Nespresso

Oh it’s that wonderful time of the year again, Christmas! We’re just under a month away and I’m starting to feel the holiday crunch already! Aside from picking up a fresh wreath and pine for our stairwell garland over the weekend, I have not yet started any Christmas shopping or decorations! I have though started to stock the kitchen with all sorts of holiday treats and couldn’t be happier!

One of my favourite winter beverages is hot chocolate. But, I’m often desperately craving coffee too. What’s a girl to do? Combine both of course!

Keep reading to see how to make your own NESPRESSO Whipped Cream Mocha!

If you’re following along on Instagram, you all know how much I love latte art. Since I’ve started my partnership with NESPRESSO as a member of their Coffee Connoisseur Club, I’ve been meaning to attempt my hand at crafting a cup of my own. Needless to say, after observing the local baristas perform this very skillful mastery and watching countless YouTube videos, I’ve yet to succeed at these wonderful little creations.

So, what does a DIY-er such as myself do next?! Hack it!

I can’t believe it’s September! September acts as a reminder that the cooler months are approaching, and that in no time the Fall season and the great things that come along with it (i.e. warm apple pies, hot cocoa, and cable knit sweaters) will be upon us. As much as I enjoy the beautiful colours and coziness of Fall, a part of me is just not quite ready for the Summer to end.

To hold onto the heat for just a little bit longer, I decided to stir up this refreshing Iced Mint Coffee beverage to celebrate the last days of Summer with NESPRESSO’s two new limited edition capsules infused with the sweet flavours of Strawberry Mint leaves harvested from my potted herb garden.

Read more for this simple recipe and learn more about the NESPRESSO Limited Edition capsules.

One of the best things about Summer is the freedom to enjoy ice cream with absolutely no need for a reason or excuse! As much as I love to explore the different trendy ice-cream shops that have popped up all over Toronto, I am not a huge fan of lining up for hours just to get my hands on one! Therefore, we love ending a Summer evening with a bowl of ice-cream at home.

Not sure if any of you have the same problem in your household, but each time we buy a carton, we tend to get bored of the flavour mid way through each tub ends up being half full and then eventually thrown out when they’re finally covered with freezer burn. I recently (brilliantly) figured out a simple ice cream hack to make any ice cream flavour at home without an ice cream maker or fancy ingredients!

Inspired by my love for NESPRESSO coffee, I decided to create this simple “homemade” chocolate chip coffee ice cream from a tub of store-bought vanilla ice cream!

Shop my these cute ice cream bowls!

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It’s going to be a hot one in Toronto this weekend! If you’re looking for something fun to do with friends and family, the Taste of Toronto is in full effect and for you foodies out there, you’re not going to want to miss this! I was invited to join Chef Victor Barry and Master Sommelier Elyse Lambert at a private coffee & food pairing event yesterday with NESPRESSO, the official coffee sponsor of Taste of Toronto and had the opportunity to enjoy the ultimate tasting experience and launch of NESPRESSO’s newest and most intense Grand Cru of the Lungo family – Envivo Lungo.

As a proud member of the NESPRESSO Coffee Connoisseur Club for the past several months, I’ve had the chance to taste and learn about the variety of intensities, notes, and flavours that NESPRESSO coffee has to offer. I’ve also come to share their appreciation of combining exceptional coffee with excellent food, these two elements really do go hand in hand.

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!

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!

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.