Last night, I once again experimented with buckwheat flour. This time I made a buckwheat thin crust for a delicious pizza. We are off to San Francisco early tomorrow morning so am trying to use as many ingredients out of the fridge as possible, including the one sole egg left from the farmers market. It was delicious – had great flavour with the garlic I added to the dough. I will definitely be making this again.
We are having another party potluck! Send me a note if you are a yyc creative lady and interested in coming!!! xo Click on the picture for more info!
Yesterday we celebrated my brother Tom’s birthday with a yummy family dinner. He of course, got Mom to make his favourite dishes which included Chicken Parmesan (with some amazing parmesan from the deli at Kingsland Farmers Market) and massive Greek Pasta Salad. I heard a rumour that he wanted cake but after finding that my only cake ingredients were a deluxe Chocolate Pound Bundt Cake mix that called for five large eggs (I am trying to lose weight! not gain!) I decided to make him a pie instead. I looked up recipes for buckwheat pie crusts because it is currently my flour-of-the-moment. I made a filling with strawberries, peaches, apples, and a half-empty jar of blood orange marmalade. Baked it up and we served it with Tom’s favourite flavour of ice cream, Vanilla. If I do say so myself, it was absolutely delicious. The flavour of the fruit was so luscious and strong and the buckwheat crust was light and crumbly. Mmm. The first pie of fall a success.
We are off to San Francisco later this week to attend the Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Festival! As usual I am trying to figure out the easiest way to pack the least amount of stuff but still able to look somewhat stylish and not entirely like a hobo. I found some great autumn inspiration on Pinterest to help me sort out my wardrobe for the trip.
Last weekend, I was asked to partake in a very unique experience. I was invited to be a judge at the Bridal Expo. I would be responsible for judging each booth on six different categories, including Use of Colour, Best Staff, and Product Display. I grabbed my pal Amy and we headed down to the Bridal Expo, coffees in hand, ready to conquer the thousands of brides-to-be that would be attending that day. It took us just over three hours to go through the whole exhibition hall, while stopping for more coffees and to catch a bit of the fashion show. What a fun day! Also, it was a pleasure to work and meet with Lenora Kingcott, the mastermind behind the whole Bridal Expo. She is so sweet!
This is Lynn Fletcher Weddings. She had a stunning booth so I chose her to win Best Overall Booth Design.
How could I not choose Moore’s to win Best Staff Presentation? There was so many of them and all so well-dressed! I’m the oddball out in my ikat shift dress! LOL!
I chose LAVISH for the Best Use of Colour. Their whole booth had such a soft, light feeling to it – using that soft pale pink, cream, and green. Gorgeous.
Its John! From La Fleur! I’ve known John for years now but that didn’t sway my decision to choose his booth for Best Product Display. Check out the magical wonderland he created out of nothing below! So gorgeous.
Cakery Bakery won for Best Giveaway! I have to say most vendors did not have a great giveaway. Everyone loves to take something away and remember you by. Cakery Bakery gave away darling little cupcakes. Who doesn’t love a sweet treat?
Andras Schram Photography won for the Best Signage. I love how he framed a massive photograph of his in this beautiful gold gilt frame and made that his sign. So much better than the vinyl signs that graced many booths. Try something different – you will stand out.
Four Points By Sheraton won Best Print Piece as they had a couple really great t0-the-point brochures to hand out. Also, their table setting was beautiful. Perfect for a wintery wedding.
How are you ending summer? We ended ours with a massive fish fry, the last one of the year! My Mom makes amazing fish’n’chips and it makes us all drool all weekend until we finally get a bite! The fries were amazing this time – some sort of almond-like flavour to them – they crisped up in the oven just like real fries minus the deep dryer. Yum. Oh and the coleslaw was TO DIE FOR. Goodbye summer and fish’n’chips. I will miss you! xo
Well, we were a little bit late pulling out the old cake on our anniversary (not to mention we weren’t even in Canada!) so we got together with my family last weekend for an end of summer fish fry (more on that later) and dug into it.
Eating something that is over a year old is a little frightening at first but after we discovered that it smelled and tasted like cake, it was okay. For a few bites anyways. It was just too sweet to eat and the cake was too dry. My Dad seemed to like it though. 
August 19-21 – For the last leg of our trip we stayed with our wonderful friends The Millers! They live in a beautiful part of BC interior in gorgeous little town with a big big river running right through it. This part of the trip started with us driving up to their place honking like crazy people. They were just hopping into their car to go shopping! It was a beautiful day with deluxe nachos for dinner and an open jam by Byron and John under a lantern-lit canopy. So perfect.
The next day they took us to Champion Lakes where we floated on whales and crocodiles. We touched tiny turtle shells and their sharp little toes. Ate cherries and spat out the pit. Stayed in the water until it was too cold to get out. It was the perfect day. We spent that night on their sundeck watching shooting stars and satellites. Making wishes, breaking hammocks (and nearly our backs) and laughing until tears.
The last day is always the sad day. Not only were we leaving the Millers but it was also the last day of our trip. What better way to spend it than in our fave spot The Main Street Diner in Nelson. Greek Fries, FTW. Record shopping and frantic sight-seeing….it was time to go. We drove off together in the same direction but then parted at the fork. Waving forever. Until next time kiddos!
Also, the first two ice cream shots are stunning. Is it brain freeze or has ice cream just lost its magic touch?
I picked up my this weekend. It was neatly wrapped in brown craft paper and stamped with their beautiful hand-drawn emblem. Opened it up to find a delightful cookbook full of amazing recipes written by amazing Calgary people. I can’t wait to try out some of these great treats. Also, the Club Club girls let me in on their next project – 2 words: Drink Drink. YES! Pick up your copy of the cookbook for only $16 at or purchase online at Etsy.
