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)

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!

For the first time ever, while being a mother, I was treated to mother's day with my mom by my sweet husband, daughter and dad. Here's our breakfast in bed:

That's a Pillsbury Grand, and the slurry tastes better than it looks, but it's my husband's classic "Touch of Sunshine" combo of OJ and cranberry juice. Serves with sweet potato/potato hash browns, fried egg, fresh fruit and berries and a hot sweet cup of coffee! Thanks Babe!

EASTER PASTEL COLOURS

PEEPS AND CADBURY EGG NESTS

So silly!

It seems like the trend is to blow out eggs and decorate them to the nines, but I still like the simple act of hard boiling them and dying them. Cracking the shell a few times first creates a nice marbling effect.

Cut mini marshmallows in half for this easy design.

Daisies are my favourite spring flowers.

AMAZING TOOTH CARROT SIGHTED IN WHISTLER BC!

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!

FYI WINES

HALLOWEEN

BINARY AND EASTEND

I just came back from visiting a friend who farms in SW Saskatchewan and I heard a very interesting radio show on CBC's Spark about the binary system (listen to the post dated June 22, 2012). My dad remembered seeing a shirt that said: THERE ARE ONLY 10 TYPES OF PEOPLE, THOSE WHO LOVE BINARY AND THOSE WHO DON'T. I loved the idea that those of us without the math brain can see binary examples everywhere in life. I even thought, out of respect for my binary man, that we would post our address in binary after the Roman Numerals stolen from my brother's friend Skip, but haven't found the numerals small enough to read 120.
The area around Eastend have some beautiful views with coulees and hills, but boy has the landscape changed even over the last 3 years since I last visited. There are loads more oil derricks, some very close to the living quarters of my friend's farmhouse and a constant burn off at a nearby station, both of which are more strictly enforced in Alberta to have a safer distance and prohibition of the burning of fuel in the later case. The farmer's rent to the companies at a fairly basic rate because they don't own the mineral rights and if on their land they have some control, but really they have little choice- if not them it will be their neighbour, and they literally have to work around these eyesores to plant and harvest. Why does Saskatchewan not have tighter conditions, and why do the oil companies, who rut the roads, and kick up dust with their trucks and installations, pay so little for the inconvenience of tramping on farm property?

ROMA, ITALIA

Our trip to Italy was an amazing one. One of our favourite parts was the food. In Rome, we were located near Cavour metro, a stone's throw from the Colosseum one way, and the Forum in the other direction. We found every fountain we could, walked miles, even lost each other temporarily, only to meet again on the final visit to the Spanish steps and my favourite Sinking Boat fountain by Bernini the Sr. We splurged on Fettucine at Alfredo's with the house wine, and were not disappointed, but, even down to the daily cappuccino and cornetto (italian for croissant), everything was amazing!

Nicest Cappuccino in the Cavour district at Caffe Cavour

Fettucine Alfredo Style

Leaving the Vatican by the amazing spiral Scala

The Roman Colloseum

VENEZIA, ITALIA

These meringues are as big as your hand, and enough to share!

Venice is good at gelato and sweets! This is one of the nicest Pasticceria , Ponte dell Paste.

Don't have to travel to Verona to buy these kisses!

Terrace for morning breakfast at Hotel Flora - it's for the birds!
The hot chocolate is as thick as pudding, and served with whipped cream! Yum.

Piazza San Marco at sunset, campanile at right,  San Marco Church in front,   Correr Museum behind.

Mother's Day dinner - cuttlefish ink pasta, pasta e fasioli (fagioli), baccala (cod) 3 ways with polenta

Chasing a 6 year old through the world's best maze

Correr Museum with Gustav Klimt exhibit.

BOLOGNA, ITALIA

Sweet shop

SORRENTO,ITALIA

Famous for lemons, the oranges are great too!

Spaghetti alla Inglese (buttered with a ton of parmesan cheese!)

PISA

Thank goodness we had time for lunch in Pisa after the visit to the tower and baptistry! Pasta and salad tastes so much better in Italy!

VICENZA, ITALIA

This city in renowned for its architecture but its food was unbelievable too!

Rainbow gnocchi with butter for my daughter

Fresh pasta on a sunny terrasse!