This week, I received an invitation from a fellow food blogger, the hungry cat,  asking me if I would like to attend a TUM event called “Sips ‘N Nibbles”. I had never been to a TUM event so I quickly accepted the invitation.

The invitation stated that the event would include 10 of TUMS top vendors and would include live music by the St. Royals, as well a cocktail. The invite also said “dressed to impress”. (eek – only worried for 2 minutes what I was going to wear) . As for the location: Steam Whistle Brewery.

I guess I should take a second and explain what TUM is all about!  Basically it’s a social food network that allows the opportunity for entrepreneurs to showcase to the public, their (tasty) creations.

Ok back to the food!

Participating vendors included: La Carnita, Fidel Gastro, Rock Lobster, Babi & Co, ESE, Neptuno Oysters, Hot Bunzz, Laura Slack Chocolate, Bite Me Bakery, Little Tomato Catering and more.

Here’s a few photos to help you understand how happy my taste buds were!

PS. If you want to learn more about future TUM events…check out their facebook page:  www.facebook.com/TOundrgroundmkt

My favorite vendor was definitely from Hot Bunzz: Port soaked porcini mushrooms, baby portobello, San Marzano tomato and fennel, with balsamic glazed parsnip parmesan and kissed with black truffle. #happy #happy #happy. I had been introduced to Hot Hozz at the Interior Design Shows opening party and can’t wait to find them again at future events!!

My favorite drink was the gin and tonic from Dillons Distillers that just opened up in Beamsville two months ago. I am not a gin drinker AT ALL – but something tells me I will be having more gin and tonics in my life from now on. Can’t wait to tour their distillery in the Spring.

Congratulations to Abbey’s Kitchen and TUM for a well organized event. I was super impressed.

For more information about future TUM events, follow them on facebook: www.facebook.com/TOundrgroundmkt.com

The same people behind Food Truck Eats are organizing SLURP NOODLEFEST!This event has my name written all over it,  as I’m a huge fan of ramen, pho, and other noodle dishes.  Be warned though – there’s a limited amount of tickets available so hurry and purchase your tickets soon K? (you have been officially warned).

Tickets are $10 and are now available online at http://slurp.eventbrite.com. Hope to see you on Sunday March 3rd.

P.S while you are marking down food events in your calendar – can you please mark down that Macaron Day is Wednesday March 20th!! Will be blogging about this amazing event too!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thanks to the internet (errr…twitter), I spent last Sunday having a ton on fun. I know I should have been home cooking soup or cleaning a bathtub but …..I have my priorities. It’s called “ENJOY TORONTO”. Which is exactly what I did.

My day looked like this:

11:00 – noon: Met a friend at La Bamboche (1712 Avenue Road) to try their green tea croissant.  I had been reading updates on this croissant  on twitter and facebook and knew I wanted to try it.  PS. While I’m mentioning La Bamboche, can you please mark off March 20th in your calendar for Macaron Day!! I will be blogging about this special day in a few weeks. Promise.

12:30-1:30 pm – Dropped by the Junction Flea Market.  For close to two hours I strolled by 3 floors of unique exhibitors. I was so impressed by this impressive event which is held the second Sunday of every month. I didn’t buy anything but boy was I tempted!

Special mention to these vendors: These Woods, Rune, @crownflora,

2:00 – 3:30 p.m – Went to The Rhino  (1249 Queen W) to enjoy their Winter Beer Fest. I had NO idea that there would be 300 other craft beer fans there!! As Rob  said (from Beaus All Natural). “Clearly there is a demand for more Craft Beer events”.  I had a blast sampling a variety of beers and can’t wait to return for their next Beer Fest.

 

People ask me all the time “How do I found out about all these events”. The answer is: “I find out about these events on Twitter”. Seriously.

Wonder what I will be doing this Sunday? Stay tuned!!

 

The other night I was lucky (yes, very lucky) to have received an invite to attend an event at the Suits® Lobby Lounge in the Trump  International Hotel & Tower. The event included all the right elements:

1. A Stunning Venue
2. Scotch and Cognac
3. Valrhona Chocolate Fondue

I’m a total sucker for a gorgeous venue (especially since I had never been to the Trump Hotel). I’m also TOTALLY into an event that includes Scotch and Chocolate.

I actually sent out a tweet while I was at the event that said “PINCH ME. I’m in Scotch Heaven”.

The atmosphere of the Suits® Lobby Lounge is just the perfect size for someone like me, who prefers a more intimate environment. I also liked the fact that there was a TV which means it will be the ideal place for me to return so I can catch the French Open in March. (can u believe I don’t get TSN at home?).

As for the scotch. I spent a lot of time hanging around the Macallan 18!!

As for the chocolate – indeed Scotch and dark Varhona chocolate make an ideal pair. Smart. Move.

Seriously, if you are looking for a lobby lounge for drinks before dinner, after dinner, or just after work – please check out this magnificent lounge. You won’t be disappointed. The new Amber Liquor Program and Valrhona Chocolate fondue menu is certainly worth checking out! Um, perfect for Valentines. #justsayin’

For More Info: 

Trump International Hotel & Tower, 325 Bay St, Toronto, (416) 306 5800

Over the last two years, I’ve been going to the Drake Hotel on a Monday night for an event called #86D. These amazing FREE events are  hosted by the lovely Ivy Knight and generally attract a foodie-type of crowd.

This past week I went to a Cinnamon Roll Battle that featured a total of 700 cinnamon rolls that were prepared by a handful of Toronto’s best pastry chefs. I SHARED (thats right – one roll shared by 4 friends) cinnamon rolls by Tori’s BakeShop, Richmond Station, Gilead Cafe, The Gabardine, Eyal Lieberman, and more. PS. Richmond Stations’ cinnamon rolls won last night!

I enjoyed the cinnamon rolls (see below) as well as catching up with some fellow foodie friends.

I’ve also attended other events, like the donut smack down, a pickle smack down and more. They are always FUN and there’s always TASTY food to enjoy!!

Here’s what’s going on in February:

• Venue: Lounge
• Type: Foodie
• Cover: FREE
• Time: Feb. 11, 2013, 8 p.m.

• Venue: Lounge
• Type: Foodie
• Cover: FREE
• Time: Feb. 27, 2012, 8 p.m.

Hope to see you on a Monday night at the Drake Hotel!

For more info:

The Drake Hotel: 1150 Queen St. West, Toronto (416) 531 5042

I grew up with three desserts: icebox cake, the “green dessert” and a lemon poppyseed cake that was made in a bundt pan. If any of my relatives are reading this, they can tell me if I’ve made a mistake!!

This blog post will discuss two of out the three desserts! The first one is truly a favorite. It has only TWO ingredients where as the the second dessert has THREE ingredients. Clearly my mom believed in K.I.S. (Keep it Simple).

ICE BOX CAKE

Whip up a container of  whipped cream:

2. Assemble cookies in a row and then shmeer the whipped cream in between the cookies: Place the finished product in the fridge for a few hours, before serving.

FINAL PRODUCT:

SECOND DESSERT: THE GREEN DESSERT

You need three ingredients: food coloring, the same black wafer cookies, and Shirriff Lemon Pie Filling and Dessert Mix

1. Make the lemon curd according to the directions on the back of the box (basically add water to the powdered mix and stir over medium heat)

2. Add green coloring:

3. ADD EGG WHITES (I forgot this step but it’s on the back of the box) but its important.

4. ASSEMBLE.

FINAL PRODUCT

Thanks Mom!! I had a great childhood with some great memories of amazing desserts!!

Like Tea? Want to learn  more about Tea? Here’s your chance!! Toronto will be host to its first Tea Festival at the Toronto Reference Library on Saturday Feb. 2nd, 2013. Momwhoruns will definitely be there to check it out and I hope you get a chance to check it out as well. I think the timing of this festival is perfect seeing as the entire week has been rainy, grey and miserable!! (Don’t get me started about the weather).

The Tea Festival will feature:

• Tea and culture
• Tea service items and equipment associated products and services
• Food and tea pairing ideas (think tea and chocolate, tea and cheese, tea and Michaels Dolce Jam)
• Tea-related food and drink 

Here’s the flyer.

 

Usually I buy frozen salmon filets at Costco, but last week I bought a beautiful fresh salmon filet with the intention of making Salmon Primavera. For some reason, I’ve only used this recipe on fresh salmon but now that I’m thinking of it, you could probably make with the frozen salmon pieces as well.  This recipe will certainly “wow” your family or dinner guests!!  It’s so pretty and so moist. Promise.

RECIPE: SALMON PRIMAVERA (taken from Kosher by Design: Entertains by Susie Fishbein)

2 1/2 – 3 pounds WIld Pacific or Sockey Salmon Filet

Salt

Pepper

Dijon mustard or thick honey mustard (I’ve only used this recipe with thick honey mustard like Honeycup Mustard or Woebers Honey Mustard)

1 small zucchini, with skin, thinly sliced

1 small yellow squash, with skin, thinly sliced – (use either yellow zucchini if you can find it it OR butternut squash slices but please pre-cook the slices)

1 Roma or plum tomato, thinly sliced

1/4 cup unflavored breadcrumbs or Panko (I use Panko)

2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill

2 tablespoons olive oil

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees

2. Put the salmon on a parchment lined baking sheet and season the salmon fillet with salt and pepper. Brush an even thick coat of the (honey) mustard all over the salmon.

3. Place a layer of zucchini slices on the salmon. Then place a layer of the yellow zucchini or PRE COOKED butternut squash slices. Then place a player of thinly sliced tomatoes

4. In a small bowl, mix the olive oil, panko or breadcrumbs (I use Panko) and the fresh dill.

5. Spread this mixture onto the entire salmon.

6. Bake for 30-35 minutes. Don’t be afraid to poke thru the fish to ensure that’s its all cooked!!

7. Serve hot or room temperature.

FINAL PRODUCT:

I served this with a strawberry spinach salad, roasted garlic from Stone Soup Farms, tomato basil tarts and roasted tri color carrots with fresh tarragon leaves.

The meal was a hit!!

Happy Cooking.

I’ve just returned from a fun night out at Cheesewerks (56 Bathurst St). You see, they are hosting these “Food Fight Trivia Nights” and they are selling out….that’s how much fun they are.

For $2 you are guaranteed to laugh, to think, to hang out with your friends and eat some fabulous food. The restaurant was packed.

So here’s how it works. You grab a few friends (teams are four are suggested), name your team ie. team goudalicious, show up from 7 pm – 9 pm and contribute $2. The questions are either: name that tune, multiple choice, WTF (identify obscure food photos), and a pop quiz.

There’s prizes to be won and I swear the video we watched had me doubled over laughing my guts out. It was a Nigella Lawson video that had been edited and was absolutely hysterical. Actually I hope someone puts it on YouTube so I can watch it over and over again.

More events are coming up – so make sure you follow them on twitter or on facebook. That way you won’t miss a thing!!

If you are struggling what to do on Valentines – here’s an idea: I think this is the PNO (perfect night out).

Seriously, this restaurant can be describes as having the total package: great owners, a cool vibe, an amazing social media presence, plus amazing food.

For More Info:

Cheesewerks 56 Bathurst St. (416) 243-3327

Twitter: @Cheesewerks

Facebook: www.facebook.com/cheesewerks

I hosted a Shabbat Tweet up on Friday night and wanted to make something that I hadn’t made in along time that I knew would be a hit. I was right – there was only one piece left by the end of the night!!

The first ingredient (frozen fish loaf) might not be available in many grocery stores but I can assure you that you can find it at any grocery store from Bathurst/Lawrence to Bathurst and Rutherford.

Here’s the recipe: There’s 4 ingredients you really need. That’s it.

Three Coloured Fish Loaf (taken from Gatherings…A project by the parents of Netivot Hatorah Day School)

1 1/2 lbs frozen fish loaf, defrosted….otherwise known as GEFILTE FISH

1 egg, beaten

1 tablespoon sugar

1 tsp salt (I omitted this)

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp onion powder (I omitted this too)

pepper to taste

1 box (300g) chopped spinach, defrosted and drained

3 medium sized carrots, cooked and mashed. (I used my Cuisinart for this step).

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

1. In a large blow, combine defrosted fish with egg, sugar, salt, garlic powder, onion powder and onion.

2. Divide mixture in half

3. Press one half into a loaf pan (I used Pam on the loaf pan to ensure it came out easily)

4. Divide the remaining mixture into half

5. Mix spinach with one half of the mixture

6. Mix mashed carrots with the other half of the mixture

7. Spread the spinach mixture over plain fish in loaf pan

8. Then spread the carrot mixture over the spinach mixture.

Bake uncovered for an hour. Slice and serve!!

FINAL PRODUCT:

ps. Next time I would spread more carrot mixture on the loaf. I held back. I don’t know why. I realized that the more you use, the thicker the layer will be.

Happy Cooking!!