Iqaluit - another interesting place!

I've just been made very happy by getting a purchase from Iqaluit, Nunavut, Canada!  I love a sale from somewhere interesting - and even though I'm from Canada, Iqaluit to me sounds exotic and wild :)  It is the capital of the Territory of Nunavut, in the north east of Canada.  It's a relatively new Territory, I sort of remember it's formation when I was a kid - when the Northwest Territories split into two.  I've always wanted to visit the Canadian north... the wild landscapes and small communities sound really attractive.

So off I go to Pinterest and Wikipedia to see what I can find out about Iqaluit and Nunavit to share with you all...

Interview with Debbie from Happy Yellow Dress

Debbie is the brains and beauty behind Happy Yellow Dress, "a fusion of vintage and modern styles, spun together to make a modern classic". I interviewed Debbie to learn more about her and her gorgeous dress designs:

Cory: How did you begin designing and making clothing, and how did that turn into a business?

Debbie: My cute Mommy taught me everything I know. I grew up in a family with ten kids, so most of my clothes were hand me downs from my big brother, or made with love by my mama. I was also a really tall and gangly kid, so I sewed for myself out of necessity. 

As I got older, the styles of clothing that I loved, (1920's to 1960's style fashions), were hard to find outside of vintage shops, and again, the body type thing got in the way, so I became more creative with my designs. People seemed to like what I was doing, so there was definitely a market there, and thus Happy Yellow Dress was born.

Cory: Where do you get your inspiration for your designs?

Debbie: When I was young, my favourite pastime was watching old movies from the 40's and 50's with my Dad, and I was always obsessed with how beautiful the leading ladies were, and how pretty their dresses always were. Definitely get inspiration from the classics. Grace Kelly in Rear Window, by Alfred Hitchcock is one o' my faves.

Cory: Where do you do your work? What is your workspace like?

Debbie: I work from home. I'd say my work space is pretty clean-ish, considering how small the space is... my bedroom quadruples as warehouse, office, and studio. definitely spills into other areas of the suite tho... Thank God for an understanding roommate!

Cory: Please tell us a little more about Happy Yellow Dress.

Debbie: Happy yellow Dress is a line of women's clothing, mainly dresses, inspired by classic vintage, and made in beautiful Vancouver British Columbia. All of my dresses are named after old rock and roll songs from the 50's and 60's. Our tagline is "Boys will whistle!", and believe me, they do ;)

Cory: And finally, if your dresses were a food, what would they taste like?

Debbie: If my dresses were a food, they'd be banana cream pie!! Didn't even have to think about that one!!!!!

Cory: Mmmmm, banana cream pie...

Kraft Dinner Recipes: Canadian food that brings joy series 1

Here are some amazingly delicious Kraft Dinner recipes for all to try.

Kraft Dinner is the one food that, while a student living on a typical Canadian student diet of perogies, instant noodles and sushi, never got old.  One reason for this is there are just so many ways to jazz it up!  Here are some of my favourites:

Maple Beans and Tomato Kraft Dinner

The title isn't too mysterious.  Make Kraft Dinner according to the original recipe, and add half a tin of Heinz Maple flavoured beans.  Top with chopped fresh tomato.  My all time favourite!  So good it doesn't even warrent ketchup.

Extra Cheezy Broccoli Kraft Dinner

This title isn't too mysterious either.  Cook according to usual instruction, but while boiling the pasta, drop in chopped broccoli florets.  Top with cubed cheddar cheese.  Yum!

Kraft Dinner Primavera

While boiling the pasta, add frozen peas and follow the rest of the directions normally.  Mix in 5 or 6 tablespoons of vegetable pasta sauce.

Tuna Sweetcorn Kraft Dinner

This one doesn't really need explaining does it.  Add tin of tuna.  Add tin of corn.  Mix.  But!  There is an option: instead of using milk, use mayonnaise!  It gives it a nice creamy taste with a bit of a different flavour, that goes nice with the tuna and corn :)  Give it a try!

These are the ones that I cooked time to time (but lets be honest - nothing beats the original with ketchup!).  

Take a look at some of the other Kraft Dinner recipe that are out there though - you can get pretty extravagant!  Check out this collection on Pinterest:

http://pinterest.com/whatscookingkft/kraft-dinner-favourites/

I think this entire blog post was inspired by the fact I realised I only have one box of Kraft Dinner in the cupboard, and you can't buy it in the UK.  I need a care package :(