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#100 Just Write aka Someone's In The Kitchen with Lexa

For my final NaBloPoMo post I thought it was time to share why I needed a bio.  Especially since... [drum roll please]

I've been invited to be the Toronto correspondent for In The Kitchen, a Vancouver-based food blog published by Industrial Brand Creative. 

You may remember my ill-fated brush with street meat on CBC's Sounds Like Canada.  Well, one of the other panelists was Mark Busse, founding principal and Design Director at Industrial Brand Creative and a serious foodie/epicure/gourmand. 

A couple of weeks ago,  Mark hit town for a conference and asked if I'd be interested in meeting up for a drink and a nosh.  That simple request had us wandering the streets of Toronto for hours. Then we hit the Gerrard Street Bazaar where we sat sipping beer and savouring naan & lamb straight from the tandoor while we shared the influences that caused us to develop into foodies.

About a week later, Mark wrote and invited me to be a writer for In The Kitchen - a  space where I can blog about food above and beyond CheapEats (which will certainly pop up on occasion).

I'm excited and honoured to be joining the In The Kitchen team and the opportunity to share some of our best recipes, discuss culinary urges, wax poetic about my favourite spice shops and document the oft-threatened, never-manifested cheese hajj with Jenn. 

Watch for my first post in the next few days, and check out my bio on the Contributor Page.

[UPDATE - the site has been rebranded as Foodists.ca, you can see my posts here and my bio on the Contributor Page]

#100 Just Write aka Someone's In The Kitchen with Lexa

For my final NaBloPoMo post I thought it was time to share why I needed a bio.  Especially since... [drum roll please]

I've been invited to be the Toronto correspondent for In The Kitchen, a Vancouver-based food blog published by Industrial Brand Creative.

You may remember my ill-fated brush with street meat on CBC's Sounds Like Canada.  Well, one of the other panelists was Mark Busse, founding principal and Design Director at Industrial Brand Creative and a serious foodie/epicure/gourmand.

A couple of weeks ago,  Mark hit town for a conference and asked if I'd be interested in meeting up for a drink and a nosh.  That simple request had us wandering the streets of Toronto for hours. 

Dinner w/ Mark

Then we hit the Gerrard Street Bazaar where we sat sipping beer and savouring naan & lamb straight from the tandoor while we shared the influences that caused us to develop into foodies.

About a week later, Mark wrote and invited me to join the team as the Toronto correspondent for for Industrial Brand Creative's In The Kitchen blog - a  space where I can blog about food above and beyond CheapEats (which will certainly pop up on occasion).

I'm excited and honoured to be joining the In The Kitchen team and the opportunity to share some of our best recipes, discuss culinary urges, wax poetic about my favourite spice shops and document the oft-threatened, never-manifested cheese hajj with Jenn.

Watch for my first post in the next few days, and check out my bio here.

#18 Spill Everything aka yet another Xmas post

My friend stampgeek who has just recently started blogging posed the question: Thinking of the Season? 

Then waited for my comment.  And waited. And waited.  Then he emailed asking "what gives". It's my own fault, I had set him up by commenting almost immediately on all his previous posts.

After leaving a comment that was actually longer than his original post, I realized my comment could be my penultimate NaBloPoMo post.  So here it is, in all it's raw glory with a little extra formatting and extra photos thrown in to make it prettier.

The things that make me warm and fuzzy about the Xmas season include:

• the first snow - the smell, the feel, walking in it, feeling the snowflakes melting on my cheek.
• University Avenue at 10pm when the street is empty quiet and dark and all the trees in the median are filled with twinkling xmas lights.
• forgetting myself and singing carols & holiday classics as I walk down the street and the beaming smiles that remind me I'm using my outside voice.
  
• dressing up for and participating in the Festival of Lights parade and celebration on Dec 21st in Kensington Market to celebrate the winter solstice and longest night of the year.  Bring a drum and a light and join the parade to ward off the evil spirits and nasties that come out in the dark... then BBQ Pork, baby bok choy with garlic, Singapore Vermicelli, and pot after pot of tea to warm back up.
  
• Gerry insisting I leave the big red bell on my hood for the entire holiday season because it makes him chuckle when I dingle.
  
• The Grinch - the original where the Grinch is just like those crusty old men who have lost connection with the playful side of themselves, turn to the dark side of playful, until someone shares the purity of love and joy that is just a smile away.  (Not the Grinch who needs serious therapy and some meds because of childhood damage, and is really just looking for a squeeze and some presents.) 
  
• decorating the tree with mom... and sometimes creating the tree with mom out of what ever we have on hand when she arrives.  Last time it was green cardboard, spray glue, some glitter and some plastic fruit that was in the recycling. Then she magically crafted an angel for the top out of tin foil and a fake pear.  She's amazing. Everyone should have an art teacher for a mom.
  
• inviting everyone over (and I do mean everyone - our friends and family list is over 150) and feeding them!
  
• the traditional giving of an Xmas game - and then forcing everyone to play it with me!
  
• Baking. Lots and lots of baking. Shortbreads, loaves, nut bread, gingerbread dudes, cookies of all shapes and sizes.. with the TV tuned to the Xmas music station as loud as possible.
• the smell, taste, feel and joy of mandarins!  Occasionally referred to as orbs of happiness at our house.
• the excuse to sing silly songs at the top of my voice, or to cry for no good reason, without anyone thinking it's weird.
• the smell in the house as the turkey cooks, the beautiful table that mom always sets and the fresh cranberry relish that Rosemary brings - yummy!
• My occasional pre-Xmas trips to harass my friends and family in NB.

 

• Grandma's shortbread cookies - which I now make and never do soon enough for them to age the month they need to be melt-in-your-mouth-amazing... and yet, they still rock.
• that hour of melancholy that kicks in mid-day when you think of all the people you love that are far or gone. It's sweet and sad and wonderful. Without it, it's not really Xmas.
• people saying "you don't have to do everything he says you know."  Agreeing, then going out in the bitter cold to help string Xmas lights anyway.
• knowing that even though something will go wrong, someone will get their feelings hurt, someone will feel hard done by or slighted, we'll all walk away feeling loved, with stronger relationships and understanding each other better (sometimes even ourselves).
  

I love Xmas.

 

Technorati tags: nablopomo, no one cares what you had for lunch, xmas, christmas, traditions

#18 Spill Everything aka yet another Xmas post

My friend stampgeek who has just recently started blogging posed the question: Thinking of the Season? 

Then waited for my comment.  And waited. And waited.  Then he emailed asking "what gives". It's my own fault, I had set him up by commenting almost immediately on all his previous posts.

After leaving a comment that was actually longer than his original post, I realized my comment could be my penultimate NaBloPoMo post. 

So you can read it in all it's raw glory over on Thinking of the Season? and continue the conversation where it started.

Or here with a little extra formatting and extra photos thrown in to make it prettier.

Skipping Through The Snow

The things that make me warm and fuzzy about the Xmas season include:

• the first snow - the smell, the feel, walking in it, feeling the snowflakes melting on my cheek.
• University Avenue at 10pm when the street is empty quiet and dark and all the trees in the median are filled with twinkling xmas lights.
• forgetting myself and singing carols & holiday classics as I walk down the street and the beaming smiles that remind me I'm using my outside voice.
  

  Solstice Hats
• dressing up for and participating in the Festival of Lights parade and celebration on Dec 21st in Kensington Market to celebrate the winter solstice and longest night of the year.  Bring a drum and a light and join the parade to ward off the evil spirits and nasties that come out in the dark... then BBQ Pork, baby bok choy with garlic, Singapore Vermicelli, and pot after pot of tea to warm back up.
  
• 

  Solstice Posse
  Gerry insisting I leave the big red bell on my hood for the entire holiday season because it makes him chuckle when I dingle.
  
• The Grinch - the original where the Grinch is just like those crusty old men who have lost connection with the playful side of themselves, turn to the dark side of playful, until someone shares the purity of love and joy that is just a smile away.  (Not the Grinch who needs serious therapy and some meds because of childhood damage, and is really just looking for a squeeze and some presents.) 
  
• inviting everyone over (and I do mean everyone - our friends and family list is over 150) and feeding them!
• decorating the tree with mom..
  

  It's Time To Fill Your Plates
  and sometimes creating the tree with mom out of what ever we have on hand when she arrives.  Last time it was green cardboard, spray glue, some glitter and some plastic fruit that was in the recycling. Then she magically crafted an angel for the top out of tin foil and a fake pear.  She's amazing. Everyone should have an art teacher for a mom.
• 

  Concentration Too
  the traditional giving of an Xmas game - and then forcing everyone to play it with me!
  
• Baking. Lots and lots of baking. Shortbreads, loaves, nut bread, gingerbread dudes, cookies of all shapes and sizes.. with the TV tuned to the Xmas music station as loud as possible.
• the excuse to sing silly songs at the top of my voice, or to cry for no good reason, without anyone thinking it's weird.
• the smell, taste, feel and joy of mandarins! 
  

  Juice Bags
  Occasionally referred to as orbs of happiness at our house.
• the smell in the house as the turkey cooks, the beautiful table that mom always sets and the fresh cranberry relish that Rosemary brings - yummy!
• My occasional pre-Xmas trips to harass my friends and family in NB.
  

  Turkey Pre-glaze
•  Grandma's shortbread cookies - which I now make and never do soon enough for them to age the month they need to be melt-in-your-mouth-amazing... and yet, they still rock.

• that hour of melancholy that kicks in mid-day when you think of all the people you love that are far or gone. It's sweet and sad and wonderful. Without it, it's not really Xmas.
  

  Xmas Spikes
• people saying "you don't have to do everything he says you know." Agreeing, then going out in the bitter cold to help string Xmas lights anyway.
• knowing that even though something will go wrong, someone will get their feelings hurt, someone will feel hard done by or slighted, we'll all walk away feeling loved, with stronger relationships and understanding each other better (sometimes even ourselves).

I love Xmas.

Stranded At The Craft Show

After a crepey lunch w/ Venus where we decided the quote of the day was definitely "yours is wiggly", I met up with Minty Fresh @ Bathurst Station for a little visit to the One of a Kind show. But once we arrived and had a quick visit with the in-laws, a sore leg caused me to abandon her at the show.  Luckily she's understanding, tough and easily distracted by crafts!

The cool thing is that she brought me one of her custom-made bike seat covers for the basketmobile!   One of the covers she'll be selling this weekend at Ottawa's Ladyfest and soon to be on Lilybug. I'm a lucky girl.  Especially since I abandon my friends at craft shows.

#98 Gripe

"...vent your pet peeves online and you may find that your annoyance gives your post a little punch."

I get headaches.  All the time. Really bad headaches.  Incapacitating headaches.
I have one now. The brightness of the screen hurts. The noise of the computer fan hurts. This sucks.

Advil, advil, can't wait.
Advil, advil, tastes great.
Oooh, I love advil.

And I buy it in the extended family sized bottle.

#98 Gripe

Not sure which I need more

"...vent your pet peeves online and you may find that your annoyance gives your post a little punch."

I get headaches.  All the time. Really bad headaches.  Incapacitating headaches.
I have one now. The brightness of the screen hurts. The noise of the computer fan hurts. This sucks.

Advil, advil, can't wait.
Advil, advil, tastes great.
Oooh, I love advil.

And I buy it in the extended family sized bottle.

One of A Kind

Quick post to fulfill my NaBloPoMo obligation (sometimes it's hard to "have" to post rather than wanting to post.)

We zipped down to One of a Kind at the CNE today to visit the in-laws and check out this year's batch of Artisans.

Many of our favourites were there:

• Thorpe Toys - I40
• Colero Jewellery - E37
• Lee Bee Art - B34
• Cameron Lavers 
• Monster Factory - G8
• Kallisti Quilts - N24



• Anemone Bags - U20
• Rootham Premium Gourmet - D54
• Tangled Garden  - D53
• The Barber's Daughter - I48
• Artifice - K52

It's running until the end of next weekend. It's well worth dropping by if you are interested in art, crafts and jewellery or even Xmas shopping. 

One of A Kind

 Quick post to fulfill my NaBloPoMo obligation (sometimes it's hard to "have" to post rather than wanting to post.)

We zipped down to One of a Kind at the CNE today to visit the in-laws and check out this year's batch of Xmas Crafts.

Many of our favourites were there:

• Thorpe Toys - I40
• Colero Jewellery - E37
• Lee Bee Art - B34
• Cameron Lavers 
• Monster Factory - G8
• Kallisti Quilts - N24



• Anemone Bags - U20
• Rootham Premium Gourmet - D54
• Tangled Garden  - D53
• The Barber's Daughter - I48
• Artifice - K52

It's well worth dropping by if you are interested in art, crafts and jewellery.

 

Technorati tags: nablopomo, one of a kind, crafts, the inlaws, toronto

INFER(RED) Cup (aka #45 Ante Up)

When Gerry saw Starbucks' Red Cup promotion this year and he turned to me and asked if Starbucks had jumped on board with Bono's (PRODUCT)RED™ **

Now wouldn't that be great!  Starbucks donating 10% of every Eggnog Latte, Peppermint Mocha and Gingerbread Latte.  What the heck 10% of every Venti Soy Mocha Half Sweet No Foam w/ toffee sprinkles.

But sadly, no. Starbucks has been using the red cup for years to herald in the holiday season.  Quoting Paul Williams on IdeaSandbox "The red cup is a Starbucks tradition... In fact, each time Starbucks strayed from using the red cup customers have complained... So it's been long established that the RED CUP be a non-negotiable holiday item."