i'm really a mermaid

{ Wildfox }

Ok, so I'm not really a mermaid, but I will be swimming with the California fishies in just over a month. For some reason, I feel like a vacation somewhere warm almost always warrants the purchase of a new bathing suit. I used to shop at Old Navy since you can mix and match top and bottom sizes but this year I'm going to look for something of a little better quality as well as a great fit. Having a larger chest does limit the style options but I'm hoping I can find one I feel great in. I love all of the the suits below, but I'm most in love with the retro style of the hot pink Juicy one and plan on heading over the Eaton's Centre to try and track it down. 

Where do you buy swim suits? Any brands or styles that you stick to year after year? I'd love to know.

{ Mara Hoffman }

{ Marc Jacobs }

{ Juicy Couture }

{ 9seed Cover Up }

I've posted this cover up in white before but love it even more in the playful pink color! 

weekday eat cheats

Putting together a weekday meal can sometimes get tiresome. There are nights that are exceptions, but typically, after a long days work, the thought of coming home to prepare something more complicated than cereal or fried eggs can feel overwhelming. While I'd be happy with cereal for dinner, D always craves a 'real dinner' which results in us (thankfully) eating more balanced, adult meals.

That being said, as we've worked at planning a week worth of meals, we've been trying to find ways to make meals easier but still special and tasty. As I mentioned a new meat shop opened up down the street and tonight's meal was a great example of a delicious meal that felt fancy but was truly simple and easy to make.
We bought breaded pork cutlets ($4) and homemade spicy tomato sauce ($6). Yes, I could make pork cutlets and make tomato sauce, but on a Tuesday night - that's not what I feel like doing. We fried the cutlets and boiled some pasta and sat down to dinner together about twenty minutes later. So, I encourage you to find little cheats that make dinner just a little easier to put together but that still contributes to making dinner a time to look forward to and time spent catching up and reconnecting.

countertop cookbooks

I truly enjoy cooking and spending time in the kitchen. I can't say I know exactly where my passion stems from but since living on our own I can only say that my interest and passion has grown. One of my resolutions for 2014 is to try three new recipes every month. In hopes of working towards meeting my goal I wanted to start using my cookbooks more and was very delighted to track down a cookbook countertop holder at Home Sense last week. The simple metal design now sits countertop displaying delicious recipes in inspiring cookbooks. We met our goal in January and I look forward to the new recipes we whip up in February. 

music monday

How was your Monday? I'm loving my lunch time yoga breaks - it's such a peaceful yet challenging way to spend the lunch hour - I don't know what I'm going to do when this 30 day trial ends.... I think more classes might just be in my future.

My weeks and days always start the same way - a showdown with the TTC. To my surprise, the streetcar ride was enjoyably quick this morning and this evening and it was made even better with some great tunes... Take a listen.

Say Something by A Great Big World

Waiting Game by Banks

Gone, Gone, Gone by Phillips Phillips

P.S.: Did you tune into last nights Grammys? I didn't watch the whole show but I did very much enjoy the performances I did see. Amongst all the hair, make-up and pretty dresses - I love the fact that the show really sees to celebrate the art of live music. Here are some of my favorite performances:

Macklemore & Ryan Lewis

Beyonce and Jay-Z

Daft Punk, Pharrell Williams and Stevie Wonder

Taylor Swift

Imagine Dragons and Kendrick Lamar

foodie friday: hawker bar

Chances are, if you've travelled up Ossington Street you've noticed this clever sign hanging outside of Hawker Bar. I met D on Ossington last Friday night for some happy hours drinks and we popped into Hawker Bar originally just for drinks but ended up sharing a few appetizers.  We started with cold beer and browsed the menus that were hodge-podged onto cardboard beer boxes - a good starting point, right?

The menu had an Asian flare and we ordered Singapore chicken wings, Coconut Chili Lime Chicken Satays and Prawn + Ginger dumplings. Each and every bite was filled with flavor and we enjoyed asking the server questions as we were posted up at the bar. 

Ossington has to be my favorite restaurant/bar strips - and after visiting yet another delicious restaurant that opinion has only grown stronger.

If you're looking for a spot to try this weekend - head over to Ossington. If Hawker Bar is busy I have no doubt you'll end up somewhere good regardless.

zara sale

I had some success at the Zara sale last week and scored some sweet deals. Incase you're in a shopping mood this weekend, take a browse online or pop into a store.
Incase you weren't in the know - you can order items to your local store for free, try them on in the store, and return it on the spot if something isn't exactly what you were looking for.

Zara Sale - Happy Shopping!

cornish hen

One of our resolutions of 2014 is to try three new recipes every month. Our first two recipes were roasted red pepper soup and a pot roast in the Crockpot - both delicious successes. For our third attempt we tried cooking a cornish hen. There's a new butcher called Custodio's Meats & Eats on Roncesvalles that we visited earlier in the week. A great space with friendly staff and great products. I've never eaten or cooked cornish hen but I'm glad we tried it. The meat was moist and tasty and it was very easy to make.

How to Make:

Cut up shallots and carrots and line bottom of baking pan. 

(Don't line with tinfoil - you use the dripping on the bottom of the pan to make gravy after! Rookie mistake on our part )

Place cornish hen on top of vegetables so it doesn't burn to the bottom of the pan.

Season generously with salt and pepper. Then rub hen with olive oil.

Bake in 350 oven for 1 hour. 

Take hen out every twenty minutes and baste with melted butter.

Serve with roasted vegetables and whipped mashed potatoes. 

Enjoy!

I apologize for the less than appealing photos of raw cornish hen but I conquered by dislike for raw poultry and got a delicious meal out of it - so I hope you can see the light at the end of the tunnel.

86th academy awards

Are you into awards season so far? I'm loving it and for me it started with my favorite - the Golden Globes! It's always fun to watch the TV and movie stars in a more relaxed, (read: alcohol fueled) environment. That being said, there's no denying the major movie 'must-have' award is an Oscar. We're doing our best to work through the Best Picture nominations - with a few other Best/Supporting Actor/Actress flicks thrown in.
We watched Dallas Buyers Club on Saturday night and both D and I were thoroughly impressed. Both Matthew McConnaughey and Jared Leto made such intense transformations in their roles - to me, it truly exemplified actors perfecting their craft. The story line details a heavy subject matter but it is done so wonderfully. A movie must-see in my opinion.
Our goal is to see all ten Best Picture movies before March 2nd! Please let me know if you have any recommendations.

Oh - and incase the Oscars weren't great enough - Ellen is hosting this year. Bonus!

happy weekend

I've recently begun a 30 day hot yoga trial at a studio near my office. I had never done hot yoga and signed up before even trying it - thankfully, it's all worked out beautifully. I'm really enjoying myself. You get a really good sweat on - like really, super sweaty - and you're able to challenge yourself physically in a non-threatening and judgement free environment. I was very intimidated to try yoga when D and I did a different 30 day trial last year but have been so pleased with how welcoming the yoga community is!

One of my goals of 2014 was to get active and I feel confident that I've started off on the right foot . I hope to set and accomplish small goals for myself over the year and work at being the best version of me. I hope you have started this new year with a positive outlook and a happy disposition - and enjoy the third weekend of the year! xx

And, If you're in a blog reading mood...

~ a sneak peak of SJP's new shoe line. 

~ going to be pulling another crazy lady shopping morning on February 9th when Peter Pilotto's line for Target comes out!

~ take a test to see how big your vocabulary is. My score was embarrassingly low!

~ my office in no way inspires creativity - but how dreamy are these beautiful office spaces

~ I was happy to have my thoughts confirmed - having money doesn't make you stylish. read these habits of truly stylish people

~ It's all the rage, but I still haven't tried pho! Maybe I'll try this recipe as my first taste test.

geometric glass

So I'm not quite sure what to call these beautiful glass pieces - sculptures, vases, ornaments? Whatever they might be called, aren't they awesome? I found them at a small gift shop up the street from our house and was immediately drawn to them. Each piece has such strong lines but are also so beautifully transparent. I think they would look so pretty on a window ledge.