A Royal Wedding

Posted on May 2, 2011 by Smelly Danielly

As much as I wanted to, I knew I wasn’t about to stay up all Thursday Night / Friday Morning to watch the Royal Wedding. Thankfully Alicia was kind enough to PVR it and throw a little ‘Royal Wedding Viewing’ Friday after work. I did wake up early on Friday to catch a bit of the highlights on the morning news, but I wanted to leave the majority of the ceremony a surprise for myself, aside from all the pictures and research Alicia and I did Friday at work.

Our Mothers got Princess Diana. It was only fair that we got The Duchess of Cambridge.

You can’t throw a Royal Wedding Party with out dressing up for the occasion. Alicia lent me her feathered hairpiece, or fascinator, as the Brits call them. Matched my outfit perfectly, mostly because I planned it that way ;)

Cardigan, Tank Top, Belt, & Skirt from Plum. Tights & Necklace from Forever 21. Shoes from H & M.

When I saw the tin of English Breakfast Tea commemorating the marriage of Prince William and Kate Middleton, I knew I had to get it for Alicia.

She ordered cupcakes and cake pops from Cakelicious, a company that Adams co-worker started on the side. The treats were absolutely fabulous! I had never had a cake pop before and they were to die for. Picture a brownie on a stick covers in chocolate and sprinkles. Amazing! The Pineapple Cupcakes were also the perfect treat. I’m not the biggest fan of pineapple, but these cupcakes actually blew my mind. Light and moist with little sweet chunks of pineapples, topped off with a rich and creamy cream cheese frosting. I ate two of them. I just couldn’t help myself.

I also donated some cucumber sandwiches to the cause, since we were watching an English wedding, it only seemed fitting.

I watched the whole wedding extravaganza 3 times over the course of the weekend. I also read all the Wikipedia pages for all the members of the Royal Family and studied the line of succession. Ask me anything, I’m now an expert.

There was 6 of us girls all gathered around the TV in our little outfits and fascinator.

After the wedding we watched the made for TV movie about Wills and Kate. Bad acting, but adorable! Yes, we are women obsessed. It was the perfect way to spend a Friday night that one day we will be able to tell our daughters about. The day a commoner became a real life princess.

- Outfit photos courtesy of the lovely Alicia Fashionista! -

The Pat Zaph Guilt Trip

Posted on March 8, 2011 by Smelly Danielly

Because Saturday was the day after Patz birthday and the day of Elisas birthday, I decided to throw together a little dinner party. It’s what I love to do, and I kind of figured it would be the last time everyone would be together in our little apartment before we move, so I wanted to make it special.

This is the only picture of Pat on Saturday evening. Not only did Pukey McJew make us miss the last skytrain but he ended up being so hung over that he sat on our couch for 30 minutes and then had to go home because he was still so pukey. WAY TO GO JEW BOY! Last time I ever throw you a Birthday Dinner!

I guess I can now use this a leverage the next time Pat comes into town and wants to go to the Cambie. “Really, you want to go there…again? Don’t you remember what happened the last time? You ruined your own Birthday dinner. Maybe it’s time you find another venue to be obsessed with”.

Jews aren’t the only people who can be sneaky!

Also, doesn’t he kind of look like Matt Good in this photo? Mostly because he looks so disheveled. ZING!

But anyways, everyone else seemed to enjoy themselves. I served Italian Cold Cuts and Cheese as an appetizer, along with some Sun Dried Tomatoes, Olives, and Balsamic Onions. Pat would have enjoyed indulging in those since he always complains that Red Deer doesn’t have any Italian Delis. Too bad he was PUKING!

Dinner was a success. It’s crazy to think that I spent 4 hours preparing everything before the guests arrived, and I still had more to do after they arrived. It was food overload, but that’s the way I roll.

Flank Steak marinated in Soy Sauce, Garlic, & Lemon Juice
Home Made “Perizzolo” Sausages & Bosa Sausages
Home Made Caesar Salad
Mixed Green Salad with Tomatoes, Cucumber, Red Onions, Avocado, and Candied Walnuts, tossed in a Honey Mustard Dressing
Oven Roasted Potatoes & Yams tossed in Seasoning Salt and Pepper
Green Beans tossed in Oil & Vinegar
Red and Orange Peppers Sauteed in Ponzu Sauce, Garlic, and Green Onions
Red and Yellow Onions Sauteed in Butter, Red Wine, and Herbes de Provence
Tuscan Bread

Insane I know, but so damn good. It was one of those dinners you wish you could experience every weekend.

We relaxed after dinner with a little Espresso and Grappa. Dario opted for the Sambuca but couldn’t get the bottle open. Muscles LOSE.

When Chad went looking for a ‘Mocha’ to make his Espresso, he only bought one that made 2 cups because he figured he’d be the only one drinking it. Saturday night 7 people wanted Espresso. GUESS how long that took him to do. Maybe it’s time to invest in a bigger mocha!?

Since Pat was Puke Face Sick Head, all the Birthday Cake went to Elisa!

While obsessing over Tumblr I got the idea to make a rainbow cake. I kind of stole Shazzi’s idea when she made her rainbow cupcakes, and did the same thing but in a larger scale.

I love how crazy bright the colours are!

Chocolate Icing and Sprinkles!

Nom nom nom CRAZY COLOURS!

The night ended off with the boys having a scotch break on the deck and the girls watching the last half of Loser. What a trip back to 2000 that was!

I think everyone enjoyed themselves. I wish we would have had more time with Pat and Aimee, but Moses punished Pat for all his Pork eating and bad Jewish ways. At least there were leftovers for me to enjoy on Sunday!

Friggin PAT.

Super Bowl Sunday

Posted on February 8, 2011 by Smelly Danielly

The Super Bowl was upon us this past Sunday. Normally we don’t do anything for it. Chad and I usually just buy some chips and hang out in our PJs to watch it. Then, if we are feeling adventurous we chose our favorite food commercial and fall for their marketing ploy and go have dinner there. This year, however, we decided to throw a little get together.

The boys and Elise took all the main seating. I guess they are the important people.

The ‘clucking chickens’ got the table.

I so wish we had better seating in our apartment. First purchase post move – L Shaped Sectional!

Chad was inspired after watching the half time show to also become a ‘Marshmellow Head Robot’.

Honestly, he just looks like hes from Saskatchewan…

There was lots of food, naturally.

I tired to produce a variety of things so that we wouldn’t feel TOO gross post game.

Thankfully Alicia brought her amazing 7 layer dip and Shazzi her nom nom Vietnamese Rolls!

When I was in L.A. I bought this for Chad. It was finally time to use the sucker.

I also made Honey Garlic wings for those less excited about the Hot Wings. I got the recipe from our Weber book. Turned out so good!

Dario, the man who hates hot wings, approved of this.

This is an accurate picture of how Chad felt about the Hot Wings.

The man who LOVES things spicy could not handle the hot wings. I even made home made Blue Cheese Dip and chopped up some Celery to help with the hotness, but it didn’t work.

Hottest friggin Wing Sauce EVER!

Ryan and Chad kept making bets on the game and if Chad lost he had to eat another Hot Wing.

He’s laughing because he lost again. Bahaha. Good Luck Dear.

Shazzi ate the most Hot Wings. She has a mouth and stomach of steal. She now wants to use the sauce as salad dressing.

Alicia had her Sunday stomach ache so she was dying the whole day. Thankfully I had a Sheep Hot Water Bottle which she birthed all day long.

Elisa, a friend of ours from Italy, probably thought we were all crazy. This was her first Superbowl ever!

And of course, in classic Danielle fashion, I made cupcakes. Green ones for the Packers and Yellow ones for the Steelers.

There were more Packers fans in the room then there were Steelers fans. Ryan, Shaz, and I were the only ones actually cheering for the alleged rapist. It was a sad loss. Maybe making Yellow Jello as a celebration treat jinxed us?

We didn’t bother going out for dinner. The commercials kind of sucked and we were all about to explode from over eating. If we did have to choose a winner, it would have been McDonalds. However, the CBCs idea to play Super Size Me after the Superbowl kind of put us off. Way to go CBC…

Now I get to enjoy all the left over treats all week long!

Salt Isn’t Just for Horses

Posted on January 18, 2011 by Smelly Danielly

Friday night we finally made the epic journey to the Salt Tasting Room in Gastown.

We actually read about it on the plane ride from Amsterdam to Vancouver. You know those magazines the airlines produce? Well, they did a feature on Vancouver and included the Salt Tasting Room as one of the must see venues in the city. Yes, that’s right, a tourist magazine informed me, a local, of where to go!

We checked it out online as soon as we got home, and made plans to indulge in a little Wine and Cheese.

Our original plans had to be postponed, so we only just made it to Salt this past Friday, but it was well worth the wait!

The Menu Board – where all your hopes and dreams are listed.

Candle Light and Brick Walls

While you can go to Salt for dinner, the best thing to do is order a tasting plate and a wine flight.

A combination of 3 meats and cheeses, 3 condiments, and 3 wines.

You can pick everything yourself, or you can let the masters do what they do best. I chose 2 Cheeses and 1 Meat and then let them choose my condiments and wines. It turned out to be utter perfection!

I requested Reds and this is what they brought me. They paired each wine with what I had ordered.

La Frenz Moatage with Chorizo
Avalon Cabernet Sauvigan with Brie
Ft. Bera’s Pinto Noir with Taleggio

They then brought my tasking platter with the condiments they chose.

Balsamic Onions with the Chorizo
Honey with the Brie
Hazelnuts with the Taleggio

The pairings were absolutely amazing. It really is worth it to let the staff pick and arranged the choices. They know what works and how to make your experience the best it can be. You can suggest things you like and have them chose everything, or you can pick the meats and cheeses like we did, and let them pair it from there.

Things you would never think to eat together turn out to me the best things you’ve ever tasted. Add in the wine pairings and you have a mind blowing experience!

I left a little wine to taste once I was done my tasting plate and they tasted totally different on their own then they did paired with the meat and cheese, which just goes to show how important the pairings are.

Ebony and Ivory.

Alicia is still red and I have wine teeth and bushy eyebrows.

What is happening to us!?

I was high on life and kept dacning like Bill Cosby.

Chad said he found my movements offensive.

The boys indulged in things of the Scot Land.

I indulged in things of the Eng Land.

Dessert! Chocolate cake for 2.

I now want to bring everyone I know to Salt so they can share in the life changing experience that is Wine and Cheese/Meat pairing.

While the plates themselves are not substantial or dinner-esque, they do give you the perfect amount of tasting pleasure. Plus all the meats and cheeses are purchased at local deli’s/vendors, so if there is something you really love and want more of, you can ask where it is from, and pick some up for yourself!

This would be such a great place for a date or a classy late night bite to eat.

I am totally in love with Salt.

You Twist My Fork

Posted on January 14, 2011 by Smelly Danielly

We went to the Twisted Fork last night. What a cute little place that is!

We hit up Sephora and Pacific Center before making our way down Granville for dinner. Claudia seriously knows the best places in the city to eat. If you need a recommendation you should ask her!

Whenever I see a great selection of Scotch at a restaurant I get really excited, even though its Chad who drinks the stuff, not me!

The style of the menu was half Entrees half Tapas. We ordered a couple Tapas each and they were unbelievable!

Braised Beef Skewers
Braised beef skewered with rosemary and a micro green salad topped off with Parmesan cheese and matchstick fries

Warm Sautéed Mushroom Salad
Pan seared wild mushrooms, vine ripe tomatoes, fresh basil, sourdough chunks and feta cheese tossed in basil vinaigrette

We filed this dinner under ‘Business Meeting’. If only we could have written it off.

The girls ordered dessert. How cute!

This is what happens when you try and get three girls to all take a picture they all agree on.

RE: Alicias Skin Tone – She just got back from Mexico and shes a drunk Asian. She also had an allergic reaction to something she ate :(

RE: Claudias Facial Expressions – She is very particular when it comes to photos of herself. The only reason these are surfacing is because we all look goofy.

RE: My Facing Being Cut Out – Yea, Im just a bad photographer.

Another amazing night with these two sluts.
(Dont worry, we call each other sluts as sort of an endearing nick name)

Twisted Fork was amazing and chatting with these two is always a riot.

What a way to spend a Thursday!