Food & Drink

For those of you who are well traveled, you’ve likely come to appreciate that different cultures have their own set of preferences. When it comes to coffee, that’s certainly no different! Europeans prefer their coffee short (typically from an espresso machine with more intensity). Meanwhile, North Americans enjoy their daily dose in larger, dripped formats. As for me, I prefer to start my day with lighter intensity and generally in a larger sized cup. But I do enjoy an dark roast espresso shot as an afternoon pick-me-up!

Last Friday, I had the pleasure to join the Nespresso and Chef Ricardo at the Nespresso Cafe, on celebrating the launch of the #NespressoMorning campaign. Over a delicious breakfast, we celebrated the release of Solelio (“rising sun” in Italian) and Giornio (“day” in Italian), the two newest addition to the VertuoLine Grands Crus range as breakfast blends. For us coffee lovers, we often associate the smell of coffee with waking up, and what better way then to wake up with the perfect first cup from Nespresso’s newest Grand Crus large-cup coffees that was designed with Canadians taste buds in mind!

Read more to find out how you can sample a complimentary cup of your own!

Cheers to the weekend friends! So glad that I get to spend the weekend at home because May was an intensely crazy month for me, I barely spent anytime at home this month due to work travels. I’m so excited to be spending time at home with the husband and finally get the chance to enjoy our newly renovated kitchen (more to come on that!)!

With so much business travel that went on over the past few weeks, instead of kicking off the weekend with a cocktail, I decided to throw together an insanely delicious mocktail instead. I took my brand spanking new SodaStream Power Machine for a spin and I’m truly amazed. With just some water and a quick hit of a button, I was able to make quality soda water right from my own kitchen. Not only does this save me time but it is super handy for cocktails and drink recipes, there are also many more added benefits of carbonating at home!

Read further to see how to make your own Black-currant Lime Mocktails!

You’ve heard it way too many times, “Breakfast is the most important meal of the day!”, and friends, it’s totally true! I can’t go a day without breakfast. On the weekends, Kyle and I have the luxury of time, which means we typically indulge when it comes to preparing for our breakfast or going to one of our favourite brunch spots in the city.

During the weekdays we are often super rushed in the morning and prepping a hearty yet healthy and delicious breakfast can seem like a challenge. But, it doesn’t have to be!!

I came to master the art of creating a variety of breakfast bowls. My latest invention combines the usual ingredients such as yogurt, fruits, and granola but I added Genuine Health fermented Greek yogurt proteins+ products to make them extra protein packed!

This video tutorial originally appeared on Mode.com

The weekend is just around the corner and I often look forward to entertaining friends and family. If throwing an extravagant dinner party doesn’t interest you much but playing the “Haute Hostess” is, I guarantee you’ll love this simple entertaining inspiration that requires little work from you but offers huge impact for your guests.

Get ready to round up the #squad for brunch at your place because I teamed up with Mode to reveal my secrets for creating a fun (and seriously delicious) DIY buffet station where guests can decorate doughnuts and make mimosas just the way they like them!

Watch my latest video to see how to prepare your own DIY Doughnut and Mimosa Bar just in time for the weekend or Mother’s Day!

I really enjoy having a cup of coffee or espresso after a nice meal, I find that it’s such a great substitute for dessert without adding the extra bit of calories. However, from time to time, I LOVE adding dessert into the mix because let’s face it, they’re just way too tempting! A few weeks ago, while I was brewing a cup of coffee after dinner, I ran out of milk. I improvised and created a makeshift affogato dessert by adding some vanilla ice-cream. It was so delicious! My unplanned affogato dessert was such a success that I couldn’t help but to attempt again.

This sprinkle version is a fun and modern take on the classic affogato dessert.

It was prepared with a scope of Sprinkle Party Cake ice-cream and topped with a shot of Nespresso espresso! Keep reading for the full recipe!

When it comes to food, I prefer variety. There really isn’t too many food items that I would consider eating on a daily basis, but I can say that yogurt seems to make the list. Whether it’s preparing breakfast parfaits, fruit milk shakes, or a photo-worthy smoothie bowl, I love combining my favourite yogurts into these recipes. With the warmer season fast-approaching (one would hope!). I wanted to create a frozen yogurt treat that was not only healthy but tasty while satisfying my sweet tooth.

I was recently introduced to the new IÖGO pouches large format and I’m so impressed with it. These large pouches are perfect for me because I go through so much yogurt on a weekly basis. The pouches are extremely practical and prevents any mess and spills.

I promise you, these frozen fruity yogurt bites will take you less than 10 minutes to prepare and ready to enjoy once they’ve had some time to cool off in the freezer.

Read further for the full recipe.

It’s Easter and that means I’ve got plenty of mini eggs stashed around the house. Instead of stuffing my face with them, these little pastel goodies inspired me to incorporate them in an Easter themed dessert that is sure to impress.

Whether you’re hosting a simple brunch of elaborate dinner this Easter Sunday, greet your family and friends with these extremely simple Easter Meringue Nests! I used some fabulous new PC products from the latest PC Insiders Collection to give me a hand which required no baking/cooking and only a few minutes to prep and assemble. I also used yogurt as the filling for a healthier alternative (bonus!).

Read further to learn more about these Easter Meringue Nests and a chance to win $100 PC gift card! Happy Easter!

Whether it’s days in the office or working from home, I always prefer to jump start my day with a cup of coffee. I love the taste and aroma of coffee. For me, it’s an instant wake-up call and also helps with my productivity. Now, if you spend most of your days in the confines of your company office, you may not have a choice when it comes to brewing your own, and therefore, most of us defer to coffee shops for our daily dose. However, if you’re like me, and have the opportunity to work from home (at least a couple times a week), selecting the perfect coffee machine becomes that much more important!

Today, I’m excited to share the announcement of a new partnership. I’ve officially been coined as one of Nespresso‘s Coffee Connoisseurs! This means I will be sharing loads of fun coffee how-to’s, recipes, and exciting news from Nespresso over the next several months!

First on the list, I’d like to introduce you to the life-changing Evoluo coffee machine from the VertuoLine collection.

Happy Friday friends! What better way to kick off the weekend then with a deliciously beautiful cocktail? I love sangrias. The combined flavours of red wine, assorted berries and citrus fruits is just absolutely tantalizing. I admit that I am no cocktail connoisseur, but from time to time, I’ve successfully managed to prepare a few crowd-pleasing cocktails by throwing a few unexpected ingredients together.

This DIY Campari cocktail was inspired by my adoration for sangrias. I used the slight bitterness of Campari and blood oranges as my base (similar to red wine) and added a few of my favourite things.

Read further to see the recipe on how to create this Campari Sangria cocktail for to jump start your weekend!

I adore naked cakes. I love the simplicity and elegance it offers and each and everyone has its own character, they’re perfectly imperfect. My sister and cousin gifted a naked cake to Kyle and I as our wedding cake and I absolutely loved it (see more wedding photos here). I’ve been meaning to recreate one as a side project, but the truth is, I’m no baker. I can’t seem to follow baking instructions correctly and much of my baking attempts typically turn into a disaster.

It was the perfect timing when Therese from ARTIESE Fine Art Photography approached me to collaborate on a creative shoot with her. I thought I’d take this opportunity to help those of you who suffer from the same baking issue as me. Don’t fret, I’ve got just the perfect DIY for you, to transform a store bought iced cake, into a beautiful, personalized, naked cake.