Sleep

I am exhausted. A weekend of debauchery has depleted all my precious energy reserves; my friend Angie is moving away and being the great friend that I am, I gave her a very festive farewell. Granted I am doing very little these days, as I am enjoying my unemployment; however, I am very tired from the weekends excesses. I have been sleeping for 10, 12 hours at a time and my body cannot seem to get enough. I love sleep, I find it delicious even. That feeling of satisfaction that I get when I have had a log like sleep is as delicious as the feeling after a lovely meal. I am going to keep this brief, I am tired and I am going back to bed:)

BoozeBerries

Unbelievably, it is still summer in Edmonton, not even "like" summer, it is full on summertime So white wine still applies! Since we are enjoying this Indian summer, I am going to to take this opportunity to drink white wine as much as possible. Ever the opportunist, I think why not get a little nutrition with a buzz?! On my 22nd birthday, I had a very intimate girls night, dinner on the patio and wine. I decided to spice up the cheap Chardonnay with a pint of raspberries, plump like the summer's bounty. And as we drank and toasted to another year, the raspberries soaked up the sweet nectar and there is no other word for the result except...sauced. It truly is a double whammy, not only were we drinking, we were "eating" the alcohol. Debauchery, no doubt, ensued. After many pints of raspberies and bottles of wine, we broke into my neighbors pool, stripped our clothes off and had ourselves a skinny dip! I am convinced we were ever so "lit" due to those berries and their ability to absorb their weight in gold (booze). This little beverage gem is now a part of my drinking arsenal, wherever there are berries and wine, you will no doubt see them in my glass. You must let them soak as you continue to refill the glass, when you are halfway to the dance, eat the berries and let the party begin! A warning , these babies are potent, so choose your company wisely, or potential embarassment is a guarantee. With that said, you should try them!

Booze Berries

1 pint of raspberries

1 bottle of White Wine or Champagne

Dump berries in glass or pitcher (for when you decant a red), pour wine, drink, ENJOY!

**For red wine use blueberries or blackberries.

Dedicated to the ladies who shared the "inaugural" booze berry party, Sarah, Brit and Dez. Thanks ladies;)

Cafe Leva

Although it has been a while since my last post, I have been out compiling loves all around town. Its no secret I have very strong opinions on the ideal restaurant experience, atmosphere, food and service need to be top shelf for me to give my approval. Albeit, I am no food critic, but I eat out enough to know what's good and what is simply crap. I came across Cafe Leva by chance, my girls and I were trying to go somewhere else, but a missed turn and an annoying one way street brought us to this wonderfully hidden spot. Tucked in a corner, on a tree lined street, is this super cool cafe. So cool in fact, that the moment I walked I knew that I was in the know! It's so very Euro in a very non Euro city, and the food, OH THE FOOD! On my first visit I had a sandwich and a mocha cake and dear lord help me, my knees were weak. Calories and fat content were of no importance, I simply wanted more! Although the staff are decidedly aloof, I think it adds to the "euro" feel of the whole place, also adding to "euro" feel is the fact that you can aquire your very own espresso machine. On my second visit, my friend Kaley treated me to the daily soup, a zucchini dill cream dream, so velvety it could have been a curtain and a Limonata to wash it all down; and, we discovered that they also supply interesting reading material for the customers to parouse, birthday books, what fun! It's a great place so out of the ordinary in a city like Edmonton, whether you want a long lazy lunch or cool and quick dinner, Leva is the spot. You should go.

11053 86 Avenue in Edmonton

(780) 479 LEVA (5382)

Monday - Friday.
7 am - 11 pm
Saturday
9 am - 11 pm
Sunday
9 am - 6 pm