I love Journal Canteen. I love the simple perfectly made Italian food that is served there. What? Am I giving away the ending again? Sorry.

(small antipasto platter – $15)

Well, I work near Journal Canteen and we go there for lunch quite often, so this post will be about a few trips that we made to Journal Canteen and some the fabulous food they serve there.

First things first, Journal Canteen is not Journal (the cafe), which is visible from Flinders Lane. They are in the same building so don’t get confused. To get to Journal Canteen (also known as Rosa’s Kitchen – its red neon lettering visible from Flinders Lane), you need to go into the CAE building and it’s up a few steps up on the right.

(the same antipasto platter but on the other side)

The menu at Journal Canteen changes almost everyday. There’s the standing favourite, of course, which is the anti pasto platter (small or large). The items on the platter do change depending on seasons (we have had zucchini flowers) but this time we had olives, sliced salami, zucchini fritter, dressed potato, dressed zucchini (with mint), grilled capsicum, grilled eggplant with tomato sauce. The very first time Nicole had the eggplant, she reckoned it was the best eggplant she ever had. The eggplant itself gets cooked different ways each time we visited though.

(complimentary bread – just bread, no butter, no oil)

The menu, as I mentioned earlier, changes daily but it always consists of generally a pasta or two dishes, a meat or two dishes and a vegetarian option.

(spaghetti alla Norma – $20)

The very first time I was at Journal Canteen, I had a spaghetti alla Norma, which was spaghetti in tomato sauce served with roasted eggplant slices and topped with salted ricotta (although I don’t think featured here was salted ricotta). It was a really good dish of eggplant but I found that $20 was a bit much to charge for a small(ish) plate of spaghetti with a couple of slices of eggplant when you had to share communal tables.

(slow roast lamb with potatoes and greens – $20)

Josh had decided on the roast lamb. The lamb was very tender. The portion wasn’t big so you can get away with shared anti pasto and dessert.

(complimentary side salad)

As always, main meals were accompanied by a side salad which was ice berg (and this time) radish dressed with olive oil. Seriously, I never had interesting iceberg lettuce salad until I went to Journal Canteen. Nicole found it a tad oily though.

(another roast lamb dish – $20)

On the last occasion, Nicole had chosen another lamb dish. Equally good. And different to the slow roast lamb Josh had.

I went for the sardine and fennel spaghetti. It was topped with crunchy breadcrumbs and pine nuts. To be perfectly honest, I really am not a fan of sardine but I ordered it because it was just something I never tried before. And I didn’t mind it too much either. The sardines were absolutely fresh and the dish was just well flavoured. I won’t order it again now that I have tried it but if you don’t mind sardines (one of the VERY few things I’m not overly keen of) this dish would have been beautiful. The ‘fennel’ bit was just fennel leaf pesto. Interesting.

(peach and almond tart – $7.5?)

Nicole and I also shared a peach and almond tart. It was very good. So good I wanted to buy a slice home for Josh (since he’s the sweettooth and not me) but Rosa Mitchell wouldn’t sell it. She said it wouldn’t travel.

(a view of Centre Place from Journal Canteen)

We also had a lovely long chat with Rosa. Mainly about my failed attempt to cook her broccoli and potato soup. She was very lovely and helpful

Journal Canteen (Rosa’s Kitchen) 253 Flinders Ln Melbourne VIC 3000  (03) 9650 4399

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Check out this underground house in Switzerland

Carol's Corner Cafe

I took my breakfast buddy, Amie, to Carol’s Corner Cafe in Vancouver, WA. I got an interesting first impression that reminded me of Tom Jones’ song You Can Leave Your Hat On.  No – it wasn’t that everyone was doing a strip tease. It was a place where most of the men were wearing hats – ball caps, to be exact. Every hat with every type of logo imaginable was present – one of them was of the hunting variety – camouflage. Obviously a down-home type place where folks can get comfortable in front of heaping plates of food.

Heaping is an understatement here. Even though they offer doggie bags, you may want to think twice about ordering the Full Order option on the omelette menu. They make full order omelettes with six eggs. Yes, you’ve read that right. Six eggs. A half order is your standard 3-egg omelette. When I asked about their specialty, our server said most folks love the CC Hash Special. On close examination, I found that it was very similar to the Hockinson Kountry Cafe’s version of the same – stuff covered with country grave. She also said they were known for their bacon and stated the reason for the claim to fame in the bacon department is where they buy it and how it is made. They buy the best bacon they can find from Jake’s Meat Market Inc. in Vancouver.  Then, they use a bacon press on the grill for the best possible results. I like bacon so I opted for a traditional bacon and eggs breakfast.

Best Bacon in America

Oh my! It didn’t take long for our order to arrive. There, on a pile of hash browns and scrambled eggs, were five planks of perfectly cooked meaty bacon. Even though the breakfast was fairly standard, the bacon surpassed any that I’ve had before. I had to give up on the hash browns (alas, hash browns come last behind toast on the clean-your-plate scale), in order to eat just three of the bacon slices. I shared one with Amie and took the other home, wrapped in foil for the bacon sandwich I had planned for later that day.

If you’re a hungry man – or woman – this is the place for you. Coffee rate: 2 out of 5.  Spendy scale: $

Other Offerings 

• Also serving lunch and dinner
• Kids and Seniors menu

Contact Information 

M-T 5:30am-3pm

W-Th 5:30am-8pm

S-Sun 6am-8pm

Nearby Attractions

• Fort Vancouver National Historic Site
• Hazel Dell Golf-O-Rama

The Hockinson Kountry Café, owned by Rob and Lora Rohde, specializes in family dining. I would also say they specialize in huge portions, delicious food, pie to die for, and excellent customer care. Whenever I try a new place, I like to ask, “So what would you say is your specialty? In other words, what’s popular with your customers?” On this occasion, our server said the Kountry Special for breakfast and Chicken Fried Steak. A quick glance at the menu showed me a common denominator – country-style gravy. Their gravy is homemade and a bit on the spicy side. It’s my usual habit to try the special so I ordered the Kountry Special: Country potatoes, cheese, onions, green peppers, tomatoes, diced ham. All of this it topped with a generous serving of country or brown gravy. This also comes with toast or homemade biscuit. Since I was having the  country gravy, I chose the biscuit which was large, fluffy, and very tasty, indeed.

A Kielbasa & Mushroom omelette

My meal arrived fast, hot and huge! The special was delicious. A word of warning to dieters. Weight conscious visitors to the Hockinson Kountry Café need to leave their guilt at home. Not much diet going on here. My husband went for the daily special – a Kielbasa and Mushroom, 3-egg omelette with country potatoes. He enjoyed that all the way down to a nearly clean plate. His coffee rated a 3 out of 5, but they filled his cup constantly – he was a happy camper.

Other Offerings 

• Also serving lunch and dinner
• Gifts and gift certificates for sale
• Whole pies or just slices To – Go
• Frequent buyer punch card: Get nine stamps and get $3.00 off next meal
• A Green company – recycling program (including fryer oil), participants in the “One Less Glass” water conservation program
• Kids and Seniors menu

Contact Information 

Hours: 

Monday-Wednesday        6:00 am – 3:00 pm

Thursday-Friday               6:00 am – 8:00 pm

Saturday                          6:00 am – 3:00 pm

Sunday                             7:00 am – 3:00 pm

Nearby Attractions

• Wildlife Botanical Garden

Here is the ‘My Chair’ by Walter Knoll. Gorgeous!

There’s only one thing to do after a victory like that. Crank up the Journey. “Don’t stop – believing!” With a convincing win over the Dallas Cowboys this week, the Packers have significantly improved their chances of winning a wild card playoff spot. But that’s not the best part. The best part is that my good friend Joe is a lifelong Cowboys fan, and I am a lifelong Packers fan. It was so great to finally be able to rub it in to him, because we love to talk smack to each other! Last time these two teams met it was a Dallas victory and I couldn’t hear the end of it from him. This was great. It was just too sweet. In honor of that sweetness, I am going to make some yummy Texas homestyle chili. Here is a great recipe for it.

I recommend letting it simmer for about half a day until it is absolutely perfect. Top it with some shredded Wisconsin cheese and sour cream and you will be sure to create a mouth orgasm, or as I like to call it, a mouth-gasm.

The game ball this week goes to Charles Woodson. Is he even human? Two forced fumbles, and a goal-line interception at crucial moments in the game by Woodson this week. Those things are enough to make any Packers fan smile. I knew there was a reason I named my Yahoo pro football pick ‘em group “Charles Woodson is GOD.”

Now you can drink some Charles Woodson wine with your dinner, too.

While Green Bay’s offensive line was still bad, it was a big improvement this Sunday over previous weeks. I actually like the decision to put the rookie T.J. Lang in as a starter. Aaron Rodgers was able to make a few plays without running for his life this week, and Packer-backers can take some comfort from that. And if they still feel like crying, hopefully it’s only because the chili they’re eating is way too spicy. Have a great week cheeseheads!

This week’s winner: Charles Woodson

This week’s loser: Wisconsin native Tony Romo. Ha ha! Sorry Tony Romeo, better luck next time.

Next week the Packers host the San Fransico 49ers. Go Pack!

Have a recipe you would like to share? Leave a comment below.

Home & Style, soll Euch die vielfalt an Designer zeigen, um sich sein Virtuelles Zuhause einzurichten.

Es gibt viele kleine Group-Gift´s, Freebie´s, Promo-Aktion (Xstreet), die wir Euch nicht vorenthalten möchten.

Seit gespannt, was Euch hier ab und an erwartet!

Wicked design by Keiji Ashizawa, from Japan.

This is simple, easy and definitely NOT your grandma’s cross-stitch!

Now that fall is officially upon us, a lot of people get an itch to do some redecorating and “cozy up” the house for the looming dreariness of winter. Unfortunately, with some major holidays also on the horizon, decorating dollars can be at a premium. Here’s a couple of inexpensive “quick fixes” that can do wonders to freshen up any interior.

Change Pillows and Cushions – Nothing changes the face of a room like some new cushions on a sofa. Pillows of all sizes, shapes and colours can be found quite inexpensively at home decor stores, department stores and even some of the “super” grocery stores.

Rearrange the Furniture – The adage a change is as good as rest certainly rings true. We become so accustomed to a room’s layout that we start to lose interest after a while. How often do you sit in the living room? By changing the orientation of the main pieces, moving lamps from different rooms and changing artwork can make it feel like a whole new room.

Make a Bookcase a Showpiece – So often bookcases become a refuge for dustbunnies and knick knacks. But they can be a showcase for prized possessions and treasured books. Lay books on their sides with the spines out, place an object on them, add lights to shelves, include displays of live flowers and plants. Change the displays often to maintain interest.

Change the Hardware on Kitchen Cabinets – One of the things that can date a kitchen the most is hardware. Door and drawer pulls can be easily changed and updated giving the room an entirely new character.

Edit the Excess – Most designers use the mantra “Edit! Edit! Edit!”. When new pieces are added to a room the same number of old items should be removed. Rather than adding new layers replace them. If the pieces you’re removing are “past their due date” get rid of them. Fall is a great time for garage sales!

Okay, almost EVERY day I check online at Jayson Home and Garden because I am basically OBSESSED by this store.
It is this collection of fantastic and unique furniture finds…that will make your room into the modern, eclectic, contemporary, or traditional room you have always wanted…with style to boot!
Check out some the best pieces, with style tips on how I would use them in my personal space!

The Rockefeller Sofa
This would be sitting right across from the fireplace in my study, with a couple of strong chairs sitting opposite. I would sit here, read my latest Toni Morrison novel…and even work on my laptop when being at my desk was just a little to Presidential.

Madeline Settee

Picture this, in an ivory bedroom with a sleigh bed done in the darkest of woods…this beauty is perched by a wall, with beautiful Vogue pages in frames above it.

Antique Argentinian Bench
Simple…in a long foyer…beautiful!

Kasbah Tamadot – Morocco: Sir Richard Branson’s Moroccan retreat set in the foothills of the Atlas Mountains
{photo courtesty of Apartment Therapy (www.apartmenttherapy.com)}

This the the ULTIMATE Moroccan theme room, but why not start there!
There are several KEY components to any Moroccan theme room:
1. Vibrant Colors-usually red, orange, blue, green, gold, and silver
2. Simple Furniture-usually set low to the ground in rich and detailed woods
3. Lush Fabrics-fabrics rich in color and texture, such as silks, satins, velvets. Lush curtains are often used, from ceiling to floor and collected with heavy cords to tie them back! Pillows in rich patterns are often added.
4. Lighitng-dim lighting from colored glass, pierced metal, candles
Often Morovian stars and lanterns are found in Moroccan interiors.
5. Floors-dark hardwoods or ceramic tiles, plush and patterned rugs, and floor cushions or poufs
6. Decor-mirrors, carved wood, jewel embellishment, and items with onion domes

Let’s compare our list with the photograph above!
1. You can see the room is intensely golden with shades of red and orange throughout the space. The walls appear to be a golden ochre color.
2. The furniture in this room is not as simple, but the grand scale of the room can handle the more ornate furniture. It is all wood, and most of it appears to be colored wood. All of it is relatively low setting. The table by the windows is a traditional Moroccan piece.
3. There are fabrics galore. The rich bed linens. The lush and full curtains, with the cord tie back!
4. The natural lighting is fresh and bright, but the artifical lighting from lamps is very low and dim. Very traditional for Moroccan style!
5. The floors appear to be a light ceramic tiling. More impressive is the detailed ceiling.
6. The mirrors, the light fixtures, and all of the decor come together beautifully in this room. The onion dome of the entry way makes this place a stand out as a Moroccan getaway!

Vinyl wall graphics have been making their mark in people’s home for a while now, and …. to be honest - alot of them…are…..ugly. I said it. They’re kinda blah and un-original. BLIK is a website (that I’ve ordered from) with wicked original products!
Ch-Ch-Check ‘em out bellow!

www.whatisblik.com

"The great animal hunt" - 40.00$

I have a real love/hate relationship with TV designers. For some reason the trend over the past couple of years has been to hype the “bigger is better” ideal. Most shows on HGTV these days tend to be more about designing and decorating McMansions than more modest homes. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy checking out how the other half lives from time to time, but I’m also looking for practical home design ideas that fit with my lifestyle and budget.

Thank goodness for Sarah Richardson. Over her 15 year career she’s managed to provide honest and useful design information. From her inaugural show, Room Service through to her latest venture, Sarah’s Cottage, Sarah isn’t afraid to get her hands dirty and keep it real. I first remember seeing her name mentioned as the Set Designer on a Canadian show about entertaining called Savoir Faire, with host Nik Manojlovich. The sets on that show were always comfortably designed and I always admired their simplicity. Her first show on her own, Room Service, gave her an opportunity to really shine. The episodes were always informative and fun. And the best part was watching Sarah whip out a hammer or sewing machine and be equally comfortable with both.

Her most recent shows have focused more on her design business and features the very talented team she employs. Design, Inc and the two Sarah’s House / Cottage series are more “reality” based in that they deal with real clients and projects. The later actually has Sarah purchasing and completely renovating a property room by room and then offering it for resale. She’s just as likely to show you what didn’t work as her triumphs. The way she and her team overcome the problems of a project really give you valuable insight about working with contractors and design firms. One of the things I appreciate most about Sarah’s designs is her attention to sustainable and reusable materials. Throughout the Sarah’s Cottage series both Sarah and her husband worked endlessly on their summer cottage to make it not only stunning to live in but also as easy on their environment as possible. (Not to mention that Sarah was also very very pregnant throughout the shoot.) The finished cottage was outstanding.

A new season of Sarah’s House is in production and I’m looking for it to start airing. Check out her web site here.

As I prepare to move into a new place, I cannot help but redecorate my new bedroom in my head. I have choosen the ’shabby chic’ style.

What the heck is that? I know, I know – it’s a little designer sounding. Shabby chic is a style in interior design that incorporates a mix of french, vintage, country and glamour. It’s light, airy and full of femininity.  If this sounds like something you’d like to try, just read these tips!

a) white, white, white, white oh and yeah….white: The colors in shabby chic are faded tints of pink, green, blue, lavender – but ALWAYS white. It’s the most prominent color (yes white is a color) and the over all color scheme is light and faded – almost like something that’s been in the sun or outside for a whole summer.

b) Naturaly girly: In this style, there is always a strong presence of femininity and a strong feeling of natural elements.  Feminine details in lace, beading, sparkle everything and soft textures like blankets and silks. The natural accents can be a wood headboard, woven baskets and potted plants. All good choices that help break up the starkness of all the white. Remember, eventhough it’s mostly white….it’s never cold or uninviting.

c) Texturizing and patterns: A great way to make a place warmer (even if it’s almost all white) is to make the textures irresistable.  Think of big fluffy pillows, and feather comforters. Soft chenille blankets and even softer velvets. Never underestimate the power of texture. However, don’t get too crazy with patterns! Keep it simple! Think quilts and small flower patterns.

d) Have fun: Remember to add touches of fun! Christmas lights and flowers are wonderful! 

Banana Jellybean, Dangerous Robot, Kitten Whiskers.

Every year paint companies introduce their new “trend colours” and designers tell us which ones to use when decorating our homes. Having worked in a paint retail environment for a number of years I used to witness the frustration people endured after they’d spent hours agonizing and choosing a colour only to be told by a “tv design host” that the colour of the year is the exact opposite. When is a trend simply a fad and how do you know when colours are “in” and right for you?

There really is a difference between trend colours and colours that are just trendy. Trend colours, as a general rule, follow the fashion world. So for instance, whichever colours appear on the runways of Italy and France in the spring, you can expect to see paint colours mimicking them about 6-9 months later. This year some of those colours included hues of blue, green and purple. Inspiration for trend colours can also come from socially relevant issues like eco-awareness and the environment. Neutral earth tones were also dominant in many palettes in 2009.

Trendy colours come directly from “of the moment” pop culture. Colours that represent winning sports teams, television shows or characters are always popular. For example, Atomic Puke Green comes directly from Nickelodeon, and definitely has a fairly specific and limited appeal.

When it comes right down to it though, everyone tends to gravitate to colours that give them a sense of pleasure or security, regardless of trend or fad. Colour can stimulate areas of the brain that recall fond memories or feelings. This might also help explain why colour palettes are often cyclical. For example, when recovery started after the economic hardships of the 1930s, and war of the 1940s, colours tended to be bright, primary and bold. The palettes of the 1950s and early 60s mirrored the emboldened attitudes felt by many.  The colours of the 1980s were a reflection of the art deco period of the 1920s and 30s. Almost garish in retrospect, the colours used in that decade indicated a freedom of individuality. Interestingly, and not surprisingly the colours showing up now for 2010 seem to harken to the “good old days” of the post recession 1950s once again. I expect you can see a lot of mauves, olives and golds appearing once again, although I refuse to submit to Harvest Gold appliances again any time soon!

So how do you select a colour that is going to be trend proof? Personally I like to use a fairly neutral backdrop in most of the rooms of my home. It’s so much easier to introduce trend colours in more easily replaceable fabrics like cushions, curtains and accessories, than repainting an entire room. Punches of bold colour throughout a space can have a dramatic effect. Individuality is really the best trend to follow. Have a look at the new colours available and if they appeal to you, see if you can adapt them into your lifestyle. Sometimes it’s trendier to buck the trend than to simply follow along.

I’m an interior designer, and I seem to talk more about fashion than interior design. One thing that links these two passions of mine together is another passion of mine; VINTAGE! I love old crap (to be blunt), we all know the wonders of vintage fashion style – but where does that leave our house? Here are some things that are simple, easy to find and wickedly cool vintage!

A telephone table - paint it a funky color!

Vintage Hardware

School chairs

Cool fans! (pun intended)

Pick some of these up at flea markets, garage sales or even your parents house!   =)

Here are some more cutie projects that you could easily create to make your house, a home! 

Branch hooks - easy peasy!

Felt ball rug - not so easy - but great results!

Globe lamp - easy peasy 2

Try one today!

These funky map quilts are definatly NOT the quilts our grandma’s made!

These unique arial view stiched quilts are hand made by Leah Evans, textile designer.  The results speak from themselves! Take a look!

Check out her website for more!   http://leahevanstextiles.com

Affordable AND adorable!! Make some for yourself!

My eyes are making yummy noises just looking at this!   (okay that sounded weird.)

photo by hidehiko nagaishiemmanuelle moureaux architecture + design designed offices and showrooms of nakagawa chemical CS design center, in tokyo which displays 1100 colors in the space.

For those of us, who don’t eat beef or are trying to cut back, a good turkey burger is the holy grail. A burger made from ground turkey seems like a good idea, in theory. In practice, though, it is often quite similar to eating a flavorless hockey puck.

The problem with most turkey burgers is fat, or lack of it. Because turkey is a lean meat, it doesn’t have the fattiness of ground beef to keep it moist when being cooked and to make it flavorful on the bun. I’ve seen a lot of tricks to “fatten up” the turkey burger, but so far no recipe I have tried has lived up to its promise.

Until I tried the Cheddar and Tomato-Packed Turkey Burgers in Lynn Rossetto Kasper’s How to Eat Supper. I have been trying a lot of new recipes out of How to Eat Supper since I got the cookbook for Christmas, and while the results have been fairly uneven so far, there have been a few unmistakeable home runs, recipes that I star several times and will keep making for years. I think this will be one of those recipes, as it is the only turkey burger I have ever made that actually tastes like a burger, that remains moist, juicy and full-flavored after cooking.

There are two secrets. One is incorporating cooked onions and tomatoes into the burger patty itself, which adds moistness and flavor. The other is inserting a few cubes of cheddar cheese into the center of the burger, which adds fat. Not too much cheese — as that would overwhelm the burger and probably make a mess during cooking — but just enough to punch up the delicious factor and make you feel like you’re eating a real burger. Plus, there’s the nice surprise of biting into the burger and encountering a gooey pocket of cheese, rather than just melting a cheese slice on top.

I won’t reprint the recipe here, as they have already done so over at Serious Eats, so just head on over there to get a copy. Or pick up How to Eat Supper. This one’s a keeper.

Cooking notes: I recommend making the patties ahead of time and chilling for an hour or so to help them hold together better while cooking. This is not a burger for grilling. It just won’t survive. Pan-fry it instead in a little oil over medium-high to sear, then turn down the heat to medium and cover to finish cooking through. I froze the leftover patties with no problems.