This recipe is called “Magic Pie” and indeed it’s MAGICAL. No fuss – no muss.

Here’s what you need:

Ingredients:

1/2 pkg frozen chopped broccoli, thawed and drained…Note: I used fresh broccoli (I slightly steamed the florets)

1 cup shredded swiss cheeese

1 can corn, drained

4 eggs

1 1/2 cups milk

2/3 cups Bisquick

salt and pepper to taste

dash of nutmeg

Preparation:

1. Lightly grease a 10 inch quiche  pan or deep dish serving dish. Pre heat oven to 375 F

2. Sprinkle broccoli, cheese, corn and onion evenly in prepared pan.

3. In blender, mix eggs, milk, bisquick, and seasonings on high for one minute

4. Pour over broccoli mixture.

5. Bake in a 375 degree oven for 1 hour.

This is the end result.

Actually THIS IS THE END RESULT…(ha ha)

Hope you enjoy this magical recipe as much as I do.

Disclosure: #1. I am part of the Life Made Delicious Connector Program and I receive special perks as part of the affiliation with this group. The opinion on this blog are my own.

On Monday, I read a tweet from @ErinLovesFood that said she was looking forward to going to the #BeerBoutique Party.

I tweeted back…”Party? Beer? How do I score an invite?”.

Six hours later I was at the Beer Boutique launch thanks to Dave Paterson who was the uber professional and returned my phone call,  on an extremly busy day for him. (He’s the brand manager for the Beer Store).

The Beer Boutique is located at 120 Lynn Williams, in  Liberty Village. As soon as I entered the space,  I loved it. Why? Here’s a few reasons.

a) the wall of “beer labels” has been replaced with REAL BEER  CASES.

b) the space is gorgeous ..take a look at this cool light fixture.

c) it’s small…so it’s not overwhelming.

While sipping beer at the launch, I was introduced to Sebastian Pigott, who is an actor (Being Erica), singer and musician. Not to mention a QT and a nice guy.

OK back to the beer. Kinda lost focus there for a second!!

When the Beer Store replaced the bottles on the wall, with PAPER LABELS…they lost me as a customer.  For the last few years, I have been buying beer at my local LCBO.

Now that there is a Beer Boutique, I will make sure that I will drop by Liberty Village more often. I really think that they are on to something, and you will be seeing more Beer Boutiques in the future.

If you havent checked out Liberty Village before…take a stroll one Sunday. There is a great farmers market, Balzacs coffee, The Village Cheese Monger and more.

Cheers!!!

I have a few friends that have been visiting Arowhon Pines for many years. FINALLY...it was my turn!!

I wanted peace, quiet, and relaxation and that’s exactly what I got. Oh yeah – I wanted to see a moose too!

Arowhon Pines is a slice of heaven, for many reasons.

Here’s some photos of what impressed me.

a) The dining room: Oh what a building….the location, the height of the structure, the fireplace, the windows and even the placement of the tables.

Here is the porch that surrounds the dining room . Definitely, the perfect place to hang out, either before or after a meal.

b) The food: Your stay at Arowhon Pines includes three delicious meals. There was always a lovely selection to choose from and I was ALWAYS FULL. I particularly loved that you could order an HALF PORTION. (which I did once). Plus the service was outstanding. I mean – OUTSTANDING. The dining staff were courteous, efficient and certainly well trained. Here’s a photo of the breakfast menu.

The appetizer table before dinner was also impressive.

c) The dock: I sat on the dock reading (for a change) and tried to figure out why Arowhon Pines was so different than the other resorts I have visited. I finally figured it out…ITS QUIET.

i.e no ski- doos, no motor boats, no fishing boats, no banana boats –  NOTHING BUT SILENCE. Not true – you heard the occasional loon!!

d) The surroundings: Arowhon Pines is beautiful. Not beautiful as in manicured lawns, but beautiful in the sense that the buildings, pathways, bridges, docks, gardens… blend in well with the surroundings.

Now lets talk about the moose!! I was on a mission to see a moose.  It was suggested to go out on the highway after dinner, as there would be a possibility of seeing moose on the sides of the road  licking the salt. BINGO!! We saw a mommy mooose and a baby moose. I think I sat staring at them for 10 minutes!!

I also saw a fox, some deer and a coyote…(off the highway again). Not bad eh?

Sadly I didnt take advantage of the canoeing, but I did participate in the pontoon tour and was struck by the beauty of this fabulous park that is only 3 hours from Toronto.

Thank you to the staff at Arowhon Pines, for introducing me to your resort and Algonquin park. Plus a huge thank you to @optimom for joining me.

Can’t wait to return in the fall. I’m sure the whole area is stunning when the leaves change.

Had some friends over for dinner the other night, which gave me the opportunity to try two new salads and repeat one favorite salad. I used tastespotting to look for new recipes and once again, I wasnt disappointed.

TOMATO/HEARTS OF PALM SALAD (I have been making this for years..its a winner) p.s this recipe is from a friend

Ingredients

2 containers of grape tomatoes (cut in half – this is the longest step)

1 can of sliced hearts of palm

corriander

1/4 cup of red onion

Dressing – (sorry I dont have the measurements….will you forgive me?)

vegetable oil

ketchup

cayenne pepper

Preparation:

Mix the tomatoes, hearts of palm, and red onion together in a bowl. Mix the dressing. Pour the dressing over the salad.

END RESULT:

SPRINGY QUINOA SALAD WITH SUGAR SNAPS, MINT AND GINGER YOGURT DRESSING

Ingredients:

1 cup quinoa

1/2 lb sugar snaps ( I had peas in a pod – so I used them instead)

1/4 cup sliced, toasted, almonds

1/4 cup fresh chopped mint

Dressing

3/4 cup plain yogurt

2 tsp fresh grated ginger

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 1/2 tsp fresh lemon juice

2 tsp sesame oil

1 tsp honey

Preparation:

Prepare quinoa. Add almonds, mint and snap peas to the quinoa. Mix together dressing and add to the quinoa mixture.

END RESULT:

NOTE: I bet this salad could be prepared with couscous instead of quinoa or even as a pasta salad.

Mixed Greens with a Buttermilk Herb Dressing

1/4 cup buttermilk

1/4 mayonnaise

tarragon, chives, parsley

a bit of minced onion or minced shallot

Preparation: Put all ingredients in the Cuisinart and pulse till the herbs are chopped. Pour the dressing over mixed greens.

END RESULT:

I will admit it, I own too many kitchen appliances. I need another one like another navel. BUT…the bright colors WERE CALLING MY NAME (Cuisinart knows how to get my attention) and I just had to have one when I saw this Cuisinart Ice Cream Maker at Costco for $49.99.

I was reading so many tweets last year from @kalofagas last summer about his ice cream making adventures that I’m almost ready to blame him!!  But I won’t. He truly inspired me and as a result I’m now making FRESH ICE CREAM.  A huge thank you to to @kalofagas for his inspirational tweets.

Here’s how easy it is:

RECIPE FOR FRESH STRAWBERRY ICE CREAM (taken from the manual)

2 cups fresh strawberries, stemmed and sliced

3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

1 cup sugar, divided

1 cup whole milk – well chilled

2 cups heavy cream – well chilled

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

STEP ONE:

Combine the strawberies, with 1/2 cup of sugar and the lemon juice. Let sit for about two hours. Strain the berries, reserving the juices. Mash or pureee the strawberries (I used a blender for this step).

STEP TWO:

Use a mixer and on low speed, combine the milk and the remaining sugar until the sugar is dissolved, about 1 -2 minutes. Stir in heavy cream, reserved juice, mashed strawberries and vanilla.

STEP THREE:

Pour the mixture into the freezer bowl of  the Cuisinart – and press a button.

Twenty five minutes later…. I have unbelievable creamy fresh strawberry ice cream.

Hope you visit your local Costco soon – so you too can buy a Cuisinart Classic Frozen Yogurt – Ice Cream and Sorbet Maker.

I can’t wait to experiment with flavors: Coffee, Ginger, Rhubarb, Lemon, Watermelon,….It’s going to be a delicious summer!

PS Can someone now inspire me to use the Cuisinart Yogurt Machine that has been sitting in my basement (in a box) for the last year?

I’ve just returned from Picton as I attended the first ever – Great Canadian Cheese Festival.

The festival was held at Cyrstal Palace Fairgrounds, in Picton from June 3rd to 5th, with a full schedule that included: A Cheese Tour, Tutuored Tastings and Seminars, a Gala dinner and more.

I decided that a day trip to attend the Sunday Artisan Cheese and Fine Food Fair would be perfect.  I am SO glad I attended. First of all – I love cheese. Second of all – it allowed me to visit Picton. How could I not go?

The venue was stunning. There were some vendors inside a gorgeous building and some vendors outside under tents. I really did enjoy the setting. Who was there? Lots of cheese makers, lots of wine, a nice variety of beer ,and a few food vendors. I can’t complain.

I enjoyed many of  the cheese samples (with about 4 lactaid pills) and was thrilled to be introduced to new cheeses.

I discovered :

• Fifth Town Artisan Cheese Co. introduced a new cheese called Morning Moon TODAY.
• Prime Ridge Pure will be rolling out their first cheese EVER – next week
• Fromagerie Medard will be introducing a new cheese called Belle-Mere next week
• Upper Canada Cheese has a new cheese called Cottage Gold.

More discoveries: I loved the presentation of these chocolates that were infused with wines from Mercury Chocolates (located in Cobourg).What a beautiful dinner gift for someone who loves wine and chocolate!!

Seeing as the Crystal Palace was so close to the main street in Picton, I had to make a stop at Buddhas Dog (172 Main). I was eager to try Chef Flynns’ (who I met by the way) dragon breath mousse with rhubarb compote and locally grown asparagus on a home made hot dog bun. I  was happy!! Thanks to @OntarioCulinary for the great recommendation.

It was the first year that the Cheese Festival took place and I understand that it will be an annual event. I am thrilled for them. Congratulations to George Kolesnikovos who is the founder and director. I’m sure each year will get bigger and better.  Here’s a picture of George – he was easy to find!!

Looking forward to attending next year!!

As you know, I’m a food sales rep which means I visit a lot of grocery stores. But even when I’m on vacation, I still like to visit grocery stores.

In New York last week, I discovered:

Cinnamon Chex that are gluten free! I had bought the chocolate flavored chex on a previous visit but I’m now in love with the cinnamon flavor. My biggest regret: only buying one box. What was I thinking?

Dr. Browns Cel-Ray Water: I went to Katz’s deli and bought this even though it was a small fortune (close to $3 a can).  I knew that finding it somewhere else would be a challenge, so I navigated my way thru the crowds and the lines and bought a few. Specifically I bought this for my dad. Our American cuzins use to bring this for the Canadian Cousins in the 70’s and 80’s and we all still have a soft spot for this soda. Definetley an acquired taste. ps. one of the ingredients is “extract of celery seed”.

Baconnaise: I discovered this product at the fancy food show last year in NYC. So when I saw it on the grocery shelf, I grabbed a jar to bring home. Then when I got home, I was reading a blog (Erin Loves Food) only to find out you can buy it in Toronto at Lakeview Storehouse. Go Figger.  Ps this product is Kosher (OU).

Here in Toronto…I have discovered:

Dole Fruit Crisp: I saw this new product at a food show a few months ago as well. I brought it home and we loved it. I have to admit that I dont have time every nite to make rhubarb crisp (yes – I’m only human). This product certainly comes in handy – for dessert or for the kids lunch boxes. No to mention you can enjoy it cold or slightly warmed up in the microwave.

Holy Crap:  I bought this at Natures Emporium (which you should visit by the way – even if its far) but I’m scared to use it. LOL. (ps I’m not joking – its been in the cupboard for months now).

Disclosure: #1. I am part of the Life Made Delicious Connector Program and I receive special perks as part of the affiliation with this group. The opinion on this blog our my own.

Disclosure #2: I received the Dole Fruit Crisps as part of a program with Matchstick. The opinion on this blog our my own.

I’m in the mood for sharing some more of my favorite recipes. Now that rhubarb is appearing in grocery stores,  I thought I would share this recipe for “Best Ever Rhubarb Crisp” that I have been using since 2009.  It’s Star Tested by Susan Sampson! The article actually says “adapted from the 1983 Toronto Star Cookbook by Jim White.

Ingredients

1 1/2 lbs (7oo grams) rhubarb diced into 1/2 inch pieces (about 6 cups) ****

3/4 cup sugar

1/4 cup flour

1/2 tsp cinnamon

Topping:

1 cup all purpose flour

3/4 cup packed brown sugar

1/2 cup rolled oats

1/2 cup melted butter

Preparation: In a large bowl, toss rhubarb, sugar, flour and cinnamon. Transfer to a lightly greased 8 inch square baking pan

For the toppping: In a a bowl, toss together flour, sugar, and oats. Drizzle in butter. Mix well with a fork. Sprinkle over rhubarb mixture.

Bake in a preheated 375 degree oven for 30 minutes.

END RESULT:

The Star is right..it's the best rhubarb crisp.

***for some reason (probably cause I didnt have enough rhubarb), I used a combo of strawberries AND rhubarb. For this blog entry I used a 1 lb container of strawberries and one cup of rhubarb. It’s still delicious. No one in my family is complaining.

Happy Baking!

After eating my way thru New York City  – it was time for me to, um, eat healthier. This means – cut down on eating out and make more salads at home!!

Here’s two of my favorite corn salads.

(original recipe posted on The Pioneer Woman – sadly I cant find the exact link – sorry )

4 ears of corn, cooked

1/2 red onion, finely chopped

2 large avocados (I used only 1)

1 jalapeno, seeded and finally diced (I only used a little)

Dressing:

juice of 1 lime

plenty of cilantro

salt

1 tbsp of vinegar

1 tsp of sugar

Preparation: Boil water in a saucepan. Then add corn. Boil till tender. Rinse. Drain. Then slice off corn from the cobb.

Dice avocado, red onion and jalapeno.

Dressing: Using a food processor, combine the cilantro, vinegar, lime juice, salt and sugar.

Assembly: Add corn to other ingredients. Pour dressing over the corn mixture. Toss. Cover and refrigerate.

END RESULT:

Barley and Corn Salad with Basil Chive Dressing

(original recipe posted on epiciurious)

2 cups water

3/4 tsp salt

1 cup barley

2 cups corn

1/3  cup oil

1/3 cup  fresh basil

3 tablespoons chives

1 1/2 tablespoons red wine vinegar

1/4 tsp sugar

1/4 tsp black pepper

Preparation:

Bring a large saucepan to boil – then place the corn in the boiling water till tender. Rinse. Drain. Then cut off kernels from the cobb.

Next, bring 2 cups of water with 1/4 tsp of salt to boil in another large saucepan. Stir in barley, then reduce heat and simmer, covered, until barley is tender. About 10-15 minutes

For the Dressing: Pulse in a cusinart – oil, basil, chives, vinegar, sugar and pepper,  and the remaining 1/2 tsp of salt

Assembly: Slice corn of off the ears – transfer to a bowl. Add the barley. Add the dressing. Toss to combine.

END RESULT:

I love salads. Do you?

A few months ago, I received an email from a friend ,with a link to the Russian and Turkish Baths and I knew that I HAD to visit this place on my visit to NYC.

I spent some time looking at the website and knew that it would be an adventure. I wasn’t wrong – it was indeed a great experience. I have never been to anything quite like it.

They have separate hours for women and men. Plus there’s co-ed. My schedule only allowed me to go to the co-ed option. So I packed my bathing suit and off I went.

I was given a key for my locker and told to put my valuables in their safe. (which I did). Then I went to a locker room to get into my bathing suit. I also told the staff at the front desk that I wanted a platza treatment. (no appt necessary – how awesome)

When I walked out of the womens locker room, a RIPPED GUY (did I just say that?) approached me and said “I am Dennis and I’m here to give you your “platza oak leaf treatment”. I honestly was expecting a big fat russian woman but hey – the ripped guy will be just fine. LOL

Dennis told me to experience the different steam rooms and that he would find me later on..so I did.

Lets review what I experienced:

• The Russian Sauna: According to the website, the oven is filled with 20,000 lbs of rock which are cooked overnight. During the day, these rocks give off intense heat. Apparently only a handful of places have this type of room in the United States. When you walk in – its really dark – kinda like a cave and there’s these white plastic buckets (like the type you use for mopping your kitchen floor) and a large basin filed with water. When YOU CANT TAKE THE HEAT, you take the bucket and throw COLD COLD water onto yourself.  I loved this room the best.

• Turkish Room – I liked this room too. Kinda like a wet steam room but with a shower inside so you could cool yourself off without having to leave the room (how brilliant).
• Steam Room – this room had so much eucalyptus scent that I started to cough and had to leave. However I returned later on – and got use to it.

• The Redwood Sauna – typical dry shvitz. Not complaining but not my favorite.
• The Ice Cold Pool – I’m not kidding – this is a pool with ICE COLD WATER. I felt the cold IN MY BONES. This is serious Sh*t. I shook my head when I saw people swimming or dunking their whole bodies into this water

Now let’s talk about the people: Not once did I feel uncomfortable even though at 2 p.m on a Sunday there were 15 men and 4 woman there. People were shmoozing away in each room unlike the QUIET ZONE I am use to at other spas. I liked it. One guy was even sharing his home made salt scrub with a whole bunch of us. Nice!!

As for my platza oak leaf treatment. Dennis found me, and then led me into the Russian Sauna (didnt realize it would take place in a public room – but hey – I just rolled with it). He told me to lie on my stomach on one of the benches. He put a towel over my head and then proceeded with the treatment. It felt like I was going thru a car wash. (not when the hard spinning bristles hit the car, but when those long soft ribbons hit the car). I loved it. I really did. Between the heat, the oak leaves hitting my body, and the buckets of cold water splashed on me – it was indeed SUPER RELAXING. I felt like a wet noodle afterwards. I even said “I could do with a nap now”.

I was drained even though the treatment wasnt that long. Then I had a shower (to rinse off the oak leaves) and had a quick head massage and shoulder rub to relax me even more.

Would I go back again? In a heart beat. Would I get a platza oak leaf treatment again? in a heart beat.

PS if you go to YouTube – do a search for “platza treatment” and you will find a video.