Field Trip: Mister Ice Cream in Vancouver, Canada

Mister signage 

Last weekend we capped off our day trip to Vancouver with a visit to a place I have always wanted to try. Mister in Vancouver is an ice cream shop, but one with a twist. They make your ice cream to order...with liquid nitrogen. 

The process

You end up with a creamy delicious treat and a bit of a show to boot! Steve chose Double Oreo, Sam a Creme Brûlée with lavender, and I ordered a Thai Tea flavor. Because Sam's was a creme brûlée they even finished it off with a sugar crust and a torching! Even more of a show. 

Our trio of flavors

One of my favorite things about getting out and about and trying new things is getting inspired. This was certainly inspiring. Steve is wondering about bringing some liquid nitrogen home and seeing if we could make some magic of our own! I'll let you know if we make something happen! 

Steve with his treat

Field Trip: Day Trip to Vancouver

Colorful storefronts

Like a few of you out there, I have been suffering with a head cold. It's been dragging along for a while now. And along with this I have a bad case of cabin fever. While waiting out the sickness to get better we decided to tackle the cabin fever with a quick day trip to Vancouver Canada. 

Cookie choices

We like to explore a place with loose agenda then see where things take us. We started with the idea that we would explore the Chinatown neighborhood as it's one we haven't checked out yet. Once we picked an area Samantha did some quick research and found a starting place. 

Creme brûlée and cookies

Crackle Creme is the sweetest little place for treats. Do you like creme brûlée? They do a variety of small batch flavors. Would you prefer a liege waffle? They have those too! Or hot chocolates, espressos. Or what Samantha was really excited about...these amazing cookies! They had such a variety it was hard to choose. But knowing we would be spending most of our day eating we split a creme brûlée, a waffle and some cookies between us. A perfect, sweet start to the day! 

A variety shop

Then we were off exploring. We walked the blocks around the area and just being tourists. We wandered the stores and spent some time in a tea shop sampling some teas and settling on a few to bring home. We took in the color and sights. And we just appreciated being in a different city for the day. 

Sam and I 

There is something about being in a big city. The energy, the color, the differences. We love just wandering around and taking things in. And of course the food! 

Joe Pizza 

Then you know it was time for a snack again so we thought pizza by the slice would be perfect! We found Joe Pizza and settled in for a quick pizza by the slice break. A slice of margherita and one of parma later and we were good to go for more adventures! 

Community Thrift Frock Shoppe

Then it was off to our other favorite activity...thrifting. We found Community Thrift in nearby Gastown. They have two stores and both were amazing. Sam found the Vintage Frock Shoppe to be right up her alley and came out with a few things. I found the Unisex shop to be more my speed...lots of t-shirts, army shirts, and the like. Both are well curated and fun shopping experiences! 

Noodles! 

Then, it was time to eat again! Back again to Chinatown to a place we had spotted earlier, Fat Mao for some noodles. We each ordered a different dish, the passed the plates to share! This little restaurant was so good! Each noodle dish was incredibly different in flavor. And it turns out they are one of three restaurants started by the same chef. Now we have a starting point for another trip! We can't wait to try Freebird Chicken! I'll be sure to tell you all about it when we go! Been on an adventure of your own recently? Battling cabin fever? Tell me how you manage it! 

On My Radar: Valentine's Day Prep

Are you one to celebrate Valentine's day? I have to admit I'm a believer. I don't know if it was the thrill of the possibility of a secret admirer that little Valentine box held in elementary school and it has held all these years. Maybe it's because once I actually did receive a Valentine from a secret admirer...from then on I was hooked. On the romance, the possibility, the fun of it all! 

Valentine's waiting to go out 

These days my Valentine dreams center around our girls, my husband and my friends. Letting them know how much I love and value them. Surprising them with a card, a treat, or a note telling them how much they mean to me. Sometimes we need a prompt to remember to let people know how much they mean to us. This one is mine! 

My Valentine 

And any celebration is either treats and fun at breakfast or a dinner with a special dessert. We love spending the time with the girls, talking about their perceptions of romance, and our changing ideas around it. We are pretty low key these days, though we have a get away later this month that I'm pretty excited about (I'll share about it here, I promise!) 

Vintage Valentines

Every Valentine's Day calls for some kind of special treat. This year I am especially excited about it! We have ordered a cake from my friend Nancy of Saltadena. And if you are in the Bellingham area you can get your hands on one of these beauties too! 

They are 3", three-layer mini cakes for two with the cutest theme..."We Go Together Like..."

Saltadena's Valentine Cakes 

The flavors are (left to right) Salt & Pepper, PB & J, and Chocolate & Hazelnut. (we picked out Salt & Pepper if you are curious!) They are $15 each, come boxed with a cute ribbon and customizable tag and pre-orders can be picked up at Spruce between 4-7 on Valentine's Day. Just e-mail Nancy at the address found here before February 10th! And maybe I'll run into you at Spruce picking up our cakes!