curlsandcoffee

lately, i've been dreaming of...

2012-02-10T14:20:00.002-05:00

{from here}

...having citrus trees in my backyard.

...staying in bed well beyond noon, and getting lots of cuddles.

...hot chocolate.

...owning my own yoga studio (one day!)

...spending my days playing with little ones

while their papa teaches classes at the university.

...going for long runs during beautiful, sunny mornings.

...having a house of our own, to fix up as i please.

...vancouver (i miss it sometimes!)

...a mid-week movie day!

big dreams and small,

we all need them.

what have you been dreaming of, lately?

the vegetarian experiment.

2012-02-09T17:33:00.000-05:00

after registering for yoga teacher training,

i started thinking about how i could best align other areas of my life

with what i knew i would be learning in my training.

since i have been re-focusing my eating habits

over the past few years,

i thought that nothing could come more naturally

to taking journey to the next level

than becoming a vegetarian.

trust me when i say,

this was not a decision i made lightly.

i have always been a big fan of meat,

and even over the past few years since i've begun making the shift

to eating solely meat and animal by-products

that are produced in an ethical, natural way,

i've still felt that it's okay to eat meat,

so long as i am aware of where it is coming from

and i am conscientious of what i am consuming.

as of right now,

i do still think this way...

but i decided that becoming a vegetarian for the four months

of my teacher training

would be one special way for me to commit fully to my practice

and treat it as a complete lifestyle

rather than just courses i am attending.

and so,

starting february 1st

i officially became a vegetarian

and will stay as such

until the end of my teacher training in june.

i have also committed to eating only animal by-products

(milk, eggs, butter, cheese)

from small farms where i know

the animals are treated ethically and raised naturally.

i am a little nervous

about this new way of eating

(what about vitamin b12?

...and what will i eat???)

but since we've been shifting our way of eating

more towards the vegetarian over the past year anyway,

i've been slowly building a repertoire of fantastic vegetarian recipes

(this cookbook has been an amazing resource).

also, i have some pretty incredible vegan friends

who always have suggestions for substitutions when i ask.

i'm really excited about this new chapter in my life.

i may go back to eating ethical meat from our farmer's market

at the end of the experiment,

but who knows?

i may not.

either way,

i'm sure trying it out for a few months will open my eyes

to a whole different way of living and eating.

i'll share my ups and downs here

as i go along,

as well as the ups and downs of my teacher training

(my first night was tuesday, and it was awesome! i'm so excited!)

and if any of you have gone through these transitions,

i would love to hear how they went for you!

here's to living a life of lightness and wellbeing,

with actions that are in line with my values

of what i think is best for my body, our planet,

and all the living things on it.

cheers!

february intentions.

2012-02-02T17:20:00.001-05:00

{from here}

i am so glad february is here.

with a shortage of snow,

topsy-turvy temperatures,

long dark evenings,

and more than enough time spent indoors,

i am very happy to say goodbye to january.

this month is going to be a lot different though

(even though there are sure to be more long dark evenings)

because i am starting yoga teacher training next week (yay!)

and i'm super excited to be getting out more,

meeting new people,

and challenging myself physically, intellectually, and emotionally.

i'm planning to bring a 100% positive mindset to my training,

and to carry that over in all the other areas of my life.

i've always found it extremely rewarding to take the lessons i've learned

through my yoga practice,

and apply them to my every day life,

so i want to continue to do that

as i embark on this deepening of my practice,

and i'm really looking forward to eventually being able to

pass this lesson along to my future students.

so, as the days (slowly) get longer

and as i find my days (quickly) getting busier,

i'm going to keep a few intentions in my heart...

1. practice patience and understanding

living right in the middle of canada's largest city

means that you are constantly

dealing with other people. lots of other people.

and those people often don't move in the way you want them to

(ie, quickly along the sidewalk or up an escalator, in single file)

or act the way you want them to

(ie, like they know what they are doing, and they are courteous about it)

so i am going to work on being okay with this.

i know it's impossible to control other people,

just as it is impossible to know what others are going through at any given moment.

so i'm going to take a deep breath, relax, and let go.

2. get outside during the day as much as possible

towards the end of january,

i had a bit of a mental short-circuit which i am sure had to do with lack of sunlight.

we are lucky to have many sunny days, and we have been really lucky to have had a relatively mild winter.

so what is my excuse for feeling cooped up inside?

i'm going to do my best to get out for a short walk every day at lunchtime,

and to go adventuring on the weekends.

last saturday, we spent almost the whole day outside wandering around

and by the end of it we were exhausted and cold.

but i loved it.

3. show the love

february is a month of love.

even though we shrug valentine's day off as a little too commercial for us,

we still handcraft each other little heartfelt love notes

and try to celebrate each other in a way that doesn't involve roses or chocolates

(or giant pink teddy bears with "i wuv u" printed on them. blech.)

i'm going to try to extend this feeling to all the people in my life that i love,

as well as all the new people that i'll be meeting this month

(which i am very excited about... making friends in a new city is tough!)

when i was starting high school, i was super shy about the idea of making new friends.

so i decided to fake it. i just told myself to stop acting shy,

even if i felt super awkward in a social situation.

i started going right up to people and introducing myself, making small talk like it was nothing

(even though my heart was beating hard and my brain was yelling "you sound like a dork!")

and guess what? i made some awesome friends.

so i've learned that no matter how weird it seems to start chatting with someone you don't know,

let them know the real you right off the bat, and show them some love,

because then they'll be comfortable enough to show you the real them.

and that's what making good friends is all about.

how about you, wonderful readers...

do you have any intentions for february?

weekend: new friends, adventures, comfort.

2012-01-31T23:30:00.003-05:00

a day off on friday meant i kicked off my long weekend happily under the covers until after 9am. slowly rising, i got the fireplace humming and we enjoyed fried eggs piled high on stacks of crispy toast, fresh avocado, and balsamic-infused aged cheddar cheese for breakfast. paul accompanied me on an outing to pick up the essentials for our dinner party later that night: a mennonite-raised chicken for roasting, three cute-as-a-button acorn squashes, a freshly baked baguette, and a huge handful of fresh, snappy green beans. i punctuated the rest of my afternoon with short outings to the shops in our neighborhood: black linen napkins, a sweet smelling vanilla candle, a bottle of crisp white and more than enough waterloo dark to last us the evening.

our guests arrived slowly, filling our apartment with laughter and chatter. it was the first time we'd all been in the same room together - three couples, six new friends. everyone loosened up over the first few glasses of wine, and we eventually sat down to eat. the scent of lemony rosemary and thyme chicken, roasted to juicy perfection, filled the air and we piled our plates with hearty local winter fare. we finished dinner with gooey brownies and vanilla ice cream, topped with pomegranate seeds, and finished the wine before taking our guests up to the top of our building for a view of toronto, sparkling in the dark night, and a few games of pool. we went to bed that night happy to have made new friends and elated from the realization that being grown up really just means getting to have all the fun you want.

saturday i was itching to get outside... the long dark evenings of january had started to make me feel a little cagey. i left early in the morning to meander the stalls at the farmer's market, picking up dried black beans for burritos, soft sheep's cheese and farfalle pasta for the recipe the girl at the cheese counter had recommended, big portobello mushrooms to be stuffed with quinoa and more soft cheese, and enough fresh baguette, baba ghanoush, and artichoke & asiago spread to last us the weekend. i returned home for a meal that consisted of nothing more than french bread, sharp cheese, and zesty eggplant dip. i was in heaven.
we left our warm apartment in the early afternoon to visit farenheit coffee at their new location, the opening of which i had been anxiously awaiting. it was a stark little place, with unstained wooden bar-height counters and only a few stools. the barista seemed to know everyone who came in, and he talked excitedly with me about the new space (twice the size of their old one) and the luxury that they now had enough room for a pastry chef to make their treats in-house. we settled down on our stools by the window - paul with a superbly light cappuccino, and me with a deliciously rich mocha - and passed an hour reading novels and interior design magazines.
from there we wandered slowly west along queen street, stopping to gaze into shop windows and grab a quick lunch. as it began to get dark we waited for our streetcar home and got caught in an unexpected heavy snowfall - delightful. we ate cupcakes on the streetcar and when i got into bed that night, i was full of chocolate, adventure, and happiness. i was sated.

sunday brought dark skies and a considerably lazier feeling. a long, late, slow morning followed by a long, easy afternoon. there was much reading of novels and listening to records, and evening was marked by a quick jaunt out through the falling snow to retrieve some savoury indian food for dinner. we retired to our cozy apartment to enjoy each other's company and to watch movies late into the night.

calm before the storm (in a good way!)

2012-01-25T15:26:00.000-05:00

{charlie & theo like to cuddle}

we have been soaking up our quiet little winter lately,

and there hasn't been much to write about.

more movies

more farmer's market meals

(lately: shepherd's pie made with 100% grass fed beef,

rich mexican-flavoured chickpea stew,

and braised chicken legs with sweet potatoes)

more cuddles

more big, thick books

(lately: jonathan safran foer's eating animals

& michael pollan's the omnivore's dilemma)

more evenings spent on our comfy couch with candles lit

and the fireplace warming the apartment.

i'm enjoying these last days of peaceful evenings

and late-starting mornings

before i plunge head-on into a life of
full-time work in my little blue-walled office

plus many hours a week of yoga teacher training,

which begins on february seventh!

along with that will be my (slow) return to half-marathon training,

so it is promising to be a very busy next few months.

for these last two weeks though,

i plan to squeeze all the lazy winter hibernation
out of my days

as i can.

what we've been watching (movies that rock)

2012-01-11T17:22:00.001-05:00

{image from here}

well, i said we've been hibernating this winter, and i was serious.

our routine involves me coming home to our cozy apartment shortly after the sun fades,

where paul's already got our fireplace humming and

two kittens awake sleepily from their afternoon-long naps to greet me by the door.

i usually start dinner right away

(because it's dark out... that must mean it's past dinner-time right?)

which lately has been light comfort fare

(think crispy homemade fish nuggets with oven-roasted french fries,

and chicken roasted in my new dutch oven with yummy sweet potatoes)

since we're doing a cleanse that prevents the consumption of many things,

most notably red meat and coffee.
(a secret? i'm dying for a good steak. and coffee-withdrawl headaches are brutal.)

after (or sometimes during) dinner, nothing seems more appealing than cuddling up on the

couch and watching a good movie or two while the city freezes outside our windows.

here are a few we've seen lately that i totally recommend:

(click on the movie poster for the imdb website,

and the title for the movie's listing on rotten tomatoes)

the guard

...a dark comedy about an irish police officer,

it's incredibly funny and heartbreaking at the same time.

the debt

a thrilling spy drama featuring fantastic lesser known talent,

it kept me on the edge of the couch.

deliver us from evil

an exposé of the coverup of the sexual abuse of children

by one catholic priest over twenty years.

a brutal look at how power can corrupt people,

no matter where or who they serve.

50/50

shot in vancouver

(my & seth rogan's hometown, which is barely disguised as seattle),

it's a comedy-drama about two best friends.

one gets cancer. they deal with it.

also funny & heartwrenching at the same time.

waiting for superman

an enlightening documentary about the american school system.

it was scary to watch, and made me glad

we'll be enrolling our kids in canadian schools.

although i worry that our school system

potentially has many of the same problems.

les ojos de julia

(julia's eyes)

a spanish thriller that had me peeking through

a tiny crack in the blanket that i threw over myself

(you know, to stay safe)

margin call

a dramatic telling of the events that caused (?) or started

the recent collapse of the stock market.

i often didn't know what the heck they were talking about,

but it was definitely interesting to watch.

...to us, there's nothing better than passing the cold, dark evenings

snuggled under a blanket, enjoying a fantastic movie or two.

so make some popcorn and enjoy!

hibernating.

2012-01-06T11:52:00.001-05:00

{candle image from here}

at its lowest, the temperature this week sunk to -13C.

that's cold.

we compensated by holing up in our warm little apartment under fuzzy blankets

playing days-long cribbage tournaments,

watching stimulating films + documentaries,

playing hours of pool while looking out
over the sparkly lights of toronto from 23 floors up,

and devouring autobiographies + memoirs.

i enjoyed warm breakfasts of homemade granola + almond milk,

and brought coffee to warm my hands mid-morning in my cold office.

he spent a day working from home in his new flannel pyjama pants,

and i was jealous.

i wore my peacock-colored pashmina draped over my outfits

every day this week, a warming barrier against the frigidness outside.

in the evenings

we lit candles, dimmed lights,

and kept our electric fireplace flickering non-stop

to heat our little apartment in the most cozy way
while he steeped us pot after pot of caramel rooibos.

i'm looking forward to spending some time adventuring outside this weekend,

but there's something fun about the dark weekday evenings we spend together

cuddled up at home, enjoying the quiet moments of winter.

how do you like to spend these dark winter days?

2012 intentions: the year of more.

2012-01-02T22:27:00.001-05:00

{image from here}

this year has a different feel to it than the last few years.

for the first time in our marriage, we feel settled.

we're not going anywhere for awhile.

i don't have to worry about finding work

paul is deep in the middle of his phd

and we know that we're going to stay in our lovely little apartment

until we have an incredible reason to leave.

so this year i don't feel like i need to change or improve things,
we're just happy the way things are, and striving to make the most of every day.

and that's kind of a nice feeling.

to avoid the rut that can sometimes come with settling into a routine,
this year i'm going to work on doing more of the things i love

and the things i know i should be doing.

i said last year in my 2011 intentions

that i was going to try to do what makes me happy,

and that's just it.

i'm going to do more of what makes me the most shiny, happy person i can be.

i'm learning that this means:

run more.

cuddle more.

try more new things in the kitchen.

read more.

be silly more often.

yoga more.

play more billiards. and board games. and cribbage.

make love more.

journal more.

watch more documentaries.

bake more.

write more letters to the people i love.

get outside more.

meditate more.

paint my nails more. (toenails too!)

forgive more.

i want this year to be all about doing what makes life better,
because i think that keeping this as my core intention is going to translate into
a more fabulous day-to-day life,
and a simply wonderful year.

do you make intentions, goals, or resolutions for the new year?
what are your intentions for 2012?

new year's day is for...

2012-01-01T17:26:00.000-05:00

{from here}

~waking up early to daydream by the fire~

~sneaking coffees + breakfast sandwiches into the movie theatre~

~watching a matinee of a riveting spy drama while the rain falls outside~

~spending a relaxing afternoon reading~
~bundling up in a blanket + fuzzy socks,
sitting on our balcony in the chilly air,
and journalling pages of dreams, goals, and plans for the new year~

~taking the evening off from cooking, and walking the short distance
to the many fabulous takeout restaurants in our neighbourhood~
~spending the night in, away from the cold, watching foreign films
and enjoying each other's company~

i hope everyone's enjoying their first day of 2012!

goodbye 2011.

2011-12-31T16:40:00.001-05:00

it was a year of change, of challenges, of triumphs.

we took a deep breath, faced our fears, and made our dreams a reality.

we moved to a little apartment in a big city that suits us just fine.
we lost our dear friend mortimer,
but adopted two adorable new kittens who have enriched our lives.

i started a new job which i adore, in a cute office with a blue wall.
we spent our first holiday season on our own, and enjoyed it immensely.
i ran my first half-marathon, and began excitedly planning my next one.

i fell deeper in love with yoga, and began making plans to become a yoga teacher
(teacher training starts in february 2012!)
we visited hawaii with my siblings and both sets of our parents, and had a blast.

paul successfully passed the first big exam of his phd,
and gathered critical acclaim for his expertise in the field
of modern poetics of literature + music.
we celebrated the second anniversary of our marriage
and looked eagerly forward towards the many more to come.
we delved more into our commitment to eat responsibly and locally
and i began shopping almost exclusively at the beautiful st. lawrence farmer's market.
we visited new york city, and can't wait to go back.

i became more comfortable in our kitchen, and started a (small, but growing) recipe index.

i turned twenty seven, and began to feel really grown up.

we are really looking forward to 2012,
a year which will bring career changes for me,
more intellectual challenges for him,
and so much more excitement,
as we relish in living in the heart of the biggest city in canada!

i hope everyone has a wonderful new year's eve,
and that you're all looking as forward to 2012 as we are.

happy new year!!

with all the trimmings.

2011-12-30T14:10:00.002-05:00

turkey pot pie, turkey breakfast hash, hot turkey sandwiches smothered in gravy...

we've been eating our christmas feast leftovers all week,
and they are delicious!
i guess that's one of the big perks of making a whole turkey with all the trimmings
for just two people (and of course we shared with our two sweetly begging kittens).

this year, when cooking my first christmas turkey,
i consulted the genius of my favourite domestic goddess

nigella lawson.

i received her christmas cookbook as a gift last year,
and she swears by a brining as the best way to make a flavourful turkey.
and yes, it most definitely was flavourful!
we served up our giant platter of turkey with
~all-spice gravy~
~maple-glazed carrots~
~garlic mashed potatoes~
and
~italian sausage stuffing~

everything was delicious,

although paul felt that sausage in the stuffing was a little excessive
(so next year i'll be going back to my mom's classic recipe,
which really is the best stuffing in the world...
my brothers and i used to fight over it at holiday dinners)

if you're interested in nigella's christmas method,
here's how the turkey is brined...
and i definitely suggest you pick up her christmas cookbook,
it's one of my favourites
(and is often on display on my cookbook stand throughout the holiday season)

spiced and superjuicy roast turkey
with allspice gravy
(recipes slightly adapted from nigella christmas)

first, brine your defrosted turkey for at least a day, and leave it submerged for up to two days.
fill a large pot or clean bin (big enough for your turkey) with about 6 litres of water. add:

1 large orange or 2 smaller, quartered
(squeeze the juice in the water, then throw in the quarters)
125g table salt
3 tbsp black peppercorns
1 medium bunch of sage + rosemary
1 cinnamon stick
1 tbsp caraway seeds
4 cloves
2 tbsp allspice berries
4 star anise
2 tbsp white mustard seeds
200g caster sugar
2 onions (unpeeled), quartered
1 x 6cm piece ginger (unpeeled), cut into 6 slices
4 tbsp maple syrup
4 tbsp runny honey
stalks from medium bunch of parsley (optional)
1 10-12lb turkey

remove any string or trussing on your turkey
and remove the giblets (reserve them for the gravy).
stir everything up, then add your turkey to the brine. add more water to cover him if needed.
then cover the bin and keep in a very cold place for up to two days.
i kept him in my fridge, since he'd freeze out on the balcony!

make sure to take the turkey out of the brine about an hour
before you plan to put him in the oven.
wipe him dry with paper towel,
and remove any spices or herb bits that have gotten stuck
under his wings or inside his cavity.
i rinsed him a little to get the stubborn mustard seeds off.
let the turkey stand to come to room temperature.
preheat the oven to 400F, and paint the turkey with a glaze of
75g (about 5 tbsp) goose fat or butter,
plus 3 tbsp maple syrup
(melt together in a sauce pan,
and reserve extra to baste the turkey a few times throughout cooking).
roast for about 2 hrs for a 9-10lb turkey, or 2 1/2 hrs for an 11-12lb turkey.
when you think the turkey's about ready,
pierce him where the body meets the leg and check the juices: they should be clear.
i also checked him with a meat thermometer to be sure.
when he's done, take him out and let him sit under a loose tent of foil for up to 40 minutes.
i found this was just enough time to get the mashed potatoes done on the stovetop
and to bake the stuffing and the carrots in the primed 400F oven.

once everything is ready,
have your husband carve the turkey.
just kidding! you could most definitely do it yourself,
but it was fun to sit back and watch him try to figure out where to cut.

all-spice gravy

i started the gravy as soon as i put the turkey in the oven.
since the turkey was brined, the juices it gives off are too salty to use them exclusively
for gravy, which was great - every time i've tried to make gravy in the past,
i've found it very stressful because i've had to wait until the bird comes out of the oven
before even starting the gravy. i'll definitely be using this method from now on.

giblets from turkey (not including liver)
1 litre water
1 tbsp allspice berries
1/2 tsp black peppercorns
3 bay leaves
1 x 4cm stick of cinnamon
1 stick celery, halved
2 carrots, peeled and halved
1 onion (unpeeled), halved
1 tbsp maldon salt or 1/2 tsp table salt
juice of 1 clementine or satsuma (about 60ml), plus pulp from fruit*
2 tbsp plain flour
2 tbsp honey

put all the ingredients, except the flour and honey, into a large pot and bring to a boil.
cover with a lid and simmer gently for 2 hours.
strain the gravy stock (to get all the bits out) into a large measuring jug;
you should have about a litre.
once you take the turkey out of the oven, take 2 tbsp of the turkey's juices
and whisk in a saucepan with 2 tbsp of flour.
put the saucepan on the heat and slowly whisk in the stock and the honey.
let the gravy simmer until it thickens a little
(stirring occasionally)
and the floury taste disappears.

*this is really the most flavourful gravy i've ever tasted,
and i'm delighted with how it turned out.
my only adjustment for next time is to halve the oranges.
i found the gravy a little too orangey for my taste,
so next time i'll use only half an orange, to make about 30ml of juice.

and now, the trimmings:

i chose relatively easy side dishes since i didn't have the usual arsenal
of aunts, grandmas, and my momma bustling around in the kitchen
or bringing sides with them for dinner
(although i have to admit, when my momma told me that gramma was bringing
ambrosia salad to their christmas dinner,
i almost collapsed from jealousy, and nostalgia)
and planned out the prep during the time that the turkey was cooking,
so that i could easily pop everything into the oven or finish it easily on the stovetop
as the turkey was standing under his shiny foil tent.

~~~

first, i prepared the
italian sausage stuffing

2 onions, peeled
3 sticks celery
2 + 2 tbsp olive oil
800 grams italian sausage (i used mild, you could use hot)
4 eggs
500ml chicken stock
500 grams day-or-two old french bread, cut into small cubes
salt to taste
large handful of chopped parsley, to serve

preheat the oven to 400F. toast the french bread cubes for about 10 minutes,
until they are crisp and golden at the edges
(i did this just before putting the turkey in to cook).
chop the onion + celery finely.
put 2 tbsp of oil into a large frying pan and cook the celery and onion
gently for 10-15 minutes until softened.
while they are cooking, squeeze the sausage out of its casings into a bowl.
add the remaining oil to the pan and add the sausage, squishing and stirring it
so that it separates as much as possible, and cook until no longer pink.
grease an ovenproof dish
(i used my pretty new kitchenaid enamelled cast iron dutch oven)
and throw the bread and the sausage mixture in;
mix well with your hands or some spoons.

just before the turkey comes out of the oven,
whisk together the eggs and chicken stock,
seasoning to taste with salt,
and then pour over the stuffing, stirring well to mix.
let sit for five minutes, then bake for 45 minutes in the hot oven.
it should be crisp and dark golden brown on top.
sprinkle with chopped parsley to serve.

~~~

maple-glazed carrots

1 kg carrots, washed well but not peeled
125 ml vegetable oil
80ml (about 5 over-running tbsp) maple syrup

halve the carrots, then slice them into halves or quarters lengthwise,
depending on their thickness...
you want all the carrot strips to be about the same thickness,
so they cook evenly.
throw the carrots into a roasting dish.
pour over the oil and toss to coat,
then drizzle them with the maple syrup.
roast in the oven alongside the stuffing for 20-30 minutes
(put them in after the turkey's been standing for about 15-20 minutes,
to get the timing right)
until the carrots are tender and the maple syrup glaze is sticky and browned.

~~~

garlic mashed potatoes

i made these because they are paul's favourite type of potatoes,
and we almost never eat mashed potatoes except for the holidays.
nigella didn't have a recipe for me, so i got out my trusty stand-by, betty crocker.
but mashed potatoes are pretty fool-proof...
ask your potato guy which are the best for mashing, and he'll steer you in the right direction.
i'm lucky to have a guy who picks his own potatoes, and has about 20 varieties!
he sells them every wintry saturday morning at the st. lawrence farmer's market,
and i'm always happiest the weeks that i leave the market
with a bag of dirty, freshly-picked potatoes.
i wanted my potatoes to keep their skins,
because i like the texture that it adds to mashed potatoes,
so i also bought a special potato scrubber to get all that dirt safely off before-hand.

i prepped and boiled the potatoes while the turkey was cooking,
and then did the mashing once the turkey was standing
and the carrots + stuffing were safely in the oven.

2 lbs (about 6 medium) potatoes
1/3 to 1/2 cup milk (i used half almond milk + half lactose-free 1%)
1/4 cup butter
1/2 tsp salt
dash of pepper
2 heads of garlic

cover cleaned potatoes with water in a large saucepan.
heat to boiling, then cover and simmer for 20-30 minutes
until potatoes are tender. you could add the garlic to the potato pot
and let it boil away to cook,
but i'd rather have my garlic roasted, wouldn't you?
i kept my garlic heads intact, drizzled them lightly with olive oil,
and popped them into the turkey roasting pan for about 30-45 minutes
(the amount of time between two bastings).
then, once the garlic is soft, you can just squeeze it out of the casings
and add it to the mashed up potatoes.
drain potatoes, then shake them in the pot
over low heat to dry (which apparently helps them fluff up better).
mash the potatoes and garlic until no lumps remain.
add the milk in small amounts, until the consistency is to your liking.
add butter, salt and pepper and mash until potatoes
are light and fluffy.
season to taste with more salt and pepper.

i had a great time spending the afternoon of christmas day
puttering around the kitchen,
and i've vowed to cook next year's christmas turkey
and give my lovely momma a rest for once!

the turkey turned out very flavourful and delightfully crispy,
and everything looked lovely all laid out on our table.
it was truly a christmas feast!

did you cook a turkey for the holidays?
if you did, what secrets do you have to share?

christmas for two.

2011-12-27T18:22:00.003-05:00

our christmas started on friday, with the nutcracker.

in the afternoon, we stocked up on christmas cheer...

a bottle of amarula for our coffee,

our favourite locally-brewed dark beer,

white wine to go perfectly with turkey,

and a french red...because we love it.

we brought our treasures home and placed them on our little kitchen bar.

then i pulled out the turkey.

he was a modest nine pounds, a happy mennonite-raised turkey,

and promised to be quite the feast for the two of us.

he needed to be brined overnight,
so i carefully lowered him into my lined roasting pan,

and filled the pan with spices, oranges, herbs, and water to cover.

i plunked him back in the fridge,

to spend the night immersed in his flavoured bath

to absorb every bit of holiday flavour he could.

then we primped and preened,

and went out into the cold night to walk along queen street

to toronto's centre for the performing arts

where we watched the national ballet of canada

perform the nutcracker under elaborate sets and in beautiful costumes.

exhilarated by the beauty of the dancers,

we walked home discussing our favourite scenes,

stopping at the locally-owned all-night diner on the corner for a late dinner

before coming home to dream of sugar plum fairies

falling in love with handsome nutcrackers.

~~~

christmas eve began slowly - on the couch, relaxed with novels.

i read dickens' a christmas carol while festive records filled our apartment

with joy and anticipation of the evening to come.

after it became dark, we left our apartment

and joined the crowds of people congregating on st. michael's cathedral.

we took our seats in the beautiful chapel

and awaited the world-famous st. michael's boys choir.
they led us in carols before leading the beautifully music-driven christmas eve mass
while candles and fairy lights glittered everywhere.
we returned home, thankful in the negative ten degree weather
that our little apartment is only a five minute walk from the cathedral.
we snacked on a cheese platter of
five-year-old cheddar
french brie
danish blue
poppyseed water crackers
and local pears
accompanied by homemade dill pickles,
many puff-pastries filled with
red peppers and asiago,
mushroom and leek,
spinach and feta,
and caramelized onion,
more cocktail shrimp than we could ever eat in one night,
and dessert platters with
hazelnut-chocolate cream puffs
and family-recipe raisin tarts.
in the french-canadian tradition,
we opened our presents after our feast...
stocking stuffers from our parents
filled with the little things they know we love,
which had been wrapped and mailed lovingly in the weeks leading up to christmas.
we'd also filled each other's stockings with little treats...
we giddily unwrapped chocolate, lush bubble bars,
little novels, and thoughtfully chosen records.
under the tree,
i presented him with cozy pyjama pants,
a biography of a favourite jazz musician,
and a glossy black globe for his office...
he handed me carefully wrapped packages containing
a cheery pink lulu mat bag
and a beautiful set of enamelled kitchenaid cast-iron cookware.
~~~
christmas day we relaxed, sleeping in until late
before putting on bacon and eggs for brunch,
accompanied by amarula-laced cups of coffee.
to pass the long afternoon,
i slowly put together our christmas day meal.
the turkey, basted in butter and maple syrup, went into the oven
while i prepared sausage-and-bread stuffing,
mashed potatoes, and maple-glazed carrots to sit alongside him.
he came out two hours later browned and crisped to perfection
and took the place of honour at our table
while we took our seats to partake in our little christmas dinner*, just for the two of us.
well, for four if you count the two kittens
who excitedly enjoyed turkey scraps from our plates.
we followed the turkey with an apple galette,
hot from the oven and teeming with cinnamon sugary goodness.
after dinner we walked through the darkness to a late movie,
a fun new christmas tradition, just for him and me.
finally, we snuggled into bed in the late-night darkness
and sleepily thanked each other for a romantic, quiet,
and very memorable christmas for two.

*recipes to follow, i promise!

warm winter wishes!

2011-12-22T16:53:00.001-05:00

{from here}

yesterday was the winter solstice!

it's so strange to me that the first day of winter also marks
the turning point when the world begins to awaken again.

yesterday had the least light of all the days this year,
so we made sure we were extra cozy.
we bundled up on the couch
with vodka + mint cocktails
and big bowls of creamy mushroom + shrimp risotto.
it was just the start of all the cozy holiday festivities to come!
this year we're staying in town instead of heading out west for the holidays,
and we've planned a romantic and quiet christmas...
a trip out to see the national ballet's russian nutcracker tonight,
midnight mass at the st. michael's cathedral
followed by a christmas eve feast and presents tomorrow,
and a relaxing day of movies, skating, and a turkey dinner for two on christmas.
i think we'll miss the fun + craziness of being with our big families this holiday season,
but we decided it would be nice to have our own christmas, just once,
and make a few new traditions as a quiet little family.

i'd like to take this time to thank you,
all my wonderful readers
for spending some of your time here at

curls+coffee.

i always love reading your comments
and i appreciate all the connections with incredible people
that being a part of this community has provided.
thank you!

and now,
our stockings are hung, our tree is lit and surrounded by presents,
and delicious food is beginning to fill our fridge.

wishing you all a most wonderful christmas

and holiday season!

may your days be merry and bright.

christmas wishlist.

2011-12-21T11:58:00.002-05:00

it's a bit late this year,

because as i get older i'm finding it more and more difficult

to think of the things that i want for christmas.

instead, i relish long, laughter-laced phone calls with my family,

evenings spent cuddled up with my husband,

and date-nights in our big, shiny city.

but here, just for fun,

is a list of a few things that have been on my christmas wishlist

(some, thanks to the early arrival of gifts,

have already found a place in our home)...

a kitchenaid stand mixer

...as the weather gets colder,

and especially with the holidays upon us,

i am planning to do a fair amount of baking.

we received one of these as an early suprise gift

from my wonderful parents, and i'll tell you...

a beautiful silver mixer sitting on my counter

doesn't hurt the eye, either.

a mortar & pestle

...this is something that's been on my wishlist for some time

but i've always resisted buying one

because i know that my grandfather

has several beautiful old stone sets

from his career as a pharmacist,

and i've always secretly hoped that one day

he'll pass one of them along to me,

to take a place of honor in my kitchen.

an ice skating date

...there are many outdoor ice rinks in toronto

and we are embarrassed to admit that we haven't even gotten around

to visiting a single one of them yet!

but with ten days off of work over the holidays,

i predict several ice skating dates over the next week and a half.

a fireplace

...i've always thought that a little electric wood-stove-esque fireplace

would make our tenth floor flat feel even more cozy and delightful.

plus, what's nicer than curling up with a hot chocolate by a warm fire on a cold day?

some cute new stationary

...one of my favorite things is writing letters to dear friends

by lamplight in the evenings.

since we didn't send christmas cards this year,

i'm sure i'll be feeling the urge to connect with loved ones in january.

a trip somewhere warm

...we dream every week about visiting cuba or jamaica

and although it may not be a trip we can take this year,

it's still fun to look at the pictures, isn't it?

{this ones of cuba, from here}

...what's on your wishlist this holiday season?

birthday love! + new look...

2011-12-12T22:12:00.002-05:00

{cake image from here}

happy monday all!

this weekend we celebrated paul's birthday

with lovely friends,

an adventuresome trek outside in the f-f-f-freezing weather,
and epic cranium battle (girls win!)

and lots of yummy local apple cider spiked with vodka.

of course, all of that had to be followed by a big brunch

at our favourite local diner

and a day spent mostly relaxing on the couch

with the kittens.

happy birthday paul!

you still look spectacular

(despite your old age)

and i'm so glad to celebrate with you. xo!

{my handsome husband, enjoying coffee in the distillery district}

~~~
on another note,

you've probably noticed that my site's look

has undergone several iterations

over the past several weeks.

i'm tweaking the look until i feel perfectly happy with it,

and i must have a restless soul

because nothing's seemed to satisfy me lately.

i want my blog to be a reflection of myself,

and i don't believe in hiding away until everything is perfect...

so if you've been checking in regularly,

you've been getting to see my thought process

and i appreciate your bearing with me

as i play with the look and feel of curls&coffee.

since i have been re-evaluating how i want my blog to look & be,

i'd love to ask your opinion...

what do you enjoy seeing on curls&coffee?

what would you like to see more of?

is there anything you'd like to see less of?

as my lovely readers,

i would definitely love to hear your views!

i hope everyone had a wonderful start to the week!

have a wintery weekend...

2011-12-09T11:50:00.001-05:00

{image from here}

the snow is falling outside my window,

sufjan stevens' festive tunes are playing in my office,

i'm sipping a mug of warm coffee,

and wearing a cozy toque, cashmere sweater,

and fuzzy snowflake socks.

it's definitely winter.

this weekend is paul's birthday,

so there will definitely be good food

& copious amounts of record shopping.

i hope you enjoy your weekend!

mindful living series: finding balance in opposition

2011-12-08T13:43:00.001-05:00

in yoga, one of my favorite poses is warrior one. start in downward dog, then lift up your leg and swing it forwards between your hands. tighten your abs, press back into your back heel, ground through your feet and strengthen your thighs, and lift. it's a pose in which i feel strong, powerful, accomplished, and beautiful.

last year, a fantastic yoga teacher added this to my description: "your back heel should be extending back, to create a long line in your back leg. at the same time, your hips should be working towards being squared to the front of the room."

how is this possible? to me these seemed like two competing ideologies... your leg should extend back, while your hip pulls forward to square with the other hip towards the front of the room. is my leg supposed to be made of rubber? no, actually, i soon realized that this idea is a core one in yoga. when you sit in half-lotus (or cross-legged), your sit bones should be grounding down into your mat while the top of your head reaches up, lengthening your spine. two competing movements, down & up, or backwards & forwards, at the same time. this creates balance. this creates space.

last night, during my first hot power flow class at what will hopefully soon become the studio where i take my yoga teacher training, the teacher explained that these seemingly opposing sensations are what gives us balance. when we sit, if we have too much downward energy we will feel heavy, and our upper bodies will collapse, making it impossible to breathe properly. if we have too much upward energy, we will stop feeling grounded and it will become difficult to stay rooted in poses. this balance brings space into the body, and it is what makes yoga such a wonderful exercise, for body, mind, and spirit.

in a marathon text session yesterday with my newly engaged best friend (we frequently have whole conversations via text messages), i mentioned to her that i try to take one step every day (no matter how small) towards my ideal life. yesterday, my one step was checking out this new studio (and thank you very much to her for joining me - she is one brave and heat-enduring gal!) ...but at the same time, while i am always working towards my bliss, i also make an effort every day to feel happy with the way my life is at this moment, and to enjoy the time that is passing right in front of me, right now. i realized this is the same as what i've been working on in my yoga class - finding that balance between looking forward and being here now. perhaps at times it feels like i'm pulling myself in two different directions, like there is no way to resolve the fact that i want to change my life and make it better with the thought that i should be happy with where i'm at right now... but that is the beauty of the balance. this balance is necessary to experience joy in my life now, and also joy in anticipation of what's to come. in time, it will elongate and bring space into my life and my heart, and bring me to a place where my present happiness meets my future fantasies.

how do you manage the balance between where you're at now and where you want to be?

ps, this photo is from the movie "man on wire." have you seen it?

it's a fantastic documentary about this tightrope walker and his crew,

who figured out how to sneak up to the top of the world trade center buildings in new york city

and rig up this tightrope for philippe petit to walk across.

what an adventure!

a cold gust of wind, a sprinkle of snow... things are getting festive.

2011-12-03T21:37:00.001-05:00

{the shops on bloor street have decked their halls}

happy december!

i am in love with this month.

november ended in snow here,

with flurries falling from the skies all afternoon,

but december has yet to see a frosty flake.

i'm hoping it comes (and stays!) soon though...

eggnog lattes aren't the same without snow on the ground.

i've broken out the christmas records + movies

(already enjoyed:

the nutcracker suite,

ella wishes you a swingin' christmas,

and love actually,

of course)

even though paul's birthday is next weekend

and we aren't allowed to "officially"

get into the christmas spirit until then...

but i can't really help it.

this week i'll be planning christmas gifts

(since we're not flying across the country this year

to visit our families,

we'll have to be organized early

to make sure our gifts arrive by post in time)

and heading to the toronto christmas market,

a haven for artisan crafts and beautiful, locally made wares.

i'm also in the market for a winter running jacket...

this will be my first year training through a cold eastern-canada winter

(and i'm more than a little nervous about it!)

anyone have any suggestions?

perhaps to stop thinking about running in the upcoming

negative 15C weather, because that's crazy?

maybe so. but maybe i am a little crazy, and i like it.

the stores in yorkville are already decked out in their holiday finest,

and it gives me a rush to see the streets bustling with festive shoppers

and to hear the christmas music spilling out onto the sidewalks.

so bring on the holiday spirit...

i am definitely looking forward to our first christmas in toronto!

what is your favourite part about the holiday season?

mindful living series: changing the past.

2011-12-01T12:42:00.001-05:00

{image from here}

through my yoga practice, i have learned how important it is to live in the moment. when you are living in the moment, you are not fretting about things that are going to happen or regretting things that have come to pass. you are fully experiencing everything that is happening right now. by doing this you can make the most of your life, because time spent worrying about the future or regretting the past is time where you're not creating your best life now. but living in the moment is really a lot harder said than done.

i tend to hold onto things for far longer than i should. the other day i got onto the escalator to leave my subway station on my way to work, and the woman in front of me just stood there. in my opinion escalators are not for just standing, they are for increasing your stair-walking efficiency. but she was blocking the whole escalator, so i leaned over her shoulder and said "excuse me" so that she would move over and i could walk past. i then proceeded to spend the better part of the next hour replaying the moment in my head, worrying that i had sounded too severe, or that perhaps i should have just stood on the escalator behind the woman and enjoyed a moment of peace in my busy morning. as a result, i was distracted, less productive, and rather miserable. is this really something that i should be devoting this much of my time to? the answer is definitely no.

the truth is, this is just an small-scale example. there are things that i've done in the past and regretted which i've held onto for years! i revisit them time after time in my mind, replaying an incident and cringing at the reaction i'd had to it, wishing i could have taken a deep breath before saying something (or, more frequently, not saying something and then wishing i had) or wishing that i could have taken some time to figure out how i really felt about a situation before trying to deal with it.

i've realized that holding onto these regrets has been weighing me down. they cause me to beat myself up (which makes me feel bad) and to live in fear of reacting the same way in similar situations. i try to make myself learn from a situation that i feel didn't go the way i wanted it to, but it is difficult for me to distinguish between learning from a situation and moving on from it, and revisiting it constantly and reworking in my mind how i would have handled it differently. one is healthy, the other is destructive.

so what can we do? how can we let go of these heavy loads that follow us around and make us cringe when we look back on them? well, i try to remember two things: one, that i was making the best decision with the information that i had at that time. that information includes my emotions, which (although they may have changed now) were very real at the time i was dealing with whatever the situation was. remembering how you felt at the time (if you were hurt, surprised, angry, disappointed, annoyed) can help you to understand why you reacted in they way you did, and if you remind yourself that your feelings were valid at the time (even if you may not feel that way anymore), it can make it easier to accept the outcome and move on. of course, if you do feel differently now, instead of wishing you could have done things differently you could evaluate what you can do about the situation moving forward, so that you can start heading towards an outcome that you would be happier with. two, i remember that we are not hard-wired into thinking the way that we do. as a student of science, i often remind myself when i am having unpleasant thoughts that the brain is made up of neurological pathways which are built and made stronger through repeated use. if something is constantly reminding you of a past incident that you regret, or if you are repeatedly revisiting something in the past and cringing about it, those pathways will become strengthened in your mind and you will activate them more frequently. but... if you consciously steer your thoughts in another direction when you notice you're starting to have these unpleasant thoughts (whether they are backwards thoughts of regret, or forward ones or worry) then eventually the pathways that you are making an effort not to use will get smaller and weaker, and your thoughts will travel along them less often.

so, the next time you realize you're deep in thought, replaying an unpleasant memory and wishing things had happened differently, or fretting about what could possibly happen in the future, take a deep breath and refocus your thoughts. tell yourself that you have no longer have any control over what happened before, and the only way you can control what will happen in the future is by doing what you can to live the life you want to live right now, in this moment. if necessary, distract yourself with another task or activity to take your mind off your unpleasant thoughts. learn from your mistakes, and let them go. then, instead of regretting that you had to gain it in the first place, be grateful for that new knowledge and use it in this moment to create a better future for yourself.

changing my perspective

2011-11-28T18:53:00.001-05:00

{kittens, deejaying}

this morning, after 4 days out of the office, i did not feel like returning to work. it is just so much nicer to spend my days camped out on the couch with paul, reading aloud from my quirkily historical novel or watching classic comedies all day. but i had to go, and my morning was spent with a cloud over my head while i grudgingly got dressed, brushed my teeth, and pulled my hair into a disgruntled ponytail.

i realized i needed a change in perspective, because my day's objectives weren't going to change. so i made myself a cup of my favourite autumn tea, put a little extra blush on my cheeks, and thought about all the things that i could be excited about that day, instead of thinking about the hours of research i had in front of me. i thought about the delicious steak dinner and old vines garnacha that would be waiting for me to arrive home in the evening, and the new episodes of our favourite tv shows that we'd be playing tonight. i thought about my lunch, leftover beef stew, which always seems to get better in the days after my crockpot makes it. i thought about the forthcoming week we'd get to take off over christmas, and how it's only a mere four weeks away... we'll be having a quiet little christmas to ourselves, and then taking a road trip with a fun couple to montreal to ring in the new year. i thought about the kittens i could cuddle this evening. i thought about the days when i'll have a little babe to play with and care for, and when my days will be filled with love and playtime.

and after all that, a monday in my office didn't seem so bad, or even so significant.

words to live by: the muppets.

2011-11-27T12:53:00.001-05:00

"sooner or later, you have to start believing in yourself.

that's what growing up is...

it's becoming who you want to be."

~~jason segal, the muppets movie.

autumn dinner: curried parsnip soup + soda bread

2011-11-25T17:55:00.001-05:00

there are few things i love more than puttering around the kitchen in the late afternoon, roasting vegetables and sautéing onion & garlic for a homemade soup. this meal came out of an almost empty fridge and a loss of what to cook for dinner, but a burning desire to break our becoming-too-constant take-out habit. so i grabbed the cute little parsnips that i had bought at the farmer's market last week (from the man who had pulled them out of his garden the night before) and looked up the delicious parsnip soup recipe i knew i had made last year around this time. as i prepared the soup, i realized that nothing would compliment it better than a thick, crusty loaf of bread, so i pulled out my lovely new cookbook and flipped to the rye soda bread recipe that i'd been waiting to have the opportunity to try. that is how most of my meals come about... i have an urge for something, or i notice something in my fridge that doesn't quite fit in with our normal routine, and i build a meal around it. i love cooking this way, and it lends itself quite well to my farmer's market shopping habits - if there's a new vegetable or squash at the market one morning, i'll pick it up with the faith that i'll be able to find or make up a recipe to go along with it sometime that week.

this soup is perfect for a cold fall day. the flavours of parsnip and apple work delightfully well together (and as neither one of us can say we are a big fan of parsnips, this is a big plus since i usually find them so cute i buy them anyway) and they fold in perfectly with the curry and coconut notes of the soup.

this bread is one i'll definitely be making over and over. it's a soda bread, so the flavour is different than a yeast bread, but there is virtually no kneading or waiting time involved. you mix the five ingredients together, fold the sticky dough in on itself a few times to smooth it out, throw it on a pan, and let it magically become a rustic loaf of bread in your oven. i can confidently say that those days of sadly discovering that the bread cupboard is empty are over.

curried parsnip soup

(adapted from food & drink magazine)

4 small parsnips, cut into a large dice
1 tsp olive oil
1 tbsp butter
1/2 cup chopped shallots
1 tbsp chopped fresh ginger
1 1/2 tsp curry powder
1/2 tsp cumin
1 apple (i used an empire apple), diced
2 1/2 cups hot vegetable stock
1/4 cup coconut milk, or more for taste, plus more for garnish
salt and pepper to taste

preheat oven to 450F. toss parsnips in olive oil, place in single layer on baking tray, and roast in the oven 15-20 minutes (stirring every 5-7 minutes) until brown but not cooked through. while the parsnips are roasting, melt butter in a big pot over medium heat. add the chopped shallots and ginger, and sauté for 4-5 minutes, stirring constantly to prevent burning. add 1/2 cup of the vegetable stock, the curry powder, cumin, parsnips, and apple, and simmer for a few minutes to combine the flavours. add the rest of the vegetable stock, then cover and simmer on medium-low for 15 minutes. puree the soup (use an immersion blender if you have one, or transfer in batches to a blender to puree) and add the coconut milk. taste, and add more coconut milk, salt, and/or spices to taste. if you like the soup thinner, add a little water. if you like it thicker, let it simmer on medium-low, uncovered, until some of the water boils off. serve hot in bowls, and swirl a little coconut milk over the top of each bowl of soup. serve with torn up chunks of a crusty bread and lots of butter.

whole wheat soda bread

(adapted from super natural every day)

heidi's recipe is for rye soda bread, and she uses both rye and all purpose flours. i only had whole wheat flour, so i used 100% whole wheat flour. it turned out very well, with a nice hearty texture and taste, but i am definitely picking up some rye flour this weekend to give out her original recipe a try.

500 grams whole wheat flour (about 4 1/8 cups), plus more for dusting & kneading
1 3/4 tsp baking soda
1 1/4 tsp fine grain sea salt
2 cups buttermilk, plus more for brushing

preheat oven to 400F, with the rack in the middle of the oven. sift the flour, baking soda, and salt together in a big bowl. make a well in the dry ingredients and pour in the buttermilk. stir just until everything comes together into a dough, then turn out onto a lightly floured board or countertop. knead for 30 seconds or so, just long enough for the dough to come together into a cohesive, slightly flattened ball without many cracks or fissures. lightly flour a baking sheet and place the ball of dough on the flour. brush all over the top and sides with buttermilk and sprinkle with flour, about 1 tbsp or so. slice the dough with four deep slashes, cutting at least halfway through (as though you are slicing a pie) - you may find this is easier to do if you wet the knife blade first.
bake for 30 minutes, then quickly move the rack and the bread up a level to give the top of the bread a nice crust. bake for another 15-20 minutes, or until a hard crust forms and the bread is baked through. it will feel very solid and sound hollow when you knock on its base. cool on a wire rack, then pull off chunks while still warm and slather with butter. dip in soup.

a perfect visit.

2011-11-23T16:13:00.001-05:00

overnight, they flew across the continent...

officially so my important papa could deliver an important speech

but unofficially (they told me) so that they could pay us a little visit.
they arrived at our apartment eager to meet our new kittens
and my momma noticed (true to form) that we'd rearranged our furniture
while charlie & theo climbed all over her.
they gave me a birthday card with kind, heartfelt words that made me smile
and a picture of an elephant that brought back many childhood memories
of shared stories, laughter, and imaginations.

in the cold, we walked the few blocks to our favorite quirky thai place
and shed our coats amidst cheerful conversation.
we ordered thai beer and three dishes to share:
phud thai,
thai fried rice,
and creamy islamic noodles,
piling the mildly spicy communal noodles & rice onto our plates
and then digging in hungrily with chopsticks.
soon the large platters were empty
and we finished dinner with scoops of coconut & mango ice cream
and a creamy rice pudding.

the next day, i rose early and left the house
to meet my momma for breakfast.
she led me astutely through the corporate bay street buildings
to a cafe with veggie breakfast sandwiches
full of spinach, feta cheese, and fresh vegetables
and delicious french coffee.
sufficiently caffeinated, we hopped a train north
to the upscale yorkville neighborhood
where we visited well-loved clothing stores...
talbots (her favorite)
and anthropologie (mine)
...and i bought far too much.
we browsed the many beautiful shops,
searching for gifts for loved ones
and beautiful things for ourselves,
enjoying a truly indulgent morning.
when our resolves became weak
and our tummies growled,
we backtracked to a kitschy greasy spoon for lunch.
plates were brought with delicious cups of thick soup
laced with wilted spinach and fresh mushrooms,
to warm us during our day of shopping in the cold winter air.
we sat mostly in silence, enjoying the simpleness of the meal,
pausing occasionally to share a laugh or a memory.
our afternoon was filled with footwear
as we searched for the perfect pair of tall, chic boots for me
and a sweet little pair of ankle boots for her.
we returned to the downtown hotel slowly,
weighed down with packages
and in desperate need of a pick-me-up
(and so stopped at starbucks for holiday warmers).
we met my papa in the lobby
and he whisked us off again...
it was already time for them to head home!
we said goodbye when the train arrived at my stop
and i squeezed them both tight.
without our usual trip home for the holidays this year,
i knew it would be months before we'd get to spend time together again.
as i stepped off the train and climbed the stairs into my beloved square,
i blinked back a few tears from my eyes...
so happy to know that they loved me enough to find a reason
to fly across the country just to say hello and spend a few short hours with us.
i silently wished them a safe & pleasant flight,
and hoped in my heart that we'll have another rendezvous again soon.

hello cold!

2011-11-21T16:51:00.001-05:00

this was our winter view last year,
from the living room of our townhouse in guelph.
as the temperature continues to drop this week
and i prepare to greet winter with plum-hued tights,
cozy knit legwarmers, and my favorite red toque,
i wonder what the first snowfall will look like
from our tenth floor windows
overlooking toronto's east end?

although i'm loving the chill in the air

and the christmas spirit that i can feel

coming over the horizon,

a small part of me wishes i could still head home

and enjoy a cold drink on a hot patio.

it doesn't seem so long ago that we were sipping these
on an extremely hot day last summer!

until next summer,

i guess cocktail hour will be more

amarula-spiked coffee

than ginger-mint lemonade!

ps, have you tried amarula?

i like it better than kahlua or bailey's!

have a wonderful weekend.

2011-11-18T14:36:00.001-05:00

when we got two new tiny kittens,

i thought they were supposed to sleep a lot.

and they do... during the day.

at night they snooze right up by my pillow,

which i love

except that every time i roll over, i bump into them

and charlie thinks it's time to cuddle & play

so his purr-motor starts up ferociously

and he starts climbing all over us.

have you ever heard a kitten purr?

since they're not old enough to have meat on their bones

to muffle the sound,

it's loud.

really loud.

especially at night when you are trying to sleep.

...but i love them anyway!

happy weekend!