Drink Play F@#k

At times like this I wish I hadn't deleted my old blog, in which I reviewed Elizabeth Gilbert's book Eat Pray Love.  In case you didn't read the post or don't remember what it said, here's my review in a nutshell:

"This is one of the most self-rightous things I've ever read.  While I respect Gilbert as writer, I find myself wanting to shake her with each turn of the page.  Why is it that people who have been lucky all their lives and never had to deal with any real problems always whine the loudest?"

I can't wait to get my hands on Andrew Gottlieb's new book Drink Play Fuck, which is inspired by the unfortunate situation of Gilbert's husband, whom she left in order to search for a more spiritually nurturing life.  Of course, instead of Italy, India, and Bali it's Ireland, Vegas, and Thai sex tourism....

Beautiful Kitchen

I figure enough time has passed since my last Design Sponge sneak peek post.  (I could blog about them every day if I wanted to).  I downloaded these photos of my dream kitchen quite a while ago, and call them up whenever I need a lift.  I love all the natural light, and how the copper cookware looks against the pale pink walls.

When life gives you lemons...

Zest and juice a few of them...

Boil in a large pan with some milk, sugar, salt, corn starch, and flour.

Add some butter and four egg yolks.  Bring to a boil.

Pour into a cooked pie crust.

Beat some egg whites and sugar until stiff peaks form.  

Arrange on top of pie.

Bake until tips are golden brown...

Et voila!  All better!


Full recipe can be found here.

Hello There Blog!

Long time no talk.  The past four days have been a total blur - a classic case of too many things to do in too little time.

Here's some pretty flowers to make up for my absence (photo via Heart of Light).

Words in Paradise

the view from my writing space...

my inspiration...

my companion....

....my lifeline (lately playing the new Regina Spektor over and over and over...such a good album!)

Like A Summer With A Thousand Julys

Life's good, people.  I feel rested and happy, having been blessed with some much needed time to read, write, practice yoga, and figure out what the hell I'm going to do with my life.  Now if only I had those legs and that hair...

Photo from Tell Me A Story via Ms Muse.

The Deep Heart's Core

I'm a person prone to becoming very attached to places.  The word "place" brings to mind a physical setting, but a place can just as easily exist in the mind, as a feeling or emotion that recalls what we believe to be the essence of the physical place in question.  Recently my grandparents sold their cottage on Howe Island, a place that provided a welcome retreat throughout my childhood, adolescence, and until now, adulthood.  These images by Marcus Nilsson (via English Muse) are not of my family's cottage, but for some reason allow me recall exactly what it was like to be there.  Or more fittingly, they incite my idealized, perhaps semi-made up recollections of life was like at the cottage.  

The poem "Lake Isle if Innisfree" by Yeats is a beautiful reflection on this idea.  Scroll down to read it!

The Lake Isle of Innisfree (Yeats)

I will arise and go now, and go to Innisfree

And a small cabin build there, of clay and wattles made;

Nine bean rows will I have there, a hive for the honey bee,

And live alone in the bee-loud glade.

And I shall have some peace there, for peace comes dropping slow,

Dropping from the veils of the morning to where the crickets sing;

There midnight's all a glimmer, and noon a purple glow,

And evening full of the linnet's wings.

I will arise and go now, for always night and day

I hear lake water lapping with low sounds by the shore;

While I stand on the roadway, or on the pavements gray,

I hear it in the deep heart's core.

Vanilla-Cinnamon French Toast

Guess what?  I finally managed to get up get up early in the morning and cook a nice breakfast for myself and Steve!  (For more on why this is a newsworthy accomplishment, check out this post).  In keeping with my newfound vegan obsession, the usual eggs and butter were replaced with silken tofu and safflower oil.  I really wasn't sure how the toast would turn out, and was somewhat surprised at how amazing it tasted!  The texture was a little different, but everything held together well.  Both of us loved the vanilla-cinnamon flavour, and the berries that topped mine were a great touch.  (My berry-phobic husband refrained as usual).

Scroll down for the recipe...

The Candle Cafe's Vanilla-Cinnamon French Toast

Ingredients:

  - 1 pound silken tofu

 - 1 1/4 cups vanilla rice milk

 - 4 1/2 teaspoons agave nectar (I couldn't find it and substituted maple syrup)

 - 3 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

 - 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

 - coconut butter or safflower oil for cooking

 - bread

 - fresh berries

 - confectioner's sugar

Blend tofu, milk, agave nectar, cinnamon, and vanilla until smooth.  Coat bread slices with liquid until soaked through.  Heat some oil in a medium skillet.  Cook bread for 4-6 minutes on each side.  Serve with berries and/or confectioner's sugar and/or maple syrup if desired.

Seriously, everyone should try this recipe, it's fabulous.

Review: Public Enemies

There is a common misconception among my friends and family that I don't like action films.  I'd like to clarify here and now that this is not the case.  It's just that I get bored with movies that are about 80% loud, computer generated miss-mash, 15% cheeseball dialogue, and 5% plot.  If the film has a plot, however, and contains actual, flesh and blood human beings doing things human beings are capable of in the real world, I say bring on the violence and the guns!

Public Enemies is directed by Michael Mann, the same guy behind Collateral, Heat, and many other compelling films.  Here again he succeeds admirably, producing a strikingly beautiful film that is at once eye candy and incredibly suspenseful.  Public Enemies tells the story of John Dillinger, infamous bank robber of the 1930's.  He is pursued throughout the movie by FBI agent Melvin Purvis (Christian Bale), narrowly escaping numerous times until he is finally brought down while exiting a Clark Gable movie that fittingly appears to be based 0n his (Dillinger's) adventures.  (Is that actually true, I wonder?  If so, how perfect!)  Public Enemies is also a film about a crucial turning point in American history, when localized policing was beginning to give way to a more national approach by way of the emerging FBI.  I left the theatre having learned a lot about '30's crime, as well as feeling thoroughly entertained. 

I have been enamoured with Johnny Depp for many years now (long before Pirates, for the record), and will happily see just about anything with him in it.  He is fabulous as usual in this film, and continues to pull off eyeliner better than most women.  Billy Crudup (aka Russell in Almost Famous) is amazing as J. Edgar Hoover - I didn't even recognize him!  Marion Cotillard is also very good as Dillinger's girlfriend Billie Frenchette.  Her American accent isn't always convincing, but she still manages to pull off the roll.

The only part of Public Enemies that doesn't work is a totally cheesy cameo by Diana Krall, who appears for about half a second as a singer at the club where Dillinger and Billie meet.  For some reason it it just doesn't work.  That small part is quickly forgotten, however, overshadowed by the perfection of the rest of the movie.  

The Coolest Bag Ever

....I love how it's colour-coordinated with the hippie mobile in the background :)

Photo from Marvelous Kiddo via A Cup of Jo.

Strawberry Rhubarb

When I walked into Loblaws this morning I was greeted by a big display of Ontario strawberries.  I had hitherto been deprived of local berries all season (I looked, but could never find them - I heard it was a bad season, but maybe this year's were simply late bloomers).  Although I had just finished breakfast, I found myself instantly hungry again and piled three quarts into my basket.  Having recently discovered a small patch of rhubarb in our backyard, I decided to combine my finds and make a strawberry rhubarb pie.

Beautiful Ontario strawberries...

Lately I find myself obsessed with veganism.  I haven't the discipline to become one myself, but love the idea and have been experimenting with vegan recipes quite a bit.  Behold my first vegan pie crust, taken from the Candle Cafe cookbook.  It's a healthier alternative to the butter crust I usually make, and as expected did not taste quite as good.  The crust was more than passable, however, and despite behaving rather finicky while being rolled out, turned out ok in the end.

The finished product...

Review: The Virgin Suicides (the novel)

As a lover of all things Sofia Coppola, I've been a fan of The Virgin Suicides film for quite some time.  I think I always knew it was based on a book, but never actually made an effort to seek it out before reading Jeffrey Eugenides' other novel Middlesex (you can read my review of that  here).  In my opinion, both these books are masterpieces.  And that's not a word I use lightly.

The Virgin Suicides is narrated in the first person plural, told from the perspective of a group of boys who are obsessed with the family of teenage girls that lived in the neighbourhood they grew up in.  Now adults, they are still searching for the reason the girls decided to end their lives.  There is something disarming about this novel.  The prose is clever and mesmerizing, and the story itself eerily gothic, saturated with haunting, unforgettable images, and subtle, fitting allusions to Great Expectations (another one of my favourite novels).  All these attributes are demonstrated by the following excerpt.

"Chase Buell led the way, and as we descended...we traveled back to the day a year earlier when we had descended those same steps to attend the only party the Lisbon girls were ever allowed to throw.  By the time we reached bottom, we felt we'd literally travelled back in time.  For despite the inch of floodwater covering the floor, the room was just as we had left it: Cecilia's party had never been cleaned up.  The paper tablecloth, spotted with mice droppings, still covered the card table.  A brownish scum of punch lay caked in the cut-glass bowl, sprinkled with flies.  The sherbet had melted long ago, but a ladle still protruded from the gummy slit, and cups, gray with dust and cobwebs, remained neatly stacked in front...Above [the boys], in a pink dress, Bonnie looked clean and festive, like a pinata.  We gazed up at Bonnie, at her spindly legs in their white confirmation stockings...the soles of her wet shoes were embedded with bits of mica, shining and dripping".

Ok, I know that passage is way too long, but I hope you read it anyway.  I also hope it inspires you to read the book because it's fantastic.  Not into reading?  Check out Sofia Coppola's equally brilliant film.

Review: Scaramouche

This weekend I embarked on a half celebratory, half escapist getaway to Toronto, in order to dine at ambrosial restaurants and take advantage of the Holt Renfrew summer sale.  It was truly a weekend kissed by the gods - the rain steadily forecasted all week prior held off, giving way to beautiful sunny skies and 25 glorious degrees Celsius.  Despite fabulous fashion finds for all in our party, the highlight of the trip was most certainly Saturday night's dinner at Scaramouche.  

I'd heard many laudatory reviews of the restaurant, but for some reason never made it there when I lived in Toronto.  The second we walked in, we knew we were in for an unparalleled dining experience.  Scaramouche is built into a cliff of sort, and is equipped with towering windows that allow guests to admire the Toronto skyline while dining.  (The view is depicted above, but the photo doesn't really do it justice.)  The service reminded me of upscale restaurants in New York; we were waited on by a number of different people, including but not limited to a main waiter, a water and bread boy, and a sommelier.  Everyone was super friendly and helpful - not at all snooty despite the high-end quality of the restaurant.  

Also like in New York restaurants, we were presented with complementary pre-appetizer appetizers in the form of mini bread crisps topped with a delectable pork pate (along with a bread basket - so much food!).  For the "main" appetizer, the three of us split the organic prosciutto americano with buffalo mozzarella.  Oh my it was good, but thank god we shared because it was quite large - a LOT of prosciutto!  For the main course I had the pan-roasted Pacific halibut with squid ink, sea food risotto, and tomato pistou with fresh chili.  I was a little intimidated when it first came because the risotto was jet black (presumably from the squid ink).  I was worried it would taste burnt, or - even worse - like black licorice.  Upon taking the first bite, however, all my worries vanished.  The "blackness" was not at all detectable in the taste of the risotto, which turned out to be a flavourful combination of seafood, parmesan, and el dante rice.  The halibut itself was cooked to perfection, virtually melting in my mouth.  My favourite part of the meal was the last course; I'd heard Scaramouche is known for its desserts, but I really had no idea how good it was going to be.  We all shared the summer berry pillow, which consisted of fresh berries in a cream puff pastry with raspberry sorbet.  The pastry was so light and flaky we were able to divide it into three without shedding a crumb.  Like the halibut, it pretty much melted in my mouth (I honestly felt like I barely chewed anything for the entire meal!).

Bottom line:  this restaurant is expensive, but worth every penny.  It's an experience I'll never forget, and I hope I get a chance to go back before too long!

It's All Happening!

A couple weeks ago I ordered a bunch of movies from Amazon, and have had the pleasure of anticipating the arrival of the mail ever since.  Upon my return from (my last day! of) work, I was psyched to find the Almost Famous Director's Cut in the mailbox.  Almost Famous is one of my favourite movies of all time, but I have to say I prefer the director's cut to the official film.  There's more pithy dialogue, more unapologetic ramblings about everything from the genius of rock stars to why adolescence is a marketing tool, and a fabulous radio station interview scene that for some puzzling reason was cut from the real version.  I'm told they no longer sell the long version in stores.  If this is true, I'm extremely grateful to have found a second hand copy.

Awful Library Books

Take a look at these priceless titles, found at the Awful Library Books blog via Pickle Me This.  Bear in mind these are actual holdings, still gracing library shelves in 2009 - a fact so pathetic I almost feel guilty laughing.

Mmmmm...

Behold my favourite cake in the world:  Pan Chancho chiffon cake.  If you're local, I highly recommend you head down town as soon as possible to get some.  Dinner at Harvest was also fantastic.  I had the Walleye with pomme puree - talk about an evening of heavenly tastes!

30 Days of Yoga

I recently signed up for a "30 days of yoga" challenge.  The idea is you have to do 28 yoga classes at Samatva from July 2nd-31st.  You are allowed to miss three days total, but must make up at least one by doing 2 classes on another day.  I'm now on day five and have never felt better.  Unfortunately tomorrow will have to be one of the days I miss, as I am turning 26 and celebrating by dining at the world's best restaurant.  Then again, maybe it's not so unfortunate.  Perhaps if I'm really ambitious I can squeeze in an early morning practice and start my 26th year off right.

Don't hate me, but I love it

I've been looking for an enormous poster of beach for years now, but now I'm thinking wallpaper might be an even better choice.  It would look perfect in our loft.....now if I can only convince Steve...

Photo from James Merrell via Design is Mine.

The Simple Bare Necessities of Life

One of my favourite movies as a kid was The Jungle Book.  I even had the soundtrack on an old style record and would spend hours dancing to "The Bare Necessities" and "Wanna Be Like You".  I watched it tonight for the first time in 15-odd years, and was surprised at how much I still enjoy it.  Sometimes it's good to be transported back to the blissful innocence of childhood when the rest of your life becomes so utterly uncertain...

Review: My Sister's Keeper

Sure it's a chick flick - but I really, really wanted to see it.  I have not yet read the novel My Sister's Keeper, but find the concept interesting: a child who is genetically engineered to serve as a donor for her sister who has leukemia suddenly decides she wants to be medically emancipated from her parents and thus no longer obligated to donate bone marrow and organs.  My Sister's Keeper is directed by Nick Cassavetes, the same man behind the (in?)famous Notebook.  As with The Notebook, I started bawling about an hour into this movie and didn't stop until after we left the theatre.  The trouble is, I can't decide whether such shameless tugging of heart strings is a good thing or a bad thing.  For now, though, I'll decide it's a good thing.  I genuinely liked this movie.  It's well acted and the story is original and engaging.  Cameron Diaz is more than believable in the demanding role of the girls' mother, and Abigail Breslin is as charming as always as Anna, the younger sister.  

There are few (if any) topics more heartbreaking than that of a dying child, making it difficult to involve any sort of irony or cynicism in the story line.  A lack of such devices in a serious film can lead to it turning into the worst sort of melodrama.  Despite all the tears, however, something about My Sister's Keeper allows it to stop short of that realm.  Maybe it's because the subject matter is simply so sad one almost feels guilty dismissing it as mushy and overdone.  Or perhaps it's because there's really no "bad guy" in the movie.  It's easy to sympathize with all characters, no matter how irrational their actions seem.

Bottom line:  most women, and maybe some men, will like this movie.  But make sure to bring lots of kleenex.  I mean, like, an entire box.  (I grabbed a handful from the box in the car before heading into the theatre and it honestly wasn't enough).

Happy Mini Weekend in Middle of Week

Nationalism is one of my greatest pet peeves.  It's one of those things that does more harm in the world than good, though for some reason it's politically incorrect to point that out.  That said, I do realize how fortunate I am to live in Canada.  It's true that I complain about the winters sometimes (ok, a lot) but even so I would never want to live anywhere else.  Except maybe France, but that's just unrealistic.  Anyway, I hope you're not offended that I'm displaying some Canada geese instead of a Canadian flag.  Sure they're loud and annoying, but the babies are cute.

I plan on spending my day off lounging around reading and watching Wimbledon.  My life will be going through a lot of changes this month (changes that I hope will lead to new perspectives and exciting opportunities) and I kind of figure I deserve a day to veg out before it all begins.