A walk through Yorkville

A few weeks ago, the weather finally warmed up in Toronto, and the sun came out! So, we decided to go for a long walk through a really nice area of the city and the university campus too.... I love looking at the old buildings!  We also stopped at a little cafe/european grocery store for a coffee and snack :) 

Baked Churros with Nutella dipping sauce

I made homemade churros today!  Churros are spanish doughnut-like pastries, and are traditionally fried and made by street vendors as fast food snacks, or served for breakfast in cafes... but since fried food doesn't agree with me, I baked them, coated them with cinammon sugar and served them with Nutella sauce in my new French Fry diner-style stand.  

They were delicious, and I definitely had too many of them!   The texture was perfect too, crunch on the outside and soft in the middle, but I think I would make them thinner next time cos I prefer them to be a little more crunchy. 

The Best Greek Restaurant in Dubai....

... goes to Elia (in my opinion)!!  I had the best greek food here - everything was made fresh and you'll find traditional dishes as well as dishes that have been modernized.  While I was in Dubai, I visited the restaurant twice; the first time we ordered their dolmades (cabbage rolls), and a spinach salad for starters and for the main course I took the Leg of Lamb (Stifado style) with onions and grated potato.

Then for dessert we ordered their (HUGE) plate of Loukoumades (small doughnut-like balls covered in honey and walnuts) - this was amazing and my favourite part of the meal!  Unfortunately, I didn't take a photo myself because the loukoumades were attacked and disappeared very quickly :S  Here is a photo from the web (our portion was bigger than the one in the photo!):



This photo of Elia is courtesy of TripAdvisor

The second time, I ordered the same starters, a tomato salad for my main, and their chocolate fondant dessert... great quality food again!


This photo of Elia is courtesy of TripAdvisor

For more photos, check out this page (make sure to scroll through the photo gallery on the right):  http://dubaimajestic.com/dubai_press_EN/93/Elia%E2%80%99s_Greek_signature_dishes_impress_at_Taste_of_Dubai_2009..htm

You can find Elia Restaurant in the Majestic Hotel; they are only open for dinner.  You can find more information on their facebook page as well - https://www.facebook.com/EliaDubai?fref=ts

Creekside Park

The lovely view from Creekside Park ...

I Love Dubai

Oatmeal Recipe

This is an oatmeal recipe I often make for breakfast;  it's delicious and filling!  I top it with bananas, cinnamon, blueberries, honey and walnuts... I usually add the blueberries raw, but this time I decided to make it more exciting and cook down the blueberries with the honey into a sauce.

Ingredients:

- 1/4 cup Bob Red Mill's Scottish Oatmeal
- 1/4 cup Milk
- 1/2 cup water
- Drizzle of Honey
- 1/2 Banana
- 1 chopped Walnut
- Handful of Blueberries
- Cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp Vanilla Extract
- Pinch of Salt

1. Bring water and milk to a boil
2. Add oatmeal, stir, cover and lower heat to a simmer (stir every few minutes)
3. In another sauce pan, bring honey and blueberries to a simmer, cover and let sit for a few minutes
4. Remove oatmeal from heat just before desired consistency; add vanilla extract, cover and let rest for a few minutes
5. Pour oatmeal in bowl, top with reduced blueberry sauce, chopped banana, chopped walnuts and cinnamon.
6. Enjoy with a warm drink!

Scenes from around Dubai

I thought I would share a few pictures I have taken in Dubai... as you can see, the view changes drastically from one place to another!  In one picture you see the desert, then in another it looks like a futuristic city!  Hope you like them :) 

Flamenco Nights

I went to see an amazing flamenco performance in Dubai's Park Hyatt Hotel before Christmas (my mum surprised us with tickets as a christmas gift!), and I'd like to share with you this video we took of part of the performance!  Hope you enjoy!

Here is their website, if you'd like to find out more about the dinner and show: http://www.alandalusevents.com/#home