Book Club Recommendation Run-Down

In the summer I joined a book club with some friends. 

As an avid reader I loved the idea of having books recommended by friends and reading books I may not otherwise have known about or given a chance. Not to mention having the chance to discuss plot and characters over food and drinks with good company.

I thought I'd pass along my humble opinion on some of the books we've read so far in case any other avid readers who stumble upon this blog post are looking for suggestions for their next book.

1. Eleanor & Park (Rainbow Rowell). This book is the story of two teenagers from very different families who fall in love and the challenges of that young love. It was an easy read and the story was sweet (I read this while pregnant and hormonal and teared up the first time Eleanor and Park held hands) and engaging. It also made for good book club fodder since the story hints at events that may or may not have transpired. It makes for good discussion. Recommended.

2. Wild (Cheryl Strayed). If you don't already know, which you probably do, this is the true story of a woman who decided to hike the Pacific Crest Trail to put her troubled past behind her and to come to terms with her mother's death. I liked the way it bounced between her present on the trail and her past. I also cried (her mother owned a horse... and, spoiler alert, her mother also dies). As a fan of the outdoors it also made me want to go hiking. The movie is good but, as per usual, I think the book is better. I missed this book club meeting but from the recap it seemed like our group was pretty split on whether they liked Cheryl or not. Makes for good discussion! Recommended.

3. Still Alice (Lisa Genova). This was my second read of the book and I think I liked the book even more the second time around. This should be a must-read for everyone. It's the story of a woman who is diagnosed with early onset dementia and how it effects her professional life and her family. I feel like I don't need to tell you that I cried but I dare anyone to read this and not cry. It's an incredible book. I really want to see the movie. Alice makes a plan to kill herself when her dementia gets to a certain point. This made for great book club discussion on how we rate quality of life. 100% recommended.

4. Gone Girl (Gillian Flynn). This story starts with the disappearance of a wife on her 5th wedding anniversary and explores the did-he or didn't-he involvement of her husband. I can't say much more without ruining the story but if you like smart, twisty and dark stories then drop what you're reading and read this. I loved this so much that I bought the other books Gillian Flynn has written. You love and hate the characters. This might be the ultimate book club book because once you finish it you want to talk to people about it. 100% recommended.

5. Never Let Me Go (Kazou Ishiguro). I had high hopes for this one, having loved the twist of Gone Girl. I was promised a twist and had read that this book was one everyone should read. While it does deal with an interesting ethical question, I found it really slow and hard to get into. I read The Goldfinch in the summer and also found it slow but stuck it out til the end. I couldn't stick this one out.  I may try to go back to this book just to finish it though now that I'm home all day with my tiny one. The general consensus with the book club was that we've picked better books. I'd be interested to here from anyone who read it and really loved it. It might give me the motivation to finish it.

Our book for February is:

6. The Bear (Claire Cameron). This one reminds me of Room by Emma Donoghue (a must-read) in that it's told from the perspective of a child. In this case it is 5 year old Anna who is now caring for her 3 year old brother after a camping trip in Algonquin park gone wrong. As expected, I've already cried. I'm about half way through this book and recommend it already.  It's easy reading and very easy to just want to keep reading. I'll update my recommendation that you read this if I'm not as impressed when I'm finished but for now my verdict is: recommended. 

Any books you'd recommend for my book club's next selection? 

Let's Go To (the food building at) The Ex!

Summer, for me, always wraps up with the opening and closing of The CNE - The Canadian National Exhibition, or The Ex. 

Even though we'll still have summer weather (and technically summer since fall doesn't start til later this month) for awhile longer, it always just feels like a summer full of long days and warm nights has wrapped up. 

This is extra ridiculous because the weather this summer hasn't been particularly hot. 

But today was a hot one. 

John and I made our way down once I finished work to take in the sights and sounds (and tastes, more importantly) of the Ex before it closed its doors for another year. 

I haven't been big on the rides since I was little - also cause as I get older the voice saying 'hey, this event runs for two weeks every year. How safe do you think these rides are?' gets a little louder - but this year I had a definitely excuse to stay off the rides. We did splurge on tickets for the ferris wheel though. I've always enjoyed it and it's  great way to see the entire grounds and the masses of people. 

Plus Baby E seemed to enjoy it, as she gave me a few good kicks as we made our way down from the top. 

Then we walked around, watched some people play games at the midway. 

We saved our money for food. 

As always, I was excited to see what the new additions would be to the food building. 

The big ticket items were the Thanksgiving waffle, the chocolate fried chicken, the chunky Elvis grilled cheese & the spicy peanut butter sriracha rolls (both were no-goes on my list), the far east taco (like an Asian spin on the classic beaver tail), the butter coffee, and the crowbar. 

I had two of those things. 

I had to make a decision between the cocoa-infused chicken and the Thanksgiving waffle. I went with the chicken.

It was divine. 

The batter they use has - you guessed it - cocoa infused into it and then it's deep fried. It's amazing. 

We had an option of two dipping sauces. I forget what the other option was but I went all in and opted for the chocolate ketchup. 

If this comes back next year GO FIND IT.

And save me some.

John went a different route (in hindsight he refers to it as the gut rot route) and got the colossal onion. It's a massive onion that they deep fry. Then you pull the pieces apart and dunk them in dipping sauce. 

It was like a big helping of onion rings but we only finished about a third of it before we had to say our goodbyes. 

This is a staple at The Ex so if you want one of your own, never fear. It'll be back again next year.

The Crowbar. I tried to talk John into getting the butter coffee also being sold at this location but he was full with the onion. The crowbar is the beautiful love child of a chocolate bar baked into a croissant-like pastry. I went with the Mars bar (Caramilk, and Reese's Peanut Butter cup were also options) and was not disappointed. The cronut was the big hit last year and I missed it so I didn't want to pass up the chance to try the crowbar. 

I still have half sitting on the counter to be picked at and savoured over the next few days.

So while my food samplings didn't quite rival that of other years, I'm pleased with my decisions.

And even happier about an afternoon well spent with my main guy.

Sip Wine Bar

To celebrate Valentine's Day, on Thursday night John and I went to Sip Wine Bar.

I walk passed it every time I go to and home from the subway and I've anxiously waited to go since the sign showed up in the window saying Sip Wine Bar, coming soon.

When it opened I read about it in Toronto Life and my need to go got a bit more urgent. 

So, since John would be gone on Friday, we got ourselves a table on Thursday night.

And it was worth the wait.

We shared a bottle of riesling from Rosehall Run in Prince Ed County (where we may go for our 2nd anniversary). 

The pizza's are true Neapolitan style and delicious. 

I ordered the Aduja pizza which comes with mozarella cheese, anduja sausage, and basil.

It was very flavourful and I was heartbroken when I pulled the remained out of the fridge the next day to eat and in the few seconds that I had turned around, the dog had gotten a hold of the corner of the tin foil and pulled it onto the floor. Half she ran off with, so... not edible. And the other half was face down on the floor so...also not edible.

Heartbreak.

John opted for the Sip pizza - half is mozarella cheese, muchrooms and basil, and the other half is folded like a calzone and stuffed with ricotta and prosciutto cotto. 

I tried the calzone half and it was to die for. 

The aftermath.

John did significantly better with his pizza than I did.

I filled up on the bread with the hummus and the amazing tapenade.

And to finish a very romantic night, John got me a dozen gorgeous red roses.

Find out more about Sip Wine Bar here and make a reservation to go check it out.

Hope everyone's Valentine's Day was full of love, whether you celebrated or not.

Seafood-phobes: There's Hope Yet

As you may know, I am not a fan of seafood.

I've tried.

I will eat shrimp, crab, scallops and lobster on occasion but they're never my first choices.

 

Yesterday for dinner I was feeling kind of sick of the standard chicken/beef dishes I've been making.

I decided to venture outside my comfort zone a little and buy some fish.

I'm trying to up my protein intake a bit and fish is great with all it's protein and omega 3s and 6s.

While perusing the frozen section I came across these little beauties by Cedar Bay:

 

I bought one of each, figuring if I was going to try to be a fish-phile I'd need something heavily seasoned, spiced, and flavoured.

I overcooked them a bit which (for me) turned out to be a blessing.

 

I actually enjoyed them.

The Sugar & Spice seasoning was delicious but I have to give the top award to the Applewood with Orange & Ginger flavouring.

It was delicious.

I ate salmon and didn't make a face once.

I even ate everything on my plate!

 

Maybe my palate is growing up?

 

For someone who hasn't liked seafood ever in their 28 years on this planet (save for the fishsticks I ate as a kid which doesn't count cause I was young and those things are so heavily breaded they couldn't taste bad) this is a miracle.

 

For anyone else who dislikes fish but wants to incorporate it into their diet: don't give up! There's hope!

 

Look for these cedar planked salmon packages in the frozen fish section.

There's a bunch more flavours on the website that - so strangely in my mind - I want to try.

 

Give them a try!

Another Month, Another Fitness Goal

As seems to be the trend at the beginning of each month, I have once again resolved to live a bit healthier.

This means being more active on a regular basis and eating more home cooked meals instead of opting for the easy but costly (and terrible for you) drive-thru purchases.

 

I have challenged myself to run 75 km this month.

I have signed up for bootcamp classes.

I want to see if I can do yoga once a week.

And I got this great app that walks you through a bunch of exercises as well as short workouts.

It's called My Fitness Buddy and it might be my new favourite.

 

 

 

I did one of the glute workouts, an 11 minute series of exercises doing 20 reps of each with 15 second rests.

You can choose to use your body weight or to add weights.

There are a pretty decent number of workout routines to choose from that I don't think I'll get sick of it for a long time.

It doesn't give you any cardio though so you have to incorporate your own.

 

 

As I mentioned before, it walks you through each exercise which is perfect for people like me who know all of 5 exercises to do in the gym.

 

I'm hoping in the next 2 months to put on some muscle and to get in the habit of incorporating strength training into my routine.

 

I'm very excited to try this bootcamp out today.

I anticipate being very sore tomorrow.

And maybe crying a little bit.

 

I don't do well with being yelled at.

 

 

Sip & Savour Ontario

Back (way way back) in June, John and I went to the Sip & Savour event in the Distillery district.

Having never attended this event before, I was unsure what to expect but was very excited at the prospect of eating amazing foods and sampling tons of wines.

 

And sample wines we did!

Here's a list of the participating wineries - HERE - and I can proudly (?) say that we almost sampled wine from every single one.

Almost.

I think my last glass was around Kacaba... I tried another white after a stop at that booth and then promptly shattered my wine glass.

 

And then cut myself off.

 

 

The Distillery District in Toronto is absolutely beautiful to walk through and there's usually an event of some kind going on most weekends.

Here's the calendar of events for the rest of this month.

 

Cheese was featured quite prominently (much to my liking) and we sauntered in to a presentation on cooking with cheese - wisely suggested to use by the food guru herself, Ginger Rose.

 

I don't have the information that they gave us with me so I can't tell you what types of cheese we sampled.

I can tell you they were delicious and the servers also topped up our glasses with pairing wines.

 

The food was delicious.

My hands down favourite was the duck confit crepes, shown below.

 

There was a good deal of seafood up for sampling too which John dug into.

He was fortunate enough to grab the last of the halibut sandwiches.

 

We also grabbed plates which were promptly filled with freshly baked bread, cheeses including cheddar and a feta & watermelon salad, then spicy peppers, pickled beans, and jams like cherry chocolate and plum.

I went back for a second plate of this.

 

I forgot to take a picture (truth: I did take a picture but the picture is of the deserts I had put in my purse to take home) of the amazing mouses that were offered. They had raspberry and triple chocolate among a few others.

 

Also very tasty were the choux pastries from Popelin.

They had blueberry, lemon, and ice wine flavours. All 3 were to die for but the lemon might have been my favourite.

This was also where I broke my wine glass, trying to set it on a non-ledge so I could fill my grubby little hands with pastries.

 

Me, esentially:

 

 

All in all, it was a fantastic night that I would highly recommend checking out. Tickets run a bit on the pricey side but you certainly fill your tummy with wonderful foods and it's an opportunity to get drunk in the classiest of fashions.

 

 Plus the Distillery District is just beautiful.

 

 

A Much Needed "Day-t" Day (+ 'Bamburger' Burgers!)

Last night I felt light headed, headachey, and nauseous.

Tonight I feel still a little headachey and tired, I won't lie, but much more refreshed and happy.

I got home this morning after a quick stop at McDonalds (I was convinced my nausea was actually the result of a lack of food and too much caffeine) and then quickly threw on my Hugh Hefner-esque red silk PJs and hopped into bed with John.

 

It was our planned "day-t" day as John called it.

 

 

I fell asleep and he watched Pawn shop shows on TV.

I woke up around 1 and we found a channel that was showing every Harry Potter movie in order. We caught the end of the first and started watching.

I made the much-craved eggs benedict and for a first attempt it turned out pretty well!

I will definitely go back and fine tune it a bit though.

Then I fell asleep again for a solid 2-3 hours.

When I roused around 6:30 pm we got up and with some gentle insistence on John's behalf (I was in a lazy, lazy mood) we went for a 6.25 km run around the neighbourhood.

His pace is similar to mine so I see this running partnership working out!

We took a nice long shower then got dressed to go out for dinner.

 

One of my foodie goals in life is to make my way around the city and find the best hamburgers.

Every year a list is published declaring certain restaurants the best with regards to burgers and I want to try them all.

After originally deciding to try a sandwich place called Boar Sandwiches (which closed at 8 pm and there was no way we would make it there before it closed), we walked to Bamburger (at 2112 Yonge Street, just north of Davisville).

I thought long and hard about getting a burger just to compare it to the others that I've had but my recent healthy-ish kick added to my desire to try specific toppings led me to the turkey burger.

My turkey burger came stacked with the standard lettuce, tomato and red onion, and then my personal choices of tzatziki, black olives, hot banana peppers, sauteed onions, and pickles.

John got a bison burger with maple bacon, goat cheese, sauteed onions, and spicy chipotle mayo.

Both were very good. The bison was a lot more tender than either of us were expecting. It had a melt in your mouth texture and coupled with the soft creamy goat cheese... he practically inhaled the burger.

John also got fries which are handcut at the restaurant along with their homemade gravy. Also well worth trying.

 

My burger was $8.95 plus $1 for the sauteed onions (John's bison burger was $14.95 plus the bacon and the cheese were an additional $1.50 each). It can be a bit pricier than your average burger but they were delicious and our server was fantastic.

 

I would definitely go back to this spot to try some of the other burgers and even just to re-order the exact same thing I had for dinner last night.

 

If you're interested, the website and menu can be found here.

 

All in all, yesterday was much needed. For my tired body, my sanity, and for John and I to just enjoy each other's company for an entire day.

 

I'm also thankful for my mom, who can give the best advice and put things into a better perspective.

She and I have a date this afternoon to do some shopping, perhaps a few more episodes of GoT, then turkey!

 

 

 

2 Days Til Christmas: Gift Ideas for Any Occasion

 

My good (and multi-talented) friend Danielle over at the Sweet & Splendid Bakeshop has a new hobby: soap making.

 

She seems to have found a perfect way to expand her desert empire.

 

When I saw these soaps for the first time my initial reaction was to want to lick them.

Not only do they look exactly like the real thing, but they smell pretty darn delectable as well.

 

Wanting to share these incredible soaps, I purchased a nice variety of them.

 

 

Currently, they are packaged up in Martha Stewart Cupcake gift boxes that I bought from Winners, ready to be given to their intended giftees (who shall all remain nameless for the time being).

 

Check out her Bakeshop here

And check out her incredible soap shop on Etsy here

 

*The Strawberry Shortcake soap and the Sweethearts Valentine soaps are brand spanking new and I want like 25 of them.

 

Restaurant Review: The Burger Cellar

A little more than a week ago John and I went out for dinner to celebrate the end of my 8-shifts-in-a-row.

We decided to try The Burger Cellar, a restaurant in the neighbourhood that we'd been meaning to check out for awhile.

After making the waiter come back several times we finally decided on a wine. We went with a pinot noir from Kacaba.

The selling point was the winery - it was one of the ones that we visited during our Niagara honeymoon weekend.

It wasn't the Cab Franc that we spent $45 on but this bottle was still good (and about the same price, thank you restaurant mark-ups). 

 

Feeling like I needed to live large with my upcoming big pay cheque, we ordered the Duck Poutine ($11) to start.

It was, in a word, phenomenal.

The duck was tender, the cheese curds and the gravy were both amazing.

The dish didn't last too long once it hit the table.

 

 

Having checked out the menu earlier, I was tempted by the write-up for the vegetarian option ($11):

"panko breaded golden fried patty of roasted red peppers, grilled zucchini, red onions, baby spinach, pumpkin, cream cheese, chick peas and kidney beans, topped with avocado and tomato relish and Woolwich Farm goat cheese"

 

It was really really good and very filling.

 

 

John opted for the meatier Burger Cellar Burger ($12):

"two-year old Bothwell smoked cheddar, apple cider bacon, sauteed mushrooms, chipotle BBQ sauce and a beer-battered onion ring"

 

And having taken a few bites from his I can confirm it was also delicious.

 

 

The place is lovely (we were seated right next to a fireplace) and the service was good.

I'd go back!

Niagara Honeymoon: Part 2

There's nothing quite as enjoyable as spending an afternoon checking out wineries and finding new favourites.

 

After deciding to try and find a particular type of wine, John and I set out on a wine tour. We picked 4 wineries we had never visited before and plan to do the same thing the next time we do this. With the number of wineries in the Niagara region I don't think we'll run out of new one's to visit anytime soon.

 

Our first stop was StoneyRidge where we attempted to track down the vidal blanc we'd had with dinner.

 

 

Instead, we sampled a few whites and a few reds. We left with a pinot grigio and a bottle of Passion, a very sweet red wine.

The winery has a lovely herb garden in the front and is quite pretty to walk through.

 

Our next stop was a winery recommended to us by our server - Kacaba. 

 

It has a beautiful patio where visitors are encouraged to bring their own lunches and eat while enjoying a glass or two of wine.

Kacaba focuses mainly on making reds. John and I sampled a few different cabernet francs (the single vineyard 2008, the Reserve 2007, and a 2010 Reserve that hasn't been released for sale yet).

We were both very impressed with the 2007 Reserve and purchased a few bottles - one for ourselves and 2 as gifts. It was the most expensive bottle we purchased that day but it was worth it as we plan to open it on our first wedding anniversary.

 

The 3rd stop was arguably my favourite of the day - Megalomaniac.

 

 

The winery is atop a hill and the drive up is very scenic.

There are row upon row of grapes everywhere you look.

 

The winery itself looks like something out of a medieval picture and appears to be built right into the hill.

 

John and I were very impressed by the assistant wine maker who helped guidde our tastings with honesty and humour.

Megalomaniac makes 2 reislings, The Narcissist  and Homegrown, both of which are two of my new favourites. I think I prefer the Homegrown, as they blend it with icewine which gives it an incredible sweetness.

We also sampled the Frank Cabernet and the Cabernet Sauvignon which we bought a bottle of.

To compliment the bottle of Narcissist and the 6 bottles of the Homegrown Reisling that we also bought.

 

We decided to take a break from day drinking and enjoy some lunch while taking in the awesome view overlooking the lake and surrounding Niagara area.

 

If you only pick one winery to visit I would recommend Megalomaniac for both it's view and for it's wines.

 

Our last stop of the day was Malivoire.

 

I don't think we gave this winery a fair chance because we were tired, a little tipsy (me), and ready to get back to the hotel for our massages.

The people at Malivoire were all incredibly friendly and knowledgeable.

We left with a bottle of the Musque Spritz for ourselves and two more as gifts.

It has a bubbly feel on the tongue when you first sip it so I'm saving our bottle for a special occasion.

 

Maybe a one-month-married celebration?

 

Niagara Honeymoon: Part 1

 

Just a warning: expect the majority of posts for the next month or so to revolve around wedding things.

 

It's hard to believe it was a week ago that I was watching my moms and friends get their hair done, waiting for my turn and for the make-up to begin.

I wasn't nervous, or scared, or having second thoughts, or even really excited at this time last week (I know, horrible) because it didn't sink in that it was my wedding day until I put on my dress and we got into the limo.

Then it was real.

 

The day went by in a flash - over too soon, as most brides I'm sure will say.

I did take friends' advice and I stopped a few times to just take it all in.

The sunset, the tables filled with people I love, having my best friend hold my dress while I used the washroom, my new husband. Some of the snapshots of the night I tried to remember.

 

The next morning we woke up and packed up so that we could go have breakfast with some of the guests who had stuck around right until checkout.

 

My dad drove us back to the venue so we could grab the rest of the items that were left there.

John's parents had been kind enough to go over earlier that morning and pack up the majority of the items - including 12 bottles EACH of red and white wine from dinner that hadn't been opened.

(insert shocked/excited face here)

 

We enjoyed a glass of wine looking out at the gazebo where we had hitched ourselves to each other's wagons (John's term) then we headed for our mini-Niagara honeymoon.

 

We stayed at the Sterling Inn & Spa and let me tell you, this place is phenomenal.

It's walking distance from the Falls and, though it seemed like it might be in a sketchy area as we drove in, it's not.  

 

 

We booked ourselves the Retreat Package and enjoyed a couples massage and a 3-course dinner at the restaurant connected to the hotel - AG. But more on that later.

We walked into our room and were immediately blown away.

 

There was a small kitchen to the right when you walked in, then a big luxurious bathroom as you walked towards the main room.

The tub was MASSIVE and the shower was incredible. I want this exact bathroom when I can afford a house.

 

 

We had a great big king size bed

 

And at the foot of the bed was a fireplace!

Had it not been summer that fireplace would have been roaring.

 

That night we went for dinner at AG.

The menu changes regularly as they do "field to fork" inspired food from the Niagara region.

Since our meal was included in our package, we opted to spend a little extra and have our server pair wine with each of our courses.

John started with this amazing corn bisque, complete with a sort of smoked bacon compote which the server poured the bisque over before topping it with popcorn. I had a braised rabbit gnocchi.

The wine that John had paired with his was a vidal blanc from Stoneyridge and it was so good that we decided we would go and find it the next day. We never found it.

(side note: I just found it on the wine list - the vidal blanc was from Hernder. Now I have to go there or try an find it at the LCBO).

Ad the pictures I took of the food didn't turn out too well because of the lighting.

And because my camera is broken so I'm using my ipod to take photos.

But here's my rabbit gnocchi

 

My entree was a cornish hen with lamb sausage cornbread stuffing. It was as good as it sounds.

We each got a desert but we decided to have the creme brulee and save our second desert for later that night.

After an incredible meal we decided to aid our digestion by going for a walk down to the Falls.

They're beautiful at night.

We walked around the Clifton Hill area and saw the most ridiculous dinosaur mini putt set up.

I say ridiculous in the sense that we stopped and starred at it for awhile. There was a volcano that erupted and dinos everywhere.

I was in love.

 

I'm smiling cause I'm in love with the man taking this picture.

Also because I was waiting to take a picture with these raptors:

 

 

After our adventure to the Falls we went back to the hotel where we literally passed out the minute we got into bed.

But not before going back to the restaurant to pick up our second desert which we wisely decided t save for later.

 

I fell asleep in the bath robe and slept straight through the night in that giant bed.

We woke up to a breakfast delivery and enjoyed it much the way we did the tiramisu - in bed.

 

If only every weekend could be that perfect.

 

This post is to be continued as shortly after that picture of John in bed was taken we got up and went on a winery tour trying to hunt down that vidal blanc.

So stay tuned for a review of Stoneyridge, Kacaba, Megalomaniac, and Malivoire.

 

 

I can't believe it's been a full week of married life.

Nothing big has changed but it's been incredible none-the-less.

I'm a very lucky Mrs.