Friday 31 May 2013

Fashion Friday- Wedding Warm-ups

I'm off to my second bridal shower up in Camrose today. With upcoming stagettes, and rehearsal dinners down the road, I've realized how- aside from the odd t-shirt- I own very little white. Here are a few things that might change that.

Dolce Vida Romper
Bhldn Jola Dress
Club Monaco Amber Shorts

Have a great weekend!

Wednesday 29 May 2013

White Bean and Radish Salad

Over the weekend, I think we may have talked about bean salad for an embarrassing length of time. The general consensus was that when the weather warms up, it makes the most satisfying meal. This recipe from Bon Appetit is no exception. I think Eric got one helping before I stole the rest for a week's worth of lunches.


White Bean and Radish Salad
2 anchovy fillets packed in oil, drained
3/4 c. extra virgin olive oil
2 tbsp. drained capers
2 1/2 c.(packed) fresh flat leaf parsley, divided
1/4 c. (or more) white wine vinegar
kosher salt, freshly ground pepper
1 bunch radishes, trimmed, cut into thin wedges
2 scallions, thinly sliced
3 15 oz cans cannellini beans, rinsed
3/4 c. oil cured black olives, pitted, quartered

Blend anchovies, oil, capers, and 1 cup of parsley in a blender until a coarse purée forms. Transfer to a large bowl, mix in 1/4 cup vinegar, and season with salt, pepper, and more vinegar if desired.
Add radishes, scallions, beans, olives and remaining parsley to bowl. Toss to combine.
I added a hard boiled egg to make a meal out of it.

And do you know what's better than bean salads? Black bean brownies! Proving the well known fact that brownies are always superior to salads. They'll make an appearance next week :)

Monday 27 May 2013

Ahh the Weekend...

A few months ago, I saw that my friend Kristine had bought tickets to see Black Rebel Motorcycle Club in Vancouver. Having not seen her since last year, and being jealous that this would be her third time seeing the band, I convinced my friend Carrie to fly out and surprise her. Kristine's husband was in on our plan and convinced her that he was picking up a friend in Abbotsford. When they came into the pub to get him, there we were. I love surprises!




We spent most of Saturday wandering around Granville island before heading to Gastown for dinner. As always when the three of us get together, there were lots of laughs...until we headed home yesterday.


Here's a little Black Rebel Motorcycle Club for your Monday morning.



Friday 24 May 2013

Get Lucky

It's a bit ridiculous, but I'm obsessed with Daft Punk's new song Get Lucky. Have you seen this instructional dance video?


Seriously amazing moves. Not to mention those outfits!


Wednesday 22 May 2013

Ahh the Weekend...

As always, the long weekend went by too fast. We stayed in town to get some work done around the house and yard, we had a great big BBQ with family and friends, and met with our wedding officiant to go over the ceremony.

I killed a flower before I even left the garden centre. A sign of what's to come...
Last night, we went to the incredible Mumford and Sons show. During their encore they came to back of the stadium and played a few songs- one of which was Bruce Springsteen's I'm on Fire. There are no words.


Hope you had a good long weekend!

Wednesday 15 May 2013

Cuba!

We had an amazing time in Cuba. I'd love to show you pictures of everything we did, but they were on Eric's phone which went missing the night of the wedding. So here are some photos from our last two days.





This was my first trip to Cuba, but I'd like to offer some tips based on our experience and that of some of our friends:

  1. If possible, go to a baseball game: we traveled into Matanzas to see the Cocodrillos in the semi-finals and it may have been the loudest and craziest sporting experience I've ever had. They have tourist seats that are cordoned off right on top of the away team dugout, but you can sit anywhere. The games are free for Cubans and 3 CUCs for tourists. There was a drum and horn section, and a LOT of air horns. 
  2. Eat out: A lot of people told me that the food in Cuba is terrible. That may be the case if you are constantly eating pizza and hamburguesas from the resort, but we had incredible meals when we ate at Cuban restaurants (try El Mojito if you're staying in Varadero).
  3. Hire a driver: you pretty much have to cab everywhere outside of Varadero, but that's not necessarily a bad thing. We took a car to Matanzas the second day we were there and the driver became our guide for the rest of the week. He escorted us to the baseball game and toured us through Havana. Which brings me to my next point...
  4. Tour Havana on your own: Old Havana is probably where you'll want to spend most of your time. Go to Revolution Square, the fort, and the Capitol building. Then, get dropped off. It's easy to do a walking tour or just wander through old Havana. You might get hassled a bit, but likely far less than you would if you were with a tour group. Plus, you can get into restaurants and tourists spots a lot easier and you're not limited by time. 
I had heard mixed reviews of Cuba before we went, but I really loved it and would definitely recommend it!

Monday 13 May 2013

Happy Mother's Day!

Happy Mother's Day to my Mama, and all the Mamas out there!

My sister, Mom, and me

Even after 27 years my Mom is still looking after me. Just in the past month she bought me tea towels when she found out I somehow survive with only two (the horror!) and after seeing my wedding organization (a notebook and a cardboard box), she promptly bought me a binder, labels, and dividers so I could keep everything in one place. She's the best (and I'm obviously a bit of a disaster ;)! Love you, Mom.

Friday 3 May 2013

Margaritas!

I LOVE margaritas. Not neon, slushy, syrupy margaritas, but fresh juice, good tequila, sour ones. In early celebration of Cinco de Mayo, I offer you this recipe.

Lime Margaritas
Makes 2

2lbs key limes, juiced- regular limes are less labor intensive, but I like the flavor of key limes a bit more. Either one works though. You're going for about 3/4 c. of juice
1 1/2 tbsp. agave nectar
2 oz. tequila
1 oz. triple sec or Grand Marnier
Course salt for rim

Stir together lime juice and agave nectar.
Rub a quarter of a lime around the rim of two glasses. Dip the glasses in salt to cover the rims.
Pour 1oz tequila, 1/2 oz. of Triple sec and ice into each glass. Split juice among the two glasses and stir.

We're off to Cuba for the next week. See you when we get back! Adios!

Thursday 2 May 2013

Mother's Day

Can we all agree that Mom's are impossible to buy gifts for? Ok, good. After trying to come up with something that my Mom would like- but didn't already have- I was inspired by our holiday gift exchange and decided to put together a few of my favorite things.

These Rifle Paper Co. Cards
L'Occitane hand cream
Lush Lip Scrub
Fig balsamic vinegar (not pictured) from Oil and Vinegar
Truffles from Choklat
Make-up bag from Forever 21


Wednesday 1 May 2013

YYC Burger Week



This Friday is the beginning of Burger Week! Sixteen restaurants will create a $15 burger and a dollar from each one sold will go to charity.
Dairy Lane has my favorite burger in Calgary, but the Ship is always a trusty standby. I'd never heard of Naina's Kitchen, but after seeing the stuffed burgers, it's high on my list of places to try! We'll be away for this glorious week, so enjoy a few burgers for me :)