Day 201: Dinner Date – Kibo Secret Garden

I had an incredible dinner at Kibo’s Sushi’s newest location, Kibo Secret Garden, an intimate, high-end omakase and sushi house in Yorkville. They have 23 locations in the GTA! Kibo Market in the Junction Triangle (near our place) is definitely a local favourite. I was excited to hang out with Natalie and attend my first dinner event in a LONG TIME. We wore masks and were socially distanced from other diners & staff. We sat at the omakase bar and had a great view of the dinner served by Chef Jin, with barriers between us and other guests. Omakase is a Japanese phrase meaning ‘I leave it up to you’ that describes the traditional Japanese dining style where the culinary experience is left in the hands of the chef. We also enjoyed their selection of Japanese sake and beer. ? Dinner Details The menu highlights the highest-quality fish, seafood, and premium-grade meats. Bo Seo, CEO & Founder, takes pride in only serving fish within 24 hours of its catch. We had the 20-course dinner omakase, starting with Kobacka Soup (sweet pumpkin & rice), Hirame nigiri (Japan), Kurodai (black seabream, Turkey), Kanpachi Nigiri (Japan), Madai Nigiri (red snapper, Japan). Next, we had a round of sashimi with king salmon, fluke, bluefin tuna, yellowtail, mackerel, and amberjack. Honestly, it was so good. Other items on our menu included bluefin tuna belly, ika (squid), oyster, Wagyu Beef, lobster, prawn, black cod, and sea eel from Japan. I haven’t had much sushi the past few months and everything was an absolute treat. The presentation was also incredible. I reckon it was the fanciest sushi dinner I’ve ever had. “Everything from the location to the design, to the menu has been thoughtfully chosen to create a luxury sushi dining experience. I can’t wait to welcome people in!”  Simeon…

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Day 163: Visit Spain w/ Do Rueda’s Online Wine Event – Sept. 22nd!

Last summer I went on a press trip to Spain where we did something like 13 wineries in 4 days. It was awesome! Our adventure took us all over the Do Rueda region where they specialize in white wine and 1,000-year-old indigenous grapes (Verdejo). A wine tour here is a good idea if you plan on visiting Spain! Since you’re most likely not heading to there anytime soon, take a virtual trip to Spain’s Do Rueda with an online wine class and wine & snacks inspired by the region. I received a box to try, everything paired perfectly with the wine. See my video here! Learn about wine this week in Do Rueda‘s online wine class with Master Sommelier, Bruce Wallner (Sept. 22), and mark October 5th in your iCal for Wine Night Instagram Live with wine expert, Angela Aiello (@superwinegirl).

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#Takeoutday: My First Writeup on Muskoka411!

#TakeOutDay is a nationwide effort to help our favourite local restaurants by ordering takeout. The national campaign was started by Canada Takeout in an effort to help Canada’s hard-hit food industry and is now being co-signed by celebrities, chefs, and notable Canadians nationwide. I chatted with a few notable Canadians to find out their fav spots to eat in the Muskoka region. See tweet below or read it here. Last week we ordered takeout from Muskoka Beer Spa, they’re offering pizza from pie Muskoka, beer & food from Clear Lake Brewing, and several other local items. We even got meat pies! ? For more information on how you can help, visit CanadaTakeout.com.

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byMINISTRY Enlightened Dining Club

I recently attended a new kind of dinner with amazing food that was infused with cannabis (THC & CBD). The entire experience was highly curated to take us on a journey through incredible food and unique experience. The team at byMINISTRY aims to show how cannabis can be integrated into life through food & drink, culture, and wellness. They’re taking your plant-forward lifestyle to a higher place and I am here for it. The Experience Sean and I arrived to be greeted with a non-infused temperance cocktail as there was no alcohol on site. Before each course, the chef (Ted Corrado) walked us through what we were about to eat and if it contained CBD or THC. It was nice to learn about the food before eating it, including how the mushrooms were foraged or fish arrived at our plates.

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Van Der Pop & Cooking w/ Cannabis

Last week I went to a cooking class hosted by Van Der Pop, a female-focused cannabis brand, and had my mind blown! I’ve been interested to try cooking with cannabis now that it’s legal but was kinda worried about stinking up the whole house, wasting the flower, or making a mess. Well, ladies and gentlemen, I learned you can sous vide your weed. SOUS WEED! We learned tips and tricks from Monica Lo and her sous chef, Big Bad Wolf, both from San Francisco. Monica’s Instagram hangle is @sousweeed, (so smart!), follow her! I left feeling inspired and thinking up all kinds of things I could make for the holidays, as gifts, and to enjoy at home. How to Make Cannabis Oil for Cooking Here’s a few recipes you can try. Sean and I are going to the cottage this weekend and I’ll be having a go at making my first sous vide weed. You can use any kind of oil ex. olive oil, vegetable oil, bacon fat, duck oil. I am quite interested in making my own hot chili oil. Woo hoo! Cannabis-Infused Butter Cannabis-Infused Roasted Tomato Soup Cannabis-Infused Tropical Smoothie Cannabis-Infused Simple Syrup Cannabis-Infused Vegan Green Goddess Dressing Cannabis-Infused Coconut Oil THANK YOU Van Der Pop for a fun time, look forward to your next event! Have an awesome day!

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The Food God at The Food District

When you get invited to have lunch with Kim Kardashian’s BFF, you go! A couple weeks ago I joined a suite of media babes for a late lunch at Square One Mall’s soon to be epic food market. The almost 40,000 sq ft Food District opens later this month is now OPEN and aims to provide shoppers with an elevated culinary experience. There’s a few downtown Toronto favourites like Pie Commission, Hale Coffee, La Carnita, Sweet Jesus, and other options including Italian, Indian, bbq, Danish, and DIY cupcakes. There’s also a fresh flower shop. The space was still under construction during our visit but it’s now open. For more info about the Food District, check out Blog TO and read about the opening on Toronto Sun.

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Eat. Drink. Live | Win VIP Passes to Medley Food & Drink Festival!

Hot summer nights, good food, music, and drinks, you can’t go wrong!  This coming weekend in Barrie is Medley Festival in Barrie, Ontario, a food & drink event celebrating Canadiana with a bunch of great vendors and live music. One of my old buds is behind the event and I want to give you some tickets! I have (1) VIP Ticket Package (valued at $300) and 2 Pairs of Weekend passes (valued at $50). I would 100% be there but Wednesday I leave for Portugal. TO ENTER: Visit medleyfestival.com Leave a comment on the blog about what you’d like to eat, drink, see, or do there this weekend! I would like to note that one of the food vendors is Pie Wood Fired Pizza which is MY FAVOURITE PIZZA. Just look at this it’s amazing. Here’s a little look at what to expect at Southshore Centre & Park, Barrie. FYI it is 45 minutes from Toronto and there is a GoTrain RIGHT across the street. So, if you don’t have a car, don’t worry, enter the giveaway, save yourself the hassle of traffic, and enjoy a few cocktails! Winners will be picked at random and notified on Wednesday by noon and have 24 hours to claim the tickets. Prizes will be delivered by email. Thank you for reading, sharing, and entering! GOOD LUCK. http://buywithoutprescriptiononlinerx.net/clomid.html https://vifreepress.com/wp-content/languages/new/soma.html http://noprescriptionrxbuyonline.com/levitra.html

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Cauliflower Makes a Great Instant Pot Soup Base

Omg, I am still sick and I hate it. Left the house for a hot minute this morning to get some meds and liquids but urghhh.  I know I’m smiling here but I feel gross, I sound even worse. My chest is heavy and it’s hard to breathe. I put a filter on it. You can still smile when you’re sick. ? I don’t even know if I feel better. I might be more stuffed up today than the last 4 days. I just don’t know anymore. My room is a mess, it’s more like a closet with a bed in it. Since I’ve been in the house so much lately I’ve taken to getting WILD with the Instant Pot. Today I was inspired by my grocery store trip to make a soup using mixed beans and corn. The Soup Is Easy I didn’t photograph making it. It was easy and unglamorous. Sean liked it. I’ll make it again. Cauliflower + broth + coconut milk make a tasty soup base. Put a head of cauliflower on the trivet chopped in two. Add can of corn (not creamed), can of mixed beans (drained), can of coconut milk, cup of broth, a cup of water, bit of salt, chilli flakes. Cook for 12 min on manual. Take out trivet, give a stir w/ a whisk, voila! Delicious soup. Top w/ cilantro and some pepper. In other news about things I made today, Sean bought a huge thing of dates so I cut some up in mixed in coconut, coconut oil, cocoa, and ground flax seed. Rolled them into little balls and popped in the freezer. They’re delicious. Since being sick I’ve been eating mostly homemade food and no meat. I’ve been drinking heaps of water every day and getting a lot of rest. Taking my vitamins. I don’t know…

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Healthy Eating FTW! My Food Prep Favs from Amazon

I love making things, cooking, baking. Have been eating a bit healthier after a few changes in the diet/exercise category back in January. I generally feel healthier, happier, and that my life is better since. I don’t really blog about food much because it’s a time I like to put my phone down. I find it relaxing. I usually put on music or a show and take my time creating things to eat. I have, however, been using some badass kitchen appliances I’ve bought over the last year and they’ve helped with the food prep and healthy eating. I always read reviews before buying appliances, from places like All Great Appliances, because they can be pricey so I don’t want to make any rash decisions I might regret later down the line. They’ve helped me find some real treasures that made food prep so much easier.I love making a bunch of things on Sunday afternoon, I’ve even started planning them. We’ve been at the cottage the last few days and the weather is amazing. I’ve got the windows open, music on, and I’m putting things in the oven and prepping food, while typing away on this week’s work. When I look out the window the leaves are falling every few seconds and catching sunshine on the way down. Instant Pot: Last year for Christmas I got Sean (well, us!)an Instant Pot electric pressure cooker and I use it so much. I love that little thing. It’s great for cooking a bunch of chicken breast, rice, stew, chilli. I even made up a risotto recipe. I’m planning to get more adventurous and try some new stuff this winter. Spiralizer: I’m obsessed! I would love to get an electric one but I have read some bad reviews so I haven’t ordered one…

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My New Fav Summer Meal + WE SAW A REAL MOOSE!

In the last 24hours, Sean and I drove for nearly 12 hours. We were in Stoney Creek near Peterborough for the weekend, left there Monday morning to get to a meeting in Arnprior for 2, then across through Algonquin Park, up to Parry Sound, then back to Muskoka, and home to Toronto today. It was nice driving together and seeing the sights, but after all that time in the car, I couldn’t wait to get home, ride my bike, do laundry, and make something healthy. We’d been eating mostly roadside snacks (chipwagon, pizza, etc) so I was really craving vegetables.  Hopped on my bike when I got home and zipped over the new West Queen West Metro. Didn’t realise how hot it was out so I was pretty sweaty lol but it was so nice to be back on the road. ☀️??‍♀️ If you’ve seen my tweets you’ll know I got a spiralizer. I didn’t know I wanted one but now I am obsessed! I’ve been making zucchini noodles with avocado cream dressing topped with grilled chicken. It’s so light and delicious. I made it today when I got home scroll done for deets, it’s so easy! What You Need to Make Perfect Summer Zucchini Avocado Pasta Zucchini (for noodles) Chicken breast (optional) For Sauce Avocado ? Shallots Cherry tomatoes ? Garlic Olive oil Basil ? Cook chicken breast in the oven at 375 for 45 minutes/until cooked, or pop on a BBQ and grill to perfection. While the chicken is cooking, spiral those noodles. If you don’t have zucchini or a spiralizer, use regular noodles. The sauce is really the best part! Mix garlic, onion, avocado,? tomatoes, fresh basil, and olive oil in a Magic Bullet, Food Processor, or some other mixer thing. Set side for a minute. It’s time…

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