Woops!

Forgot to tell you guys that I've been hanging around here .

:)

Yellow bean poutine

Since I uploaded a picture of it on Facebook, some of my friends are asking me for my Yellow Bean Poutine recipe. I am happy to share it!

This is a lighter version of poutine, the cheese curd and gravy fries dish that is so popular here. While it’s lighter than the original, it is not a light meal. Cream, butter and cheese will do that to a recipe. Sometimes, I make this with a warm lemon-garlic vinaigrette instead of the cream sauce and use regular cheese curds instead of the fancy goat cheese.

Yellow Bean Poutine

1 pound of green or yellow beans, trimmed and washed
2 tablespoons of olive oil
1 teaspoon of butter
1 medium onion, chopped finely
3/4 cup of cream (15% ou 35%, depending on the condition of your heart!)
Dry sage, to taste
Salt and pepper, to taste
1 tablespoon of butter
2 onces of goat cheese, in small clumps

In a large pot filled with boiling water, cook the beans until tender. Prepare the sauce while the beans cook.

Heat the olive oil and butter in a saucepan at medium-high heat, then drop the onion in and sauté until soft and golden (about 5 minutes).

Add the cream and let reduce at low heat. Stir often and don’t let it boil. Ad the sage, salt and pepper. When the sauce is creamy and thicker, add a tablespoon of butter and stir.

Drain the beans and plate. Add the clumps of cheese. Cover with sauce. Devour.

The hilarious world of Bundesliga fashion

Check out the threads! Check out the dance revisited samba steps!
But most of all, check out the hip dude with the stripey shirt and leg warmers at 1:50!

Julie and Julia night in Montreal

Last Friday was pretty awesome. 

I could go on and on about it, but Lindsay already did. 

So go read her blog to get the full Monty. She's funny. And she knows how to wear a fur hat in August.

Easy dinner

When I feel like having a nice, homemade dinner but don't feel like cooking for an hour, I make one of these babies. The base ingedient is just a store-bought, oven-ready "Cuisichef" crust, sold in packs of 4. Always have a pack in your fridge and you can make healthy pizzas at home. I love them!

My recipe is always a variation the same theme: a ricotta mixture topped with any fresh veggies and herbs I have on hand. I sometimes add bacon or duck magret on top for that extra bit of flavor and protein. These little fuckers are so easy to make, you'll never order take-out again!

Zucchini pizza

Serves 2
3 medium zucchinis, sliced
2 tablespoons of olive oil
2 oven-ready thin pizza crusts
1 cup ricotta
1 egg
3-4 tablespoons of Pecorino cheese
Zest of one lemon
Salt, pepper
4 tablespoons of tomato sauce

Prep work
In a skillet, sautée de sliced zucchini in the oil until golden. Set the oven to 400F and put the crusts on a baking sheet.

Meanwhile, put all of the other ingredients but the tomato sauce in a bowl and mix well. If you have fresh herbs in the fridge or in the garden, add some to the mix. I really like thyme in this mix.

Spread tomato sauce on both crusts, then top with the ricotta mixture. Add the cooked zucchinis on top of the cheese and add some more Pecorino on top. Pop in the oven for 15 minutes or until the crust is starting to turn brown at the corners. Serve with a salad.

Mod ads

Check out the Eames-like chair in the second spot!

Corners of my Home: Travelling with Dad

When I was a kid, my Dad used to grab my brother and I for a week of fun on the beach in Maine. We would go to Wells, sleep in the tent, play miniputt, swim in the cold, cold ocean, prepare hot-dogs on the little green Coleman stove you had to pump and drink lots of Hawaiian Punch from big cans, a treat for my brother and I. (Sugar was not a major player at our house.)

The mallet that is now resting in my wooden spoons pitcher is a souvenir from one of the last trips the three of us took together. That summer, my brother got the nastiest sunburn and looked like a wounded, peeling Klingon. By then, we were teenagers and not so into going away and leaving behind our summer flings and friends. We had upgraded: Ocean City was now our destination of choice and grandiose beachside hotels had replaced the tent. My Dad bought the mallet for me after a huge feast of crabs and corn, served on newspaper and covered with Old bay spices. It's fragile and useless, but it makes me think of family-time under the sun.

Storing paint leftovers

I hate storing paint leftovers in the original, drip-covered can. It's ugly, the container takes up too much room, the paint dries up and even if I write the name of the colour on the can, I have to open it up to make sure it contains the paint I need to touch up that banged up wall. My solution is to transfer the paint to a Mason jar with a tight lid. I can see the colour its filled with and I can dip the paint brush in it easily. Sure, it would be a mess if it suddenly got smashed on the floor, but I'll take my chances. I also think it looks pretty nifty!

It's a fact

Meat loaf is prettier before it's cooked.

Tips for a painless move

Are you moving this summer? Need tips? I am going to be lazy and help you out by linking to this great post from The Unclutterer.

One of these things is not like the other one

On the right, the lawn in front of Maurice Richard Arena. On the left, the grass that goes towards Viau metro station. Both are the same (uncut for a while) lenght. This is not photoshopped. Can you spot the difference?

Yeah.

MUVBOX opens in Old Montreal

When closed, it just looks like a big container. But when it opens up, it turns into a full-out restaurant with a kitchen and dining area, unfolding like a Transformer before the astonished eyes of passers-by. Müvbox, the company behind this portable restaurant concept, had their interior design and architecture done by Sid Lee, in collaboration with Ædifica.

I went to the launch and it was AWESOME. Watching Müvbox open was like the foodie equivalent of a rocket launch. The food is great (try the lobster rolls) and the location, near the river and Café des Éclusiers, could not be better.

Don't miss it this summer!

Yet another Samcon project

Samcon sure has been building up a storm in Hochelaga-Maisonneuve. I'm all for revitalizing the block with quality housing, but do we really need more of the same? I'm kind of sad to see some of the industrial buildings we have here dissapear so easily. They add character to our streets. It would be cool if someone bought one of the old metal workshop plot to turn it into artists studios or cafés. It will take more than condos to turn HoMa into a nicer neighborhood.

Apple coasters

If you are heading for Tokyo, don't miss the fantastic 100Y stores (the Japanese equivalent of our dollar store). You'll find items for the house, chips in crazy flavors (curried cod, anyone?), cute erasers, Hello Kitty stickers, bento box stuff and many other finds on the cheap. I love those lovely apple felt coasters I brought back. They make for a peppy punch of red on my coffee table.

I'm back, baby!

I'm back from Japan and I'm finally over the stupid jetlag that pummeled me as soon as I hit Montreal. I blogged my trip in French, but you can also check out the 2000+ pictures I took on my Flickr. I'll be making some individual albums for easy consultation.

This is my favorite temple, beautiful Todaiji in Nara. It was the architectural highlight of the trip, to say the least!



I also saw a tons of more modern architecture. The Mikimoto building in Ginza was one of the most interesting I saw.



I can only recommend you visit Japan soon! It's not as expensive as people say, if you plan ahead. Just go!

Places I'll never shop at - part 5

meet Amik

I found Amik at the flea market, floating in a bucket of pins and badges.

He was the official mascot of the Montreal Olympics. His name comes from the Algonquin name for "beaver". He represents the friendliness, patience and hard work that helped built canada.

He's made of plastic and wears his Olympic sash with pride!

MiMo: Miami modern

Miami was a blast. On the last day, I climbed into a cab with my camera to go walk around the Mimo district, on Biscayne Blvd. It's full of fifites-style motels, in various stages of decrepitude, but oh so groovy. Even the sidewalks are atomic. Take a look.

















There was aslo this cute little lady waiting for the bus in her best Easter frock.







You can check out my full collection of Miami pictures here.

Verner Panton's Visiona 2: a tour

Groovy.

who's that hidding in the comics section?

I went to the Saint-Michel flea market with Pat last week and happened on this little dude: a stuffed raccoon holding a Slinky. He looked like a Parisian gamin playing mucis for his dinner, funny and sad at the same time. Who would buy this?Sometimes I think the Saint-Michel sellers either have the weirdest sense of humour. Or maybe they are just really, really bored.

An apple a day keeps the boredom away

Easter, Miami-style

I don't know about you, but the week of rain that the weather girl is predicting for the rest of the week depresses me. That's why I'll be spending the long Easter weekend in sunny Miami, sipping drinks by the pool and enjoying the wonderful South Beach art deco architecture.

This is the hotel I'll be staying at. Woot!

Music to paint by: L'infonie

This is the kind of silly music I love to listen to while cleaning the house of doing some reno. My friend Dominic sent me this yesterday. And just in time, too! I want to repaint my living room.



L'Infonie was created during Expo 67. The name if this track is "J'ai perdu 15 cents dans le froid d'un ange bronze", which means "I lost fifteen cents in the cold nose of a bronze angel". I guess they liked smoking the wacky tobacky in those days.

I can't resit a nice print

20x200 is having a sale today. Do I have room on my walls? Not really. Can I make some? Sure.

So I didn't resist and bought this fantastic piece by Kent Rogowski. Yay!

Quick visit at the Imperial

My pal Lindsay of Sometimes Icing moved into her new loft at the Imperial!

Check it out here

Sayonara

Guess where I'm going for my vacation in May?

busy bee

Sorry I've been so busy. Work has been hectic, my b-day was last week and I had my annual Oscar bash on Sunday. So please enjoy this clip while we wait for a normal schedule to return.

A game of cards with my valentine

I love this picture because of the random flower pot and the cigarette my grand-father is holding on top of my head. My grand-father Jean-Paul was a huge influence in my life. Even if we were not related by blood (my Dad was adopted by him and my sweet grand-mother, his mother's sister), I see a lot of myself in him. He was very loyal to his friends and family, had a dry sense of humour, loved gadgets, had a short fuse and never met a garage sale he didn't like. He's the one who really got me into vintage stuff, flea markets and rummage sales. After a long, happy life, he passed away a few years ago and I am still reeling from it - it was so sudden. So this Valentines day, I'll be playing a little game of solitaire with his old Glamour Girl cards, thinking of him, and sending him a big kiss. I love you grand-papa!

Why my new chairs are awesome

1- they look like ghosts

2- they grab my ass like a fifties ad-man hitting on his secretary

3- they confuse my cat

4- they are super comfortable to sit on

5- they came in a box that I can turn into a fort

My loft, featured on Lake Jane

My loft was featured on Lake Jane today. I'm very honored to have been approched by this kick-ass blog. Go check it out!

The risks of being a landlord

Oh my.

Welcome to my laudry room

Well I'm calling it: my laundry room is finally DONE! This is the before look: plain and empty, with no storage equipement.



My goals were to organize some storage solutions, hide the ugly water heater and electric box and change the light fixture. I started by installing a towel rack and a wire basket to dry dish clothes and hold Ziplocs, cling film and foil paper. I also put some hooks to hold bags and my grocery cart. The litter box is also hidden behind the door.







Next to the water heater, there was just enough room to fit an old Ikea cart. It now holds cleaning products and cat food. On top of the water heater, I installed two Ikea shelves to hold bottles and paper stuff like tissues and paper towels.





Behind the pillar, I keep the ironing board as well as grocery bags that I use to take the recycling downstairs to the building's bin. The space between the wall and the dryer was just wide enough for me to install a few hooks to hold the broom and mop, as well as hide a few folding chairs that I use when company comes over.







The electric box is covered with magnets that hold souvenirs from my last trip. On the door, I installed a vintage ACME sign that I painted red.





Finally, I made (by hand) a curtain using fabric from ReproDepot, and had a nice print framed to add a pop of colour. The last touch was the fixture from Hip Haven. I like that the light is soft and highlights the fabric and print.



And voilà! A laundry room nice enough to have guests sleep in it. Well, almost.