Designing Gal : Food

Showing posts with label Food. Show all posts

Links I Love - September Edition

• 35 things to do this fall.

• What to wear to a fall wedding.

• Kendall Jenner shares her social media secrets.

• The perfect shade of burgundy lipstick to flatter your skin tone.

• Recipe for the most delectable browned butter salted chocolate chip cookies.

• How Julianne Hough stays fit & healthy and still eats pizza!

• 7 new beauty products that will blow your mind.

• Coziest cocoon cardigan for fall.

Photo via

· Summer cocktail recipes to liven up your next party.

· How to style your favourite jean jacket this summer.

· The best books to read at the beach.

· 6 magical ways to top grilled corn.

· The right way to contour for your face shape.

· 20 tips to get toned arms faster.

· 5 easy steps to give your living room a summer revamp.

· The biggest summer fashion trend that even Kate Middleton is wearing.

· The hottest espadrille wedge sandals of summer 2016.

· How to find the most flattering cutout swimsuit for your body.

Image source

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It's officially freezing outside and part of North America is digging out from under two feet of snow. Needless to say winter is here to stay (at least for another couple months) and all I want to do is stay warm & hibernate indoors. To make our winter hibernation that much more enjoyable I pulled together my favourite winter warm ups that will keep us cozy, inside and out! Light a lovely Diptyque scented candle and prepare a healthy hearty dish from Gwyneth Paltrow's cult classic cookbook, "It's All Good", in this All-Clad slow cooker. Then get snuggled up in this grey Banana Republic turtleneck sweater, tan suede UGG slippers, & soft aqua Crate & Barrel blanket and watch your favourite movie (or two) on Netflix.

Deanna xo

SHOP THE POST

Happy new year! Or should I say "happy sweet '16"! I hope you all had a wonderful holiday and are ready to start the new year off on the right foot. Here are seven things to do right now to kick off 2016 and set yourself up for the best year ever:

Say good bye to the holidays and put away all the decorations.
Wash all your makeup brushes and toss out any that are past their prime.
Do a quick closet re-organization and bag up any clothes for donation that you haven't worn in more than a year.
Set your fitness goals for the year and then break down your goal dead lines into small increments of time (by month or week). Are you looking for a plan and lots of motivation to get fit in 2016? Check out my favourite trainers from Tone It Up... they are starting their next 8 week fitness challenge today - head on over to their website here to get all the details on how you can join for free!
Throw out all the old holiday leftovers from your fridge and pantry. Then fill it up with lots of healthy options - fruits, veggies, almond milk, lean protein, greek yogurt, quinoa etc.
Head over to Amazon and order yourself a new book to read in January. So many of our favourite shows don't start back up until the end of the month or early February and it's a perfect time to turn off the TV reruns and read a good book. I just started reading the best seller, The Girl on the Train. So far, so good!
Chose a personal goal that you would like to accomplish in January. Maybe it's taking a new fitness class, saving for a big trip, reading a new book or drinking more water. At the end of each week check in with yourself and evaluate your progress. You will feel so great about yourself at the end of the month when you've accomplished what you set out to do. Then pick a new goal for February!

Ready? Let's go!

Deanna xo

Pink and navy is one of my favourite preppy colour combos {Tory Burch Espadrilles}

A coffee break at Balzac's to kick off the weekend! {Mayle saddle bag; similar style}

Fresh, ripe blueberries were plentiful at the St Lawrence Market this weekend.

I love stripes and when you put them on a comfortable pair of espadrilles they become a summer necessity! {J.Crew espadrilles; similar style}

I hope you are having a wonderful Father's Day weekend! Don't forget to follow me on Instagram for a daily dose of style.

Deanna xo

| High | Mid | Low |

Whether you are heading to the beach or just heading to the local market you can't leave without a stylish straw market bag! These totes are so popular and versatile, made of natural materials and created in various shapes & colours. I picked out three that have longer handles so you can wear the bag over your shoulder wherever you are headed. Each tote falls under a high, mid or low price range to suit everyone's budget. The "high" bag is $130 from ShopBop; the "mid" bag is $59.50 and comes in a variety of styles from J.Crew; and the "low" bag is $30 and comes in two different styles from Old Navy. The ShopBop "Bop Basics" bag has 3 interior pockets and is fully lined, which will help the bag last much longer. The J.Crew bag has the thicker leather handles that are well enforced and a great interior pocket for your cell phone or keys. The Old Navy bag is one of my favourites because of it's great affordability and wide style (there is always a sale at Old Navy and at that price you can afford to buy a new tote every year!). You can load these totes up with fresh market food & flowers or your beach essentials all summer long and look very stylish at the same time!

SHOP MARKET BAGS

Speaking of markets, I want to let you in on one of my favourite spring/summer activities in Toronto. When the warm weather rolls around there is nothing better than heading to an outdoor farmers' market and wandering around the various booths in the sunshine. And when the fresh air markets open in late spring you will find me at the Leslieville Farmers' Market. It is located in the east end of the city on a small grassy park with lots of free parking around. They offer a lovely selection of fresh local and organic goods at very reasonable prices. I really love this particular market because it has such a happy, family friendly atmosphere and it is a hop, skip and a jump from Woodbine Beach by Lake Ontario.

Thankfully when the summer ends we still have access to the St Lawrence Market, which is a fantastic all year, indoor food market located in downtown Toronto. Their main food market (in the South building) is open Tuesday to Sunday and their farmers' market (in the North building) is open on Saturdays. This multi building market offers everything a foodie's heart could desire, from fresh meats, seafood, and produce to coffee, baked goods and cheese. The St Lawrence Market was named the number one food market in the world by National Geographic! That is quite an honour and so well deserved. Heading to this market on a weeknight or a Saturday morning is one of my very favourite things to do. I am constantly inspired by their fresh selection of local and organic food, and of course I bring my straw tote along to carry all my market finds!

Here is a brief list of farmers' markets in Toronto. For a full list of markets in the city click here.

All Year Markets

Seasonal Markets

Thanks for reading!

Deanna

What's In My Bag

Weekends are for staying in our PJ's all day, lying on the sofa watching our favourite movies or TV shows on our PVR and sipping coffee. Ya right! I think we can all agree that type of dream weekend is few and far between. Most of us are on the go, running errands and getting stuff done. And the right bag and essentials inside makes this on the go life a little easier. I thought I would share what's in my bag!

My Tory Burch Double Zip Tote is my favourite bag ever (second only to my Louis Vuitton Neverfull). It is classic and stylish all at once and has so much room for all my totables. I love the luggage colour because it complements 99% of my outfits.

I can't live without my Louis Vuitton Sarah continental wallet. I've used it for years and it still looks like new (and that's a lot to ask of a wallet). Another non-negotiable in my tote bag are sunglasses. I have chronically sensitive eyes (which is why you will see me in sunglasses even when the skies are grey) and I don't go anywhere without a good pair of sunglasses, like my favourite gold rimmed Ray-Ban aviators.

If you know me well you know I always have lip gloss on and my favourite brand is MAC Cosmetics Cremesheen Glass (of course). They make the perfect lip gloss that isn't too sticky but lasts for hours.

I happen to have the latest issue of my favourite shelter magazine, Style at Home, with me in case I get a chance to sit down during my busy weekend for a latte and relax. This magazine has come a long way over the years and as a trained interior decorator I am constantly impressed with & inspired by the beautiful stylish home spreads every month.

I am a fan of fresh breath (who isn't?) and I love Starbucks mini mints. They are powerful little suckers and are essential after that cup of coffee on the go.

Sometimes I will get too busy for lunch (I just don't get that hungry when I am super occupied) so it's important to carry a snack, like a Kind Bar, with me that has protein and is also gluten free.

Last but not least my car key! Can't get very far without that. I love my Mini Cooper and the day I have to give it up for an SUV will be a VERY sad one. I can zip around the city and park in the tiniest spots with ease. If you have ever contemplated getting one DO IT!

There you have it! That's what's in my bag. Tell me, what's in yours?

Photo Source: Huffington Post

I'll be honest, the thought of making quinoa once intimidated me. People would say to me "it's so easy" but I didn't believe them. Sometimes it would taste bitter or sometimes it would be mushy. Not appetizing in the least. Let me back up a bit and give you a little info about this ancient grain... Quinoa is a small but mighty grain filled with protein, fibre, iron and is fabulously gluten-free. It is also a source of calcium & magnesium and is considered easy to digest. Knowing how important this superfood was to my daily diet I decided to research "how to cook quinoa" online and found so many different recipes and lots of conflicting advice. Rinse versus no rinse, differences in the ratio of liquid to quinoa, cook time variations, and the list goes on and on. This does not need to be so confusing (I thought to myself) and I headed to Whole Foods, bought a bag of organic quinoa, a carton of organic vegetable broth and got to work in my kitchen. I combined the best advice I had found and came up with the most perfect quinoa ever!! It turned out perfectly fluffy but still has a little bite and incredible flavour (thanks to the broth). So here is my recipe for making the perfect quinoa... I'm sure once you try it this way, quinoa will become a delicious part of your everyday diet too!

My Perfect Quinoa

{Serves 2 people; Prep Time: 1 min; Cook Time: 20 min}

Ingredients
• 1/2 cup of quinoa (I recommend Whole Foods Market brand organic quinoa)

• 3/4 cup of vegetable broth (I recommend Pacific Foods organic vegetable broth)

• Pinch of salt (I recommend Whole Foods Market brand organic sea salt)

Directions
Rinse quinoa in a fine mesh sieve until the water runs clear, about 1 minute. Rinsing is essential because it removes the bitter coating on the quinoa.

Shake sieve to release water from the rinsed quinoa.

Add quinoa to the broth in a medium sized pot and bring to a boil.

Once the pot reaches the boiling point reduce heat to a simmer (between 2 and 3 on the element dial) and cook for 15 minutes with the lid on.

Stir quinoa half way through cooking time.

Take the pot off the heat and gently fluff quinoa with a fork.

Place a paper towel over the top of the pot and put the lid on.

Let the quinoa rest in the pot for 5 minutes.

Fluff quinoa and transfer to a bowl to cool (for use in a cold salad) or serve warm right away.

My Perfect Quinoa with Steamed Broccoli and Chicken Breast

Image: The Barefoot Contessa

One of the most popular chefs on the Food Network is Ina Garten, aka The Barefoot Contessa, and if you watch her fabulous cooking show you know why. Ina's style of cooking is very down to earth and she makes every recipe seem so simple yet completely delicious. I've been a fan of Ina's for years and I've collected every one of her seven fantastic cookbooks. One of my favourite ways to spend a Sunday morning is curled up on my sofa with my cup of coffee or tea and watch an episode of The Barefoot Contessa on the Canadian Food Network. Like many people I covet her home in the Hampton's and her warm and friendly lifestyle. Who wouldn't want to cook a meal with Ina in her Hampton's barn kitchen or be a guest at one of her dinner parties? Her recipes are truly easy to make and are a success every time... from her Grown-up Macaroni and Cheese to her Pan-fried Onion Dip, I always get rave reviews when I cook an Ina recipe. Ina Garten recently published her seventh cookbook entitled The Barefoot Contessa: How Easy Is That? and it is already number 1 on the New York Times Best Seller list. Of course I bought it the day it was released and have earmarked many recipes to try out on my friends and family. With the holidays just around the corner I thought I would put together the ultimate Barefoot Contessa holiday menu. I've made her perfect roasted turkey and her old-fashioned apple crisp for past holiday meals and no doubt they will be as delicious and easy to make for you as it was for me. Each recipe below is from one of Ina's cookbooks... but do not fear if you don't own her book collection, the recipes are also on the Food Network website:

Perfect Roasted Turkey - Barfoot Contessa Parties! (2001)

Roasted Winter Vegetables - Barefoot Contessa Family Style (2002)

String Beans with Shallots - Barefoot Contessa Family Style (2002)

Buttermilk Mashed Potatoes - Barefoot Contessa at Home (2006)

Roasted Brussels Sprouts - The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook (1999)

Popovers - Barefoot Contessa Parties! (2001)

Old-Fashioned Apple Crisp - Barefoot Contessa Parties! (2001)