i was on a reality tv show this summer. and survived.

Yep, it�s true! In July, I appeared on Come Dine With Me Canada, the Canadian version of the hit UK television show Come Dine With Me � a dinner party competition series.



The premise: each night for one week, our zany and wacky fivesome (more on them later) took turns cooking up our idea of the perfect evening � including the menu, cocktails, wine, entertainment and ambiance. After dinner, each of us would rate the host�s performance and at the end of the week, the host with most votes is crowned the winner and rewarded with the �ultimate dinner party host� title and a cash prize.

The week of filming was one of the most intense of my life. I felt as if I was living in some surreal crazy town. It was beyond anything I had ever experienced in my life. By the end of the five days, I was utterly exhausted and ready to never lay eyes on the other participants again (this has since changed). Heh.



I was the third of our fivesome to host. My menu consisted of an elderflower cocktail as the welcome drink, shrimp bruschetta and ogoniok as the appetizer, baked halibut with chimichurri as the main course, and a berry pavlova with double raspberry sauce for dessert.  I thought I did a fantastic job and was proud of my evening. God only knows what the others had to say. Yikes.

The others were the oddest group of dining companions; Brett, the 29-year-old liquor salesman/actor, 31-year-old Jana � a stay-at-home mom and tanning salon owner, 42-year-old Barbara � a communications manager of a non-profit organization and Philippe, the 48-year-old great grandson of the French painter Renoir. The hilarity that ensued with our zany quintet is a producer�s dream. Although, I saw things I can't unsee, I also can't remember the last time I laughed that hard.



You can watch the 5 back-to-back episodes on Monday, October 29 beginning at 8:30 p.m. MT (7:30 p.m. ET) on the W Network.  I'll be watching at an airing party (fancy schmancy!) with my family and friends plus the other participants and their peeps. Should be a riot!

Until the show airs, you can check out my audition video (& pics) on the Come Dine with Me Canada Facebook page.  Um, it�s real interesting. (;

Wondering why the heck I did this? This article in the Edmonton Journal does a good job explaining.

p.s. Scotty and I just got back from NYC. We had a blast and took over 1,000 pictures! Blog post to come later as soon as I get my act together. Thanks to everyone who suggested things for us to see and do. You guys rock!

"It was the best of times..."

New Paintings and Artifacts by Summer Wheat         

     �There is a woman who works at a trolley tour office. She sells paper tickets and does the accounting with a worn-down pencil. Her husband works two jobs, in factories, one at night and one in the daytime, and he steals a few hours at home between his labors. Every morning, this woman rises at 3:45 am, in the dark and draws a bath for her husband. When he arrives, she wraps his swollen feet in hot towels and he sinks into the bath � every day. This is a love story. We draw baths and tend wounds.

Opening Friday October 26 from 6-9

Valentine is open Friday through Sunday from 1-4 and by appointment

This exhibit runs through November 18

Valentinegallery.blogspot.com

new york bound!

We're going to New York, lovelies.

To say that I�m excited would be the understatement of the year. I can�t wait to wander the city that never sleeps with my beau.



Here are some of the places we�d like to visit.  If you have any other suggestions, I�d love to hear them!

+ Central Park (bike ride, anyone?)
+ MOMA & The Met
+ Madison Square Eats (foodie fest!)
+ Big Gay Ice Cream (I'm dying to try the Bea Arthur or Mexican affo�gay�to)
+ Momofuku (winner winner chicken dinner)
+ Red Rooster (hel-lo Harlem!)
+ Chelsea Market (more foodie fun)
+ Madewell, Uniqlo, Pippin and Anthro (a girl�s gotta shop, right?)
+ Statue of Liberty & Ellis Island
+ Top of the Rock/Rainbow Room (both offer a lovely vantage point of the city)

We�ll be hoofing and subway�ing it throughout our stay � we�ve heard that the subway offers the BEST people-watching and more cultural immersion than the United Nations. (:

Wanna come along on our travels?  Join me on Instagram at allkindsoflovelyblog.

Ciao for now!

p.s. I've memorized this in anticipation of our trip.

eat: pumpkin pie roll ups

Hope you had a happy Thanksgiving weekend with the ones you love!

We spent ours with family and friends (which included celebrating my niece Raissa's and friend Nat's birthdays and trying out Three Boars resto with our friends Kat & Gord), plus we ate a ton of turkey and even made time for �il dolce far niente� (the sweetness of doing nothing � didn't you see Eat Pray ... oh never mind, it was a crappy movie with the exception of Mr. Javier Bardem. ;)

One thing I didn't get to this long weekend (on account of 'il dolce far niente' and the beginnings of a pesky cold) was making these pumpkin pie fruit roll ups. So, I made 'em today (they're still in the oven filling our house with the loveliest smells).

Pumpkin makes everything better. Am I right, or am I right?!



Here's how to make them...

1. Preheat oven to 170F. Line a large rimmed baking sheet with foil; spray with oil. I used parchment paper instead. It saves you a step at the end.

2. Whirl 1 cup pumpkin pur�e, 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce, 1/4 cup packed brown sugar and 1/2 tsp pumpkin-pie spice in a food processor until smooth.

3. Pour mixture on prepared sheet. Using a spatula, evenly spread very thinly to edges. Bake in centre of oven until dry, 2 1/2 to 3 hours.

4. Transfer to a rack to cool completely. Peel fruit leather from foil, roll in waxed paper and store in an airtight container up to 2 weeks.

Recipe and photo via Chatelaine.