TBT: Florida 2010

Since everyone seems to be taking a trip somewhere warm lately (yes, I'm jealous) I thought I would post a Throw Back Thursday from my trip to Florida from 2010. It was around this time 3 years ago that I was in sunny Orlando, going Black Friday shopping (deals like no other), going to Blizzard Beach and Seaworld (AHHH-MAZING), buying my first pair of Cowboy boots (out of my comfort zone), trying indoor Skydiving (how many people can say you have tried that?) and my first visit to Clearwater Beach (so beautiful).

It was a vacation to remember because we did SO MUCH and had SUCH FUN going on all of these adventures. This trip was bitter-sweet because upon returning - and spending a TON of $$ - I found out that I was laid off from my job of 10 years, two weeks before Christmas no less. Ugh, was a punch to the stomach that was. It all worked out for the best and took my life in a new direction. Things have a way of working out when they seem hopeless at first. That is a lesson I learned well and this trip reminds me of that :-)

Here are some snaps from that trip, I wish I was there right now since we have 20cm of snow here in Ottawa.

bloglovin

Follow my blog with Bloglovin

Eat Here Before You Die: Pajos in Stevenston BC

Having been born and partially raised in Vancouver has given me insight into two things:

1) Sushi
2) Fish & Chips

I am a proud connoisseur and snob of each and having to be brave with eating each of these dishes in Ontario (where almost all fish and seafood is imported) is a cross to bare (haha just kidding, but not really).

When I spent a week in Vancouver in July I was able to cross off my to-do list which is 100% food driven. Sushi, Fish & Chips and a White Spot burger are a priority when on the left coast as you can't get the real thing in Ontario.

I am lucky to have a sister who resides in Steveston, British Columbia, a historic fishing village that is part of Richmond, BC (where the Vancouver Airport is). This village has a very quaint small town feel and is becoming more upscale each time I visit with the addition of high end restaurants and spas. So while I was staying with my sister, we had to make the mandatory fish and chips stop at a renowned stand located right in Steveston.

My favorite place to quench my fish and chips craving is Pajos, located right on the Warf of Steveston. Since 1985 Pajos has been THE place to get fish and chips that are melt in your mouth good. People flock there in the Spring and Summer to get their hands on these greasy, crispy fillets of goodness. They offer 4 locations in the lower mainland and I can only dream that they will open a location in Ottawa :-)

Here are some quick snaps of my trip to Pajos:

 Before our meal I worked up an appetite by taking a walk along the beautiful boardwalk. It was so peaceful and the smell of the sea air was intoxicating!

 We arrived at Pajos, it was kind of chilly but we ate outside regardless. I took this pic while waiting patiently for our order.

 Pajos is literally located right on the water, here's the picture of the plank down to the restaurant to prove it. As a side note - I tripped walking back up this plank after our meal while wearing a short dress and flashed all of the diners! Sorry to anyone who had to see that!

And here we are, the Halibut Fish & Chips at Pajos. My mouth is watering just looking at this. The batter is light and crispy but has a lot of flavour. The Halibut is rich and has a buttery dense texture with a mild, clean finishing taste that I dream of. I drench mine in malt vinegar, sooooo good!

It is difficult to get Halibut as a fish and chip option in Ontario so this is an extra special treat. If you would like to read more about Pajos, please click here. I have said this before but I am a big fan of restaurants that use fresh, local ingredients and Pajos believes in this philosophy as well.

So, if you are in the Vancouver area as a visitor or if you live there, please check out Pajos in Steveston. It will be worth the drive, I promise you!

Help I'm...

Happy Friday All!

I have a sort of confession to make, I subscribe to GOOP, Gwyneth Paltrow's website that showcases all things Gwynnie. I know there are definitely mixed feelings out there regarding Gwyneth. She has expensive and superior tastes, her sometimes pretentious comments are off putting and her all around annoyingly perfect appearance is well just annoying; but whatever she's doing is working for her. I think she looks fabulous and she is more beautiful in her 40's than ever before. So for that, I am inspired by her!

For an example of some of the items featured on her website, here's a really cute tiered ruffled skirt featured on the GOOP website:

Looks like something you could get at Forever 21 for like $20-$35 right? Oh no, not on GP's website, it's a whopping $345! Yes, you read that right! Completely unattainable, pretty but ridiculous. However, I am inspired to find a similar skirt that is reasonable and still cute. And I did!

Once in a while GOOP features really cool websites and one that I really enjoyed looking through is Help Remedies. It's a site that offers quick fixes for those annoying little problems that pop up in our everyday busy lives and also mixes in some humor along with the their handy remedies, like this Help I've Never been kissed!

These kits are also reasonably priced $4 + shipping and can be ordered through the website. They come in cute conveniently travel friendly containers and you can mix and match to make sure you have everything you need to be prepared for anything.

Thanks to GOOP for featuring these handy little packets on their refreshingly different website.

*GOOP has not sponsored this post and all opinions on here are my own.

Vancouver - July 2013 Recap 1

I have returned from one my best visits to Vancouver that I have ever had! My Dad, 3 older Sisters and my little Brother all reside in and around the Vancouver area so I try to visit them when I can. It's so hard to be so far away from Family! This post will be picture heavy so you can continue on after the jump.

This visit was AWESOME! 

I left last Saturday and landed in Vancouver around 8PM local time -  I had the luck to sit next to the stinkiest guy on the plane for the better part of 5 hours - UGH! Two of my Sisters and my Niece picked me up at the airport and we headed over to Angela's place for some apps and to relax. My body clock was 3 hours ahead so we kept it chill and I tried to get a good night's sleep because in the morning we were headed to Whistler!

 Six hour layover in the Toronto Airport

 Still waiting......*sigh*

The next morning we picked up some food and got ourselves organized to hop on the Sea to Sky Highway, one of the most picturesque and breathtaking drives in the world.

View from the car on the Sea to Sky Highway

*As a side note, all of my readers know I LOVES to eat! I have three very important meals that I HAVE to have every time I am on the left coast:

1) White Spot burger - Triple O Sauce is the draw

2) Fish & Chips - Halibut is my fav which you can rarely find in Ontario

3) Sushi! - Nuff said

So we crossed the first item off my list my stopping at a White Spot on the way to Whistler in beautiful Squamish, BC.

 The White Spot and the Chief in the background

Angela had organized this whole trip to Whistler including the hotel, the dinner and a terrifying but thrilling Zip Line Tour, provided by Zip Trek Eco Tours - more on that in a minute.

We arrived at the Delta Suites in the afternoon and checked into our suite which was SWEET! We were at the end off the hall so we had front and back balconies, a full kitchen, a living room a bedroom and bathroom and a whole separate other bedroom and bathroom as well. Much needed when you have 4 women in the same hotel room!

 View from the Front Balcony

View from the Back Balcony

Peak to Peak

 Our Suite!

We walked around the village, relaxed and made our own cheese and meat plate with wine and it was truly BLISS!

 The Olympic Rings

 Walking in Whistler Village

My Sisters, Laura Lee (Lolly) and Angela

The next day we were up early to get ready to Zip Trek over Whistler Mountain. I have to admit, I don't love heights so I was a little nervous but excited to be outside my comfort zone. I kept telling myself "This is a once in a lifetime experience, so enjoy it!"

We arrived on the mountain and got geared up.

My Sister Bonni, me and Lolly - We are ready!

This post will be picture heavy so you can see more after the jump!

Eat Here Before You Die: Angeline's/ the Hubb in Bloomfield, Ontario

I have had hundreds of Burgers in my life: McDonald's, Burger King, Harvey's, A&W, White Spot (a fav), Five Guys, Johnny Rockets, excellent homemade burgers.....you name it, I ate it!

But I haven't had a Burger experience like the one I had on my recent trip to Prince Edward County. By happy accident, me and 3 girlfriends stayed in the Motel section of Angeline's Inn for a weekend away to tour local wineries and some gastronomical fair. Our first night there, we headed just across the parking lot to Angeline's in house restaurant called The Hubb Eatery and Lounge. The Hubb offers dishes that are made with local fresh ingredients served by a friendly, knowledgeable and laid back staff headed by Chef Elliot and his wife Sommelier Laura. 

Though the inside is tiny, it was decorated beautifully and simply. They have a large patio as well but it was chilly so we sat inside. The quaint atmosphere just begs you to sit down, have a great meal and relaaaaaaaaaaaax.

Photo Source: The Lemon Kitchen

The Menu offers so many unique options, from Mix and Match meat and cheeses to small plates of Beets or Tuna Crudo; you won't find any deep fried greasy zucchini sticks or nachos here.... and I LOVE that! As soon as I laid eyes on the menu, I thought "this is REAL food".

The Waiter (who was adorable and super attentive) brought us an amuse bouche to get our palate going, it was sweet melon with a cream sauce, divine! 

Next we ordered the Mix N' Match Cheese and Charcuterie of tiny pickles, Indian mustard and amazing local cheeses and meats. This had all the flavor you could ask for, sweet from the pickles, spicy meats and mustard, rich decadent cheese. To. Die. For!

Photo Source: www.angelines.ca

For my main course I got The Hubb Burger - hand ground beef, aged cheddar, onion marmalade, shaved lettuce, house made bun, Hubb sauce and baby spuds on the side. To make it even more luxurious I added bacon jam and fois grais. Yes, you read that right, fois grais on a burger; if that's wrong, I don't want to be right! It was juicy and the flavors are indescribably good. Meaty and rich with sweetness from the onion marmalade and the fois grais added an existential dimension that I have never had with another burger.  

The ketchup was homemade as well, it was spicy and way better than anything Heinz could come up with. Price - Burger alone $15, bacon jam $3 and fois gras $8.

You would think that I would have been laying-on-the-floor stuffed by now, and I was. But that didn't stop me from trying some of the incredible Pappardelle pasta with a creamy brown butter sauce that my girlfriend couldn't finish. It was like crack for a pasta lover! It was a Special so not on their regular menu, but oh my goodness it should be! (Sorry no pic of that, I was in a trance while eating it).

After one of the most memorable meals I have had, we waddled across the parking lot to finish the night outside hanging out at a table between our two rooms. The night was calm, we had full bellies of food and wine and we just sat back to watch the comings and goings of this lovely little piece of heaven in the County. It was the perfect ending to the perfect meal. 

As you can tell, my opinion of this restaurant is that I loved it, I recommend it and I will be back. 

A big thank you to the staff at Angeline's and the Hubb! You all are passionate and enjoy what you do....and it shows!

Eat Here Before You Die: Buddha Dog

This edition of Eat Here Before You Die is a hot dog lover's heaven. I mentioned this cute, laid back spot to grab a doggy in a recent post about my fabulous trip to Prince Edward County where we partook in a Wine Tour. Prior to loading in the van to get started on our guided tour, my girlfriends and I stopped at Buddha Dog to grab a bite before downing glass after glass of Pinots, Gamays and Cab Sauvs. I had visited Buddha a few years back and will definitely return to this unique and locally driven eatery located right in the heart of Picton, Ontario. 

Founded in 2005, Buddha dog thrives on the principle that you can support local dairies, farmers, bakers and butchers to create a tasty, natural hot dog, void of nasty fillers, that showcases what PEC has to offer. Everything on Buddha's menu comes local; that includes the bread, cheese and the diverse range of sauces to top your doggies and create a different twist on the traditional ball park hot dog.

Ever thought of a butter chicken sauce to pair with white cheddar cheese as a hot dog topping? Yeah me neither but let me tell you it was SO delicious! 

 The hard working ladies of Buddha Dog

As we couldn't possibly choose from all of the sauces and cheese selections (see the menu below), we had the Ladies do the choosing for us. We ordered a selections of 3 hot dogs each; Buddha Dogs are smaller than regular hot dogs. They came beautifully decorated with colorful sauces ranging from spicy to sweet to savory and each had a different cheese pairing. All YUMMY! 

Menu Source: mycollingwood.ca

 The chalk drawing is a map of the area of Prince Edward County and shows where Buddha Dog obtains all of their ingredients.  Support and promote local culinary businesses in one beautifully drawn mural.

Here is one of the platters. You can see that someone couldn't even wait for a picture to be taken before diving in!

 A refreshing iced tea with mint concoction served in a mason jar, readily available in a fridge. Sooo good on a hot day.

 Beth and Laurie all smiles at Buddha

Terribly blurry picture of Denise and I, patiently waiting for our food.

I am so happy to feature this business on my blog. Having been laid off from a job of ten years due to globalization and offshore job creation, I have a profound appreciation for maintaining local business practices and refuting the "big box store" mentality. It doesn't allow for our Mom & Pop businesses much of a chance to thrive but the smart people of Buddha Dog are showing that eating locally works and tastes incredible!

*Please note that Buddha Dog has not provided any compensation for this blog feature and all of the opinions expressed on this blog are my own*

A Wine Tour in Prince Edward County - Part 1

Since I have lived in Ontario (moved here when I was 12), in the Summer a must go to trip would be to Prince Edward County, more specifically Picton, to lie on the beach or camp in Sandbanks Provincial Park. When I was young this was a favorite spot of mine, the beach has nearly white sand, there are gorgeous sand dunes to explore and it really is the only nice beach of this size in the immediate area. It is located in beautiful Prince Edward County where B&B's, 30+ wineries and amazing restaurants are a way of life. Things just seem more laid back when you are in "the county" and the landscape is totally serene with idyllic homes and cottages peppering the vast farmer's fields.

This weekend I was lucky enough to travel to the county with four girlfriends that I have known since Elementary School. We all met up in Bloomfield and stayed at this super cute and affordable Inn called Angeline's. It is a combination of a motel with affordable yet really contemporary rooms, a cottage with more upscale suites and an Inn with more rooms furnished with antiques acquired from the area. We stayed in the motel and it was really fun! We had side-by-side rooms so we could just sit outside of the rooms at a patio table and chill out with a drink, watching the comings and goings of the visitors to PEC.

 Angeline's Motel. I didn't get a picture of the inside of our Room but there are pictures available on the website.

Right across the way, the entrance to the Hubb

We arrived on Friday evening and went for a meal at Angeline's restaurant called the Hubb. I can tell you have eaten in countless restaurants this was one of the BEST dinning experiences I have had.

 This is the Hubb Burger. It had fois grais and bacon jam along with locally made cheese. There is some grainy mustard and homemade ketchup on the side with some potatoes. TO. DIE. FOR!

Double Trouble? Count me in! Note: this was my friend's beer. I wouldn't dare order a beer in Wine Country!

In the morning we went into the town of Picton and did some shopping. I didn't buy anything but scouted out some possible online purchases. Hopefully more on that to come! Our wine tour didn't start until 1PM so we grabbed some lunch at Buddha Dog. This is an eat here before you die experience for sure. Locally raised beef to create hot dogs that look more like pepperettes (that's what happens without all the fillers and nitrates), combined with sauces made from ingredients all grown in the County. The map behind the counter you see here is drawn in chalk and shows where they get their ingredients from. I love that!

 Getting our dogs ready!

Sample flight that was put together by the Ladies of Buddha Dog. All had sauces that ranged from Sweet to Savory to Spicy. They were so unique and delicious.

On to the Wine Tour! We loaded up in a van and began the tour lead by our super sweet and knowledgeable driver, Murial. I'm sorry that I didn't get a picture of her now #fail. Our first stop was Huff Estates which I have visited before and stayed at their Inn a few years ago.

 My friends, Kelly and Denise outside of Huff. What do you think of Denise's sunglasses? Retro much?

 The vineyard at Huff's. They bury all of the vines in the ground for the Winter otherwise they would all be destroyed. That would be a big job considering the size of the vineyard.

Next we visited Sugarbush Vineyards, one of the smaller wineries but they produced some very unique blends. Robert Peck, one of the owners/operators was a very generous pourer. A quality that instantly endeared me to him. He also works 40 hours as an Engineer and said that he puts in MORE than 40 hours/week with the winery! But he's living the dream and is good at at what he does.

 Robert Peck. 

These are soon to be Sugarbush vines that were imported from Europe. They have wax covering them to protect from diseases that they can carry that aren't present in North America. They are soaking in water for 10 days to prepare them for planting.

On to what was my favorite winery of the tour, probably because they provided a pairing of food with every tasting, of which we had nine. This is Karlo Estates, located in an old barn that has been converted into a tasting area and restaurant . This was such a beautiful space to relax and enjoy all of the pairing of whites and reds. We weren't rushed through and took our time enjoying a wide variety of Whites, Roses, Reds and Ports. Every morsel of meats, cheese, olives and even potato chips paired beautifully with the wine and really brought out the best flavors. They are known for their excellent Ports and I picked one of the red ports up which I never thought I would buy but it was insanely good. I can't wait to enjoy it on a warm Summer evening.

Our tasting guide cutting up one the pairings for a Red, spicy sausage.

Inside the tasting area.

Here is a cute collage that Denise texted me last night of our trip. There weren't many picture of me that I liked so I didn't post any. But is collage is such a cute recap of our Weekend Getaway.

My apologies for the lengthy post, and this is only post 1 of 2 or maybe 3! I hope you enjoy peeking at our wine tour and if you need a relaxing weekend of wine, food and overall indulgence, I HIGHLY recommend Prince Edward County! Stay tuned for more!