Shit Nonnas Say

I know, I know, there are a lot of "Shit People Say" videos floating around right now but I had to post this one simply becuase it pulls on my heart strings. You see, I had a Nonna and I miss her dearly so this video is like she has returned from the grave (with the exception, of course, that she was not a puppet).



This one's for you Nonnie

xo J

Flying Solo - Week Eighteen

Bonjour Mes Amis!

Sorry for the radio silence from me last week - it was my birthday and that filled my time with sweet parties avec friends and family as well as some serious contemplating about where I'm at in my life. I've always been a bit grandiose about what being a "success" is, so with my voice biz staying pretty quiet through November, that contemplating wasn't always super fun. Have you ever had some of those days?

Well despite some moments of "yipes I should be busier, richer, smarter, prettier, faster, bulletproof, etc?" - you know, realistic not overally-dramatic stuff (wink, wink)  overall the week ended on the plus side. I ended up sharing 3 birthday cakes with my family - I bought one, my dad bought one, and my guy's mom made me one, my guy and I split a bottle of wine and some delicious pizza (life can't be bad with pizza), I got to watch my friend and her hubby baptize their new little daughter and the amis and I hit up the Waldorf for another Tiki night of fun.

As I stood in the Tiki bar or, more accurately, mildly wobbled with a mai tai in hand, looking down the the long table of friends chatting away, I had a Tiny Tim moment. God bless us everyone? Well, yes. And also, I'm one lucky chica to have so many awesome people to count as family and friends.

So this week if you feel the world getting you down with its push saying maybe you're not "enough" - think of all the people that love you, and tell the world where to shove it, nicely.

Have a great week - big love to y'all!
xo

ps. Thank you for all your calls, emails, texts, hugs n b-day love!! I love you more than there's words to say.

Flying Solo - Week Seventeen

Happy Friday mes amis!

This week I thought I'd wrap things up with a visual display of how I've been spending my Wednesdays. For the past 3 weeks my parents and I have been baking cookies... LOTS of cookies.

Admittedly one of the best parts of not working a regular 9-5 job is the freedom to do stuff like this. We've made some great headway on the "Fill the Freezer with Cookies 2010" campaign. It may look like a lot (and ok it is) but guaranteed they will be gone before New Year's Eve! Here's some of the highlights so far:

Taralli with their sugar dusting

Pizelle in the iron

Fruits of Patience

Taralli's yummy filling - grape reduction, chocolate and nuts

Fill that Freezer!

Nallah's full just thinking about all these cookies

Have a great weekend everyone!
Spend some quality time with the people you love!
xo

Jen Being Random & Flying Solo Week Sixteen!

Hi Everybody, 

It's the weekend & I'm happy to share another video post with you. Hope you enjoy it! The amis and I are heading to "HopScotch" tonight - a beer and spirits tasting festival. Mmm yummy and dangerous. We'll tell you more about it next week.

Bon Weekend!

xo

Flying Solo - Week Ten

Holy Frijoles - ten weeks of writing the "flying solo" posts. Dang!

Bonjour mes amis!

Another Friday is upon us and yes, us Canadians are ready to celebrate Thanksgiving on Monday. So while "Flying Solo" is supposed to look back on the week past, it's very difficult to ignore all the yumminess and extra time with loved ones coming up this weekend.

Let's address the past week quickly so we can get back to turkey talk. This week I had 2 auditions for 2 great animated projects. I sent in my first auditions from home (there's something to be thankful for!). And my engineer friend weighed in and said my home studio sounds great. Woo hoo!

I can talk more about business, but who am I kidding - I really want to get back to Thanksgiving!

Every year our friends gather to celebrate Thanksgiving together (usually a week or so after the official day). It is one of my most cherished dinner with friends all year. We usually go around the table and say something that we're thankful for. I love this Thanksgiving tradition. What are your favourite Thanksgiving traditions?

This year "Friends Thanksgiving" will be celebrated on October 16th, so stay tuned for more photos, recipes and warm fuzzy thoughts on it!

If you're looking for dessert options for Thanksgiving or Autumn in general, the photo above is a Honey Crisp Apple Cake from Serious Eats, and there is a virtual "horn of plenty" of Thanksgiving desserts on MarthaStewart.com as well.

Have a great weekend everyone! Take a moment to share some gratitude!

xo

Get Stuffed!

Who doesn’t love a great themed dinner!

This Sunday my family resurrected our annual tradition of having a stuffed theme dinner, yes, that means all food had to be stuffed (wrapped and rolled are considered stuffed as well). Everything was delicious and I think I am still thoroughly stuffed!

The Menu:

Stuffed mushrooms by my brother & Radicchio stuffed with fresh mozzarella and wrapped in prosciutto by Moi

Grape stuffed foccacia from my uncle

Panzerotti (homemade ravioli with ricotta stuffing) by my little mom, assisted by Moi

Stuffed peppers by my dad & chicken stuffed with artichoke, sundried tomatoe and proscuitto from my aunt

A variety of Italian Pastries all stuffed with sweet goodness brought by my cousins

Stuff "stuffed" in a bottle, Mango Tequila! Not as bad as it sounds, from my cousin (not pictured)

Now my Dad is the cook of the house about 95% of the time, but when my Mom does cook it is really, really good. Her specialty lies in fresh pasta. Keep an eye out for more photos and recipe of these delicate bundles of goodness!

Happy Trails To You

Trail's "New Bridge" with the mighty Columbia River flowing underneath

Trail's "Old Bridge"

Why I never liked walking over the Old Bridge (!!)

Ah Cominco - the heart of the town and its eyesore

My grandparents were next door neighbours

Where I would mail long letters to my peeps with the Handy Store in the background

Mmmm Colanders...

Hi mes Amis!

So here it is at last - my hometown Trail, BC. Nestled in the heart of the Kootenays, Trail is a working class town with a beautiful soul. Trail experienced a big boom between the 1930s - 1950s, thanks mostly to Cominco, the lead smelter and ore refinery that employed just about everyone. Trail had/has a very large Italian population, and like many small towns, almost everyone knows your name.

Since its boom, Trail has been retreating into a sleepy old age like a lot of its residents. There isn't a tonne of opportunity there which is why I think it has a hard time keeping young people interested in staying. However, should you find yourself on the Number 3 Crowsnest highway, looking for a place to stay, try popping into Trail. It still has much to offer.

Personally I would stay at the Terra Nova hotel. It's the best hotel in town, and boasts a surprisingly awesome bar! When I walked into it on my last trip my jaw dropped - yours will too.

For eats you have to go to The Colander. Don't bother reading the menu - everyone orders the same thing "the special". The special is a classic Italian salad and bun to start, delicious pasta, meatballs, roast chicken and jojo potatoes. All as much as you can eat - for a ridiculously low price. Wear stretchy pants and be prepared to lug a hefty take-out bag home with you. MMM! I can't emphasize how flippin' awesome their sauce is, and no, they won't tell you what's in it, it's been a secret since Colander's opened! (If you go and have any idea though - please tell me - I will pay you!)

For me, Trail holds a million childhood memories: going to the Handy Store to buy Archie comics, getting a ride to Cominco Arena's library, writing letters to my peeps under my grandma's cherry tree and walking down to Gyro Park to play on the playground.

I'm not sure if Trail would be as interesting to someone who doesn't have all the memories of it that I do. But when I look at my pictures, I still see some hope for the old place, and a desire that more people should see its quiet beauty.

Inspire Me...

Since we are still in the early stages of Amis I thought it helpful to give you a further peek into what makes me who I am. Throughout the course of Amis I plan on frequently posting on things that inspire me from food, fashion, art and books and everything in between. So I thought it appropriate to start with my original inspiration.

My dear Dad, not only is my Dad one of the smartest people I know with a knowledge base that would serve you well if you needed a “phone a friend”, he is also the best cook! I have had the privilege of growing up with every type of food imaginable. In particular, considering my Dad’s heritage doesn’t lie in either, he still cooks Italian and Mexican food like no other.

My little Mom, coming in at only 4’ 11” you would maybe expect just a mouse of a lady but that doesn’t hold true for my mom. She is stubborn, intimidating at times, a chatter box, ambitious, an endless explorer, a risk taker, an artist in so many areas and one of the most creative people I know. My personal wall décor shop is her art studio, whatever she isn’t currently displaying on her walls I will display on mine.