In true Canadian fashion, it rained all day long, but we’d read the forecast so we were prepared! No rain was going to get between us and our rotisserie experiment! We grabbed the outdoor umbrella and positioned it above the motor so it wouldn’t get wet. It served a double purpose, offering the BBQ master (ie. Phill) some protection from the elements when he was outside to check on the turkey (which was often).

I didn’t brine the turkey but I did give it a dry rub using a range of spices (chili, celery salt, onion powder, paprika, pepper) and let it sit in the fridge for a couple hours so the flavours could sink in. I also chopped up an onion and some garlic to fill the cavity, but that turned out to be a silly idea because as the turkey spun on the rotisserie, they fell out one at a time. I had trussed it but obviously not tight enough.

When the BBQ was preheated to about 375 degrees, we put the turkey on the rotisserie spit and tried to make sure it was as even as possible. You didn’t want it to be lopsided or it might burn the motor out trying to turn it, or it might cook unevenly. It took us a few tries – and a couple arguments – but we finally got it on there. (Don’t laugh at my trussing job – this was my first time and I didn’t want wings flopping about!)

We raced outside into the rain and quickly fitted the end of the spit into the motor. It was surprising how much heat was lost with the lid open for just a few minutes. This was concerning because that would affect the cooking time and I was sort of relying on using the time as a good indication of whether or not the turkey was done. We’d put it on earlier rather than later, just in case, so if it needed to cook for longer that was okay. I was just paranoid about drying it out!

The turkey cooked at about 375 degrees for about 1hr 20mins and when we pulled it off, it was perfect, which was a relief, especially considering how much we’d babysat it, checking it was still turning and hadn’t caught fire. It wasn’t dry at all and the skin was crispy and the meat juicy – so delicious! Not bad for a first attempt!

And the best part? Leftovers! So on that note, I believe it’s dinner time!

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…rotisserie turkey!

We’ve never used a rotisserie before, but hey, if we’re taking a first stab at cooking turkey, let’s make it exciting and challenging! Hopefully the weather holds up – we’re expecting rain tomorrow, but since the lid will be down during the cooking it shouldn’t affect our plans. And if the turkey explodes or the motor dies, I’ve got the oven as a back-up.

Wish us luck! Happy Thanksgiving, Canadian friends.

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A part of me is a little excited because winter coming means…

…hello Starbucks Creme Brulee Latte! Which could, actually, also be a bad thing because I am completely addicted to them. If they weren’t so bad for me, I’d have them every day! Last year I got one on my birthday and the barista sprinkled double toffee bits on top… mmmm, it’s sooo good! Plus, served in a colourful Christmas cup, it’s just delightful.

Of course, they’re not out yet, so I’ve got to be patient.

Sigh… it’s so hard to be patient!

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So… my eyesight isn’t the best (even with glasses on) and as frogs enjoy hiding in their tanks, I found it rather hard to spot them. However, I quickly picked up a trick while walking through the amphibian enclosure – follow the guy in front of you. Make sure he’s with someone else, because that way, when he points out the frogs to his companion, you can subtly look where he’s pointing, so when they move on to the next tank, you already know where the frog is! Huzzah! You’re welcome.

I didn’t have a hard time finding this nasty looking toad though! He was staring at me with those beady eyes, ugh. There were about six toads in the tank together and they just… stared at you. They reminded me of the cane toads we have in Australia. We used to have to catch them to take them to school for science class. Of course, the girls always got the boys to catch theirs for them!

As much as I think they are gross, I have to admit that they did photograph well.

It’s interesting that the prettier the frog, the more poisonous they seem to be! This beautiful blue-legged Poison Dart frog was tiny and delicate, sitting on the log. Apparently one frog has enough venom to kill 10 grown men! Pretty and deadly.

There was a variety of frogs, of all different shapes, sizes and colours, including green frogs…

…and red frogs

…and frogs pretending to be a leaf on the ground (trust me when I say I definitely needed the guy in front of me to point this one out to his girlfriend, so I could find it too!)

…and frogs that aren’t actually frogs at all (like this white salamander). I first saw a salamander when we were in Japan and I remember thinking how weird they look! I think my exact words were, “What the heck is that?!” It looks like it’s not quite real in some way.

After the frogs, it was time to head outside for a bite to eat before visiting the animals in the outdoor tanks. We met a cheeky little squirrel who obviously got hand-fed a lot by the guests to the aquarium, because it had no problem coming right up to us…

… and even climbing up on our chairs when we were leaving, to see if we’d left any crumbs behind!

Next up is Part 3… we meet the animals in the outdoor tanks!

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———-

The Vancouver Aquarium, located in Stanley Park, was the number one tourist attraction on my to-do list when I moved here last year and finally, in May, I got my opportunity to go with my Mum when she came to visit. Phill isn’t a big aquarium or zoo person, so if I ever want to visit those places, I need to find someone else to go with me (or go alone, but that’s no fun!). I was super excited when we joined the queue at the door, but it’s a bit of a tease because you’re stuck queuing up to get in while you can see the people who are already inside and enjoying the first few tanks of sea life. Okay, so I’m a little impatient.

The first thing we did once inside was head down the stairs to get a proper look at the first big tank. When we were in the queue, I’d seen a scuba diver in there waving at the kids watching him, but by the time we got in, he was gone. I know it’s just a guy in a wetsuit in a tank, but a part of me still thinks that’s totally awesome and the best job ever.

I was very impressed (and a little surprised!) with the variety of sea life and other animals at the aquarium. I guess they don’t call it one of the best aquariums in North America for nothing! In addition to the usual fish you’d expect to see, there were birds in the tropical room (which played havoc with my camera lens, fogging it up something crazy and giving all my photos from that room a hazy, steamy look)…

… and butterflies in the butterfly room…

…and garden eels sticking up out of the sand (I’d never seen these before and thought they were really really strange)…

…and spiky black urchins with beady white eyes that you definitely do not want to step on…

…and of course there’s a few obligatory Nemos (I found him!)

But I think the highlight of the day had to be C.C the pacific octopus, who contentedly hid in the shadows of the rock in the back of her tank. When I took the following photo, I couldn’t see C.C at all, so I was amazed to see the camera had done it’s thing and there she was, in all her tentacled glory. It was a bit of a shock to see the first photo of her because I didn’t realise she was that big. I wish she’d have come out and had a bit of a swim around but if I had a hoard of children screaming their heads off and banging on my tank, I’d be hiding in the back too.

Our next stop was the jellyfish room. I love jellyfish. I am intrigued by their see-through bodies, their long (and sometimes short!) tentacles and the danger that comes with many of them. They are terrible little things but also beautiful, especially with different lighting effects on them. We spent a while in the jellyfish room while I took a gazillion photos. My Mum was very patient.

So pretty! So weird! After the jellyfish tanks, we decided to go to the 4D movie, which was definitely an experience. They gave us lots of warnings about young children seeing it and of course, as soon as the movie started and the effects began, a good handful of screaming and/or crying children were hurridly removed from the room by their parents. There were a couple effects that made me jump, but I won’t spoil it for anyone hoping to go. All I’ll say is, if you go to the aquarium, really try to see the movie – it was very good!

Stay tuned for Part 2… next up we visit the frogs and then head outside for the sea lions, belugas and seals!

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I’m not exactly overweight, but I could definitely stand to lose some kilos and recent events in my life have inspired me to get off my butt and get active. We’ve got a free gym in our building for heaven’s sake, and today Phill and I decided to use it. We’ve been saying we were going to use the gyms in our buildings since we first moved here in September (three apartments ago) but it turned out that exercising was exactly the opposite of what we wanted to do when we stumbled through the door after a long hard day at work.

I was at the gym for about an hour and used the treadmill first and then finished up on the bike machine (the bike made my legs burrrrn!). After a 20 minute jog at 4.3mph with a slowly increasing incline, I figured out how to set it to a pre-programmed workout called the “hill”, which is pretty self-explanatory I guess. I was halfway up the “hill” when I remembered one of my favourite bloggers, Kristin from Iowa Girl Eats, has documented her workout routines on her blog, so as soon as I got upstairs (after a shower of course!) I bookmarked her Workouts page and I’m determined to complete each and every one!

I was honestly expecting the experience at the gym to be horrible; that I’d be sweating and gasping for air while buff shirtless men and skinny girls in yoga pants pointed and laughed at me, but other than getting off the treadmill and almost stacking it because my legs were a little wobbly (slightly embarrassing) it was pretty much a positive experience. Only one other person came in while I was there and although initially I was a little self-conscious, I quickly realised that she was listening to music with headphones on and didn’t so much as glance in my direction (does that mean I successfully passed as a regular at the gym?)

I’m going back again tomorrow and I’m actually excited about it. Of course, exercise goes hand-in-hand with healthy eating, so I’m going to making some changes there too (some of which are going to be hard to stick to!) but I’m pretty determined to make it work.

So, a toast… to new beginnings! I hope you don’t mind if I bring you along for the ride!

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I’ve been conscious that I’ve been neglecting my blog, but I just haven’t had anything to say.

I’ll be back soon, I just need a little more time.

xx

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Last year I made a Simpsons cake for Phill. It took pretty much all day in the kitchen and while it was fun, it was pretty hard work. This time around, I decided to make an ice-cream cake for Phill, which I’ve never made before. It also marked my first time using Cool Whip (I always pronounce it the way Stewie Griffin does, accenting the “h” for some reason), which I tinted blue and covered with chocolate sprinkles. The ice-cream itself was a nice vanilla bean ice-cream and I’d mixed crushed Oreos into it. Unfortunately I didn’t get a photo with my camera because, well, I was a tad stressed getting everything ready and I forgot. However, I just realised we have left-over cake in the freezer so heck, it’s late and it’s a crappy iPhone pic, but it’s still a photo, right?

There may or may not have been a third Oreo on the side of the cake that I nibbled. And that is absolutely not my fingerprint in the Cool Whip. Just sayin’.

We’ve been relaxing today so far, recovering from last night. The apartment didn’t look too disastrous this morning because it turns out that drunk Kate likes to clean (who’d have thunk it?) and my friends gave me a hand putting on the dishwasher and putting away some pots and pans. It definitely made clean-up this morning easier! Just a quick vacuum, a rubbish run and a mop of the floors and the place is looking pretty good. The best thing about the day after a BBQ is leftovers, so I won’t have to cook dinner tonight – we’ve got a few burgers and a plate of sausages left, plus salads, so it’s going to be another BBQ for dinner (minus the actual BBQ-ing!) We’re probably going to have an early one tonight before back to work tomorrow.

So how was your weekend? Did you do anything special?

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Vancouver in the winter was pretty nice too…

But I have to say that Vancouver in the spring is my absolute favourite!

Well, I should say it’s my favourite so far… since I haven’t experienced summer yet, but I can tell you now that spring is definitely going to be a hard act to follow! The tulips take my breath away – so many vivid colours and they are everywhere, all over Vancouver. It’s amazing how everything is so healthy and beautiful, compared to the hot, dry Australian surroundings I’m used to. It makes walking to and from work each day a joy.

Well, maybe not a joy, but it definitely makes it a little easier!

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