Tuesday, June 28, 2011

Seattle here we come!

My gosh, where has the time gone.  I remember when I first started this blog, I would write daily...I would get up in the middle of the night to blog if I had missed a day.  It always amazes me how I can get so excited, and passionate about "something" and really love doing it, but then let it slide...I guess the novelty wore off?  It's not that I have lost my love for writing, and its not that I have such a busy life that I have no time to do something that I enjoy....but I think I just forget...I get absorbed with other things I suppose.

Nevertheless, here I am...here we are.  So much has happened since my last entry I really don't even know where to begin....but I will tell you about my minor (to me major) success last week.

Ivan was doing the Ride to Conquer Cancer from Vancouver to Seattle again this year, and since  I missed him at the finish line last year, I really wanted to be there for him this year....BUT I didn't want to do the drive alone.  So I was hoping someone would come with me...but alas...it didn't work out.

Why was I so scared to do the drive alone, I really have no idea...I suppose my dad's voice in my head..as it sometimes is telling me its too dangerous...I shouldn't be doing it while pregnant...not that he actually said these things...but that is what I heard him saying.

The trip was only about 3hrs, but I think it was crossing the boarder and getting lost that scared me the most.  But I made a final decision and went for it.  I woke up early Sunday morning and had a nice leisurely drive...got to the boarder and my heart started beating like crazy....like I am some "bad" person, with something to hide....but after balking at my smuggling in rice cakes and an apple, they sent me on my merry way.  I stopped at one of the outlets and bought myself a new purse and wallet, and was feeling extremely pleased with myself, so headed on to meet my amazing racing man.

The map quest directions let me right to the middle of nowhere...the center of a small town with a dead end road.  But I was almost an hour early, so not to panic.  I decided to park and walk into a few stores to ask people where the race was ending.......but no such luck...people had no idea.  I drove on, and asked more...they said oh maybe here..or maybe there...so I drove on and asked more...i probably asked 20 people...my phone was dead, and I was really starting to get upset when I got the call from Ivan asking where I was...he had crossed the finish line and so there in the Safeway parking lot I proceeded to bawl my little eyes out.....like really messy cry...not pretty cry.  I felt so awful that once again I had missed his big moment.

I finally made it over to him, and instead of us celebrating his major success, it was all about how to calm the pregnant girl down...which I did eventually.  All was not lost, however, because we spent the night at the Fairmont which is beautiful and had a fabulous dinner at The Metropolitan Grill , where Ivan dove into a steak with blue cheese, and I opted for their Grilled Portobello veggie platter which was completely amazing, it felt like eating a steak.  I bought him a bottle of bubbles for the room to celebrate, and we slept in the next morning which was bliss.  We strolled around Pike Place Market which is an absolute MUST, Ivan did a little wine tasting, while I tasted some truffle oils and salts. We bought some big, beautiful bakery items from the best bakery called Piroshky  filled with gluten I assure you.....but it was a real treat!  Then we walked some more, and ended up spotting this adorable roof top patio overlooking the water, where we stopped for a lazy lunch. The restaurant was called The Pink Door which had very simple, beautiful foods with excellent fresh, and thoughful ingredients.  The patio was amazing...but the interior looked fabulous as well.

We didn't rush home, but stopped at a few of the outlets along the way home and just enjoyed the drive.  I couldn't help but thinking what the heck was I so scared of...imagine if I didn't go...I would still have this silly fear, and would have missed out on such a special time away with my hubby....yet another lesson learned.

My love...next year our child and I will for sure be waiting for you at the finish line!!!

Enjoy

Thursday, June 16, 2011

Tips for non-sports lovers

Last night we had a bunch of people over to watch the Stanley Cup Final game.  In my earlier posts I had mentioned how I really dislike hockey and find it so time consuming that I feel my hubby disappears for months on end....so I was happy that it was all finally over last night.  I suppose the outcome was terribly disappointing for some, and not for others.

Ivan took it very well, and although I "think" he is obsessed with the game, his life clearly isn't dictated by the outcome as much as I may have thought.  He was a bit sad that the Canucks didn't win, but was like..oh well, whatever..it is what it is.

But then there is my brother....who's emotions and life I think are a bit more dictated by the win/loss of "his" team.  He HATES the Canucks...like I mean, he pours so much energy into hating them, I think it may be bad for his health.  He decided to passionately support ANY team that the Canucks went up against during the playoffs...he went so far as to buy a Bruins Jersey...what a nut.  Out of the 9 or 10 people that were over last night, he was the only one who was so happy and cheerful it was kinda funny.

I must reiterate the fact that I simply don't get it....now, I will admit the playoffs were kinda fun, because we did end up getting together with many friends to have dinner and watch the game together over the past month....so it was a good excuse to see some folks.  But to have so much emotion invested in an entity outside of your control would really drive me bonkers.  But my bro has always been that way...I guess we are all different....and clearly there were many people who were so passionately brainwashed by this thing we call sport that they took to disgraceful measures.  These people need to find something else they can pour their beliefs and venom into....not destroying a city and injuring people...so sad.

I will say that I enjoyed the evening immensely....and the food was yummy...I am really getting the hang of this cooking for larger crowds thing....Asian slaw, baked beans with smoky bacon, burgers, grilled portabellos and roasted asparagus....watching sports isn't so bad so long as there is lots of delicious foods and fun friends to toast!

Enjoy

Tuesday, June 7, 2011

Pearl Barley

I made a recipe the other day using Pearl Barley.  In my continued efforts to find gluten/wheat free foods to enjoy, I think I hit the jackpot here!  Now research does show that Barley does have a small amount of Gluten content so should be avoided by celiacs, and I am not a celiac, and apparently this gluten is different than the gluten found in Wheat.  And it is on my "safe" list of items to eat.  Anyway, I don't think I have ever prepared Barley before, so it was fun and super easy to try.

I found the recipe in one of my most favorite books, bought for me by my dear friend Aryn called Meals in Heals .  It had olives, sundried tomatoes, capers and a bunch of other yummy stuff.  We have been pigging out on it for the past few days as it kept beautifully in the fridge...so healthy.

So what I learned about making barley....the water to barley ratio didn't seem to matter all that much...I would say double the water per cup of barley and simmer like you would rice...it took about 30mins and was so nice and creamy, yet firm...I just LOVED this grain. I get tired of eating Quinoa sometimes and barley feels so much more rich and luxurious on the tongue...I think you could add just about anything to it..use it as a side instead of potatoes or rice just to mix things up.  There are a bunch of recipes for barley risotto which I would imagine due to the consistency would be amazing!

Give this power food a whirl and enjoy!

Sunday, June 5, 2011

Cibo Trattoria

So I went out with a client/friend for dinner on Friday which was a lot of fun....and I got to pick the place.  It's funny because I always have a bunch of restaurants I am "dying" to try out in Van, but as soon as I have the opportunity, they all seem to escape my mind...I really should keep a list!

So I did a google search and this place called Cibo Trattoria kept popping up as a best Italian resto, and it looked kinda cool, so figured let's try!

It was a lovely little hole in the wall in the Moda hotel. The decor was very European style with exposed brick, simple tables and decor...but the feeling was charming all around.  It was about half full, which was okay with me, as I am starting to really hate noisy restaurants.  Clearly I must be getting OLD...because if I can't hear my dinner companions, and have a soar throat from speaking loudly after dinner..forget it, I am OUT!  So this was perfect, as we got to chat and really enjoy the food.

We started with the prosciutto wrapped asparagus with morels which was rich and delish, and we also had the bruschetta which had a modern twist with anchovies, braised greens, and full of flavour.  We each opted to try the Cod for dinner which was so tender and served on a bed of slow cooked giant peas drizzled in a heavenly sauce.  We split the tasty fingerling potatoes and arugula salad to complete the meal and were both pleasantly satiated.

I would certainly go back to Cibo to try their house made pastas and their other creative specials, as the entire menu sounded awesome...it changes daily to incorporate seasonal, fresh ingredients which is always a winner in my books.

Give it a try and Enjoy!

Friday, June 3, 2011

Cafe Regalad-Kitsalano

So yesterday I arrived home from working on the Island quite late and we were hungry (well I am eating for 2).  The small dinner I had on the ferry back just didn't cut it!  We were both feeling tired..there were no groceries in the house, so we put our shoes on and decided to go to the Naam.  I felt like something healthful and fresh.

We walked down to the restaurant only to find a line up out the door...dang that place.  Its not even that fabulous...but it is a vegetarian haunt, and all of the cheap collage kids and Kits hippies love it, so we were out numbered and decided to march on.  We walked one block over and were going to search for something else, when we past this little bistro that looked so cozy and bustling inside, we stopped in our tracks.  We had never seen this place before, yet it was obviously quite popular as almost every table was full.  The name was Cafe Regalade which apparently means to enjoy, or drink freely from the bottle...something like that.

What a charming, authentic French resto...the decor was simple, European style, yet comfortable and homey.  The tables were narrow and close together which was a little awkward to get in and out of without shoving your ghetto bootie in the next tables dish....but that's the European flair for you.  It certainly made for easy browsing, as we checked out our neighbours food picks for the evening. 

The crowd was mixed in age, but everyone was dressed well...which was so nice for a change.  Kits has a serious dining problem...the problem is, it is mainly composed of pub after pub filled with Uni kids or little mediocre Asian, Greek and Japanese quick stops....the neighbourhood has really lacked a mid-range upscale resto.  There used to be Lumiere, which was too over the top....but this is just right.  The food...ah yes, the food was absolutely amazing.  I wasn't starving so I ordered the trio of salads...one with Quinoa, mango and basil.  Another with beautiful tender beets and the most delicious tomato confit I have ever tasted...I loved the simple combination and it was exactly what I was in the mood for.  Although that didn't stop me from sneaking bites of Ivan's rich, and robust Le Cassoulet de la Regalade. Beautiful, fall off the bone lamb, with hunks of streaky bacon and sausage simmered in a bath of herbs with tender/firm white beans...what a beautiful dish. 

They also have a very french charcuteries and cheese selection, wine selection and pastry selection...and the most amazing thing about this charming little place....not ONE menu item is over $20!!!!!  So next time you are looking for a romantic, yet easy going place to feast..try Cafe Regalad and Enjoy!!!!