I saw a friends facebook update about “Smore’s Popcorn Balls” and when I saw the recipe I knew that I HAD to try it. Anything that doesn’t require baking and has only a few ingredients – is right up my alley.

When I made it the first time – I didn’t read the recipe entirely (this is pretty typical of me) and discovered that I added an extra ingredient. OOPS!! But hey it worked.

Here’s my version of S’mores Popcorn Balls.

Ingredients

3 cups of popcorn

1 cup of Kellogs Rice Krispies

1 cups of graham crackers ground up (I just used my hands…nothing fancy)

2 cups of marshmallows

1/4 cup of butter

Directions

1. Melt the butter and the marshmallows on medium heat in a large saucepan. The goal here is to get the marshmallow to break down which means you need to stir constantly!!

2. Add the Rice Krispies and popcorn and the graham crackers.  Again – stir constantly!!

3. Remove from heat and let it cool slightly. Form into balls.

4. Melt some chocolate and drizzle on top (optional)

FINALY PRODUCT

I swear these will disappear before you can say “why haven’t I made these before”.

I’ve now made them 3 times and I have a feeling I will be making them pretty regularly!

Happy Baking!

Tastemakers Lounge was the first Canadian owned gift suite and it takes place during TIFF. It was founded in 2005 by Debra Goldblatt-Sadowski (Rock-It Promotions) and Lessa Butler (founder of Divine Lab) and this year they are celebrating 10 years!!

Tastemakers Lounge has long been a hotspot for local and International Talent ie. Brad Pitt, Woody Harrelson, Sarah Polley, Samual L Jackson and more.

It’s also open to the media…Lucky Me!!  Therefore, I was taken on a tour of the Lounge which featured products from Brita, Lush, Sorel, Danier Leather, Piloti, Tonia DeBellis, olive + piper, Consonant Skin Care (LOVE their products), Calvin Klein REVEAL and more! Most of these brands I was familiar with but some of them were new and now on my radar!!

One company in particular caught my attention. …Rise Gear.  They have a very cool product called RISE Jumper Carry-On Bag. This is a Toronto Based company that has created the perfect piece of luggage. I have a feeling I will be using this bag on future weekend trips to Ottawa!!

I was thrilled to see that Sorel has branched out and now offer stylish boots as well as heavy duty winter boots! I’m now looking forward to winter as I’m the proud owner of these Sorels (called Joan of Arctic – don’t you love it!!). Finally my feet are going to be warm this winter. Can’t wait!

I was delighted to be able to help Tastemakers Lounge celebrate their 10th anniversary! Here’s to 10 more!!

For more information:

Hashtag: #Tastemakers10

Twitter: @rockitpromo

Instagram: @rockitpromo

Facebook: Tastemakers

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I scored…I went to two fabulous festivals in one day. I started off at the Wild Blueberry Festival at Evergreen Brickworks and then proceeded to the Coconut Festival at Wychwood Barns!

Here’s more about my experience at both Festivals.

WILD BLUEBERRY FESTIVAL

I’ve been to this festival before as I’m a huge fan of Wild Blueberries. Did you know…that they have 2x the antioxidants of regular blueberries and have a more intense blueberry flavour?

The festival had a variety of vendors who had incorporated wild blueberries into their products and I was all too pleased to have a sample or two!  I even met a new vendor..Celia the Celiac and bumped into a vendor I hadn’t seen in a long time (Augies Gourmet Ice Pops)

Congratulations to the festival organizers for putting on another well organized festival.

THE COCONUT FESTIVAL

I discovered this festival on my facebook page as I follow Ely Products  and he posted that was going to be one of the vendors. The whole concept of a coconut festival intrigued me and naturally I thought it would be fun to “festival hop’.

It was their first year putting on this festival and it won’t be their last year. The festival was a huge success with over 100 vendors. It was quite amazing to see all the different applications of coconut!

It was fun to bump into Marni Wasserman (who has a studio that I’ve been meaning to visit for a class) and to discover a great new non dairy gelato product from Grinning Face (540 Parliament) that just opened in June!  I also enjoyed yummy samosas with coconut and raisins from @andriabarrett.

Once again, congratulations to the organizers of the Coconut Festival. ..what a truly unique concept.

 

I recently visited Montreal from Aug 3 to Aug 10. What a treat for both my tummy and my eyes! I’m actually going to dedicate TWO blog posts to the “food” part of my trip. Does that give you an indication of how much food I ate? LOL

Here’s a list  of restaurants that I tried.  Sadly I didn’t make it to Joe Beef as they were closed. Sniff.

Garde Manger:  What did we order? The lobster poutine, Foie Gras with brioche and a blueberry sauce, and the Walleye. We sat at the bar in the back and loved both our food and the cool yet casual vibe of this restaurant. PS almost went back another night for the Foie Gras dish – it was that good.

Au Pied Du Cochon; This is my 3rd time to this restaurant in the past 7 years and I keep ordering the same thing! Foie Gras Poutine and Cromesquis Foie Gras (basically deep fried squares and when you pop them into your mouth – foie gros oozes into your mouth). This visit I felt like I need to add some vegetables to balance the meal and it didn’t disappoint.

L’Gros Luxe: Noticed that they had a poutine sandwich on the menu AND deep fried avocado. Didn’t take me long to add L’Gros Luxe  to the list of restaurants I wanted to check out. There’s a reason why they just opened their second location…great food, great prices and friendly staff.

Olive & Gourmando: This restaurant seems to be packed ALL the time. I went an hour before closing and it was still full of customers (minus the line ups). It was a good strategy not to go for breakfast or lunch seeing as I’m not fond of line ups. The waitress told me that #24 on the menu is a popular salad so I ordered it. It was SO pretty and SO tasty. Just what I needed. I can see why this is a popular spot for tourists and for locals.

Brit & Chips; One night I was looking for a casual restaurant that wasn’t far from Old Montreal and this restaurant fit the bill. Just perfect.

Ceviches: Oh what a treat to discover this restaurant. Love. Love. Love this restaurant. Again – another casual restaurant and exactly what I was looking for. I wish there was a restaurant like this in Toronto!

 

Just so you know – I followed three blogs that were instrumental in helping me decide which restaurants to go to!

1. www.mtlblog.com

2.www.willtravelforfood.com

3. www.shutupandeat.ca

For more information:

Garde Manger 408 Rue St. Francois Xavier, Montreal (514) 678 5044

Au Pied Du Cochon 36 Avenue Duluth Est, Montréal  (514) 281-1114

L’Gros Luxe  3807 St-André  514-447-2227 OR 150 Bernard Ouest  Mile End 514-507-8883

Olive & Gourmando 351 Rue Saint Paul Ouest (514) 350-1083

Ceviches 152 Rue Napoléon, Montréal (514) 419-6391

Brit & Chips 433 Rue McGill (514) 840 1001 or 5536 Cote-des-Neiges, Montreal (514) 737-9555

 

 

The other night I was on twitter (for a change) and I noticed a lot of buzz about @Poutineville. Naturally I wanted to check it out seeing as I just returned from Montreal and wanted to continue my “Poutine Crawl”!!

I had no idea that Poutineville has 3 locations in Montreal, cause I would have visited them on my recent visit!! However I’m thrilled to announce that they just opened in the Annex and will soon be opening a location in Quebec City too!

The space is super cool and much larger than I thought! It really is a full service sit down restaurant with 130 seats (including the terrace) and a full menu

As for the menu – you get to choose the the potato (4 varieties), cheese (10 varieties), vegetable (13 varieties) meat (14 varieties), and your sauce (6 varieties)! EVERYONE WILL BE HAPPY!! There’s even an option to select ” all-you-can-eat”.

And if you are looking for a salad – they have a few varieties on the menu as well. Trust me – there’s something for everyone!

I am well aware that poutine is not the prettiest dish to photograph so please excuse the less-than-glamourous-photos. But trust me they all tasted fantastic…each and every combo!

Wishing Costa (on the left) and his staff all the very best in Toronto!

PS I have a friend visiting from California next week and think this would be a fun place to visit with an out of towner! Oh how I love introducing friends to the novel restaurants here in Toronto!

For more information:

Poutineville 296 Brunswick (647) 349 2345

Twitter:  @poutineville

Instagram: @poutineville

Disclosure: I was compensated for my meal however all my opinions are my own.

I love the CNE. What’s not to like? There’s plenty of entertainment, rides, the Canadian International Air Show and FOOD. For me…it’s all about the food and this year my taste buds were introduced to the following.

1. Chocolate Fried Chicken with Chocolate Ketchup. This is NOT to be missed and can be found Coco’s Fried Chicken

2.The Chunky Elvis…  A Grilled Cheese Sandwich with Cheddar Cheese, Peanut Butter, Sliced Bananas and bacon. Again – NOT to me missed. Brought to you by: Chunky Cheese Cafe and Espresso Bar

3. The Thanksgiving Waffle. Sadly I didn’t get a chance to sample it but I will be returning the CNE and #itsonmylist. Brought to you by: Fran’s Restaurant. 

4. Bao with Nutella, Graham Crumbs, Marshmallow whip and Condensed Milk. If you like something sweet – this is for you! What a combo! Brought to you by: Far East Taco

5. The Crow Bar….A croissant with a chocolate bar inside. What will they think of next? Brought to you by: Hula Girl Espresso

Clearly I didn’t need lunch after this media preview!

This year the CNE runs from Aug 15 to Sept 1st at the Toronto Exhibition Place.

Twitter: @LetsGoTotheEx

Facebook: Www.Facebook.com/theEx

Instagram: LetsGoToTheEx

Dear Readers…

I hope this blog post finds you well and enjoying your summer. I’ve had a SUPER busy sumer. In fact it’s been so busy that I haven’t blogged for an entire month. This is the first time I’ve taken a “blogging break” since 2009….when I first started to blog.

Heres’3 reasons why I took a “Blog Break”:

a) I went to my boyfriends’ cottage from July 12 to July 27 and for some reason Rogers (my internet provider) doesn’t work up there. A neighbour suggested that I buy a Bell  pay-as-you-go-package and indeed it worked. YAY. I used it to work and occasionally update facebook and to reply to emails. However I have to admit – I just wanted to sit on the dock and do NOTHING (which is what I did).

b) I’m moving which means I’m drowning in boxes. It’s insane…. I have-so-much-stuff. I’m moving to a rental condo that is several hundred dollars cheaper and has 8 amenities. At the moment I live in an apartment with ZERO amenities and when my rent went up – I decided it was time to move. Despite the fact that I’m stressed with the move, I’m thrilled that I get to redecorate using CIL Paints. (stay tuned for a blog post)

c) I went to a family reunion in Ottawa from Aug 1-3. This meant I had ZERO time to blog. All we did was TALK and EAT. Repeat.

d) I also went to Montreal from Aug 3 to 13. See what I mean? I’ve been BUSY. I’ve never spent so much time in Montreal and can’t stop snapping photos ..this city is SO beautiful. (stay tuned for several blog posts..LOL).

I look forward to sharing lots of summer adventures with you – starting NOW. It feels good to be back on track blogging again.

Cheers,

Vicky

 

 

 

I know..I know….I’ve posted three restaurant reviews in a row. I promise next week there will be NO restaurant reviews K? However bear with me for my last restaurant review K? I attended a media event for Portland Variety and they really nailed it with some spectacular presentation and flavours. Not to mention…they serve coffee that is WICKED.

Ok let’s start from the beginning.

The front of the restaurant serves breakfast (coffee and pastries etc) …take out lunches (sandwiches etc) and after work there is this INCREDIBLE spread of  tapas.  I mean INCREDIBLE…with incredible prices too. There’s also dinner!!

Now let’s talk about the food that is served during dinner. Top Left:  Chickpeas in a creamy sauce, Top Right: Smoked Octopus, Iberico Chorizo, Smoked Tomato, Olive Oil, Lemon. Bottom Left: Crispy Pork Rinds that I wrapped up and put in my purse (no joke).  Bottom RIght: House Made Ricotta with Honey, Hazelnuts and Pear

I’m in love with all the sauces. I could marry them!

I didn’t taste any of these cocktails but I sure did want to take a photo of them. One drink was prettier than the next drink!

Naturally I didn’t have any battery left to take photos of the desserts but I beg of you to try to beignets. (I haven’t begged before but seriously – Im begging you this time).

As for the coffee. It’s not to be missed. Milton (one of the co-owners) made me a spectacular Americano. It was so good that I had one at the beginning of my meal and one at the end of my meal. This is NOT something I do on a usual basis – especially at night.

ps..Notice how gorgeous the machine is? Well, there’s only 2 in Toronto and he spent a week in Delaware learning how use it!

Congratulations to Portland Variety. I can’t wait to return.

For more information:

Porland Variety  587 King St. W, Toronto (416) 368 5151

Twitter: @PortlandVariety

A few weeks ago I received an invitation to a media event at Mata Petisco Bar and I have to be honest…I didn’t reply in a timely fashion as I wasn’t sure if I was going to like South American Cuisine. At the last minute, I quickly replied “Can you please squeeze me in?”. I’m ever so grateful that I changed my mind.

The restaurant is located at 1690 Queen St. West and just opened recently. (errr…in time for the World Cup).

Here’s what I inhaled!

Top photo: Cheese Bread and Lobster Pastel; Bottom Right: Corvina Ceviche with Maple Candied Sweet Potato, Celery & Lime Marinate & Fresh Cilantro.  Bottom Left: Smoky Crispy Chicken Hearts w/Cauliflower Puree & Ancho Chili Oil.

The meal continued….

Top left photo: Grilled Octopus w/Hearts of Palm Puree, Raspberry & Balsamic Reduction & Taro Root Crisps, Bottom Left: Beef Cheek Poutine w/Casava Frites, Fresh Curds & Scallions. Right Photo: Picanha Sliders w/ Cachaca Carmelized Onions, House Made Catupiry Cheese & Malagueta Pepper Aioli.

I was enamoured by these small jars of HOT sauce which I put on everything…ok not everything but close to it.

If you asked me to nail down my fav dishes…here ya go: a) the crispy chicken hearts, the grilled octopus and the beef cheek poutine. Yum..Yum..and more Yum.

Hope you get a chance to check out this restaurant soon.

For more information.

Mata Petisco Bar….1690 Queen St. West, Toronto (647) 691 0234

Hours: Tuesday to Thursday 5 pm to 10 pm, Friday and Saturday 5 pm to 11 pm

Twitter: @MatabarTO

 

 

 

I swear it’s been 15 years since I’ve visited a Mandarin Restaurant. So when I received an invitation to check out their “Celebrate Canada Menu” …I quickly replied that indeed I was interested.  Not only did I want to visit their buffet again but I was also interested  in helping them celebrate their 35th Anniversary!

I chose a location that’s close to where I live and decided that it would be IDEAL to bike over there to help eliminate some of the calories I was about to consume. What a smart move!!

The buffet is much larger than I remember and there truly is something for EVERYONE. I can see why this is a popular restaurant for families with kids and for large group celebrations. I bet it would be hard to find a 10 year old that DIDN’T like going to celebrate their birthday at the Mandarin!

The service was efficient and we both noticed how polite our waiters were (shout out to Richard and Tom).

Round #2 to the buffet look liked this.

Round #3 to the buffet looked like this.

I swear I ate everything except for one vegetable side dish that didn’t agree with my palate.

Believe it or not I made room for dessert. I could not resist my favorite desserts…a nanaimo bar, creme brulee and a rocky road square.

Needless to say we left the Mandarin and happily got on our bikes in an effort to burn some of the calories we consumed.!!

For more information:

Mandarin Restaurant – to find a location near you please click here.

Twitter: @ Eatmandarin

Facebook:  www.facebook.com/mandarinrestaurant