Wednesday, February 29, 2012
Happy Leap Day
Today is leap day, which means we are in a leap year!! I always thought it would be neat to be born in a leap year. Happy birthday/anniversary to all those born and married today.
Saturday, February 25, 2012
The 30's are almost here....
1 month from today Hubs will be turning 30. It's hard to believe it! Not sure what I will do for him, he says he doesn't want a party or anything but I have to do something for him, you only turn 30 once.
Anyone have any ideas?
Anyone have any ideas?
Wednesday, February 22, 2012
Food at our Wedding
I finally had the inspiration to sit down and write a post about the food we served at our wedding. Food is such an important and critical part of any wedding. It helps set the mood and tone of the entire event, fills people's tummies and is talked about long after the event is over (Hopefully in a good way, not bad). You can have a buffet, plated dinner, appetizers, family style, stations, or just a cocktail hour. Each serving style has its pro's and con's, it just depends on what you want, what works for you, and what fits the formality of your wedding.
For us, we knew our wedding wasn't black tie and super fancy. We wanted to serve a full meal, as the majority of people attending our wedding were from out of town (I wasnt about to serve sandwiches and cake). We went back and forth between the idea of a buffet dinner and a plated dinner and finally decided on a buffet. I know many people hate the idea of a buffet dinner and feel it isnt as formal. For us, it was perfect as each person could take as much or little as they wanted and could choose what they wanted to eat, instead of only having an option of either chicken and something else. It was also less headaches, as I didnt have to figure out what each guest wanted and create a chart for seating and what meal each person wanted.
Finding a caterer was one of the hardest parts of our wedding. There are so many options available, you almost really need to decided what style of serving you want, budget and food you would like to have before starting your caterer search. We were lucky in that our venue allowed us to bring in outside food so we werent stuck using an over priced, typical bland wedding food caterer. I started my search by collecting brochures from various cateres at wedding shows and a quick online search of catering in my local area. I compared what each company had to offer for food, service and extras.
Some companies were just too overpriced for what we were willing to pay for food at our wedding, others had lack lustre service or just didnt offer a menu we found appealing. Others charged ridiculous amounts to cut our wedding cake (as we had a different vendor providing this) and to supply flatware and plates. We finally managed to narrow our search down to 3 catering companies and set up meetings with each. (Names wont be mentioned for the ones we didnt pick as we dont want to affect their business just becasue we didnt go with them).
The first company didnt quite have the level of formality we were looking for (think more of a back yard BBQ then wedding). Also when we addressed Hubs food allergies, they just said "well we wont serve that" instead of finding an alternative or just making sure Hubs wouldnt eat it. They didnt provide any extra's (plates, cutlery, etc) so we would have to rent it from an outside source.
The second company was actually our front runner for a while. Everything was great, they had the type of food we wanted to serve, were in our price range, etc. Until we mentioned the cake and they said they charged $4 a slice to cut the cake, charged extra for cake plates and had a few other hidden fees. Along with this, we didnt like the idea they would have to drive 45min to an hr to get to our venue with our food already cooked.
The 3rd catering company is the one we ended up going with. A coworker recommended them and I can't say enough great things about them. People to this day, still talk about the food we served at our wedding and how good it was. We ended up going with Casa Nova Catering, which is a family run Portuguese Catering Company and Restaurant/Bakery locally owned and operated. They not only provide catering but decorating as well (Had we not already hired our decorator we would have gone with them for decor as well).
Casa Nova, had amazing prices. We paid $24 a person, which included 2 main entrees and all the extras, ALL our dishware, glasses and cutlery, white tableclothes and our napkins, they cut and served the cake, as well as provided wait staff, set up and cleaned up everything. All for $24 a person. I couldnt get a price even close to that from any other caterer in the city. Heck, most caterer's charged $24 a person for one entree and everything else extra.
Below is our menu we used on each table, informing each guest what the buffet options were. I did leave out that there was a massive seafood platter (so much seafood, our guests didnt finish it all)
For us, we knew our wedding wasn't black tie and super fancy. We wanted to serve a full meal, as the majority of people attending our wedding were from out of town (I wasnt about to serve sandwiches and cake). We went back and forth between the idea of a buffet dinner and a plated dinner and finally decided on a buffet. I know many people hate the idea of a buffet dinner and feel it isnt as formal. For us, it was perfect as each person could take as much or little as they wanted and could choose what they wanted to eat, instead of only having an option of either chicken and something else. It was also less headaches, as I didnt have to figure out what each guest wanted and create a chart for seating and what meal each person wanted.
Finding a caterer was one of the hardest parts of our wedding. There are so many options available, you almost really need to decided what style of serving you want, budget and food you would like to have before starting your caterer search. We were lucky in that our venue allowed us to bring in outside food so we werent stuck using an over priced, typical bland wedding food caterer. I started my search by collecting brochures from various cateres at wedding shows and a quick online search of catering in my local area. I compared what each company had to offer for food, service and extras.
Some companies were just too overpriced for what we were willing to pay for food at our wedding, others had lack lustre service or just didnt offer a menu we found appealing. Others charged ridiculous amounts to cut our wedding cake (as we had a different vendor providing this) and to supply flatware and plates. We finally managed to narrow our search down to 3 catering companies and set up meetings with each. (Names wont be mentioned for the ones we didnt pick as we dont want to affect their business just becasue we didnt go with them).
The first company didnt quite have the level of formality we were looking for (think more of a back yard BBQ then wedding). Also when we addressed Hubs food allergies, they just said "well we wont serve that" instead of finding an alternative or just making sure Hubs wouldnt eat it. They didnt provide any extra's (plates, cutlery, etc) so we would have to rent it from an outside source.
The second company was actually our front runner for a while. Everything was great, they had the type of food we wanted to serve, were in our price range, etc. Until we mentioned the cake and they said they charged $4 a slice to cut the cake, charged extra for cake plates and had a few other hidden fees. Along with this, we didnt like the idea they would have to drive 45min to an hr to get to our venue with our food already cooked.
The 3rd catering company is the one we ended up going with. A coworker recommended them and I can't say enough great things about them. People to this day, still talk about the food we served at our wedding and how good it was. We ended up going with Casa Nova Catering, which is a family run Portuguese Catering Company and Restaurant/Bakery locally owned and operated. They not only provide catering but decorating as well (Had we not already hired our decorator we would have gone with them for decor as well).
Casa Nova, had amazing prices. We paid $24 a person, which included 2 main entrees and all the extras, ALL our dishware, glasses and cutlery, white tableclothes and our napkins, they cut and served the cake, as well as provided wait staff, set up and cleaned up everything. All for $24 a person. I couldnt get a price even close to that from any other caterer in the city. Heck, most caterer's charged $24 a person for one entree and everything else extra.
Below is our menu we used on each table, informing each guest what the buffet options were. I did leave out that there was a massive seafood platter (so much seafood, our guests didnt finish it all)
Here is one of the only pictures we got of our reception food:
Tuesday, February 21, 2012
Random Posting...
I've had a few things on my brain lately and not a lot of time for posting, so I figured that while the house is quiet, I would do a quick post with a bunch of thoughts put together.
*My mom's treatments are going great, she is halfway through the radiation and feeling good so far
*NEVER let family move in with you, we have Hubs stepbrother living with us, and I would not and will never allow family to move in with us again (I know I have a few friends who read this blog, please don't share this thought with Hubs), more to post on this at a later time too
*We went to visit one of Hubs good friends and wife Sat night, while they were close to town for a hockey tournament. We havent seen them since we got married, so it was nice to have a night out and catch up.
*Unfortunately, on the way home from said visit we got a flat tire (which I didnt find out about until I went to go to work the next morning at 5am). Needless to say we had to call a tow truck to come put on the spare tire and wait until one of the few mechanic places were open in town so we could get the flat looked at (This was ridiculous, considering we live in a city and nothing seems to be open on Sunday). We had the tire looked at and it was deemed unrepairable (there was a bone in the tire) so we had to wait until Monday for the dealership to open to get a new tire. We went to the dealership yesterday, and they had to order in the tire, so I'm currently waiting for the dealership to call to take the car in to get the new tire put on. What a waste of $250 bucks, we just bought the car in August, have barely over 13000km on it and already had to replace a tire. To be truthful it pissed me off...
*Hubs dad has been staying with us again since Sun. He has to get an angiogram tomorrow, I'm hoping all works out well and they can fix his heart.
*The house we loved and put an offer in on, then had to walk away from (due to lack of financing), is back on the market. There was another offer on the house and it fell through. Right now Hubs and I are going to wait and see if they drop the price of the house and we might put another offer in, this time with a clause of the sale of our home now.
*I have my flight home booked for the end of June. So excited to be going home to see my family again, and to see my brother graduate. Again though, if your a friend of mine please dont mention this on facebook. It's going to be a suprise to my family
*We just bought a costco membership. We have debated getting one for a while, and finally bit the bullet and got one. Neither of us have family close anymore to have them pick us up stuff, and with his brother staying with us we figured it would come in handy.
*There was been some drama happening at work, its been going on since I started working there, and last week was the last straw and I filed a complaint. I wont go into any more detail right now but I'm glad I've finally said something (No it doesnt involve me personally)
*My mom's treatments are going great, she is halfway through the radiation and feeling good so far
*NEVER let family move in with you, we have Hubs stepbrother living with us, and I would not and will never allow family to move in with us again (I know I have a few friends who read this blog, please don't share this thought with Hubs), more to post on this at a later time too
*We went to visit one of Hubs good friends and wife Sat night, while they were close to town for a hockey tournament. We havent seen them since we got married, so it was nice to have a night out and catch up.
*Unfortunately, on the way home from said visit we got a flat tire (which I didnt find out about until I went to go to work the next morning at 5am). Needless to say we had to call a tow truck to come put on the spare tire and wait until one of the few mechanic places were open in town so we could get the flat looked at (This was ridiculous, considering we live in a city and nothing seems to be open on Sunday). We had the tire looked at and it was deemed unrepairable (there was a bone in the tire) so we had to wait until Monday for the dealership to open to get a new tire. We went to the dealership yesterday, and they had to order in the tire, so I'm currently waiting for the dealership to call to take the car in to get the new tire put on. What a waste of $250 bucks, we just bought the car in August, have barely over 13000km on it and already had to replace a tire. To be truthful it pissed me off...
*Hubs dad has been staying with us again since Sun. He has to get an angiogram tomorrow, I'm hoping all works out well and they can fix his heart.
*The house we loved and put an offer in on, then had to walk away from (due to lack of financing), is back on the market. There was another offer on the house and it fell through. Right now Hubs and I are going to wait and see if they drop the price of the house and we might put another offer in, this time with a clause of the sale of our home now.
*I have my flight home booked for the end of June. So excited to be going home to see my family again, and to see my brother graduate. Again though, if your a friend of mine please dont mention this on facebook. It's going to be a suprise to my family
*We just bought a costco membership. We have debated getting one for a while, and finally bit the bullet and got one. Neither of us have family close anymore to have them pick us up stuff, and with his brother staying with us we figured it would come in handy.
*There was been some drama happening at work, its been going on since I started working there, and last week was the last straw and I filed a complaint. I wont go into any more detail right now but I'm glad I've finally said something (No it doesnt involve me personally)
Thursday, February 16, 2012
Valentine's Day Recap
This year Valentine's Day was just another day for Hubs and I. We worked opposite shifts so didn't even really see each other from 4:00am until just before 10pm. I did leave a card for my Hubs in front of our wedding album. We had our Valentine's Day dinner last night. We went to Brentwood Bay Lodge and enjoyed a nice dinner of sushi, oysters, Halibut & Chips for Hubs and Veggie Stir-Fry for myself. For dessert we shared a brownie ice cream sandwich with cayenne roasted pecans. I enjoyed a Bellini and Hubs had a beer. It was such a nice relaxing night out and the food was delicious.
Vegetable Pho Soup
Preparation time: 25 minutes
Total time : 25 minutes
This is a meatless version of Vietnamese pho, a popular, hearty beef-based noodle dish. Serve with garnishes such as cilantro, sliced green onions, sliced chilies, bean sprouts and lime wedges.
Total time : 25 minutes
This is a meatless version of Vietnamese pho, a popular, hearty beef-based noodle dish. Serve with garnishes such as cilantro, sliced green onions, sliced chilies, bean sprouts and lime wedges.
Ingredients
- 2 tsp (10 mL) vegetable oil
- 1/2 onion, thinly sliced
- 3/4 tsp (4 mL) five-spice powder
- 1 cup (250 mL) thinly sliced stemmed shiitake mushrooms
- 2 tsp (10 mL) grated fresh ginger
- 1/4 tsp (1 mL) salt
- 1 pkg (900 mL) sodium-reduced vegetable broth
- 1 carrot , julienned
- 8 oz (227 g) baby bok choy, quartered
- 2 tsp (10 mL) lime juice
- 12 oz (340 g) rice noodles
- 5-1/2 oz (156 g) extra-firm tofu, thinly sliced
- 1 pinch hot pepper flakes, (optional)
Preparation
In saucepan, heat oil over medium-high heat; cook onion and five-spice powder, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 3 minutes. Add mushrooms, ginger and sa< cook
for 2 minutes.
Add broth and 1-1/2 cups water; bring to boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes.
Add carrot, bok choy and lime juice; cook until bok choy is slightly softened, about 1 minute.
Meanwhile, in pot of boiling water, cook noodles according to package directions; drain and rinse under cold water.
Divide among 4 large soup bowls. Top with tofu. Ladle hot broth and vegetables over top. Sprinkle with hot pepper flakes (if using).
for 2 minutes.
Add broth and 1-1/2 cups water; bring to boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes.
Add carrot, bok choy and lime juice; cook until bok choy is slightly softened, about 1 minute.
Meanwhile, in pot of boiling water, cook noodles according to package directions; drain and rinse under cold water.
Divide among 4 large soup bowls. Top with tofu. Ladle hot broth and vegetables over top. Sprinkle with hot pepper flakes (if using).
*I made this for the first time tonight and it turned out pretty darn good. I did make a few substitutions to the recipe. I excluded the shiitake mushrooms and tofu, and used beef broth instead of vegetable broth.
Source : Canadian Living Magazine: March 2012
Tuesday, February 14, 2012
Happy Valentine's Day!
Wishing everyone a very happy Valentine's Day. Unfortunatly, Hubs and I wont be spending it together as I work from 530am until 2pm and he goes to work for 2pm :( I'm sure we'll squeeze in a makeup date at another time.
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