Cravings

I didn't discover Chrissy Teigen the "classic" way; through her Sports Illustrated swimsuit modelling, Spike TV hosting duties or appearances in music videos. I discovered her through Eric Ripert, my favourite French chef.  

When I got sick with pneumonia last year and had to spend a month alone in bed, I went on the hunt for online entertainment to keep my mind occupied. I love watching food shows and since I had zero appetite I thought I'd get my gastric (as opposed to creative) juices flowing by watching him prepare a variety of meals - in his home kitchen - with celebrity guests like Stanley Tucci, Drew Barrymore, Roger Waters and, of course, Chrissy Teigen on On the Table with Eric Ripert.

Other than her beauty, I was immediately struck by Teigen's voice (which I love), her personality and her passion for cooking - not to mention her wicked sense of humour.

Teigen and Ripert prepared two dishes on the episode that featured her and I immediately decided to try one of them: Thai Jok Moo, a Thai rice porridge with pork meatballs.

I made the dish for the beau a few weeks later and he loved it, even though it was really, really different from anything he'd ever tried before. In the interim, I had explored Teigen's food blog (she has a blog too... gasp!), So Delushious, and tried a few of her personal favourites, including Spicy Sesame Noodles with Chicken, Herb Stuffed Branzino and Super Bowl Chili Frito Pie Bar.

YUM!      

Since then, I've delved into the rabbit hole that is Chrissy Teigen's life (that sounded a little ew!) and am proud to say that I've permanently added her to my list of celebrity crushes (hi there, Cameron Diaz, Chelsea Handler and ALL of the Kardashians!). 

And now, Teigen has her very own cookbook; Cravings. 

Featuring "recipes for all the food you want to eat," Cravings is perfect for a girl like me, who is always craving something (like sushi, tortilla soup, pho, hot dogs, cheeseburgers and... a whole lot more!).

I hope you enjoy Cravings, and Chrissy Teigen, as much as I do. Her Twitter feuds are pretty epic as well.

Hellz to the yeah!

Hips ahoy!

I've been back in Montreal for a while now but my mind is still a million (or so) miles away, floating in the brackish waters of the Sunshine State. 

From the Intracoastal Waterway that winds inland, along the Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico coasts, to The Everglades' Lake Okeechobee, I was lucky enough to be treated to two unique boating experiences while in Florida, the likes of which I'll never forget.     

Aboard the Hips Ahoy, I had the pleasure of watching the world drift lazily by as our trusty captain led us through various inlets, rivers, bays and sounds along Hollywood and Dania beaches and I freely admit to wanting to make a break for The Bahamas, when it was pointed out to me way, way, way in the distance.
 

Hips Ahoy

Quaint houses and small fishing boats slowly transformed into mighty mansions and luxury yachts as the Hips Ahoy stealthily made her way to Fort Lauderdale.

Aboard an airboat built by the previously mentioned captain over 20 long years, I had the opportunity to relive one of my favourite episodes of Kourtney and Khloe take Miami; Land of the Lost.
 

photo by Frank Coluccino

And the road goes ever on...

 

Welcome to Miami / Bienvenido a Miami

There are a few places in this world that ended up being exactly how I pictured them, even before seeing them. Las Vegas is one of them and Miami is another. With nothing but Dexter, Miami Ink and Kourtney and Khloe take Miami as references, the image I had of Miami was pretty close to the real thing. From the awe-inspiring art deco hotels that line Ocean Drive in South Beach to the lush tropical wetlands of The Everglades, Magic City really is all kinds of bueno.

 
And how exactly did I get to Miami, you might ask? 

No, I did not send myself by post. 

I asked the universe, here. Also, I repeatedly asked my very fresh friend to go on a road trip. In the end, the universe conceded and my friend said yes to Florida but no to the road. So we flew. With Air Canada Rouge.

Love the "quotation" marks. Unfortunately, there was nary a jaunty hat in sight. 

Armed with a (growing) list of must-sees in Miami (we also spent a few days in Broward County, which includes Hollywood and Fort Lauderdale) we first paid our official respects to DASH (me) and the Love Hate Social Club (him).

mecca

Ami James' dog

And then there was Ocean Drive. 

Honestly. It's just like heaven on earth.

While we hadn't planned on doing anything at night in Miami (we were livin' la vida broka, folks) we got very, very lucky (thank you!!!) and had the opportunity to attend Meatopia, "the world’s most famous celebration of all things meat," as part of the South Beach Wine & Food Festival (SOBEWFF).

Two amazing things happened at Meatopia (other than lots of meat eating and drink imbibing).  

This:

 rockin' around the clock

And this:

celebrity chef José Andrés and yours truly

Thanks universe! You done real good.

 

 
 

Kourtney's avocado pudding

I've never been a big breakfast person. For the past twenty years, I've probably had little more than a coffee and a banana on most days (except for those special ones where the beau made me grilled cheese sandwiches). Combine that with the fact that breakfast is supposedly the "most important meal of the day" and the result is... no bueno. 

But there's a new kid in town: Kourtney's avocado pudding. 

And by Kourtney I mean, obvs, Kourtney Kardashian.

yasss bitch!

On a recent episode (S11E2), Queen Kourtney was seen chowing down on an admittedly less than appetizing looking green pudding. When asked what it was, she said "an avocado, some milk and two tiny little teaspoons of sugar." 

After watching the episode, the recipe ran through my head for a couple of days. I tried to imagine what it might taste like but I couldn't. So I made it. And boy oh boy am I ever glad I did. 

It's delicious. And my new, healthy go-to breakfast.

Easy to make, avocado puddling literally requires nothing more than an avocado (not too ripe, as it gets a little ew when it starts turning brown), a cup of unsweetened almond milk (I'm partial to the vanilla-flavoured kind), a touch of sugar and a blender.

 heaven in a glass

Avocado pudding isn't the first tasty treat I've teefed from the Kardashians and it likely won't be the last. From their daily staples (iced tea and salad) to their special treats (churro and beignet) I'm all about keeping up with what the Kardashians eat. And how they eat it.

 iced tea

salad

So that's about it for now... all that's left to do is Instagram a photo of the pudding.

Or not. 

  

Chelsea Does...

Since both Chelsea Lately and After Lately have been off the air since 2014, it had been more than a while since I'd had a Chelsea Handler fix when I found out that she was coming out with a four-part "documentary" series on Netflix called Chelsea Does.

Side note: Since I grew up during the golden age of television (well okay maybe not that long ago but you know what I mean) I'm accustomed to the standard television series format, you know, where new episodes are aired on a weekly basis. After watching the first episode of Chelsea Does I'm embarrassed to say that I actually waited until the following week to watch the next one, forgetting that online series don't work the same way and are meant to be binge-watched. 

 bae

Focusing on marriage, Silicon Valley, racism and drugs, the dosuseries explores a variety of sometimes difficult topics through a comedian's (and sometimes several comedians) eyes, blending seriousness and humour for an end result that manages to make you both think and laugh.

Side note: Silicon Valley is NOT pronounced the way you think it is.

who knew? 

Of the four episodes I'd have to say the marriage one was probably the least interesting - probably because Chelsea herself doesn't seem to be that interested in it - though it is the first time viewers are introduced to the real Seymour Handler (ahem), Chelsea's father and a former used-care salesman.

"I don't think it covered the issue at all," Seymour says to Chelsea after one of their interviews.

And while he may not be entirely wrong, Chelsea Does does (!) manage to surprise with some pretty enlightening, and sometimes raw, footage - especially in the episodes about racism and drugs.

"pffffffft!" LOL

Side note: I'm one of those people who has a hard time watching other people make a fool of themselves. Like, I literally get sooo uncomfortable I can't watch... which is why I can't watch shows like American Idol and The Bachelor (also, because I don't want to). Chelsea Does... Racism provoked a similar reaction in me at times.

In Chelsea Does... Drugs, Chelsea films herself being a human guinea pig experimenting with a variety of non-recommended drug combinations like Adderall and alcohol and Ambien and alcohol while being interviewed by a neuroscientist. She also goes to Peru to do ayahuasca as part of a traditional ceremony performed by a shaman; a moment when a little-seen side of the comedian delights as tears roll down her smiling face. 

I'm a big fan of Ms. Handler's interviewing skillz and I think it's her interviews with everyone from the founder of Ashley Madison Noel Biderman and his wife Amanda Biderman, Al Sharpton and Willie Nelson to a roundtable with media advocates and interviews with common racists that make this docuseries especially worth watching.

As well as Seymour. 

And Chunk.