The past few months I’ve really enjoyed being able to cook more at home. I’d chalk that up to having a much better kitchen to cook in, but it’s also a function of trying to eat healthier and save money. I’ve been cooking for most of my life, but these days it seems to be more frequently.

A few weeks ago I tried making my first risotto, and I was really happy with the results. Since then I’ve made it a few times and I’m surprised by how creamy and filling it is without any heavy cream or butter.

So the main ingredients I used to cook this were the good quality Arborio rice, a good white wine (I don’t drink wine so I had to rely on the wine store guy on this one), homemade chicken stock, shallots, Parmesan, asparagus, and a variety of wild mushrooms.

A lot of people say cooking risotto is too complicated for cooking at home. I beg to differ! It is actually super easy… but it takes quite a long time to make and it is quite labour intensive (stirring a pot for 45 minutes can get tiring!) but it’s totally worth it. And leftovers for lunch re-heat really nice.

I also quickly browned up some homemade pecan and panko-encrusted chicken breast strips to add some meat to the dish, but it’s definitely not necessary to enjoy.

So give it a try if you haven’t already! If anyone would like the recipe for this or anything else I’ve posted in the Food category to the right, please let me know.

So I know I said I was going to have a moving timelapse video up on the weekend but I got stuck finishing off Resident Evil 5 on the Xbox 360. I can’t help it — I’m a sucker for good video games .

P.S. Looking forward to the Canucks game tonight anyone?

It’s important to me this year to be more conscious of my spending. I gave some tips in my post on how to spend less in a recession, and of course it applies to myself.

While I’m still planning on snowboarding, surfing, and furnishing my apartment this year… I will be cutting down on a major expense… and that is travelling outside of BC. I love travelling. I love the photographs, I love meeting new people, I love exploring, trying new food, and learning about how people live in the rest of the world, outside our little bubble.

I’ve been to a number of places, and there are still SO many places I want to go. Alaska… Africa… South America… China… Russia. Ah well, that’s what the rest of my life is for, right?

So in my decision to not travel anywhere this year, I couldn’t help but feel a little nostalgic. So here are some pictures from my trip to Europe and the Mediterranean in 2002. I’ve also posted a few here in previous posts, and here. These were all taken with my Nikon D50 back in the day.

The harbour in Cadiz, Spain. Such a beautiful place.

Gaudi’s work in Barcelona, Spain. Gaudi is all over Barcelona and it’s easy to see why it his art has become such tourist destinations. Talk about a visionary for his time.

Some workmen lining up outside in Lisbon, Portugal. Portugal is was one of my favourite stops. The food was delicious and the people are incredibly warm, kind, and have a passion for life you don’t see much anymore.

The sidewalks and roads in Lisbon are incredible. Such intricate detail on something so everyday.

Aging columns in Athens, Greece. If you get a chance to lie down in the grass and stare up at the sky and the columns, it’s easy to feel like you are back in ancient times and Adonis or Athena will come charging by.

This statue in Florence, Italy was one of the sculptures that touched me most during my trip (and trust me, we saw a LOT of statues… especially in Florence).”Il ratto di Polissena” or “The Rape of Polyxena” by Pio Fedi has such incredible emotion and detail carved into it; it’s hard not to feel moved by something immovable while standing there.

These donkeys/mules? in Santorini Greece did a lot of work… whether it was carrying people around or heavy loads. It’s amazing to see how people can get along just fine in life without cars, planes, or computers. It’s definitely a simpler life on Santorini.

A flower shop in Rome. There are no big box stores or sprawling shopping malls. Just normal people selling their wares on the street… anything from flowers to fish to shoes. Shopping takes on a whole different meaning and feeling.

A single rose in the trash in Barcelona on their version of “Valentine’s Day” there (La diada de Sant Jordi). Nope, this wasn’t a planted shot.

A gorgeous vista from Nice, France. One of my favourite places in the whole world. Nice moves at a different speed it seems, and when the sea is so blue and there’s so much sun it’s hard not to feel at peace. Just take a moment to yourself on a bench…

That’s it for now. On Saturday I hope to finally post those moving pictures I’ve been struggling to compile. Darn timelapse! Plans for this weekend: Seeing my best friend off from the UK with dinner, drinks, and TheatreSports… more furniture browsing, and cooking. Your weekend plans?

We’re getting close to playoff time, with a 10-game stretch at the end here…

The Vancouver Canucks, coming off a long winning streak at home, and  breaking a losing streak on the road last night… are well-positioned for these last few games before the playoffs. And I would argue, also in a good position to do well in the playoffs.

In this last half of the year, we’re finally getting some spark and jump from players that can make it happen, like the ever-darling Burrows, Kesler, and even the Sedins. And Luongo is stepping up his game… and we know how awesome he is in the playoffs.

And that’s the kind of spirit I want to see us keep on the Canucks. The kind of players who are willing to play for less to play on our team. The kind of players who are willing to play on the ice even if they are bleeding. I want to see us bring this grit and passion into the playoffs that has somehow been so elusive on a Canucks team in this city for the past few years.

Currently we’re sitting 2nd in the Northwest Division, and 5th in our conference. I’d like to see overtake Calgary at the end here. That would just rock.

So I say Bring It, Canucks! Let’s see what you can do here. I’m looking forward to wearing my Canucks jersey every single day… even if it gets stinky… in my annual tradition of wearing my jersey every day for good luck during the playoffs. Even to work.

Who’s excited for the playoffs?

GO CANUCKS GO!

You’ll have to watch the video to find out what I mean.

So I finally had a chance to do some video editing this weekend. I’ve put together the footage from the Mount Washington snowboarding trip to Courtenay on Vancouver Island in February, as well as the huge Big White bus trip to Kelowna.

Check out the video above! Video features… tree runs, powder runs, rails, jumps, and lots of silliness of course. Oh, and leg wrestling. Make sure you watch to the very end of the video Video is totally safe for work.

Here are also a few pictures from the two trips…

Big White was great… here’s a view from the chairlift.

We had a huge group together (54 people)… it was definitely crazy.

Yup, it was Big White-out for a few moments that weekend.

The Telus Park at Big White was awesome… boarder cross, rails, jumps and tons of everything.

My friend Adrian (above) and Chris made it up from San Francisco. They are two of my good friends from university and it was wonderful to see them again.

The private hot tubs in our cabins were awesome! And frequently used.

The view from Mount Washington on the Island is probably one of the most beautiful views you will ever see snowboarding. Wow!

Amy and Tom show off their goggles in the bar.

Teddy Bear stands are necessary, even in the snow.

The tequila was incredible… and yes, many drinking games were played…

… including the now infamous “BOXHEAD” game…

A huge vat of pasta was cooked for dinner, plus a huge breakfast in the morning. Group meals!

We had a great group.

I’ve been sick the past two days with a combination of headaches, fevers, and chills. It hasn’t been pleasant at all. And anyone who knows me knows that I hate hate HATE being sick because it keeps me from doing all the things I love to do.

Well, I’ve spent an excessive amount of time couped up in the bedroom. And it drives me stir crazy. So in between lots of feverish sleep and staring at the walls trying to make the dizziness stop… I’ve been starting to put together the concepts for the design of the bedroom. I still have a long ways to go — there’s still the living room, patio, kitchen, bathrooms, and the sports room. But I digress…

So lying in bed, I was running images of peacefulness and calmness through my head. I wanted something that could be an inspiration for the colour palette and the “feel” of the room.

This photo immediately came to mind:

This is one of my favourite stops on the way to Tofino along the winding rivers and streams that cross over the road out there. I love the lush greenery of the forest, the whiteness of the bubbles as the water passes over the rocks swiftly, and the flow and motion to it.

It’s quite hard to incorporate all that into a bedroom. And as I starting working through the concepts, the bedroom turned into something quite different than the picture.

Our living room is quite masculine, so Allan allowed me to make the bedroom a little more soft.

I wanted lots of white, and lots of green. Soft breezy, almost tropical, but still close to home. Lots of textures. And I especially wanted some “distress” in the furniture with a hint of green… kind of how the water “greens” the rocks in the stream over time. I couldn’t find any furniture just like that, so it looks like we’re just going to distress and treat the furniture ourselves… which is better anyway.

Here are the design concepts I’ve been working through for the bedroom:

I’m pretty happy with the concept so far. What do you think? It sure is different than the photograph, but I do feel the colours, “coolness” and peacefulness are well-represented.