Recipe Friday.... Cupcakes!

I am a huge lover of cupcakes. I'm not a big dessert person but cupcakes get me every time. This past Sunday I was at a baptism and the centerpieces on the tables where cupcakes and it was super cute and trendy so I thought I would highlight them today!

Here's a Vanilla Cupcake Recipe, my favourite kind.

• 2 cups all purpose flour
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 3 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 4 egg whites from large eggs
• 1/2 cup shortening
• 1 cup 2% milk
• 2 large eggs
• 1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Line cupcake pans with paper liners.
Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, shortening, milk and vanilla  in a large mixing bowl.  Mix at low speed for 2 minutes.  Scrape bowl.  Add egg whites and mix at high speed until fluffy and smooth, approximately 2 minutes.
Fill liners 1/2 to 2/3 full of batter.  Do not overfill.  Bake 20 to 25 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.
Cool 10 minutes in pans then remove from pan, and place on wire racks to cool completely.
Frost and decorate your vanilla cupcakes as desired

 

Here's a picture of the cupcakes from the baptism, isn't it so cute!!

 

Enjoy the Party,

Nicole :)

 

 

Gardening

Something I am beginning to become interested in is gardening. Michael and I don't have a garden to tend to just yet but the idea of it intrigues me. I like the idea of working on something and having the best garden on the block.  Being that I don't know much about gardening I thought I'd post pictures of beautiful gardens to inspire myself and all of you. I got all the pictures from Canadian Gardening. I hope you enjoy them and they make you want to host a fabulous garden party!

Enjoy the Party,

Nicole :)

Restaurant Suggestions

Friday night my sister and I went to a fantastic new restaurant at Bay & Richmond called Black Moon Bar & Lounge. The food, atmosphere, ambiance and crowd were all trendy and upbeat.  The menu is a sharing / tasting menu and we loved it. We ordered scallops, asparagus, steak and mushrooms. I highly recommend Black Moon to anyone looking for a fantastic night out!

Enjoy the Party,

Nicole :)

Patio Cocktails

Saturday afternoon my girlfriends and I had a fabulous time enjoying the great weekend weather sitting on the patio at the Black Bull on Queen Street.  Sitting on the patio had me thinking about healthier cocktail options for the summer that I want to share with you.

1. Champagne: I know this may not be your first choice on a hot summer's day on a patio but a glass of champagne only has 60 calories.
2. Vodka, Soda & Lime: This may be more up your alley while sitting on the patio and it's only 57 calories.
3. Molson 67: Why not enjoy a cold beer and not worry about all the calories your guzzling. Molson 67 is only 67 calories.

Enjoy the Party,

Nicole :)

Let's get beach ready!

My weekend was very fun so I thought I would highlight one of the unique parts of it.  On Saturday I had an appointment at Clarity MedSpa for a Freeze Body Contouring & Skin Tightening treatment.  The freeze treatment is a body contouring treatment using heat to target new collagen production.  It also shrinks fat cells, amazing, right?!
The treatment takes 30 minutes and the results are great. Stephanie, the spa therapist, measured my waist before and after and I had lost almost 2 inches, incredible!! You can be sure I will be doing this treatment a lot over the summer and closer to the wedding.
The treatment feels like a hot ultrasound and doesn't hurt a bit. I did the treatment on my stomach but you can do it on other areas of your body, inner thighs, arms or any other problem area.
To book an appointment at Clarity MedSpa call 416-990-2222 or email stephanie@claritymedspa.ca.

Here are some pictures of the spa.

Enjoy the Party,

Nicole :)

Recipe Friday....Summer Salads

I am a huge fan of salads and different kinds of salad so I thought today's post we could tackle salads!

I found a ton of Summer Salad Recipes on Canadian Living (click here) that I think you'll enjoy. Here's my favourite:

Summer Vegetable Salad with Sherry Vinaigrette and Canadian Asiago Cheese

I hope you have a wonderful weekend!!

Enjoy the Party,

Nicole :)

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 :)

Why not bring Rome to you....

I know I wrote about theme parties last week but I thought I'd share some details about the party I hosted this past Saturday.  My parents threw their dear friends 50th birthday party and asked Lipstik Events to help for the evening.  My mother took care of the cooking, a delicious Italian inspired meal and I took care of the rest. From bartending and cleaning to plating the meal and making sure everyone had fun, Lipstik took care of all the details.  I thought I'd share a few pictures of the evening for everyone to see.

Enjoy the Party,

Nicole :)

Making a house a home!

With the wedding less than a year away there is a lot of planning and house decorating on my mind...all the time! A big deal to me is not living in house but making it a home. I want our home to resemble us, our tastes and not just a few pieces of furniture.
I thought I'd share some of my favourite stores and items right now that I'm trying to encorporate into my our future home.

Excavated Pot from Anthropologie

All-Clad Cooper Core Cookware Set fromWilliams-Sonoma



Francine Placemat from Crate and Barrel



What pieces are you adding to make your house a home?

Enjoy the Party,

Nicole :)

Recipe Friday.... Pizza!

My apologies for my tardiness the past few days, it's been hectic! This should have been posted on Friday but I wanted to post pictures with it so I waited.

Here's the Bigioni family white pizza recipe that I've tweaked a bit!

• Depending on the size of your pan, use 1 or 2 doughs. I've used two with mine.
• Spray you pan with Pam and then drizzle olive oil on the pan. Make sure you rub the oil all over the pan and don't forget the corners.
• You want to spread the dough hours (I say minimum 4 for best results) before you're ready to cook it so it rises enough.
•  To spread 2 doughs place one dough ontop of the other. Drizzle a little oil ontop and begin needing it. It will continually shrink into the middle of the pan, that's ok. Spread the dough for 2-5 minutes.


• Cover with a piece of Parchment Paper and let rise. If you're in a rush and have a gas fire place put it in front of the fire for a couple hours, it helps the dough rise faster.
• Here are the ingredients that I usually use for my white pizza: Onions, Pitted Black Olives, Bocconcini Cheese, Rosemary, Oregano, Salt, Pepper, and Olive Oil.
• When you're ready to dress your pizza here's the order using the above ingredients:
  1. Pre-heat your oven to Convention Bake or Bake at 475 degrees.
  2. Cut up the onion and bocconcini cheese
  3. Drizzle olive oil on your pizza and spread around with your hands
  4. Place the onions, cheese and olives on the pizza (I forgot to buy olives so I didn't use any this time)
  5. Sprinkle a little bit of salt, rosemary, pepper and oregano

• When your oven has pre-heated put the pizza in for 16-18 minutes depending on your oven and watch it so it doesn't burn. To make sure the bottom has cooked lift up a corner of the pizza with a spatula. Once the bottom is a nice golden brown colour your pizza is done.
• Take you pizza our and let it cool for a few minutes before cutting it.
• Make sure you cut your pizza with scissors and not a knife to ensure you don't scratch your pan.

• Serve warm and your guests will love ya!

I love serving this as an appetizer or as a meal with a salad. If you have any questions please email me.

Enjoy the Party,

Nicole :)