Here’s something you might not have thought of before but not only does it work – it works surprisingly WELL. One-Pan Pasta! (not to be confused with first cooking the spaghetti & tossing it in a pan of already made sauce a la Sopranos. Are you kidding? No need to over work yourself.
At the Start
There’s a tiny restaurant in the Puglia region of Italy where the chef places dried pasta in a skillet with water, tomatoes, onion, garlic, herbs and a glug of extra virgin olive oil.
Then he cooks everything together and it has become their house dish ever since.
I had to try it out myself because it seemed way too simple and I wasn’t sure how everything would turn out. So…
After laying out enough linguine for two people in a skillet, I added about 1 ½ cups of water – enough to just cover the pasta since there was no actual recipe. I added the above ingredients but instead of putting in fresh tomatoes I just used a can of peeled plum tomatoes with the juice. Also a bit of tomato paste as I thought there was a bit too much water at first, a sprinkling of hot pepper flakes & a squeeze of lemon.
Almost Ready
Once the water had boiled away we were left with perfectly al dente pasta in a creamy sauce that coated every strand & tasted like something you would find in a restaurant in the tiny village of Puglia.
This is the perfect glamping dish, or for times when you don’t have too much time or just for those that love pasta (like me) and are always looking for new ways to cook it.
Vancouver is on sensory overload. It’s like Feast or Famine – where do you go when there’s so much happening in one day? This past weekend alone was alive with the sound of music and the aromas of all kinds of cuisine and street shopping. I tried to take in as much as I could with the help of a friend & managed to do exactly that.
vancitybuzz
Friday kicked off the 28th Annual TD Vancouver International Jazz Festival. The festival brings us 11 days of pure musical enjoyment with 1800 musicians, featuring up to 300 concerts at over 35 venues – many of them free. What a treat.
Friday I went to Pat’s Pub (attached to the Patricia Hotel – definitely not a 5 star) for the first time to hear Hugh Fraser (pianist, trombonist and composer) and his jazz band. They were great, the food was really good too & inexpensive. I didn’t like the location, but once inside you forget all about the hookers standing outside, especially when the music starts. Some history on the place:
Established in 1914 The Patricia Café (its original name) was run by Will Bowman and was one of Vancouver’s jazz hotspots at the time. Pat’s Pub is thick with jazz history; some of the musicians who played at the Patricia Café at the time were influential in the transition between ragtime and jazz piano styles. Most notably is Ferdinand “Jelly Roll” Morton who at the age of 28 made Vancouver his home during August 1919 thru to January 1921. During his time in Vancouver “Jelly Roll” Morton performed in the Patricia Café as well as roomed in the Patricia Hotel. To this day the Pub’s original wood floor exists as a reminder of its history.
Kytami
On Saturday – I loved the sound stages that were set up at Robson Square for the first time. My friend and I sat on the steps of the Vancouver Art Gallery while listening to wonderful Jennifer Scott’s Brasileira band and then following that, a most amazing fiddle player by the name of Kytami. Then we wandered over to another stage set up behind the gallery for a little bit of big band jazz. Good times.
Greek Festival
Sunday was a bit dreary weather wise so we opted for some shopping on South Granville which had a weekend long sidewalk sale & then up to West Broadway for Greek Festival.
It’s all Greek to me: The yearly Vancouver Greek Fest took place on West Broadway between MacDonald and Blenheim from 11am to 9pm which included musical and dance acts and other various activities and presentations showcasing Hellenic culture, Greek tourism, and Greeks(and non Greeks) in Vancouver. Of course there were several food tents with delicious Greek food, and refreshments. Many local merchants were set up on the street as well.
Then….
For the Foodie or at least the Food Cart fans: Food Cart Fest started on Sunday, June 23 and will take place every Sunday from 12 p.m.-6 p.m. until September 22. Over 20 of Vancouver’s top Food Carts is complemented by community markets, live music and DJs, craft food vendors, kids activities, and lots more.
This year they will be operating out of a new location on 215 West 1st Avenue (on the south-east side of the Cambie Street Bridge). The site is next to the Seawall and a short walk from the Canada Line’s Olympic Village Station, the Aquabus’ Spyglass Place Dock, and major bus routes along Broadway, Cambie, Main, West 2nd Avenue. In short, it’s a much more convenient location. Admission is $2. Children 13 and under get in free.
Not life, but good life, is to be chiefly valued – Socrates
The good life is one inspired by love and guided by knowledge – Bertrand Russell
The secret of a good life is to have the right loyalties and hold them in the right scale of values – Norman Thomas
Life comes from physical survival; but the good life comes from what we care about – Rollo May
If you want to have a good life, you should focus on your family, on your business, on your dog, on your fun, and you’ll have a good life – Adam Carolla
When life gives you a hundred reasons to cry, show life that you have a thousand reasons to smile — Unknown
“I’m selfish, impatient and a little insecure. I make mistakes, I am out of control and at times hard to handle. But if you can’t handle me at my worst, then you sure as hell don’t deserve me at my best.” – ― Marilyn Monroe
“You only live once, but if you do it right, once is enough.” – ― Mae West
“To live is the rarest thing in the world. Most people exist, that is all.”- ― Oscar Wilde
“Sometimes the questions are complicated and the answers are simple.” – ― Dr. Seuss
“Life is an opportunity, benefit from it. Life is beauty, admire it. Life is a dream, realize it. Life is a challenge, meet it. Life is a duty, complete it. Life is a game, play it. Life is a promise, fulfill it. Life is sorrow, overcome it. Life is a song, sing it. Life is a struggle, accept it. Life is a tragedy, confront it. Life is an adventure, dare it. Life is luck, make it. Life is too precious, do not destroy it. Life is life, fight for it.”
― Mother Teresa
Eat, Drink, and Be Gorgeous: A Nutritionist’s Guide to Living well While Living It Up
From *Esther Blum, an expert nutritionist at Dr. Perricone’s flagship Manhattan store, comes the breakthrough news that, yes, you can eat and drink what you love and still look and feel gorgeous. Esther reveals the secrets to beautiful skin, a fantastic figure, and peace of mind all while living the good life.
It’s about knowing how to make the right choices: Which cocktails cause the least damage, is a Merlot better than a Margarita? What natural supplements combat out-of-control hormones? With a troubleshooting section on treating specific ailments, delicious recipes, and fast fixes, Eat, Drink, and Be Gorgeousmakes it possible to have that piece of cake and eat it, too. Sounds good to me.
*Esther Blum is a Registered Dietitian and Holistic Nutritionist practicing in Connecticut
On a similar note:
**Don’t Miss: Brad King discusses the FIT, FUN and FABULOUS Lifestyle with Kathy Hartford, author of “Fit, Fun and Fabulous at Any Age” (along with its companion journal and cookbook) on “Transforming Health” at VoiceAmerica.com
What is SHE doing in MY closet?? Gwen…GET OUT! My dream room (minus the kid although he is real cute). sweetydesign.com
I’m trying to make the best out of a tiny situation, namely my closet space. The fact is I have more clothes than closet. My closet is a walk-in but not very deep – more like a “stand in” and now it’s time to edit everything – for the change of season.
A lot of stuff I’ve given away and I used to consign but decided it’s now better to put it into the clothing bins. I still have closet envy but short of moving to a bigger closet house, I have to make the most of a small situation. That was part of my spring cleaning promise to myself – to clean up my act closet and re-arrange my life it all. Not an easy task. Have you done this recently? Maybe you’ve been thinking about it too.
Hooks help to organize a few hats, scarves & bags. Hanging shoe racks are a good idea too.
RULES. The first step…
Time to get some of those thin Velcro hangers like they sell at Costco – then you can add a few more items.
Edit your closet. Really take a good look at your lifestyle and realize that some pieces (like the mesh studded crop top) will never see the light of day again. Divide into 3 piles.
1) Keeper
2) You want to keep it but be strong because you know you won’t wear it – possibility pile)
3) Definitely Not!
2+3 – Giveaways(if clothes are in good shape, washed and/or dry-cleaned & still in style you can probably consign them). I’ve consigned many times in the past & after almost forgetting about it after several months would get a phone call to say there’s a cheque for hundreds of dollars (because you won’t get more than 50% of what they decide to sell them for). Great news. Of course you can take the money and go buy more clothes right away with it. But be strong….because remember why you’re getting the cash? You had to clean out your closet.
4)You’ve heard it before but it’s true…..if something doesn’t fit right but it’s worth keeping have it altered to fit properly. If not, give it away. Nothing is worse than an ill fitting outfit. Your body changes so if something that once fit now doesn’t think about giving it away unless you plan to hire a personal trainer & work really hard.
5)Separate into piles the type of clothing & what you wear most often. Jeans, other pants, blouses, t-shirts, blazers, cardigans and put them in order of what you’re most likely to wear – so you can grab & go.
6)In the end you’ll feel so much better that you edited your closet. Then try to resist feeling like you wasted so much money, time and effort in choosing waaay more than you realized you’d have to part with – but know that it’s true. You wasted so much $$$$. Some of your friends will benefit from this & vice versa. You’ll feel good about giving it to someone who wears it better (although a bit envious). You realize you may have either lost or put on a few pounds (most likely) or that you no longer look good in a teeny Brazilian string bikini (not that you ever did – ouch). Good news: one pieces, especially retro style that cover up more skin are back in a BIG way. Realize you don’t need to sweat the small stuff. A well edited tiny closet is a BIG deal. Simplifying things is much easier…..yeah, yeah that is what my head keeps telling me. I still want a big walk-in.
Catchphrase: Make the most of what you have
SPACE SAVER: I love this corset hanger for containing some earrings & pendants. You can hang necklaces on the back.
I love cake in all its forms – flourless, vegan, fully loaded, red velvet & with lots of icing. Now I can put cake it in my hair.
Tell me you haven’t tried dry shampoo! Maybe you haven’t found the right one yet. Who washes their hair every single day anymore? We’re constantly on the go, washing daily will dry out your hair and styling all the time is a pain. Enter dry shampoo – not like the old days.
I think it’s a must unless of course you break out a sweat like crazy. For non wash days I just sprinkle a little cake satin sugar glistening dry shampoo on my roots, work through a little with my fingers & let sit a few minutes before brushing out. It doesn’t really clean your hair but it will take away the greasy look for emergencies or just days when you want to give your hair a rest. It also smells nice – a bit like icing sugar. The packaging is very so-so but the product works. Available at Sephora for $20.00
Can you believe they have a dry bar at Sephora? I’ve been wanting to try “Oscar Blandi” but the girls at S convinced me that cake works better for less $ – so far so good. This was their TOP pick (at least for now).
If you’re looking for something a little less pricey then try the volumizing spray from John Frieda which works fine for about $7.00.
Summer is the perfect time to break out all the stops on anything white – even shoes and handbags……….while we can. That’s not to say we can’t wear white all year long – just not so much of it.
Miranda Kerr localkicks.com
I love the freshness of white and the fact that you can pretty much dress it up or down with scarves, belts & jewelry. White with turquoise looks amazing. I specifically love white and beige together or white with black for a more graphic look (more on that later).
White was all over the runways with most designers showing “all white” looks from feminine dresses to tailored blazers.
Let’s have a look at some more recent trends on this theme
Red carpet white – Charlize Theron at 2013 Oscars from Images.Menswear 2013 – theclothingmenu.comsivanidesigns.comSolange Knowles Imashopaholic.comKarlie Kloss at Mercedes Benz Fashion Fall-Winter-2013 (glamcheck.com)
WHITE HOT!
Then of course the classics – white shirt, white jeans & white sneakers. All the time, anytime.
CUBAN CUISINE contains African, Spanish, Italian and Caribbean elements. The Cubans don’t follow any rules when cooking – the mixture of all possible tastes, smells and colors usually help to create little works of art. Cuba does not have a great reputation for their food – at least for tourists. I’ve been to Havana and found this to be true. Their rum however is second to none and if you stick with drinking mojitos all day long you may not even mind how bad the food tastes. The truth is if you’re lucky enough to be invited into a local home for a home cooked meal or go to one of the handful of local insider restaurants which happen to not be in the very touristy areas, you will be pleasantly surprised. Together with the wonderful herbs and spices from the region – for example, chilli, oregano, onions, garlic, parsley, saffron, basil, etc. – there are no limits to the varied dishes. Here is a simple and delicious marinade.
2 Tbsp. (30 ml) each frozen orange juice concentrate (somewhat defrosted), ketchup and molasses. (I used spicy ketchup from the Mcilhenny Co. brand that makes Tobasco).
1 tsp (5 ml) each ground cumin and dried oregano leaves
¼ tsp (1 ml.) cayenne pepper
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 lime
1 Tbsp (15 ml) Extra-Virgin Olive Oil
4 centre-cut pork loin chops, each about ½ inch (1 cm) thickl
¼ cup (50 ml) coarsely chopped cilantro
In a bowl, stir concentrate with ketchup, molasses, dried seasonings and garlic.
Squeeze in juice from lime, then stir in oil.
Pour three-quarters of the marinade over chops and turn to evenly coat. Cover and let marinate in the fridge for at least one hour but best overnight. Turn occasionally.
Refrigerate reserved marinade in a separate container.
Preheat barbeque, then adjust to medium heat. Remove chops from marinade and discard marinade. Place on grill. Close lid and grill, about 12 to 15 minutes, turning once.
Brush with reserved marinade during the last five minutes of cooking time. Remove to platter and sprinkle with cilantro.
Per Serving: 237 calories
Sides: I served this with cooked quinoa (in a vegetable broth) which was then mixed into a pan with caramelized onions, shallots, red pepper, green beans & cuban black beans.
Sweet yellow corn on the cob with cilantro/chili/lime butter & sea salt.
A true signal of Summer ahead is strolling through the streets of Vancouver and noticing all the beautiful varieties of roses. These were taken Saturday, June 15th.
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