it has arrived...

a little while ago the Looneyspoons sisters (Janet and Greta Podleski) did a bread commercial... the commercial ended with a little giveaway, which was: send a few proof of purchase tags and a money order for shipping and we'll send you a toaster oven... Jay was all over it the minute it aired... I let him go with it... I really didn't think it was going to come... but it did... we're saving a little bit of energy now :)

a day without sweaters...

a couple of weeks ago it was so gorgeous and warm outside... the girls went out without their usual gear... they loved it...

mmmm vegan burger

back to square one...

I organize our closet is such a way as to deter her from hanging out in there... but she always finds a way... furry clothes and towels are such an inconvenience...

ummm don't know if you can tell... but the towel is a little bleached out... I should just stay away from bleach...

it is here...

even if some days it doesn't feel like it yet...

Earth Hour

every year, a reminder of just how much I love electricity...

plans with Jay got canceled, he's working... I'm passing time with two candles, a big glass of red, and a 9 hour laptop battery... animals are all passed out... it's so quiet... kind of nice

overheard

on my way to stats... some miss lazy conversing with her friend

".... so I need to get like 100% on my final, to finish with a 55... so yeah I'll be studying a lot..."

and all I thought was "Honey, it's too late for you..."

what I wouldn't do...

I wouldn't walk into a girls washroom at school with an apple in my hand...
I wouldn't then proceed to wash the apple for 30 seconds using soap...
I wouldn't take a bite out of the apple and turn around to use one of the stalls...
I wouldn't walk out of the stall with the apple well on it's way to being eaten, turn the water on, stick my hands under the faucet, wet them, turn the tap off, and walk out...

If I hadn't made it clear this girl spent more time, water, and soap on washing her apple then she did on her hands once she was done...

pizza

we've discovered spelt pizza dough at Whole Foods... and here is our winning combo... Jay made a delicious artichoke spread, I grilled some portobello mushrooms and radicchio, and it all went on our pie along with some paper thin slices of potato... on half we tested out vegan mozzarella... and once pizza came out of the oven we finished it off with some fresh dill and a very thick, delicious balsamic vinegar, that was more of a glaze really... yum

SALE!!!

for the month of March... there is a huge BCBG Max Azria sale at Eaton's Center... it is not on the 3rd floor but what I refer to as the basement :)... lower concourse across from the Dairy Queen... dresses galore, plus tops, bottoms, jackets, accessories... the cheapest dress I saw was $28... tank tops $19... and it goes up from there... excellent fitting rooms with full length mirrors... pictured is my purchase... I love a good sale...

it was so sunny...

for a couple of days... the cat just hang out on her stand in front of the window sunning her furry butt... taking pictures of her can be very challenging, they never quite capture her softness and beauty... but I try...
with flash...
without flash...

from Kinga...

she brought one of my favorite flowers on Sunday... they were just tight little buds... it was impossible to tell what they would look like fully bloomed... well the next they I found out... just gorgeous...

we were catching up...

on some family gossip with Kinga this past Sunday... a perfect reason to cook up some fish that's in our freezer... since I'm all vegan and stuff Jay's stuck with the meaty inventory in our freezer...
we had some baby greens with a very sharp vinaigrette, that would be overwhelming on it's own, but worked very well with the rest of the meal...
the tempting fish... baked with Jason's creative topping of feta and black olives... finished off with a sprinkle of edible flowers...
sided with polenta, balsamic glazed and grilled portobello mushrooms and radicchio...
after the meal... some blooming tea...
and a super delicious vegan carrot cake... better than any I've ever had...

dinner on Sunday

our Olympic hockey game grub....

Crispy Tofu Slices...
with Orange Dipping Sauce...
Baby Bok Choy Drizzled with Ume Vinaigrette...
and for the past couple of weeks I had a major craving for french fires... it was insane... it actually caused me physical pain, lol... Jay understands my craziness and made the perfect fries using organic russet potatoes... hand cut, double fried... yum... I should be good for a couple of months at least...
I made gomashio for sprinkling on our fries, greens, and tofu...
for dessert soy Neapolitan ice cream, peanut butter and chocolate in the bottom of my cone... in the background men's hockey team celebrating their gold medal...

Dinner: Saturday, Feb. 27, 2010

There is a brand new Keg opening on Esplanade. The grand opening is March 1st, and this location is dinner only. However they might change it during summer and open for lunch as they'll have one of the biggest patios in the city (40 tables). Adrian who used to work for the company invited us for the practice run dinner. This event happens for 3 days (Thursday, Friday, and Saturday the busiest night) prior to the grand opening. I believe it is by invite only, so you sort of have to know someone that works or has worked for The Keg... The menu is limited but it's still a lot of fun even for a vegan.

We did glance at the real menu that will be offered come Monday, there is quite a few new items, and a lot more seafood options. The restaurant itself is gorgeous, if you've ever been to the one at York St., it's along those lines.

We all met up at the Bier Markt since it's practically next door to The Keg... there were eight of us, but I only took pics of my and Jays' drinks since we were the first ones to arrive and I just didn't want to be the freak with the flash... I was going to become one later...
my new favorite beer form the oldest brewery in the world... Germans sure know their brew...
The Keg was packed... our party of eight was split into two tables of four. There are different mini menus randomly assigned to each table. All the items on the mini menus are part of the regular one. So the other foursome enjoyed a totally different but equally delicious meal.
Here is our menu card...
we had some drinks to start...
for me the Perfect Manhattan, my favorite Keg cocktail, and it is perfect... Jay and Adrian had beers, and Sara had the Keg size Caesar (not pictured, I didn't want to annoy too many people with my flash... yet)
the classic Keg bread basket and whipped butter...
We shared three appetizers: Spinach Salad with Goat Cheese...I enjoyed it ( worked my way around the cheese)...
a Caesar Salad...
and a hot Crab Parmesan Spinach Dip with perfectly not greasy but crispy pitas and red tortilla chips...
Adrian chose a bottle of red...
Our mains:
Shrimp Dinner... the dipping sauce is very sweet and peachy...
Teryiaki Top Sirloin Classic...
Prime Rib and King Crab...
Regular Size Prime Rib... crispy shallots instead of king crab...
and a Trio Sampler of side dishes... steamed asparagus, sauteed mushrooms, and sweet potato fries...
After our mains... Sara and Adrian both ordered espressos, and Jay ordered a cappuccino... I didn't feel like caffeine... however our waiter came back with 2 espressos (for Adrian and Sara) and 2 cappuccinos (for Jay and me)... I had no heart to tell him he made a mistake or to send it back... thankfully Sara switched with me, and so I had some caffeine after all...
for dessert a sampler of five minis
from left to right: carrot cake, lemon blueberry, banana caramel, cherry cheesecake, and chocolate mousse cake... I can't tell you what each tasted like because I wasn't tempted, but the cheesecake used to me one of my all time favorites..
So the grand total for this wonderful feast for 4 came to $66 and change... yup the practice run is a steal... we were very generous tippers... it was an awesome night...