Food September 7, 2017

5 Best Toronto Ice Cream Shops

This summer I had lots of fun catering to my sweet tooth in Toronto. So many new ice-cream shops popped up in the last few years. With so many to choose from, I’ve narrowed them down to this summers favourites. Here are my 5 Toronto Ice-Cream shops you won’t regret trying. Call me crazy, but I’ll be going back to these places this Fall/Winter:

1. BANG BANG Ice-Cream

Location: 93A Ossington Ave

5 Toronto Ice-Cream Shops You Won’t Regret [FOOD]

I remember the first time I came here with our dear friends, it was a cold Saturday afternoon some time in the Winter/Fall. There was a line up out the store, down the street. That should say a lot on its own of how good this place is.

It’s not big inside, very minimal space to sit or stand. It didn’t matter, we ate ours just outside the shop.

We went with the ice-cream sandwiches. You choose the cookie and ice-cream combo and

you’ve got a drool-worthy masterpiece.

Loved the Homer Simpson art inside the shop!

2. Fugo Desserts

Location: 205 Dundas St W.

I was on a mission to try their cookie monster ice-cream! One of the things I remembered about the cookie monster ice-cream was that it wasn’t overly sweet and the cone was my absolute favourite part!

Inside the shop you’ll find about 5 – 10 seats and a huge chalkboard menu/graffiti. Feel free to write your name on the wall or whatever.

😋 SO good.

A post shared by Lifestyle • Fashion • Beauty (@humjk) on Sep 21, 2016 at 8:23pm PDT

This Cookie Monster ice-cream from @fugodesserts 👌🏼👏🏼 don’t forget the Oreo cone! 😍

A post shared by Lifestyle • Fashion • Beauty (@humjk) on Aug 1, 2016 at 7:47am PDT

3. Eva’s Original Chimneys

Location: 454 Bloor St W.

The very best soft serve ice-cream I ever had! This ice-cream is as filling as a main course would be. So eat light and then enjoy these cones.

5. Sweet Jesus Downtown

Location: 106 John St

Passed on the birthday cake this year for this massive soft serve birthday cone! #madeawish

A post shared by Lifestyle • Fashion • Beauty (@humjk) on Mar 19, 2016 at 7:22pm PDT

There was a long line-up for this place and very little space inside the shop, but there’s a bench right outside if you have someone to wait for. I love that this place has so many creative flavours that actually taste good! Plus, when’s the last time you saw a lit candle on an ice-cream cone?

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#toronto #icecream #torontofood Toronto ice cream hot spots

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Main Course May 7, 2017

Veggie Pasta in 30 minutes with Catelli Ancient Grains [RECIPE]

Veggie Pasta in 30 minutes with
Catelli Ancient Grains…

This yummy main dish as seen on Instagram is a very easy week day recipe! It’s so easy, that you’ll read through all the steps below in less than 2 minutes. Let’s go!

Ingredients
Rosée sauce
Stringless sugar snap peas
Zucchini
Peppers
Mushrooms
Cajun seasoning
Catelli Ancient Grains Pasta
Olive oil
Sweet onion

Directions
1. Boil Catelli Ancient Grains pasta until cooked. Catelli Ancient Grains pasta is made with an all-natural, 100% whole grain blend of Canadian wheat. It also has quinoa, amaranth, teff, sorghum and millet. Each serving contains 12 g of protein, 8 g of fibre and 25% of your recommended daily iron intake. How awesome is that?
2. Sautee mushrooms and sweet onion in olive oil with salt and pepper for 4 minutes.
3. In a separate pan sautee zucchini, pepper, snap peas with olive oil and cajun seasoning (as desired).
4. Take the hot pasta and mix in rosée sauce and all of the veggies.

Cooking with #Catelli: Ancient grains pasta, zucchini, mushrooms, sweet peas/onion, red pepper with rosé sauce😋 #catelli150 @environicspr pic.twitter.com/dwNrtXDBUM

— Humara Kausar (@HumaraKausar) May 4, 2017

Events October 28, 2015

Tyrrells Chips – Launch Party

An evening of innovative food infused with Tyrrells chips, live tweeting, games and meeting with bloggers.

There’s some new chip flavours in town! Sweet Potato & Smoked Chili (my fave), Beetroot, Parsnip & Potato with Sea Salt & Sweet Potato, Carrot with Sea Salt.

[Tweet “Tyrrells chips are all natural, home grown & hand cooked! #Foodie”]

At the #exceedinglyenglish event at Rasa Restaurant😍 So many flavours!! Where do I start?! pic.twitter.com/wWBkhc8pq9

— Humara Kausar (@HumaraKausar) October 21, 2015

I’ve never been to the RASA restaurant before this event so it was nice to scope it out. Located at 196 Robert St it’s a small dark space in the same neighborhood where I went to high school.(Harbord) On the menu were appetizers infused with Tyrrells chips. YUM. These appetizers are great easy ideas next time you’re entertaining people at home.

Exhibit A: Fish & Chips – Deep fried Halibut, tartar, crispy capers, served with Tyrrells Sweet Potato, Carrot with Sea Salt chips.

Exhibit B: Lamb Neck – with hummus, feta tabbouleh, pickled jicama and tzatziki, served on top Tyrrells Beetroot, Parsnip & Potato Sea Salt chips

Exhibit C: Tuna Tartare – Yellowfin Tun, yuzu chili aioli, apple slaw and ponzu glaze served on top of a Tyrrells Beetroot, Parsnip & Potato Sea Salt chip

Other apps include: Mini Muffins, Steak Sliders,Truffle Arancini & The Chopped Salad.

Getting caught up in the digital world is so easy. Making online friends (followers) is easy, but being in the present and meeting your online friends in the flesh is important but not as easy. At least not for me since I have the habit of getting so caught up with capturing the event for the blog, live tweeting, snapchatting etc. On that note It was refreshing to stop and acknowledge these lovely bloggers at the event: M Fab, @dee_sik & a familiar face @zamlos!

To conclude the evening here’s my OOTN (outfit of the night)

Desserts September 30, 2015

Panasonic Cyclonic Launch

If you’ve ever lived in a smaller place, be it an apartment, condo or just a one bedroom shared home, you’ll know the value of space. Sometimes you don’t have room for a full oven, dishwasher or microwave. So getting products that have multiple functions and that benefit your standard of living becomes high on your priority list.

Which brings me to the Panasonic Cyclonic. This microwave isn’t like your traditional one. It use’s Panasonic’s Inverter® Technology, which delivers spinning waves of power in a circular pattern. Like a cyclone. Other microwaves usually deliver energy in a straight line. This new cyclonic energy is a game changer! It ensures food is cooked evenly, no matter what size or shape!

I had the pleasure of being invited to the Panasonic Cyclonic Launch hosted by Abbey’s Kitchen.

At the launch Abbey demonstrated how to make 5 healthy easy recipes in the cyclonic microwave. Recipes that you would’ve never guessed were made in a matter of minutes! You can view the special recipes here.

I imagine this microwave will make dinner preparation a whole lot easier for the working class who don’t have enough time. Goodbye last minute fast food stops!

My favourite was the Tropical Fruit Crisp. Delicious, healthy and made in 4 minutes!

Some other pretty awesome features are you’re able to keep your food warm as you finish doing whatever it is that you need to do before you set the table. No more cold food or the hassle of rewarming! There is also a button called the Genius Sensor that has up to 20 meal presets.

Technology has come a long way! The Panasonic Cyclonic has changed the definition of a “microwave dinner” forever.

Food September 1, 2014

Caramelized Apple French Toast

It’s been a great weekend with wonderful summer weather, but before this weekend I bet you couldn’t help but notice the leaves falling off trees. Fall is coming close and the summer season is ending in Toronto. This is the perfect fall inspired recipe for French toast. I think of Fall with the mention of apple pie, apples dipped in caramel, baked apples. YUM!

Did you know French toast was not invented in France.

French toast was around before France even existed. The exact origin of French toast is actually unknown.

French Toast

Ingredients

2 gala apples, peeled and sliced
3 eggs
4 tablespoons brown sugar, divided use
1 cup of cream cheese
2 ½ tablespoons powdered sugar; extra for sprinkling over top
1 ¼ teaspoons vanilla emulsion (or extract)
2 tablespoons butter
a pinch ground cinnamon
½ cup whipped cream
Maple-Syrup
4 slices of Italian multi-grain bread (or whatever bread you prefer. The thicker the better)

*This will feed 4 people if each person is having 1 slice of bread.

Prep cream cheese filling:

Add cream cheese, the 2 ½ tablespoons of powdered sugar and ¼ teaspoon of the vanilla emulsion to a bowl and using a hand mixer or kitchen aid mixer, blend until creamy.

Caramelized apples:

Place a large frying pan over medium heat with 2 tablespoons of butter. When the butter has melted, add apples and sauté them for 3 mins. Apples should be soft and light brown. This is when you can add 3 tablespoons of brown sugar and a pinch of cinnamon. Sauté them for another 2 minutes. Add water as desired for a more syrup like texture. Put into a bowl and keep them warm. Maybe in the microwave.

French toast prep:

Whisk together the eggs, whipped cream, 1 tablespoon of brown sugar and the 1 teaspoon of vanilla emulsion until well blended.

Place a large frying pan over medium heat and rub a stick of butter in the hot pan. Dip a bread slice into the batter and coat both sides. Add it to the hot buttered pan and allow it to brown for about 3 minutes per side. Keep each slice when done in the oven so it stays warm until you’re done all the slices.

Putting it altogether:

Place one slice of French toast onto a plate, spread on a couple of tablespoons of the cream cheese; add caramelized apples over the cream cheese. Put another slice of French toast on top and add a dash of powdered sugar on top with your preferred amount of maple syrup.

Enjoy!

Food August 31, 2014

Jerk Salmon

This is the easiest and most delicious salmon you’ll ever make!

I bought my salmon with it already sitting in marinade which made the process of putting together this recipe a lot faster. I bought mine from Loblaws. If you’d like to try your own home made marinade then try this quick recipe for jerk marinade: here. Rice and vegetables are the best sides for this main dish as the fish can be very filling on its own.

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

2. Heat a large skillet over high heat. Brush fish evenly on both sides with olive oil and salt and pepper on the flesh side.

3. Place fish into pan, flesh side down and allow to cook for approx. 5 mins. Flip fish to the skin side and put into preheated oven. Cook for about 12 mins.

Enjoy!

Food January 14, 2014

Easy Garlic Chicken

If you haven’t noticed from my previous recipe posts, I love easy recipes. I work all day and come home and need something healthy, fast & flavorful. This recipe goes amazing with potatoes, steamed veggies or rice. The outcome of this recipe is a sweet, spicy (depending on whether you add spices), garlic glazed chicken. I recommend using aluminum foil on top of your roasting/baking pan for an easier clean up.

Ingredients

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
4 garlic cloves, minced
4 tablespoons brown sugar
1 tablespoon olive oil
Add spices and herbs as desired. (I used a spice rub from William Sonoma and spices by Club House)

Directions

Preheat oven to 450F and line a baking/roasting pan with aluminum foil, lightly coat or brush oil on foil.

In a small sauté pan, sauté garlic with olive oil until tender. Remove from heat and stir in brown sugar. Add additional spices, salt etc as desired.

Place chicken breasts in the prepared baking/roasting pan and cover with the garlic/brown sugar mixture. Add salt and pepper on top for taste. I used sea salt and fresh ground pepper.

Bake uncovered for 15-30mins, check on the chicken. The cooking time differs depending on the size and how thick the chicken breast is.

There you have it!

Main Course October 21, 2013

Honey Lemon Chicken

This is the fastest Honey Lemon Chicken recipe ever! For all of you who live busy lives and never have time to cook. You can do this!

Prep Time: 20mins

You will need:
Chicken (I used 3 chicken breasts)
Honey
Lemon
Vegetables – I used broccoli, green peppers & parsley
Cashews or Peanuts (which ever you prefer)
Salt & Pepper for taste and seasoning

How To:
Cut chicken breast into slices and start cooking on medium. Season with mixed ground pepper and a bit of salt. Just before chicken is cooked turn temperature to high and add honey to pan (Make sure you use enough honey to cover all the chicken). Cook till the chicken is golden and then add fresh lime or lemon juice on top. Cut up your vegetables and mix in a bowl. Either you can add it into the chicken honey mix and cook to desired texture or eat it as is with dressing on the side. For the rice, I just use my rice cooker or there’s always Uncle Ben’s if you’re really in a rush.

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