Gifts For The Gals In Your Life It’s only a few more sleeps until Christmas, but there’s still some time to shop, right? I was thinking I’d throw out a few suggestions for the more feminine on your list. I’ve tested out most of these items, so they come highly recommended and GLV approved. Here’s that last minute shopping suggestions for Gifts For Her! Google Pixel 2 XL The Google Pixel 2 XL is not what I originally was going for when my contract with Rogers ran out, but it was more reasonably priced and I was assured the pictures…
Author: cassandra
Santa’s Little Helper This is the second in the “What’s Karen Drinking” as it’s Saturday again! I’ve been watching my friend Karen’s instagram account and thought that this drink was the most festive this time of year! When I asked Karen for the inspiration, she said “I heard Santa wanted an adult beverage once the sleigh was parked for the night. So here it is…boozy and delicious! He’s probably had enough cookies!” Cheers! #whatskarendrinking Santa’s Little Helper 1 oz. Sids Handcrafted Vodka 3/4 oz. Crème de Cocoa 1/4 oz. Disaronna 1 oz. Cream of Coconut Shake with lots of ice and…
PC Home How you all doing in these last few days before Christmas. I think I’m set and have just about everything we need except a few groceries. But if you are looking for some last minute holiday decorations, or a gift or two for those who’ve been extra nice, the PC Home Collection has a great selection of very reasonably priced items that you can pick up when you grab your groceries at Superstore. For home cooks the 5 quart Dutch Oven is both beautiful and functional, use it to make stews, bake bread and braise meats. For the cocktail…
Tortiere Done Right Chef Steve Brochu from Chartier Restaurant I’d never cried during a cooking demonstration until I watched the one hosted by Darren Cheverie and Chef Steve Brochu from Chartier Restaurant in Beaumont Alberta. I’d met them during the Christmas in November weekend as they were my neighbours at the Jasper Fairmont; when my luggage didn’t get to me in time the first night, they loaned me an ugly Christmas sweater. In this demo, right in the middle of mixing up meat and rolling out dough, a women raised her hand and mentioned that she knew Chef Brochu’s father; she mentioned she’d worked with him and…
Micah Dew Mixes Up Magic For The Holidays and Beyond Still catching up on posts from all I learned this year and want to share some drink recipes from my Alberta trip so you can create a few during the holiday season! Another great seminar at the Jasper Park Lodge’s Christmas in November weekend, was the cocktail class with one of our favourite bartenders, Micah Dew. He mixed up a few drinks and talked entertaining and the art of the cocktail. I could use on of each about now as the holiday stress is beginning to get to me and…
Grab a Few Items From Presidents Choice For Quick Holiday Dishes We attended a little holiday party at Ritual this month hosted by Presidents Choice and Thea VanHerwaarden , a local food and lifestyle expert and we have some of the recipes she created to share. These are quick ones and can rescue you from holiday stress with big flavour and little effort. Brussels Sprouts, Gnocchi and Smoked Salmon Yorkies! Sautéed Brussels Sprouts with Sage Bread Crumbs One-skillet sides make all the difference when preparing multi-course holiday meals – no jostling over oven space and fewer dishes to tackle at the…
Stylish Men Get Polished at Regal Grooming Lounge Around our house I’m not the only one that appreciates good grooming, my husband Michael also likes a little pampering here and there although he still refuses to pose properly for pictures; so much for a proper instagram husband! Last month he checked out Regal Grooming Lounge and came out looking mighty fresh. Located in downtown Vancouver at the foot of Howe Street, this it is a one-stop shop destination for the stylish man with a full range of services including hot towel shaves, cuts, shoe shines, beard trimming and shaping, line-ups, and…
Savouries From Anna and Michael Olson For The Holidays and Beyond Part of the fun at Christmas in November, the annual festival at Jasper Park Lodge, is learning a few new takes on recipes, and sometimes new recipes altogether. Anna and Michael Olson’s main stage performance this year involved Bacon Okonomijaki ( a Japanese pancake), Pork-a-Leekie Pie and Pork Sausage Square. These two are super entertaining and their recipe work. Make sure you source your pork locally with BC and Alberta Pork! Bacon Okonomiyaki Makes 24 bite-size pieces Prep Time: 10 minutes Cook Time: 12-15 minutes Okonomiyaki is an inexpensive…
What To Do Around Vancouver This Week It’s the count down to Christmas and we’re almost ready, are you? Yesterday we tripped up to Kelowna to visit the family, and it’ll be pretty low key here for the next few days. It’s extra special because my aunt is visiting from New Zealand and we haven’t seen her for a while and we’re pretty close as she’s closer to my age than my Mom’s. We’ll see my niece and nephew enjoy Christmas, they’re the only kids in our family, and we missed them last year as they went to NZ, and…
Getting Pretty With Joanna Keller Beautique – Lash Extensions and Make-Up I am somewhat challenged when it comes beauty; firstly I have that great hair for the 80’s, super curly, but not so easy to smooth out, secondly I am hardly youthful these days, and thirdly, I am pretty hopeless as doing anything on my own. Perhaps in 2018 I’ll take a course or two, or watch some you-tube videos, but in the meantime I need to outsource some serious help. For my latest TV appearance on Global TV (I talked about tech in the kitchen – more here) I…
Michael and Ann Olson Entertain – Ribs, Pull apart Bread and Banana Foster I was super lucky to return this year to Christmas in November at the Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge. This three day festival prepares you for anything the holiday season could throw at you. Here you’ll learn how to decorate, bake, entertain, set up a bar, and experience all the joys of the holiday season. There’s an actual “Man Cabin” that is open to all, and each year Anna and Michael Olson grill up some amazing Alberta pork and this year they added in some extra demos of…
Festive Pomegranate Gin and Tonic If you follow my friend Karen Van Vloten on Instagram, you probably get thirsty! She’s got a great engagement rate as her feed is full of the cocktails she crafts; her’s is the party you want to get invited to. It’s been a holiday tradition for her and I to get together for a little lunch at her house this time of year, and I swear I will get my house in order soon so I can return the favour! Her house is holiday ready early and always quite festive, her cats add entertainment, she…
What My Husband Wants For Christmas And Yours Might Too I always do food gift guides, but this year I’ve been asked a lot about gifts for the men as well, so I asked my husband what he wanted and then added a few suggestions too because his list was a little thin. Here’s a few suggestions for gifts For The Man In Your Life. First up was the PlayStation VR for his PlayStation. SIGH! I don’t want to encourage his introverted behavior, but gaming makes this boy happy so how could I deny him? We’ll see if this makes it…
How to Get Through the Season Beautifully – My Beauty Picks As I write this I seem to be breaking out in some type of rash! This time of year seems to be cruel to me as there’s lots of stress, lots of going out, lots of later nights than usual and a real need to look my best, when I feel at my worst. Here’s a few things I’ve rounded up that are keeping me together when it comes to beauty. 1 – Face Atelier Ultra Camouflage Duo – Right now I seem to look and feel tired…
What to do in and around Vancouver this week? Good lord it almost Christmas and we’ve got so much to do. How’s your holiday prep going? We’ve got presents to buy, cookies to bake, articles to write and packing to do for Kelowna. We’ll be spending the holidays with my family and zipping back to visit with Michael’s as well. No plans for New Year as of yet, but we’re pretty low key and will likely spend time with a few friends at home. In the meantime there’s lots we hope to do this week before we leave, and here’s…
Personalized Labels of Glenlivet Scotch Available For That Real Whisky Aficionado Every year we wonder what to get those friends or family that have everything, or if they don’t they would have bought it for themselves already? That’s usually how it is around our house for Dad, and he ends up with more socks, another cashmere sweater, or more itunes, but this year it’s going to be different, as we’re taking a gift giving to the next level with a personalized, complimentary label on a bottle of the Glenlivet Founder’s Reserve. My Mom and Dad aren’t big drinkers, but around the…
Stanley Park Classic Gets A Makeover One rainy Vancouver day not so long ago, we headed into Stanley Park to check out the renovations and menu updates at the Prospect Point Cafe. I had actually never eaten at the cafe, having assumed that it was one of those touristy trap type restaurants, and apparently I was somewhat correct, but the past is now well behind us with the more than just cosmetic updates. The exterior is stunning, wood beams and floor to ceiling windows so you can truly catch the view of the Lions Gate Bridge and Burrard Inlet. The…
Potters Nursery Christmas Store Growing up in Burlington, where I lived from the age of four until eight, we used to live around the corner from a place called The Elves Workshop, which seems to still exist, but not in the same spot. We also lived near a ravine, crematory and cemetery, which could explain a lot, but we’ll stick to my fondness for Christmas in this post, although it is worth mentioning our decorations include many day of the dead-themed ornaments. The workshop was open all year and it was 100% Christmas-themed, 100% of the time, and we adored…
What to do Around Vancouver This Week It’s now December and I can’t believe how fast the year has zipped by! I’m already sick of the weather, so I’m heading to sunnier skies on Sunday and off to Palm Springs. In the meantime I’ve got a few things to do before I go including Vancouver Theatre Sports annual Christmas Queen, the opening of Lumiere in the West End, and a couple classes at The Dailey Method in an attempt to look a little better in my short sleeved tops. Here’s some suggestions for you this week! Christmas Queen 4 –…
What’s New In The World Of Kitchen Gadgets? Tune into the noon news on Global BC tomorrow for my segment on Kitchen Gadgets and we’ll run through some of the newest items we’re using at home in our kitchen. Philips Air Fryer – Best Buy – $299 ($179 for Black Friday) Why we like it: The Philips Air Fryer heats air super fast and it circulates more evenly than other fryers to fry and crisp food with very little oil, plus you can bake, grill and roast It’s also attractive, easier to clean, and takes up less counter space than…
