I love clever marketing, funny logos and basically anything that makes me chuckle out loud when I’m least expecting it. ie. like spotting a funny sign or tshirt.

Here’s a few examples:

Spotted at a farmers market in NYC

Spotted at the Grilled Cheese in Kensington Market

Spotted in Cayman Island at a restaurant

Spotted in Anthropologie in Florida. Two random men really getting comfy on their couches. Looked like a TV ad (but it wasn’t)

Spotted: She’s Connected Conference. This company has the “cheekiest” marketing campaign (Blo Dry Bar)

So did you smile too while you were reading this blog post? Hope so…after all it’s the end of 2012 and there’s lots to smile about!!

Happy New Year Everyone!! May 2013 be full of good food, great booze, friendship, amazing health and more stuff that makes you smile.

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Fish tacos are so easy to make that I’m not sure why I have never made them before. I googled to find a recipe but in the end just made one up. (apologies in advance to my friend who likes me to blog with exact measurements). So happy with this recipe that I have a feeling that fish tacos are going to be served again and again and again!!

FISH TACOS

Ingredients

2 pieces of haddock

olive oil – a splash

salt and pepper

jalapeno slices

cayenne pepper

Toppings: chopped lettuce, salsa, guacomole, sour cream,

Tortillas

Directions:

1. Marinate the haddock for 15-30 minutes (splash of oil, jalapenos, cayenne, salt and pepper)

2. Add the haddock to a hot frying pan and fry till cooked (several minutes). Feel free to chop it up into pieces while it’s cooking.

3. Prepare toppings

don’t forget the sour cream!!

FINAL PRODUCT:

Hope you like this recipe too.

Happy Cooking!!

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Back in November, my parents celebrated their 50th anniversary. This was a BIG deal and I wanted to mark this special occasion with the right gift. I knew how much my parents loved personalized gifts and wanted to give them one of those “special photo books”but I didn’t have the TIME or the SKILLS to do it. (in that order)

Then I had one of those “aha” moments. I called up an acquaintance (Susan) that I’ve known in the school yard for the last 14 years who did this as a business. She was all too happy to help me out. All I had to do was drop off photos at her house and she would do the rest.  Not to mention the photo book would be directly mailed to my parents in Ottawa, just in time for their anniversary.

My parents were thrilled with their personalized gifts and I was thrilled with this service.

My special parents!

The photo album contained some nostalgic photos:

That’s me in the blue overalls

There were some recent photos as well that I included:

My mom = a ton of laughs

I am so lucky to have such cool parents and to witness their amazing marriage. They are truly amazing individuals and amazing as a couple as well.

If you want to get in touch with Susan to help you make this type of personalized gift, here’s how you can reach her:

Susan Yalowsky

Photo Solutions Consultant, Reconnecting You With Your Memories!

416-630-8821

www.mycmsite.com/susanyalowsky

cm-susan@rogers.com

P.S. It’s not too early to start thinking about Valentines Gifts (#justsayin’)

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My introduction to the world of nuts was at my grandparents house. I remember a bowl of fresh nuts in the family room that required a “nut cracker” to open up them up. Does anyone else remember those nut crackers?

The tradition of having nuts in the house has continued. Except you can find the nuts in my house…In the freezer. No nut cracker required. You can always find a stash of sunflower seeds, pine nuts, cashews, almonds, sesame seeds and California Walnuts hanging around my freezer in little zip loc bags!!

Usually I sprinkle nuts on salads, or add them on top of stir fry’s but this week I tried a Cajun Spiced Walnut recipe to make as a gift for my dad who also loves nuts.  Here’s the recipe.

CAJUN SPICED WALNUTS (source: www.walnutinfo.org)

INGREDIENTS 
2 egg whites, lightly beaten
1 tbsp (15 mL) garlic salt
2 tsp (10 mL) each cayenne pepper and paprika
2 tsp (10 mL) each dried basil, oregano and thyme
4 cup (1 L) shelled California walnut pieces

DIRECTIONS

In a large bowl, mix egg whites with herbs and spices; stir in walnuts and coat thoroughly.

Spread walnuts on large, shallow baking sheet coated with non-stick cooking spray. Bake at 350°F (180°C) for 15 to 18 minutes or until dry and crisp. Cool thoroughly before serving.

FINAL PRODUCT:

My dad gave this recipe a thumbs up!!  (which is why I’m sharing it with you as well).

Happy Snacking!!

 

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I love having company over for Friday nite dinner. I have been entertaining on a regular basis since 1990 and it’s always a pleasure to share a meal with my friends, or new neighbors and even people who are new to Toronto and I barely know!! Lately I’ve been sending my guests the menu in advance to make sure that they like everything and have no allergies to anything I’m going to serve.

My rule of thumb these days: One main course and three side dishes. (and dessert, of course)

Last Friday night, the meal I served consisted of:

Phyllo Wrapped Halibut in a Lemon Cream Sauce (see recipe below – courtesy of Allrecipes.com)

You will look like a rock star if you make this dish!!

Tzatziki: (sorry no official recipe except to combine cucumber slices, crushed local garlic, (I used garlic from Stone Soup Farms) greek yoghurt, and dill in a bowl) ps local garlic makes ALL the difference.

Parmesan Celery Salad (courtesy of Cookbooks 101) ps. click on the link for the recipe!

Jicama with chipotle seasoning and lime juice.

Here’s the recipe for the fish dish. Hope you get a chance to try it.

Phllyo Wrapped Halibut in a Lemon Cream Sauce

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Thanks to facebook (and not twitter..LOL), I saw an update that there was FREE vegetarian bimbimbap at a new restaurant called Seoul Food Co. Seeing as I love bimbimbap and I love the four letter word called FREE, I decided to go.

For those who don’t know what bimbimbap is, here’s a definition from Wikipedia:

Bibimbap (비빔밥, Korean pronunciation: [pibimp͈ap̚]^[1]) is a signature Korean dish. The word literally means “mixed rice”. Bibimbap is served as a bowl of warm white rice topped with namul (sautéed and seasoned vegetables) and gochujang (chili pepper paste). A raw or fried egg and sliced meat (usually beef) are common additions. The ingredients are stirred together thoroughly just before eating.^[2]It can be served either cold or hot.

The restaurant is located at the back of the Yakatori restaurant and is colorful with plenty of natural light.

The menu is posted and is pretty straight forward. It’s a perfect menu for busy students and professionals. Not to mention, it’s so so healthy and at the right price point too.

Here’s what my lunch looked like:

What makes this dish even better is the following condiment. I want this condiment on everything I order…LOL..it’s SO SO good.

Not only did I enjoy the food, but I enjoyed meeting the owner Sang Kim who greeted each guest and took the time to chat with each guest as well. I was so impressed with his hospitality. The restaurant officially opens on Tuesday Dec 18th and I wish Sang Kim and his team, all the very best!!

Note to self: Must return to Yakitori to try their Kimchi Flight and Kimchi Served Three Ways #lovekimchi

For Further Info:

Seoul Food Co. 1 Baldwin (corner of Baldwin and McCaul)

Website: www.yakatoribar.ca

Twitter: @yakitoriToronto

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This blog post might be a little late but I know a good chunk of you are still out there buying Christmas gifts or hostess gifts. So here’s a few ideas if you are looking to buy a “foodie” the perfect gift!!

Twelve Ounce Ladles: This ladle ensures your host/hostess isn’t double dipping all the time as he/she serves soups to their guests. Put a bow around it and you are set to go. It’s brilliant and my friends still thank me to this day for this gift. Head to Nella Cucina (876 Bathurst  St) for these ladles.

Sloane Teas: This line of tea is outstanding. The packaging and the varieties will impress your foodie friends. Available at numerous fine food stores.

A Chocolate iPhone Case: This is perfect for the foodie that loves their iPhone and loves chocolate. I spotted these at All the Best Fine Foods (1101 Yonge St).

A Cutting Board: This is perfect for foodies. I spotted this in Yorkville at the paper store called Paper Things (99 Yorkville Ave)

Candles:  The Gap is selling candles in a variety of interesting scents: (repeat – INTERESTING)  Black Pepper, Tomato, Grapefruit, and more. $29

Samba Days: An amazing concept! You simply buy a Samba Days Gourmet Getaway card and the recipient of this card gets to choose from a variety of amazing gourmet getaway packages. I love this idea.

Anything from the Good Egg store!! (267 Augusta Avenue). Seriously, it’s hard to go into this store and come out empty handed.

Taste of the Month from Taste of Cheese. The recipient of this gift will receive a box of  5 unique cheeses once a month. This is a cheese lovers dream!!

Laura Slack chocolates. Not your average chocolates. She is a true artist.  Please Please…visit her website.

So have I provided you with enough ideas? I hope so.

Happy Shopping and Happy Holidays too!!

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A main course with only FOUR ingredients…Ya Gotta Love it!! Right?

The other day I wanted to make something with items I had in my fridge or freezer…without having to go the grocery store. (I’m sure you know what I mean)

The items I’m referring to are: Mushrooms, Puff Pastry, Onions, and Goat Cheese

This is what I did:

STEP ONE: I fried the onions

STEP TWO: I added  mushrooms into the frying pan to saute them. I also added some salt and pepper.

Not pretty but oh so tasty

STEP THREE: I rolled out the puff pastry.

STEP FOUR: I placed the mushrooms onto the puff pastry and then “dotted it” with chunks of goat cheese. I also sprinkled some dried rosemary for added flavor.

Easy Peazy

STEP FIVE: I rolled it up and egg washed it to make it look all pretty!!

Bake at in a 375 degree oven for 25 minutes.

FINAL PRODUCT:

Not bad eh?

I served this mushroom puff pastry along with a caesar salad, potato latkes, sour cream, home made apple sauce, phyllo cups with roasted garlic and olive tapenade.

Dinner looked like this:

Happy Cooking!!

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Thanks to Twitter and tweets that I was reading from @Foodie411….I knew I had to go to Rose and Sons one day soon. Seeing as I have some time on my hands, I round up two friends and we met for lunch at 12:30 p.m.

The first thing you should know about this restaurant is that it’s not easy to spot from the street. So here’s a photo to help you find it.

178 Dupont. Repeat after me..178 Dupont

The next thing you should know is that it’s POPULAR and for good reason. The space is small but I love how it’s designed so you don’t feel like you are 2 inches away from the next table. Plus I love that there are a few bar stools so if you are on your own you can just grab a quick bite and be entertained by the kitchen staff. (who are all awesome by the way – the entire team, actually).

12:30 p.m on a Tuesday

Now for the food. It was mighty tough what to order but we tried 4 items and each item was well executed, flavorful, moist and delicious. I was super impressed by the bread (supplied by Thuet) and the small details (great condiments).

Patty Melt Burger – Grilled Cheese, Fried Onions, FF, chili may0 ($15). Everyone loved this.

There. Are. No. Words.

Chicken Souvlaki – flatbread, tzatziki, greek salad ($12). The tzatiki rocked.

Super Tasty

Pork Fried Rice – peanuts, china town sauce, egg, ginger ($12). Oh so flavorful!!

The peanuts are sourced from PERTH!! Not your average peanuts.

Club-bacon, turkey, herb mayo, brie, pickles, ff ($13). What a sammie!!

Yum. Me.

I now need to return to check out their breakfast menu and their dinner menu! This restaurant has a menu that really appeals to me….unique, flavorful and well executed. A winning combo for a restaurant. Not to mention, a super nice owner (Anthony Rose)  and a great waiter (David) too.

Info:

Rose and Sons 178 Dupont Street Toronto 647 748 3287

Closed Mondays, Open Tuesday to Sunday 10:00 to 3:00 p.m and then 6:00 p.m to close.

Licenced

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The first nite of Chanuka was Saturday Dec 8. and just like every year…..I would be making Potato Latkes. However  this year I decided to make potato latkes using a different recipe (it was time to change things up a bit).

I also decided to throw a Chanuka party for a few friends for the first time in many many years.

This is what was on the table:

Chanuka Party!!

• cinnamon walnuts (from Ottawa that my mom brought in for me)
• lemon almonds (see above)
• smoked almonds (see above)
• phyllo cups stuffed with goat cheese and roasted garlic and olive
• roasted chestnuts
• chips
• blackberries/raspberries
• mandarin oranges (the pretty ones with the leaves)
• and booze of course: Luksusowa vodka! Perfect with potato latkes seeing as it’s a potato based vodka!!
• homemade apple sauce and sour cream
• Chex (from Buffalo – of course)

As for the latkes, here’s my not so perfect recipe: I say this as I went to a friends chanuka party and tasted her latkes and there was a world of difference. Hers were so much lighter! I asked her what recipe she used as she said “potatoes, eggs, a bit of flour and a LOT of oil”.

POTATO LATKES

10 cups of grated potatoes (oh how I love my Cuisinart)

4 eggs

1/2 cup matza meal

salt and pepper

Directions:

1. Grate the potatoes (I didn’t bother peeling them)

10 cups took 2 minutes to grate!! Love it.

2. RINSE

an important step

3. Wrap the grated potatoes in a dish towel and squeeze, squeeze and squeeze some more!!

4. Add eggs, and matza meal. Stir.

5. Heat oil in a frying pan. Form latkes in your hand and then place carefully into the frying pan. Fry till golden on both sides

FINAL PRODUCT:

10 cups made 33 nice sized latkes

Plus I made my own applesauce. This is a no brainer – 3 fuji apples (not peeled, chopped), cinnamon, a bit of water. Place all ingredients into a saucepan over medium heat and bingo you have applesauce. I threw it into the Cuisinart to get it to the right consistency.

YUM

Happy Chanuka!!

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