Triple Berry

Last weekend I offered to make dessert for a BBQ and then the event day rolled around and I thought, ugh...what am I going to make?...and then laziness started setting in...but...then I remembered I saw this over at cupcakesandcashmere and voila! Easy berry deliciousness!

xo J

PDX

Usually for the May long weekend the Amis rough it up with a bit of camping but this year there was only a few of us available so decided to switch it up and head south to Portland.

I have really fond memories of Portland from my childhood so I was beyond excited to revisit this fun, quirky city. Here are just a few highlights:

We stayed at TheAce which I would highly recommend, full of fun corners to lounge in, the lobby was always bustling with people flowing through from the adjoining StumptownCoffee and ClydeCommon and the retro music was always playing. Perfectly situated in the Pearl District close to oodles of shops, restaurants and the always magical Powells.

Portland is known for its abundance of micro breweries and what better way to see them then on a 15 person 100% green party machine! The young couple that runs Brewcycle are great fun and definitely know how to have a good time.

The food cart experience in Portland is truly something to behold, the fact that they had blocks fully dedicated to food carts bogled my mind, but I knew right away which one I wanted to hit up. The EuroTrash food cart was featured on one of my favorite food network shows so I veered straight to it and got myself one of their Squid Fana sandwiches, messiest, most delicious thing!

Ending the trip with a visit to Pastaworks on Hawthorne St. truly brings me back to my childhood, owned by family friends I have been visiting this place since before I could walk. Thought to be one of the pioneers of the slow food movement, here you can find all sorts of Mediterranean treats and not to mention all that freshly made pasta!

xo J

Baz does Gatsby!

My love for Baz Luhrmann's films (with the exception of that one about Australia) goes back to his very first, Strictly Ballroom, which if you haven't seen it you really, really should! His Romeo + Juliet was so perfectly timed for my high school years and Moulin Rouge took my love of the musical and amped it up about 200 times!

However, he would not have been the first filmmaker I would have thought of for a remake of The Great Gatsby but after seeing this trailer I think this will be a summer hit!


xo J

Guest Post: Best Bite #11: Chicken + Waffles

Today is a very special day here at Amis, we have our very first guest post! Thank you to our dear ami Christine for sharing her experience and helping us knock another item off our best bit list!

I am extremely privileged to be the first special guest blogger to the Amisarewe Blog and I am so excited to share my experience with you.

For the past few years, one of our friends has given me the gift of time for my birthday. For my 30^th birthday I was able to choose any cooking class I was interested in. I chose a breakfast class at DirtyApron.  Not only did I laugh hysterically as I fell flat while trying to flip my potato latkes, the atmosphere, chef and good company was all the rave! 

This year for my birthday, she gave me the gift of time again! This time the card read, “Chicken and Waffles for Chicken!”  I was invited to join her at TwoChefs+ATable for this crazy combination.  Yay, Chicken and Waffles is also an item on the Best Bites Vancouver!  We shared Chicken and Waffles as well as their Hash.

Here’s the deal with Chicken and Waffles….

IT’S DAMN GOOD!

It seems so weird to have this combo staring at you in the face but once you pour the syrup on and dig in, its mouth watering, irresistibly phenomenal. The Belgium waffle is made to perfection but the star of the entire dish, the fried chicken. No wait, the batter of the fried chicken. The pairing of the season batter, waffle and syrup is truly what makes this dish. I experimented a bit and tried just a piece of chicken without skin with the waffle, but that perfect bite was missing. The combination lacked.

Please, do yourself a favour and head down to TwoChefs+ATable as soon as you can to get a taste of this! Chicken and Waffles is where it’s at! Doors open at 9:30am and that’s the perfect time to be there if you don’t want to wait!

4 things learnt in my rant...

1.       My ageJ

2.       My nicknameJ

3.       I love cookingJ

4.       I love Chicken and WafflesJ

Thanks for letting me be the first guest,  Amis!!!

©Chicken

Ho Hey...I'm back!!

Yes it's true I have been missing in action for what seems like a zillion years and I apologize for my disappearing act, life gets busy and you just don't know where the time goes...but baby I'm back!! (I swear it's for real this time, I know I've been saying this for months...I'm really back I promise!!) Ok, so to start things back up I'm going to ease into it with a song...an olive branch if you will for being on this long hiatus! I heard this catchy tune on the radio the other day when I was driving in my car and by the second chorus I couldn't help but sing along..it's called 'Ho Hey' by The Lumineers. Check it out...

filling the shoe void

In preperation for an upcoming trip to Portland I am currently on a self imposed shopping ban and food cleanse. I'm not going to sugar coat things, it's tough and I'm going to get cranky, I've already warned my co-workers. In the meantime, while avoiding food blogs becuase they remind me how wonderful salt tastes, I have been continously perusing fashion finds online.

AEO Elastic Strap - $34.49

Lo and behold to my surprise, American Eagle Outfitters has really picked up the game in the shoe department! (I have a love/hate relationship with this store due to several university years employed there folding t-shirts all day). But these summer appropriate foot wear have my full love!...and the low prices don't hurt ;)

 AEO Artisan Wedge - $49.49

 AEO Cutout Jazz - $39.49

Sam Edelman for AEO Gladiator - $49.49

xo J

take a step back

Over the last few months my apartment has slowly but surely become my perfect little home and over the next little while I hope to share some of the little corners that make it all my own. One of the things I knew I wanted was some vintage suitcases, I had seen them all around the web being used as side tables, storage, design features, you name it!



Stepback in Vancouver was the first and only place on my list of places to find some fabulous vintage suitcases. They have such a magical collection of old home and garden pieces that transport you instantly and their adorable shop is packed to the rafters.

I found myself two great suitcases that serve as the perfect bed side table and do doable duty for storage of off season accessories (right now my bathing suits and sandals are anxiously waiting to be freed and replaced by my toques and scarfs....come on spring, show you face!)

Images via Stepback and Me

xo J