Music Monday: Oh Canada

If you know me very well, then you know I have an affection for all things Canadian. Their accent, music, and Candice Olsen are enough to make want to visit. But after watching the Olympics this past weekend and learning even more about our friendly neighbor to the north, I feel a trip to Canada in our near future.

There are so many artists from Canada that I love so I thought I would feature some on Music Monday in honor of the Vancouver Olympics going on right now (so excited!).

Sarah Mclachlan - She was my first Canadian love. Her album, Fumbling Towards Ecstasy, which was released in 1993, is still one of my all time favorite albums.

Fiest - Most recognize this artist from the iPod Nano commercial that featured the song, 1,2,3,4 off of her latest album, The Reminder. But it's her sophomore album, Let It Die, that grabbed my attention. I love the song Mushaboom about the village with the same name in Novia Scotia and the simple life of raising a family and tending to the home.

Leonard Cohen - K.D. Lang, another great Canadian talent, performed his song Hallelujah during the Vancouver opening ceremony. But my first exposure to Cohen was through his album Ten New Songs, and I have been hooked ever since.

Great Lake Swimmers - They had me at Ongiara. It's a little bit Canadian folk and a little bluegrass. Perfection.

The Be Good Tanyas - Their albums Chinatown and Hello Love are in heavy rotation at our house. I wish they would put another album out so I could have a chance to see them in concert. Again, another blend of Canadian folk and Southern bluegrass, which seems to be my favorite combo right now.

Thank you, Canada! I hope to visit your beautiful country very very soon.

Snow Day{s}

If you're bored and it's snowing

Clap your hands {clap, clap}.

That is probably true for anyone reading this on the East Coast. I don't ever remember getting back to back snow storms this far south. But here it is, the 2nd Friday in a row where it's snowing and we are stuck inside. We aren't accustomed to this kind of weather. I'm sure if we were in the North or Midwest we would be out driving around, going about our business. But since I live in the South and just the mention of snow cancels school and sends everyone running to their nearest grocery for milk and bread, I am inside going STIR CRAZY.

And what to do when you are stir crazy and can't don't want to go outside? Catch up on homework? Nah, that's for nerds. Finish home projects? Bah, that's for the birds. Cook, bake, and eat your way out of boredom? Now you're talking!

Last week I came down with a terrible stomach bug and couldn't eat a real meal for FIVE days. So, when it started snowing Friday night and we were stuck inside all day Saturday, I took that as a sign to make up for lost time. I went into the kitchen around 10 a.m and came out sometime around 7 p.m. covered in flour, sugar, and grease.

Some of the things that came out of the kitchen were:

Ina Garten's Tri-Berry Muffins*

Meyer Lemon and Ricotta Pancakes w/ creme fraiche* (adapted from the Fairmont in San Francisco)

French Chocolate Bark (adapted from Ina Garten)

that we turned into s'mores (that goes great with red wine!)

And last, but not least...Oreo Balls*

I snapped this picture before they were dipped in white chocolate, which I forgot to take b/c I was too busy stuffing my face full of sugar. Can you tell I had a sweet tooth last week? That's what happens when I can't eat for FIVE days. And also why I don't get diets. Telling myself I can't have something only makes me want it more.

With snow in the forecast for this weekend, we thought we would try something other than cooking to keep us from getting bored.

Drinking!

Markus came up with a great concoction of Tequila**, lime, and ginger ale. It's delicious and smooth goes down.

*e-mail me if you would like recipes I didn't link to. I was too drunk lazy to type them up.

**I'm not allowed to drink Tequila unless under constant supervision and away from the general public, so this is a real treat!

Music Monday: Citizen Cope

Markus and I are going to see this band play Saturday night at The National. His music is a blend of reggae, hip hop, blues, and southern beatnik. Very nice music to listen to, especially on a warm, sunny day.

Enjoy!