to pass up.

Loving…

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The day spent outside yesterday at the Arts & Crafts Field Trip Festival. 2013 marks the 10 year anniversary of this amazing Canadian label (which launched acts like Broken Social Scene, Feist, Metric and Bloc Party) and they put on an incredible party to celebrate. Held at Fort York in downtown Toronto, the festivities took place on Saturday from noon until 11pm, and included some amazing collaborations: Uber Toronto and Scion Canada got together to offer free rides to the festival (a sweet perk in and of itself, but there was musical trivia as you rode and getting 5 songs right meant you get a ticket upgrade to VIP – which came with its own viewing area and food stations), Toronto Underground Market offered up a ton of awesome food all over the venue (from food trucks like Gourmet Gringos and Caplansky’s to food vendors like La Carnita and The Saucy Pierogi) and the Drake General Store and various Etsy vendors were on hand in case you wanted to commemorate the day with shopping.

After a Friday that had us waking up to a very punctured car tire which had to be replaced, this festival was a welcome distraction. Oh, and beach chairs? Best investment ever for day-long events.

field trip festival

I hope everyone is having a great weekend!

Herb-y Update

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Quick update on my mini-herb garden – my thumb is actually a little green (much to my surprise)! First signs of life…now how long do I have to wait to actually use them?

herbs update

Pub Love

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I sometimes have such a craving for pub food. I’m not talking about just burgers and fries, though. I mean the kind of menu items you will only find at a place with a lot of beer on tap, wooden tables and sports on TV screens. The thing I love about pub food most is its simplicity. And with that in mind, I decided to try to find some easy-to-mimic recipes for my 5 favourite pub grub meals:

pub love food

1 - Chicken Caesar Salad: The only salad I will ever have at a pub or bar. The creaminess of the dressing, crunch of the croutons and almost necessary bacon bits makes this a fantastic meal or appetizer. This recipe from Smitten Kitchen adds a certain element of cooking sophistication with a chicken brine, promising the juiciest of meat. Also, if you’re like me and can’t stand the fishy style of anchovies in the dressing, you can easily omit it without losing the flavour and creaminess.

2 - Baked Mac n’ Cheese: I’ve already professed my love for mac n’ cheese, and this Martha Stewart recipe is the right crunchy/creamy mixture. Something so great about having a bowl of this with a glass of white wine or a light beer.

3 - Loaded Potato Skins: The most difficult part about this recipe from Chow is the scooping out of the potato. The rest is super simple. I love loaded potato skins – I always ate the skin on baked potatoes (I know, kind of weird), and I love that these can be made bite sized for a party. They’re  perfect hors d’oeuvres to pass around, or snack on while hanging out in your backyard.

4 - Chicken Fingers (and fries): Without fail, what I order 9 times out of 10 when I’m feeling pub-y. The Black Peppercorn adds a really intriguing twist to a classic by dredging the chicken fingers into crushed Doritos…crushed Doritos, you guys! Amazing.

5 - Deep Fried Pickles: This combo should not work, but it does. So well. A Beautiful Mess has a shockingly easy-to-make recipe for this delicious treat, which uses minimal ingredients (one of which is cornmeal, aka that added crunch). They’re awesome dipped in something with dill (like their own dip recipe). These are so good!

Note: all of the above go amazing with a pint of your favourite beer, on a sunny day, hanging out in your backyard, with some good friends.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Loving…

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Not to be a cliché or anything, but can you believe it’s June 1st tomorrow!? We are almost halfway through the year. I guess the old saying of “time flies when you’re having fun” rings true. Now that I was able to crack out my first skirt/t-shirt combo of the season, I’m finally starting to get excited about summer. There will be a lot going on over the next couple of months, not least of all my upcoming birthday (disclaimer: it’s still about a month and a half away, but I like to start the countdown early).

Listening:

Without fail, this song is always in my top 5 favourites. The ups and downs, and Eddie Vedder’s voice, make it such a dynamic track – I can listen to it on repeat for hours.

Reading:

Anything and everything I can about gardening. I tried to plant the indoor mini-herb garden I got as a housewarming gift and it’s been 48 hours, with nothing sprouting. Either I did it wrong or I just don’t know how long sprouting should take. Thus, trying to educate myself.

There should be a question mark here...

There should be a question mark here…

Craving:

Macaroons from Bobbette & Belle. Oh, and their cupcakes, too.

b&b macaroons

Planning:

To get some things done around the house this weekend. And finally try Ed’s Real Scoop – how  have I not yet tried the ice cream that is literally around corner from me!? Something about summer makes me want to eat dessert, which kind of goes against the whole “bathing suit season” mentality. Go figure.

Happy June, everyone!

Sweet Summer Salad (With a Kick!)

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I will readily admit that I’m not the cook in my relationship. I can cook and do on occasion, but by and large my boyfriend handles that part. When I do cook, maybe because of the fact that it’s not an everyday occurrence, I like to get as creative as possible. Last night, I made a salad (that I personally think is a keeper). It has some fantastic flavours within it – sweet, caramelized pears juxtaposed with blue cheese, and Dijon chicken breast. It’s the perfect meal for a warm summer night, best enjoyed on a balcony or in a backyard.

sweet summer salad

What You’ll Need (Ingredients):

Serves 2

2 chicken breasts (boneless, skinless)

2 large, ripe Bartlett pears (halved, cored and thinly sliced)

Blue cheese (crumbled)

3 tbsp Dijon mustard

1 medium shallot, minced

1 cup olive oil

Honey (to taste)

Baby arugula (or mixed greens or lettuce)

Walnuts, roasted (optional)

What to Do:

For Chicken Breast

1. In a bowl, mix together 1/2 cup olive oil, 2 tbsp Dijon mustard, 1/2 cup olive oil and half the minced shallot.

minced shallots

2. In a Ziploc bag, place your chicken breasts and the mixture above, close, and shake well to coat.

3. Leave overnight in your fridge, or at least for a few hours to allow for the chicken to marinade.

4. Set oven temperature to 425 degrees Fahrenheit. While oven heats up, pan sear the chicken breast for about a minute on each side, in an oven-friendly pan. Place the pan with the chicken into the oven and allow to cook for 20 minutes (or until juices run clear).

5. Remove from oven, slice, and allow to cool.

For the Salad:

1. In a bowl, mix together 1/2 cup olive oil, 1 tbsp Dijon mustard, 1/2 cup olive oil and half the minced shallot. Set aside.

2. Heat a tsp of olive oil in a pan over medium-low heat. While pan heats, carefully coat each pear slice with enough honey to thinly cover both sides.

4. Place the coated pear slices into the heated pan and allow to fry until they are slightly caramelized on both sides.

pears

5. Coat arugula in the olive oil/Dijon/shallot mixture until it is well covered.

6. Plate a handful of arugula with the chicken overtop and the pears on the side. Sprinkle with blue cheese and walnuts to taste.

Thinking About Backsplashes

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I love backsplashes. There, I said it! As far as kitchens go, backsplashes are kind of my favourite thing. There are so many different styles and options to choose from, all of which can completely change the vibe of a kitchen. We’ve been watching a lot of home reno shows lately and the one thing all of the kitchen ones have in common is how much emphasis is placed on the backsplash. And it make sense. Aside from the cabinets, the thing that draws people in the most is the wall in your kitchen. Incidentally, the backsplash is also the one place you can really get creative with pops of built-in colour and patterns. Where your cabinets, appliances and countertop tend to be uniform in colour and style, your backsplash can be as wild and crazy as you’d like.

First off, you need to decide the look you’re going for in your kitchen – rustic, modern, metallic, vintage, retro. This will determine what kind of backsplash to go looking for. Making the backsplash decision should not be left until the last-minute as an afterthought – a good backsplash is included in the planning of the kitchen from day one.

Subway Tile: a fabourite. Big, white and bold tiles with definitive grout lines in between. Adds a modern/rustic charm to any kitchen. via The Kitchn.

Subway Tile: a favourite. Big, white and bold tiles with definitive grout lines in between. Adds a modern/rustic charm to any kitchen. via The Kitchn.

Mediterranean Accent: bold and beautiful, this style works great in a large accent space. Perfect for a bare bones, white kitchen. via Design Sponge.

Mediterranean Accent: bold and beautiful, this style works great in a large accent space. Perfect for a bare bones, white kitchen. via Design Sponge.

Modern Metallic: for a much more modern look, this backsplash pops. It's enough to just have a section of it rather than have it cover your whole wall. via HGTV.

Modern Metallic: for a much more modern look, this backsplash pops. It’s enough to just have a section of it rather than have it cover your whole wall. via HGTV.

Checkered: I LOVE this style. The blue and white is a nice colour combo, but you can get creative with the choice of tile colour. This is a very bold pattern that adds a vintage feel to kitchens. via Design Sponge.

Checkered: I LOVE this style. The blue and white is a nice colour combo, but you can get creative with the choice of tile colour. This is a very bold pattern that adds a retro feel to kitchens. via Design Sponge.

Bold and Black: For a completely bold look, all black tiles do the trick. Against stainless steel appliances and a white/light kitchen, you're making quite a statement. via House Beautiful.

Bold and Black: For a completely bold look, all black tiles do the trick. Against stainless steel appliances and a white/light kitchen, you’re making quite a statement. via House Beautiful.

For some DIY tips (if you’re feeling adventurous and want to take this on yourself), HGTV has some great tips on how to tile your kitchen backsplash.

Loving…

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I don’t know how it happens, but there are certain weeks where it feels like I barely see the inside of my own house. The last week has been busy with the long weekend, lots of friends visits, and work creeping up, but I’ve loved getting more and more into the swing of summer (even though we have yet to do much to our balcony…soon, though!)

Listening:

In honour of the Cannes premiere of Ryan Gosling’s new film with the director of Drive, I’m re-listening to the amazing soundtrack from that wonderful movie. The pseudo-80s, techno feel of the songs is all sorts of right. While I’m hoping that the new collaboration - Only God Forgives – will be as epic, it got negative reviews so far (who boos Ryan Gosling!? I mean, really!?)…

Decorating:

My iPhone case with these tongue-in-cheek stickers (made from REAL wood!). Thanks, Alli, for sharing these with me.

From Indigo

From Indigo

Craving:

Some food truck food (thinking: Toronto Underground Market (TUM) style). There’s something about food on-the-go from a quality vendor (not hot dogs) that just makes my mouth salivate. I was so happy when I heard that there would be food vendors at the Field Trip Festival in June – can’t wait!

Wanting:

A bathroom tray to hold the odds and ends that seem to accumulate…as simple as it may seem, I’ve been on the hunt for one for quite some time.

c/o West Elm.

c/o West Elm.

Happy last weekend of May (where does the time go!?)!