Recently I had family visiting from abroad (London and Israel to be exact). They had no interest in visiting attractions or museums and basically just wanted to walk around. I was pretty happy with that objective. LOL

So here’s where I took them:

a) Breakfast at Fika in Kensington Market. (78 Kensington Ave)

I knew they would like the space and the food and I was correct.

b) I thought I was a great tour guide as I introduced my visitors to a unique store,  Cocktail Emporium.  (20 Kensington Ave).  For some reason I’ve never been to this place (my bad). We loved milling around the store – someone has truly curated an amazing assortment of  “all things associated with Cocktails”.

c) We then proceeded to Queen St. West so that I could take them to the new Fluevog store. (686 Queen St. W) Um…three pairs of shoes were purchased, which means that it was a hit. Their cool bank vault made an ideal backdrop for a photo.

d) Then it was time for lunch. I decided that Gusto 101 would be the perfect place and indeed everyone enjoyed their meal. However the shining star was their Sangria. One word to describe it:  PERFECT. Something tells me I will be returning for another pitcher, in the near future.

d) Actually there was one attraction that we all attended; the Andy Warhol Revisited Pop Up Exhibit that’s now taking place at 77 Bloor St. W. This exhibit will only be in Toronto till Dec 31 and it’s worth checking out. Tickets: $10 for adults, $8 for seniors and $5 for youth and students.

I had a fantastic time hanging out with my family and enjoyed my role as “tour guide”. Curious to know where you would take visitors if they mentioned to you that they weren’t interested in museums or attractions!! Please do share.

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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)

Not Just Your Average Salad

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.

My Favorite Asparagus Dish

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.

There were 4 different spices in this packet. Sadly I took the photo after I used it…but you can get an idea what it looked like

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

So Tasty

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.

A perfect ending to a summer meal

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.

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