Second Harvest’s Lunch Money Days

Second Harvest’s Lunch Money Days

This month is Second Harvest’s Lunch Money Days. During Lunch Money Days Second Harvest asks Torontonians to join the city-wide campaign to donate the equivalent of your lunch money. You can sign up your company, school or business up to run your own Lunch Money Days fundraiser or participate in one of the public Lunch Money Days events. Every $10 raised allows Second Harvest to rescue and deliver enough food to provide 20 healthy meals for those in need, so lettuce give! This year, Lunch Money Days will be celebrated the week of February 25, 2013. Second Harvest’s Lunch Money Days…

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Raptors & MLSE Second Harvest Awareness Night

Raptors & MLSE Second Harvest Awareness Night

On Friday, we were invited to join Second Harvest at the Air Canada Centre to see the when the Raptors take on the Los Angeles Clippers, for Second Harvest Awareness Night. As most of you know I’ve been on the Steering Committee for Second Harvest‘s Toronto Taste for since 2008 and last year was the Co-Chair of the Communications Committee, so it’s obvious Second Harvest is important to me. So it was quite an honour to be invited to join Second Harvest and some of the other supporters in a box to watch the game and see the support from…

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Chef Rossy Earle’s Ropa Vieja

Chef Rossy Earle’s Ropa Vieja

January's recipe in Chefs #LoveCDNBeef is Chef Rossy Earle's Ropa Vieja. Her Panamanian-style Braised Shredded Beef is rich, flavourful, meaty & versatile, Serve with rice for dinner, in tacos, sandwich fillings, or with tortillas & eggs for breakfast.

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Chef Rossy Earle in Chefs #LoveCDNBeef

Chef Rossy Earle in Chefs #LoveCDNBeef

Given Chef Rossy Earle’s easy touch with beef, it wasn’t a hard to know she’d make a great addition to the Chefs #LoveCDNBeef series. When she agreed to participate I started to salivate in anticipation of what dish she’s share with us. I met Rossy at the first Food Truck Eats event a couple of summers ago. We have a lot of friends and connections in common, but I was still unprepared for this passionate, gregarious, focused Chef to embrace me and start introducing me to her food. Traditional Panamanian and Latin dishes, flavours and techniques with an easy sophistication.…

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Breaking the Virgin Diet

Breaking the Virgin Diet

I figure if you are going to reintroduce gluten, sugar, and dairy back into your diet, why not do a three-fer! At last that way what ever payback you experience, and I expect it will be uncomfortable, unpleasant, and unfriendly, it’s worth it. Right? Hey, there’s a rumour there’s peach in this peaches & cream doughnut too, so that makes it healthy. If you were off gluten, sugar and dairy for 2 weeks what would you break your fast with? If you were going for a doughnut, what would you have?

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OFL and Teachers Rally in Allan Gardens

OFL and Teachers Rally in Allan Gardens

And so begins the protests in Allan Gardens. Today during the Ontario Liberal Leadership, a protest/rally was held in Allan Gardens after which the protesters walked over the leadership convention at Maple Leaf Gardens.  It is being referred to by hashtag #J26Rally as the Ontario Federation of Labour and Ontario Teachers protest Bill 115 Teachers, unions, media. Lots of folks protesting, banjos playing, sign carrying, drum beating in Allan Gardens right now! Many, many, teachers from all across Ontario bused in just for the rally. I was impressed by how polite and courteous everyone in the park was.  A quiet “excuse…

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Avocado Caesar Salad Dressing Recipe

Avocado Caesar Salad Dressing Recipe

This Caesar salad dressing recipe was designed to allow me to enjoy Caesars when I wasn’t able to eat eggs. It uses avocado instead of egg and is richer and much better than many of Caesar Salad dressings I've had both in restaurant and commercially, while still staying true to the original flavours in a traditional Caesar Salad dressing.

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Wishing For A 48-Up for My Childhood Peers

Wishing For A 48-Up for My Childhood Peers

When I was in my 20s I saw a movie that really settled itself into my psyche – 35-Up.  It was a documentary which had been compiled over a period of 21 years, starting by interviewing 7-year old British children at a set of schools from different classes, i.e. socioeconomic backgrounds, about their future and dreams. The film maker, Michael Apted,  then reconnected with these children at 14, again at 21 and 35.  Originally it was just going to be a study of 7-year olds from a cross-section of Britain, inspired the Jesuit motto  “Give me a child until he…

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Dumpling of Contention

Dumpling of Contention

You never really know how hard it is to order a dumping until you’ve been craving it for days & it’s not on the menu.  This particular dumpling was the cause of much confusion yesterday when I finally got out of my sick bed and went for the dim sum I’d been craving for almost a week. It’s a pretty standard dim sum dumpling, so standard that I’ve never really had to learn what it’s called in Cantonese. When it’s busy I can usually point at it either as it’s wheeled around on a cart, or from a plate full…

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Who is Making Your Dining Experiences Exceptional?

Who is Making Your Dining Experiences Exceptional?

It’s time again vote in the Canada-wide GE Monogram® – Terroir Awards for Excellence in Hospitality.  These awards are aimed at inspiring, nurturing and celebrating excellence throughout the Canadian culinary industry. They are a great acknowledgement of the hard work and dedication to excellence so many people bring to the Hospitality industry which is often riff with challenges and pressure to compromise and conform. Where the difference between an excellent experience and a mediocre one is often only measured by a 3% increase in tip, an extra photo on Instagram or an extra two exclamation marks in a Yelp review. …

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This Year’s Pickle Bearer – Kaho

This Year’s Pickle Bearer – Kaho

And so it begins, with This Year’s Pickle Bearer – @kahoamano #publicpickle

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Cold morning delay

Cold morning delay

It turns out that the airport express service runs mini buses until 7 am on Sunday mornings. This is a useful piece of information if you happen to be flying south on a cold winter morning and have chosen to leave your bully extra layer, scarf, hat and mitts at home rather than lugging them through airports, customs, transfers and bus rides. because, off you don’t have this piece of information and arrive with just enough time for your airport express bus, you may not realize that the mini bus is your ride until it dots a fast u-turn in…

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birthday flowers!

birthday flowers!

How lovely to receive birthday flowers today! Thank you friends for all the love!

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last road trip of the year

last road trip of the year

last road trip of the year

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I Spy With My Little Eye

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Here are few of the small remarkable things I saw today when I ventured out of my home onto the streets of Toronto.

I saw shoes on sale, with taxes, for less than $5! Shoes that fit my size 10 feet and are if not exactly what I was looking for close enough. Woo hoo!

I saw piles of people wandering aimlessly through the Eaton Centre bumping into each other (and me). Perfect opportunity for an industrious pickpocket.

I saw bouncers at the doors of a clothing store. Yes, bouncers! And yes, more than one! Yeesh!

I saw a guy on a first date (I presume) “flirting” with his date by saying her friend was hot. Then asking to see more pictures of her friend, and referring to this other girl as “my future wife”… I don’t understand why this works, but she’s still talking to him.

I saw a pond hockey game on the pond at Ryerson. Bunch of guys, a couple of boots as goals, and cute couples and families skating around them. And then a man arrived carrying goal posts, 3 sets of hockey skates, and a little girl and a little boy in tow.
I love Canada!

Even in downtown Toronto a community hockey game for all ages can break out! Woo hoo!

It renewed my faith in remarkable things.

packed house at five guys burger and fries

packed house at five guys burger and fries

packed house at five guys burger and fries. #71

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Beadery – shopping with mom for her ingredients.

Beadery – shopping with mom for her ingredients.

The Beadery in Queen West shopping with mom for her ingredients. It’s only fair since I made her shop with me for mine. Besides she makes such beautiful jewelery with these beads and gives much of it to me!

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Walker in a Winter Wonderland

Walker in a Winter Wonderland

Walker in a Winter Wonderland

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Chef Jonathan Korecki’s Pan-roasted Ribeye w/ Wild Mushrooms, Blistered Kale, Lime-Pickled Shallots #LoveCDNBeef

Chef Jonathan Korecki’s Pan-roasted Ribeye w/ Wild Mushrooms, Blistered Kale, Lime-Pickled Shallots #LoveCDNBeef

December’s Chefs #LoveCDNBeef recipe from Chef Jonny Korecki is perfect for a New Year’s Eve feast. When I prepared it, I actually fussed way more than was necessary.  Turns out it is easy to make, flavourful, and quick to prepare.  On top of that it presents beautifully.  I’m looking forward to making this again soon. A couple of quick notes before you get into the recipe: this was the first recipe with an ingredient I didn’t know and couldn’t find – stalk fresh green peppercorns.  Jonny suggested I could try a Thai-grocery and/or T&T. No luck in either. Luckily it…

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