world's best hotels

Set right on the downtown harbor and adjacent to Canada Place (home of the Vancouver Convention and Exhibition Centre), this modern 23-story tower is big with business travelers and conference attendees. The 503 rooms are beige, beige, and more beige, but they're also large and airy, with big windows overlooking the water and the mountains beyond. Of the three on-site restaurants, the Cascades Lounge, in the atrium lobby, morphs into a swank nightspot, where live jazz musicians often play. The outdoor pool and Jacuzzi are both heated, the Spa Utopia's treatments are sumptuous, and the 2,000-square-foot fitness center is far and away the best hotel gym in the city. Book early during spring and summer, the busy Alaska cruise-ship season; and if you're easily put off by crowds of people wearing suits and name tags, you might prefer the Fairmont Waterfront across the street.


This onetime icon of Miami Beach, with its Aztec headdress of a roofline designed by Robert Swartzburg, was redone by Philippe Starck with his standard postmodern wit in 1995. The 194-room Delano got a bit soft when the swanky Shore Club opened nearby six years later, but after a lull—and the 2005 departure of founder Ian Schrager—it's now back and fiercer than ever. The sexy crowd is returning, thanks to an 2006 upgrade of the all-white rooms, which brought in everything from plasma TVs to new bedding. A state-of-the-art fitness center also opened in 2007. One other major improvement: Now that it's strictly Schrager-free, the legendarily beautiful but snooty staffers have retained their model-good looks but lost most of the attitude. Just remember to pack something skimpy but fabulous for the scene at the infinity-edge pool.



in the heart of South Beach and directly on the ocean, Delano is the ultimate world-class urban resort and self-contained destination. It is a cool haven of relaxation in the middle of one of the world’s most vibrant cities. Boasting America’s first Indoor/Outdoor Lobby, the hotel’s public spaces create the feeling of an interwoven “village” with almost no separation between indoors and out.

With its soaring and unforgettably beautiful Lobby, legendary white Guestrooms, lushly landscaped Orchard, breathtaking Pool, renowned Agua Bathhouse and stunning private beach, Delano epitomizes Simple Chic for a modern world.

Pizza Stoned

I would like to now talk about the delightful virtues of the pizza stone. I'm not even talking about the $40 version you have to buy at a gourmet kitchen store. I just mean a slab of stone, maybe it's an oversize floor tile sample, large enough to be placed in a conventional domestic oven, preheated at 500 degrees and waiting patiently to sear a crisp, perfect edge onto a rolled out piece of pizza dough.

So I had a pizza party the other night for my good pal Christa. Not only was it a pizza party but it was a secret mini living room show with her favourite musician in the world, Joel R L Phelps playing.

But since this is a post about pizza I'll save the music story for another blog.

Christa is as nuts about pizza as I am... always searching, always hoping for that great slice of perfect pizza found somewhere in one of Vancouver's gobs of dollar slice pizza shops, Italian job restaurants and modern cuisiney type places. My favourite pizza place in Vancouver is Lombardo's... we've been going there for years with my family. It never even occurred to me that it was in a weird half-empty, fairly ugly mini-mall until Rich pointed it out to me one time. Anyhow the legend goes that it was once run by a married couple, until the husband cheated and they got a divorce. The wife kept Lombardo's, the husband opened an exact copy of Lombardo's just a few blocks away but in a more jazzed-up setting, making it a snootier affair with not so great service. Garbage. Give me Lombardo's anyday over the new joint!

Lombardo's has a woodfire burning oven, the KEY to great pizza. Perfectly crisp, yet chewy too, sometimes charred on the bottom, misshapen but lovingly formed circles of dough, scattered with artichoke hearts, ham, olives or classically prepared with tomato sauce, sliced fresh mozzarella and torn basil leaves. A wooden paddle slides under the pizza and with one fell swoop blasts it straight into the hot fires of the oven's mouth, minutes away to pizza heaven.

Christa, in her pizza seeking obsession, sent me this link for the pizza party! Since we had recently had a popcorn ball-making mishap together (I sometimes like to pepper recipes with my own non-touches) there was a clear inclination that the recipe was to BE FOLLOWED!!!

Diligently I gathered the ingredients, choosing to go to the Italian foods megamart Bosa Foods (though I think I could've found everything much cheaper around where I live)... canned San Marzano whole tomatoes, extra virgin olive oil, fresh fragrant basil, balls of plump Mozzarella nestled in water, salty Italian prosciutto, a hunk of Asiago cheese and grated (I felt lazy) parmiggiano reggiano. And, of course "00" pizza flour and dry active yeast for the dough!

Balls of dough were pre-made and chilled overnight in the fridge. I was freaked because some balls seemed hard and dense and other balls were light and soft like a yeasty pale balloon. I feared I may have messed up this temperamental dough...??

Paranoid as I was, I made a "test" pizza a few hours before the party the following day on a regular old circular pizza pan, the kind with holes dotted throughout it. GARBAGE! The crust was like that of a cheap frozen pizza, thick, white, not crisp and not good. I was scared... but...roll it out and bake it on a piping hot pizza stone??

The pizza stone saves all!!!!

You get the the crispest crust, a nice char in bits, still a bit of chew... the perfect crust. The mozzarella bubbling into the crust, everything coming together to form a perfect new entity of melded together ingredients. Hot, crisp, salty, tangy, pizzaperfect party time. And a chocolate cake with mocha buttercream and homemade espresso ice cream for dessert.

All hail the pizza stone. I am a convert and a half, times infinity to the highest power.

"PEEEEEEEEZZZZZAAAAAAA!!!"

xo Lyndsay

Easy Semi-Homemade Kung Pao Shrimp with Rice

If you like sweet and spicy flavors, this one's for you! I love eating Chinese food, but have not been very successful when cooking it at home. Most recipes are quite complicated and I simply don't have all the required tools, mainly a wok, to cook Chinese food regularly. However, this dish was so simple it was embarrassing. And it was absolutely delicious to boot!

The secret was a little discovery I made at the grocery one day as

I was looking through the sad little Asian "shelf" that my local grocery store provides on the ethnic food aisle. Crammed in between the Thai curry noodles and canned water chestnuts, I found this Asian Kitchen pre-made sauce! So, I thought I would give it a test run.

Not everything has to be made from scratch to be delicious. So, I then journeyed down the

frozen vegetable aisle and picked up a bag of generic "stir fry" vegetables and some pre-cooked shrimp. It turns out, this meal was easy and a nice break from the usual home-made dinner. In fact, it was better than some of the Chinese food I have had in restaurants. Here is how it was made.

Ingredients

1 package of the Asian Kitchen sauce, Kung Pao flavor

1 bag of frozen stir-fry vegetables

1 small bag of cooked frozen shrimp

1/2 cup of fresh baby carrots, sliced

3/4 cups white rice

Directions

1. Cook rice as directed.

2. In a skillet or wok, cook the carrots with a little bit of oil.

3. Add the stir-fry vegetables and cook until heated.

4. Add the frozen shrimp (cut off tails first).

5. Once everything is heated, pour in the sauce.

6. Eat with rice!

Done and delicious!

Stuffed Crust Rosemary Focaccia Pizza with Zucchini and Mushrooms

Pizza! Pizza!

When we don't order pizza, we love to make it. Friday night is traditionally our pizza night. We love trying out different variations of this classic meal. The best thing about pizza is that every slice is a whole meal! You've got everything you need in a well balanced meal compressed into a delicious triangle.

The secret to home-made pizza is finding the right crust. We used to almost always buy the Boboli brand pizza crust. I always found it chewy and lacking in flavor compared to traditional pizza crust. Then, a while later, we discovered that pita bread or indian nan made great pizza crusts. If you are short on time and oven space these are great options because they are quick and can even be made in a toaster oven.

Lately, the best crust however has once again come from a grocery that is quickly becoming a favorite of mine, Fresh and Easy. In their refrigerated section, they have already prepared pizza dough. So, for this recipe, I can't tell you how to make the dough. You just have to buy it already made. But if you can find the raw pizza dough at another store go for it. For this recipe, we bought their rosemary focaccia dough and that was the perfect choice!

Ingredients

1 package of the rosemary focaccia dough from Fresh and Easy

2 cups of grated Parmesan cheese

1/2 cup of vegetable pasta sauce

Fresh oregano

2 Tbs. olive oil

Garlic salt

1/4 cup sliced mushrooms

1 sliced zucchini

Fresh arugala

2 stalks of green onion sliced

Directions

1. Sprinkle all purpose flour on your counter or on a large cutting board.

2. Coat your hands with flour and toss the pizza dough until it becomes large and round. You can try to roll it out with a rolling pin first, but I prefer tossing it high into the air and catching it!

3. Lay the dough on the flour-coated counter and sprinkle with garlic salt. Then move it to a pizza pan or cookie sheet.

4. Lay a thin layer of mozzarella around the outer ring of the dough. Top the ring of cheese with a few scattered oregano leaves.

5. Fold over the dough and press the edges down to seal the "stuffed crust."

6. Brush the olive oil on the crust and then sprinkle a little more garlic salt on the crust for additional flavor.

7. Spread a thin layer of pasta sauce over the dough.

8. Sprinkle a think layer of the mozzarella cheese over the pasta sauce.

9. Top with the veggies and arugala.

10. Sprinkle a little more cheese and oregano on top of the pizza.

11. Bake at 400 degrees for 12 minutes and check. Continue to bake the pizza until the crust turns golden brown and the cheese starts to brown on the top.

12. Remove and let cool for five minutes!

Pair with your favorite beverage! This went well with an IPA beer FYI.

You may even want to warm a side of the pasta sauce to dip your stuffed crust into after you finish the middle of the pizza. It is quite delicious!

Enjoy!

Blood Orange Salmon Avocado Salad

This sounds strange, but it turns out it is a refreshing delight! The blood orange citrus adds quite the compliment to the salty and oily salmon. Of course, the pine nuts always bring in a ton of flavor as well. This is great for a light and healthy dinner. It also is relatively easy and takes just about 1/2 hour to fully prepare.

Make sure you use wild salmon for maximum health effects. Farmed salmon doesn't have nearly as many of the healthy Omega 3 fatty acids as wild salmon. We used fresh Atlantic salmon (a darker red) from our favorite grocery store Fresh and Easy for this dish. It does taste a little more fishy than Alaskan salmon, but goes well with the other flavors.

This will make one salad. Just multiply by the number of people!

Ingredients

1 fresh salmon steak

1/2 avocado, sliced

1/2 blood orange, sliced into chunks in a bowl. SAVE THE JUICE for later!

About 2 Tbs. pine nuts

10-15 pecans

1 stalk of a green onion sliced

1 Tbs. olive oil

1 tsp. olive oil

1 Tbs. red wine vinegar

A pinch of garlic powder

Salt and pepper to taste

Fresh spinach and arugala

Directions

1. Rub salt and pepper into both sides of the salmon.

2. Place on high heat on the grill for just a couple of minutes on each side until salmon is just about cooked all the way through. Remove from grill and wrap in foil to finish the cooking process. This will also keep it warm until you put it on the salad.

3. Place the pine nuts in a small skillet with the tsp. of olive oil and a pinch of garlic powder. Roast the nuts, stirring regularly, until they are browned. Then set them aside.

4. Mix the spinach, arugala, Tbs. of olive oil, red wine vinegar, oranges, orange juice, avocado, onions, pecans together.

5. Top with pine nuts and salmon.

Done! Easy and delicious.

Delicious Zucchini Baked Pasta

If you were like me, you grew up eating a lot of pasta. It was cheap and easy. That's why it was always one of my mom's favorites. Unfortunately, after a while the ol' spaghetti and Ragu would get a little boring. There was a long period in my life where I didn't even eat pasta because I was so sick of the same old spaghetti.

This dish is nothing like "mom's spaghetti" and is just about as easy! The zucchini melts in your mouth like the warm, gooey cheese that tops this dish off.

Ingredients

1 bag/box of Penne pasta

1 cup of sliced mushrooms

2 zucchinis

1 green bell pepper

1 can or jar of pasta sauce (any flavor)

1 clove of garlic

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1 1/2 cups grated soft mozzarella cheese

4 tbs. Olive oil

Fresh oregano

Garlic salt

Directions

1. Cook the pasta as directed.

2. When pasta is done cooking, strain and then pour back into the pot.

3. Mix in the Parmesan cheese, olive oil, a sprinkling of garlic salt, and leaves from one stem of the oregano.

4. Let it sit for a minute for the flavors to mingle.

5. Pour the pasta into a large casserole dish, leaving room for the vegetables.

6. Slice the zucchini into 1/4 inch round slices. Slice the bell peppers into spears.

7. Mix in the raw zucchini, bell peppers, mushrooms, garlic, pasta sauce, and mozzarella cheese. Add two-three more stems worth of oregano leaves.

8. Top with a layer of mozzarella cheese.

9. Cover and bake on 350 for 35-40 minutes.

10. Uncover and bake for another 10-20 minutes until cheese is browning on top.

11. Remove from oven and let sit for another 10 minutes.

Enjoy! Pair with your favorite wine and garlic bread!

Noeline Haylett's visit to Ghana 2010

 For more information about Noeline's work check out her website

Wisdom of the world - Week 137

Caught in the Act


When Bankei held his seclusion weeks of meditation, pupils from many parts of Japan came to attend. During one of these gatherings a pupil was caught stealing. The matter was reported to Bankei with a request that the culprit be expelled. Bankei ignored the case.
Later the pupil was caught in a similar act, and again Bankei disregarded the matter. This angered the other pupils, who drew up a petition asking for the dismissal of the thief, stating that otherwise they would leave in a body.
When Bankei had read the petition he called everyone before him. “You are wise brothers,” he told them. “You know what is right and wrong. You may go somewhere else to study if you wish, but this poor brother does not even know right from wrong. Who will teach him if I do not? I am going to keep him here even if all the rest of you leave.”
A torrent of tears cleansed the face of the brother who had stolen. All desire to steal had vanished.

San Diego Hotels

Complete your stay in this downtown historic San Diego hotel, the US Grant San Diego. This hotel was built by Ulysses Grant Jr. in honor of his father in 1910. With a 56 million dollar renovation completed in 2006, you can expect the modern conveniences and comfort mingled with historic ambiance. The hotel includes 285 guest rooms and 40 suites. Internet access, PlayStation games, CD players, plush robes, Bvlgari bath amenities, and private bars are a few of the standard services included with each room.
Find the most exciting San Diego hotels with the amenities you crave. We list hotels that offer kids' camps to keep the little ones occupied while you luxuriate by the pool. If you want to get out on the water, several San Diego hotels rent out jet skis, kayaks, sailboats and other watercraft so you can take advantage of the sparkling water of the Bay. Are you in the mood for light snacks, full-service dinners, or specialty cocktails and exotic appetizers? You can even find San Diego hotels that offer both family and cocktail cruises around the Bay.

There are several distinct areas in San Diego to choose from. Hotels near historic Old Town are perfect for business travelers and families. You'll feel like you've traveled backwards through time when you stroll past ancient adobe buildings and old-fashioned eateries. This area is also close to the San Diego Convention Center, Sea World, and the San Diego Zoo. You can also browse San Diego hotels near the downtown area as well as lodgings right on the beach.
This popular downtown luxury hotel houses the legendary Grant Grill and Lounge, the Grand Lobby Lounge, event and meeting space, family rooms, and fitness center. Parking is available at a daily rate.

Adjacent to the Old Town State Park and 3 blocks from the San Diego Trolley Station, this hotel in Old Town San Diego offers enjoyable facilities and an on-site restaurant. Best Western Hacienda Hotel Old Town features free shuttle service to the airport, Amtrak railway station and cruise terminal. After a day of exploring Old Town, guests can go for a swim in the outdoor heated pool or work out in the fitness centre. The guestrooms at the Hacienda Old Town Best Western offer amenities such as microwaves, refrigerators and coffeemakers. Guests will also enjoy free high-speed internet access and room service.

Originally the Scripps family's summer estate, this property was sold and converted into a hotel in 1958. The new owners opted for colonial Hawaiian–style architecture that's still in place today. Mahogany woods and South Pacific–inspired furniture outfit the 315 rooms. Yes, the theme can get a little stilted, especially when it comes to the luau nights, the lei-making table, and the the canoe hanging in the fake waterfall–equipped lobby. But hokey or not, the activities and the relaxed and welcoming vibe keep the Catamaran on the short list for families.


At the Surfer Beach Hotel, located on the sands of the Pacific Ocean and just minutes from some of San Diego's premier attractions, you'll enjoy contemporary, oceanfront guestrooms and suites complete with all you need for the perfect beach getaway. From beachfront activities, surfside dining to breathtaking sunsets, we invite you to discover your own personal paradise at the Surfer Beach Hotel.

Daring Bakers' Challenge - January 2011: Biscuit Joconde Imprime/Entrement

The Daring Bakers' Challenge started with a bang this 2011! Our host gave us a challenge that I couldn't resist making. It's a type of dessert that I love creating. When done with planning, patience and practice it's an elegant masterpiece - entrement!

Blog-checking lines: The January 2011 Daring Bakers’ challenge was hosted by Astheroshe of the blog accro. She chose to challenge everyone to make a Biscuit Joconde Imprime to wrap around an Entremets dessert.

Entrement is a composed  French dessert consisting of different components from dacquoise to mousse to creme brulee, anything you can think of, all put together in one showpiece work of art. For this challenge, one of the components we need to put on our entrement is a patterned joconde used as a lining. Joconde is a sponge cake that is made with almond powder, flour, eggs and powdered sugar. Patterns such as stripes can also be added to the joconde sponge by using a joconde decor paste. The decor paste has a very thick consistency, so it is really manageable to make all the patterns you can think of.

I've always wondered how pastry shops make lovely designs on their sponges especially those sleek stripes and perfect swirls. In the past, I've attempted to make my own sponge design by marbling different colored sponge cake batter; it worked out really nice, but my curiosity on how to make perfect lines still remained. Alas, this month's challenge came; answer to my long time mystery solved!

For my entrement, I made an Orange Cognac Mousse Joconde Cake with Dark Chocolate Mousse and Hazelnut Meringue Disc Center. I was so happy with how everything came out. The sketch I made translated to the finished cake. The only thing I wish is for a better pattern, but since I really didn't have much time to execute this challenge, I had to make use of what I have at home/body (I used my fingers to create my pattern). As a whole I love my cake; looking at my finished cake makes me so giddy! The taste of the whole cake was fabulous too; all the flavour components blended well perfectly. I mean what's wrong with an orange chocolate combo, plus the addition of cognac and hazelnut? The cognac and hazelnuts really heightened the whole cake's flavour profile. For me, the aesthetic of the cake looks close enough to be displayed in a pastry case in Paris. Pardon me if I'm self-complimenting, but I never thought I would have made a cake like this ever in my life.

I can't wait as to what's in store for the February challenge!

Bisou bisou,

Charlotte

RTÉ Super Garden 2011

Pic: Last years entrants

NEW SERIES OF 
'SUPER GARDEN'




COULD YOU BE A SUPER GARDENER?

Are you passionate about gardening? Is it your ambition to be a garden designer? Do you dream of winning a Gold Medal at Chelsea?

'Super Garden' is seeking 5 amateur garden designers to compete for the title of 'Super Gardener' in the new RTÉ series, to be broadcast in May 2011.

A passion for gardening is a must, as is creative flair, and the ability to design a garden to a budget and deadline.
So if you feel you have what it takes, this is what you need to do!

Email us and tell us briefly why you love garden design, and what your dream design would be. Where possible, please enclose basic plans or drawings.

Only amateur garden designers are eligible to enter this competition.


Filming will take place during the months of March and April 2011, so applicants must be available for filming during this time.

Terms and conditions apply.

Here are the before and after pics of last years winner: They didn't build it sideways, I can't get the image to behave...

Contacts :

The Super Garden Team
(01) 864 1444
Watch online:

Adult Content

I'm taking the adult content warning off my internet. As funny as I think it is -- because of how content warnings are stupid -- I found it annoying when trying to translate my internote into french with google translate. Also it probably turns people away from the internote because it's an extra step you have to go through to L@@K at it.

Wisdom of the world - Week 136

Silence 

 

“Would you teach me silence?” I asked.
“Ah!”
He seemed to be pleased.”Is it the Great Silence that you want?”
“Yes, the Great Silence.”
“Well, where do you think it is to be found?” he asked. “Deep within me, I suppose. If only I could go deep within, I’m sure I’d escape the noise at last. But it’s hard. Will you help me?” I knew he would. I could feel his concern, and his spirit was so silent.
“Well I’ve been there,” he answered “ I spent years going in. I did taste the silence there. But one day Jesus came, maybe it was my imagination- and said to me simply, “Come follow me.” I went out and I’ve never gone back.”
I was stunned. “But the silence...”
“I’ve found the Great Silence, and I’ve come to see that the noise was inside.”
Father Theophane