Gift Guide: $100 and Under

This gift guide is slightly random -- what ties the ideas together are fun and festive items that make great little luxuries that someone wouldn't buy themselves, but at an attainable price for you! Unusual candles to cast a soft glow on a winter night, a glittery purse to take to your office holiday party, comfy PJs to lounge around in…take your pick!

Cire Trudon Marie Antoinette Bust Candle, $85

Bobbi Brown Sultry Eye Palette, $55

Pins and Needles Trapper Hat, $34

Aromachology’s Custom Candle Collection, $50

J Crew vintage pyjama set, $69.50

GAP’s Mini-Sequin Purse $39.50 

Pacific Connections Mondrian Tray, $95.00

Bodum Hot Chocolate Jug, $39.99

Penguin Hardback Classics Set of F. Scott Fitzgerald Novels, Starting at $23 each

Jonathan Adler Lacquered Playing Card Set, $68

Gift Guide: For The Gourmand

The holidays are officially approaching, and with a month until Christmas, I figured I’d get started on my gift guides.  First up is a shortlist for your foodie friends who enjoy entertaining and good’ old fashioned eatin’:

William Sonoma Six Months of Cheese, $339.95

Midas Collection of Glassware, $25-$70

Fauchon Taste of Paris Gift Box, $120

Le Creuset Dune Cookware Set, $349.95

 

David’s Tea Simply Irresistible Gift Box, $25

Japanese-Flavour Infused Macaroons from La Bamboche  (Umi and Sake, Roasted Yam and Uzu)

Saving Grace’s Savoury French Toast

A couple of my girlfriends and I are some of the more adventurous foodies of our bunch, so every few weeks we have been making a point to try out brunch spots around the city that are new to at least one of us.

This weekend we picked Saving Grace, a cozy restaurant in the Bathurst and Dundas area (which is also home to the buzzed about Hoof Cafe) After waiting outside on the twin park benches for 20 minutes, our trio was seated in a corner nook. (NOTE: seating capacity is not exactly generous so don’t choose Saving Grace for a big get together with your girls!)

I was totally overwhelmed by both the regular menu’s choices  and the daily specials on the blackboard – everything looked so delish and different! To solve the dilemma, my girlfriends and I ordered one extra dish to split amongst us in order to taste as much as possible.

I ordered a tasty mochaccino which was just the right amount of sweet and a perfect start to our meal, and picked the poached eggs with rapini, tomatoes and pancetta as my main.

 

As our group selection, we went with savoury french toast with gruyere, caramelized apples and roasted red onions, which was my favourite!  The buttery bread and combo of salty cheese and sweet apples was divine!

Check it out for yourself at Saving Grace at 907 Dundas St West.

Lazy Sunday

This Sunday I am going to lay low and chill after a few weeks of non-stop action. Nothing sounds more appealing than stretching out on cozy white bedding and taking it easy with a mug of soothing white tea in hand.

Happy Relaxing!

from the top: IKEA +365 mug, Anthropologie Cirruss Bedding, white loose leaf tea, Beverly Owens Fun In The Sun

Winter Salad: Arugula and Bresaola

If you’re into Italian and are looking for a new dish perfect for our increasingly chillier nights, try an arugula and bresaola salad. This hearty salad composed of salty air-cured beef and peppery arugula is a refreshing alternative to the more popular prosciutto, and takes just minutes to prepare.

You can find bresaola in vacuum-sealed packages at Italian markets and high-end grocers. Serve the salad with crusty bread grilled with olive oil and olives for a lighter meal that is satisfying and delicious!

Arugula and Bresaola Salad

• 1 package of bresaola (roughly 8-10 small slices)
• shards of parmigiano regiano
• a few handfuls of arugula, washed and dried
• wedges of lemon
• good quality extra virgin olive oil
• fresh ground pepper
• 1/4 cup of basil chiffonade
• balsamic glaze (optional)

1. Spread the arugla on a platter and lay the slices of bresaola evenly over top
2. Sprinkle shards of parmigiano and basil chiffonade
3. Drizzle olive oil sparingly and squeeze some of the lemon wedges
4. Dollop balsamic glaze on top if you desire to add a hit of tart sweetness

Tea Party Time

In the midst of tackling a massive project for school that has left me dealing with 4am bedtimes for one too many nights, I squeezed in a ladies tea party for my boyfriend’s lovely grandmothers, mother and sister and my own momma at our apartment.

I called the tea for mid afternoon and as such, went with a sweet tea, instead of going all out with scones, sandwiches and clotted cream, which I adore but will leave to an occasion which I have more time to spend in the kitchen!

Keeping within my apartment’s scheme of black, white and gold,  I set the table with a black ribbed tablecloth and my gold chilewich runner and used a mix of my Marcel Wanders for Target gold appetizer plates, pink tea cups and saucers from my mother’s collection, and a funky vintage squiggle tea pot and copper-plated platters I inherited from my grandmother.

Instead of using traditional place cards, I set a camellia-shaped sugar cookie embellished with the guest’s initials in gold dragees at each setting. They turned out so well and doubled as a treat that they took home to snack on later.

Scrumptious sweets served on cute patterned doilies from Teatro Verde were almost too pretty to eat! Macaroons from MoRoCo and jam-cookies and mini-pastries from Pusateri’s were divinely delicious! We had a great time and I definitely plan on throwing more tea parties in the future!

Marlie’s Apartment: Progress Report

My sister Marlie and I have been busy bee’s scouring the city for fabric, furniture and art for her new apartment. We settled on a fresh scheme of bright neutrals with tons of texture and pops of pink and orange to add some feminine flair.

So far we have purchased an off-white comfy sectional and shag rug for her living room from ELTE, a pretty venetian mirror for her powder room, and an awesome reproduction of the vintage Lolita film poster. Other items we have our eye on include some toss cushions fabrics by Manuel Canovas, a burnt orange vinyl for a custom tufted ottoman, as well as the Suffolk Setee by Crate and Barrel…

Bloody Bachelorette Party

As Halloween 2010 comes to a close, I thought I’d post some photos of the  “bloody bachelorette party” my girlfriends and I threw for our bestie who is getting married in a few weeks.

We donned some ghastly bruises and fake blood with our special custom T-shirts to form a spooky bridal party. The guest of honour looked super fab as a gothic bride and we had a great time fete’ing her last days a single gal.

Plenty of ghoulish treats were served, such as my infamous sugar cookies that I customized with the bridge and groom’s initials, along with some bloody cosmo’s and orange jello shots to get our night on the town started off right!

Happy Halloween!