On Wednesday I had the opportunity to spend an incredible day with Farmers Feed Cities. We started off the tour with a visit to Quiet Acre Farms in Niagara on the Lake, where we had an up close and personal visit with their peach orchards.

But what caught my attention were these round zucchini at their roadside stall.

It was exactly the type of inspiration that I needed to get back me into the kitchen, seeing as I have done ZERO cooking for the last month. Have you noticed my blog posts (recently) have been about every topic except recipes? Well that has all changed. This trip really inspired me.

STUFFED ZUCCHINI RECIPE

Ingredients:

1 round zucchini

1/2 a container grape tomatoes, cut in half

small chunk of feta cheese

8 black olives (I like Unico ripe oil cured…in a jar)

1/2 onion, chopped finely

1 garlic clove, minced finely

Italian seasoning

METHOD

1. Slice the top off the zucchini and scoop out the inside.

2. Fry the onions and garlic till aromatic . Then add the grape tomotoes, olives, italian seasoning till everything is kinda soft.

3. Stuff into the hollow space of the zucchini. Top with some crumbled feta. Bake on a baking sheet in a 375 degree oven for 30 minutes. Voila…dinner.

Please note that I’m on a no carb diet, otherwise I probably would have added some bread crumbs to this recipe.

If you see these round zucchinis at a farmers market – please pick some up!! You won’t find these in a grocery store. I promise you. For more information about farmers markets, please click here.

Upcoming Blog Post: Canning Peaches!! Stay tuned.

 

 

 

Hot? Want to know how to “cool down”? Then head to the Sheraton Centre. For $30 you can access the pool and the fitness centre!!

Here’s what my day looked like on Monday:

10:00 a.m to noon: I worked on my laptop in one of these comfortable chairs in the lobby.  (see photo) Not a bad setting to work eh? Sure beats my local Starbucks!! The Sheraton Centre loves building a”community” feeling and encourages their guests to play chess, sit at a community table, or enjoy the LINK work stations.

12:30 to 1:00 p.m I was getting hungry and went to check out the recently opened BnB restaurant that is located in the lobby as well. It’s really new…ie a month old. Seeing as I’m on a diet I couldn’t enjoy the burgers and the fries that they are known for. (sniff). However I was pretty satisfied with my Wedge Salad. I’m a blue cheese addict and can’t seem to get enough of this salad.

I also enjoyed some deep fried pickles that had the perfect combo of batter and the perfect pickles. Shame I couldn’t have a beer with it. But this diet is really working for me, so I can’t complain.

1:00 p.m to 7:00 p.m I sat at the pool with my Kobo. I was in heaven. Talk about feeling like I left the city but I didn’t!! Here I was right downtown on the 3rd level of the Sheraton Centre surrounded by beautiful landscaping and staring at a gorgeous outdoor pool.

 

 

Eventually (notice how I said “eventually”) I got off my lounge chair to check out the Sheraton Centres’ recently renovated fitness centre. Seeing as I’m “momwhoruns” , I thought it was only appropriate that I put on my running shoes and go for a quick run. OK..very quick. I was super impressed with the size of this new Fitness Centre..it’s massive. I counted 8 stairmasters and 8 treadmills! Plus room for weights, stretching etc.  This is not the tiny little (sad) looking fitness centre that one usually sees in a hotel.

7:30 p.m Bye Bye Sheraton…it was exactly what I needed to escape from the heat and I will be back. Promise.

Please note that the Sheraton Centre is offering amazing activities for kids on the weekends. Please click here for more information.

Sheraton Centre Toronto,  123 Queen Street West, 416 361 1000

 

I went to Arowhon Pines last year for my first time and was thrilled to be able to return. I love this property for these reasons:

a) Peace and Quiet: you will not hear powerboats or ski doos. The only thing you will hear will be the loons on the water and the birds. Sorry – no photos. The loons weren’t cooperative and kept diving underwater.

b) The Scenery: you can’t beat the scenery that comes with being in the heart of Algonquin Park.

 

d) The Food:  Everything at this resort is made in house. Everything. Each meal is outstanding not to mention the outstanding service. Plus you are dining in this spectacular structure. It truly is an experience.

d) Nature: This particular visit, we had the chance to see not just moose…but a fox and a HUGE turtle (on land and in the water). These encounters make the visit even more special.

e) Their Commitment to Local Food:  They are so committed to using local suppliers that they are holding their  2nd Annual 100 mile Challenge Summer BBQ on Monday Aug 6th from 12 p.m to 3 p.m. All food served will be grown within 100 miles of the resort. Tickets are limited and are $32 p.p. Click here for more information about this amazing event.

f) The Service and The Staff: Everyone is friendly, personable and professional. From the grounds keeper to the front desk staff! This property understands the word: hospitality!!

To find out more about this spectacular Ontario resort (which is only 3 hours North of Toronto) ..please call: 1 866 633 5661

Hooray…I finally made it Dufferin Grove Farmers Market. I seriously don’t know what took me so long. This farmers market is pretty impressive and worth a visit (justsayin’).

What I love about this Farmers Market is the setting. There are HUGE MASSIVE trees which provides  a lot  A TON of shade for both the vendors and the shoppers.

Dufferin Grove Farmers Market is located at 875 Dufferin Park (just south of Bloor). They are open every Thursday from 3-7 p.m, ALL YEAR LONG. That’s right – they operate right thru the winter. You can tell that a lot of people go here for dinner, hang out on the grass, listen to live music, and also shop!! I also have a feeling that this is a real community meeting place as it seems as everyone is talking to everyone.

It’s also impressive that there seems to be as many prepared food vendors as produce vendors. I really like that and it seems as everyone else does too.

Now lets talk about the FOOD.

I was not a happy camper that I bought kale today from a grocery store and not kale from the Farmers Market (poor planning on my part). The kale at the farmers market is the size of my arm and the kale from the grocery store is the size of a large hand. Note to Self: Don’t Do That Again.

The lavender chocolate SHEEP ice cream from Best Baa Farm caught my attention too!! I could actually taste the lavender and was so impressed with this unique ice cream (which is easier to digest than cow’s milk). I’m on a carb free diet (week 5) so I only had a small sample but I wish I could have had more!!

I also picked up a (raw) Nut Burger from Earth & City,  that contains all sorts of super healthy ingredients: raw sunflower seeds, raw walnuts, olive oil, balsamic vinegar, basil, oregeno, cumin, sundried tomatoes, raw almonds, flax seeds, lemon juice, sea salt, sunflower sprouts, collard greens, honey dates.

Guess who is going back to Dufferin Grove Farmers Market next Thursday. See you at 6 p.m! You will find me buying KALE!! (lesson learned). Join me.

 

During the heat wave last week, I was determined to prepare an entire meal for guests without using the oven. Yay for me..I did it.

This is what I served:

1. Tuna Nicoise: lettuce, tuna,mushrooms, tomatoes, black olives, red pepper, yellow pepper and hard boiled eggs. (sorry no green beans as I’m on a carb free diet)

2. Asparagus: I also served an asparagus dish that I haven’t made for years. All you have to do is steam the asparagus  and then make a marinade.(sauce?) Please forgive me as I don’t have the exact measurements nor can I even remember which cookbook this recipe is from! (oh the joys of owning too many cookbooks).  Here’s the best I can do: grated ginger, grated garlic, rice wine vinegar, tamari sauce, sesame oil, brown sugar, salt and peper. Does that help? Probably not…again, my apologies.

Steam the asparagus. Make the Marinade. Plate the Asparagus and then drizzle the marinade over it. Simple Stuff.

3. FISH:   I als0 served fish using a spice packet that I bought at Eat Sum More (7700 Bathurst St, Thornhill.  This unique retail store specializes in products from South Africa. I figured for $2.99 – it was worth trying. All I did was squeeze some lemon juice into the mixture and let the fish marinate in it for a few hours in the fridge.

After marinating the fish, I simply pan fried the fillets for a few minutes on each side.

4. Berries with Whipped Cream: I served a carb free dessert to my guest  However they didn’t seem to mind being served an assortment of berries (blackberries, blueberries and raspberries) with whipped cream and some mint as a garnish. Do you like the cups? First time I used them.

As for drinks: I served a red sangria and a white sangria for my guests and I sipped Molson Canadian 67. This beer is SAVING ME. It’s one thing to go carb free and it’s another to go carb free during a HOT summer. A huge thanks to Molson for developing this beer.

Mission Accomplished: I entertained without using an oven PLUS I stuck to my carb free diet. I’m on week 5 and so far so good.

 

Everywhere you look – there is a festival. I’m not complaining…just wish I had more TIME to go to all of them!

This past weekend I went to two festivals in one night. I started off at the South Asian Festival on Gerrard East and ended up on St. Clair for Salsa on St Clair. Each festival had something different to offer and I was happy to be able to walk thru both of them. (and eat, of course)

Other festivals that are on my ‘hit list” include the following:

a) Toronto Fringe Festival to see “Everything I Never Knew I Wanted”. This festival takes place from July 4 -15th. This is my first time attending the Toronto Fringe Festival but I’m really looking forward to it. I didn’t know this but it’s Toronto’s largest theatre festival with 150 plus artistic creations. I have a good feeling that this festival might be on my list every year!

b) Night It Up which takes place July 13-15 at the Markham Civic Centre. This festival features 100 plus different vendors including many “street foods” that one might find in the markets of Taiwan or Hong Kong. I’ve heard so much about stinky tofu that I really think I might go this year!!

c) Toronto Festival of Beer which takes place July 27-28th on the Exhibition Grounds. I am a huge fan of this festival and have been going for years and years and years. In my opinion the festival just gets better and better each year. Don’t delay and buy your tickets as this festival will sell out on all three days!!

b) Cobourg Sand Castle Festival which takes place Aug 4 – Aug 5th. Well worth the drive to Cobourg to see the spectacular sand castle exhibits.

c) Wild Blueberry Festival which takes place August 11th from 8 a.m to 3 p.m at Evergreen Brickworks. If you love blueberries – this is the festival for you!! Tons of great activities, recipes, food products containing blueberries and more.

d) The Ex which takes place Aug 17 – Sept 3rd. I’ve been eating my way thru the Ex for the last two years and once again will be there the minute it opens. The minute!!

e) The Toronto Garlic Festival which takes place Oct 13-14 at Evergreen Brickworks. I went last year and learned so much about garlic that I need to go back to learn even more!! (and taste more).

I know that my calendar has all these dates marked down and I encourage you to look at your calendars too. By all means take a peek at this website  called Festivals Toronto for a bigger list (way bigger) . In this blog post, I simply wanted to highlight some of my favorites!! I’m hoping to add a few more festivals to this growing list but like I said in the title of this blog post….so many festivals, so little time!!

PS what are your favorite festivals?

 

Thanks to twitter, I discovered Paulette’s Original Donuts and Chicken. They were on twitter even before they opened (smart business move).  Last Monday I was following @amypataki and her tweets about the donuts she was trying. I then noticed more tweets from @foodie411 about Paulette’s Original Donuts and Chicken!! Clearly, I had “donuts” on my brain and wanted to go check it out too.

I really wanted to do a tweet up there but knew that there would be a good chance they would sell out if I organized a tweet up at 7 p.m. You see, they start serving the donuts at 8 am and start serving fried chicken at 11:30 am and serve till 7 p.m OR TILL THEY RUN OUT. I wasn’t risking it.

I gathered a few friends to meet there on Friday at 10 a.m. We all happily tried: a Rootbeer donut, a Strawberry Balsamic donut and a Mango Yuzu donut. Every day there are 7 different flavors and each donut will set you back $2.75. I liked the rootbeer donut and the Mango Yuzu donut the best and we all agreed that the donuts were cakey not yeasty. Hope that description makes sense.

The store is really cute with a few bar stools and a ledge by the window. I wonder if the owner would tell me the paint chip number as I adored the shade of blue that was used in the store.

Seeing as I was with a few foodies…we went to explore another nearby restaurant that also opened recently, called Leslieville Pumps. Think of a gas station (which it is) that is totally hip and serving cool food.

The gas station/restaurant is owned by two friendly  brothers and one of them is the chef. So of course we talked FOOD and ordered a few things to try:

a) The Deep Fried Pickles: These are my weakness. Something about the crunchy batter and the sour batter along with the wicked sauce. I was a happy camper.

b) We also ordered the baked beans which were full of flavor. The right type of flavor. Not to sweet, not to smokey….just right.

c) Also spotted a few bars of candy that you don’t see every day: I have never tried them but the White Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup certainly intrigued me. Next time.

They even have a herb garden on the rooftop. How impressive.

What’s also impressive is both of their websites. Worth clicking on their links:

Paulette’s Original Donuts and Chicken 913 Queen St. East (647) 748-1177

Leslieville Pumps 929 Queen St. East (416) 465-1313

 

Just returned from a whirlwind trip to Ottawa. Nothing quite beats spending Canada Day in Ottawa. Naturally I started off celebrating Canada Day at the Ottawa Farmers Market. (now located at Brewer Park and not at Landsdowne Park). The trip  to the market was highlighted by the fact that I saw Toronto Foodies: @AS_Toronto and A Food Gypsy there!

We all seemed to bump into each other infront of Michaels Dolces Booth. After hugs, photos and introductions I had the chance to wander thru the market to discover Brewgels. What a awesome concept (in my humble opinion). I ended up my visit to the market by bumping into FoodiePrints. How perfect.

ps Sorry didn’t taste the bagels as I’m still on this carb free diet! (argghhh)

On our way back downtown, we stopped into Bridgeheads’ new Roastery, which just opened this past week. (thanks Twitter for the update!!). I am so glad that we stopped here to see this 15,000 sqf space that now houses their head office, a coffee shop, and training centre. Congratulations Bridgehead!!

After enjoying our coffee it was time to walk by the Parliament buildings. No shortage of proud Canadians. Downtown was mobbed and it was GREAT to be there.

Then we went to the Byward Market to walk around and watch the soccer game at Smoque Shack.(129 York St).  The air condioning, great staff, amazing deep fried pickles and the beer – made it a welcome stop for us to get out of the sun and rest our feet for a bit.

On the stroll back to my parents condo we stumbled across this vendor on Sparks St. I just HAD to try it. I have never seen this “new way” of serving potatoes before, have you?

At 10 p.m, we stood behind the Supreme Court building to watch the spectacular fireworks. Not a bad way to end a great day!! Hope you had a meaningful Canada Day as well.

PS. One more thing: I really meant to try two new restaurants: Brothers Beer Bistro (366 Dalhousie) and Big Rig BrewPub (2750A Iris St). Sadly didn’t have enough time, but these two restaurants will be on my radar for my next visit. Tweet Up anyone?

 

Canada day is quickly approaching and this means that my brain is thinking about “Canadian Foods“. It’s a problem. I wish that I didn’t think about food as much as I do but we can talk about that problem another time!!

Here’s a few food items that I identify with as being “Canadian”. I won’t be googling about the history of each item (although I’m sure it would be interesting)…just going to share a few photos with you. Is that ok?

#1 on my list: Beavertails: Have been eating beavertails since the 70’s.

Item #2: The Buttertart

My favorite treat but I will only have a buter tart if it’s a GREAT one. Not just a mediocre one. (I’m fussy that way). I love the buttertarts from Flaky Tart ( 711 Mt Pleasant) or from Marty’s World Famous Cafe. (5 Manitoba St. Bracebridge)

Item #3 Tim Hortons: I had one Tim Bit and a medium sized coffee every day for years.

Item #4: Maple Syrup

Item #5; Ice Wine (sorry no photo)

Items #6: Poutine. Poutini’s (1112 Queen St. West)  just celebrated their third birthday and it was very very hard for me not to go that day. (due to this carb free diet). The minute I decide to splurge..I will be going directly to Poutinis for their teeny weeny version (the best idea ev-uh).

I know I missing a few: Saskatoon berries, and a few other items. You can help me out by leaving a comment (hint).

Have a wonderful Canada Day. I will be in Ottawa walking thru the downtown core and catching the fireworks. Can’t wait.

Last weekend, I went camping at Island Spirits on Rice Lake. As you might know (or might not know) meal planning is an important element of the camping experience. We actually sat down and made a menu plan so that we would be prepared. Camping on an island means that there is no “corner” store to run to in the event you forget something!!

This is what we ate:

Friday nite: Salmon (click here for the recipe) and baked potatoes.

Friday nite dessert; Marshmallows (of course)

Saturday morning: Scrambled eggs and Yves Veggie Sausages

Saturday lunch: Pizza made in the  wood fired brick oven. Was thrilled that we took advantage of this unique oven on the island

Saturday dinner: It was suppose to be corn on the cob but the sheep thought it was THEIR dinner. Dont get me started.

Instead, we had a huge salad.

Other food items we enjoyed: Pringles, blueberries, cherries, cereal and more. Next time we camp, will be freezing milk bags and not bringing a carton of milk. What do you think? good idea?

As for the camping vs eco cabin debate. Here are my thoughts:

a) If you stay in a eco cabin (there are only 3 on the island)  No sheep will be waking you up at 615 a.m “baaayyyiinng”.

b) If you stay in an eco cabin you don’t have to ensure that everything is “locked up” to prevent the sheep from eating your pens, food, etc.

c) Price. Slightly more money to stay in a cabin than to camp ($75 a weekend per adult for the weekend for a campsite vs $190 to $225 for an eco cabin) Here are the rates.

Needless to say we had a wonderful time enjoying the 21 acres (the size of the island). Lucky for us, there was only one other couple on the island. Talk about peace. I hear it’s not the same if you camp at a Provincial Park. Guess who is going to find out? ME. We have already began our search for the perfect camping spot. (suggestions welcome) Stay Tuned.