Oh how I love food shows. Today I attended Grocery Innovations  in search of new product that will be hitting the grocery shelves.  I have to admit..I don’t mind receiving samples either! Can you tell?

This year, I discovered the following new products:

a) Olympic has introduced CHIA Balkan Style Yogurt that is Probiotic with 100% natural ingredients. It’s also Lactose free, Gluten free and Gelatin free. I think..scratch that.…I know that this product is going to be HUGELY successful.

b) Crisco has introduced ONE CUPS STICKS. YAY. For those of you who are occasional bakers – this is BRILLIANT. I swear I have 2 sticks of Crisco in my cupboard that have been there way too long. Now I won’t have that problem anymore.

C) SILK has introduced a Creamy Cashew Milk. Seeing as I’m lactose free – all these varieties appeal to me.

I wondered thru the show for hours (no joke) and will be blogging about other products that intrigued me, so stay tuned.

Happy Grocery Shopping!!

 

 

There are some people who have 3 complete meals and never snack and there’s other people who have 3 meals and snack throughout the day.  I fit into the latter category.

So when I’m shopping at No Frills, I’m always on the hunt for ingredients for my meals AND my snacks. Not sure if you know this but PC Plus is now available at No Frills (hooray).

In the event you are wondering what’s PC Plus..…here’s your answer: It rewards customers with points toward dollars off your grocery bill. I don’t know about you…but I ALWAYS want to save money on my grocery bills. ALWAYS.

I now have the PC Plus app so it’s super easy for me to see weekly offers and to continue to save money. A Win Win if you ask me!

Here’s what I usually find myself snacking on: 

1. PC GREEK YOGOURT: I usually add some berries (raspberries, blueberries or blackberries) and before you know it …I’ve got myself a nice healthy snack that fills me up. Note: When those berries are out of season, I will use frozen berries.

2. SLICED TOMATOES:  One tomato goes along way. Sometimes I add some avocado on top and other times I add cheese. The end result is a healthy snack that looks oh-so-pretty! (don’t you think?)

3. SOUP: I know it seems weird but I adore soup and often find myself having a bowl in the middle of the day. It fills me up and it’s not expensive to make at all. Last week I noticed that canned tomatoes were on sale.  Naturally I ran home and made some soup: 1 tin of tomatoes, added 1/2 a boiled potato, a bit of fried onion and whizzed it up in my beloved Blendtec with some water. I had 4 cups of soup for less than $1.50 TOTAL.

4. Popcorn: To be perfectly honest…I want to snack on chips but it’s really not healthy for you. ARGHH. However popcorn isn’t a bad option. Therefore popcorn (air popped) has become a great alternative that in my opinion is “cheap and cheerful”.

None of the above snacks hurt my bank account and are pretty healthy…wouldn’t you agree?

I really wish I was one of those people that didn’t snack as much but I do. I try to be mindful to make sure that I’m not snacking cause I’m bored but that’s a whole separate blog post!!

The good news: No Frills and PC Plus…. helps me find the right snacks at the right prices! YAY PC Plus points…I love collecting them and love redeeming them too!

Hope you get a chance to sign up for PC plus soon. It’s easy and rewarding…what more could you ask for?

For more information:

Website: www.pcplus.ca

Twitter; #PCPlus

Disclosure: I am a blogger who is participating in a PC Plus No Frills program and have received compensation for my participation. However all opinions are my own.

 

I was pretty lucky this summer and had the opportunity to spend 10 days in this beautiful city.

I stayed at the lovely Hotel Place D’Armes.  This charming hotel is brilliantly located in Old Montreal and just steps away from Notre-Dame Basilica.

The hotel featured high ceilings, spacious rooms and a great team at their concierge desk! Not to mention a fantastic bar and a roof top patio!

 

Highlights of my trip included:

a) Jean Talon Market. I simply adore this market! A trip to Montreal would not be complete without it.

b) The Hop-on-Hop-Off Double Decker bus tour throughout Montreal, that is offered by Greyline. This is the best way to see a city and I’ve now done these tours in Ottawa, Barcelona and Montreal.

c) I spent hours wandering thru the The Botanical Garden. It’s truly magical. Then I visited the The Planetarium  and the Olympic Stadium. Sadly I didn’t go to the Biodome as I’d been a few years ago but regret not returning as they are all grouped together. Give yourself a whole day or break up these three attractions into two days!

 

d) Discovered a beach in the port of  Old Montreal – which was the perfect place to relax after a long day of touring.

e) A trip to Simons Department store. Believe it or not – had never been to this store even though I’ve been visiting Montreal on a yearly basis since 1990.

HAPPY TRAVELLING

For more information:

Greyline Bus Tours: Click here for more information

Montreal Tourism Office: Click here for special promotions, tourism info, etc.

Planetarium, Botanical Gardens and The Biodome: click here for more information

Hotel Places D’Armes 55, rue Saint-Jacques West, Old Montreal (Quebec). Tel: 514.842.1887

Simons: 977 St. Catherine Oeust, Montreal, Quebec  514 282 1840

 

I was determined to attend the Toronto Garlic Festival despite the POURING RAIN.

Upon arrival I realized that the rain wasn’t stopping garlic fans from attending as the three parking lots were almost full and it was only 10 am!!

However, the rain stopped and the sunshine came out which meant I could focus on these garlicky treats!!

a) GARLIC COFEE – yes, that’s right…Garlic Coffee. Described as: Warm Garlic Infused Spiced Coffee with Maple Cream and Pumpkin Vanilla Dust. Thank you Incredible Spice for creating this unique cup of java.

b) GARLIC Lollipop – oh how I love these creations that mix sweet and savoury.

c) BLACK GARLIC BUTTER TARTS – this had my name all over it as butter tarts are one of my weaknesses! Kudos to the good people at Smoked and Cracked. I really hope this will be a regular feature on their menu

d) FRENCH GARLIC APPLE TOAST with Creme Fraiche from Magic Oven. – oh what a combo of flavours. ps did you know that Magic Oven is soon opening on Eglinton Ave W.?

Of course I came home with some garlic from Soup Stone Farms and put it to good use…immediately. Please remind me, never to buy garlic from the grocery store again! What a difference.

Congratulations once again to the Toronto Garlic Festival for putting on another well organized and tasty event.

 

 

Recently I attended the launch of the new Flat White at Second Cup. It was a great excuse to wear white ….AND I love my morning coffee. Kudos to the publicists for encouraging guests to wear white and for having the event at 10 am.!

See how happy I am?

 The new Flat White features more espresso and less steamed milk. I was a fan after my first sip! I could taste the bold flavour and loved the creaminess of the the micro foam.

It’s bold with without being bitter and velvety without using an excess of milk. Of course, I paired it with a beautiful butter tart. …I just couldn’t resist. I now live across the street from Second Cup and know that I will be ordering the Flat White on a regular basis. Sadly the butter tart will only be a treat – once in a while!!

PS Look out for this unique Flat White Piaggio truck this weekend at Second Cup at 355 Danforth Avenue on Saturday Sept 20 from 1 to 8 pm and on Sunday Sept 21 from 1 to 8 pm

 

 

For more information:

Second Cup – www.secondcup.com

Twitter: @secondcup

Join the Conversation: #flatwhite  or #espressoloversrejoice

 

 

 

 

This isn’t going to be a typical blog entry!! However I have permission from my friend Kevin that I can blog about it. You see….I can’t believe I have a friend whose favourite drink is MANISCHEWITZ  CONCORD (on ice).

He was recently in Toronto visiting with his lovely family. His parents threw a party for the occasion and  I noticed there were TWO bottles of Manischewitz amongst the wine/scotch/and beer. I was so surprised to see this brand that I said something to Mrs. D….and she replied: “Oh that’s Kevins favorite drink…he requested for me to buy two bottles”.

Seriously…. this just blew me away.

Please meet Kevin who could be the poster boy for this SWEET…SWEET (err…off the scales SWEET) wine.

Most Jewish people (including myself) have a long history with this brand but it’s not something we drink socially…except for Kevin!

A few years ago, I found out that this particular brand is one of ten listed products that you will find in EVERY SINGLE LCBO store. I asked the sales rep: “Who is drinking this brand?” and he replied that it’s widely used in PUNCH, due to its’ high sugar content. Too funny.

Anyway…cheers to my friend Kevin!

 

 

 

I saw a friends facebook update about “Smore’s Popcorn Balls” and when I saw the recipe I knew that I HAD to try it. Anything that doesn’t require baking and has only a few ingredients – is right up my alley.

When I made it the first time – I didn’t read the recipe entirely (this is pretty typical of me) and discovered that I added an extra ingredient. OOPS!! But hey it worked.

Here’s my version of S’mores Popcorn Balls.

Ingredients

3 cups of popcorn

1 cup of Kellogs Rice Krispies

1 cups of graham crackers ground up (I just used my hands…nothing fancy)

2 cups of marshmallows

1/4 cup of butter

Directions

1. Melt the butter and the marshmallows on medium heat in a large saucepan. The goal here is to get the marshmallow to break down which means you need to stir constantly!!

2. Add the Rice Krispies and popcorn and the graham crackers.  Again – stir constantly!!

3. Remove from heat and let it cool slightly. Form into balls.

4. Melt some chocolate and drizzle on top (optional)

FINALY PRODUCT

I swear these will disappear before you can say “why haven’t I made these before”.

I’ve now made them 3 times and I have a feeling I will be making them pretty regularly!

Happy Baking!

Tastemakers Lounge was the first Canadian owned gift suite and it takes place during TIFF. It was founded in 2005 by Debra Goldblatt-Sadowski (Rock-It Promotions) and Lessa Butler (founder of Divine Lab) and this year they are celebrating 10 years!!

Tastemakers Lounge has long been a hotspot for local and International Talent ie. Brad Pitt, Woody Harrelson, Sarah Polley, Samual L Jackson and more.

It’s also open to the media…Lucky Me!!  Therefore, I was taken on a tour of the Lounge which featured products from Brita, Lush, Sorel, Danier Leather, Piloti, Tonia DeBellis, olive + piper, Consonant Skin Care (LOVE their products), Calvin Klein REVEAL and more! Most of these brands I was familiar with but some of them were new and now on my radar!!

One company in particular caught my attention. …Rise Gear.  They have a very cool product called RISE Jumper Carry-On Bag. This is a Toronto Based company that has created the perfect piece of luggage. I have a feeling I will be using this bag on future weekend trips to Ottawa!!

I was thrilled to see that Sorel has branched out and now offer stylish boots as well as heavy duty winter boots! I’m now looking forward to winter as I’m the proud owner of these Sorels (called Joan of Arctic – don’t you love it!!). Finally my feet are going to be warm this winter. Can’t wait!

I was delighted to be able to help Tastemakers Lounge celebrate their 10th anniversary! Here’s to 10 more!!

For more information:

Hashtag: #Tastemakers10

Twitter: @rockitpromo

Instagram: @rockitpromo

Facebook: Tastemakers