7 Quick Takes Friday - All about eating

Hey everyone - trying something new. It's 7 Quick Takes inspired by this blog. Enjoy!

--- 1 ---

I love cooking - I spend hours searching food blogs, flipping through recipe books, planning out a special meal. Here are some of my favorite blogs - hope you enjoy them as much as I do:

Dinner with Julie

In Jennie's Kitchen

Smitten Kitchen

Hope you enjoy perusing as much as I do.

--- 2 ---

I love candle light dinners with my husband. I don't do it nearly as often as I should but it never fails to be a special moment. I love it for so many reasons. I love doing something special for him. The preparation it takes is a bit like courting. I love trying new reciptes. I love that it is just us, no tv, no distractions, enjoying each other and having those conversations that you never make enough time in your life for.

--- 3 ---

I love reading the City Palate. It has been a favorite ritual of mine since I moved to Calgary. They release them every other month and can be found throughout the city or online. I have never made a recipe out of the magazine. Nor have I ever bought a kitchen gadget it recomends. But that doesn't dim my love for picking up a copy, sitting down on the couch one evening and pouring over that fresh print.

--- 4 ---

I love trying new restaurants. In the back of City Palate, there is a section called Stock Pot: Restaurant Ramblings and it documents the comings and goings of restaurants and chefs. I often find at least one new place or newly revamped restaurant that I am intrigued by. Before long, I have sucked someone into going to try the restaurant with me - whether it is my husband, girl friends or a double date. Here are the latest new restaurants that I tried and loved:

Borgo

Cassis

--- 5 ---

I love my dinner club. The ladies are quite delightful! The restaurants chosen are a mixture of classics and up and comers, diners and fine dining, exotic menus and reworked traditional dishes. It is always sure to hold many laughs. Dessert. No topic is off limits. No question left unanswered. We sample off other's plates, critique and delight in the tastes. It is many years and counting - through babies and marriages, budget restrictions and celebrations. I love my girls!

--- 6 ---

I love little food markets. Lina's and Edelwiess are two of my favorites. The meats and cheese are always so tempting. The fresh bread smells so delicious and I rarely leave without a little baked treat for later. If I am looking for unique sauces, spices or ingrediants, I always head to one of these first. Cookbook Company and Calgary Farmer's Market never fail to inspire me. The ingredients are so fresh and flavorful, the people delightful and the 'individual' portioned meals are such a delightful treat. Little grocery stores like Community Natural Foods, A1 Spices in Castleridge, T&T Supermarket and Sunterra are places that I can never run in for something 'quick'. The aisles beckon for me to stroll through and try something new.

--- 7 ---

I would love to take a food/cooking tour style trip at some point in my life. Whether that is a cooking class out at the Banff Springs, or a French cooking vacation. Italy, Spain, Turkey, Morrocco or Mexico - wouldn't that be a fantastic aspect to include in your vacation? One day - I promise.

For more Quick Takes, visit Conversion Diary!