It is not every day that Starbucks gets run out of town… OK not exactly out of town. Nutmeg is pretty certain that their lease on 3rd Street SW in Calgary was up and it may have been an under-performing location, so they have closed up shop and Subway is going in.  Caffe Artigiano has certainly not missed the competition.  On a recent Wednesday afternoon Nutmeg was a bit early for her meeting with Cilantro, so popped in for a latte. Their signature latte is the Spanish Latte with a touch of condensed milk – heaven in a cup!  At 2:30pm there was barely a seat to be had in the place and a line up at least 20 deep.  These guys have perfected the system, you order and pay as normal at the till and your order comes up on a print out (in order) at the barista end.  Unlike Starbucks: no yelling, no call backs, no cups…

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Caffe Artigiano, Calgary Restaurants, Coffee Shops in Calgary, Restaurant Reviews

Some of you may think that Nutmeg is quick to form an opinion and in many cases you might be on the mark.  The truth is the case of Kaffa Coffee and Salsa House in Marda Loop (Calgary SW) she has tried to find the nugget in this place over several visits.  It has certainly been around for a long time, the parking is good and free (you have to pay just down the block), they have a sunny patio and the coffee is hot.  (more…)

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Calgary Restaurants, Coffee Shops in Calgary, Restaurant Reviews

Before you let your mind get too far with that, it is the name of a HIKE!
Nutmeg is terrified of snakes and a good girl scout, so there is no way she is going hiking alone.  The Bump and Grind hike is different, it is like going to the gym outside.  You park in a very urban setting, right behind Target and basically follow the crowd.  It is a very good workout, 2 miles up and about 750 feet of elevation gain.  The path is wide so you can easily pass slower walkers and you can see the snakes if they are on the trail (thankfully none in sight).  Like every hike in the desert make sure to take water, a hat, sunglasses, wear sunscreen and do not wear white shorts (no one should).  Other than a decent workout, the people watching is certainly lots of fun.
Here is Nutmeg’s association of hikers on the trail to the cars parked…

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Bump and Grind Trail, Palm Springs Hiking Trails, Things to do in Palm Desert, Travel Palm Springs

Nutmeg was curious, in December she and Ginger had fresh squeezed orange juice every morning from the tree outside the door in Palm Desert.  However, in June no decent oranges, lemons or grapefruits for any juice.  The trees are still very healthy and there are signs of fruit to come, although not anytime soon…
So Nutmeg wondered: do the trees only bare fruit once a year? The answer is yes, unfortunately.
Is California really the place for citrus?  The answer is yes although it is not the leader in US production.  The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) publishes monthly results and forecasts by state and by type of produce; oranges “non-Valencia”, oranges “Valencia”, grapefruit, tangerines, tangelos, lemons etc.  Florida by far has the largest production (131 million boxes – forecast for 2010), followed by California (59 million), Texas (1,6 million) and Arizona weighs in with some minor production.  Total US production forecast for 2010 is 192 million boxes. Interesting to…

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California Citrus, California Travel Guides, Food Nutritional Facts, Travel Palm Springs

OK it’s true confession time here –  Nutmeg just wants you read her blog so typically would not promote the competition….
So today is different this blog is called 1,000 Awesome Things.  The blog has won awards and Neil Pasricha has just published a book called “The Book of Awesome”.  He posts a new awesome thing every week day.  Check out some of the posts:  The first scoop of peanut butter, Rain Hair, Snow days….
Enjoy all things Awesome it is one very cool blog.  BUT not too much – keep reading Ginger and Nutmeg.  🙂 !!

Nutmeg and Ginger have two black Labradors.  These ladies have a very good life; they get a few walks a day, lots of food and water, they have a nice backyard to laze around in and they get to swim in the nearby rivers.  In addition to that, they have two great doggie caregivers who pitch in for walks and when Nutmeg runs away from Calgary’s weather.  Nutmeg is away (did I mention the weather?) and she got an email this morning… Jade ate a vitamin is that OK?  Well if you own a Labrador you know the answer – ask Oregano to tell you the story of his dog and the socks one day.  Of course a vitamin is certainly not going to hurt and is 1000 fold better than half the stuff she finds in the park.
That was not enough for Nutmeg though she was curious – would human vitamins actually have any effect on dogs?  Well…

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Dogs and Vitamins, Travel Tips with Pets, Travel with Dogs

Nutmeg has a beef with Calgary’s weather, in a nutshell it sucks.  For many years now she has heard all the noise about “Chinooks”….” shorts weather in February”… “it never lasts”… “you can golf in all four seasons”!!  Bottom line the weather is unpredictable and only “died in the wool” Calgarians like Ginger really embrace the constantly changing environment.  The great thing about Calgary, is when the weather does cooperate and that rare, yet fantastic Summer night appears – a restaurant patio is a must!  There are patios everywhere to try and take advancement of the rare moments.  One of the Calgary gems is the well protected and well heated (over-head heaters and out-door fireplaces) patio at Bonterra Trattoria.
Earlier this week lucky Nutmeg was treated to dinner by CardaMOM and Montreal Steak Spice at Bonterra Trattoria.  It was way too cold for the patio, at barely 8 degrees Celsius, so we huddled in the very warm and cosy wine…

Recipes & Travel:
Bonterra Restaurant, Calgary Restaurants, Restaurant Reviews

Hot Sauce a Chili were recently in Estonia (Officially the Republic of Estonia).  Estonia is divided into 15 counties and operates as a democratic parliamentary republic, if you are interested to find out more check out the Wikipedia related information.  With a population of only 1.34 million, Estonia is one of the least-populous members of the European Union.  The country is blessed with a temperate season climate.  Estonia’s language is very close to Finnish. The capital and largest city is Tallinn, with a beautifully preserved old city.  One of UNESCOs World Heritage Sites, is Bergen’s Old Quay.  From Hot Sauce directly, “I have never seen so many church spires!”
Nutmeg was curious, what exactly is UNESCO and how many sites are there?  UNESCO is the acronym for United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization.  This is a web site that you could spend days reviewing.  There are currently 890 Properties world wide (689 Cultural, 176 Natural and 25 mixed).  Canada…

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European Travel Tips, Restaurant Reviews, Road Trip Planner, UNESCO world heritage sites

So Nutmeg has this friend,  Mr. High Maintenance (or “the lighting guy”) who he claims that he does not like Cilantro.  We have all thought for years that he is well; Mr. High Maintenance – you get the picture.  So today on the step-mill at the gym Nutmeg was stunned to find out that apparently it is true!! There is a study that has been done to understand the link between DNA and dietary preferences. 
You can read the full article in Maclean’s Magazine (May 17, 2010).  The study has been co-authored by Dr. Oz (yes his real name). The field is called “nutrigenomics” which is the pursuit of identifying the right diet for your genes. The theory is that people may not process and digest food in the same way due to unique gene make-up.  Apparently, via a simple mouth swab, they can determine what kind of diet you should be on. 
In addition, a study has been done by…

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Facts about Cilantro, food info, Food Nutritional Facts

Quinoa pronounced “keen-wha” is a really old grain.  It is classified as a pseudocereal, which means it is not a cereal or a grain.  Quinoa is a chenopod, so it is the same family as beets and spinach.  It was a sacred grain for the Inca’s, who called it chissaya mama “mother of all grains”.  It has been cultivated for over 6000 years in the Andes.  It does not grow like a rice; quinoa has a long growing season, likes well drained soil and easily grows at high altitudes up to 4000 meters.  The Spanish conquistadors (really bad guys) who called it “food for Indians” forbade the production and strongly encouraged the farming of corn (maize).  Quinoa is also really good for you, it is gluten-free, high in phosphorus, magnesium, iron and it is high in protein.  Best of all it cooks in 15 minutes or less.
Ginger hates quinoa but he is away…. so Nutmeg (who loves it) got…

Recipes & Travel:
food info, Food Nutritional Facts, Healthy Salads, Quinoa Recipes, South American Food