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

Share this:

I haven’t been blogging since October 20th but I promise to explain why, when I return to the blogosphere in December.

In the meantime, I’m fortunate to have my blogger friend Elise Burton attend a few events and act as a guest blogger for Momwhoruns!

Here’s her blog post about a recent event she attended at All the Best Fine Foods:

I was lucky enough to attend All The Best Fine Food’s Holiday Cocktail event this evening and it was a lovely way to usher in the holiday season. So many beautiful things to see, smell, eat and drink – it’s hard to know where to begin.

One of my first loves is, and always will be, cookbooks. All The Best has curated a great collection of books from both world famous chefs and local authors that will capture the imagination of both the experienced cook and the novice.

There were dozens of delicious looking hors d’oeuvres being passed but without a doubt, my favourite bite was the antipasto skewer that featured a cube of 3 year old aged Cheddar, a chunk of stellar dill pickle from the folks at Mighty Fine Brine and a piece of delicious Spanish salumi imported by Fermin.

One of the evening’s real treats was getting to meet David H. Chow, a talented chocolatier who is really better described as an artist. His featured products were just gorgeous. They combined the finest quality chocolate with both traditional ingredients – hazelnuts, caramel, peanut butter – and non-traditional ingredients – pink peppercorns, buckwheat honey and freeze-dried mango. Yum.

I left this event with endless ideas and inspiration for gifts, decor, cocktails and recipes for the holiday season. Thank you All The Best Fine Foods.

For more information:

All the Best Fine Foods: 1101 Yonge St, Toronto, ON (416) 928-3330

Twitter: @AllTheBestFF

Share this:

This blog post might be a little late but I know a good chunk of you are still out there buying Christmas gifts or hostess gifts. So here’s a few ideas if you are looking to buy a “foodie” the perfect gift!!

Twelve Ounce Ladles: This ladle ensures your host/hostess isn’t double dipping all the time as he/she serves soups to their guests. Put a bow around it and you are set to go. It’s brilliant and my friends still thank me to this day for this gift. Head to Nella Cucina (876 Bathurst  St) for these ladles.

Sloane Teas: This line of tea is outstanding. The packaging and the varieties will impress your foodie friends. Available at numerous fine food stores.

A Chocolate iPhone Case: This is perfect for the foodie that loves their iPhone and loves chocolate. I spotted these at All the Best Fine Foods (1101 Yonge St).

A Cutting Board: This is perfect for foodies. I spotted this in Yorkville at the paper store called Paper Things (99 Yorkville Ave)

Candles:  The Gap is selling candles in a variety of interesting scents: (repeat – INTERESTING)  Black Pepper, Tomato, Grapefruit, and more. $29

Samba Days: An amazing concept! You simply buy a Samba Days Gourmet Getaway card and the recipient of this card gets to choose from a variety of amazing gourmet getaway packages. I love this idea.

Anything from the Good Egg store!! (267 Augusta Avenue). Seriously, it’s hard to go into this store and come out empty handed.

Taste of the Month from Taste of Cheese. The recipient of this gift will receive a box of  5 unique cheeses once a month. This is a cheese lovers dream!!

Laura Slack chocolates. Not your average chocolates. She is a true artist.  Please Please…visit her website.

So have I provided you with enough ideas? I hope so.

Happy Shopping and Happy Holidays too!!

Share this: