Sherlock VS Sherlock

According to Guinness World Records, Sherlock Holmes is the most portrayed literary character in film coming in at 238 films played by over 30 actors as of May 2011. Well, this is January 2012 so we can add at least one more movie and another season of the BBC series.

BBC Sherlock and Watson

Recipe: Caprese Salad

This is so simple but SOOOO good!

Insalata Caprese

Food: Canned Pistachio

We went to De Luca's this afternoon. My husband found these and had to show me:

Recipe: Pasta e Fagioli

This is one of my favourite recipes ever! I wouldn't even have known about it if it weren't for my time working as a cook at an Italian restaurant. Yeah, sure they sell this stuff in a can at the store, but ick! Different regions in Italy make this differently and it's not to everyone's taste. I happen to love beans and pasta so I love this!

Pasta e Fagioli

Eating Out: Star Conservatory

We're no Marshall and Lily, but my hubby and I sure do enjoy brunch! Our favourite place to go is the Star Conservatory Restaurant in Assiniboine Park. We loving going to the Conservatory in winter because of the heat and humidity. It can take the chill right out of your bones. And the restaurant puts on an amazing spread for their Sunday Brunch. We went there last Sunday afternoon...

Round 1 - Breakfast

Occupy Gratitude

On the last live episode of Q for 2011 they were discussing the idea that having an 'attitude of gratitude' is good for your health. It always seems that Thanksgiving and Christmas are the times of year when we think about what we are thankful for. Most people would agree that we should focus on this more during the whole year, and yet most of us do not.

Photos: A January Day at the Zoo

The Assiniboine Park Zoo is currently under a fair bit of construction for the new "Journey to Churchill" project but it turns out that a mild winter afternoon is pretty much the best time to appreciate the animals. Especially the big cats! The baby tigers and lynxes were very active and super cute! Here are a few pix my hubby and I took. (If you click on the images, you should get larger versions.)

Young Canadian Lynx

Wine: Castillo De Monseran, Grenache (Spain)

Bodegas San Valero, Castillo de Monseran, Garnacha (Cariñena, Spain)

Ok, so "Bodegas San Valero" is the winery... "Castillo de Monseran" might refer to a brand or vineyard maybe... Garnacha (AKA Grenache) is definitely the grape varietal. Sometimes wine is confusing. (FYI, the title of this post is as listed on the menu at Chop, the top of this post is what I found on the MLCC and LCBO sites.) If anyone out there can clarify this, I am all ears!

Regardless of its heritage, this was an amazing wine! One of the most interesting I've tried in a long time. (Technically it was my hubby's but we share.) Its bouquet was incredibly sweet and fruity. Very black cherry. And yet it is only a slightly sweet wine on the palate. It is listed as a medium-body red yet it is very rich with deep flavour. I highly recommend trying a glass of this!

Wine: Folonari, Valpolicella Classico Ripasso (Veneto, Italy)

Folonari, Valpolicella Classico Ripasso (Veneto, Italy)

When one orders a great steak, one wants a lovely red wine to compliment it. Or at least, I do. By no means am I a lush, but I do like to enjoy a glass with a nice meal. The Folonari Valpolicella Classico Ripasso is just one such wine.

This is a lighter-bodied red. (Compares with pinot noir in this regard.) I had never had a ripasso before but I do like to experiment! I was very happy with my choice. This was very smooth and light without losing it's complexity. I do tend to go for fuller-bodied wines with steak and I do think the ideal pairing for this would be pasta in a tomato sauce or the like. Still, I very much enjoyed this new taste.

My hubby had a sip and said it reminded him of the Nonsuch. I looked at him, confused. Fishy??? No, he meant something in it's flavour brought to mind maritime wood. Old sailing ships... Isn't that a lovely image?

Eating Out: Chop

Chop Steakhouse is one of our favourite restaurants in the city. My husband and I get out here a few times a year to enjoy great food and a nice atmosphere. It's not super cheap but it's a fraction of the cost of going out to 529! It is my understanding that this franchise is not as good in other cities. We've heard how bad the Calgary location is from a few different people. Sorry Calgary Chop! Winnipeg rocks the beef. Probably Alberta beef.

Music: My Favourite Discoveries of 2011

This is not a "Best Music of 2011" list, but rather a list of artists that I just happened to have discovered in the past year. Some of it is new, some a few years old that I previously missed. Most of them I learned about on Q with Jian Ghomeshi, whom I love.

Imaginary Cities

• Song that caught my attention: "Hummingbird" (2011)
  
• Latest album: "Temporary Resident" (2011)
• These guys are from Winnipeg and this is their first album. They formed in late 2009 and this has been a stellar year for the group! They were long listed for the Polaris Prize and were voted number one on CBC Manitoba. I love pretty much every song on this album and it feels so good to belt it out in the car with Marti when I'm driving alone!

Wine: Catena Zapata, Malbec (Argentina)

Catena Zapata, Malbec 2008 (Mendoza, Argentina)

This is the red wine that we had at Sydney's for my husband's company Christmas party.

It was very nice. I've been developing my palate for the last couple of years but still need to learn the proper terms to describe things. Malbec is one of my favourites. It's rich and deep yet very smooth. It is a very dark wine that goes well with steak and other red meats. I had it with salmon and it worked perfectly fine.

Update: The winery found my tweet! Now I wished I would have written more about these guys... 
@CatenaMalbec
@MalbecBen
www.catenawines.com 
 

Eating Out: Sydney's At The Forks

My husband's office Christmas dinner was at Sydney's again this year. This was a lavish affair! We got a menu where we could pick from 3 or 4 options for each of a starter, appetizer, (sorbet palate cleanser) main and dessert. We were offered cocktails when we first ait down, then champagne once everyone had arrived, wine with the meal and then tea, coffee or port with dessert. This is the night my husband often discovers new Scotches that he likes.

Recipe: Best Waffles in Whole Wheat

I got an awesome recipe for waffles from my step-dad a few years back. It's been a tradition to have waffles for Christmas brunch. We didn't get to do that this year so I made some for New Year's Day instead.

Whole Wheat Waffles!

Photos: New Year's Fireworks

Happy New Year!