A little bit of New York in Brussels

I wanted to get another set of 'off-duty' photos in, even if it mean resorting to nighttime pictures once my work responsibilities were done for the day. I adjusted the brightness afterwards so my outfit didn't look like one big black blob. It was a damp and chilly evening  so I took a cue from New Yorkers and piled on monochromatic layers, plus my grey-and-black zebra print scarf seen peeking out of the bag.

Further down is a picture of one half of Grand-Place/Grote Markt in Brussels, the city's central square and ground zero for any visitor to the city. As you can see, it's spectacularly lit up at night. Brussels gets a bad rap within Europe and even within Belgium for being boring, something I've also heard ad nauseam about Ottawa. But I think it's got its own charms, plus great food. Mussels, beer, waffles, fries or chocolate anyone? 

There's an unspoken 'social pact' with my work team that whenever someone travels, they have to bring back treats. I'm still learning to choose amongst a plethora of brands. I picked up Dolfin chocolate for my immediate team and Marcolini for an overworked administrative coordinator who often lends a helping hand, and is also a die-hard chocoholic. Plus a few for me :)

xx

 

 

 

Blazer - Banana Republic

Dress - ? (bought in a store in Bratislava)

Leggings - Gap

Belt - Ralph Lauren via consignment store

Boots - Blondo 

Bag - Leo Monk

Meandering in Montmartre

When I first posted this cozy wrap sweater, I predicted it would become a favourite piece for travelling. And indeed it has. As these photos were taken a big windstorm was starting to blow in over the UK and France was getting the tail end. I was glad for extra layers in the form of a goose down jacket and tall boots, plus a warm beverage in hand. 

I was trekking up the hill in Montmartre for stunning views over the city amidst narrow cobblestone lanes, street artists and crêpe hawkers. As those of you who follow Coco and Vera's blog know, this city is truly magical. It oozes charm in every intricately carved wrought-iron post, every pitch-perfect Parisian accent and every pillow-soft croissant au beurre. My photos of Montmartre were mediocre (it was hard to hold my iphone steady with the wind!) so instead I leave you with that most iconic of Paris landmarks, the Eiffel Tower, as seen from the Trocadéro a few days prior.

xx

 

Jacket - Lole

Sweater - Ted Baker via outlets

Leggings - Gap

Boots - Blondo

Belt - Ralph Lauren via consignment store

Bag - Leo Monk

Sunglasses - Andrea Jovine via Winners

Sipping coffee on a juliette balcony in the 16e

A couple of weeks ago I travelled to Paris and Brussels for work. Downtime during job travel is usually very scarce but I got super lucky as there was a weekend in the middle. I got up early on Saturday to write a report to my boss-lady and catch up on reading, then enjoyed a cup of coffee before hightailing it to the metro to visit Versailles. What an amazing place!! Some very ominous-looking clouds didn't deliver the threatened rain, but made for a really cool shot of the 'golden gates'.

xx

 

 

Shirt - Liz Claiborne via thrift store

Cardigan - Veronika Maine

Jeans - Forever 21

Shoes - Vince Camuto via outlets

Bracelets - Toronto boutique and hand-me-down

Watch - Kenneth Cole

Earrings - Gift

Engagement photos

I'm excited to share photos from our engagement shoot. When researching wedding photographers, we looked for someone who could lend our photos a bit of a vintage quality, but without losing the sharpness or detail of the images. We knew we'd found our match in Anthony of Photolux Studios when I arrived with inspiration photos, culled from various places long since forgotten, and he revealed one of them was his own shot.

Our vision was for classic romance with a throwback European vibe. I borrowed a dress from a friend, and another friend's mom made a 2-layer tulle underskirt to give it a hint of poof. I was a little nervous doing my own nails using a drugstore kit. However, they turned out beautifully and lasted well over a week. I may do it again for the wedding and save on the manicurist fee. I also did my own makeup, but went to Sarah at Salon Bliss for a French roll updo. B wore a classic black suit and white shirt. Later, we both changed into more casual clothes for a few shots, but the dressier ones were by far our favourites. 

The photos were taken at Tabaret Hall on the University of Ottawa campus. We loved its soaring monolithic columns, modelled after the Capitol Building in Washington, and the ivy-covered stone walls. The wrought-iron gate around the side of the building was a bonus discovery. For B, the setting had added meaning, as the university is where he started his life in Ottawa and these photos represent the beginning of the rest.

xx

{We used this one for our save-the-dates}

 

On me 

Dress - White House Black Market (borrowed)

Slingback pumps - Guess via Winners

Bracelet - Hand-me-down

Hair clip and earrings - Claire's

Nails - Kiss Custom Fit French manicure kit

Top - BCBG via outlets

Jeans - Forever 21

Ballet flats - Vince Camuto via outlets

On him

Suit - DKNY via outlets

Dress Shirt - Banana Republic

Shoes - Brown's

T-shirt - RW & Co.

Jeans - Banana Republic

Shoes - Call it Spring

All wrapped up

If it wasn't for one blink-and-you-miss-it previous appearance on the blog (here), this wrap sweater/dress would have fallen into my 'island of misfit clothes'. It's a Sydney thrift store find, from an Australian label my roommates told me specializes in wrap dresses. Made from a very stretchy, lightweight wool, I love its warmth and the way it clings in all the right places.

I find my wrists look a little bare and I'm kind of wishing I'd thrown on some bracelets - agreed?

xx

  

Wrap top - Rebecca Ruby via thrift store

Belt - Salena's Collection via clothes swap

Tights - Gap

Boots - Geox

Bag - Leo Monk handbags

Earrings - Zellers

Creamy veal stew with artichokes, portobello mushrooms and lemon

I guess my lemon kick isn't QUITE over; I've found yet another use for it. If a stew can be described as luscious, this one would fit the bill. It's my own recipe and admittedly I kind of went to town with gourmet ingredients. Think portobello mushrooms, wine, veal, cream. Slow cooked in the crockpot, it tantalized with delicious aromas over the course of the afternoon.  Makes about six servings.

 xx

Dice four portobello mushrooms into 1" pieces. Finely dice two small sweet onions and four cloves garlic. Set aside. Pour 1/3 cup flour and 1/2 tsp pepper in a large Ziploc bag. Add 1-1/2 lbs of veal stewing cubes, patted dry. Seal bag and toss until veal is dusted with flour. Remove veal cubes and discard excess flour. 

Heat 2T vegetable oil in a heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium-high heat (turn the vent fan on!). Working in batches, add veal and sauté for couple of minutes per side until well-browned, adding more oil as needed throughout. Remove veal cubes and set aside to drain.

Add a little more oil to the pot, then add mushrooms, garlic and onions. Cook, stirring, for a couple of minutes. Increase heat to high, and pour in 2/3 cup dry white wine. Boil until reduced by half, scraping browned bits with a wooden spoon. Add 3T Italian seasoning. 

Pour meat, vegetables and wine into slow cooker. Add two cans of artichoke hearts (not marinated), including the juice. Top up with chicken broth until the solids are about 3/4 submerged in liquid. Stir to combine.

Cook on low for 6 hours or on high for 3 hours. Once done cooking, stir in zest of 1/2 lemon and juice of 1/2 lemon. Add 1/2 cup heavy cream. Season to taste. Serve with crusty bread or broad egg noodles.

Fresh basil pesto

After years of crappy blenders, I decided the time had come to invest in a good one. Vitamix seems to be the undisputed king of blenders, but I wasn't willing to spend $500. I spent an hour researching options and decided to go with the Breville Hemisphere, which was on sale for less than half the price of the Vitamix, but seemed to offer good bang for my buck. 

I've only had it for a couple of weeks but so far I'm really pleased. It's got a solid motor, four regular blades plus two sweeping blades (no little chunky bits hiding at the very bottom of the jug). The blades are soldered to the jug, which I'm hoping doesn't cause any problems for cleaning; so far so good. On that note, I'm not sure if it's technically dishwasher-safe, but I've put the jug through a few times no problem. And I'm enamored with the smoothie button!

 It arrived in time for me to whip up some fresh pesto with basil from our garden before the first frost. My recipe is pretty classic but I felt I ought to post it, as I use this in, or on, everything - mashed potatoes, pasta, sandwiches, grilled salmon - you name it!

xx

To make, pulse 2-1/2 cups packed basil leaves and 1/3 cup pine nuts in a blender for a few seconds. Add 3 minced cloves of garlic and 2/3 cup of Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, and pulse again. With the blender on low speed, slowly pour in 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil. Adjust the quantities to taste, then season with salt and pepper.

New favourite statement necklace

Is anyone else loving Banana Republic's jewellery collection these days? A few posts back, I was gushing about these turquoise earrings. Also love at first sight was this statement necklace, a gift for my 30th birthday in August. I knew I wanted to pair its purplish-grey hue with another fall colour, burnt orange.

I'm keeping an eye out to see if BR comes out with any jewellery in our wedding colours (blush pink, dove grey and ivory with gold accents) that would go with my dress. Fingers crossed!

xx

Skirt – H&M via thrift store

Blazer – Elie Tahari via thrift store

Blouse – Max Studio via Winners

Shoes – Aldo via thrift store

Necklace – Banana Republic
Earrings – Gift

Shrimp and kale salad rice paper rolls

I often wrestle with the types of recipes to post on the blog. I aim for a balance between familiarity and originality, difficulty and simplicity - and always, lots of variety!

This falls into the super-easy end of the spectrum. I think I put it together on a weeknight when I really didn't feel like mucking around in the kitchen.  

xx

I started with Eat Smart's Sweet Kale salad mix from Costco (which actually has chicory, green cabbage, broccoli and Brussels sprouts, in addition to the kale). If you don't have this, you could substitute coleslaw. I didn't add the little package of dried cranberries and pumpkin seeds, nor the dressing. Instead, I mixed in Wafu Original Sesame dressing. A good substitute for the Wafu would be a creamy Asian sesame salad dressing. 

I wrapped the kale salad with cooked shrimp in dampened rice paper rolls.  That's it! If you wanted, you could dip these in a sweet chili dipping sauce, or add fresh basil or mint to the rolls.