14 day Countdown to 40 - Self-indulgence #14 (part 3)

My final self-indulgence was champagne and wild hibiscus - how's that for decadence - (thanks Mom) at my surprise birthday party (thanks to my dear husband Ken and good friends Jen and Sandra for organizing the shin-dig, and to everyone who came out!!)....

This final treat was a perfect end to a wonderful couple of weeks.  The wild hibiscus flowers are actually wild sorrel blossoms, preserved in a sweet syrup.  They can be used in a bunch of different ways, but I think the most beautiful way - by far is in champagne.  The blossoms taste a bit like apple, and add a lovely pink hue to the champagne.

sigh....... I guess this technically brings us to the end of the 14 days of self-indulgence, counting down to my 40th Birthday....it's been a fun exercise!!!
You know what - I'm going to keep at it.  I think it's ok to be a little self-indulgent every now and then ....This exercise in little self-indulgences has been all about looking after my inner-self and, calories-aside, my outer-self thanks me.  I find myself feeling more energized, envigorated and motivated than I have in a long time.
Life has gotten surprisingly busy, from shuttling kids back and forth to school and extra curriculars; to running errands and managing playdates; to doing laundry and keeping house; trying to prepare healthy snacks and meals; nursing owies and illnesses; paying the bills and trying to start a business...
The day-to-day craziness of life, nevermind caring for a family, can make it difficult to forget that if we want to be whole and balanced individuals, we need to take care of ourselves too - both our bodies and our minds. 
I am at peace with getting older.  I find I know myself better than I did when I was younger, and I like who I have become.  I continue to learn and grow everyday, and I'm excited for my future.... what better place to be at at the dawn of ones 40s?

Thank you for coming on this journey with me :)  I look forward to continuing to keep track of little bits of everything and nothing in particular right here in my blog about everything Dayna-ish... I'm having more fun blogging than I thought I would!! Feel free to follow if you wish... and even better, feel free to share your favourite things with me too :)

TTFN

As Always,  Dayna

14 day Countdown to 40 - Self-Indulgence #14 (part 2)

Rrrrrred Velvet!

......Following our trip into the cheese shop, mom and I headed over to Crave Cupcakes, and I finally tasted my first ever Red Velvet Cupcake. 

Now, the first time I ever heard the term "Red Velvet" used in relation to food was on season 1 of "The Apprentice", when the challenge was for each team to create and market a new flavour of ice cream.  One of the flavours was called Red Velvet - and I instantly fell in love with the name... without actually realizing what it was.






In my mind, I had pictured Red Velvet to be a lot more sophisticated dessert than that!!



Later I did a bit of research and learned that traditional Red Velvet is really nothing more chocolate cake with a TON of red food colouring added, and topped with a cream cheese icing... apart from the icing, I thought - what a let down....
Nevertheless - I began a quest to find the perfect (in my mind) red velvet recipe.... alas, my family doesn't eat a lot of dessert, so I never actually tried to make anything red velvety, until this past Valentine's Day.  My in-laws were visiting from Ontario and we invited some friends over for Valentines Dinner to visit with them... because we had so many people dining with us, and because it was a special occasion, I decided to finally attempt my first ever red velvet ... and my first ever cheesecake.

Dessert was supposed to look like this

.

... it didn't

Well - it was an unmitigated disaster!!!!  After 6 hours of preparation and baking, my decadent "red velvet cheesecake" was the colour of a bandaid (despite 2 big bottles of red liquid food colouring), and a mushy gushy mess that had almost doubled in size, overflowing my springform pan, spilling into the water bath, in big, goopy bandaid pink clumps that looked more curdled than creamy.  In all fairness to the myrecipes.com website though - I probably shouldn't have doubled the recipe) ..... in the end except for the crust, the whole thing ended up in the garbage.  Thank goodness, I have good friends and forgiving relatives, and we all have a sense of humour -  because otherwise I would have curled up in a corner and hid, it was that bad...

Still, I remained enamoured by the name "Red Velvet" and held out hope that one day I would experience true red velvet, and that it would live up to the name and the culinary fantasy I had built around it..... SO when I learned that Crave Cupcakes makes a mean "Red Velvet Elvis" cupcake and realized that there was a Crave Cupcakes across the parking lot from Springbank Cheese Co, what could I do but INDULGE!!! (It was my actual birthday afterall)

My Mom and I walked into the store and together we oohed and aahed all of the wonderful flavours of cupcakes, but really that was just for show on my part - I already knew what I was going to have.
So we bought our cupcakes, went outside to sit in the sun and sink our teeth into the decadence, and after all these years, waiting to finally tasted a piece of real, honest to goodness red velvet cake my verdict was..................................................................................
.......................................................................................m'eh.

It's true - Red Velvet really is just plain old chocolate cake with a ton of red food colouring and a rich cream cheese icing - that's it.


huh - I guess that's one more thing crossed off my bucket list.


Anyways - that rather anti-climactic cupcake has NOT stopped my quest for a perfect dessert deserving of the "Red Velvet" Moniker, only now, I guess I'll have to invent my ideal red velvet recipe(s) myself!!!
I wonder - do I dare post my experiments??  Stay tuned to find out.


Meanwhile, I'm going to wrap up this post and carry it on to part 3 of my self-indulgent birthday update....

14 day Countdown to 40 - Self-Indulgence #14 (part 1)

Stinky Cheese

9 yr old ch-ch-ch-cheddar

...so, after my Mom and I finished treasure hunting, we headed over to the Springbank Cheese Company at Willow Park Village in Calgary.  I had seen their sign many times, but never taken the time to go in until now.
Given my love of exotic foods - what better self-indulgence than a trip to a genuine fromagerie?? 

Mmmmm stilton

The Springbank Cheese Company carries over 300 kinds of cheese, as well as a very wide selection of complimentary specialty foods - crackers, pates, salsas, chutneys, oils and vinegars.
It was a culinary-heaven....

sigh... brie

To start (I say this, because now I have to go back again and try something different), we chose a 9 year old cheddar, a triangle of  greenish stilton, a bit of very creamy and very sharp gorgonzola, and a half wheel of brie to mellow everything out.


We also picked up some seasoned rice crackers and a bottle of wild hibiscus flowers in syrup (I'll detail that experience in another post), and some seasoned rice crackers.
Later that afternoon, we went home and sampled the cheeses with a bit of Branston Pickle, that my husband Ken had brought home from England (I'm so lucky he knows me so well), apple slices, crackers and crusty bread ... the only thing missing was a bottle of Strongbow Cider, and it would have been a perfect Ploughman's Lunch!
It was wonderful!!!!

.... click on to part 2....

14 day Countdown to 40 - Self-Indulgence #13

Well - because I got a little off track mid-way through my 14 day countdown, I ended up having to cram double treats into the last 2 days of my 39th year.....ahhhhhhhh the bliss:

Self-Indulgence #13 - Treasure Hunting

One of my most favourite things to do is treasure hunt at garage sales and thrift shops.
Again - this choice of self-indulgence takes me back to my youth....When I was in high school, my best friend Anouk and I would got down to Toronto for a weekend in late August to do our school shopping.  I never had a whole lot of money to spend, so rather than hit the malls, we hit the streets ..... spending hours and hours exploring the head shops and thrift shops and boutiques and cafes along what became our "circuit" - Younge Street, Queen Street, Spadina and College. 
Those trips left me with some of my best memories of being a teenager in the 80s.  They also gave me a lasting appreciation for the environmentally friendly dollar-stretching ability of second-hand stores and thrift shop chic.  There is no other kind of shopping-style I love better than "The Hunt", but to do it properly, you need time and patience - with no kids in tow,

AND with a good friend who can tell you when you're going off your rocker over some crazy find.... to remind you that:
just because it fits doesn't mean it looks good on you!!!



ANYWAYS... Because it had been ages since my last "hunt", I decided to include a day of treasure hunting in my list of self-indulgences.   So, first thing Friday Morning (my birthday day), after getting the kids off to school, my Mom and I headed up to Calgary for a trip to "Chez VV" aka "Le Village" aka "Value Village".  OK, I know that sounds like a kind of wierd way to shoose to spend one's 40th birthday - but it was such a treat for me to spend a no-boys-no-babies day with my Mom, searching for unexpected treasures, through the aisles of the Thrift Shop...
I picked up a couple of good books that I've been waiting to read (The Book of Negroes by Lawrence Hill and Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen),

a really cute spring jacket that still had the labels on it and 2 pairs of almost new darkwash jeans that fit me perfectly!!  If I'd gotten there a couple of minutes earlier, I could have also nabbed a Barbie Camper Van for Evy - but being as the day was all about me, I didn't head to the kids section first, like I usually do, so I missed it.... oh well, there will be other treasures other days.

As it was, mom and I had a wonderful time hanging out together that day - something we don't get to do nearly enough, being as we live so far apart.  The fact that we fit in some time VVing together on my birthday, was just like icing on the cake of what ended up an almost perfect 40th birthday day...

Self-indulgence #14 followed VV.... read on in my next post

14 day Countdown to 40 - Self-Indulgence #12

The Custard Apple...

My joy in discovering new foods dates back almost as long as I can remember.  By the early 1990s, I had moved away to another city for university, but had yet to see much of the world.  In 1993, I had the opportunity to participate in an exchange program to India, with Canadian Crossroads International.  During those travels, I took the opportunity to try out as many new foods as I could - sometimes whether I knew what they were or not.

For one of my braver culinary adventures, some friends and I decided to buy one of the strangest and ugliest fruits there was, from a fruit vendor who didn't speak much english.  I remember it was green and looked a bit like a cross between an artichoke and a grenade.  We brought it back to our hostel and sat there looking at it for quite some time, trying to figure out how to eat it.
First - We didn't know if we should peel it, or just wash it and prepare to eat the skin;
Then - We didn't know if there was a special way to cut it open... would it be full of juice like an orange? would it be pulpy like an apple?

After we finally took the plunge and cut it open, we had no idea what to do next... what part of it could we eat?  The pulp, honestly, looked like barf (sorry, but it's true) and the seeds were hard and smooth like a watermelon's.  After alot of laughter and jokes worthy of any 8 year old, we slowly started poking at it.  It smelled DELICIOUS - so that was a good thing.  We decided the seeds were too hard to chew, so we set them aside, and bravely moved on to the barf-like pulp.... and what a treasure we found!!!
The pulp was smooth and creamy, and almost exactly like a fruity custard!!  We found out later that they are sometimes called Custard Apples, but are also known as cherimoya or sweet sops.
They are a very soft fruit and must not ship well, because I have never seen them for sale in Canada; however, my parents just returned from their annual winter trek to "Holiday Island", and brought one back - just for me, in their suitcase - it was a little battered on the outside, but as disgustingly mushy gushy delicious on the inside.
My whole evening paused while I cut into it, and indulged.... alas, its barfy-looking pulp did NOTHING for my kidlets, so for once, I didn't have to share the treat with anyone..... oh well, their loss.

Thank you Mom and Dad - both for making this special trip out west for my Birthday, AND for the WONDERFUL Custard Apple Birthday gift.  I love you!!!!

Hmmmm - so tomorrow's the eve of my big day.... I can't wait to see what final self-indulgences await!!!!

As Always, Dayna

14 day Countdown to 40 - Self-Indulgence #11

Peri Fries and.....

Oh Happy Day - in case you haven't noticed yet, clearly the way to my heart is through my stomach.
My wonderful London Fog morning was followed up with a Peri Chicken Wrap and Peri Fries from Nando's Chicken in Calgary, and a Custard Apple, imported fresh from the island of Dominica by my loving father (more on that in the next post).

So why do I consider these 2 items to be self-indulgences worthy of commemorating my looming 40th Bday?

Peri Fries First - I've been waiting for an occasion to try out the Calgary Nando's every since I found out it was there MONTHS ago.
I first learn about Nando's about 6 years ago, when I spent a year working in Brampton, Ontario... it wasn't exactly the most inspiring job (office manager for a styrofoam peanut company), and the 90 minute commute sucked, BUT I was helping out a friend of my husband's, so what was I going to do but make the most of it and try out a different restaurant every lunch hour.  One day I stumbled on Nando's and was introduced to their unique and absolutely fabulous Peri Fries, (not to mention their Peri Chicken) and it was love at first bite!!

Peri Peri (or piri piri) also known as African Birds Eye Pepper is a fiery little pepper that originates in Africa.  At the time, I discovered it, it was so memorable, because this was the first new flavour I remember tasting in a very long time....
Now, I have always LOVED trying new foods and new tastes, and before being introduced to Peri Peri, I naively thought I had tried and or experienced just about every type of spice or seasoning available to us in Canada at least once - what a wonderful surprise to be proven wrong!!!
Peri Peri is VERY HOT and an absolutely PERFECT seasoning for french fries.  Unfortunately, I have yet to find anywhere that sells the seasoning by itself.  When President's Choice introduced their Peri Peri Chips a couple of summers ago, I was holding out hope that they would also introduce a Peri Peri BBQ Rub or something like that, but I'm still waiting and hoping....  ANYWAYS, I had to go up to the airport in Calgary this evening to pick up my parents, who are visiting for my Birthday, and because the local Nando's is right by the airport, I decided today was the perfect day to indulge in a big order of Peri Fries - my first in 6 years....mmmmmmmmmmmmmm


My day's self-indulgences didn't end here though.... click on to self-indulgence #12... the Custard Apple...

As Always, Dayna

14 day Countdown to 40 - Self-Indulgence #10

MMMMMMMMMMMMMMM a hug in a mug

London Fog

I'm such a tea-granny in my old age - but not for just any old red rose/tetley tea.  Nope,  I like variety in my mug, and generally speaking not of the sweet herbal kind.
In fact I'm such a tea-oholic that I was a member of the Natur'el Tea of the Month Club for a couple of years.  I have a little tea shrine in my kitchen cupboard that overflows with all kinds of tea, from all over the world - Mates from South America, Green, White and Black Teas from all over Asia, and Rooibos from South Africa... not to mention a few local blends made from prairie herbs like chamomile, rosehips and sage.

This morning, while out running errands, I stopped by a little gift shop in Nanton called "Because I Said So...".  The owner, Pam, not only carries a wonderful and eclectic selection of greeting cards and gifts, she also keeps the kettle on in a tiny wee coffee/tea corner. Her menu is small but perfect, so I indulged - and I must say, Pam makes a wicked London Fog!!!

London Fog is a tea latte, made from Earl Grey tea and vanilla, steeped in steaming hot milk.  It's very easy to make at home, using a just a simple food blender, if you don't have an expresso maker, or milk steamer.

MY RECIPE:
I make London Fog at home by heating a mug of 2% milk in the microwave or on the stove, then letting a bag of Earl Grey tea steep in it until the milk begins to turn tea-colour, and I can smell the tea.
Then I stir in either a bit of Torani vanilla syrup, OR vanilla flavouring with a bit of honey or sugar to taste and throw it all into my blender.  Blending it fast enough creates a lovely froth, very similar to steamed milk froth.
As soon as I'm done blending, I pour it right back into my mug, curl up in a sunbeam on the couch, and ENJOY!!!

Hopefully this is just the first of several self-indulgences today - I have some catching up to do :)

As always, Dayna

14 day Countdown to 40 - Self-Indulgence #9

Halvah

This is a simple self-indulgence, after last night's decadence and another call out to a childhood memory.

When I was a little girl, my parents would take us down to explore the Byward Market in Ottawa every weekend.
I remember we would wander for what felt like hours around all the little shops and vendors booths, bringing home fresh pocket bread (giant pita pockets), deli meats, funny fruits (that's probably where I tasted my first pomegranate - hey they were exotic back in the 70s!!) and other tasty treasures.  I remember a magical combination of smells - from fresh flowers and fish, to bakery sweets and stinky cheeses...

My favourite memory of the culinary treasures we brought home from the market is of Halvah, and although it is often hard to find in small town grocery stores - it remains a favourite indulgence of mine... one that I try to remember to splurge on about once a year.

Halva is a type of sweet.  It is one of the worlds oldest candies, with the earliest references date as far back as the year 3000 B.C.   The word halvah means literally 'sweetmeat'.   There are tons of different types of halva served across North Africa, the Middle East and into Asia.  When I was in India many many years ago, they served a sweet called halwa that was quite gelatinous and NOT at all what I was expecting.  My favourite type is sesame based and originates in Turkey (I think).

Wonder of wonders I recently found Halva in the Nanton IGA's deli department, in fact they even had 2 different flavours - chocolate and vanilla!  Of course I bought both, and have been holding on to them for a special occasion...like today :)

To be honest, I have never been sure how to eat it properly - I don't know if it is supposed to be used as an ingredient in another recipe or if it should be served with something else.  I've always just cut mine into pieces and enjoyed it as is - sometimes with a tall glass of milk.

Ever the kitchen-experimenter, I just decided to search for a halvah recipe to see if i can make it on my own.  I think I found the perfect one on the Tasty Recipes Blog.  I'm going to bookmark it and try it out sometime -

Then when I'm feeling particularly bored and ambitious, I might try to take on something like the White Chocolate and Halvah Cheesecake recipe I just found on Godiva.com..... mmmmmmmmmmm it must be getting close to dinner time, clearly I'm hungry!!!!

Ok - on that note, I'm going to grab another slice of heaven... I mean Halva.

ttfn!
As Always, Dayna

14 day Countdown to 40 - Self-Indulgence #8

PKNT Gold Carmenere
(PNKT is prounounced "Picante")

PKNT Gold Carmenere - a Fabulous new red wine

Last night I brought a bottle of PKNT Gold Carmenere to self-indulgence #7.  It is a wonderful Chilean red wine that I discovered while cruising the aisles at one of our local liquor stores.   This time, I didn't just choose by label - I was looking for something different that would go good with our indian feast, and that I hadn't tried before.  What a wonderful surprise I had when we opened the cork. 
I don't have the wine vocabulary to describe it "Properly", so here is a link to a blog I found that describes it better: PKNT CHILEAN WINE


I decided to research it a bit more for this posting and found that the Carmenere grape variety actually has a pretty interesting story.... According to Snooths.com:
Carmenère (aka. Cabarnelle, Carbouet, Carmenelle, Grande Carmenet, Grande Vidure) Carmenere is a rediscovered grape variety that’s beginning to make waves in California. Eclectic producers, such as Guenoc, are blending Carmenere with Bordeaux grapes such as Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon and Petit Verdot as part of traditional Meritage blends. Forgotten for over a century, Carmenere had become a viticultural dinosaur. But then Carmenere was found anew growing abundantly in Chile....  Read More....

This wine has a fabulous dark red colour, and a smooth but full body with hints of cherries, figs and vanilla. The wine pairs very well with spicy foods, and would probably be nice with strong cheeses too... hmmm I'll try that next time.

Meanwhile, stay tuned as I continue to indulge in counting-down to the end of my thirtys at the end of this week.

As Always, Dayna

14 day Countdown to 40 - Self-Indulgence #7 (UPDATED POST)

GOBLOOS!!!

When I was a little girl, living in Ottawa, we had some family friends who were from India.  Every now and then, we would go over to visit them for a playdate and dinner.  Unfortunately, I've only managed to hold on to a couple of bizzare memories of those dates:
1) I remember Monika and Susan had a really fun puzzle with unusual shapes mixed in with the traditional puzzle shapes (i.e. cats, stars, boats, people etc); and

Gobloos (aka gulab jamun, aka the BEST dessert ever!!!)

2) I remember gobloos... gobloos were what I called the little balls of fried dough soaked in sweet cardomom and rosewater syrup that Mrs. Chadha always served.
Anyways, we moved away when I was 9, and I never saw the Chadhas again - but I never forgot those gobloos.  It wasn't until many years later, while travelling in India, that I learned this isn't the correct name for the dish.  They are actually called Gulab Jamun.  (Imagine how cool I sounded asking if there were "gobloos" on the menu in every restaurant I went into for the first 3 weeks of my trip - the looks this crazy backpacker got were priceless!!!)

This evening, I went over to my friend Jen H's house with a couple of other girlfriends, for indulgence #7 - an indian feast and a movie.  When she was planning the evening, and asked what we should have on our menu, OF COURSE I had to include Gulab Jamuns.

Channa Masala

The rest of the meal was a combination of take-out (raita, butter chicken, chicken tikka masala and aloo gobi), store bought (Papaddum and Punjabi mix) and homemade (I've got my slow-cooker simmering up a bunch of channa masala as I write this).... all some of my favourite foods, rounded off with a bottle of PKNT Gold Carmenere but it's the Gobloos that finished off the meal perfectly in my mind....

After dinner we curled up with an appropriately themed girly movie - Bride and Prejudice.  It was a very light-hearted Hollywood-Bollywood crossover - probably not a movie I'd recommend to everybody, but a perfect compliment to a curry dinner girls night.

So I must say a BIG THANK YOU to Jen, Sandra and Annette, for the fabulous evening.  We had such a nice time that we talked about doing it again - next time experimenting with another type of international cuisine..... I think if we can get our acts together to dine like this on a regular basis we should call ourselves the "Nanton International Cuisine Epicure Girls" (N.I.C.E. Girls for short)... what do you think???

As Always, Dayna

P.S. The PKNT Gold Carmenere was so good, it has to qualify a self-indulgence (#8).... I"ll post about it separately....

14 day Countdown to 40 - Self-Indulgence #6

An all-night Gab Session

I'm back after a little computer-hiatus weekend with my family.

Avalance covering Hwy 3 at Fernie, March 11, 2011

ALAS, our original weekend plans were sidetracked by an avalanche that closed the road west of Fernie BC, blocking our fast route to Whitefish, MT,
but we made the most of the misfortune and while our husbands backtracked and took the long-way round the mountains to get to their hockey tournament, the kids and I decided to stay in Sparwood with my girlfriend, Sandra and her kids at her parents house.

SO instead of shopping my little buns off, and hanging out in a hotel pool, I ended up spending way less money and having a wonderful girls and kids weekend, including: 2 trips to 2 different community swimming pools (one if Sparwood, one in Fernie),

Fernie Aquatic Centre

 

Sparwood Swimming Pool

 an afternoon matinee (we saw Rango), an all you can eat chinese buffet (kids ate free), and a trip to McDonalds and Tim Hortons (that's actually a big deal, considering Nanton doesn't have a Timmies).
My extra special self-indulgence though was staying up almost all of Saturday night (until 4:30 in the morning when you consider the time change) just visiting and chatting with my friend Sandra.  I haven't had an all-night gab session in I couldn't tell you how long!!! And, although, despite our lack of alcohol,  I felt slightly hung-over the next morning,  it was totally worth it, based on the number of world problems we solved during those wee hours of the morning.

Thanks Sandra :)

Anyways, I've fallen behind in my self-indulgences, if I'm going to log a total of 14 self-indulgences before my birthday,  so that means I get to double up a few times between now and Friday...
Stay tuned for more... :)

As always, Dayna

14 day Countdown to 40 - Self-Indulgence #5

The Ultimate Hot Water Bottle

Having been under the weather all day yesterday and most of the day today,  I kind of missed out on a day of self-indulgence...so, I promise myself to make up for it before the 18th - BUT for now, I'll share with you a sort of self-indulgence that got me through the past 36 hours (even though I kind of stole it from my husband... I gave it to him for Christmas, because the old blue one from England that he grew up with is getting really ratty).....
It's a huggy, cuddly hot water bottle, wrapped in a soft cable knit cover - sort of like a warm and cozy sweater-meets-teddy-bear.  This is the closest picture I could find online to the one I bought from Indigo Books in December, but it's close enough to capture the essence of its comforting snuggliness.
This, along with a few drops of lavender oil, helped get me through the night last night with a surprisingly solid sleep....

Sigh, I know it's not much of a self-indulgence, considering that I'd probably have pulled it out anyways, but it sure felt like a luxury worth mentioning when it was warming my icy toes, and soothing my cramping tummy.

Anyways, I'll be away from the computer for the next couple of days... BUT when I come back, I'm certain to have multiple self-indulgences to report on :)

Until then, stay healthy!!!

As always, Dayna

14 day Countdown to 40 - Self-Indulgence #5

Homemade Pancakes for Dinner - smothered in real Maple Syrup made in Northern Ontario at a family friend's sugar shack, and served with a dollop of yogurt.
This indulgence is in honour of Shrove Tuesday/Mardi Gras AND my all time favourite breakfast food.
When I was little, my dad would make us pancakes for breakfast after church, every Sunday morning.  He was very adventurous in the kitchen and would frequently add a whole spectrum of "secret ingredients" to the pancake batter - parmesan cheese was particularly memorable.
While having inherited some of my father's penchant for experimenting in the kitchen, I choose to stay away from cheesier ingredients when it comes to my pancake batter - instead I like to play around with ways to make the mix a little healthier - that way I don't feel so guilty about drowning them all that Maple Syrup.

Some of my favourite additions to any basic pancake recipe - wheat germ, cornmeal, oat meal, wheat bran, cocoa, powdered green tea and hemp hearts.  Sometimes I also experiment with adding different fruits and nuts to the mix, like mashed banana, grated apple, frozen berries, sesame and sunflower seeds ....

Today though - I think I'll keep the recipe basic, but give a nod to Mardi Gras by making the batter a rainbow of colours

Mmmmmmm, my inner 8 year old and I can hardly wait for dinner!!!!

Happy Mardi Gras! Happy Pancake Day!! and Happy International Women's Day!!!

As always, Dayna

14 day Countdown to 40 - Self-Indulgence #4

A Perfect Afternoon Nap

I had a relatively quiet day today, with 2 kids home from school.

My 5 year old daughter had a dentist appointment to fix a "sugar bug nest", while my 8 year old son had something like the flu.  So, we lay low for the day, and drank lots of fluids and ate fairly bland foods.  

STILL - I managed to swing this quiet day to my pre-birthday celebration advantage by shamelessly indulging in a blissful afternoon nap, curled up along side my kidlets...and I'm not talking about an energy-efficient power nap - nope - I'm talking all out, fully relaxed, lucid dream filled SNOOZE. 

It was wonderful!
Finding the time to take an afternoon nap is becoming part of my ongoing quest for renewed inner-balance.  Napping helps to calm my mind in the middle of the day.  The lucid dreams I sometimes experience while napping not only help me sort through my thoughts and feelings, they can also make for wonderful escapes... with lucid dreaming I'm able to relive wonderful memories from my past, visit again with friends from long ago and visualize ideal moments of peace and calm, spent by myself or with loved ones, so that I awaken refreshed and appreciative of the blessings in my life today.

The Three Ages of Women (detail), 1905 by Gustav Klimt

I think napping is an under appreciated indulgence, and a gift that we should give ourselves more often.  I am grateful I periodically have the time to indulge in them now, before I make my next plunge back into the workforce.

A day without a nap is like a cupcake without frosting.  ~Terri Guillemets

As always, Dayna

PS My son's flu-like bug appears to be abating - he's kept down all of his fluids since this morning and had no problem eating a light dinner.  He's sleeping soundly now with no fever - so I think we may be in the clear.

14 day Countdown to 40 - Self-Indulgence #3

MMMMMM Chocolate

Tonight's self-indulgence: Ghirardelli Triple Chocolate Brownie and raspberry fruit wine from Field Stone Fruit Wines in Strathmore, Alberta
They were particularly special self-indulgences because I brought them over to celebrate a good friend's birthday.
The fruit wine was a little weak to be the perfect accompaniment to the decadence that defined the chocolate brownies.  In retrospect, I think the wine would be better served on a hot summer day - served over ice, in a spritzer with a fresh mint leaf or in a fruity punch.
The brownies deserved to be accompanied by something a lot richer - perhaps with a raspberry liqueur (i.e. Chambord) drizzled over them....... now that would have been DE-CA-DENT!!!!
Still as far as self-indulgences are concerned, I'm not too disappointed.
The companionship, movie (The Social Network) and conversation more than made up for the weakness of the wine.... besides, I still have 12 more days of self-indulgences to look forward to.

As always, Dayna

PS Happy Birthday Jen!!

14 day Countdown to 40 - Self-Indulgence #2

Cats Pee (and I don't mean weak tea)

CONFESSION TIME - I know it's so not right to judge a book (or anything else) by it's cover, but I'm a sucker for a good wine label.
A couple of years ago, on a trip home to Ontario, I was browsing the LCBO and came across a funny label that I just couldn't ignore - Cat's Pee on a Gooseberry Bush.  Justifying the purchase with the thought that a portion of the sale would go to support the OSPCA, I took the plunge.  Whether it's because the wine's name makes my inner 8 year old giggle, every time I see it,  or whether it's because the wine truly deserves my praise, I found a new favourite indulgence... it qualifies as a self-indulgence, because I'm the only person in my household who drinks wine.  (It's my self-indulgence #2, because conveniently I already had a bottle of it in my fridge and it was way too cold out today to head out looking for something new)

A crisp Sauvignon Blanc from Coopers Creek Vineyard in New Zealand, Cat's Pee on a Gooseberry Bush is a dry and light white wine that makes a perfect thirst quenching spritzer on a hot summer day (sigh - I MISS summer).  It also goes well with cheese, crackers, a comforter and a good book or movie.

I plan to spend this evening curled up with my family and a glass of self-indulgence, watching a movie that's m'eh (Inkheart - the movie has nothing on the book), but totally worth it for the cuddles and the Cat's Pee.

As Always, Dayna

14 day Countdown to 40 - Self Indulgence #1

An afternoon curled up under a comforter with a glass of wine, a good book: Three Cups of Tea, and Peter Gabriel's Passion - Music for the Last Temptation of Christ playing in the background

Counting Down - 14 days to my big 4-0

Last year, while celebrating my 39th birthday, I had an epiphany - unlike many women my age, I actually enjoy getting older.  Here's why:

I know myself better now than I ever have, and - I like who I have become.  I have come to realize it's so important to feel comfortable in our own skins because if we don't love and value ourselves - how can we truly love and share ourselves with others?

I have learned not to worry so much about what others think about me and my lifestyle.  I try living my life being the best person/mother/wife and citizen I can be, and don't feel compelled to make compromises because they might make my life easier, or simply to "keep up with the Joneses". 

I am learning not to regret decisions I made in my past... not that I have any skeletons to hide, nor do I have any big secrets... but when I look back over my first 40 revolutions around the sun, even though some choices were difficult, and others might not have been particularly advisable at the time I made them, everything I did has brought me here in the good place I am in my life today.

I am learning to live in the moment, not worrying about future possibilities that are beyond my control.  I am trying to trust that the universe is unfolding as it should, and to enjoy this life's journey for what it is - a big adventure.

I love my community, I love my family and I love my friends.  Even though many of them live so far away from me, thanks to modern technology (especially Facebook), I don't feel as out of the loop with them as I might otherwise ... as hokey as it may sound, I really do feel that my life is full of blessings, and I am Thankful.

SO - over the next 14 days, as I countdown to my big 4-0, I intend to begin celebrating the milestone by treating myself to something special each day - something totally self-indulgent, that makes me feel good .... and I'll write about each of them here.  Some of these self-indulgences might seem silly to you, but whatever, I'm going to enjoy them anyways.

As Always,  Dayna