Patience and Karma

I'm a cookbook junkie. I have a collection  of close to 100 of them and love them all. I read cookbooks in bed like most people read a good novel.

I love the possibilities in the cookbooks and I love learning how to make amazing meal experience. My idea of a great night is cooking an awesome meal and enjoying it with my family, with wine and music. I enjoy going to restaurants but I also enjoy making a gorgeous restaurant-quality meal in the comfort of my own home and savouring the challenge of getting messy make something fantastic. I also like saving a few bucks to reinject into quality food and quality  wine.

So today I went to The Village (Value Village) to pick up some leggings for Lauren the Leggings Junkie and next thing I knew I was shopping like a maniac  to kit up our recently-purchased cottage. (Will post my cottage kitting haul later.) And then I was looking at cookbooks, since our cottage will need cookbooks as well. I plan to cook really simple meals there but I also plan to cook some hardcore awesomeness as well. And a house without cookbooks is a really bad state of affairs in my opinion.

As I browsed the cookbooks, I remembered "the one that got away" yet again. It's not just people who fish or romantics who reminisce about the one who escaped their grasp. Cookbook junkies have this sense as well.

A few years ago, as I browsed cookbooks at The Village, just as I was about to flip through "The French Laundry Cookbook", the woman next to me selected it and put it in her cart. Gone. I didn't know much about it at the time but had a feeling it was something good. I later found out was an awesome cookbook that had won "Cookbook of the Year" when it was published. (That's like the Oscars for cookbook junkies! Imagine walking the red carpet..."Who are you wearing?" Sigh...)

This particular book (fix) remained on my wish list although I was not willing to pay full pop at retail for it. (I never, ever pay full retail for anything.) And every time I browsed the cookbooks at The Village, I remembered the one that got away. Not in a psycho kind of way but just a brief flash of push anyone out of the way who reaches for anything while I'm browsing. Just kidding. No I'm not.

So today I was picking through the books when I noticed one lying flat on the shelf under a few books.  Pulled it out and...

Ahhhhhhh!!! Angels sang, harps were strummed, and unicorns doled out lollipops to everyone!  "The French Laundry Cookbook"! 

As I placed it in my cart I wondered: Maybe that woman never bought the book and it sat there for years? Maybe she donated it back again? Or maybe I was just patient and have good karma. Maybe I'm reading way too much into a random episode but I don't think so. 

Regardless,  I am feeling like the elusive book for my collection (addiction?) has found its way home. Can't wait to get my hands dirty, playing with the gorgeous recipes. Turn on the music and pour me some wine!

Red Cart Romance - Kate Young

Everyone who knows me knows I'm a huge fan of Target. This rabid retail condition was once identified as the Red Cart Romance and I've used that phrase ever since hearing it. About a month ago, my long-distance Red Cart Romance (which once upon a time used to be a monthly fix requiring a passport) became local as my love came to Canada.

While the Canadian Target experience is almost (but not quite) as fabulous as the U.S., it seems to be working to give me my Red Cart fix on a regular (weekly!) basis. I think everyone's read enough about the difference between the 2 different versions so I'm going to spare you the comparison.

Instead, let's talk about one of my favourite things about Target (aside from Archer Farms foods, Circo kids' clothes, and Sonia Kashuk makeup): The Designer Capsule.

On a limited time basis, Target brings in designer clothes at Target prices. Watered down versions but lovely nonetheless. This past Christmas, in the U.S., I nearly lost my mind over the Neiman Marcus designer section which featured Marc Jacobs bags, Rag & Bone blazers, and the most exquisite Oscar de la Renta dog bowls you ever threw kibble in. Unable to find a way to pass off the dog dish as a chip bowl, I settled for a wicked awesome Proenza Schouler sweatshirt that has kind of a Flashdance look to it. 

The opening of Target Canada resulted in a Roots "designer capsule", which just didn't do it for me. It's watered down Roots products (really, watered down sweats? Really?) which was a nice nod to the Canadians but didn't satisfy my Red Cart Designer Lust.

Tonight, however, I noticed Kate Young has made a very quiet entrance into Target with her own capsule. No signage to point it out, but ever on the lookout for The Designer Capsule, my radar went off just past the Starbucks.

Lovely edgy evening gowns, flirty dresses, some 90's style see-through lace bodysuits, and some very sweet dresses. I snapped up a pretty, flirty springy dress that will be nice for work, a brunch out, or tea at Buckingham palace perhaps. 

Here's a shot of the dress - I'm too lazy to try it on for y'all so I've Google-grabbed a pic instead.

We'll let People magazine determine "Who Wore It Best" (me or this lovely model) but for $49.99, I don't mind if you run out and buy it to get in on the action as well. It also comes in black and white, but that's tricky to pull off for a spring/summer dress.

See you in People or at Buckingham Palace. xx

A Lesson in Value from Michael Penney

I love Michael Penney's decorating style and am thrilled that his store, Penney and Company is just a hop, skip, and jump away in up-and-coming downtown Whitby.
In his "A Lesson in Value" post, Michael gives some great examples of the value of refurb furniture, which totally resonates with my Champagne Taste philosophy.
Enjoy!
Michael Penney's Lesson in Value

Half Price Clothing Sale @ Sally Ann

Today is "summer clothes blow-out day" at the Salvation Army Thrift Store.  I know you're thinking "ewww, used clothes from the Sally Ann". I know it because I used to think that way too. Until I started getting hand-me-downs for Auz and realized that once you wash used clothing, it's no different than your own washed clothing. And of course, let's not forget the whole eco reduce-reuse-recycle and reducing our Wal-Mart waste.

I got over that ick-factor and that the shopping in a Thrift Store is a bit of a treasure hunt where some days you're digging alongside other label-oriented folks with the Champagne Taste philosophy, and some days the shopper next to you has been into the sauce and just digging. But that's part of the fun - you never know what you'll find. And the employees are always really sweet, happy, nice people.  But I digress.

50% off of already cheap is just plain fun. For Auz, I scored a pair of Buffalo jeans and a pair of Old Navy shorts. Lauren got the lion's share with a Children's Place top, an Old Navy blouse, some random "Nice Kitty" top, 2 pairs of Gymboree pants, a pair of Children's Place pants, and a cute pair of pink leopard cords. I got a pair of Old Navy shorts for myself because I don't know where all my shorts have disappeared to at home, maybe in the hamper, who knows.

I can't imagine what this stuff would retail for new, and that's a pointless exercise because let's face it, this stuff isn't new. That gets me out of doing math! Ha! Regular price at the Sally Ann was $24.90 and my final half-price off bill was....$12.45.  Aside from being dirt cheap, this means I've saved enough for a basic $12 bottle of wine. For tonight. Not too shabby!
Here's my purchase receipt:

And here's pic of the haul:

Thankfully my kids are too young to be mortified by this, Cameron thinks it's funny, and me, I just wonder what kind of wine to crack open tonight. Cheers.

Cashmere Alert!

Brief but important newsflash to fellow cashmere addicts:  Get your fix today at The Bay! It's cashmere-palooza there today, for one day only.

Bonnie Brooks, in yet another demonstration of her genius, has put the Lord & Taylor women's cashmere on a one-day clearance sale.

Free shipping if you order on line, or go try & buy in-person.

Cashmere-palooza @ The Bay

My cashmere fix was a charcoal cardigan, perfect for over a blouse at the office or over a t-shirt for a more casual look.

Enjoy your fix!
Cheers!

Health is Wealth

"It is health that is real wealth and not pieces of gold and silver." - Mahatma Gandhi 


As much as my inner Material Girl relishes the finer things in life, I've realized that in addition to friends and family, my most valuable possession is my health.  I'd love to say that I've come to this conclusion on my own accord, but rather, it was a number of wake-up calls over the past few years that really made me sit up and take notice.


As I look around my circle of friends, family, co-workers, and neighbours, at any given moment, someone is going through some kind of a health challenge. In addition to a Type 2 Diabetes diagnosis, my father-in-law has dealt with vascular surgery and crazy side-effects from a little "whoops!" that happened during the procedure. Cameron was recently diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes as well. Like father like son...so I have to wonder if/when Austin will be impacted. Type 2 reached out and whacked my cousin too. My sister-in-law going through multiple cancers scares, tests, and biopsies. Two colleagues both with terminal cancer. The sudden and unexpected death of a friend. 


Even I've had a couple health-crisis episodes myself, but thankfully nothing chronic or untreatable. All of these add up to a far greater appreciation for good health and I have become inspired by the stories of others who have overcome and have made it their personal mission to raise awareness. Lauren Ward Larsen is one such inspirer. If you want to appreciate good health, read her book, Zuzu's Petals. It's a fascinating, shocking, and hilarious read by an amazing woman.  


Someone once said, "This body is the only one you've got. If you don't take care of it, where are you going to live?" Good point. So how do we go about taking care of our health? As a student of healthy living, I'm no expert. But here are some tips I've learned so far:

• Take an interest in healthy living. Read up on it. Do some research. Watch "Dr. Oz". Do whatever you can to learn a little bit every day to inspire you to move forward on your journey.
• Stick to the basics. Eat reasonably healthy foods in reasonable-sized portions, organic if you can. Exercise regularly, even if it's just going for a walk a couple times per week. Get your sleep and do everything you can not to get stressed out.
• Moderation is the key. Radical lifestyle changes usually don't work over the long-term. And you can't enjoy yourself if you are too strict. A little food, a little wine, a little chocolate, none of that ever killed anyone in moderation. 
• Schedule and go to your medical maintenance appointments like the annual physical and dental check-ups.
• If you're not motivated to do it for yourself, get healthy for your kids, your friends, your family. Set a good example. Especially where kids are concerned, example is everything.
• Be kind to yourself. If you don't take care of yourself, really, truly, who else will?

I raise my cup of yogurt (which I eat for my health, not because I actually like the stuff) to you and your pursuit of good health.  If you're healthy, you're wealthy.  Cheers!

Lazy Girl Dinner

Yesterday I was sharing with some colleagues about how much I love my slow cooker. They confessed they only use theirs for the occasional soup and are afraid to cook anything else with theirs. As I shared the virtues of my slow cooker and promised to teach them how to cook a chicken dinner, it occurred to me this info might be helpful to others. So here's the dealy-o on why and how a lazy girl cooks dinner in a crock pot.

Every Wednesday night, Austin goes to Cub Scouts, and it's a mad dash from work to home to eat to drop him off and then turn around and pick him up later. Throw a toddler into the mix and cooking dinner in the midst of that equation is just not do-able. So, typically, on a Tuesday night I prep the food for the slow cooker and then all day Wednesday it cooks while we're at work and/or school.

Clean a whole chicken (rinse it out good!) and pat dry with paper towels. You can stick an onion or some garlic cloves or a cut up lemon inside it if you want. If you're feeling extra lazy, don't put anything inside. Put it in the crock pot. Cut up some potatoes, carrots, maybe some onions, and put them around the chicken in the pot. Pour barbecue sauce or any kind of marinade you like over the chicken. I like the maple-flavoured Diana's Sauce. Sprinkle herbs on your chick if you want. Splash some lemon juice around onto the vegetables and sprinkle them with herbs. My family likes Herbs de Provence on our veggies, so that's what I use. When you're ready to cook, just set the pot on low for 10 hours. That's it. That's the lazy girl dinner.

Here's a shot of what tonight's lazy girl dinner looked like before cooking:

Some other tips for using the slow cooker: I like to set it cooking near a window and just crack the window open a teeny tiny bit. As much as I love the smell of dinner when I arrive home, I don't necessarily want the whole house reeking of it. A great tip from my friend/neighbour Russ: If your crock pot doesn't have a timer, just plug it into one of those timers that turns your lights on and off. Set the heat level to what you want (High or Low) and then set the timer for when you want it to end cooking. You can also get fancy and set it to start cooking at a particular time, if you want. Me, personally, I'm not keen on leaving food out not cooking til later. But I'm a germaphobe who wears latex gloves while handling meat, so I'll leave that choice up to you.

Final tip: Don't forget that you cooked dinner! I've been known to arrive home with an armload of groceries, gearing up to cook a meal, having totally forgotten I've been cooking dinner while at work. There's nothing like arriving home to a home-cooked meal, even when your lousy memory surprises you with it. Enjoy!

Here's the 'after' pic.