chicdecor's Profile

There are two fabulous lasagne recipes in the Rebar Cookbook that I love:
Rio Grande - layers of cheese, cilantro pesto, smoky chipotle tomato sauce, roasted vegetables, and noodles
Butternut Squash and Mushroom Lasagna - simply divine!

What about a vegan strata? Tasty slices of olive bread layered with caramelized onions, portabello mushrooms and spinach with soy/rice milk mixed with egg replacer. Garlic and herbs, some smoked salt and freshly cracked pepper and you're all set ...

Here are a few ideas:
http://veganvisitor.wordpress.com/2007/05/29/vegan-rapini-roasted-red-pepper-strata/
http://www.fatfree.com/archive/2000/aug/msg00004.html
http://www.vegsource.com/talk/beginner/messages/144815.html

The bar area is also great for guests to sit at while the host(ess) is finishing up in the kitchen. They can enjoy a cool mojito or glass of wine and some appies and chat.

The Japanese futon is not like the North American futons ... those wooden framed couches with a thin mattress on top ... that is not what the traditional Japanese futon is! It is a thicker mattress that is still pliable enough to be folded and put away. I slept on one while living in Japan for over a year and found it beyond comfortable ...

So nice to see a post about Vancouver! It is a foodie's paradise.

Some of my favourite spots include:
Bosa Foods - they opened a new warehouse store filled with well priced Italian and Mediterranean ingredients plus they have a deli where you can catch a panini and nice strong latte.

For Indian ingredients, I hit the little stores on Main Street that stock zillions of grains, legumes, and spices in bulk so you can scoop as much or as little as you need.

Famous Foods on Kingsway - great for the hard to find flours, grains etc.

Mink's Chocolate Café - when you are downtown and want to drink heaven in a cup: divine dark chocolate espresso. You can even get it spiked with chipotle or peppermint. If you are a tourist, you can pick up some unusual but delectable chocolate combinations to take back with you.

As for grocery stores, I love Urban Fare for their combination of necessities and hard to find ingredients. Kinda like Meinharts but on a larger scale. Whole Foods is great as well for gourmet products. For better prices, try the market on Bute and Davie that has produce, fresh foods and canned goods for a deep discount.

Bakeries - Kei's bakery is a fabulous Japanese bakery on Burrard and around 6th, I believe. I second Terra Breads - they are amazing! They make an artisinal fig and olive loaf that is to die for, not to mention their green olive one.

Tourist tip - if you are in need of some gifts to take home, see if Costco will let you in with your membership from another city. They have 3 packs of smoked salmon, plus maple syrup for reduced prices.

"Personally, I am struggling with assigning every item a home in my house."

I agree with LilyC's comment. I, too, am striving to find a home for everything. Some things have their place but others ... this is my goal for the summer clean.

Mop every night? Wow!

What I always take:
- an audiobook on my iPod plus music as per usual
- a magazine and book
- earplugs and eyemask
- moisturizer
- snacks and empty water bottle filled on the plane (not in water fountains due to hearing about too many science experiments about fountains and the bacteria left on them)
- pashmina to use as a blanket (lightweight but warm)
- toothbrush and toothpaste
- heavily edited makeup bag
- stationery to write letters if I can't sleep

Apart from meals, ry to nap as much as possible on the flight. Upon arrival, try to get into the time zone as much as possible otherwise your Circadian rhythms will be out of whack the whole trip. If you don't want to take earplugs, you can use your headphones as ear plugs even with no music playing.

I second the comment about Leslie Stowe's Raincoast Crisps here in Canada. They are beyond phenomenal - rosemary raisin pecan, cranberry hazelnut, fig and olive ... they are a little expensive but so good! Lots of seeds and flavour. I have recently found a recipe to make them myself - they are something like biscotti in that you bake once in a loaf, then slice and bake again. Amazing! I add lots of flax and other seeds and then decide on a flavour combo and mix it right in.

Delicious is a great tool for this use, as others have noted. You can make tags yourself and be as specific or general as you want. Plus, you can add notes to reflect recipe changes or other important info ...