Delicious Food Show 2011

Macarons - I'm coming for youuuuuuuu!

A few weeks back I had the privilege of attending the Delicious Food Show in Toronto put on by the Food Network with my beloved friend Jen. I've been attending these shows more often not only because they feature ample amounts of deliciousness but also because it combines two of my loves: food and event planning (which I went to school for).

The show's goal was to showcase the "Best in Cooking, Food & Kitchens" and I truly felt that it delivered on that part. I quickly learned after having gone through the first aisle that us food bloggers were VERY easy to spot. We were the ones with ridiculous cameras around our necks, trying to balance multiple pamphlets while taking photos of everything that caught our eyes and still trying to play off that we weren't going to rush home and recount all of our thoughts to our audience. I had about 6 or 7 booths ask if I was a food blogger and at first I was shy about it but by the end, I was darn proud of it. I love blogging and it's become such a phenomenon that I can't deny it's a huge part of who I am.

Caramel Apple Pie & Skor Cupcakes from Cupcake Diner

I found it very interesting that the show had a few food trucks actually inside the show. Toronto still hasn't quite caught on to the food truck revolution the way other major cities have (especially in the US) but it's nice to see that they're slowly making their way north of the border. I sampled a cupcake from the Cupcake Diner (Skor, I believe) as well as a delicious soft serve ice cream cone that tasted like creamsicles (and had a very dreamy driver to boot! HA! Double delicious!). There were so many neat things to see that it was very hard to avoid going into sensory overload but I had a great time.

However, while we were there, we stopped at a booth that was fantastic on so many levels: Bobbette & Belle. Allyson & Sarah, who own the business, are the most lovely people ever! Not only do they have amazing looking artisan pastries and confections but after chatting with them for a few minutes, you really can't help but want to be best friends with them and take them home with you! Naturally, I had been holding out on buying macarons at the show but I caved with Bobbette & Belle's and I wasn't disappointed. I bought some pistachio ones (surprised are you?) as well as milk chocolate caramel ones and they were superb! Check out some of their creations:

 Here are some other photos from the show as well:

If this show happens again (which I'm sure it will), I highly recommend that you grab some comfy walking shoes and go! It was well worth it!

Happy Sunday!

t

Mushroom Turnovers & a Busy Weekend

I truly can't believe how quickly this past weekend flew by. I look forward to being able to just relax and veg for a bit and unfortunately this was not one of those weekends. However, it was full of adventures all around that made it all worth it.

Friday night was spent with my baby brother, Jordan, who will very politely and proudly tell you that he is "5 and three quarter years old". We had a sibling sleepover which was full of mac'n'cheese (Mrs. K's recipe) and movies and snuggles all around. Honestly, how cute is he!!??!?

Then, on Saturday morning we headed to Andrew's Scenic Acres to pick out some pumpkins. I learned the hard way that when going to get pumpkins at the patch, bring more than on adult because almost 6 year old children do NOT like to help carry pumpkins. That being said, we did have quite the adventure :)

After our patch adventure, there was some serious pumpkin carving (photos to follow) and then I headed off to the Delicious Food Show at the Better Living Centre in Toronto. I promise there will be an entire post about it within the next few days.

On Sunday, our family got together to remember my Grandfather (my Dido) since it's been a year since he passed away.

Baba, Dido and I in early 1989

We had a lovely lunch together and I whipped up some mushroom turnovers to bring over to Baba's house. I'm sorry to say that I didn't take any process pictures but the end result was delightful.

Here's the quick rundown of how I made them.

• Bring your puff pastry to room temperature (frozen puff pastry makes this RIDICULOUSLY hard to say the least). 
• Slice 1 pint of mushrooms
• Melt 1 tbsp of oil and 1 tbsp of butter in a saute pan and add 1 small onion and 1 clove of finely chopped garlic. Cook on medium heat until softened. Add 1 tsp of fresh thyme leaves. 
• Stir in 3 tbsp of marsala wine and 1 tsp of maple syrup. 
• Add the sliced mushrooms and 1/4 tsp of salt. Saute until the mushrooms are soft and cooked through. 
• Stir in 3 tbsp of heavy (35%) cream and cook until a thick sauce is made. 
• Roll out your puff pastry into a 9 x 13 rectangle. Cut the rectangle into 12 square-ish rectangles. 
• Add one spoonful of filling to the middle and fold the square in half and pinch the edges. 
• Place on a baking sheet and brush with a beaten egg. 
• Bake at 400F for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown. 

Ta-Da!

 

Look at the delicious layers of pastry!

I hope you all enjoyed your weekend and that it was slightly more relaxed than mine.

Happy cooking!

t