boo!

Ever since I was little, I have always loved Halloween. You get to dress up, eat free candy and chocolates and sometimes, if you're brave enough, you can even walk through a haunted house! I'll be honest and admit that I only stopped trick-or-treating after second year university (I was always in costume too!). Since then, I've stopped taking candy and have been giving back by spoiling all the kids who ring our doorbell with handfuls of the good stuff. Partly because I owe it to my neighbours, but also because the kids who trick-or-treat are dwindling in numbers and I'm afraid of what will happen if I'm left alone with boxes of chocolates.

Aside from the costumes and candy, when I think of Halloween, I think of a big orange pumpkin. This year was the third year I hosted a pumpkin carving competition at my house and I was determined to win, so much so that I rigged the scoring card so that my biggest competitor would be at an obvious disadvantage. I decided to go for a more unconventional design, hoping to score some creativity points. It was a crude replica of a painting by Edvard Munch entitled The Scream. I think I was a little too ambitious this year. Next year I will probably pick something that is a little less detailed so that I don't give up half way through. In the end, I didn't following the points on the rigged score card due to my conscience...okay, the real reason is because the prize was comprised of candies, chocolates and cookies that I couldn't afford to eat due to an upcoming wedding and a dress I had purchased one half size too snug. After the fair version of judging, I came in second with only three points less than the winner! Next year will be the year...

enjoy acting like a kid again and stuffing your bellies with sweets without feeling guilty
have a happy halloween everyone!

taste buds on fire

Nathan has trouble focusing with my camera 

Two years ago, my taste buds died at Anjappar Chettinad, an Indian restaurant, in my attempt to train them to withstand more heat. It was so spicy that it didn't just burn my entire mouth, but also my lips until they were slightly numb. Luckily all that pain was not for moot!  I noticed that after that night, I was able to eat spicy foods that I normally wouldn't be able to handle. Unfortunately, since then I haven't had a chance to regularly maintain my spice tolerance simply because I'm not normally drawn towards eating spicy things (I'm a bit of a bland girl).

For some reason though, I had a huge craving for Hakka food last week. I've never really had Hakka food before, but Nathan made it sound so tasty that eventually I started wanting it as well (Nathan always says that I am very easily influenced). We had a couple places that we wanted to try together: Frederic's and China Cottage. We ended up at China Cottage because it was a bit closer and there was word along the grapevine that this place might actually be better.

We ordered one non-spicy item (a vegetable fried rice) and one spicy item (manchurian beef). First off, the fried rice was enormous! It could have easily fed four adults or maybe 3 really hungry ones. I really liked the rice for two reasons: it didn't burn and it wasn't mushy. I've grown up to believe that fried rice should be made with day-old rice to make sure that the rice doesn't stick or clump together, but there seems to be a lot of heated discussions surrounding this! As for the beef, I didn't enjoy it because it was way too spicy and it wasn't the kind of flavourful spicy that I like to eat. According to Nathan's sister, we should've ordered the crispy beef instead. Gives us an excuse to go again! I think some of my friends who like the heat would love this place.

So I think Nathan and I are officially over our Japanese food craze...for now.

a smidgen of a marathon

I like how they printed our names on our bibs

and yes, that's a banana in my pocket

I was also hiding a bagel in my other hand... 

I had started weekend jogs with Jess back when I first started this blog. Although the running didn't last long (roughly a month?), we still decided to do a tamer version of the Scotiabank Waterfront Marathon which was 5km long. It took place on a very chilly Sunday afternoon - though the sun did peek its head out to say hello for a few minutes before the start. This was Jess' first run and I must say that even though she hadn't trained since the end of June, she did fantastic with an end time of 37:50! Aside from feeling accomplished, I think the best part was being able to catch up with a friend. I love the friends that I see often, but I really cherish the moments with those that I don't.

Always leaves me with a warm and fuzzy feeling.

on a sushi roll

I just can't seem to get enough Japanese food these days. Our latest visit was to a small hidden Japanese restaurant on St. Patrick's street just off of Queen called Ema-tei. They are best known for their cooked food so Nathan and I shared a bento, skewers, and two rolls. I have this habit of taking photographs of my food everywhere I go so please don't mind the excessive food documentation. Sometimes, though, I get too excited and am half way through my meal before I remember to snap a photo. Luckily, this wasn't one of those times.

 nappa appetizer: mushy just the way I like it

left to right: chicken skin, chicken heart, chicken gizzard, chicken leg

the ema-tei bento: the bottom right corner was a little too deep fried for my liking

 spider roll: this was good, but ever since I had a spider roll at Zen, others just don't seem to measure up...

 I was really hungry so I inhaled everything

 but saved room for some anmitsu to end off the meal

 

Nathan has told me many times before that he will never be able to make me as happy as food can make me. I always deny it, but deep down, I think he might be right...

things i love about toronto

One of the best things about strolling around downtown is the possibility of seeing things that you normally wouldn't see in the suburbs. For example, a tree house.

please don't mind the fuzzy streetcar

table for two, please

soya sauce photo shoot

Date nights with the boyfriend are always ones that are filled with food from both old and new places that we discover along the way. In our search for new places to eat, we've encountered our fair share of misses, but last Tuesday's pick was a definite hit. We decided to finally try out Sushi Couture on Bloor Street (near Bathurst) since Nathan had heard that the old chef from Japango runs this little establishment. I think what sealed the deal for me was Nathan's $13 chirashi (I was picking at it all night). Unlike your typical chirashi, it had seared fish on it with what appears to be some sort of garlic sauce drizzled on top. 

It. Was. Amazing.

  chirashi

wakame salad

dragon roll

After stuffing ourselves, we spent the rest of our evening walking around some sketchier parts of town to get back to our car. Along the way we discovered a vintage video game shop (that we need to revisit so that I can restock the old Nintendo that I found in this post). The fall weather makes it so easy to enjoy quiet walks down unfamiliar streets.

 
A girl can get used to more date nights like this.

merci merci merci

 photo credit goes to my talented friend Jamie

This past weekend was Thanksgiving and like all holidays, everything that I did and everywhere that I went, revolved around food. The festivities started off with a good dose of food poisoning that I mentioned in this post. I suppose it was a blessing in disguise because it cleared the way for much overindulging the entire weekend. By entire weekend I mean 12pm Saturday straight through to Monday 6pm.

 taken at the lobby of the Royal York Hotel

Saturday was spent high tea-ing with two of my lovely ladies at the Fairmont Royal York Hotel. We stuffed ourselves on crumpets and sandwiches (couldn't quite fit the scones in near the end) and washed it all down with a nice big pot of tea. I chose my absolute favourite tea at the moment: Cherry Blossom Sencha tea. It's a very mild green tea with a hint of sweetness to it; perfect for a sunny afternoon. After tea, I was off to Nathan's family Thanksgiving dinner at his cousin's place. The next evening was Thanksgiving dinner with my family, and since no one in my family wanted to cook this year, we decided to go shopping and eat out instead. We had our family's favourite sticky rice stuffed chicken at Maple Yip's and by the end of the night, I didn't think I could ever eat again...

best stuffing in the world (recipe from Giada)

...somehow, I found myself eating more turkey the next day at a friend's place in Oakville.

I've only felt physically ill from eating one other time in my life and that was after an a.y.c.e sushi date with Nathan when he was still working in Calgary. This weekend, I revisited that awful feeling but if I had to do it again, I probably would have ended up in the same state.

I asked Nathan to take a picture of me for my blog and this was the result...

DIY onigiri

My friend's girlfriend recently sent him a care package from Korea and in it contained an onigiri maker with all the materials needed to wrap up the little rice triangle (minus the rice and fillings). And so we all gathered together to make us some tasty onigiri stuffed with odd fillings. Included were:

1. chinese BBQ pork
2. unagi
3. luncheon meat
4. hot pot items (fish balls and cylinders)
5. sashimi salmon and tuna
6. canned crab meat
7. canned tuna

 luckily there were step-by-step pictures for us to follow (none of us spoke or read Korean)

 the seaweed comes prepackaged in plastic - so that's how they make them in stores!

 one of my forbidden loves

wacky fillings

onigiri shaper - the key is to squish everything in really tightly

 how to make grown men cry

I wanted to try all of the fillings, but after my first one, I was already stuffed. I ended up eating two in total (BBQ pork and canned tuna). It was a fun night of eating and trying to make the perfect onigiri even though I made a mess cause mine kept falling apart. I'm already thinking about possible fillings for next time.

I don't think I ever want to pay for supermarket onigiri ever again!

watermelon revisited

Back in June, I posted about my very first gardening adventure and the doubt that surrounded the growth of my watermelon plant. I am happy to announce that I, as a matter of fact, was able to grow three watermelons this summer (this is if we count the one that my dad crushed with a lawn mower and the other one that fell off its vine). Even though it was only the size of a large plum, I still ate it! Now, I may be biased, but I thought it was the sweetest and juiciest watermelon I had all summer. This just comes to show that a little determination goes a long way!

For those who are currently struggling with what seems to be a near impossible task:

keep on trucking! Your watermelon will eventually grow :)

sukiyaki adventure

 a little disappointed that the egg wasn't fried this time around

Last Christmas, the girls and I wandered into a little Japanese restaurant where I ordered (and demolished) a beef sukiyaki. I've been meaning to go back since, but for some reason I always end up at other Japanese restaurants. I suppose it's not surprising seeing as how we have quite a few to choose from in the GTA. Luckily, the chilly fall air reminded my stomach that some sukiyaki was needed and so started my adventure downtown with Nathan. I couldn't quite remember the name or the location of the restaurant so finding it was based solely on my gut feeling. Thankfully, I have a pretty good photographic memory and was able to navigate us towards the restaurant.

We order. We eat. We leave. I get food poisoning.

Maybe I shouldn't jump to conclusions about food poisoning, but it sure felt like it. Nathan ordered the Chirashi and was fine, so I am assuming that I either have a very weak stomach or there was something in my soup that wasn't quite right. I would like to blame my stomach so that I can convince myself to go back. Somehow, I feel like I won't be revisiting this particular restaurant any time soon.

I hope everyone has a delicious food-poisoning-free Thanksgiving!

pew pew pew

 the gems you find when cleaning

My excuses for cleaning up the house have finally run out, so for the past two weeks I, along with  my parents, have been cleaning up bit by bit while our bathrooms are getting a makeover. In the midst of cleaning out boxes and digging into dusty closets, my parents found a Nintendo Entertainment System box circa the 80s. Originally, I had thought that it was empty since our old Nintendo system with the missing converter was currently downstairs in the basement collecting dust. However, it turns out my dad had actually purchased two Nintendos when they first came out. My mom concluded that my dad is crazy and I finally found out from whom I inherited my shopping habits.

Needless to say, I've been spending way too much time playing my childhood games this week.

a chilly wedding with a side of sun

shoes need to rest too

October 1st, 2011 marked the official end of singleton life for one of the leading ladies in my life (better known as my brain twin, Karen). Because I was a part of the bridal party, I couldn't lug around a DSLR for picture taking so my point&shoot photos will have to suffice.

The day started off early with DIY hair and makeup which is always a riot in a room full of girls. I had a lot of fun playing with everyone's hair and figuring out the makeup bit for my face. I tried to go for a more natural look while the other girls opted for the smokey eyes. As for pictures, we lucked out in terms of weather with blue skies and a warm sun to bake under while we waited for our turn with the photographer. For the ceremony, I was just happy I didn't trip and fall on my face walking down the aisle. What surprised me the most was that I didn't cry! I think part of it was due to my strategy on focusing on my bouquet and not looking at Karen when she walked down the aisle with her parents.

After the ceremony we headed to the Pearl to set up for the reception and dinner and it was just fun times from there on! Lots of food and good company makes me a happy girl. I would've taken more photos, but I was too busy stuffing my face. On that note, I am happy to say that my one week diet is officially over! My total weight loss for the week was 2 pounds and that was just enough to squeeze my body into the bridesmaid's dress comfortably.

I can't wait to go out to a restaurant and order whatever I want off the menu. I have a feeling the 2 pounds that left will be coming home soon.

 frozen bridesmaids and a garbage can