Honey Marsala Pears with Gorgonzola

My first attempt at baking away the pear onslaught was this Honey Marsala Pears with Gorgonzola. I found it in my Nigella Express cookbook, here's the link.

The great thing about this recipe is it doesn't use any refined white sugar, so Nuno could enjoy it. All of the natural sweetness (besides the pears) is from honey, so I got the chance to use Karissa & Kevin's honey wedding favour. I bought the cheese at Olson's on Ravine - very pricey but was so amazing! Since I have a freezer full of pecans, I used them instead of the walnuts the recipe calls for.
We had it as a cheese course for Sunday night dinner with my parents. This probably sounds totally shi-shi, but we sometimes do food and wine pairings with Sunday dinner - only because Katie's at Inniskillin and has the know how. So we paired it with Riesling which was perfect! Looking at all the ingredients, it seems like a strange mix, but together - it's a very surprising and unexpected flavour. Really delicious!

perfect pear

Our neighbours are all retired and completely adorable! There is something about having older neighbours that makes you feel very safe as they are always on the look-out for you.
Henry and Flavia across the street coaxed Nuno over for a visit and when he returned he had 20 lbs of pears! I mean, really, what will two people do with this many pears?
So I'm making this a bit of a personal challenge of finding every possible way of baking up these pears.

you tube gold

I have so many VHS tapes of music videos I obsessively recorded throughout my teenage years from the Wedge & City Limits. I can't imagine these videos in particular were aired more than once on Much Music. You Tube pretty much eliminates the need to spend hours fast forwarding these tapes from beginning to end. These were a couple of my favourites at the time - and they are still great.

maybe I shouldn't admit to this but...

There's this shabby Vietnamese restaurant Nuno and I enjoy. The service isn't friendly but the food is just delicious. Last visit I found this posted on the wall of the bathroom.

After going home I decided to make this replacement poster which we hung in the mens and ladies washrooms tonight.

The series premier of Beverly Hills 90210 was on last night

... and I loved it!!

labour day party

Last night was a bar-b-que & bonfire at our friends Karissa & Kevin's place. Nuno and I brought along this broccoli salad I saw on Anna Olson's show 'Fresh'. What do you know but Jaya brought a variation of the exact same salad! But you can never have too much of a good thing.

Looking back I think I should add that although this was a bbq & bonfire, it was also a dessert party. There were two different delicious cakes. Karissa made a spiced bunt with a fragrant apple compote and Katie made a rich (which I wouldn't normally use to describe a cake - but for this - it was appropriate) strawberry cake.
I don't know, but this summer feels like it's going out with a bang with this killer weather. Nuno and I are going to try and get the last little bit out of it by picnicking tonight. We deserve it after a grueling day of car cleaning and back breaking weed pulling.

the retaining wall

I must admit, I've spent next to no time in the garden this year. I planted only a couple perennials up front and allowed all our annuals to spring up. The garden really just grows and then overgrows. The lack of inspiration stems from the 'retaining wall'. When we bought our home the previous owners had timbers lining the driveway. Because they weren't treated, they didn't weather well. Then one day, one of Hot Tot's doggie friends came over and chewed up an entire piece of wood. It was so unsightly that we just tore up all the wood and had it hauled away.
Fast forward one year later and still nothing has been done. That is until now. We've hooked ourselves up with a guy who is not only putting up a brick retaining wall, but will create a really nice pathway up to our front door step! He's going to be doing a lot of work to help with a drainage issue we had in one garden by digging a trench to the sewer - it's really going to be a big job which I am so pleased about.

I just can't believe this is happening - having something done on the outside of our home to help reflect how beautiful our home is inside. I've been admiring these brick walls on other homes and now we get to have our own. It really makes homes look so finished and cared for. I can't wait to share the end result later this month.

free wheelin'

This long weekend was the perfect weekend for bike riding. Nuno and I have started an annual ride from my parent's house in Welland, up the Welland Canal to our home in St. Catharines. It's a 26km ride, but doesn't feel very long since the canal path is beautifully paved to make riding easy. I should also mention that it's a downhill ride. Some of the best moments of the ride are coasting down the steep inclines of Lock 4 & 5. I haven't mentioned to Nuno yet, but I think I may want to ride from Port Colborne to St. Catharines in the next couple of weeks (40km).

Qicology

There's this new class I started attending called Qicology. That's pronounced "Chee-cology" and it's a blend of Yoga, Qi Kung, and Tai Kung concepts. There really isn't any rhetoric during the class, so I'm still learning all about the idea behind it.

The class I attended last night was tons of fun. Our instructor Jason had us doing our poses to Slowdive. When I asked him about it, I really don't think he listens to the band or anything. But the music was so well suited for the class, it was really enjoyable. And Qicology is super-relaxing. When the class was over it was just about my bedtime and I've never had an easier time falling asleep.

what is this, a wedding blog?

My parent's wedding anniversary fell on this past weekend. I will give them a framed photo of them from our wedding. It looks so beautiful, I'm sure they will love it.

I also baked a summer fruit pie for them. I went to the fruit stand and bought fresh peaches and nectarines - they are so delicious right now. But there's this difficult issue of baking in the summer - it's tough to want to turn on your oven in this hot and muggy weather. But midday today it became overcast and rained, so it was perfect baking weather.

the video game that might just be good for you

Last Friday, on a whim, I purchased Quick Yoga Training for Nintendo DS. I gave up practicing yoga at a studio in lieu of joining a gym instead, which I'm very happy with, but I really miss studio classes. I was into yoga for about 3 years straight and when I left classes, I felt really good that I had my head around most of the poses. I hoped to keep the practice up on my own, but it's really been quite a challenge. I tried yoga DVDs but found them boring with no variety. So in comes Quick Yoga Training for DS into my life and I think the problem may be solved!

The game has many different default programs targeting different goals but there is also the option for you to create your own programs. All my favourite poses are on file and after creating several of my own programs, I really enjoyed it. Although, it's definitely taking a little getting used to as there isn't a voice coach guiding you through the poses. I am struggling a bit to keep an eye on the display - which can be difficult (especially inverted!). But after this week of DS yoga, I feel really happy and excited to stick to it. The coolest part is if yoga ever gets a bit too serious, I just remind myself that my Nintendo DS is guiding me through yoga and it will never fail to make me chuckle.

pugalug

Oh how times flies! After Boston I had a commitment to work on a wedding invitation for one of Nuno's cousins upcoming nuptials. It took every single free moment outside of work to complete the project and took a lot longer than I initially anticipated. Then came a whole bunch of events that just take over precedence to blogging which include two engagements, one wedding and one funeral. Life can get so crazy and busy but you just have to keep on truckin'.

So, the big event for this weekend (besides our Mac and Me party Friday night which can be read on my sister Katie's blog, So Bad It's Good Movies), was... PUGALUG! St. Catharines had their first ever Pugalug just up the road from our home in Port Weller Community Center. Nuno and I dressed Tot in her fanciest collar and dress and drove over. We were quite unsure what we were getting into when we went to Pugalug, but upon entering we found over 30 little leash-free cuties romping, playing, chasing and bum sniffing. Tot was so shy at first hiding under the chairs and sticking to corners.
Tot didn't seem to want to leave our sides like a child experiencing their first day of kindergarden. She then started exploring and before we knew it she was pretty much ignoring Nuno and I and riling up all the other pugs in games of chase! It really was an absolute blast, Hot Tot was just so very happy and it was great seeing her having so much fun.

Tot made so many friends!

here I am, and this isn't Hot Tot. It was a little one who was an unexpected lap-jumper.

bahston

We've been home for a week now since our trip to Boston and I now finally have a moment to talk a bit about it. The reason we went to Massachusuettes was to attend Nuno's cousin's wedding. It was so wonderful to travel for a wedding because we were able to enjoy so many new and different traditions, most notably the seafood. I can't go much further discussing New England without stressing how delicious the seafood was - we had crab, shrimp, clams, steamers, mussels, oysters and lobster - the best we've had in our lives. Nuno's family were so hospitable, I just can't say enough about how much I enjoyed their company. His cousins took us in their convertable to Newport Rhode Island where I had a chance to drive on Ocean Drive (the street that follows along the coast) on the most beautiful summer day. That moment had to be the best I've had this year - the wind, the ocean - it was remarkable.

After the wedding weekend we drove up to Boston and enjoyed the city for 3 days. We crammed in so much I'll spare the rambling and share a few special moments in photos.

shopping for the kitchen

I just got in from Boston yesterday and can't wait to share some stories and photos. It may take some time to get things organized around here so until then I wanted to share this link to the Niagara Culinary Trail.
www.niagaraculinarytrail.com
I discovered this site from a brochure I picked up at Niagara College's Teaching Winery boutique. It lists all of Niagara's artisan markets, cafe's, bakeries, farms, wineries & local food shops all in one handy brochure. The website is just as great, I'm so pleased someone compiled and shared all that Niagara has to offer.

On our vacation to New England I really didn't shop a heck of a lot - there was just too much to do and see rather than shop at another Anthropologie. But I could not resist shopping for the kitchen. This is pretty much the total goods purchased in Boston (not including gifts).
A lobster cracker from Crate and Barrel (among other items) is a great souvenir to remind us of all the amazing seafood we enjoyed. As is Old Bay seasoning, which I've never seen sold in Canada or WNY so I snatched it up with glee. Various granola, chocolate and bars from Trader Joe's. A bottle of Mondavi wine and a Red Sox pez. It's not a cliche, everyone in Boston is OBSESSED with the Sox.

canada day long weekend

The long weekend was super busy. And it wasn't the usual super busy that finds us committed to plans outside of Niagara on tight schedules that run us ragged. We were finally able to make our own plan and get out doing things we enjoy, all at our own pace - which was a great luxury. The weekend included hanging out in Allentown Buffalo, working out at the gym just a little bit longer, going out to the driving range, watching Wall•e and having girl time catch-up!

One thing I wanted to blog about was a new recipe we tried. This Cashew Chicken recipe is to die for:



1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into 1-inch cubes
1 tablespoon cornstarch
Coarse salt and ground pepper
2 tablespoons vegetable
oil, such as safflower
6 cloves garlic, minced
8 scallions, white and green parts separated, each cut into 1-inch pieces
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
3 tablespoons hoisin sauce
3/4 cup raw cashews (4 ounces), toasted
White rice, for serving (optional)

In a medium bowl, toss chicken with cornstarch until chicken is coated; season with 3/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper.

In a large nonstick skillet, heat 1 tablespoon oil over medium-high heat. Cook half the chicken, tossing often, until
browned, about 3 minutes. Transfer to a plate.

Add remaining oil and chicken to skillet along with the garlic and white parts of scallions. Cook, tossing often, until chicken is browned, about 3 minutes. Return first batch of chicken to pan. Add vinegar; cook until evaporated, about 30 seconds.

Add hoisin sauce and 1/4 cup water; cook, tossing, until chicken is cooked through, about 1 minute. Remove from heat. Stir in scallion greens and cashews. Serve immediately over white rice, if desired.

Serves 4.