Eyes Bigger Than Belly

Save an Aussie Farmer, one grocery shop at a time.

2014-02-26T04:14:00.000-07:00

You would have to be living under a rock at the moment to not know that our country is in drought. Possibly the worst drought we have ever experienced.

Last month, a QLD farmer made news headlines – by shooting the last of his 400 cattle and then turning the gun on himself.

I didn’t know this man but he haunts me daily. He is there is all my quiet moments.

Why? Because as an overthinker, I can empathise.

He had 400 cattle left. He held out for as long as he could. One more day… one more day… waiting for rain. For rain that never came. Then, he made the gut wrenching, life changing decision to give it all up and send them to market. I can only imagine the stress he experienced at just making that decision.

And then to be told that he was too late. The cattle were too far gone, too emaciated to be loaded for market. Can you even imagine? The rock that must have avalanched in his chest when he realised that he waited too long.

That he put too much hope in rain clouds. That with no rain on the horizon and no money to buy food or water – the only option left was to put them out of their misery.

I imagine that he was a good man.

That he used a steady hand and a quiet word for each of them, as our hot, dry country broke him beyond repair.

This man haunts me – not because of what he did, but for what he endured, and for what our farmers are still enduring.

It is still not raining. There is still no rain on the radar, and our farmers are no doubt sitting around their kitchen tables tonight – hopefully with family, and not alone – making their action plans.

So if you are like me, if you feel overwhelmed by the tragedy that is happening and you want to help – the amazing news is that you can.

1. Buy Australian Made. Buy from Farmers Markets if you can, or consider getting home delivery from a company like Aussie Farmers Direct if you can't.

2. Buy Branded Milk – not supermarket generic and know that your milk money is going to Farmers who are being fairly paid.

3. Buy meat from your local butcher. Farmers are selling cattle for as low as $0.08c a kilo and yet we are still paying $20kg+ at the supermarket. Our farmers are being screwed. We are being screwed and the Supermarkets are laughing all the way to the bank.

4. Make a donation to Aussie Helpers. You can literally choose how you want to help – from a bale of hay to a litre of diesel or even a gift card for groceries - and it goes direct to those who need it most. You can even follow them on Facebook to see it all delivered!

As foodies, we have all been part of the movement that has created an ethical food campaign – we have embraced free range eggs, organic pork and vegetables that have traveled less than 100km – but we have forgotten the Farmer.

We need to be as ethical with our food dollars as we are with our food choices. We can each make a difference, one grocery shop at a time.

Please help make a difference.

x

Spring Raspberry Bread and Win $100k!

2013-09-11T16:44:00.000-06:00

Oh how the mighty fall.

Not that I was all that mighty – but I have definitely fallen, and fallen hard.

I find myself 31 years old, heavily pregnant (technically barely 7 months, but I feel like a migrating whale) and living at home with my Parents… not exactly where I saw myself this time last year as we were preparing for our new life in Canada!

The only real consolation I have is that it seems to be a bit of a trend at the moment. Kim Kardashian is living in her Mum’s spare room with baby North and Kanye in tow – and even Princess Kate is holed up in her Mum’s guest house with little Prince Georgie – it does help my wounded ego just a little bit to learn that I’m not alone!

After what feels like months of upheaval; our little family is finally settled, hubby back at work and our ratbag 2 year old finally sleeping through the night!

The last 6 weeks have seen us trudge home from Canada, find a hospital to have our next baby in – and as long as no one beats me to the punch today – we may have even secured a few days of daycare! WOO HOO - Progress!

On top of all of that – my brother and his partner have had their first baby – so amongst beautiful newborn cuddles, I have also been faced with the challenge of trying to bake his mummy some treats that will get her through the early weeks of sleep deprivation and won’t upset his new tummy at the same time.

I was pretty excited to get an email about this competition IGA is running – up to $100k in prizes just for choosing selected brands and entering your receipt information online – I can tell you, this has been one of the more expensive chapters in our life – so even a share of $100k will come in incredibly handy right now!!

There are lots of great recipes – including one for Cheesy Cornbread and another for Cheese and Onion Tartlets – both by Devondale (who happen to be one of my favourite dairy brands) that will get a test run this weekend just in time for family brunch.

Back on to baking and babies though… I was super excited to see this recipe for Raspberry Bread and it was a winner - nutritious, easy and absolutely delicious - but next time I will definitely look at adding some white chocolate chips… and possibly even some roughly chopped macadamia nuts – just to make it extra special!

IGA Spring Raspberry Bread

Ingredients

· ¾ cup plain flour

· ¾ cup whole meal plain flour

· ½ cup hazelnut meal

· 2 teaspoons baking powder

· ½ teaspoon bicarbonate of soda

· ⅔ cup caster sugar

· 2 eggs lightly beaten

· ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract

· 120 g (5 tablespoons) Flora pro-activ Original / Buttery, melted and cooled

· 1½ cups (160g) frozen raspberries, thawed

· 2 tablespoons reduced fat milk

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 150°C. Lightly grease a medium 21.5 x 11.5 x 5.5cm loaf pan with Flora pro-activ.

2. Place flours, hazelnut meal, baking powder, bicarbonate soda and caster sugar into the bowl of an electric mixer. To combine, mix on low speed for about 1 minute. If using a hand beater, mix the dry ingredients using a wire whisk until evenly blended.

3. Add lightly beaten eggs, vanilla and melted Flora pro-activ. Beat on medium speed for 3 minutes. Remove the bowl from mixer and fold in the raspberries and milk by hand.

4. Pour mixture into the prepared tin. Bake for 1 hour or until a skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean. (I would highly recommend the skewer test as my loaf took 1 hour and 20 mins, but I don’t have a lot of faith in my new oven…)

5. Cool in the tin. Slice into 12 pieces, serve plain or spread with Flora pro-activ Buttery.

5 Guys Burgers - the savior of the sleep deprived...

2013-02-26T10:41:00.001-07:00

This is my life right now.

It has been 12 days now – or should I say nights – since Poppy last slept. So I’m a bit knackered.

Dinner has become a blur of microwaved delights, all created while being bashed with an Elmo doll, stepping over the minefield full blown tantrums and trying not to become the mother that locks herself in the hall closet just to eat a biscuit and pretend my life isn’t falling down around my ears.

My daughter doesn’t sleep. She’s never been a good sleeper. Even during that mystical newborn phase where apparently all they do is sleep 23 hours a day. Nope. Not even then.

Now though, she is almost 2.

That is almost 2 years without sleep.

I’ve given up trying to find excuses, reasons and magical cures.

I think I just need to accept it. During the day I am quite philosophical about it… during the night however it takes all my willpower not to sit in the corner and repeatedly bash my head into the wall wondering what the hell I did in my last life to deserve this.

All I can say is – lucky she’s cute.

The cheeky smiles don’t make up for exhaustion, but they do give you just that tiny bit more energy to hope that tonight… tonight she might sleep.

Whatever. I'm clearly delusional.

So while she was at Daycare, hubby took me for an old fashioned Burger date. And we’ve discovered that apparently the local’s favorite burger place here is Five Guys Burgers.

I have to say I really liked it. They shop itself is very industrial – white walls, high ceilings and exposed pipes – but the service was genuinely friendly and I loved the way they yelled the orders from the front counter to the grill. Although hardly theatrical, it did add a nice element of fun to the occasion.

I got my hamburger with the lot – pickles, grilled onions, all the sauces. The Lot. I like a burger that squishes and all those burger-y juices that run happily down your arm. This definitely ticked the box. My burger was tasty, juicy and nicely put together. Win.

Hubby got the Double Cheeseburger with grilled mushrooms and onions. And loved it. We decided on the 5 Guys fries and the serving was MASSIVE. I found them a little plain – but next time we’ll try the Cajun version.

These are not Gourmet burgers on any special, fancy breads or foodie style condiments – but they are a good, honest, quality burger. It didn’t cure me of my sleep deprivation, but it did give me a bit of pep to get through the rest of the day.

And there were no dishes. Perfect!

Now to sneak home for a nap...

5 Guys Burgers and Fries
130 Sierra Springs Drive
Airdrie, AB

Saltlik Steakhouse Banff and the Lobster Disaster.

2013-01-21T21:33:00.000-07:00

Everyone tells you how expensive it is to have a baby. And they're right - it can be expensive... Cots, bottles, toys... clothes they seem to grow out of mid-nappy change...

But I thought I had everything under control until Poppy developed a love of lobster. Yes that's right - the world’s most expensive shellfish.

Sigh. Why couldn't she be a chicken nugget baby?

For Christmas we ticked a major goal off our bucket list and had "Christmas at the Castle".

It was an unplanned (although heavily lusted after) experience and our spontaneity robbed us of any chance at a traditional Christmas dinner - but lucky for us Saltlik in Banff decided at the last minute to open for Christmas dinner. And so began the lobster disaster.

For a starter we ordered "Almost Famous Dry Ribs" - short cut ribs in a tamarind honey sauce, and watched gobsmacked as the Poptart put those new pearly whites to good use, gnawing tender meat off little bones. Even the punch of the sauce didn’t slow her down. That probably should have been our first warning.

For main we both ordered steak – I had the Skirt steak with Béarnaise sauce, and Hubby had the Prime Sirloin with Chipotle BBQ. Seeing as it was Christmas night and everywhere else was booked solid – we decided to treat ourselves and order a side of grilled Lobster with warm butter, Lobster Mashed Potato and Steamed Garlic Broccoli. Obviously it was the double Lobster that was the extravagance and not the broccoli – although the broccoli definitely held its own!

Distracted by ordering another round of drinks – we couldn’t believe our eyes when we saw Poppy pick up a whole half lobster and pretty much inhale it.

I didn’t even have the courage to look at the bill and see what her ‘Market Price’ kiddy meal cost us. I mean seriously – who else has a toddler that eats LOBSTER???

Asides from the trauma that was stolen lobster – our meal was impeccable. Especially for Christmas Dinner. It would have to be one of the few nights of the year that NO ONE wants to work – yet we were waited on by a happy, charming and welcoming crew.

My skirt steak was amazing. I’ve only ever braised this cut of beef – but seared and sliced thinly – it was divine, and so flavoursome.

Hubby’s steak was gorgeous – supremely tender, but I’m not a fan of BBQ Sauce. Give me Béarnaise or a good mustard any day.

The lobster mash was SENSATIONAL. Imagine the creamiest mash you’ve ever had, with a dollop of sour cream, a scattering of spring onions and throughout – all that beautiful claw meat. The meat that is a pain in the butt to get out – but tastes better than the pretty stuff. Just beautiful. I would go back just for the mash any day.

Even though I was pretty much full to busting – it was Christmas and I was brought up that it wasn’t a celebration unless there is dessert. So out came an order of crème brulee and 3 spoons.

Yes 3.

She already ate lobster – a little dessert wasn’t going to kill her!

Silky smooth, and my favourite part - served in a shallow dish, so lots of toffee. The crème brulee was perfect. Just like our Christmas.

x

Saltlik Banff

221 Bear Street

Banff

MacKays Ice Cream Cochrane

2013-01-18T20:28:00.000-07:00

I have always loved to read, and tend to devour books so quickly, that I struggle to justify the cost of buying them. When I was a little girl, I remember reading books that were based in Northern USA / Canada… lots of talk of snow and toboggans, snowmen and hearty winter food… places I could only ever dream of visiting.

Two particular books really stirred my imagination. One in particular where the lead character bought a hot chocolate that was “so thick and rich, that the spoon stood up all by itself”. I was mesmerized!

I had no idea what hot chocolate was. I imagined someone melting huge vats of chocolate bars and selling them as a drink… so thick that you needed a spoon to eat it!

The second book was a family who lived quite literally in the middle of nowhere, and in winter the mother would make them “snow ice cream” – by collecting fresh powder snow, and adding cream and vanilla essence… I thought this was AMAZING! So I tried to make it myself...

Obviously in baking hot, outback Australia we had no snow… so I went for what seemed to be the next best option – by chipping and scraping the frost off the inside of the freezer door. Needless to say that even with the addition of cream and vanilla essence – It was absolutely revolting. God only knows the last time that freezer was defrosted, but that “snow” was certainly never intended for human consumption…

Thankfully, I’ve been able to spread my wings a little since then. I’ve eaten amazing ice cream from all over the world – Home made, Restaurant made and even attempted a few legitimate batches myself!

Yesterday we pulled Poppy out of daycare and took a family road trip to Cochrane… I had a work meeting there, but we had also heard whispers of a gorgeous little ice creamy in town that was so good, the lines stretch around the block in Summer.

We weren’t disappointed – MacKay’s seems to be a local institution, when we first walked past there were 3 little old ladies, bums squashed together on a park bench while they gossiped and licked their ice creams. I don’t know if they were locals or not – but it wasn't too difficult to imagine them enjoying that very same ritual for the last 60 years or so!

Hubby had a chocolate milkshake, Poppy had a scoop of Chocolate Ice Cream and I had a Chocowave – a frothy hot Chocolate with a massive scoop of Colombian Espresso Ice cream plopped right into it… it was divine!

Hubby’s milkshake was so good and thick, I’m pretty sure you could stand a spoon up in it, and Poppy’s chocolate ice cream was delicious. Rich and creamy - the best way to describe it was “natural”, it just tasted of cream and chocolate – no aftertaste, no lumps, no icicles… just perfect.

Lucky for us, Cochrane is only 30 minutes away, and worth every minute of the ice cream commute!

MacKays Ice Cream
220 1st Street W
Cochrane

Taj Indian Airdrie - Comfort Food at its Finest.

2013-01-16T20:28:00.001-07:00

In the middle of the night – your imagination can be a powerful thing.

We are currently trapped in a living hell, known only as non-insulated Apartment Living.

I’ve lived in Apartments before and it’s run the gauntlet between “fine” and “am I willing to lose my bond and abscond in the middle of the night”.

In my minds eye, I imagine my upstairs neighbour to be a 300kg Driller who wears his work boots inside and is as nimble as a 3 legged elephant. The fact that he also likes to throw heavy, squeaky toys to his infrequently manicured, and easily excitable, manic dog – does not endear him to me either.

That he is a night owl, who likes to pace his bedroom (also above my bedroom) has been enough for me to take him off the Christmas Card list.

But it’s his love of bad death metal rock, and his tone deaf attempts to replicate it on his electric guitar – complete with amps! – that really has me grinding my teeth.

I am a patient person (sometimes), I could even be described as peace loving. But if you want to see my shackles go up, and my inner warrior emerge – wake up my non-sleeping baby and see how well you fare.

But with the news that we have a new apartment to move into… not soon enough, but soon… the only thing we have left to cling to – is emotional, comfort eating.

Enter Taj Indian. I have always found Indian food comforting. Whether it’s the spices, or the heat – or the pure tactile pleasure of dipping naan into sauce… it soothes my soul.

So after seeing a great write up about Taj in our local magazine – we decided to give it a go.

It was everything we needed it to be. Flavourful, tangy and yet creamy Butter Chicken, with buttered white rice, fluffy Garlic Naans and Pappadams. I am a purist when it comes to Pappadams – I don’t like the ones with the caraway seeds – but that is pure personal preference, and overlooking that – they were still excellent quality and worth fighting over.

Service was fast and friendly, and lucky for us – only a few minutes drive from our little slice of hell. Bring on the comfort food!

Taj Indian
3 Stonegate Drive
Airdrie

Costa Vida Fresh Mexican

2013-01-10T14:34:00.001-07:00

Before we left home – I had my weird list of food I needed to try while we are living in Canada.

Twinkies. Urgh. So nasty. Sweaty yellow cakes with fake cream… enough said.

Poutine. We’ve had seriously good, and seriously gross.

American Hot Dog. The BEST I’ve ever had!

Taco Bell. Well – even though this was on my list – Marlee our Au Pair squealed with disgust every time I mentioned this.

Which I will admit – her stories of past visits have put me off slightly – but mark my words, give me a few drinks and I WILL give it a go!

So when I saw that Airdrie has new Mexican Restaurants popping up I got seriously excited! So excited in fact – that without realising it – I basically gate crashed their opening day while they were still mopping the floors… talk about keen.

But it was so worth it.

I had the Grilled Chicken Burrito with Lime Cilantro Rice, Salad and Cheese. There was also a Raspberry Chicken option which sounded interesting… and I may just give it a go next time.

The Burrito was excellent! Fresh toasted tortilla with moist, flavourful rice – I’m not up to trying the beans yet – and fresh salad. I had the medium salsa, which was actually medium (not bland or sweat inducing) and pico de gallo.

It came with a side of guacamole and sour cream – and when I asked about this amazingly vibrant green sauce that they had – he gave me a side of that to try as well. It was a delicious, vinegary Coriander dressing. Gorgeous – and super fresh.

The only negative can I say about my meal was the size of it. It was HUGE! Which meant I spent most of the afternoon lying on the couch in a Mexican Siesta-style coma trying to digest it all.

I know, I know – it’s not their fault that I have no self control and ate the entire thing. But still.

Next time I will probably get a taco instead, and that way avoid the sloth-like afternoon and have room for dinner.

Now I just have to wait for hubby to come home so I can him there for a cheap lunch date! (Cheap because despite muddying his clean floor - the Manager gave me a 10% discount card to come back again!)

Costa Vida
705 Main Street
Airdrie

Brewsters, we have a local!

2013-01-06T09:56:00.001-07:00

Wings

Of all the things I have struggled with since we moved here – the complete lack of familiarity has been the hardest.

From not knowing where to shop, to what brand of pasta sauce to buy, and who the hell goes first at a “4 Point Stop” Intersection. Nothing shakes your confidence more than having to second guess yourself at every turn.

What I have really missed though – is having a “local”. That failsafe location where you can go for Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner or just a drink. That place the car knows how to get to automatically and where the staff recognise you as a regular.

Thanks to an amazing Burger that we first discovered on Man vs Food, we now have a Local!

We have lived in Airdrie for 6 weeks now, and we have eaten at Brewsters 7 times…

The food is consistently good, the service is fast and friendly – and most importantly for us, they are well stocked with crayons, the Waitresses know their beer and are happy to assist hubby in his goal of trying every Canadian beer he can get his hands on!

Alberta Beef Dip

In the 7 times that we have eaten here – Hubby has not been adventurous at all. When he spied the Barvarian Beef Dip and confirmed that it was indeed, very similar to the ones he had seen on Man vs Food – he was hooked. He has ordered that same ol’ Burger each and every time we have eaten there. And loved it.

Basically it's a roll with finely sliced beef, horseradish cream, caramelised onions and melted cheese - then you dip it into the dish of jus... wah lah, Beef Dip!

I’ve been slightly more adventurous – sampling the wings, steak sandwich gyoza and my new personal favourite – the Alberta Beef Tacos.

Appetiser Alberta Beef Tacos

I have never been to Mexico so I honestly can't comment on the authenticity of the Taco's - and I highly doubt they are - but they are delicious, and that's really all that matters to me.

Tasty shredded short rib, fresh cabbage slaw and pickled red onion with fresh coriander and wedges of lime. It is a light and refreshing meal that helps you forget it's in the -30's outside.

We've had the wings on a few occasions and although tasty - they are a little on the small side.

The steak sandwich was good but just too much beige for me. Steak, bread, chips, onion rings... everything was the same colour... no salad or greenery - even just a hint of "healthy" would have made this much more enjoyable - but it's not on the menu, so I don't know why I expected it. It's still good - I just felt like something was missing.

Gyoza with sweet chilli sauce

All in all, it's a great local pub and it's helping us settle in to our new life. Now if I only I could get hubby to branch out and try something different...

Brewsters
3 Stonegate Drive NW
Airdrie

The Avenue Cupcakery...

2013-01-04T21:15:00.001-07:00

Along with our new start in Canada are a lot of new experiences.

We’ve downgraded from a 4 bedroom house with a yard, to a 2 bedroom apartment with an icicle ridden balcony. We’re getting by on one car instead of two. And we’re learning how to navigate a completely different climate.

A few pointers for those of you “Tropical” people thinking of relocating to the colder side of life.

1. A Chinook is not just a helicopter. It is also a weather pattern that makes the Albertan temperatures fluctuate wildly from -35C to 5C overnight. And vice versa.

2. A $20 Kmart Pram was never designed to tackle 6 inches of snow and sludge so you should be prepared to abandon it by the side of the road when the wheels eventually fall off.

3. No matter how bad your cabin fever. It is rarely a good idea to bundle your toddler up for a “road trip” in said pram, frigid Chinook wind and icy roads.

Cupcake hunting with The Poptart

Luckily for me, I only fell over once, and much to Poppy's amusement, the pram remained upright. Canadians are very chivalrous to pedestrians in general – but especially to those with cheap and nasty prams. They gave me free rein to cross the road at will. And last but not least – the road trip to Cupcake heaven was absolutely worth it.

To hear the locals gossip about it – The Avenue Cupcakery is the best Cupcake Shop in town. Hands down.

And I would have to agree.

Determined to make the trip (and getting dressed in 19 layers) worth it – we stocked up on goodies – with the full intention of sharing them with hubby when he finally made it home.

He didn’t get a look in, but I’ve promised to talk him back any time he has a sweet craving.

Chocolate Mousse filled Chocolate Cupcake, Red Velvet Cupcake

The best of our selection was the Chocolate Mousse filled Chocolate Cupcake and the Snickerdoodle. The Cupcake was self explanatory – the only thing better than something chocolate - is something chocolate stuffed with more chocolate. You’ve got a winning recipe right there!

Snickerdoodle, Chocolate Macaroon

The Snickerdoodle? Imagine a doughnut reincarnated as a cookie. Absolutely delicious. Thank god I only bought one. I would have had no self control with these in the house.

We also got a Red Velvet Cupcake – lovely, but red cake just can’t compete with chocolate in my mind. The Chocolate Macaroon was my least favourite - but only because everything else was so amazing. Hardly a negative is it?

We'll be back for sure - but next time we'll take the car.

The Avenue Cakery and Bakeshoppe
620 1st Ave
Airdrie

Wild Flour Bakery Banff

2012-12-31T15:56:00.002-07:00

There are few things that excite me more than visiting cute little towns and eating at the local's favourite haunts. So when you see somewhere advertised as “Banff’s Best Breakfast!” and “Banff’s Local Artistan Bakery” – you can pretty much see me running to join the line-up.

So we got up early – not our choice – the ratbag is an early riser who can’t be trusted to play alone, and trudged through the snow to what was promised to be an amazing breakfast.

I have to say I was put off from the minute we walked through the front door.

The scowling waitress was obviously not happy to be at work and glared at us while we struggled to decide what to order.

The reason for our struggles? What we had thought would be an artisan bakery heaving under drool-worthy baked goods and big, gourmet, “fill up the Snowboarder” style breakfasts was more of a Yuppie, Vegetarian café… and the pastry cabinet had yet to be filled...

Big disappointment right off the bat.

Hubby used to be a butcher – so “vegetarian” is not in his vocabulary. But we pushed on, hoping this would be the meal that would convert us to a healthier way of eating…

We probably should have run with our instincts and gone elsewhere – regardless of the “Best Breakfast” stamp.

The service didn’t get any better, and to be honest – the food couldn’t save them.

Hubby ordered the only protein on the menu – Herb Frittata and Bacon Toasted Sandwich. And I played it safe with the Flaxseed Waffles and Berry Compote.

Hubby – poor starving, up all night with a teething baby Hubby, couldn’t even bring himself to finish his sandwich. It was pretty bland. There were herbs – you could see them, but bizarrely, you couldn’t taste them. And the frittata had the weird look and texture of Japanese omelette… On dry, unbuttered, ordinary toast and what looked like, store-bought ham, it was an epic fail. Hubby picked the ham out, fed some egg to Poppy and left the rest.

My waffles were fine. Not great, just edible.

I’m not entirely sure why they were flaxseed – or what that mystery seed was supposed to add, but I think it missed the mark. The waffles came with two knobs of rock hard butter, a side of berry compote (which was delicious) and a jug of maple syrup I had to pay extra for. A scoop of ice cream, yoghurt or cream could have saved these. But without it, they were dry and boring.

Coffee was fine, but unremarkable, and more than anything it was the sour mood of the (only) waitress that really topped off our disappointing morning. I can’t say we will ever go back – I have seen on Facebook that they have just updated their menu but I think their whole style of food is just not for us.

To give them the benefit of the doubt – we even took a couple of croissants to go, but they were not fantastic either. The texture and layers were there – but either they used a weird kind of butter, or not butter at all… they had a slightly bitter aftertaste… and it really summed up our visit right there.

Wild Flour Bakery
211 Bear St
Banff

The Rocky Mountain Resort Banff and my lack of coordination...

2012-12-28T21:55:00.001-07:00

For people who know me – I am about as uncoordinated as they come. In fact, if I haven't spoken to my Dad for a while, one of the first questions he will ask me is "Had any good stacks lately?"

If there is a single pothole, wayward stick or slightly non-flat surface – I will find it – and I will take a monumental, highly embarrassing and usually painful fall.

The funniest part about this is that I actually used to be an athlete of sorts. I rowed competitively as a teenager and even made it to Nationals – however, the irony is not lost on me, that this was a sport conducted almost entirely while sitting…

Anyway – while we were in Banff – or what we fondly now call “Australia Town”, we decided to turn our day trip into an overnighter.

While checking out Mooseprint – easily one of the coolest Bookstores I’ve ever been to – we met Andrew (yup, an Aussie) and he recommended The Rocky Mountain Resort.

True to form – after making a new friend, chatting between customers and herding Poppy around his shop like a greased up cat – I made my mark by tripping over the welcome mat, crashing into the door and skinning both my knees. I’m pretty sure he’ll remember me for a while to come... I hope not too many of his customers leave their DNA all over his front doorstep.

But his Hotel recommendation was spot on. We didn’t want fancy – just comfortable, affordable and a decent location to try and spot some wildlife.

For $100+ taxes we got a standard suite with 2 Queen Beds, a good sized bathroom, kitchenette AND a fireplace!! Yes, we're still loving the novelty of the fireplace!

The best part about this place was the staff. No charge to fill and heat Poppy's bottle, a booklet of discount coupons for local attractions and restaurants and a list of things to see and do while we were here.

The absolute best part about our stay here - on arrival we dropped everything off in our room including Laptop and Ipad - and came back hours later to realise (stupidly!) that we hadn't closed our door properly... it was wide open and EVERYTHING was still there.

10 points for stealing any of our stuff Banff!

Mooseprint Books and Gifts

208 Buffalo Street

Banff

Rocky Mountain Resort

1029 Banff Avenue

Banff

COWS Ice Cream and The Jaws of Death...

2012-12-23T21:34:00.002-07:00

As a little girl growing up in the middle of the Outback where temperatures were regularly 40C+, my absolute favourite food was (and sadly for my thighs, still is!) ice cream.

Dad was always the pushover when it came to asking for treats. He would always happily allow it as long as he was allowed “a bite”.

As sugar deprived, over heated little brats – we would always thankfully give in to this one demand and innocently hand over our ice cream for the “payment” of our cool treat.

We would then watch in horror as the majority of that ice cream would disappear into the "Jaws of Death". (See re-enactment by Poppy below)

Dad would then grin at us through melting cream, hand back an almost empty wrapper and send us on our way.

It took me until my mid-20’s to figure out the only way to escape with the lions share – was to hold the cone with both hands (and a defensive position!) and control the amount of “bite” he was allowed!

So on our most recent trip to Banff, where it was a frigid -17C, we spotted a sign listing the “Top 10 Ice Cream in the World.” Unbeknownst to me, one of my all time favourites (Ben and Jerry’s) came in at #10, and here I was, standing outside Cows - the #1!!

So asides from the fact that it was colder outside on the pavement than their freezers were inside – we couldn’t pass up the opportunity to sample what is supposedly the best ice cream in the world!

With hubby too cold to help me eat it - I had to settle for just one scoop! After much deliberation I finally decided on their "flavour of the day" – which seemed to be a mish-mash of some of their regular offerings – and it was delicious.

Their secret ingredient? Well – they list 3.

High Butterfat.

Minimum Air.

Highest Quality Ingredients.

That’s a winning recipe for ice cream if ever I saw one! No one could disagree with that formula!

I have no complaints whatsoever, I will be back and I will take guests with me so I can try more flavours... But it isn’t my #1. Movenpick still holds my heart but I will always have room for other contenders…

COWS Banff

134 Banff Ave
Banff

Rundle Lounge at The Fairmont Hotel Banff

2012-12-22T20:38:00.001-07:00

Our first trip to Banff was on a whim.

We piled into the car for a lazy drive and lo and behold - The Poptart fell asleep!

For anyone who knows our little girl and her bizarre hatred of sleep (and, more often than not – cars too) – you would know that we drove, and drove, and drove – too scared to stop in case she woke up.

And that, is how we ended up in Banff.

Where else would you go in Banff besides the Fairmont Hotel? Surely everyone the world over has heard of The Fairmont Banff Springs?

We had been previously assured that they welcomed anyone into their Hotel, to eat, to stay and to just wander and admire their beautiful history.

We were so under-dressed it wasn’t funny. We weren’t planning on a daytrip to Banff – let alone swanning around The Fairmont Hotel! I was almost embarrassed to be there – but we weren’t alone. There were more UGG’s in the Lobby than Designer Labels so we were lucky and strangely enough, able to blend in.

This Hotel is stunning. And, as we discussed over lunch – we’re pretty sure it’s haunted! It’s just got too much beauty and character not to have the odd ghost or two just hanging around… Time for some serious research before our next visit!

During our tour of the Hotel, we were 100% intimidated by the Restaurants we saw. We were majorly underdressed – and minus a babysitter – to even consider eating in them. But just as we were leaving we spotted The Rundle Lounge – filled with kids, their UGG booted parents and even a few camo’ed up Hunters.

It was worth the gauntlet of intimidation. Lunch was amazing.

Buffalo Wings, French Onion Soup and the Turkey Club. The Wings were our favourite so far – and let me assure you – we may only have been here for 6 weeks, but we have eaten our body weight in these tasty little suckers! The wings were meaty, crisp and had the sauce both baked on – and then re-coated before serving. The baking makes such a difference… all that caramelised goodness!

The French Onion Soup was to die for... so much, and such depth of flavour. One of those times you really regret offering to share… Luckily for us – a grovelling email to their Concierge has netted us the recipe!

The Turkey Club was not the Traditional Club Sandwich I am used to – but it was still very good. Our least favourite of the 3 dishes – but only because the other 2 were so exceptional. To top it off – we were welcomed in looking like a family of homeless people and Poppy was treated like a little Princess.

Meals and experiences like these are what endear particular places to you. We can’t wait to go back to Banff – and if we can afford it, and they have the room – we’d love to have Christmas there!

Fingers crossed Hubby makes it home in time!

Rundle Lounge
The Fairmont Hotel
Banff Springs

Wendy's and the weird Poutine.

2012-12-21T20:54:00.002-07:00

There’s only so much takeaway food the human body can handle – and I’m pretty sure we have eaten at every establishment in Canada that has a drive through in the weeks we have been here.

The straw that broke the Camel's back however was Wendy's.

At home, Wendy's does an average hotdog and decent ice cream. Here, it is a low grade version of McDonald's. We ordered a couple of burgers, chicken nuggets for Poppy and a serve of Poutine.

Probably a bad choice.

Poppy took one sniff of the nuggets and dumped them on the floor of the car. She ended up eating most of a Continental Cucumber instead... in hindsight I should have joined her.

Hubby powered through his burger out of determined hunger. I got half way through mine and then - in the middle of a beef burger - hit a flavour and texture that was 100% smoked salmon.
I don't eat fish. Therefor I did not finish my burger.

The Poutine was soggy chips with watery gravy and hard lumps of stone, cold cheese curds. Please tell me Poutine is better than that??

So today I caved in and decided that even though we are currently living in a tiny hotel room – we could at least make our own toasted sandwiches and possibly ward off that inevitable artery blockage.

Thus began the hunt for a toasted sandwich machine.

Three shops and a lot of confusion later – I ended up in The Bay.

Me: Do you have a Toasted Sandwich Maker?

The Bay: A what??

Me: A Sandwich Grill? A Sandwich Press?

The Bay: A what?? (Looking at me like I just fell out of the sky, Mr Bean style...)

Me: You know, those appliances you put your sandwich in to toast it and make the cheese melt? Gesturing wildly with my hands about imaginary sandwiches being squashed between hot metal.

The Bay: OHHH! Oh, you are SO funny. You mean a Panini Grill? Like for Grilling Panini’s? Ya – we have those.

Hmmm. A Panini Grill… now that is a very specific type of appliance. Almost as much as a yoghurt maker or an apple corer...

But anyway – I got my Panini Grill and we are now eating toasted sandwiches (note: not Paninis) to our hearts content.

I am also becoming rapidly aware that every time I speak, it is followed by a confused Canadian voice saying “A WHAAAT?? Oh, you mean…”

I must truly sound and speak like an idiot… *sigh*

Wendy's

Our Christmas is on hold.

2012-12-20T20:05:00.000-07:00

Meet “Bruce the Moose”.

He is the only tangible proof in our house that Christmas is upon us.

We are officially T-4 in the countdown to Christmas and I haven’t bought presents yet.

Not a single one.

I haven’t bought a turkey.

And I don’t intend to.

My to-do list is empty, and my days are stress free.

Hubby is away at work – and like Driller’s the world over, I am sure – there is no ETA on when he will be home. Poppy is 19m old and has no concept of Xmas, Santa or obligatory gift giving - so Christmas in our house is officially on hold.

I am far from being the Christmas Grinch but there is a very different feel about it this year with recent events dominating the media, my husband being far from home and us being otherwise family-less in a foreign country.

Luckily Poppy is so young that she won’t notice if we have Christmas late, or not at all. For her – every day her “Dad-dad” is home is Christmas replayed over and over again like Groundhog Day. She’s pretty easily pleased.

So this year will not be about presents.

Instead – we will focus on Poppy and the things we want for her.

More than anything – we just want our little girl to grow up to be kind and thoughtful of others. Last year we started her first Christmas tradition where we take her to buy 2 presents – one for a boy, one for a girl – and donate them to a Children’s Charity. It’s only one act, but it’s a start.

We know how lucky we are. We are living our Canadian dream, we have a beautiful, happy and healthy daughter – and after almost 4 years of marriage – we are still crazy in love. When all is said and done, we don’t need presents under a tree – or a moose in our case – we just need our family and everything will be ok.

Merry Christmas everyone.

Masala Banff, Indian Food worth fighting over!

2012-12-20T11:37:00.000-07:00

I’d obviously had a dyslexic moment when I wrote down the address – but didn't realise it at the time.

When we got to 226 Bear Street, I felt uneasy that it was an odd looking, dirty, glass door with no Restaurant in sight. With Poppy on my hip, while Hubby found a park, I felt even more uneasy when I saw a crooked, (badly) handwritten sign saying “Come in – We open!” posted on the fire escape door… *cue creepy music*

I’m as much a sucker for hunting down a great local restaurant as anyone else, but I was seriously expecting to be mugged and carved up by organ harvesters if I went through that door… highly unlikely in one of the main streets of tourist friendly Banff I know – but I have an overactive imagination and I watch far too many crime shows.

When my good friend Google confirmed it should have been 229 Bear Street – it all came together - on the opposite side of the street. Hidden right down the end of a small mall, was Masala Indian Restaurant.

Again – that uneasy feeling resurfaced when we noticed we were the only people in there… but we are parents of a young child, we eat early now and were no doubt eating while the party people were still sleeping off their lunch time hangovers.

Luckily for us – the adrenaline spike was well worth it! Although we were the only customers in the Restaurant at 6pm, service was patchy to start with as they were obviously still getting ready for the onslaught – by the time we left it was heaving, and there was a line up outside.

We ordered our standard when eating a new Indian Restaurant – Butter Chicken, Chicken Tikka Masala, Garlic Naan and Pappadams. Asides from a slight delay in dishing up Poppy’s serving where we still conversed like normal adults – once we had our first bites – there were no more pleasantries. Eyeing each other off over the last tearing of Naan – we played “Scissor, Paper, Rock” to decide who got the Naan and who had to fight Poppy for the remaining shards of Pappadam.

Hubby won. Dammit.

And seeing as she had pre-loved most of the Pappadams – Poppy won also. So I ordered more rice, and consoled myself with scraping out the last of the curry sauce.

The curries were absolutely delicious and although suspiciously similar in colouring - the flavours and degrees of heat could not have been more different. The Tikka Masala was made all the more incredible with the addition of freshly toasted pistachios, both in the sauce and as a garnish. Amazing!

The Naan was a perfect combination of fluffy and gently charred in all the right places.

With bulging bellies, a happy baby and a cheap night out – it was unanimous – Masala was the best Indian Restaurant we have ever been to. Hands down.

We plan on heading back to Banff for Christmas if Hubby gets home in time – and we are already planning on going back here and being more adventurous with our next order... and ordering an extra Naan!

Masala
229 Bear Street
Banff

Tubby Dog - SERIOUSLY, You Gotta Eat Here!

2012-12-16T15:03:00.000-07:00

Cooking is my yoga, my meditation, my “me time”. And if ever I can’t cook and I need that stress relief – the second best option is a cooking show.

My not-so-secret celebrity crush is Adam from ‘Man vs Food’ and I dream of being able to tour America following his trail of soul food, ice cream sundaes and ridiculous stroke inducing challenges.

When we checked into our new Hotel, the first TV Show we saw was ‘You Gotta Eat Here’ – I was hooked! It was local – places I could actually go and try and not just dream about! The first place they showed in Calgary was a Hot Dog Joint called “Tubby Dogs” – famous for their enormous dogs, unique ingredients and imaginative combinations.

Hubby saw the tail end of it and he was keen for adventure –and to get out of the Hotel room! So we bundled Poppy into her ski gear, and headed off into the car park for part one of our adventure – finding our car after a mini blizzard.

It’s quite funny that places never really look the same as they do on TV. Tubby Dogs didn’t look any better or worse – just different. It’s got that authentic old school American Diner feel about it – with the Red Leather Booths and scuffed up floor. The menu is small but enough.

We continued our adventurous spirit by each ordering a different “Dog of the Day” – I got the Dog with Sauteed Onions, Mayonnaise, Yellow Mustard and Cheese. Hubby went for the Dog with Sauteed and Crispy Onions, Yellow Mustard, BBQ Sauce and Space Cheese.

I’m not exactly sure what space cheese is… but let’s just say that nothing even remotely natural is that shade of orange. Regardless of whether it’s been to the moon and back…

The Dogs were huge. From watching the TV Special there seemed to be 3 schools of thought when it came to actually eating them:

1.       Pick it up and eat it – no hesitation, no fear of spillage. Go for gold.

2.       The Shovel Technique – Keep it in the cardboard boat and feed it into your mouth conveyer belt style.

3.       Knife and Fork – Seriously, who goes to a Hot Dog joint and uses a knife and fork?? Wimps!!

We opted for option 1 – and I will admit, we both ended up wearing as much as we ate – but it was worth every, single, tasty morsel!

Without a doubt – Tubby Dog is the best Hot Dog I have ever eaten.

Although the ingredients were simple – every single one works and is tasty in its own right. But the absolutely winner is the quality sausage. I have never had a dog that delicious before – I expected the humble, boring Frankfurter – dolled up with some sexy condiments – but I was blown away by the flavour!

We also spied “T-Rings” on the menu and were informed that they were “just like Onion Rings – but ours – and huge”. Who can go past a description like that? They were deep fried to donut coloured perfection and were the perfect crunchy, greasy interlude between bits of mustard oozing dog.

If you can drag your attention away from the mess you’re creating – take a look around at the hilarious (and often inappropriate) posters on the wall, and the cabinet of bygone goodies…

Think original Spacefood, a whole Chicken in a Can, Cheese in a squirty can, 50 year old Weiners in a Jar… There seems to have been a time in history where you were limited only by your imagination (and your gag reflex?) as to what you could put in a can... And here is a shrine to the best of the worst.

My verdict? Do yourself a flavour and get down to Tubby Dogs before you have to line up!

I’ll be back as soon as I conquer my fear of driving in the snow… but with messy motivation like this – it won’t take me long!

Tubby Dog
1022 17th Ave SW
Calgary

Earls' Girls steal the show...

2012-12-13T18:23:00.001-07:00

"For the love of God, please eat the Beef!"

When we told our Brother in Law Mick that we were going to Banff for the day – his one recommendation was “Go to Earls”.

Later – after we’d already been – he admitted that Earls was really famous for “Earl’s Girls”, and he didn’t actually have an opinion, or a memory, of the food. Apparently the girls that work there are all stunning. And looking back – it’s a pretty accurate selling point.

But before knowing all of the above – we went to Earls on a recommendation. One we thought was for food… apparently not – but it was still a good recommendation!

I love places that we take Poppy to and they don’t bat an eyelid. Better still if they make a joke about us needing “a table for 2 and a half” or engage her directly. I’m not one of those mum’s that believes kids have a right to eat in every Restaurant – and hubby and I make it a point not to take her anywhere she could possibly ruin someone else’s meal – but I love it when we take her somewhere and she is treated as just another customer and not a non-tipping pain in the butt.

Earls was one of those places.

Our Waitress didn’t break stride when Poppy screeched her toddler-speak welcome and held her hand all the way to the table. When she asked if we were going to order anything for Poppy and we said no (Poppy likes to share “Adult” food), she asked if we wanted milk for her bottle or if we had a bottle we needed heating.

Ten points for being unexpectedly child friendly!

Still on our burger high – we ordered The Bronx Burger and Clam Chowder. The perfect choice for a -15C day! The burger was a sensation – grilled, perfectly seasoned beef on a fresh bun with cheddar cheese and 3 enormous, golden, sweet centered onion rings. Even though it was hubby who ordered the burger – I seemed to get the lion’s share of the onion rings – and Poppy made a good dint in the burger patty.

My chowder was exactly as I imagined a North American Chowder to be… creamy, flavourful and thick enough that you could almost eat it with a knife and fork. Generous chunks of seafood, potato and carrot – in a portion so massive I couldn’t even finish it. In hindsight this was possibly due to the gluttony of the onion rings…

Our waitress was bubbly but extremely efficient and knowledgeable about the menu, she recommended hubby a local beer without hesitation and won Poppy over with funny faces from across the room.

Sometimes it is more about the atmosphere of a restaurant and not so much about the food. On this occasion – Earls was both.

Food, Excellent.

Service, Fantastic.

Price – Outstanding.

Not only will we be back – we will bring back every visitor we have. Thank you Earls – we love your work!

Earls Banff

299 Banff Avenue
Banff

Ric's Grill - 3 strikes and you're out!

2012-12-12T18:55:00.000-07:00

I don’t think you can be any fairer to restaurant than if you eat there 3 times. Surely that would have to give them the best possible chance of getting it right?

The first time we ate at Ric's was out of exhaustion – moving Hotels across the city, buying a car, returning a hire car and doing all of this in Calgary’s first decent snow fall of the season. And all of this done by 2 and a bit Aussie’s who don’t know their way around, bought a dud GPS and have never driven in snow before…

So dinner number one was default by exhaustion – and Room Service to boot. And it was horrible. Fettuccine Alfredo that tasted as if it had been made with a roux (butter and flour) that hadn’t been cooked out… so it tasted very raw and floury… it was garnished nicely with some grated zucchini – which was also raw, so all in all – a very odd and gluey dish.

The Pepperoni Pizza tasted store bought, a claggy base with a tinny tomato paste, ordinary toppings and barely melted cheese. To top it all off – the Waitress forgot our cutlery (and salt, pepper and napkins…) so we ate the pizza with our hands, and then ate the pasta cold, once our forks had arrived. It was the kind of meal that makes you feel sad and abandoned... just what you want when you've uprooted your life and emigrated to a foreign country...

We didn’t even have the energy to walk the half mile of corridor to get to the lift, to try and hunt down a chocolate bar. We just went to bed hungry, unfulfilled and sad.

Dinner number two was by hope. Hubby saw the menu, smelt a steak cooking and thought it sounded like a good idea – and it wasn’t bad. My crumbed chicken breast with coconut curry sauce was actually quite tasty – although all main meals come with the same sides – so the slightly Asian dish was thrown completely off kilter with the addition of a Baked potato and sautéed vegetables… but it was still decent and a 100% improvement on room service. Hubby’s New York strip loin was quite good – tender, tasty and the sides worked perfectly.

All in all, a decent, if not expensive meal.

Dinner number three was exhaustion and hope combined – another grueling day of starting life afresh in a new country and being too lazy and ill equipped to find anywhere better to eat.

Starving and still somewhat untrusting – I ordered the Cod and Chips, purely under the assumption that surely no one can stuff up Fish and Chips? Well, they arrived raw. Not sashimi raw – but still cold and grey in the middle. Gross.

It’s one of my few rules. I never send food back to the kitchen - ever.

But on this occasion I was too hungry to make it through the night on a small serve of chips and some coleslaw. So back it went… and hallelujah, it came back cooked – albeit with a big crater hole in the middle that the Waitress pointed out to me – to “prove that it was cooked this time”. Awesome.

It was still without the advertised homemade tartare sauce (missing on both the original and new plate) and with a large glop of good ol’ ketchup in its place. Talk about dismal.

Hubby ordered the ribs – and while edible – they were disappointing too. Cooked, but not to the point of falling off the bone, and then with sauce just ladled over the top – so, so disappointing.

Service was hit and miss – our Waitress from Room Service was the same as our first night in the Restaurant. She was pleasant and efficient but otherwise really just delivered plates to the table.

Our Waitress on the third night was hopeless. Our first order of drinks never arrived, she put an enormous steak knife down in front of Poppy for hubby’s meal and she couldn't answer basic menu questions ie. What the soup of the day was (there were 2 – she didn't know either and made no attempt to find out) or how big the steaks were. The menu listed them in ounces – but she said she “wasn’t from around here, so had no idea”. HUH???

For a Hotel Restaurant that has a 6 foot high poster of their Head Chef outside the front door – you really would expect better… but maybe he just oversees and doesn’t actually work in the kitchen?

I’d be embarrassed to have my name on the menu, let alone my photo on the front door. For the prices they charge - they need a pretty big overhaul on quality unless they are marketing purely to trapped and exhausted Hotel guests.

*Apologies for no photos – the Restaurant was very dark and I didn’t want to light the place up with camera flashes.

Ric's Grill

Four Points Calgary West

OMG - Our car is an igloo...

2012-12-11T11:23:00.000-07:00

Don't forget where you parked the car... in the morning they will all look the same!

To the untrained eye it can seem slightly stalker'ish - but sometimes peering out of your hotel blinds and spying on other guests is better than being the laughing stock of the carpark.

We waited for over an hour for people to start leaving our hotel - just so we could see how it was done.

No - we weren't trying to do a runner without paying - we had just never driven in snow before - so freeing our car from it's own personal igloo was well out of our skill-set!

Luckily we saw a few good examples - and a few not so good... unluckily, we quickly realised that our car didn't have one of those magic remote starters as cars seemed to come alive on their own in the carpark...

Anyway... even though the snow was making it as difficult as possible - I still wasn’t keen to leave the Sheraton Cavalier.

I am a serious Hotel snob and I’ve never been ashamed to admit it. So to leave, what I knew was one of the nicest Hotels in our budget, and head for its much poorer sister – I was anxious.

I like nice showers, comfy bed and free goodies.
I like 24 hour room service, someone to carry my bags and an onsite spa.

I may be low maintenance and a bit of a tomboy – but I like my nice Hotels.

Thankfully - the Four Points was so much better than I expected – especially for the rate we paid. We booked on a 20% off discount spree and got each night for just over $90 + tax. Another bargain!

This room was slightly bigger, 2 Queen beds (lucky seeing as Poppy was too big for the cot - so she got her own bed) a kitchenette and a decent sized desk. Again – free WIFI – but we had officially kissed goodbye to the Concierge floor and all the bonus drinks and nibbles :(

The downside – although close to the highway, a service station and Olympic Park - there was little of any interest around us, and absolutely nothing within walking distance.

Sadly, especially as we stayed here during Calgary’s first snow of the season - the Restaurant / Room Service was dismal.

The absolute perk of this place was the Front Desk staff – they were beyond friendly, helpful and genuinely interested in our move. They also laughed at our accents and played hide-and-seek with Poppy, which gave us precious minutes alone to try and pinpoint our car in the “Blizzard Zone” before sliding across the ice to go and start it.

I would definitely stay here again if we needed to, but I also definitely wouldn’t eat in the Restaurant again.

But that’s a story for another day…

Sheraton Four Points Calgary West
8220 Bowridge Crescent NW
Calgary Alberta T3B 2V1

Bass Pro Calgary - MUST DO!

2012-12-07T16:27:00.002-07:00

This is food related… kind of.

Ok – so that’s a stretch – because I have no idea what is involved in taxidermy… but I’m pretty sure the hunters don’t just scoop the animals out for meatloaf and get the leftovers mounted.

But descriptive issues aside – if you EVER come to Calgary – you need to put this place on your to-do list. Essentially it’s an outdoor sports and hunting store, but for anyone (outside of PETA I guess) with a moderate interest in animals – it is a showcase to any, and possibly EVERY animal that ever walked the North American landscape in the last hundred or so years.

These animals aren’t merely stuffed and hung on the walls of the shop – they ARE the shop. Thousands of animals from foxes to racoons, to moose and even a polar bear create scenes of hunting, escape, migration and nesting.

Poppy's new best friend...

We spent over 2 hours in here with Poppy (she didn’t mind, or notice?, that they were all dead…) and we didn’t buy a thing.

That moment when you almost turn around walk straight back out...

Although there is a clear sign at the front door asking for all weapons to be checked before shopping – there is also a makeshift rifle range upstairs where you can test out your make-believe sniper skills, on even more stuffed animals!

Redneck Mummy... and Poppy playing spotter...

And if the “outdoorsy” life just isn’t for you – it’s also a fantastic place to ditch the menfolk and spend equal time shopping up a storm in the MASSIVE outlet mall that it is attached.

This place is amazing – for Men, for Children, for Wives who like to shop and know where to find the former when they’re done… put it on your list. It won’t disappoint!

Bass Pro Shop

Rocky View , AB (Calgary) | Bass Pro Shops

112-261055 Cross Iron Blvd
Rocky View , AB T4A0G3

Starbucks and the Attack of the Bogan Australian Accent...

2012-12-04T18:15:00.003-07:00

I will admit – despite their Apple’esque attempts to take over the world – I’ve always had a bit of a soft spot for Starbucks…

One of the biggest adjustments for me moving to Canada, has been my caffeine addiction. Coffee is different here. Canadians love their filtered coffee and creamers… I just can’t get the taste for it. But even Canadian cappuccinos taste different… I’m not sure if it is the beans, the milk or just the baristas… but it’s different.

Starbucks makes the closest thing to Australian Coffee that I’ve found so far.

So my love affair with them has grown exponentially. And since putting down roots in Airdrie – just north of Calgary where we have had major snowfalls and several -15C days… the fact that they also do drive through… uh huh, you heard me right – DRIVE THROUGH coffee… I’m just about ready to name my second born child after them.

There have been so many things I’ve been looking forward to eating since we arrived. One of them was a bearclaw… and they sell them at Starbucks!

Bearclaws are delicious warm Danish pastries with a poppyseed filling and a sugar glaze, shaped into some Pastry Chef’s imagination of what a bear claw would look like.

Although I really like (read: lurve...) eating them – I hate ordering them. It really is attack of the bogan Australian accent.

Me: “Could I have a bearclaw please”

Starbucks: “A bagel – sure”

Me: “No, not a bagel – a bearclaw” (pointing clearly at my desired pastry)

Starbucks: “Ya, you can have a bagel”

Me: “NO. NOT. THE. BAGEL. THE BAAARE CLAAAW (pointing frantically at the bearclaw which incidentally is on the opposite side of the cabinet to the bagels)

Starbucks: “ohhhh… you mean the bearclaw?”

I have no idea what I sound like to Canadians… but events like this make me very self conscious that I sound like a complete moron.

Note to self: Call Canadian friends at home and ask them what we sound like. Be prepared for the worst.

And this could just be a "Canadian" thing... but Starbucks are just so freaking friendly here.

Hubby went through the drive through yesterday only to find out that their card machines were all down - seeing as we have Drive Through Banks here as well... yup... he told the Barista he'd just be 5 mins while he went to go get some cash.

"Don't you worry about it sweetheart - these are on the house - you have yourself a lovely day".

Wow. Since when does a Franchise the size of Starbucks do something nice for the humble customer?? Love it!

Sheraton Cavalier... Waterpark + Jetlag = AWESOME

2012-12-03T19:17:00.000-07:00

Oh how I agonised about finding a Hotel for our arrival into Canada. It’s so different travelling with a baby – than doing it on your own. So after months of trawling the internet, looking for great rates and great reviews – I settled on the Sheraton Cavalier.

First impressions were off to a rocky start – after putting notes into my reservation, emailing to double check and then confirming at check-in – we arrived at the Cavalier at 1am and there was no cot in the room for Poppy. GRRRR….

She was beyond tired – 38 hours of travel will do that to a little person. So to get the room, and discover there is no cot when it was really the only thing you were concerned about – was infuriating.

But from there on – I could only say good things about them. The bed was one of the comfiest I’ve ever slept on, the bathroom large and functional and the waterpark – YES, WATERPARK! – was the perfect antidote to child and husband jetlag.

We also got a great deal with the “Pay your BirthYear” promo, you pay the first night as per normal and the following nights at your birthyear. Essentially we were staying in a 5 star Hotel for $82+tax per night. A bargain!

With this saving - it meant that I could upgrade us to the Concierge Floor – which in turn, meant that we got free breakfast, all day snacks and non-alcoholic drinks, evening beers and canapes – and the all time homesick bonus – free WIFI to Skype home!

Although we weren’t as strict as we could have been – if you were really going to tighten the purse strings – you could pretty much feed yourself with free food, drinks and WIFI for your entire stay and save yourself any extra cost.

Just something to think about the next time you plan family travel…

Location was excellent – we were within a stone’s throw of major highways, the Airport, shopping centres and only a quick trip downtown.

The food we had at the Hotel – although free – was still quite good. Breakfast was a good mix of hot, cold and fresh items and with a Starbucks Coffee Machine, bowls of fruit and fresh baked cookies available all day.

Evening canapés were a great selection of fresh vegetables and dips (perfect for Poppy’s dinner), hot savoury items: Garlic Prawn Skewers, Chicken Wings, Dumplings, and mini Taco’s – all in all, if you were determined – you could easily make it your dinner and not a snack…

Thank you Daddy, this place is awesome!

The Cavalier was so good - we have already decided that when friends and family visit us here, we will make it mandatory that they stay there for at least one night so we can take advantage of the water park… selfish I know, but we seriously enjoyed our time here – and if you can get a good rate – all the better!

Sheraton Cavalier
2620 32nd Avenue NE, Calgary

The buffalo wings stole my romance...

2012-11-30T13:22:00.000-07:00

With the first leg of our journey over – Poppy seemed to be repentant for the 2 hour scream fest we endured midway from Sydney to Dallas. Just as the USA Immigration queue ground to a halt – she looked straight into the eyes of the heavily armed Customs guard and roared her little heart out.

Without skipping a beat, the one man militia reached for his handheld radio “We’re gonna have us a situation here – I’m pushing a group through the priority line”. And with that – he winked at Poppy and said “Y’all have a good day now”.

God bless cranky babies with impeccable timing!

So with fastlane clearance, a friendly smile and our first “y’all” under our belt – we scooted into Dallas Fort Worth Airport ravenous for a hearty all American Lunch to get us through the next 5 hours until our connecting flight to Calgary.

Sadly, although it lived up to the expectations of being much faster and friendlier (read: limited queues and no cavity searches) than LAX – Dallas is pretty barren in the shopping and eating department. We did 2 laps just to make sure – before settling for Bennigan’s Pub.

Although the menu was typical pub fare – we’d never eaten at an American Pub before so we ordered the “Classics” – BBQ Bacon Cheeseburger and Buffalo Wings.

The Cheeseburger was amazing. If there is something to say about American’s – they sure know how to make a good burger! Fresh bun, tasty – seasoned and cooked medium burger, with gooey orange cheese and bacon that shattered in your mouth. Amazing. Yes – it was just a burger – but the combination of soft, savoury, crispy and gooey in every bite was just artery clogging perfection. Who knew the humble burger could be this good??

(I know we’ve just arrived, but I’m already planning my revisit here on the trip home – and fingers crossed it tastes just as good without the jetlag!)

We’ve since discovered that this is just the way Buffalo Wings are cooked here – the wings cooked separate and then the sauce poured over… while still tasty – it’s just different. The wings were delicious but much spicier than expected, and we ordered the mild ones!

Hubby – never one to shy away from some good finger licking pub food – pushed a generous serve (ie. more than my stringent "half") of the wings over to me, defeated!

“You don’t like them?” I asked.
“No… I like them – they’re good – but they are just spicy enough that I’m getting concerned about their re-entry…”

Urgh. Seriously? More than I ever needed to know about my husband. And we’ve shared a bathroom now for 7 years...

People wonder where the romance disappears to – well I think the Buffalo wings stole it.

Bennigan's DFW Airport

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The Aussies are moving to Canada...

2012-11-28T12:35:00.000-07:00

For no particular reason, I’d always dreamed of living in Canada.

When I met and married my husband – he had the same dream. So when we had Poppy – it really seemed that it was now or never. I have always been so inspired by my own mum – who not only backpacked while pregnant with me, but travelled the world with me until I was 4 years old! I always felt that I was born to travel, and I loved the idea that I could pass that love onto Poppy

So we made the commitment. We went without new clothes and haircuts for 2 years. Our social life took a hammering and date night became a DVD and taco kit. We rented out our home, sold everything we owned and rehomed our pets.

Canada here we come!

I know what you’re thinking – who uproots their life and moves away from a nice house, nice life, supportive families and secure jobs?? Crazy people! That’s who!

Who takes a high energy, no attention span and TV hating 18 month old child on a 38 hour, transatlantic journey? Crazy people!

But we had one saving grace – my 5 years of schlepping all over QLD earnt me enough Qantas Frequent Points to score an upgrade to Business Class. While the “experience” of it was definitely wasted on us – the French Champagne, 4 course dinner with Cheese Platters and Godiva Chocolates to finish… of a la carte snacks delivered to your pod… of high altitude cappuccino’s and rare ports and, not to forget – the all important luxury of international travel – sleeping. All wasted.

BUT - the extra space, Poppy’s own pod and each meal course delivered separately was a godsend. The free (nerve soothing) alcohol, lounge access and priority queues – even better!

So here we are – we survived the flight, and now the adventure really begins. We are 30 years old, with a toddler in tow and everything we own packed into 6 bags.

We are starting completely fresh, with no family and friends within driving distance, funny accents and a terror of driving on the wrong side of the road.

What could possibly go wrong?

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