Cheers to the Earth

This past Saturday night some friends and I, and hopefully a lot of you out there, took part in earth hour, where between 8:30 pm and 9:30 pm we turned off all lights, tv’s, computers, etc…and enjoyed a lovely candle lit dinner. As we usually like to make our dinners have a bit of a theme (last month’s French night for instance) this time we created a contemporary North American night of dining. A delicious turkey roll that was kind of a made up recipe, which involved stuffing a large turkey breast with sauted veggies, Italian sausage and sage and then roasted to perfection, simple garlic smashed potatoes (SMASHED not mashed!), my first foray into baked spinach (recipe found here ). For dessert classic strawberry shortcake with a lemon pound cake base (recipe here) perfectly complimented by some Fruli ! All enjoyed basked in the light of flickering candles. Cheers to the earth! xo J

You Give Love A Bad Name!

Yeah, that's right! This is where I'll be tonight. Singing along to all the classic Bon Jovi hits! I honestly hope they stick to their old stuff because I don't know anything else.

And yeah, I wore my "liquid leggings" today specifically to feel a bit more rocker.

Happy Friday!




xo J

WEDDING WEDNESDAYS - destination Paris

Hello lovely people and sorry Wedding Wednesdays turned into Wedding MIA there for a while...So, I was just doing my usual wedding blog tour when I came across a destination wedding in Paris on Style Me Pretty. I highly recommend a visit to the site to see the rest of the photos by One And Only Paris Photography because they are incredible, or on second thought maybe I don't recommend it because you will die of envy and will want to go straight to the airport to fly to Paris on standby! And if you really want to sigh uncontrollably definitely check out the amazing collection of wedding photos in Paris at One And Only Paris Photgraphy.

So today's Wedding Wednesday lesson of the day is if you have the means, love everything Parisienne, and you and your hubby-to-be have the burning desire for an incredible destination wedding, GET MARRIED IN PARIS!! Yes, it's completely impractical, not at all economical, and the guest list will shrink dramatically, but a girl can dream on a Wednesday afternoon : ) Style Me Pretty Blogger Abby C. puts it so aptly, "put a beret on my head and hand me a baguette because I am ready to make a beeline to the most romantic city in the world!" So I actually haven't been to Paris, but the romance that oozes from the imagery from that magical city can only be a hint of what it's actually like. Paris I will come for you one day soon! And to all those bride and grooms who have the fortune of getting married there, post your photos so that we can live vicariously!

AWESOME!

"High- fiving babies -

because they don't usually leave you hanging. AWESOME!" - Neil Pasricha

If you ever have one of those days that just make you go "ugghhhhh", you know the ones, your cranky, irritable and you just can't shake off that bad mood. Those are the days that you need to pick up your trusty copy of The Book of Awesome, open to a random page and take a moment to smile about the little things in life.

Neil Pasricha started 1000 Awesome Things (http://www.1000awesomethings.com/) back in 2008, a countdown of 1000 things that honour the little joys in life, like getting served breakfast in bed, seeing a cop on the side of the road and realizing you're going the speed limit anyway, wearing underwear just out from the dryer, or a long hug when you really need it. 1000 Awesome Things has now been compiled in to a book, with The Book of (even more) Awesome to be launched in April 2011.

It is full of nostalgic anecdotes that will have you reminscing with every page, it is laugh-out-loud funny at times, and simply sweet and charming at others. A perfect pick-me-up for those rainy days! AWESOME!

xo J

Too yummy for pictures: Leek, Bacon and Pea Risotto

Hey Peeps,

So you're hungry - you want some yumminess for dinner, maybe you want to impress a date or a friend, this is the recipe for you. I've made it a few times, and every time it comes out ubber tasty. Try it soon - you will love it.

PS yup I was too hungry to take pictures, so this pic is courtesy of the team at Martha Stewart. "What the hell Jen?" you ask. I have no defense - I guess I'll just have to make more to show you another time. See what sacrifices I'm willing to make for you lovely people? I know, you're welcome ;)

Less talk - more recipe - click here to see it

PPS if you don't have leeks on hand - a bunch of green onions works very nicely.

xo
Jenny C

A lasting impression

Some websites you just happen to stumble across and they immediately suck you in, then two hours later you realize that you should probably get back to work. I think that is what happened to me when I first came across Tattoologist. I have one itty-bitty tattoo and I’m always playing around with the idea of getting a second and this simple site offers endless inspiration. Even if you have no desire to ink yourself, it is always interesting to see how people find new and creative ways to express themselves.



Some of my favorites:

Simple words in a lovely font

Hearts


A constant obession of mine, sparrows

Birds of a feather

Infinity

Images via Tattoologist

xo J

Une Belle Nuit

Thank you Jenny for kick starting me out of my haze of procrastination, all week I have been staring at my camera thinking I should really upload those pictures but never fully having enough motivation to do so hence I’ve been a very bad blogger.

Jenny did indeed out do herself with the Beef Bourguignon, it was melt-in-your-mouth delicious, she out did herself on the whole night actually, to the subtle décor, the music and the indulgent French butter slathered on perfect slices of baguette. Bravo Jenny, bravo!

Salad with proscuitto, fennel and pomegranate seeds and the BEEF!

La Belle Patate

My contribution was the French style accordion potatoes, possibly one of the easiest potatoe dishes. Simply pick out some lovely little new potatoes, slice them down one side (but not all the way through) stuff and slather them with garlic, olive oil, and your favorite fresh and/or dry herbs and then bake at 350 degrees for 30 – 45 minutes (depending on their size). As they cook they begin to open up and by the time they are done they have fanned out like and accordion.

Girl talk and the decadent cheese course

xo J