Camp Brand Goods

I first discovered Calgary-based clothing company Camp Brand Goods at Market Collective, but since then, I've seen their stuff everywhere. I'm a huge fan of their cozy and comfortable designs. I practically live in the happy camper sweater!

They're currently having an online sale of their FW13/14 designs or you can find their stuff in Calgary at Market Collective and The Uncommons.

Viva Mexico!

We really enjoyed the Occidental Grand Resort in Nuevo Vallarta. The rooms were modern, the food was good (typical resort food), and it was smaller than your typical all inclusive, but most of our fun was had off the resort.

Around Calgary: The Big Taste

I'm working on getting some Mexico pictures up, but until then, a quick note to let you know there are only 4 days left of The Big Taste. It's a great chance to get out to your favorite restaurant or try something new for a great price.

As if seven gluttonous days of vacation weren't enough, we checked out the brunch at Ox and Angela last weekend. The whole menu was delicious, but I pretty much live for their delicias and patatas bravas. We're looking forward to checking out the Alberta Ate event on Saturday (I believe tickets are sold out).

The Alberta Culinary Tourism Alliance presents the Alberta Ate, a posse of renegade Alberta chefs, including John Jackson and Connie DeSousa (Charcut), Justin Leboe (Model Milk), Paul McGreevy (Craft), Jessica Pelland (Charbar), Duncan Ly and Karine Moulin (Hotel Arts), Pierre Lamielle (Food on your Shirt), Darren MacLean (downtownfood), Andrew Winfield (River Café), John Michael MacNeil (Teatro) and Alison Bieber (Cucina), for an exclusive culinary experience. Calgary’s most talented and innovative chefs work together to tell Alberta’s tales of place through food in a truly unique locale, our +15 system. With multiple courses paired with multiple wines in a spectacularly transformed +15, this is not an event to miss.  Wines provided by 50th Parallel Estate, Black Sage Vineyards, Jackson Triggs Estate Wines, Inniskilli, Meyer Family Vineyards, Sandhill Estates, Suma Ridge Estate Winery and Therapy Vineyards.

I'm never going to fit into my pants again.

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!