Little Things

CHICKEN WITH ASPARAGUS AND MUSHROOM BARLEY RISOTTO
This is a quick, healthy and delicious dinner. If only I could figure these things out for every night... This one's easy though. Pop the chicken thighs in the toaster oven with onions, garlic (okay I use garlic from a tube...) sage, salt and pepper. Get the barley boiling. Sautee onions, mushrooms, sage and garlic, add white wine and a few spoons of heavy cream. Simmer. The barley should be done cooking in 30 minutes, so leave everything alone until then. Then quickly blanche your asparagus, drain the barley, mix it into the mushroom sauce, and serve with the chicken. Ta da! Sort of.


DIY HAIRCUT
I was in dire need of a haircut. Unhealthy ends, lots of weight at the bottom which made my hair crazy flat. But my hairstylist has just moved back to Japan, and I don't really have money for a haircut anyways. So I trimmed it myself! I'm happy, the ends are a bit more polished now and there's more volume at the top. Nothing drastic, but I'm pleased as punch about it.


WHITE WINE CHICKEN SALAD
Another quick, healthy dinner! The smell of white wine tomato sauce always makes me so happy. I sauteed some onion, then threw in the chicken breast, added white wine, a squirt of garlic from a tube, one cocktail tomato diced up, salt and pepper and then voila! This sauce is amazing with mussels.



MY FAVORITE LIPSTICKS
 These are the colors I find myself regularly wearing from left to right: Sephora's "It Girl", NARS "Schiap", NARS "Belle de Jour", Revlon Colorburst "Soft Nude", Revlon Moondrops "Blase Apricot", Rimmel "Airy Fairy".


S'MORES
 Need I say more? I'm a big dark chocolate fan and find milk chocolate difficult to eat now for the most part, but after revisiting smores with the toaster oven, I've decided that it must be milk. My marshmallows have to be charred brown and black outside - I love that delicious caramel crispy gooeyness you get.


STEVEN'S BIRTHDAY
Liming and I took Steven out for his birthday, it was a low key, lovely event. Okay, so I contributed to dinner and Liming paid for most of it - I don't want to steal his credit. But I did get Steven a birthday card! Despite having a busy schedule, it's so important to celebrate special moments with friends. :)

The Bauer Kitchen

When asking about good restaurants in Waterloo, The Bauer Kitchen popped up several times. Some people raved about it, while others said it was good but overpriced.

Well I just had to see for myself! :) I mentioned this to Mario, and he ended up taking me there to try their fall dinner menu.






You can't see it really well, but my top is covered in little stars like the popular Dolce & Gabanna star motif of this season. I got it from H&M and adore it. 


What a handsome face.


The "Chipotle Roasted Pork Belly Pizza" was served with white sauce, over dried yellow cherry tomatoes, roasted garlic cloves, roasted red pepper, bocconcini, provolone and scallions for $14.95.



Because of the description, I expected to see clearly visible pieces of cherry tomato, charred morsels of pork belly, and rounds of bocconcini but instead came upon a rather anticlimatic visual presentation. Pretty bland, to be honest.

Disheartened and not expecting much, I took my first bite. Surprise! My first thought was, "This is really interesting! And really good." I forgot that the base was a white sauce when I saw the pizza, but it's actually a really good choice. The pork is so salty, the garlic strong, and the red pepper lively that a neutral base like a white sauce was what really allowed those flavors to pop through. It was one of the most interesting pizzas I had ever tried.

My only complaint was that the bottom of the pizza had gotten a bit soggy. :(

It's interesting that despite being a "low brow" food, good pizza is actually difficult to replicate at home - at least if you don't have a wood fired oven and a pizza stone, which many people don't. In Toronto I really love the pizza at Mark McEwan's Fabbrica, and used to love the pizza at Pizzeria Libretto until they randomly started getting worse...

The "Herb-brined chicken supreme" came with porcini brandy cream sauce, roasted potatoes and seasonal vegetables for $22.95.



The chicken was incredibly juicy, and the vegetables were cooked to perfection. Admittedly this wasn't a culinary revelation, but it was roast chicken done just as it should be. I couldn't really taste any cream sauce, but this is a dish that really allows the ingredients to speak for themselves without gastronomic flair or exotic sauces.




I'd like to return to try their intriguing cocktail menu, and maybe sample their steak tartare...!

The Bauer Kitchen
187 King Street South, Unit 102
 Waterloo, Ontario
http://www.charcoalgroup.ca/main8.cfm

Throwback Love

For school I'm reading an article by Kate Warren, "Creative Re-enactment in the Films and Videos of Omer Fast". She discusses our preoccupation with the past, and notes our desire for re-creations, re-readings, and re-productions of the past.

I think throwbacks resonate with a lot of people-- we all seem to be curious about time periods that are inaccessible to us. Recently I saw "All About Eve" and oh how I love it. The script is fantastic but I couldn't help but enjoy escaping to another time as well.




The play which the movie was based off of.

These throwback thoughts were furthered sparked when I went to Winners and found a duo package of China Glaze nailpolish.







The colors are gorgeous: "Bubbly" is the perfect mix of vintage pearl and the effervescent sparkle pop of champagne, and "Gussied up Green" is an intriguing, dark green that I can see in old dresses and costume jewelry.

These shades are a great example of the past re-created-- made anew, presented in a modern context. I love it.



Coat: Zara, dress: Forever 21, leggings: Forever 21, boots: Boathouse

I don't mean to look so serious here. :/ But I love the peter pan collar of my jacket and the classic Mad Men/Joan cut of my orange dress. I love a little touch of classic old school in any outfit.



I also recently got this necklace from Forever 21 and can't wait to find an occasion to wear it. Although knowing me, I'll probably pair it with a t-shirt and a jean jacket to dress it down. I love the sturdy, thick chain matched with the delicate, feminine pearls. Forever 21 Curb Chain necklace.

I'm nursing a sore throat and a headache, I hope it goes away soon!

Sablétine Croissants

Going out for breakfast is one of my favorite things.

I love a hearty Western breakfast (lots of bacon, please!), and sometimes I pine after a dainty goat cheese souffle/eggs benedict smoked salmon experience.

But then there are times (several times, actually) where all I want is a good butter croissant.



Out of my big city Toronto stomping grounds, here in little Waterloo, lies a lovely looking French bakery: Sablétine Fine Pastries. Will my finicky carbohydrate demands be met?






In my humble opinion, a croissant should make deliciously crackly, crunching sounds as I bite through its butter flaked outside, making way for a soft, light and faintly sweet pillowy inside.

I am happy as a clam right now.



After being so impressed by their croissant, Mario and I loaded up on eclairs, macarons, chocolate cakes and raspberry pistachio cheesecake. I really like spending time with people who get as excited about food as I do.

I'm still keen to go back to Toronto and try the Celestin bakery for their famous baguettes. Things to do, things to do.

Sablétine Fine Pastries
203 King Street South
Waterloo, ON
www.sabletine.com