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Being a new mom, having time to prepare and eat nutritious meals has been a challenge as taking care of Baby E has us always on our toes. A lot of families with new borns just don’t have the energy to cook a full meal for a little while. A lot of my friends with kids rely on other family members cooking for them, getting take out, or making frozen meals.

There are some quick ways to meal prep nutritious meals to get in the vitamins you need for the day. Two of the most common items to make in a Vitamix blender are smoothies and soups. As being a high performance blender, it does an amazing job at making smoothies, hot soups, dips & spreads, as well as frozen desserts.

Here are 2 of our favourite ways to make smoothies and soups much quicker with these short cuts while using a Vitamix blender.

Portion Out Smoothie Ingredients for Quick Blending

Buying fresh produce can go bad quickly if you lose track of what’s in your fridge and when certain items expire. What our family likes to do is to portion out smoothie ingredients into containers and freeze them. You can make the same smoothie for the week or mix and match the items that go into each one.

When it’s time to make a quick smoothie, all you need to do is dump the container of ingredients and pour in your favourite liquids like almond milk.

Kale Ginger Smoothie

Ginger is an ingredient that is known to keep your blood flowing, warm your extremities, and keep away the chills. During postpartum, I had a lot of ginger because with all the blood loss from giving birth, I was cold and pale for the first 2 weeks.

Serves 2

Ingredients:

  • 1 Tbsp fresh ginger, skin removed
  • 1 1/2 cups chopped frozen mango
  • 1 small ripe frozen banana
  • 1 large handful spinach
  • 1 small handful kale
  • 1/2 medium lime, juiced
  • 1/3 cup light coconut milk
  • 2/3 cup unsweetened plain almond milk
  • 1 Tbsp raw hulled hemp seeds (optional)

Instructions:

  1. In a container, freeze ginger, mango, banana, spinach, and kale ahead of time.
  2. Add almond milk, lime juice, light coconut milk, and the ingredients in the frozen container into a high powered blender.
  3. Blend for 1 – 2 minutes on high to get it all blended nice and smoothly.
  4. Pour smoothie into a cup and top with hemp seeds.
  5. Enjoy.

Prepare Soup in a Blender and Freeze leftovers for the Future

Nausea doesn’t just happen in your first trimester, it can happen postpartum as well when all your hormones are trying to settle back to normal but new mom’s bodies go through quite a bit of change hormonally to adjust to life without a baby inside their belly.

If it’s yourself making the soup or someone else, it is a lifesaver to have some frozen in the fridge for a quick meal as it can last 4 to 6 months. You just need to defrost and heat it up. Also, to cut down on dishes, you can make the soup in a blender. The friction of the Vitamix blades can make steaming-hot soup in under 10 minutes, right in the container with less mess.

Creamy Brussel Sprout Soup with Bacon

Serves 4-6

Ingredients:

  • 8 slices of thick cut bacon
  • 1 small onion, chopped
  • 300g Brussel sprouts, halved
  • 1 large potato, peel and cut into cubes
  • 2 garlic cloves, chopped
  • 2 thyme twigs
  • 4 cups of chicken broth
  • Salt and Pepper

Instructions:

  1. Cook bacon in a frying pan or oven until crisp. Follow instruction on the package. Let cool and cut into bite-sized pieces, then set aside.
  2. Add onion, Brussel sprouts, potatoes, garlic, thyme, salt and pepper into a pot on medium high heat to cook until veggies soften.
  3. In a blender, add the cooked veggies, 2 tablespoons of fat from bacon, and chicken broth. Blend the soup on high for 10 minutes until the soup is smooth and piping hot.
  4. Serve and top it with bacon bits and Brussel Sprout leaves.

Tips for Freezing Soup

  • Let soup cool before freezing. To speed up the process, you can put it in an ice bath.
  • Don’t full up containers to the top. Leave 1 inch to give the soup room to expand and limit contact with the air, which may cause freezer burn.

There you have it, 2 quick items to make in a Vitamix blender to make a quick smoothie and soup for new mothers who are already super busy taking care of a newborn. Any time saved can be used to tend to boding with the newborn baby.

We were gifted a Vitamix Ascent A3500 for use in creating this blog post, but all opinions are our own.

Emperor Love is a premium tea brand from Taiwan since 1950 starting as a family owned and operated business. They pride themselves by using the finest tea to bring the quality brews and offers a fresh perspective of the modern tea.

Their set of instant teas come in 4 flavours – Matcha Latte, Black Tea Late, Black Beans & Roasted Rice Matcha Latte, and Soba Matcha Latte.

We were sent a few boxes to review to see how it stacks up with other instant lattes on the market.

Matcha Latté

Inside the package is full leaf grounded Matcha mixed with milk powder. For an instant matcha latte, it was ok. As you are only mixing 160ml of water into, some people may find it a touch sweet. You can always dilute it with more water to make it less sweet.

Black Tea Latté

They use their select Assam Black Tea mixed with milk powder. It also uses 160ml of water mixed into the powder to create the black tea latte with the classic black tea flavour. This was one of my favourites out of the 4 as it is more like a bubble tea.

Black Beans & Roasted Rice Matcha Latté

Inside the pouch is full leaf grounded Matcha, the crispy texture of roasted rice and the subtle flavours of black beans and rice. It was interesting flavour but it is still pretty close to the original matcha latte flavour.

Soba Matcha Latté

Yet again, you will find the full leaf grounded Matcha in this with pieces of soba floating on top.

Final Thoughts

These instant tea lattes from Emperor Love were ok, but of all the instant teas on the market, the taste is pretty mediocre. I haven’t found an instant mix that I liked just yet. You get the convenience but not the best flavours.

Where do I find Emperor Love?

They are currently sold in Metro Vancouver at the following locations – Summit Lodge, 88 Supermarket in Killarney, Chong Lee Market, Donalds Market in New Westminster and Port Coquitlam, and Efresh Market on WeChat.

Website:
http://www.emperorlove.ca/

Flamin’ Hot Doritos has finally made its way up to Canada at most major grocery stores. This takes the Doritos that we know and love with an extra added kick of Flamin’ Hot seasoning. We know this flavour all too well from Flamin’ Hot Cheetos but now it’s crossing over to other chip brands.

I went to Shopper Drug Mart and spotted this 230g regular sized bag. They also have smaller snack sizes too.

The Doritos chip has a darker red colour from the Flamin’ Hot seasoning. When you combine that taste with the nacho cheese flavour of Doritos, it’s an interesting combination. I love both these flavours but when you combine them together, you pause a little bit in flavour confusion. It has a good kick of heat that isn’t too over powering. The taste was ok, but it wasn’t something we would run immediately back to the store to get again.

I have a secret love for the classic Doritos. It wasn’t a hit for us with the Flamin’ Hot, but perhaps you’ll enjoy the combination of Flamin’ Hot and Nacho Cheese flavours.

Website:
https://www.doritos.ca/

MudLrk was founded in 2018 with a desire to eat more plant based foods like mushrooms. With the environment, design and food innovation – Shiitake Mushroom Chips was born by founder Trace Ostergren.

Shiitake mushrooms are no stranger to Asian culture and has been eaten for over 3,500 year in soups, stews, and an array of dishes. My family has been using dehydrated shiitake mushrooms in our cooking, so when we saw that there were mushroom chips, we were so curious how they would taste.

MudLrk scavenges for quality shiitake mushrooms and fry them in a low-temperature, add their seasoning blends, and finally bag the shiitake chips with non-petroleum compostable materials. They come in 4 flavours – original, black pepper, mustard, and spicy buffalo. It is also gluten-free, cholesterol free, non-GMO, preservative free, and high in fibre.

Original Shiitake Mushroom Chips

The original Shiitake mushroom chips have a nice crunch to the mushroom and isn’t overly salted. A good amount where you can still taste the subtleties of the shiitake.

Black Pepper Shiitake Mushroom Chips

If you want a little bit more added spice to your mushroom chips, there is the black pepper. It isn’t overly spiced, which is nice.

Mustard Shiitake Mushroom Chips

You can see the yellow mustard spice on the chips. A good sweet mustard flavour that compliments it nicely. My husband liked this flavour the most and ate it pretty quickly.

Spicy Buffalo Shiitake Mushroom Chips

The last flavour of the bunch is the spicy buffalo. It has the vibrant orange look in the seasoning. It has a mild kick to it but not very spicy at all. It reminds me of Frank’s Red Hot Sauce.

Where to find MudLrk Shiitake Mushroom Chips

You can find MudLrk Shiitake Mushroom Chips on their online store or select store in Chicago and Indiana.

Website:
https://mudlrk.com

We love instant noodles and Taipei’s Taihodien Restaurant has come out with a spicy dry noodle that you can make at home. Taihodien Restaurant is popular for their numbing spice – mala hot pot soup base.

I love a good spicy dry noodle, so when we were sent a few packs to review, we had to give it a try to see how it stacks up with other spicy instant noodles out there.

The instant dry noodle package can be made at home on your stove with just the items in side the package or you can add in a few extra ingredients to enhance the meal. Perhaps by adding in some vegetables or an egg. Alternatively, just eat it as is if you don’t want to change up the flavours too much.

Follow the instructions on the package to get it to the right consistency.

  • Bring 1500cc of water to a boil
  • In a bowl, add all 3 sauces and mix well
  • When water comes to a boil, cook noodles for 6 minutes and drain water.
  • Add cooked dry noodles to the bowl with sauce and mix well
  • Eat and Enjoy.

Taste Test

This was a solid bowl of noodles with Mala spice, which has the Szechuan peppercorn to numb your tongue. The sauce has a rich spice that is like a deep aromatic Sichuan peppercorn spice that is reminiscent of Taiwanese flavour.

I didn’t find it too spicy as I love spicy food and it gave me tastebuds a tingle. For other people who don’t have a high spice tolerance, this will be spicy for you.

The noodles have a nice chewy texture to it. We did notice that there is quite a bit of sodium in the packet of noodles, but when I compared it to similar noodles in the market, their amount of sodium is fair.

Where do I find Taihodien Spicy Dry Noodle?

They are currently sold in Metro Vancouver at the following locations – Summit Lodge, 88 Supermarket in Killarney, Chong Lee Market, Donalds Market in New Westminster and Port Coquitlam, and Efresh Market on WeChat.

Website:
http://www.taihodien.com/

Chimp Chips are a snack alternative to potato chips and they are imported from Thailand. They come in 4 flavours: Original, BBQ, Paprika, and Tom Yum and can be found at some specialty stores.

They start the Chimp Chips with ripened bananas planted by local farmers in Thailand. The bananas are then dehydrated at a low temperature for baking in an oven to retain nutritional value, crispiness and the banana flavour.

We were sent a few bags of chips to give a taste test.

Original

The original is in the yellow packaging and it tastes like a solid banana chip. You can eat it all as a snack or how I like to have it sometimes is in a smoothie bowl or some other breakfast item to add in extra texture.

BBQ

Unlike the original, it has a dusting of BBQ seasoning and it’s pretty good. The subtle smokiness of the spices and it does mask up the banana flavour of the banana chip. Of the ones that are seasoned, we loved the BBQ.

Paprika

Paprika was ok, but wasn’t as fragrant as the BBQ. The texture of the banana chip is crisp and the sweetness does balance the paprika spice.

Tom Yum

The tom yum flavour might not be for everyone. It has a strong lime aroma with a hint of sourness to it just like tom yum soup.

Where do I find Chimp Chips?

They are currently sold in Metro Vancouver at the following locations – Summit Lodge, 88 Supermarket in Killarney, Chong Lee Market, Donalds Market in New Westminster and Port Coquitlam, and Efresh Market on WeChat.

Final Thoughts

Of the 4 flavours, we really liked the original and BBQ as it fit better with our taste preferences.

Website:
http://www.chimpchips.ca/

I love holidays as that means limited edition chocolates come out. As Chinese New Year is nearing soon, I saw these at my local grocery store so I bought a box to share. It’s not very large as it only has 8 bars inside.

In previous years, they had larger bars of the Orange bars and White & Milk bars with special packaging.

What’s Inside

This limited edition box for the Year of the Pig contains 4 Matcha Green Tea Bars, 2 White & Milk Bars, and 2 Orange Bars. It roughly retails for $4.99 CDN.

Each bar has 2 KitKat fingers inside so you can share it with a friend if you can resist eating it all.

KitKat Matcha Green Tea Bars

They launched this flavour in Canada back in 2018 but I noticed there was a difference with this version in the box. From the exterior, you can tell there is matcha specks added to it. Pretty good in my opinion as it is stronger but it is balanced with sweetness.

KitKat Orange Bars

This has their crisp wafer inside with milk chocolate and an orange citrus essence. You can definitely tell its orange.

KitKat White & Milk Bars

Half of it is white chocolate and the other half is milk chocolate. With the milk chocolate, it makes it a bit sweeter than normal.

Final Thoughts

Overall, it makes for a great gift if you are looking for something inexpensive to give to a friend or relatives.

If you miss out on this limited edition box and want to try the different flavours, you can still find them individually in stores.

Website:
https://www.madewithnestle.ca/kit-kat

With Chinese New Year coming up soon, there will be lots of delicious meals cooked at home. One seafood that is bound to make an appearance is abalone. Abalone (Bau Yu) is a prized sea snail, which is a delicacy and symbolizes wealth. It doesn’t come cheap especially if you want a quality product.

Aussie Bao

A new product on the market is Aussie Bao, which produces high quality canned abalone free of preservatives, contaminants, MSG, and is caught wild.

The Shuangzui factory where Aussie Bao is produced is the only one in Queensland, Australia and has been around for over 20 years. They catch the abalone from the southernmost part of Australia – Tasmania. The water is clean pollution-free, so the abalone is high quality. After the abalone is captured, it is transported to the factory for processing. At the factory, it
gets processed, cleaned, weighted, and sorted.

What’s inside?

Inside the can are large ready to eat abalone. In our can, there were 3 very plump pieces of abalone with the abalone sauce made up of abalone, chicken and sand fish bones. Surprisingly delicious and can be reused in other dishes as part of your meal.

All you need to do is reheat and serve.

What’s cooking?

We sauteed some pea shoots with garlic and warmed up the sliced abalone on top. We were surprised that with the 3 large abalone, we were able to get so many slices on the dish. The flavour of the abalone was great too and you can really tell the quality of it.

Final Thoughts

Aussie Bao is definitely a premium product, so it is not cheap at all. Makes for great gifts over the Chinese Lunar New Year too.

You can find Aussie Bao online through their website or you can purchase it at select locations in Hong Kong.

Website:
https://www.aussiebao.com/

Lunar New Year is almost upon us on February 5th, 2019 and my family is sure to celebrate The Year of the Pig in a big way. If you’re visiting friends, family, or relatives, make sure to have a gift in hand as its a way to show respect and gratitude.

Common gifts can include lucky red envelopes with money, fruits, tea, Chinese herbs, snacks and even chocolate to name a few.

Sugarfina is a boutique candy store specializing in gourmet luxury candies for any occasion. They have crafted a selection of their classic candy flavours and new flavours for Lunar New Year.

The packaging at first glance is very elegant and is sure to spark conversation and then probably be devoured quite quickly.

Lunar New Year 8 Piece Candy Bento Box

This limited-edition red and gold foil gift box comes with a luxe collection of eight gourmet candies:

  • Golden Chocolate Pearls
  • Peach Bellini
  • Chocolate Kumquats
  • Blood Orange Fruttini
  • Sparkle Pops
  • Champagne Bears
  • Golden Truffle Eggs
  • Lucky Pigs

A great assortment of sweets with those who are gummy lovers or chocolate lovers. A little bit of something for everyone.

Our favourite flavours in the box are the lucky pigs, sparkle pops, champagne bears, and the peach bellini.

Golden Chocolate Pearls

Peach Bellini

Chocolate Kumquats

Blood Orange Fruttini

Sparkle Pops

Champagne Bears

Golden Truffle Eggs

Lucky Pigs

Lunar New Year Lantern Gift Box

If you want to go for a smaller gift, you can get their individual candy boxes and then package them in the Lunar New Year Lantern Gift Box to give it an extra look.

Red Envelopes

These porky red envelopes come in a pack of 5 with the gold foil-stamped pigs perfect for holding lucky money as a gift. You can pair this up with their Lunar New Year Gummy Pigs and Gold Pearls Candy Cubes.

Final Thoughts

Overall, it makes a great gift if you go with the big 8 piece bento box or the smaller ones. Grab them online or in-stores soon at your local Sugarfina store before they sell out.

Website:
https://www.sugarfina.com

Nespresso just launched new Limited Edition coffees – Café Istanbul and Caffè Venezia, which are now available on both Original and Vertuo Nespresso machines.

These coffees are inspired by the world’s very first coffee houses in Venice and Istanbul.

Café Istanbul

Intensity – 10

This pod uses Arabian Mocha coffee from Yemen mixes with East Indies and Indian treasures to create this cup of coffee. It is reminiscent of the mystery of the oriental bazaar. It has a bold character carrying intense roasted and black pepper spicy notes.

It’s definitely for those bold black coffee lovers who like it strong. The acidity is low but the bitterness, body and roast of this is more strong.

If you want to lessen the harshness of Café Istanbul, you can add frothed milk or do an extra long shot as an Americano too. I turned this into a little cappuccino to make it more subtle for my own taste.

Caffè Venezia

Intensity – 7

With Caffè Venezia, you get a taste of history as coffee from the ancient Ethiopian city of Harar mixes with Indian Arabica to create a cup rich with the exotic perfume of the East. You can sense the wild and floral notes combine with a roasted character in this potent and complex coffee.

It’s definitely more mild and slightly more acidic than Café Istanbul.

As the capsules are larger, it makes 230ml of coffee and you can have it as is, make it a latte, or turn it into an Americano.

Final Thoughts

If you’re looking for some variation in your coffee options at Nespresso for your machine, definitively check these out if you like bolder stronger coffees. Café Istanbul and Caffè Venezia are now available for a limited period from Nespresso boutiques around the world or online.

Website:
https://www.nespresso.com

truLOCAL is a monthly meat delivery service in Ontario, Alberta and British Columbia. Buying the best local products from farmers and butchers doesn’t have to be hard, but it can be if you don’t know which places to go to or trust, you’ll just default to your usual grocery store.

I love supporting local farmers and butchers, but sometimes it’s a bit out of the way to go straight to the source. As I am from BC, they source their products from places like Organic Ocean Seafood, Farmcrest Farms, Two Rivers, Hopcott Farms, Georels Bone Broth, among many others. I was able to enjoy a few of my favourite local producers and discovered a few new ones. All the suppliers are very transparent about their processes and how they raise their animals and it’s now more important than ever.

Delivery

The box is delivered straight to your door in refrigerated coolers so the items inside stay frozen until you get home. Inside each box is a brick of dry ice, so it is very very cold. It stays very cold up into the late evenings, so if you don’t come home around 5pm, you have nothing to worry about. Everything inside will stay very frozen.

They can deliver to houses, apartments, the office or even the gym. Just provide detailed instructions so they know what to do when they arrive.

What’s in the box?

Inside the box is all the meats that you ordered for the month as well as the dry ice, so be careful handling it as it is very cold. You can choose a small box or regular box for the month.

Each portion of meat is individually packaged so you can easily throw this into your freezer and defrost each item as you need.

Pricing

The small box comes with up to 18 individual portions for $125 with free delivery. This is best for one individual. The regular box with 40 individual portions for $249 with free delivery as well and is intended for 2+ people.

You can pause, skip or cancel at any time if you need a break if you’re on vacation or whatever else comes up. It’s very flexible, so you just need to make changes to your account to make sure its reflected.

Quality

We got a selection of seafood, sausage, pork, beef, and poultry in our box and used it all up over a span of month. We mostly had the meats for dinner. The quality was pretty good and everything we had contained a lot of flavour even though most of the time we just used salt and pepper to season.

Final Thoughts

Overall, we were really impressed with truLOCAL and the prices are fair for the convenience a well as the ability to support local farmers and producers. Their subscription service is very flexible and easy to pause and start again whenever you need to.

It was very convenient to whip out a meal knowing I always have some meat in the freezer to use later in the evening.

Website:
https://trulocal.ca/

Search and Rescue Apron Company is located on Granville Island in Vancouver and they specialize in luxury aprons that can be customized and full of style for yourself, gifts and those in different professions.

I’ve seen chef’s, bartenders, hair stylists, carpenters, and tattoo artists wear these aprons around town, and it really sets them apart. Each apron is hand-made right in the store using locally sourced materials by locals.

It’s great to see the transparency when you walk into the shop and they are getting every customers orders ready. Inside the store, you can see a variety of aprons and get a feel for what they create.

They also have different bags and small aprons for the mini chef at home. It’s quite cute and you’ll definitely discover a bit more in the store.

Custom Aprons

I ended up working with them on a customized apron that fits into my Canadiana theme that I didn’t see on the racks. You can come into the store to see the different fabrics, work with staff to see all the different sizing, feel the fabrics and see other details you can add to your apron.

It was really fun to see all the possibilities that can make it work for your style.

If you aren’t in Vancouver or want to build your apron online, they just launched their online apron builder so you can customize it all online or select one of their top selling aprons that are already created for different professions. They can ship across Canada, US, and other international companies.

The Results

As a food blogger and a home cook, I wanted an apron that worked well around the kitchen, so I didn’t need a lot of pockets that fit different culinary tools.

I made my apron with these specifications:

  • Top right pocket that fits a large iPhone on red plaid
  • Bottom left towel loop on red plaid
  • Black Canvas
  • Leather brown X Straps
  • Gold hardware
  • White stitching colour

I was very happy with the results and quality of the materials. It will be my go to apron in the kitchen. It is definitely a premium apron for those who want a bit more style in the kitchen that sets yourself apart from others.

If you are looking for something unique, definitely check out Search and Rescue Apron Company.

Website:
https://searchandrescuedenim.com/

KitKat Senses Collection was released this holiday season containing 3 different types of small KitKats – Truffle, Hazelnut and Salted Caramel. There are a few different variations of their KitKat Senses line up like a box with just the Hazelnut version, or the hazelnut truffle in a star shaped box.

I went with the collection to try all 3 flavours and it was on sale for around $5 for this box.

A year ago, they launched KitKat Rubies with Truffle and Hazelnut filling, but they have since discontinued that.

What’s in the box?

Inside are 16 mini KitKat Bars – 8 Hazelnut, 4 Truffle and 4 Salted Caramel. It’s a pretty large box for a small amount of KitKats, so there is quite a bit of wasted space.

The box works well as a gift for the office or one of your friends, or family members as it is displayed nicely and there are descriptions of each flavour.

Truffle

The Truffle has rich ganache and crunchy truffle nibs inside in addition to the milk chocolate and wafer layers. This was our favourite of the 3 bars as the ganache and texture of the nibs really worked well.

Hazelnut

Hazelnut has a layer of praline and crunchy pieces of hazelnut with the 3 layers of wafers and milk chocolate. It was still good but was our second favourite.

Salted Caramel

Inside the salted caramel bar is their caramel filling infused with crunchy salted flakes. It’s nice to have the balance of salt and caramel to counteract the sweetness. This was of course our third favourite and doesn’t mean it was bad at all.

Final Thoughts

Overall, it’s great as a gift, but being a serial KitKat eater, the flavours didn’t seem too new as they have been coming up with similar flavours of their other KitKat lines. Nonetheless, I would still give this to a friend, family or the office to share as it’s a good selection of KitKat flavours that not everyone has tried before.

Website:
https://www.madewithnestle.ca/kit-kat/kit-kat-senses-assorted-collection-holiday-gift-box

The Macallan Double Cask 12 Years Old is a great gift this holiday. It is available at all government-owned liquor stores across Canada for a pretty affordable price of under $100. The price will fluctuate from province to province, but this smooth Scotch is at a great price point that won’t disappoint.

Taste

It has a golden sun colour to it. As you take your first wiff, you can really smell creamy butterscotch with a hint of toffee apple, candied orange, vanilla custard and newly felled oak on the nose. It’s very aromatic!

When you take a few sips, it has hints of honey, wood spices and citrus, balanced with raisins and caramel. As you finish your sip, the Oak lingers, which is warm and sweet at the back of your throat.

We prefer to have it neat so you can really take in the flavours of the The Macallan Double Cask 12 Years Old. Of course, you can have it on the rocks or alternatively a dram of it to your coffee or tea. The vanilla custard notes go well with crème-brûlée or pumpkin pie at the end of the meal.

Charcuterie Board Pairings

Of course you can’t just have a glass of Scotch without some delicious accompaniment. You can get cheesey with a simple charcuterie board to have a few nibbles before dinner begins.

To accentuate the butterscotch and caramel flavours of The Macallan Double Cask 12 Years Old, they suggest a young manchego, French sheep’s milk cheese, or any earthy pecorino.

If you can’t find those at your local grocery store, you can go with some light cheeses like a light Brie or light Cheddar. It gives a nice mouthfeel without overpowering the Scotch.

It’s a great way to enjoy the Scotch, have some bites while continuing your conversations with friends and family.

Pasa-Doble: A Classic Coaktail Twist

You can also make cocktails with The Macallan Double Cask 12 Years Old. This is a take on the classic Old Fashioned with American style, distinct European flair and a clever Canadian twist. It’s perfect for the holidays.

Ingredients:

  • 1 1/3 oz. The Macallan Double Cask 12 Years Old
  • 1/2 oz.  Amontillado Sherry
  • Pinch of smoked salt
  • Drizzle of Canadian maple syrup

Instructions:

  1. Add all ingredients and ice to a mixing glass. Stir gently with a bar spoon for 10 seconds.
  2. Strain into an ice-filled Old Fashioned glass. 

Final Thoughts

The Macallan Double Cask 12 Years Old is good on its own and paired with a charcuterie plate, or turned into a cocktail. It’s versatile and at a great price point. Highly recommended!

Website:
https://www.themacallan.com/en

Nickelodeon and FYE in the United States have teamed up to create a holiday version of their famous Rugrats, Reptar bar – Reptar On Ice. I missed getting their original Reptar Bars last year, so I made sure not to miss it again. They have also released their larger Deluxe Reptar Bars shaped like Reptar.

Reptar on Ice

The bars come in a 5 pack and individually wrapped. It makes for great gifts to give friends and family who have a bit of 90’s nostalgia. I remember watching Rugrats on TV and Reptar was the coolest dinosaur around. It’s great that they finally made the bars in real life for fans to indulge in.

Each bar is made up of milk chocolate and the centre has a bright blue frosting that will turn your tongue ice blue. The bar tastes ok like any other milk chocolate bar. The fun part is really just the blue colour lurking inside.

Deluxe Reptar Bar

There are 2 versions of this – one with the Christmas Tree Packaging and another with Snow packaging. Both have the same Reptar Bar inside. You can’t go wrong with either as its just aesthetic.

It has green frosting filled caramel milk chocolate with peanut crunch. Once you take it out of the package, you can really smell the sweet caramel milk chocolate.

When you bite inside, you can see that green frosting that will turn your tongue green. Green like Reptar.

Final Thoughts

I would still get this again either of the Reptar Bars and give this out to friends as it’s so iconic to those who grew up in the 90s. Get it before it’s gone because it won’t last long.

Website:
https://www.fye.com/

As the holidays are here and gatherings happening every week until Christmas, going empty handed to friends or family’s home for dinner may not feel great. Here are a few suggestions of affordable local and international wines that are around $20 or under. You can find these at most provincially-owned liquor stores across Canada.

Wine o’ Clock Shiraz, BC – $8.49

This is a fruit-forward Shiraz bursting with flavours of juicy blackberry and black cherry, with a hint of spice. Smooth with a well-balanced finish. 

Food Pairings: Grilled Tuna, Grilled Swordfish, Peking Duck, Lamb Loin, Caribou, Venison, Hamburgers, Nachos

XOXO Rosé, BC – $9.49

A delicate copper pink colour with aromas of ripe strawberry, white grape, watermelon and sweet floral. This rosé has a medium-sweet, light to medium body mouth-feel and refreshing flavours of watermelon, strawberry and grape. Notes of red berry tea, strawberry, melon and honey linger on the finish.

Food Pairing: seafood, chicken and pork.

2018 Canyon Road Cabernet Sauvignon, California – $9.95

Hailing from the coastal, sun-drenched region of California, Canyon Road is known for producing exquisite, affordable wines designed with food in mind. Canyon Road’s crowd-pleasing Cabernet Sauvignon is a worthy gift for the host/hostess extraordinaire on your list because of its versatility. It delivers notes of dark fruit and spice.

Food Pairing: Beef, lamb or venison

Barefoot Chardonnay, California – $10.95

A great bottle of Chardonnay is a wonderful gift to add to the wine rack or the dinner table. Barefoot Chardonnay is full-bodied and ultra-ripe, with aromas of yellow apples, ripe pear and toasted nuts. 

Food Pairing: Simple seafood, light chicken dishes or salads

2017 Santa Rita 120 Reserva Especial Merlot, Chile – $12.35

For the wine aficionado on your list, Santa Rita 120 Reserva Especial Merlot is as elegant as it is steeped in history. The 120 Reserva Especial Merlot is a red-violet coloured wine, with intense fruity aromas and notes of red fruit and flower, vanilla and tobacco. This Merlot is a thoughtful, quality present for those hard to impress neighbours and co-workers!

Food Pairing: Salmon and red meat

2017 Sumac Ridge – Private Reserve Gewurtztraminer, BC – $12.99

The #1 selling Gewűrztraminer in BC Liquor Stores has quite a history, dating back decades with consumers. It matches up to the holiday, from occasion to menu to refreshment value. Flavours of citrus and spice.

Food Pairings: Fruit Salad, Ceviche, Gravalax, Pasta with Spicy Tomato Sauce, Sushi, Raw Fish, Spicy Chicken Stir-fry, Fresh Cheese, Cream Cheese, Chocoloate-dipped Strawberries, Crepes Suzette, Spicy Seafood hotpot and pho

La Marca Prosecco, Italy – $17.95

Add a touch of sparkle to a wine lover’s holiday with a bottle of La Marca Prosecco. This zesty Italian sparkling wine is bright, clean, and easy to drink.

It’s the perfect gift for the bubbly host/hostess on your list. Terrific as an aperitif, yet versatile enough to serve with appetizers, the pop of La Marca’s bottle marks the start of an unforgettable evening.

Food Pairing: Roasted nuts, cheese, poultry and seafood

Quails’ Gate Chasselas Pinot Blanc Pinot Gris, BC – $17.99

Chasselas was the first vinifera grape planted on the Quail’s Gate estate and has a long history at the property. As one of the most iconic wines at Quails’ Gate, this white blend is made in a fresh, fruit-forward style to complement those long summer days. They’re proud to share that the varietal is the number one selling BC VQA white wine in British Columbia.

Food Pairing: Poultry, Seafood

2016 Whitehaven Sauvignon Blanc, New Zealand – $20.20

A stunning expression of Sauvignon Blanc, this star-bright white shines with the joyful spirit of the season. Its vivid acidity and citrus notes excite the palate. 

Food Pairing: Salads, seafood and vegetables

Steller’s Jay Brut, BC – $20.99

Steller’s Jay sparkling wines are hand crafted in the Okanagan Valley using the traditional French “Methode Classique.” First produced in 1989, Mountain Jay Brut stays true to its tradition by remaining one of Canada’s preeminent sparkling wines. White peach and golden hues flatter the ripe orchard fruit and citrus blossom aromas in this crisp and complex sparkling wine. Rich flavours of toasted nut and red berries layer the palate, resolving to a soft and creamy floral mousse finish.

Food Pairing: Seafood, fruit

2013 Ghost Pines Chardonnay, Winemaker’s Blend, California – $20.95

Ghost Pines is for that friend who lives by the mantra, “Chardonnay All Day!” This traditionally styled Californian Chardonnay is an expressive, enticing wine offering flavours of baked apple, pear and lemon cream, accented by an elegant finish of sweet vanilla.

Food Pairing: Roasted or grilled chicken

Mission Hill Reserve Sauvignon Blanc, BC – $21.99

Zesty grapefruit flavours zip across a palate edged with notes of damp herbs and snow peas, as well as a hint of roasted nut. It’s a rich yet refreshing wine with intense aromas of passion fruit, nettle, grapefruit, lemon and lime.

Food Pairings: Seafood Salad, Smoked Salmon, Oysters, Pasta with Cream or Mushroom Sauce, Baked White Fish in Butter Sauce, Soft-ripened cheese, Chicken Sandwich, Prawns, Scallops


With the holidays around the corner, what better way to add a little sweet treat to your family’s stockings than with locally made chocolate company – Truffle Pig Chocolates.

Why support local and Direct Trade

Truffle Pig Chocolates is based in Burnaby, BC and owned by Shelley Wallace since 2007. Recently, she made an ethical stand to source cacao that is direct, sustainable and fully transparent in how its harvested.

They proudly source their cacao directly from farmers with strong human values and pay them a premium above world market prices. Their Central American cacao is grown wildly, beyond organic, without the use of fertilizers or pesticides, which they can guarantee as they make personal trips to the farms to see the whole process. 

They have gone above and beyond by ensuring a completely transparent supply chain with traceable ingredients. I really appreciate this as not all companies go to these lengths to ensure they are doing things right.

Assorted Chocolate Piglets

They have assorted Truffle Piglets if you want a bite sized treat. The piglets come in:

  • 70% Cacao Dark Chocolate Peppermint Piglets
  • 47% Cacao Milk Chocolate Peanut Butter Piglets
  • 47% Cacao Milk Chocolate Piglets
  • 70% Cacao Dark Chocolate Piglets

All great flavours but the most festive one is definitely the Dark Chocolate Peppermint Piglets. Subtle peppermint flavour that isn’t too powerful.

Truffle Pig Bars

Their regular sized bars are a treat and great for sharing. They are shaped like piggies too and looks super cute. They come in:

  • 47% Cacao Milk Chocolate Bar
  • 47% Cacao Milk Chocolate Peanut Butter Bar
  • 70% Cacao Dark Chocolate Bar
  • 70% Cacao Dark Chocolate Bar with Crunchy Almonds and Sea Salt

I’m a sucker for peanut butter and chocolate, so I naturally gravitated towards the 47% Cacao Milk Chocolate Peanut Butter Bar. All of them were great quality and you can’t go wrong.

Chocolate Dipped Gourmet Marshmallows

Inside is a marshmallow enrobed in chocolate and it’s just delicious. Pair it with some hot chocolate and it really hits the spot. My husband couldn’t stop eating these with a cup of coffee.

Princess Collection

The Princess Collection comes in a variety of flavours, In the 5 pack, there is – Earl Grey, Sea Salt Caramel, Lavender, Matcha and Praline.

You can’t just have one hahaha. It makes for a great gift.

Where to Buy Truffle Pigs

You can visit Truffle Pig at their store in Burnaby to meet the chocolate master herself and get it directly from the source. They also have an online store if you can’t make it to the shop.

There are a few retail shops that carry their products – Whole Foods, Urban Fare, The Gourmet Warehouse, and many more across Canada.

Address:
3686 Bonneville Pl #101, Burnaby, BC 

Website:
https://trufflepigchocolate.com/

As the holidays are here, what better way to celebrate than with some sweet treats. It’s really not the holidays if chocolate isn’t within arms reach. A lot of people love baking homemade treats, but sometimes there is just no time when juggling so many obligations at once. For this holiday, I’ve been lacking energy to really ‘wow’ my guests with homemade treats since I’m pregnant, so a few new items for the PC Insiders Collection this winter has made entertaining a lot easier.

Some of the new sweet items include:

  • PC Luxury Biscuit Assortment
  • PC Milk Chocolate Bar with Toasted Coconut
  • PC Crunchy Chocolate Hazelnut
  • PC Milk Chocolate Toffee Hazelnut

What I enjoy doing with these items is displaying them nicely on the dessert table, so guests can pick and choose what they want to eat. The luxury biscuit collection has all the classics and looks fantastic when laid out instead of inside the tin. Having some dried fruit or fresh fruit along with all the sweets definitely balance out the table. You can keep this display up throughout the evening. Who says you can’t have dessert before a meal?

This is just one of many options you have if you’re looking for something quick to put together without baking anything. All the items are very affordable and saves lots of time.

To check out the full PC Insiders Collection for this winter, visit their website. There are savoury items, sweet items, and great dishware.