Fun With Lawn

What A Small Patch Of Lawn Can Do For You

A small patch of the green stuff may be just the sort of versatile ingredient your garden needs.

Fun With Lawn

 

DESIGN WISE | If you want to get maximum mileage from your outdoor space for physical play or entertaining, the most versatile garden surface I know of is good old-fashioned lawn. Lawn is a four-letter among guerilla gardeners who see it as an ecological disaster and a colossal waste of energy, and I do agree that a large area is imprudent. But a small patch can be a godsend. Read more

Breast Or Thigh: Which Chicken Part Is Best?

Chicken breasts have long been considered the healthiest part of the bird, but top chefs favour the flavour of dark meat. (RECIPES)

 

WHAT THE PROS KNOW | Why it took so long, I’ll never know, but North Americans are beginning to wean themselves from the breast—the chicken breast, that is. “The dark, tender meat of the chicken thigh is the most flavorful part of the bird,” writes Nate Appleman in his cookbook A16 Food + Wine, the International Association of Culinary Professionals cookbook of the year in 2008. To prove it, he includes THIS AWESOME RECIPE for Chicken Meatballs with Peperonata.

International superstar chef Daniel Boulud (who once set up shop in Vancouver) gave chicken thighs two thumbs up this past winter when he used them in THIS GREAT RECIPE for Chicken Lasagna, which appeared in Elle Décor.

Neither of these chefs would ever stint on ingredients or sacrifice quality because of cost. Both cook with chicken thighs not because they are always cheaper than breasts but because they taste better than breasts. Simple as that.

But here a small voice interjects, “But what about health? Aren’t chicken breasts a whole lot better for you?” Read more

Stress Less -iStock

How To Stress Less: A Free Lecture, Yesss!

What, You Worry? Clinical counsellor Deborah Braun explains why you want to say yes to stress—and offers advice on how to fight immobilizing anxiety. (FREE Lecture)

Stress Less -iStock

 

WHAT THE PROS KNOW | One thing most of us know for sure is that change is a condition of existence. We know, too, that the big changes in our lives, the ones that affect our health, our heart life (relationships) and home life (moved lately?) inevitably cause stress. Experiencing some anxiousness around change is not a bad thing, says registered clinical counsellor Deborah Braun. “Anxiety in itself is not the problem—worry can be a great motivator; it’s how we look at life and anxiety that usually trips us up.” Read more

Sunlight on two sides of a room

The Must-Have Book For Home Renovators

Thinking about renovating? Then this “bible” of home improvement ideas belongs on your bookshelf.

Sunlight on two sides of a room

 

WHAT THE PROS KNOW | A lot of what I know about how a house should work on the inside and mesh with the outside I learned from the bible. Not the authorized King James version but a book called A Pattern Language, a renovator’s bible that I return to repeatedly for inspiration and guidance.

First published decades ago, this tome consists of 1,170 tissue-thin pages of poetically written advice on how to make considered meaning-filled homes and communities. At its core are 253 simple patterns, each one an answer to a design problem, that can be used in any number of combinations to make a family home or a small commercial building—even layout an entire neighbourhood. Read more

Roma dress - Icebreaker

Icbreaker’s Roma Is The Ultimate LBD

The perfect little black dress will take you from dawn to dusk, office to dinner—oh yes, and even around the world.

Roma dress - Icebreaker

 

BUY RIGHT | The perfect little black dress is to women what a well-tailored suit is to men: a garment that works in a range of situations. And the most perfect little black dress of all may be the Roma wrap dress from Icebreaker. Read more

Theatre Volunteer

Stage Presents: See Live Theatre For Free

Get more out of live theatre performances by working behind the scenes—save on ticket purchases, too.

Titanic The Musical TUTS 2012GIVE & GET | Calling all theatre junkies! If you can’t survive the summer without multiple doses of Bard on the Beach and TUTS: Theatre under the Stars (where you can see Titanic The Musical this summer), are biting your nails until the next batch of Fringe Festival offerings and love all the live-and-in-your-face independent theatre, well, ticket prices will add up. Volunteering is a way to see more theatre for less money and be an insider to boot. Read more

Three Glasses Of Beer

Craft Beers Really Are Quite Simple To Make

Craft beers are surprisingly simple to make—economical, too. All you need is a little equipment and the advice of a homebrew guru.

Three Glasses Of Beer

 

DO IT YOURSELF | Vancouver has made a name for itself as Canada’s microbrew capitol. As the trend and palates for craft beer continue to grow, artistic DIYers are brewing up their own spins on flavourful favourites at home for little more than pennies a pint.

Not so long ago my husband and I tried some delicious homebrew. Intrigued, we questioned the couple who’d made it on the ins and outs of their hobby while our silent glances said, “We could totally do that!” And we did. Read more

AirFloss

Floss Much? No? Then AirFloss To The Rescue

This cool new dental tool can help with a cumbersome chore many of us avoid like the plague.

AirFloss

 

MONEY WELL SPENT | Floss much? Didn’t think so. Don’t worry; you’re not alone. Daily flossing is as important as daily brushing, but most people don’t floss routinely, and if/when they do floss, it’s guilt flossing, the kind you engage in just before or after a trek to the dentist. Read more