Mini Grilled Cheese

I don't know about you but what's not to love about a grilled cheese sandwich. Michael loves them so much he wanted to have a late night grilled cheese station at our wedding. It didn't happen but it would have been cool.

When I saw these I immediately fell in love. How great would these be at your next cocktail party!

Via

Via

Via

I just adore these. You could also move away from your typical grilled cheese and add some fun toppings like arugula, prosciutto, brie, possibly an apple wood smoked cheddar.... the options are endless!

Are you a grilled cheese fan like me? Would you serve something like this?

Don't forget I have a great giveaway going on hosted by Blurb Books. Click here to enter!

Spicy Shrimp & Avocado

How was your weekend? Mine was very busy and today I'm exhausted. It's one of those everything hurts, I need to be back in bed type of days!

How delicious does this look? I'm drooling just looking at the picture.

Via

The recipe and directions below is from here. Is this something that would interest you? I think I'm going to make this on Sunday.

The creamy avocado in these bite sized appetizers is a cool complement to the spicy prawns and the crunchy texture of the rice cracker. This delightful and gluten-free appetizer will whet your guests’ appetites during all spring and summer entertainment occasions. Ensure you make plenty of extras as they will quickly disappear!

1 tbsp	olive oil	15 mL
20	large prawns, shelled	20
1 tbsp	chilli garlic paste	15 mL
1/4 cup	chopped fresh cilantro	50 mL
2	avocados from Mexico, finely diced	2
1	green onion, sliced	1
1	lemon, juice and zest	1
20	sesame rice crackers	20
20	cilantro leaves	20

In a sauté pan over medium-high heat, add olive oil and shrimp. Cook shrimp for 2 to 4 minutes per side until they turn orange/red in colour and opaque. Add chili garlic paste and stir to coat, continuing to cook for 30 seconds. Remove from heat and set aside for later use.
In a medium-sized bowl, combine cilantro, avocados, green onion, lemon juice and zest. Top each cracker with 1 tsp (5mL) avocado spread and 1 prawn. Garnish with a cilantro leaf.
Serve immediately.
Yield: 20 pieces
Nutritional Information: Per Serving ( 2 pieces) : about 99 cal, 3 g pro, 7 g total fat (1 g sat fat),
7 g carb, 3 g fibre, 21 mg chol, 92 mg sodium. %RDI: iron 5%, calcium 1%, vit A 2%, vit C 12%.

Rainbow Lasagna With Heirloom Tomatoes, Mushrooms & Olives

I just stumbled across this and thought it was way too interesting not to share. The recipe is rather detailed so please click here for the step by step process to making this delicious looking creation. I will 100% be trying this in the coming weeks.

Via

Via

Looks delicious, right?!

Balsamic Watermelon Cubes

I was working an event once and the host created this as one of the appetizers to serve. I never tried it but am very intrigued. Michael and his family sometimes put balsamic on their fruit which I find kind of odd, however, I think I'd be willing to have a bite if it looked as delicious as these do.

Via

Be sure to click here for the full how-to.

In other interesting news, I dropped my full, hot, unopened coffee while getting out of my car this morning and the lid didn't pop off. Thanking my lucky stars!

Have a great hump day :)

Individual Appetizers

As I mentioned earlier this week, we're having a fairly large party on Saturday at our house for Michael's birthday. I've been on the hunt for food options that are different than what I normally serve. Here are a couple that are super cute and easy to enjoy.

Via

Via

I love this but you'd need to have an extra bowl of chips nearby because 1 chip clearly is not enough.

Tell me, would you enjoy something like this at a party?

Pina Colada Pops

I know it's only February and the idea of eating a frozen treat now seems crazy but spring will be here before we know it!



VIAThe Reality Of Skinny



Blend and freeze the following ingredients (don’t forget the sticks!): (Makes 6 servings)

• 1 can pineapple chunks, in juice
• 1 banana
• 1 can coconut milk
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Calories: 117 per pop



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.

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!

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!

Basic Pasta Sauces

What a crappy weather day here in Toronto; it's cold, damp and pouring rain. When the weather is crappy like this my stomach craves comfort food and pasta is one of my favourite comfort foods.

I found this on Rachel Ray and immediately thought this would be great for a day like today.

VIA Rachel Ray

One of the first things I want to do when we're settled into our house make a big pot sauce and freeze it.

What type of pasta sauce is your favourite?

Adding Fruit & Veggies Into Your Diet

Are you getting enough fruit and veggies everyday? Do you want to serve them at your next party but you aren't sure of a neat way to present them? Well check out these neat fruit and veggie ideas.

VIA Hostess with the Mostess

VIA Heather Bullard

VIA Lilyshop

VIA Kara's Party Ideas

So will you be trying these at your next event? They're also great for after school snacks for your kids or a mid-day snack for yourself!

Enjoy the Party,

Nicole

Recipe Friday... Breakfast!

Are you a big braekfast person? I can't go a day without it but I don't make / eat anything elaborate or fancy, just a bowl of yogurt will do! Michael on the other hand is obsessed with big breakfasts. One time being the good fiance I am I woke up a little early, snuck downstairs to make him bacon and eggs... He ended up eating cereal because I burnt EVERYTHING! I'm going to seriously need some practice in the breakfast area!

What's your favourite breakfast food?

Via Brown Eyed Baker

Via Food Gawker

Via The Late Afternoon

Via BREAKFAST

Enjoy the Party,

Nicole :)

Bread & Better

Since today is Recipe Friday I thought I'd finally post a recipe or two since I've been slacking a lot lately.

VIA Sweat Sparkles

My goodness, aren't these all to die for! I stumbled upon this on Pinterest (where else) last night and I immediately started drooling.

Is anyone going away this weekend? Myself, Michael and friends of ours have rented what looks to be from the pictures a fabulous cottage in Orillia. I mentioned here that we were looking for a cottage and we luckily found 1 after emailing every cottage rental person from North Bay to Peterborough! I cannot wait to get out of the city for a couple days.

In other fun news, the framing of our house began yesterday. I'll posted pictures next week.

Enjoy the Party,

Nicole :)

I'm the worst!

Oh my goodness, I have been neglecting this blog way too much lately! I do have some very good excuses but still, I'm the worst!

Last Sunday was my first bridal shower and it was beyond lovely. That said, the shower prep took up all my free time last week. Then of course I got super sick after the shower, to be honest, I'm still not feeling 100% which is why I've been MIA this week. However I need to suck it up and starting posting again.

I want to dive in and tell you about the shower but I'm going to wait for pictures. In the meantime, here's a recipe I found on the Style At Home website!

Tomatoe & Bread Salad

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Ingredients

• 2 cups day-old rustic bread, cut into 1" cubes
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 2 tbsp red wine vinegar
• ½ tsp Dijon mustard
• Pinch sugar
• 1 tsp Maldon sea salt
• ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 4 large heirloom tomatoes
• 1 small English cucumber
• 1 pint coloured cherry tomatoes
• ¼ cup red onion, thinly sliced
• 1 avocado
• 1 long red chili, chopped
• ¼ cup basil leaves, torn

1 tbsp oregano or marjoram leaves
Directions
1) Toast the bread cubes on a baking sheet in a 375ºF oven until golden. Meanwhile, mix the garlic, vinegar, mustard, sugar and sea salt together in a small bowl. Slowly whisk in the olive oil to emulsify. Set aside.

2) Cut the heirloom tomatoes and cucumber into chunky 1" pieces and slice the cherry tomatoes in half. Place in a large bowl; add the red onion. Peel and pit the avocado and slice into 1" pieces. Add to the bowl along with the chili, toasted croutons, and herbs.

3) Pour the dressing over the salad and toss carefully. Let salad sit for 30 minutes before serving to allow the juices of the tomatoes to combine with the dressing.

Serves 4-6.

I am totally making this for  Michael and I tonight. Let me know how yours turns out.

Enjoy the Party,

Nicole :)

Weekend Recap

Usually I'm not very good at posting on Monday's but I made sure to find some time so I can fill you in on how the party went on Saturday.
Let's begin with Friday night where I prepped some of the food I was taking care of for Saturday. I was incharge of the salads, veggies, four pizzas and dessert. I spent about four hours Friday night cutting lettuce and strawberries, rolling out dough and making pizza sauce. Thankfully I had some great help from Michael and my lovely grandparents so it ended up being a fun night!



Fresh Ontario strawberries - They were to die for!



Saturday went off without a hitch! Thankfully the rain held out and it ended up being a beautiful day. It seemed like all 160 people had a great time, in and out of the pool and enjoying the food and drinks!



The flowers were from Metro Florist in Markham




The food tent

 All in all a great day!

Enjoy the Party,

Nicole :)

Restaurant Review... Fishbone Bistro

I hope you all had a lovely long weekend! Thankfully the weather was better than predicted.

Friday night we went to dinner with some friends to Fishbone Bistro. Fishbone is a small restaurant in Stouffville specializing in Portuguese Influenced Bistro and it is delicious. We've been twice now and have loved everything about it. The food, service, atmosophere are all amazing.

I forgot to take a picture of our plates because we ate too quickly but I will for sure take some pictures next time.

Be sure to check out Fishbone next time you're in Stouffville for dinner!

Enjoy the Party,

Nicole :)

Recipe Friday... Mexican Themed

Since Cinco De Mayo was yesterday I thought I'd highlight some yummy mexican food. I was in Mexico in January and ate guacamole on EVERYTHING so I'm going to feature a great guacamole recipe today!



Here's the recipe. It's actually a weight watchers recipe which I think is great!

Ingredients:
- 1 medium avocado, ripe, peeled and pitted
- 1 15-oz. can young peas, drained and rinsed
- 1/4 cup chopped tomatillos
- 1/4 cup finely chopped red onions
- 1/3 cup chopped tomatoes
- 1/4 cup Labane Yogurt Cheese* or fat-free plain Greek yogurt
- 2 tbsp lime juice
- 4 cloves chopped garlic
- 1 tsp cumin
- 2 tbsp chopped cilantro
- Kosher salt and pepper to taste
*Labane Cheese can be found at most Kosher Grocery Stores
Directions:
Put peas in a medium bowl and mash with a fork until almost smooth. Add in avocado and mash that into the peas until smooth.
Add remaining ingredients and stir until combined. Cover surface with plastic wrap and refrigerate up to 1 day. Makes 6 servings.
Serving size is 1/3 cup.

Enjoy the Party,

Nicole :)

Another 50th Birthday...

First off, I'm sorry for my lack of posting this week, I've had a busy week to say the least. We're knee deep in buying a house, I had a big Lipstik event on Saturday, one this coming Saturday and wedding planning, needless to say, I'm pooped! Ok, enough about me, onto the fun stuff...

I thought I'd give you all a quick recap about the 50th birthday on Saturday for my close friends mother. This was one of the few events where I not only took care of the serving and prep but also the food. Organizing and cooking the food is always a dawnting and overwhelming task for me but I think I did a-ok!

Something I always like to add to parties are flowers and candles. I bought cut flowers and created 3 arrangements that I placed on tables around the house. I also set up mason jars with tea light candles and scattered them around the house for a romantic vibe.

All in all it was a fabulous party and an honour to work with this family!

Enjoy the Party,

Nicole :)

The steps to throwing a great party!

Sorry for the delay in posting this, I had a very busy weekend and an even busier Monday! I hope you all had a great weekend even though the weather was crappy. Michael's birthday is on Easter Sunday so we decide to celebrate it this past Saturday with all our friends. I had a big party for him at my place and it was a lot of fun, if I don't say so myself!

Hosting this party made me think about organization and some of the steps to throwing a great party, which leads me to my next few points. Some of things I like to do to stay organized and stress-free when throwing a party are the following:

1. Make lists: I am a big list person, it helps me stay focused and organized. Friday night I sat down, got myself organized and planned out, point by point, what I had to do on Saturday. From grocery lists to what times things were going in the oven, I had everything written down.
2. Do some work ahead of time: Friday night I set up the bar and cleaned the house so on Saturday I could dedicate myself to shopping, cooking and having time for a manicure :) After grocery shopping I prepared all the food as much as I could that way when I went to put everything together all the tough work and mess was done.
3. Ask your girlfriends for help: Thanks to some fabulous ladies in my life, I was able to rely on them. Caitie made some delicious chocolate chip cookies; Kiira picked up the sushi tray; Stephanie picked up the cupcakes; Julie made a delicious dip and Laura brought strawberries and chocolate sauce!
4. Leave some time for yourself: Try and find 40 minutes to treat yourself. Whether it's a manicure or a blowdry it's always good to sneak out and de-stress before the big event. I myself, snuck out for 40 minutes to get a manicure!

I hope some of these tips help when you're hosting your next event!

Summer bbq ideas!

While everyone is wishing for the warm summer weather I thought I'd give us all some hope with some delicious bbq ideas. Instead of throwing a bland hamburger or hot dog on the grill while not spice it up this summer!

1. Rosemary Lamb Chops: I'm a big fan of lamb chops. They're delicious, fun and you don't require a knife and fork (a big deal to me when hosting). This recipe calls for them to be broiled, however you can definitely throw them on the bbq too.
2. Grilled Lamb, Beef or Chicken Spiducci: Trying to please the men in your life, why not bbq some delicious meat on a stick. Again, it's easy to eat and everyone will enjoy it.
3. Grilled Corn on the Cob: One of my favourite summer foods is corn on the cob. I don't like corn when it's not on the cob, weird right! Instead of cooking it on the stove why not grill it on the bbq, adds a delicious flare to any meal.

Hope these put you in the summer spirit!

Enjoy the Party,

Nicole :)