Verkspace is the newest co-working space that is located in the Richmond and Sherborne area.

Derived from Verk, the Icelandic word for labour, Verkspace is a collective work hub that offers a world class office space for entrepreneurs, freelancers and makers and shakers alike.

Seeing as I’m a sales rep and my office is my beloved Versa, I was all too happy to book a desk so I could make phone calls, write some emails and feel more connected.

So I went from this:

To this:

It was such a pleasure to sit at a desk and do some work vs sitting in my car writing emails on my iPhone and/or making phone calls from my car.

The space features a custom-designed, contemporary office including lounges and board rooms, with a range of flexible membership packages. I adored the space the minute I walked in.

See what I mean?

This type of co-working space is perfect for sales reps, consultants, real estate professionals, and anyone who is working out of a home office!!

For more information about rates and packages, please click here!

Verkspace …..32 Britain Street. Suite 100, Toronto, ON, M5A 1R6

Have a wonderful weekend!

 

I read a blog post this week from Glimmer Life and had a good chuckle when I read the following line:  “I basically designed my whole house around inspirational pics on Pinterest”. I left a comment on her facebook page that my entire menu is curated from Pinterest. Seriously.

Here’s a few recipes I tried last week that I found on Pinterest!

Pesto Salmon and Italian Vegetables in Foil Packets (click here for the original recipe by www.cookingclassy.com

1 lb of trimmed and washed Green Beans

4 pieces of Salmon

Pesto (I made my own – click here for an easy recipe)

Directions:

1. Cut tin foil into 4 large squares.

2. Take a handful of green beans and place it in the middle of the square.

3. Take the salmon and place it on top of the green beans.

3. Spread the pesto over the salmon.

4. Wrap the packet up and bake in a 350 degree oven for 30 minutes

FINAL

Zucchini Boats ..the original recipe by www.domesticsuperhero.com can be found here). please note: I improvised a lot!

1. Take 4 zucchinis and scoop out the inside to make a “boat”

2. Spread some pizza sauce in the “boat”

3. Sprinkle with shredded cheese and oregano.

Bingo – you have a side dish for the salmon.

FINAL RESULT

As for dessert….Apple Pie Bites:

It really was a simple recipe (um ….3 ingredients)  but I messed up the directions and it looked NOTHING like it was suppose to. However my guests did not notice as they didn’t see the original recipe.

The original recipe from www.cakescottage.com can be found here . (please click on the link so you can see what it was SUPPOSE to look like)

 Happy Cooking!

 

Seeing as I did a blog post about eating my way thru Toronto, I thought it would only be fair to write a blog post about the variety of drinks (alcoholic and non-alcoholic) that I’ve discovered in the last few months.

1. SoCIAL Lite

This new drink is right up my alley as it’s the first ever ready-to-drink sparkling vodka cocktail that has no sugar, no sweetener and no artificial ingredients. It’s made with a blend of premium Canadian vodka, soda and 100% Natural Flavours. What’s most impressive, each 355mL can is a mere 80 calories and is gluten-free. Hello Summer!

I love the story behind the drink: Theses entrepreneurs wanted to drink on a Saturday night and still be able to run on Sunday mornings.

2. Root Beer is the latest trend with alcoholic drinks these days and finally I scored these two products at the LCBO on Yonge Street/Summerhill. The brand on the left (Crazy Uncle) disappeared from the fridge before I got a chance to try it, and the brand on the right (Dusty Boots) is Root Beer with Beer and produced by Crazy Beard Brewing Co. right here in Toronto. I tried the Dusty Boots and I liked it…A LOT. Then again I’m a root beer fan so I was pretty sure I was going to like it. Read more about the guys behind Crazy Beard Brewing Co. here!

3. Fresh – This apple glow ginger is beyond refreshing. Had a sample of it at an event and will certainly be buying this in the future.

4. The Iced Aroma or Lemon Mint at Aroma Espresso Bar is another summer time favourite.

Aroma Espresso Bar is also running a cool summer time contest (with Simon & Schuster Canada) where you can win free coffee for a year as well as some great books. Enter soon as the contest closes July 15th … K? Ps the name of the contest is Read, Chill, Repeat – LOVE IT.

6; Smoothies!

This weekend I enjoyed the Wimbledon finals while sipping Smoothies made with Genuine Health Fermented Greek Yogurt Protein +. This Canadian product has no GMO, vegan, soy and gluten free.

I grabbed some Almond Milk Breeze and some berries – added the Fermented Greek Yogurt Proteins+ and before you know it, I had a satisfying Smoothie. I’m also a fan of the Fermented Greek yogurt proteins+ Cherry Almond Vanilla bar. Check out all their products here.

Here’s to Staying Hydrated over the Summer!!

A year ago today, I started working as a Territory Sales Manager for St.-Albert Cheese Co-op. It’s been a great year introducing this brand to retailers as well as restaurants throughout the GTA.

My history with this Cheese Co-op goes back to my childhood, as my dad use to buy their famous curds regularly when I was a kid growing up in Ottawa.

FYI – In Ottawa these curds are EVERY where. In Toronto, you can find these amazing curds at Longos, Metro and Food Basics!

Many people say to me: “What do I do with them?” or “I don’t have a deep fryer to make poutine”. Well here’s a few ideas how to enjoy St.-Albert curds!

My favourite way to enjoy curds is simply snack on them right out of the bag.

However I’ve also added them on roasted potatoes with gravy (my version of a poutine)

I’ve also added them to my omelette with asparagus.

One night, I simply added these delicious curds to a plate of steaming spinach. Add a bit of pepper and dig in!!

I hope you get a chance to pick up a bag of St.-Albert curds one day soon. You won’t be disappointed. Promise.

For more information:

Website: http://fromagestalbert.com/?lang=en

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FromagerieStAlbert/

As a territory manager for St.- Albert Cheese, I have the opportunity to visit restaurants and retail stores as well.

Lately I’ve visited a few restaurants that I would like to share:

1. Frankie Fettuccini Food Truck Inc.: I have a foodie friend who posted his favourite dish from Frankie Fettuccini on facebook, and of course I ran to Mississauga quicker than you could say “fettuccini”. I inhaled this delicious pasta dish however next time I’m ordering their famous Ossobuco Gnocchi Poutine.

2.. Rudy Restaurant: (619 College St). No joke… this hamburger made my day!!

3. Junked Food Co: (1256 Dundas St. W) I discovered them at the Mac and Cheese Festival when they were serving their Smash Bag – Lettuce, Tomato, Onion, Cheddar Cheese, Black Olives, Jalapeño, Sour Cream and Chili sauce. All piled in a bag of Doritos. Love their creativity!!

4. Harbord Bakery: (115 Harbord St). These little donut holes have a custard in them (one is plain and the other is mocha). How could I resist?

5. LBS. (100 Yonge St). LBS means Lobster, Burgers and Salads, which is exactly what you will find at this beautiful restaurant that opened a few weeks ago. Love the concept that everything is $22. I ordered a Lobster Salad and those huge chunks of lobster did not disappoint.

Other restaurants that should be on your radar:

1. Magic Noodle: (93 Harbord St) In the winter I head there for their soup but now that it’s hot, I decided to check out a few of their cold appetizers. This particular simple dish of celery, carrots and peanuts won me over. PS Magic Noodle has just celebrated their 3rd anniversary!!

2. Death in Venice: (536 Queen St. W) This new gelato company has my full attention as I’m a flavour freak and their flavours are INCREDIBLY UNIQUE…for example; Peanut Butter and Croissant, Chocolate Mole, Bourbon and Smoke etc. I dropped by Fiesta Farms to buy a pint (or two) and as you can see from the photo…I’m not the only one who has discovered them.

Happy Eating!!

PS Next blog post: What I’m Drinking. Stay tuned.

Long weekends are meant as an opportunity for a quick getaway (in my humble opinion. Seeing as I didn’t visit Niagara on- the-Lake last year, I decided that it would be an ideal destination.

We broke up the trip by stopping to pick our own cherries at Vanderburgh Farms (5511 Greenland, Beamsville, ON).It was on my bucket list and now I can cross it off! I have to say, the cherries were plentiful and delicious too. NOTE: the season is something like 3 weeks so don’t go in August!!

We headed into Niagara-on- the- Lake and got there just in time for the Canada Day parade…which is small. I mean really small. It consists of a marching band, a big cake and politicians. That’t it. But we got our flags and we were a happy bunch.

Then we visiting friends who made the most incredible strawberry ice-cream with a balsamic glaze. The best part of this ice cream was that it was made with a sugar alternative (that I must get my hands on).

On Saturday morning, we headed right to Balzac’s and then roamed around the park to soak in the beautiful scenery.

Of course, I stumbled upon the Exchange Brewery which is a new brewery and tasting room. I couldn’t resist and plunked myself down at the bar for a quick tasting.

On our way out of Niagara -on -the 0Lake, we stopped at Stratus Vineyards. Sadly I never have time for a tasting but snapped a few photos of their gorgeous space. One day I will make it a point to do more wine tastings in Niagara on the Lake. One day!!

Also stopped at The Pie Plate. Snapped up a savoury tart to take home but wish we would have had time to eat lunch on the premise. Again – One Day!!

There’s no shortage of things to do in Niagara- on -the -Lake. Usually I have time to drop into the Pillar and Post for a spa treatment and to enjoy their outdoor pool (the only hotel that has an outdoor pool in Niagara-on the -Lake #justsayin’) – but there was just not enough time!!

I guess this means that I should visit again and stay for two nights!! One day it will sink in, that going there for one night is nice but one more night would do the trick.

Hope you had a wonderful long weekend too!!

I recently organized a media dinner for Rashers as they opened up a second location on Ossington.

I’ve probably organized 10 media dinners over the last few years but this event was particularly special.

Here’s my tips on how to put on a great media dinner:

1. Include as much info in the invitation as possible: dress code? start time?, finish time?, is it a sit down meal or just passed appetizers? can extra guests be accommodated? hashtags for the evening? twitter/instagram handles? is parking available etc?!

2. Keep it small. This event was limited to 12 food bloggers and it was just the perfect size.

3. It makes a huge difference if the restaurant can put up a sign: “Sorry we are closed for a private event this evening”.

4. Stick to the schedule. Most bloggers have day jobs and have commutes to get home! The media dinner at Rashers ended in just over and hour and everyone was really really happy about that.

5. Welcome Bloggers. It’s a nice touch.

6. Allow bloggers to take photos of the food before it’s served so then everyone can enjoy their meal. Signs in front  of each dish allow the bloggers to go home and remember what the photo was!

7. Hand out name tags. I’m a huge fan of name tags as I’m having a hard time remembering everyone I meet at different events!!

8. Try to reach out to bloggers before the event on social media channels and retweet their blog posts!!

9. Include a gift card for the blogger to return to your restaurant another time in the gift bag. Don’t forget to include a menu in the gift bag and a business card with all the contact info for the restaurant.

10. Make sure you have enough staff. This will ensure that the event runs in a smooth fashion and ends on time.

Seriously the event at Rashers did all of the above and I walked away from the event beaming.

Oh ya – it helped that my belly was full of bacon goodness as well.

For more information:

www.rashers.ca

Address: 182 Ossington and 948 Queen St. East

Twitter/Instagram: RashersTO

Facebook: www.https://www.facebook.com/RashersInc/

Disclosure: Rashers was a client however all my opinions are my own.

 

 

 

 

Today I hosted a brunch for the first time in a long time. It was a delight to put together the menu as I had seen a recipe on my facebook feed that inspired me (one of those sponsored posts!!).

I didn’t think it would turn out so I tested the recipe during the week to ensure that is was “guest worthy”. Guess what? It worked and was indeed guest worthy.

It’s a freakin’ brilliant recipe. The star of the recipe is …WONDER BREAD (believe it or not) and your rolling pin.

All you need is just a few ingredients and bingo you will have your main course!!

Here’s the recipe for Cinnamon Toast Roll Ups (original recipe here)

8 slices of WONDERBREAD
1/2 cup Ricotta Cheese (I added a touch of cream cheese too)

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1 tbsp ground cinnamon

3/4 cup butter, melted

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

1. Trim crusts from bread and flatten each slice with a rolling-pin.

2. In a medium bowl, combine Ricotta Cheese with a touch of cream cheese and stir until smooth.

3. In a separate bowl, combine granulated sugar and cinnamon; set aside.

4. Spread about 2 tablespoons of Ricotta Cheese mixture on each slice of bread. Roll up, jelly roll style. Dip in melted butter, then in cinnamon-sugar.

4. Place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake for 20 minutes or until golden brown.

Final Results

I served this along with:

-A gorgeous salad. (hint it was worth the visit to Wychwood Barns Farmers Market to pick up the edible flowers and the gorgeous salad mix)

-Spiralized cucumber salad

-Mozzarella, Basil and Tomato with a Balsamic Glaze (that I made myself. Thank. You. Very. Much!!

-Baked oatmeal cups (oops can’t find the photo)

-Watermelon Skewers dipped in Campari

-Baked eggs in a bun!!

As for refreshments: I served Campari in Soda with the cutest straws that I picked up at Michaels. By the way, I can’t remember the last time I went into Michaels but I clearly need to go more often. I could have bought a lot more than just the straws!!

More recipes in upcoming upcoming blogs K?. I promise.

Happy Brunch-ing

Indigo recently opened the world’s first cultural department store for booklovers at CF Sherway Gardens. It offers a fully immersive experience, including a cross-section of ‘shops-within-a-shop’ with seamless integration of books and lifestyle products, all merchandised to inspire and delight.

The store is 33,000 sqf and quite impressive!!

This magazine selection blew me away. Can’t remember the last time I saw this type of selection.

The merchandising at this particular Indigo is also brilliant. If you are looking for any gift for any occasion – this would be store you should go to.

Need a cottage gift? A hostess gift? A birthday gift? A teachers gift? There’ s no shortage of options.

While at the event I managed to muster up the courage to ask Heather Reisman for a photo.

After taking the photo with her, I noticed this amazing wall with Heather’s Picks.

One book in particular that grabbed my attention was this book. I liked the name of the book and the tag line too!!

Happy Reading!!

PS what are you reading these days?

For more information

CF Sherway Gardens, 25 The West Mall, Toronto ON

Indigo

I don’t know about you, but the last time I had a professional headshot taken was at a bloggers conference back in 2011. It was really time for a new one.

I truly believe that having a professional headshot is important to have for your LinkedIn account, business cards etc. I know we can all snap photos with our smartphones these days but nothing beats a professional photo that is taken in a studio.

Recently I had the opportunity to have a professional headshot taken for me by a talented local photographer, Justine Apple.

She took the time on the phone to brief me before the session on a variety of important topics:

1. makeup 2. hair and 3. wardrobe.

Therefore I arrived at my session bearing a make up kit, hair product to control my frizzy hair and three shirts (black, white and red).

Justine ensured that I was the perfect model! (which is hard work by the way). She gently reminded me how to stand, how to angle my body, and to r-e-l-a-x.

On the occasion she jumped down from her step stool to show me the photos..which were great!!

Here are two of my favourite headshot by Justine. Which one do you prefer and why? Feel free to leave a comment below. I absolutely hate making these types of decisions so I would really love your help.

Or this photo?

I would highly recommend Justine for all your photography needs. She does headshots, family photos, corporate and social events, parties, bar mitzvahs etc.

Here’s how to contact her:

Email: applejustine@gmail.com

Instagram: @applejustine

LinkedIn: Justine Apple