a peek inside the fishbowl

Archive for the ‘Recipes and Food’ Category

This past spring I enrolled myself in a 28-day online “boot camp” style health and fitness program and it helped me refocus my efforts and build some healthy habits. One of these habits is fitness related: three 30-minute workouts every week. The other is simply filling half my plate with vegetables for every meal. I am happy to […]

I know, I know, I am diverging from what is typically expected from a bucket list* but if you don’t pick up lunch from Bite This in Westboro Village at some point this summer you will regret it: It’s delicious. It’s reasonably priced. The serving size makes it an extra good value. You sit outside in a […]

16 Apr, 2022

Lunch at Holly’s Hot Chicken

Posted by: andrea tomkins In: Ottawa|Recipes and Food

Holly doesn’t know this but I’ve been following her story for awhile. I’d see news of her restaurant pop-ups, partnerships with local breweries, reviews of her food. Our youngest also worked with her for awhile, so she was on my radar that way. I hope this doesn’t seem stalkerish, I just really really like fried […]

I eat a boiled egg at around 10 a.m. every weekday morning. I’ve done this often enough now that I’ve learned a few valuable lessons. I wanted to share with you today, not just about the process of boiling eggs, but about myself. My daily egg might seem like an odd snacking habit but… 1 […]

One of my favourite email newsletters (and it’s a short list, trust me) comes from Smitten Kitchen. Some of you will already be familiar with this website, I am sure. It’s kind of famous. I am a fan of its author, Deb Perelman. She’s so charming. I look forward to her recipes and stories, and when I […]


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  • Gretchen Humphrey: I had a beautiful bee& birdbath filled with a solar fountain and dozens of antique marbles that were suddenly disappearing. At first I thought my
  • Jinjer: I am sobbing reading this post. And you're right, companion is not enough. Little furry treasured gifts that they are. Thanks for sharing cutie-pi
  • Karen: Dear Andrea, Mark and your daughters I am so very sad for your family xxx Piper was/is my favourite Instagram post. You shared with us so intimately
  • Christina Banuelos: Thank you for sharing Pipers life with us. Your posts of Piper brought me joy. Every time I see your post and see what kind of mischief Piper was gett
  • Carla Slocum: I am sitting here yet again crying at your loss. We have known that loss with Asta the WFT our first pup but now have the enormous gift of Stryker the
  • Janelle Brown: Dear Andrea Thank you for sharing Piper’s story with her followers. I empathise with your grief and emptiness as I lost my 14 year old Westie last
  • Natasha McReynolds-Nicholl: My god reading this is heartbreaking. December 1st was the as you describe longest day of my life, we lost out beautiful WFT hazel. Pipers final momen

The Obligatory Blurb

My name is Andrea and I live in the Westboro area of Ottawa with my husband Mark and our dog Piper who is kind of a big deal on Instagram. We also have two human offspring: Emma (24) and Sarah (22). During the day I work as a writer at the Royal Ottawa Mental Health Centre. I am a longtime Ottawa blogger and I've occupied this little corner of the WWW since 1999. The Fishbowl is my whiteboard, water cooler, and journal, all rolled into one. I'm passionate about healthy living, arts and culture, travel, great gear, good food, and sharing the best of Ottawa. I also love vegetables, photography, gadgets, and great design.

If you'd like to contact me, please use this form. If you're so inclined, you can read more about me here. Thank you for visiting!

 


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