I first discovered NuPasta at a food show a few years ago, and I’m pleased to say that they keep growing and growing. i.e you can now find them at more and more retailers. This is what you need to know about NuPasta.

-25 calories per package (210 grams)

-2% Fat, 2% Carbohydrate, Zero Cholesterol, Zero Sodium.

-Gluten Free, Kosher, Halal, Non-GMO and requires ZERO refrigeration.

Please welcome NuPasta and give them a huge round of applause.

Plus they are a Canadian company (more applause).

In no time at all, I made a beautiful, colourful dinner tonight (see recipe below).

Not to mention, it will agree with my stomach and not make me feel bloated or uncomfortable like regular pasta.

The key to their success is the fact that NuPasta is made with Konjac, which is a root vegetable native to East Asia and grown at 2,000 – 4,000 ft. above sea level.

Walnuts and Peas Pasta (recipe by Stephanie Joanne)

1 package of NuPasta (drained and rinsed)

2 cups frozen peas

1 large carrot, sliced and boiled

1 clove of garlic, minced

1/2 cup of toasted walnut halves

1 tablespoon of coconut oil

1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley

salt and pepper

parmesan (optional)

Instructions:

1. Drain and rinse NuPasta

2. Toast walnuts (on a baking sheet in a 350 degree oven for 5 minutes)

3, In a pot, add garlic to coconut oil on low heat. After 5 minutes, add carrots, peas, one package of NuPasta. Then add parsley, salt and pepper. Add walnuts when plating and parmesan (if desired)

Final

Disclosure: I was compensated for this post, however all opinions are my own.

This year, I didn’t attend the Restaurants Canada Show as media but was actually working at a booth at the show.

On my break, I had the chance to roam around and discover some new products.

Well to be honest, I didn’t have to leave my my booth to discover a new product. You see, St.-Albert has recently produced a new cheese to the market 1894 which is the year St. Albert Cheese was established. It’s a soft rind cheese that has been aged for 60 days and it’s Yummy…with a capital Y. We truly had excellent feedback from the many trade show attendees who sampled this cheese.

2. Kelvin Slush Co. has introduced a new ORGANIC margarita mix. I would definitely order this in a restaurant over a sweet, chemicall-y margarita. Congratulations to the team of great guys, (who are also behind Walter Caesar) for this innovative product.

3. Cow’s Creamery has introduced a new Salted Cultured Butter. As you know Im a huge fan of butter. Heres’ a story for you. I grew up with margarine and soon as I started to live on my own I started to use butter and have not looked back. I love using butter when I bake and totally would spend extra $$ to spread a better quality butter on a better quality piece of delicious bread!!

4. Station Cold Brew  has launched Nitro! I found this explanation about Nitro on twitter, which will explain to you more about this new beverage.
@stationcoldbrew Surely you’re asking yourself “What the heck is Nitro Cold Brew?” Well, we’ll tell ya. Our Signature brew infused with Nitrogen. We do it because it pours a beautifully cascading coffee reminiscent of a stout. An unrivaled texture and mouth feel. #NITRO #COLDBREW #fuelup

As always, I have a ton of fun at these shows.

Have a great weekend.

 

The Breville Fast Slow Pro™ is simply a BRILLIANT appliance. It’s basically a pressure cooker but it knows the time, temperature and pressure that different foods need. See what I mean? Its BRILLIANT.

As you know I own quite a few appliances. You name it. I have it. But I’ve never ever owned a pressure cooker nor can I remember the last time I went to someones house who owned one.

However a food blogger friend of mine has been regularly posting about her pressure cooker recipes and I was intrigued, to say the least.

So when the Breville Fast Slow Pro™ arrived, I immediately invited Carole over to teach me a thing or two about using a pressure cooker. While she talked about the ins and outs of pressure cooking, I chopped a few ingredients for the soup.

Recipe for Split Pea Soup

1 carrot – diced

1 parsnip – diced

1 onion – chopped

2 celery stalks – chopped

2 cups of  rinsed dried split peas

6 cups of vegetable stocks (4 cups of stock and 2 cups of water – to be honest)

salt and pepper.

Directions: Put all these ingredients into the Breville Fast Slow Pro™, close the lid, press a few buttons and wait 25 minutes. Could cooking get any easier? I don’t think so.

In 25 minutes – Carole opened the lid and just like magic, dinner was served. Yes – Carole got to open the lid as I must admit I kept thinking the pot was going to explode. But Carole assured me that these days, pressure cookers are safe, safe, safe.

I had so much fun that I made a second batch of soup. Seriously.

Here’s a few things that I learned from Carole:

Some Definitions:
QR – quick release
NPR – natural pressure release
PSI – pounds per square inch

Things I Can Look Forward to Making:

I can take a frozen chicken breast and have dinner ready in 45 minutes
I can make half an acorn squash in 15 minutes
I can make beets in 24 minutes.
I can make small potatoes in 5 minutes.
I can make a whole sweet potato in 15 minutes with natural release

Great Websites about Pressure Cooking:

www.pressurecookingtimecharts.com
www.pressurecookingtoday.com

Plus she says that it’s important to follow recipes and the instructions that go along with it. (note to self)

Happy Cooking!

Disclosure: Breville Canada provided me with this appliance, however all opinions are my own.

 

My life looks like this:

a) My kitchen has been in the process of being renovated since Feb. 10th. Last week the counter, sink and faucet were installed and let me tell you – this was a big deal as I had been washing dishes in my bathroom for 3 weeks. Still need to decide on the back splash and the paint colour but I’m 98% done and I’m really (really) happy with my new kitchen.

b) I went to the Saks Off 5th VIP Preview Party at Vaughan Mills. What made this event special was the fact that my daughter was the first customer (insert applause). Super impressed with this store…brands/price/selection and will definitely return to Vaughan Mills again.

c) It just dawned on me that I need to get my snow tires removed. So much to do and so little time.

d) I bought this heirloom tomato (for slightly over $5). I normally am pretty careful with my $$ but I was excited when the store owner told me that it was his first shipment of the season and just bought it without thinking. I’m going to cut it up over the weekend and eat it with  St. Albert Cheese Curds. Not a bad plan, right?

e) I’ve successfully pre-planned my upcoming birthday weekend and will be heading to Niagara Falls to do something I’ve never done before. Believe it or not, I’ve never stayed overnight in Niagara Falls.  Now I can scratch that off my bucket list. Stay tuned for a blog post.

f) I’ve been planning a dinner crawl with another foodie couple for Saturday April 9th. The plan is to head to Boralia for mussels, then hit Wenona Craft Beer Lounge for BBQ’ed meat  (and craft beer, of course) and then head to another restaurant for dessert. I can’t wait.

g) Finally got a PVR and can’t wait to start taping The French Open. I’m-a-tennis-junkie-and-I-am=proud.. #lifechanger.

h) I have a mental list running thru my head of all the stores I want to check out that have recently opened. My list looks like this:

–H & M Home at Eaton Centre

–Simons at Square One

-Saks Food Hall by Pusateri’s at Sherway Gardens

The question is WHEN? LOL.

Wishing everyone a great weekend!

I’ve just returned from a trip to Ottawa. I hadn’t been there for a little over 4 months so I was a bit out touch with the foods scene, but not for long as I posted on facebook: “Where should I eat?” and as always my foodie friends in Ottawa were happy to help.
Here’s a recap of what I discovered;

Datsun  (380 Elgin St) – This is a new trendy restaurant on Elgin St and is owned by the same owners as El Camino. It’s one busy restaurant …even at 10 pm. We ordered two dishes and both were incredibly flavourful. Next time, I need to go with a larger group so I can try more dishes.

We started off with this most satisfying bowl of ramen.

2. Aroma Espresso bar – This a popular coffee chain in Toronto, New York and Israel now has a location in Ottawa. It’s located at Landsdowne Park (300 Marche Way – #109) which has been developed into quite a bustling part of town. What did I order? I tried the new cold pressed ginger and tumeric drink. This beverage (which is available hot or cold) hit the spot and was a great alternative to (another) cup of coffee.

3. Urban  Juice Press  (340 Parkdale Unit B Entrance on, Spencer) I had just purchased beer at Beyond the Pale and as we were turning the corner saw a sign and parked the car again. Loved the space and the organic juice that we purchased. These cold pressed juices can be the perfect pick me up in the middle of the day!

4. Origin Trade Inc. (111 York St) – This new coffee/lounge blew me away. Someone really put some thought into decorating the space. Plus my coffee can best be described as “smooth” with no bitterness whatsoever.

Other discoveries:

This local kombucha that is made in Smith Falls. (purchased at Herb and Spice on Bank St)

2. This local kimchi that I purchased at the Ottawa Farmers Market.

But besides eating my way thru Ottawa, the real reason I went to Ottawa was to celebrate my friends 50th birthday and to hang out with my mom. I’m so lucky to have both of these women in my lives.

As always, I love visiting Ottawa. Hoping to return in May for the Tulip Festival and to discover more great food.

My recent trip to Buffalo included:

-attending the Bruce Springsteen concert

-and eating. (this doesn’t surprise you, right?)

The day went like this:

2 pm – Anchor Bar…no need for an explanation.

 

3 pm – Teds’ Hot Dogs. It was customer appreciation day and I couldn’t resist a bargain ($1 a hot dog). Despite the HUGE line up, it was well worth it.

 

4 pm. – Andersons Frozen Custard. Guess what? It was snowing when we walked in. #scored

730 pm – Bruce Springsteen Concert….who played for 3 hours straight. What a performance.

Midnite – Gabriel’s Gate. In my humble opinion, this was the perfect post concert snack.

 

The following day included one more restaurant. We went to this cool bakery/cafe for some wicked toast and coffee. I fell in love with the building …and the bread.

Five Points Bakery 

Can’t wait to go back to Buffalo!

When I went to the Bruce Springsteen concert in Buffalo, I knew that the trip would include a visit to Trader Joe’s.  A trip to Buffalo would simply not feel complete without stopping at a grocery store. (in my humble opinion)

I bought a mixture of old Trader Joe favourites and some new products that I’ve never bought before.

For example…these dried baby bananas caught my attention.

I have no idea what I will be doing with them but something tells me I will be incorporating them into a brunch dish one day soon!

Here’s what they look like on a plate. Can’t decide if it looks pretty or if it looks creepy!!

There was a section at the back of the store with a sign over it that said “new product”. How brilliant. I couldn’t resist buying these Preserved Lemon Slices even though I have no idea what I will be doing with them. But for $1.99 I couldn’t resist.

 I’m a huge fan of Trader Joe’s chocolate and this time I bought a PB & J chocolate bar.  As you can see from the photo, most of the bar is now gone. Why oh why did I only buy one bar?

 

I’m already looking forward to my next trip to Buffalo.

Website; www.traderjoes.com

Address: 1565 Niagara Falls Blvd, Buffalo, NY
Phone:+1 716-833-4687

 

 

I seem to be taking a lot of photos of my “table settings” these days. I will admit, I also take a lot of photos of the food I’m serving too!

There are four elements that I believe are necessary to set a “pretty” table.

a) Flowers

b) Vases – I won’t tell you how many I own or where I store them seeing as I live in a 950 sql condo but let’s just say “I’m creative”. LOL

c) Napkins – again, I won’t tell you how many I own.

d) Placements – see comment above

Here’s a few ideas:

a) A Silver Theme: The inspiration for this table setting came from my from mom who bought me the placemats from Bowring 

a) A green and brown combo: The inspiration for this table setting came from the napkins. Expensive but worth it. The brand is called Paviot and can be found at stores like All the Best Fine Foods and Summerhill Market.

b) An orange/red/brown combo…again the inspiration came from the Paviot Napkins.

c) This was my table setting from Chanuka. ..the inspiration for this table came from the runner which I picked up for $3 at a dollar store. 

e) A red/white theme. …the inspiration for this table came from the placemats that I bought on a trip to Barcelona. They were cheap and easy to pack! Scored.As you can see I love setting my table and I love entertaining.

I have a feeling I will do a blog post about some of my favourite serving dishes too. I have a few. LOL

 

 

I recently hosted a chocolate and cheese fondue party. I usually host wine and cheese parties but seeing as it was held right before Valentine’s Day, I thought it would be a fun to involve some chocolate.

Here’s what was involved:

GUESTS: I invited 10 friends on a Sunday at 1 pm and the table looked like this.

MENU: Four brands of chocolate, party sandwiches, fruit, wine (and more wine), fondue, huge chunks of bread (from Blackbird Baking Co.), a few other snacks.

Let’s take a minute and talk about the chocolate that was served:

1. Green & Blacks. This chocolate company based out of the UK uses only organic ingredients to create great tasting chocolate. In 1994 their Mayan Gold bar became the first chocolate bar to be awarded the Fair-trade Mark by the Fair-trade Foundation in the U.K.

2 Sweets Canada Gourmet Chocolate Bars They are a new E-Tailer in town and sell a line of Premium Chocolate bars with pure Dried Edible Flowers Petals (how cool is that?)… like Rose, Jasmine, Lavender, Sunflower, Safflower, with Bits of Strawberry Matcha tea, Apricot, and Apples. Each bar is packed in the cutest burlap bag.

My guests also sampled their chocolate bars made with finest European chocolate added with Cashew, Ginger or Banana -Caramel and touch of Sea salt. I’m a flavour junkie so Sweets Canada really appealed to me.

Feel fee to head over to their website to learn more about gourmet chocolate bars from Sweets Canada.

3. Dufflet/Steam Whistle: I purchased this adorable tin while visiting the Steam Whistle Brewery. I just couldn’t resist the combination of beer/chocolate.

4. Trader Joe’s Dark Chocolate Bar with Caramel and Black Sea Salt: Every time I go to Trader Joe’s I seem to buy another chocolate bar! Adored the combo of the caramel and the sea salt.

Conclusion: The party was a huge success and as always, I look forward to hosting more parties in the future.

Disclosure: I was compensated and/or given product however all opinions are my own.

I adore mini desserts these days and my guests appreciate them too.

I also love combining chocolate with fruit!!

So when I was introduced to Second Cup Coffee Co.’s New Hot Chocolate Cookie, all I could think of is how divine it would be to incorporate this cookie into a particular dessert that I’ve made before.

The previous dessert called for “graham cracker crumbs” and to be honest, it’s not something I have in my pantry all the time. (er…never). However I know that every day I pass a Second Cup and can easily pick up their new Hot Chocolate Cookie.

I won’t keep you waiting for the recipe much longer. Here you go!

STUFFED STRAWBERY CHEESECAKES BITES

Ingredients:

12 strawberries

1/3 cup of soft cream cheese ( a little goes a long way)

1 tsp of vanilla

1/2 of a Second Cup Coffee Co’s Hot Chocolate Cookie

Instructions:

1. Using a sharp knife, dig a cavity into the top of the strawberry

2. Using the same knife, also take the bottom off so the strawberry stands up nice and pretty

3. Mix the cream cheese and vanilla with a fork

4. Break up half of a Second Cup Coffee Co’s Hot Chocolate Cookie (feel free to just eat the remaining half.  Yum!)

4. Carefully spoon the cream cheese mixture into the cavity of the strawberry.

5. Sprinkle the top of the strawberries with the crushed up pieces of the Hot Chocolate Cookie!

6. Serve or refrigerate till ready to serve.

FINAL RESULT

I hope you get a chance to head to Second Cup and try this Hot Chocolate Cookie one day soon. You won’t be disappointed.

 

Second Cup is super interested to know what you think of their new favourite cookie, so Taste It and Rate It for a chance to WIN 1 of 5 $50 Second Cup gift cards! Click on their Facebook page to learn more about #TasteItandRateIt

But before I finish this blog post I want share with you details about a FREE skating event that Second Cup is hosting, with the help of one of this country’s iconic figure skaters, Elvis Stojko. The skating party will take place on Saturday Feb 20th and begins at 10:00 a.m. at Harbourfront Centre’s Natrel Rink and will feature free skate rentals*, free on-site skating lessons for beginners**, FREE Second Cup Coffee Co. Hot Chocolate* and FREE samples of the new, delicious Second Cup Coffee Co. Hot Chocolate Cookie*.

Please click here to find out more details about this fun event.

P.S. Everyone is welcome!!

For more information:

Website: www.secondcup.com

Twitter and Instagram: @secondcupcanda

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SecondCup/

Hashtag: #TasteItRateIt or #SCCookie

Disclosure: I’ve been compensated for this blog post however all opinions are my own.