Crazy Easy Panna Cotta

Last night I tried an easy summer dessert that turned out so well that I can't find the rest of it in the fridge (that's a lie. they were eaten. mostly by me.)

I don't know if I've ever ordered Panna Cotta at a restaurant. I was using Chef Michael Smith's recipe for the dessert:  

4 cups milk

2 tsps vanilla

1/2 cup white or brown sugar (he says use 1 cup but I thought that was a little excessive!)

2 pkgs of unflavoured gelatin (like Knox, which is about 2.5 tsps each)

1 tbsp of your favourite spice, herb, or liquer!

I tried it using cinnamon and 2 tbsps of maple syrup- the real stuff, not Aunt Jemima's. 

Pour all but 1/2 cup of milk into a medium size pot and add sugar, vanilla and spice or liquer. Heat and stir until it just begins to simmer.

Meanwhile, sprinkle the gelatin into the remaining milk and let it absorb the moisture. 

Pour hot milk into the gelatin mixture and gently stir until mixed thoroughly and gelatin dissolves. 

Now you can pour the milk into any kind of moulds. I found little tea cups, but you can use small dessert bowls, ramekins, tupperware, really whatever you want. He said lightly oil the containers to get the moulds out easily but that didn't work for me at all. Normally you can turn them out onto a plate and make it look all nice. We are eating ours staright out of the containers they were made in because they still got stuck. Maybe I should lightly butter the insides next time?

Refrigerate until firm, at least 2 hours or overnight. 

Instead of sugar you can use honey or maple syrup. Rosemary would also be a delicious herb to put in or whatever else you can think of!

yum..

I made mine in vintage tea cups...aka. value village tea cups. 

Having adventures in "new" places

Someone should pay me for showing you around Edmonton so much this summer. Events, parks, restaurants...sheesh!

On Sunday we weren't really sure what we felt like doing. Kenton and I get "crowd phobia" in locations with too many people and kids, mostly when we have our own kids with us. And we thought about Fort Edmonton except that it would have cost us $44.00 to go...no thanks. At least not today.

Ever been to Louise McKinney park? Gallagher park? We hit up both. 

If you take Grierson Hill and turn right (just barely past the Shaw Conference Center), you hit Louise McKinney park and the Chinese gardens.

Which would explain this...

Wren is basically running in every picture. She thought it was awesome.

And her childhood modelling career begins...look at that pose...

You only get the nicest views of the river valley and downtown. We cross the big bridge over the river as if we were heading to the Muttart Conservatory. One of the most beautiful areas of the city!

And now begins the attempts at getting a "nice" picture with Wren...

My face is saying "smile and look at the camera" while trying to pull her face into position. Yeah right, Mom.

Oh close enough, we give up, Wren!

They were already setting up for Folk Fest down in Gallagher park. I only got a blurry shot of the super cute playground and spray park. If you haven't been, check it out. And wear some bug spray, Wren came home with 15 fresh mosquito bites :)

Why Not? Restaurant reviews for you...

Rachel made a request to hear about how High Tea was at the Hotel Macdonald...and I'd be happy to share, because it's not often you get a chance to go do something like that! 

I figure while I'm at it, I will make like a professional foodie or something and review the High Tea and the restaurant we hit up for appetizers later. 

My friend Lindsay is getting married in September and we went for High Tea for her stagette, and then out later to Hundred Bar & Grill for appetizers. Keep in mind that this is in no way a review of Lindsay's stagette- which was awesome, if you must know.

High Tea was super fun. I had no idea what to expect, I had never even stepped foot in the hotel in my life. This is why I parked a couple blocks away, unsure of where to go, and came out the Library parkade on 99th Street by accident looking lost and confused in heels. I found my way.

The tea was served in the Harvest Room which was very floral patterned but sort of reminded me of Downton Abbey- which I am very excited to watch again this fall. 

Where was I...Oh yes, so because this is fancy, I was pretty much expecting one of those blossoming tea flowers when hot water is poured over it and to ooh and ahh at it's splendor. But the waiter presented me with a large box of ...packaged tea bags to choose from. Oh. Okay.

I was a big fan of the treats that followed- things like a mini egg salad bite, squares, salmon on a cracker with caviar, cupcakes, macaroons and who knows what else. Because I'm a mom that rushes around to get to events on time these days, I had not eaten previous to the shower and just hoped that it was more than tea. And I was happily surprised and was full on goodies. 

Yes Rachel, they had the clotted cream, fieldberry jam Mac scones and they were delicious, especially the ones with lavender baked into them! I slathered on generous portions of cream, butter and jam, and then had another...and another...

I enjoyed it, and it was really fun to get dressed up in a dress and heels and eat yummy treats. The tea could have been better...like loose tea for example would have been more impressive...but hey, the service was wonderful and they continued to refill my tea pot with hot water as I gracefully inhaled snacks and tea. 

--

Hundred Bar & Grill. Oh what a let down you were! I can't say I have high hopes on places like that though. The best part of that place is it's location. It boasts a "seductive night life" which is not exactly something I look for in my life these days but the statement is laughable. I didn't see a single seductively dressed person...or even classy for that matter. I think we were on the younger end of the crowd! Except for the manager who looked about 19 years old. 

We ordered drinks, and I had a lovely glass of Riesling. I'm a sweet drink person, the sweeter the better. 

Then we ordered appetizers. Overpriced appetizers. I had eaten dinner at home so I just needed a snack. Lindsay ordered the mini burgers so I naturally felt that the mini hot dogs were a good idea. (They are my secret love...especially the ones from Costco.)

We were having a good time sipping on our drinks and what not...but we were also a group of 9 hungry ladies. Time dragged on and we still didn't have our food. We became a group of 9 hungry, buzzed and slightly grouchy ladies after an hour had passed and still no appetizers. Appetizers...that's all we were waiting for, not full meals. And it was now 9:30pm..it definitely wasn't busy in the restaurant when we arrived at 8pm. 

The manager came over to let us know that he was sorry for the delay and food would be out shortly.

Our food comes as promised, over an hour later from when we had ordered it. 

I scarfed my mini hot dogs down...which tasted mysteriously just like a Costco hot dog....hmm..

It was a Costco hot dog! I know that taste anywhere (I only had a million when I was pregnant..both times) and it was one hot dog cut into thirds and each piece in a bun of white bread. WTF. $13 for one hot dog cut up into thirds?? Oh but it came with a cute jar of ketchup. I can get this friggen hot dog at Costco for $2 and that even comes with a pop thank you very much. 

Looking around the table, there were few plates that look appetizing. 

Thankfully, one of the ladies wasn't going to have it. She spoke with the manager who fumbled around with lame excuses saying things like it was "busy" and there was a "delay in the order to the kitchen". She wasn't happy with those answers so he offered to buy us a round of drinks. But honestly, we didn't want to stay there another minute so she suggested he take the drinks off of our bill that we already had. 

By the time we paid, I had spent $17 on one hot dog with a bun including my GST and tip. (We felt it was good to still tip because it wasn't our waitresses fault after all, she was fine). Holy crap. Definitely not going there again, ever. 

The atmosphere was fine, the food blew, and so did the service- as in the kitchen's ability to pump out 8  uninteresting appetizers to one table in less than an hour. 

This restaurant is also owned by the same guy that has Century Bar & Grill, Delux Burger Bar, Lux Steakhouse & Bar and the infuriating new addition to the line up: MKT (fresh food& beer market). 

I have never been to MKT, but I have been to MRKT...which is a totally different restaurant owned by different people that had the name MRKT first.. a whole 2 years earlier! 

It's one of my most favourite restaurants with a really original atmosphere and menu and killer drinks. You can read the article from the Journal here over the name dispute. Either way, after experiencing Hundred, I am not running to any of the other restaurants owned by them now.

--

Anyway, that is my two cents. Maybe I will post more reviews in the future as Kenton and I get back into a regular routine of date nights out as Ellie gets bigger!

The weekend arrives...

I love the internet. Love it. I love the connection to the "outside world" so to speak. I love seeing what's going on in different places, with different people, with different ideas. 

I stumbled across this blog and it is so hilarious (I'm assuming it's because I have a toddler in my life, sorry if you don't agree on the hilarity of it all). Also read the post titled "Grandma and Grandpa", especially if you are one. This blog is a mood-lifting gem...from the perspective of a toddler. Oh the truth that rings out!

Is it weird that we lay Ellie on a nursing pillow every night to go to sleep? When she was only a month old she caught a cold from Wren and her nose was very stuffy. One way to help a baby with a stuffy nose at night time is to elevate their head so they aren't flat on their back. We've laid her down that way ever since...it just looks more comfortable to lay on a soft pillow than a flat sorta hard mattress. 

These are pictures of her waking up in the morning, so she has slowly shuffled her way down the pillow and is now in the center of it. So cute..

I just finished Nora Ephron's book called "I Hate My Neck and Other Thoughts on Being a Woman". It was a great light read, and very funny. I didn't know who Nora Ephron was until a few weeks ago when I read that she passed away.
A Cup of Jo did a great post about her here. She was the lady behind the movies, When Harry Met Sally, Sleepless in Seattle and Julie & Julia to name a few...I'm sure you've seen at least one of those!

Have a great weekend! I'm going for my first taste of High Tea for a friend's lingerie shower at the Hotel Macdonald, and hitting up the downtown market for some groceries. I love summer.
(Strangely enough I had this thought cross my brain about how nice fall/winter will be and I was looking forward to it. I'm so not a hot weather die-hard).

An afternoon at the Legislature

Last night I was up feeding Ellie at 3am, and couldn't get back to sleep afterwards. I had about 400 ideas and thoughts floating through my head. I write my best blog posts in my mind at that time typically, and then forget everything in the morning when I wake up.

On the weekend we paid a visit to the Legislature grounds and played in the fountains. It was a perfectly hot day out and Wren loved it, of course! 

(Cool kid in her shades)

As I was letting these photos load, thinking about how I would tell you all about the fun we had, I got thinking at how misleading photos can be. I was talking with a friend yesterday that has her own little ones, just about the challenges of having a family. It made me realize that perhaps my posts make my life look really easy and carefree every minute of the day...but I'm not on the "reader" side of this blog so you tell me. :) 

However, I don't want to post about negative things and I think that presenting the positive is more worthy of my time and your time on here as a reader. I read a lot of positive, fun, inspiring blogs and it's helped me see life in a brighter light and to get out there and have adventures with the girls, so I think it's worth focusing on that in my own blog too. 

Anyway, the reality of life with kids is that everything takes effort. As we were packing up the girls to get in the car, Kenton commented on how much stuff we had to bring. It was pretty crazy...tiny cooler for snacks, blanket to sit on, diaper bag full of wipes and diapers and extra clothes and bathing suits and a towel, stroller, baby carrier, water bottles, etc, etc...

Two little ones are a lot of work. I keep reminding myself that it will get easier, my diaper bag gets lighter as time goes on. 

It will not always be this way.

Now with two, there is no downtime. Kenton and I are always watching one or both of the girls, and time to ourselves has disappeared. 

Kenton gets Wren into her bathing suit to take her to the fountains while I stay with the stroller in the shade with Ellie. There is always one of the girls with us.

I've been thinking of trying to plan a morning on a weekend where just Wren and I go out to do something fun. Even though she isn't jealous in the slightest of Ellie and her neediness, I'm sure she'd just die if she got some exclusive Mom and Wren time. But that is the other challenge, with Kenton working during the week, weekends are left to get other things done. Groceries must be bought, lawns need to be mowed, markets are to be visited, Grandparents are to be hung out with and friends are to be seen...all things we love and need to do, all things that take up pockets of time.

Kenton and I have yet to have a night out to ourselves since Ellie has been born. Our last dinner sans children was at The Marc downtown when I was super pregnant. I found it so much easier to leave Wren (at least it seems like it, I find I remember things wrong or don't remember them at all anymore!), but maybe it's different because Ellie is pretty much exclusively breastfed. She takes a bottle fine but is fussier in the evenings and could just be awake and eat all evening long...maybe a bit challenging for a sitter? I'm sure our sitters (aka Grandparents and/or Aunty Andrea) would be up for it though!

Blog reading is my sanity during nap time. It's hard to get both girls down at the same time, so I tend to not nap a lot during the week. I mean, Ellie only wakes up once in the night typically so I find I have enough energy during the day to not need a sleep. 

But I love reading my blogs during that quiet time. I sort of wonder what life was like before blogs entered my world...they fill a void that Facebook could never. I haven't missed Facebook since.

And the 2's. Oh those terrible 2's. If your child never went through them, you either don't remember it or you got lucky. 

We seem to have a network of people around us with kids in the same age range, and talking about what our kids are doing at this age really helps. You realize that your kid is not that different from anyone else's, even when you were certain yours was the only one that could be such a little...you know what, that day. 

I love the conversations that come out of it too- talking about our toddlers public meltdowns, how they turn around and tell us to "SHH! Mommy!!" or tantrum every 4 minutes at home all day long. It's like a support group, like AA, only you could call it, TT for Terrible Twos or something. 

We keep reminding each other of the overarching parenting philosophy/cliche..."This too shall pass" (until they turn 13, says their grandparents). 

The other factor in adjusting to new babies is the postpartum blues/depression. I can say that I've only experience blues at best, not depression after having both girls. But the blues are enough. They sort of sneak up on you and some days are just harder than others for no reason in particular. 

I can have tons of energy and motivation one day and be taking the girls to a park in the morning and running errands with both in the afternoon and get home and make supper and feel happy about the day. 

The next day I can wake up and just rolling out of bed is hard. Everything feels difficult and the only thing I feel like doing is turning on another show for Wren to watch. I cry more easily, life seems dreary and I don't feel like trying to do anything with the day. Ellie is only 3 months old, so I'm not saying those blue days are over yet, but I feel more aware of them this time around than I did with Wren as a baby. They come and go and its okay and it's normal.

Yesterday Kenton had the afternoon off so we tackled a basement project- organizing the laundry room. With all the rain, we figured we'd be screwed if we got water in our basement because we still had a ton of things in boxes down there. So he went out and bought some shelves and we ploughed through the mess and sorted kids clothes, toys, sewing supplies, luggage and who knows what else neatly onto the shelves.

It feels great. I actually know where our stuff is now!

I even had a chance to organize the toys and find the things that Ellie will be interested in playing with in the next few months. I swapped out some of Wren's toys with ones that were downstairs just for a chance in scenery for her. It was like they were new again.

I have days where I look at some of my friends lives (that don't have kids) and see how much "easier" life seems without sitters, nap times, tantrums, lack of sleep...you know, everything that comes with kids. Days where they are free to do anything they feel like without agenda. 

I wouldn't trade these little stinkers for anything, or Kenton of course, not for all the breezy dreamy kidless days that could be out there. 

I could write another million blog posts about every single little cute/funny/ridiculous/silly/crazy thing the girls do for the rest of my life. I will never want to be without those moments now that I have them...

Besides, there are two things I think of when I have thoughts like that. One is that the 'grass is always greener', and two- maybe one day those friends will be calling me up to get advice on how to get their kids to sleep through the night. And I will only be excited to be in that phase of life with them someday too :)

A Taste of Edmonton

A Taste of Edmonton started yesterday (Thursday), so we took Wren and Ellie in the afternoon with my mom. I brought Wren with me last year when some girls from work went, but she mostly hung out in the stroller and didn't get it. This year was a lot more fun for her...

Our first stop was the Fairmont Hotel Macdonald tent with their Pulled Pork Sliders (with red cabbage slaw) and Scone Sundae. We loved both! Wren only cared about the ice cream on the scone of course..

Her face is basically saying "The dessert is not getting into my mouth fast enough!!"

It was hot out in Churchill Square, so we quickly made our way over to the fountains. She thought they were the best and it didn't take long for her to move all the way into the cold water..

Ellie just chilled in the stroller as per usual.

She has what I like to call, "Y" thighs...her legs are so chubby that the back of her knees crease into the shape of a "Y". 

Summer in Edmonton is actually pretty fun if you get out and try some of the events going on. This was a great afternoon to come since the after work/supper crowd had not made their way over to the event yet. 

Besides the Hotel Macdonald tent, here are some of the other favourites we found yesterday:

Padmanadi had a vegan curry chicken with rice and vegan salty chicken strips- delicious and spicy! (This is also one of our favourite restaurants for a casual dinner out)

Zinc had Prawn Pitas which was a great bang for your buck because it was a big serving. (Zinc is the restaurant in the Alberta Art Gallery).

We also enjoyed the Edmonton food trucks..

The Act for their fish sandwich- probably one of my favourites that afternoon as well as..

Drift for their falafels. 

For a treat we tried Cafe Sorrentino's Nutella Cornetto (like a croissant sliced like a sandwich with nutella in the center and icing sugar on top) which was TO DIE FOR and Fantasia Gelato's wildberry yogurt swirl gelato- also a winner with us. 

Ellie was a big fan of...her hands.

Overall we really enjoyed it! In the past we have whined about how expensive it can be and would just get one thing. This year we bought a sheet of tickets and just went for it and had the chance to try a lot of great food. It's happening this weekend and all next week too so definitely go check it out!

Some others that looked good that we were too full for:

Bistro Praha has a Hungarian Sausage roll, Chef's Grill & Bar is serving a pear pie, The Hat has chicken "Hat Bits", Kyoto's tempura shrimp would be amazing (anything deep fried usually is), and Three Bananas Cafe has a strawberry banana waffle. Whoa.

I can't really recommend anywhere great to park unfortunately, I'm sure there are people that know secret places that we don't. We payed a whopping $12.50 for just over 2 hours in the downtown library parkade.  Just a heads up!

(Just my usual "Kenton take a picture of me and Wren so that I can show them I was really there and that I am actually in some of the pictures we have when the girls grow up and look back on them" photo opportunity.) 

And now we are off to the neighbour's to jump in their bouncy/balloon house for the afternoon, hurray!

PadmaAC” Scone Sundae

A set of silly smiles and scattered fun things

I was watching the girls playing, and noticed the little picture frame Wren had placed on the window sill. It's a picture of her and Kenton reading a story in the rocking chair. Once in a while she climbs up onto the couch and reaches for the frame on the shelf and looks at it. Super sweet.

Now that the weather has mellowed out, we've had a pretty fun week so far. Toddlers have this way of pushing you to get out of the house and do something interesting...which basically means that they go squirrely if you keep them cooped up too long and you are on the brink of madness when you throw everyone into their car seats and finally hit the road to anywhere but your house.

So far we've been to the Telus World of Science (Wren's in love with the movie Robots and therefore, loves the Robots exhibit that is now on), playgrounds, grandma's house and great-grandma's house, St. Albert farmer's market and random neighbourhood walks. We have actually done so much outside our home that yesterday afternoon she didn't want to do anything. She actually pulled out her toys and played with them quietly in the living room..I was astounded.

I had ordered a pair of Saltwater Sandals off their website for myself because they are supposedly super comfy and whatever. They suggested ordering a full size smaller than what you normally wear because they fit big. So I ordered 7's. They came, and were STILL too big! So I had to send them back and the size 6's fit great. My verdict is that they are very comfortable, but I'm sure Birkenstocks are even more so. I just can't stand how Birkenstocks look on my feet so I tried an alternative and the Saltwaters are pretty okay. They can be worn in water and the ankle straps mean they aren't going to fall off when I go chasing a runaway toddler down the street. 

I won't be ordering any for Wren as I would be too wary of getting her size wrong. But if they are sold in Edmonton in the future I may have to pick her up a pair...they're pretty cute.

 (What is with this smile?)

For anyone that cares, Ellie is a great sleeper and only gets up once in the night for a feed. Woo hoo! So most days I do have the energy to get out there and find new things for us to do, and the sunny weather helps. 

Potty training is at another stand still and I'm trying not to worry about what anyone else thinks about her still being in diapers. I know she won't be wearing them when she's 10 years old, like a friend pointed out yesterday, and it's true. And when every tactic has been tried (from small reward systems to staying home with no diaper on and accidents happening 400 times a day with no improvement), we decided to just hang tight. 

(...and this one???)

I am currently packing up our diaper bag for an afternoon trip to the Taste of Edmonton! Hopefully I can get my hands on some food from the Hotel MacDonald and Padmanadi tents and Wren can play in the Churchill Square fountains. 

Though it's early to say so, have a great weekend :)

Hot Saturdays

Isn't it funny how crazy hot temps can make 28C seem okay? 

Our fence is currently being built all around the house, so last evening Wren wanted to watch the action while making mud pies on the patio. 

Mmm..

Ooops, sat in a pie.

We finally got out to the St. Albert Farmer's Market this morning. It was a busy place! We got a ton of produce for $60, and even caught some tasty lunch there too. 

Kenton and I both had chicken tacos from Molly's Eats food truck...which were incredibly tasty, but super expensive when the tacos fit inside the palm of your hand...Which explains why it was sort of dead even at the bustling lunch hour. We have noted that it probably wasn't the best purchase. Sorry Molly.

However, we did get the best waffle and whipped cream with blueberries and maple syrup from the Eva Sweet's Liege Belgian waffles food truck. WHOA. They. were. amazing. Wren was so busy with her hot dog that we didn't even share with her.  We look forward to more Saturdays at the market for our fresh produce this summer!

Ah, a rare Mommy and Ellie shot...my neon shirt hurts my eyes... :)

Wren looks forward to some bouncy house time in her neighbours backyard (I know, a big blow up bouncy house that you see at kids birthday parties and festival events...she's so lucky!) and maybe even checking out the Whyte Ave art walk if we get a chance (but only if I feel the need to get outta here...because let's be serious, we all know that 98% of it is crap) but a gelato from Block 1912 might be in store. Have a good one!

Holy h-e-double hockey sticks it's hot...

I like summer but my body loathes anything above 30C...like today, and yesterday and the day before that, for example. I'm overheating. 

My fingers are sweating on the keyboard as I type. And we have an air conditioner in our kitchen/living room the size of a small car. Crazy.

I gave Wren a little bag and told her to go collect "treasures" just to get her out of my hair for a bit. I let her interpret what "treasures" could mean, and she started picking all the magnets off the fridge. See the cards and paper on the floor?

This is cranky baby, grumpy toddler, sleepless nights kind of hot. Okay maybe not totally sleepless for us yet, but somewhat uncomfortable for babies who are used to being swaddled and kids rooms turning into big boxes of heat. I spent last night on the leather couch because that's the room where the AC is at. It was, interesting. 

"Look Mommy! I haf Tweasures!"

I even took the girls to the mall today because I thought it would be nice to be in some AC and get out of the house. The mall was barely cooler. I'm currently brainstorming where else might have some AC pumping like crazy...my car is one place, for starters. The library? Grocery store? I could wander around and pretend like I'm getting something out of the frozen food section but really just be standing there with my face in the open freezer door. Sounds heavenly.

Ellie's cheeks...they are super nummy.

Well, all of these pictures were taken before the hot weather arrived...because now we live in just our skivvies around here. Probably like the rest of the city right now. 

I'm ready for some rain.

Ellie's Room

I recall posting photos of Wren's room when it was finished. I realize I totally forgot to show photos of Ellie's room too. Amanda took a few of her room when she did Ellie's newborn photos. Take a look!

I got crafty and made Ellie's mobile and the banner across the window. The mobile is actually a bunch of embroidery hoops that I painted a peachy pink, and the banner is just from scrap material I had in my sewing box.

 (Have you read Mo Willems Leonardo the Terrible Monster? Hilarious.)

Kenton made the shelves, and we bought the brackets from Ikea and spray painted them white.

The mirror is one that belonged to Grandma Jeske (Lorna) before she passed away. It used to be a gold colour and we spray painted it white to match the room. 

(Anybody recognize the dress? Ellie was given 3 as gifts! My friends, they know my taste well,  ha! This is a photo of my own.)

You may have noticed that we have been a lot more into the pink this time around than we were with Wren. I have to attribute that to the fact that this peachy pink that is showing up everywhere from Joe to Chapters items is what did me in. It really gives a much cuter spin on the colour than just straight up pink.

Ellie's a fan of it too...