The Sun is Shining

I just pressed print on my final assignment for the semester.

Report cards are done.

My sister's shower was last night and it was a success.

And yesterday this happened ...

Life is good.

What is good in your life right now?

Because

Because I would rather sleep more than get up to make a creative breakfast, these have been my average breakfasts lately ...

Because the hubby was craving it, we went out for sushi for dinner today ...

Because I have something special going on this Saturday, I made cake pops ...

Because it just might make you smile, watch this video ...

What is your because for today?

Crunch Time and Health Foods

I haven't posted in days because I have been swamped.  

I am in the last two weeks of my university class, work is winding down and it is report card time of year, and I have my sister's shower this weekend.  To top off the business, I have not been sleeping well.  I can't seem to turn my brain off at night, and when I do finally fall asleep, my dreams seem stressful, like I am trying to solve problems in them and am running around in a frantic state.

However, no matter how busy I am there is always time for going out with friends for some health foods :-)

And by health foods I mean:

1) Poutine

2) Indian Tacos

3) Italian pastries

4) Pez

Hehe - I didn't eat all of those things (don't worry I won't have a coronary) - just a few bites of each.  The hubby and I joined a bunch of friends on Thursday, Friday and Saturday for a cultural festival in our city.  We got to "travel" to many different countries in three days, trying foods from all over the world, taking in the entertainment, and experiencing just a taste of what the culture has to offer.

I put on my dancing shoes, and cute new shirt for Saturday night and boogied the night away.

I did eat an entire giant container of kimchee, which totally made my day :-)

The hubby asked for creamy Parmesan fusilli for dinner tonight ... 

Guess he hasn't enough of the health food.

What food do you hope is discovered to be the new miracle health food?

I would totally pick kettle cooked potato chips.

June

 Today it finally felt like summer.

It felt good to get some sunshine, go for a walk outside in the morning and breath in the fresh air.

 

I have about 20 days left of work until I am on holidays for the summer.  

Life is good.

Surpise Party!

By the time you are reading this my dad has probably turned 70 years old! His birthday is Monday, May 30th.

Happy Birthday Dad!

My sister and I organized a little surprise for him a while back, and on Friday we saw it come together.  We took my dad to a restaurant called Teppanyaki, and he assumed it was just going to be the three of us, as it has been in previous years for his birthday.

When he walked into the private room, he was greeted by family from out of town (some from another province), friends from work, and other loved ones.  

He was definitely surprised!

We ate a wonderful dinner that was cooked in front of us, and then everyone came over to my place for coffee and cake.

 

This morning we also took our dad out for breakfast to The Fireside.  

I had the New Orleans eggs Benedict.

It has been a wonderful weekend.

Have you ever thrown a surprise party?  

Has anyone ever thrown you one? 

Cooking Vegan

  There are some vegan recipes that have become staples in our home.  One is a delicious vegan Alfredo pasta dish, that Angela came up with.  I made it for dinner last night.  The great thing about this dish, is that all the ingredients for the sauce are just thrown in to a blender, then poured over cooked pasta and warmed.  It is so easy, and takes only as long to make as the pasta takes to cook.  

If you haven't tried this recipe yet, I highly recommend it.

Another recipe I love is Averie's Caribbean coconut rice with garbanzo beans.  I have adapted this recipe a bit, and used a new ingredient that I bought a couple weeks ago.

Spicy Coconut Rice with Garbanzo Beans

(Adapted from this recipe of Averie's)

2 cups canned coconut milk

1 T ground ginger

1/4 cup Earth Balance (vegan butter) or regular

1 cup regular brown rice

1 heaping T "The Heat is On" PB or more to taste

1 chopped red pepper

1/2 cup pineapple chunks

3/4 cup garbanzo beans

Bring the first 4 ingredients to a boil, then move to the back burner, cover and let cook 40 minutes on low.  Once cooked, stir in the next 4 ingredients until hot and delish!

Both of the above dishes are vegan, but I have also been eating non-vegan things ... like the tuna melt I made for lunch today.

Do you ever cook vegan recipes?  

What is your favourite vegan dinner? - Please feel free to link!

Wine and Cheese

On Sunday evening we had friends over for a wine and cheese.

In the afternoon I baked pumpkin cupcakes with a salted caramel butter cream.

I also made a chocolate dump cake using this recipe, but after taste testing it, I decided it was sub-par, and not good enough to serve.  It just tasted like an average chocolate cake. 

I froze it for the hubby to eat with ice-cream.

I set the table with an assortment of cheeses, cheese fondue, crackers, bread, olives, pickles, cheese, sausage, and the cupcakes.

I used some of the new platters that we had the hubby's aunt bring us home from Mexico.  She lives there, and offered to get us a whole bunch of dishes.  We gave her $300 and asked her to get what she could for that.  We got a complete place setting for 12, as well as numerous serving dishes.  

I am pretty pumped about them!

I donned a pink dress, and pretty feather in my hair (I am thinking of wearing the feather clip for my sister's wedding with soft curls - what do you guys think?)

We put out fresh flowers, lit some candles, opened a bottle of wine, and spent the evening visiting, laughing, and eating with both old and new friends.

Today was a holiday for Canadians (Victoria Day), but tomorrow we are back at work.

How was your weekend?  

Have you ever been to or hosted a wine and cheese party?