My New Year's Resolutions

I have always loved New Year's resolutions. Especially because they can be phrased so vaguely, like:

1. Lose weight - no mention of how much or when this is supposed to take place. So for example, if I lose 5 pounds in January and then do nothing all year it would still fulfill my resolution.

2. Reduce debt - does switching balances over to lower interest credit cards count?

3. Be more charitable - unloading a box of clothes I don't like anymore at Goodwill is still charity, right?

The experts say we should be more focused on small, realistic goals that we will stick to through the year and hopefully beyond. They also recommend that we tell someone our goals so that they will hold us accountable. Today my friends, I'm telling you my ten New Year's resolutions.

1. I will not roll my eyes at unsolicited advice, but instead look for the grains of truth. I can think of a few relatives that will be happy to hear this.

2. I will not be suckered into any large purchases, even the ones where I Do Not Pay Until 2012. If I can't afford them now, how will I be able to pay it off when my kids are teenagers?

3. I will stop losing keep working on not losing my temper. Which leads to...

4. I will drive on the interstate less often, and avoid rush hour at all costs.

5. I will improve my eating habits. However, I will also stop worrying about whether I should take that second piece of birthday cake. Celebratory calories don't count anyway.

6. I will take a greater interest in world events. When surfing msn.com, for example, I will at least skim through the news headlines before scrolling down to the entertainment gossip.

7. I will learn to accept compliments graciously.

8. I will stop worrying about the gradual effects of age. That's what Clairol and a great pair of jeans are for.

9. I will focus on spiritual growth rather than financial gain.

10. I will really really try to keep at least one of these resolutions.

That's for 2008. For tonight, I resolve to sit in my hot tub, drink champagne and eat the rest of the Christmas chocolate with my husband, ringing in the new year quietly and without a lot of fuss. Because my real New Year's resolution is to enjoy life more, and there's no better time to start than right now.

Happy New Year!

Fortune Hunters Promo

This is the show we are going to be on. The air date for our segment is Saturday January 19th at 6:30 EST on CBC.

The Tassimo Machine: Fast Food Coffee

You have probably been seeing plenty of this 1 cup wonder lately, but what just what is all the hype about? It's a coffee machine. Ok.... It makes hot beverages one at a time. That's nice.... You can't use regular coffee or espresso beans, you have to purchase their special coffee dohickeys called T Discs - even for the milk. That blows...

Many coffee companies are starting to make their own T Discs for this machine including Nabob Maxwell House and Starbucks but you have to hunt a little to find them. The advantage, Kraft says, is that you are getting a perfectly measured identical cup every time.

However, there are several disadvantages worth considering. The T Disks have to be thrown out after use. They come in a box and are comprised of plastic, aluminium, polyester and polyethylene laminate - all of which, goes straight to the trash can after your beverage is brewed. They can not be reused. You can pull it apart to get at the plastic part and recycle that, but extra effort is required. Since the "milk" (a "milk product" that lives on the shelf) also comes in this format, you will throw away 2 disks per cappuccino. In contrast, the only garbage you'll get from using a traditional espresso machine is coffee grounds.

If you are a coffee aficionado, you will turn your nose up at this machine. It is simply impossible to get the same intense flavor of a good strong Italian espresso with the Tassimo because the T Disks are made to suit the bland North American taste bud. We also suspect the Italians wouldn't allow it.

Despite our reservations, we recently sampled a cup of their espresso. It was everything you would expect from a hospital coffee vending machine.

We'll take the extra 3 minutes and make a proper espresso, thanks.

What do you think? Have you tried this? Do you like it?

Tassimo.com

Ottawa Boxing Week Steals

This Christmas we were in Ottawa visiting the in-laws. We ate silly amounts of delicious food (both parents are amazing cooks) and drank copious amounts of wine. We played many rounds of Mad Gab, Scrabble and Uno, and when Boxing Day rolled around, we shopped.

Alex and I never intended to get caught up in the post Christmas sales, but a trip to a cafe downtown to get a little uninterrupted work done on the 26th turned into an accidental shopping blitz. I have been looking for a good pair of flattering jeans for a long time, but still being a student have a hard time blowing 3 figures. I had long regretted not buying some Citizens of Humanity I tried on a couple of years ago so when I found these at Trust Fund on sale for $168, I didn't even think about it.


We popped into several cute furniture stores including Zone Maison where we were smitten by this chandelier at 20% off. $200-something-ish later and a 4 block walk to the car hoofing it over piles of slushy snow was not fun, but we were up for the challenge.


A savvy manager at EQ3 saw our weakness over a cute bedding set after we'd decided on a small side table with storage on sale for $45 and promptly gave us a 25% discount on the regular priced bedding. Who could say no to an offer like that and besides, doesn't everyone need a new duvet set?
At that point, we decided it was time to wrap up our "coffee break" and take our precious purchases home before we spent any more.

My wallet may be hurting but our apartment is looking decidedly less student-chic and my hunt for the perfect jeans is temporarily on hold.

Merry Christmas from the Queen

The royals have launched their own channel on youtube where you can watch old and new broadcasts of them in action.

Check it out!

A Taste of the Old World for Christmas

This month's travel feature took you to the Alpine region of Bavaria. I lived there for over four years and just writing about it was so nostalgic that I've decided this year to cook up my North American version of a proper German Christmas meal.

Germans don't eat much turkey and certainly do not associate it with a Christmas tradition. In fact, I'm pretty sure our relatives still living there will be enjoying a roasted hare. I wrinkle my nose at the very thought! I guess I'm just too New World for such things.

My 3-course menu starts with leek and potato soup, which I puree until it's smooth like applesauce and then garnish with chopped chives or shallots. I cheat and use OXO chicken stock - you get a wonderful hearty soup with hardly any effort. Here's a wonderful recipe from Epicurious for leek and potato soup.

If I can find it, I serve the soup with a dark German rye bread. This is not to everyone's taste, so I might supplement with a baguette or sourdough. Almost impossible to find (but totally worth the effort) are soft Bavarian-style pretzels. I've made my own at home, but the ingredients are different on this side of the pond and I can't duplicate authentically.

The main course will be pork ribs with sauerkraut. I season my ribs with freshly ground black pepper and sea salt, then let sit for a few hours. They will bake for about 1½ hours uncovered at 325-350°F. During the last 30 minutes of baking, I sauté a small-medium chopped onion in butter (I prefer it over oil) until glassy, then toss in 1½ cups or so of prepared sauerkraut. I use regular sauerkraut, not the Bavarian-style variety (it has caraway seeds - yuck). I heat it through and then spread the mixture over the ribs and cover for the last 15-20 minutes.

The side dishes will be a tomato & sweet onion salad with balsamic vinaigrette and boiled potatoes seasoned with dill. If I'm really feeling ambitious, I might make spaetzle (German noodles) served with a simple gravy or melted butter. Here is a really basic recipe from Chef 2 Chef.

Dessert? At this point we're stuffed to the gills and only a shot or two of Jägermeister will ease the digestive process. Maybe in an hour or two we'll be up for eating my cheater version of Black Forest torte.

I use a basic chocolate cake recipe (or even a Betty Crocker mix) that I thicken up just a bit so it can handle the moisture of the filling. Ideally, I make a double recipe and bake it in a large spring form pan so that I can slice it into three sections horizontally (baking them separately is a pain because of the dome tops you'll have to slice off anyway). The first filling is whipped cream flavored with a little Kirschwasser (cherry brandy) and vanilla, stiffened with a little bit of icing sugar. The second filling is cherry sauce that you can make from fresh, frozen or canned tart cherries. You'll need to sweeten and thicken the sauce, or in a pinch use cherry pie filling.

(Sorry, purists. I had to go there.)

Assemble the cake as follows. Sprinkle a tablespoon of Kirschwasser over the bottom cake layer. Spread a third of the cream, then spoon half the cherry sauce on top. Repeat the process, ending with the final slab of cake on top. Smear the remaining whipped cream over the whole cake and garnish with shaved chocolate. If you're in a hurry, just dust some cocoa powder using a sieve.

Eat this cake in moderation! The first time I made it my husband and I were really tipsy because we each had a large slice. Or was it the Chardonnay from dinner and the Jägermeister afterward? I forget.

Prost! ("cheers")

7 Old Wives Tales de-Bunked

Before you consider whipping out one of these in front of your friends you may want to do a little research according to an article on Yahoo.

"You know, we only use, like 10% of our brains..."

"Don't read in the dark. It'll ruin your eyesight."

"You should drink at least 8 glasses of water a day."


It turns out these and several other widely held beliefs may not actually be true. The following are things we've been told all our lives but may have very little validity to them if any:

1. We only use 10% of our brains

2. You should drink at least 8 glasses of water per day

3. Fingernails and hair grow after death

4. Shaved hair grows back faster coarser and darker

5. Reading in dim light ruins your eyesight

6. Eating Turkey makes you drowsy

7. Mobile phones are dangerous in hospitals

Want to know the truth? Read more...

Technical Notice

Just a heads up we are moving to a new server today so there may be some issues accessing ChickAdvisor for the next 24 hours. Have a wonderful Saturday!

Last Minute Charitable Gift Idea: Get 'Em a Goat!

Ok you're really down to the wire here. Christmas is next week and you still don't have a gift for that impossible to shop for person on your list who truly has it all.

Why not get them a goat?

Seriously. At Ten Thousand Villages you can buy a goat for $33 that will feed a family in Africa. By making a donation on behalf of someone you are giving a gift to multiple people that will actually be useful. To top it off, this gift is tax deductible.

World Vision offers the same service, but it is more expensive.

See? Problem solved. This year, get 'em a goat.

Ten Thousand Villages Goat

World Vision Goat

Biddell Wins Project Runway Canada

I must say I am surprised.

I was at L'Oreal Fashion Week for Project Runway in October but not able to say anything because we were all under embargo. They actually showed collections from a number of designers so it was hard to know whose collection was whose, or who the final contestants were.

I instantly fell in love with Lucian Matis' collection of tailored dresses, crochet and whimsical hats. Watching it live, his was by far the stand out in my opinion and I thought it was impeccable and inspiring. Biddell's collection was funky and sexy, but reminded me of things I've seen from other designers, which ironically is what Iman criticized Matis for.

Overall everyone did an amazing job, and it was thrilling to be part of the final episode.

Did you miss it? Watch full episodes on Slice.ca

Beware the Hotel Room Tumbler!

Thanks to The Cozy Chicks for posting a link to this disturbing story on their blog.

Think the glasses in your hotel room are safe to drink from? Apparently not. Watch this video before you pour yourself a drink on your next hotel stay. Ewww!

Freebie Friday!! December 14 07

Want a freebie? Then you might want to check out the forums. We have this decadently scented Bubalina Gift pack up for grabs (value of $48).

Thank you Spa Boutique for providing this freebie!

Please note, you must be logged in to view the forum threads.

The Nalgene Controversy

These bottles have been sitting in the Hotlist's Top Ten for months. Read up on the love Nalgene is getting from our members.

We've been chatting in our site forum recently about Vancouver-based Mountain Equipment Co-op's (a.k.a. MEC) decision to yank some of the popular Nalgene water bottles from its shelves. So far, MEC is the only major retailer to do so. The action only applies to products that contain bisphenol-A (BPA).

BPA is an estrogen mimic that can interfere with your body's hormone balance. Hormone mimics in general can cause a variety of problems, including certain cancers, reduced fertility (especially in men), early onset of puberty (especially in girls), birth defects, and reproductive system diseases. These effects are often only seen over long-term exposure.

Many governmental health bodies (e.g. EPA) have assessed the dangers of BPA exposure in products like the Nalgene bottles, and concluded that the amount of contamination in humans is below established tolerance levels. Test animals show higher levels of contamination because of their smaller size compared to humans.

However, there has been enough of a kerfuffle about it that Canada's health bureau (Health Canada) has decided to revisit the question and will be publishing their report in 2009. Environmentalists have praised this move. Their position is simple: contaminants of all kinds will eventually have some negative effect on our bodies.

And so the buck is passed back to you. Do you throw out your BPA-containing bottles and switch to another brand? Or do you shrug your shoulders, figuring that everything we wear, eat, drink, and breathe is contaminated in some way anyway?

The Sigg bottles are made of stainless steel or aluminum (pictured).

Educate yourself from a variety of sources and read Nalgene's statement about BPA safety. Watch for Health Canada's report coming in 2009.