Hot Days and Cold Iced Caps May 15, 2008

My sister and I were out driving tonight (wow, it seems like we do that a lot!). I had to go fill up my car with gas which is a sad thing these days because it is so stinkin’ expensive, but the Tsui Tina Reserve is close to where I live and they sell their gas for at least 10 cents cheaper than everywhere else.

After getting the gas we figured we needed something cold to drink on this very nice day in Calgary. We headed for Second Cup because we both had gift cards, but after I parked and locked the doors of my car, we walked to the front door to find it locked. For some reason that certain store was closed after 6. As we sadly got back into my car a man in a red convertible pulled up and did the exact same thing. We laughed and headed to Tim Hortons.

At Tim’s we pulled into the drive-through and who pulls in behind us? The same guy from Second Cup! As we were waiting for our turn to order this thought was running through my head that I should pay for this random guy behind me. I thought about it and my hands started getting sweaty but I pushed that idea aside and tried not to think about it. Then the thought came back and I told Michelle my idea to find out she was thinking the exact same thing!

We got our Iced Caps (made with half chocolate milk) and I paid for us and the guy behind us. As we took off we waved. I have no idea what he thought of that, but I just hope that it blessed his evening. It sure did bring us joy as we drove away!

Julio’s Barrio April 17, 2008

Tomorrow is a fund raiser for a group of young adults that are going to Brazil in August. Since I have an exam tomorrow, I won’t be in Calgary to help with the evening so a small group of us met today for lunch and to set up for tomorrow night. We spent the entire afternoon shopping and decorating tables with table cloths, mini lights and tulle.

For lunch we went to a place that I have always driven by and longed to go in. It is located on the corner of Kensington and Memorial and was called Julio’s Barrio. It is a fabulous restaurant that serves Mexican food. It has two floors and a roof top patio and the place is extremely busy in the evenings. I had a Chicken Quesadilla that came with refried beans, corn and rice and came to $17. My friends had the nachos and enchiladas and loved them as well.

It’s a great Mexican place with amazing artwork on the walls. I perfect place for lunch and I’m sure a very exciting place for a Calgary evening.

Juice It March 26, 2008

Another thing that brings me joy is smoothies. I don’ t have them that often, but I love them when I do. I don’t usually make them myself because I’ll admit that I’m lazy, but I do like to buy them every now and then.

I went shopping today at Park Place Mall and stopped at Juice Fare to pick up a smoothie. I figured that if they always had a line up, it should be good. I picked a flavour and a wrap because I was hungry and I was impressed enough to decide to write about smoothies!

The most popular places to go for smoothies these days are probably Booster Juice and Jugo Juice. Did you know that both franchises began in Canada? Booster Juice began in 1999 in Sherwood Park Alberta and Jugo Juice came in 1998 with their first store at the Eau Claire Market in Calgary.

Both places have a diverse menu of smoothies, fresh juices and food. They both use fresh fruit in their products and offer fresh healthy food. Once you pick your flavour, you are given the choice of Booster or Shots to add to your smoothie or juice. I remember just skipping that part because I didn’t know what to pick. Since looking at the websites of Booster Juice and Jugo Juice, I realized it’s not so scary. They are just powders packed full of nutrients and herbs that give you a boost. You can get them for energy, to boost your immune system or to give you added protein. They aren’t scary, so try a smoothie and add a Booster.

My favourite drink at Booster Juice is probably the Mango Hurricane and at Jugo Juice I like Passionate Perfection.

Delicious Cakes March 17, 2008

Growing up in my house with my mom creating cake after cake was probably where it started. She has been making cakes as long as I can remember. Barbie birthday cakes, chocolate cakes for company and fancy German cakes for special occasions. She is known for her cakes in our church. Last year we had a cake auction as a fundraiser and her cake went for $500!

I have a reputation to uphold, and I just hope that I will be able to learn all of her tricks so that I can keep the recipes going.

I also love that they can be so beautifully decorated. I love finding uniquely decorated cakes. There are so many places that you can find such great cakes to purchase. If you look online to places like Let Them Eat Cake in Phoenix, Diane’s Cakes and More in Arkansas, and The Icing on the Cake in Ontario.

There are also smaller businesses that can be found at your local farmers market. One such company is called Sliced Decadence. My friend Sherry just started her business in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. Check out her booth at the Saskatoon Farmers Market and/or her website to purchase mini cakes like this one.

She also makes wedding cakes that are quite lovely.

Lets Eat Some Gelato! March 10, 2008

I love Gelato!

I discovered gelato a couple years ago and found it to be completely amazing. This past summer our youth group spent 2 weeks in Vancouver, and while we were there we visited a gelato place everyday.

For those of you that don’t realize the brilliance of gelato, here are some details. It’s an ice cream that is usually made with ingredients like fresh fruit and pure chocolate. Gelato made without milk is known as sorbetto and originated in southern Italy, where the milk-based Gelato comes from northern Italy. The word gelato comes from the word “freeze” or “frozen”.

Gelato has 5-8% butterfat, while our North American ice-cream has 10-18%, and it tends to melt faster than ice-cream. Normal ice cream is made and then mixed so that air so that they can obtain more of it to sell. Gelato, on the other hand, does not have the extra air added so the result is a creamier ice cream with a stronger taste. It is served from a freezer that is warmer than that of regular ice cream so that it is softer and melts in your mouth quicker.

In Vancouver we went to Gelateria Dolce Amore on Commercial Drive almost every day. The other place that we went to was La Casa Gelato which has 218 flavours on site everyday. I liked the gelato from Dolce Amore better, but the flavour choices at La Casa are unreal! They have flavours that range from the typical lemon to others like apple and cheddar cheese. Both of these places definitely deserve a visit if you are in Vancouver, B.C.

I have scouted out Lethbridge and Calgary as well. In Lethbridge the only place that I have found is Yo Yo’s. It is a very small store, but they have incredible panini’s, crepes and gelato. In Calgary, the best place is Amato Gelato in Kensington.

Roll Up The Rim! March 3, 2008

So up here in Canada we have this annual thing at Tim Hortons called “Roll Up The Rim” where there are (so they say) prizes hidden under the rim of your coffee cup. I must say that I love this time of year because of the prospect of winning a car, or a boat, or even a free cup of coffee.

AND GUESS WHAT???!!!!  I COULD HAVE WON THAT CAR!!!

Yes, I possibly won the car, but being my stupid blonde self I threw the cup away! I know! How could I do it you may ask? Well here is the story . . .

I was standing in line with my coffee at the passport office. It was hot in there and I was trying to hold onto my old passport, my new beautiful passport pictures, my mastercard, my forms, my car keys, my purse and this hot cup of coffee. It wasn’t a long wait (which was awesome) but I did have time to finish my coffee. Then it was my turn. The lady at the desk called next and I moved up. Now, trying to juggle all of my items to hand her my old passport, my new beautiful passport pictures, my mastercard and my forms while signing more papers got me quite frazzled. I saw a garbage can to the side of the desk and thought “Oh great! A place to put this empty cup”, and so the story goes. I threw it away and finished my passport applicaion and walked out of the building. It wasn’t until I got home that I realized the horrible thing that I had done.

So, if anyone finds an empty large Tim Horton’s coffee cup with the rim not rolled up, it’s mine (especially if it has the car under the rim). Thanks, I’d very much appreciate it returned to me!

I’m happy with any prize under the rim . . . although there are days when I think there isn’t any prizes under the rims of those cups. Their just trying to get us to spend money at their coffee joint. Oh well. I’ll say it brings me joy to be one of the sucks that goes out to buy coffee just because the cup says “Roll Up The Rim“!!!

One more large half coffee half hot chocolate please!

 

Zoey’s Cafe February 26, 2008

My last post was about a bead store in Ventura California, and today’s is about a little cafe down the street. It’s is two doors down from The Peruvian Bead Company, but is down a backstreet and behind the bead store (not on the main street). We only found it because we were hungry, and I think my sister was complaining about her starving stomach when a local girl who worked at the bead store mentioned Zoey’s Cafe and their incredible food.
This place is amazing and it brings me so much joy to think about that day and the fun we had in Ventura. Zoey’s Cafe has been open for about 10 years and is owned by Polly and Steve Hoganson. The menu offers fresh salads, sandwiches, pizza and pasta. The evenings make Zoey’s a busy place to hear the best music in Ventura County.

We sat upstairs in the coffee bar loft which is also the place that has the stage where artists perform. There are local artist paintings all around the Cafe and every table is shaded by an umbrella or vines from the plants that surround the actual building.

Something that I love about this Cafe is that known artist, Colbie Caillat played here before she was famous and her co-writer and friend Jason Reeves still does.

Here is a picture of my family sitting in the cafe (minus my brother).

This was the view off the balcony and onto the street.

Staying Up All Night and Eating Flavoured Ice February 12, 2008

This past weekend I participated in our annual church Lock-In and was “locked in” our church (Bethany Chapel) from Friday at 8pm until 9:30 am on Saturday with 80+ other people.

We had a band come play for us from Ambrose University College, with the lead singer Caleb Delamont. We played a wide game called Communist church where the leaders were able to throw the students outside the building in the freezing cold and made our own music videos. We ate pizza, played guitar hero, the wii and watched movies. My favourite part by far, which brought me much joy, was the snow cone machine! I loved that thing and we had it running for a lot of the night. Who knew that shaved ice and flavoured syrups could make me so happy. The night was overall a great success and one of the best Lock-In’s I have been to.

Starbucks Coffee! February 8, 2008

Oh how I love you Starbucks! I would go to a Starbucks everyday if I had the money. There is just something about a warm cup of coffee on a cold day or a cold Frappuccino on a hot one. Even if you don’t like coffee there is something there for you.  My favourite drinks are:

• Caramel Macchiato
• Peppermint Mocha
• Shaken Green Tea with Lemonade
• Awake Tea Misto with Vanilla

One thing that you should remember though, is that the sizes have different names than what you may be used to. A small is called a tall, medium is a grande and large is a venti. Check out this video to clear up any confusion or to get you more confused.

Gotta Love Sandwiches January 31, 2008

A couple weeks ago I was out shopping with one of my roomies and we had a discussion about putting sprouts in sandwiches. We didn’t end up buying any but this week when I came back to Lethbridge I was given a bag of the stuff, and today I decided to make a sandwich with them before they went bad. Was it ever good! Here’s what I did:

Toast 2 slices of bread (Dempster’s 12 Grain is what I like)

Spread prepared tuna on one slice of toast

Put on tomato and avocado slices

Cover with sprouts

Enjoy!

This sandwich definitely brought me joy today!

For more sandwich ideas click here for a website.