satisfying a sweet tooth

This blog post is designed specifically to make you salivate. These Rice Krispie treats (pictured left) from The Crispery are available for order only in the U.S. (boo!) but they look so yummy, I had to share! They come in a variety of individual flavours like: Caramel and Marshmallow, Peanut Butter, Coconut and Chocolate Dipped Crispy to name a few. Mmmm! It’s not like my hometown of Toronto doesn’t have its own fair share of bakeries that make mouthwatering treats. This blogto.com blog post lists the best cupcakes in Toronto, for example. And Rice Krispie squares are easy enough to make at home (though The Crispery certainly adds an original twist to an old favourite!) If you’re interested in making your own squares at home, here are a few recipes from Canadian Living: Cocoa frosted Rice Krispies peanut squares, Rice Krispies fruit and nut granola bars.

Anyway, I’m just feeling mighty hungry now. If you’ve got an insatiable sweet tooth and are looking for more ideas, check out our Food & Entertaining section, full of easy recipes for delicious desserts! The weekend is the perfect time to try your hand at a new recipe.

Here are a few of my faves (pictured above):

Chocolate dream scone with mascarpone spread
Cranberry pistachio biscotti
Baby butter and jam sandwiches

Read Full Post »

williams-sonoma: the great cupcake pan

One of the great things about Facebook, besides reconnecting with long lost friends (and maybe a few you’d rather have remained estranged from), is being able to check out your friends’ latest and greatest pictures. Thanks to Facebook, I’m able to stay in touch with friends in a way that we just didn’t seem to have time for before the rise of social networking. I can get instant updates on their travel plans, see every angle of their newborn’s smile and check out what they were up to on the weekend. It’s great fun and while nothing replaces the necessity of face-to-face contact over drinks, it’s a pretty decent alternative when you’re busy. Anyhow … all of this is by way of explanation for how I stumbled upon this fab new find! Whilst snooping, I mean … casually perusing a friend’s photos of a baby shower she’d recently attended, I spied the loveliest, cupcake-shaped cake adorning the buffet table. Love at first sight! Where, oh where did she get the pan to make this, I wondered? But I wondered only momentarily because, in perfect Facebook fashion, everything I needed to know was right there in the comments section with a list of retailers for curious gals like myself. So I hunted it down at Williams-Sonoma and now I’m sharing it with you. Drum roll, please! I give you … The Great Cupcake Pan!

Available at: Williams-Sonoma
Price: $36

Read Full Post »

updating my kitchen backsplash

Happy New Year! I hope each and every one of you enjoyed a wonderful holiday. I know I did. But it never ceases to amaze me how quickly it goes by. It seems like Christmas Eve was just yesterday and now it’s January 5 and I’m back at work. Boy, I hope this winter goes by fast!

So, I don’t know how many of you made new year’s resolutions this year – you know, those dirty little promises we tend to make and break? While personal resolutions are private, we asked the Style at Home staff about their around-the-house resolutions for 2009. You can read about them here.

My around-the-house resolution is to finally get around to updating the backsplash in my kitchen. I hate the one that’s there and I dream of something more striking like glass, which can be illuminated beautifully with under cabinetry lighting. I was originally thinking of one-inch by one-inch glass tiles but then I saw this backsplash (pictured here), which is also quite lovely. This is from New York-based Grayglass. Grayglass will custom-make glass backsplashes with coloured and patterned glass, according to their clients’ specifications. Ooh! The options! Now I can’t decide what I want to do. But it’s only January; I have time, right?

If you’re thinking of doing a kitchen renovation this year, check out our kitchen section; it’s full of helpful ideas for creating your dream kitchen.

Read Full Post »

beautiful bodum

I love the simplicity of Bodum’s designs. The YOHKI storage jar with chrome lid (featured left), is perfect for storing flour, sugar and pasta and is perfect for blending into any countertop. The CHAMBORD French press coffee maker with metal lid (pictured right) is so elegant. I can just smell the aroma in the air and it makes me think of sipping coffee at a patisserie in Paris. Except that I don’t drink coffee.

Bodum products can be found at Home Outfitters and select The Bay stores across Canada. Or at Bodum stores in Belgium, Denmark, France, Italy, Netherlands, Spain, Switzerland, United Kingdom, China, Japan, Oman, Saudi Arabia, Thailand, United Arab Emirates and Australia … you know … if you’re going.

Read Full Post »

frostines edibles: delicious cookies

You just can’t go wrong with the gift of food. Well … okay, maybe that’s not true. I mean, I wouldn’t exactly be thrilled if someone showed up at my house with a cabbage casserole. They say it’s the thought that counts but I’d just be thinking, Wow. This person really doesn’t like me. So let me rephrase. You just can’t go wrong with the gift of baked goodies. And if you don’t have time to whip up some tasty treats yourself, then just leave it to the professionals. Frostineedibles.com is an online Canadian bakery that makes a vast assortment of cookies and other baked treats and offers overnight shipping to anywhere in Canada and the United States. So next time you’re looking for a hostess gift or housewarming present, a birthday gift or just something to satisfy your own sweet tooth, then consider Frostines Edibles. My favourite part is how they’re packaged – beautiful, re-useable boxes that come in a variety of colours and truly look like something special. Here at my office, we sampled the cookies and here’s what my colleagues had to say:

“Soft and crumbly. It dissolves in your mouth – delicious!”
Alaina Chapman

“These yummy cookies were truly delightful, melting away in my mouth. The butterscotch ripple was my fave — a simply sweet treat to cap off my lunch. If this is the way the cookie crumbles, I want more!”
Lauren McPhillips

“I had the chocolate brownie cookie … very chocolate brownie like! It was really rich and quite tasty, but somewhat dry. Would be perfect with a cold glass of milk. I imagine a serious chocolate lover would be very grateful to receive some of these to feed their craving.”
Daniela Payne

“This cookie makes a valiant effort to be all things to all people – it’s got shortbread, it has a modest filling, it has cranberries and who knows what else. That said, the holiday hubris pays off: In several sweetly satisfying bites, you get an essential taste of Christmases past, updated for the present. The verdict:  A-. The minus is for leaving out the chocolate. Now, can I have another one?”
John Kuipers

Good to know: All flavours of Frostines Edibles cookies are nut- and peanut-free.

For more information, visit: frostinesedibles.com

Read Full Post »

fun and fashionable in the kitchen

I love, love, love these fab, fun aprons from domistylegifts.com. Made in Canada (love that, too!), these trendy aprons add sass and style to time spent in the kitchen. With cute statements like: Will cook for shoes and Caution: Hot dish, these aprons are fresh, fun and fashionable. And who said that aprons had to be frumpy? These are well tailored and actually feel like a stylish accessory that you’ll want to wear. The pretty designs that adorn each apron are drawn by hand and then silk screened onto the aprons, which, by the way, are machine-washable and have adjustable neck straps. They make wonderful gifts; at their great prices, you can stock up on your Christmas gifts for the season! The aprons usually retail for $39 but their holiday sale starts today: Buy one, get the second at half price! It’s a great deal, so what are you waiting for? Get a head start and tick those names off of your Christmas shopping list!

For more information, visit domistylegifts.com. For a list of e-tailers, click here.

Happy shopping!

Read Full Post »

kitchenaid stand mixer

If you haven’t invested in a KitchenAid stand mixer, I really don’t know what you’re waiting for. And if you’re not going to, encourage your mom, sister or aunt to get one (and then go over to their house and use it!) I’ve always loved to bake but never more so than when my mother purchased her first KitchenAid stand mixer – suddenly, there was no need to make a mess in my own kitchen when I could do it in hers and get to use her mixer. It makes everything so much easier and I swear, makes things taste better, too. This month is Breast Cancer Awareness Month and there are so many ways to help, to contribute, to stand up and say I care and I can help. Supporting the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation (CBCF) by purchasing products from one of their many partners is just one of those ways. KitchenAid makes a $100 contribution to the CBCF for each pink stand mixer that is sold.

Available at: homeoutfitters.com
Price: $449.99

Read Full Post »

visit the style at home show

The first annual Style at Home Show is really three shows in one. It will combine everything you love about your favourite magazines, Style at Home, Canadian Gardening and Canadian Home & Country. If you live life with style, this one unforgettable event will be your single source for everything that’s fresh and new for your home, inside and out! From the hottest colour palettes to the perfect perennials, The Style at Home Show brings style and the best shopping experience to life.

Explore the possibilities
This exciting new show is both an experience and an opportunity. You’ll be surrounded by new ideas, new products and new ways of achieving the perfect look for your home. Plus you will have an opportunity to meet the experts and receive one-on-one advice from design professionals such as Erin McLaughlin, Editor, Canadian Home & Country magazine and Margot Austin, Senior Design Editor, Style at Home. Stop by and meet the Master Gardeners including Aldona Satterthwaite, Editor, Canadian Gardening and participate in the hands-on activities. Get inspired and find the best decorating buys from the many unique and one-of-a-kind exhibitors.

And don’t forget to visit the Chef’s Kitchen where you can watch the live demonstrations from some of the best chefs including Elizabeth Baird, Food Editor, Canadian Living and meet Glen Peloso. Be sure to check out the celebrity speakers at the Main Stage, including Colin & Justin, Sarah Richardson, Kimberley Seldon, Lynn Spence and Samantha Pynn.

The Style at Home Show is the convergence of ideas, products and experts, everything you need to make a statement and bring your style home.

When: Oct 17 to 19, 2008
Where: Direct Energy Centre, Toronto
More information: Style at Home Show

Read Full Post »

beautiful iittala bowls

OK, yesterday, I had striped bowls on the brain. Strange, I know. But I was checking out this story on styleathome.com (Bargain beauty: Decorating for less) and I couldn’t stop admiring the striped bowls that caught my eye in the story’s photo. So, I started looking for stylish striped bowls to include in my blog. Alas, I couldn’t find the exact ones featured in the story but I did find another set of dishware that I quite liked. (You can check out that blog post here.)

But, thanks to the help of my colleague (Helen Racanelli, editor of canadianliving.com, who insisted I credit her for the elusive find) I was directed to the designer/manufacturer of the exact bowls I was marveling at. Alors, voila!

These cheerful and bold bowls by Scandinavian design company iittala can be found online at dinnerplates.com and the full product line ranges in price from $10 to $42. P.S. dinnerplates.com ships to Canada!

Read Full Post »

striped bowls

Love these striped cereal bowls and matching milk pitcher! This is certainly one way to start your day off in style. Available in ink or khaki, these oversized bowls are perfect for a hearty breakfast. They’ll also look great on display on your kitchen table or counter – why hide pretty things behind closed cupboard doors? Leave them out to be admired.

Available at: Chefs
Price: bowls, $9.99; pitcher, $9.99

Read Full Post »

mighty leaf teas

Nothing says rest and relaxation more to me than cozying up with a hot cup of tea and as the weekend approaches, I welcome the chance to sit down and unwind. Wrapping my hands around a hot cuppa and inhaling the fresh aroma of a perfectly brewed cup of tea seems to melt my stress away. This tea set from Mighty Leaf is a sweet treat for the tea lover and comes with an assortment of tasty teas to try: Breakfast Americana, Organic Earl Grey, Bombay Chai, Orange Dulce and Vanilla Bean. Mmm! I can just feel myself starting relax! Once you’ve got your mug in hand, start a new tradition with styleathome.com’s guide to teatime etiquette, plus find tips for brewing the perfect cup of tea.

Available online at: mightyleaf.ca

Read Full Post »

enter to win!

I love the sleek design of this fab Hamilton Beach Liquid Blu blender. Not only will it whip up amazing treats (smoothies are my favourite!), it’ll look stunning perched on your kitchen counter.

Click here for your chance to win one of two of these great blenders!

Read Full Post »

hermes teacups

Bold, brilliant, beautiful. These Hermes teacups and saucers are gorgeous, featuring painted scroll patterns inspired by the intricate ironwork found on Spanish balconies …. who would have thought? I just love the boldness of the red on the delicate porcelain of these cups and saucers.

Available at: bluefly.com
Price: $198 for set of 2 teacups and saucers (left), $252 for set of 2 teacups and saucers (right)

Afternoon tea, anyone? Start a new tradition with our guide to teatime etiquette.

Read Full Post »

pretty pottery

Worn and rustic-looking, these wheel thrown pottery bowls are just beautiful! I love the earthtone colours of this pottery. Use them for everyday food (rice seems right, but use them for everything from cereal to ice cream) or simply use them as pretty display pieces on the kitchen table.

Available at: etsy.com
Price: $15 each

Read Full Post »

seafood recipes

I sometimes think I could live on a steady diet of seafood. Mmm! Just looking at the pictures of these delish dishes revs my taste buds into high gear. You don’t have to visit expensive seafood restaurants to enjoy your favourite surf fare. Easy recipes abound at styleathome.com. Check them out here.

Want more great recipes?

Soup recipes

Pasta recipes

Chicken recipes

Read Full Post »