Winterlicious Begins!

My new husband and I don't get out to dinner very often. I love to cook so often we opt for a making a gourmet meal in versus heading out on the town. But when we do, we always enjoy - Toronto is full of great restaurants and my list of places to go is constantly growing!

We recently had the chance to check out Lolita's Lust with four friends for a surprise birthday dinner. The dinner date was changed at the last minute, giving us the chance to take advantage of Winterlicious 2011.

For those who aren't familiar with Winterlicious, it's nearly two week restaurant promotion produced by the City of Toronto (similar to NYC Restaurant Week). About 150 of Toronto's top restaurants participate, offering three-course prix fixe menus at affordable prices - some dinners are just $25 a person and a number of restaurants also offer lunch options. Yum.

Located on the Danforth, Lolita's Lust is a surprisingly large restaurant with a beautiful design, full of exposed brick, a personal favourite design element. The tables are pretty close together but our party of six had ample room to enjoy.

A look inside Lolita's Lust (photo courtesy of Lolita's Lust)

The Winterlicious menu provided a three choices for each course - appetizer, entree and dessert. Evidence of our similar tastes, my new husband and I enjoyed exactly the same meal: roasted beet and cucumber salad with tzatiki in a balsamic reduction to start; seared salmon topped with tomato chili chutney and served with vegetable & potatoes as a main; and chocolate mousse topped with a strawberry to finish the meal. Not only did everything taste delicious, it was presented nicely and the portions were just enough to leave you full, but not stuffed. And at just $25 per person, it was truly a great value!

We're hoping to dine at a few more restaurants this Winterlicious season and already have plans to go to Big Daddy's Bourbon Street Bistro & Oyster Bar next week. Are you planning to check out any restaurants during Winterlicious 2011?

Northern Exposure

Last weekend, my new husband and I decided to get out of the city and head north to Parry Sound for a bit of R&R. After a long weekend, we were both looking forward to relaxing by the fire, reading and good food that usually goes along with a weekend at the cottage, thanks to some gracious hosts.

As this is Canada in January, the weather changes quickly and we knew it would be cold and possibly snowy...but not quite this cold and not quite this snowy. We didn't make it very far before we hit the scariest snow squalls ever - I'm talking hands-gripping-the-steering-wheel, don't-hit-the-guardrail type scary. Between the fact that it was after dark and snowing so hard, we couldn't see five feet in front of us. And we don't have snow tires.

This experience highlighted a distinct difference between my husband and I - while he managed to stay calm and navigate us safely through the storm, I, as the passenger on this northern adventure, assumed the role of 'Ms. Panicky', fussing over the fact that we had gotten stuck in the storm in the first place (for those who may be wondering, I fully assumed my husband would have checked the weather, and I didn't look myself...I know, I know)

And now for a bit of comic relief - we made it through the snow only to get stuck in a snow bank - wait for it - at the bottom of the driveway to the cottage. I don't know how we did it but by that point, I couldn't stop laughing.

Despite this start, it did end up being a great weekend. Thanks to Jeff & Debbie for hosting!

Have you been on any adventurous road trips lately?

Organized Chaos

Life right now feels like organized chaos. Between our personal and professional commitments, it seems my new husband and I constantly running in different directions, weekdays and weekends included: when I'm home, he's out, and when I'm out or working late, he's home. You get the drift.

Throughout our relationship, we've always placed a high emphasis on maintaining our own personalities and activities, even if this means we did a few more things independently than the average couple. But lately it feels like this is the norm, rather than the exception as we try to balance the ability to maintain our personal social lives and get ahead at work with wanting to spend time together and enjoy our first months of marriage.

How do you balance your busy personal/professional life as an individual with your married life?

New Year's Resolutions

I have been a very bad blogger. No updates or posts since the end of November...eek! I have to admit that I had good intentions upon starting this blog, but got sidetracked by the inevitable craziness of the 2010 holiday season.

Today, that changes. I am generally not a fan of New Year's resolutions, but I am publicly declaring that my resolution for 2011 is to be a better blogger. So here's to really getting this thing started in 2011.

Do you have a New Year's resolution? How are you planning to stick with it throughout the year?

Welcome!

Welcome to ‘Adventures as a Newlywed’ and thanks for visiting. I’ve been thinking about blogging for a long time, and felt recently inspired to start a site to talk about all things newlywed – from merging finances and decorating our home, to cooking and entertaining. I look forward to not only telling you about my adventures, but also hearing about your experiences and any advice you may have.

A bit about me – I am a Connecticut native who moved to Canada to attend university. All along my Dad always told my Mom ‘don’t worry, she’ll be back as soon as she graduates.’ Well, was he ever wrong. My Grandmother, however, had predicted reality: after university I moved to Toronto, met a nice Canadian boy and fell in love. Along the way I also met some of my best friends, started my career and bought a condo – all of which made my draw to Canada, and in particular Toronto, that much stronger. My husband and I were married in August 2010 and although we lived together for several years, the adventure has continued to evolve after marriage as we learn more about what makes each other tick.

At our wedding, we opted to ditch the traditional guest book and instead ask our guests for their ‘best wishes and advice.’ The result was a collection of funny, heartfelt and personal advice from our closest friends and family members. It ranged from the age old adage of ‘happy wife, happy life’ (amen to that!) to suggesting that we sort our respective cleaning chores early on to avoid arguing about it down the road (so true!).

What’s the one piece of advice you would give to newlyweds?