Carving Out Your Niche

Everyone I know wants to be some sort of artist. Either spend days lolling under trees writing poetry, confronting the canvas or designing award-winning websites.

We all get tired of our regular routines (even if we’re doing seemingly creative things) and want to embrace the romantic notion of being an artist – at least a little.

So to satiate that craving (that seems to come on full force as soon as soon as the long dark days arrive), I have found a little somethin’ somethin’ to do to placate the beast within.

Images of Canada offers a stone carving kit that has everything you need so you can just get to creating – A 5” x 3” soapstone, 9-piece filing set, sanding block and papers and dust mask. It comes in a canvas tote bag and even includes an instruction sheet.

So now that you have the supplies at the ready, all you have to wait for is… inspiration.

Add Some Colour to Your Life

Recently, I stopped wearing all black.

I don't know what happened. It might have been changing my blonde hair to dark red and then faded to black. Or maybe it's that I'm growing. You may not recognize me with my bright turquoise purse, emerald pashmina or red sunglasses, but I assure you I remain the same person I was when I rockin' the runways head to toe in onyx.

And this carried over into my life. All of sudden the muted, zen-like state of my place has been transformed with espresso comforters, red theatre chairs and plates the colours of neopolitan wafers.

I urge you to add a little colour to your life. It's one of the subtlest changes you'll ever make, but what a difference!

And a great place to start is with these 4' x 6' rugs from Casual Living USA. They are all-weather so you can put one on both sides of the front door. They are made from recycled polyptopylene and are resistant to mold, mildew and fading.

They are stupid easy to clean - just add water from the hose and you're good to go.

If you think that's great, they're only $43 CDN. And oh yeah, they're also reversible.

Colour never looked so good.

Just a Note

Just a note to say that all cool things concerning food will now be uploaded at the pan magazine blog.

I see that a lot of my entries lately have been about food stuff, so I'm going to write about it for Pan and leave the knack for everything else.

The knack will continue to bring you the latest and the greatest for home, work and life, so keep checking in for new entries!

Toaster Oven Hell Is Over

I think toaster ovens are incredible. You can do so much with them. When my parent’s stove went on the fritz, I got them one and they still use it as their main cooking method. In case you don’t know, you can toast, broil and bake with a toaster over. The only problem is trying to find a pan to fit. Then, try to find one deep enough to do a Sheppard’s pie or a whole chicken (both are excellent in the toaster oven – trust me).

The search is now over, thanks to Canadian company Ashton Green. They offer a 3 pan set – “two 6 1/2 by 8 1/2 inch (working dimensions) pans, one 2 inches deep and one 1/2 inch deep, and a non-stick coated broiling and roasting rack that fits nicely in the pans.”

Finally.

And the set is only $19.95.

So get cooking and save both your time and energy. And you’ll be saving the planet while you’re at it. The energy you conserve by using this little fella is considerable.

And email me with what you what in your lovely little oven. It might make it into pan magazine.

Cup O' Soup Never Tasted So Good

It’s getting cooler and nothing hits the spot like a cup of soup.

But the options for instant soups are limited – can of Campbell’s, Styrofoam bowl of Mister Noodles or Thai Kitchen Instant Noodle Soup?

Or, at least they were. In Bloor West Village you can find these Polish instant soups by Winiary called 5 Minut Stop. They are just like the small little Knorr envelopes of cup of soup that we all known and love, but frankly, got bored of back in our teens.

Although the packaging is in Polish, the ingredients are laid out in easy-to-follow illustrated steps:

1. Pour soup mix into cup.

2. Pour 200 ml of hot water into cup.

3. Let sit for one minute (it should, therefore, be called 1 Minut Stop)

Now, it is not just convenience that we are after. It is taste. And these are by far the best tasting packaged soups I have ever had.

As for the flavours, you might not know them by their Polish names, but you can tell what they are by the colour photographs on the front of the package.

My personal favourite is Ogorkowa, which is lemon dill and I swear, by the first sip, you will be convinced that it is fresh dill and lemon that you are experiencing.

There are cream of onion (Zupa Cebulowa) and chicken (Krem z Kury), which are not creamy or heavy in the least. There are also tomato and chicken noodles, for those of you wanting a more traditional cup o’ soup. And don’t forget white and red borscht! These soups even have delicate croutons that somehow never get soggy and remain crunchy throughout the entire cup.

And if you want more than just a smidge for lunch or a snack, big packages (serving for 2) are available as well. My personal favourite? Zupa Brokutowa – cream of broccoli – delicate and devine.

And get ready – they are only 49 -65 cents a package, depending upon where you shop! So never listen when someone says there is no free lunch. This is pretty damn close.

Purse Envy

Every season brings its big contenders - right now the grommeted bags, wide belts and shirts that hit your hips are hot. The only problem with this is that everyone gets the same stuff - slight versions of the original depending on where you get it and how much you're willing to spend - and thus, we all look like versions of one another.

So, the search for what's just outside of that without looking like someone 30 years older can be difficult. But at ecoist.com they have just what I need or want (a purse, for example) but they have ones made out of movie billboards and candy wrappers, so they are not only tres cool, but environmentally sound.

It doesn't get much better than that. Except that they are incredibly affordable.

Inexpensive enough to maybe get two?

Oh yeah.

It just got better.

And by the way, they carry way more than purses.

Finally! My Cajun Hankering Gets Sated

For me, there is never enough Cajun and Creole food. In Toronto, it is few and far between, but today I stumbled upon an oft-mentioned treasure called Cajun Corner.

Not only does this gem of Leslieville have ingredients for Hush Puppies, Po' Boys and Muffaletttas, they make them in the store for you to either eat there or take with you! Not only is the food unbelievably good, it's authentic. And get this - it's cheap. Today I had the Acadian Peppered Catfish with Lousiana Slaw and Succotash all for about $10. This fed the two of us for lunch.

The store is filled with goodies to take home and try. I bought cajun meatloaf seasoning, Cajun Dill Kettle Potato Chips and Butter Pecan Sauce Mix. My mouth is watering just writing about it.

I think next time I'll get Catfish Nuggets with Sweet Potato Fries and some hominy, remoulade mix and chicory to bring home.

I can't wait.

Chasing the Chips Across the Border

I went to Target for the first time yesterday, and while I can rave about a lot of the products they carry, one stood out for certain. The Archer Farm chips.

A corn chip that packs the flavour - two of my favourites are Black Bean & Jalapeno and Spinach & Artichoke. They are $1.99 a bag and you not only get your money's worth taste wise, but the bag is as heavy as a bag of BBQ briquettes.

Just don't think about that as you are mauwing your way through to the bottom of the bag.

Yes, they're that good.