heritage festival pics!

I ate my way through 20 countries at last weekend's Heritage Festival. That's some serious eating, even for me! My favourite discovery was the Persian ice cream at the Iranian pavilion - it was a creamy, saffron, pistachio and rosewater flavoured delight. Pure deliciousness! I raved about it to everyone and anyone that would listen to me. That's how dang good it was. Did you get the chance to try it? If not, don't fret - there's always next year.

Try to refrain from licking the computer screen while perusing these food pics. (;

Persian ice cream! Yumminess in a cup.

Wondering about the golf shirt and fancytastic nametag? I'm a proud Heritage Festival volunteer!
Here I have two Laotian dishes in my hands - kao sankaya and papaya salad.

Kao sankaya from the Lao pavilion - sweet rice with coconut milk, topped with mango sauce.

???

The Cuban pavilion made its return this year! Yay!
Loved their roasted chicken, rice congris and chicharitas de platano.
Might have had a pork sandwich or two, as well. :)

I started each morning with, karjalan piiraaka, the perfect breakfast from the Scandinavian pavilion -
Finnish rice filled rye and flour pastry topped with egg butter.

Classic Cr�pes Suzette from France's pavilion.
The sauce was carmelized sugar, butter, orange juice and Grand Marnier liqueur. So so good!

?

Have you ever eaten freshly made bannock? It's amazing!
My compliments to the cooks at the Aboriginial pavilion!
Right after this picture was taken, I slathered this bad boy in raspberry jam and butter. Mmmm...

The Heritage Festival wouldn't be complete without a trip to the Dutch pavilion for some tasty poffertjes (small pancakes).

People enjoying the sounds of a reggae band performing at the Caribbean pavilion at the north end of Hawrelak Park.

The three tenors...Heritage Festival-style.

A flurry of vibrant colours at the Aboriginal pavilion.

Teepees at the Aboriginal pavilion were located in an ideal spot, near the Hawrelak Park pond.

Dancer from the Aboriginal pavilion. Everyone wanted their picture taken with this pretty lady.

Scott and our niece Raissa with our good friends from Lloydminster -
Jess & Matt, and their boys, Jakob and Benet. Seen here with a really tall dude.

??

Sumptuous saris on two dancers from the Indian pavilion.

All male dance group entertaining the crowds at the Indian pavilion.

I love watching the elegant Thai dancers. I also love Thai-iced tea! It's a must try.

Behind the scenes at the Guatemalan pavilion. Countless mangos need to be peeled to make Mango Loco
- mango on a stick rolled in lime juice and spices.

Lucy and Scott came to visit me during the Festival.
Dogs aren't allowed on the grounds so I met them at one of the entrances.
Notice my trusty golf cart. This was my beloved chariot for the weekend. I LOVE driving it!

Giant Taiwanese puppets.

Croatian dancers beginning their performance.
The Croatian doughnut, known as lepinje, are a hugely popular menu item.
People will line up for a heck of a long time to bite into one of these doughy sensations.

Chinese lions running loose around the park! ;)

Next year I'm definitely trying the pelmeni.

Red horse at Scandinavian pavilion. Random but fun.

?

Who is that buxom lady at the Scandinavian pavilion? :)

By day 3, the Borneo pavilion had run out of some of its more popular items. Luckily, I had tried their yummy banana fritter earlier in the weekend. I'm smart like that. :)

Early morning tai chi at the Taiwanese pavilon. What a tranquil way to start the day!

The south end of Hawrelak Park. There's ample space for everyone to find a place to take it all in.

It was a gorgeous weekend filled with sunshine, culture, food & community building (6000+ volunteers)! Mother Nature gave Edmontonians a much deserved reprieve from the rain, the mosquitoes were nary to be seen, and everyone was able to experience multiculturalism at its best. Have I mentioned how proud I am to be a part of this world class event?!

Next year's Festival takes place August 4 to 6. Save the date, friends!

Dajana :)

p.s. Got a couple more minutes? Read Paula Simons' blog post, Why we live here � a Heritage Festival epiphany. It's a real good'er.

VALENTINE will be closed in August and will reopen on September 9th. with Lars Swan and Lori Ellison in the main space and Cieble Vieira on the hall wall.

heritage festival

Happy long weekend, friends!

I'll be spending all three days at Hawrelak Park with 300,000 of my closest friends, enjoying the sights, sounds and most importantly, the tastes of the 36th annual Heritage Festival. This three-day cultural extravaganza is, hands-down, my most favourite festival in the city.

62 pavilions representing 85 cultures. This festival is what Canada is all about - multiculturalism.

Check out the amazing menu, but be prepared to drool. This is a foodie's dream.

My first stop? Poffertjes at the Dutch pavilion. Poffertjes are tasty little pancakes dusted with icing sugar. After inhaling the lil'cakes, I'll go wherever my nose leads me.

Hope to see you there!

Dajana 

p.s. Please don't forget your non-perishable food donation for Edmonton's food bank! This weekend is their single largest annual food drive. Let's help them reach their goal.

staying dry and stylish

Edmonton certainly has had its fair share of rain this summer. It's been torrential downpour after downpour.  Is this current deluge getting me down? Nope, and how can it, when I'm wearing my lime green Joe Fresh wellies and carrying my humongous Big Bird brolly (I just love British words). These two items have the power to turn a grey, grim day into the most fun puddle olympics.

"The world is mud-luscious and puddle-wonderful."
  E.E. Cummings

Although I'm a true puddle-lover, I'm hoping the sun makes an appearance soon as I'm taking in two outdoor events this weekend - the Edmonton Horticultural Society's Garden Tour and the Taste of Edmonton. I've never been on the Garden Tour before and am really looking forward to snooping in people's gardens (but with permission - ha!). I'm also excited to get my eats on and try some of the new items on the Taste of Edmonton menu, in particular, the lamb tostadas, seared bocconcini and grilled quail with pomegranate sauce. And, if I have any room left, I'll wash it all down with a mango lassi. Can't wait.

Have a lovely weekend, friends!

Dajana  :)

p.s. Check out these fun wellies and this Edmonton Journal story about brollies.

it's the little things...

 ... that make me happy. Like walking our choco-lab Lucy in Edmonton's bucolic river valley.

Surprisingly, I'd been deathly afraid of dogs for most of my life. And then I married a boy, who as a child, had dreamed of owning a labrador retriever. Ack! What was a girl to do? Well, this particular lady thought about it, dog ownership, that is, for quite some time. It took me about five years to feel comfortable with the idea of a dog. During this period of contemplation, every dog owner I knew would tell me that getting my own puppy would help me to get over my fear. And guess what? They were all right. Adding Lucy to our family was the best thing we could have done, and in fulfilling Scott's childhood dream, I also gave myself two incredible gifts - unconditional puppy love and freedom from a paralyzing fear!

To this day, I still wonder how it is that I - scaredy pants Dajana - became a dog owner. While walking Lucy, I'll often think to myself, "Holy cow! I can't believe I'm walking through a dog park, with my dog. This is so flippin' cool!"

Life can be full of such happy surprises when we're open to the possibilities.

Dajana 

shop talk: j.crew's coming to edmonton!

J. Crew devotees! It�s happy dance time for you. The iconic U.S. fashion retailer is set to open its doors in West Edmonton Mall in the summer of 2012.

For those who aren�t familiar with the J. Crew brand, here are some of the looks you will find.

Classic, polished, all American.

Indira Ikat Dress

Schoolboy blazer

Amie stripe maxi dress

Interestingly enough, some JC lovers may not be over the moon with this news. I was perusing the blog, J. Crew Aficionada and happened upon this comment: I love the fact that I don't see my clothes coming and going when I'm in Canada. The "exclusivity" factor is a big plus for me.

Whether you're feeling a happy rush or not, you can continue to shop the retailer's chic & casual wares online - until their #yeg arrival next year.

For more deetz on JC's second north of the border move, check out today's Edmonton Journal article.

Happy Monday friends!

Dajana

p.s. I'm really loving ikat lately, can you tell? ;)

SUMMER COLLAGE SHOW

MICHAEL CHANDLER
ELLEN LETCHER
CASEY LOOSE
KEVIN REGAN
TIM SPELIOS

Opening Friday July, 8, from 6-9
the show runs from July 9 through July 31
VALENTINE is open Saturdays and Sundays from 1-6

Valentine will preview its new space in July after which we will close in August and reopen in September with new work by Lori Ellison and Lawrence Swan.

__________valentineridgewood@gmail.com__________