a peek inside the fishbowl

It was a busy weekend, to say the least. So busy that I barely spent any time at my desk! Here’s what I’ve been reading of late:

How to make your last name plural this Christmas season: https://t.co/yJEPJGtCfc pic.twitter.com/FRinqlaqQD

— Slate (@Slate) November 30, 2015

• Repair is a Radical Act, by Rose Marcario, Patagonia CEO
• Why stress happens to good people, theglobeandmail.com
• Couple Lets Their Dog Film Their Wedding, boredpanda.com
• Gate A-4, davidkanigan.com
• To unfriend or not unfriend: What to do with racist Facebook ‘friends’, cbc.ca
• How to talk to anyone: the experts’ guide, theguardian.com
• The Secret Life of 40-year-olds: 14 things they don’t tell you about the middle-aged, telegraph.co.uk

On the nightstand: The Stand.

Last year I was part of a really cool initiative called Shop the Neighbourhood. The idea behind it is to encourage people to shop locally, which I love, because I truly believe that independent stores are the backbone of our community and help make it a great place to live. I’m very happy to announce that I’m collaborating with Shop the Neighbourhood on the 2015 edition (woot!) and the big day is Saturday November 28. (You can learn more about this  campaign on their Facebook event page.)

There’s a bunch of us, from coast to coast:

Jessica Deeks took this photo of me at Westboro’s Truffle Treasures for an Ottawa Magazine piece awhile back!

I’m representing Ottawa, but Halifax, Toronto, Calgary, and Vancouver are hosting Shop the Neighbourhood events as well.

This year I will be roaming around Westboro and using my Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook page to share some of my favourite finds. I’ll be starting off at Winston Square where Shop The Neighbourhood representatives will be spreading local cheer, so if you’re in the area, make sure you stop by and grab some goodies. Look for the yellow, and if you see me, please say hello!

To help guide my shopping I’ll be consulting an app called YP Shopwise because it highlights all the exclusive deals that participating merchants are offering on the big day.

If you happen to be reading this from a place that is NOT Ottawa, Halifax, Toronto, Calgary, or Vancouver, I do encourage you to support your local business community in ways that make sense to you. There are lots of ways you can show a little local love:

• grab a friend and poke your heads into a shop you haven’t explored yet (Christmas is coming after all!)
• buy your hot beverage of choice at a cool local coffee shop
• try that new take out place around the corner for lunch, or dine out at dinner (there are a few restaurants listed in the app!)
• I haven’t even mentioned services: haircuts, beard trims, massage or yoga classes!

… and even if you aren’t in a position to spend on Saturday, recommendations go a long way to help small businesses, both offline or online. That being said, if you’re on Twitter, follow @shopthehood_ca (and #shopthehood too!) and you may see some tweets from me there as well. :)

Have you ever made anything using za’atar? I picked up a package at the Ottawa Fair Trade Festival the other day. It’s a savoury middle eastern blend of herbs and spices. It can be incorporated into almost anything (think: marinades, eggs, flat bread, salad dressings) but I thought I’d start with something super easy, such as homemade pita chips:

I was so happy with how they turned out: crispy and full of flavour. And they’re so simple to make. All you do is mix some za’atar with olive oil, spread it on pita, and bake it in the oven. Pro tip: use kitchen scissors to cut your pita into eighths. You’ll notice that each small triangle wants to flap open into two halves, like a duck bill. Split it so you have two equal triangles. The rough, inner part is where you spread the za’atar and olive oil paste.

You’ll need to experiment with quantities. I got a bit over excited with a few of these and spooned on too much. (Er. See above photo.) In terms of za’atar to olive oil ratio I started with 2 TBs of the spice mix with 3 TBs of olive oil and it seemed about right. Bake for 10-12 minutes in a 350F oven and you have yourself a pretty good snack.

This particular brand of za’atar is produced by a volunteer-run organization called Zatoun, and it’s available at Ten Thousand Villages. Zatoun provides help to olive farmers who have no other means of generating income. You can read more about them here.

Want to sample some of this blend? All Extra Helping subscribers are automatically entered to win a gift pack of Zatoun za’atar this week and a lovely bottle of fair trade Zatoun olive oil to go with it. It would make a great pantry staple or a thoughtful gift for foodies (that is, if you’re able to part with it!) Don’t you just love gifts that keep on giving? :)