Patio Drinks: Pimm's Cups

I don't think I'd ever even heard of Pimm's before I moved to England. I think the first time I noticed it was while watching 30 Minute Meals, and Jamie Oliver drizzled some Pimm's over sliced strawberries that were waiting to be spooned on top of cream and meringue to become Eton Mess (I haven't tried this myself but it sounds like a solid idea if you ask me).

I was intrigued. Then summer rolled around and Pimm's Cups started to become a "thing". I was keenly aware of all the signs at pubs and restaurants advertising pitchers of Pimm's and lemonade (i.e. 7-Up or Sprite, to us North Americans). I knew enough to piece together that Pimm's No. 1 is gin-based, and I like gin, and therefore I should probably hop on this sweet, sweet Pimm's train ASAP.

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Rhubarb & Strawberry Galettes

It's been so gloomy out the past few days, but this weather makes me all the more grateful that our May long weekend was so gorgeous. I booked off an additional two days from work to turn it into a five day weekend, as did my mom (who came up to visit), and we had an awesome family weekend that included seeing Fleetwood Mac in concert, shopping on Whyte Ave, and wandering around the jungle of flowers and plants at the Enjoy Centre. On Saturday we all went to have lunch on the Manor Bistro's sunny patio (if you live in Edmonton and haven't been to this little hidden gem, you need to go. Like, right now). Afterward we went on a leisurely walk up 124th Street - we purposely skipped dessert at the restaurant so we could go to Duchess for a treat. It was packed in there, as usual, and I panic-bought the most delicious looking thing I could see through the crowd of customers - a rhubarb galette. I demolished it before we even got back to the car. 

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Strawberry Oreos

America, on the whole, has better junk food than the rest of the world. Well, maybe not better (Belgium knows what's up), but American snack aisles certainly have more variety than their international counterparts. Case in point: Oreos. I thought Canada had a huge range of Oreo products... Golden, Double Stuf, those chocolate covered ones you get at Christmas sometimes... but in the States: Birthday Cake, Cool Mint, Creamsicle, Gingerbread, Peanut Butter, Mega Stuf, Neopolitan, Candy Corn, and Berry Burst Ice Cream. Browsing Amazon.com's Oreo selection makes me want to drive 7 hours to Montana right now.

Last summer, my mom did just that, and when she came back she brought me all kinds of American treats, including Berry Burst Ice Cream Oreos. They went in the freezer so I wouldn't eat them all at once, but they still disappeared pretty fast.


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Sex and the City Cupcakes

Fair warning: this post contains content that is all kinds of girly. A miniature cupcake with a swirl of pink frosting, named after the girliest show on television... pinning it! I could go into all the trouble with anti-feminist caricatures and how the cupcake is a symbol of everything that's wrong with society, but I won't. That's not what we're here for.


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