Dan With a Twist

Hot Chocolate Festival: Chocolaterie de la Nouvelle France

2012-02-12T19:24:00.005-08:00

3 days left, 3 locations to go. After Sunday brunching with a friend at the Whip, we headed up the street to La Chocolaterie de la Nouvelle France to sample their entry into City Food Magazine's Hot Chocolate Festival. The tiny store was already packed with other festival followers, which is great - in the first few weeks of the festival it seemed like me and my companions were the only ones participating!

As we stood in line to order I snapped a photo of a glass jar containing truffles on my iPhone. A staff member looked at me angrily and said "Non!"

"Oh, you're not in the picture," I explained, thinking she objected to me taking her photo without permission. "I wouldn't take your picture without asking. It's a picture of the store. I'm blogging the Hot Chocolate festival, I'm taking a picture to blog about the store."

"Non," she said again, and pointed to a small sign on a nearby display shelf that had a picture of a camera with a line through it. I was a little dismayed. A man in front of us in line (with a much more professional camera than my little iPhone) turned to me with a rueful smile and said he was also there to blog and had also been similarly shut down. The reason we were not allowed to take photos was not explained to us. Nor were we offered store-approved photos to use on the blog (which I'm always happy to do if a location prefers).

After a long wait, we finally received our hot chocolates, which we had opted to take "to-go" after the frosty reception from the woman at the counter. To be fair, another woman who was very friendly approached us while we were waiting in line and offered us samples of the dark chocolate lavender bar, which was absolutely to die for. This same woman also served our prepared hot chocolates to us with a smile, so we didn't leave feeling totally unwelcome.

We ordered the Hot Chocolate Festival entry of the day, which was Jasmine, and a regular menu offering, the Rose Petal Hot Chocolate. The people in line ahead of us had been informed that they were out of vegan options so I had to go full dairy. Ugh. Both hot chocolates were served with mini chocolate tarts (one with orange blossom was a particular favourite) which were sinfully rich and delicious - you really only needed a mini-size to feel decadent. I'd show you a picture of these delightful little treats, but, well, I'm not allowed.

As we drove home, the car began to smell positively floral - the jasmine scent was almost overpowering. At home we divided the hot chocolate up and we each tried some of the rose and the jasmine. We should have perhaps tried a floral flavour and then something completely different, such a the anise hot chocolate - the rose and the jasmine were very similar in taste, although the rose was more subtle. I had been afraid, given how strongly the jasmine smelled, that it would be too strong a flavour, but it was delicious.

The hot chocolates were good, but not our favourites of the festival so far. I was still a little too perplexed by the "don't take pictures" policy to really concentrate on the hot chocolate. I can understand wanting picture approval, or permission, or a link to the store included in the photo - hell, I'm an intellectual property lawyer, I of all people understand those requests - but I'm also a blogger who has been met by nothing but enthusiastic responses from those businesses I've supported through this blog, Facebook, or Twitter. I'm at a loss to understand how some sort of infringement might happen through a photo posted on a blog, where the origin of the photo is credited and includes a link to the shop - especially when they've agreed to participate in a festival that is being fuelled by social media, a festival that encourages participants to tweet and post photos of their selections to win prizes. I've mulled it over and I've been hard pressed to find a reason why this otherwise charming little shop would make photos of their exquisite products interdit. Perhaps my blog isn't exclusive enough? Oh well, c'est la vie.

Hot Chocolate Festival: Leonidas

2012-02-12T19:15:00.003-08:00

Leonidas recently opened in a great location, on the Waterfront underneath the new Vancouver Convention Centre. After a two week long illness hiatus, I'm back frantically blogging the last few locations on my list of participants for City Food Magazine's Hot Chocolate Festival, proceeds of which are supporting the Downtown East Side Women's Centre.

Leonidas was very busy managing both Hot Chocolate Festival foodies like myself, and Groupon holders, but the shopkeepers (this is a family-run business, by the looks of things) kept their cool and enthusiastically described their menu of hot chocolate flavours to every customer who walked in the door. After much hemming and hawing, I chose their dark chocolate raspberry hot chocolate, which was served with a belgian waffle.

This is my favourite hot chocolate of the festival so far. Creamy, flavourful, not too rich, and with just the right amount of raspberry to make it tart and fresh. I sincerely hope Leonidas keep this one on the menu long after the Hot Chocolate Festival is over. Amazing!

Lazy Aloo Gobi

2012-02-08T19:01:00.004-08:00

I'm recovering from both pneumonia and the flu - both contracted as a result of working too hard, and not being home to cook properly. So, I'm making an effort - even if I come home late, even if I'm tired - I. Must. Cook. I just stay healthier that way. Anyways, last night I finished work around 8 p.m., and threw this together using the contents of my fridge. It's an easier version of this dish than my customary Dani Gobi (which is also very good if you have the time).

Lazy Aloo Gobi

Ingredients:

- 1 chopped onion

- a thumb-size piece of ginger, grated

- olive oil

- garlic cloves

- "Dani Masala" to taste - this is my cheap, what's-in-the-cupboard version of Garam Masala, a random mix of cumin, cayenne, turmeric, salt, pepper, cloves, cinnamon, nutmeg and coriander. Make it up, it's more fun that way.

- 1 potato, cubed

- 1/2 a head of cauliflower, chopped up

- handful of peas (frozen will do)

- cilantro to garnish

How-To:

Fry the onions, ginger and garlic in a saucepan in a splash of olive oil. Add the Dani Masala, and cook for another few minutes. Add 1/2 cup of water to the saucepan, and the potato, stir, cover, and cook for about 12 minutes on medium heat. Add the cauliflower and cook for another 12 minutes or so. Throw in the peas. Garnish with cilantro. Serve with rice or naan. YUM!

Lemon Family Book Club: February's Read

2012-02-05T20:57:00.005-08:00

We're a bit behind on getting together to discuss last month's selection, but in the meantime, here's February's book (my pick):

I greatly enjoyed the recent movie adaptation (not least because my future husband Benedict Cumberbatch was in it), so decided I'd like to read the book, because many of the movie reviews said the film had greatly simplified the plot of the novel. So, we'll see. And Alex, Laura and I will FaceTime soon and give you our verdict on World War Z.

In the meantime, here's a picture of my love, to inspire you:

Happy Reading!

Recipe: Dani's Hawaiian Mahaloaf

2012-02-02T19:47:00.006-08:00

So on the weekend (before awful pneumonia and flu really set in), I was anxiously looking for something to do with not only overripe bananas sitting on my counter, but overripe mangoes. Given that at this time of year, my thoughts turn to Maui, I decided to make a sweet loaf that combined some of my favourite Hawaiian flavours. Ladies and gentlemen, I give you...Dani's Hawaiian Mahaloaf.

Ingredients:
-3 medium or 2 large ripe bananas
-1/4 cup vegetable oil
-1/2 cup brown sugar
-2 tsp pure vanilla extract
-1 cup all-purpose flour
-1 cup whole-wheat flour
-1 tsp baking soda
-1 tsp ground cinnamon
-1/2 tsp ground ginger
-1/2 tsp salt
-1 ripe mango, sliced into chunks

- 1/3 cup shredded unsweetened coconut

- 1/3 cup chopped macadamia nuts (I used Kona-coffee glazed macadamias to make this even more decadent)

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350F. Lightly grease a 9 x 5 inch loaf pan and set aside.
2. Mash the bananas in a large mixing bowl. Mix in sugar, oil, and vanilla extract.
3. Sift in the flour, baking soda, spices, and salt, mixing just until combined. If you find the batter is too dry (which I did), add a smidge of almond milk (or - if you want to be really fancy - coconut milk) to moisten. Fold in mango, coconut and macadamia nuts.
4. Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake for 45-55 minutes until an inserted toothpick comes out clean.
5. Remove from oven and cool for 10 minutes in the pan before removing and cooling completely on a wire rack.

6. Eat while listening to ukelele music and doing a hula, preferably with a mai tai.

Hot Chocolate Festival: Why I'm Blogging It

2012-01-28T04:51:00.003-08:00

"Of course you're blogging it Dani," some of you may be saying. "It's about chocolate."

Well, yes. I do like chocolate, it's true. But the real reason I'm blogging and Tweeting City Food Magazine's Hot Chocolate Festival to death is because funds raised by the festival are being donated to the Downtown Eastside Women's Centre. I live in the Downtown Eastside - these women are my neighbours. The DWEC is a drop-in centre, an emergency shelter, and a place where women can go to receive a number of life-saving benefits, such as victims' services, housing outreach, and training, education and skills development. The DWEC is creating positive change for women and needs all the help it can get. So - go drink a hot chocolate somewhere, wilya, and know that you are helping to make my neighbourhood a safer place, and my neighbours happier, more productive people. Even better, you can donate directly to DWEC online here.

Hot Chocolate Festival: Thierry Patisserie

2012-01-28T04:36:00.004-08:00

Thierry Chocolaterie Patisserie, on Alberni Street, is a recent arrival to Vancouver. I've visited before and love the European atmosphere - dark wood panelling, delicate french baked goods, and really, really, really good coffee. I was excited to see what Thierry would do for City Food Magazine's Hot Chocolate Festival and made a date with my friend Sarah, who lives just down the street from Thierry, to visit.

It's been interesting to see how much, or how little, effort some of the participating businesses have put into this festival. At places like Bella Gelateria, Juice Truck, Bel Cafe and Schokolade, you feel like it's kind of a big deal, that thought has been put into what to offer, and that you are participating in something special. Other places, not so much. I was disappointed that Thierry fell into that "not so much" category. Exhibit A:

Meh. This looks like your ordinary everyday hot chocolate offering at Thierry. This is the Gianduja Dark Hot Chocolate, as it was served to me. It was rich, it tasted of Gianduja - but that was about it. The staff did not offer any explanation of what Gianduja was - luckily I've spent a fair amount of time in Italy and was familiar with its rich, hazelnut infused flavour - nor was there any special effort made in presenting the hot chocolate. It was a weekday afternoon, and not that busy, but I didn't get the sense that the Hot Chocolate Festival was that big a deal to Thierry. Fair enough - they do well enough on their own without having to do anything special. Still - I was disappointed. Thierry is the master of chocolate - why not go all out and really show it?

Hot Chocolate Festival: Bel Cafe

2012-01-28T04:19:00.005-08:00

I hadn't yet had a chance to visit David Hawksworth's Bel Cafe at the recently reno'd Hotel Georgia, so was glad to troop over there this week to meet my friend Karen for lunch and yet another sampling for City Food Magazine's Hot Chocolate Festival.

Bel Cafe is casual and cozy and offers slightly more upscale versions of what you'd find in any coffee shop - soups, sandwiches, salads, baked goods, and delicious coffee. The difference is you are greeted very formally by the cafe's staff and served at your table, as opposed to walking up to the counter and choosing what you want. This seemed slightly incongruous with the decor and the concept but the staff was so attentive and courteous (even when they screwed up our order - twice) that we couldn't really complain.

And now, to the hot chocolate. I informed our server that I would be sampling their Hot Chocolate Festival entry and he was extremely knowledgeable about the product - a 70% valrhona dark hot chocolate with orange oil, green cardamom, and vanilla-infused whipped cream topped with orange zest:

The hot chocolate was served with a dark chocolate cookie which was chewy and moist and the perfect thing to dip in the whipped cream (yum). I'm sad to report that the green cardamom, despite being a luxury, expensive spice, didn't really have a strong flavour - or maybe it was simply overpowered by the orange oil and orange zest, I don't know. The flavour was distinctly citrusy, not spicy. That being said, it was still absolutely decadent and delicious. I think Bel Cafe might deserve a repeat to try one of their other offerings...I've still got two weeks, right?

Hot Chocolate Festival: French Made Baking

2012-01-28T03:57:00.006-08:00

French Made Baking, which only opened its storefront this past December 22, is tucked away on Kingsway just steps away from the Mount Pleasant Community Centre. I enlisted my favourite "lapsed Frenchman" Andrew to help me sample FMB's entry into City Food Magazine's Hot Chocolate Festival. Truthfully, I needed an escort to ensure I didn't buy every single macaron (one "o" thank you very much) in the shop. Macarons have become very trendy here of late - I have often quipped that "Macarons are the new cupcake" - and I can't say I've had many macarons as good as French Made Baking's offerings.

On this particular day, FMB's Hot Chocolate fest flavour was a dark chocolate Yuzu drinking chocolate. Incredibly rich, with a lovely hint of that Japanese citrus flavour:

Andrew contemplates. Yes, this will do. Baker David told us he adds coconut milk to give this drinking chocolate an even smoother flavour.

Of course we couldn't not sample the baked goods while we were here. Andrew chose this canelé, a rummy, vanilla-y, caramelized concoction that was met in your mouth good:

I chose a cassis-flavoured macaron at the staff's suggestion, even though I do not often choose fruity pastries. However, I can happily report that it was absolutely delicious, with a delicate flavour and the perfect, meringue-like texture. I will definitely be going back for more macarons, like this Cendrillon (cinderella) macaron, made from pumpkin:

Photo courtesy French Made Baking.

Hot Chocolate Festival: Schokolade Cafe

2012-01-28T03:27:00.006-08:00

Schokolade Artisan Chocolate & Cafe, in Hastings Sunrise, is a cute little place that I have passed often but never visited. Their entry into the City Food Magazine Hot Chocolate Festival seemed like the perfect opportunity to drop by. Although their entries are some of the priciest to date, at a whopping $9.99 a serving, I was not disappointed with the hot chocolate, the accompanying truffles, or the attentive service of proprietor Jane Suter and chocolatier Edward Suter.

After much deliberation and discussion with Jane (who knows just about all there is to know about the relative merits of white chocolate vs. dark chocolate vs. milk chocolate), I chose to go with the Ginger Milk hot chocolate:

This hot chocolate may be a festival favourite. Expertly prepared by Jane (who was too shy to have her photo taken), this hot chocolate had just the right amount of crystallized ginger (which is prepared in-house by Edward, without sulphides), and sprinkled with marigold flakes, so it had a nice crunch to it (it sounds weird to have a crunchy drink, but it's delightful). Jane told me I'd have to drink the milk chocolate version faster than the dark chocolate, as the milk curdles faster, but I was more than happy to do so.

The hefty price tag made sense when Jane told me that the hot chocolate was accompanied by three handmade truffles. This included two coconut ginger truffles, and a raspberry heart, which I substituted in place of a brandy truffle - one of Schokolade's house specialties, I'm told, but I'm not really into boozy chocolates.

In addition to these truffles, Jane presented me with a Mah Jong piece truffle, as a Chinese New Year blessing:

The chocolates chosen were the perfect accompaniment to the hot chocolate - although I was starting to head into a sugar coma by this point. Hot chocolate and truffles may not be the healthiest Saturday morning breakfast I have ever had.

Chocolatier Edward Suter was kind enough to come out of his workshop to answer some questions for me about his chocolates. Most of his ingredients are sourced locally, he told me - he prefers to go and pick his own berries for some of the ganaches if possible. He sources his chocolate from Switzerland, where he did his apprenticeship.

Chocolatier Edward Suter.

Edward told me that these heart designs are "silkscreened" from plastic onto the wet chocolate using chocolate tinted with colouring...

...while these peppermint truffles are hand-painted.

Despite having filled myself to the brim with sugar, I couldn't resist buying a few more chocolates to take home for later (which I was sternly warned by Jane not to refrigerate - the chocolate gets rubbery). Particular favourites included an earl grey truffle, and a white chocolate jalapeno mango truffle - which I was dubious about, but was actually delighted with.

Schokolade offers a chocolate high tea, and a great selection of chocolates. Their wares may also be found at Urban Fare. I highly recommend a visit to Schokolade's cafe - it's worth the trek.

Favourite Voice: City & Colour

2012-01-21T09:44:00.004-08:00

On Thursday night I went to see City & Colour (aka Dallas Green and friends) at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre, almost 2 years to the day from the last time I saw C & C play there, during the Olympics. Dallas has one of the best voices around, and you can't really appreciate its clarity until you hear it live. The effortless, somehow husky falsetto - well, it's just magic. Bring Me Your Love and Sometimes have been albums in heavy rotation at Casa Lemon for some years now. It's taking me longer to get into his latest, Little Hell, but that's another story for another time.

City & Colour's lineup now includes Daniel Romano (guitar n' stuff), Scott Remila (bass n' stuff), Dylan Green (drums) and Aaron Goldstein (pedal steel), and the lads were kitted out in matching natty black suits for the show. Daniel and Scott sang harmony with Dallas on a number of songs - a highlight was "As Much As I Ever Could," from Bring Me Your Love - but there were also plenty of songs that were just Dallas and a guitar, which - well, you can't really top that.

The crowd was pretty much the same as the last City & Colour show I attended - young girls screaming "I love you DAAAALLLLLLAAAS" (there was a great one in front of me who was filming on her iPhone AND her camera, for the ENTIRE show), loved-up couples, and a surprising number of rowdy drunk dudes. Dallas seems very aware of who makes up his audience. Before performing "Body in a Box," he asked everyone to put down their cellphones and cameras. "You're trying so hard to remember it that you're not actually experiencing it," he admonished us. Then he smiled. "Don't worry, I'm not mad at you." He also asked if anyone was coming to the Friday night show - and was met with a chorus of squeals. "Sorry girls, it'll be a lot of the same jokes."

The boys in their suits, from left: Dallas, Aaron, Scot, Dylan, Daniel

I was surprised that the setlist for the show was - well, pretty much the same setlist as the show two years ago, with a few additions from Little Hell. In fact, as good as it was, I kind of had deja vu the whole time. Certainly, the choice to play plenty of songs from Bring Me Your Love, knowing full well that it's the album people know best - well, that was smart. It's a guaranteed crowd-pleasing kind of move. But for those of us who were there last time around, it was a little disappointing.

Blurry Dallas.

Still, all in all, it's hard for City & Colour to put on a bad show - Dallas is just a great live performer. If you haven't seen City & Colour live - go. But if you have? Well, you didn't miss much on Thursday.

Hot Chocolate Festival: Terra Breads' Hot Chocolate Chai

2012-01-19T14:17:00.002-08:00

OK, this hot chocolate chai from the Terra Breads cafe in the Olympic Village takes the cake (pun intended) so far, in terms of hot chocolate entries in CityFood Magazine's Hot Chocolate Festival. Rich but not too rich, with a fabulous chai spiciness that is absolutely irresistible. And served with a delicious almond spiced cookie that complemented the chai flavour perfectly. Well done, Terra Breads!

Hot Chocolate Festival: Salted Caramel Bonanza

2012-01-19T09:30:00.003-08:00

My quest for the most amazing hot chocolate during CityFood Magazine's Hot Chocolate festival continues. It seems that the combination of chocolate, salt and caramel is on everybody's mind at the moment, and the two cafes I visited this week both had very different takes on that flavour profile.

First up is Mink, a lovely lovely chocolate and coffee store on West Cordova. My favourite of their many hand-crafted chocolate bars has always been "Mermaid's Choice" - chocolate with rosemary-infused caramel and fleur de sel. When I heard that they were doing a "Mermaid's Choice" hot chocolate - well, hot diggity.

Here it is:

Mink's Mermaid's Choice Hot Chocolate.

This was served without whip or garnish of any kind. It was VERY salty. And rich. I ordered it with dark chocolate, and found the salt was almost overpowering. It was also difficult to taste the caramel, or the rosemary. Still, I'm not going to complain too, too much about something being too salty - as I've grown older my love of sweet has diminished and been replaced with a wicked craving for all things salty. Still, it took me ages to finish an entire cup given how rich and salty it actually was.

Next up, a few days later, was Bella Gelateria, also on West Cordova. I was *really* excited to try their Macadamia Nut hot chocolate, with Erin Ireland's To Die For Banana Bread - which I've blogged about here before - her bread also features chocolate and macadamia nuts so this sounded like an amazing combo! Sadly, proprietor James (who was dashing off to Italy that morning for the Gelato World Cup) informed me that they were sold out of the macadamia, and suggested I try their salted caramel instead, which is made with their house-made dulce de leche.

Bella Gelateria's Salted Caramel Hot Chocolate with Erin Ireland's To Die For Banana Bread.

This seemed to have just the right balance between the salt and the sweet, and the Michel Cluizel hot chocolate was rich but not too rich - just right for drinking. I enjoyed it very much, but *really* want to try that Macadamia Nut hot chocolate one day soon...

Hot Chocolate Festival: January 14 - February 14, 2012

2012-01-14T20:10:00.004-08:00

It's the Second Annual Vancouver Hot Chocolate Festival and my pals at the Juice Truck have teamed up with super-yummy chocolatier Beta 5 Chocolates this year and will be offering a different hot chocolate every week during the festival. Today they debuted their first entry, the White Chocolate Matcha Hot Chocolate, and I was the first to get a chance to taste it!

Beta 5 made this big block of matcha white chocolate, which gets dipped and stirred into hot water.

2 minutes later, voila! Add some yuzu marshmallows, and you have a delicious non-dairy treat! Perfect for a snowy day like today.

I'm not a huge white chocolate fan, but this was amazing. The combination of the matcha with the sweetness of the white chocolate was perfect, and not too rich. I say YES.

I'm going to try to get out to sample some of the other hot chocolates on offer during the festival - you can check out the schedule and list of participants at CityFood Magazine.

Feed Life, Starve Cancer: Eden MacDonald

2012-01-14T12:16:00.004-08:00

I met the delightful Eden MacDonald, a Registered Holistic Nutritionist, just before Christmas, thanks to my pals Zach and Ryan at The Juice Truck. Eden runs a blog, consultations and several education programs called "Feed Life, Starve Cancer," which she built out of her passion for health education and her own experience with cancer. This past week Eden invited, Zach, Ryan and I to be her guests at Organic Lives for a three-hour intensive session called "Set Yourself Up For Success," an introductory class filled with guidance, tools and recipes to help incorporate healthy, cancer-fighting behaviours into your life.

Eden making hemp milk - takes less than 3 minutes! Sorry AlmondFresh, but we're over.

I didn't know what to expect from a three-hour nutrition class, and frankly, I was a little dubious that I would have the time or energy to build any strict regimes into my daily routine. But I loved it! Eden is clearly an expert on her subject, and her passion and enthusiasm shine through. She made reams of information accessible, and even entertaining, and managed to strike just the right balance between personal anecdotes, Q & A, and recipe demos to keep us all engaged.

And the food (all plant-based)? Awesome. Let's just say I'll never look at kale the same way again. And it was easy, too - I really didn't have any excuse not to start making some of Eden's cancer fighting dishes right away - and so I have! Omega 3-filled cereals, green smoothies - and kale, kale, kale!

Eden is offering more classes at Organic Lives this winter - you can check out the schedule here.

The dessert part of the evening - Eden making cacao-chili "Nice Cream" in the Vita Mix.

I may or may not have licked the spoon.

This week: One Plus One the Musical - in Concert

2012-01-03T00:19:00.005-08:00

Just a reminder that I'm performing this weekend in the world premiere of a new musical in two acts by Gil & Sarah Jaysmith called "One Plus One":

Two couples are fighting long-term infertility. A support group brings them together, but their own obsessions and fears are driving them apart. Undying love fades into personal apocalypse. They're backing out on their promises, finding out how fragile a life they've been leading... and all the while, the biological clock is ticking... it's ticking... it's ticking... it's ticking...

Please come and see our show (with talkback following) at Havana (1212 Commercial Drive) this weekend - we have performances Friday and Saturday night at 8 p.m., and a matinee on Saturday at 2 p.m. Admission is free, but seating is limited, so please book your tickets by emailing oneplusonethemusical(at)gmail(dot)com.

Lemon Family Book Club 2012

2011-12-31T12:19:00.003-08:00

Alex, Laura and I all got Kobo Touch e-readers for Christmas. I was ecstatic; I had a Kobo but gave it to my dad when I got my iPad 2, and when I realized that the iPad wasn't nearly as good for reading, it was too late to ask for my Kobo back as Dad had fallen in love with the damn thing. He never puts it down.

Anyway, on Christmas night, after we cleared the dishes, we 3 junior Lemons decided that we'd start a family book club. We would each choose 4 books, and that would give us one club book a month for the rest of the year (we'd do more but Alex only reads in the bath you see - and there's only so many baths a man can take). We'll conduct our meetings by Skype or FaceTime or real time, if we can. There's no rule about what kind or quality of book we read - it's just what strikes our fancies.

Want to read along with us? January's book is Alex's pick, and it's World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War, by Max Brooks. Given my current fascination with all things zombie, I did not object in the slightest to this choice. We'll let you know what we think - and please feel free to share your views in the comments section. Or let us know on Twitter: I'm @danwithatwist, and Alex and (therefore Laura) is @lemony_fresh.

Vegan Cooking: Apple Pie Pancakes

2011-12-30T13:50:00.003-08:00

Made these this morning after spying the recipe on one of my favourite websites, the Post Punk Kitchen. Seriously worth making, and not as complicated or time-consuming as the recipe would have you believe.

Choose whatever average sized red apples look best to you; honeycrisp, gala and fuji are all good choices. I would stay away from super tart green ones for this. Prepare the apples first then start the pancakes while the apples cook, and you should be able to get everything done in 30 minutes or so.

For Apple Topping:
4 apples, peeled, diced into 1/2 inch pieces (about 1 1/4 pounds)
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 cup apple juice
1 tablespoon organic cornstarch or arrowroot
1 1/2 tablespoons pure maple syrup

For Pancakes:
1 cup plain almond milk (or preferred non-dairy milk)
2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
2 tablespoons ground flax seeds (sold as flax meal)
1 1/4 cups whole wheat pastry flour (or all-purpose flour, but not regular whole wheat flour)
2 tsp baking powder
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
pinch ground allspice
pinch ground cloves
1/2 tsp salt
2 tablespoons apple sauce
2/3 cup apple juice
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tablespoon pure maple syrup

Prepare the topping:
Toss all topping ingredients in a medium (4 quart) pot, sprinkle on the cinnamon. Mix it up so that the corn starch dissolves. Use an angled wooden spoon to do the mixing since it reaches the bottom corners of the pot.

Cover pot and bring to a boil, keeping a close eye. Once boiling, lower heat to a simmer and cook for 20 more minutes, stirring occasionally. Once apples are nice and tender, smash a few of them to thicken sauce. Remove from heat and keep covered until ready to serve.

Prepare the pancakes:
Pour almond milk into a measuring cup. Mix in apple cider vinegar and ground flax seeds with a fork. Set aside; mixture will thicken.

Meanwhile, in a large mixing bowl, sift together flours, baking powder, spices and salt. Create a well in the center and add the milk mixture and the apple sauce, apple juice, vanilla and maple syrup. Use a fork to mix until relatively smooth, a few lumps are okay. Let the batter rest, and preheat a large, non-stick or cast iron pan over medium heat.

When pan is hot, spray with a thin layer of cooking spray and use an ice cream scooper or scant 1/4 cup measure to pour batter and form pancakes. If you can fit three at a time that’d be great. The pancake should start to form little air bubbles, but not as much as pancakes with oil do, so don’t worry if they don’t bubble too much. Cook until the edges are dry and the tops of the pancakes are only slightly wet, about 2 1/2 to 3 minutes, then flip and cook for 2 minutes more. Keep warm on a plate covered with tin foil until all pancakes are ready to serve.

Serve hot with apple topping.

Favourite New Hideway: Le Marché St. George

2011-12-20T21:29:00.008-08:00

Tucked away in a quiet residential neighbourhood off Main Street, at the corner of East 28th and St. George, is the marvellous March é St. George. Part café, part artisanal grocer, part lifestyle store and textile merchant, Le Marché is an absolute gem of a little shop, with fabulous coffees, teas, baked goods and comfy spots to sit and contemplate life. After hearing about Le Marché from friends who knew it would be right up my alley, I finally had a chance to stop by this week for a quick visit and to pick up a Paris Fog to go - a delicious tea latte made with Harney and Sons' Paris tea, steamed milk and vanilla. It was the perfect drink for a rainy December afternoon. I'll be going back to sit in a window seat with my pen, paper and a big cup of tea sometime soon...Le Marché is a place to be savoured rather than gulped.

Welcome.

Lots of gifts for foodies here, and a number of locally sourced products.

Christmas trees from Columbia Valley Tree Farm.

Comfy bench for sitting - maybe not on such a rainy day.

Holiday Advice from Wiretap

2011-12-20T14:20:00.005-08:00

I love Wiretap on CBC. It might possibly be my favourite thing on the CBC. I have frequently had to pull over the car while listening because I was laughing so hard. So on Wiretap's Facebook page this morning, Jonathan Goldstein (aka my imaginary boyfriend #357) announced that Wiretap regular Gregor Ehrlich would, in the spirit of the holiday, answer burning personal life-questions from listeners. And he answered mine! My Christmas is now complete.

Bitten by the holiday spirit bug, WireTap regular Gregor Ehrlich has generously agreed to help solve your problems, and you sent them in by the dozens. Here's the first batch of his thoughtful replies:

"Dear Gregor: I keep buying weird things after I have had a glass or two of wine. Last night it was a giant plush snowman and multigrain ranch Pringles which were, frankly, disgusting. Please help. Signed, Danielle Lemon"

(Ed's note: True story. I did buy a giant plush snowman and multigrain ranch Pringles, and they were disgusting)

Dear Lemon:

Wine is for amateurs. Stick to my signature holiday cocktail of Tang

and Everclear. Way more efficient, packed with Vitamin C, and pretty

much shuts you down from buying anything after two glasses.

You can visit Wiretap's Facebook advice and see more of Gregor's wisdom here.

It Runs in the Family.

2011-12-14T12:03:00.004-08:00

So I'm cooking Christmas dinner this year, at my brother and sister-in-law's house in Victoria. This morning, I received the following correspondence from my sister-in-law:

Season’s greetings Ms. Lemon,

I am pleased to announce that your application to cook Christmas Dinner at the home of your brother and SIL (herein referred to as “the Hosts” ) has been accepted. Kindly forward the application fee of three (3) jars of home-canned peaches and we will be happy to proceed with the planning activities listed below.

There are several key pieces of information that you must know prior to this dinner. Please read the list below in its entirety.

- Please arrive at least _ (blank) hours prior to the meal. This will be filled in after discussion with all parties and must be initialed by all parties to be considered binding.

- The guest list will include the following beings:

o Mr. Richard Lemon

o Mrs. Donna Lemon

o Mr. Alex Lemon

o Mrs. Laura Lemon*

o Ms. Danielle Lemon

o Mr. LB Lemon – Please note that this guest has special dietary needs. Mr. LB’s favorite food is turkey but he only enjoys white meat and he prefers no seasoning.

- The Hosts will provide beverages that consist of the following:

o Water

o Martinelli’s Sparkling Apple Juice™

o Assorted sparkling wines and non-sparkling wines

o Other

- The Hosts will provide a table set in the latest fashion. This will include the mandatory minimum of three (3) Christmas-y table decorations (TBD).

- The Hosts will be on hand to assist in the preparation of certain Christmas dinner foods.

- In lieu of a hosting gift, the Hosts would prefer cash ($).

In addition to the important points above, the hosts request that you provide further information in several key areas:

- Are there any ingredients needed for the dinner that the Hosts could pick up this weekend on their regular shopping trip?†

- Are there any other special things needed for the dinner that you require from the Hosts?

- Will the application fee arrive in time for this entire dinner to be pulled off?

Thank you for your application and we look forward to working with you in the near future.

Sincere Christmas regards,

The Hosts

* Denotes special guest

† Indicates mandatory response

My response:

Dear Sirs/Mesdames:

We are in receipt of your correspondence dated December 14, 2011.

With regards to the gourmet festive seasonal dinner (hereinafter, the "Dinner") to be prepared by world-renowned chef Danielle Lemon (hereinafter, the "Boss"), expert consultations with regards to the menu continue, which we hope to finalize with a binding Letter of Intent (the "LOI") by 9 a.m. PST, Friday, December 16, 2011. Schedule "A" of the LOI shall include a list of items to be delivered by the Hosts in relation to the Dinner.

This is of course subject to your acceptance of our revised fee offer of one (1) jar of home-canned peaches, to be delivered by the Boss prior to the Dinner. Due to other on-going projects requiring canned fruit goods, the Boss is unable to agree to your requested fee of three (3) jars of home-canned peaches and we find your request, to be candid, excessive.

Kind regards,

Currie F. Lemon, Esq. on behalf of

Danielle Lemon Law Group

"Fresh Advice"

375 Water Street, Suite 200

The Landing in Gastown

Vancouver, B.C. V6B 5C6

One Plus One: The Musical, January 6 & 7 at Havana

2011-12-12T02:34:00.003-08:00

My dear (and talented) friends Gil & Sarah Jaysmith have written a beautiful musical called "One Plus One," which I have been lucky enough to workshop/demo with them on a number of occasions, singing one of the female leads, Madison. I am so excited that the show will be performed for an audience for the first time this January, at Havana Restaurant on Commercial Drive:

Two couples are fighting long-term infertility. A support group brings them together, but their own obsessions and fears are driving them apart. Undying love fades into personal apocalypse. They're backing out on their promises, finding out how fragile a life they've been leading...and all the while, the biological clock is ticking...it's ticking...it's ticking...it's ticking...

The show is going to feature some of Vancouver's leading performers, including Carman J. Price, Alex McMorran, Cathy Wilmot, and many more. The lovely and talented Caitlin Hayes will be on piano. This is a chance for us to get audience feedback on the book and songs, and we need you there - plus - when have you ever attended the world premiere of a new musical work? We will be doing three performances, January 6 at 8 p.m., and January 7 at 2 p.m. and 8 p.m. Admission is free - you'll laugh, you'll cry, and you'll be amazed at some of the talent this city has to offer, both on and offstage.

Guest Post by Woodwardsmile: Wrasslemania - Woodwards Holiday Tweetup!

2011-12-07T09:05:00.004-08:00

This is a special post for the Vancouver Twitter crowd. Reaia, Dani and I live at Woodward’s and we’ve decided to organize a tweetup at La Casita’s across the street. We want to connect with people in the neighbourhood! And what better way to make a memorable first impression than with some good old fashioned wrestling?

FAQs:

1.What is a Tweetup?

A Tweetup is an event where people on Twitter meet in person. It is open to everyone on Twitter and showing up without notice is acceptable.

2. Who is Reaia?

Reaia is a working professional with many interests.

3. Who is Dani?

Dani is a performer, tech lawyer and blogger. You can find more about her at Dan With A Twist

4. Who is Zoe?

Zoe is a blogger.

5. Is the Woodward’s Tweetup only for people who live there?

NO! The Woodward’s Holiday Tweetup is open to everyone who lives, works or playsin and around Woodward’s. “In and around” can be loosely thought of as a one mile radius around Woodward’s which includes Gastown, Chinatown, Crosstown, Railtown, the DTES, and parts of downtown, Yaletown and False Creek.

5. What’s with the wrestling theme?

I thought it was really funny.

6. Are you guys really going to “wrassle” people who come to the Tweetup?

Yes. But, having said that, I do want to emphasize that wrestling is optional. We don’t want people to be discouraged from attending because they are reluctant to fight.

7. What is the hashtag for this event?

#Wrassle

I really want to encourage you to come to this tweetup, especially if you’ve never been to one before. You’ll find that Reaia, Dani and I are outgoing but gentle people, and we have different personalities, which means chances are good that you’ll like at least one of us.

If you are planning to come, please leave a comment on this post or message one of us Twitter!

@danwithatwist

@reaia

@woodwardsmile

See you at La Casita’s!

Look, I'm a real journalist!

2011-11-23T09:37:00.001-08:00

I'm a "special correspondent" to the Cowichan Valley Citizen now, yes I am! And you can read my review online!

Players' show a fun, charming farce

New Favourite: Juice Truck's To Die For Banana Bread Smoothie

2011-11-22T12:43:00.003-08:00

We've all done it - licked the wooden spoon or the beaters after making a cake. And the problem is - there's never enough to really satisfy that cake-batter craving. Well, my pals at the Juice Truck and Erin Ireland, Metro food writer, To Die For Banana Bread empress, and all-around delightful lassie, have come up with something that fills that sinful void - the To Die For Banana Bread Smoothie.

The smoothie combines Erin's fabulous Banana Bread with banana, cacao nibs, vanilla, cinnamon and soy milk (with a few macadamia nuts for garnish) and the result is magical. And delicious. Any reservations you have about drinking your bread through a straw must be put aside. Trust me.

Smoothie Queen Aviya, Juice Tenders Zach and Ryan, and the lovely Erin Ireland and her nom nom Banana Bread.

Erin's Banana Bread really is to die for - it's not your Mom's banana bread, that's for sure - macadamia nuts, Callebaut chocolate, heavenly spices - it doesn't get much better. Her bread is available at several local retailers. Visit Erin's blog for more info.

The Juice Truck is at the corner of Abbott & Water, Monday through Fridays, rain or shine.

All images courtesy Erin Ireland, www.itstodiefor.ca

FCP Presents: The Temperamentals, Nov. 22 - Dec. 3

2011-11-21T16:47:00.002-08:00

Fighting Chance Productions, who I've performed with in Sweeney Todd and A Funny Thing Happened On the Way to the Forum, is presenting the Canadian premiere of Jon Marans' The Temperamentals at the PAL, November 22 - December 3. The play is the story of the founding of the Mattachine Society, one of the first LGBT rights organizations in America. I interviewed the cast for Fighting Chance's websites, and my interviews (and tickets to the show) can be found here.

La Dolce Vegan Challenge: Scrumptious Banana Nut Bread

2011-11-14T21:35:00.003-08:00

I'm trying to whittle away at the leftovers already in my fridge and freezer this week. To that end, last night's dinner was a repeat of Matthew's Spicy Tomato Peanut and Kale Pasta (p.134), and tonight's dinner was Black Bean and Sweet Potato Burritos (p.158). However, I started to feel antsy about not making things and so last night right before bed I whipped up a loaf of Scrumptious Banana-Nut Bread (p.281), which was a great breakfast this morning. Sorry for the small photo...

La Dolce Vegan Challenge: Chocolate Pear-zza

2011-11-10T20:15:00.006-08:00

You may remember my post on Kim's Peach-zza (p. 232), which looked like this:

I had some pears that were about to go off sitting in the fruitbowl, so tonight I decided to make Chocolate Pear-zza (p.233), which was inspired by Kim's Peachzza.

I have to say, the more I make the All-Purpose Crust (p. 262), the more I like it. I didn't chill the dough for an hour, as required, and this time I used a pie dish instead of a cookie sheet and made a "deep dish" dessert pizza, but the crust still turned out just great, and held together really well. My dad the pie-nazi would be proud.

Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go read the new Jeffrey Eugenides, The Marriage Plot, while eating Chocolate Pear-zza. In the bath. One of the perks of living by myself.

La Dolce Vegan Challenge: Going Rogue

2011-11-10T11:38:00.004-08:00

So, the challenge, being hosted by the Vegan Culinary Institute, has gone a little haywire since the Vegan Culinary Institute apparently no longer exists. Joel, Kelley, myself and a few other participants are still going, but we've changed things around a little bit. We're not being as strict as we used to be about keeping to the recipe calendar, and we've decided that we'll all share in the prizes at the end of the challenge.

I think these are positive changes for a few reasons: one, this has been a big commitment from all of us and I don't think it's fair that one person should claim all the prize haul. Second, it's been a real challenge from a time-and-money-saving point of view to have to cook all these meals in accordance with the very demanding schedule, or risk being kicked out of the challenge. There's only me in this house, see, and there's only so many friends who are willing to come over every night to be my guinea pig! And there's only so much money in the kitty for groceries every week. If it takes me a few extra weeks to complete all the recipes in the gosh darn book, I don't know that this should matter.

So, that being said, I'm toddling on with the challenge in my own way, and will endeavour to stick to the schedule as much as possible, while cutting myself some slack if I can't stick to it or substitute a different recipe. And to my fellow bloggers, I salute you for your continuing dedication!

Last night's dinner, Pun-Kin Pasta (p.128) with yummy Daiya cheese on top. This was supposed to be dinner tomorrow night. Now I'm getting ahead of myself! Actually, I'm swapping as I have guests tomorrow night, and want to make the Chocolate Coconut Bars which were scheduled for earlier this week, for them. Pumpkin puree was a great alternative to tomato puree.

Today's recipe, Wolffie's Dijon Maple Dressing (p. 98). Sweet n' tangy. All of Wolffie's recipes seem to be fool-proof.

Tuesday's recipe, Curry Almond Burger (p.160) with my new favourite thing, Veganaise. I may or may not have gone downstairs to the Charles Bar for garlic fries to accompany my burger...

Monday's Veggie Goulash (p.140). Epic fail. Mostly because I played fast n' loose with ingredients - substituted broccoli for cauliflower, threw green peppers in, used aduki beans that I had in the cupboard rather than pinto - the whole thing was a bland tasteless mush. Even the brown rice tasted like mush. Yuck.

La Dolce Vegan Challenge: Crunch Time

2011-11-04T20:35:00.004-07:00

OK guys, time is running out. I have to catch up on everything by Sunday at midnight to stay in the challenge. Slight problem though - the Vegan Culinary Institute website, with our schedule of recipes, is down right now. So I had to do my best to remember what recipes I needed to make.

I knew that tonight's recipe was Seaweed Soup (p.104), which was very easy, and good too - you can't really go wrong with gomashio or udon noodles, really. The surprise ingredient? Lime juice.

Then it was time to catch up with Maple Streusel Muffins (p. 237), with a nice pecan and brown sugar topping:

And finally, Sesame Bread Sticks (p.278):

Thank goodness my dad is here this weekend and can help me eat all this food...good grief...

La Dolce Vegan Challenge: World Vegan Day

2011-11-01T19:08:00.003-07:00

Happy World Vegan Day! I hope that my adventures in vegan cooking over the past few months have shown that you can feast and still be good to the environment and your fellow creatures. I had a major catch-up day today, preparing four recipes:

Wolffie's Magnificent Baked Bean Dip (p. 59). I can't live without hummus. But this might be a nice change-up every once in a while!

Stuffed Cherry Tomatoes with Olivada (p.58). I had high hopes for this one after loving the combination of kalamata olives and tomatoes in the sundried tomato soda bread I made a few weeks back. Sadly, no. Blech. I like olives in only sparing amounts.

Matthew's Spicy Tomato Peanut Kale Pasta (p.134). Tomato sauce, asian chili garlic sauce, peanut butter, fresh kale. Sound weird? It's delicious. I used rice pasta.

Daniyell's Peanut Butter Chocolate Bars (p.204). These are meant to be fancy schmancy rice krispy squares I think. The recipe called for puffed rice cereal, I used puffed kamut because it was what was on hand. They were still delicious, and more decadent than they look.

La Dolce Vegan Challenge: Claire's Mac and Cheeze

2011-10-30T11:30:00.002-07:00

Oh, playing catch up on this challenge causes me to do some crazy things - like cooking mac and "cheese" at 9 in the morning. And yet there I was...luckily Claire's Mac and Cheeze (p.125) looks like it will fridge/freeze well so I can save it for later. I did have a wee spoonful and it was rich and decadent. I used Tinkyada Pasta Joy organic brown rice macaroni, and for the "cheese" I used a mix of Daiya shreddables - "mozzarella," "cheddar," and "pepperjack." I think when I actually serve it I'll saute up some broccoli and throw that in there, too.

This sauce looks appropriately melty.

Adding the rice pasta.

Yum!

La Dolce Vegan Challenge: Sweet Treats

2011-10-28T23:11:00.004-07:00

Catch up time again; today I made two of the famous Wolffie's creations, Wolffie's Chocolatey-Moist Brownies (p. 211) and Wolffie's B'nanner Bars. Both are relatively quick sweet treats (thanks to the food processor) that use silken tofu for moisture. I've made the banana bars before and they really are delicious. My dad is here right now, and while deeply suspicious of this whole vegan adventure, he pronounced them "not bad." Triumph!

The brownies were supposed to be iced with buttercream frosting, but frankly, they were decadent enough on their own without adding the buttercream. I'll save that recipe for another day.

The banana bars are also supposed to be iced, but again, that seemed like flavour overload, given that I'd already added chocolate chips. Walnuts are also optional, but I have a pal coming over tomorrow who's allergic to nuts and I didn't want to kill her.

New Cosmetics Obsession: Besame

2011-10-28T13:44:00.007-07:00

My love of all things vintage and vintage-inspired is well-known. My dream job would have been to be a contract chorus girl at MGM studios in the 1940s and 1950s. Alas, I was born too late, and so I am stuck with beehive hairdos, Pinup Girl Couture, and black and white movies. My latest find, and a new valued weapon in my vintage arsenal, is the lovely Besame Cosmetics, whose delightfully old-school products put retro pretenders like Benefit to shame.

Ava. Sigh.

I first discovered Besame this summer at Wink Beauty lounge, which was carrying a very limited range of Besame lipsticks - I think at the time they had four colours, which were all reproductions of 1940s lipstick colours. They are beautifully packaged in gold plated cases, thick enough for one coat, and semi-matte - in other words, a great red lipstick worthy of Marilyn or Ava. I bought Red Velvet, a shade described as a "deep, rich red" that is "perfect for officewear" and "not too bright." Unfortunately, I looked less like Marilyn and more like Joan Crawford in this colour - it was too dark for me and made me look very severe and my lips drawn and pursed. I was disappointed since I loved the quality of the product, but had to relegate it to my theatre make-up box - it's more a colour for a villain than a bombshell.

Sorry Joan, but just...no.

This week I popped into Wink and found they were now carrying an expanded line of Besame products - many, many more lipsticks, and also rouges, powders, liners and shadows. Yes! How exciting! I have to admit, I went a little crazy, but how can you not with beautifully packaged products like this:

I bought the boudoir rouge, and two double-colored liners, one in grey and taupe and one in plum and brown. The rouge is absolutely beautiful, a neutral blush that goes on not-too-pink and highlights cheekbones. According to Besame's website, they can refill these beautiful cases, which makes Eco-Dani happy. The liners have so far survived their first bouts with Vancouver rain. And then - well, I couldn't resist. I had to try to find the perfect red lipstick, and I think I've done it this time, with Besame Red, a cooler, pinkier red that has the va-va-voom I was missing with the Red Velvet. Ah, there's nothing like finding the perfect red lipstick, is there?

First stop, Besame, next stop burlesque queen! OK, not really, but a girl can dream, can't she?

Visit Besame's website here.

Forum Cast Lipdub

2011-10-25T00:02:00.002-07:00

So every night this song played during the pre-show house music, and we all got a little crazy on the last night - and so here we are - we are telling you, we're not going.

Love you, Forum castmates!

La Dolce Vegan Challenge: Comfort Food

2011-10-24T19:13:00.004-07:00

A bit of a blue Monday - my show's over, I didn't have the busiest day at work - so I was glad that today's recipe was Freedom French Toast (p. 37) - I needed some comfort food. Time to put on the coffee pot, get in my jammies, and chow down while catching up on episodes of The Walking Dead...

La Dolce Vegan Challenge: Doubling Up

2011-10-18T17:23:00.003-07:00

I'm still trying to catch up on all the recipes for the challenge that I missed while I've been concentrating on the show. Today was a little slow on the work front, which meant I had time to do a couple of recipes:

Hal's Maple Chocolate Flax Brownies (p.212): I've made these before, and frankly, they were a dud. This batch turned out better; I think because I used "real" cane sugar as opposed to Splenda. However, they're still what I would call "everyday" baking as opposed to "company" baking - they taste good but they're not that impressive. I still couldn't really taste the maple in them.

Black Bean and Sweet Potato Burritos (p. 158): These were a little on the time consuming side, as the sweet potatoes needed to be boiled and mashed, and the black beans needed to simmer and then be mashed as well. I rolled up several burritos in tinfoil and put them in the freezer, the idea being that I can grab 'em and go on my way to rehearsals or shows. I'm sure they'll be delicious - anything with sweet potato AND black bean is OK in my books.

La Dolce Vegan Challenge: Salad Time

2011-10-17T19:55:00.004-07:00

No show tonight, so after a few early evening meetings, I'm home to whip up a few of the recipes that are in the backlog:

Edamame & Asparagus Couscous Salad: p. 83. Delicious, but I can only eat this sparingly as couscous has gluten.

Perfect Pesto Potato Salad: p.88. You really can't go wrong with the combination of pesto, sundried tomatoes, and balsamic vinegar.

Roasted Red Pepper Hummus: p. 62. Dear lord, I love hummus. And this one was awesome. And so easy. I don't know how I lived without a food processor for so many years.

On Pens.

2011-10-16T21:15:00.003-07:00

My parents were in town this week to see my show, "A Funny Thing Happened On The Way to the Forum." On Friday afternoon I met my mother and her cousin, my dear Auntie Ruth, for lunch at Provence Marinaside in Yaletown. When the bill came, the server also brought three comment cards for us to fill in, with branded "Provence Marinaside" pens. A conversation ensued between my mother and aunt as to whether the pens were meant as giveaways.

"Well I'm going to take one," pronounced my mother, admiring the pen as she stuck it in her handbag. "Me too," said Auntie Ruth decisively.

"Really?" I asked incredulously. "You have to take THESE pens? Can neither of you afford to buy yourself a pen?" (They can. Many pens, if they like.)

At that point each them proudly produced multiple (I can't remember how many each, exactly, but more than one) "freebie" pens from various places - a dental supply store, an accountant, a hotel.

"I hate being without a pen. On my last cruise, we were always running out of pens in our cabin," said Auntie Ruth. "So every time we walked by the concierge, we asked for more. We came home with dozens each."

I reminded my mother of the last pen I had to confiscate from her when she whisked it out in public, a bright orange "Tena Absorbent Underwear" branded pen. Why on earth Tena would think advertisements on pens would be appropriate, I don't know, but the clear evidence that they did was right there, on the pen. I think we were in the Bay and Mom whipped it out to sign a credit card receipt.

"But I liked that pen," she said indignantly. "It was black. I like black pens."

At that point, Mom tested her new Provence pen on a napkin.

"Ugh," she said disgustedly. "This pen is blue. Nevermind." The pen was thrown dismissively onto the table.

We moved on to other topics. The bill came, and was signed, and we got ready to go. At that point, I nonchalantly threw one of the pens into my briefcase, to much giggling from my mother and aunt.

If you can't beat 'em, join 'em, I say. At least I know what to get them each for Christmas. I wonder if PaperMate delivers?

La Dolce Vegan Challenge: Back On The Wagon

2011-10-16T20:28:00.006-07:00

With shows every night (and two on Saturdays), I've been too busy to be really disciplined about keeping up with the challenge recipes - in fact, I only managed to make one recipe this week - Nutty Oatmeal Raisin Cookies (p. 221). After today's matinee, I decided it was time to buckle down and get to work, and so I made last Sunday's recipe, Wolffie's Peach Shortcake (p. 235) and today's recipe, Tofu Balls and Spaghetti (p.129). These recipes were all about freestylin': the cookies called for chocolate chips, which I did not have, but I did have vegan butterscotch chips, so I used those instead. I didn't have ready-made tomato sauce for the spaghetti, so I made my own, using tomatoes from my weekly delivery, and substituted quinoa spaghetti for regular. The peach shortcake called for frozen peaches, but I used some of my world-famous Lemon Family peach preserves instead, which meant I could halve the sugar in the recipe.

Tofu Balls. Peanut butter is used to hold the tofu together, which was an unexpected but not unwelcome combination with the fresh tomato sauce.

Very dark picture of the Oatmeal Raisin Nutty Cookies I made earlier in the week. I gave most of them away, so I couldn't re-take the picture - but at least I have proof I made them!

The peaches for the shortcake are mixed with cinnamon and vanilla.

Shortcakes baking in the oven. They were wonderfully light.

With soy ice cream.

Hot damn, those shortcakes were absolutely to die for. I'll make somebody a very nice housewife someday.

The Reviews Are In - A Funny Thing Happened On The Way to the Forum is a hit!

2011-10-13T14:11:00.005-07:00

I'm currently playing Domina in Stephen Sondheim's "A Funny Thing Happened On The Way to the Forum" at the Jericho Arts Centre until October 22nd. We've been getting some great reviews from local media, with kudos especially for our director (and my pal), Cathy Wilmot, and our Pseudolus (uh, and my pal - noticing a trend?!), Ryan Mooney, who's better known as artistic director of Fighting Chance Productions:

The Georgia Straight said our show brims with playfulness, and raved about Ryan's performance, although I don't know if I like being called a shrew or brainless - or maybe I should take this as a compliment to my performance, since I'm neither in real life?

The Vancouver Courier said Ryan was amazing as "con man" and "snake oil salesman" Pseudolus, that I "dominate with my big operatic voice" and was amazed at how funny the show still is, after all these years.

Gillian Lockitch from Review From the House said I was "awesomely dominating" and that Peter Stainton, who plays my husband Senex, was the "best henpecked husband anywhere" (I agree).

Review Vancouver noted that we earned a "well-earned standing ovation" on Opening Night, and picked out my darling Cameron Dunster, who plays my son Hero (hilarious as a) I'm not that much older than him and b) he's probably at least a foot taller than me - if not more) as the standout of the show.

David C. Jones of OUTtv pegged Ryan as the star of the show as the "sardonic and witty" Pseudolus and rightly called out Mike Wild's performance as Hysterium as well.

So seriously, what are you waiting for? The show's a hit! Get your tickets online at Jericho Arts Centre - we have 7 shows a week, you really don't have an excuse not to show up.

Hilarity.

2011-10-08T11:06:00.003-07:00

So this is my friend Brandy's dog, Jake. I've always wanted a pug and so I'm living vicariously through Brandy and Jake. They've obviously had some sort of a tiff - B. posted it on Facebook with the caption "When pugs ignore." It's made me giggle every time I've looked at it in the past few days; I just had to share.

Jump - And The Net Will Appear.

2011-10-08T00:18:00.004-07:00

I walk around these days in a daze of gratitude and amazement at where my life has taken me in the past few months. To find out that I actually love what I do, now that I do it for myself, and on my own terms, has been the greatest gift. Slowly, but surely, my business is growing, and I've had the time and space I've needed to really articulate my vision for where I'm going in life. And time to be an artist, time to be a friend...it's too good to be true, really.

But it is true, and that's what's been so hard to wrap my head around. I think I'm a naturally pessimistic person, inclined to believe that good things are fleeting. And this is wrong. This is the wrong way to look at the world. And so I wake up every day focused on enjoying the day, on working hard, but not forgetting to be grateful for enjoying where I am and where I'm going. I find that I live more in the present than I ever have, maybe out of that sense of fear that it's all going to go away, or maybe because I've learned that today is really all we ever have.

A few months ago I found the John Burroughs quote, "Jump, and the net will appear." I must say it to myself at least four times a day. It gives me comfort, and it energizes me. And it makes me feel so grateful every time I do jump.

It's true, good things happen. And the net does appear. And that's what I'm thankful for this Thanksgiving - I'm thankful for the net the universe continues to put under me with every leap of faith I take.

La Dolce Vegan Challenge: Apple Raspberry Crisp

2011-10-03T23:37:00.002-07:00

Crisp is traditional Sunday night dessert in my family - and now Monday night dessert (and let's be honest, Tuesday morning breakast). I threw this together this afternoon before heading to dress rehearsal, and it was a great dessert to come home to. Raspberries are one of my favourite berries, and I loved the tart combination of green apples I used with the raspberries. Yummy yummy.

La Dolce Vegan Challenge: This "catching up" business has got to stop.

2011-10-02T22:18:00.005-07:00

Another crazy week of rehearsals before opening, another week of leaving all of the recipes to the last minute (!). Yesterday (Saturday) I made a marathon 5 recipes. It's 10:21 p.m., I just got home from rehearsal, and the cat chewed through yet another one of my power cords for my laptop and I'm on 46% battery, so this will be short and sweet - I didn't even have time to Instagram all the pretty pictures! At least I know I will have food to eat during the frantic period between now and when the show opens on Thursday! So here goes:

Wolffie's Delicious Salad Dressing. A little too cumin-y for me.

Kalamata Olive and Sundried Tomato Soda Bread. A surprise winner. I added the sunflower seeds, and I used a food processor to chop the tomatoes and olives very finely. Delicious!

Sloppy Janes. I didn't have a green pepper so I used celery, and I only had half a can of tomato sauce so I used fresh tomatoes from my weekly vegetable delivery as well. Made 'em extra sloppy!

Marianne's Goulash. I used rice noodles. The "oomph" spice mix was great - very spicy!

Chunky corn chowder. Used fresh Chilliwack corn from my vegetable delivery.

Mixed Berry Puddin'. The idea of berry pudding was absolutely abhorrent to me, but actually, it was great. I would definitely make this again. I used up some frozen berries I had kicking around, and they worked just fine.

How Thoughtful!

2011-09-26T12:32:00.003-07:00

The lovely Duncan Gidney just dropped off a belated birthday present for me:

For those who don't know, I live in the Woodwards complex, which was a re-development of the iconic flagship location of Canadian department store, Woodwards. These beautiful tumblers have the logo of the old Woodwards store on them. Just gorgeous! And he lugged them all the way over from Victoria for me! Thanks Duncan! I heart these, and you.

La Dolce Vegan Challenge: Catching Up Again

2011-09-25T15:49:00.008-07:00

Life is very busy at the moment. Work is picking up (yay) and we're into the thick of rehearsals for "A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To The Forum," which is opening at the Jericho Arts Centre on October 4th. I'm playing super-bitch Domina. So, although I started this week with the best of intentions to keep up with the cooking challenge, alas, by Saturday I was woefully behind again and was in for a marathon day of cooking, drafting documents for work, doing legal research at the Courthouse Library, and re-introducing myself to Currie Cat, who has forgotten what I look like.

Saturday breakfast was Raspberry Walnut Pancakes (p.38). I substituted Red Mill Gluten Free Hearty Baking and Biscuit flour, which is recommended for pancakes. They tasted fine but they were a horrible gloppy mess - the minute I tried to flip them, no matter how small I made them, they disintegrated. So - gluten-free pancake fail.

Gloopy Mess.

After I spent the afternoon working, I came home to make on marathon 4 recipe meal: Salad with Creamy Caesar Dressing and Pan-Fried Croutons (pp. 93 & 298), Melissa's Stuffed Mushrooms (p. 58), Quick Miso Soup for One (p.103) and Kim's Peach-zza (p.232). I am becoming a master of multi-tasking, and so I was able to get all of this done within about an hour, having made the Basic Vegan Crust for the Peach-zza before I left for the Courthouse Library.

I made a few substitutions: I used whole almonds in the Creamy Caesar dressing instead of blanched, which resulted in a darker brown dressing, but it tasted absolutely fine, and I didn't have enough peaches for the Peach-zza so I added a few Gala apples. The Easy Miso soup, full of ginger, garlic and kale, was a great thing, as I'm starting to get run-down and cold-y/flu-y, and the hot ginger brother was great for my sinuses. I was dreading making the stuffed mushrooms, thinking it would be a finicky business, but they were super-easy, but un-leftover-able as they became a little bit soggy during the baking process and weren't worth saving.

And now I'm behind again! I'm in the middle of a marathon 8 hour rehearsal for Forum, and woke up too late to make today's entry, Sundried Tomato and Kalamata Soda Bread. Oh well, I guess there's always midnight tonight...

Melissa's Stuffed Mushroom Caps.

Salad with Pan-Fried Croutons.

Creamy Caesar Dressing

Easy Miso Soup for One.

Kim's Peach-zza. Before Dani.

Kim's Peach-zza. After Dani.

La Dolce Vegan Challenge: Sara's Tangy Black Bean Salad

2011-09-20T21:54:00.007-07:00

So tonight, after I got home from ukelele class (yes, I said ukelele class), I found out that a client I'd been gunning for had elected not to go with me. I was disappointed but had given them my best offer and couldn't possibly go lower in my bid for their work. I knew that was the right decision, but it was weighing heavily on my mind when I went downstairs to the grocery store to pick up a few things I needed to make Sara's Tangy Black Bean Salad (p.76), because I loaded up my shopping basket, and walked right out of the store without paying, lost in thought. I didn't realize I had done anything wrong until I noticed people looking at me funnily in the elevator. I looked down and realized I was still carrying the black plastic shopping basket from the store and was mortified. Of course I went right back to the store and paid them, apologizing profusely. They all know me at my local store, and they laughed it off, but it was embarrassing nonetheless.

Anyway, this salad was easy (less than 15 minutes to make) and terrific. Tonight I paired it with some unsalted Que Pasa tortilla chips, and ate it as an entree, but I'm sure it would be delicious in a wrap with some "sour cream", lettuce and salsa, too. This one's a yes for me.

La Dolce Vegan Challenge: Cool Cucumber Salad

2011-09-18T16:50:00.003-07:00

I'm not a huge fan of cucumbers, but this Cool Cucumber Salad (p.83) seemed close enough to raita that I was optimistic - I love Indian anything. And actually, it was delicious, and much more flavourful than raita - so good, in fact, that I found myself actually licking the lid of the jar I used to shake up the dressing. Really nice salad. I used the mint I had in my cupboard instead of fresh mint, to save myself a trip to the grocery store, and it was okaaaa-y, but I can see how this salad would be absolutely dynamite with the fresh stuff. Next time, next time.

La Dolce Vegan Challenge: Clobber!

2011-09-18T16:43:00.004-07:00

In my family we've always called fruit cobbler clobber. Clobbers and crisps were always a part of Sunday dinner at our house growing up, and so I was happy to see that Cherry Cobbler (p.230) was on the recipe roster for this weekend. I didn't use cherries, because (a) there were no frozen cherries at Nesters'; and (b) I was not about to pit all the fresh cherries needed for the cobbler. So this became a mixed berry cobbler, using strawberries, raspberries, blackberries and blueberries that I had in the house. I also substituted Splenda for sugar, and used Red Mill Gluten-Free flour (biscuit and breads mix) for the topping, which is sprinkled with Splenda's Brown Sugar blend. This was delightful and I think it will definitely be going on my favourites list. The way I dropped the dough, the top sort of looked like a flower, and you could definitely get creative with the way you shape the dough on top if you were having company over. Me, I plan to eat this in secret, in the dark, with the door locked and the curtains drawn, so I don't have to share.

La Dolce Vegan Challenge: Simple Leek and Potato Soup

2011-09-18T16:40:00.003-07:00

This recipe, for Simple Leek and Potato Soup (p.109) was ridiculously easy. It took about 30 minutes from start to finish, and gave me an awesome excuse to use my new fancy handblender that my parents bought me for my birthday. Got a potato and an onion or a leek? Great, then you've got this soup. This is a great, quick dinner when you've got nothing in the cupboard but an ol' potato and an onion.

Here I am feeding the soup to my Momma in Victoria (who is in the bath, yes), courtesy of Facetime:

La Dolce Vegan Challenge: Stephanie's Asteroids

2011-09-18T16:30:00.004-07:00

Stephanie's Asteroids (p. 209) are little balls of coconut, rolled oats and peanut butter, and the entire time I was making them, all I could think about was Alec Baldwin's hilarious sketch on Saturday Night Live as Pete Schweddy, who makes...schweddy balls:

These, um, asteroids aren't to my liking, but they were easy and I can see how it would be a good kitchen project for kids.

La Dolce Vegan Challenge: Soba Noodle Miso Soup

2011-09-17T16:04:00.004-07:00

I have a confession to make: I am anti-soup.

It pains me to say this, as my dad - well, he loves soup. A lot. And I've had vigorous arguments with various friends over my distaste for the liquid meal. Also? Not a fan of miso. So, as you can imagine I was delighted to find out that Thursday's recipe was Soba Noodle Miso Soup (p. 103) with gomashio garnish (p.305). However, this challenge is about trying new things, so I went boldly onward to Nesters', the grocery store downstairs from my apartment to pick up the ingredients I needed.

Now, living right downtown in a relatively new neighbourhood always makes it challenging from an everyday shopping perspective. I have my pick of bars, tattoo shops, and hot restaurants, but sometimes when you just want to buy, you know, toothpaste. It's getting better, at least we have a grocery store (we didn't for the first few months I lived in Woodwards) and Nesters' tries to stock a diverse range of products. Sometimes, however, they let you down. And Thursday was one of those days. Yes, they had nori, no they didn't have soba noodles. Yes, they had miso, but no, they didn't have bok choy.

I know we're not supposed to make substitutions, but look. This week was nuts, and it was soup, for crying out loud. I was not going to trounce around downtown Vancouver looking for soba noodles and bok choy. So I decided to substitute for the rice stick noodles that I had leftover from a previous nights' entry, the Asian Noodle Salad, and used some leftover organic cabbage that I had in my fridge instead of bok choy. I was sure this was going to turn out horribly wrong:

It don't look half bad, eh? And guess what? It was actually delicious! Seriously! The gomashio was amazing (who knew toasted sesame seeds, salt and nori tasted so good?), and added a nuttiness to the soup that I loved. The cabbage was crunchy, there was enough noodle to give me something to gnaw on - it's a winner! Soup 1, Dani 0.

La Dolce Vegan Challenge: Cumin Spiced Brown Rice

2011-09-12T21:26:00.005-07:00

I'm glad tonight's recipe was an easy one, Cumin Spiced Brown Rice (p. 190), because I've had a doozy of a day. Work to do, meetings to attend, rehearsal, and I taped an interview with Dotto Tech about some current copyright lawsuits in the news. When I finally walked in the door, it was 8:30 and the last thing I felt like doing was cooking. But, here I am - challenge complete for the day. I threw a zucchini and some carrots from my weekly veggie box in a frying pan along with some Bragg's 24-spice mix while the rice was cooking, reheated some refried beans, and that's dinner. Oh, and there are fresh blackberries for dessert. Beats take-away by a mile.

La Dolce Vegan Challenge: Karen's Mexican Burrito Pie.

2011-09-12T07:58:00.004-07:00

OK, Burrito anything is always a win with me, and Karen's Mexico Burrito Pie (p.157) was no exception. Easy to make - mush some avocado with some faux sour cream, mush some beans with salsa, layer with tortillas and soy cheese - and unfortunately even easier to eat. I'll definitely make this one again. I might reduce the amount of pickled japalenos though - the recipe called for two tablespoons, chopped, and that means a vera vera spicy pie!

My tortillas didn't quite fit my pie pan, so you got a glimpse of delicious piiiiie filling around the edges.

Pie. Salsa. Eat. Try not to repeat.

10 Years Later.

2011-09-10T21:11:00.005-07:00

It's hard to believe that 10 years have passed since September 11, 2001. Hardly a day goes by still where you don't hear some mention of "9/11" - it has become such a pivotal moment in our political and cultural history. But the word "history" is somehow inaccurate - the wound still feels fresh.

I remember exactly how and when I found out. I awoke alone, in my new apartment on Vancouver Street in Victoria, to CBC Radio, as always. It was 7:00 a.m. The sun was streaming in the bedroom window. As I yawned and stretched, I heard Cecilia Walters say gravely, "The United States is under attack." I was confused, and looked at my alarm clock to see what time it was - this was supposed to be the news, wasn't it, not some dramatic re-enactment? All too quickly I realized it was the news, and shot out of bed, looking for somewhere, anywhere to go, to hide. I suddenly felt like I was under attack, that Victoria could be next, that nowhere was safe. Inexplicably, I immediately felt like I was being watched, that an unknown enemy was somehow tracking my every move, and I couldn't shake that feeling for some time.

I called my parents at home, and they told me they had just watched the second tower fall live on television. I don't remember much of the conversation after that. I remember getting dressed slowly. I unpacked a new pair of tights, and thought, "People couldn't get these in wartime. I'm going to know what it feels like to live through a war now."

I had to head to UVic, where I was in my first week of my first year of law school. I didn't want to go, but I didn't know what else to do. I remember listening to CBC on my old AM/FM Walkman, walking to the bus at the corner of Fort and Cook, getting on wordlessly, and riding in a daze to campus, wondering if another attack would happen at any minute. Maybe it would be here. Who knew? In the Students' Lounge, I found a group of students huddled around a radio they had taken from Maria, who ran the sandwich shop. I joined the throng and we sat there, silent - the pontificating at which law students excel came much later.

When class convened a few minutes later, our professor, Hamar Foster, had the good sense not to try to teach. I can't remember what he said to us that day, but I remember that it was wise, and reassuring, and it made me feel better.

Later that afternoon I went home to my parents' house. I didn't want to be alone, and I wanted to see the television coverage. Later that night I wished I hadn't seen it - the truth was more horrific than I had even imagined, listening to the radio - and the networks played the footage of the towers collapsing over and over again. It somehow became meaningless and obscene all at the same time. Nevertheless, I remember lying on the carpet in front of the family room TV for hours that night, transfixed.

And what happened on September 12, 2001? I can't remember a thing.

La Dolce Vegan Challenge: Chocolate Espresso Cake with Chocolate Glaze

2011-09-10T20:56:00.006-07:00

So, I have to admit, I have yet to make a cake from one of Sarah Kramer's books that has turned out well. Muffins? You betcha. Breads? Oh man, the banana bread from How It All Vegan is the best ever. But cakes? Yeah, they've never really turned out for me. This Espresso Cake (p.247) with Chocolate Glaze (p.260) looks pretty, but it was a bit of a dud, I gotta say. I couldn't taste the espresso in the cake at all, the cake was heavy in texture, and the glaze tasted more like margarine than chocolate. Fail. Since I'm gonna have to do every recipe in the book, hopefully I'll find a cake I can successfully make...but this one wasn't it.

Unglazed prettiness.

Melty glaze.

Purdy sprinkles.

La Dolce Vegan Challenge: Noodle Salad with Spicy Nut Dressing

2011-09-09T18:59:00.003-07:00

Ugh. My seasonal allergies are at their absolute worst right now, and today I took a new allergy medicine that I did not react well to - I ended up sleeping most of the day (including the 6.7 earthquake that hit the area), and it was not a good sleep, one of those tortured sleeps where you dream you can't wake up. I feel awful now. Anyways, I had to drag my butt out of bed to make today's recipe, Noodle Salad with Spicy Nut Dressing (p. 81). I didn't have the sui choy, fresh cilantro or rice noodles that were called for on hand, so I went downstairs to my local grocery store. NO sui choy - no surprise there - so I used organic cabbage instead. Also, weirdly, NO fresh cilantro. When I inquired, the produce guy said with amazement that there had been a run on cilantro earlier in the day. I guess there's maybe more people doing this challenge than we thought?

La Dolce Vegan Challenge: Baby Spinach & Apple Salad

2011-09-08T21:23:00.002-07:00

Tonight I started rehearsals for my new show, "A Funny Thing Happened On The Way to the Forum," (yes I'm doing it again) and I had a panicky feeling all day about how I was going to balance work, rehearsals and this challenge. However, today all the stars aligned to make it as easy as possible on me.

The recipe for today was Baby Spinach & Apple Salad with Sweet Red Wine Vinaigrette (p.77). As it happened, today my weekly delivery of organic vegetables from Green Earth Organics arrived. And guess what? There was a bag of baby spinach in the bin! And gala apples! And, since I'm a nerd, I always have toasted pine nuts on hand. So, all I had to do was reach into my pantry, pull out my raisins, vinegars and oils, put together the dressing, and voila. It was dinner time.

Thank you, challenge gods, thank you.

OK, time now for Big Brother!

I am not an eco-tourist.

2011-09-07T20:57:00.005-07:00

On my recent trip to Mexico, Kate, Theo and I decided we wanted to visit some Mayan ruins. Near the Maya Riviera there are three sites: Chichenitza, the iconic pyramid named one of the seven wonders of the world; Tulum, the old Mayan seaport; and Koba, which features many different ruins, including a pyramid that can still be climbed by tourists. Based on advice we had been given, we chose to see Koba. Cathy bowed out, having been there before, and opted to spend the day at our resort on the beach with her book. Us three remaining amigos opted to do a trip called "Koba Mayan Encounter," which featured a tour of the ruins, lunch in a Mayan village, and an afternoon splashing in cinotes (underground freshwater caves), ziplining and kayaking.

A few days before our excursion we had visited the town of Playa del Carmen and, um, Wal-Mart, where I had picked up watershoes and a rashguard for our snorkeling adventures at Xel-Ha, which had been more like Disneyland than an ecological preserve, with beautiful paved paths and hammocks and recliners spaced along the shoreline. I (wrongly, as you will see) assumed our Mayan Encounter would be along the same lines, an easy day of fun in the sun. I jokingly referred to my ensemble of rashie, watershoes and bikini as my "Adventure Dani" uniform and insisted that the gang also refer to me as such.

Our day started at 7:15 a.m. Kate, Theo and I had just enough time to shove a quick breakfast down our throats before racing for the van that picked us up. Our guide's name was Carlos, although he inexplicably referred to himself as Charlie quite a lot, as if our poor North American tongues couldn't pronounce Carlos. There were two Canadian girls already in the van, and we made our way along the highway to pick up tourists at other resorts. Then, inexplicably, Carlos took us to his house. He explained that he had backpacks to give to the students at the Mayan village's new school, but also picked up his girlfriend (of, we're guessing, around 4 days), a Polish girl who I'm still not convinced knew (a) who Carlos was; (b) where she was; or (c) who we were. He also brought his dog to show us and asked if she could come along on the trip. All of the van's occupants were in favour with the exception of an American woman who pronounced herself "anti-animal" and asked that he take the dog away. Anti-animal? What does that even mean? My only consolation was that when we eventually arrived at the Mayan village, the almost feral village dogs flocked to her and wouldn't leave her alone. I would have rather had the dog than the Polish girlfriend.

Anyway, by 8 am we were on the road, and instead of letting us tired, tired tourists sleep, Carlos insisted on playing loud Mexican trance music for the two hour trip to Koba, occasionally pumping his fist and asking us if we were ready for fun. I fell asleep very quickly, fortunately, and awoke only as we arrived at Koba. The parking lot in front of the site was crammed with tourist shacks. We parked in front of one that had a sign proudly proclaiming that its banos featured toilet seats. That was my first sign that I wasn't in all-inclusive Kansas anymore.

Our tour joined up with another tour from the same company for the walk around Koba. The tourguide gave us a very extensive history of the old Mayan city as we stood, alternately sweating in the sun, or being eaten alive by bugs in the shade of the jungle. Midway through her spiel about a certain site, a young man, either Canadian or American, but definitely a citizen of Doucheville, wearing Vibram five finger shoes, interrupted her rudely to say impatiently, "Yes, but what is this for? Can I climb on it?" Charming.

By the time the tourguide had finished her explanations, in both Spanish and English, we had only 40 minutes to walk the 2 kilometers to the largest pyramid, climb it (Mayan stairclimber!), climb down, and walk the 2 kilometers back. You could opt to rent a bike, or take a "Mayan limousine" (where a poor Mayan fellow pushes you on a tuktuk up the dirt path), but the three amigos, also being cheap amigos, decided to hoof it through the jungle. When we got to the pyramid I realized that if I climbed up, my fear of heights would leave me stuck at the top like some kind of modern Mayan sacrifice, to be eventually eaten by vultures, so I opted to watch while Kate and Theo motored to the top, and then turned to walk back through the jungle at a more leisurely pace. My peaceful stroll was interrupted by a woman from the other tour who motored by on a bike and asked me "if this was the way to the pyramid you can climb on." She was with her daughter and I assumed she was talking to her, not me, so I didn't respond. The woman circled back around to glare at me and say "Thanks for answering, bitch." At that point I christened her "She-Douche."

Around noon, our bus headed out of Koba to bump along a dirt track road to the Mayan village. We assumed that we would be served our "authentic Mayan lunch" when we reached the village, a collection of huts, each featuring a huge satellite dish. Instead, Carlos led us into the jungle, where we hiked through mud and across rocks for about forty minutes, to reach the cinote.

"I didn't know there would be hiking," I grumbled as my watershoes slipped and slid on the rocks and mud. I couldn't grab a tree for balance as Carlos had told us that many of them would be poisonous, or containing poisoning snakes, and to keep our hands to ourselves. Great.

When we finally reached the cinote we were greeted by a Mayan shaman who asked us to hold hands as he performed a Mayan blessing. I couldn't concentrate as I had sweat running into my eyes and couldn't wipe my face because I was holding Theo and Carlos' hands and wished Mr. Shaman would get to the point already as he blessed us, each of our countries, and a bunch of other things I didn't catch.

1:30 pm: Time for the cinote. I buckled a rappelling harness around my waist but found the leg holes were too wee for my legs. One of the Mayan men helping us looked at me, looked at his colleague, and instructed him to fetch the "mucho grande" harness. Great. Adventure Dani was reduced, or rather enlarged, to "Mucho Grande." Eventually I was buckled into my elephant harness and we approached the opening to the cinote, which had short ladders on each side. I peered down into the cave, which appeared to be about 10 feet underground, and thought, "That's nice that they're so safety conscious that they want us to rappel instead of using ladders. I feel better about this now." Kate and Theo went down before me, kissing for the "Mayan paparazzi" accompanying us on our trip, and then I positioned myself to head down into the cave to join them. On the last rung of the ladder I tentatively pushed off, hanging in space, and immediately began spinning.

"Oh no," Carlos laughed. "You're like a human pinata." A Mucho Grande human pinata, I thought grimly, and I began releasing my rope quickly to descend into the cave. As I lowered myself, I looked down at Kate and Theo, and realized how far away they were. This wasn't a 10 foot rappel - this was more like 100 feet. As I realized how high up I was and how far I had to slide on my rope, I began shrieking, awakening the bats in the cinote which began circling around me as I descended.

Finally I reached the water and a guide lowered me into an innertube, unhooked my carabiner, and pushed me off into the cool water. The inside of the cinote was cool, filled with fresh water and teeming with fish. For the first time since we had left the resort I cooled off, and splashed happily in the water, until I looked up at the opening to the cinote and thought, "How the hell am I going to get out of here?"

The answer was, much the same as how I got in. I was attached to the rope and jerkily hauled to the surface, shrieking the whole way. My only consolation was that some people chickened out completely and wouldn't even go down into the cave. Mucho Grande conquered her fears.

By the time we all got out of the cinote it was around 2, and 7 hours since we'd eaten. We were all dehydrated and starving, and hoped lunch was next on the agenda, but no, we were off hiking through the jungle in our harnesses to the zipline, which was strung over a crocodile pond. I'm not kidding. There were crocs in that there water. We could see them.

I had never ziplined before. I was so tired, hot and hungry at this point that I just wanted it over with and marched to the front of the line boldly. I lost my courage as Carlos clicked me onto the line.

"Are you sure?" I asked him, meaning, "Are you sure those two little pieces of metal will hold me on this tiny line and that I won't fall to my death in the crocodile pit?"

"I'm sure," said Carlos. So off I went, walking off the cliff and zipping over the pond. It was really quite fun, I thought to myself halfway across, until I looked at where I was going and worried how I would stop without running into the tree at the end of the track. So my shrieks of excitement turned to terror and I closed my eyes for the last half, sure I was about to meet my death by tree-collision. Somehow I stopped, however, and I was relieved to take off my Mucho Grande harness and watch Kate and Theo zip across (Kate yelled "Hoooolllaa Senoorrrrrr" at the crocodile as she passed).

Finally? Is it lunchtime? Yes, it is, says Carlos, and off we marched again through the jungle, with Carlos gallantly leading his Polish lady-love by the hand and the rest of us trailing along behind.

2:30 p.m. Lunchtime? Non non non amigos. Carlos may have said lunchtime, but he meant, "time to canoe." So Theo, Kate and I reluctantly climbed into a canoe, and pushed off. At this point I felt like I was in bootcamp, what with all the marching and activity and lack of nourishment. The only redeeming part of our canoe trip was the three of us singing "The Log Driver's Waltz" and "La Bamba" in three-part harmony, which not one person in another canoe batted an eyelash at. Carlos stood in a canoe and paddled his "girlfriend" around like he was a gondolier in Venice.

3:00 p.m. Yes. Lunchtime. After being forced to take group photos on the dock for the Mayan paparazzi. Lunch was a buffet-style meal served in a thatch hut and it was delicious. No, really. Except for the bugs and stuff, lunch was delightful, with homemade tortillas, black beans and empanadas, and hibiscus tea. We ate ravenously as if we'd been starved for days.

Then it was time for us to present the backpacks Carlos had brought to the village kids, which seemed a little staged - it made me uncomfortable, although I can't tell you why - it just felt like developing world voyeurism or something, benevolently handing out backpacks to these children who had nothing as if we had bought and paid for them, which we definitely had not. What made me even more uncomfortable was She-Douche grandly giving her daughter one peso coins to hand out to the "poor" children who were her daughter's own age, while her daughter clutched an ice cream that none of the Mayan kids were even allowed near. At this point I was ready to go.

And go we did, after we were marched through the gift shop to look at the pictures the Mayan paparazzi had taken (US$15 a pop), and forced to drink tequila toasts to our marvellous day. I was hot, sweaty, muddy, and exhausted and ready to head back to my hammock on the beach. Instead I got a two hour drive back in the van, with Carlos playing Mexican metal music, and a field trip to a gas station in Playa del Carmen where for some reason we all had to exit the van ("it's the law that no tourists can be in a car while it's being gassed up" - huh?). I wandered into the cool of the air-conditioned convenience store but had to make a run for it when I saw the van start to pull away. No way was I being left behind in an Oxxo station.

Adventure Dani and her trusty companions arrived back at the resort about 13 hours after their ordeal had begun, where Cathy was waiting in the lobby. I hugged her, saying pitifully, "hold me," and she marched me back to our suite so I could shower before dinner, laughing as I told her how muddy and bug-ridden my day had been.

Moral of the story? Adventure Dani only likes adventures without mud, tarantulas (oh yeah, did I mention those?), and Mucho Grande harnesses, and where food, toilets with seats and water are all readily available.

La Dolce Vegan Challenge: Almost Caught Up

2011-09-07T19:35:00.004-07:00

Today's recipe was Blueberry Dilip (p. 228), a sort of blueberry upside-down cake. Given that I can whip desserts together in record time, I used the opportunity to play catch-up on the recipes I missed while in Mexico, and also made the Portobello Pot Pie (p. 168) with All Purpose Vegan Crust (p. 262). At this point I'm only one recipe behind (phew), Simple Leek and Vegetable Soup, which I hope to make sometime later this week.

Portobello Pot Pie and All-Purpose Vegan Crust

I've never been a big fan of savoury pies, despite my love of all other pie-related deliciousness (right, Acme Cafe?). I've blogged about making pies here before, and also about my dad's imperious pie-condescension. He thinks he makes the meanest crust around, using my Nana Elaine's recipe, and it's very good, it's true; however he doesn't appreciate it when other people (i.e., me) try to usurp the crown as family Pie Lord. But - a challenge is a challenge and so I set to work.

The vegan pie crust has to be made in advance and chilled for at least an hour. This recipe used a food processor which definitely cut down on the time spent cutting the margarine into the flour. However, it didn't get very "doughy" - it remained kind of globby and sticky, but I wrapped it up in plastic, threw it in the fridge, and hoped for the best. In the meantime, I peeled and chopped the mushrooms, onions, potatoes, celery and carrots that went into the pie filling. The flavouring was really simple - thyme, sage, and tamari, for which I substituted Bragg's Liquid Aminos. The filling was very very easy and quick to make, the sauce thickened up easily, and soon it was time to see how well this pie crust was going to roll out.

The answer is, not at all. Despite flouring up my cutting board and my rolling pin, the dough was still sticky and batter-like despite chilling for a good few hours in the fridge. I added a little flour, to no end, and ended up having to take globs of dough, stretch them by hand, and laying them patchwork-style on top of the pie filling. It got the job done, but it looked horrible, and my dreams of beautifully forked edges and a cute little leaf cut out on top were dashed. However, it still looked like a pie and I threw it in the oven for the 25 minutes required.

At the 25 minute mark, the dough still felt, well, doughy, and hadn't browned at all, and so I baked the thing for another 10 minutes. The dough baked up well enough but still didn't brown, but I decided to take it out anyway as I didn't want to risk burning the pie filling.

It looks awful, but it held together well and didn't taste half-bad.

Despite the awful looking top, the pie was delicious. The crust was just short enough - flaky but not tough - and the simple flavours of the pie didn't overpower the taste of the vegetables. I loved it! Gotta work on that crust though - I wouldn't serve tonight's pie to company, it looked like Frankenpie.

An offering to our guru.

Blueberry Dilip

Blueberry Dilip is described in the book as "not quite a crumble, not quite a crisp." I'd describe it more as an upside-down cake, as the batter goes in first, followed by the blueberries. I love blueberries but have some amazing looking blackberries in my fridge that I was dying to substitute - but I didn't (sigh), in the name of the challenge. Next time, Dilip, next time.

This was so, so, SO easy to make. I think it took 10 minutes, tops, although it had to bake for almost an hour. The recipe called for 4 cups of blueberries, and I used almost 5 (in order to use up the remaining berries I had), and the recipe didn't seem to hurt for it.

Berrytastic.

The Dilip was Dilip-icious. The berries had a delightful gingery taste (which was blended with the berries and sugar before being placed on top of the batter) - not too much, just a hint, which worked well with the blueberry flavour. The batter part was cakey and moist, and I enjoyed it more than a crumble topping. I will definitely be making this one again...with blackberries. Mwahahahaa...

La Dolce Vegan Blog Challenge: Catching Up

2011-09-06T21:17:00.010-07:00

I'm back from my amazing trip to Mexico with Cathy, Kate and Theo (more on that later). Today was spent catching up on work and catching up on cooking. Before I left, I agreed to participate in a challenge being sponsored by the Vegan Culinary Institute, where several bloggers will cook their way through Sarah Kramer's La Dolce Vegan cookbook. We were given a set of recipes to follow for the next (gulp) nine months. I came home to find that I was six (!) recipes behind the rest of the bloggers, according to the Institute's itinerary, and so today I got to work. I'm not completely caught up, but I did manage to get through four of the six I missed. Sorry some of the photos are messed up; my iPhone appears to have contracted a case of Montezuma's Revenge while in Mexico.

Gerry's Artichoke Heart and Basil Pasta (p. 132)

This recipe was so easy and pretty fool-proof, and especially quick since I'm nerdy and have things like pre-toasted pine nuts on hand. It's hard to go wrong with the combo of fresh tomatoes and basil, although I think next time I would double the tomato (it only called for one fresh tomato, chopped), or I might choose to go with my absolute favourite, cherry tomatoes. I used the rice pasta I had on hand, and this meal was divine, and more than enough for two servings (hooray leftovers).

Nom nom nom - love fresh basil so much.

No-Salt Shaker (p. 303)

I'm a huge fan of Bragg's Organic Sprinkle as an alternative to salt - it contains 24 herbs and spices - so I'm not sure how this relatively simple herb mix is going to compare (I haven't used it yet). I did feel smug as I spooned the spices into the Mason Jar I'm using to store the mix, as I had every single spice called for in the recipe...except celery seed. Gah. I knew I was going to have to trot downstairs to Nester's at some point during today's cook-a-palooza. I mean, I even had dry mustard. Who just has dry mustard hanging around in their pantry, I ask you? Me, that's who.

Just a touch of this and a dash o' that.

Wolffie's Banana Blueberry Muffins (p. 274)

Any excuse to use fresh local blueberries is OK by me. This recipe asks you to blend the "wet" ingredients (banana, molasses, vanilla) in a food processor, which was fine - except for some reason my banana would. not. blend. I sat there pulsing that damn food processor for way longer than what I would deem necessary. I also found that the ratio of wet to dry ingredients seemed a bit off - I felt like I had to mix and mix and mix to saturate all the dry ingredients, which is a big no-no with muffins, which should be "just mixed." However, they seem to have come out alright and the kitchen smelled absolutely delightful while they were baking - molasses are great for that. I'm looking forward to eating one of these for breakfast tomorrow.

Tiny photo, ginormous muffins.

Estrellasoap.com Peanut Butter Fudge Mounds (p. 208)

Ohhhh, man. These lil' puppies are dangerous - sugar, cocoa, margarine, peanut butter, oats. Hot damn. I am a huge fan of Reese's - well, anything, and these yummy treats give you just enough of that taste of peanut butter and chocolate. After forming them you have to refrigerate them for at least an hour - I did two, and still found they were a little moist and sticky when I went to transfer them to a tin container (to be stored in the fridge). But hey, lookit, I ain't complainin' - I ate two already.

Oh yes I did.

Notes from the Neighbourhood.

2011-08-16T22:24:00.006-07:00

My friend Brandy and I went to see a movie tonight at Tinseltown. Afterwards, I walked her to her bus at Pender and Abbott, and then turned for home. As I waited at the crosswalk for the light to change, an old neighbourhood veteran in a shabby suit, with a glass eye (no lie) and unkempt beard, carrying two liquor store bags, walked up and stood beside me.

"Have you had a good day?" he asked me cordially, as we waited.

"I did have a good day," I replied. "Did you?"

"Well, I didn't get to sleep until 4 am last night," he said.

"Me either," I exclaimed. "I didn't fall asleep until 5!"

"Well, at least it didn't rain today. It was supposed to rain, you know." I nodded.

The old man shuffled a little closer, and whispered conspiratorially, "And look at what I got today," pulling a CIBC Visa card out of his pocket.

"Well, be careful with that," I said. "Make sure you don't max it out. You have to pay that all back."

"I already did max it out," he said, holding up his liquor bags. "Canadian Tire, they gave me one too. $2000 limit. I maxed it out in a day." He showed me the liquor in his bags - several bottles of expensive scotch, and Hennessy. A lot of it.

"I prefer Remy Martin," he said grandly, rattling off some rare vintage. "But that costs over $2000 a bottle. I go through a bottle every day. Now, let me take you to McDonalds' and buy you whatever you want. I've got plastic."

I declined politely, and he shrugged and walked me the rest of the way home, nattering to me about all his credit cards, how he spent all the money on them, how it was "his" money to spend, and he didn't care that collection agencies were after him. I didn't quite know how to respond. I simply listened, and when we got to my door, he gave me a hug.

"You take care now," I said. It was all I could think of to say.

"You have a good night," he replied, and walked away into the night, his bottles clinking.

Vegan Baking Challenge: Dark Chocolate Chip Cranberry Cookies

2011-08-10T20:56:00.002-07:00

I'm trying to stay awake until a decent hour tonight, so I can get a night's uninterrupted (and Gravol free) sleep. My house is clean, the laundry is done, I've already worked out once today, and what's playing on CBC Radio One right now is boring so...I bake.

Ingredients
1 3/4 cups flour (I used Bob's Red Mill GF All Purpose Baking Flour)
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar
1/3 cup canola oil
1 Tablespoon flax meal (I have about 4 giant bags of this in my fridge I'm trying to use up)
1/3 cup almond milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
3/4 cup chocolate chips
1/4 cup dried cranberries

Directions

Sift together flour, baking soda and salt.

In a small mixing bowl, whisk together flax meal and almond milk. Add sugar and stir, add oil and vanilla and whisk.

Mix wet ingredients into dry, fold in chocolate chips and cranberries.

Drop batter by the tablespoon onto ungreased baking sheets.

Bake at 375F for 12 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool for a bit (5 minutes). Using a spatula, put them on a cooling rack or plate to cool the rest of the way.

Talk About Grace Under Pressure.

2011-08-10T14:40:00.002-07:00

This is Tariq Jahan. His son, Harun, 21, was one of three men who were run down in Birmingham last night while trying to protect their car wash business. Really, is there anyone who can deny this man his request? Go home, people. Go home.

Vegan Cooking Challenge: Potato Scallion Pancake, Mustard Hoisin Tofu, Orange Scented Broccoli

2011-08-09T18:42:00.004-07:00

As I mentioned in an earlier post, I'm trying to reduce my reliance on animal products and reduce my intake of naughty foods - I'm hoping that both will be helpful in treating my PCOS (polycystic ovarian syndrome), a metabolic and hormonal disorder that I'm attempting to tackle.

In my research, I came across a book by Isa Chandra Moskowitz called Appetite for Reduction, a cookbook of low-fat vegan recipes that she developed after being diagnosed with PCOS herself. After reading some great reviews, I ordered the book on Amazon and it arrived yesterday. First up: Potato Scallion Pancakes (p.61), Orange Scented Broccoli (p.100) and Hoisin-Mustard Tofu (p.153). While it took slightly longer than one of Jamie Oliver's "Meals in Minutes" challenges, the three dishes took way under an hour to cook, and featured mostly fresh veggies and spices - very little oil, and only a smidge of soy sauce and mustard. And boy, was it flavourful.

The Potato Scallion Pancakes fell apart a little when I took them off their baking sheet - I think if I had made them slightly smaller that might have been avoided. Also, both the broccoli and the tofu recipes called for mirin, which I don't usually have just lying around - so I used white wine, which seemed to be a fine substitute. I'm noticing that vegan cooking requires its own plethora of condiments that I am gradually going to need to fill my cupboard with: these recipes called for sesame oil (both toasted and not) and panko...all things I don't normally have kicking around in my pantry.

Overall, I'd give this menu an A-. The Asian flavours were authentic, and the meal was hearty, although I kinda missed fried rice - there's a recipe in the book for "Unfried Rice" that I might need to try next time.

Appetite for Reduction by Isa Chandra Moskowitz is published by Da Capo Press.

A Pride Virgin No Longer

2011-08-01T23:33:00.007-07:00

I know it's hard to believe, since I'm basically a drag queen trapped in a straight woman's body, but I have never been to Pride in any city I've lived in - until yesterday. I popped my Pride cherry in a big way by dancing on Fighting Chance Productions' float to promote their latest show, bare: a pop opera (which I've been blogging about here), a drama about two private school boys' torrid love affair.

Because bare takes place in a Catholic school, our costume direction was to dress like school kids. I jazzed up my black skirt and white button down shirt with a red bra, pink flower belt, purple hair flower, and of course, my beautiful 5 inch lilac stiletto motorcycle boots from John Fluevog.

It looked like it was going to rain, but as we gathered in the staging area at Burrard and Robson, the sun miraculously came out (pun intended). Slowly we started to make our way down the parade route, show tunes blasting from our float as we danced (on and off the float) and handed out promo cards for bare to the cheering, dancing, costumed (or naked) crowd. I danced and sang the whoooole way - from Burrard and Robson to Pacific and Bute. That may not seem very far, but it is when you're shakin' your bootie in heels. We were pretty much all sweaty messes by the time we got to the end of the parade route. The poor kids from the bare cast had to go right to a sitzprobe and run-through, while my friend Brandy and I had the luxury of heading for the festival at Sunset Beach for treats and a sit-down.

I loved the atmosphere at Pride. There were all nature of people there: LGBT, not, old, young - it really felt like an all-inclusive festival. This made me wonder how the LGBT crowd felt about the fact that their day had become co-opted by the wider community as a day of celebration, but honestly, I was happy to be a part of it. It felt like we were all celebrating our right to be individuals - and isn't that what it's all about? Now if we could just put that idea of universal acceptance into practice everyday, in all aspects of our lives... think how awesome (and sexy) the world would be if every day was Pride day.

Waiting in the staging area to begin. We realized when we got together in a big group that we kinda looked like we were the ensemble from The Book of Mormon, not Catholic school kids.

Waiting to go...we waited a long time.

Mr. Ryan Mooney and the incomparable Jenn Suratos.

Me n' Arielle Tuliao

Balloons on our float.

God bless Hal Rogers.

My favourite float - for an outdoors camp. A sign on the Boler read "Get your woody serviced here."

Another reason to love my bank.

Victoria Visits: Beacon Hill Park

2011-08-01T23:17:00.004-07:00

On my last day in Victoria, Alex and I picked up some takeaway from Foo (Pad Thai for Al, Lentil Dahl for me) and headed to Beacon Hill for a picnic.

In my eight years away from Victoria (!), I'd almost forgotten about the peacocks that roam the park freely:

Seeing this peacock made me recall a walk I took, long ago, through James Bay. I was alone on a side street, not too far from the park, when a peacock came ambling up the sidewalk towards me. At a certain house, it turned, pushed open the gate, and walked up the path towards the house. I guess it was expected for tea or something.

Alex has a reputation as a bit of a cat whisperer - he can get any cat to adore him within seconds. He tried, but I can't say the same magic happened between him and this peacock.

We sat underneath this tree to eat our picnic. I got to spend time with my brother, and the sun had finally come out and it felt like summer. That makes this tree one of my most special places.

Victoria Visits: Nourish Garden Bistro

2011-08-01T22:43:00.010-07:00

I spent a few days in Victoria this week, hanging out with my brother Alex. He and my sister-in-law Laura had asked me to come over to help them pick out some decor for their house in the Cook Street village and I was more than happy to oblige - my brother is one of my most favourite people in the world and I'm always happy to have an excuse to spend time with him. Also - shopping with other people's money?! Well, I'm happy to do that too.

I headed over on the ferry early Wednesday morning, and Alex and I immediately started our rounds of shops: Urban Barn, Homesense, Nood - anywhere that carried *stuff* really, including the Maritime Museum in Bastion Square, where we satisfied Al's craving for an antique map of some kind to hang in his office.

We also satisfied my craving for yumminess by visiting Nourish Garden Bistro ("Local! Wholesome! Yummy!) at the Glendale Gardens. My friend Mike had given me an excellent review of the place, and even though it was a little out of the way, I was eager to try it, as it's vegan and GF friendly.

We were immediately charmed by the decor, set in the grounds of the gardens in a little annex covered with plants and flowers:

"Secret Garden" entrance to Nourish.

Repurposed barbecue.

The menu at Nourish is small, local and seasonal. Alex and I both ordered gluten-free wraps - Al had a chicken sausage wrap, and I had "Summer in a Sari," which features hummus, apples and veggies (the original comes with goat cheese, too, which I omitted). Both came with enormous fresh salads, and the wraps themselves were amazing! GF breads can be hit and miss, but we both agreed we'd be happy to take home the wraps plain for our own cupboards, they were so good.

Part of Nourish's charm comes from its unique locale, set in the middle of Glendale Gardens. It is pastoral and serene - almost too serene for this Gastown girl - I could hear myself chew, it was so quiet!

The view from Nourish's patio dining area.

The view from Nourish into the Glendale Gardens. Even on a cloudy day it's pretty spectacular, non?

For dessert Alex and I took one of Nourish's GF brownies to go, as we needed to continue on our shopping mission. The staff asked us, repeatedly, if we only wanted one brownie, to the point where Al joked, "Ask me that again and we'll take two." We got in the car and took off, breaking the brownie out of its bag as we pulled out of the parking lot. We took one bite and looked at each other, laughed, and chorused, "Oh, sh*t." Let's just say, you don't want to share these brownies. Moist, delicious, amazing. We should've ordered two. Or a dozen.

You can visit Nourish's website here. They're open 10 - 4 Tuesday through Sunday, and definitely worth the trip out to Glendale Gardens.

A Reason to Get Up: Carrot Cake Pancakes

2011-07-20T11:36:00.004-07:00

I am not a good sleeper. Since I was a kid I've suffered with insomnia, and now that I set my own working hours, it's gotten even worse. Who cares if I don't fall asleep until 6 am? I can sleep until noon! Nap in the afternoon? Yes please! My sleep patterns are so off track it's gotten a bit ridiculous.

I resolved last night after another almost sleepless night, that I had to try to get back in sync with the rest of the world; I am not a hamster, I should not be sleeping all day. So, despite not falling asleep until 5:46 a.m. this morning, I set my alarm for 9:30 a.m. (still late for the "real world," I know) and determined that I was getting up, come hell or highwater.

It helps to have incentive. So, I decided to make these amazing vegan carrot cake pancakes, recipe courtesy of the Post Punk Kitchen:

This was a really good way to use up the carrots still left in my fridge before my new bin of organic produce comes tomorrow. I also substituted whole wheat flour for regular flour, and olive oil for canola oil - so my pancakes probably had an earthier, nuttier flavour, but they were still delish. And I served mine with sugar free syrup, to cut down on the sweetness. Still, the verdict is: AMAZING!

2 tablespoons ground flaxseeds
1 cup almond milk (or your fave non-dairy milk)
1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup water
1/4 cup pure maple syrup
2 tablespoons canola oil
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1 1/4 cups all purpose flour
2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon allspice

1 cup peeled grated carrot, about 6 ounces (Dani's note: I shredded these up in my little food processor - that was definitely the way to go.)

In a small mixing bowl, using a fork, beat the flax seeds together with the milk for about a minute. Add the vinegar, water, maple syrup, oil and vanilla. Mix well.

In a large bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, salt, and spices. Make a well in the center and add the wet ingredients. Mix with a wooden spoon just until combined. Fold in grated carrot. Let batter rest for at least 5 minutes.

Preheat a large non-stick pan over medium heat. Lightly coat pan with cooking spray or oil. Add batter in scant 1/4 cup scoops. I use an ice cream scooper for this and it works magically. Cook three at a time for about 4 minutes (or until the tops look mostly cooked), then flip and cook until lightly browned, 2 more minutes. (Dani's note: these take WAY longer to cook than what is provided for here. Don't turn up the heat, keep it at medium, but be prepared to cook each batch for at least 5 minutes EACH SIDE).

Keep on a plate covered with tin foil until ready to eat. Serve with pure maple syrup.

Meals in Minutes: Vegan Edition

2011-07-19T20:03:00.004-07:00

So at Casa Lemonata we're trying to cut down on our reliance on animal products, for various reasons: health, environment, love of the Curriecat. This week all dairy went out the door - sniff - goodbye, cheese! I'm trying to phase things out slowly, so I'm not setting myself up for failure. It would be an understatement to say I'm usually a "go big or go home" kind of girl, but I think a gradual transition might be the best way to succeed.

I've been a big fan and user of Sarah Kramer's vegan cookbooks for a long time, but they are coming in extra handy now. La Dolce Vegan focuses on easy recipes that can be thrown together in literally, minutes - and really, Sarah puts Jamie Oliver to shame in this department. Tonight's meal - "Cousin Natasha's Everything But the Kitchen Sink Vegetable Curry" (p. 140) took 20 minutes from start to finish, and helpfully used up all of the organic veggies in my fridge. I substituted celery for red pepper, and bok choy for spinach, but everything else (sweet potatoes, onions, zucchini, chickpeas, carrots, veggie stock, raisins, spices) was already on hand in my kitchen and ready to rock.

This is a SPICY dish though, kids - Sarah calls for a tablespoon of curry powder, and I think next time I would half that for a milder curry. I served this on brown rice, and it was awesome. And there were leftovers. Score.

La Dolce Vegan by Sarah Kramer is published by Arsenal Pulp Press.

Welcome to the Neighbourhood: The Juice Truck

2011-07-16T13:05:00.006-07:00

Over the past two years the City of Vancouver has launched a new street food program that has been bringing delicious eats to various parts of the city: The Re-Up BBQ, located near the Art Gallery, and Arturo Mexico to Go, at Canada Place, are two of my favourites. However, Gastown has, until now, not really been a beneficiary of the street food program the way other neighbourhoods have, which is a shame given the amount of food traffic down here, especially on weekends and evenings.

However, the corner of Abbott and Water have gotten considerably more exciting thanks to the arrival yesterday of the Juice Truck. Yesterday I stopped by while Juice Truckers Zach and Ryan were handing out free samples of their juices. I worked in a juice bar years ago, trained by the good folks who opened ReBar Modern Food in Victoria. I'm familiar with the carrot-apple-beet combo, the wheatgrass, and such. In fact, working in a juice bar kind of put me off juice for years, and awful places like Jugo Juice and Booster Juice that add sugar, ice cream and all sorts of not-good-for-you additives to their products really turned me off commercial juice. However, in the interests of being a friendly neighbour, I stopped by and tried a sample of the Juice Truck's Hybrid Smoothie: carrot-ginger juice with homemade almond milk, banana, and cinnamon.

Come rain, come shine, there is juice. In a truck.

The Hybrid.

Well hellooooooooo, Juice Truck! The juice was delicious, not too sweet, and the almond milk didn't mask the flavour of the carrots at all. I thought about that damn juice all day yesterday, and this morning, in a torrential downpour, I headed out to Abbott & Water for my fix.

This could be a problem.

Or is it? Juice Truck uses organic and where possible, local ingredients. They make their own almond milk. I didn't see a mention of ice cream, yogurt, or scary "power boosts" on their menu. Juice Truck's prices are in line with, or a little higher, than other juice bars or coffee shops - I paid $7.00 for a 16 oz smoothie - but that's a price I'm willing to pay for locally made, locally sourced juice.

Juice Truck, this might be the beginning of a beautiful friendship. Welcome to the neighbourhood. And thanks for not being the Donut Truck. That really would have been a problem.

Cute juice truck branding! Follow the Juice Truck on Twitter at @juicetruck.

New Fashion Favourite: Cherry Velvet

2011-07-13T22:07:00.004-07:00

This is why I love social media.

So I'm lying at home feeling very sick and sorry for myself last week, when I get randomly followed by @cherryvelvety, whose bio reads: "Retro inspired dresses tailored to the curvy fashionista."

Well. Retro? Tailored? Curvy?

I quickly clicked on their website and found Cherry Velvet Plus, maker of beautiful little summer dresses.

I immediately followed back and arranged to visit their studios on Railway Street the next day, nausea bedamned. When I spoke to the designer, Diane Kennedy, on the phone, she said she wasn't sure if they'd have anything small enough to fit me (something I hear so often), but to come in anyway. I was so excited, I felt better than I had in a week.

Whether I've been a Size 0 or a Size 16 (and I've been everything in between), I've always complained about the lack of beautiful, on-trend, figure flattering clothes for curvy women. We've got enough prejudices to navigate in this world, with people who think if you're chubby it means you're also lazy, overeating, unathletic, and a potato-chip lover, and feel it's OK to tell you this to your face (Really. People do this.) We already have to stare longingly at clothes in Vogue and realize we probably can't fit our boobs, let alone our hips, in them. We don't need to also be in tears every time we hit the shops and all we can find are muumuus, caftans, or items tailored to a senior citizen. It's a challenge, and one that I've always been passionate (slash angry) about.

Diane Kennedy's studios on Railway Street (just down the street from me - how local can you get?!) are chock-a-block full of her various lines. I was more than a little surprised to see Fashionista Extraordinaire Barb there, formerly of Bodacious fame, but was NOT surprised to hear that she was behind the marketing of this sweet little Cherry Velvet line. Diane found me a few things to try on in my size, and I was instantly in love:

I bought this dress, which is called "The Geisha," and another in a print called "Love Letters." Both are cotton, but different enough in terms of the print and fabric (the Geisha has a sheen to it that Love Letters does not which dresses it up quite a bit) to look and feel like very different dresses. The fit is absolutely flattering on the waist and the bust, with nips and darts in just the right places, and these dresses have POCKETS. They also just scream for crinolines, which I'm hoping to try with one soon. I felt like an absolute siren in these dresses.

Here's me (sans make-up and hair!) getting ready for my birthday party in my "Love Letter" dress - just so you can see how cute the print is, and the cute lace details around the neckline (bra showing as usual - good job, Danilemon). People asked me all night where my dress came from, and I felt like a million bucks (once I'd done my hair, thrown on some lipstick and tucked my bra away). Unfortunately I was too busy partying to take full-blown pictures, but I'll post some soon. These dresses are way too adorable to keep secret, although I did briefly contemplate keeping them a delicious secret all to myself...

Cherry Velvet's blog can be found here, and their online boutique is here. I cannot WAIT to see what they come up with for fall...

31.1/31.2

2011-07-13T08:58:00.014-07:00

I turned 31 two weeks ago and time seems to have sped up since then. I've been busy doing this n' that, so here is a quick update:

I travelled to Victoria on my birthday, June 29, to surprise my dad, who was being installed as the President of the Victoria Harbourside Rotary Club. This was a big deal for him and I was glad I could be there to share his special day, even if it meant being at the Union Club at an ungodly hour, as Rotary normally hold breakfast meetings.

Smiling president Rick Lemon, L, being congratulated by Troy Alexander, R.

Just a day later and it was off to Kelowna for my brother Alex and his lady-love Laura's wedding on July 2. It was a very small, family-only affair as these two aren't really into making big spectacles (I'm not sure how Alex can be related to me). We joked that after 10 years, Laura is really already part of the family so this was really just another "installation ceremony." I got to spend some great quality time before the wedding with my brother, drinking beer and blacking blackjack (that was our "stag night"), and even though the wedding was tiny, it had all those traditional wedding elements: tears, joy, romance, and cake. Alex and Laura are now off on a wonderful honeymoon at Disneyworld and the Bahamas. I got an ecstatic airport update a few days ago from the Junior Lemons that they were dining beside Geraldo Rivera and his glorious moustache, so really, doesn't that make it all worth it?

My beautiful Momma - we're on the ferry on our way to Kelowna for the wedding!

On our first day in Kelowna we found this - "Rick's Garden World." My Pop was ecstatic - if you've seen his gardens then you understand. I have a feeling this might be his Christmas card this year...

Me n' Al on our "stag night." We (OK, AL) made us some significant cash at the blackjack tables!

On our way to the ceremony - we are SO EXCITED!

My brother is a handsome groom.

The newlyweds.

Honeymooning in the Magic Kingdom.

While I was in Kelowna I also got to visit my cousin Kathy and her partner Nick at their new property. They have bought a few acres so that Kathy, who has been horse-crazy since birth, could bring her 3 horses home, and so that Nick, who has a love of all things mechanical, could have the garage of all garages. Their property is beautiful, with a log cabin home, space for more animals than they have (Nick wants to add a donkey and sheep to their menagerie), and amazing views.

Kathy with a trophy she just won for...err...Kath? Something about hacking? And a horse? I'm proud of you anyway!

One of the stunning views at Kathy and Nick's place.

I was miserably sick for the better part of a week after I got home from Kelowna, thanks to some new meds which a specialist had put me on to help me deal with some of my symptoms of Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS), a metabolic condition that has gifted me with, among other things, insulin resistance, weight gain, fatigue, anxiety, hormone surges, horrible PMS - lots of loveliness, in other words. However, the medications that the specialist put me on were horrible - I couldn't keep anything down - and after 6 days of being housebound, I decided there must be a better (i.e. medication free) and natural way for me to deal with my PCOS. Within three days of going off the medications, I felt back to my old self, and strong enough to host a wine and cheese to celebrate my belated birthday last Friday night.

Thanks to Les Amis du Fromage and Acme Cafe, my friends and I celebrated in wonderful style with various cheeses, charcuterie, and of course, lemon meringue pie. It was just the way I wanted to celebrate being "31-derful," with my friends from all walks of life getting together to enjoy some laughs and of course some cheese.

Last weekend was another whirlwind of family events. Saturday my mom and her 5 brothers and sisters were all in the same place for the first time in several years, and we had a family barbecue to celebrate. It meant I got to spend quality time with my godkids at the barbecue, and thankfully I left before the family waterfight broke out. Yikes. That night my parents and I attended a party on the roof of the Loden Hotel to celebrate my lovely Auntie Claire's 60th birthday party - another night of family, friends and food (are you noticing a theme to Year 31 so far?!)

Sunset at the Loden.

My lovely Auntie on her 60th.

This past Monday I spent house-hunting with my friend Cathy, who is looking to move downtown. We started out with the best of intentions, but our will to search kind of gave out as the day went on...we nipped in for a bagel at Solly's, then I remembered it was free Slurpee Day so of course, we had to get one of those, and then, well, we were hungry again, so we met our friend Caitlin at the Foundation on Main for vegetarian food...

OMG free Slurpees!

After a spontaneous afternoon tea with my friend Eliza at Nelson the Seagull (more on that place later!), I headed off last night to Theatre Under the Stars at the Malkin Bowl in Stanley Park to see the premiere of "Bye Bye Birdie" (picture below courtesy the beautiful Louisa Phung - I stole it from her FB page). It was a long night (3 hour running time), but a lovely one, running into lots of theatre friends and of course enjoying watching some of them hoof it onstage. TUTS is a great way to spend a summer evening.

We love you Conrad, oh yes we do...

So that's the first two weeks of 31-derful. Not bad, even with a sickness hiatus. Now if only the weather would cooperate so we could have a bit more summer; Vancouver has reverted to its normal cloudy, wet and grey status this morning...

Down n' Dirty on Alexander Street

2011-06-20T20:05:00.005-07:00

On Saturday I participated in a community gardening project on Alexander Street, sponsored by the Vancouver Public Space Network. We had agreed to show up rain or shine, but I have to admit, I was not pleased when I woke up that morning to grey skies and drizzle. Still, off I went, and really, it was a blast.

I had this vision of dancing around planting lovely flowers. Instead, I got this 10 cubic-yard pile of dirt, which we had to shovel.

Team Dirtpile: Anne, Caroline, and Brent.

I couldn't resist, unflattering photo bedamned.

We had to wheel our dirt over to where the city had cut away the sidewalk to make room for our garden.

The beautiful plants!

I can't wait to go back and see how our little plants are doing. We planted a number of raspberry bushes; does anyone know if they'll produce fruit this year? How amazing would that be?!

Some interviews I did during Riot Cleanup.

2011-06-17T09:33:00.001-07:00

Vancouver Sun interview can be read here.

KIRO-7 News (Seattle) interview can be watched here.

Riot 2011 Cleanup

2011-06-16T22:52:00.001-07:00

Riot 2011 Cleanup, a set on Flickr.

On Riots.

2011-06-16T22:16:00.005-07:00

It's hard to know exactly what to say about the awfulness that happened here in Vancouver last night. It's hard because I feel too much to articulate it intelligently: anger, shock, disappointment, disbelief, sadness, embarrassment, and fear at how thin our veneer of community and civilization appears to be.

Playoff hockey stresses me out to no end. I felt physically ill during all of Game 6, and so I made plans with my friends Caitlin, Cathy, Scott and Damon to see Stephen Sondheim's "Company" on the big screen at Tinseltown, at Abbott and Pender, during Game 7. I figured if we won I'd watch the highlights on replay, and if we lost, well - I wouldn't. It was a theatre full of girls n' gays - most of whom I knew - and I was thoroughly enjoying the show until my purse started vibrating from anxious text messages from my mom, who wanted to know where I was, that I was safe, and that I would avoid the areas where riots had already broken out and were being televised.

As we left the theatre, we began to be more and more aware of what had happened. We decided to walk as a convoy to my place, where Cathy would attempt to drive Scott and our friends Kate and Matthew home to the West End and Kits, as buses and taxis had stopped running (we didn't know that the Cambie, Granville and Burrard bridges were also closed at this point). Tinseltown is only two blocks from my house, so the walk was relatively quiet, although we could see cop cars barricading the streets to the west of us. We left poor Damon at the Stadium Skytrain, which I would never have done had I known that three cars were lit on fire within a block of the station. Luckily he made it onto a train and got home safe. Cathy and her group left, hoping to make a big loop around downtown, and Caitlin and I went up on the roof here at Woodwards to watch what was happening.

It was a slightly horrific sight. We watched lines of police in riot gear walk lock-step down streets in order to clear them. We could hear the recorded messages being blared from parked police cars warning people that this was an area of "unlawful assembly" and to leave the area or force would be used. We heard several loud explosions and saw flickers of fire from the Seymour and Pender area, where cars were set alight, and watched plumes of smoke rise from the Bay. Caitlin and I stood mostly in silence with my neighbours, shaking our heads and staring in disbelief at the police helicopters circling the city.

After Caitlin left (Carman, her husband, was somehow able to get down here to pick her up), it took a long time to fall asleep. I stayed up watching the surreal coverage on CBC and CTV, and then lay wide awake staring at the ceiling, listening to the persistent revelers who were still drinking and carousing in Gastown as if nothing had happened. I couldn't get over the unsettling thought that our city would transform into a war zone in the event of a natural disaster like an earthquake - that it would become every man for himself, with no peace or cooperation without heavy legal intervention. This unsettled me more than anything - is this the way Vancouver behaves in an emergency? If so, God help us.

This morning I woke up to a text from my friend Kate (one of my several Kates - I have a harem of them you know). We had plans for the day anyway - to make Mason Raymond a get-well card and compose some songs on my new tenor ukulele, Maklenko (traditional Hawaiian name, butchered by my dad). Instead, Kate was downtown by 8:30, picking up garbage as part of the clean up. I joined her at Pender and Richards by 10, and we walked up to Seymour to survey the damage at the Bay, which was extensive: remnants of burnt cars, windows smashed and boarded up, graffiti on the walls in Sharpie marker.

The graffiti bothered us the most. It all said some variation of "Fuck Boston," and we felt it wrongly associated hockey and Canuck fans with the atrocities of last night. We wanted it gone.

Now, I am my mother's daughter. I know my cleaning products. I was pretty damn sure that a combination of Mr. Clean Magic Eraser and SOS Pads would do the trick. Kate and I stocked up at London Drugs, and then attacked the wall. For the next five hours, we scrubbed, accompanied by a host of strangers: Katelynn, the darling girl who came equipped with her own Magic Eraser on her lunch break; Tim, who brought a broom and rag to reach the higher-up parts; Clay and Adam, two young guys who had been downtown last night and were unable to sleep after what they saw took place; Sheila, Brenda and Susan, who all joined us for various parts of the day and supplied us with SOS Pads, Magic Eraser and rubbing alcohol; Lee, who bought us extra cleaning supplies; Rachel and Danny, who joined us in the later part of the day, and Brian, who quickly commandeered his own pillar next door in order to get more cleaning done.

A number of media outlets came by to interview us, which was fine, I guess - as long as the story was not about the rioters and was about the community coming together, I was happy. The Re-Up BBQ came by and gave us delicious pulled pork sandwiches and iced tea for lunch. Several Bay employees came outside with tears in their eyes to thank us for cleaning their store, and gamely refilled our water buckets all afternoon, carting dirty water inside and emerging with fresh water whenever we needed it. Many strangers thanked us as they walked by, or stopped to sign the "Citizens' Wall" in Sharpie marker - the boarded up windows of the Bay had become a place for people to place messages of positivity or dismay at what had occurred. People approached us with donuts, Timbits, bottles of water, and burgers, just regular people who were grateful for what we were doing and wanted to show us their support. There were also annoying "disaster tourists" - people who came by to gawk, take pictures of us, and natter away at us about their "riot stories," before ambling off. These people annoyed me the most - the people that wanted to wallow in the negativity of what had happened, and shake their heads, without actually doing anything.

After five hours of cleaning, we had made good progress. We had removed all the graffiti from the marble portion of our column, and had gotten almost all of the words "Fuck Boston" off of the white, painted portion of the pillar. My hands were shriveled and red from hours of scrubbing and exposure to chemicals. My shoulder was sore from standing with arms outreached. At this point, there were so many people "helping" that it was almost comical. People would just walk up to various spots on our clean pillar, and without a word start wiping it with a cloth, or a sponge - cleaning what had already been cleaned several times - that I decided it was time to go. I'd done enough. What we were doing was becoming almost symbolic rather than useful. I took some pictures of the Citizens' Wall (which you can see on Flickr here) and ambled home, weary and still slightly shell-shocked.

I still don't know what to make of what has happened. I cannot take the safe view that this was an "isolated" incident fuelled by a handful of "anarchists." I've seen the photos. I know better. There were hundreds of people, seemingly ordinary people, who in one night destroyed my city's reputation and destroyed our sense of safe community. While I found some relief and comfort in the outpouring of community support today, I think it will take a long time for Vancouver to recover from this. And to all of those people who have remarked on Twitter and Facebook that they are "disgusted and ashamed to be from Vancouver," I'd say, put up or shut up. Put on a pair of gloves, get out there, and start scrubbing. Make an effort to make this a community you want to be a part of, and that you feel proud to belong to, not just today, but every day. Imagine what a fantastic place Vancouver would be if we all put our money where our mouth was and actively participated in building community. Imagine.

Weekend Update.

2011-06-12T22:09:00.007-07:00

Busy weekend - I couldn't figure out why I was so tired this evening, but looking back - I got a lot accomplished! No wonder I'm tuckered!

Friday night I performed at the Moveable Music School Coffeehouse with my friends Gil and Sarah Jaysmith. Gil and Sarah compose beautiful songs and recently asked me if I'd like to sing with them - silly Jaysmiths. When do I ever turn down an opportunity to sing? We did a four song set - Gil performed two solos, I did one, a great torch song called "Your Victim," and then Gil and I finished with a duet called "Walk with You" which went over really well - someone audibly said "wow" as the applause started. Hooray for us!

There were a number of other greats acts playing at the Moveable Music School:

"Hint of Lime" (named for the Tostitos). They play gypsy jazz and boss-nova type stuff.

Gary Cyr and Ron Usher - there was a lot of ukelele happening that night. At the intermission Gary strapped his uke onto me (no that's not a euphemism) and convinced me I needed to learn how to play. I think he's right. Ron invited me to the monthly ukelele circle that is happening this Tuesday - apparently it's like, 80 ukeleles in one place. MADNESS! I am so going.

The headliners, "Brighter Lights, Thicker Glasses." These dudes were AMAZING. Here they are playing a gypsy jazz version of a Bach tune - hence the wigs. They were very diverse. They played a bluegrass waltz that made me teary, a classical guitar piece inspired by a Spanish painting, and a gypsy jazz version of "Pump the Jam." Their encore? "The Sultans of Swing."

Yesterday I had a Zumba date with my friend Caitlin. Zumba is one of my new fitness loves - it's basically Latin dancing combined with interval training, and good God, is it a workout. It's also a hoot. Lots of smiling, sweating, shimmying, and shakin' your booty.

After Zumba, I headed out to my cousin Bob's house for some family time. Sal (sister to Bob, cousin to me) was in town and makin' dinner and I don't say no to free cousin dinners. Bob's kids are 5, 4 and almost 2 and they are absolutely precious to me. I played hockey with Owen, did puzzles with Sidney, and danced with Leah - pretty much all at the same time. Owen gave me the very precious gift of a sticker from his hockey sticker book, which is now proudly displayed on the front page of my Daytimer. Before Sid went to bed, she asked me when I could come back for a tea party. I told her I would work it out with her Mom, and Sidney told me she was free on the weekend - and that my "inviting letter" would be in the mail today. They just crack me up so much, these kids.

Today I managed to drag my butt out of bed by noon (!) to do a workout outside, as I didn't want to waste the sun, and then I headed to J Lounge in my old neighbourhood, the West End, where my friend Sabrina was hosting a Tony Awards cabaret. My friends Kate and Cathy were also performing at the cabaret and I got up to sing my favourite Barbra Streisand moment in an attempt to win beer - in Funny Girl, when Fanny's racing to meet Nicky and misses the boat, and heads out on tugboat through New York Harbour, and she's standing at the the bow, and she belts out "Hey Mr. Aaaaaarnsteeeeeein - heeeere IIIIIII aaaaaaaaaaaaam!" And she's wearing a fur hat and an orange dress and it's just fabulous. Sigh.

My friend Kate and her blow-up doll - performing at J Lounge. No, don't ask.

A nice leisurely stroll home to Gastown from the West End with my friend Damon, and now I'm really ready for bed. A busy week ahead, full of professional networking and social events, including the ukelele circle, a big-screen showing of Company (Sondheim!), a reunion with some Pearsonites, and a seawall walk-n-talk with Kate (minus the blow-up doll, I think). I don't know how I ever played the 9-to-5 game...