last strawberry uneaten..

i love local strawberries!
it's sad to see them go.
berry season is waaaay to short and it makes me wish it was summer all year long.

it's amazing the difference between the imported ginormous, dry, hideous ones from cali, argentina or wherever they're from the rest of the year.. these ones are small, juicy and packed full 'o' goodness. i just can't get over how sweet they are..and they're even better on angel food cake with whipped cream.
4$ will get you a quart.
i am going to pick up more tomorrow to freeze 'em in the peak of awesome.

finally, i can post this + other junk

here's some other stuff i took whist having a few drinks, in case you had not noticed..




i made this for my dad for father's day....i didn't want to post this before i gave it to him.

..whiskey picture fest..

i decided to take pics of my cat, Whiskey. she's almost 9 yrs old but doesn't look a day over 2yrs.
she wasn't happy about it, in fact, she's hardly enthusiastic about anything.
the results were fun.

all ready for winter!

call me crazy, but on one of the hottest days of the year, i had winter on the brain.
while perusing the aisles of value village, i found the most beautiful faux fur jacket for winter! (sorry, it's a bad pic, but believe me..it's fab)
it's got a magnificent collar that goes all the way up to the ears. reminiscent of cruella deville, minus the puppy hides. $35 + a cute black hat to go with it.
i can't wait for winter!

i am the new red!

(photoshopped colour)

i love it!!!!!!!

well i found a red.

..but no cut yet. i'm still headed for a shaggy bob or something like that...but i *really* want those shaved steps in the back...
i'm in the midst (10 mins of 25) of re-dying my hair red. i'm a bit nervous to see what will turn out because it never looks like the box...ever...
plus i think i've use this colour before. i was blonde and it went 'carrot top' red. horrifying. i drove right over to sandra's place and after she stopped laughing (about 20 mins or so), she did some black and blonde streaks.
needless to day it wasn't one of my best decisions.

:<>:*************************************:<>:*******************************:<>:
i'm hungry. kitchen's dirty. don't want to clean it. i wish the cats would clean it.
**************************************:<>:********************************

saw The Dark Knight yesterday.
what a movie. almost worth all the hype. heath ledger jokered his heart out. christian bale is the best batman ever, but i dispise that 'batman voice'. too forced.
two face is rad too..he looks fantastic. eyeball hangin' by a thread, teeth and cheeks exposed. great stuff.

don't want to work tomorrow. i hate rolling dough and getting wood. the worst part of the job.
i should be getting paid more for it. i think i do more than the guys in the back do. we do our own prep...everything:
make dough, roll dough (at least 40-75 on a weekday), chop veggies (onion, peppers, olives, tomatoes, artichokes), cut and cook bacon, cook chicken & chipotle chicken, slice sausage, make dijon cream cheese, puree tomatoe sauce & make chipotle sauce, make salads for salad bar, set up & tear down salad bar, garlic bread, love bread, herbed bread for each table as needed...
i deserve at least $1 more an hour.

must go rince....
wish me luck!

i'd be content with that.

something new.

cake topper

i attended a wedding on friday evening unlike any i've ever seen.
it was a wedding to oneself. yin and yang's wedding.
the bride, Joa Gamelin is a hoot. she's full of energy unlike i've never seen before.
i recently met her, weeks before, in value village. days later, i see the invite @ amy's and knew that she was something special and that i hoped it was in the cards for me to witness this.

brilliant idea.
a breath of fresh air.
celebrating her way and not giving a crap about
what the 'normals' might say.

she conveyed the message of love, positivity, creativity, whimsy and fearlessness. something that i wish i could do.
the looks were priceless as everyone walked thru don cherry's, in their worst dressed garbs, making their way out to the reception. where 80's music, 70's sambas and cake/drinks awaited.

by the end of the night, most of the people had made their way outside to join the party as it was more fun than inside .
the bride (dollface bouquet to signify her yin and yang) and her dolly grahamma (his name is graham greer)

smart words

"Be careful of your thoughts, for your thoughts inspire your words.
Be careful of your words, for your words precede your actions.
Be careful of your actions, for your actions become your habits.
Be careful of your habits, for your habits build your character.
Be careful of your character, for your character decides your destiny."
~ Chinese proverb

i need a haircute

great colour and cut

reds i'm looking for





<-- middle on the bottom is what i want! steps but on a larger scale, maybe even a rat tail..

..yes, that's what i said: haircute. it was intentional. i made it up by typo-ing it yesterday...thought that it was a nifty word.

i did a bit of red in the front last night. i'll get a pic of it sooner or later.
it's actaully the colour was looking for...
cool hairdressing site.

livin' in america...not..

coolest skull ring, ever.
mango, local strawberries, blueberries on angel food cake, whipped cream


we went across the border to the land of plenty on monday. what a crazy place that is.
everything's crazy cheap..and well, different from here, a nice change from the ordinary.
it's amazing what a bridge and some intimidating border guards will do.

walmart superstore- this place is bonkers! you can buy all your groceries & all your daily needs in one place. no wonder mom and pop shops are taking a dive. it's mind boggling. honestly.
i have a dilemma with this place in general. i love to hate this store. yet, i'm drawn there like a moth to a flame. . i feel like a kitten dies everytime i walk in. i don't want to go there, but it's all about saving money on certain items...a lot of money, actaully.

i actaully did wake up this morning wondering, "where i can get freshly baked bread, a bra, some steaks for supper, a 12 of budwiser(for less than 10 bux, i might add), bathmat and a PS3 all in the same place?"
...of course, walmart...duh..

i did get a (surprisingly) yummy piece of red velvet cake ($1.50), an 8pack of jones root beer ($2), we had to do it, since we can't find it here; flat iron steaks ($5), dickies pants for jer without the cell phone pocket ($14).
----we had the steaks is aft for lunch (cooked in the new grill pan) they were a strange texture. definately not canadian beef. really tender, but the highlight was the baked potato wrapped in basil leaves.


arby's - mmmmm, processed roast beef, curly fries with cheese sauce and dr.pepper
ok, it's *not* good, but you've got to succumb to the cravings once in a while.

steve and barry's- sara jessica parker brand 'bitten' jeans, 9.98! they actually fit! the shirts and dresses, not so much, but the jeans are really nice.

aladin's castle arcade- Deal or no deal arcade game... so much fun... it's like the real show, but with prize tickets. the banker gives you deals. and everything!! such a ruch when you press the NO DEAL button!!
we won 2 plastic skull rings and a pack of candy.

on a weird note: i saw my old manager rob from wendy's eating wendy's. i chuckled when i saw him, looks just the same. odd.

white riot

some pics we took in nyc of the famed chelsea, the awesome vintage music store beside it that might not be there when we go back beecause of new owners of the hotel and skyrocketing rent.

i found this yesterday trolling the nyc blogs. so, of course, i immediately initiated a google search to see where i could get it.
i could have ordered it thru my local Coles bookstore (7-10 business days) for $24.99. i, being the bargain hunter i am, chose to buy it on ebay for $5.42 + $8.99 shipping. the gravy gods only know when i'll get it, but i saved 10bux.
victory is mine. i also must see this.
it is finally ou in north america. can't wait.

new toy and some books

new grill pan (very excited!) on sale too! yippee!!
made in italy, oven safe, can't go wrong!

2 books :

• noodles - mostly asian dishes but good inspiration none the less. contemporary. simple.
  

• tuscan- we eventually will get to italy. this book will fuel the fire. classic. delightful.
  

a new day

had strawberry shortcake for breakfast, and i don't feel guilty!

it was wondrous....a bit self indulgent, i deserved it & enjoyed it thuroughly.

as for last evenings supper; the teriyaki marinated sirloin was tough, but flavourful. a few lines of grizzle that weren't pleasant but tolerable.
the potatoes were fab, i cooked them at 300 for a few hours with garlic, s&p, olive oil, butter, (balcony grown) tarragon& rosemary.
the mixed greens salad included; carrots, orange peppers, dried cranberries, feta, grape tomatoes, sunflower seeds and a sliced strawberry. dressing= hoisin&ginger dressing. (it's my standard everyday dressing) easy to make and very yummy.

TODAY:
lunch = mixed salad (a la last night's left over ingredients), curried couscous with veggies
supper= pork schnitzel (pounded pork leg), sauteed snap peas & red peppers, maybe a potato salad.
& more strawberries with whipped cream!

local inspiration

note to self: july is too late to be looking for more herbs. they're all dead and shit.

we did find a cute little farmers market at Harvest restaurant.
great local produce. lettuce, apricots, beans, peas, carrots, onions, garlic..
i will make that one of my new produce haunts. it might be a little pricey, but work supporting local farms.
got some amazing strawberries 4$
strawberry shortcake (with angel food cake) is immanent.

for supper:
sirloin -marinated in garlic and balcony herbs
mixed greens with hoisin ginger dressing
roasted white potatoes with balcony herbs and garlic.
dessert: strawberry shortcake

hello lover..

settling in to a new blog spot is a daunting task.
i always think, "i will do this"
it never works.
i think this will be my daily food aspirations and inspirations..
i hope i can make this work.