Scotland is Sexy

I had a sudden revelation today as to how many of my current celebrity crushes these days have Scottish accents! I used to find English accents very attractive but now ihanks to the sudden influx of sexy Scottish actors on television (and film) these days that has certainly changed.

Whereas in times past, romance was represented by those perennial objects of feminine ardor - the sophisticated French and Italians and hey don't forget the Spanish (see Antonio Banderas and Javier Bardem)...the land of my forefathers is getting it's due. Perhaps it may have something to do with kilts as in the hit series "Outlander"? Or that Jamie Fraser (Sam Heughan) is very dishy, manly and protective? Plus, all those gorgeous scenes of the Highlands don't hurt. Maybe I am drawn to the land of my ancestors....

In one of the episodes another of my favourite Scottish dishes showed up - Doug Henshall - who I adore from the "Shetland" series....


Now there is yet another Scottish fixation - from the PBS series "The Crimson Field"! The dashing field doctor Captain Thomas Gillan is played by actor Richard Rankin. How can I stand any more Scottish sexiness?


If you are inclined for more mind nourishing pursuits and non fiction  I also recommend any series such as "Coast" or dare I say it the "History of Scotland" with another hottie - Neil Oliver! Not only a presenter but historian, archaeologist, author and adventurer. 


Also I should mention another obsession - the mysterious and compelling Ross Poldark as portrayed by Aidan Turner - yes, he is Irish..but hey he is still Celtic...even though he sports an English accent...I guess I haven't quite given up my first love..:)

Honourable mentions to David Tennant, Ian Glenn. These gentlemen are truly the "Flower of Scotland".

Vegan Everyday by Doug McNish

Oh dear, it has been so long since I've posted anything and I am long overdue to tell you about this wonderful new cookbook by one of my favourite chefs and people - our Toronto treasure Doug McNish. I also have two previous books of his " Eat Raw, Eat Well "(which is an encyclopaedia of raw food recipes) and "Raw, Quick and Delicious"...great additions to your cookbook library.

Now, it must be said I didn't think to take photos of the recipes I tried out from this new book however, even without evidence I can tell you they were delicious! Knowing me I tried out a couple of dessert recipes first..."The Chocolate Cherry Dream Bars" - which lived up to their name and the "White Chocolate Macadmia Cookies" - heavenly!!

It was time to try out a main dish and the "Sweet and Sour Tofu" was both easy and scrumptious". The "Pan Seared KIng Oyster Mushrooms with Tamari Glaze" made me feel I was in a fine dining establishment - I can't tell you how much I love King Oyster mushrooms at any time - I could have made a double order and eaten it all with some steamed brown rice! Again, the recipe was simple - the only adjustment I made was not including fresh thyme - since I didn't have any on hand.  I can't wait to try out some more recipes...

Milano Espresso Bar

(Image courtesy of yelp.ca)

Thanks to a feed from Toronto Life I read about this new coffee spot on Adelaide Street West near John..it's got a cozy but chic modern Italian vibe and the staff are very friendly - the person who served me was from Vancouver.  That is him in the beige sweater!

This morning  as I enjoyed my creamy soy latte I felt transplanted to Italy as he conversed in Italian with a older gentleman.  They also do teas including Matcha Lattes and London Fogs. The beans are imported from their Vancouver location and are also available for sale with detailed descriptions. Plus, sandwiches, pastries and I believe even soup...a welcome addition to the coffee scene in Toronto.

If you a very serious espresso drinker they even have "tastings" - a flight of 3 espressos and I was told their award winning espresso master Brian Turko is coming to town.

267 Adelaide Street West.  www.milanocoffee.ca

Right next door it was high time to visit the Superfoods bar for a healthy lunch including a Skyrocket Salad and Coming Attraction juice..I don't know why I forget about this great little place when looking for vegan lunch - this was a good reminder..plus again the staff are very warm and welcoming. I also picked up some granola...

Bet I had you at "chocolate" right? I was privileged to receive a sample box of these new treats. Already a big fan of their regular chocolate I couldn't wait to try a new dimension in confections.




I particularly enjoyed the Almond Creme one and am now enjoying the Sea Salt and Lime - salty and tart! The Lavender Mint is delightful and of course Coconut is luscious. Raspberry and Orange - a perfect combination. I have yet to try the Blueberry Vanilla - oh the sacrifices I make for you! 6 flavours in all. The cocoa content is a healthy 72%.

Now in case you didn't know - this company donates 10% of proceeds to help non profit groups worldwide - yup - save Endangered Species. Not only that people these bars are VEGAN! They are also : gluten free, non GMO, ethically traded, rainforest certified and use sustainable palm oil. You can also learn about the animals featured on the packages on the inside while you're enjoying the goodies. For example the Red Panda is one the Raspberry Orange and a Lemur on the Coconut.  My husband Fraser has kindly volunteered to review the bars..ha ha.

Remember people chocolate is good for you and good for your soul.

First Blush of Spring - Guerlain Spring 2014

Yes, I said it..the "S" word - even though it seems very far away from my current reality of the land of ice and snow, I decided I needed a little colour lift and wandered into my local Shoppers at King and John to see if any of the luxurious French lines had sprouted their spring flowers and I was happy to see the new Guerlain colours touting pink and peach for lips and cheeks and lovely pastels in eye shadows. The line is called, ahem appropriately enough "Les Meteorites" Blossom Collection -  I was particularly taken with their new blushes...a soft peachy pink called Pink Champagne and a deeper tone - "Cherry Soda" more full bodied one...(I bought the lighter shade). Was someone thirsty while naming these? LOL. The texture is silky and easy to apply directly on the cheeks by dotting as the aesthetician explained to me and blending. Fantastique!

There is also a lovely palette of eyeshadows, Les Tendres Ecrin - super sheer, feather light and very wearable. It includes a shimmery beige, minty green, subdued plum and taupe shade.



Naturellement I needed - well okay wanted a co-ordinating lipstick  and I chose the #171 Attrape Coeur and am eyeing the beautiful iridescent gloss "Stardust" - that will be hard to resist since it's also one of my favourite tunes...there is also a matching nail polish. The deeper pink shade is called "Insolence" and is also lovely.



Of course there are the lovely multi coloured magic spheres of luminessence the namesake "Meteorites"...which many have tried to duplicate but which I feel Guerlain does best..



So venture out into the cold and get yourself a little burst of Le Printemps.

Why We Are Here

I participated in a fun experiment on Tuesday night - not a scientific but artistic one..presented by Nightswimming Theatre. It involves an impromptu community choir and is moving around each week to a new Toronto location. On Tuesday night it happened to be in the lovely Trinity St. Paul's church on Bloor - home of Tafelmusick...they have also been renovating the space and it was lovely to participate.  A fun way to spend an evening for a mere $15 or PWYC..emphasis on the PWYC.

At first I felt a little like an outsider since many of the folks who showed up seemed to know each other..and don't worry you don't need choral experience to join. After a few vocal excercises, led by the conductor that evening - whose name I didn't catch sorry - save to say she also conducts choral groups at Miles Nadal Community Centre down the street - we dove into the first piece - a "morning song" in Ojibway! Jane, our native liason led us through the pronunciation and how the piece would have been sung..much more nasal. Since the theme for the evenings is "Why We Are Here", the property the church stands on was of course forested like much of Toronto prior to European arrival. Did you know that Dundas was a hunting/walking trail?

After the break - it seems to be a universal tradition that there must be snacks at choir rehearsals - we moved onto a Resistance piece in Yiddish called "The Hour Strikes"! We got into the spirit of the piece marching around and greeting each other and urging via eye contact and touch to join! You can check out their Facebook page...and maybe come out to the next rehearsal...

This week was one for branching out as I also attended the Spiritual Shift Cafe last night. Organized by Steve these weekly sessions at Timothy's World Coffee at 2098 Yonge explore great themes around the Law of Attraction and they're interactive. Last night's was "Creating Your Ideal Life" so we had to come up with what that meant to us and for some of the attendees put that intention out there. There were a few people who had very clear ideas and were well on the way. I of course am a work in progress but it was good to be reminded that the things we enjoyed doing as children - wanted to do and not felt we should do -can bring us closer to that realization. Concentrate on what we love to do that is to say. He runs a few other Meetup groups around similiar themes. Lots of food for thought that 's for sure. It's nice to be part of a like minded group.

This colour is called Kelly - the one I chose a beautiful grey!

In a bizarre segue - which I am known for - I chose to explore a new beauty salon - Sekai on Queen Street West - just west of Shaw for a mani/pedi. It's a lovely clean space, the owners very friendly and great service - they believe in carrying lines which are more body and environment friendly - using Zoya nail polish, Primavera skin care and one of my favourite lines - LoveFresh - a Toronto based company making delicious sugar scrubs and body moisturizers. They offer the usual esthetic services - mani/pedi, facials and even do wash and blow outs.

Cape Breton Sojourn

Fall colours

The Cabot Trail - wild and windy!

I had a brief journey to Cape Breton last week, joined by my siblings Colin, Kathleen - pictured in blue above - and Alan. Alan made all the arrangement for us - it was our dad's wish that his ashes be scattered in the Atlantic, after all he was a Cape Bretoner, born in Murray and spending most of his youth in the Margaree Valley. Our mom's ashes were also scattered as they were united once again - she being of course from Belfast. It was a lovely day after a couple of very windy ones - we weren't sure we were going to be able to make the trip out in the boat. Many thanks to Bird Island Tours.

Colin with the flag...
Kathleen - in blue - and I taking our turns scattering the ashes.

That's our cousin Virgina..she and Rick were wonderful hosts.

A view from out on the water...


It was great to spend time with my siblings even though part of our reason for being together was a sad one. We did manage to enjoy the spectacular Cabot Trail and being near the ocean - our hotel, the Cambridge Suites was right in the Sydney Harbour.


Our cousin Virginia took this one...




That is Whisper, a border collie pup - full of energy!

I was surprised at how easy it was to get veg options in places - we ate lunch at a place called the Rusty Anchor - I know it doesn't sound like it will have those things on the menu does it? But they had a chickpea salad sandwich and tasty homemade veggie soup. Things have changed since I was last out there about 10 years ago...they even know what vegans are and some places advertise gluten free...wow. Guess they figure they need to cater to the tourist traffic...it was an amazing drive as always.

This is the view from where our dad and siblings were born and grew up...there were some boards and bricks left from the site -we each took a little reminder. 

We stopped for lunch at the Cedar Lodge and lo and behold there was the Great Pumpkin in the parking lot!

Next post - I get to meet the Long Island Medium!