Black Swan

we saw it today. What a messed up little film. It was very good, but not something you'd want to see with your parents... there are a couple of scenes that would make both of you uncomfortable :) And my hands were clammy a lot, because I have a serious phobia when it comes to fingernails and sharp objects near them. Getting a manicure or a pedicure is equivalent to a visit to a dentist for me... love the outcome, not the actual process. And this movie has a lot of nail clipping scenes...
Still highly recommended...

Merry Christmas!!!

Monday (20th) at Eaton's center... it was snowing soap bubbles on the Swarovski tree :)

Holiday toes.... not mine :)

burgers for dinner...

I've been craving a burger for a while... did some research on the places in our city... and decided to head to W Burger Bar... We went on Monday, I had my last exam that day, and we finished our Christmas shopping...
To start a couple of beers... a Blanche de Chambly for me (the cloudy one) and a 1516 Lager for Jay...instead of bread basket a little plate of carrot sticks with ranch dip...
What I like about W Burger is that fact that you choose your burger and your bun (whole wheat, white, or lettuce leaves), and then any toppings you like from their complimentary list, which do not cost any extra and there is plenty to choose from... then they also have a few premium toppings which are at an additional cost (check out their website for the menu)
Pictured below my burger... a couple of grilled portobello mushrooms on a whole wheat bun, from the complimentary topping menu I chose: mixed greens, sauteed onions, pickles, beets, and grilled red peppers... yum, with a side of large fries...
Jay had a Bison burger on a whole wheat bun, he chose to top it with mixed greens, sauteed onions, pickles, and Hellman's Dijonaise... with a side of large green salad with house dressing...
we shared our sides... and it was delicious...
Jay finished off his meal with a slice of sweet, moist looking chocolate cake...
this place is definitely worth a second visit... they have an actual veggie patty that I want to try... and Jay wants to try their Kobe burger...

drinking Portugal...

a treat from Sara and Adrian... Jay and I don't drink a lot of world wines because neither one of us has a sophisticated wine tasting palate, and we're both obsessed with Ontario vintages... we support homegrown efforts :)
But it is nice to take a break from what you know... Now on the back of most Ontario wines you'll find a brief description of the wine (basic notes, finish, and such), optimal drinking temperature, and sometimes even a suggested meal pairing... no such information on the back of our Portuguese vintage, when I asked Jay for it.. he looked and replied, "The Portuguese don't believe in such stuff, their wine goes with everything". :)
It was a very nice bottle, the wine tasted a lot better 15 minutes after we opened it... thank you S and A for expanding our wine appreciation...
we enjoyed it with some pasta in a superb tomato mushroom pepper sauce...

kale chips

are addictive... if you've never tried them, you're missing out... these are not store bought by the way... they're super simple to make (but I never have), Jay has the perfect kale chip touch, why mess with it :)

Thank You Magda and Patrick

This post comes a bit late, but exam season is on... and I'm a bit overwhelmed once again....

So I've mentioned that Jay and I are vodka people, but I should mention that rum runs a very, very close second, then amaretto, grand marnier... and a few others.

We received this interesting flavor from Magda and Patrick. A Bacardi Strawberry Rum infused with Dragon Fruit. This rum smells like the most delicious strawberries... I closed my eyes and could almost feel the summer sun on my skin...

I decided that since we had some mint left over from our party we should create strawberry mojitos and celebrate the first cold snap of the season. It was delicious. Can't wait to share it... The little red pieces in my drink are freeze dried strawberry chunks that Jay picked out of our cereal mix :)
tonight (or really early morning, depends on how you perceive it... it's almost 1am) I'm test tasting it with some ginger ale... if you get the balance just right, it's very nice... a bit on the sweet side but still nice to sip... it was a long day... In the background a Holiday card from Kinga (it reminds me I should probably send some out too... because I love receiving them)

her favorite spot to nap

she's a little weirdo... does an excellent job at keeping that shelf dust free... there is a book shelf adjacent to it with books on it, she uses it as a walkway to get to her napping spot...

this is not a deal...

this is highway robbery... getting $15.00 back because you spent $1500.00 is a joke... that doesn't even cover one minimum monthly payment... what a waste of paper...

Thank You Lisa and Rob...

Jay and I do enjoy our vodka... it's just so versatile... while we do like to try other spirits and liqueurs, vodka is a staple in our house (must be the Polish in me). Lisa and Rob gave us a real treat with Dan Aykroyd's Crystal Head Vodka... currently it is banned for sale in Ontario LCBO stores, because of the packaging..

LCBO spokesman Chris Layton: “That’s an image that’s commonly associated with death. It’s especially problematic at a time when there are concerns around binge drinking by younger adults, which in some cases unfortunately has resulted in alcohol poisoning.”

... while I agree with his statement, somehow I don't think this ban is hurting the sales... controversy might actually have the reverse effect... plus it's a smiling skull... it doesn't look menacing or deadly to me... anywho I like it a lot and don't want to open it... but I know I will...

Dec. 4, 2010: Lucy's and Jason's Third Annual Holiday Get Together

For a third time, our little get together was a success. The menu went through several changes, over the month leading to our dinner. Every single time we had a conversation, we made a change... crazy. But eventually, time for changes was over... and we hoped we had a winning combination. Sadly our party for 12 turned into a party for 9... we hope a pair that couldn't make it this year will join us in two years... lol... if we can tempt them :)

So let's move to the important stuff... the food...

This year Jay actually presented us with a little snack for our pre-dinner cocktails, so we're not all stumbling to the table... he can mix a mean martini... we enjoyed an assortment of flat breads with edamame hummus.... it was delicious...
and huge hugs and thanks to KINGA, MAGDA and PATRICK, and ADRIAN and SARA... you guys made my night... I'm sipping a Chambord cosmo as I'm typing this up :)... it is as delicious as described
but I did share, and whipped up the Food and Drink cocktail that prompted a Chambord craving in the first place... we all enjoyed it...
here is our sourced out furniture table... glasses don't match.. but that's our quirky side... for now :) snowman ginger cookies mark the seating arrangement... my spot had no cookie (I can't eat it)..
we drank Ontario vintages... delish... but can't wait to try Sara's presents, I don't believe I've ever given Portugal wines a fair chance... will blog as we enjoy them...
and now appetizers...
eight of the group enjoyed a grilled sweet potato, grilled scallop, and shrimp, topped with truffles and enoki mushrooms in what I heard was an incredible mushroom consomme...
I had my own vegan version... it was more of a mushroom soup... and it was incredible...
Mains:
Six of our party enjoyed a beef tenderloin topped with Jay's own Bearnaise sauce, on top of sauteed kale, on top of a crab cake (the crab cake almost made me wish I wasn't a vegan it was crab with some potato, not potato with some crab, but I persevered) , surrounded by a red wine jus... I heard no complaints ;)
Kinga and Magda enjoyed the same except their beef tenderloin was replaced with halibut...
and for moi Jay created a Yukon and Sweet potato rosti, topped with the same kale, and surrounded by mushrooms that I sauteed myself... as you can see I also plated my meal... so kind of messy, but still delicious...
eventually I baked our dessert...
Eight had white wine and spice poached pears, baked in puff pastry... served with reduced poaching liquid and whipped cream
except for the puff pastry and whipped cream, I enjoyed the same... and it was yummy...
then we wrapped up our night, with more wine, more beer, some port, and a cheese board...
it was a very, very lovely evening... thank you all for joining us... Hope everyone's Holiday Season is supper awesome...