And the Award goes to…

Posted on February 25, 2013 by laravangemert

A few weeks ago I was already told to be lucky living in North America to watch the Super Bowl live. It was fun, but lucky?? Yesterday I was really lucky: time for the Oscars!!

When I lived in Amsterdam, I wasn’t aware of this huge event. Of course I knew it took place, which movies were nominated for best picture and I saw the best and worst dresses in the magazines. But I never saw the live show.

It was amazing! A few highlights and other noteworthy elements of the show: the red carpet interviews, the dress of Jennifer Lawrence, the fall of Jennifer Lawrence (!), the risky jokes of host Seth MacFarlane, Anne Hathaway, Ben Affleck and Quentin Tarantino winning their Award, the (lack of) height of Daniel Radcliffe, a 9-year old nominee and the contribution of Michelle Obama.

You can read all about it at oscar.go.com (although it is more fun to read the comments of Perez Hilton: perezhilton.com/category/oscars). Next year I’m in again – by this I mean sitting on the couch again with a huge bag of popcorn, commenting on the outfits, hair-do’s and jokes. Can’t wait.

Discover the slopes…

Posted on February 21, 2013 by laravangemert

Our trip started at the most fairy-like airport I have ever been to: Mont Tremblant. A wooden building that looks more like a cosy chalet than an airport. White minivans were waiting to take us to our hotel in the pedestrian village along the scenic route. Accustomed to the European slopes, just the one mountain was a different experience, but the snow was perfect and the Canadian environment and especially the views were magnificent. Due to the Washington break (a holiday for American kids) the tranquil, innocent looking village turned into a true party place by the time dusk set in. Thanks to our blue jackets, the DUTCH PROMO TEAM didn’t have to pay any entrance fees hehe.

After three days of skiing, snowboarding, consuming (favourites are wine, ginger ale, cheese, nachos, burgers, caesar salad, oysters and pork ribs), filming with the Go Pro and dancing, it was time to move on to our next destination: Montréal. Driving past all the Québécois slopes contributed to our awareness of being in Canada instead of the Alps. And then… Paris in North America! Our stay in Montréal was way too short, we’ll be back!!

Juice diaries – part II

Posted on February 5, 2013 by laravangemert

Outside it might be snowing… inside it’s a fruity celebration! Thanks for all the recipes and tons of suggestions. I have made a few green juices of which I wasn’t particular proud, so I will spare you those ones!

(Yes, I have this new found fling with strawberries at the moment, but they are all slightly different ;-))

JUICE 1 – 1 mango, 1 orange, 1 grapefruit, 1 apple (red delicious)

JUICE 2 – 170g raspberries, 2 oranges, 1 apple (red delicious)

JUICE 3 – 1 apple (red delicious), 1 grapefruit, 2 pears, grapes, 2 kiwi

JUICE 4 – 2 oranges, 1 apple (red delicious), 1 kiwi, 1 carrot

JUICE 5 – 450g strawberries, 1 apple (red delicious), 1 pear, 1 peach

JUICE 6 – 225g strawberries, 1 grapefruit, 1 orange, 1 pear

JUICE 7 – 225g strawberries, 1 orange, 1 apple (red delicious), 1 grapefruit, 1 peach, 1 lemon

Just an ordinary week…

Posted on February 1, 2013 by laravangemert

After a period of strikes Toronto’s biggest pride is playing again: the Maple Leafs! Hockey (ice hockey that is) is the bomb in Canada, and it’s a fun and crazy experience to attend a game, especially when seated at the 10^th row… The crowd goes wild!

One thing I really don’t miss from the Netherlands is the rain. YUCK! Nothing better than a sunny, cold day in Toronto: walking through the beautiful Trinity Bellwoods Park, having lunch at Nadège, doing a little bit of shopping (SALE!!!) and having dinner with friends. This week it’s time for Winterlicious, Toronto’s biggest winter culinary celebration where lots of local restaurants offer fixed price menus. Going local is the way to go. The perfect opportunity to go to this special (and way too expensive but totally worth it) restaurant you always wanted to go! Check out http://www.toronto.ca/special_events/winterlicious/2013/index.htm for more information. Bon appétit!