Nothing Awful About Falafels

Yesterday, I wandered around aimlessly in the grocery store, trying to think of something different for supper.

Salmon? Cilantro & lime infused chicken kabobs? Chips and dip?

Meh.

I stumbled down the Greek aisle, and suddenly the ideas were flowing. I grabbed falafel mix, couscous, tomatoes, cucumber and a few other randoms and - Opa! We were off!

I had never had a falafel before. For some reason, I had always thought it was meat, and I wasn't entirely sure what kind of meat, so I stayed away all together. Stupid me! Falafels not only take 2 minutes to make, but they involve all the things I love most in life:

pitas

sauce

fried things

All done and resting on a paper towel, the little falafels look like hamburgers. This was a sign of good things to come.

Instead of the traditional Greek salad with feta, we went with bocconcini pearls. Not only is the texture great, but it looks so cute when served!

Not only was dinner great because of the taste, but also because bf and I made it together. Awwwe, how cute of us! And we even did it without arguing once! Greek food makes miracles happen, I tell ya...

For added excitement, we baked some escargot in garlic butter and topped it off with shredded romano and parm cheese. Remind me again why I ever pay $7.99 for 5 pieces of escargot at a restaurant? I'm pretty sure we had about 25 pieces each, for under $4 total.

OPA!!

A Fairy Colourful Birthday Cake!

Love Your Cake is wishing a very Happy 10th Birthday to Maddelyn!!

A set of cupcakes and a cake for a lover of fairies, ballet, pink and purple - now this is our kinda girl!

Chocolate Fudgey goodness is the flavour, cute and adorable is the theme.

Ahhh, how I miss sleepovers - hope yours is a blast!

Sonja & Candice

And a special 2-tiered cupcake for the birthday girl herself,

In pink, of course!

Top 5 Cutest Cupcake Paintings!

After searching around online, I have narrowed it down the Top 5 Cupcake paintings that officially make me want to try eating canvas.

Mmmm & Cute.

Me? A Hypochondriac? Please ...Now where's my inhaler?

I'm not crazy, I just want to live a long time. I don't want anything over looked that could potentially lead to an early demise. That being said, I do love junk food and have probably shaved a few years off due to Big Mac consumption alone.

With each passing year, and each new skin tone, wrinkle, hair colour, mood change and food craving, I am more in tune with my body. Because of this, I'm starting to make my own judgement after basically becoming a self-certified doctor by watching TLC and Grey's Anatomy.

Here is a list of Illnesses/Diseases/Deadly Symptoms that I have been diagnosed with...diagnosed by me, that is...

Mentally: insomnia, OCD, ADHD, depression (so I can pig out guilt free) and anxiety (hence why I read tv show spoilers online and often ask my bf if he remembers that I'd like to get married one day)

Physically: overweight (heffer, hippo, tank are also acceptable terms), restless leg syndrome (aka dancing feet), cracked shin bone with probable blood clot, irreversible hunch back, and whatever it is that causes me to have to shave my legs daily. That one I hate the most.

"Not all bugs, need drugs!"

I am on no medication (scary), except the natural kind, and have never been diagnosed with any of the above mentioned. I suppose it'd be easier to sum it up with an "I'm Crazy", but I like blaming these actual problems better. I'll continue to play doctor until my leg falls off at the shin or my living room starts to resemble an episode of Hoarders...then we'll call in the big boys.

Ever wondered what 300 cookies looks like in a home bakery? (Pic)

Have you ever held an icing bag so long that your pinky turns purple? I did.

300 of these bad boys took over Sonja's kitchen for 5 hours.

Baked, decorated and spread out for a photo shoot.

Sexy.

Now only 20,000 more to go for the Olympics...give or take...Oh the excitement!!!

Go Canada Go!

So Long, Kit Kat Wednesday...

This is a day I have been dreading since before Christmas.

It is the day that I realize that Christmas is no longer an excuse to eat whatever gets put in front of my face. My days have been filled recently, with hamburgers, chips and I have even DRANK some calories! Ahh! The Cardinal Sin! I really knew that I had fallen off the wagon - but when the coat wouldn't zip yesterday, I shed a single tear.

Not because I let myself go, hells no. That was the fun part!

The tear I shed was due to the fact that I am going to have to perform some sort of exercise, in order to regain my once enjoyable frame. Make that quite a bit of exercise. Make that all kinnnds of crazy exercise.

me to bf: we have to eat healthy, but still have some cheat days!

bf to me: ok, what days are the cheat days?

me to bf: wednesday, friday.....and the weekend!

bf to me: and what days will we work out?

me to bf: mondays!

bf to me: and...??

me to bf: they always come too fast!

It's been decided that tomorrow is a new dawn. No more fast food transactions, no more eating chips while watching The Biggest Loser, and DEFINITELY no more chocolate bars from the vending machine in the lobby. Curse you, vending machine. IN FACT, I may just have to move. On second thought, moving is a lot of work. I'll just take things one day at a time...

Give me 28 days, some lettuce and my bf's camera and let the transformation begin!

Riiiiight after this last cookie.....

;)

Day One begins tomorrow. Enough is enough.

How To Cook Dinner For Your Girlfriend

First things first, get a cookbook and some food. Preferably food that is not already cooked.

Second step: Open the book, and follow what it says on one of the pages. If you're feeling adventurous - appetizers are an impressive addition. Oh - and for the beginners, appetizers are generally served BEFORE the dinner.

Whip everything together, following word for word what it says on the page.

Taste testing is ok, just make sure you're still hungry for dinner.

Mix and stir. Stir and mix.

Double check that yours somewhat resembles the photograph provided for the recipe. Even if you're 67% close to the picture, if the food is hot - you're chances of success are high!

And when in doubt, just put out salt and pepper on the table. Makeshift flavour. Mmm Mmm.

The last step is to put your delicious meal onto a plate, and hand it over to your girlfriend.

Voila! A meal fit for a queen.

Well done, sir. Well done.

Dedicated to my boyfriend, Dan. Thanks for being better at cooking then I am.

Online Flower Shopping? Never Again.

This was what I ordered. And paid $150 for.

It is my Mom's birthday today and I wanted to surprise her with a big, sunny bunch of flowers to brighten her day! She got them when I was on the phone and I didn't even think to ask if it was the right thing. It was flowers - she was happy, and it sounded like there were balloons.

Then I went on Facebook and saw this debauchery:

Wait...come again...

You are not serious that people get away with doing this to other people. Now I must go on the attack, because there is NO WAY I am being charged for that AND I want my Mom to have NICE flowers, not Gerber Daisies!! (Which I normally love, but not today. Grr)

Careful where you order from, they may just go MIA after ruining your day.

Ugh.

Update:

They gave me 3 options

a)full refund and they go take the flowers (what?)

b)$40 refund

c)they send roses for no charge the next day

It wasn't about the money, it was about nice flowers. I emailed them and said that they should not be charging customers for orders that do not get filled properly, or the customer should at least be notified, so they can make other arrangements.

I went with the roses, and then got an email saying that if I ever contacted them again, they would sue me for harassment.

No apology. No name ever given. Not even a phone call.

F$%# you Canada Roses.

The Turn Around

you go one way, I go another - next thing you know

we're at war with each other

I don't understand it, you can't tell me why

and all that I know is it kills me inside

without an answer, my thoughts are unclear

my mind starts to fill full of worry and fear

did I do something wrong? was something not right?

or is my reaction what's causing this fight?

pleading for answers, but getting nowhere

the room fills with silence, still is the air

you want to stop, but I press on for more

the answers stop coming, you've shut the door

tomorrow we wake up, and continue on

the anger is here, but soon will be gone

sorry's mean something, when they're followed through

and maybe the sorry's can fix me and you

What to Eat at the top of a Mountain

If you happen to be stuck on top of a mountain, perhaps in Whistler BC, may I suggest a few delicious choices from the restaurant "Steeps". Just a quick gondola ride up from the village and these yummy dishes can be yours to enjoy!

First we have soup. Who doesn't love soup after a day in the snow? This little diddy had mushrooms, and fresh bread with goat cheese. Look it at floating there like a little boat full of yum.

And secondly, the fanciest poutine I have ever seen. It had to be photographed! Oozing cheeses and warm, salty gravy. The potato wedges were cooked perfectly and it went great as a side to the soup. The prices are reasonable, $15-30 a plate, and the taste was worth every cent.

The beer wasn't bad either. Mmm Beer.

After lunch, some rocky mountain chocolate was in order. I mean, the name says it all. Mountain Chocolate? Sign me up. I looked for the coconut and dark chocolate and was introduced to these:

o....m.....g.....

And because nothing looks better in pictures then chocolate, I went snapping away in the store:

So many layers of crunchy and chewy - and is that caramel in there too?! Deep breaths, deep breaths.

And on a parting note, I wouldn't try to drink from the churning chocolate container...they don't like that...apparently.

Playing Tourist - Vancouver Style

The sun was shining. The weather was sweet, yeah.

Pink tulips and coffee. Thank you, Red Umbrella.

Don't you just love when art makes you laugh? It's contagious!

There's not many places that you can stroll on the beach, with palm trees, in January.

This is one of those places.

Rocks and trees may as well be called 'oil and canvas'.

Wishing I knew (or was a) tugboat captain, and found a new place to advertise the cake business.

Dream Meal: one slab of cold salmon, a side dish of soy sauce and two chopsticks.

Let's make that two slabs...and maybe some Ahi Tuna.

Calendar choice for 2010: fruits & veggies. Hands down.

For $35, you can create your own glass flower. Or, for a more nature approach, go for blown glass filled with real flowers. Again pink, again perfect.