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)