Floral midi and chambray shirt

This outfit is a preppier variation of one of my 10 favourite blog looks. Instead of a striped tee, I wore a chambray shirt, and rather than matching my shoes to my top, I matched them to my belt. 

 I'm in the early stages of growing out my bangs so bear with me over the next few months. I decided to keep the ombre through the summer but I'll go back to my usual highlights come fall.  

Wishing those who got to celebrate it a happy Victoria's Day weekend! Our plans involved a get-together with friends in B's hometown. We were delayed by a car misadventure: we ran over a raccoon that darted across the road, which broke our radiator. We had to tow the car 50 km back to my parents' place, the closest spot. My brother is an excellent self-taught hobby mechanic and he graciously offered to fix it for us. It's still a couple hundred dollars we didn't expect to spend, but between my brother and my mom - who lent us her car for a day - it could have been much worse. And, better damage to the car than to us. A deer or moose would have been far worse! Still, I can't help but wonder if it's karmic retribution for us hitting a bear last summer with virtually no damage to the vehicle. As our friend said, we're not in the good graces of the animal kingdom! I was very grateful when we finally made it to our friends' place and started to relax with wine around a campfire.

The rest of the weekend was spent getting our balcony ready for summer and starting to design our wedding invitations. 

xx

Skirt - Thrifted (Joseph A.)(also here and here)

Top - Thrifted (Ralph Lauren) (also here and here)

Belt - Swapped (Brooks Brothers)

Shoes - Shoe Republic via sample sale

Earrings - Laura

Two-bean and avocado salad

I saw a gorgeous picture on Pinterest the other day of the most lush, perfect avocado stuffed with bacon, cheddar and onion. Stuffed avocado presentation? Why didn't I think of that? I set about making my own version with whatever I had on hand. I was overzealous in my 'stuffing', which ended up dwarfing my slightly overripe and fragile little avocados. Instead, I heaped the stuffing onto a plate and draped avocado slices on top. I was really pleased for this dish turned out. Not only it is wholesome and flavourful, it can be made in under 20 minutes.

To make, finely dice 1/2 sweet onion and two mini zucchinis. Heat 1 tsp olive oil in a small pan, then add onion and zucchini. While they started to cook, I chopped up four Veggie Products' Mediterranean Chickpea Patties from Costco and added them to the pan.  Once the mixture has browned a little, transfer to a mixing bowl. Add 1 cup halved cherry tomatoes, 1 can drained and rinsed black beans, a handful of chopped cilantro, 4T salsa (or to taste) and the juice of one lime. 

Top with avocado slices and Crispy Onion (another Costco-sourced product). 

Eggplant and chicken pizza on naan

I recently saw a simple and tasty-looking recipe for Eggplant with Buttermilk Sauce, which appeared on this blog but is originally from a cookbook called Plenty. I felt the recipe needed a little more...what's the word? Carbs. Carbs and MEAT. So I adapted it into a pizza of sorts which made for a one-dish dinner for two, with leftovers.

To make, slice one mini or one regular-sized eggplant into rounds about 1/4" thick. Peel and thinly slice one sweet onion. Peel and chop 3 cloves garlic. Heat 1T olive oil in a large pan over medium heat. Add eggplants and onions and cook until lightly browned, stirring occasionally (about 5-7 minutes).

While vegetables are cooking, shred meat from 1/2 rotisserie chicken and set aside. Take three pieces of naan bread and brush with tahini. Top with onion, eggplant and shredded chicken. Sprinkle liberally with zataar spice. Bake in oven at 425 for about 10 minutes. 

While pizza is baking, combine 1/2 cup buttermilk and 1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt. Remove pizza from oven, then sprinkle with lemon juice and Pomegranate seeds. Drizzle with yogurt sauce and serve.

Silvery wedding guest wear

Wow, how is it already the second week of May?? I've been working on some concurrent projects at work which has meant long hours at the office (I'll spare the details but just, UGH!!). Luckily the sneak peek of summer in Ottawa has more than made up for it. Without a doubt, my best pick-me-up is soaking up the warm late day sunshine with a run along the canal and seeing the pops of colour of tulip beds in full bloom. I haven't even given much thought to a second glance, though I have missed seeing all YOUR blogs. I'll be coming around soon to catch up on what I've missed! 

Last Saturday we attended the wedding of our friends P&L on a maple syrup farm in rural Edwards, Ontario. (Am I the only one who feels that come the warmer months I just rotate between work clothes, workout wear, PJs and dressy wedding outfits?) The bride made her entrance in a horse and carriage - awesome! B looked super handsome in his groomsman suit (I had to include a photo below!). I wore a dress I bought at Laura on mega sale last year (75% off!) but haven't had a chance to wear yet.

Today's a big day - it's B's 30th birthday and our 'minus-one year' wedding anniversary! For his birthday I'm revealing the destination of a surprise trip I've planned for us in June. Wishing you all an equally celebratory weekend!

xx

 

Dress - Laura

Shoes - Le Chateau

Earrings - Le Chateau

Clutch - from my grandmother's closet

Hair clips - Claire's

Bracelet - Hand-me-down