Liebster Award!!

Lisa at Double Door Ranch left me the sweetest little surprise the other day. Not only did I find a comment on my blog (comments seriously make my day/week/month/year) but I also found that I was nominated for a Leibster award. Lisa is a fellow blogger who's DIY skills, creativity and dry sense of humour put all of mine to shame. Clearly, I was more than honoured to receive this nod from her! Seriously her blog it great, check her out!

 What is a Liebster award? Well, I wasn't quite certain of that myself but after a little bit of research I learned that it is an award created by bloggers to support other bloggers (awesome right?!). It recognizes the hard work and time often put into these little labour of loves and also seconds as a fantastic networking tool.

Now, there are some rules...

• The nominator should be thanked (Thanks again Lisa!).
• You must answer the eleven questions you were given.
• Then nominate 11 (give or take!) blogs with less than 500 (some research tells me 1000) followers.
• Finally tag your nominees and post a comment on their blog. That way they know they have been recognized!

Questions I was asked and my answers:

• How long have you been blogging? I have been blogging on an off for about three years!
• Do you have a day job in addition to your blog? I sure do! I am a registered nurse who happens to be lucky enough to work in a fabulous children's hospital called the IWK (Atlantic Canada's pediatric tertiary care centre). I spent five+ years working in the Neonatal ICU and am currently working in the Pediatric ICU and loving every minute of it!
• Kids: have ‘em, want ‘em? Negatory on the kids, unsure if they will be in my future! Love 'em, just don't know if I want 'em!
• Geometric or floral? (context: anything) Oh goodness, I love both! If I had to pick, floral would be my jam (shoes, dresses, wall paper, undies and anything else haha).
• What have your most popular post topics been? By far the hands-on, DIY stuff I have done!
• What accomplishment are you most proud of? Another toughie. I am pretty proud to do what I do for a living! I love my job and feel lucky to have found a little niche for myself.
• Heels, flats, workboots? Heels. I am a total shoe whore...
• What is your most prized possession? Probably the one-dollar key I have been lugging around on my neck for the past decade! Unless living things count, then my kitties would take the cake ( but do you own animals or are they more like little, furry roommates?),
• If you could pick another city to live in, what would it be?  Hmm...somewhere exotic and fabulous with beaches and wine. A place where people will love to come and visit me (maybe Croatia?).
• Milk chocolate or dark chocolate? Dark baby.
•  What is your favourite season? Fall. Boots, tights, scarves and the air smells and feels crisp and clean. It doesn't get much better than that!

My Nominees (don't be offended if you have more than the specified number of followers, I just thing your blogs are great!)

• Brass Wishbone 
• The Little Green Spoon 
• North Story 
• Sara Russell Interiors
• Inspire Me Heather
• Design Maze
• Stylish and Literate
• Squirrelly Minds
• Satori Desgin For Living
• Re: Creative Works 

My Questions for Nominees! 

• Why did you start blogging?
• Wall paper; yay or nay?
• Where do you like to blog?
• What is your hot beverage of choice?
• What inspires you?
• Cook, clean or neither?
• What is your favourite flower?
• Do you blog for a living or have another identity (if so what is it?)?
• What do you enjoy blogging about the most?
• Do you have an epic DIY fail story? If so, details!

Your turn guys! Thanks for the nod and all of the DIY inspiration Lisa!
xo
-m

My Favourite Animal Is...

"My favourite animal is steak"-Fran Lebowitz

I do apologize about the lack of real hands-on, do-it-yourself posts lately. It's hard in the winter to get stuff done around the house, plus I am saving up my overtime for a big project in the near-distant future!

Today let us talk about steak. I LOVE steak. I grew up eating steak and that steak was rare. I now have a penchant for very, very rare red meat. I always order "blue-rare please", much to the waiter or waitresses surprise. I distinctly remember being about eight years old and having a sleepover at a friends house. Her parents served steak for dinner- I didn't recognize what was on my plate but I politely ate it. The next day I told my dad that my friends parents called something steak that was entirely different from what we call steak; he explained they had probably just cooked it a little longer than we do at home. Shock and awe....

I like steak with just a little seasoning most of the time- Arnies is the best, Montreal Steak would be a runner up I suppose. But when I marinate steak, the world is my oyster. I am going to share my recipe for the best ever marinated steak in the whole, wide, world and I hope you all copy it down and save it for a summer of grilling. Or if you are like me you grill all winter anyway, I had a path shovelled to my BBQ and it was a common occurrence to find myself in a parka and boots manning the grill! It's simple but it is a doozy, locking in flavors, keeping the meat tender and providing a little zing to the taste buds!
Happy grilling!
-m

Mich's Fav. Steak Marinade

You will need....

• The meat you are marinating (I am sure it would be good for pork and chicken too but I recommend steak!!)
• 2 cloves of garlic-diced
• 1/2 c of olive oil
• 1/4 cup of soy-sauce
• The juice from a lemon (fresh about 1/4 cup)
• about 8-10 shakes of Worcestershire sauce (give or take)
• few good shakes of hot sauce (optional but I recommend)
• 1.5 tbs dried basil
• a good grind with the pepper mill
• a couple shakes of the salt shaker
• 1 heaping tbs grainy Dijon mustard (two of you love it like me!)

Combine about ingredients in small mixing bowl. Whisk until combined and pour over meat you plan to marinate. Cover and refrigerate for up to eight hours! Cook as desired and wow your guests and yourself with the simplicity of this recipe! Sometime I throw some in with individual pieces of meat and freeze in zip lock bags for an easy dinner...just take out in the morning and allow to thaw and marinate at the same time!

Sometimes I Believe

 "Sometimes I believe as many as six impossible things before breakfast"- Lewis Carroll

This week my lovely friend Katie (she really is the sweetest) held a baby shower for a co-worker of ours who is expecting her second little bundle! It was a brunch at her house and it was lovely. I always prefer showers at peoples homes, far more relaxed than a restaurant and it always allows people to mingle and socialize. Not to mention, foolish games can be played without drawing a crowd of on-lookers.

Wikipedia tells me brunch originated in Britain in the 1800's but didn't really become popular in North America until the 1930's. Brunch now has international love and is often associated with special occasions such as holiday's and weddings. This wonderful marriage of breakfast and lunch has become a staple in the food service industry on weekends.

It is possibly my favourite meal. Brunch means you can sleep in, eat breakfast food and have a nice long chat. Coffee, mimosa's and ceasers also all go hand in hand with a mid morning graze. It really doesn't get much better than that! In NYC we went to a tipsy brunch; all you can drink mimosas or craft beer...sigh...but that is another story!

For this brunch I made one of my mother's go-to's; something I have never made before and I am told it was a success. Baked french toast that becomes elevated to decadent with apples and caramel sauce. It was simple to make and all of the prep work is done the evening before! Win-win people! I served it with a little icing sugar and Nova Scotian maple syrup! Yum! I am looking forward to making it again and am very much looking forward to meeting Arla's new baby when she is born! Recipe below, happy brunching all!
-m

Baked French Toast (elevated !)

You will need:

• 1c. brown sugar
• 2 tbs of corn syrup
• 1/2 tsp of cinnamon
• 5 lg eggs
• 1 tsp of vanilla
• 1/2 cup of butter (plus one tbs!)
• 3 lg granny smith apples
• 1 loaf of french bread
• 1.5 c of milk
• syrup and icing sugar for serving (plus one big hot cup of coffee!)

Grease a 9x13 baking dish and set aside. In a sauce pan over medium heat, combine 1/2 cup of butter, brown sugar and corn syrup. Heat until combined and syrupy. Pour into bottom of pan and spread. Set aside. Peel and slice apples then saute' with tbs of butter until soft and juices stop. Remove from heat and toss apples with cinnamon then arrange over top of caramel sauce. Slice bread to 3/4 inch slices and squish into pan on top of apples, one slice tight next to the other (think squished jigsaw...). In a mixing bowl combine eggs, milk and whisk into a frenzy. Pour over bread then cover pan and allow to set overnight in the fridge. In the am, preheat oven to 350. Bake for around forty minutes, until golden brown, caramel is melted and bread it delightfully puffed! Dust with icing sugar and serve with maple syrup!

 

The Only Way I Would Be Caught Without Makeup....

"The only way I'd be caught without makeup is if my radio fell in the bathtub while I was taking a bath and electrocuted me and I was in between makeup at home. I hope my husband would slap a little lipstick on me before he took me to the morgue."- Dolly Parton

Where lipstick is concerned, the important thing is not color, but to accept God's final word on where your lips end.
Read more at http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/j/jerryseinf131554.html#Ca7GjBJgFZRpWsKm.99

I do enjoy makeup but clearly not to the degree Dolly does! I like subtle makeup for the most part with the exception of lipstick. I could go years and never buy an eyeshadow. I could go six months and never a brush of shadow stroke my lid, but lipstick? I can hardly walk buy a display without taking a second or third glance. I avoid MAC unless I have a freebie with their recycling program because I know that I will not be able to just buy the one I went in for.

Lately matte lippies have been popping up everywhere and in every shade imaginable. I must say, they are beautiful and dramatic. They are also versatile but boy, they are not very user friendly.  They are dry, they pull at your lips when you apply them and they sure make it hard to stay inside the lines. Jerry Seinfeld very bluntly once said...

" Where lipstick is concerned, the important thing is not the color, but to accept Gods final word on where your lips end.."

Although this is solid and straightforward advice (from someone who I am certain has little experience with the product) that doesn't make it any easier. Below are some very simple steps that I have formulated over the past few years to help you stay within the lines and achieve the perfect matte lip.

Matte Lip 101..

• Dry lips crack and cause lipstick in general to cake. This is exceptionally true with matte lipstick. Most of the time it is the equivalent to putting an artists pastels on your lips..dry and chalky. To exfoliate and moisturize my lips, I skip expensive products and I reach for either a clean/ new mascara brush or a children's toothbrush (both work and both are easily accessible at most drug stores/ beauty suppliers). Next I take my favourite lip balm, Carmex is my go to but Vaseline would work too and I slather some on my lips. I then rub the clean, dry brush back and forth across my lips. This exfoliates dead skin and helps lock a little of that moisture in! Moist lips will allow that bad boy to glide with ease across your lips instead of hitting them like a kid flipping over their handle bars and grinding to a halt. Easy enough right?
• I recommend a lip brush for step two. Lip liner would work as well but lets face it who wants to buy a coordinating liner for every lipstick, we are not millionaires here! Take a lip brush and with that apply lipstick to the edges of your lip, NOT extending past your natural lip line and ensuring to get into your cupids bow, maximizing the natural (and lovely) shape of your lips.

• Now you are ready to slide that lipstick over the rest of your lips, travelling over the line you already made but never extending past.  Blot your kissers together and stand back and admire beautiful you! You can always add a little gloss to the centre of your lips to add dimension or to change the matte to a gloss. Mood dependant!

 Lipstick Basics/ Suggestions

• New to lippies and feeling a little like a clown? Start with a color that is just a bit brighter than your own natural lip color. Modesty and Hot Gossip by MAC are my go to's for a natural every day color. Your own color but brighter will be the most versatile lipstick you could possibly own.
• Red lips will go far...and farther and even farther. Classic and cool, you will look like a movie star even in your sweats and ready for the town with nothing else on your face. Warm complexions pick blue-reds, cool choose orange-reds but for the most part I suggest getting a professional to help you pick the perfect red that will serve you for years to come.
•  Makeup brushes are an investment, but they don't have to require re-mortgaging your home or selling or first born. Quo, the Shoppers brand has lovely brushes that go 40% off monthly. They are reasonable without the sale but it is worth holding out. Target has reasonable professional quality brushes as well! 
• Don't hop on every trend train you see. Just because a best friend of mine can pull off a deep, earthy, brown or a beautiful, punchy, orange lip doesn't mean I can (I know I can't!).  Know your limitations and that what you like, you like for a reason.
• Don't buy into new product lines that are limited edition. Limited edition means they will only be around for a few months and often they sell out before they have run their course. Those lipsticks will not be available again so don't let yourself fall in love with one that will be gone. It's just a tease. I personally won't even try them on for that reason.
• Lip liners are wonderful if you have an important occasion...let us say your wedding day. They do prevent you from reapplying and really do give dark, dramatic colors staying power, but they are not a must. If you are using a liner, the best tip I was ever given was to line your lips and color them in with the liner....sounds crazy I know. Then apply your lipstick over the top. This will give your color mega staying power while preventing you from looking like Lil'Kim in the 90's (you all know exactly what I am talking about!).
• Most of all have fun and feel beautiful because as Audrey Hepburn once said "Happy girls are the prettiest girls". 

Think this!

Not This!

I must apologize for my lack of personal pictures above...I am potentially the worst "selfie" taker in all of the northern hemisphere. My nose looks exceptionally large and one eye looks west while the other looks east. Its not pretty! Along with poor selfies, I also now realise that I can easily ramble on about almost anything since I wrote a piece solely on lipstick. Do you have something you have been wishing I would ramble on about in the future? Write a request in the comment box.  I am always looking for a little inspiration! Happy lippies everyone!

-m

Where lipstick is concerned, the important thing is not color, but to accept God's final word on where your lips end.

Jerry Seinfeld

Read more at http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/j/jerryseinf131554.html#Ca7GjBJgFZRpWsK

Where lipstick is concerned, the important thing is not color, but to accept God's final word on where your lips end.
Read more at http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/j/jerryseinf131554.html#Ca7GjBJgFZRpWsKm.99

Where lipstick is concerned, the important thing is not color, but to accept God's final word on where your lips end.
Read more at http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/j/jerryseinf131554.html#Ca7GjBJgFZRpWsKm.99

Where lipstick is concerned, the important thing is not color, but to accept God's final word on where your lips end.
Read more at http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/j/jerryseinf131554.html#Ca7GjBJgFZRpWsKm.99

Vegetables Are a Must.....

"Vegetables are a must on a diet; may I suggest carrot cake, zucchini bread and pumpkin pie."- Jim Davis

I am officially on a diet. A new job, a little stress and a bit of over-indulgence has lead me down a slippery slope over the last year and that slope stands between me and my best self. I am travelling to Mexico in a couple of months and am whipping my arse in high gear. I know, diet is a nasty term but bathing suit shopping is a term and practise that originates from the deepest, darkest, bowels of hell. I would probably rather donate a kidney and get a bikini wax at the same time than go bathing suit shopping. I would rather carve my nipples off with butter knives while simultaneously rubbing hot peppers in my eyes. My hatred runs that deep.

This year it won't get the best of me! I have been enjoying hunting for alternative recipes that taste good and that are fun to make. I have a new found love for spaghetti squash and cauliflower may be my new favourite veg. Looking for an easy side that tastes good AND is good for you? Find my roasted cauliflower recipe below. I could eat this every day, it's that tasty!
Happy taking care of yourselves all!
-m
PS. I just got back from NYC and can't wait to share all of my travel tips and suggestions from locals! Eep!

Oven Roasted Cauliflower

This is literally the EASIEST thing in all of the world to make. Pre-heat your oven to 375. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Wash a head of cauliflower and cut into bite sized florets. Lay florets on parchment paper and drizzle with good quality extra virgin olive oil. Sprinkle with smoked paprika and cayenne pepper then finish with a good sprinkle of sea salt. Roast in oven for 15-20 minutes and serve hot! Nom, nom, nom. Easy right?

All You Need Is Love...

"All you need is love. But a little chocolate now and then doesn't hurt.."- Charles M Schulz

Tomorrow is love day. The day that chocolates, roses and jewelry all go up in price. Tulips that a week before are seven dollars double to fifteen and don't even get me started on a dozen roses.... "Hallmark" holidays have restaurateur's busting their butts to bring ambiance and romance to countless couples. Do I love valentines day? No... I don't think you should need a day to tell someone you love them or care about them. That said, it is always nice to send everyone you love a little reminder every once and while..so why not on valentines day and any other day!

This year I made valentines. I went to Target and bought blank cards on the cheap (eight for a dollar). I also picked up a couple of sheets of bright printed card stock and some sticky-foam conversation hearts. Card stock cost just under two dollars and the conversation hearts were also a dollar (for dozens) at Target. I stuck them all together, addressed them and sent them to my friends and family. Lets face it, nothing beats snail mail! Each card cost 37 cents; with a stamp, less than a dollar total. That is a pretty cheap way to tell someone you are thinking of them! Cheaper than buying a card and much cheaper than a dozen roses. Probably even cheaper than a short long distance call! Equally as effective.

Tomorrow we are also holding a bake sale at work in support of our education fund. Working in a pediatric or neonatal intensive care unit lends itself to all kinds of learning opportunities. Many hands on as well as conferences, lectures and education days. It is always important to stay up to date on current practices and current research. Doing so lets us provide the best care we can while improving both long and short term outcomes. Win- win right? Some of these conferences are pricey and our education fund helps foot the bill, allowing us to attend things we may not have been able to afford otherwise.

Anticipating the bake sale tomorrow, I decided to make whoopie pies. Yes..whoopie pies. Innocent little cookies made from layers of soft cake and butter cream. I had never heard of them until a couple of years ago. My research tells me they originate from the New England area and much like funnel cakes they are just starting to become popular in Eastern Canada. Well...I cursed and I swore almost the entire time making these bad boys. I love to bake but these little f#*kers were no fun at all. Because they are made of cake batter, they spread significantly when baking. That let me bake seven at a time..which makes three and a half cookies (because they are sandwiches). Time consuming is an understatement. Then came the butter cream icing...sandwiching and packaging. Needless to say I could have baked and frosted approximately three entire cakes in the time it took me to whip up these little sandwiches from hell. I hope they sell and I hope I never see a whoopie pie for a long time! Happy baking all, may the force be with you!
-m

It Takes A Long Time...

"It takes a long time to become young."-Picasso

In the fall my sister and I threw a birthday party for my dad at my house. I won't tell you which birthday it was (hint-it was a big one!). Many of his friends and even more of our family attended. There was good food and good wine and a good time was had by all. It always surprises my how fast any get together can turn into a kitchen party here on the "Best Coast". It is almost as if once a couple drinks are ingested there is this magnetic pull that drags people into the kitchen.  I am not complaining, it's fun and feels like home! I think I had close to 20 people in my postage-stamp sized kitchen, it really was impressive!

Instead of cake I whipped up cupcakes and keeping my dad and his tastes in mind I decided upon Irish Stout cake with Irish Cream frosting. The strong hint of warm spices elevated these bad boys well above a classic pink birthday cake. Bite sized and moist, they were a major success! Recipe follows!
-m

Stout Cupcakes (adapted from Martha Stewart)

• 3 3/4 cup of all purpose flour
• 1/2 plus 1/8 tsp baking soda
• 1 3/4 tsp baking powder
• 1 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 tbs of ground cinnamon
• 1 1/4 tbs of ground ginger
• 1 tsp of ground cloves
• 1 1/4 c of veg. oil
• 1 1/4 c of molasses
• 1/2 c plus 1 tbs packed brown sugar
• 2 eggs plus one yolk
• freshly grated zest of an orange
• 1 1/4 c of stout beer (such as Guinness) settled

Pre heat oven to 350 and line muffin tins (of choice) with paper liners. Whisk together all dry ingredients and set aside. In a separate bowl combine rest of ingredients and mix on medium-low speed (either with beater or the paddle attachment of a stand mixer). Gradually add flour mixture to wet batter mixing until just combined. Pour into cup cake liners (filling 3/4 full) and bake for ~20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Allow to cool and frost as desired!

Baileys Irish Cream Frosting (...good lord this is decadent!)

• 1.5 cups  of softened butter
• 4 cups of icing sugar
• 1 tsp pure vanilla
• 3 tbs of Baileys...nomnomnom

With an electric mixer or with the paddle attachment in your stand mixer, cream butter until smooth and whipped (approx 2 min).On medium add sugar 1/2 cup at a time, beating well between additions and scraping down sides of bowl. After every second addition, beat on high for 10 seconds to aerate frosting- making it light, fluffy and airy. Add vanilla and Irish cream- beat on medium until mixed and smooth. Frost with knife or pipe as desired. Can be kept for a few days in an air tight container if needed!