July 2019 - Toronto ON
Saturday and Sunday were stay at home days, relaxing, reading, watching The Open, practicing with his new driver, recapping our spring trip, laundry, the usual.
The tomatoes are forming on my plant!!
John suggested hamburger steak for dinner and we had fried onions, gravy, mashed sweet and white potatoes with parsnips and corn.
I made chicken tikka masala using this recipe, it was good not great. I also made onion bhajis and used regular gluten free flour as I was out of chickpea.
And crispy chicken skin.
Monday
My Paris in July received another special mention from Thyme for Tea.
Jackie at Junkboattravels posted on the Atelier des lumieres, an interactive art musee which I certainly hope is still around if I get back to France soon.
I went to Harbourfront to see an art installation that aims to shine a light on the global refugee crisis. The artwork is called Safety Orange Swimmers (SOS) and it includes 25 orange figures clinging to life preservers.
Each figure represents one million of the approximately 26 million refugees worldwide.
The artists, Ann Hirsch and Jeremy Angier, created the installation in 2016 and originally set it up in Fort Point Channel, Boston.
Three figures have been added since the installation's original debut to represent the increase in the number of refugees in the world today.
.
The ferry over to the Islands were packed.
As an aside here is a video of "our backyard" .
We both wanted the ginger beef that I had made last week. I had picked up snow peas and mushrooms to add to it.
Tuesday
I had to return a cookbook to the library (see below) so I headed off to City Hall branch. Looking towards Old City Hall.
Where I discovered the Brain Project is back.
Click here for links to previous years' exhibits. This year they are all located in one spot, Nathan Phillips Square or City Hall. Other years they have been scattered around the city.
Then I found some pianos in the square. I couldn't find any information on them.
This little one was playing the theme from Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid!
Food trucks outside City Hall.
I didn't expect to find a canoe on King St. West it is part of the (now permanent) King St. project.
Another cute sitting area on King St. West.
I made this naan bread to go with the leftover tikka masala. This bread is just incredible and is so versatile you can use it for tortillas, empanadas, roti. And they only take three ingredients!
Wednesday John headed off for his weekly golf game and I headed to the AGO.
First stop because it will be gone after the weekend.
After opening his spectacular exhibition Brian Jungen Friendship Centre, Brian Jungen returned to the AGO to oversee the installation of Furniture Sculpture in Walker Court. This towering work is on view now, but only until July 28.
A sculpture so monumental it hasn’t been shown in over a decade, Furniture Sculpture stands 27 feet tall. A life-size tipi constructed of wood and leather, it was created for a 2006 exhibition at the Vancouver Art Gallery. Jungen used sofas as his source material, eleven Natuzzi leather sofas, to be exact.
“In communities there’s something about a black leather sofa that, at least in my own background, is a status symbol,” said Jungen. “I thought it was a crazy icon of wealth…but there’s a lot of hide in them.”
Repurposing this emblem from his own life and blending artistic ingenuity and Indigenous knowledge, Jungen began the labour-intensive process of building Furniture Sculpture by “skinning” each sofa for its leather hide. He then cut up each sofa, using its wooden frame as the bones for the tipi. Once stitched together, the leather covering was draped across the poles. The title of the work is an homage to Vancouver artist Ken Lum, whose influential series Furniture Sculptures was first seen by a young Jungen at the Vancouver Art Gallery in the summer of 1990.
I saw several other exhibits which I posted here.
VIJA CELMINS: TO FIX THE IMAGE IN MEMORY
THE EXPANSION OF PAINTING AND SCULPTURE
PHOTOGRAPHY, 1920S–1940S: WOMEN IN FOCUS I wanted to see the Frida Kahlo!
And a couple of masters.
Some items in the gift shop, it is a very good gift shop with lots of art, books, Canadiana, and local gift items.
You could spend hours in the book section.
The skyline is changing quickly.
Oven fried chicken, potato salad and a marinated tomato salad that John even liked was the evening's menu.
Thursday
John had a couple of appointments and then we took the streetcar to Queen St. West to get my birthday present (it's next week).
Strolling Queen St. West is always an interesting walk, it is always changing.
Glen Guerin's tribute to Carol Pope & Nash the Slash on Markham St at Queen St West
Birdo mural down a lane.
Tough luck if you are parked on a downtown street after 3PM.
New mural on side of F Y INK (Forever Young) Queen west of Bathurst.
Inside FY Ink.
A very French restaurant, La Palette, the menu looks good.
Mexican, next door.
Mural in progress by Jim Bravo.
Click here for a video I found on Nitrogen Ice Cream shop on Queen.
John's iced mango, yes, that is a syringe containing sauce.
Oh! We bought the shoes at Fluevog, the greatest shoes in the city, I have lusted after forever! Check out their story.
I feel like Dorothy!!
They have a anti-gravity room in the old bank vault. Here we are last year.
I made those flatbreads again and used them as tortillas for fish tacos. They held together and worked perfectly!
Friday
We headed to Stratford ON for a weekend of theatre. It is about a two hour drive west.
Some of the things you can do around Stratford.
We waved hello to the prime ministers, no new ones added this year.
Visit Castle Kilbride right next to the prime ministers.
Visit the Terre Bleu Lavender Farm.
Tour a Mennonite home with a train and buggy ride and visit the town of Elmira.
You can even find a Homeless Jesus sculpture in Kitchener-Waterloo.
Have a light bulb moment 💡and grab a coffee in a shop where Thomas Edison lived.
Visit a National Historic Site of Canada church and graveyard.
And, of course, go to the theatre (2018 version), see the wonderful Shakespearean grounds of the Festival Theatre, visit the Perth Museum and stroll along the Avon River with its swans and Shakespeare gardens.
The theatre performances are great, read the NY Times 2019 review.
We arrived around noon and found a quirky diner for lunch, Old Man and Son.
Pastrami sandwich.
Smoked meat hash with a poached egg.
Then a stroll around town, before the play (2PM) hot day with temperatures in the high 20s C.
Click here to read the history of the Market Square.
Lovely chocolates!
A surprise find, a restaurant, where we made reservations tomorrow night.
Along with theatre there are many art galleries and great street art.
Seated in the Avon Theatre downtown, waiting for Little Shop of Horrors to begin. We'd seen this years ago in an off off Broadway production.
Broadway World review.
The production was outstanding! Click here for a preview if the video below doesn't play.
As often happens at Stratford, actors can be in a couple of plays at the same time.
Scott Beaudin is a drugdealer/customer in Little Shop and we then saw him later in the evening as Billy's older brother Tony in Billy Elliot.
We are staying in a B and B, The Stone Maiden right in town. A couple of photos.
Time for dinner, gluten free fish and chips.
8PM performance of Billy Elliot at the Festival Theatre.
The grounds of the Festival Theatre are stunning.
Mr. Shakespeare was shimmering.
The 11 year old Nolen Dubuc, is the star of the show and he doesn't stop the entire 2.5 hours!
Stratford Beacon review and background to the story. Music is by Elton John and here is a review from Broadway World.
I was very surprised that the theatre wasn't full.
Click here for a preview if the video doesn't play.
MOVIES
I really enjoyed Can You Ever Forgive Me mainly because there was a bookish theme.
BOOKS
I flipped through The Last Schmaltz:A Very Serious Cookbook. As per Goodreads:
SCHMALTZ (Yiddish): 1) melted chicken fat. 2) Excessive sentimentality; overly emotional behavior.
Whether you know him as Toronto's King of Comfort Food, the Don of Dupont, or the Sultan of Smoked Meat, a conversation about the food and restaurant scene in Toronto isn't complete without mention of Anthony Rose. From his famous Fat Pasha Cauliflower (which may or may not have caused the Great Cauliflower Shortage of 2016) and Rose and Sons Patty Melt to his Pork Belly Fried Rice and Nutella Babka Bread Pudding, Anthony's dishes have consistently made waves in the culinary community.
VIJA CELMINS: TO FIX THE IMAGE IN MEMORY
THE EXPANSION OF PAINTING AND SCULPTURE
And a couple of masters.
Some items in the gift shop, it is a very good gift shop with lots of art, books, Canadiana, and local gift items.
The skyline is changing quickly.
Oven fried chicken, potato salad and a marinated tomato salad that John even liked was the evening's menu.
Thursday
John had a couple of appointments and then we took the streetcar to Queen St. West to get my birthday present (it's next week).
Strolling Queen St. West is always an interesting walk, it is always changing.
Glen Guerin's tribute to Carol Pope & Nash the Slash on Markham St at Queen St West
Birdo mural down a lane.
Tough luck if you are parked on a downtown street after 3PM.
New mural on side of F Y INK (Forever Young) Queen west of Bathurst.
Inside FY Ink.
A very French restaurant, La Palette, the menu looks good.
Mexican, next door.
Mural in progress by Jim Bravo.
Click here for a video I found on Nitrogen Ice Cream shop on Queen.
John's iced mango, yes, that is a syringe containing sauce.
Oh! We bought the shoes at Fluevog, the greatest shoes in the city, I have lusted after forever! Check out their story.
I feel like Dorothy!!
They have a anti-gravity room in the old bank vault. Here we are last year.
I made those flatbreads again and used them as tortillas for fish tacos. They held together and worked perfectly!
Friday
We headed to Stratford ON for a weekend of theatre. It is about a two hour drive west.
Some of the things you can do around Stratford.
We waved hello to the prime ministers, no new ones added this year.
Visit Castle Kilbride right next to the prime ministers.
Visit the Terre Bleu Lavender Farm.
Tour a Mennonite home with a train and buggy ride and visit the town of Elmira.
You can even find a Homeless Jesus sculpture in Kitchener-Waterloo.
Have a light bulb moment 💡and grab a coffee in a shop where Thomas Edison lived.
Visit a National Historic Site of Canada church and graveyard.
And, of course, go to the theatre (2018 version), see the wonderful Shakespearean grounds of the Festival Theatre, visit the Perth Museum and stroll along the Avon River with its swans and Shakespeare gardens.
The theatre performances are great, read the NY Times 2019 review.
We arrived around noon and found a quirky diner for lunch, Old Man and Son.
Pastrami sandwich.
Smoked meat hash with a poached egg.
Then a stroll around town, before the play (2PM) hot day with temperatures in the high 20s C.
Click here to read the history of the Market Square.
Lovely chocolates!
A surprise find, a restaurant, where we made reservations tomorrow night.
Along with theatre there are many art galleries and great street art.
Seated in the Avon Theatre downtown, waiting for Little Shop of Horrors to begin. We'd seen this years ago in an off off Broadway production.
Broadway World review.
The production was outstanding! Click here for a preview if the video below doesn't play.
As often happens at Stratford, actors can be in a couple of plays at the same time.
Scott Beaudin is a drugdealer/customer in Little Shop and we then saw him later in the evening as Billy's older brother Tony in Billy Elliot.
We are staying in a B and B, The Stone Maiden right in town. A couple of photos.
Time for dinner, gluten free fish and chips.
8PM performance of Billy Elliot at the Festival Theatre.
The grounds of the Festival Theatre are stunning.
Mr. Shakespeare was shimmering.
The 11 year old Nolen Dubuc, is the star of the show and he doesn't stop the entire 2.5 hours!
Stratford Beacon review and background to the story. Music is by Elton John and here is a review from Broadway World.
I was very surprised that the theatre wasn't full.
Click here for a preview if the video doesn't play.
MOVIES
I really enjoyed Can You Ever Forgive Me mainly because there was a bookish theme.
BOOKS
I flipped through The Last Schmaltz:A Very Serious Cookbook. As per Goodreads:
SCHMALTZ (Yiddish): 1) melted chicken fat. 2) Excessive sentimentality; overly emotional behavior.
Whether you know him as Toronto's King of Comfort Food, the Don of Dupont, or the Sultan of Smoked Meat, a conversation about the food and restaurant scene in Toronto isn't complete without mention of Anthony Rose. From his famous Fat Pasha Cauliflower (which may or may not have caused the Great Cauliflower Shortage of 2016) and Rose and Sons Patty Melt to his Pork Belly Fried Rice and Nutella Babka Bread Pudding, Anthony's dishes have consistently made waves in the culinary community.
The title is inspired by the 1978 Martin Scorsese documentary The Last Waltz.
My biggest complaint was the typeset, the font is small, and appears to have been typed on an old-fashioned typewriter, making it a chore to read. It is meant to look like a scrapbook with artfully placed notes and food stains.
This is their famous all-day breakfast.
I did take his ideas in the fried chicken recipe and incorporated the cornstarch and rice flour into my recipe.
I'm also flipping through the other cookbook from the library, eat what you love.
This is a much better book than I one I bought, Against All Grain.
Hoping to get some good reading in this weekend in between seeing three plays!
Thoroughly intrigued with Apple Tree Yard.
This is their famous all-day breakfast.
I did take his ideas in the fried chicken recipe and incorporated the cornstarch and rice flour into my recipe.
I'm also flipping through the other cookbook from the library, eat what you love.
This is a much better book than I one I bought, Against All Grain.
Hoping to get some good reading in this weekend in between seeing three plays!
Thoroughly intrigued with Apple Tree Yard.
LINKING UP WITH
Beth hosts Weekend Cooking where you can post anything food related.
I can't tell you how much I love your weekend posts -- you take such full advantage of wherever you are . . . at home or away. I love the food, the art, the buildings, and, well, everything. I'm going to have to take a look at Eat What You Love. Just because I like the title.
ReplyDeleteAvocado looks so good and what neat I thought of having public piano.
ReplyDeleteYou are amazing. You pack every day full of glorious art and food and architecture! Please call me before you start your next adventure.
ReplyDeleteI do enjoy traipsing around Toronto, there is always something to see and do.
DeleteI'll be calling you!!!
Much to see here for All Seasons! So you bought these red shoes? They look like a fortune!! Can you snap an image some time to show how they look on you? That would be fun:) Lots of art! Frieda, remarkable woman My Hispanic friends here, revel in her artistic work - am not sure, of some what she did was just for shock effect - what do you think? I also like the idea of the pencil on a canvas on the floor. Hope your Hubby is recuperating well:) Have a fantastic week, Jackie1
ReplyDeleteWe used to have decorated pianos around town but they have disappeared. I would guess they didn't fare very well in our wet climate, even in summer. - Margy
ReplyDeleteWhat a wonderfully diverse post from your wonderfully diverse city, I enjoyed all of it so much. The bread recipe for sure is going into “to make soon” file!
ReplyDeleteI saw those pianos and the brain project when I was in the square a week ago tomorrow.
ReplyDelete