The BEST bakeries In Vancouver

So we basically live on bakery row in Vancouver.  It is ridiculous how many unbelievably amazing bakeries and cafes there are along West Broadway in Kits...and we live right smack in the midst of each tempting little place.

I never really went into any of these places before...because, well I never had a sweet tooth before and being the health conscious gal that I am...I often made my own low-fat cookies and baking....that is until I had a baby!  Not sure what has come over me since our little bundle of joy arrived...but I am just LOVING the baked goods.  It first started when my mom came to visit when Dutch was born....she knows Ivan has an insatiable sweet tooth...and that I refuse to keep store bought cookies and crap in the house...so she would sneak out and buy him stuff.  Well this time she went across to the new brownie shop called Yaletown Brownies where there slogan is "We make the best brownies in town" and you better believe THEY DO!!! OMG....brownies have always just been okay to me ...really could take em or leave em....but these brownies are bloody amazing!!! So dense and rich and moist...its almost like eating fudge...but not as intense and gummy as fudge....and they have so many different kinds....my faves are the Pecan Caramel and Peppermint...Ivan digs the white chocolate...but even the gluten free is wicked good....really you can't go wrong.  This is the PERFECT thing to bring as a hostess gift if you are heading to a dinner party or a gathering...they are a bit pricey...but I dare you to get through a whole bar.....usually half does me in...we like to get a few different kinds and cut them into four so we can share the love.

Then a few months or so ago a girlfriend had to drop her baby off with Ivan to watch for a few moments while she ran out...and the bitch returned with the most AMAZING croissants I have ever tasted from Thomas Haas .  I had never bothered to go in before as I thought it was just all fancy chocolates...but oh no..these croissants are just the perfect texture of light and flaky...yet tender and heavenly.  So I just HAD to go there the following weekend to treat myself...only when I entered the store, I knew I was in trouble because they had about 4 or 5 different kinds of beautiful decadent croissants all screaming my name...I settled on the double baked Almond...and I almost couldn't finish it, it was so rich and totally over-the-top...but completely amazing. Everything in that store looked amazing...I hate knowing that we live right beside it.

Then last weekend my brother and sister in law came for a visit with our nephew and I didn't have time to make breakfast in the morning, so I asked Ivan to grab a few bagels from Safeway.  Well these dinks came back with not only the most fabulous bagels ever...but they brought 6 beautiful cinnamon buns from Solly's .  Now these weren't the typical giant doughy, gummy bloat you up for a month, cinnamon buns drowning in frosting..they were light and ever so slightly flaky.. and had so much flavor and substance...they were what cinnamon buns ought to be...how your great gramma probably made them.  This Jewish bakery gets top marks for these babies. My husband typically doesn't like cinnamon buns at all...he would just rather not have one...but even he loved these.  Upon my sister-in-laws recommendation we even froze the last one and ate it the other day...of course not as good as fresh...but still pretty sucken good!

I think we are going to seriously have to consider moving out of this neighbourhood if only so we can save our asses and bellies....Ivan complains all the time about how much weight he mysteriously seems to be gaining.....not much of a mystery when you eat a brownie for lunch and a DQ blizzard for an afternoon snack.  Oh yeh....we also live by a Dairy Queen....but I don't give a crap about that...I don't care for DQ products...but Ivan loves those blizzards...especially in the summer.

So as you can see, it is pure torture for someone with a sweet tooth to live in this area (I haven't even mentioned Nottes Bon Ton - Ivan's favorite since he was a kid....try the diplomat cake...or his traditional treat...the Christmas Log)...I am so lucky I am breastfeeding right now, as it really does help to keep the post-baby weight down...after I indulge in all of these amazing treats..I just pop the little guy on my boob instead of going to yoga or the gym...I may just have to continue breastfeeding forever....hahahah.

So if you are in the mood...or should I say, if your mood needs a little lift and an indulgent snack is what you are after...head to West Broadway in Kitsalano and Enjoy!!!!

Leaving Baby with a Sitter for the first time!

So last night we left Dutch with a babysitter for the first time!!!!  Other than leaving him with my parents or a few hours with one of my best girlfriends, we have not left our 7 month old son with a babysitter.  But last night was Ivan's birthday and I had thrown him a bit of a surprise party so I had no choice but to hire a sitter.

What a daunting task for a new mommy....it was easy to find a babysitter thank goodness...I think I was very lucky that the new family that just moved in across the hall have a teenage daughter who was anxious to babysit. 

Knowing I would need a babysitter for this particular evening, I had to make sure she was prepared (or maybe I was attempting to prepare myself).  So I asked her to come over so we could have a quick chat about the details....I casually sat her down and then asked her a few simple questions.

So how was your day today??? uh hu...whatever...anyway...

How old are you?
Have you babysat before?
Have you held a baby before?
How old was the baby?
Do you feel comfortable around babies?
Do you take drugs and alcohol?
Do you have sex?
Have you ever kidnapped a baby?

Okay maybe I didn't ask those bottom few....but I damn well wanted to.

The first interview went well...I asked how much she charged, and I felt $7 bucks an hour was a steal considering most of my girlfriends have told me that the going rate is a whopping $15/hr!!!!!  I guess she charged so little because it was her FIRST babysitting job.  I don't think I would have hired her if it weren't for the fact that her mom and dad were right across the hall.

So I had her come over a second time to practice picking up Dutch and putting him in the crib, then taking him out and sitting on the couch with him.  This poor girl must have thought I was a complete nightmare....but whatever...its MY baby and if I want to see how you handle MY BABY then you better just do it.  And so she did...Dutch seemed to like her, so I was feeling pretty good.

I restrained myself from having her come over a third time....so the big night rolled around...she was 2 minutes early (good girl) and I felt sick leaving our little baby with this strange young gal....but alas...I did.

We arrived at the party at 7:30...I quickly busied myself greeting guests and making sure the food and bevies were flowing...people were coming up to chat....I slapped on a face of interest..all the while thinking OMG what if this strange family was plotting to move in beside us so they could steal Dutch and fly to another country....they did look a bit shifty last time I saw them in the elevator....yes..Hi..oh thanks for coming to Ivan's party.......uh hu...uh hu...uh hu......Yes, I am sure this family is a bunch of professional baby stealers....so by 8:25 I just had to call.  Ivan told her we would call her on the house phone (good thinking hubby...if I called her on her cell she could be anywhere with Dutch...at the airport...the mall...out at the park drinking with her gang member friends)....ring ring ring ring ring......hello...comes this sweet little innocent voice across the line.  Hey!...I casually say in my "oh I'm such a cool mom" voice...so how's everything going??????  Just fine, she says (liar...are you really at the airport right now...OH wait...I called the house line) Dutch has been sleeping soundly since you left.

Ahhhhhhhhhhhh....and breathe new mama...breathe......okay thanks...that's all I needed to hear.

Champagne here I come!!!!  The evening was lovely and a good time was had by all....we arrived home to a sweet young girl doing her homework on the couch and my snugly little baby safe and warm in his bed. 

So to all you new moms out there...I KNOW you think these thoughts too (because you have told me yourselves)....no worries...we are all in the same boat...we just have to remember to take a moment to breathe and Enjoy!

Thank You Husband

So as I had mentioned in my last blog...I really think it is how you are brought up, or what you are used to....the influence you had regarding whether to celebrate or how to celebrate your mom on mothers day.  As a child you simply wouldn't know the occasion existed..or even if you did, you wouldn't know what to do.  So it is up to all the daddies out there to set the example!

I think our little boy will have the very best example set by his wonderful father.  It was my first mother's day this year and Ivan admitted he didn't remember when the date was...but someone at work had brought it up.  So he gave me some advanced notice that he would like to celebrate by taking Dutchie for the day so I could get out and do something for myself.  And boy did I!!!  I went to the spa and got a deliciously relaxing 75 min facial.  Then I enjoyed a cup of steaming tea and a giant muffin while reading trash magazines...it was a morning of pure bliss.   Of course I found myself thinking of Dutch and if he was hungry, or if this or if that...so I did call a few times...but Ivan assured me that they were having a wonderful time.

I then zipped to the fish market to purchase some fresh seafood for dinner!!! Ivan had asked me to pick out a recipe so he could cook me dinner....this was music to my ears.  Although a little overwhelming...when my hubby says he wants to cook (which he does about twice a year), but I have to choose the recipe...OMG it took me days to decide...but I finally chose a Cioppino recipe that looked simple but fabulous.

I went home to feed my little man and myself and then off I went again to do a little clothing shopping...but then started to feel guilty for leaving Ivan with Dutchie all day....but trying to convince myself I deserved the break....I tell ya...a woman's brain has never been tested and worked over so intensely once there are children involved.  It's exhausting sometimes.  Nevertheless, I did manage to find two beautiful party dresses.....I went in for some simple tops that would disguise my new mommy tummy...but instead bought two fabulous party dresses???!!! Not sure when or where these parties are happening...but I am ready for when they do.

Picked up a few more groceries for dinner and made a mad dash back home.  We bathed and fed our perfect little angel and then Ivan turned on the tunes and poured me a glass of bubbles while I sat up at the bar watching him prepare an absolutely amazing dinner...in his underwear I might add.  I was in heavan......I loved every moment of it.  There is only one thing I enjoy more than cooking...and that is being cooked for!!! 

We enjoyed a beautiful meal...finished off the bubbles and I couldn't have felt more celebrated if I tried.  My husband made a real effort to make me feel special for my first mother's day and I think because he made this effort...and hopefully does in years to come..our son will be raised with a good appreciation of this lovely occasion.  So Ivan, I want to Thank You so very much for making me feel wonderful for my very first mother's day...for choosing to recognize the occasion...even though I am "not your mother" I feel blessed for these lessons you are teaching our little son.

I look forward to celebrating you on Father's day.

Enjoy.

Thank You Mom

Growing up, I don't remember doing anything outstanding for Mother's Day. My brother and I probably made mom some sort of silly crafts or drawing when we were in school....but we didn't try to make pancakes or breakfast in bed...and in hindsight I think that is most likely because our dad didn't promote that kind of behavior. He doesn't know how to cook and gets lost in the fridge if something isn't "right in front of your nose" as mom would always say. So what I do remember is dad taking us all out for a mothers day brunch...often times to a nice hotel where they had a huge buffet (definitely more my dad's style of celebration)...I think my mom enjoyed it.

Now as an adult, if my mom and I are in the same city on mothers day, I always like to take her for a manicure or pedicure, or lunch or something of the sort that we can do together.  If we are not in the same city then I do my best to send a little treat in the mail....a phone call goes without question.

I really do think it is up to the father to instill the importance of honoring your mom on mother's day.  Of course children have no idea that mothers day comes every year in May, to them its just another day...and if not encouraged to take pause and celebrate the occasion, it would certainly be "just another day."  I am glad our father took mom out every year as a Thank You....it did instill a certain appreciation in us kids.

That said, as a new mom...who is already overwhelmed by all of the new duties and chores and stuff to do, I think my mom deserved to be taken out for brunch every week!  My son is only 7 months old, so yes there is a lot of laundry, pureeing of baby foods, diaper changes, tidying, breastfeeding ..and the list goes on.  But I have only been doing this for 7 months.  To even begin to think about all of the amazing things that our mom did for us over the past 34 years (and is still doing today) is mind numbing.  How in the world did you have time to work every day, yet pack us an amazingly wonderful lunch (enviable by any kid around) and every day in that lunch bag would be a napkin with a special note...just for me.  "Good afternoon Sunshine"...with a drawing of a smiling sun...."I love you" with hearts...." Have a wonderful day".  Everyday it was something new and exciting...and it was a message just for me and it always always made me smile.  And where did you find the time to be home from work when we came home from school so you could make us a snack...that fridge and freezer were always full to the brim with delicious foods....I don't ever remember seeing an empty fridge.  And where on earth, after doing all of the laundry, ironing, cleaning, sewing of buttons and helping with homework did you find the time to make us all a wonderful, and well balanced home made dinner every single night???!!! 

You made it to all of my sporting events and later on when I fell in love with every other boy I met, you knew not to patronize me or call it puppy love...you listened and you felt sad when I had a heartache.  you made it seem okay and not weird or uncomfortable when I needed my first training bra and had my first period...you always knew just the right thing to say or do.  And when you found my cigarettes and vodka bottles that I thought I had so cleverly hid...you didn't ground me or punish me...you just talked to me about it.  The disappointment in your voice didn't go unnoticed.   When I wanted to go out partying or to the bar, you always said to call no matter what time..no matter where I was...just to let her know I was okay....and if I wasn't, you would always come and pick me up...with no judgement, no scolding...just a safe and warm ride home.

When your grandson was born, you came out to cook and clean and take care of us all for a month.  You never judged the decisions I made with my new son...just encouraged and supported me....and for all of these things and a million more, I salute you mama and I Thank You from the bottom of my heart.  I can only hope that I can be as great a mother to my son as you are to me.

I love you

Enjoy.

Tea and Muffin with my Son

Ivan and I used to go for a tea and muffin and a game of cards every weekend to one of our favorite cafes...this of course, was before we had a baby.  It was one of my most favorite things to do with my hubby and I looked forward to it all week long. A chance to just be together and relax and catch up while nibbling on a scrumptious muffin and sipping tea.  The scrumptious muffin part is important, cause I ain't eatn no shitty commercially made muffin.  I want it made fresh, with beautiful ingredients and its gotta be that perfect texture.  For me that is a Capers/Whole Foods or Aphrodites muffin if we are in Kits.  I regress....the muffin caught me up. 

Anyway, the point of my story is, since we had our little baby, this weekend tradition has sadly been put on hold.  Dutch generally has two naps in the morning without enough time in between to get out for a tea and muffin.  But this morning he woke up really early from his first nap and I was dying to have a muffin for breaky....unfortunately Ivan was out working this morning, so I speedily put Dutch in his stroller, and off we power walked to Aphrodites...the sun was out and it was a gorgeous morning....I was so excited to sit in the cafe..chat with our favorite server, read a fluffy magazine, sip tea, slather my fresh muffin in butter and just enjoy.  REALLY Heather....I mean REALLY....is that what you actually thought would happen...here's how it really went:

9:00am-Arrive at muffin shop-try to get stroller through door...bang door numerous times until it fits through
9:02am-There is a line up with one gal behind the counter...and not my favorite gal.  I quickly park the stroller to claim the last open table..Dutch starts to wimper.
9:08am-Finally I am served...I choose the rasberry chai muffin, ask for butter and a green tea. I am stoked...I gather up a bunch of reading materials and plop myself down at the table.
9:12-Girl brings muffin and tea...grabs a cube of butter out the of FREEZER and plops it on my plate and rushes off to serve the others.
9:15- I attempt to melt the butter by placing the dish over my steaming tea
9:16-Dutch is squirming..he wants out of the stroller- I pick him up and try to knife some butter..still frozen..it goes flying off my plate.
9:17-shove butterless muffin in mouth..Dutch pulls my hair and starts to fuss again.
9:20-We leave

Ah well...we wont be doing that again any time soon...especially without daddy's help.  I am certainly grateful for the many years my husband and I got to enjoy our tea and muffin time...and I look forward to doing it again when our boy is a bit older and can eat his own muffin.

Enjoy.

Making baby food at home

Well cooking has become more a part of my life than ever with our little man starting to eat solids.  Being a bit of a health nut myself, I decided I really wanted to make all of Dutchies foods vs. buying the jars.  At first I thought it was so simple I wondered how anyone could get the store bought stuff...but now he is eating more and more and his likes and dislikes are becoming more apparent...and it is difficult to ensure he has a balanced diet....so for these reasons alone..I now place no judgement on anyone who purchases their baby food!  Not that I did before...I just really understand now...especially if some moms have to go back to work early.

Nevertheless...I still want to do it, and I am having fun experimenting with new combinations and starting to add a bit of spice as well.  So far, I think he is a really good eater.  He eats lots of the things he loves and not much of the things he doesn't.  If he doesn't like one thing...but I know it's healthy for him and he needs it..then I mix it in with another.

So his favorite things are yams and butternut squash ( I don't blame him...a couple of my faves too). He also loves peas...but is not much for broccoli, kale, collard greens or swiss chard. Are you thinking who the eff gives their baby swiss chard...are you wondering what the eff swiss chard is hahahha.  Well because we don't eat much meat I want to ensure he is getting enough iron...so I also used my handheld blender to puree quinoa in with the squash/greens mixture and he loved it!

Breakfasts are a cinch..he absolutely loves apples and pears.  Mash up an avocado with banana and he will eat that all day long.  And I have recently discovered that he will pretty much eat anything with cinnamon sprinkled on top.

The best appliances for the job are a steamer...I even steamed dried prunes the other day to soften them up and pureed with some apples. And my handheld blender...it works the absolute best (better than my large and small food processors and blender) for creamy baby food.

My goal is to get into some kind of system where I only cook once a week and freeze a weeks worth of different meals so I am not scrambling to make something.  So far so good...and soon enough he will be able to start eating what we eat...but in the meantime, I am enjoying cooking for my baby and I feel good about doing it....I even eat the leftovers if there are any : )

If you have the time a great reference book that one of my amazingly wonderful friends/supermom gave me is called Superfoods for Babies and Children it has given me lots of great ideas and helped ease me into the process.  Certainly doesn't hurt to pick up a book if you are a new mom and have absolutely zero idea how to make baby food.....on that note...babe is now crying for his mommy. Enjoy.

Artichoke Fun!

The other day I was shopping at Capers/Whole Foods and I saw these big beautiful artichoke globes. They were on sale and so I had to buy a couple.  I remember my mom making these when we were young...but have not had em since.  Yes I have had them out of a jar or can...but fresh and warm...such a different experience.

I first washed and trimmed them up a bit and boiled them in a small amount of water with a garlic clove, lemon slices and a bay leaf...I checked them after 25mins, but they were not yet ready....I gave em another 10mins and then I tugged on one of the leaves towards the center (with tongs) and it came out easily.  I drained them upside down for a few minutes and then served em up on plates for Ivan and I.

They were so fun to eat...something different for sure.  You basically pluck each leaf and then pull them in between your teeth so you scrape off the tender "meat".  I made up a quick lemony mayo (organic mayo, lemon zest, lemon juice and pepper) and we dipped each leaf in the creamy sauce and then ate away.  Ivan said it was kind of like eating popcorn.  I would def serve these as a starter for a dinner party...kind of a conversation piece and super fun to eat.  The best part is when you get to the center (heart) and you scoop out the fuzzy top and enjoy the heart with your fork and knife...its like a little hidden treasure that is so tender and has such a delicate flavor.

These babies are in season now...so try em out and Enjoy!

The Preppy Mom

The other day I had an audition. I have had the tips of my toes dangling in the world of commercial acting for ohhh about 7 years now.  A pretty unsuccessful 7 years I might add. But now that I am on Maternity leave, I have given my agent the go ahead to get me out to auditions as much as possible.  So the interesting thing is you are sent a "breakdown" of the character and what they are looking for...ex. Tall good-looking, fit black man 30-35yrs old.....short, Caucasian woman with warm eyes 40-50yrs etc etc.  I always find it interesting to read these descriptions to see exactly how my agent perceives me.  So this particular commercial breakdown was looking for two different Caucasian actresses. 

#1-Sexy bombshell early 30s

Whoop whoop...that's me to a tee..isn't it....uhhh oh wait a sec...then I see that my agent has submitted me for:

#2 - Preppy mom-late 30s 

Really?...Really?!...I am not even mid Thirties yet...and yes I may be a mom, but my baby is only 6 months....does this automatically transition me out of sexy bombshell into the "mom" category.  I suppose the leftover mashed yams that are stuck on my shirt may have given it away...or perhaps its the bit of spit up on my white militant nursing bra? Maybe its the fact that I have been wearing the same jogging pants and tank top for the past 4 days that was a clue.  Either way...having a baby is more than worth moving into the late 30s preppy mom category.....but I will be the cutest damn preppy mom they ever did see.
Enjoy.