Community, Fashion, Giving, Lifestyle
Roma Boots is Giving Poverty The Boot
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Frothy Eggnog Recipe
Eggnog is a classic holiday drink! The frothiness is perfect and makes the drink uber-rich. Eggnog is always a classic holiday hit – it just tastes like the holidays! It’s sure to be a hit with any family or friends who walk through your door. This recipe is one of my favorites, it doesn’t just taste like sweet milk like many eggnog recipes!
INGREDIENTS
- 6 large eggs, separated
- 3/4 cup superfine sugar
- 2 cups whole milk
- 3 cups heavy cream, plus more for garnish
- 1/2 cup bourbon, preferably Maker’s Mark
- 1/4 cup dark rum, preferably Mount Gay
- 1/4 cup Cognac, preferably Remy Martin Grand Cru
- Freshly grated nutmeg, for sprinkling
DIRECTIONS
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Beat yolks in a very large bowl until thick and pale. Slowly beat in sugar. Whisk in milk and 2 cups cream. Mix in bourbon, rum, and Cognac. Cover, and refrigerate for up to 1 day.
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Just before serving, beat whites until stiff peaks form. Fold whites into eggnog. Whisk remaining 1 cup cream until stiff peaks form, and fold into eggnog. (Alternatively, you can fold half the whipped cream into eggnog, and top with remaining half.) Sprinkle with nutmeg.
Pictures with Santa #CTChristmas
Christmas is just over a week away! Have you given Santa your wish list yet?
One of our favourite traditions is getting our picture taken with Santa Clause.
Whether it’s a family photo or just a group of friends taking a picture with Santa it’s a great opportunity to get together and create a memory. And it can be an easy way to get a photo for your Christmas cards.
We’ve seen a lot of great Santa photos, whether it’s a classic photo of everyone smiling and looking like they’re having a good time or the family or friends aren’t taking things seriously. Ugly Christmas sweaters are incredibly trendy right now, and make for some pretty funny photos.
Do you take a photo with Santa every year? Let us know if it’s part of your family tradition in the comments!
Favourite Christmas Ornaments #CTChristmas
Have you got your tree up and ready for the holidays? No? Don’t worry, there’s still 17 days to go.
If you’re still looking for some design inspiration, make sure to check out the Canvas Christmas Collection from Canadian Tire. Because whatever your colour-theme, they’ve got you covered, from traditional red and greens, to more modern teal, silver, and bright colours.
My favourite ornaments?
The Artic Teal Glitter and Vine Ornaments
I love that little bit of glamour from the sparkles mixed with the outdoorsy feeling from the vines.
If you have a favourite ornament share it in the comments. Perhaps it’s something new, or something that’s been with you for years.
#CTChristmas Twitter Party
With the holidays just around the corner, I’m doing my last minute shopping and I’m sure you are too! I’m so happy I swung by Canadian Tire at the beginning of the season – it’s a one stop shop for all things Christmas! They have everything you need for both the inside and outside of your house – from delicate ornaments to table runners to faux trees!
I love their silver CANVAS collection – the wintery silver hues has turned my living room into a winter wonderland! I love choosing a less traditional silver over the traditional red and green. It’s modern but still feels Christmas-y.
Want to know more about the great things Canadian Tire has to offer? Join me on December 8th for the #CTChristmas Party!
Twitter Party Details:
Date: December 8th, 2015
Time: 8:00 p.m. E
Hashtag: #CTChristmas
Host: @CanadianTire
NO RSVP
Prizing: 10 x $100 @CanadianTire Gift Cards
Anyone can participate but only Canadians can win prizes, excluding those in the province of Quebec.
#MYCanvas – Christmas with Canadian Tire
With Christmas just around the corner, I’m getting excited for entertaining friends and family! I swung by Canadian Tire to pick up some decorations for my holiday table. I’ll be entertaining several groups of friends and family so I’m really looking for a tablescape that everyone would love! I swung by Canadian Tire to get the creative juices flowing and found so many wonderful decorations that would be just perfect for my tablescape! Canadian Tire’s new CANVAS collection has so many great decorations to glam out your holiday table.
I started off with a crisp white tablecloth and laid the CANVAS Holly Holiday Silver Table Runner over the middle. This festive runner works wonderfully on a round table like mine or a rectangular one! Pro tip: add any extra CANVAS ornaments you have to a large bowl or use them as decorations on your charger!
This CANVAS owl ornament is festive, but without being uber-Christmasy!
These CANVAS silver glass cluster balls would look wonderful on your table. Lace them with silver ribbon to create a low-key centrepiece!
The Perfect Holiday Cocktail #CTChristmas
There are only 23 days left until Christmas – can you believe it?
On a cold winter’s day, nothing is better to warm you up then a toasty cocktail! This Hot Toddy is one of my family’s favorites – the dashes of cinnamon and honey just taste like the holidays!
Ingredients
SERVINGS: MAKES 2
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 1 cup hot water
- 6 tablespoons bourbon or Apple Bourbon (see below for recipe)
- 2 3×1/2′ strips lemon peel
- 2 cinnamon sticks
Preparation
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Stir honey and water in a 2-cup measuring cup until honey dissolves. Add bourbon (or better yet, Apple Bourbon, in which case you’ll use 1 Tbsp. honey). Divide between 2 Toddy glasses. Twist a strip of lemon peel over each drink, then add to glass. Stir each with a cinnamon stick and serve.
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To make Apple Bourbon, combine a 750-ml bottle of bourbon, 4 cored, sliced Fuji apples, and 4 cinnamon sticks in a pitcher. Cover; chill for 3 days. Strain and sip of use in recipe above.
Holiday-Ready Almond Cookies
One of my favorite part of the Holidays is the sweet treats. These Almond shortbreak cookies aren’t too sweet but still satisfy my sweet tooth. Switch out the jam to your preference!
Ingredients:
1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1 ½ cup icing sugar, sifted, plus extra for dusting
4 large egg yolks
1 tsp finely grated lemon zest
1 tsp vanilla extract
¼ tsp almond extract
¾ cup ground almonds
3 cup cake and pastry flour
¼ tsp baking powder
¼ tsp salt
¾ cup blueberry jam
Directions
1. Beat the butter and icing sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the egg yolks and then add the lemon zest, vanilla and almond extract. Beat in the ground almonds.
2. In a separate bowl, sift the flour with the baking powder and salt and add this to the butter mixture, stirring until blended. Shape the dough into 2 discs (the dough will be soft), wrap and chill until firm, at least an hour.
3. Preheat the oven to 375 F and line 2 baking trays with parchment paper.
4. Knead the cookie dough a little to soften it (this will help prevent the dough from cracking when rolled). Roll out the first disc on a lightly floured surface and cut out cookies using a 2-inch teardrop cutter and place these on one baking tray (the dough can be re-rolled). Roll out the second disc, cut out cookies using the same cutter, then cut a hole in the centre of each of these using a cutter a 1/2-inch smaller and place on the second tray. Repeat with any remaining dough, keeping track so you have the same number of tops and bottoms. Bake the cookies for about 15 minutes, letting the cookies without holes remain in the oven an extra 2 minutes. Cool the cookies on the tray before filling.
5. Sift icing sugar over the cookies with the holes. Stir the jam to soften and spread a teaspoonful of it over the bottom of the base cookie. Gently press a dusted cookie on top and continue to fill the others. Let them set for about an hour before storing in an airtight container.
6. The cookies will keep for up to 3 days.
via the Food Network.
Enjoy! Let us know how much you liked them in the comments below!
CANADIAN TIRE #CTWISHANDWIN CONTEST + TWITTER PARTY!
To celebrate the upcoming holidays, the folks at Canadian Tire are giving you a chance to wish and win ANYTHING in the Canadian Tire flyer! Canadian Tire will be giving away one prize per hour for 25 days! The contest begins on November 23rd, 2015 and runs until December 17th, 2015. You can enter once per day so start tweeting!
Join us to celebrate the holidays at the #CTWishAndWin Twitter Party.
Twitter Party Details:
Date: December 1st, 2015
Time: 8:00 p.m. E
Hashtag: #CTWishAndWin
Host: @CanadianTire
NO RSVP
Prizing: 10 x $100 @CanadianTire Gift Cards
Anyone can participate but only Canadians can win prizes, excluding those in the province of Quebec.
There are so many great prizes in the flyers – from power tools to Canadian Tire’s amazing new CANVAS Christmas collection!The CANVAS collection has everything you need to deck out your home in style for the holidays. There’s something for everyone in the flyer so enter now and get your holiday shopping done (or pick up a little something for yourself!) If you’re lost on what to get a friend or family member, Canadian Tire has created this handy guide on how the Foodie, the Do-it-Yourselfer, the Toy lover, the Auto enthusiast and the connoisseur of clean. Check it out here
Entering is easy!
Pick your prize – choose a product from the print or digital flyer
Snap a photo – take a photo of your product from the flyer or select one from the digital flyer
Tag it #CTWishandWIn – Share on Twitter, Instagram, or Facebook.com/CanadianTire or share it from the digital flyer.
What am I wishing for this holiday season? I’m in love with this Louisiana Grill – I’ve been dreaming of the warmer seasons ever since winter hit so a day of barbecuing up something yummy would be the perfect way to ring in the Spring.
How perfect is this decorative wreath from the CANVAS collection?
Check out the rest of my wishlist here
What are you wishing for this Christmas? Let me know in the comments below! I can’t wait to see you at the #CTWishandWin Twitter Party and remember to tweet what YOU want for Christmas with the hashtag #CTWishandWin
#MirrorBall2015
On Saturday, I got the pleasure of attending Mirror Ball and Mirror Ball After Dark.
Mirror Ball is in support of two wonderful foundations – FacingCancer.ca and Look Good Feel Better. For a woman diagnosed with cancer, fear and uncertainty becomes a constant companion. The ravages of cancer treatments are horrifying – it can leave a woman anxious, shocked, and insecure. Beauty Gives Back is a charitable initiative of the Canadian beauty industry. They use the tools of the trade to help women look good and feel better every day, through cosmetic and hair alternative workshops and a strong community.
Look Good Feel Better is a program that creates workshops to teach women and men how to deal with the visual effects of cancer and improving their self-esteem. They offer complimentary group, individual and self-help beauty sessions that create a sense of support, confidence, courage, and community. They offer a wide selection of virtual guides and tips – from picking the right wig for you to step by step makeup tutorials.
FacingCancer.ca is an online support system for those facing the disease. It’s designer to offer support, provide a cancer information network and cancer support resources and tools to help women and their loved ones manage the social and emotional effects of cancer
The night started off with an ultra-glam cocktail hour in the silent auction rooms. Delicious hors d’ouevres were passed around, from polenta fries to falafel bites to gazpacho soup. Hillberg & Berk sponsored a champagne flute game – purchase one glass of champagne for $100 and win a pair of their signature bauble earrings! You also were entered to win the 10,000 ring raffled off at the end of the night. Hudson’s Bay and Shopper’s Drug Mart sponsored a balloon pop. Purchase a ticket for $100, pop a balloon of a dress and automatically win a giftcard of $125 or more!
In the night’s auction were some absolutely jaw dropping prizes – the live auction offered up a brand new Ford Mustang, all inclusive trip to Amsterdam, and tickets to the Leafs and the Raptors in the best seat in the house! The silent auction offered more great prizes including Steam Whistle brewery tours, electronics, and every beauty product under the sun. The event is sponsored by Shoppers Drug Mart, Estee Lauder, Coty, Hudson’s Bay, Johnson & Johnson, Quadrant,Teva, TJX Canada, Hillberg & Berk.
During the dinner we heard from some of the fashion and beauty industry’s most influential. Singer Jully Black performed an assortment of her hits, and Sangita Patel and Matte Babel emceed. Executive Director of Beauty Gives Back Canada Sherry Abbott informed us on why it’s important to give back to such a phenomenal cause.
#MirrorBallAfterDark – the ultra chic Mirror Ball after party – was not one to miss. Some of the fun activation stations included a Moscato Slushie Bar sponsored by Barefoot Wine and a manicure and make-up station sponsored by Birchbox Canada. There were delicious hors d’ouevres being passed around too – I had more than one serving of truffle fries. Musical guests The Collective with Miles Raine had us dancing all night long with their groovy sax stylings.
Next year’s Mirror Ball will definitely not be one to miss! Be sure to donate at www.beautygivesback.ca
Pumpkin Spice Cupcakes
Let’s face it – I love a good Pumpkin Spice Latte. It’s sweet and creamy and is the perfect way to ring in the fall weather. There’s only one thing better than a warm drink – these uber-sweet cupcakes!
Via Canadian Living
- Portion size12
Ingredients
Preparation
Line 12 large muffin cups with paper liners; set aside.
In large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, cinnamon, ginger, salt, baking powder, baking soda and cloves. In separate bowl, whisk eggs; blend in pumpkin and oil. Pour over flour mixture; stir just until moistened. Spoon into prepared cups, filling to top; with wet spoon, flatten tops.
Bake in centre of 350°F (180°C) oven until cake tester inserted in centre comes out clean, about 20 minutes. Let cool on rack. (Make-ahead: Wrap individually in plastic wrap and store at room temperature for up to 24 hours. Or enclose in airtight container and freeze for up to 2 weeks.)
Additional information : Vanilla Butter Icing
1 cup (250 mL) butter, softened
5 cups (1.25 L) icing sugar
1/2 cup (125 mL) whipping cream
2 tsp (10 mL) vanilla
In bowl, beat butter until light; gradually beat in sugar and cream, making 3 additions of sugar and 2 of cream. Beat in vanilla. (Make-ahead: Cover and refrigerate for up to 3 days; beat until smooth before using.)
Makes about 4 cups (1 L).
