Afternoon Tea - Fairmont Vancouver Airport

Remember I said I was going to have high tea at the Fairmont Vancouver Airport Hotel? Well, it happened this weekend. Unfortunately, I didn't take that many photos. I was having a conversation with my boyfriend's mother, aunt and sister, so I didn't want to be impolite.

Going to the airport always gets me excited. Granted, I'm usually there when I'm about to fly off to paradise, but high tea is exciting too. We arrived a little bit late, so I didn't have much time to choose my tea. I went with a green tea called Lung Ching Ceremonial Dragonwell Yixing. It's described as a sweet tea with aromatic flowery notes. Unfortunately, not flowery and not sweet. It was your standard green jasmine tea. But for me, you can't go wrong with green tea.

Our food selection was generous. We each had four petite sandwiches, which included smoked salmon on rye, tomato and bocconcini on a baguette, turkey on a mini croissant and striploin on sourdough; two sweet cranberry and orange zest scones; and four desserts, which included a lemon tart, a chocolate mint cake, bite size cheesecake and a salted caramel-chocolate mousse cone. I never made it past the scones. I did sneak in a dessert, the chocolate mint cake layered with creme de mint whipped cream. It's simply amazing. If there is one dessert you should have, it's the chocolate mint cake.

I love having high tea at the Fairmont Vancouver Airport Hotel. Tea service is in a nice open dining area with tall glass windows and if you are sitting in the right seat, you can watch the planes take off. It's a really peaceful and relaxed atmosphere within the hustle and bustle of the airport.

(courtesy of yours truly via Instagram)

Until next time!

My Summer Reading List

Here is my personal summer (into fall) reading list...

(courtesy of yours truly via Instagram)

1. The Cuckoo's Calling, Robert Galbraith
   I'm not gonna lie. I picked up this book because of the cover. It looked like a magazine cover, and God knows I'm a sucker for tabloids. As I lined up to pay for it (and contemplated whether it was worth spending $11 on a novel by an unknown author), I read the back blurb and decided to go for it. I had initially thought it was another chic-lit novel but it turned out to be a murder mystery, and I love mysteries (Nancy Drew anyone?). It wasn't until I got home and looked up the book online that I realized it was by J.K. Rowling. Jackpot! I've been wanting to read one of her novels outside of the Harry Potter series, and I had been waiting for the Vacancy to be released on paperback, but The Cuckoo's Calling will do for now!
2. Girls in White Dresses, Jennifer Close
   Now this is standard chick-lit. My choice for a beach read.
3. The Interestings, Meg Woltizer
   This book seemed really interesting, well, it kind of has to be (re: the title). It follows a group of friends through their lives through wealth, success and well, the opposite. It focuses on the uniqueness of each friend that becomes not so special in adulthood. I'm excited to read this book. I bought it a while ago and it's been sitting neglected on my shelf.
4. The 100-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out the Window and Disappeared, Jonas Jonasson
   This book has a really intriguing plot. A man decides to climb out his window during his 100th birthday party and becomes entangled in crime and other odd adventures. Yet another book that has been on my shelf for a while, but my goal is to read it this summer.
5. Inferno, Dan Brown
   I'm a huge fan of his Robert Langdon series, so naturally, I had to pick this one up. Unforunately, it's hardcover, so this has been sitting on my shelf since it came home with me. I know, it's been a year. I should have waited, because now it's out on paperback. I'll get to it.... before the movie comes out.

What books are on your reading list? Share your favourites!

Vancouver Art Gallery

My friend and I decided to visit the Vancouver Art Gallery today. The featured exhibition was by Vancouver based artist Douglas Coupland,

everywhere is anywhere is anything is everything.

It was a very interesting exhibition. His art was very thought provoking, and I thoroughly enjoyed the artwork. I am glad I had the opportunity to view it. Photography was encouraged so here are some of my favorite pieces. 

 

(courtesy of yours truly via Instagram)

Flora's Classic Cheesecake

I love baking, it's one of my favourite things to do, but I'm also a very lazy person. If I am craving baked goods, I usually head to Starbucks for a treat. If I don't feel like leaving the house, I'll whip up some Betty Crocker cupcakes. I rarely make anything from scratch, but when I do, oh boy, it's a huge production. Today, I made a cheesecake. I've been craving cheesecake for some time now; and I've been eying the President's Choice cheesecakes during my last few Superstore visits. So this morning (or afternoon) when I woke up, I asked my mom to grab some Philly cream cheese at the market for me. I had to have cheesecake today. At 6 o'clock, just when my mother started to make dinner, I decided to start baking (impeccable timing). The recipe I decided to use was from Kraft's website, but I tweaked it a little to make it my own. 

My crust was made from scratch. I crushed Barnum's Animal crackers with a pestle in a mortar to make the crust. Very old school, but I didn't know any other way. I added 1/4 cup of unsalted butter and three tablespoons of Sint Maarten Guavaberry honey to hold together the crumbs. I picked up this jar of honey when I was cruising through St. Maarten in 2012, and it sat in my cupboard for years. I am so glad I bought it, it has been a lifesaver!

In a large bowl, I mixed one container (400 mL) of original Philadelphia cream cheese, 1/2 cup of sugar, and 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla with two eggs. I used a hand mixer to beat the mixture until it was smooth.

After I transferred the crumb mixture onto the pan, I pressed on it firmly. I then poured the cheesecake filling on top and evened it out with a spatula. I put it in the oven for 40 minutes at 325 degrees. The edges were a little burnt (next time I'll check up on it after 35 minutes), but everything else looked okay. I let the cake cool before refrigerating for three hours.  

At midnight, I finally tried a bite. I must say... it's pretty good! Even my mom likes it, so I'm quite proud of myself. I'm excited to try baking different types of cheesecake, and possibly bake mini cheesecakes in muffin pans... But that's a project for another lazy Saturday. Enjoy the recipe!

It tastes better than it looks!

(courtesy of yours truly via Instagram)

Point Defiance Zoo

I have been unhappily busy with work, so I apologize for the long gap between posts. This is a long overdue entry but I figured it should see the light of day.

As a little getaway for the 25th anniversary of my birth, the boyfriend and I took a little trip to the Seattle area. Our main destination was Point Defiance Zoo. I was lured here by the clouded leopards. I learned about them online and was fascinated by these creatures. Clouded leopards are an endangered species that are found in Southeast Asia. These cats are known for their distinctive dark clouded spots on their dark yellow fur. They have relatively short legs and large paws. Their long tails help them balance while climbing and hunting on trees. The number of clouded leopards have declined in the wild due to poachers, thus breeding programs have been founded to keep the species alive. Clouded leopards are known to be friendly and playful creatures in captivity and you can definitely see this in the leopards at Point Defiance Zoo.

We also spent a lot of time with these guys. Both tigers were born within months of each other, but are not brothers. Berani is a Malayan tiger and Dumai is a Sumatran tiger. We had the opportunity to see them play fight -

Now , I normally have a hard time at zoos. Especially at Disney World. I hate seeing the animals out of their natural environment and I hate seeing them confined in cages. But seeing these guys playing so happily and at ease makes me feel a little better about their living environment. It's a very gray area. Animals in zoos are protected, and most are in conservation programs, however you can see how unhappy most of the animals are. They are pacing, and they look uncomfortable. Animals in the wild are living in their natural environment but are hunted by humans (and other animals, but hey, that's the circle of life!). I guess you can't have it all. It's either one or the other.

 

Bonus picture of the jellyfish!

(courtesy of yours truly via Instagram)