Friday Favorites

TGIF! Today is my last day of work in 2014. I get 2 weeks off and will be leaving for Montreal tomorrow. I can’t wait to see my family and friends. I’ll also be taking some time off from the blog and will be back and better than ever in 2015! In the meantime, here’s how I spent my week:

Fried chicken & waffles for brunch from The Rosedale Diner

A grown-up winter coat from SOIA & KYO that cost me a fortune but it’s an investment

The best ornament ever

Drinks with some of my girls

Annual visit to the Christmas Market

Happy Holidays to one and all. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Tasty Tuesday: Holiday Party Recipe Round-Up

With holiday parties come obligations. Here are some easy recipes for the next time they need you to “volunteer” for something:

1. Sugar Cookies: My go-to recipe

2. Cheese Puffs: As soon as I saw these on C&C, I knew I had to try them

3. Artichoke Dip: Everyone loves a good dip

4. Lomo Ham and Fig Platter: Two ingredients, no cooking involved and it still looks so festive

5. Grapefruit White Wine Spritzer: Easy to mix when you get to the party

Happy Tuesday!

Friday Favorites

Happy Friday one and all! Here are a few things I’m loving right now.

Some awesome posters from the burrito place next to my work:

Last night’s play that I really enjoyed. You should definitely go see it if you can!

I just finished reading this and it’s become one of my favorite books ever.

Still thinking about the amazing chocolate and beer from last week’s Beer School.

There’s only one class left, so don’t miss out!

Hope you all had a great week and an even more wonderful weekend!

Movie + Food Pairings

Inspired partly by this post and partly by The Hundred-Foot Journey (just read the novel and am planning on watching the film), I got to thinking about what movie and food pairings I would actually take the time to prepare then consume while watching. The important part for me would be that I’d need to really like the food that went with the movie in order to go through the effort of making it, instead of just microwaving some popcorn. I’ve narrowed it down to three movies, two I’ve seen, one I haven’t but heard good things about, with food pairings that range from beginner to expert. Here are my top three recommended movie + food combinations:

Beginner
Drinking Buddies + Beer
This requires little to no effort. You just need to buy beer, open a bottle and turn on Netflix. I can’t believe I haven’t reviewed this movie yet. Watched it a couple months ago when we were bored and it is such an amazingly underrated gem. It’s just a funny and honest film with a terrific cast. Go watch it. Here are some new beers out this month at the LCBO.

Intermediate
The F Word/What If + Fool’s Gold Loaf
My love for this movie is no secret. It’s coming out on DVD this month so I suggest you grab a copy and follow this recipe. They talk a lot about Elvis’ favorite snack in the movie and I’m dying to test it out. Bread, good. Jam, good. Peanut butter, good. Bacon, best. Put them all together and it has to work, right?!

Expert
Chef + Cuban sandwiches
Ever since I missed out on seeing this film in theaters, I’ve been waiting for it to come out on DVD. Finally my wait is over and I can devote an entire date night to making Cuban sandwiches, since apparently you can’t watch this movie without craving one. Here‘s a recipe I might try…or if all else fails, I’ll just head to La Cubana to get my fix.

Happy Hump Day!

Tasty Tuesday: Cooking with Beer

Hope everyone had an awesome weekend (three days off in Canada)! I know I did. My boyfriend’s family was in town and we ate good food, visited the Bata Shoe Museum, enjoyed a movie and just had an overall great time. But now it’s back to our regularly scheduled program. In this week’s food post, I wanted to share with you the best recipes that use beer. My obsession with beer has grown from working with Cicerone Crystal Luxmore. And now aside from drinking it, I’ve discovered that it’s a great ingredient for cooking. Plus since you don’t usually use up the whole can or bottle of beer, you get to drink the rest. My go-to blog for beer recipes is The Beeroness.

If you like Guinness…try this Stout Mongolian Beef recipe.

It’s super delicious and ideal for those cool fall nights. It’s very easy and takes next to no time. Keith loved it and the leftovers were even better the next day.
Beer suggestion: Guinness (Why mess with the original?)

If you like IPAs or Pale Ales…make Drunk Shrimp Diablo.

You can adjust the spiciness by reducing the red chili flakes, which I need to do since I can’t handle too much heat. It’s also a good idea to have extra IPAs on hand to douse the flames.
Beer suggestion: Collective Arts Brewing’s Rhyme and Reason (One of the few pale ales that I enjoy)

If you like brown ale…then this Honey Chili Beer Chicken is for you.

This has everything I’m looking for in a recipe. Ingredients that are already in my kitchen, using just one pot and having everything ready in less than an hour. The brown ale just enhances the honey flavor and makes the whole dish richer.
Beer suggestion: Black Oak Brewing Co.’s Nut Brown Ale Hands down the best brown ale I’ve ever drank

If you like wheat beer…use one of your freshly-picked (or store bought) apples for Caramel Apple Beer Bread.

This dessert (or breakfast if you’re like me) is perfect for fall. I can’t wait to try this one since it seems surprisingly uncomplicated for a bread recipe. You can probably omit the caramel but why would you?
Beer suggestion: Side Launch Brewing’s Wheat Beer My favorite wheat beer!

Hopefully you’ll give cooking with beer a chance because it’s absolutely delicious. Happy Tuesday and happy cooking!

Friday Favorites

Happy Friday one and all! Hope you had a terrific week. I’m very excited for the Lorde concert I’m going to tonight. But before we look to the weekend, here are some of my favorite things from this week:

Our friend Greg gave us these sweet Game of Thrones coasters to add to our collection:

Wednesday was Games Night where we played and had my new go-to beer. Speaking of, did you know it’s Toronto Beer Week?

I forgot to post my Fan Expo outfit last week, so here it is. Two seconds after exiting my building, I already got a compliment on the skirt. I’m really going to miss wearing it!

I love this “Thank You” card we received yesterday. It matches our kitchen!

And finally, obsession of the week:

Have an awesome weekend!

Tasty Tuesday: NFL Week 1 Recipe Round-Up

Football Season is almost upon us and I could not be more excited. The season seems to end far too soon and then our watch begins…but now the wait is over because my Seahawks are taking on the Green Bay Packers in Thursday’s Season Opener. The rest of the league joins in on the fun on Sunday. In the spirit of gathering up some friends to watch the big game, I’m rounding up my favorite crowd-pleaser recipes.

The Drink: Beer

Why mess with a tried and true thing? Beer is to football as Rocket is to Groot. These are just a few of my suggestions but by all means get a six-pack of your go-to brew.

The Dip: Guacamole

I love avocados so when I saw this recipe for guacamole with a twist (you add beer!), I was sold. It’s going to be the perfect chip dip for this season.

The Main: Chicken Wings

Jerk. Chicken. Wings. JERK. CHICKEN. WINGS. ‘Nuff said.

The Dessert: Pretzel S’more Crunch Bar

It’s a mouthful to say and hopefully an even tastier one. When I saw this recipe on Cupcakes and Cashmere, I’ve been looking for an excuse to make it. I think repurposing salty pretzels for dessert is genius.

Happy Eating and happy Tuesday. GO HAWKS!

Friday Favorites

Happy Friday! Labour Day Long Weekend aka Fan Expo aka probably the last weekend of summer is upon us. Do everything in your power to enjoy it to the fullest. That’s what I’ll be doing. Some of the highlights from this week:

New deck of cards from the Sin City 2 screening we went to. My review of A Dame To Kill For here.

If I don’t satisfy my craving for Japanese once a week, I can’t function. Luckily I can always get one of my friends to indulge me.

Doctor Who Series 8 premiere essentials: TARDIS, sonic screwdriver, English ale.

My obsession continues…Had our neighbors over for the Emmys and it turned into a beer tasting night!

I highly recommend Unibroue’s Éphémère Cranberry, Tree Brewing Co.’s Mellow Moon Pineapple Hefeweizen and Beau’s Festivale Altbier if you’re looking for some Labour Day drinks.

Have a great weekend!

Tasty Tuesday: WVRST Review

Last week I met up with two of my friends, one of whom is moving to Calgary. We spent the whole afternoon together, eating, drinking and catching up. I know I’m very late to the party. But after months and months of wanting to, I finally got to try Wvrst in King West. It’s a sausage hall that has an amazing craft cider and beer selection. The cider is what brought me here, the sausage is what made me stay.

Their menu is pretty straightforward. You choose the kind of sausage you want, from traditional to vegetarian to game. Then you either get it in a bun with toppings or sliced and served with a tomato curry sauce. Their duck fat fries are also pretty amazing. For my first visit, my friend and I shared a Calabrese and a Duck sausage.


The Calabrese had the right amount of kick and the Duck was rich and flavorful. I didn’t think the curry sauce would go well with both sausages but it worked. I will definitely be back to try the other types.

Another great thing about Wvrst was that you could get samplers. Seeing as we wanted to try as many of their ciders, we opted for the cider sampler but I’m pretty sure they have a beer one as well. It came in a cute little tray with numbers identifying them.

There was a blood orange cider that tasted exactly like cream soda!

The food and drinks aren’t the only great thing about Wvrst. I also really liked the decor. From the long, communal tables to the pretty strung lights and cool bar, it’s definitely a great place to hang out with a group of friends, maybe for a birthday party.

If you still haven’t tried it, then I highly recommend you do. Sure, it may seem a little overpriced for a sausage but you’re paying for the selection they have, the atmosphere and the location. I’m looking forward to my next visit already.

Happy Tuesday!

Friday Favorites

Happy Friday! My plans for this weekend will be to take advantage of the last days of summer since fall has decided to come early, or at least give us a preview of its presence. Hopefully we still get a few warm days before the cold season truly arrives.

Missing the Philippines…

My new favourite beer & food pairing: saison and sushi!

Two movies on my must-watch list this weekend

Have an awesome weekend!