Pop!

Recent Value Village find: 4 place mats for $1.99 (plus tax). Quilted and brand-spanking new. I don't know what it is about thrift stores that get me going. I do know that I'm not alone; Al Hoff's zine Thrift SCORE was so popular, she published a book by the same name.

Maybe it has to do with the lack of diversity among the upscale kitchen shops scattered around town. Or maybe it's just the mystery of discovering a lacy tablecloth that has held somebody else's Sunday dinners. Either way, these mats are total showstoppers.

To market, new(ish) market

Ottawa's newest market, informally known as the 100 K market or the Lansdowne market, actually got going last summer. But it has absolutely taken off this year and quickly become my favorite spot to grocery shop. Best: apple cider doughnuts, free samples of Elk salami, lemongrass truffles, oniony Art-is-in hamburger buns, and killer hot sauce.

Last week, I picked up a golden-crown melon, which has a thick yellow rind and subtle watermelon-like flesh. I also bought four injera sandwiches from True Food Ecosterre. The bread part is made from fermented teff (African cereal grain), which is spread with vegetarian or meat filling and then rolled up. The spicy variety is my most recent lunch obsession.

The Ottawa Farmer's Market is open Sundays at Landsdowne Park.

Put them in my belly

A birthday prezzie from Paradiso and Jitka: pink and white Jelly Bellies. So far, I've tried cotton candy, strawberry cheesecake, strawberry daiquiri, coconut, French vanilla, bubblegum, and cream soda. In case you've only tried plain old primary-colored jelly beans, JB provides an online flavour guide to help you get it right. They are supposedly 'gourmet,' and some of them, in fact, do rival the 'three-course meal chewing gum' from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Try the peach bean if you've tired of the fresh Niagara version.

The beans can be had at Sugar Mountain locos across the city.

Booze Boxes

My new favorite weeknight wine is Bonnie, the younger sister of Three Thieves' Bandit wines. Bonnie is a budget rosé that comes in jugs and Tetra paks. She tastes of clean, sweet cherries, and her small size is perfect for lightweights. Wine in a box is probably not for the snob of heart, but the benefits to the environment are undeniable.

I drank mine down with with fresh nectarines and a plate of cold pasta tossed in walnut pesto. If you want to sneak it into a movie though, just toss it back straight from the carton.

Bite there (Hampton, NB)

My mother just sent me a bar of soap from New Brunswick company Lavish. I mention it here because this bar is two tasty-looking layers of brown sugar and raspberry. The soap itself is nice and mild, but it smells delicious. This is not the first time I've wanted to lick a bar of Lavish, and no wonder - it's made from coconut, olive, and sunflower seed oils.

Diane Peacock, Lavish founder and resident soapiére admits that she's always been intrigued by the the idea that soap and other things like it can appeal "not only to the sense of smell but also to taste." No surprise that Lavish also comes in Blueberry Fields, Oatmeal Buttermilk, and Anise, Basil and Bay. Diane has also created such 'flavours' as Honeydew Cantaloupe, Almond Goat's Milk, and Maple Swirl. A few years ago, she even added lip smacking balms in licorice, creamsicle, and orange and clove.

Lavish is available at the Boyce Farmer's Market in Fredericton for $3.50 a bar. If you're not going on a road trip, email lavish@nbnet.nb.ca to place an order.

A Big Box of Berries

Ever since Lucy introduced me to IKEA's delicate bread and butter pickles, I've been combing their "Swedish Food Market" for Scandanavian potato chips, rye bread mix, and thin gingersnaps. A couple days ago, I tried a jar of the wild lingonberry sauce, which is daintier than traditional cranberries. So far, I've eaten this brilliantly-colored jam on toast, chicken, smoked mozzarella, and crackers. I love that the first ingredient is wild berries, and I freely admit to loving IKEA's door-crashing mini mart.

Ottawa's Swedish a capella group, The Lingonberries, is on an indefinite hiatus. But DVDs of their 2004 ABBsolute Berries concerts are still available, and I can't think of a better soundtrack for summer.

Carrie Who?

Comic courtesy of Drew at www.toothpastefordinner.com

This year, Peta crowned Carrie Underwood the world's sexiest vegetarian celebrity. Obviously, they haven't met Vanessa Holm, Ottawa's coolest vegan activist.

As part of NCVA (National Capital Vegetarian Association), Holm is helping organize a series of monthly vegan potlucks at the Jack Purcell Centre. The first one is this Saturday. Details here.

If you want to see just how sweet veganism can be, introduce yourself to Vanessa at the potluck. She defies just about every stereotype you have about pleather-wearing, nut-soaking, emaciated hippies. And Holm enthuses that "These potlucks are a great way to learn about different types of cooking as well as meet new people."

If you don't know what to bring, try going here or there for recipe ideas. Then put away the honey and pour on the maple syrup!

Cold Nuts

Mercado Latino in Vanier is one of my favorite grocers. A bottle of their sour tamarindo soda is a good enough way to cool down, I'd say. But tonight, I stirred a few spoonsfuls of rice-based horchata mix into a glass of iced water. It was refreshing without too much sweetness.

Sainsa, the brand that's sold at ML is made from seeds, grains, and nuts (luckily, it also contains sugar and cocoa). It's also good blended up with milk and a banana for a light summer breakfast.

Hun Buns

These everyday shakers were purchased at Ma Cuisine on Dalhousie. Tiny, it's true, but they make lunch a prettier affair. Ma Cuisine also stocks an impressive selection of Puegot S&P grinders.

French Fruit

Until today, the only "fruit jellies" I'd had were the ubiquitous citrus slices that pop up at Christmas. Fruit pâtés by Francois Doucet are something else altogether. I just ate a tiny bar of FD's raspberry pâté. Fine candy for a hot day: not overly sweet, the flavour somewhere between fresh raspberries and ones that have been cooked down. No wonder - it's 50% fruit. Il Negozio Nicastro also sells pear, apricot, and myrtille flavours.

Tasty Dumps

Usually, I find "vegetable" dumplings are filed with veg and oddly, pork. Not so for these tasty tims from Kaedeya. I bought a bag for $5.60 yesterday and ate them with the homemade ginger dressing they sell. If you want to make a meal of it, Kaedeya also stocks organic soba noodles, seaweed salad, and oolong tea.

Ham on Rye

I don't generally like food memoirs or books about food (except cookbooks). Ham on Rye by Charles Bukowski is neither. It has a tasty title, but Bukowski's writing is full of violence, poverty, druges, booze, and sex. No surprise that it's based on real life.

But if the title makes you hungry, you can get ham on rye, ham and cheese on rye, or liverwurst on pumperknickel for $1.89 at the German Town Deli on Slater. Sour pickles extra.

Image from www.canongate.net

Stick-on Stones

I got some free fridge magnets a few months ago at the Museum of Contemporary Art in LA. Got me thinking about the stuff I stick stuff up with. I figure a good magnet has to have style, strength, and not "stick out" too much. My collection now includes dark grey rocks from Arbour in the Glebe, chipped clay from some girl at the Ladyfest Craft Sale, and cool metal hooks from Zone. Guess what? They all keep everything in place!

Weed versus Plant

This itty bitty is a leaf of lamb's quarter, which was nothing more than an edible weed in New Brunswick when I was growing up. Seems city folk use the mild plant to decorate salads, heft up quiches, and add texture to sandwiches. I heard they're good with cucumber and melon too.

My lamb's quarters came in my Bryson basket, but you can probably find it growing on the edges of vegetable gardens and on grassy patches throughout the city.

Costco, Part Deux

Image from www.drugstore.com

Wellements makes the a sweet organic energy bar called Bora Bora. My favorite flavour is Cinnamon Oatmeal (pictured), but they have five different kinds in total. BB's are made from fresh ingredients like rolled oatmeal, raisins, dried cranberries, apples, crispy brown rice cereal, Brazil nuts, pumpkin seeds, and cinnamon, but they taste almost like cookies. The best part is, they are sweetened with agave, a low glycemic sweetener. So, you won't fly first and crash later. These hefty boys will keep you going for a few hours.

18 organic bars for $19.99 at the biggest box of all. Sorry, Costco haters. You'll have to make your own.

Quality Control Expert

This salmon is the best I've had outside of the fresh stuff on the West Coast. I'm no food militant, but farmed salmon is just sick. These gorgeous wild fillets are flash frozen by Great Glacier Fillets, a small co-op in Northern BC. I bought mine at the Ottawa Organic Farmer's Market, but last time I checked, the Herb n' Spice on Bank had em too.

Cookies don't keep the rain away

Still, during what seems to be Ottawa's monsoon season, nothing will do but a butter-soft sugar cookie from 3 Tarts on Wellington (near Island Park). 3T does them holiday-style with nutmeg. Delicious eaten with a sliver of Quebec cheddar. They also make a dizzying number called Mocha Cinnamon Chocolate Chip, which has slightly crunchy edges and a bit of white sugar laced over top. All cookies are 75 cents plus tax.

Oneida is so over!

I'm looking for new flatware: not to replace, to augment. Somehow my household has fewer forks than it began. Here's what I've come across so far:




The sexy sisters in the top left corner are made by a Shawville company called J'ustenbois that crafts maple utensils entirely by hand . Apparently, the dense wood prevents bacteria from growing and the fact that they aren't metal keeps them from changing the flavor of your food.

The picture on the right is of a collapsible bowl by Orikaso, a Japanese company that markets their funky dishware as camping gear. But you could also bring it on a picnic, to work, or on the train. Orikaso and J'ustenbois are both available at Mountain Equipment Co-op on Richmond Rd.

At left is my new favorite tool for urban picnicking: a forkknifespoon combo thought up by Scandanavian designer Joachim Norwall for the folks at Light-My-Fire. It's melt-proof and you can stick it in the dishwasher too. Comes in delicious colors. I got this one at The Cookware Centre on Bank Street.

Points for Pho

Image from www.phomiboga.com

I found out that Pho Mi Bo Ga in South Keys* has a new points card. $1 spent = 2 pts. Redemption details are on their website. It might seem like overkill for a small restaurant, but they are known for their extremely devoted fan base.

*Unless you live in South Keys, you might not think to venture out there for Vietnamese food. But, my excuse is PMBG's addictive vegetarian noodle bowl. It's dressed with the traditional cucumber, mint, bean sprouts, and peanuts, but added to that is a slightly pickled salad of carrot and thinly sliced onion (which is a lovely pink color). They also top the bowl not only with the requisite spring roll, but also with a healthy portion of lightly-fried tofu cubes.

Turnip Red, Beet Yellow

These bad oscars are courtesy of Bryson Farms' home delivery program. We split a four-person, $60 basket, with another couple, but you can also get a two-person for $45.

Good: Heirloom veggies that you don't have to go out shopping for.
Not as good: This time of year, the boxes still tend to be heavy on zucchini and last year's potatoes.

If Bryson Farms has a waiting list, you can join Ottawa's Good Food Box program anytime.