Wednesday, September 29, 2010

Tangs Noodle House

Every now and then Ivan and I don't feel like cooking...it doesn't happen that often..perhaps once a month or so. And we get this craving for Chinese take-out. Lucky for us, Tang's Noodle House is just down the street on Broadway!

If there is just the two of us, we order a large House Special Wonton Soup and it is absolutely delicious!!! Maybe some of the best wontons I have ever had....big and plump and full of flavour....the broth is delish and there are lots of other treasures to be discovered...Chinese mushrooms, pork, seafood....yum.

We will also get an order of the chicken lettuce wraps, which are always a hit..nice and fresh and yummy. Those two for pick up are just under$20bucks and we usually have some left over...so the portions are big.

When mom and dad come out....well lets just say...when dad is in control of ordering Chinese food...there is barely anything left on the menu! It's nice when there is a group however, so you can taste so many different dishes...all of them are equally wonderful.

Last week, we ate in the restaurant vs. take out.....not much of a room...typical...but I noticed there are more items on their in house menu vs. the take out....one that really peaked my attention was their dumplings....I LOVE dumplings, and didn't think that they made them...but now I know, and I am excited to try them!

So next time you are in the mood for a little take out...I absolutely recommend Tangs as you are sure to Enjoy!

Monday, September 27, 2010

Food Matters

Saturday evening we went to a little gathering at our neighbours house. We don't know them that well, so it was nice to socialize a bit over some nibbles and wine. They are a very nice couple and had a lot of interesting friends to chat with.

There was one young fellow who is a family doctor. He was very opinionated about many things...and one in particular being naturopaths! Now I know they come from two very different schools of thought, but I just don't understand how he could be so closed to the concept that natural vitamins and foods can actually keep you healthy?! what a novel concept eh. His philosophy is, "naturopaths are great if you aren't sick" I say, maybe you wont get sick if you focus on health and well being in the first place...all a part of prevention.

Now I understand there is an absolute need for Doctors...my brother is a surgeon...so I get it...my whole foods and naturopath isn't going to fix my leg if it breaks. And I also get that the majority of society does not take care of their body and instead fills it with such things as soda, coffee, and processed foods out of a box or can. Those cold cuts that you put in a sandwich are filled with preservatives and high levels of salt...I mean think about it....is a chicken really shaped like a long wide tube...not last time I checked.

It frustrates me immensely to see so many people suffering from all types of sickness...many of which potentially could be cured by diet. Eat whole foods...and if you don't know what that means.....shop around the outside perimeter of your market and don't go down the aisles!

Check out this interesting movie called Food Matters its long, but could offer you a new perspective on how you are currently living your life.

There is a lot of interesting information out there, and of course many different philosophy's on how different diseases can manifest in one's bodies....read about this in an amazing book called You can Heal Your Life by Louise Hay . Her book also discusses the importance of foods..but her belief is that negative emotions from your past, may show up in another form years later. For example unhealed angers that you may have been holding onto for many years can manifest themselves in the form of disease. This book is fascinating and looks at myriad illnesses and even offers a natural cure in the form of affirmation. I know many people may think this is real hokey pokey....but why not open your mind to another way of thinking...personally I would rather try eating clean and using affirmations than dumping chemical meds into my body.

It really saddens me when I hear of someone who is a smoker who had cancer and yet continues to smoke....perhaps they do not value their life?

I pray for health for all of us, and am in no way claiming to be any sort of expert...but I do believe there is an alternative out there...or at very least an additional measure to take....so we can continue on living a pain free, beautiful life to Enjoy!

Sunday, September 26, 2010

I Survived

Well, after my last entry, I am sure you have all been eagerly waiting to see if I survived the haunted Empress Hotel...well, yes I did. But I did NOT have very good sleeps let me tell you...listening for every creek, waiting for the curtains to blow and the windows to open and shut.....but nothing of the sort, THANK GOD.

My husband joined me the second evening, and we did get a chance to chat with a few of the staff members and found out that indeed it is the sixth floor that is "known" to be haunted...AND -get this- one of the rooms on the sixth floor they wont ever rent out to people!!!!! She wouldn't tell us what room (as the staff is not supposed to talk too much of such things, so not to scare folks away) but I am sufficiently scared away.....discount or not....I wont be staying there again alone...and NEVER on the sixth floor. It reminded me of this Stephen King movie with John Cusack that I STUPIDLY watched called 1408, where he is stuck in a haunted hotel room and gets tortured by odd/creepy/scary things...it was very scary to watch and now that's all I can think about when staying in hotels. Don't watch this movie if you travel a lot!

I had a golf tournament the next day for work at Highland Pacific, it was an absolutely gorgeous course...although we only played 9 holes, it was stunning.

The next day Ivan and I slept in a little, then went to the Blue Fox Cafe (sorry no website, but its at 919 Fort st.) for brunch. This is one of THE best brunch places I have ever eaten at. The portions are ginormous, but the food is top notch quality. I am trying to avoid gluten and wheat at the moment, so I opted for the steel cut oats with baked banana, roasted pecans and maple syrup...and OMG, this was the best oatmeal I have ever tasted. It also came with a side of toast....they had a gluten/wheat free option accompanied by house made jam..yum!!!!

Ivan had a half order of the eggs benny with chorizo, and avocado...DO NOT order a full order if you are a normal person....they are huge. I have tried this before, and although very rich...is also delicious. All of their breads and jams, and granolas are house made with the best ingredients....be warned...on weekends if you aren't there early, you WILL have to wait in line for a 30minutes...but its totally worth it as I know you will most certainly ENJOY!

Wednesday, September 22, 2010

A Haunted Empress???

Ahhhhh, Victoria. Here on a work trip. Love it every single time. Tonight, I opted for Milestones down in the Harbour. Normally I avoid chain restaurants…but I was craving their Grilled Seafood Salad…it is so delicious. Crisp greens, beautiful salmon, avocado, papaya salsa, roasted Italian tomatoes and smoky grilled tiger prawns…it is so awesome when you feel like a salad. If you go downstairs to their lounge type place…there is an outdoor patio and some inside seating…overlooking the twinkling Parliament Buildings….its kinda magical. I don’t mind dining alone at all…a nice glass of vino, with a lovely salad, and my blog….what a sweet evening. I am staying at the Prestigious Empress Hotel…very famous for their “high tea” I think it costs $75 bucks per person for the finest teas and crumpets, scones and finger sandwiches….as the Queen does…for sure worth the experience if you have a few extra hundred kicking around… But I prefer martini’s in the Bengal lounge…very king like.

Not only is this hotel famous for their high tea...they are also famous for their ghosts! I am feeling a little nervous as I am on my own, and staying at the Empress because my hubby can get me staff discount rates…. Sooooo, upon checking in, I advised the lady at the front to give me the least haunted room…furthest away from all ghosts. She immediately went back to her computer and said, oh, let me change your room then. I pretended she didn’t say that….and then she said….so I have moved you down to the third floor, from the sixth. I am shitting my pants as she says this….she continues….”because most people say the sixth floor is haunted” OMG…so I animatedly say “AND YOU HAD ME ON THE SIXTH FLOOR!!!!!!!!!!!” to which she replies…”well yes, but when you said you didn’t want a haunted room, I moved you as far away from the sixth as I could” OMG, OMG, OMG…that is crazy (for anyone who reads this blog in the next 100 years or who is older than 60, OMG means Oh my God!). So then I asked…"have you seen any ghosts here?"…then immediately coming to my senses before she can answer…I quickly say... “forget it…I don’t want to know” to which she replies “lets just say..I have worked here for 17 years” What the Fuck does that mean???!!!! I know exactly what it means….so I said "well the 3rd floor has a nice ghost right?"…and she says…ummm yes…like Casper. UGGGGGGGGGGG…..I think I will just sleep at the restaurant.
Unfortunately someone at the table beside me keeps farting and it smells bad….so off I go…wish me luck, as I am not entirely certain I will enjoy?

Tuesday, September 21, 2010

Petite Restaurant in Calgary

September 3rd was our 1 year wedding anniversary!!! I cannot believe a whole year has past so quickly. I have heard from some people that your first year of marriage is the toughest...and others that the first is the easiest. I am going with the second opinion...although not sure it's the easiest, as I have not yet experienced the next 50 years. But it has been pure bliss....I love my husband more and more each day! I actually love my Grandmother's saying...that every year is perfectly wonderful. She was married to my grandpa for over 50 years and they were just as in love the day he passed away as they were when they met years before.

Either way, we decided to celebrate with a trip to the Banff Springs Hotel. What a magical castle...the rooms are very expensive, but its such a wonderful place. You almost get goose bumps just driving up the entrance..it is so grand. We enjoyed a fantastic night of bubbles and appies in the room, then went down to the piano bar for some of the best pizzas and crab cakes ever, along with one of their signature martinis, then vino....it was a wonderful way to celebrate.

The next night we decided to head to Calgary to visit some of our friends. My girlfriend Stephanie suggested this place called Petite, and it was fabulous!!! Calgary has really stepped up to the plate in terms of dining these days. Granted we don't eat out there often...the locals seem to be very impressed with many of the restaurants there. This place was in the middle of nowhere...reminiscent of New York..where you are walking along some random side street and all of a sudden you stumble upon a bustling little treasure. The room is in fact petite in size....but certainly not in ambiance and flavour!

We were a party of 6, and they were about 5 seconds late seating us, so gave us each a lovely glass of Prosecco (one of my most favorite bevies). We sipped as we gazed at the menu and enjoyed the buzz of the small room. You must make reservations, as this place does not have a lot of tables and seems to be quite popular...and I can see why.

The service was wonderful, and the food just perfect. I started with the seared scallops with crispy prosciutto on greens...they melted in your mouth and were done to perfection. Ivan, and a few others tried out the yorkshire pudding. But it wasn't just ANY yorkshire pudding...it was unbelievable, and I was jealous I didn't order it. Picture the base of a fluffy Yorkshire, stuffed with braised short rib, and topped off with a lightly fried duck egg. It was unbelievable and the flavour combination was out of this world!!!

Main course for me was the braised short rib lasagna, which was probably the best I have ever tasted! And Ivan just told the server to bring out whatever the chef wanted to create to impress....(nice work babe) and it was a feast. He can't remember exactly what he had, but he loved every bite. It was a pork dish done two different ways, and I tried a nibble myself which was gorgeous. Others tried the Halibut, and also enjoyed thoroughly.

I would highly recommend this restaurant...it's not inexpensive, but worth the treat....as I KNOW you absolutely will ENJOY!!!!

Monday, September 20, 2010

Organic Lives Restaurant

I have recently been feeling the need for community and connection...being a part of something. It's a little more difficult to find such things as an adult, than it was when you were a kid. When I was young, I was involved in almost every single sport the school had to offer, and many other peer groups....I have always loved being a part of a group and feeling like one of the team.

So, working from home most of the time, doesn't really fulfill that need for me. I enjoy routine....my husband makes fun of me every time I say "I am going to start doing this every Monday night" or "every second Tuesday I am going to...." perhaps he makes fun of me, because I don't actually do it...not sure really.

But I love that Tuesdays and Thursday mornings there is a 6:30am yoga class....and I go, every chance I get. I used to love Sunday Family dinners...and I miss them dearly being so far away from my family. There is something comforting about routine to me...knowing, anticipating, committing...it just feels good. And it's a great way to begin a good habit. No one would ever get better at their craft or sport if they didn't have the discipline to practice every week, or every morning....so I am in search of a weekly community activity.

Tonight I went to this little weekly community event called One of a Kind Stories, which is held every Monday night at a wee restaurant called Organic Lives on Quebec St. It was a nice evening, whereby they have someone playing live music for the first 30 mins, and then introduce a speaker...who isn't famous, who hasn't found the cure for cancer, who is just a normal person living a normal life in the community. The creator of this weekly event is called Brock Tully and he is quite a wonderful human....you can't help but smile at his white hair and huge mustache...he always has a twinkle in his eye. He also hosts the World Kindness Concert every November, which I have gone to before and it is a lovely uplifting event to bring you into the Christmas Holiday spirit.

He believes that "community is created by sharing our stories from our heart." And that is exactly what this woman spoke about...her story, from her heart. Makes you realize that we truly are all on the same ride.

The restaurant was a delight! All raw, organic foods prepared fresh and lovingly. I didn't realize this when I ordered, as I advised that I am taking a break from gluten, wheat and dairy...the lady at the front said..oh good, because we don't have any of that in our foods! Perfect! They had a list of smoothies and juices which looked delicious, as did the dinner menu. I opted for the Spaghetti Primivera....she said it was gluten free...and it was! The plate that was placed in front of me, didn't look all that appealing, when I realized the food was not cooked and the "spaghetti" was actually long strands of zucchini....but one bite and I was shocked. It was delicious! The fresh tomato and basil sauce had more flavour than I think I have ever had! I only wish it had been a bit bigger. The portion sizes are a little small...however, if you pair it with a shake or a juice, it would be perfect! The lasagna and sushi looked awesome and I look forward to going back to try them out. Imagine...lasagna with no pasta or cheese.....sushi with no rice...my goodness, you should try this place out. The prices are fair..as the atmosphere is lacking...so think more of grabbing a bite and bringing along your favorite book.

While I did enjoy the One of a Kind Stories Series this evening...I don't think it will be my Monday evening ritual, but I am happy I went and I look forward to trying other things within my community to see what I really Enjoy!

Sunday, September 19, 2010

HOT JAMBALAYA BABY!!!

Wow, is all I can say. What an evening!!!! Ivan really outdid himself this time. Actually the whole day was wonderful. We slept in a little on Saturday morning...tossed around in the sheets for a while........ then went for a cup of tea, and a muffin at one of the most wonderful little hidden Kits treasures called Aphrodite Cafe. They make the BEST muffins, hands down, that I have EVER tasted. They bake them fresh daily...only have 1 kind for that day, and all of them are amazing. They are also known for their pies, which Ivan has tried and said it was wonderful..and their brunch is equally awesome...I am sure dinner and lunch would not disappoint! We sat there for a few hours and played cards and just relaxed, as I kicked his ass at our favorite game called Quiddler.

Then we walked back as I had an appointment with my naturopath, and Ivan made an appointment for himself as well!

After that we indulged in a massage at our favorite place Acalanatha, where it truly is a combination of pleasure and pain...gotta work those kinks out! After that, we decided to go for a long walk, then pick up a bottle of vino, and some groceries. We went to a new organic grocery store called Greens, and its a great little local place, and has the most friendly people working there...a very pleasant experience if you are in the hood. So we got our groceries and we then made the journey back home.

Ivan was making dinner....he chose a recipe from a fantastic book I had bought him when he moved to LA, called Starting Out: The Essential Guide to Cooking on Your Own. It is a wonderful book, with all of the basics, that I use often. He chose an ambitious recipe of spicy Jambalaya! So I hopped out of the shower to find my gorgeous hubby in his tight little boxer briefs wearing my red apron, pouring wine....HELLOOOOOOOOO.....all of my dreams have come true!!!! He looked sexy as hell and I was very pleased to perch on a bar stool, sip wine, nibble appies and watch him cook!!! OMG, seriously this is my fantasy....and I am living it....so he assembled everything perfectly in my new Le Creuset dutch oven...which every cook should invest in....what a wonderful piece to have...and its well worth the exorbitant price!

Beautiful aromas filled the house, and the dish was perfect...plump prawns, spicy Italian sausage, and braised chicken in a warm and flavorful spicy saucy rice....wow....we definitely now have two cooks in the house!

After dinner, there was dessert...but I most certainly will not be telling you about that part...but I can assure you, I did ENJOY!!!!

Friday, September 17, 2010

What I Want?

I really don't understand why people feel the need to reem others out for things that are beyond that persons control.

This is my job....the life I have currently chosen for myself and sometimes I think I am crazy for choosing such a profession. I work in Sales...but sell a product I have absolutely no control over, so I do my best to bring in the sales...just to have people shit all over me. Sometimes (like this past month) I just want to throw my hands up in the air and say Fuck it. But then I reconsider, and stay put.

Do I really think it would be better in another career??? I talked to someone last night who is following her dream of being a Kinesiologist....loves the work, but the $$ is shit. Then I talk to others who say their work is shit, but the $$ is great.

It seems there are the rare few who feel that the $$ is great and the work is their passion. I take that back...I am sure there are a LOT of folks out there who have that...but I have only ever met a few (perhaps I hang in the wrong circles). I totally believe it is possible....but I don't believe I can have the lifestyle I dream about, and have posted on my vision board....just from a "job", which is why my hubby and I invest...we put lots of $$ away, and continue to invest and seek out other opportunities for a well balanced portfolio.

So what If I were already rich...a billionaire....would I keep my job...NO....what would I do? For so many people, they have answers right on the tip of their tongue....ready to burst out....but I feel a little lost in this respect. And as we all know, if we don't have a clear goal in mind..how in the world can we ever achieve it?

This leads me to a little game that Ivan and I are due to play this weekend. It's another one of my wonderful life Coach, Christina Sestan of Citrus Coaching Solutions games. In this game, there is no winning or losing...no good or bad, and no expectations of a result or solution...the objective is simply to get to know yourself better and your partner. So one person takes a turn and just speaks of all the things they want....no comments/judgements or anything from the listener...and then you switch roles. I am excited to play this game with Ivan...and learn a thing or two about ourselves.

One thing is for sure....I really love to write, and to Eat...and cook and...... and...... speaking of which, time to get my butt ready for a night on the town with friends, which I know I will most certainly Enjoy!

Wednesday, September 15, 2010

Food Allergies-Detected

Crazy missing my blog! I watched Julie and Julia again for the 4th time and cried most of the way thru, because I just love that movie so much...hence the idea for my little blog adventure. If you haven't seen it...I highly recommend it....I watched it with my mama this time and dad and Ivan and I liked it even more than the first time.

Anyway, as many of you know I have been seeing a naturopath for the past few months in hopes of getting my tummy sorted out and feeling great. I have had horrible bloating issues since I was young....sometimes my stomach looks and feels like I am about 5 months pregnant...so uncomfortable...and not very sexy at all.

Anyway, Sonya (naturopath) had me on a restricted diet, eliminating all of the major common food allergens....but after a month, I was sick of doing that...so opted for a more definitive answer....and I took the blood test. It cost 300 bucks...but OMG, I found out I am allergic to Almonds....I have Almond milk EVERY day in my fruit shakes...and eat raw Almonds often....Eggs was another...yikes....I eat eggs every other day!! Soy...no problem...green beans!!! who knew....and of course the one I was dreading most... my beloved Dairy....no cheese for me. Pineapple was also high on the list to avoid completely.

Not bad overall. And she did say that if I can avoid all of these items for about 3 months, and take the recommended herbs and oils, that we can actually change the gut environment and make it more resilient and healthy once again, so I can re-incorporate raw cheese etc.

The blood test is called the E95 Basic Food Panel and I am thrilled that I got it done....so I know what the heck bloats me up so big like a balloon. I am excited to start making some of these food adjustments over the next while and see how I feel.

So the huge batch of gooey lasagna that I made on the weekend will be the last for a while....so I really made sure to Enjoy.

Wednesday, September 1, 2010

Were in VEGAS....Whooooooo!

I don't really know how I feel about Vegas yet. I just returned from 3 nights in this strange facade of a city. An illusion...something I had built up in my mind to be something that it wasn't quite....but sort of was.

I had not been to Vegas since I was young....under age and with mom, dad and brother. I will always remember it, because we were upgraded to first class, which was awesome...and as soon as we got to our hotel room in the Luxor we all hopped on the beds to watch the 2 hour finale of Seinfeld....we all laughed and bawled. Shayne and I got dressed up one evening...and went and stood in line to get into one of the clubs...we would wait until we got close to the front, and then would go to the back again, just so we could FEEL like we were a part of the scene...From a young ladies perspective..mixed with watching James Bond movies, the TV show Las Vegas...my image of Vegas was exactly that.

Vegas, may be that...if you have thousands of dollars to drop in order to get into all of the private parties and bars...but instead what I saw was row upon row upon row of tacky, white trash slot machines....overweight Americans with cigarettes hanging out of their mouth, eyes glazed over, staring at their machines, confused, perplexed, wondering why they aren't winning...why that brightly colored toy in front of them isn't fixing their lives. No James Bond here.

I went for a wedding, and did have a wonderful time...but not for the reasons one would think they should have in Vegas...yes the hotels are GORGEOUS...we stayed in the THEhotel at Mandalay Bay which was amazing...this was very James Bondesque...and much nicer than Mandalay Bay itself.






The first night was the Stagette, and 30 ladies took limos over to The Bank at the Bellagio. And make no mistake...it was a bar. It was kinda cool, because they had a huge table reserved right on the dance floor, which provided us with Table service...including our own security guard to walk us to and from the bathroom, and two amazingly hot, slutty chicks to cater to us and pour us cocktails all night...for a real steal of a deal of only $5,000.00!!!!! Wasn't so bad because we all split up the cost for the evening, which justified it a bit ..hahaha. But all in all....no mistaking, this was a bar, with really loud, ear crushing music and 21 year old college kids. I had a great time being with the girls and dancing till 4am...but I really wouldn't go back to Vegas for this scene.

The next day was hell and bliss. Hell because I was so hung over my eyes were crossed all day....bliss, because one of my best gal pals arrived and we spent the day walking the strip and window shopping. We got so lost in all of the casino hotels, one leading into the next, it was hard to actually just find our bloody way OUT....the issue may have been that we were drunk. You can buy cocktails and sip while you walk and shop...and that is just what we did....all the way until 9pm! Realizing it was really late, we hopped a cab to the hotel to take a nap....and woke up almost 2hrs later not feeling like going out at all.....we felt horribly guilty for not going out while we were in Vegas...so instead, we went out for a nice midnight dinner of eggs and chicken noodle soup.

The last day was the BEST however! We decided to go to the private pool called moora at Mandalay Bay....not the main one with families and kids running around. This was a 21+ club type pool, where the pretty people play. I LOVE Irena, because she is always dressed to the nines...looks perfect always....and she ever so clearly explained to me that WE ARE IN VEGAS, SO WE MUST DRESS UP TO GO TO THE POOL....what a concept....full hair, makeup, earrings, bracelets and HEALS......never done this before...but LOVED it. I felt like a million bucks...super sexy as we sat in the chaise lounge, basking in the sun as my bum turned into a lobster...mmmm real hot. My body now looks like I have a permanent white bikini on.....easy to burn when you skin is the color of ghost (as my dear friend LB once said). So we took this theme from the pool and dressed up everywhere! Even did a wardrobe change after the wedding....can't waste an outfit!!!

We rocked out the day at the pool...many of the folks from the wedding party joined us as we all sipped pitchers of fresh mojitos and got our happy on!

The wedding was lovely...but ended much too early, so we zipped over to the silly little lounge in the hotel, where we partied until around 4am then went for dinner. Have you noticed a trend...I have jet lag from Vegas and we are in the same fricken time zone!

All in all, I absolutely want to go back one day...most likely with Ivan and another couple or two...I feel like I just scratched the surface of Vegas...and I want to get to the gritty core.

Viva Las Vegas and Enjoy!