Homemade Chocolate Bars

CHOW has come up with great recipes for some classic chocolate bars. Living in a condo, we don't get any trick or treaters so I didn't buy any Halloween candy. However, these grown up versions might be worth making for a scary movie marathon.

3 Things...

First,

New Black Keys single! Not surprisingly, I loved it the minute I heard it. It's going to be on heavy rotation until their new album comes out on Dec. 6th.

Secondly,

The new TELUS Spark Science Centre opens this weekend! Adult, teenager, child, whoever you may be- you must check it out. I got a sneak preview of it last weekend and it is incredible!  Starting in December on the second Tuesday of every month, they'll have adult only nights. Such a cute date idea! I can't wait to go back (not wearing a dress next time) to climb the jungle gym and shoot the air guns!

Last, but not least,

Have a great weekend and Happy Halloween!

Red Pants

Our trip to Portland meant a trip to J. Crew where I was trying to find a turquoise pencil skirt that I had seen online. Unfortunately, when I got there they didn't have said skirt. I was about to admit defeat and leave when I came across the most amazing wide leg, red pants. I was a bit nervous at first. Could I really pull off red pants? Yes. The answer was most certainly yes. There's something about them that puts a little pep in your step. They're so fun and surprsingly versatile. Here's a bit of inspiration in case you're in doubt.

All photos via Pinterest

Braaaaains!

My life seems consumed by zombies as of late (not literally, obviously. If that were the case, I wouldn't be writing this. I'd be packing a survival kit and heading north).
The Walking Dead is back on AMC and I'm almost done reading World War Z by Max Brooks.

Photo found here

In preparation for Halloween, I present to you a bit of a survival guide in case you should find yourself trying to out run the undead.

DIY Halloween Decorations

We STILL haven't made Halloween plans, but these decorations are making me want to throw a party.

Balloons with glowsticks inside and covered with cheesecloth

Tissue paper fans and cheesecloth

Pumpkin bowl

All found via Pinterest

Coffee Joulies

Coffee Joulies are one of the coolest things I've seen in a long time. They absorb the heat from your too hot coffee and cool it down to the perfect drinking temperature. Then, they release all that extra heat into your coffee to keep it at that temperature for twice as long. It has to do with the melting and solidifying of the material inside the beans. It's all quite scientific, but you can read more about it on their website.

You can't buy Joulies yet, but they're working on getting them out in the market (these ones came from Kickstarter). Keep an eye on their website for your chance to get your hands on them.

75 Tastes of Calgary

Happy Friday!

Where Magazine came up with a great list of 75 Tastes of Calgary. It's perfect for trying new places or re-visiting some Calgary classics.

Here they are:

1. “The Whole Truck” at Alley Burger Food Truck
2. Grilled Cheese at Janice Beaton
3. The Crave-O-Licious Cupcake at Crave
4. Vegetarian Pad Thai at Delicious Thai
5. Ricotta Gnocchi at Capo
6. The Masala Mogo at Safari Grill
7. Scones by Sidewalk Citizen Bakery
8. A Latte at DeVille Luxury Coffee & Pastries
9. Bone Marrow and Foie Gras Spring Roll at Rouge
10. Falafel Pita at Chick Pea
11. The Speck E Ruccula Pizza at Pulcinella
12. Duck Confit Poutine at Laurier Lounge
13. Pig Head Mortadella and Brassica Mustard at Charcut
14. The Veggie Mezza for Two at Aida’s
15. Mac ‘n’ Cheese at Taste
16. Lemon Cream Cake at Brûlée Patisserie
17. Eggplant Chips at Vin Room
18. Grilled Pineapple at Bolero
19. Shroom Pizza at Without Papers
20. Oatmeal from Diner Deluxe
21. Cheese Fondue at The Living Room
22. Deconstructed Crème Brûlée at Chef’s Table
23. Linguine Carbonara at Bonterra
24. Rack of Lamb at The Belvedere
25. Milkshake and Burger at Peters’ Drive-In
26. Prosciutto Sandwich at Caffe Mauro
27. Waffles from A Ladybug Bakery and Café
28. Tombo Tuna Salad Niçoise at Notable
29. Eggs Benedict with Elk Bacon at River Café
30. Chicken & Pancetta Pizza at Cilantro
#16 - Lemon Cream Cake at Brûlée Patisserie,
31. Raspberry Yogurt Muffin at Heartland Café
32. Garlic Fries at The Palomino
33. Rose Lychee Macaron at Yann Haute Patisserie
34. The Original Veggie Burger at Dairy Lane
35. Chu Chi Kai Chicken at King & I
36. Bucket of Bacon at District
37. McNally’s Extra at Big Rock Brewery
38. The Crab Cakes at Selkirk Grille
39. Naan at Clay Oven
40. Spinach and Potato Pizza at Double Zero
41. Kashk-e-Bademjan Dip at Shiraz
42. Garlic Caesar at Antonio’s Garlic Clove
43. Maultaschen at Wurst
44. Short Ribs at Open Range
45. Maple Bacon Doughnut from Jelly Modern
46. Chili Ramen Soup at Shikiji
47. Soul in a Bowl at OverEasy
48. Wasabi Steak at Blowfish
49. Saté Vietnamese Subs from Thi Thi
50. Ginger Beef at Silver Inn
51. Beer Float at Craft Beer Market
52. Crispy Tofu at Anju
53. Bacon Cheeseburger at Buchanan’s
54. Oven-baked Spring Rolls at Escoba
55. Seasoned Pork Tacos at Los Chilitos
56. Popcorn at The Uptown Stage and Screen
57. Beef Carpaccio at Vintage Chophouse
58. Dosas at Southern Spice
59. Prairie Oysters from Buzzards
60. Chicken Apple Sausage at Spolumbo’s
61. Beef Brisket Sandwich at Holy Smoke
62. Ginger Cream Cookie at The Lazy Loaf & Kettle
63. Thai Beef Jerky at Thai Sa-On
64. Traditional Vietnamese Crepes at Kol 3
65. Toasted Seed Roll from Good Earth
66. Coconut Curried Calamari at Mango Shiva
67. Beet Sandwich at Wilder Nest Dream Café
68. Atlantica Scallop at Broken Plate
69. Strawberry Guava Mousse Cake at Yamato Desserts
70. Bouillabaisse at Vero
71. Deep-Fried Dill Pickles at Big T’s BBQ & Smokehouse
72. Garlic Pork at Han’s
73. Pani Pura at Rasoi Kitchen
74. Fishbowl at Melrose Café and Bar
75. Onion Rings at Tommy Burger

For full descriptions you can check out the link above.

Have a great weekend!

Photo found here

I want one!

I need to find some wall space in my house for one of these Pop Chart Lab prints. The question is: which one?

All of them? Oh, alright.

I Heart Portland

We had a great time in Portland! It was the perfect place for a little weekend getaway. Here are a few highlights:

1. Powell's Books- The largest independent new and used bookstore in the world. We could've easily spent a full day in here. Three floors and an entire city block full of books plus some really great gifts and stationary.
2. Hotel Monaco- Our hotel was great. It was right in the heart of downtown and walking distance to pretty much everything. They had a happy hour every night in the living room where you could sip Oregon wines and beers while painting your own canvas.
3. Rogue Ales- The beers, the spruce gin, the pub. Everything! The bathrooms at the pub are labeled "Barley" and "Hops" instead of "Mens" and "Ladies." Try and figure out which one is which (especially after a few pints).
4. Saturday Market- We stumbled upon the market after our first attempt at getting Voodoo Donuts. We had the most delicious tacos while enjoying a brewski and listening to the Supa Dupa Marimba Band.
5. Voodoo Donuts- This place is insane! It's open 24/7 and although we didn't check, I imagine they were still lined up at 3am. Their signature donut is in the shape of a voodoo doll and comes with a pretzel stick so you can poke him and let the raspberry jelly ooze out. That's probably the tamest one they have.
6. Meeting up with Katrina and her friend Mary!
7. McMenamins Kennedy School- This was probably my favorite part of the trip and the one I got the least and worst pictures of. McMenamins is a brewery, winery and distillery. They bought an old school and turned each room into it's own bar. We started at the Honors Bar for fancy cocktails, classical music and a cozy wood burning fire. After that we wandered the hallways into the Boiler Room for a couple games of pool. We finished the night in the Theatre Bar. Yes, this place even has a movie theatre where you can sit on couches and watch a movie while they serve you food and drinks. Not too shabby. We missed scotch and cigars at the Detention Bar which we were looking forward too. I suppose we'll just have to go back.

From Johnny to June

This letter from Johnny Cash to June Carter is so lovely!

I'll have a Portland rundown tomorrow.

Portland!

We're off to Portland tomorrow!

Looking forward to Voodoo Donuts, Powell's Books, microbrews and a little visit with Katrina.
Until Tuesday, I leave you with this little gem...

Ugh. How awesome are those two?!

Sock Bun

Ever since I cut my hair, I've been super jealous of girls who can rock a high bun. I can sometimes pull it off, but it takes a lot of backcombing, bobby pins and hairspray. Enter the Sock Bun. I saw it on Pinterest and was skeptical that it would work with my short hair, but it did! Here's how you do it:

Step 1: Cut the toe off an old sock

Step 2: Roll up the sock

Step 3: Feed your ponytail through the hole

Step 4: Start to roll the sock down while covering it with your hair



Step 5: Keep rolling



Voila!

Eric's Bread

Well, technically it's Jim Lahey's No-Knead Bread, but it's awesome either way. It's become quite a staple at our family dinners.

Eric likes to switch up the original recipe by using different flours. Using multigrain flour makes for a denser bread that makes a mean french toast.
The recipe looks time consuming, but it's really only about 15 minutes of actual work. The rest of the time you're just letting the fermentation process do it's thing.

I hope you had a good Thanksgiving and are enjoying leftovers this week!

Thanksgiving Dinner

I'm in charge of bringing a vegetable dish to family dinner. Green Bean Casserole has always been a staple, but this year is the first time I've actually made it. Instead of canned soup, canned onions and canned beans, I'm going to make it from scratch.

Green Bean Casserole Redux from Chow

1 1/2 pounds fresh green beans, ends trimmed, cut into 2-inch pieces (about 4 cups)

1/4 cup olive oil

1/2 pound fresh cremini mushrooms, thinly sliced (about 2 cups)

2 garlic cloves, minced

Bechamel sauce

2 teaspoons minced thyme leaves

5 medium shallots, sliced (about 1 1/3 cups)

3/4 cup flour, for dusting the shallots

2 cups vegetable oil, for frying

1. Heat the oven to 400°F. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add green beans and cook until bright green and just tender, about 6 minutes; drain in a colander and rinse under cold water until cold. Set aside.
2. Heat olive oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat. When it shimmers, add mushrooms and season with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Sauté, stirring occasionally, until mushrooms are brown on the edges, about 4 minutes. Add garlic and cook 1 minute more.
3. Combine green beans, mushroom mixture, béchamel sauce, and thyme in a large bowl and mix thoroughly. Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary. Transfer to a 2-1/2-quart baking dish and set aside.
4. Dust sliced shallots in flour and shake off excess. Set aside.
5. Pour vegetable oil into a 10-inch frying pan (the oil should be 1 inch deep). Heat over medium-high heat to 350°F, about 4 minutes.
6. Fry shallots in batches, until light golden brown on the edges, about 2 minutes. Remove to a paper-towel-lined plate and season with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
7. Top casserole with fried shallots and bake until shallots are golden and crispy and casserole is bubbly and heated through, about 12 to 15 minutes.

This casserole, plus a boat load of brussel sprouts for me, Eric and my brother ought to cover my vegetable duty.

Happy Thankgiving everyone and happy feasting!

See you on Tuesday.



R.I.P. Steve Jobs

"Steve was among the greatest of American innovators - brave enough to think differently, bold enough to believe he could change the world, and talented enough to do it."

~President Barack Obama

The Cure for the Common Cold

Ugh. I've been laid up this week with a brutal cold. Usually, when I get sick I can sleep it off, but when naps just won't cut it, here's what I do: put the kettle on, cut up some lemons and grate some ginger.

Add a healthy dollop of honey and muddle it all in the hot water. Make yourself some toast and scrambled eggs and you'll be feeling better before you know it!

Grandma Beth's Tea Cup

Last summer, my aunt gave me a tea cup that used to belong to my beautiful Grandma Beth. I didn't want it to sit in the bottom of a bin in storage somewhere, but I also knew that I wouldn't use it for tea. I was worried that if I did it would start to wear or get chipped so I decided to give it a new life. I found a small succulent at the grocery store and decided to use the tea cup as a planter.

I added the tea cup to the rest of our little tchotchkes. Now I can look at it and think of my Grandma everyday.

Candy Apple Bar

How fun is this candy apple bar for Halloween or a fall birthday?!



Found here



Ahh the Weekend

I don't have much of an update from the weekend. I basically spent the whole thing napping or watching movies (pure bliss!). However, we did score these awesome drink dispensers at an unexpected trip to the Crossroads Market.

I think they'll make a pretty cool little addition to our bar.