Posts Tagged ‘Strawberry’

Jun
28


Canada Day is soon approaching so here’s a few suggestions how to celebrate!

1. HOTEL TONIGHT
Cue the fireworks! This Canada Day, celebrate the nationwide party and then flop into bed, courtesy of Hotel Tonight. In honour of Canada’s 148th year, Hotel Tonight is offering hotel room deals at top hotels from $48 – $148 on June 30 and July 1. I just secured my room and I’m pumped. So download this app. Stat.

canada = hotelapp

2. WHITTAMORE’S FARM

Nothing like going strawberry picking. Just make sure you don’t wear white. Trust me.

canada - strawberry

3. ATTEND A BASEBALL GAME

For baseball fans, the Toronto Blue Jays will be playing the Boston Red Sox at 1 p.m. July 1.

4. PLAY TOURIST.

Have you ever done this? Recently I went up the CN Tower…just for fun. I honestly couldn’t remember the last time I went up the CN Tower.  PS. You can buy a Toronto CityPass that will allow you to access 5 Toronto attractions. Click here for more information.

canada - tourist

5. HEAD OUT OF TOWN.

A few weeks ago, I went to Elora for the day. It’s such a charming small town and worth checking out.  Next time, I hope to stay over night and really explore this city!!

canada - elora

 6. HOST A BBQ:

T’is the the perfect opportunity to celebrate Canada Day with a BBQ. Head to Walmart for great value on  OurFinest hamburgers, chips and drinks (plus many other products).  Add a salad or two. plus dessert and bingo you have you the perfect BBQ. For a full list of OurFinest products, please click here.


rolling - photo

Wishing everyone a Happy Canada Day!!

Disclosure: Parts of this blog post were compensated or complimentary, however all opinions are my own.

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Apr
19


I turned 50 on April 2nd…. and guess what? It feels GREAT. You see, I decided to really celebrate my birthday….one could I say I genuinely EMBRACED this milestone. Here’s what I did:

I threw a big party at the end of March. Plus I went to Israel and Italy for 2 weeks. (which I will be blogging about next so hang in there!!)

More than 50 friends and family members showed up at La Bamboche to help me celebrate this important occasion. Naturally food was a big party of the party. Let me go into more detail about that!!

Here’s what was served:

-A 6 ft sub from SubwayThis was a HUGE hit. What’s really funny is that my mom also served a giant sub when she turned 50. #likemotherlikedaughter

birthday - subway

-A sushi platter from Sushi on Bloor

-A stunning vegetable basket from Lesley’s Party Sandwiches and Catering.

birthday - vegetables

-Organic cotton candy from Lola’s Clouds

-Strawberries infused with alcohol from Shotberry

-Handcrafted Caramel Corn from All Mine Caramel.

birthday - 3 foods

-A velvety chocolate Opera Cake from La Bamboche (ps my guests are still talking about this cake)

-Macarons from La Bamboche  that were in a unique “50” formation!

birthday - 50

I even ordered a special balloon so it could really feel like a party!

birthday - balloon

I’m a pretty happy 50 year old!

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Mar
25


Recently I’ve come across FOUR Fabulous Food Entrepreneurs on Twitter! Drum Roll please….

1. LOLAS CLOUD:

The owner of this company was tired of seeing only your typical pink and blue carnival candy floss. Instead, Lolas Cloud serves organic clouds of candy, produced with cane sugar and natural extracts. Flavours include coconut, mango, watermelon and more. #brilliant. Please follow them on twitter and instagram: @lolascloud and take a peek at their website too. ..www.lolascloud.com 

lola

2. ALL MINE CARAMEL

ALL MINE CARAMEL began as many small home based business do…by accident. Shannon Hitchon, who has always been proficient at cooking and making her own recipes, decided to try her hand at making her own caramels. She began slow churning her now signature buttery caramel as Christmas gifts for family and friends one year. They were a hit and soon co-workers and neighbours began requesting treats of their own. All Mine Caramel was born. Now, 4 years later, her caramel treats have become a must have delicacy. What a great story, non? I was pleased to see that Shannon is also making caramel corn too.  Can’t wait to try the Cayenne Infused Caramel Corn,…seeing as I’m all about flavour!

Please follow them on Twitter: @AllMineCaramel. Here’s their website: www.allminecaramel.ca

allmine

3. SHOTBERRY

What is a Shotberry? Well, imagine a HUGE chocolate covered strawberry that’s customized with your favourite toppings and decorations and then paired with a shot of your favourite alcohol (or non alcoholic beverage). OMG – BRING IT ON.

shot2I simply adore this concept. For more information, please visit their website: www.shotberrystore.com, Twitter: @shotberrys416 Instagram: Shotberry

4. Walter Caesar and Kelvin Slush

I blogged about Kelvin Slush when I discovered them in  NEW YORK in 2011 (see blog post by clicking here). Then I was introduced to Walter All -Natural Craft Caesar last year (see blog post by clicking here. However what I didn’t know was that these two brilliant products involve the same business partners…Zack Silverman and Aaron Harowitz. Not to mention I discovered this fact randomly by visiting a booth at the recent Restaurant Show!!

For more information: www.walteraesar.com and www.kelvinslush.com

Please note, that Walter Caesar has just launched a Royal Caesar mix which is now available at the Fairmont Royal York Hotel. With it’s smoky chipotle and cumin flavours…this cocktail will surely be a hit with guests.

walter2Clearly, you can tell that I’m in awe of the above mentioned food entrepreneurs who are making their dreams come true.

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Jun
29


Thought I might share a few things to do on Canada Day.

1) Get up at 9am and take advantage of this $49 deal that’s been offered by HotelTonight!

HotelTonight logo_whiteHere’s more info:  To show their love for Canada, HotelTonight, (a last minute hotel booking app) has announced a special Canada Day promotion for Toronto, Ottaw, and Vancouver. For only $49 – on JULY 1st ONLY.

Participating hotels:

Toronto: Thompson Hotel, Gladstone Hotel, Cosmopolitan Hotel, Pantages Hotel.

Montreal: Hotel Chez Swann, Hotel St-Paul, St. Martin Hotel Particulier.

Ottawa: the Lord Elgin Hotel, among others.

Vancouver:  Hotel Le Soleil, Granville Island Hotel, Moda Hotel.

There are some more details you should know!!

  • Rooms are limited to first come, first served and the $49 rate is only applicable for a July 1 stay. 
  • $49 deals will go live at 9 a.m. local time in Toronto, Montreal, Ottawa and Vancouver. 
  • Look for deals in each destination marked “CANADA DAY.”
  • HotelTonight will have great deals all day, but the $49 rooms and limited. If you see one you like, GRAB IT!

2) Go Strawberry Picking….This is one of my favorite activities and the perfect activity for Canada Day.  My go-to- farm is Whittamores. (8100 Steeles Ave E, Markham). Here’s what I have learned over the years: wear sunscreen, hat, bring water, FLAT containers, and wear black clothes!

strawberry2

3) Visit an outdoor hotel pool – this is such a treat! I recently spent the day at the Sheraton Toronto Outdoor Pool (123 Queen St. W) and when I say “spent the day” …I mean it. I was there from 11 am to 8 pm.  Please note there is a fantastic fitness centre so you can bring your gym cloths and squeeze in a workout in between suntanning!

pool

4) Visit one of the many conservation areas we are lucky to live near…Mountsberg, Crawford Lake, Kelso. My fav this time of year is Kelso because of the beach.

kelso

5) Just chill and relax! Nothing wrong with that, right?

Happy Canada Day!

 

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Jun
07


I will admit it, I own too many kitchen appliances. I need another one like another navel. BUT…the bright colors WERE CALLING MY NAME (Cuisinart knows how to get my attention) and I just had to have one when I saw this Cuisinart Ice Cream Maker at Costco for $49.99.

Purple or Green!!

I was reading so many tweets last year from @kalofagas last summer about his ice cream making adventures that I’m almost ready to blame him!!  But I won’t. He truly inspired me and as a result I’m now making FRESH ICE CREAM.  A huge thank you to to @kalofagas for his inspirational tweets.

Here’s how easy it is:

RECIPE FOR FRESH STRAWBERRY ICE CREAM (taken from the manual)

2 cups fresh strawberries, stemmed and sliced

3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

1 cup sugar, divided

1 cup whole milk – well chilled

2 cups heavy cream – well chilled

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

STEP ONE:

Combine the strawberies, with 1/2 cup of sugar and the lemon juice. Let sit for about two hours. Strain the berries, reserving the juices. Mash or pureee the strawberries (I used a blender for this step).

STEP TWO:

Use a mixer and on low speed, combine the milk and the remaining sugar until the sugar is dissolved, about 1 -2 minutes. Stir in heavy cream, reserved juice, mashed strawberries and vanilla.

Pretty Easy...

STEP THREE:

Pour the mixture into the freezer bowl of  the Cuisinart – and press a button.

Twenty five minutes later…. I have unbelievable creamy fresh strawberry ice cream.

Not bad eh?

Hope you visit your local Costco soon – so you too can buy a Cuisinart Classic Frozen Yogurt – Ice Cream and Sorbet Maker.

I can’t wait to experiment with flavors: Coffee, Ginger, Rhubarb, Lemon, Watermelon,….It’s going to be a delicious summer!

PS Can someone now inspire me to use the Cuisinart Yogurt Machine that has been sitting in my basement (in a box) for the last year?

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