Homestyle Split Pea Soup (for my poor sweet husband who is sick with the flu)

It's been all kleenex boxes and chamomile tea around here these days. 

My poor husband has the flu.

So I made him a nourishing homestyle split pea soup for dinner tonight, and he ate two huge bowls of it.... not too shabby for someone who's supposedly lost his appetite.

I love this recipe. It's probably the first soup I ever made, and I keep going back to it. It's perfect for a night like tonight : )

 Read on for the recipe...

Weekend Moments: Dining Out At Two AM

Two of my good friends from Toronto came down to Montreal for the weekend. So of course this meant another weekend of fabulous food!

 It started with a decadent brunch on Saturday morning.

On Saturday night we went out for dinner at Leméac and it was incredible, as usual.  They have this amazing deal there, that if you arrive after 10pm your dinner only costs 24$ (as opposed to 50$ or 60$). But of course this makes for a rather late dinner... we only left the restaurant at 2:30am.... but it was well worth it!

 I loved the cork on the wine bottle we ordered... isn't it cute?!

 Sunday morning, we slept in and drank big mugs of thick coffee.

 Then we got to work in the kitchen...

I've been meaning to write a how-to post about making macarons for a while now, so that's what we did on Sunday (I'll post the actual how-to later this week, so stay tuned!).

 (my favourite part about making macarons is watching them rise, and seeing the little pied form)

 On Sunday night the power went out on my street. 

I always kind of like it when that happens.

I lit candles, and we ordered-in sushi since we couldn't use the stove.

 By the time our food had arrived the power had come back on.... but we decided to leave the lights out anyway, because the room looked so beautiful in the soft glow of candlelight.

All in all, it was a lovely weekend. I wish it wasn't over just yet.

I hope you have a smooth start to your week

oxo

Hey Lady Grey is One Year Old This Weekend!

It's hard to believe that I've been doing this blog for a year now... but on the other hand, it kind of feels like I've been doing it forever. Thank you so much to all of you who read it every day. Your comments always make me smile.

I hope you have a wonderful weekend. Here are some links....

• If you're stuck in a rut, put a bird on it!
• I want to go to Italy to design shoes for J Crew!
• I must, must, must make this cookie! (via the lovely, Diana)
• Loving the Poppytalk Valentines & Wedding lookbook
• I'm smitten with this food blog 
• And finally, a fabulous song (and new video) for your weekend from Sleigh Bells:

Chia Seeds - My New Favourite Superfood

Ok, so I'm a little obsessed with chia seeds lately.

 These tiny little seeds certainly pack a nutritional punch!

(and yes, they are the same seeds used in those 1980's Chia Pets)

But honestly, these little super seeds are unbelievably healthy.

Each 15 gram (1/2 oz) serving of chia seeds contains:

Antioxidants - equal to 15 grams of blueberries

Omega-3 fatty acids - equal to 250 grams (9 oz) of salmon

Calcium - equal to 3 oz of whole milk

Protein - equal to 44 grams of kidney beans

Iron - equal to 103 grams of spinach

Magnesium - equal to 73 grams of spinach

Fiber - equal to 17 grams of bran

And guess what? They taste pretty good too. Actually, they don't taste like much at all, to be honest. But I've been adding them to my yogurt in the morning, and my salads at night, and every time I eat them I feel fantastic, knowing how much goodness I'm ingesting!

Have you ever tried them? If not, you definitely should!

(click on images for sources)

Spring Romance: White Lace and a Touch of Country... isn't it beautiful?!

From Ralph Lauren Spring 2011 Ready to Wear. Images via style.com

I heart Alexa Meade

I can't remember where I first saw Alexa Meade's artwork, but I know that I instantly fell in love... even more so when I realized that her canvas was live models, posing in front of painted or real life backgrounds . Isn't that incredible?!

Watch this video of how she does it... it's amazing!

see more on her Flickr
more pictures via

Weekend Moments -The only way to live in a cold country is to go out and enjoy it!

 It was twenty below zero in Montreal this weekend. We debated hibernating in the apartment with Netflix for three days, but instead we decided to drive out to the country and embrace this icy cold country we live in.

We borrowed my father's vintage snowshoes and headed out into the snow-covered fields (apparently they belonged to my great-grandfather, that's how old they are!)

My husband was impressed with how high he could jump with the snowshoes on.

(I was too, of course)

 I'm not sure I ever truly appreciated how beautiful winter is before.

And for the first time in my life, I saw a Sun Dog... I didn't even know what that was before this weekend. It's a solar phenomenon that occurs on really cold days when the air is filled with millions of tiny ice crystals. Sort of like a winter rainbow. It was magnificent!

I hope you had a beautiful weekend too.

oxo

Just trying to stay warm in the deep freeze

 Happy Friday, everyone.
I hope you bundle up tightly, and have yourself a cozy weekend.
'Cause it's going to be a cold one!

Here's a lighthearted song for your weekend from the adorable Canadian artist Jenn Grant:
(the video is filmed in Halifax too!)

oxo

Vanessa

Take your coffee to go in style...

How gorgeous are these botanical hand painted ceramic coffee mugs? 

I want one of each!

From Yevgenia on Etsy.

Dreaming of Summer...

 To make a prairie it takes a clover

and one bee,-

One clover, and a bee,

And revery.

The revery alone will do

If bees are few.

~Emily Dickinson, Nature XCVII

Design 101 with Sarah Richardson

I've been loving Sarah Richardson's new HGTV show called Sarah 101. In each episode she completely transforms a single room from floor to ceiling, and teaches us her interior design tricks along the way. Here's an example of a transformed dark and narrow living room:

 What amazed me the most was how many different patterned fabrics she used... and so many bold ones at that. It made me realize that I really need to step out of my decor comfort zone!

So what do you think... too much colour or do you love it?