MERRY CHRISTMAS!

This is a cool little kit! It looked impossible that the icing would be enough, but it was!

Here is the kit we used last year, with some extra Halloween fancy leftover!

O Tannenbaum!

Snow men and icicles

Botanical Gardens decorated for Christmas

Cutest gingerbread ever, with a cup of Good Earth tea.

Here is what we left for Santa and his Reindeer this year!

NATIONAL CAPITALS AND CUPCAKES

I wanted to take my daughter to Ottawa to stay at the Chateau Laurier, so when I got asked to be an examiner at a nearby venue, I found a rate that matched my reimbursement amount, I was ready to invite my princess to visit her castle. I set up a treasure hunt for her in the lobby (there are cool hiding spots out in the open, and a piano that plays on its own) and she swam in the art deco pool with her dad while I worked. It's an easy walk to Byward Market, where we ate at Zak's Dinner with friends, had a Bellini at Milestone's, and The Grand Pizzeria, which made us think of Napoli! I can also recommend Mama Grazzi, The Earl of Sussex Pub, and Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory from previous trips!

What a beautiful hotel! What a great city!

I love Ottawa. This is us in front of the Centennial Flame/ Parliament Buildings.

The Cupcake Lounge and their beautiful handiwork. Day olds are excellent for half the cost.

SEATTLE GOURMET WEEK NOT TO MISS!

I returned to Seattle with a friend for a conference and loved being a tourist there again.  We hit the highlights, learned a lot, and happened on a great week to be in Seattle; Gourmet Week!

If you've never been and like romantic comedy, take a look at Love Happens with Jennifer Aniston and Aaron Eckhart. Of course, Sleepless in Seattle spends some time in Seattle, but mostly in NYC. The Twilight movies are set on the west coast, as is the addiction netflix series The Killing.. Grey's Anatomy does a nice job of seeing the suburbia and some of Puget Sound.

Thanks to my previous visit with an amazing package through expedia, I had a suite last visit at the Fairmont Olympic Hotel, and I dreamed often of returning just for the tomato bisque soup and the unique mozzarella croutons shaped in a tube! It was amazing! Alas, it was not being served when we ate, but at The Georgian, we had a gorgeous meal, very reasonably priced, being lunch, and part of the Gourmet Week Prix Fixe Menu. I had a delicious silky heirloom tomato soup with truffle foam and rosemary "toasty", a beautiful spinach salad with local cheese, a  creamy wine risotto with crispy cheese wafer,  and rich mousse for dessert. This time, we stayed at a friendly well located Hotel Vintage Park, and enjoyed each evenings wine tasting and morning coffee. Both stays were an unforgettable experience. I'm just waiting for the chance to take my family to visit next!

Gum wall off of Pike Place Market

Bread worth eating with chilled creamy butter

Risotto with parmesan crouton

Perfect end to a perfect meal

Tomorrow night, maybe?

LOCAL FARMERS MARKET - SO BEAUTIFUL

BALLET GIRL

Did you know that you can use the leg part of an old sock to make a beautiful bun? Here's my handiwork on my gorgeous girl's hair.

DAY DATE AT IL CORTILE

With my daughter at school, my husband and I went to our favourite downtown Italian restaurant for the first time since we had been to Italy. The restaurant is sheltered but it's draw is the open courtyard (il cortile is the italian word for the courtyard).  It was the usual spectacular fare with a lovely autumn day. We were fortunate see the Dale Chihuly exhibit at the Museum of Fine Arts on yet another occasion. I fell in love with his glasswork in Las Vegas. It is featured in the ceiling of the impressive lobby of the Bellagio. My uncle introduced me to his work in Richmond, Virginia. His most impressive work is near his home, and Seattle's Needle Chihuly garden is a must see at night! Even so, it was a breathtaking exhibit in Montreal. Here is his work called the sun, and a few dishes from that meal.

Chihuly's Sun in front of the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts

Bellagio's Chihuly ceiling

Crespelle with Zafferano Sauce

Eggplant parmigiana

Gnocci with wild mushrooms

Mushroom risotto

GOURMET TRUCKS HIT MONTREAL SUMMER 2013

Again my foodie brother and sister- in - law got us out in the fresh air to enjoy the latest trend in food, from a gourmet food truck. These were at Place du Canada, and I had a terrific Raclette with a simple combo of potato, onion and pickle. It was terrific! The app to find these was pretty helpful, but we never did get to the coffee truck! Maybe next visit?

3RD WAVE COFFEE LEADS TO GREAT COOKIES (and our new car's first stain - chocolate!)

CAFE NEVE on Rachel in the Plateau

Incognito but caffeinated!

NEW YORK NEW YORK

It was a dream come true! Summer in NYC with my brother and sis -in - law. We had not enough meals and too little time, but here are a few memories!

Rockefeller centre by LEGO! Is there anything you can't make in Lego?!

DARBAR on E 46TH
We had a amazing meal here! We took a chance and were very happy!

The Brooklyn Diner is a  place that  keeps us coming back! I was sad to see they had changed the nostalgia though. You won't leave here hungry!

This is so weird to me as a Canadian. Those aren't smarties, they're ROCKETS!

POUTINE WARS

Every time my brother comes to visit, I gain weight. This is in part because of his obsession to find the best poutine. The visit before last, he ate poutine DAILY. It's hard to keep up with someone 9 years your junior and a stone or two heavier, so I didn't compete! But this place seemed a little special, and, sorry for the blinking photo, but did you eat any of La Rachel?! Not to worry, my brother's plate is almost empty! Love the back terrace at La Banquise!

Being a tourist in my own city

La Banquise

SUMMERTIME...(SING IT LIKE ELLA!)

My 3 favourite salads are enough for a meal: watermelon salsa,
feta tomato chick pea (FOOD) and quinoa bean salad (CANADIAN LIVING). YUM!

I love the bushes in the back garden. This is the day's crop. Alas the season is always too short!

Nasturtium salad from the garden in our window boxes

Rachel Ray's Bruschetta - gorgeous with local cherry tomatoes

BEFORE

DURING

Made to order Spring Rolls

AFTER

Eating al fresco on Piazza San Marco

Shade garde looking great!

WE❤PEI

My husband had never been to the Maritimes, so we decided to spend a little time there this summer. We all loved PEI. The highlights were the red sand beaches, Green Gables, and a B and B run by a chef in Kensington with great food and personal service. It's called The Home Place and the owner's name is Glenda, and we tried to get back every day for supper, but wished we could be there for lunch too! Not that there was any disappointment elsewhere, but nothing quite compared. Cow's creamery ice cream is as delicious as they say, and reading Anne of Green Gables (abridged version) to my daughter was a real treat. Here's my delightful and filling vegetarian supper and me and my daughter crossing over the walk from Lucy Maude Montgomery's original homestead (I can't remember, but I'm sure the bridge and the river it crossed had a name like Bubbling Brooke or something similar!)

I love when a vegetarian meal actual gives me the protein I need! Yummy!  Indoors (it feels like you are at sea) at The Home Place

Walking to Green Gables with my daughter!

Cheese platter and wine in sunshine out on the patio at The Home Place

Red dunes of PEI beaches

Give a girl a beach!

Confederation Hall in Charlottetown

Fish and summer salad with beer (my hubbie's)