comfort food

After a couple of hours of overtime on Saturday, me and my coworker were mentally exhausted and just wanted to sit and have some comfort food. So, off to Denny's we go! Nothing like having breakfast for lunch to make the overtime fatigue more bearable.

Berry smoothie to start off my meal.

I ordered the Southwestern Chicken and Egg burrito with avocado and salsa and a side of red potato smashbrowns (baked red potatoes, smashed flat). So good and SO filling. It was a huge burrito.

My friend had the Classic Eggs Benedict with extra hollandaise sauce and smashbrowns.

whet your appetite

Another dine-out experience, this time with my co-workers and we tried out a new restaurant on Granville Island, whet kitchen bar and patio. Loved the view from the restaurant as it's right by the water. We ordered a bunch of different plates and the overall consensus from everyone was that the food was absolutely delicious. Most likely, we'll come back and try some dishes from their regular menu, maybe in the summer time when we can have a better view of the water.

Oyama sausage plate with roasted peppers, dijon mustard and a balsamic apricot reduction drizzled over the plate.

Ceviche: sea scallops, mahi mahi mixed with lime, garlic and served on corn tortillas with wasabi aioli. Tart, sweet and a bit of a kick with the wasabi, which I really liked.

Crab cakes rolled in a panko batter and served with mango aioli, spinach and avocado ranch sauce.

Merlot braised short ribs: boneless short rib served with merlot gravy and a dollop of ricotta cheese with a side of mushroom linguini. It kinda tasted like a suped up version of beef stroganoff.

Shrimp and scallop vermicelli: served with shallots, chardonnay, bechamel, scallions and fresh mango. I really liked this dish, it was nice and light, but still flavourful and filling.

Red velvet cake served with raspberry coulis and whipped cream. A classic.

Dark chocolate espresso cheesecake. This was surprisingly very rich and you can taste a hint of espresso in the chocolate.

Apple strudel with vanilla ice-cream and caramel sauce. Love apple strudel and this was the perfect dessert for me after eating the shrimp pasta, as I was about 3/4 already and didn't want to over-stuff myself.

light it up

Bundled up against the rain and wind to catch the Festival of Lights before it ended. It was hard taking pictures in the rain, while juggling an umbrella in one hand and a large tote bag on your arm, but I managed to stay dry and take some pictures that turned out a lot better than I thought.

Plastic water bottles were cut up to create these lovely blossoms. This would make such a great DIY project.

In the middle of this shot, a couple appeared in the frame. Didn't want to re-take the shot, since there was people behind me, I liked how it turned out anyway.

The red balls of light looked like apples instead of Christmas ornaments.

A spot for those feeling a little romantic.

Happy Twenty-Twelve!

Spent New Year's Eve surrounded by friends and family, laughing and giggling, playing board games, reminiscing of fond memories and eagerly waiting for the new year to arrive. Midnight hit, and flutes of rose champagne were raised in the year as we toasted the end of 2011 and the beginning of 2012.

Resolutions have been made, tentative travel plans laid out, and expectations for personal and professional goals set out. Hopefully, I'll have checked off a few things off my list before the world implodes on itself.

We played Taboo all night long. Good times :)

My friend's dog, Picco, watching us play board games.