I have a friend, Michael (Toronto Real Estate Agent, Extra-Ordinaire) who drinks Appleton Estate Rum and Coke Zero with ice on a regular basis. It’s the only alcoholic drink he consumes and the only beverage he has at his place. In fact, when the LCBO was going on strike, my dear friend stocked up!

Every time I visit Michael, he always offers me a drink and I always decline. Always!!

But when I was invited to the Thompson Hotel to meet the only female Master Blender in the industry for a RUM tasting….I SAID YES!! Here was my chance to get educated about Appleton Estate RUM. See, how opened minded I am?

I immediately asked the Master Blender (Joy), what makes Appleton Estate so unique. ie. why is Appleton Estate the ONLY brand my friend  buys? Here’s her reply.

• the climate
• the topography
• the variety of sugar cane (Appleton Estate Rum uses over 10 varieties that produce buttery and fruity notes)
• the water comes from a natural spring
• the yeast is cultured
• they use a copper pot distillation process
• unique aging and blending

There is no question, that when I tried the Appleton Estate Rum that was aged for 21 years that I became an instant fan. I swirled my glass just like i t was wine so that the orange aroma could be released. Other flavors involved were: nutmeg, chocolate, vanilla and coffee. This RUM rocked!

PS Did you know RUM is being featured this month at the LCBO. #justsayin’

 

 

My Dad lives in Ottawa so I will be visiting next week  in order to celebrate Father’s Day with him.

BUT if he was in Toronto,  this is what I would be doing with him!

1. We would head to Yorkdale Shopping Centre to visit L’OCCITANE En Provence so my dad could have one of those old-school shaves. (errr…hot towel, shaving cream, brush, etc). I know he would love it.  They are actually offering this service for FREE this coming weekend. Make sure you call (416) 782-0005 to RSVP. PS saw on their facebook page that there’s mini facials for women too!!

This service is being offered: Friday, June 7^th, 7-9pm, Saturday  June 8th 1-5 pm, and Sunday June 9th 1-5 pm!!

While you are in the store, take a peek at their selection of gift sets for Father’s Day in the Cade and Verdon lines! #justsayin’

1. We would also head to Montreal Deli & Greek Grill (115 York Blvd, Unit #7, Richmond Hill, ON) for a freakin’ unbelievable (yes – Freakin’ UNBELIEVABLE) smoked meat sandwich. I’ve just discovered this restaurant (thanks M!) and I was blown away. I even asked for a tape measure to measure this sandwich. PS I submitted this photo to Gastropost as they are hosting a Fathers Day Mission and my dad taught me all about good smoked meat!!

3.  We would end the day with a trip to Holy Chuck (1450 Yonge St)  to try one of their epic milkshakes. We both like flavour and unusual combinations so I know he would love the milkshakes here.

Can you tell my Dad is a bit of a foodie and a shopper too? I am so lucky to have a Dad like him. I’m sure we will find foodie adventures in Ottawa too. Stay tuned!!

What have you planned for Father’s Day?

Remember Undercover Boss Canada? Well the same team has created Be The Boss Canada!! This new show gives employees at leading national franchises a once-in-a-lifetime chance to take control of their future, rise thru the ranks and BECOME THE BOSS! Canadian companies that are involved with this new show include Pizza Pizza, Anytime Fitness and Pita Pit

Here’s how it works:

Two equally deserving employees from a Canadian company take part in a week long job interview. They are told they’re being considered for a big promotion. Guess who had a chance to meet the two Pizza Pizza employees that are featured in the show?  That’s right – me!!

BUT bosses are hiding a closely guarded secret. While the employees battle to be the BEST and out-perform-each other, if one truly excels then they will be handed the keys to run thier very own franchise. Now how cool is that?

This new series offers an emotional and entertaining insider’s views into a once in a life time career opportunity.

Be The Boss Canada premieres on Thursday June 6th on W Network at 9 pm ET/PT.

I will be watching it. Hope you will be watching too.

Last week, I had the opportunity to drive a 2013 Hyndai Santa Fe Sport 2.0T  for a week of luxurious, stress-free driving. (the “T” stands for Turbo!).

I was so sad when I had to return it. Look at my sad face!

There were many things I was sad about when the week ended.  I truly enjoyed taking this car on road trips to Langdon Hall and Hockley Valley Resort. This car was NOT going to sit parked in my garage…I seriously became @momwhodrives.

Specifically I was going to miss many features of this car. Here’s my list of EXACTLY what I sad about.

a) The MASSIVE sun roof. What a difference this made to have so much sunlight streaming into my car.

b) the MASSIVE amount of storage space. It was endless.

c) the hot/cold button that could warm up ALL THE SEATS…even in the back.

d) the CLEAR dashboard. It even showed me a list of near by gas stations when I was low on gas. (without asking..how brilliant).

e) this radar so I wouldn’t hit anything!! Oh my – how I needed this feature when I was on the road as a sales rep for 5 years!

It turns out that one of my friends just bought this car and when I asked her why she bought the Hyunda Santa Fe  2.0T 2013 – she replied “it fit all her needs”.

I couuldn’t agree more. There is a reason the 2013 Hyundai Santa Fe 2.0T earned the title of “2013 Canadian Utility Vehicle of the Year”, one the country’s highest automotive honour.

Happy Driving

Two words come to mind on a Sunday morning. Coffee and More Coffee!

For some reason, I associate Sundays as a great day to discover a new coffee shop. So off I went to Kensington Market to check out Fika.  This new coffee shop which opened up recently is named for a Swedish verb which means “To go out for coffee”. I also learned (from their beautiful website) that it’s also a noun, as in “coffee break”.  Therefore the whole vibe is kinda “Swedish” without looking like IKEA at all. Infact, I loved the interior which has soothing paint colours and natural blonde trim plus lots of natural light and exposed brick walls.

Here’s what the outside looked like:

I ordered a delicious cappuccino and was a happy camper.

 

My friend also ordered a cappuccino, as well as this avocado sandwich which was beyond good. Nothing about this sandwich was ordinary! Clearly someone knows what they are doing in the kitchen.

See this small detail? Made me smile.

Fika has Wifi which means that I will be returning so I can work there one day as a “coffice”. For more information about the world of cofficers please check my friends’ (@sackman66)  blog who wrote about this subject recently!

For more information:

Fika 28 Kensington Ave, Toronto ON

Twitter: @FikaKensington

Facebook: www.facebook.com/fikakensington

Hope

I’ve just returned from a fun filled day (but educational too) on the Farm and Food Care Ontario Spring Media Tour. Our day went like this:

8:30 am bus departs

9:30 am  arrival at  Beverly Greenhouses Ltd. in Flambourough. These greenhouses are ENORMOUS  – think “six football fields. That type of enormous.

This family farm produces 22 acres of seedless English cucumbers and we had the chance to get up close and personal with these cucumbers. Everyone loves cucumbers non? This visit had me thinking about chilled cucumber soup, cucumber and tomato salads and more!!

11:00 am bus departrs

11:30 am Arrival at Halton Region Museum.

11:45 am Dr. Joe Schwarcz from Montreals’ Office of Science  & Society, gave the most entertaining presentation about demystifying science for the public. We all chuckled more than a few times!!

12:15 am We had the most fresh and flavourful meal. Seriously….we were spoiled rotten. (thanks CropLife Canada)

2:00 pm  bus departs

2:45 pm Arrival at Escarpment’s Edge Dairy Goats in Caledon. Another family run farm that specializes in Saanen and Alpine cross goats. (um,..like 300 of them). Everyone was busy snapping photos of these cuties. Not to mention, we sampled some amazing varieties of goat cheese.

4:15 pm bus departs

4:45 pm arrival back in Oakville.

To be honest, this date was marked in my calendar months and months ago. Visiting farms is not something I get to do everyday and it’s always a great reminder to continue to support Ontario Farmers and to continue to visit local farmers markets.

Many thanks to Kelly and Jennifer  from Farm and Food Care Ontario, who run a very efficient and educational tour!!

For further info:

Twitter: @farmfoodcare

Facebook: www.facebook.com/FarmFoodCare

For consumers: www.farmissues.com

Blog: www.letstalkfarmanimals.ca

 

 

If I tell a friend that “I’m having company over “…. this is code for “I’m going to try some new recipes”.

Here’s three new recipes that I will be trying.

-Oriental Edamame Salad courtesy of AllRecipes

-Green Goddess Kale Salad courtesy of Daily Bites Blog 

-The Ultimate Filet O Fish Sammie courtesy of Food Network.

The meal will also include fresh salsa, tortilla cheese, a cheese platter and a rhubarb strawberry crisp!

Can you tell that I spent some time on -line researching some recipes. I love it though!!

Todays blog will feature two salads that I’m going to be serving, K?

First Salad: Oriental Edamame Salad 

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup sliced almonds
• 2 tablespoons sesame oil
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
• 1 tablespoon white sugar
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly grated ginger
• salt and ground black pepper to taste
• 2 (16 ounce) packages shelled edamame (green soybeans)
• 1 (15 ounce) can baby corn, drained and cut into bite-size pieces
• 1 (8 ounce) can water chestnuts, drained and sliced into thin strips
• 1 bunch radishes, halved and thinly sliced
• 3 green onions, cut thinly on a diagonal
• 1/4 cup chopped cilantro

Directions

1. Heat a small skillet over medium-low heat; cook almonds until lightly toasted and fragrant, 2 to 3 minutes.
2. Whisk sesame oil, soy sauce, vinegar, sugar, garlic, and ginger together in a bowl for the dressing; season with salt and black pepper.
3. Combine edamame, baby corn, water chestnuts, radishes, green onions, cilantro, and toasted almonds in a large bowl; toss with dressing until coated. Serve cold or at room temperature.

 FINISHED SALAD

 

Second Salad: Green Goddess Kale Salad 

5 cups chopped kale

2 cups finely chopped broccoli florets (I steamed them slightly)

3/4 cup thinly sliced scallions

1 medium carrot (I used multi colour baby carrots)

Handful of sprouts

Handful of pumpkin seeds

1/2 medium ripe avocado, pitted

1/2 cup unsweetened almond milk or regular milk

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

2 tablespoons maple syrup or honey

1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

Sea salt and pepper, to taste

Instructions

In a large bowl, combine the kale, broccoli, scallions, and carrot. Reserve the sprouts and pumpkin seeds for garnish.

Scoop the avocado flesh into a blender or food processor. Add the milk, lemon juice, maple syrup, vinegar, and mustard. Puree until smooth. The dressing will be thick, with the consistency of mayonnaise. Pour the dressing over the salad and toss to coat everything thoroughly. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Garnish plates of the salad with the sprouts and pumpkin seeds.

FINISHED SALAD

 Happy Cooking!

O.K…I’m just going to spit it out.

MomWhoRuns…has NOT BEEN RUNNING. Phewww….I feel better already.  Seriously, I should switch the name of my blog to MomWhoEats.

I ran the Toronto Half Marathon on May 6, 2012 and have not put on my running shoes since that date.

No Zumba..No Body Pump... No GoodLife Membership….No Triathlons.….No treadmill. No NOTHING.  Bye Bye wet suits, bikes, Lululemon, and more!!

Why did I stop exercising? I figured that it was time for a sabbatical after working out for 7 years. Not to mention that I had gained some serious weight in April/May 2012 and in June 2012. decided to make major changes to my diet (another blog post – I promise).

Here are the pros/cons regarding my decision to stop working out.

PROS:

-I have a LOT more free time

-I lost two sizes and more than 20 pounds

CONS:

-I miss all of it…the races, challenging my body and reaching fitness goals.

Therefore, in late April I had the opportunity to visit the InsideOut  Studio  (210 Laird Dr, Toronto) for a work out. I loved it. I truly did. It felt great to move again and I loved the one-on-one private training session.

Sadly, I have NOT put on my running shoes since that visit.

I thought that on May 6, 2013 I would put on my running shoes and start to run again. Sadly, this has not happen.

Any advice?

PS Many thanks to the InsideOut Studio for reaching out to me! For further information about this boutique studio, please contact them at (416) 849-4765 or visit their website.

 

I can finally scratch Bar Volo off my bucket list for 2013!! Hooray for me. I seriously don’t know what took me so long seeing as this family owned bar has been around since 1985!!

I went on Thursday night at 630 pm and the place was slammed. Was not expecting to see so many beer fans but clearly craft beer is popular these days. Since December 2012, they now have 26 beers on tap (one for each letter of the alphabet). Plus they are well known for serving cask ales!

I explained to my waiter that even though I love (love) beer – beer doesn’t love me. So he poured me 5 – 2 oz samples. Total cost $2.83. I felt bad – so I ordered another

5 samples and to my amazement, I finished all of them. I feel so grown up!!

Big spender eh?

My new twitter friend (@cfilion) ordered a charcuterie board that was MOST impressive. Sadly I couldn’t share it with her as I was too full from the beer (sniff). However I did manage to sample a few things and it was dee-lish.

I will need to return in the summer to enjoy their beautiful patio and another 10 – 2 oz samples of beer!!

For further information:

Bar Volo 587 Yonge St, Toronto (416) 928-0008 Open Monday to Sunday from 4 pm to 2 am. Kitchen Open from Monday to Saturday from 5 pm to 12 pm. Cash and Visa only.

ps sign up for their newsletter so you can find out about special events, new beers, etc.

This event sounds right up my alley. Here’s why:

a) I’m a fan of the Neal Brothers (see previous blog post)

b) I’m a fan of Dillon’s (see previous blog post)

c) the price is right ($10 online or $15 at the door)

d) it supports a great charity (My Food Way)

e) the event combines food, chefs, music, and a fun competition!

I chatted with Abbey who told me she was eager to host a food event that involved a competition as well as supporting a charity.  The Neal Brothers got involved too as they thought it would be a great fit with their 25th anniversary. The rest is history.

For tickets and further info about this exciting event,  please visit their facebook page http://goo.gl/pSBCM

Hope to see you there!