Recipe : A Pasta Salad Everyone Loves

ass="aligncenter size-full wp-image-10179" title="really-delicious-pasta-sala" src="http://www.loulou.to/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/really-delicious-pasta-sala.jpg" alt="" width="640" height="426">This could very well be the food I would choose if for some reason I could only eat one thing for the rest of my life. I have been making it since I first began cooking for myself and haven't changed the formula since. Warning : Leftovers stored in the fridge will not last long. You will constantly be having just a little bit more, until it is all gone! Seriously.Ingredients: (to make 6 to 8 servings)- 1 small package (450 grams) pasta noodles, such as Fusilli, Penne. I used bow ties (aka Farfalle).- 1/3 cup olive oil- 1/3 cup wine vinegar- 2 small or 1 large clove of garlic- 1/2 teaspoon red chili pepper flakes- 2/3 teaspoon salt- 1 tablespoon pine nuts. I would use 2 tablespoons of they weren’t so expensive. That said, one tablespoon goes a long way on flavour.- 2 or 3 tomatoes- Some feta cheese. I used a piece about 2 x 3 inches big. Rinse and cube the cheese.- About 1 cup of olives, your choice of type but Kalamatas are perfect.- Some fresh basil leaves (do not substitute with dry) Omit it if you don't have any.

An Afternoon with my Sister and What I Wore

Last week my sister and I had lunch together and then went shopping. It rained on and off throughout but we had our umbrellas so we didn't get wet.

We went to the same restaurant I'd been to a few days earlier with my friends, called Shanghai Cowgirl. Both times, this was the place selected by my dates but that was ok with me. After lunch we headed along Queen Street West for some shopping! There are all kinds of great little shops in the area. I didn't buy anything on this trip though and instead helped my sis pick out a few things.

As I mentioned it was very soggy out, so I wore some weather appropriate shoes. Yes, umm, these are made of foam. I must admit that I was very reluctant to try Crocs when they first came out, but my friend insisted that I must try a pair as house shoes/slippers. So a few years ago I got some of those clod-hopper garden shoe type. And while I've never worn them further than the end of our driveway, they truly do make terrific summertime house shoes.

The ones I wore for shopping in the rain are my second pair of Crocs. I saw this cute ballerina style worn by a woman on the street earlier this summer and immediately walked over to the Crocs store and bought a pair. They're great. Very comfortable for long walks and perfect for rainy days! And I was so convincing and happy with my choice of footwear that my sister bought herself the very same pair on this shopping trip, only in a nice deep purple colour.

Cool Bikes on Display

A week ago Sunday, Nick and I went for some exercise in a nearby park, called Trinity Bellwoods. You never know what you'll find going on in this beautiful place. Most of the time there is nothing other than ordinary park fun happening ... picnics, sports, the walking of cute dogs, but often enough there is one corner or another being used for something special. And on this particular Sunday such came in the form of a neat Vintage Bicycle Show!

Yes, although I was dressed in running clothes, I just so happened to have my trusty small camera with me, as I never leave home without it. Good photo ops are unpredictable so it's good to be prepared at all times!

What I Wore out for Dinner With Friends

Last week, on a hot Tuesday evening, I met a couple of my girlfriends for dinner. And while I had my camera with me, I didn't snap any shots of the outing. You know how sometimes there just doesn't seem to be the right moment to take pictures? It was one of those nights! But I can describe the scene to you ... we met at 7 and it was still bright and beautiful out so we ate outside, in a booth on the back patio at a spot called Shanghai Cowgirl. This place is somewhat 'punk-rock' and a black outfit would have fit in better, but (for once) I didn't feel like wearing black! All in all, a very fun evening spent catching up with friends I adore.

My dress is a new one that I picked up in a little mall connected to the subway station near my doctor's office, when I went for my physical a couple of weeks ago. My first 'real' job after university was in a building on the same corner, which is why my doctor is located up there. She is so good that I never looked for a doctor closer to my downtown home(s) once I left that job many moons ago! Anyway, I don't mind making the trek to her office because of that small mall! It has a number of tiny independent boutiques in it that I like to have a look in. I thought this little elastic shirred bodice dress would be perfect for the imaginary beach vacation that I am planning in my head, so I picked one up in my first (and typical) choice of a classic black and white colour scheme. Then, after shopping in a couple of other stores, I went back and got this multi-coloured one too. I was actually thinking of my on-line friend Vix when I did because I really like all the colours she wears.

Loving Lately : The Small Joys of Summer