Wanderlust

While Eric and I were on our honeymoon, I mentioned that at some point in our lives I'd like to pack up and move somewhere for a year. We made a deal that as soon as I can speak Italian, we'll get a little farmhouse where we'll make our own wine and olive oil. I'll work in a little cafe and Eric can open a bar where we'll eat cheese and drink spritzes (oh, spritzes! I'll share those with you soon). I'm no further in my Italian than I was when we made this deal, but a girl can dream, right?

I've recently started reading the blog Bluebird. She makes me want to move to Nashville so badly. I'd open a cute little shop, listen to amazing music, and fulfill my lifelong dream of being from the South.

If you could move anywhere in the world, where would you go and what would you do there?

I moved around a lot as a kid and I think it instilled a sort of nomadic body clock. Every 4 years or so, I start to get restless and need an adventure. For now, I'll settle for a week in Mexico. We leave tomorrow for Nuevo Vallarta.

See you in a week!

Acai Berry Bowls

It's not all fondue and 5am hockey game donuts around here, I swear. These acai berry bowls have been our weekday breakfast and weekend lunches for the last couple of months. I've been buying the Sambazon Acai Smoothie packs at our health food store, but I would imagine that you could purée any type of fruit and freeze it by the half cup in a ziplock  for the same effect.

Acai Berry Bowl
makes 2

2 smoothie packs
1 banana
1/4 c. Coconut milk
Toppings- fresh fruit, granola, chia seeds, cocoa nibs, crushed almonds, etc.

In a good processor, blend the smoothie packs, banana and coconut milk until smooth. Pour into a bowl and add toppings of your choice.

Around Calgary: Luke's Drug Mart

Going to Luke's Drug Mart in Bridgeland is basically like walking into the internet. Though unassuming from the outside, inside is my own personal gold mine. Mast Brothers chocolate, Rifle Paper Co. stationery and prints, Sydney Hale candles, Baxter of California, Malin + Goetz, a great selection of vinyl, and Stumptown coffee.

On top of all of these wonderful things, they have a fully functioning pharmacy, a small grocery store downstairs and a post office. It's a great Calgary treasure and definitely worth checking out if you're in the area.

Fondue for Two

Fondue has become kind of a date night staple around these parts. It's simple to put together, interactive, and you can draw it out as long as you'd like.

When I mention fondue, I often get a look of disgust, but the trick to loving it is splurging for the good stuff. I remember the first time I tried it as a kid, it was out of one of those boxes at the grocery store and I vowed to never eat it again. My mind was changed while working at a cheese shop and trying the real deal. Now I'm a fondue convert and enthusiast.

Peasant Cheese in Kensington has some fun takes on the classic fondue. The sell a pre-shredded Canadian and a French version that are delicious. Being a bit of a traditionalist, I tend to lean towards the Swiss mix of Gruyere, Appenzeller, and Emmental. You could really mix any kind of cheese, so long as you've got good melters (gruyere, gouda, oka, etc.).

You'll need 250g of cheese for 2 people. Assuming you're using three cheeses, go for 100g of each to account for the rind and the inevitable nibbles along the way.

Swiss Fondue
250g shredded cheese
garlic clove
3/4 cup of white wine
steamed or roasted veggies such as broccoli, cauliflower, zucchini, asparagus
cured meats
bread

Cut your garlic clove in half and rub the fondue pot with it. Pour 1/2 c.wine into your pot over low heat. Just before boiling, add cheese in small amounts stirring each time until the cheese is fully melted. Once all the cheese is added, continue to stir until the wine and cheese has come together. If the cheese mixture is too thick, slowly add the remaining 1/4 c. of wine. Remove your pot from the stove and put it over your fondue burner. Enjoy!

The other beauty of this is that if your Valentine doesn't already have a fondue set, it can double as a gift!

Valentine's at Home Essentials

Going out for Valentine's Day never seems to live up to the expectations. Every restaurant and moderately romantic place are crowded and hard to get into. I'm a big believer in spending the evening at home. It's casual, quiet, and you can open as many bottles of wine as you want ;)

Here are a few of my Valentine's-at-Home essentials:

Just because you're at home doesn't mean you get to rock your everyday sweatpants and slippers. Throw on something cute, but casual (and maybe a bit loose for the fondue we're going to talk about tomorrow). Light some candles, throw on a sexy record, and pop a bottle. 

Equipment black singlet/Current/Elliott jeans/Cosabella mesh bra/Diptyque rose candle

Get a Hedney!

Happy Olympics!

Canadian luge athlete, Sam Edney, has created Hedneys to help fund his trip to Sochi and raise money for Classroom Champions- an organization that's near and dear to my heart. The vintage style toques come in 6 styles (2 of which are sold out. Yay Sam!). You can support the cause by picking one up here.

While things in Sochi don't seem to be going very smoothly so far, I can't wait to cheer on our Canadian athletes!

Side note- how awesome is the Google doodle today?!

Rediscovering Edmonton- Pt. 2

We took a little road trip to Edmonton with some friends this past weekend and found a few more favorite spots.

The Matrix Hotel
This was the second time I'd stayed at this hotel. It's clean, modern and really well priced. Not only is it in a good location, but they also offer a complimentary wine tasting every night. Well played.

Tres Carnales
There was a long wait when we walked in, but a pitcher of sangria made the line move quite quickly. We chatted with one of the owners before we were seated and he was kind enough to order our whole meal for us. Everything was delicious, but the mushroom tacos and papas fritas? Incredible!

Duchess Bake Shop
I just want to move into this stunning bakery, cafe, and store. We indulged in cookies and pain au chocolate at the bakery and I brought home a few treats.

Edmonton grows on me more and more each time I visit. The next trip will have to be in the spring/summer so I can get down to that gorgeous river valley.

Rediscover Edmonton Pt. 1

Winter Blues

I don't know what it is about January, but I always end up with the worst case of winter blues. Maybe it's that the hype of Christmas is gone or that it's too dark and cold to go outside, but I lose all motivation to do anything at all; hence the lack of posts over the last couple of weeks.

Everything seemed to turn around on Friday. A new moon, the beginning of the Year of the Horse, and a weekend away seem to have lifted my spirits and energy level and I've started feeling like myself again. It's still cold, and I still want to go to sleep at 9:00 every night, but I'm more inclined to read, go to spin, or prep meals than I am to watch terrible TV until it's acceptably late enough to go to bed.

February, I've never been happier to see you :)