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Nov 2009
Homepage for the Holidays!
Let’s not mince words here: I heart Christmas.
I love the scent of a real tree, the look of lights twinkling against the snow and the possibility of eating sugar plums, even though I don’t have a freakin’ clue what those are.
I even sorta, kinda, maybe like Wham’s Last Christmas - even after the 100 billionth play at the mall. (Pretty much the worst video ever though...I can’t believe the edited out the orgy scene)
To indulge my love of this gloriously excessive holiday, for the month of December I will be dedicating this blog to all things XMAS - cooking, crafting, decorating, obnoxious carolling, movie watching, weight gaining, some travel, gift ideas and general merrymaking! Follow me as I make my way from Toronto back home to Vancouver Island, where I vow to add to the dysfunction by assaulting my family with my camera and compulsive need to blog!
Here are a couple o’ pics from “Last Christmas” - my bros and I giving our mom a human sleigh ride, and my dad simultaneously playing the keys and cutting the turkey.
I love the scent of a real tree, the look of lights twinkling against the snow and the possibility of eating sugar plums, even though I don’t have a freakin’ clue what those are.
I even sorta, kinda, maybe like Wham’s Last Christmas - even after the 100 billionth play at the mall. (Pretty much the worst video ever though...I can’t believe the edited out the orgy scene)
To indulge my love of this gloriously excessive holiday, for the month of December I will be dedicating this blog to all things XMAS - cooking, crafting, decorating, obnoxious carolling, movie watching, weight gaining, some travel, gift ideas and general merrymaking! Follow me as I make my way from Toronto back home to Vancouver Island, where I vow to add to the dysfunction by assaulting my family with my camera and compulsive need to blog!
Here are a couple o’ pics from “Last Christmas” - my bros and I giving our mom a human sleigh ride, and my dad simultaneously playing the keys and cutting the turkey.
Most importantly, I want to hear from you! Got a favourite holiday recipe, craft or tradition you’d like to share? Just email me a photo of yourself with said cake/wreath/game of naked holiday twister along with the instructions and I’ll post it here!
As Emilio Estevez uttered in Young Guns: “I’ll make you famous.”
(Of course, then he shot the person. I wouldn’t do that, not at Christmas.)
To kick things off, I offer you this look at HOLIDAY DESSERTS FROM EUROPE, a little story I penned for aol.ca.
~Hark, what is yon sound? 'Tis the sweet tooth singing "Hallelujah!" For between the sugar plums, the candy canes, the gingerbread and the chocolate oranges, Christmas is a veritable blizzard of granulated sugar. Looking for some new ideas to enliven your table this year? Try some old ones. Check out our gallery of traditional European holiday desserts.~
(Click this link for descriptions and recipes from England, Italy, France, Spain, Germany and Denmark!)
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Dazzle her with Your Package
27/11/09 15:09 Filed in: Sleeping Around | South America
When you want to make a splashy proposal but the Jumbotron at the hockey game seems a tad excessive, there’s always Buenos Aires, Argentina. 
The Algodon Mansion, a new 10-room luxury boutique hotel opening in January, is offering an ultra romantic (not to mention convenient) “proposal package.” Highlights of the three night deal include: a private rooftop tango lesson, a rose petal bath, an ensuite massage for two, a “marry me” wine bottle during dinner at the in-house restaurant and a champagne nightcap. 
To celebrate your success, the hotel will toss in an extra night on the house if he or she says “yes.” And if they say “um, thanks for the trip but I'll pass on the marriage front?” Still a fourth night on the house, but this time with two rooms and a bottle of whiskey.
The Propsal Package costs from $2,100 US and is available from February 1, 2010 to July 31, 2010. For more information, go to www.algodonmansion.com or call 011 54 11 3530 7777.
The Propsal Package costs from $2,100 US and is available from February 1, 2010 to July 31, 2010. For more information, go to www.algodonmansion.com or call 011 54 11 3530 7777.
Take it Home...Arizona
Where is it? Arizona
Describe it. You’re not getting a cactus through airport security. You’re just not. And even if you do, the other passengers will think you're a prick as you drag it down the aisle. However, nobody can deny that the bristly plants are part of Arizona’s charm. For a more manageable memory, pop in to Armadilla Wax Works and scoop up one of these kitschy but cute cactus candles that smell like “desert rain.” A far cry from dollar store dreck, Armadilla has been making these candles by hand for over 25 years and the store is still owner-operated. Over 40 delicious scents reside at the wax emporium.
How much? $11.95 US at the stores in Prescott (103 N. Cortez Street) and Flagstaff (21 E. Aspen Avenue). Also available online at www.candlefactorystore.com.
FROM MY FOOD AND SOUVENIR COLUMN IN
Sleeping Around: Berlin
25/11/09 14:00 Filed in: Sleeping Around | Europe
Here it is, the first installment of my monthly travel column, SLEEPING AROUND. If you have suggestions for a future destination, please leave them in the comments area below!
BERLIN, GERMANY - “Are you going to put the lid down?!”
That’s the first question friends and family lob at me when I mention that I’ll be staying in room #31 at Propeller Island City Lodge in Berlin.
They’re not talking about the toilet seat – they’re referring to my coffin.
Just for the record, I don’t have a cloak collection, I get my fair share of UV rays and I’m not attracted to steak done blue rare. I’m just a regular gal who loves an imaginative hotel room.
In fact, devout goths reject room #31.
“They say it’s not dark enough,” says manager Valentina Gennadis.
Perhaps they could make do with #16, a tubular room with concrete walls that evokes a mine shaft, or #42, home to two cage-beds propped up on 1.5 metre stilts.
Each of Propeller Island’s 27 rooms is so different, so surprising and so fundamentally bizarre that it’s hard to imagine anyone failing to find inspiration in the lineup.
You can barely call this joint a hotel. Propeller Island offers none of the trappings of your average Ramada. Room service, televisions and coffee makers? God no, that would wreck the illusion that you’ve just overindulged at the hallucinogen buffet. Read More...
BERLIN, GERMANY - “Are you going to put the lid down?!”
That’s the first question friends and family lob at me when I mention that I’ll be staying in room #31 at Propeller Island City Lodge in Berlin.
Just for the record, I don’t have a cloak collection, I get my fair share of UV rays and I’m not attracted to steak done blue rare. I’m just a regular gal who loves an imaginative hotel room.
In fact, devout goths reject room #31.
“They say it’s not dark enough,” says manager Valentina Gennadis.
Perhaps they could make do with #16, a tubular room with concrete walls that evokes a mine shaft, or #42, home to two cage-beds propped up on 1.5 metre stilts.
Each of Propeller Island’s 27 rooms is so different, so surprising and so fundamentally bizarre that it’s hard to imagine anyone failing to find inspiration in the lineup.
You can barely call this joint a hotel. Propeller Island offers none of the trappings of your average Ramada. Room service, televisions and coffee makers? God no, that would wreck the illusion that you’ve just overindulged at the hallucinogen buffet. Read More...
The Big Picture: Wigwam Motel
Screw political correctness: on my recent solo road trip through Arizona (story coming soon to The Toronto Star), one of the highlights was The Wigwam Motel in Holbrook, AZ.
The adorable concrete and steel tents, built in 1950 on a stretch of old Route 66, rent for under $60 US per night. Interiors feature the original wood furnishings and a surprisingly understated native theme. Outside, classic cars evoke the days of cowboys n’ Indians on TV and wholesome family vacations.
www.galerie-kokopelli.com/wigwam
A Taste of…Mexico
Where is it? Guadalajara
Describe it? Despite all the teachings of the venerable Taco Bell academy, the truth is that Mexican food in Mexico goes well beyond the burrito. Case in point: tortas ahogadas. This ultra-local dish is consumed almost exclusively in Guadalajara, Mexico’s second largest city. A crusty baguette is filled with tender, roast pork and served alongside a searing sauce (dried chili pepper, vinegar, garlic and oregano). The idea is to lubricate the Sammie with the spice and chase away last night’s tequila binge. And make sure you really immerse it – after all, “ahogadas” means “drowned.”
How much? $4 at this restaurant (El Abajeno) in the suburb of Tlaquepaque.
Gear: Tress SOS
20/11/09 09:13 Filed in: Gear | Girly Stuff
You’re not high maintenance or anything, but arriving at a hotel only to discover a sachet of dish soap masquerading as “conditioning 
shampoo” makes your hair want to throw a hissy fit. To assuage angry locks, these days you have to bring your own products. With carry-on liquid restrictions in effect, a solid shampoo bar is a cunning choice. LUSH, that fragrant oasis of handmade cosmetics, makes compact bars that are equivalent to 750 ml of regular shampoo – roughly 50 to 80 washes, depending on your hair. Some offer conditioning properties, which is crucial for long tresses on long trips. The yummy smelling Godiva Bar (pictured here), for instance, is packed with macadamia nut oil, shea butter and coconut oil. Eco-maniacs should also note that the bars produce far less waste than plastic mini bottles.
$10.50 at LUSH
From my travel gear column in
$10.50 at LUSH
From my travel gear column in
Travel Tips for Twosomes
18/11/09 15:46 Filed in: Misc
I know what you’re thinking as you peruse that glossy new guidebook: sunset strolls by the Seine, slow 
motion high-fives on Machu Picchu, steamy lovemaking on a secluded beach in Thailand where the sand doesn’t get in the way.
What you’re leaving out: non-existent street signs, less-than-aromatic local public transit and disappearing reservations.
And—oh God—that hellish reservoir of sweat that develops between your back and a knapsack on a hot day. Blech.
CONTINUE...
What you’re leaving out: non-existent street signs, less-than-aromatic local public transit and disappearing reservations.
CONTINUE...
Sleeping Around #2: Arizona
Check out my new video for my Toronto Star column, Sleeping Around!
Corresponding story runs in The Star on November 28.
Corresponding story runs in The Star on November 28.
Sleeping Around #1: Berlin is HERE.
Remembering the Wall and The Fall
08/11/09 18:46 Filed in: Europe
Story and photos by Reb Stevenson
On November 9, if all goes according to plan and no klutzes intervene during the set-up, a two-kilometre chain of giant dominoes will tumble in sequence from Berlin’s Reichstag to the Brandenburg Gate and on to Potsdamer Platz. Then an orchestra will play, kicking off a two day “Festival of Joy.”
Far more than a publicity stunt touting the joy of dominoes (though, lord knows, they could use a boost), the spectacle marks the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall.
If you can’t make the party, there are plenty of ongoing events and exhibitions taking place throughout the city to solemnly note the 28 years that the wall stood and celebrate the day that it toppled.
Here are some of the options: Read More...
Let Them Eat Macaroons!
Patricia runs several classes out of a stylish little kitchen that is situated right in the heart of Versailles. The one that is best suited to tourists starts with a guided visit to the old market followed by a traditional french cooking class.
The market definitely delivered in the culture shock department: apart from the expected baguettes and cheeses, I saw chickens with their heads still attached, furry rabbits strung up and a whole arsenal of gamey terrines, mousses and other scary blended meats.
Unfortunately, the macaroons were a multi-step process that took well over an hour so I doubt I’ll be making them anytime soon in Canada. Besides, Marie Antoinette’s openly verbalized passion for desserts certainly didn’t help her get ahead (pun intended).
Married by Martha
No whopping church wedding for you, thank-you-very-much: you and your sweetheart are heading to the Caribbean for a laid back beach wedding. As for the decorations? You can’t be bothered with those, either. 
May as well assign that job to the next best person: Martha Stewart. The relentless homemaker has teamed up with Sandals Resorts, offering a selection of six customizable themes with names like Flutter of Romance, Chic & Natural, Jailbirds in Love and Vision in White. Couples can expect all the usual good things that come with Martha’s tasteful touch: coordinated colour palettes, flowers, cakes, favours, etc. Fun extra add-ons include parasols to shield guests from the sun, petal-strewn aisles and candy buffets.
Starting in January, Weddings by Martha Stewart will be available at all Sandals Resorts and Beaches Resorts in the Caribbean. For more information, go to www.sandals.com/weddings or call 1-877-SANDALS.
Starting in January, Weddings by Martha Stewart will be available at all Sandals Resorts and Beaches Resorts in the Caribbean. For more information, go to www.sandals.com/weddings or call 1-877-SANDALS.