Trader Joe’s recently opened in Buffalo!!  This is great news for foodies like me. Naturally I had to stop enroute back to Toronto from Greenwich Conn last week.

I’ve been a fan of Trader Joe’s ever since I went to visit their store in Detroit. Lot’s of amazing products with pretty good prices too. Definitely not your average grocery store.

When you walk into the new Buffalo location, you are greeted by this mascot!!

Then the fun begins as you walk thru the aisles looking for goodies to buy!! Here are a few items that went into my grocery cart.

1. Ginger Miso Broth: at $1.99 a box! So I bought two. The other night I used it and now I’m kicking myself that I didn’t buy 6. Arghhhh.

2. Dried Kimchi: Haven’t tried it yet but it intrigued me.

3. Milk Chocolate Covered Toffee Popcorn: I served this the other night with on a cheese platter and they were inhaled.

4. Speculoos Cookie Butter: Described as “A deliciously unusual spread reminiscnet of gingerbread and made with crushed biscuits”  I spread some of this on a cracker and even though it was sweet – I enjoyed it. Basically, I’m a sucker for anything with the word gingerbread in it.

5. Soap. ..that’s right..Soap!!  I bought one bottle on my last trip to Trader Joe’s in May and this time I bought 3 bottles. I’m getting smart!!

Definitely worth visiting!!

For More Information:

Trader Joe’s (Amherst) 1565 Niagara Falls Blvd. 716 833 4687

Hours : Monday to Sunday 8 am to 9 pm.

 

I was in Greenwich Connecticut for the weekend to attend a Bat Mitzva.  This means that there was a Friday Night Dinner, A Saturday Night Service/Party, and a Sunday Brunch.

I basically had FREE TIME between 10 am and 2 pm on Saturday. I knew that I was going to use that time to do something that involved FOOD!! (surprise surprise). The best way for me to experience A LOT of food in a short period of time was to head to Smorgasburg in Brooklyn, NY. I had been to this amazing outdoor food market four years ago on their opening weekend  and knew that it would even be bigger and better. I was right!

The first thing we ate was a RAMEN BURGER: This vendor is only 12 weeks old but a HUGE HIT with the public. I was also  thrilled to  have met Keizo Shimamoto (the guy in in the top right photo) who is the brain behinds this idea.

We also ate:

Molasses Spice and Marshmallow Sandwich cookies (from S’mores Bakery),

Cornmeal Crusted Cod topped with Chipotle slaw served with Old Bay Chips (from Bon Chovie)

Apple Cheesecake with Bacon (from Bite Me Cheesecakes)

Pumpkin Milkshake (from Milk Truck Grilled Cheese)

Our visit also included:

Tomatillo Juice (from ??…sorry…can’t remember)

Pumpkin Pop tarts from (The Baking Bean)

Pumpkin Chai Ice cream Sandwich (from the Good Batch)

Lobster Roll from (Hook Lobster Pound)

Oh yeah one more thing we devoured….

Here’s a few photos of other items we wanted to try but we were just too full. Sad but true.

Smorgasburg is definitely something that should be on your radar if you live in NYC or are visiting!! There a few locations so please click here for more information.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ever since I took my first cheese class years ago at Leslieville Cheese market with Julia Rogers, I have been obsessed with Cheese. I have even taken two courses at Murrays Cheese in New York City, while on vacation!! I even have a cheese diary. (please don’t judge me).

My love for cheese was clearly noticed by the good people at Dairy Farmers of Canada as they approached me back in August to take part in a social media campaign called  Simple Pleasures of Canadian Cheese.

It’s a pretty cool initiative that I was all too happy to be a part of. I will have the opportunity to eat MORE CANADIAN CHEESE and share my love for  Canadian Cheese on Instagram. If you aren’t already following me…please do. I’m easy to find: Just do a search for MOMWHORUNS. I will be using the hashtag: #Simplepleasures and #CDNCheese.

 

So far I’ve been munching on:

14 Arpents (Fromagerie Medard), Ricotta (Quality Cheese), Avonlea Cheddar (Cows Creamery), Figaro (Glengarry Cheese), and Five Brothers (Gunns Hill Artisan Cheese).

I was so excited about all these cheeses that I hosted a small wine/cheese party one night. My friends loved the cheese from Five Brothers. However my favorite was Figaro. It has all the right qualities that I’m looking for….so creamy, so rich, so strong.

I’m sure you will be seeing more blog posts about my love for cheese. In the meantime…please follow me on Instragram. Um…Like. …Right Now. LOL.

 

 

How could I say no to an invitation that had the word “Cake Boss” in it? I love cake as much as the next person does and was eager to join in the fun, as Canadian Tire was launching the Cake Boss Bakeware Line in Canada.

The event was held at  The Fifth Grill & Terrance and when you walked in there were about a dozen tables that looked like this.

I was a bit freaked to actually participate as I like to EAT cake but had never ever touched fondant before. Here’s proof of my total inexperience!!

However the lovely Gabby Parisi (@GabrielleParisi) who’s a cake decorating expert, came by each participant to help us out!! Clearly I accepted her help.

I finally got a bit more confidence and decorated my cake after being inspired by watching Pay Chen and Theresa Albert decorate their respective cakes!!

Next time you are in Canadian Tire, please look out for the Cake Boss Bakeware Line. Another great addition to their ever growing kitchen department.

Remember I mentioned that I went to three food shows in one week? Well, Rendez -Vous Quebec was the last one. This is a much smaller show than Grocery Innovations or CHFA but that’s just fine with me (and my waistline).

I’m sure this won’t surprise you, but I discovered a few interesting products at this show. In particular…these chocolates. These were NOT just your average chocolates. You want to know what they were filled with? Not what you were expecting!! Ready? (drum roll). ….Foie Gras!! Yes. ..Foie Gras oozed into your mouth when you bit into one of these logs. Seriously. Delicious.

I also enjoyed some amazing Quebec cheese. There is certainly no shortage of cheese makers in this province.

 I also stumbled across a new product from Smoke which I can’t wait try at home one day soon. I’ve been a fan of this company for years and something tells me I’m going to have a new salmon dish to serve. #happydance

One last item that caught my attention were these gorgeous looking Christmas ornaments that were made out of CHOCOLATE.  Stunning.

I left the show with the feeling that I need to visit Montreal sooner than later. This province really does produce some serious chocolate, beer, maple syrup, cheese, dairy products, bread and more!! I’ve blogged about my love for Jean Talon Market and Atwater Market before and I know I will be blogging about it again in the near future.

Many thanks to Bureau du Quebec for inviting me to Rendez -Vous Quebec!!

I went to three Food Trade Shows in one week!!. As I walked thru the aisles of the CHFA show, I realized that I’ve mastered the skill of “sampling”. I can now add that to my list of skills on my Linkedin profile. (ha). This is the annual trade show for the Canadian Health Food Association and a great opportunity for me to find more new products to share with my readers (that’s you).

Here’s a few items that I’d like to share with you:

MONKEY TOAST:  These are flavour packed fruit crisps that are dairy free, and nut free. Ideal for kids and big kids too (like me).  I also adore their packaging and the fact that they are a Canadian company. (B.C. to be exact)

MACKIE’S CRISPS: All their potato crisps are suitable for vegetarians and their line up includes flavours like Haggis & Cracked Black Pepper, Scotch Bonnet Chilli Pepper and Aberdeen Angus steak. On a side note: My mom is from Scotland and I have family there so I have a soft spot for any product that is Scottish.

OHMBARS; This date and seed bar is Dairy free, Gluten free and is made in Ottawa (where I grew up). Naturally this caught my attention too.

CAPLANSKY’S MUSTARD:  I read on facebook about this new line of mustard and was delighted to see this new product at the Neal Brothers  booth. I sampled all of them (of course). Today I read that there’s a new menu being launched at Caplansky’s which means I really need to visit so I can try the mustard on meat instead on a pretzel!!

(note: stole this photo from Facebook. Hope you don’t mind Peter).

As always, had a great time wandering the aisles of this show. No shortage of new products to try!!

I love trade shows and consumer shows. Especially if they are about FOOD. (My favourite subject. Did you know that?). Last week I walked thru Grocery Innovations looking for new food items, new flavour profiles and interesting packaging. This is an annual trade show for food companies, buyers, manufacturers, and distributors. Not to mention it’s a show that I’ve been attending for years as I was a food sales rep at one point in my career!! (fyi).

Here’s a few items that caught my attention:

ORANGE KIT KAT. I adore the combination of orange and chocolate and believe that this item will be a hit. Agreed?

LIVE HAPPY WATER. Water continues to be a huge trend and I’m happy just LOOKING at their booth!! Fact: This water contains naturally occurring lithia and other minerals. Plus it’s sourced from two ancient Canadian mountain springs.

QUINOA BARS: I love this concept and I think consumers will too. What do you think?

WHOLE WHEAT PANKO: What a great idea and will certainly be buying this in the future. The only comment I have for this company is “What took you so long”?.

Water without Sodium – called Aqua Carpatica. 

SUNMAID ORANGE COVERED RAISINS:

There was also an abundance of coconut water and gluten free products at the show as well. But for some reason, the above products stood out. Stay tuned for a blog post about the Whole Wheat Panko as I went home and made a recipe with my sample box as soon as I got home!!

Happy Grocery Shopping!!

Last week, I attended a media dinner that introduced a new line of Gluten Free Pasta by Italpasta.

Even though I’m not gluten free I was curious to try it and I was curious to attend a dinner at 7 numbers which has a fantastic reputation but for some reason I have never been!

I was certainly impressed by the menu that we were presented with.

Julie Daniluk, a well known nutritionist, author and TV personality, spoke at the event as well. She also coincidentally sat beside me and we had  a lot in common soon as I saw her lactose pills! (which I encouraged her to buy at Costco. That’s right Julie…120 lactose pills for $18.99)

The Italpasta Gluten Free Pasta is also dairy free and egg free. I am confident that this line is going to appeal to a lot of consumers who live with multiple allergies.

Congratulations to this amazing Canadian business who clearly understands their consumers needs.

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I received an invite to attend a media dinner at Frida Restaurant that would feature Mexican Avocados.   I replied “count me in”….right away!! I’ve always had a fondness for Avocados seeing as they are SO SO good for you. Not to mention I love the colour of an avocado once you slice it open.  (I’m being honest!!). Am I shallow? Don’t answer that!!

The night started off with a photo of @missavacado and I. Not the best picture of me, but @missavacado is looking just fine!! If you don’t follow her on twitter…well you should!!

Then I sat down to find out that Frida Restaurant did a special tasting menu for this event. Impressive.

Here’s a lovely collage of some of the items I devoured from this menu. My favorite dish was the Ceviche. It was just outstanding.

If you are looking for recipes that use Mexican Avocados…..please visit www.missavacado.ca. I have no doubt that you will find a recipe that will appeal to you.   Not to mention if you are looking for an authentic Mexican restaurant in Toronto then you should head to Frida Restaurant at 999 Eglinton Ave. West.!!

Cheers to Mexican Avocados!!

 

 

There’s a new toy in my kitchen and it’s called My KitchenAid Diamond Blender!! I mean, seriously…look how gorgeous it is!!

Besides the fact that this is one gorgeous looking blender, I want to point out other aspects  of the blender that I’m loving!

Here’s five reasons why I’m loving’ this blender:

a) It does a great job crushing ice. Apparently this is the ultimate test for a blender and my KitchenAid Diamond Blender aces this test!!

b) I love the TALL container that is super light weight and easy to clean. I could be easily making smoothies  or cocktails for a party of 8 in a nano-second!

c) It purees soup like a dream. This is super important to me as I will be making soups for the next 6 months solid. (it’s an obsession during the winter).