Fall Home Show

Final Days In Toronto

Since my time is just about coming to an end here in Toronto I was reflecting on what I've done in the city.  Considering I've been here for a year and a half, it doesn't feel like I've really done much.  Then again, that's because I often spend my days off in other cities in other countries.  I'm not really disappointed, but wanted to make sure I did something I would remember on my last couple days off.  And it had to include my favouite Toronto acquired possession: My red bike!

xox Bike Love xox

Today I decided to ride my bicycle along the Lakeshore and attend the Fall Home Show.  It worked out well because I parked by the mouth of the Humber River and rode along the trail to the Better Living Center where the convention was held.  They even had bike racks there!  (Mississauga you should take the hint)  The ride was gentle and took about 40 minutes for the round trip and I spent three hours inside at the show.  I didn't have to pay for parking and it didn't even rain.  Lucky me :)  The weather was actually quite pretty, but the coolness has set in and I had to use my gloves on the ride back.  Fall is here!  A special thanks for helping me with my bike: Alex, Amit, Antonio, Dale, Frank, Fruita and Wiseman.  

Always keeping me safe from zero to 248 knots!  Filia xxx

Lakeshore and the Humber River pedestrian bridge

These buildings are pretty tall considering they are outside the city center and have very few shops within walking distance, but they are rather popular with my colleagues.  In fact I know of three who live there.  The best part would be the view.  It's of the city skyline and the CN tower looks lovely at it's 1815.4 foot height, the fifth tallest building in the world - though it was the tallest free standing structure until 2008.  I bet looks even better from a hi-rise balcony.

Can't say which photo I prefer...  

I saw numerous interesting displays at the Fall Home Show.  I've been pretty preoccupied with sleep lately so perhaps that's why beds were so interesting.  Hidden Bed Canada makes some very space conscious and attractive bed/desk systems that I highly suggest taking a look at.  Fantastic for an office you might like to have double as a guest bedroom, and the installation and assembly are included in the price.  If you want an amazing and versatile mattress with options, that will last something along the lines of a lifetime (the warrenty is 20 years!) you might consider spending the money for a Component Bed.  

I have seen interesting wall paper used in more applications recently, but I think Mural Unique is perhaps the best I've seen yet.  It uses photos on life-size or larger scale and you can even have your own photos developed this way for a very personal wall effect.  It removes easily, unlike older style wall paper.  My favourite (yes I am biased!) is the rose.  ...One day when I have a bedroom I own...  Other nature pictures are also lovely and I certainly love the idea of a world map. 

These are all Canadian companies, I am very proud to say.  And they ship, eh!

For those who like to admire Mechanical Advantage

I've never seen a small sink (and cabinet combo) in Canada before.
But we have some little WCs too. Cute.
Made by Eurodesign.  

Also check out the innovative, modern, clean appeal of the kitchens at Svea. 

I love the dancing pantry.  

Yes, it pirouettes!

This company comes from Slovenia and the surfaces are very low maintenance.  Add your own counter top... Like quartz for example and you can keep the low maintenance theme. 

Glass and Light.  Infinite Combinations of Beauty.
Sand isn't only for beaches!

That was fun.  Thanks Toronto!

September, a New Beginning

The "New Year" has rather furiously screamed in, fervently bestowing upon my life chaos in the form of work, training at work, studying, brain numbing, rapid-fire learning, and resultant headaches and nervousness.  This is what September is all about, no?  It was compounded by beginning training sessions at 2:00 am which I personally feel is a hindrance to any beneficial gain for anyone belonging to the human race.  If you'd like any tips on altering your sleep patterns and maximizing capacity for brain power, though, I can certainly now be of assistance.  If anyone has tips for me on reducing anxiety during stressful moments, I am all ears.  In the end (although this is more accurately the beginning) the craziness and nocturnal lifestyle was all for a good cause since I have come out the other side smiling about the fact that I've moved up in the company.  And on the note of moving - this also means I will be moving to Calgary!

First Snow in the Rockies

Ah, moving.  I think it's human nature not to be open to change, unless we don't like the current situation, of course.  Maybe it's not so much that we don't like it, but we do seem to be undoubtedly wary of it.  I am of the opinion though that if you chose to smile you can switch from negative to positive pretty easily, so by the same token, and, I remind myself I wanted this career because I desired adventure and to experience the world, I shall take the move to Calgary wholeheartedly, and embrace it.  After all, that's what I did with Toronto a year and a half ago, and it's served me up interesting, if nothing else, but certainly happiness, too.  

Here I come Calgary!  Cowgirl boots and all!

Kananaskis, outside Calgary

Incidentally I was in Calgary for the entire month of October last year.  The weather was still quite pleasant at that time and I hope it will be the same this year so I may enjoy the gorgeous mountains once again.  The 31st was the first snow day in the city, so that should hopefully give me some time before the winter weather, though I certainly do plan to take advantage of the spectacular crisp days where the snow glimmers brilliantly below the bright blue sky and the sun warms your face.
 

Downtown Calgary

Calgary is also known for their weather phenomenon, the Chinook, a warm westerly foehn wind that descends down to the city from the Rockies bringing such warmth that a t-shirt may be enough mid-winter!  Temperatures may rise by 30 degrees Celsius or more.  Awesome! 

Between the myriad of things to sort out I am enjoying some quiet eating time in this beautiful back yard I currently call home, wondering if I'll ever settle in one spot, but definitely not worrying about it in the least.  

For now, anyway.

Happy Labour Day Long Weekend!!!

The Real Beginning of the Year

January may be the real beginning of the year, but September always feels like the appropriate time for 'new' even though I've been out of phase with school for more than a decade now.  September has always felt like a welcome return to reality, even if I really need to drag myself into it and glue a smile on my face, but by the first week the smile is usually permanent (and no I won't need a Sharpie for that).  It's a time to pull my socks up and get busy, get down to business and get some things done.  Which is good, because whether I like it or not, September is going to be a gruelling month.  The plan is to get through it and come out the other side with some knitting photos!  Actually if everything goes to plan we will head off to take them at Toronto's newest National Urban Park, Rouge Park!

In the mean time I'll leave you with a little note of sweetness:

Triple Blueberry Cupcakes

It's the same batter, icing and curd recipe I used for the Triple Lemon and Blueberry Cake but made into 24 cupcakes, just decorated a little differently.  This process will save time and still taste great!  I just used a Ziploc for the icing, cut a corner out and piped two circles toward the outer edge of the cupcake and then spooned the curd into the hole in the center.  Add a few berries and the summery blue and yellow theme prevails!

Voila!  

                                               End of summer BBQ ready!

Summer Vacation - Part Two

Calgary / Jasper

Normally I do not like it when I do not get on a flight, but strangely enough, this time I didn't mind so much since waiting involved pizza and another small trip in 'the vessel' and required me to socialize (as if I ever needed any convincing) in Calgary.  Nevertheless my Jasper trip began a day late, which may explain why I didn't manage to take very many photos, because I was otherwise disposed enjoying myself as quickly as I could.  

The drive from Calgary to Jasper along the Icefield Parkway took 4.5 hours without stopping and is a magnificent view from the driver's seat.  It was meant to take 5.5 hours, but I think some Ontario habits may be rubbing off on me...  Truely this is probably one of the top ten of most beautiful places on earth.  (In fact I'm certain that Canada might hold a higher percentage of beautiful places than most other countries...  I may be biased - how can a person not be?)  Regardless, Canadian wilderness is amazing!

Breath taking views from the driver's seat along the Icefields Parkway

Jasper's new Totem

A little room waiting for me

BAKING

I did get in a little baking, but the results were more Dr. Suess than I would have really liked.  My judgement outside of my normal kitchen of use often gives leaning tower of Piza results; slightly skewd engineering that may possess some endeering quaility but doesn't quite hit the mark with my standards. Oh well, baking is always fun and tasty, so what the heck!?

RAFTING

My lovely niece took me, and the day before, two lovely friends of mine from Austria, white water rafting!  This is always exciting, but the other half of the experience is the view.  There really is no view quite the same as from a river.  Am I scared?  Nope, not at all, we were born adventurers and anyone can trust my neice as she has been guiding tours for the past three summers.

Coming home after a nice tour

The view is always gorgeous...

LIGHTNING

On the second day in Jasper some storm clouds floated in and while my sister and I were walking over to the otherside of town for a hike in the hills beyond, we were nearly hit by lightning.  I've never been so close to lightning before!  It hit the pavement about five feet in front of us and sizzled across the ground, creating a crackling noise and a nearly blinding brightness.  It was shocking yet facinating and I don't think I moved at all while watching it, until a split second later when the thunder felt like it had hit me and my body instantly curled into a tight ball, my eyelids clamped closed and my entire body felt like it could hear the shaking ripples of the booms that followed.  Interestingly my sister, Ozzie the dog, and I were left completely unscathed, not even one energized hair.

On the topic of lightning, here is a little clip I made in the spring somewhere over New York State:

 Some general enjoyment and goofing off to pleasently pass the time...

The saddest part was leaving... as it always is.

Summer Vacation - Salt Spring Island

A summer vacation is always welcome.  Normally when the word 'vaction' is thought of, the word 'relaxing' comes to mind.  In fact I might even associate the two words.  However, for those who know me well, they might not think my vacations would be relaxing.  I did spend a few relaxing moments here and there, but I will admit it was a whirlwind, and now, the day before I have to return to work, I do feel the need for the proverbial 'vacation from the vacation'.

However I did maximize my vacation, and that is very pleasing indeed.

One day I do hope I discover how to live without sacrificing sleep. The obvious answer is to get a different job, then maybe also never to stay up all night just to make an early morning flight... But starting vacations late is simply implausible!

Salt Spring Island

Getting to Salt Spring from Toronto can sometimes be a nuisance, and there are many ways to go, but in consideration of time and ease my usual preference is to fly directly from Lester B. Pearson to Victoria International.  I like to be picked up from the airport by a suave male specimen and taken to Swartz Bay after making a quick stop for lunch at any of my favourite Sidney-by-the-Sea eateries, so I can catch the ferry to Fulford Harbour, where I also like to be picked up, but this time by my parents.  It is quite possible to take a bus in place of either or both of the pick ups, but it is easier (surprisingly) from Fulford, than from the Airport. 

I thought it couldn't get better than that.  

But when said suave male takes you from Sidney to Salt Spring by modest personal vessel on a spectacular summer day, it gets MUCH better!  

It really does!

I enjoyed barbecues, the company of numerous visitors and even the 30 hours I squeezed in gardening.  I worked a little on my photography homework, so that you may see some of the garden, too.  The only reservation I have is that I took no before pictures.  Nevertheless the face lift was certainly noticeable!

Colour photos are lovely for everything, though when it comes to taking photos of people, particularly for capturing the essence of humans in a timeless fashion, I do love black and white.  

Personally I may never be able to do quite that, but I am happy with this one:

 What do you think?

My vacation does not stop here, but I will have to pause for work.  I'll be back shortly with the next installment :)

A New Toy!

My New Red Salter Scale

I know it's not my birthday or a special occasion or anything particular for that matter, but I decided I had to have this Salter Kitchen Scale.

I have never had a kitchen scale before, so this is a new toy for me.  My mind is spinning just thinking about all the recipes with weight measurements I'll now be able to try!  And it's red... which means it matches my Kitchen Aid mixer, which is a nice bonus.  (I do believe it comes in black and white versions as well.)

I purchased it from Williams-Sonoma while in Portland, Maine. Although Williams-Sonoma is known for it's lovely, quality and innovative kitchen ware, it is also known for it's very high pricing.  Lucky me, I found it on sale!

Why I love this scale:

Clean, smooth glass surface that wipes clean

Weight can be read in pounds/ounces or grams

Easy tare function - use any container 

Slim and easy to store

And of course because it's red :)

A Chocolate Cake

Since I've been so excited about trying out my scale, I decided to start by making the Choco Choco Birthday Cake.  This is how it turned out:

This cake is not a super sweet cake, but it is lusciously moist, while also being quite light and spongy.  The frosting is so smooth it's luxurious!

By halving all of the ingredients the recipe produced this two layer 7" cake and there was plenty of left over frosting.  Both layers were baked as one cake and then sliced horizontally.  Normally I'd have baked them separately, but considering the heat on the day I baked, I just couldn't stand to have the oven on any longer.  I was pleasantly surprised with the consistent texture throughout the cake, though I did have to bake it for longer than expected.   

Thank you Sweetapolita for delicious cake number two!  

I will be trying another soon!

Portland, Maine...

... Not to be confused with Portland, Oregon on the other side of the continent, which is also nice and I may talk about at another time, but this small city is a less well known gem found on the East Coast.  If you've never heard of it before, not to worry.  I hadn't, either, until I was sent there for work.  

My vantage point is from the Double Tree hotel, where happiness starts with a warm cookie and continues through the night under a comforter and your choice of four different pillows.  I think Sebago, a local brew pub, named for a lake in the area, is a great place for food and a drink in the evening.  Maine Mall is directly across the street and it offers a few shops we don't have in Canada such as Macy's, JC Penny and Anne Taylor LOFT.  It's a good place to spend the afternoon if it's rainy, especially because it seems to be one of the only moments I seem to find for shopping.  

A view from the south end of Promenade Park

However, if it's a nice day downtown is the place to go.  It's quaint with all the old brick buildings and cobbles and has an artistic and earthy flare which mirrors the flavour of the people.  The picturesque harbour has numerous restaurants serving lobster pretty much on the water, or you could catch a hockey game at the arena, Cumberland County Civic Center, home to the Red Claws, and watch future NHLers play.  I particularly like Bintliff's American Cafe, where breakfast is served late, Reny's, KnitWit, a yarn shop where the entire line of Quince & Co. Yarn can be found, Eastern Promenade Park and all of the art galleries and interest shops along the way.  Catch the bus there - it's about a 40 minute ride and $1.50 each way.

I haven't had the opportunity to drive around to explore in the area, but the view from the plane makes me think New England is probably a really lovely outdoor vacation spot.

Cool Food for Warm Nights

Summer is a wonderful time for carefree entertaining.  To me that means make ahead dishes and nothing that needs to be warmer than the air temperature, unless it came from the barbeque, of course!



I realize that I had a plan for two menus, but since I was truly chanelling carefree-entertaining-on-limited-time rather than stiffeling-kitchen-before-even-heating-the-oven, I really only managed to accomplish the first one.  However, the good news is this means I'm ready with ideas for the next dinner party in the back yard.  And there's always a next time!

Appetizers go well with drinks, drinks go well with summer, 
and they all go so well with my back yard! 
(Okay so really it's not mine, per se, since neither of my thumbs are green, but mine to use and to enjoy)

Pink Punch

This is a non-alcoholic mix that will taste equally good with rum or vodka and still please those who are not drinking booze.  It can really be made out of whatever you have on hand (which incidentally is why mine happens to be pink, though any colour is just perfect) plus some fresh garnishes for the top.

A Pitcher, clear is best

Ice Cubes

Can of something bubbly

Juice or mix of juices

Lemon/Lime/Berries/Mint

Put ice cubes in pitcher, pour in the liquids to suit your taste buds brining the level of the ice near the top of the pitcher, then add the fruit and mint for decoration.

Tapenade and Appetizers

Tapenade, a tangy Kalamata Olive spread, is my new favourite condiment as it's simple, quick, fresh and flavourful!  It's made from scratch using a food processor and the recipe is based on that found in Martha Stewart Living June 2011, but with a few variations.  Everyone who tried it loved it, but then again they do all like olives.  Serve it with bread or crackers, soft cheese, pepper jelly, artichoke hearts, spanikopita... use your imagination, though it does tend to lend its self to mediterranean flavours...

Ingredients:

1 cup pitted Kalamata Olives

6 sprigs (or so) Thyme

1 Colve Garlic, minced

1 Tbsp Capers

1-1/2 tsp Anchovy Paste

1 Tbsp Olive Oil

Chop the capers, remove leaves from thyme sprigs and add everything except the oil to the food processor.  Whiz everything around until it's all finely chopped and well mixed (scrape sides as needed with spatula between pulsing) and then add olive oil.  Whiz this around and it will make the spread creamier in appearance.  That's it, just watch out for pits that may have found their way in.

Main Course

Quiche has remained on my mind since I made it a few weeks ago.  It is great served cooled or warm and is a perfect make ahead item since it only gets better by the next day.  And the crust, pâte brisée, is delicious.  See recipe from Cooking and Baking on Salt Spring Island.  Personally I think salad and quiche really make a lovely pair.

Tiramisu-like Dessert

Using the traditional flavours of this creamy, coffee-flovoured and boozey dessert, I've used cream cheese in place of marscapone cheese because it's almost always available right at home, in my fridge. My booze of choice is rum, though that's just a suggestion.

Clear glass shows off this pretty dessert best. Serve in individual glasses or in one large dish with berries on top.











Ingredients:

250 mL soft cream cheese, at room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
2 tbsp cold strong coffee
2-3 tbsp whole milk
(1-3 tbsp flour)
pinch salt

250 mL whipping cream
1 packet stabilizer
1 tsp vanilla

Rum for dipping

Lady Fingers

Shaved chocolate or cocoa powder and berries for garnish

Whip cream, using stabilizer and vanilla.  Set aside. 

Beat cream cheese until fluffy, then add sugar, salt, coffee and milk beating gently until incorporated.  If you think it's too runny add a little flour.  Stir whipped cream and cheese mixture together.

Dip lady fingers in rum, arrange as desired, pour cream mixture over, garnish and refrigerate until you want to eat it.