Decor, Decor, Decor

As some of you may know, I got married a little under two months ago.  I've always seen pictures and talked to other brides who have said they where brought to tears when they saw their venue all set up and perfect on their wedding day. I didn't quite understand that until I walked into The Venetian on December 10th!

We hired FOS Decor for the decor for our wedding. And when I say decor, I mean, they did everything! From the bouquets, to the center pieces, to the charger plates, they did it all.

How lovely is my bouquet! I wasn't picky when it came to the bouquets and as you can imagine I was very happy when they arrived at my house the morning of the wedding!

The Centerpieces! Where do I begin... I wanted a winter wonderland and winter wonderland I got. FOS went above and beyond with the centerpieces. I was speechless when I saw the hall!

Michael and I with our amazing, wonderful and fabulous creative director, Marc from FOS! Marc was an absolute dream to work with. He understood our vision and ran with it. Anyone would be lucky to work with Marc!

I don't have a ton of pictures to show you but take my word for it, FOS Decor is amazing! I would hire them again in a second!

Have a fabulous day!

Today!

No matter what happened last week....

VIA SF Girl By Bay

Recipe Friday... Tomatoe & Peach Bruschetta

TGIF! I hope you've all had a fabulous week minus the gloomy weather we've had in Toronto.

Tomorrow night Michael and I are having his work friends over for drinks and I think this would be the perfect addition to our menu.

VIA Luxe Finds

All you need is garlic, tomatoes, basil, crostini, peaches and some olive oil. Basically just make your usual bruschetta mix and add in some peaches.

Have a fabulous weekend!

Paint Chip Bookmarks

Instead of folding your page down when you put your book down, why not create one of these adorable paint chip bookmarks.

Another idea, send these to school with your kid on Valentine's Day to hand out to his/her friends. They could write a little message on the back to each oftheir friends.

VIA Pinterest

Have a great Thursday!

Mini Champagne

I don't have a lot of time today so I'm going to make this short, sweet and delicious!

Imagine if you had your own mini bottle of champagne while getting ready for your best friends wedding.

This is nothing less than fabulous if you ask me!

VIA Pinterest

I wish I had thought of this!

Healthy & Delicious Sandwich Options

Tired of the same old, same old for lunch every day? Why not spice up lunch with some of these delicious looking sandwichs.

Here is my favourite recipe:

Crisp Prosciutto, Lettuce, and Tomato

2 slices prosciutto, each torn into 4-inch pieces
1 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
2 slices seven-grain bread, toasted
2 lettuce leaves
2 slices tomato
1/4 avocado, sliced

1. Heat oven to 400 degrees. Arrange prosciutto pieces in a single layer on a baking sheet. Brush with oil and bake until crisp and deep golden brown, about 9 minutes, rotating halfway through.

2. Top one slice of toast with lettuce, tomato, avocado, and prosciutto. Top with second slice.

For the rest of the recipes please click here.

 

 

Monday's Words To Live By

It's Monday morning, the roads are slippery and I'm a bit tired. That said, here is a short post to kick start the week.

VIA Pinterest

Recipe Friday...Avocado, Goat Cheese & Proscuitto Wraps

Since my post a couple hours ago was lacking in the recipe department I decided to make today a two post day and give you a recipe to try this weekend.

VIA Food Gawker

4 Avocados
peeled, pitted and halved
1 tbs lemon or lime juice
2 ounces goat cheese
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 ounce prosciutto slices

Cut each avocado half into 4-6 slices. Place in medium bowl and gently toss in lemon juice.

Fill the center of each avocado slice with 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon goat cheese mixture.

Sprinkle with salt, pepper and chili powder.

Wrap each avocado “finger” with 1/3 slice of prosciutto until the goat cheese is secured to the avocado. Make sure to leave the tip of the avocado exposed, to resemble a finger nail. Arrange the avocados in the shape of a hand on the plate to add extra spookiness. Serve and Enjoy!

For a play by play with pictures click here.

Have a wonderful weekend everyone! We'll be at the in-laws tonight celebrating some birthdays and out for a friends birthday on Saturday night.

Cotton Candy Cones

I know it's Friday and this is not a recipe but I just had to share this.

VIA Pearls, Handcuffs & Happy Hour

Yes this would be fabulous at a kid's birthday party but if someone gave this to be around Valentine's day or at a shower I'd be thrilled!!

Donuts... Who Would Have Thought!

As I was scanning Pinterest this week I noticed an abundance of donuts, yes, donuts. These donuts are being used in lieu of a traditional wedding cake which I think is fabulous.

I didn't have a wedding cake. I thought it was a lot of money, I'm not a dessert person and just found it unnecessary. And you know what, not one person (we had a 300 person wedding) said anything to me about the lack of the cake.

That said, I love this idea and think it would suit a lot of weddings, birthday parties, showers, etc.

How cute are these!

VIA Emmaline Bride

VIA Emmaline Bride

VIA Emmaline Bride

Is this something you could see yourself doing?

Bridal Party Thank You's!

With the wedding over a month behind me I can talk about weddings with ease and pleasure. Note, the last couple months of wedding planning was stressful. Michael told me on our honeymoon I was a different person then!!

Anyways, onto happier things! What are you giving your bridesmaids as a thank you? I stumbled upon this on Pinterest and thought it was fabulous.

Style Me Pretty

This is a great way to personalize each basket for every person in your bridal party.

I gave my bridesmaids jewels from Stella and Dot and a fake fur wrap from Jacob to keep them warm which was lovely.

So, what did you do for your bridesmaids?

Be Thankful

Ever really taken a step back and thought about how wonderful your life actually is. I'm personally in a reflecting stage where I am so grateful for what I have and the people I share my life with. We all know someone who's tight on cash, under the weather, going through a tough time, etc and we need to realize that maybe our situation isn't half bad.

Cucumber, Guacamole & Shrimp

I had this as an appetizer in Paris, fell in love with it and had to make it for my girls night on Friday.

Step 1:
Wash & peel a large English cucumber.

Step 2:
Cut pieces into approx 2 inch pieces.

Step 3:
Core out the middle of the cucumber with a vegetable peeler.
Note - Don't go all the way through, only about half way.

 Step 4:
Fill the cucumber pieces with guacamole and top with a cooked piece of shrimp and voila, your delicious appetizer is ready!

Quick, simple and super easy.....oh, yummy too!

Recipe Friday....Valentine's Day Strawberry Hot Chocolate

This was my first full week back at work since before the wedding and let me just say, TGIF!!

I know Valentine's Day is still a month away but I thought this was too cute not to share.

VIA Two Peas And Their Pod

The full recipe that was featured here.

Strawberry Sweethearts Cocoa

• 4 tablespoons butter
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 pint strawberry ice cream
• 4 cups water
• Whipped cream
• 1 cup Mini chocolate chips
• 1 tablespoon chocolate sprinkles

In a medium-sized bowl, melt the chocolate chips and dip the top of four mugs into the chocolate. Set aside, allowing chocolate to harden.
In a medium pot, whisk together the butter, sugar, and ice cream over medium high heat until melted.  Whisk in the water, one cup at a time until your favorite texture/flavor is achieved.  Heat just until steaming.  Pour into chocolate-rimmed mugs.  Garnish with a dollop of whipping cream and a sprinkling of chocolate sprinkles.  Serve with your favorite bite-sized cookies for dipping. 

Have a great weekend everyone. We're hosting on Saturday and I'm trying all new recipes that I'll share if all goes well.

Vases With Flare!

With my wedding done and my best friends orchard wedding around the corner, my brain is still very much in wedding mode.

How adorable are these vases!

VIA The Girls of Lincoln Park

VIA Georgia Pellegrini

I love the spray painted jars above. As you know I have a serious love for mason jars and think this is a fabulous twist to one of my staples.

Something you'd consider trying?

More Seating Required

We've been in our house for a month now and I'm loving everything about it but wish I could fast forward a year or two when it's all furnished and done. We have all the staples, kitchen suite, couch, bedroom suite, etc but we're still missing the pieces that complete the rooms.

Our greatroom is the next room on my to complete list. Over the weekend I bought a gorgeous piece from Crate and Barrel that I'll share with your next week after it's delivered.

The next thing I want, a gorgeous chair for extra seating. Take a look at these and let me know what you like best.

VIA Pinterest

VIA Pinterest

VIA The Glam Lamb

VIA Martha Stewart

VIA Pier 1

To give you an idea of our greatroom: Yellow walls, brown leather couch, gas fireplace, big windows....

Brighten Up Your Day

With winter in full force I think we could all use some peonies to cheer us up.

I think peonies are one of the most beautiful flowers I've ever seen. They're so full and their colours are so peaceful and beautiful.

I found these pictures on Pinterest.

Wouldn't you just love to have a big bouquet of peonies in your house right now?

What's your favourite flower?

Cucumber Feta Rolls

I stumbled upon these last week on Good Life Eats and just had to share them. I'm sharing this before I try it but it looks too yummy not to share right away.



Recipe:
2 cucumbers
6 ounces crumbled feta
3 tablespoons Greek yogurt
2 1/2 - 3 1/2 tablespoons finely diced sundried tomatoes or red bell pepper
8 - 12 pitted kalamata olives, roughly chopped
1 tablespoon roughly chopped dill or oregano
2 teaspoons lemon juice
pinch of pepper, or to taste

Directions:Thinly slice the cucumbers longways on a mandoline at a 2mm thick setting. Alternatively, you can use a vegetable peeler if you do not have a mandoline. Lay the cucumbers on top of a paper towel lined cutting board while you prepare the filling.
Add the feta and yogurt to a medium bowl. Mash to combine using a fork. Add the bell pepper or sun dried tomatoes, olives, dill, lemon, and pepper to the bowl. Stir well to combine. In a bowl, mash the feta using a fork.
Place 1 - 2 teaspoons of mixture at one end of a cucumber strip and roll up. Secure with a toothpick. Repeat with remaining strips. If not serving immediately, chill until ready to serve.

How delicious would these be at your next cocktail party, bridal shower or baby shower. I plan on making them very soon!

Recipe Friday.. Chicken Alla Me

Tuesday night I made a delicious dinner if I do say so myself that I thought I'd share. It's super healthy and delicious, what more could you ask for?

Directions / Recipe:
- Defrost chicken breasts. I used 4 medium size breasts.
- Place in frying pan and squish a can of tomoatoes on top. I buy these tomatoes for pizza sauce, pasta sauce and now this!

- Spice with oregano, basil, salt, pepper and chili flakes. M & I like spicy food, if you are more cautious when it comes to spice be careful not to add to many chilil flakes.
- Cook in a frying pan covered on the stove until chicken is ready.
- I made a couple pieces of broccoli to go with it. Just boil some water, drop the broccoli in for a few minutes. You don't want mushy broccoli so be sure you don't cook it too long. Strain it, drizzle some olive oil over it (lemon is healthier and delicious), a little salt and pepper and you're done!

I know this is a horrible picture but I was starving and it's the best I have to offer.

I hope you all have a lovely weekend! We're off to a family friends tonight for dinner and having some people over tomorrow.

Welcome Back....Me!

I'm back, did you miss me?!

The last three and a half weeks have been nothing less than amazing to say the least. From the most magical wedding I could have ever imagined, to a romantic honeymoon in Italy & France, it doesn't get much better than that.

I've decided to save the wedding and honeymoon posts for another time when I'm more organized and can share pictures and lots of details.

Until then, sliders!

This weekend we hosted a big NYE party at our new house and a big family lunch on Sunday. I decided a fun appetizer for Saturday night would be home-made sliders. They're easy to eat, they aren't messy and who doesn't love a delicious little slider on NYE!

My uncle created a family cookbook a couple years ago with all our recipes, so I just opened that up and in a few minutes I had 36 sliders for Michael to BBQ! Note, I doubled the below recipe to make 36.

Here's the recipe:
In a bowl, mix together:
1 pound of lean ground beef
1 egg
2 tbsp. of breadcrumbs
2 tbsp. of chopped parsley
2 tbsp of barbecue sauce (use Diana sauce if you can)
1/2 tsp salt, 1/ tsp of black pepper and 1/4 tsp of garlic powder (or garlic salt)
Diced Onion (optional - I didn't put any onion in mine)

Squash ingredients thoroughly with your hands and form into patties. You can bbq them, broil them or cook them in a frying pan, whatever you fancy.

Unfortunately with the 70ish people we had come through our door this weekend I didn't have time to take pictures but I promise to next time.

Let me know how you like them!