LUXOMME

You've probably seen these two girls pop up in quite a few of my posts this past year. Well, after Summer started, everyone's been doing their own thing and we haven't had quite as much time to see each other as we would have liked.

Shauntel spends most of her time at the cottage, casually cruising around the lake on her boat, and tanning in between rides. Summer life is difficult to tear her away from, so when she finally came back into the city, Hera and I jumped at the chance of getting together.


I never quite understood the lure of patios because I've eaten outside before and it's really not that fun. Half the time I'm trying to keep my napkin from blowing away, the other half of the time, I spend trying to keep insects away from my food.

Sharing my food isn't really something I do.


The girls on the other hand ADORE patios.


Since I'm currently on a 'explore everything', and 'never say no to new experiences' streak, I begrudgingly agreed, with one place in mind.

Santa Lucia Pizza (St. Boniface), is a place I always drive by on the way to the mall. It's a restaurant with gorgeous indoor seating on the bottom level, and a fantastic patio which spans the entirety of the roof. Surrounded by huge panels of unobstructed glass, restaurant go-ers have a great view of the surrounding city, while elevated above the streets.



The weather in the city right now is gorgeous, which is not a word I use often on this blog to describe Winnipeg. But when it is slightly warm with a light cool breeze, I have to sing a few praises.

It's also perfect margarita weather.





While the girls sipped on their cool drinks, I stuck to my water and eagerly anticipated our food to come, which soon arrived fresh from the kitchen and straight out of the oven.



The girls shared a meat lovers pizza [11.45] and a lunch portion lasagna [8.95] , while I opted for a delicious greek salad [9.95] instead.

Both the salad and lasagna comes accompanied with generous pieces of fluffy and perfectly buttered garlic bread.









After this experience, I've had a change in heart when it comes patios -- which can be mildly fun as long as there are no pesky flies wanting to share.

So next time someone wants some patio time, please invite me along.

naomi
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More reviews of Santa Lucia Pizza can be found at the link below

My obsession used to be much more evident, when I consumed soy products in such large quantities that it threw my hormones off balance. True story. I love soy.


As Summer has arrived, the weather outside is warm and inviting. Unfortunately, due to the fire that is occurring in a neighbouring province, the pollution that is happening there is slowly traveling over to Manitoba, and our skies and air are smoggy and a tad bit hazy.


Feeling a bit woozy after my daily outdoor walk, and sensing a headache coming on, I knew that it was time to make a batch of soy milk to clear my sinuses.

It would honestly be much easier to buy a jug from the store, but now that I can't go outside to walk, I've got nothing much better to do with my hour.  Plus homemade is more organic and much healthier - not necessarily correlated.


The soy milk process is simple, but it's time and labor intensive. Prep starts 1-2 days before with the soaking of the beans in water which needs to be changed once in a while.




Once the beans have fully expanded from their dried state, it's time to take a little trick out of the Ottolenghi book. I picked this method up while making hummus a few years back, which I then used on soybeans since it's composition is similar to the chickpea.


What's the trick, you may ask. Well it's simple. A quick toss in a heated pan with a sprinkle of baking soda, which magically breaks down the hard outer shell and allows for quick removal and cleaning.





Once the shells have been removed and the beans have been rinsed - it's time for the blending. One batch of freshly cleaned soybeans thrown in with water (adjusted to your liking) and brought to a slight boil before immersion blending in pot.


Flavoring is added - a capful of vanilla for me, and perhaps a teaspoon of sugar for you.


After letting the freshly made milk sit for a few hours in the heated pot, the leftover fiber which did not dissolve into the liquid must be carefully strained, before the soy milk is left to cool.

One type of very traditional Hong Kong breakfast is crispy you tiao with freshly made hot soy milk to dip. Delicious.

Today, I took mine slightly chilled, with floating cubes of fresh grass jelly. Also supremely good for the body.

Perfect way to beat the Summer haze and a healthy alternative to those of you who might be like me and starting to tire of coconut water.

naomi