That’s right..I’m in Cayman Islands on a mother-daughter (much needed) vacation!

We had an awesome flight on WestJet, got groceries right away, and sat on the beach till the sun went down.

Not a bad day at all. Currently I’m at Cafe Del Sol blogging and it’s a lovely place to have a coffee, listen to some great music and take advantage of some free internet!! It’s a perfect way to end my day.

Here’s some photos that I captured between 4 and 6:30 p.m.

Tomorrow I’m going to World Gym to get a week membership and continue to run at least FOUR times this week.

Naturally I have decided to run in the mornings so I can take advantage of happy hour!! (shhh…I’m a planner – don’t tell anyone).

I have never exercised on vacation before but there is no excuse..I have the time and I have a goal!!

Here’s the plan for the next 6 days:  – go to the gym, sit on the beach, attend happy hour…repeat!!

Just kidding! I plan on going to the spa at the Ritz Carlton as I hear its STUNNING. Plus I really want to see the most unique car collection in the world at the Cayman Motor Museum. (think – batmobile, Ferraris, etc). Not sure I’m brave enough to go to Stingray city.

Sad but true. (fear?).

As for my eating adventures: Michael’s Genuine Food and Drinks sounds exactly like the place I want to eat at…so we are hoping to snag a reservation on Saturday nite.

Stay tuned for more adventures from Cayman Islands!!

We all know that spring is around the corner, despite the rain, the snow and the freezing rain that we have had over the weekend!! I’m pleased to announce that Taste of Cheese has offered to sponsor my next contest to get us ready for Spring!!

I’m thrilled…as CHEESE is a huge part of my life. I can pass an ice cream store, I can pass a chocolate store but I simply can’t pass a cheese store. I have even gone to  cheese classes!! (beer and cheese always being a fav. class)  and checked out a variety of grilled cheese sandwiches in Toronto.

Now let’s talk about Taste of Cheese!

Taste of Cheese is awesome for any cheese lover . Each month, they select 5 exciting and unique cheeses that are included in a Monthly Taster Box. Plus you will receive cheese descriptions and tasting notes! All this gets delivered right to your doorstep. Isn’t that the best?

When I saw that Taste of Cheese participated in Wagjag– I bought two coupons immediately.  This type of coupon will certainly come in handy as a birthday present for some friends I have who love cheese.

Please take a peek at their website by clicking here: Taste of Cheese. They have an awesome blog and you can read more about their fantastic corporate gift boxes, charcuterie, and more.  You can also follow them on twitter: @tasteofcheese.

Here’s the Contest Rules:

a) The contest is simple. All you have to do is answer the following question: what is your favorite cheese?

b) The winner will receive a custom designed taster box, which has 3 cheeses, a box of crackers and fig spread. YUM. (app. value..$50)

c) The contest will run from March 6th and will close at midnite on March 20th, 2011.  This contest is open to any Canadian resident and one lucky winner will be selected using www.random.org.

d) The winner has one week to reply to me with their complete name/address. If I don’t hear from the winner, another winner will be selected.

Hope this contest helps the next two weeks go by …till its actually Spring. Can’t wait.

It wasn’t suppose to become a cookie challenge, however after I posted “My Fav. Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe” on twitter, I received a tweet from @livwu that said the following:

@momwhoruns Anna Olson’s Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookie is my fave http://bit.ly/9GU6Wc try it!

So I clicked on the link and said “hmm…I think I might try this recipe. Why not?”.

Here’s the recipe in the event you don’t feel like clicking on the link:

Anna Olson’s Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookie:

3/4 cup butter

1/4 cup granulated sugar

1 cup brown sugar

1 egg

2 tsp vanilla extract

1 tsp baking soda

2 tsp corn starch

1/2 tsp salt

2 cups flour

8 oz bittersweet chocolate cut into chunks

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 F.

2. Cream butter and sugars together untill smooth. Add egg and vanilla extract and blend in.

3. Stir in, flour, cornstarch, baking soda and chocolate chunks

4. Drop by tablespoons on to a greased baking sheet and bake 8 to 10 minutes and golden around the edges

5. Let cool

I gave one chocolate chip cookie from Recipe #1 and one chocolate chip cookie from recipe #2 – to my daughter, her friend and her friends dad (he picked up his daughter at exactly the right time). Everyone was happy – both cookies were delicious but indeed recipe #2 has a slight edge.

Thanks to my twitter friend for sharing this recipe for me. I hope I meet her IRL (in real life) one day soon.

Happy Baking – once again.

PS… Are there any other chocolate chip cookie recipes I should try. I’m ready for the challenge.