Mother’s Day is around the corner!! If you haven’t bought a gift yet, here’ a few ideas.

1. FOR THE MOM WHO…….Who Loves To Be Pampered.

A getaway to Ste. Anne’s Spa is the answer! Please take a peek at their amazing website which now offers auctions (which I think is a really cool idea). I’ve never been there for an overnight however a day trip certainly does the trick for me!!

2. FOR THE MOM…Who Loves Yoga

Buy her the B Mat. Why? Because  its exceptionally grippy texture, its eco-friendly and its durable. Not to mention it’s NEW, NEW, NEW…it recently launched in February 2014!!

3. FOR THE MOM…Who Runs!!

The Samsung Gear Fit is the perfect gift.

Oh what a treat for someone who loves technology and running. I’m now the proud owner of this watch and can’t wait to get off the dreadmill and use it. I’ve already signed up for a one on one lesson with Telus to learn every possible feature about this watch.

4. FOR THE MOM…Who Has Everything

Head to the AGO Gift Store. I swear you will find SOMETHING. This store really does carry unique (and beautiful) products.

5. FOR THE MOM….Who Loves to Entertain.

I promise you will find something for her at Loblaws!. Once again,  President’s Choice has a STUNNING SPRING line! ps I’ve already bought the napkins (on the left) for my paper napkin collection. Yes – that’s right – I have a paper napkin. (yes..I’m normal)

6. FOR THE MOM…Who Loves Tea

Consider buying Tea from Lemon Lily which offers a beautiful range of organic teas!

7. FOR THE MOM….Who LOVES Handmade Creations.

Head over to ETSY.  Seriously.

8.FOR THE MOM…Who Loves to Read.

I would suggest buying her a Kobo. I’ve been a proud owner of a Kobo since 2010 and can’t say enough about their customer service.

9. FOR THE MOM…Who’s FOODIE

OMG..this is a hard one for me to answer!! In fact I don’t know where to start. A cookbook? a certificate to her favorite restaurant? a cheese box from Taste of Cheese? a cooking class? 18 kg gold chocolate bar from Baroness Chocolates? a food crawl to all her favorite spots? a fresh truffle?

Wishing everyone a Happy Mother’s Day!!

Disclosure: A variety of these companies provided me with product, however all opinions are my own.

 

I love entertaining…the menu planning, the cooking and even setting the table. But I won’t include the “cleaning up” part! (we can save that for another blog post.)

Most of the menu I had made before but there were 2 new recipes (*) that I was checking out and guess what? They were a hit.

-A Deconstructed Salad.

–Spinach Pesto Tilapia

-Roasted Brussel Sprouts (recipe: Barefoot Contesssa)*

-Tomato/Bocacini/Roasted Garlic/Basil Skewers

-Quinoa salad with Apples and a Curry Dressing* (recipe: Martha Stewart)

Dessert: Meringue Nests with Fresh Raspberries

These photos might help you visualize the menu!

-Dessert: Meringue Nests with Whipped Cream and Fresh Raspberries.

As for the table: I thought it would be a great time to buy white tulips, white roses and babies breath. (source: any of the flower stores at Avenue/Davenport)

Hope this blog post inspires you to host a dinner party one day soon as well!

Note: Stay tuned for another blog post as I had more company over last night and made lasagna cups for my first time!

 

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!

 

I love having company over for Friday nite dinner. I have been entertaining on a regular basis since 1990 and it’s always a pleasure to share a meal with my friends, or new neighbors and even people who are new to Toronto and I barely know!! Lately I’ve been sending my guests the menu in advance to make sure that they like everything and have no allergies to anything I’m going to serve.

My rule of thumb these days: One main course and three side dishes. (and dessert, of course)

Last Friday night, the meal I served consisted of:

Phyllo Wrapped Halibut in a Lemon Cream Sauce (see recipe below – courtesy of Allrecipes.com)

Tzatziki: (sorry no official recipe except to combine cucumber slices, crushed local garlic, (I used garlic from Stone Soup Farms) greek yoghurt, and dill in a bowl) ps local garlic makes ALL the difference.

Parmesan Celery Salad (courtesy of Cookbooks 101) ps. click on the link for the recipe!

Jicama with chipotle seasoning and lime juice.

Here’s the recipe for the fish dish. Hope you get a chance to try it.

Phllyo Wrapped Halibut in a Lemon Cream Sauce

The first nite of Chanuka was Saturday Dec 8. and just like every year…..I would be making Potato Latkes. However  this year I decided to make potato latkes using a different recipe (it was time to change things up a bit).

I also decided to throw a Chanuka party for a few friends for the first time in many many years.

This is what was on the table:

• cinnamon walnuts (from Ottawa that my mom brought in for me)
• lemon almonds (see above)
• smoked almonds (see above)
• phyllo cups stuffed with goat cheese and roasted garlic and olive
• roasted chestnuts
• chips
• blackberries/raspberries
• mandarin oranges (the pretty ones with the leaves)
• and booze of course: Luksusowa vodka! Perfect with potato latkes seeing as it’s a potato based vodka!!
• homemade apple sauce and sour cream
• Chex (from Buffalo – of course)

As for the latkes, here’s my not so perfect recipe: I say this as I went to a friends chanuka party and tasted her latkes and there was a world of difference. Hers were so much lighter! I asked her what recipe she used as she said “potatoes, eggs, a bit of flour and a LOT of oil”.

POTATO LATKES

10 cups of grated potatoes (oh how I love my Cuisinart)

4 eggs

1/2 cup matza meal

salt and pepper

Directions:

1. Grate the potatoes (I didn’t bother peeling them)

2. RINSE

3. Wrap the grated potatoes in a dish towel and squeeze, squeeze and squeeze some more!!

4. Add eggs, and matza meal. Stir.

5. Heat oil in a frying pan. Form latkes in your hand and then place carefully into the frying pan. Fry till golden on both sides

FINAL PRODUCT:

Plus I made my own applesauce. This is a no brainer – 3 fuji apples (not peeled, chopped), cinnamon, a bit of water. Place all ingredients into a saucepan over medium heat and bingo you have applesauce. I threw it into the Cuisinart to get it to the right consistency.

 

Happy Chanuka!!

 

 

Hi. My Name Is Vicky and I collect CHINA. Here’s how it started.

I grew up in a house with a lot of china – my mother loves having different sets of dishes.  You could say she has a collection!! There’s a set for brunch, a set for formal dinners, a set for every day, a set for special holidays, a set for no specific reason etc etc.

Guess who is in the same situation these days? that’s right…me!  I have  a collection of 6 different sets as well. Despite the fact that I just moved from a house to an apartment, I could not part with one set. They all have some form of meaning to me, not to mention, I really do hope that I will USE them and they won’t just sit in the cupboard.

Here’s some details about the 6 sets of china I own:

1.  This set is called Black Onyx  from Ainsley  (now discontinued)) and was purchased 21 years ago. Back then it was a FORTUNE (let me repeat – a fortune). I use this set mostly for formal holiday meals and I’m proud to say that 21 years later – the entire set is in perfect condition.

2. This next collection consists of 12 different tea cups with matching saucers. I can’t even remember the last time I used it but I know it’s been YEARS. However I love the “look” and I love the IDEA of having tea on a Sunday afternoon. (with 11 friends of course)

3. This set was buried so deep, I didnt even know I had it till I moved. No joke.

4. This set I bought at Target just before I moved and it’s now my every day set. However I have been using these dishes for Friday nite dinners as I’m really enjoying a more contemporary look. Do you know what I mean?

5. This set I inherited from my grandmother. I couldnt part with it. Again, I havent used it for YEARS but it’s meaningful and it’s going nowhere. I also inherited another set of dishes from my grandmother that I use every year during Passover. This means that I have 6 different sets of dishes. This is a problem!!

You are probably asking “where oh where does she store all these china sets”? Here is the answer: I have an entire shelf dedicated to china in my ONE hallway cupboard. I invested in those “china storage containers” and believe it or not – they are all labelled. Plus I have one box of china in the storage unit that came with the apartment.

Is there anyone out there with the same type of china collection?? I should start a club – “The China Diaries” as each set of china has a story!!

ps I also collect postcards…..stay tuned.

Entertaining Made Easy…According to momwhoruns:

a) select a date and then invite the guests

b) decide on the menu. I generally do one main course, 3 sides, one dessert. The internet saves me. You can find all the recipes by clicking on the item. I’m pretty sure I found all of them on tastespotting.

c) buy groceries and begin to cook. (often I do this in stages vs. doing it all at once).

d) buy flowers and set the table.

e) ENJOY the good food and the great company.

Here’s what I served to guests a few weeks ago:

Roasted Carrot Cumin Dip

Quinoa and Smashed Herb Salad (sorry no photo – had a senior moment)

Barefoot Contessa’s Basil Mashed Potatotes

Baked Salmon with Kale and Dill with Harissa

www.tastefoodblog.com

Strawberry Raspberry Crisp. (recipe to follow in another blog post)

Another fav. part of having company over is to set the table and buy the right flowers. What do you think?

I cant wait to entertain next month.