Eating to live... or living to eat? - Part one

 

 

FOOD

 

My favorite four letter F word.

 

The first thing I think about when I wake up.. is what we are having for dinner.

 

The first thing I wonder when we get invited to a wedding.. is what dinner choice they went with.

 

The best part of the weekend,

is the food we eat.

 

It wasn't until I was about 22 and met my husband that I developed a passion for food.

 

The definition of Food according to Wikipedia 
is any substance consumed to provide nutritional support to your body.

 

My definition of Food,
is any nourishing substance that sustains life while giving you
Foodgasms, enjoyment and an experience.

 

 

 Salmon tartar at the Banff Fairmont

Lamb, garlic mashed, asparagus

Homemade risotto, bok choy and bruschetta salmon

 

I spend hours every week, perusing pictures of food on facebook, pinterest or my sisters instagram.

When someone uploads a picture of what they ate,

 I am ALL OVER it.
 Pictures of food are my favorite  to take, post and to see posted.

 

There isn't anything I wont eat, or at least try once.

 

My greatest attraction to my husband was, and is, his love for good food and wine...
but also having no shame taking down a couple Big Macs.

 

I am so fortunate at this point in my life, 

I don't have to watch what I eat for dietary reasons or weight loss.

 

I thank God for the good genes I got from my parents.

 

Which leads me to Part 2...

coming tomorrow.

 

 

 



Crock Pots and Kitchen Renos go hand in hand

 

McDonalds, Wendys, Pizza Pizza......

Just a few of the "hearty" meals consumed while
undergoing kitchen renovations

 

As thrilling as a Big mac, Baconator and Hawaiian slice are... 
one can only have so much of it without feeling like a walking Garbage disposal. 

So my solution for an oven-less kitchen,
is the crock pot!

A favorite meal in the Vidal household during the winter season, is homemade chilli.

 

Pre-reno, we cooked up a big batch and froze it in meal sized containers.

 

Another favorite is pulled pork with a side of coleslaw...and during the Superbowl this weekend,

we'll surely be whipping that up again!

 

 

 

Tonight's crock pot creation compliments of pinterest, seemed to easy to be good...

 

"Zesty Slow Cooker BBQ Chicken"

on a fresh Kaiser bun.

 

Throw in your frozen chicken breasts, brown sugar, Worcestershire sauce, BBQ Sauce of choice, and Italian Dressing.

Set on High for 3  - 4 hours... pull, and plop on Kaiser.

 

BRILLIANT.

 

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe-Tools/Print/Recipe.aspx?recipeID=65896&origin=detail&servings=6&metric=false

 

This kitchen reno has been a breeze thanks to our Crock Pot of deliciousness.

 

Next time your oven-less, and about the make a stop at your nearest drive thru,

Stop, Drop and Crock.

 

Kill your winter blues today!

 

 

 

I was notified I would be coming home from vacation, to a "Polar Vortex"...
which didn't make the plane ride home any easier...

 

but I can honestly say, I have ENJOYED it!

 

This weather gives me an opportunity to wear some of my most favorite

jackets, scarves, toques and boots.

Hat - Cole Haun
Jacket - North Face
Scarf - Coach
Boots - Hunter

 To crank the fireplace, grab a book and blanket and 

enjoy a hot chocolate (with baileys).

And to put those flannel pj's and matching slippers to use!

 

It's a time you don't have to feel guilty as you sit on the couch
and demolish a bag of Balsamic and sweet onion chips,
a bottle of wine
and an entire season of your favorite show. *Currently plowing through "Suits".*

(not that I ever feel guilty for any of those things)

 

It's a time to embrace the comfort of your home.

 

Without the vortex, I can never justify driving

 to the mailbox that's literally 10 feet away.

 

This winter has been one of my favorites.

 

I say embrace the vortex!!

 

... soon enough, guys will have ball sweat and girls with have boob sweat
and we'll all smell like suntan lotion and mosquito repellent.  

 

Use this weather to your advantage,

and enjoy a cozy winter in!

 

xo

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cuba 2014 in a Coconut shell

   From Beaches to Blizzards...

The harsh reality of leaving the Caribbean to return to Canada. 

To avoid a mild depression, Jesse and I usually plan our next destination while on our current vacation... It assists with the return to the homeland.

For any fellow travelers who are looking into Cuba as their next escape,
 I'll review for you the hotel we stayed at, 
outlining the pros and cons to help determine whether the
PARADISUS PRINCESS DEL MAR in Varadero is right for you!

http://www.meliacuba.com/cuba-hotels/hotel-paradisus-princesadelmar

 

The trip we booked was an all inclusive package deal through Sunwing airlines,
whom pleasantly surprised me.

For the first, and hopefully last time in our lives,
 both my husband and I's alarm clocks did not go off the morning of our flight.

4:30am, we are lying in our bed in Niagara on the Lake, with a minimum hour drive to Toronto ahead of us, before our flight takes off at 6:10am.

I'll spare the language choices of the morning, and the boring details, and skip to the fact that we arrived at the Toronto Pearson airport at 5:45am, and made It on the plane by 6:06am. This was pure "Vidal luck", as we happened to run into the Sunwing manager who bypassed us through customs.

After a delicious hot breakfast (surprisingly good for plane food),
and a couple complimentary glasses of champagne,

We arrived to Cuba.

Took a couple more drinks before we realized, we were really there.

Needless to say, Sunwing gets my vote.

When choosing a resort, we narrow it down by star rating, adults only and overall ranking on trip advisor.

When booking, we opted for the Royal Service Package.

Being the trip advisor geek I am, I concluded this was the way to go.

 

Here's my critique on the ROYAL SERVICE end of the resort vs NON ROYAL SERVICE:

 

PROS
 

Butler Service

• Every dinner was A La Carte ..all reserved by our butler whenever, and wherever we wanted to go. If we wanted to eat at the same place every night, Hester would be happy to book it for us.
• Personal cabanas in which our butler would reserve for us with our towels every morning
• Two private restaurants only royal service guests have access to
• A 24 hour room service menu.. including a CUSTOM PILLOW menu
• Turn Down service mid day if you happened to "romp" in the afternoon
• Drinks constantly served to your lounge chair - large, boozy drinks
• Beautiful beach with a full bar
• Modern rooms and pool side
• Personal taxi to and from the airport
• In room massages - a 25 minute free for Royal guests
• For Cuban standards - great food
• Outstanding Pina coladas

*Pina on the left, Royal Service. Pina on the right, not.

 

CONS

Non Royal Service

• If you did not pay the premium rates, you did not get more than 2 A La Carte dinners... in which you had to wait in a 2 hour line to book on the first day of your vacation.. No thanks.
• You had to get up at the latest 6am to get a chair by the pool
• Drinks were the size of a shot glass.. and tasted terrible
•  The rooms were older, and not well maintained
• No bar on the beach...... 
•  A 2 hour bus ride to and from the airport even tho it's only a 40 minute taxi
• The beds were hard... even in the Royal section
• Oceanview was NOT oceanview.. it was "dead plant" view
• The wine.. ohhhhh the wine..Cuba is CERTAINLY not known for good wine.

That all aside, my NUMBER ONE tip... aside from making sure your alarm clocks work is...

 Upgrade your room once you get there!
DO NOT be the sucker I was and pay ridiculous prices for some thing that will end up costing you a fraction of the price once you get there.


Well, I'm pina colada'ed out..


and ready to crack open a few good bottles of vino!


Happy trip planning!

From Boots... to Bikinis

 

One week. 7 days. 168 hours.

 

Sun. Sandals. Sex.

 

Nothing beats the feeling of driving to the airport in a blizzard
and swapping your boots for bikinis..

 

That will be me tonight!!

 

Packing should be simple when heading somewhere hot,
as most of the time is spent nearly naked.

 

WRONG.

 

My weakness: bikinis.

 

52 bikinis? What's one more! Latest addition purchased last night:

 

 

 

When you own 53 bikinis with only 7 days to wear them, packing becomes complicated.

 

So here's how I take 53, and choose 7.

 

My Staples:

Leopard

Nautical

Black

 

I own:

6 leopards, 4 nautical , and 6 blacks.

There we have 16 bikinis down to 3.

 

Down 7 more by eliminating the ones I wore on my last vacation.

 

The remaining 30 are selected based on my current breast size, fitness state, and mood.

Throw in 4 cute beach cover-ups and I'm set!

 

Bikinis - packed!

 

The Beach Bag

 

 

Includes:

-Suntan lotion/oil

-Wallet filled with small bills to tip the staff

-A couple magazines to "better myself"

-Bug Spray

-Scope

-Mini Shampoo/Conditioners

-Deodorant
-Fedora

-Ipod (getting charged when I took this pic)

-Ketchup

 

Why Ketchup you ask?
Because Cuba's version of ketchup sucks...
and I like my fries on the beach.

 

Beach Bag - Packed!

 

The tough decisions in packing are done,
 and the rest of the clothing just falls into the suitcase.

 

I can't' wait to use my new HEYS carry on purse.
Completely unnecessary purchase,
 but Leopard and I have a hard time resisting one another.

 

 

 

And there we have it;

Another trip for the books ahead!

 

I'll most likely come back with some sun poisoning,
mosquito bites and weight..
 so don't become too jealous!

 

Until I return, BON VOYAGE, and keep warm!!

 

CHEERS!

 

 

 



Kate Spade New York.. or Niagara?

 

 

Classy, Sophisticated, Bold, and Colorful.

 

She had me at "New York".

 

My obsession began when searching for a pair of mint colored pumps.
I stumbled across these beauties on amazon.com and immediately fell in love with the designer.

 

 

From that point on, I called a spade a spade!

 

Jesse, my husband, became quite aware of my obsession when the credit card bills rolled in
...and lucky for me, supports my love for Kate. 

 

This classy black bag he bought me for my birthday is my
"everyday-er" for work and travel - I absolutely adore it.

 

 

I find the simplicity of this bag is what makes it.

The inside of it is lined with different shades of pink polka dots;

It adds an element of sass!

 

Even her bangles are bang on!

 

 

I found the nautical bangle at the Kate Spade outlet in the States for $20.00, and ordered the gold bridesmaid bangle from Bloomingdales for my sister and I.

I  have a US mailbox that makes online shopping too easy.

 

All this shopping online and at US stores...

 

only to recently discover....

 

The Bay AND Chapters carry a selection of Kate Spade products......

 

Kate Spade in Niagara?!  How could I be so out of the loop? I thought I could only find her in New York!

 

(local Chapters display)

 

As I was perusing Chapters yesterday for a book to read on my upcoming vacation,
I stumbled on this display and forgot why I was there.

 

Who needs a book when you can buy Kate Spade notepads and write your own books!

 

The colorful look of this display, and the perfect packaging could capture even the non Kate Spade lover.

 

I left without a book... and instead with a vision of my new at home office with Kate pencils (that I won't even use cause they are too pretty), stamps, and note pads.

 

"Free Shipping and free returns to 50 States"

will no longer be as tempting now that I know Kate also lives in my backyard.

 

So long for now Kate Spade New York, Hello Kate Spade Niagara.

 

Feeling Greek?

Go Joe!

 

The first time I was introduced to Joe Feta's  (located on Lake Street in St. Catharines), was when I pronounced, Once a week, we're going Greek!

 

My husband and I have an appreciation for good take out;  There's nothing more relaxing after a busy work day, than having someone else cook for you as you sit on your couch in your sweats and kill 10 episodes of a season on Netflix. (currently the Walking Dead)

 

When we decided yesterday evening felt like a "Joe" kind of evening, the excitement in both of us resembled that of a child who just got what they wanted for Christmas.

 

Being creatures of habit, we order the same thing every time:

Dinner for 2

2 pork souvlaki or gyro,

plus garlic bread plus Greek salad,

 plus 2 pops.

   Take out only $ 15.95

 

http://www.joefetas.ca/

 

Being non pop drinkers, I take this as an opportunity to stock up on Gingerale -
It's always good to be prepared in case the flu hits us!
Pop goes into the fridge for a worse day, and Joes goes in our stomachs.

Gone in minutes.

 

So fast,  I forgot to take a picture! *idiot

 

As I bring the take out boxes to the recycling, I feel satisfied every time.

(not quite the same feeling I get when carrying the Mcdonalds bags to the garbage)

 

To those who haven't had the pleasure of killing a gyro or two, try Joes!

Price is right, and quality Is top notch!

 

Καλή όρεξη!

(bon appetit)

Hand model was certainly NOT my calling

Growing up with thumbs that looked like small toes was and is... interesting to say the least.
Most people have never realized that my thumbs are a) two different sizes, and b) chubby

Tanya Vidal

 

My girlfriends, along with the kind folks at the nail salon and males who were lucky enough to hold my hands, would often describe them as "cute". It's not "cute" when Monica from the Nail Shop has to go into her toe nail kit to pull out a French tip that fits onto your thumbs. I realize they all wanted to make me feel better about my malformation.. but I saw through it.

During my teen years, I often hid my thumbs in the palm of my hand whenever I was near a cute boy. My thumbs made me insecure, and since hand holding was the "first base", I worried once a guy saw I had 4 big toes, he'd run! 

It wasn't until a gentleman excitedly informed me he just discovered that MEGAN FOX had the same thumbs as I did!
My insecurities were gone!
I could now tell any future male I met I resembled Megan Fox!

To this day, my husband tells me to get my "toes" out of my mouth (he's a charmer),  as one of my bad habits is nail biting.

My response now is, "which ones"?

Moral of the story -
 Learn to embrace the differences you may have, as you never know what famous person has the same quirky traits as you ;)

Megan Fox

About Me

What is a woman without Instagram to do?

Answer: Create a blog.

Since joining facebook in 2006, there hasn't been a day I haven't logged on, and been tempted to post a mouth watering picture of our dinner, a vintage bottle of wine we've opened, or an outfit worthy of pinterest.

Although the feedback from facebook is both satisfying and equitable, I realize the focus of instagram has a more just use for what I am looking to post.

Why do I not have instagram you ask?

Answer: I have fat thumbs. This has altered my use of an iphone touch screen keyboard, and held me back in the blackberry world where a key pad is my saving grace. Imagine typing with your two big toes and you will understand my need for keys.

I am no photographer, but taking pictures of food and wine gives me far too much joy to be wasted; When I scroll back on my pictures of a years worth of food and wine intake - my mouth salivates, and I often question how I'm not 700 pounds.

I am 26 years old, married to a wine enthusiast, have worked in the wine industry for 8 years come February 2014, and live for the next meal I eat - truly. The way I see it, is if you can look fabulous while sipping that 1977 Robert Mondavi Cabernet Sauvignon paired with the finest cut of waygu beef and creamed spinach , why wouldn't you - Life is too short!

My name is Tanya Vidal

Welcome to my passion for Fashion, Food and Wine.

My husband and I