Saturday Zen

Ste. Anne's Spa, Spring 2011.

Trombone Shorty and Orleans Avenue

Every time I see Shorty live I can't help but think of his appearance on Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip.  His skill and versatility is so off the charts...and he's only 25 years old! You just know this is just the beginning for him.

 

Saidah Baba Talibah

Saidah Baba Talibah caused a sensation opening up for Trombone Shorty last night!

The Soul Rebels

The Soul Rebels killed it last night at the Opera House.  What a treat to have the 416 feel like the 504, if only for a couple of hours.

In Conversation with George Benson

I had the absolute pleasure of chatting with George Benson in anticipation of his upcoming Toronto Jazz Festival show.  The Grammy-winning jazz legend talked about his latest album and his mainstream appeal.

Read the whole interview here.

Dibble Dop

This morning I walked into Lenny's room to wake her up so I could spend an hour with her before I headed into the office. She started to stir when she heard me walk into the room.  She stretched with her arms over her head, smiling even before her eyes opened.  Then a drowsy, "Hi Mommy".  As she reached for me to take her out of her crib she asked me to turn on her Sleep Sheep to make the rain noise.  "Sheep? Rain? Dibble dop?"

We sat in the semi-dark of her room listening to the rain.  "Raining?" I told her that it was only raining in her room and that it was nice and sunny outside.  "Hot?" she asked me.  "Not too hot", I said.  Then she asked, "windy?"  She seemed satisfied that I was unsure of whether it was windy or not, giving me one of her trademark earnest "yeahs" and snuggling in for some "cudoos" before we started our day.

This sounds like such a simple, even mundane moment but it was remarkable to me because it was such a real conversation.  She's not even two yet and we just started our day with a talk about the weather.  She's growing so fast, understanding so much and communicating with such ease.  I love our little talks.

Monday Motivation

John Tibbott via Cubicle Refugee

I'm a loud mouth. Sometimes I need this reminder.  Let's eat em up this week, you guys!

Toronto Jazz Fest: Karrin Allyson in Performance

Karrin Allyson put on a lovely show at the Enwave Theatre tonight.  There's something about her luxurious voice and cool exterior that makes me feel like I want to sit by the window in my penthouse, wrapped in my silk robe and do the New York Times crossword puzzle.  Let's not think about the fact that I have neither a penthouse, silk robe or a talent for crosswords, OK?

Karrin Allyson in performance, Sunday, June 24, 2012

Saturday Zen

I have been dealing with some kind of injury or illness for the past seven weeks.  I've downgraded from broken wrist and pulled muscles behind my eye (what?!) to a generic head cold so I guess things are looking up.  I've also been really busy the last couple of weeks with time sensitive work stuff, but, and I can hardly believe this, I have nothing to do today.  NO deadlines, NO appointments, NO NOTHIN'.  We're planning on a quiet Saturday with Lenny's first official soccer class (stay tuned for uniform pictures!) and a picnic on the beach.  It won't, I assure you, be as serene and coordinated as this, but I'm pretty excited anyway.  Hope you're having a great Saturday!

Photo by Paul Outerbridge

In Conversation with Janelle Monáe

Janelle Monáe doesn’t have time for your bullshit. She’s not going to hold your hand. You either find something you like at her live show, or you don’t...

Read the whole interview here.

Check Janelle out in action:

Toronto Jazz Festival Preview

Roy Hargrove at the 2007 Festival

Wondering what show to take in at the Jazz Fest this year?  My preview piece is up on Torontoist.  Hope you enjoy!  Let me know if you take any shows in this weekend and stay tuned for my photo coverage and exclusive interviews with Janelle Monáe and George Benson!

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Monday Motivation

If trivializing the words of a great man to help me get through my Monday morning to do list is wrong, I don't want to be right.

Saturday Zen

This week has been cray cray.  Trying to restore a little sanity today.  Hope you're all having a lovely Saturday!

Collage by Brion Nuda Rosch

Saturday Zen

La Bicyclette

Top Chef Canada Episode 13 Recap: The One Where Someone Wins

You should see what I look like right now.  Splint still on my right arm.  Half of Lenny's dinner on my yoga pants.  And now?  My right eye is pretty much swollen shut.  I AM WATCHING YOU CANADIAN TOP CHEFS! THROUGH THE SLIT IN MY RIGHT EYE!!!  

Why this isn't a video blog

OMG with the math again - "there's a 1 in 3 chance I could win 6 figures".  Wake me up when math class is over.  I'm here for home ec on steroids.

Welcome to the finale!  Enter the last 3 contestants that got kicked off to be sous chefs...we think.  Instead David, the only Frenchman in Calgary and Trista get a chance to get back in the competition.  WHAT?  The three of them now have to cook a meal from a bunch of PEI-centric food for guest judges - the top three.  WHOA.

Who? Will? Win?

"Don't expect a green salad from me today, it's gonna be lobster and butter" - the only French man in Calgary.

Seriously, he just melted like 2lbs of butter in that sauce pan.  Jeesus.

Meanwhile Trista is lowering a lobster into a pot of boiling water whispering, "don't fight it, embrace it..." 

Crazy David appears relatively calm. Until he burns himself.  He powers through and will no doubt have a scar to be proud of.  

Note to Trista - talking about shitting your pants is not appetizing.

Burn victim David's steak tartare with an egg and green beans pleases and then his seafood stew and gnocchi is also a big hit.  It's looking good for David.  

The only French man in Calgary does an oyster straight up, mussels and rare steak with a lobster tail on top.  Everyone seems to think the steak is too rare.  Shockingly, nobody mentions the litre of butter he cooked it in.

Trista presents oysters straight up, mussel and lobster soup and grilled tenderloin with a bearnaise sauce. Looks like she's redeemed herself for her plastic wrap fiasco, but beating Crazy David is going to be tough.

The top 3 are kind to everyone while they're eating and now they show that they ARE thinking strategically by voting for Trista.  Sheern and McEwan override that decision and David is back in.

Duh.

Nice try, boys.

ELIMINATION CHALLENGE

In Top Chef tradition they must create their ultimate 4 course meal.  Something that embodies their food philosophy. They're going to do all this up in beautiful Hockley Valley.

Trevor is one of those people that smiles when they freak out.

Little orphan not-Padma tells them they can get ingredients from the garden and then brings in Jimmy, Elizabeth, Trista and the only French man in Calgary to work as sous chefs.

Time to pull knives!

David gets the only French man in Calgary

Carl gets Trista

Trevor gets Jimmy

Headband gets Elizabeth

If anyone can work with her it's him.

My heart's with Headband, but the team of David and the only French man in Calgary is going to be tough to beat.

David's meal focuses on Toronto.

Trevor ca't define his style.  

The judges for the $100 000 meal are Vikram Vij from Van and some guys from Hockley Valley.

Headband's first course, Lobster 3 ways with a South Asian flare is very well received.  He's set the bar really high.

Carl's first course is a trout salad which is also very popular with the table.

David's first course is steamed pickerel with a french broth.  He calls it the Yorkville course.  To which all of Toronto says "huh?"  - they are not thrilled.  Nope.

Trevor's decided he wants his first course to be underwhelming.  Say what?  Fresh fig, goat cheese, raspberry and hazelnut.  Mission accomplished, guy.  They are tres underwhelmed.

"It's not top chef anymore it's top sous chef" says Jimmy Stewart.  Ha Ha Ha. Shut up.

Headband's second course is a braised pork belly salad with salad and a chili lime caramel sauce.  Elizabeth is killing it in his kitchen and offering him sage advice.  They are getting along like PEI clams.  Oh, Headband.  He knocks it out of the park again with this pork.  He knocks it out of the pork.

Carl's second course is roasted loin of elk which he carves tableside and serves with salad, pork belly and shallot rings. It looks super yummy.  They love it.  The elk is perfect.

Trevor's olive oil poached arctic char is also impressive.  They seem blown away. Maybe this is why he underwhelmed with his first course?

David takes them to Little Italy next with Tuna three ways.  It's contempo Italian, not College Street.  What Toronto does he live in?  Seems like David is choking.  

Third course time. Headband is doing beef panang curry, family style.  He tries it while plating it and says "it tastes exactly like what it is".  Will his conviction for family style eff up his chances at winning?  They all love the food, but McEwan HATES family style in this setting.  A lot.

David's talking about his risk taking again.

David has taken us to Little India with a biryani lamb dish...which once again falls flat.  Aaaaaaaaargoooooos!

Carl serves an Orange Sorbet for his thrid course which makes McEwan pop a blood vessel and inspires this bon mot from Tevor:

"This is a meal of a lifetime not a meal of laziness."

Somebody put that on a t-shirt.

The thing is, while the judges are skeptical about the choice they can't stop eating it.  "It's killer", Vikram says.  This is getting interesting. 

Trevor, who just quit his corporate job on TV, serves up a prosecco and olive oil granite (mmmm) and a veal tenderloin that might just be one of the best things of the night.  Looks like telling his corporate overlords to shove it was a good move.

Dessert!

David does a corn pudding, his ode to Kensington Market - which they love.  This is the David I was expecting to see. Too little too late?

Headband does a beignet with peach ice cream and blueberry ice that is FLAWLESS. But does it make sense in the progression of the meal?  

Carl's final plate is peach cobbler with ice cream.  It's a casual presentation (how are you supposed to make cobbler upscale?) but it also quite yummy.

Trevor presents the final plate of the competition, a blueberry tart with lemon curd and masarcapone cream which is met with a mixed reaction.  Shereen says "it's a really nice blueberry tart" and it sounds like she might as well be saying "it's a really nice mouthful of poop" - does that mean poor menu choice with good execution?  What will this do for Trevor's confidence? He already quit his job!

BLUE ROOM OF DEATH!!!!!!

Headband's choice to serve family style inspired an argument at the table...which really puts the family in family style, no?

Carl's really into farmers and soil and things less robotic then himself. 

David's corn pudding was inspired by his corn soup during Restaurant wars...the one Susur thought was too sweet. That's kind of awesome.  Way to turn a failure into a win.

Trevor is tired of your bullshit, corporate oppressors!

Not-Padma's make up is gorgeous. I wonder how many Sponge Towels it would take to take off that smokey eye?

It's tense in the beer locker of self pity, tonight.  

"One of you is Canada's Top Chef" - Not-Padma says, causing the four remaining chefs to cry out in shock.  They thought they were competing to date her, maybe?

GASP! Headband and David are OUT! What????  Not Headband!!!!

Headband and David walk back into the empty beer locker of self pity and have a well deserved beer.  

Trevor is top two.  He's as shocked as can be.

And the winner is, CARL.  Golden Boy takes it.  The young, robotic, farm loving youngster.  Did I mention he's young? Good on ya, Carl.  Congrats.  I look forward to dropping a week's salary at your new Toronto restaurant, wherever it may be.

Thanks for reading along, friends.  This has been a blast.  Until next time...

Diamond Jubilee Tea Party!

I won't lie to you, I've taken to the Queen's Diamond Jubilee celebrations this weekend like a fish to water.  True, I'm on board for just about any holiday but this one is hitting me right where I live.  I was raised in a household that had a great deal of respect and fondness for the Royals and I carry that with me today. 

Isn't she lovely?

I know she isn't even 2 years old yet, but I wanted to try and make the occasion fun for Lenny.  Even though she won't remember the specifics we'll have the story and the photos.  I want to share this with her not just because it's of significance to me, but because her heritage is deeply rooted in the UK.

Lenny's "official" name on her birth certificate is Eileen.  She was named for the Robeau's mother who was in turn named for her mother.  She's a third generation Eileen.  The first Eileen met her husband (Lenny's Great Granddad) when he was a young Canadian soldier serving in WWII.  Eileen was a young British woman working in the canteen.  Family legend is it was love at first sight.  They were married shortly after.

Alan Angus Sloss Peterson and his bride Eileen on their wedding day.

Eileen, Alan and their first born, Eileen Jean (Lenny's Nana!) at home in England

So, this afternoon, to honour HRH, we had a Diamond Jubilee Tea Party.  I even made bunting!  Thanks to Wee Birdy's charming (and free) printables.  Isn't it festive?

On the menu were Funfetti Cupcakes which we decorated with sprinkles and these amazing toppers - another free printable, this time from the good people at Crumb.  I can't get enough of these!

Also on the menu was homemade Butternut Squash Soup (served in my favourite depression era teacups - thanks Mo) and open faced Cucumber Sandwiches which Lenny devoured.  I mean devoured.

The sandwiches were served on one of my favourites, a vintage Ridgway Ironware platter (in the "Espresso" pattern that was very popular around the time the Queen had her Coronation).  I got it at Value Village last year and just love it!

Lenny had a blast. She kept running around the house chanting "Tea Party!" and "Queen!" I look forward to sharing these pictures with her someday and the story about the Tea Party we had (with not a drop of tea) to celebrate a lady named Elizabeth who didn't expect to get the job she did when she was a little girl, but took it on with grace and courage and continues to do her duty every day sixty years later.  If that isn't worth a cupcake, I don't know what is.  Hooray for Lizzy!

Saturday Zen