Marinated Eggplant with Lemon & Mint

This recipe sooooo good!  

It's a really nice way to use fresh eggplant and it's actually very easy to make. Plus, anything with lemon & mint is delightfully refreshing in the summertime.

If you like eggplant then you definitely have to try this out. If you don't like eggplant, well you should still try this out because I bet you'll change your mind ; )

New music from The Morning Benders

One of my favourite bands, The Morning Benders, just released a second video recording... this time for the song Stitches. Earlier this year they had done a similar one for the song Excuses, which made me fall completely in love with the band. This one is a little slower and a little softer, and still absolutely brilliant! Have a listen:

Yourstru.ly Presents: The Morning Benders "Stitches" from Yours Truly on Vimeo.

I just love how they cram tons of talented musicians into a tiny recording room... it feels like they're just a bunch of old musician friends hanging around playing music. This is how music should be made all the time!

Oh you know, just hanging around looking fabulous

Sometimes I think I like Anthropologie catalogs just for the photography. 

Ok that's a big lie. I love the clothes too. How could I not... have you seen the July catalog?  If you haven't, here are some of the fashion ( & photographic) highlights.

(All images from Anthropologie)

The Blackboard Room Anthropologie Shoot

I know it's just a photo shoot, but how cool do chalkboards look as bedroom walls?!

(Images from Anthropologie July 2010 Catalog)

Put Your Junk to Good Use in the Garden

I love this idea of planting flowers and greenery in worn-out everyday household items.

Images from Re-Nest.

Pear & Poppy Seed Coffee Cake

Have you noticed that I like making coffee cakes?! Well that's because we eat them for breakfast.... yup, cake for breakfast! Mornings are always a little rushed around here, and I hate leaving home without eating something. So a thick slice of coffee cake does the trick.

 This poppy seed cake is light & airy, while the pears give it a nice moisture. You just need to remember to check your teeth for hidden poppy seeds before heading out the door ; )

Weekend Moments

It felt like we had two weekends this week because Thursday was a holiday in Quebec. 

We drove out to the country with some friends of ours to soak up some fresh country air.

My sweet friend Anna made this incredible nectarine pie

And I found a four-leaf clover. 

But I decided not to pick it.... it seemed like the right thing to do at the time.

I flew to Toronto for my sister-in-law's bridal shower. It was a tea party! 

The room was gorgeous, and we drank from dainty teacups and ate delicious tea sandwiches and mini cupcakes and confections. It was so lovely!

The G-20 was in Toronto this weekend and our plane landed right beside Air Force One. Cool stuff.

(via)

Back in Montreal...

I thought the cherry tree looked enchanting after sunset.

And there were flash thunderstorms just off the coast of my balcony. 

I love the rain when it's this dramatic! It's exhilarating!

How Do You Like Your Coffee?

In my family, we drink a lot of tea & coffee. But we all like to drink it a little differently from each other. So having a variety of unique mugs on hand is essential.... Dainty, rustic, simple, embellished. 

You may not know this, but your choice of mug reflects your personality. At least in my family  : )

So what type of mug are you?

Are you "classic"

MrPS

Or Country?

JimandGina

Meadowpoint

Or perhaps a little more modern...

Uptown Avenue

Shoshonasnow

Do you like it tall?

MuddyMommaPottery

Or something small & textured, that is moulded to your hands?

vesselsandwares

Ralphnuara

Good Monday Morning To You

It's a foggy, rainy Monday morning here in Montreal. Another weekend has gone by.... a little too quickly for my liking. I hope you're feeling more refreshed and ready to conquer your week than I am. 

Sigh. 

Sometimes I think I don't call in sick enough.

The rain and mist are beautiful though, and I am grateful for this 5 minutes of calm with my cup of coffee and the beautiful blog world. Today I am guest posting for Tanya over at A Taste of T who is on vacation. Oh to be on vacation..... 

I hope you have a wonderful start to your week.

xoxo

Vanessa.

Come As You Are

"Out beyond ideas of wrongdoing and rightdoing, there is a field. 

I will meet you there"

~ Rumi

Holy Moly! My Balcony is on Apartment Therapy

This is so exciting!!!

See the Apartment Therapy Post here

Tea Roses from the Garden.... what a lovely way to start the weekend

The weekend is here and my apartment is filled with the subtle smell of freshly cut tea roses from the garden. Blissful. I hope your weekend is filled with a similar subtle sweetness. 

Here are some links.

• In case you missed it, Summer Solstice Yoga in Times Square!
• Wishing I had a patio so I could hang up string lights like this
• I adore this fruits of the week knicker set
• The Montreal Jazz Fest is back... I'm so excited to see some free shows
• Amazing tree pictures, taken in infrared
• More brownies & bars than you could possibly dream of!

oxo

Vanessa.

10 Things About Me + 5 Beautiful Bloggers

I am so honoured.

Alex, the incredible blogger behind Make, Do & Send, has given me the Beautiful Blogger award! It means so much to me coming from her. Thank you so much, Alex!

By accepting this award, I must tell you 10 things about myself and then pass this award on to 5 other beautiful bloggers. Not a difficult task since there are so many beautiful bloggers out there to choose from.

So to start, here are 10 things about me...

1. I'm a country girl living in a big city

2. I like to sing out loud in the car

3. I never leave home without my camera

4. I'm happily addicted to coffee

5. I floss my teeth religiously, and actually enjoy doing it

6. I'm really good at finding four-leaf clovers

7. My favourite snack is pickles & cheese

8. I'm more of a morning person

9. I love climbing trees... even now

10. I've been a blogger for 5 months now and I feel like it has changed my life.

So there you have it. Now I'd like to pass on the Beautiful Blogger Award to the following 5 lovely bloggers:

Tanya - A Taste of T

Brianna - Crazy Sweet Life

Kathryn - Orange Sugar Home

Lauren - Aspiring Kennedy

Ashleigh - Little Girl, Big World

I heart Save the Queen

Do you know the Italian company Save the Queen?

Their stuff is so fun and unique, and I especially love their bags...

They're all so detailed and funky... I'd call them "good mood bags".
(images via Save the Queen)

New Music: The Like

Four gorgeous SoCal girls singing Motown-Rock.... sounds like a recipe for success.

The Like just released a new album, Release Me, which was produced by Mark Ronson. I've heard a few songs so far, and so far I like what I hear.

Also they have incredible style and are just too adorable not to share : )

Have a listen....

(images from The Like's myspace)

Chocolate as Modern Art

I was given a box of the most amazing chocolates the other day by Christophe Morel. 

They're like little pieces of modern art!

It was hard to bite into these mini masterpieces... but once I did, they all disappeared rather quickly, and I didn't regret it one bit ; )

New stuff from Eat, Pray, Love.

I absolutely can't wait to see Eat, Pray, Love this August. So I was thrilled to see that a new international trailer was released this week:

It's pretty similar to the first one:



Also I have a feeling the soundtrack is going to be amazing too. I love that Florence + The Machine song used in the trailer, and now Eddie Vedder just released a new single, Better Days, for the movie. You can listen to it here.
How very exciting!

Plum Cake - just the way my I remember it

My Oma (my Austrian grandmother) was known to make amazing plum cakes (Pflaumekuchen). I have faint, delicious memories of this. I so wish I had her recipe.... but since that's not possible I went searching for an authentic German plum cake recipe.... and I think I found a good one!

The recipe comes from this lovely food blogger's paternal great grandmother... sounds authentic enough!

And my oh my, was it ever delicious!

Read on for the recipe....