Fresh Bites

Colour Scheme: Robins Egg Blue & Orange

Product Inspiration: Animal Parade

What incredible graphic designer, Nicole Tarasick did with the inspiration:

*Please note that all personal information has been removed for client privacy.

Invitation Front:

Invitation Inside:

Invitation Insert:

Thank you cards:

When hosting a special occasion for someone, it’s a good idea to purchase Thank You cards that match the invitations for the guest / guests of honour to use post event. 

Signature Cocktail:

Candy Display:

Cupcakes with Meringue Toppers:

Parisian Macarons:

The centrepiece for the food table was surrounded by tiny gingerbread cookies cut in animal shapes, each hand-painted in blue & orange:

After the baby was born, I asked Nicole Tarasick to design a special gift for the guests of honour’s nursery. I was elated when Nicole sent me her design for a poster done in a 12” x 18” glossy print, later to be displayed in a white-wash wooden frame:

John Moore - noun; 1. A man who knows his meat.

From mouth-watering satays to stick-to-your-ribs briskets, John brings big Southern flavours into play, drawing from his years in Texas.

Picture: John grilling-up tenderloin for Fresh & Fancy at the Canadian Open 2010

What I’ve learned from John…

1. Work in a clean & organized space

2. Marinate your meat with high quality ingredients

3. Give tougher cuts of meat plenty of time to marinate, cook and rest

4. Don’t ruin a beautiful piece of meat by over-cooking it - pink means; tender, juicy & full of flavour

5. Be sure to have a cold delicious beer to accompany you in your meat cooking endeavours! 

Pictures: Tenderloin for 150 guests from grill to table

In search of a creative birthday gift for my friend, I recently came across the idea to do a cupcake decorating class at Le Dolci. Located in Toronto’s trendy King West, Lisa Sanguedolce sheds new light on the cupcake craze. Every week, a variety of classes are offered ranging from the “Introduction to Cupcake Decorating” to specialty classes, such as “Wedding Cupcakes” and “TIFF Red Carpet Cupcakes”. 

What to expect:

Upon arrival, Lisa has all of the cupcakes baked and work stations set-up. After a quick intro and demonstration, everyone is encouraged to get creative - not a difficult task when the centre of the table is lined with a plethora of  butter-cream, fondant, specialty tools and food colourings! When class is over, everyone is given a large pink cupcake box so that they can take their creations home.

The cupcakes:

At Le Dolci, all of the cupcakes used for decorating are made with Lisa’s secret vanilla cupcake recipe. Before moving to Toronto and setting-up shop, Lisa lived in London England. In my opinion, Lisa’s cupcakes are reminiscent of the tasty treats that you will find at cake shops in the UK with a light-crumbly texture and a sugary-sweet taste. 

                                                                      Le Dolci Video

The difference:

Lisa, owner of Le Dolci, makes all the difference in class. Lisa’s kind approachable manner creates a comfortable and enjoyable experience for everyone. Finally, Torontonians and friends can learn decorating tips for their favourite treats without having to enrol in a militant school program! 

What else:

Le Dolci also offers private parties at the studio and off-site for all occasions. I love the idea of hosting the first phase of a bachelorette to get the celebration started! Lisa will also go to events such as weddings as the “cupcake princess” to help keep the little ones occupied with cupcake decorating.

This past weekend I created a dessert and candy buffet for my client’s daughter who was celebrating her law school graduation. The party was held at a local high-end restaurant on Sunday Afternoon. 

Client’s Request:

To include cupcakes and the colour pink 

What we did:

For a sophisticated and elegant look, the table was designed with a pink, gold, black and white colour scheme. A selection of chocolate fudge and french vanilla cupcakes with bright pink vanilla butter cream were topped with mini graduation hats and diplomas . We used various cake plates, glass vases and crystal dishes to display an array of petits fours, Parisian macarons and candy. The table was set-up with pretty white candy bags and cupcake boxes for guests to take the extra sweets home with them as party favours.

The long-awaited BBQ season has finally arrived! Potato salad is a great addition to an outdoor summer party, but most potato salad recipes call for a mayonnaise-based dressing. Mayo sitting out in the sun is never a good idea. I like to serve this potato salad because it’s dressed with a chicken stock reduction and can be made a day in advance.

Yield 6 servings

Ingredients:

• 2-3 Lbs. Yukon gold potatoes 
• 4 cups chicken stock
• 2 tbsp. butter
• 200 grams pancetta (thinly sliced rounds)
• 3/4 cups celery (finely chopped)
• 1/2 cup vidalia onion (finely diced)
• 1/2 cup scallions (finely chopped)
• 3/4 cups fresh chives (finely chopped)
• Cracked black pepper, to taste 

Dressing:

• 1 tbsp. olive oil
• 1 tbsp. fresh lemon juice

Directions:

• Wash potatoes thoroughly and remove any eyes and/or green parts
• Place potatoes in large cooking pot with cold chicken stock and bring to a boil uncovered *Note: Always start potatoes in cold cooking liquid when boiling to ensure even cooking
• When potatoes are tender, drain pot and reserve chicken stock, set aside.
• Place potatoes back in your pot with paper towel on top and allow to sit for 5 - 10 minutes with a tightly-fit lid. *Note: The paper towel will collect the steam and keep your potatoes from retaining too much liquid and making your potato salad soggy
• Pour chicken stock into a sauce pan and simmer until reduced to 1/4 cup, set-aside
• In a saute pan, melt butter and cook pancetta until crisp on both sides (about 2 minutes per side)
• Remove pancetta from the pan and set aside on paper towel to absorb excess fat, chop
• Add the celery, vidalia and green onion to the pan and cook for 5 minutes in the butter and fat from the pancetta
• Peel potatoes and chop into bite-size pieces
• Toss potatoes with pancetta, celery, vidalia and green onion. Add reduced chicken stock
• For dressing, whisk together olive oil and lemon juice, pour over salad
• Season with fresh cracked black pepper
• Top with Chives right before serving, Serve at room temperature

Who:

Last week I had the pleasure of visiting mother-daughter team Phyllis and Marilyn Lill at their floral boutique Lilium in Yorkville. Phyllis has studied floral design internationally over the past 15 years and had a successful floral design studio for over 6 years before teaming-up with daughter Marilyn. Marilyn comes from a background in the fashion industry after studying in NY at the Fashion Institute of Technology and gaining valuable merchandising experience through working in the buying department at Bergdorf.

How:

Lilium is the result of a lot of hard work that stemmed from a phone conversation between Phyllis and Marilyn. Phyllis told me; “one day Marilyn called me from NY and asked if I wanted to expand my business and build something together”. Phyllis said YES and that is how Lilium came-to-be!

Why:

Lilium sets itself apart from most flower purveyors by bringing 2 generations of expertise together. The result: A one-of-a-kind floral boutique!

What:

Lilium offers bespoke floral arrangements and bouquets for all occasions. For weddings, Phyllis and Marilyn will meet with you for a private consultation to ensure that the flowers on your special day are exactly what you envisioned. Lilium is also one of the only floral boutiques in Toronto that offer workshops. There are a variety of courses that are offered on evenings and weekends. My favourite: a bachelorette. Why not get all of the women closest to you together to learn the art of floral design? Everyone in attendance will leave with their own uniquely designed piece. How lovely!

Where:

Lilium is located at: 41 Hazelton Avenue in Yorkville, Toronto. Read more about them at The Wedding Co. Or view Ideas from the Wedding Show on Breakfast Television Toronto!

Congratulations - You’re engaged!

The Average wedding takes 10 months to plan. This timeline varies amongst couples, but will give you an idea of the beginning planning stages of your wedding.

The 1st steps in planning your special day will include:

• Choose your wedding theme / style - If you’re not sure what theme or style you would like to have, Style Me Pretty is a great resource offering Inspiration Boards and a tool to build your own style board!
• Plan your budget - This will determine many other factors in your planning, including - but not limited to; your reception location, reception time (see note below), and the number of guests you will be inviting. There are lots of online wedding planning tools. Some favourites include: Martha Stewart Weddings and The Knot.
• Make a tentative guest list - If you have family assisting you with the cost of the wedding, keep in mind that this may mean that you will have to invite a list of people that you otherwise would not necessarily choose to include. Your reception location will also determine how many people you are able to invite according to your location’s capacity.
• Set a wedding date and time - If you have a tight budget for your wedding, but don’t want to skimp-out on the luxuries, plan a brunch or lunch reception which is often less expensive than serving a sit-down dinner.
• Book your ceremony and reception - Surprisingly, some people forget in the excitement of details such as flowers and cakes that without a ceremony and reception… There is no wedding!
• Select members of the wedding party - Traditionally, large wedding parties are associated with very formal weddings. This is certainly not always the case. Regardless of the number of people selected, couples should feel comfortable with their wedding party, as those people will most likely be a huge part of the planning process as well as the wedding day. 

Happy Planning!

The best weddings are personal. This does not mean that a couple should only have 10 people in attendance. It simply means that personal touches should be implemented throughout many aspects of the ceremony and reception. Traditionally, culture plays a huge role in weddings and often defines the theme, menu, ceremony, favours or even the venue.

Rule of thumb: When two people from different cultures plan their nuptials, choose 2 - 3 things from each side to create a personalized wedding. This makes for a memorable unique event and shows a great deal of respect to the couple’s families!  

You can make hors d’oeuvres without knowing how to cook! For Caprese salad skewers, simply pierce grape tomatoes and bocconcini pearls with a fresh basil leaf onto toothpicks of your choice. Season skewers with sea salt and cracked black pepper to taste. Arrange on a platter and drizzle balsamic glaze and a touch of good quality olive oil over top. Serve at room temperature.