My mother for most of my life has worked in the garment and fashion industry.  So when I told her that I was sick of buying maternity clothes and struggling to find things to wear, she was quick on the industrial Singer to start stitching up a line of comfy maternity clothes for me.  In total she made me three things with still more to come.

I love this top.  But it also makes me laugh because growing-up we had cushions made out of this material and since the pattern of the fabric is square and so is the shape of the shirt, it really reminds me and my sister of our 1970′s couch outfitted with these cushions.  Great reuse of fabric I say.

The real beauty of this shirt is that it is airy, made from cotton, and has lots and lots of room for my growing belly!  Post baby it wouldn’t take much to cinch it in and wear without a baby bump.

No summer picnic would be complete without the muffuletta sandwich.  I learnt about this sandwich on a cottage trip last summer when my sister put one together.  We were all in awe of the muffuletta and all its deliciousness.

To make your own muffuletta sandwich one needs a crusty round bread that you carve out like a pumpkin. Save a bread lid, and scoop out most of the bread from the inside.  Drizzle the bottom of your new bread bowl with pesto.  For my pesto I ground up fresh basil with some olive oil and roasted garlic.  Then add layers of salami, and roasted veggies (I used grilled eggplant, yellow and green zucchini, and carrots).  As for cheese, provolone or havarti will do. Make your layers of cheese nice and thick.  In between layers add capers, and chopped olives or an olive spread, and arugula.  We got our arugula spicy and fresh from our garden.  I also grated a fresh beet and added it to the layers -it gives a beautiful colour.  I put in a layer of some pickled artichoke hearts too.  You could add other items like sundried tomatoes, roasted red pepper, grainy mustards and a layer of thick smoked bacon (save that layer for the top).  My sister’s tip was to separate the layers of meat and cheese so it doesn’t get too greasy and ensure that a little remaining pesto gets drizzled on top.  Last you put the bread top back on and tie the bread back up nice and tight with some parcel string.  Return the whole bread to fridge and let it sit refrigerated for a few hours before cutting into “pie-slices” and serving.

We brought two muffuletta sandwiches out for our July 1st picnic -one with meat and one veggie.

Along with the sandwich was also an assortment of other beautiful fresh summer foods and beverages.  We had some refreshing rice wraps with lettuce, cucumber, mango, mint and basil, as well as, a quinoa and chickpea salad.

Sigh…. I love hot summer days and picnics in the park.

 

For the past three years Steve and I have made a tradition of heading down to Bayfront Park to watch the fireworks on Canada Day.  It is pretty much the marker of when we made the move from Toronto and officially became Hamiltonians.  I have to say we’ve been here now for three years and I am still happy that we made the decision to move to Hamilton -I haven’t had a single regret.

This year we headed down to Bayfront with a troupe of friends.  We opted for a hassle free evening of fireworks by arriving early and staking out a choice fireworks viewing location, and by coming down to the park car-less to avoid the ridiculous traffic jams post pyrotechnics.  Most of us biked or walked down; packed up with pillows, blankets and food.  Our set-up was quite luxurious and the fireworks like every other year were satisfactorily grand.

Once the fireworks ended there was a massive exodus out of the park.  We all decided to hang-out for a little while until the crowds died down.

Sitting back and watching the park empty, we observed the frenzied way people were packing up and  heading in one direction en masse, it actually seemed eerily apocalyptic.  It made for a great scene and I was able to snap a few beautiful pictures of the lights and silhouettes.

 

With the heat, Canada Day celebrations and fireworks kicking the start of July off it is undeniable that summer is here!

 

On one of those super hot days last week I went strawberry picking with my lovely friend Robyn. The past few years we’ve been making a tradition of going strawberry picking together at Lindley’s Farm in Ancaster.  The thing that I love about strawberry picking (besides getting some delicious strawberries) is that Lindley’s strawberries are pesticide free! Even though I know that I can get California-store-bought strawberries for half the price, there’s just something amazing about picking local strawberries hot off the strawberry bush -so juicy-fresh and chemical free!

There’s a mini farm market on-site that sells some local produce grown at Lindley’s (if you don’t feel like picking your own).  They also sell a stock of other local Ontario produce from around the area.

The sun was hot but there was a beautiful warm summer breeze that made it all bearable.  The strawberries were so ripe, huge and amazing. Regardless of the summer heat and lest I forget being nearly 7 months pregnant, it was still worth it to pick-our-own berries.  Now I have berries to last well into the fall for smoothies, and baking.

Before we left Lindley’s one of the farmers was telling us that there was just a short window of good strawberry picking days left -only about 4 days to go from today!  Raspberries were also in season to be picked and the black raspberries should be ready to go in about another week or so. If you have a berry hankering, the time for picking is now!

*Lindley’s Farm, 900 Fiddler’s Green Road, Ancaster, 905.648.4212

 

 

Have you seen the progress lately on Treble Hall?  I love watching the evolution of the restoration of this building.  Painstakingly paint is stripped, windows refurbished, ornamental wood features restored -wow, what a building!  I know John Street has a long way to go, but I just love taking a moment every now and then to just stop and check out the workings around the magnificent Treble Hall.

What kind of difference will the completed restoration of this building have on this little strip of John Street?  I can picture the storefronts full, perhaps another café, and knit shop or a restaurant?  Who wouldn’t want a space in one of those Victorian storefronts with those lofty ceilings and windows with ornate cut glass?

 

Treble Hall is being restored by Jeff Feswick of Historia Restoration.  For further readings on the project check out CBC Hamiton’s -Paul Wilson’s article here.

Concession Street is included in my view of Hamilton’s downtown cityscape; I don’t need a car to get there but instead can opt for a healthy stair climb up to this little urban strip.  I have to be honest in that I don’t get up there as much as I would like to.  From time to time I’ll make my way up for a delicious brunch at Papa Leo’s.  I still have plans for some further Concession Street explorations to check out the bowling alley, and stop by their weekend farmer’s market.

I do have hopes for a continued revitalization of Concession Street and see it becoming like a mini-Locke or Ottawa Street on the mountain brow.  I love to see the pockets of redevelopment in other places in the city besides just James North and Locke Streets.  Concession Street here we come!  Can someone please open up a milk-bar and a coffee shop?  That way when I climb those stairs I can be rewarded with a delicious ice-cream and coffee treat!

On a recent visit to Concession Street I noticed a store called The Garage Sale Place.  Although, not a new antique store (it’s been open for 15+ years) it was my first time happening into the store.  It has all sorts of interesting gems to rummage through from old dressers, wardrobes and tables, to pachinko machines, mirrors, and picture frames all for some pretty bargain prices.

We picked up this mid-century basket chair for just $10!  It does need a bit of refurbishing but for $10 you can’t really ever go wrong.  It will fit nicely into the ever evolving nursery room that we’re currently putting together.  I see this chair perhaps under a sheep skin rug.

 

*The Garage Sale Place, 596 Concession St. 905.387.6337

 

Things have been pretty busy around here the past few months.  My apologies for the less frequent blog posts as of late.  I’ve got a pretty good excuse. We’ve been busy doing a lot of organizing and preparing BECAUSE… in 3 months we’re having a baby! It’s our first so we’ve been having to dive into the world of crib, stroller and baby-goods purchasing -there’s so many products and things out there these days it’s overwhelming! We’ve also been rearranging, finishing up minor renos around the house and getting a nursery ready on top of day to day work and life.  I know, I know, things are only going to get busier.

I wondered a little if I would be someone who would post a baby announcement on their blog.  I know having a baby will occupy so much of my time as it already has. I was already finding it hard to omit from the day to day goings on and posts here.  So here it is my first baby post and pictures. Who knows maybe I’ll start another blog focused more on life as a newby parent.

This is me at the start of May.  At 5 months I felt huge, and was long into wearing maternity clothes.  But I guess really my clothes don’t look any different from what I would normally wear, so to everyone else I’m pretty much exactly as I’ve always been sans bébé in utero. I could already feel cute little fluttery kicks and summersaults just for me in my belly.

I’ve been told I’ve got a wee bump.  I’m anticipating in the next 3 months in the heat of summer that I might just start to expand exponentially. Bring on the flipflops, muumuus, and kiddie pools for feet soaking!  I’m all yours for a free wheeling summer of day-trips, swimming pools and ice-cream.

 

Since moving to Hamilton three years ago, I have seen the growth of some serious coffee culture in this city.

Moving from Toronto, where hip independent cafés and coffee shops abounded, I have to admit I was a little skeptical about how I was going to be able to get my coffee fix in the Hammer. And after I moved, I was, indeed, taken aback that a city the size of Hamilton had a serious lack of “good” coffee shops.

I found myself trekking my way down to Locke Street to indulge in the fail-safe but generic Starbuck’s latte. I on occasion schlepped it all the way to Westdale for a cup at My Dog Joe. My only downtown saving grace was Julia Serna’s delicious fair trade Colombian coffee at what was then the temporary mall location of Hamilton Farmers’ Market. She’s still serving up a fine brew at the renovated Market, along with the amazing Red Hill Coffee stand, which I’m a big fan of, too.

But I digress. What it truly came down to was that I was at a loss for a local café. I wanted a place to sit, sip on a good cup of coffee, chat with a friend and enjoy the atmosphere of a true independent coffee shop downtown.

It didn’t take long after moving to Hamilton that I could tell something was brewing (ahem). I saw the opening of Detour café in Dundas. They expanded from an on-site coffee bean roaster, serving small-scale barista espressos, lattes and the like from their tiny shop in the back of a parking lot, to a full blown beautiful and always packed downtown Dundas café.

I heard stories of the Domestique café in Dundas, which opened in 2010. It caters to coffee enthusiasts and the local cycling community. Their infamous Early Surly coffee blend that could wire a deadbeat is likely what propels those avid road cyclists up that mountain of a climb on Sydenham Road.

Not long after the café culture started in Dundas, I noted gutting and renovating had started at Hotel Hamilton — a former laundromat among other past incarnations on the corner of Mulberry and James Street North. With the main floor’s gorgeous moulded ceilings and mosaic tiled floors being revealed and refurbished, I dreamt the space would one day be home to a downtown independent coffee shop. I remember chatting with one of the developers of the building and he mentioned they were looking to lease the space to a café with the feel of something you might find on Queen West in Toronto. I couldn’t wait!

Pretty soon Mulberry Coffee Shop opened its doors. It was just what the neighbourhood needed. In the short time I’d lived in Hamilton, I saw all this inspiring change happen.

There have been several new coffee shops and cafés that have opened up since then. There’s Cannon Coffee Co. — better known as “The Cannon” — on the corner of Cannon and Ottawa streets. They serve my favourite latte in the city using beans from all of the local Hamilton coffee roasters that I love: Detour, Red Hill, & Speakeasy. There are Red Crow and Radius, both of which opened up recently on James Street South. On King William, there’s the recently opened Baltimore House’s gothic/Victorian themed café and wine bar and also Homegrown Hamilton (formerly Sky Dragon) with their in-house roasted-fresh coffee beans.

 

What I love is that many if not all of the new coffee shops that have opened are also serving up some phenomenal brunches, snacks and baked goods, giving us Hamiltonians a multitude of options for coffee and treats. Each place is unique, and local, adding their own flavour to the ever-developing coffee culture in Hamilton.

What I’ve discovered since my move is that anything Hamilton may be missing — like, say, a microbrewery or a vegan restaurant or a juice bar — will likely be on its way soon. If it isn’t, get on it: It’s true you can do anything in Hamilton.

My top three coffee shops

1. Detour Coffee: airy, bright atmosphere, great sweet treats, baked goods, soups, salads and the like, fabulous Detour roasted beans; 41 King St. West, Dundas.

2. The Cannon: contemporary style and design with a great people-watching window, best latte in the city, delicious daily lunches and brunches; 179 Ottawa St. North.

3. Mulberry Street Coffee House: love the casual atmosphere, my downtown go-to place for meet-ups, a cup of coffee to go, ginger molasses cookie or a savoury muffin to tide me over; 193 James St. North.

 

You can also find this post printed in The Hamilton Spectator June 9th 2012 here.

 

It’s a different world just a short 30 minute drive away from downtown Hamilton.  Straight up Upper James for a few kilometers, and you will hit the small and quaint town of Caledonia.  I had no idea it was so close!  We wanted to check it out over the weekend for the city-wide garage sale.  However, leaving the house after 10am meant that we had basically missed most of the good deals and sales.  With the rain managing to hold off for the afternoon it was still worth the trip to discover some of these Caledonian gems.

Searching the residential back roads for good sales we came upon a stretch of road along side the river, and when we came upon this I couldn’t help but gawk at the old Grand River Mills.  What a building!  It was a wheat flour mill built in 1853.  Powered by the flowing river, it milled wheat into flour from 1857 until the 1960′s! Currently you can’t enter the building, but since it is a designated historic building you can rest assured that it is being preserved.  There are plans for its eventual reuse that I believe are currently in the works.

After scouring a few more garage sales and coming up empty handed we decided to make our way.  Our first stop before crossing the river back to town was at this antique shop at the old Haldiman House, which just so happens to have been built by James Little, who also built the flour mill by the river.

Next to the antique store was an 85 year old snack bar called the Oasis.  We grabbed an ice-cream there for our first of what was to be several Caledonia treats.

Heading back over the bridge I spotted Jones Bakery.  Another old establishment still baking with a brick oven!  We sampled a butter tart, and some bread.  Prices for treats in Caledonia sure can’t be beat.  Steve made a payment of less than $2 and it covered everything.  We should have bought a fresh rhubarb pie.

Jones bakery had a fine selection of candy too, beautifully displayed in that old-fashioned way.

Well, we left Caledonia empty of garage sale finds, but I left feeling satisfied having explored a new area that I’d never been to before.

We planted clover in the backyard last year so that we didn’t have to stare at dirt anymore, and so that we never had to cut grass again.  Sometimes, however the clover gets a little long as you can see here.

Steve recently found a variety of seed that grows short clovers at Tregunno Seeds on Catharine Street North.  We’ll have to try it out since some of the clovers in our backyard are just so super long.  I’m gunning for integrating Irish or Scotch moss into the mix, but I think that might just be wishful thinking and potentially impossible.