OK, the weather this week has been absolutely schizophrenic. Anyone living in the northeast knows what I am talking about… We went from the most glorious spring weekend, where Jasper, Jeremy and I spent the entire time outside on our bikes and getting our garden cleaned up and planted, to the most disgusting torrential SNOWSTORM on Tuesday. Adios herb garden I put my back out planting on Saturday, sayonara beautiful budding tulips, hello shovel and winter boots… (too bad we took the snow tires off so early this year. Oops!)  But now, it is beautiful out again. The snow is slowly melting, and it’s almost as if it never happened – and everyone in my garden has somehow managed to have survived the perfect storm, all but my poor basil

Aside from this bizarre weather, this week also marks the one year anniversary of Hatley’s big move to their new office/warehouse in Lasalle. After 8 years in the garment district in Montreal north, the Oldland boys said it was time for a change, and decided to pack up every last Moose one-piece and Alien footed coverall from the existing warehouse and head down to a beautiful spot in Lasalle, right by the water, between the Lachine Canal and the St. Lawrence River.

Little did they know before embarking on this major endeavor that the former metal stamping company would require severe renovations to bring it up to environmental standards. In order to reduce Hatley’s carbon footprint, the roof and the front of the building needed to be insulated, all the windows needed to be changed and installed, and a major environmental cleanup began in order for Hatley’s new building to qualify for LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification – an environmental program that encourages and promotes the building of sustainable developments, and an internationally accepted benchmark for the design, construction and operation of high performance green buildings. Quite an honourable certification indeed.

Hatley’s staff could not be happier with the move. It is close to the bike path, a short walk to the water for scenic views at lunch, and really close to public transport. Everyone should check out the new digs next fall at Hatley’s famous Warehouse Sale!

Here are some shots of the staff BBQ celebration last Friday. Happy Anniversary Hatley!

OK, OK, I know this is my fault… In my last post, I insisted in commenting on how beautiful the weather had been. I take full responsibility for the curse I must have put on Mother Nature, judging from the onslaught of rain we are now experiencing. Sadly, this is the April I am more accustomed to. The 30 degree day we had last weekend was totally abnormal, but oh, what a nice surprise!

Jasper, it turns out, doesn’t mind the rain nearly as much as his mum. Not much will keep this kid out of the park these days, not even a monsoon. He is now completely obsessed with his Hatley Creepy Bugs raincoat and boots, and though they are both way too big for him, he is constantly finding his way in to the closet to pull them out, and roaming through the house with a proud grin on his face. Even though he’s only 17 months, he sure knows how great it feels to look like a big kid!

Luckily, the raincoat is lined with cozy terrycloth, so even in the blustery cold days of April, not much will deter Jas from his park visits. Not so lucky for me, as my raincoat is certainly not lined, nor does it come close to fitting over my bulging, 30-week pregnant belly -  I have stubbornly vowed not to spend another dime on overly expensive maternity clothes that will only get a few more weeks of use, so this weather better turn around FAST or I might be in trouble!

Though the cozy lining is a great feature about the Creepy Bugs raincoat, what I like best is that it is made with Polyurethane, and is PVC-free. PVC, or polyvinyl chloride, is a toxic chemical most commonly used in waterproof things like raincoats, shower curtains, bibs and even some baby’s chew toys. PVC, which is used to make the product soft and flexible,  releases nasty toxins like mercury and dioxins throughout its life cycle and is known as one of the most toxic plastics made. When it’s made or burned, PVC releases dioxins that are some of the most dangerous synthetic chemicals out there, and can cause cancer and/or do serious damage to the immune and reproductive system. Not the least of which, PVC is also a huge enemy of the environment as it cannot be recycled. The Center for Health, Environment and Justice has labeled PVC as “one of the most hazardous consumer products ever created”. Not exactly what you want your kid to roam around in on a rainy day.

Surprisingly, finding PVC-free raincoats for kids is incredibly difficult. Hatley, as well as Land’s End and L.L. Bean,  are actually some of the few companies making them. They use Polyurethane instead of PVC to coat the fabric to make it waterproof, which does not contain the same toxic fire retardants, nor does it release the harmful gases that PVC does. It’s also not considered a cancer threat – certainly a much safer and healthier alternative for our kids (and us!).

Before becoming a parent, I naively did not worry too much about what was in the food I was eating or the clothes I put on. But now that I have Jasper (and the new baby soon to makes it’s arrival) to consider and worry about, it is impossible to ignore the blatant health risks posed by certain chemicals in clothing and antibiotics and pesticides in food. My eyes have certainly been opened to actually check the labels, read the ingredients list on packaging, and to search for greener and healthier alternatives. And luckily, those alternatives are out there, and are slowly becoming more mainstream.

Hopefully the weather this month is soon to turn around, but if not, at least Jas has his Creepy Bugs… Now if only they came in maternity sizes !

Happy April everyone!

Well, according to my calendar, it is officially Spring! The snow is melting, the little green buds are starting to pop through the sad, ravaged-by-winter gardens, and the sun is certainly starting to poke out from behind the gray clouds of winter. Albeit there is still a biting wind that doesn’t let you forget that we are hardly out of the winter woods yet, but I will take it! There is nothing like a little sunshine to give you a new lease on life. We can only hope that we’ve seen the end of the snow, once and for all! Forgive me all you spring skiers out there…

I’m sure that fellow parents can relate when I say that you really feel the pain of winter when you have a toddler at home with you. There is nothing more disheartening than a bitterly cold and awful day outside and a rambunctious little one inside crawling the walls. But with all the sun this past week, Jasper and I have spent every single afternoon at the park, and we are both loving every second of it! His obsession with the swings grows stronger by the day, as does his love affair with the slide – my ever growing belly and I are getting quite the work-out chasing him up and down the jungle gym, trying to make sure his newly walking legs don’t take him over the edge. We are both so exhausted by the end of it, after supper we absolutely collapse in our respective beds (& cribs). Aahhh Spring… so good to see you old friend!

And with the warmer weather comes my favourite cooking season of the whole year… BBQ! Actually, to be honest, our barbecuing doesn’t really go on hiatus during the winter – this year in particular, Jeremy was often sent out on blustery nights to shovel out the BBQ because of a sudden and dire pregnancy craving for grilled chicken or (weirdly) ribs. But there is something about the first few days of Spring, when daylight savings has kicked in and it is actually still light out at 6:30 PM, and you catch a whiff of all the barbecues in the neighbourhood firing up for a delectable dinner, that really makes it feel like summer isn’t so far off.

Certainly another big craving for me this time around has been burgers. Big, juicy cheeseburgers with lots of pickles and sweet potato fries on the side. Hmmm… getting hungry already just thinking about it. For some reason, burgers never used to do much for me, I always thought they were kind of bland – certainly an easy dinner, but never all that exciting unless you go over the top with the condiments. That was until I saw an episode of Gordon Ramsey’s Kitchen Nightmares where he berated some poor chef for his bland and dry burgers, and he divulged his secret to success to dress up the ultimate comfort food. The recipe that follows is my own variation on his, and it is always a winner. The key I find is using really good meat, and I often opt for organic lamb, but it also works well with veal or bison, if I can find it. And as always, the condiments play a big part as well… especially the cheese (if you choose to use it). I usually go for a sharp, aged cheddar, or sometimes smoked Gouda to really take it over the top. Caramelized onions, grilled portobello mushrooms, smokey bacon are other serious contenders, but to be honest, you really can’t go wrong with straight up lettuce and tomatoes… and a big stack of crunchy pickles, of course!

Hope you enjoy the recipe, please feel free to let me know what you think. I apologize for the long break between posts, March has been a bit of a whirlwind, but we will be back on track now! Happy Easter everyone!!

Foolproof  Lamb Burgers

For the burgers:

1 lb. ground lamb (or beef, veal or bison) – organic, if possible
1 egg yolk
1 Tbsp. ketchup or barbecue sauce
1 Tbsp. Dijon mustard
1 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
2 green onions, trimmed and finely chopped
2 Tbsp. Italian parsley, finely chopped
2 Tbsp. fresh mint, chopped – omit if you are not using ground lamb
salt & pepper to taste

4 whole wheat pitas, just a little bigger than the burgers

4 slices of cheese of your choice (optional) – aged Cheddar, spicy Monterey Jack, smoked Gouda
Lettuce, tomato, pickles
Condiments of your choice (and I highly recommend good quality Tzatziki)

To make the burgers, combine the ground lamb, egg yolk, ketchup (or BBQ sauce), Dijon, Worcestershire sauce, chopped green onions, parsley, mint and salt & pepper in a bowl and mix very well with your hands, making sure to incorporate all the ingredients together. Form in to 4 equal sized patties and set aside on a plate.

Meanwhile, light your BBQ and let it get nice and hot. Grill the burgers to your preferred temperature, flipping once, about 4 minutes per side for medium-rare. As soon as the burgers are done, add cheese to make sure that it melts and turn off heat on the BBQ. Serve the burgers immediately, stuffed inside the pitas with your favourite condiments, baked sweet potato fries and a nice big salad.

Enjoy!!

Serves 4