Pinch me…I’m heading to Israel and Italy. I’m super excited to be going to both countries.  I’ve been to Israel (infact, I went to University there) but I’ve never been to Italy. Plus I have a 8 hour layover in Amsterdam and used my time wisely to roam around the city.

Here’s what I’m bringing to Israel:

1. I’m going to be wearing these super comfortable and super light weight KEEN Shoes called UNEEK. I’m crazy about the design of these shoes too. Created from two cords and a sole, UNEEK offers an entirely new approach to footwear construction. I have no doubt in my mind, that I will be purchasing another pair in black.

2. David’s Tea: These make the perfect gifts to bring to Israel, as they are easy to pack and unique.

Here’s what I will be doing in Israel…

a) hanging with family members and friends.

b) visiting the beach

c) and eating. (no big surprise, right?)

Sadly this is not a touring trip but it’s still going to be a great trip.

In Italy – I will be visiting Rome and Florence and Venice too!!. I will be so busy that I think I might need a vacation when I get back.

Here’s what I’ve learned:

a) my Italian friends could not help me with restaurant suggestions as they always stay with family members.

b) my Italian friends consistently told me: “Don’t worry – you can eat anywhere. The food is amazing EVERYWHERE”.

c)  I found out that my friends have a love/hate relationship with cities like Rome or Venice. Either they loved those cities or they said they were”too touristy”. Time will tell, how I will feel.

d) My friends highly recommended me to purchase leather products but to make sure they were made in Italy and not elsewhere #greatadvice

e) Book as much as possible in advance…ie train tickets, museum passes etc.

If you have any suggestions where to eat in Florence, Venice or Rome…BRING IT ON. I’m seeking the best coffee, best gelato, best food markets etc.

As for accommodations: I will be happily using Airbnb throughout most of my trip. I had a great experience using them in Barcelona in 2013 and look forward to my using them in Jerusalem and Rome and Venice too!!

Promise to keep you posted regarding my travels!!

Cheers for now.

 

 

Here’s a few shows that should be on your radar!

1. Green Living Show

March 27 – 29, 2015 at the Metro Convention Centre. (255 Front St W)

Friday, March 27:	12 P.M. – 8 P.M.
Saturday, March 28:	10 A.M. – 8 P.M.
Sunday, March 29:	10 A.M. – 5 P.M.

Love this incentive: FREE ADMISSION WITH E-WASTE, courtesy of Solve For Tomorrow & Samsung.

2. One of a Kind Spring Show and Sale:
 This show features over 450 artisans and is truly one of my favourite shows.

Dates:  March 25 – 29, 2015 (5 days) Place:  Direct Energy Centre, Exhibition Place, 100 Princes’ Blvd., Hours:  Weekdays & Saturdays: 10am – 9pm; Sundays: 10am – 6pm;  Late Night Shopping: March 26, 9am – 11pm.

If you are a foodie like me, then you will want to read this blog post by Yum Yum Factor called: What’s Cooking at This Year’s Spring One of a Kind Show- My Ten Favourite Food Treats.

3. Toronto Food + Drink Market …April 10 -12, Direct Energy Centre, Exhibition Place.

As always, no shortage of fun activities to do in Toronto.

 

 

Recently I’ve come across FOUR Fabulous Food Entrepreneurs on Twitter! Drum Roll please….

1. LOLAS CLOUD:

The owner of this company was tired of seeing only your typical pink and blue carnival candy floss. Instead, Lolas Cloud serves organic clouds of candy, produced with cane sugar and natural extracts. Flavours include coconut, mango, watermelon and more. #brilliant. Please follow them on twitter and instagram: @lolascloud and take a peek at their website too. ..www.lolascloud.com 

2. ALL MINE CARAMEL

ALL MINE CARAMEL began as many small home based business do…by accident. Shannon Hitchon, who has always been proficient at cooking and making her own recipes, decided to try her hand at making her own caramels. She began slow churning her now signature buttery caramel as Christmas gifts for family and friends one year. They were a hit and soon co-workers and neighbours began requesting treats of their own. All Mine Caramel was born. Now, 4 years later, her caramel treats have become a must have delicacy. What a great story, non? I was pleased to see that Shannon is also making caramel corn too.  Can’t wait to try the Cayenne Infused Caramel Corn,…seeing as I’m all about flavour!

Please follow them on Twitter: @AllMineCaramel. Here’s their website: www.allminecaramel.ca

3. SHOTBERRY

What is a Shotberry? Well, imagine a HUGE chocolate covered strawberry that’s customized with your favourite toppings and decorations and then paired with a shot of your favourite alcohol (or non alcoholic beverage). OMG – BRING IT ON.

I simply adore this concept. For more information, please visit their website: www.shotberrystore.com, Twitter: @shotberrys416 Instagram: Shotberry

4. Walter Caesar and Kelvin Slush

I blogged about Kelvin Slush when I discovered them in  NEW YORK in 2011 (see blog post by clicking here). Then I was introduced to Walter All -Natural Craft Caesar last year (see blog post by clicking here. However what I didn’t know was that these two brilliant products involve the same business partners…Zack Silverman and Aaron Harowitz. Not to mention I discovered this fact randomly by visiting a booth at the recent Restaurant Show!!

For more information: www.walteraesar.com and www.kelvinslush.com

Please note, that Walter Caesar has just launched a Royal Caesar mix which is now available at the Fairmont Royal York Hotel. With it’s smoky chipotle and cumin flavours…this cocktail will surely be a hit with guests.

Clearly, you can tell that I’m in awe of the above mentioned food entrepreneurs who are making their dreams come true.

Disclosure: In the past, I’ve been known to buy imperfect fruit and vegetables. Yes – I’m that woman lurking around the stand for over ripe bananas and slightly bruised apples. You see, I really like using them when I bake.

Now Loblaws has made this easy for me as they have recently introduced no name® Naturally Imperfect™ line of fruits and vegetables.. Starting with apples and potatoes, no name Naturally Imperfect produce costs up to 30 per cent less than traditional produce options found in store. You gotta love it!!

Smaller misshapen produce that tastes great and is good for you, is now available at Real Canadian Superstore® and select no frills® locations in Ontario and select Maxi® stores in Quebec. Furthering its commitment to offer affordable, quality products to customers. YAY.

Please note that my bag contained smaller apples – not one was bruised – and they were delicious! Naturally I was excited to bake with them, so I pulled out my handy APPLE DAPPLE recipe that I’ve been making for years.  Notice where this recipe comes from? HOMEMAKERS! (see bottom of the recipe for proof). How funny is that?

APPLE DAPPLE CAKE (taken from HomeMakers)

1 cup sugar (I always use less)

6 tablespoons butter or margarine

1 egg

1 tsp vanilla

1 cup of all purpose flavour

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp nutmeg (if you want)

2 cups of apples (of course, I used the Naturally Imperfect apples)..peeled and cored and cut up into pieces. I didn’t peel them but I think I will next time!!

DIRECTIONS

1. In a medium bowl, beat together sugar, butter, egg and vanilla until well combined.

2. In a small bowl, combine flour, baking soda, cinnamon and nutmeg.

3. Add dry ingredients to sugar mixture and stir until well combined.

4. Stir in Apples.

5. Lightly pat batter in a square baking pan.

6. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 40 minutes.

SERVE WITH ICE CREAM.

Happy Baking.

Disclosure: This was a compensated post however all opinions are my own

March 20th, 2015 is Macaron Day and naturally I will be at La Bamboche (1712 Avenue Road), eating Macarons and Tweeting  (in that order).  I really hope you will drop by to say hello.

In the meantime, please check out www.macarondayto.com to see a complete list of participating patisseries. Please feel free to drop by any of them to receive your complimentary macaron. Don’t forget that 25% of all additional macarons purchased will be donated to the Red Door Family Shelter.

Happy Macaron Day!!

What a great way to celebrate the first day of Spring!!

I had the good fortune to spend a day hanging out in a Land Rover. For some reason, I’ve never been inside one of these beautiful cars before but trust me, I was all too happy to spend a full day in one of these beautiful cars. Specifically I hung out in a Range Rover Evoque.

Here’s a few details about this stunning car:

• Choice of coupe and five-door models
• 240hp turbocharged, direct injected 2-litre 4-cylinder engine and 9-speed  automatic transmission
• Active Driveline 4WD with Torque Biasing and Torque Vectoring²
• All-weather, multi-terrain capability with Terrain Response^®, which features driver selectable programs to suit terrain conditions2
• Suspension configured for dynamic and agile handling across varied terrain, available with Adaptive Dynamics featuring MagneRide™ magneto- rheological damper technology
• Standard Meridian™ premium audio in all models

I was impressed to find out that anyone who buys a Land Lover is invited to participate in a driving school that’s located at Le Chateau Montebello. What a perk!

Land Rover has also launched a great campaign called #hibernot which encourages Canadians to “get out there” and enjoy winter activities. Therefore the day included a trip to Horseshoe Resort and an opportunity for me to snow shoe with fellow bloggers and writers.

Naturally we were spoiled with amazing food too! Take a peek at the elaborate table that we ate at.

What a fabulous day! The skies were blue, the roads were clear and the Range Rover allowed me to enjoy it thru this massive sunroof. #howawesome

Many thanks to the Land Rover for the invitation. I truly had a fantastic day and a unique experience.

For more information:

Website: www.landrover.ca

Twitter; @LandRoverCanada

Instagram: @LandRoverCanada

In another life I would like to be a florist. I truly love flowers. Therefore Canada Blooms is a show that I really appreciate and adore.

I think I like flowers as much as food! I simply could not stop taking photos even though I don’t have a backyard to landscape or furnish. It’s still good to dream, right?

Yes – I’m a dreamer. Just a wee bit of a dreamer.

I also dream about growing plants that survive. Believe it or not,  I do not own one green plant in my apartment. Why is that? Oh right – it won’t survive more than 2 months. However I’m convinced that this summer my patio will have multiple containers that will thrive. Stay tuned.

Seeing as I’m mostly a food blogger, it was only appropriate for me to pick up some delicious Ontario Honey with Lemon. (from the Toronto Botanical Garden booth) I swear this stuff isn’t even going to make it onto a piece of toast. Its going from the tablespoon – right into my mouth! Who needs toast?

I hope you consider visiting Canada Blooms. There are beautiful exhibits, speakers, workshops and more!!

For more information:

Website: www.canadablooms.com, March 13-22, 2015, Direct Energy Centre, Exhibiton Place

Hours: Monday – Saturday 10am-9pm, Sunday, March 15 10am-6pm, Sunday, March 22 10am-5pm

Twitter: @CanadaBlooms

Instagram: @CanadaBlooms

I must have a super power for sourcing new products. Recently I attended the The Restaurants Canada Show  and   I consistently found new products with no effort at all.  Note:  I have a feeling this has something to do with the fact that I was once a food sales rep.

So here’s what I found at the show which featured over 1,000 exhibitors. Yes – I was there for HOURS. I shmoozed, sampled, and walked up and down aisles from noon to 4 pm. I can tell you one thing:  I did not need to eat lunch or dinner!!

1. NUBA…this is a naturally handcrafted hibiscus brewed tea. I think this beverage would be amazing in a cocktail  (Hey CocktailDeeva are you reading this?)

2. Natrel is launching a line of butter. What took them so long? This will be the only dairy cooperative to offer a butter with salt. Look out for it on shelves starting in May 2015.

3. M & M’s has introducted a chocolate bar. How sweet!

4. Primo has started to make Tomato Juice as well. I love how there’s a Canadian Flag on the packaging!

5. This stunning line of mustards, distributed by the Hungry Artisan. I’m a sucker for great packaging and mustards. In fact I once wrote a blog post called “how many mustards are in your fridge?”. LOL

6. Station Cold Brew Coffee Co: This is a smooth, fresh and easy way to customize, cold brewed coffee without compromising quality or flavour. Adore that this is a local company!

7. Ninettes …this delicious ice cream is low in carbs (yay) and so flavourful. On a side note: they were featured on Dragons Den!

 

Happy Grocery Shopping!!

I think Spring is around the corner! 🙂  There’s evidence that the snow is melting and this makes me smile!!

I’m also happy to report that Spring has arrived at Loblaws too! Soon you will see these gorgeous Spring items on the shelves. I don’t know about you but I really think PC, Life at Home and Everyday Essential products, nail it when it comes to price point and design.

I have a feeling know I will be purchasing these items, very very soon!

Here’s a few items that are on my wish list:

a) Yes – these plates have my name on them!  Sooo pretty. Soooo colourful.

b) See this black table? Well it’s $69 and the perfect size for my balcony. Not to mention it will come in handy as a buffet when I entertain.

c) This water bottle is the perfect size for me to DRINK MORE WATER. I love the handle, the size of it, the giant straw and the fact that it will keep my water cool too.

d) Last but not least, I adore this platter. It’s perfect for taco night.  Each container will soon be filled with sour cream, chopped lettuce, salsa, guacamole, shredded cheese and black beans.

Hope you have as much fun shopping for PC products or Life at Home products as I will.

See you at the Real Canadian Superstore!!

 

 

 

Big changes are about to arrive at Starbucks. Starting today (March 3rd) you will notice an entire new line up of pastries from a bakery called La Boulange.

This is a bakery that’s iconic in  San Francisco and was founded by renowned chef and baker and cookbook author, Pascal Rigo.

Lucky me….I got the chance to meet him at a recent launch. I have to say that when he was talking about his childhood and his first adventures in the kitchen, I could sense his love for baking.

Of course, I also had the opportunity to sample croissants, cookies, and more. #HappyTummy

It’s interesting to note, that croissants can now be served warm. How awesome is that?

I have a feeling that Canadians are going to be delighted to see these changes at Starbucks and will be nibbling on more pastries while they enjoy their coffee.

I know I will be indulging!! (after I run – of course). LOL

For more information:

Website: www.starbucks.ca

Twitter: @StarbucksCanada