headed north

headed up north today for about a week. going to niagara, niagara-on-the-lake, and toronto. guess which one i am looking forward to the most?

some CN tower facts:

• 553.33m (1,815 ft., 5 inches) tall - currently the world's tallest structure (but soon to be surpassed by the Burj Dubai in UAE)
  
• built in 1976 by Canada National as a symbol of the strength of canadian industry
• primary function was to be an antennae for broadcast signals - as a result toronto has some of the best radio / tv reception in north america.

cya soon!

radish centerpiece

martha just keeps it coming...how's this for an adorable tablescape? those are daikon radishes -- just look at their little faces! the one on the right looks a little scared - like he knows people are coming to the table to eat -- and he's just trying to lay low and stay a centerpiece... the other two look happy just to have been included...

kathy griffin

i went to see kathy griffin last night at the kennedy center in dc. i know a lot of people don't like her (especially w/ her recent emmy speech) but over the summer i caught her show on bravo - and she started to grow on me. yes, she can be a tad unrefined, and she talks about societal fluff -- celebrities and such - but she seems pretty down to earth and her observations are kind of smart and funny -- plus we need more women comedians...then again, we need more women everything...

anyways, the show last night was good - but my favorite part was when she talked about her mom. i don't have video of last night's performance - but here's a clip about her mom that i love.

warning: * very * strong language

indian roasted vegetables

the past few days have been beautiful here in catonsville - sunny, but with a nip in the air -- definitely starting to feel like fall! so, with a nod to the change in temperature, i thought i would make a classic cool weather dish -- roasted vegetables -- but with an indian twist.

2 sweet potatoes peeled & sliced
2 potatoes peeled & sliced
1 cup baby carrots.
1 tbsp. garam masala (here's the twist)
1 tsp. salt
1/4 cup olive oil

toss all ingredients together, lay on a baking sheet, bake in a preheated 475 oven for about 30 minutes.

go seniors!

today was the "GET READY! GET SET! GET FIT! 5K RUN/WALK/1 MILE WALK " to benefit the Baltimore County Department of Aging Fitness Programs for Seniors. they were so motivated! this was the warmup.





my mom has been a member of a senior fitness program for a few years and is forever raving about how it has made a real difference in her physical well being. it was also the first time she ever participated in a run/ walk event, and to say she was excited would be an understatement. she did the 1 mile fun walk with her friends, and they all looked so cute. go seniors!

plum wine

i am wine shy. i am well aware, and the first to admit, my palate is neither refined nor discriminating. i seriously can't even tell the difference between coke and pepsi. but last night i tried something that is probably really old news to many, but was a new experience for me.























i was at a japanese place and my friend suggested some plum wine. it was so good! spicy and sweeter than wine that i usually like - it was kind of like a mulled cider. the waitress told me the name, and i googled it - and its really basic stuff - made by kikkoman -- the soy sauce people! oh, and to further cement my wine idiocy - it's embarrassingly cheap - like $6.

no amazing vintages, no "reserve" label, no illustrious vineyard, but somehow i liked it. i'm so pedestrian.

anyways, here's some drink recipes using kikkoman plum wine that i found on the net:

Before Dinner --- For a refreshing wine cooler, mix 1 part KIKKOMAN PLUM WINE with 2 parts of your favorite mixer, serve over ice and ENJOY!

After Dinner --- KIKKOMAN PLUM WINE makes the perfect dessert wine. Serve it alone or over ice and savor its delicately sweet plum flavor.

Anytime --- Enjoy a Plum Spritzer! Fill a tall glass with ice cubes, add equal parts of KIKKOMAN PLUM WINE and club soda and garnish with a twist of lemon or lime

happy birthday virgo

tonight i went out with some friends to celebrate my friend P.'s birthday. it was a belated celebration -- we went to a hibachi place for dinner and tried some plum wine and warm sake - then barnes and noble for dessert - not much beats cheesecake factory cheesecake for a quick sweet. we laughed alot, and P. got some cute gifts - wonderful soaps, a beautiful horse pin (cuz she really loves horses), and a really nice quilting book with tons of patterns. i made her a tote bag with info about her astrological sign. some of the positive traits on the front, and some fun facts on the back.














good fun as they say.

cecelia

my friends have a beautiful (and independent her daddy says) baby girl that just turned one. i had to put her picture up - her birthday was a hula theme, and in the pic they sent me she is in a hula outfit - skirt and all! just too cute!

























i made her these onesies to go along wth her gift.




i really enjoyed spending the day with cecelia, mom, and dad - i wish them all the best and much continued happiness.

paint color

i've been trying to find a soothing wallcolor for my home office/ craftroom. paint is supposed to be one of the easiest and most dramatic changes you can make to a room - but for me the "perfect" shade always seems to lie between two samples i see on a single paintchip - why is that ???...anyways, i went to home depot, with my love of blues and grays, and grabbed about 30 paint swatches from behr, came home and narrowed them down -- and wouldn't it just figure -- i kept looking at the 2 bottom colors on this chip - "cool sky" and "sonata" -- and i'm positive that the middle shade - a "cool sonata sky" would have been absolutely perfect...

knit night cupcakes

check out these knit night cupcakes. i don't know if i could bring myself to actually eat one -- they're just too pretty.




these are courtesy of Lola at VeganYumYum. check out her blog, its all about vegan cooking, has awesome recipes and photography, and its up for a best food blog award.