Since I began to blog, I have had the opportunity to meet some wonderful women  who are “foodie” entrepreneurs. My list looks like this: @TheBumpercrop, @afoodgypsy @DivaQBBQ @PascalesAllNat @ViewtheVibe @CakeStarGirlz @Sable_Rosenfeld @LeDolci @MediumRare @TasteofCheese and more!!  I truly admire these women who have a vision and run with it.

I can now expand this list to include the following women “foodie” entrepreneurs:

1. Gourmet Bitches

These two women have introduced a new food truck to the Toronto landscape that offers healthy, nutritional options. I was invited to their soft launch recently and fell in love with their kale and arugula salad. It had a spicy cayenne dressing that made this salad truly flavorful and unique. Look out for this special food truck.

Look forward to eating this again!!

2. Popover Girl

I met Popover Girl aka Lora on International Pi Day!! (how appropriate). I think I was introduced to her on twitter and was eager to meet her IRL (in real life). She specializes in sweet and savory gourmet popovers and sells them at the Toronto Underground Market. I hope you get a chance to try her delicious popovers some time soon!!

The Popover Girl herself!!

Love the eco friendly packaging. Brilliant.

3. The Cupcake Girls

The famous Cupcake Girls from WNetwork were in Toronto a few weeks ago to scout for a retail location. I got a chance to meet them briefly (too many events, too little time) and to try their tasty cupcakes.

The Cupcake Girls!!

Hope to see these cupcakes in Toronto very very soon!!

I am continually amazed by the food scene in Toronto and have enjoyed watching it grow. Not to mention, I have met some wonderful woman “foodie” entrepreneurs!!

Cheers to all of you!!

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I went to the Green Living Show last year and knew that I would be returning. No question, the environment has becoming more and more important in our every day lives. Infact, I just got rid of my gas guzzling mini van and can’t wait to drive my far more fuel efficient Nissan Versa. But let’s get back to the Green Living Show – it’s a show you don’t want to miss. They have it all.

• a green beauty bar
• an electric vehicle show
• live bird demonstrations
• an eco music movie swap
• a farmers market
• the sweaty equity  yoga pavilion
• the organic council of Ontario pavillion
• Toronto Fair Trade Town
• and lots more!!

Naturally I spent a lot of time at the FARM FRESH FARE. (perhaps too much time) It didn’t take me too long to find a few salads to take pictures of. I mean how gorgeous are these salads?

Chef Christopher Palk of L’Eat Catering created this beauty of a salad:

Ontario Chopped Salad with Pickled Ramp Buttermilk Ranch, House Made Red Wine Vinegar and Mustard Vinaigrette or Green Apple, Herb and Cider Vinegar Dressing

The chef was happy to show me the list of ingredients that went into this “All Ontario Chopped Salad”. I was blown away.

This salad created by Chef John from Table 17 also caught my attention. He created a pea shoot and peanut salad with an Ontario Peanut Dressing.

Here’s another stunning salad that was created by the Garbardine Restaurant: Smoked and cured Ontario Pickerel with red fife bagels, baby lettuce and creme fraiche .

I also made a point of visiting my favorite exhibitor….Island Spirits. I met Trudy last year, and went up to stay at her fantastic, unique property in May 2011. I actually told her that next year, I would volunteer in her booth to give a “live testimonial”. (by the way, Trudy…I am serious about that offer)

I strongly encourage  you to head down to the Direct Energy Centre this weekend and check out this great consumer show.

Hours: Saturday April 14 from 10- 9 and Sunday April 15 from 10-5.

Hint: If you bring e-waste you can receive FREE admission, compliments of Samsung.

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Last week was my birthday and my BF spoiled me rotten by whisking me away to the Inn on the Twenty in Jordan, Ontario.

It was the perfect time to get away – it was off season (ie. NO CROWDS) and the weather was warming up. There’s something to be said about travelling when it’s off-season. I really think it’s the way to go!!

We left on Sunday at noon and got to Jordan just in time for a late lunch at the Jordan House. Our friendly waitress (Leah) informed us that the fish tacos were a new item on the menu so it was a no brainer for me to check them out!!  Plus we both ordered beers. (even though we were in a wine region).

Would order this again - in a heart beat

There is no doubt in my mind that the fish tacos will stay on the menu. They were perfect. Absolutely perfect.

After lunch we checked in. We were originally suppose to stay at the Jordan House but they upgraded us to a beautiful room at the Inn on the Twenty. We were thrilled to find out that the room was massive, complete with a sitting area and a fireplace  (it was Room #1 – just so you know). Not to mention that the bathroom was so big it could have been a room!!

Score!!

We had dinner reservations at 8 p.m and simply crossed the street to get to the restaurant. How convenient.

We ordered martinis (I know I know – we didnt have wine) to start off the evening. Then we proceeded to have our main dishes. I ordered a pasta dish that was pretty extremely tasty. i.e the plate was white when it was returned to the kitchen. Specifically I ordered the Upper Canada Ricotta Agnolotti. Described in the menu as “baby spinach and ricotta, winter squash puree, toasted pumpkin seeds and chardonnay foam.

Pretty.

Of course, we ordered another round of martinis to enjoy while we ate our dinner. (I know I know – we didn’t have wine)

Monday was my actual birthday – so we started it off in style with a gorgeous breakfast that we really really enjoyed.  Not that we needed it cause we were still full from the nite before, but we both managed. How could we say no?

Great way to start off my birthday

We were super impressed with this plate of goodies as well.

Then we took a drive into Niagara on the Lake (about 15 minutes away) for a brief stroll downtown and then stopped off at Stratus Winery on the way back to the 401. If you haven’t visited this winery, you really should. I finally got to meet the charming marketing manager that helped me run a contest TWO years ago. I was too full to sample a flight of wines but my BF certainly enjoyed the Malbec.

One final note: Special thanks to my BF who made sure my birthday was extra special this year.

For more info:

Inn on the Twenty, 3845 Main Street, Jordan Village 1 -800 701 8074

Jordan House: 2751 Main St, Jordan Village

Stratus Wines: 2059 Niagara Stone Road, Niagara on the Lake

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I’ve read blog posts about this question before and thought that it was clever, so I’m copying  borrowing the idea. (I’m honest). Here is the answer to WHAT’S IN MY PURSE?

a) I want to talk about the purse first. It’s from Target and was only $19.99. I am simply loving it. It’s the perfect size and has all the colors that I want to wear this spring.

b) The Body Shop Plum Lip Balm called “Born Lippy”. I’m impressed with the flavor, the texture and the color. #happy.

c) my Iphone. OMG – if my phone wasn’t in my purse I wouldn’t be able to leave the house!!

d) my keys (naturally) which now has a Sobeys and Goodlife pass attached to it. What a brilliant concept. Bye Bye Membership card (which I always lost) and hello SWIPE.

e) my Michael Kors wallet which could be a purse on it’s own. I’ve been enjoying this wallet for 2 years now but probably should buy one in a zippy color. (one day).

f) Mentos Gum called UP 2 U – 2 flavors, 1 pack, you decide. I’m a total sucker for new products so I picked up sweet mint and bubble fresh on my last trip to the States.

g) Floss. Can’t live without my Oral B Satin floss. Thanks @ToothFairy1210 for always making sure I have a good supply!!

What else should I be carrying in my purse?:

a) a small point and shoot camera. I love my DSLR but kinda miss my point and shoot on occasion.

b) a pen

c) money. That’s right – money.  I rarely have money on me and there are moments where I really need a quarter for a grocery basket!!

Now it’s your turn. What’s in Your Purse?

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Passover starts tonite at sundown which means a lot of Jewish people will be having Matza Balls in their chicken soup. I actually make them all year round but that’s another story. I usually make them from a mix but for this blog entry, I decided to kick it up a notch and make them from scratch.

What’s the difference – you ask?

• From a Box: it has nasty ingredients (ie monisodium glutamate) but it’s convenient and they pretty much always turn out right.
• From Scratch: no nasty ingredients but it takes almost twice as long to make

Simple Ingredients

Lifted up the cover for the photo!!

INGREDIENTS:

1 cup matza meal

1 tsp baking powder (may be omitted during Passover)

2 tsp of salt

4 eggs

4 tsp vegetable oil

METHOD

a) mix eggs and vegetable oil in a small bowl

b) mix baking powder and matza meal in another bowl

c) mix wet ingredients into dry ingredients but do not overmix

d) put the mixture in the fridge for an hour

e) boil a pot of water

f) make small balls (again not the size of golf balls more like large the size of a large marble!!)

g) place balls into boiling water, COVER and simmer for 40 minutes. (do not touch – yes – that’s right – do not touch)

RESULTS:

It was a no brainer – the matza balls from the recipe tasted “real” vs “salty”. As for the texture – both were light and fluffy.

Not sure I will be buying the mix again. It’s SO much healthier to make my own.

By the way – its worth googling a few matza ball recipes online. Each one was different i.e one recipe even called for club soda.

Happy Passover and for those who celebrate Easter – Happy Easter.

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My last visit to Ottawa was in December, which means a lot has happened in regards to new restaurants opening up!!  Therefore, I was on a mission to visit these new restaurants even though my trip was a quick one.

I had been tweeting with @AMWATERS about my trip and she suggested we have a coffee at Bread & Sons (195 Bank St). I’m always eager to visit new coffee shops even though I’m a huge fan of Bridgehead. While sipping coffee, we shared a croissant which was buttery and chewy and quite perfect!! I had my “eye” on the butter tarts but decided to try it on a future visit.

Cool presentation!

Then we met for lunch at a new Taco restaurant that recently opened called Taco Lot (995 Wellingston St. W). I inhaled a super fresh taco and can see why Ottawa has embraced this new restaurant as the city was kind of lacking a place to eat a really good taco.

Really. Really. Good.

Seeing as the taco was more of a “snack” – we headed over to Hintonburg Public House (1020 Wellington St. W). We shared an order of fish and chips and noticed that all the surrounding tables had ordered the same thing. Clearly this a a hit on the menu! We were impressed with the food, service and ambience – no complaints.

Perfect.

Due to the fact that Isobel’s was a few stores down, (1018 Wellington St. W) I went in to grab a vanilla bean cupcake with cream cheese dressing. I couldn’t resist.

I encourage everyone to visit Wellington St. West  – it’s truly a happening neighborhood. (referred to as Hintonburg). You can visit lots of fabulous stores and restaurants without having to move your car once!! SCORE.

In the afternoon, I headed over to see my foodie friends  at Michaels Dolce to check out their new kitchen facility. This couple is super interesting and super talented and I was thrilled to have had a few minutes to drop by.

Available in Ottawa AND Toronto!!

For dinner I headed out once again to Wellington St. W. I was excited to catch up with @FoodiePrints and they suggested we eat at Hintonburger (1096 Wellington).  I ate the falafel veggie burger while chatting with this lovely young couple about food, social media and more food!!

The next day, I made sure to visit 3 places very quickly before heading out:

1. Art-Is-An Bakery: to pick up 3 fantastic loaves of bread

2. Rideau Bakery: to pick up challah and rye bread.

3. SuzyQ Doughnuts: to pick up 2  (yes, only 2), salted caramel donuts. By the way – I was introduced to these donuts at the Farmers Market last year, but just recently they opened up a retail location at 991 Wellington St. West. I’m thrilled for them.

Next time Im buying 3.

It was a great trip that combined inhaling great food and spending time with family and friends. Even the weather cooperated. Looking forward to my next trip already.

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Do you do the same things ALL the time? i.e go to movies, go for dinner, go to the theatre. Well, I have a suggestion!

Head out to see Les Coquettes.  I promise you that this will not be a boring evening and it’s definitely something different. Not off -the -charts different but certainly different.

Here’s a bit more info about Les Coquettes. They are a talented group of cabaret performers with a modern twist. It was the perfect evening that combined great entertainment with great food.

We started off the nite with cocktails while listening to live music being played by the talented Tyler Yarema . Then dinner arrived and then the show started. Please note that you can either go for dinner and see the show, or just go to the show. I love that there’s two options.

If you go for dinner, I can assure you that you will have an amazing dinner. Chef Woods from CWCatering, certainly knows what he is doing in the kitchen as my salad, main course and dessert were fantastic.  In fact, everyone at my table was thrilled with their meal.

See what I mean?

As for the show: Totally entertaining in a very tasteful way. The MC was brilliant – she was funny and cheeky and really got the audience warmed up. The different acts that were performed by Les Coquettes were fun, entertaining and very professional. There were lots of smiling audience members – that’s for sure.

A few hours zipped by and we all walked out reviewing the fantastic evening – perfect food and a perfect show! Not to mention, that it was SOMETHING DIFFERENT and not just your typical nite out for dinner and a movie.

I highly recommend going to see Les Coquettes. Upcoming shows will be taking place April 4th, April 15th and April 22nd.

For Further info: Click on their website : Les Coquettes or call 1 877 821 7803.

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Visiting a Trader Joe’s was on my bucket list for 2012 but I’m proud to say that as of last week, I can now tick it off. I finally went to a Trader Joe’s on my visit to Detroit last week.

I will repeat this story again because I think it’s the coolest story ever: When I was in Trader Joe’s, I approached a random sales person to guide me around the aisles and said: “Hi I’m a food blogger from Toronto” and he replied “Are you Mom Who Runs? we have been chatting on twitter”. Naturally we became fast friends, cameras were whipped out and photos were taken of me and @JoeFoodie.

Here’s what I bought:

Item #1:

Buy Me. I did.

This chocolate bar was 99 cents. Thats right..99 cents. I bought 4 of them and should have bought a dozen!

It was NUTS how good these taste!!

Items #2 and Item #3: Marcona Almonds with Rosemary and Rosemary Pecans and Cranberries, that are too good to describe, so I won’t.

More Goodness

More items: @JoeFoodie suggested I buy these Chocolate Vanilla Bean Cookies and he was bang on with this suggestion. Definitely not an Oreo. As for the Gorgonzola crackers…I bought them because one of my facebook friends told me to buy them. (I’m easily convinced…can you tell?)

chips and beer - the best combo

@JoeFoodie suggested I buy these quinoa and black bean tortilla chips plus these beers. Again – I’m kicking myself that I didn’t buy more.

This happens every time I shop in the States…I simply don’t buy enough!! Why can’t I get it right?

The good news: I will just have to return to Trader Joe’s. I hear they are opening up on in Rochester so perhaps it’s time to eat my way thru Rochester. Road trip anyone?

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Day two of our trip to Detroit was as successful as Day 1. We scored…. as we discovered some really cool “local” places that were definitly off the beaten track.

For example:

We went to a restaurant that served “Soul Food” called Connie and Barbara’s (13101 W. Mcnichols Road) Here’s proof that we were off the “beaten track”. You certainly don’t see signs like this in Toronto.

But let’s talk about the food!!. We were in heaven. Our lovely waitress Donna was even from Toronto and understood our needs to “sample” a little bit of everything and to try items that we couldn’t find in Toronto. We started off our meal with a Caribbean Kool Aid.

Gorgeous. A Bit Sweet...But Gorgeous

Then we ordered items like grits, cornbread, collards and pinto beans.

Goodness!!

It was truly an experience and I would certainly return.

Then we went to Dutch Girl Donuts (19000 Woodward Avenue) as I had read that this was an Detroit Institution. We sampled hot donuts that were SO fresh and SO perfect. I now understand why this place is a Detroit Institution. i.e it’s been around for 63 years.

Our next stop we discovered because of our fast friendship with our blogger friend, @JoeFoodie (who we had met at Trader Joe’s on Day 1).  He told us to drop by MOCAD for a pop up restaurant called Anthology Coffee. We would have never heard of this, if we hadn’t met Joe! We dropped by to check out the coffee and we weren’t disappointed.

For some reason, we also stumbled across Elmwood Market and even though it was a weekday, we still took a stroll around.

Then we went to the Heidelberg Project – which was NOT a food event. SHOCK. I know!! This was one cool public display of art and we absolutely loved every exhibit.

But then it was back to FOOD. LOL.

En route to Target, I noticed this DRIVE IN  called Sonic and HAD to stop. It was a blast from my past complete with waiters who brought your  food to your car on roller skates. Just look at my smile …I felt like I was 5 all-over-again.

Our last meal of the day was Traffic, Jam and Snug which is a 22,000 sqf restaurant that brews their own beer, makes their own ice cream and makes their own cheese. Talk about an achievement!! We invited @JoeFoodie to join us and he invited the owner to join us as well. What a treat!! We were given the royal treatment complete with a tour, a gazillion appetizers, beer samples, mains and desserts PLUS a gift bag to take home full of baked goodies. We were overwhelmed but at the same time, totally grateful for the hospitality we received. Here are three highlights.

I also fell in love with this most unique salad that featured “hot sauce jelly beans” which made a normal salad something very special.

A special salad!

However it was this dessert that really blew us away. It’s called Carlotta Chocolatta Ice Cream Cheesecake described in the menu as:  Double Chocolate Cheesecake wrapped in a coffee  ice cream, coated with bittersweet hot fudge and sprinkled with ground espresso.

Enough said – look at this photo (thanks to @JoeFoodie)

Life.Is.Good

Once again, we returned to the Hilton Garden Inn located in downtown Detroit, totally full and totally happy!!

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I’ve finally crossed another item off my Bucket list. This past week, I went to Detroit so I could finally visit a Trader Joes. That’s right – I had never been to a Trader Joe’s. I travelled to Detroit with my foodie friend @pronosher, who didn’t mind joining me so we could “eat our way thru Detroit”

Here’s a break down of Day 1 in Detroit.

9:00 a.m to 1:oo pm – travelled to Detroit. Quick check-in to the Hilton Garden Inn in downtown Detroit.

1:30 -2:00 p.m. – visited “GreekTown” which was a lot smaller than what we expected. Sadly we didn’t discover anything particular unique.

2:30 – 3:30 pm. – dropped into Honey Bee Supermarket which is in Mexcian Town and not to far from downtown. I scored. I found spiced cajun boiled peanuts and scooped up a variety of other goodies as well. Thanks to @theChefUpstairs for recommending that we visit this unique supermarket.

Hard to find this..so I bought 6 cans

4:00 – 4:30 – a quick visit to Taqueria Mi Pueblo. We knew we scored when we discovered we were the only caucasians in the restaurant. Inhaled a taco and tried hard not to eat the complimentary nachos and salsa. Operative words: Tried Hard. By the way, we went to this restaurant as a result of talking to a random stranger at Honey Bee Supermarket.

perfect taco

5:00 – 6:00 p.m. – took advantage of happy hour  at Roast so I could sample a variety of local Michigan Beer and eat Brussel Sprouts (thanks to @clickflickca for this recommendation). I sampled the following beers: Great Lakes Burning River Pale Ale, Jolly Pumpkin Bam Beer, Founders Brewery Dirty Bastard, Shorts Brewery Co Uncle Steves Dry Stout. Sadly no room to try one of their desserts that really appealed to me. Think: Beer and Pretzels.

7:00 p.m – Trekked out to  Cadieux Cafe to take a peek at “feather bowling”. This establishment is the only one in NORTH AMERICA that has this sport. Pretty Cool. It was worth the trek.

7:30 – 8:30 p.m. This was the highlight of my day…..We went to Trader Joe‘s. But the visit got really interesting, when I introduced myself to a sales person. I said  – “Hi Im a food blogger from Toronto and I’m wondering if someone could take me around the store to show me interesting items”…he then replies “are you momwhoruns? we have been chatting on Twitter”. How totally cool is that? I mean..what are the chances!! We took photos and then @JoeFoodie walked thru the aisles suggesting items I should buy. (which I did…LOL). I will blog about my “Trader Joe’s” products in another blog post. Promise.

@momwhoruns with @joefoodie

9:00 p.m. Went to Slows as I had read that it was a really popular spot. It was true. We were pretty lucky to have found 2 spots at the bar otherwise it was going to be a 45 minute wait. I tried the split pea and okra fritters and loved the fact that you could see chunks of okra in this dish. Certainly not something I could find in Toronto.  I also shared a Rogue Chipolte Ale, which I’ve had before but hadn’t had it in years, so I was thrilled.

a unique dish.

10:00 p.m  We stumbled across Sugar House as we were walking back to the car. I was too full to consume one of their craft cocktails but @pronosher managed to drink a beautiful cocktail. This place reminded me of Bar Chef – great atmosphere and sophisticated unusual cocktails.

11:00 p.m – Finally back to the Hilton Garden Inn in Downtown Detroit so I could collapse into this ergonomical Mirra Chair designed by Herman Miller to write a blog post. I not only loved this chair but was delighted to stay in this hotel due to the great location and the amazing service. Plus there was a fridge in the room and not a mini bar – perfect for foodies.

Nothing beats a good chair at the end of the day!!

To Be Continued…..

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