I spent last weekend in Whistler. Great friends, gorgeous sunshine, ethereal mountain views, fresh salad with greens still warm from the garden, a bbq and a gorgeous backyard patio… It was a summer weekend to remember. I even watched my first ever soccer game! And not just because the bar showing it was air-conditioned. Although that definitely helped.

It was hotter than you would ever imagine it could get in a Canadian mountain ski resort, so we retreated from the village to the lake to cool off with a nice swim. Crystal clear green-blue water, with snow capped Whisler and Blackcomb mountains towering impressively in the backdrop – it was truly breathtaking. And I’m not just talking about the view! To swim in that lake was to have your breath quite literally taken away. The water was so cold that it felt like your lungs were being stabbed with a million knives.

After entertaining ourselves at length watching tough guys try to impress their girlfriends with their bravery only to squeal like girls when their… erm… boys… reached the frigid icy water, we were eventually led to seek out alternate means of refreshment. Enter Mojitos.

Mojitos are simple, fresh, and absolutely delicious. Nothing but mint muddled with sugar and lime, rum and soda water. In a cold glass filled with ice, nothing could be more refreshing after a hot day in the sun. We prettied ours up with a handful of raspberries from the back yard. Read More

This post does not include a recipe, but instead a suggestion! If you, like me, start to hyperventilate at the sight of juicy, succulent, bright local berries, then you may, like me, get a bit overzealous in your purchases.

I had such a moment of dizzy overexcitement at the market this Sunday, which resulted in me coming home with enough BC raspberries and strawberries to give a lesser woman a stomach ache to be nursed in the fetal position. But to my dismay, and despite my very best efforts, I couldn’t eat them fast enough! (Must be something to do with my technique; too much breathing between swallows?)

This morning I woke up to admire my berry bounty when I discovered brown spots disgracing my beautiful strawberries. Noooo!

Once I recovered from the initial panic, I took several deep breaths, and asked myself: Jenn, what do you do do when life gives you blemished berries?

You make jam!

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Summer has officially begun on the West Coast of Canada! Hoorah!

To celebrate, I spent the day at the beach with my adorable furry bottomed friend. I put in some time working on my freckles, examining seashells, doing some neurons-not-required reading, and savouring the first of the local cherries. And despite all of that exhausting labour, I found time to cook! It was the perfect day.

This couscous salad is perfect summer food; delicious, light, cool, and full of bright flavours like herbs, lemon, and fresh garlic. It is perfect picnic food. Perfect potluck food. Perfect side dish to grilled chicken or steak. It is a warm weather staple in my kitchen. Read More

Hi old friends. My last post was in July. And here we are in July again. Ta da! Can we just fast-forward the in-between and pretend it didn’t happen? No?

Okay, here’s the scoop. I was an intern. In a hospital. Me no likey. I’m a fainter. ‘Nuff said. But it had to be done, and I learned a heckuvalot whilst working my rather distressed hiney off.

And really, all that matters now is that I made it out the other end alive (if slightly worse for the wear and a bit shell-shocked), and got a few pretty letters tacked onto my name in the process. Not to mention I have a very clear picture of what I don’t want to do with my life (which I think is a very important first step in making career decisions). Hoorah!

Now lets pick up where we left off, which was, I believe, celebrating life and summer and delicious food!

I thought a humble pie would be a very symbolic, tail-between-legs way for me to reappear on the blogosphere. Then I found out what humble pie was. Blech. You’ll be very happy I am making you Cinnamon Bun Biscuits instead, and I think you will be much more likely to forgive my absence having spared you the deer innards.

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It’s Summer! It’s Summer! And I’m still here! Except now my brain is in a beachy-happy-place instead of in a library cubicle, my nose deeply planted in an Agatha Christie mystery instead of in a Nutrition and Disease textbook. Hooray! Although sunkissed and befreckled, I’m also a little shame-faced about my total, unexplained hiatus from the blogosphere… It is amazing how fast a week turns into two, turns into three, turns into several. Do you want the Coles Notes version? Okay, here goes:

Mid to late April: Exams! Last ones ever!! Eek! This gives me a strange happy-sad-frightened feeling.

Early May: MEXICO!! Girls getaway. All-inclusive. Endless beaches. Endless tequila. A trip we affectionately refer to as “Swine Oh-Nine”. (But don’t worry, *oink*, no symptoms, *oink*).

May, immediately post Swine-09: Full-time summer course + lots of visiting family = a bustling, happy house… and a very busy (but happy!) Jenn.

Beginning of June - present: Happiness, in the form of: a sister, a bouncy dog, endless sunshine, a whole lotta ice cream, buckets of Corona, a secret beach, a bicycle, a bikini (or ten), strawberries, and freedom.
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