I’ve made a traditional chocolate pudding before (see link here) but lately I’ve been noticing a lot of non traditional recipes. For example, puddings that are vegan and involve an avocado!!

Please keep reading…LOL .

The best part of this recipe is that it involves FOUR ingredients and requires no cooking. Seriously it could not get easier.  The first time I made it, I didn’t measure anything (typical Vicky move) but the second time around I took the time to measure the ingredients so I could blog about it (hooray).

So here’s what you need:

Chocolate Avocado Pudding (original recipe by momwhoruns however very much inspired by recipes seen on Pinterest).

1 Avocado

1/3 cup of coconut milk

3 tablespoons cocoa powder

1/4 of a banana

Directions

1. Please all ingredients in a blender and blend till smooth. (serves 3).  Thats all you need to do!!

I must admit that I was excited to try this recipe so I could bring out my new Braun MultiQuick 9 Hand Blender. The beauty of this appliance is that it can do everything – blend, chop, whip, and more.

I simply clicked on the attachment that I needed and before I knew it my chocolate pudding was lovely and smooth.

See what I mean? Just 4 ingredients went into the bowl and then the blender attachment did all the work in no time at all.

My avocado chocolate pudding was smooth, creamy and HEALTHY too. #score

For more information about Braun products, please click here. (note: there’s a 20 percent discount and free shipping)

Disclosure: I was provided a Braun MultiQuick 9 Hand Blender, however all opinions are my own

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About a year ago, I bought the condo that I had been renting. As soon as my signature was dry, I lifted the carpets that were 14 yrs old and put in hardwood floors.

A year later, I knew that the 14 yr old kitchen had to be gutted. This meant:

-new counters, new sink/faucet, new appliances, new cabinets, and a backsplash.

See what I mean? This kitchen HAD to go.

I then packed up 26 boxes of STUFF. (specifically serving dishes and small appliances). These boxes overtook my bedroom and it wasn’t pretty but I knew it would be worth it.

The renovations started on Feb 10th when I went away on vacation. When I returned, I realized I would be making meals out of my bathroom for the next 4 weeks. It wasn’t a fun period. Trust me.

I selected all the appliances from Sears and I can’t say enough about their service. They got my business as they were the only store that answered my call. (I’m a huge fan of customer service).

My kitchen is now complete and I’m beyond happy with the new look. What a huge difference!

Of course my new kitchen needed a new appliance!! See that coffee machine in the corner of the photo? I’m now the proud owner of a Breville Barista Express Espresso. Stay tuned for a blog post K? In the meantime, please click on this link so you learn more about The Breville Cafe Quality campaign and their commitment to ensuring we all have a good cup of quality coffee in the morning!

Here’s to my renovations that are now complete and celebrating with an excellent cup of coffee!

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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.

Photo – courtesy of the internet

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!

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See my smile? Well I’m smiling because I bought my condo!!

Here’s the story:

When I moved out of my matrimonial home, I rented a 2 bedroom HUGE apartment. However I was paying a lot of $$ and had ZERO amenities. (ie not even a balcony).

After 2 years, I decided to rent a condo a mile up the road that had: laundry ensuite, a 24 hour concierge, a beautiful outdoor poor, a gym, a guest suite, 2 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms, a party room, a balcony, VIP cable for $6/month, and the perfect location…..plus I would be saving almost $300 a dollar a month.

Then in April 2015, I received an email from my landlord that she wanted to sell the condo and asked if I would be interested to buy it.  To be honest, I was happy to rent…. but I knew that it was time to buy so I replied that indeed I would be interested. We sat down to negotiate and before you knew it I was busy signing a lot of paperwork!!

Throughout the last 6 weeks, I was lucky to have two professionals guide me thru the process:

a) REMAX Realtor – Eric Potechin: (416 737 6782 or ericpotechin@gmail.com).

Eric guided the landlord and I – every step of the way! He patiently walked us thru the necessary forms and provided me with the information I needed in order to be a knowledgeable buyer.

If you are looking for a honest and competent real estate professional, please don’t hesitate to call him.

b) Get a Better Mortgage – Sharon Shilmover:  (647 389 9038 or email Shilmover.s@mortgagecentre.com or SShilmover@hotmail.com

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With over 20 years of experience, Sharon knows her stuff. Again, Sharon was the type of professional who was extremely thorough and dedicated to her clients. I was extremely happy with the level of service I received and would strongly recommend her.

Now that I own my condo….I’m lifting the carpets STAT and by the end of the week, the condo will have gorgeous hardwood floors.

Can you say – time to decorate?

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Newsflash: There’s a new appliance in my kitchen. It’s the Philips Airfyer. Take a peek… Isn’t she beautiful?

Besides being gorgeous, here’s a few other first impressions:

-It’s simple to use: i.e. one dial is the temperature control and the other dial is the timer. This could not get easier.

-The cord is in the back and slides beautifully into the appliance. No more dangling cords that need to be wrapped around an appliance!!

-You don’t need to use any OIL. (or if you do..it’s less than a tablespoon). The technology in this airfyer is genius.

-My kitchen didn’t heat up and I’m anticipating using the Philips Airfyer ALL SUMMER LONG.

So what did I make?

-baked potatoes (in 12 minutes)

-a piece of salmon (in 10 minutes exactly)

Voila…dinner!!

For more information:

 http://www.philips.ca/c/home-cooking/viva-collection-airfryer-with-rapid-air-technology-hd9220_26/prd/en/ 

Disclosure: The Philips Airfryer was provided to me however all opinions are my own.

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

This beauty is available in 7 colours by the way!!

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).

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I will be honest. I have no time to write a long blog at the moment. Here’s why:

-I’ve been enjoying the sun (err…suntanning WITH sunscreen) and I think my brain is also suntanning.

-I’m off to Hartford Connecticut for a family bar mitzva and the only thing I can think about is #road trip

-I haven’t packed yet which means I’m scrambling at the moment!

So this is going to be a BRIEF blog post about my BRIEF breakfast this morning.

It all started with this cute little 5 minute breakfast sandwich maker from Hamilton Beach.

In the morning, I let this cute little appliance warm up for 5 minutes. I then assembled the ingredients into the cute appliance and put the timer on for 5 minutes. Notice, I’m using the word “cute”…over and over again. This appliance is truly adorable AND functional too!

BINGO – Breakfast.

Now only if I had 5 minutes to clean the sink!! Notice there is no picture of my sink…LOL

For more information: Please visit Hamilton Beach. They really do have an awesome line up of amazing appliances. Please note: that this cute 5 minute sandwich maker won’t be available till August. K?

One more thing: Thanks Fathcom Communications for inviting me to the Hamilton Beach #Social Media Kitchen event. It was nothing short of fabulous.

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I love having company over for Friday nite dinner. I have been entertaining on a regular basis since 1990 and it’s always a pleasure to share a meal with my friends, or new neighbors and even people who are new to Toronto and I barely know!! Lately I’ve been sending my guests the menu in advance to make sure that they like everything and have no allergies to anything I’m going to serve.

My rule of thumb these days: One main course and three side dishes. (and dessert, of course)

Last Friday night, the meal I served consisted of:

Phyllo Wrapped Halibut in a Lemon Cream Sauce (see recipe below – courtesy of Allrecipes.com)

You will look like a rock star if you make this dish!!

Tzatziki: (sorry no official recipe except to combine cucumber slices, crushed local garlic, (I used garlic from Stone Soup Farms) greek yoghurt, and dill in a bowl) ps local garlic makes ALL the difference.

Parmesan Celery Salad (courtesy of Cookbooks 101) ps. click on the link for the recipe!

Jicama with chipotle seasoning and lime juice.

Here’s the recipe for the fish dish. Hope you get a chance to try it.

Phllyo Wrapped Halibut in a Lemon Cream Sauce

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Today’s blog post is dedicated to the question: How Many Knives Do You Own? I have a lot….errr….WAY TOO MANY. It all started 20 years ago, when I never invested in a decent knife. My attitude was “I’ll buy another one”.

My useless knife collection

This is NOT the right attitude. Here’s why.

A long time ago, I saw a blog post (or was it a tweet???) with the question: “What’s Your Favorite Kitchen Tool”. Many of the replies were  “MY KNIFE”.

Think about it. Do you think you could make a dish without a knife? It truly is an instrumental tool to have in the kitchen.

Because it’s so important,…I will be giving away a CUTCO knife to one lucky reader!! (value $138). All you have to do is go to the Cutco Website and leave a comment telling me which knife you would want to own.  If you haven’t heard of Cutco before, here’s what you need to know about this North American company: a) they have a Forever Guarantee b) they produce quality, SHARP knives c) they are all about offering exceptional knives and customer service.

Isn’t that easy? Isn’t this a great contest? Something tells me, I’m not the only one with a million knives in their kitchen. Actually I’ve decided that these knives are going into the GARBAGE. Ever since I was introduced to Cutco, I’m now dicing vegetables like a pro and have no need to  have useless knives in my kitchen!!

What a difference a good knife makes!!

The contest will run from Thursday Dec 6th to Friday Dec 21st and is open to all Canadian residents. A winner will be selected using random.org and will have one week to get back to me, otherwise a new winner will be selected.

Happy Knives = Happy Cooks. Yes?

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