Eclipse

If I've seen you sometime in the past week, I've probably talked your ear off about the new Vietnamese sub-inspired shop I've been to five times in the past two weeks, Banh Mi Boys. What is a banh mi, you ask?

Well, this.
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A crusty baguette topped with sandwich meat, pickled carrot and daikon, cucumber, mayo and cilantro, among other things. Traditionally, they're very cheap, but Banh Mi Boys goes a little more upscale, offering panko tofu, kalbi beef, squid and duck confit options, as well as taco or bao (steamed bun) versions. My favourite is the five spice pork belly, which is slightly crispy on the outside and so, so ridiculously tender inside. Well, that, and a split order of the kimchi fries, which is basically a Vietnamese poutine with kimchi, pulled pork, mayo and fresh green onions over crispy fries. Oh god, just thinking about it has my mouth watering. If you're in the Queen/Spadina area of Toronto, this is must try.

ed note: Oh look! Laura loves this place too! She wrote a review about it here.

Speaking of food, if you've ever asked the question, "Is this still good?" about some jar you've stumbled across in your fridge, your new best friend is a site called Still Tasty.

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Touting itself as the ultimate shelf life guide, it gives you recommendations on how best to store various foods and when to know when to fold 'em and toss away. It seems very based in common sense, offering tips on how to tell if an item's still okay, as best before dates are usually just when a food's quality is at its aesthetic peak, not when it's actually still edible.


The AV Club's been hitting my sweet spot lately and this week, it's with a walkthrough of the stories behind cultural gem Freaks and Geeks with creator Paul Feig.

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It's one of those cancelled-after-one-season, never-given-the-chance-it-deserved, voice-of-a-generation type shows that transcends the hype and feels real in a way so few series are able to articulate: it's equal parts innocent, awkward, miserable and ecstatic. In short, it feels like puberty. And, as the interviews reveal, it's an interesting case of art-imitating-life, as Feig admits much of the show was based on his personal experiences and those of the other writers. It's been a great way to revisit one of my favoruite series, and it's totally got me in the mood to watch it all over again. See interview parts one / two / three / four / five here.

I use my Baggu every day, but I may have to retire my current fave in neon poppy to make way for a few new prints, including this moon one, labelled with all the phases of the lunar cycle. Now I'll never have to guess what a waning gibbous looks like again!

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Some faves 'round these parts have been at it again – Fieldguided has a released a new collection called Light as a Feather, a set of four gorgeous huge silk scarves printed with photos taken in the late 1800s. The dream team of Anja from Clever Nettle and Megan of Summerland photographed and styled them into mystical perfection. I'm trying to convince myself that a $120 silk scarf of an ice cave is a good investment, oui?

To see more beautiful images, check Clever Nettle and the Fieldguided blog, shop and Flickr!

Easter Leftovers

That's a brisket pizza, folks!

I had a bunch of leftover brisket from my Easter dinner on Sunday night, so I decided to do something creative. After reading a super-simple looking pizza dough recipe from the latest issue of Lucky Peach (taken from Wolfgang Puck), I was itching to make it myself. It was easy, and possibly the best dough I've ever tasted. I topped the dough with barbecue sauce (Caioti-style), grated parmesan, and thinly sliced brisket pieces. It was heaven, and completely un-Kosher.

The final product.

Here's an even more simplified version of the dough that you should try, like tomorrow. I also have a lot of extra dough (this recipe makes 4 good-sized balls of dough), so if you're local you can swing by and I'll give you some of mine.

Lucky Peach's All-purpose Pizza Dough:
Makes 4 dough balls

1 packet active dry yeast
1.5 cups warm water
1 tablespoon honey
2 tablespoons EVOO
3–4 cups all-purpose flour
1.5 teaspoons Kosher salt

1. Let yeast dissolve in the water, then add honey and EVOO and stir.
2. Mix together flour and salt, and add to the water.
3. Now things are going to get messy. Mix the dough together with your hands. It's going to be really goopy and stick to your hands. If it's unworkable just add more flour, little by little. Eventually it'll stop sticking to your hands, and then you'll know you're ready to move on to the next step.
4. Put the dough in a lightly oiled bowl and cover tightly with Saran wrap. Leave it alone to rise for about half an hour.
5. Divide the dough into four parts and follow the next steps for each piece. Shape each ball by pulling the sides of the dough outwards and tucking it underneath the bottom. After a few minutes, roll the dough into a ball between your palm and a clean surface.
6. Put the dough balls onto a platter and cover with lightly oil Saran. Leave them for another half an hour.
7. Time to stretch out the dough! I like to hold it near the end, let it stretch down, and keep moving it around in a circle—let gravity help you with this one.

If you're going to use a baking sheet, make sure that you lightly oil it. Bake for 15 minutes or so at about 400, but keep an eye on it. You want it to look nice and toasty before you take it out.

Like us! Love us!

This is just a quick post to say that we have now joined the online world for real. So Like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter! Love you all, and have a great long weekend!

xo, the BGs

Midweek Pick-Me-Up

Just a few things giving me a bit of reprieve from the daily grind.

This song's been rocking my socks off lately, but you should put headphones before you listen. Everyone will be looking at you all side-eyed, being like, "why's that girl silently wiggling in her chair?" and the answer is, "because it's one of THOSE beats," but it's pretty NSFW so you know, judge your sitch.

You guys are watching the new season of Game of Thrones, right? If not, just tune out for this paragraph (but do yourself a solid and start watching soon!) This season was off to a bang with last week's opener, and seeing as I'm in the thick of the third book in the series, I know we're going to have a good time. The creators have done a great job of adapting the book to a TV show format, keeping the episodes packed with action and giving smaller characters screen time to explore their motivations. I'm also happy to return to my habit of reading The AV Club's excellent reviews after each episode, although now I've graduated to the expert versions, for those who've read the books. (There are newbie versions for those who haven't read along as well.)

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The new spring lookbook from Summerland is so, so, so good. I've made my love of this shop and photographer Anja no secret, but this collection just seems too perfect as spring inspiration. Cute bobs, collared shirts and pretty prints? Sign me up for an afternoon of lounging that looks this good, please.

You can check out more pictures on Clever Nettle and Summerland.

Swap Scores

Amanda hosted a swap on Saturday and it was so much fun! I drank too many mimosas and forgot to document the actual swapping activity (also, I was too busy secretly burrowing away pieces that I wanted so only I'd know where to find them. All's fair in love and swap!!). Instead, I made some of the girls pose with their favourite piece that they took home. Here are the lovely ladies and the stuff they scored.

Name: Jamie

Item: Black handbag

I love it because: It has a long shoulder strap and I love the gold and black colour combo. 

Name: Sarah

Item: Black lace babydoll

I love it because: It's black and it's free. What's not to like?

Name: Jessica

Item: Denim vest

I love it because: I feel like Springsteen

Name: Caitlin

Item: Plaid shirt

I love it because: I have a love affair with plaid. Also, it's a good colour and super cozy.

Name: Stephanie

Item: Houndstooth sweater

I love it because: It's classy but cozy!

Name: Katie

Item: Black skull and crossbones cardigan

I love it because: It fits and it's fun.

Name: Karen

Item: Striped tee and blue ceramic necklace

I love it because: Stripes are perfect to dress up a tee for spring!

Name: Laura Kathleen

Item: White denim shorts

I love it because: I can never have enough pairs of shorts... I wear them all year round.

Name: Amanda

Item: Suede bomber jacket

I love it because: it's the perfect neutral colour, plus I feel a bit like a lady greaser

All in all it was a perfect day, and I think we all went home happy (and with more room in our closets). Thanks girls!

Our Seven Deadly Sins of Beauty

We had a really fun weekend around these parts! There was a big swap at my house, complete with brunch foods and baked goods and mimosas and heaps of clothing – plus the best company ever to comb through it all. Everyone got new-old items they love (which you'll see tomorrow!) and Laura and I got some chill hangout time, which was pretty wonderful and never seems to happen enough.

Plus, we got mimosa-saucy and made a video! It's the Seven Deadly Sins Beauty Tag that's been going around Youtube, a series of questions based on the deadly sins, but about your favourite beauty products instead. So if you've ever wondered what it was like to hang out and talk beauty products with us, here's a taste.

Notes:

– The perfume Laura couldn't remember the name of is Bottega Veneta, which is a "leathery floral chypre" that sounds amazing. (Remind me to sniff you the next time we hang out, Laura!)

– I didn't really go into the details of Amaze Gel, but it's a gritless exfoliating gel that works magic on very sensitive skin. Seriously – you rub it in, and dry skin just beads off and your skin is instantly more supple. I can't recommend it highly enough – it's definitely worth the price, plus it's Canadian! You can find out more and order it online here.