When you neglect to get groceries ...

Last weekend we thought about getting groceries ... but then we ended up lounging around the house watching trash TV #priorities.  

Note to self ...

When you neglect to get groceries for the week, things happen.

1)  You really want grapefruit juice in the morning, but then are really sad when water doesn't taste like grapefruit juice.

2)  Your husband uses whipping cream in his coffee (and secretly loves it).

3)  You end up eating out at three restaurants during the week, each with astronomical bills, and then are annoyed that the food is not worth the money spent on it.

4)  You consider having a single potato for breakfast. 

5)  You end up eating junk for dinner.

6)  But you also share a salad, because somehow that negates the junk. 

7)  Your logic gets completely skewed.

Good thing we're getting groceries today; I don't know who we are anymore!

What are you up to this weekend?

The week so far ...

We haven't been too hungry since our feast on the weekend.  Usually once it gets hot out, we are happy to have a fruit and veggie platter for dinner ... that being said we need to go grocery shopping for fruits and veggies.  We just haven't felt like grocery shopping this week.

On Tuesday evening we BBQd a bit of chicken and half of a stuffed potato each.

Last night we met up with some friends for a wing night at Industrial Park Cafe, which was really good.  The friends we met up with are getting married in Vegas in about six weeks, and we're really excited for their wedding, as well as a vacation!

Breakfast this morning was a bowl of cheesy grits.  I absolutely love grits.

Tonight we'll be having an easy dinner, and then heading out to watch our nephew's lacrosse game.

How's your week going so far?

Italian Feast - Dinner Guests

The anticipation before our dinner guests arrive is always exciting for us; we love to entertain, and even more so, we love to cook and eat.  We prep a bit the night before, and then spend the morning and early afternoon making sure everything is just right.

Last night Christopher's parents came over for an Italian feast.

We started with prosecco and a caprese salad amouse bouche.

Next up was bread with our favourite olive oil and aged balsamic vinegar.

Then we enjoyed antipasto (prosciutto, Genoa salami, mini cheese stuffed squash, olives, olive bruschetta, crostini, gorgonzola, provolone, and romano cheeses).

Baked fontina:

It was a beautiful evening, but for the next course we made our way into the house.  Christopher and his dad really enjoyed the Limoncello we had while waiting for soup.

The next part of our meal was Italian wedding soup.

The main course was creamy parmesan fusilli with bacon.

Finally, we had dessert - tiramisu of course.

Following dinner there was live music (Christopher was showing off his bass skills, which are quite impressive for a new bass player), and even some dancing (the in-laws have moves)!

All in all, it was a fantastic evening full of good eats, great company, and many laughs.  It was the perfect way to spend our Saturday evening.

How was your weekend?  What did you do?

Spring Lovin'

This has been the most beautiful May that we can remember, and we're taking full advantage of it.  The yard is starting to look fantastic, and we're planting our flowers this weekend.  We've been BBQing most days.

This week we had a beer-bum chicken, with grilled potatoes and zucchini.  We let it cook low and slow on the BBQ while we sipped bevvies and visited for hours.  Beer-bum is the most moist chicken you can get.

This week we also grilled up a bunch of ribs and potatoes.  We made enough for two meals, as we both love ribs.

I don't like to bake much when it's so warm out, but ...

I have a pregnant sister-in-law who requested red-velvet donuts, and a husband who loves treats (a lot).  Needless to say, I happily did some baking this week.

There is nothing better than feeding those you love.

Things have been pretty tasty around here ...

And they're about to get a whole lot tastier.  We have a pretty fantastic dinner planned for tomorrow evening!

What are you up to this weekend?

Weekend Getaway Part 2

There is a place in the West Edmonton Mall food court called Delicious Pho, and they aren't lying, it is delicious.  We shared some twice:

We also had a savoury crepe from the food court:

I always wake up really hungry, but Christopher doesn't eat much for breakfast.  On Sunday morning I ordered room service, while he slept a bit longer.  He ate a bit of my fruit and toast when he was awake.

After breakfast, we headed straight to the water park!  We had a fun time on the water slides and in the wave pool for a good few hours, before coming back to the room to relax a while.  We snacked on sriracha popcorn in the room.

There wasn't much open for dinner on Sunday, so we ate at BPs.

On Monday we took Christopher's aunt Dolores out for lunch and then she drove us to the airport.  We were back home in no time!

We LOVED flying to Edmonton; it was so much better than the long drive.  Also, we were very, very impressed with the Fantasy Land Hotel within the mall, and would definitely stay there again.  It was so nice to not have to drive or take a cab to dinner, or to entertainment, etc.. 

Do you have any weekend getaways coming up?  

Have you ever been to Edmonton?  To WEM? 

Weekend Getaway

On Friday after work we flew to Edmonton.  We wanted to spend the weekend in the West Edmonton Mall.  We shared a bite to eat in the airport before heading out.

Once we checked in to our fabulous room, right in the mall, we headed to Famoso for pizza.  A few people had recommended this restaurant. 

The pizza was superb.  They make authentic Naples pizza, with ingredients imported from Italy.  The pizzas are cooked for 90 seconds in a 900 F bell oven. 

For breakfast on Saturday morning we shared a cinnamon bun.

Christopher's aunt Dolores took us out for lunch on Saturday to a fantastic restaurant called Canteen.  I had chicken and waffles, and was very impressed.  Dolores also told us about a huge Italian store with all sorts of imported food products; we brought a lot home in our suitcase.



After lunch we went to a bakery called Duchess, which has some major buzz.  It was lined up out the door when we arrived.  Dolores seems to know all the hot-spots in Edmonton, and she definitely knew the types of places we'd like to check out!  We snagged a few treats at Duchess, before going to visit Christopher's grandma.  We had such a nice visit, and I really enjoyed getting to meet Christopher's grandma for the first time - she's a delight!

Speaking of family, a relative of mine was our server for drinks and a snack at Earls the next day. 

It was nice to see Taija, who I hadn't seen in probably 10 years.

We got to catch up with our friend Mike too, and meet his lovely girlfriend Mariam.  We met them for dinner on Saturday evening at Cactus Club Cafe. 

We had sushi pockets for an appetizer.  They were really good, and so were Mike and Mariam's lettuce wraps.

Everyone enjoyed their meals; I had the won ton soup - mmmm!

We had a lot of laughs with these two, and look forward to getting together again, sooner than later.

This was the first half of our long weekend getaway, and it was fantastic!

How was your weekend?  What did you do?