summer randomness

Lots of stuff happened in August:

I got a sample of the new Jo Malone perfume, peony & blush suede, in the mail and it smelled so wonderful that I ended up getting a (small) bottle.

"What's in the basket, ma'am?" Image on a barber shop window.

I made a mango peach smoothie and threw in some ice cubes in the shape of star fishes to jazz up my drink.

Watched N'SYNC perform at the MTV Music Awards and reverted back to my teenage years and I may have squealed just a little bit. I was disappointed that they didn't perform more songs though.

I happened to be downtown, doing errands, when the Victoria Secret opened their doors for their grand opening and the lineup went around the corner and down the block. It was insane. I'm glad I decided to wait two weeks before venturing into that store because by then, the excitement had died down and it was less crowded.

 

Breakfast of champions, made by moi: poached eggs with pesto, sautéed cherry tomatoes and spinach on toasted whole wheat English muffins, baked paprika potatoes, cubed watermelon, a bowl of peach yogurt and a glass of orange juice.

I found a Pikachu onesie at Topshop! Early Christmas present for that special someone?

Grilled cheese sandwich with chorizo sausages from Mom's Grilled Cheese food truck. There is always a lineup in front of this food truck, but I finally scored a sandwich! So much cheesy goodness!

Sputznik posing for me; he's my chubby boo :)

jumping on the red (band) wagon

Nothing like catching up with an old friend you haven't seen in years over a nice meal. My co-worker was the one the who suggested the Red Wagon Cafe, located on East Hastings. This little gem of a cafe is serving up delicious stick-to-your-ribs comfort food with a twist. I ordered the pulled pork pancakes (yay for having breakfast for dinner!) which also comes with an optional side of 2 eggs, and my dining buddies ordered the pulled pork sandwich and the croque monsieur.

Pulled pork pancakes: three buttermilk pancakes layered with pulled pork and served with Jack Daniels maple syrup. 

Look at how fluffy and airy the buttermilk pancakes in contrast with the sweet BBQ pulled pork crammed in between the layers... SO GOOD.

Pulled pork sandwich on a Portegeuse bun and served with a side of fries. This is a messy sandwich to eat, so make sure to have plenty of extra napkins

The blurry picture of a gooey croque monsieur: grilled ham and cheese sandwich with bechamel served with fries or salad (my co-worker ordered the salad with her meal) . Perfectly gooey and creamy with a nice outer crunch.

Doodles that previous customers have done on their placemats. My favourite is the octopus in the red wagon. 

I would totally come here again, if only for the pulled pork pancakes, but I'd also try some of the other items on the menu (pulled tofu sandwich, anyone?). I've heard that it gets super busy on Sunday mornings, with the line snaking out the door, but it's totally worth the wait.

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.

homecooked meals across the ocean

Our lovely host feed us two dinners on our first day in Amsterdam, after getting off a 9-hour plane ride and then insisted on making breakfast for us the next day. When she wasn't cooking meals for us, she was asking whether we had eaten yet. It's a good thing we walked everywhere in Amsterdam, or you can be sure we would be 10 pounds heavier when we got back home.

Pan-fried zucchini in olive oil sprinkled with lavender sea and served with scrambled organic eggs from the Farmer's Market courtesy of our host.

Fig salad with sweet balsamic vinegar and crumbled goat cheese and curry shrimp cooked by our lovely host.

The no-seafood version for Andrea, the world's pickiest eater.

Pan-fried zucchini (prepared the same way as above) with prosciutto and French toast. I was trying to make eggs in a blanket... but it didn't turn out that way.

A lazy breakfast: Hawaiian pizza for the night before with scrambled egg on top, green grapes and a cup of chocolate milk. Gobbles approved.

 A simple breakfast: granola with sliced almonds in milk and a bowl of grapes.