St. Lawrence Market is awesome! We only went for a quick look to see what it was all about but we did pick up some fresh pasta........which was insanely expensive! We were going to get some cannelloni, two types of pasta and this really amazing sauce, until they rang us through and it came to $36! I seriously almost dropped dead right there! I mean, they had given us a sample and it was good, but not $36 good! 6 cannelloni alone were $15! Needless to say we didn't get those and chose to downsized our sauce--which turned out to be $9 for a 2 cup container. It is fantastic sauce though, I don't know what it is called but my best guess would be that it is a combination of marinara, alfredo and pesto. It came layered and you stirred it all up when you reheated it and it was so delicious that I would probably go back and pay the $9 to have more.

There was also a huge kitchen supply store/labyrinth in the middle of the building that was just loaded with all sorts of cool things--like french rolling pins and ravioli molds--just stacks and stacks of everything you could possibly think of. We didn't stay around long because D hates going places without having a definitive purpose, whereas I am perfectly content to browse for hours on end. It's pretty safe to say I will be going back the next chance I get to stock up on all sorts of lovelies!

Two of my favourite people are coming by tonight which is great because I'm starting to feel a bit like Rapunzel with my puffer fish ankle. Flip flops and tile floors are not your friend.

Labels: food, shopping

A while ago we decided that we are only going to use environmentally-friendly cleaners in our new place. One brand we're total brand whores for is Method, they just have really nice scents and neat packaging. D called to tell me how he bought one of practically everything today over his lunch break including the scented candle in sweet water--not lavender, because we both think lavender stinks.

One of my favourite products is their OMop which I picked up recently. It comes in compostable bamboo box with a microfiber floor pad and floor cleaner for wood floors. (Yay for apartment parquet.) The wood cleaner is almond scented but you can also get an all-floor cleaner in lemon-ginger. Yum!


I just love how cute the whole thing is and the funny little comments printed all over the box. My ugly parquet is going to be so lucky.

Labels: NaBloPoMo, shopping

Montreal was great! I didn't eat any poutine like I said I would, but I did eat fondue and french macarons and that counts for something! Friday was spent drinking sangria on the patio, wine in the hotel room and then vodka cranberries at the bar after the dance show. Saturday was spent shopping until my feet were bloody stumps, but oh my was it ever glorious! 7 hours was not enough time to cover all the shopping that is available there. We spent four hours in one store alone! I only managed to take four pictures because A. I hate feeling/looking like a tourist. B. My mother is a wannabe paparazzi and it embarrasses the crap out of me and C. Because we were really only there for a day and a half. This one is my favourite:


The only downside was that our hotel had a high school trip going on and all the kids were staying on our floor. And they all really liked to run up and down the hall yelling and slamming doors at ungodly hours. So I may or may not have stuck my head out the door at 3am and told them to 'Shut the Fuck Up.' The upside was the front desk had an unlimited supply of Chupa Chugs. Watermelon = Love.

Labels: anger, holidays, shopping

I'm taking off to Montreal for the weekend with my mama bird to go see my cousin dance and ya know...just to get the hell out of here in general. I am looking forward to all the awesome shopping I am going to do with my non-existent money and will be sure to take lots of pictures of things I wanted but could not afford. I will also try not to die when it is my turn to drive on the highway. Oh and poutine. I'm going to eat lots of poutine.

Labels: shopping

Gordon Ramsey is doing book signings in Burlington and Toronto at the Eaton Center April 27 & 28! I love that angry, angry man! Sadly I am not going to be able to go as it falls on a late Sunday afternoon/Monday evening and I will not be in Toronto then. Unless I missed my bus. And called in sick to work. Then there might be a possibility.

I picked up some incredibly cute fabric at Fabric Land this weekend. I'm not sure what I am going to make yet. Originally I was thinking aprons which would be cute, but I don't want to waste good potential either. I tend to collect fabric like I collect fancy paper. I blame it on my tactile nature. Pattern + Feel get me every single time. I think that second fabric screams home decor though, and I did just order 'Feather Your Nest' by Amy Butler. I am totally in love with the bed set on the cover. Except I asked D what he thought about it and this is how it went:



I can't win. Whatever, I'll sneak throw pillows in somehow.

Labels: crafty, shopping

19 degrees! (That's Celsius for all my American friends) I practically had to be dragged in by my hair at the end of my breaks today. I'm pretty sure it was still snowing last week and now everyone is out in their flip flops. Love it.

Other things I love:

1. Mail. I ordered some mugs from The Curiosity Shoppe last week and they arrived today. I also have two packages to pick up tomorrow with my vintage pyrex. I'm crossing my fingers the post office didn't smash them to bits.

2. Mini 'Personal' Watermelons. Tiny grapefruit-sized watermelons! I think I want to turn it into a tiny vodka melon but I will probably end up eating it before the weekend rolls around.

3. Hump Day. It's tomorrow and that means only two more days of suffering to go!!!

Labels: lists, shopping

I try to avoid visiting Ebay as much as possible because it's so easy to spend more then you intend to. It's easy to think to yourself 'The maximum I would pay for this is $20' but then some jerk face always comes along and tries to out bid you and that's when I find the trouble starts. It is very easy to say "Ok, what's one more dollar?' when you've hit what you said would be your maximum bid, and we all know that one dollar can turn into 10 dollars very quickly and so on.

Well I ended up there today somehow by way of Google and I've got just three words.

Vintage. Pyrex. Dishware.

In turquoise, pink and brown!!! My three favourite colours! Tons of them!!! See these? These are mine!


All mine for only $16. Mine you, I asked about shipping like 8 hours ago and never received a response, which is understandable as not everyone checks their email all throughout the day. So I am fully prepared to be raped on shipping which oddly seems to happen when something goes for a low price. There were so many to choose from and I really wanted them all, but I have my heart set on a set of turquoise mixing bowls that ends tomorrow that seem to be a hot commodity so I am holding out for those.



Don't get me wrong, I love ultra modern things too, just there's something about vintage that's special. Maybe because they were made at a time where things weren't designed to break by the time the new model came out. Or because kitschy was cool. (Kitschy is still cool in my books for the record.) Who knows.

Labels: NaBloPoMo, shopping

D often gets the luxury of being completely weirded out by my very English family when he comes to visit. HP sauce, Branston pickle, Stilton cheese and Mincemeat tarts are all things he has been subjected to over the years. So in celebration of my Yankee boyfriend's discomfort with our love for things made with molasses and vinegar, I give you my list of awesome English finds:

1. Made in England Rolling Pin


2. Made in England Tea Towel


3. Made in England (by Gentleman) blog


4. Made in England Mosaic

Labels: NaBloPoMo, shopping

Guess what I got today? Guacamole bowl! Ha-cha-cha-cha! When you put the spoon in it, it looks like a stem. Pretty awesome eh???? Don't worry, I'm only semi-retarded.

I think from this day forward, every time I eat guacamole I'm going to eat it out of this dish, even if I'm the only one home. Too bad D says avocados taste like Play-Doh, I really wished he shared my guacamole love. He pretty much hates everything good in the world. Artichokes. Pumpkin Pie. Butternut Squash. Sad but true.

Anyways only one week left of NaBloPoMo to survive!

Labels: NaBloPoMo, shopping

My order of vanilla beans came in the mail today! I got 40 of them from The Organic Vanilla Bean Company, only I bought mine off their eBay site I found via StumbleUpon for the most fantastic price. I've been wanting to cook with vanilla beans for quite some time now but the only place I could ever find them at was the bulk food store and sadly the only choice they ever had was a single dried up bean in a test tube for $5! But now, I've got 2 packages of plump, heavenly smelling, loveliness of both the Bourbon and Tahitian varieties, just waiting to be baked up, cooked up and turned into homemade extract. All I have to do now is think up what recipes I want to use first. Pudding? Cupcakes? Butternut Squash and Vanilla Risotto? Too many choices!

Homemade Vanilla Extract

6 vanilla beans
2 cups vodka

Put vanilla beans in a bottle and cover with vodka. Put bottle in a dark cupboard and allow to sit at least one month.

Replenish extract by topping up with vodka and adding more beans as needed.

Come to think of it, couldn't homemade vanilla extract double as vanilla vodka? Both have the same two ingredients. And does it count as drinking if what you are drinking is extract? I vote no.

Labels: food, NaBloPoMo, shopping

I finally got my dishes today and they are oh so cute! Being typical me, I got two sets. One for when I'm feeling fancy and the other for everyday. Years of studying it in art school has made me a first class ceramics hoarder.

Labels: NaBloPoMo, shopping

Today has been loaded with crummy news what with Patrick Swayze (♥) getting cancer and an apparent flour shortage on the horizon. So I did what any sad girl would do when her two loves are in jeopardy, I went shopping. Well, online window shopping anyways. I haven't done any real shopping since Monday when I went on a vanilla bean Ebay spree, but we'll talk about that later. Shopping is one of those ailments I currently have, ranked alongside Bread Making Disease, Sweet Toothosis and MACaphilia.

Anyways here is my list of finds which I have affectionately named
Totally Useless/Totally Awesome Avocado.

1. Rick Bayless Avocado Scoop


As if a regular spoon wouldn't work. Still there is something kind of cool about the shape that makes you want to buy it anyways.

2. Rick Bayless Guacamole Masher


Because the item before it is most certainly not capable of both scooping and mashing. Still, it has that lovely green colour and fun squidgy shape.

3. Avocado Bowl


Someone I knew had one of these or was given one at a shower I went to and I was totally jealous. It has a matching chili pepper one for salsa and I plan on buying both.

Labels: NaBloPoMo, shopping

Whoops! I almost forgot to post today. I was too busy hiding under the covers watching Paranormal State. Monday nights really aren't a good time to give people nightmares.

Ok happy thoughts, four cast iron pots I really want. No, I'm not frivolous.

1. Le Creuset French Oven in Caribbean Blue.

2. Lodge Enamel Cast Iron Green Apple Pot





3. Staub Pumpkin Casserole

4. Staub Slow Cooker with Snail Knob

Labels: NaBloPoMo, shopping

Today is Ikea day and I am still trying to decide what dishes I want and how many to get of each. I've picked out these three:

Labels: NaBloPoMo, shopping

1. Pink Flip Video



2. Kodak Easyshare V1253
3. Frank Gehry Torque Bead ring. Size 7. (So sparkly!)In that order. Ahem.

Labels: lists, shopping