Weekly Roundup - September 28, 2012

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Porter Lounge - On Saturday morning my mom and I escaped Toronto and our troubles for a pre-25th Birthday New York City getaway! Back in the Spring after returning from Israel and itching for another trip, my mom and I had found an incredible deal for flights to New York. Too good to not take advantage of, we booked a 3 day, 2 night trip to New York! It was our first time flying with Porter airlines, and happily it met the high expectations we had thanks to all of the Porter hype we have been hearing for years now. It was such a stress-free and speedy traveling experience! One of my favourite parts was the Porter lounge, complete with big, cushy seating, complimentary Wifi, an espresso machine, snacks including salted almonds and shortbread cookies, beverages, and more!

Markt Croque Monsieur - After arriving in New York and stowing our bags, we were desperate to sit down, relax, and enjoy a delicious New York meal. We hadn't made any reservations beforehand, but we knew we would find great food as long as we kept our eyes open for crowds. On Sixth Avenue we came across Markt Restaurant, a buzzing French café with a cute patio and large open floor-to-ceiling glass windows. We immediately got a table right next to the patio (perfect for people watching) and ordered Eggs Benedict (my mom) and a Croque Monsieur sandwich (myself). This perfect grilled cheese hit the spot to give me the energy to take on New York!

GROM Gelato - After lots of walking, sightseeing, and window shopping, we joined the long line outside of GROM Gelato for a cup of the indulgent Italian treat. One of the best cups of gelato I've tasted, I couldn't get enough of the Espresso and Baccio combo we ordered.

A.O.C Oysters - While strolling around Bleecker St. during the day, we were taken by a cute French restaurant with a beautiful backyard patio and a steal of a Prix Fix menu at $25, including foie gras and Filet mignon. We put our names down for dinner at A.O.C that evening on the spot!

Central Park - Here's me (Danielle Rose), happy as a clam on a beautiful stunner of a day in Central Park. This was my fourth visit to New York and although I've strolled a little bit of the historic park before, I've never really walked through the whole thing, getting to see the beautiful man-made pond filled with happy couples in canoes and even a gondola, the stunning Bethesda Fountain (that I'm sitting on the edge of here), or the striking John Lennon memorial Strawberry Fields. Getting to really experience Central Park this time around made my love for this magical city grow even stronger! 

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Columbus Street Festival - After our leisurely stroll around Central Park, we decided to just walk around and see if anything would catch our interest. Lucky for us, we happened to stumble across the Columbus Street Festival. Full of flea markets, food carts, clothing and perfume stands, and a live band singing the Blues, the festival was just what we needed to cap off the perfect Sunday in New York. Without any agenda, it was great to have the time to take in the festival, dance to the music, drink a pint right on the New York street, and watch as nearby residents stuck their head out their apartment windows to experience the excitement from above. This was one of my favourite parts of the whole weekend!

Converse Stars & Stripes - In the Converse star in Soho I was taken by their striking wall display of rows upon rows of converse shoes in red, white, and blue, lining the walls to symbolize the American flag. I love how patriotic New Yorkers are.

Dos Caminos Tacos - After faking sick to get out of a horrible restaurant (don't worry, we hadn't ordered anything yet) we ended up at Dos Caminos, a modern Mexican restaurant with locations in New York, New Jersey, and Florida. With a heated outdoor patio and killer margaritas, Dos Caminos was a great place to spend our last evening in New York.

M Bar at the Mansfield Hotel  - With prices of New York hotels as sky high as their buildings, we decided to check out some boutique hotel options. Although still expensive (after all, this is still New York) we decided upon the Mansfield Boutique Hotel, located in Central New York, for its reasonable prices, complimentary breakfast, free Wifi, and independent appeal. The complimentary breakfasts, served at the Mansfield's M Bar, were delicious with my favourite of the two mornings being their poached eggs on brioche with truffled hollandaise. We also loved the complimentary espresso machine that ran 24hrs, that we definitely took advantage of!

Eataly Tagliatelle with Short Rib Ragu  - One of the highlights of my trip of course involves food. I had been hearing about Eataly NY for months now, and have been dying to go, but all this time I thought it was just a restaurant. Boy was I ever wrong. So much more than just a restaurant, Eataly is a retail space, culinary school, has numerous restaurants inside, and is, in fact, a philosophy! Bringing the highest quality and most authentic ingredients from across Italy to New York, while collaborating with some of the city's top Italian chefs, Eataly was one of the most well done and special food experiences I have ever had. I'll leave it at that for now, because I could go on and on talking about Eataly, or what I now refer to as 'Heaven on Earth', and I need to save something for my upcoming blog entries on my New York adventures. In the meantime, definitely check out their website and learn about this celebration of all things Italian.

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Eataly - One of my favourite sections to browse at Eataly was La Pizza & La Pasta section where we sat down to enjoy an incredible lunch. While waiting for our table (only a 10 minute wait!) we drooled over the fresh pasta counter filled with the most beautiful and delicious sounding house-made pastas I have ever seen! At the counter we were lucky enough to sample their house-made gnocchi in a wild boar ragu, which absolutely blew me away! Never in life have I tasted such light gnocchi, and the sauce was to die for!

Eataly - I have always loved the look of a beautiful brick pizza oven. Eataly's pizza oven was like a typical pizza oven all dressed up for a night out, covered in glistening gold tiles. They were so stunning, I had to take a photo!

Eataly Margherita Pizza - Because we couldn't possibly choose between ordering just pizza or pasta for lunch, my mom and I decided to order a pasta dish and a pizza to split to taste the best of both worlds. Although Eataly's pizza menu had numerous tempting flavours, we decided to go with a classic margherita pizza to compare it to our favourite pizza in Toronto, Pizzeria Libretto. As much as I go crazy over Libretto's incredible margherita pizza, Eataly's wins as my all-time favourite pizza! What bumped Eataly to number one? It all came down to the cheese! I've always found Libretto a little stingy on the cheese, whereas Eataly topped their delicious thin crust pizzas with a generous amount of mozzarella cheese!

Toronto Sky - It's always hard to return home and go back to reality after a vacation. You always seem to catch a case of "the grass is always greener", imagining living your life in your vacay destination. It's even harder when your vacay is a mere 2 nights and 3 days. The day after returning home, as I begrudgingly walked to catch my bus, I looked to see the sky illuminated in pink, gold, purple, and orange, an incredibly stunning sight, in my incredibly familiar neighborhood. It was a good reminder to see the beauty of things to matter where you are.

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Listening To:
Alabama Shakes - You Ain't Alone

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Roasted Figs with Goat Cheese Prosciutto & A Balsamic Reduction

Things have been so busy, crazy, and stressful lately that it's been hard to keep track of the little things, including using up food in the fridge. Only 2 days before my mom and I fled Toronto for a NYC early- 25th bday weekend escape, I noticed that there was a completely untouched package of figs in the fridge, about to hit their final day. Just a little too ripe, I wanted to come up with a way to utilize the softer texture of the over-ripened fig. After doing a quick search in the fridge, and some recipe brainstorming, I came up with Roasted Figs with Goat Cheese Prosciutto and A Balsamic Reduction. Perfect for your next cocktail party, or over a bottle of wine with a friend, this simple and delicious appetizer combines the sweetness of fresh figs stuffed with tangy goat cheese, with salty and crispy prosciutto hugging the cheese-stuffed fig in place. Sweet and salty, creamy and crisp, this appetizer is the perfect little bite in between sips of your favorite cocktail or wine!

Tip: Roast your stuffed figs in the toaster oven to save energy. 

Ingredients:

10 medium-large fresh figs

about 1/2 cup goat cheese, chilled

5 slices prosciutto

1/2 cup balsamic vinegar

1/2 tsp sugar

Directions:

1. Using a sharp knife, cut an "x" into the top of each fig that cuts about 1/2 way down the fig. 
2. Cut small slices of goat cheese and stuff into the slits in the top of the figs.
3. Tear each slice of prosciutto into two, lengthwise. Wrap the prosciutto slices around the stuffed figs, one half per fig. 
4. Place on a non-stick tray or a tray lined with parchment paper and roast in a 350º oven or toaster oven for 5 minutes, or until prosciutto edges begin to crisp.
5. While figs are roasting, make the balsamic reduction. In a small pot, bring the balsamic vinegar to a boil. Reduce heat to medium and cook the balsamic vinegar, whisking constantly. Add the sugar and cook down until reduced by about half while continuing to whisk. Immediately remove from heat.
6. Place roasted figs on a serving tray and drizzle with the balsamic reduction. Serve immediately.

Listening To:
Ghostface Killah And Kanye West And Pusha T - New God Flow.1

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GET YOUR TICKETS: sip & Savour Ontario 2012

The Ultimate Local Wine & Food Experience!

The Best of Ontario Locally Grown Food and Gourmet Cuisine, Paired with Ontario VQA Wines

• 28 Ontario Wineries - 2 Gourmet Food Trucks - 6 Celebrity Chefs - 3 Culinary Demonstrations, including contestants from Top Chef Canada Season 2
• Award-winning Ontario VQA wines will be paired with elegant and delectable offerings of regional cuisine inspired by local chefs.
• Silent auction benefitting Houselink, which provides housing solutions for people living with mental health challenges and at risk of being homeless.

When: 

Wednesday, October 3, 2012

7:30 to 10:00 PM

Where: 

The Distillery Historic District

Fermenting Cellar

55 Mill Street, Toronto

Ticket Prices:

$85.00

Special group rates now available! Buy 5 tickets and get 10% off your order!

Price includes tastings, appetizer pairings, complimentary shuttle, and donation to Hosuelink HST extra.

To purchase your tickets visit: www.sipandsavourontario.ca

Complimentary shuttle service with Niagara Airbus from Royal York Hotel to event. Pick-up side entrance on York Street. Intervals of service will vary depending on traffic. Event parking is available at the Distillery. 

Listening To:

Kanye West, Big Sean & Jay Z - Clique

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Weekly Roundup - September 21, 2012

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LEGO Cupcakes - Every year as that September chill begins to permeate the air, my sister begins brainstorming the perfect birthday theme for her boyfriend Duncan. In the past Duncan has been thrown everything from a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle party, a Baller party, to this years LEGO party! Despite turning 27 years old, Duncan still has a great appreciation for the simplicity and intricacies of different games and toys, with LEGO being one of his favourites, and really, with such a classic brilliant toy/game, who could blame him? I wanted to make a LEGO themed dessert for for the party, and although I found some really cool LEGO cake recipes out on the web, my sister felt that good 'ol classic chocolate cupcakes with LEGO coloured icing, topped with sweet LEGO candy would do the trick.

Poppin' Bottles - Thanks to my sister Justine's champagne birthday this past April (a champagne birthday is when you turn the age of your birthday date, ie. Justine's turned 22 on April 22 this year!) her boyfriend Duncan discovered his affinity for Moet Champagne. As a special birthday gift to himself, D bought some Moet to share with some of the early arriving guests (myself). Dude sure knows how to do it up big!

Pin the Head on LEGO Man - To fit the birthday theme each year, Justine always creates a pin the ____ on the ___ game, with those blanks being filled with whatever character fits the theme. This year for D's LEGO party, Justine created a pin the head and logo on the LEGO man game. Guests always have a great time letting the kid in them come out as they spin around blindfolded trying to place the pin the the correct spot.

Happy Birthday D! - Here's Duncan and my beautiful sister Justine smiling as we sing happy birthday to D and light up the candles on his LEGO cupcakes! 

Figs - What a delicious indulgence! I had to create something special for these little babies. 

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TO Craft Beer Week - After spending a long day hiking around a ravine, helping my sister with her photography assignment, I needed something to help me unwind. When I heard that my mom was having a tough day as well, I suggested we head to a restaurant participating in Toronto Craft Beer week for a pint. With a pit stop in the Annex that evening, it was super convenient to head to Grapefruit Moon for some grub and craft beer. Our server suggested we try a just-tapped pumpkin ale that other guests had been raving about. With a cool Fall chill in the air, it seemed fitting to try the pumpkin ale. Although festive sounding, I was disappointed with the lack of spice in the beer and how light it was. I was expecting more of a bold flavour. Still new to craft beer, this was a good opportunity for me to learn what types of questions I should be asking when ordering beer, and to help me learn what exactly I like.

Attacked - I love the family-friendly idea of having old games stocked at Grapefruit Moon for guests to grab and play at their table, but I wasn't so fond of this freaky doll that decided to and on me out of nowhere in the middle of dinner. There was no one around to knock the doll. It was possessed. I was scared.

Roasted Figs with Goats Cheese Prosciutto & Balsamic Reduction - It always seems to surprise me how quickly figs can go bad. I always find myself scrambling to try and come up with a use or recipe for the figs as they hit their final days. Just as I always do, the first place I go to for recipe inspiration is my fridge. I see what other ingredients I have that would compliment my inspiration (this time figs), and begin writing out different recipe combos and ideas. After sketching out various fig combos, I decided to make Roasted Figs with Goats Cheese and Prosciutto, and top them with a drizzle of sweet and sticky balsamic reduction. Sweet, salty, creamy, with just a hint of crispness around the edges of the prosciutto, these roasted figs were the perfect little bite to tide me over as a mid-day snack. I'll post the recipe soon so you can make up these easy little dazzlers for your next cocktail party!

Recipe Brainstorm - Here's a pic of the initial process that I go through to come up with a recipe. I start with an idea and build from there, coming up with as many different options that I can think of that tickle my fancy at that particular moment. As you can see here, my roasted fig recipe could have been very different stuffed with gouda instead of goat cheese, and topped with a drizzle of honey. Different, but just as delicious sounding, I think I'll have to try this one out another time!

The Big Cannoli - Although my mom says she hates having so many meetings all the time, I don't mind at all, as she is kind enough to bring me leftover snacks from the meetings almost every time! The leftovers are always delish, but nothing beats the leftover cannoli that my mom brings back for me every so often! One awesome staff member heads out to The Big Cannoli in Woodbridge whenever she can to pickup an order of some of the best cannoli's I've had in Ontario. Here is that perfect, delicious cannoli, with creamy and silky mascarpone and lemon filling, and the crisp outer shell, dusted generously with powder sugar. Mmmm the best! Thanks mom!

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Listening To:
Radiohead - Creep

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Weekly Roundup - September 15, 2012

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Big Foot: I Not Dead - One of my favourite things to do is hang out at my sister Justine's and her boyfriend Duncan's apartment. Not only do I love hanging out with my sister and her boyfriend, who I now consider to pretty much be my brother in law, I love that entering their tiny apartment always feels like a bit of a treasure hunt. There's always some new piece of furniture that Justine's lugged from the end of someone's driveway into their home, new artwork that Justine's created, new toys and games that Duncan is excited about or a new web page that he's completed, new art books and supplies that Justine has blown her whole budget on for school, not to mention two adorable kittens that always unleash a new surprise on me! Last weekend when I went to hang at their place, the found treasure took the form of a picture book entitled Big Foot: I Not Dead by Graham Roumieu, how could I not open a book like that? The picture book turned out to be a hilarious collection of diary like entries from Big Foot himself, totally inappropriate for children, but perfect for my sense of humor. We spent about a half hour handing the book back and forth between myself and Justine, reading out various entries in our "Big Foot Voice", laughing uncontrollably. You've gotta check this book out!

Breakfast Sandwich - I always say that the only way to have a great day is to start it with a great breakfast! I always make sure to take the time to make something special for myself in the morning, which usually includes eggs, toast, bacon, and/or fruit, but this week I was craving something bigger and better! With a fresh loaf of challah bread on the counter, a breakfast sandwich was the way to go! The combo of fresh toasted bread, bacon, a well-seasoned fried egg, mayo, and lettuce, tomatoes, basil, and chives all from the garden, is truly exceptional! As you can see, I like to take my breakfast sandwich to the next level by adding fresh herbs like basil and chives. Deeeelish!

Wedding S'more Kit - One of the cutest things that I forgot to mention from Jamie and John's wedding a few weeks ago was one of the gifts that all the guests took home, homemade s'more kits! Wrapped in a cute little package, and stamped with "Happily Ever After", the s'more kits looked adorable! So adorable, that I had saved mine for weeks, just looking at the pretty package on my kitchen counter. This week when a chocolate craving hit me, I knew it was time to crack open my s'more kit! Filled with two graham crackers, individually tied with red and white twine, dark chocolate, two squishy marshmallows, and a recipe for homemade graham crackers, the kit looked just as cute once opened, and looked so perfectly "Jamie". I cranked up the gas flame on the stove, made a perfectly toasted marshmallow, and indulged in s'more goodness, day dreaming of their perfect wedding just a few weeks ago.

Quickie Bruschetta - There's nothing like bruschetta made with fresh tomatoes and bail from the garden! With tons of leftover hot dog and hamburger buns still left over from our pool party last week, and tons of fresh tomatoes and basil in the garden, bruschetta was the way to go! It's so so simple to whip up a killer bruschetta! All you need are tomatoes, red onions or shallots, fresh basil, fresh garlic, a splash of both olive oil and balsamic vinegar, and a grind of fresh cracked pepper and sea salt. What's my trick for the perfect bruschetta? I like to brush the bread lightly with olive oil, do a long slow toast so the whole piece of bread is super crunchy, then, immediately after toasting, rub the tops of the bread with fresh garlic, so it sort of melts right into the bread. Warning: DO NOT go on a date after eating this bruschetta! Ooooh garlic breath! Check out the recipe for bruschetta here!

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Listening To:
The xx - Chained

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