Zazen Bear: An Oasis of Peace in Manhattan

Everyday life in this technology driven world with millions of stimuli we get everywhere we turn, I find it is hard to find the place and the time to feel peaceful. Zazen Bear, a new Zen retail concept store at 497 Broome Street in New York helps find the moment of inner peace. This is an interesting concept that I hope will come to Toronto.

Win your own #TreatsforToys Prize Pack

I am excited to be part of the third annual Kellogg's Rice Krispies #TreatsForToys. I like how this program helps bring a smile to children in need. We can get involved and make a difference by making our own toy shaped Rice Krispies treat and sharing a picture of it on TreatsforToys.ca Facebook, Twitter or Instagram using the hashtag #TreatsForToys. For every image that we upload, Kellogg’s Rice Krispies will donate $20 to The Salvation Army to buy and give a toy to a child during the festive season.

#WorstCooks New Season will Start on January 3rd

Food Network shows are super fun to watch! I sometimes watch kitchen challenges when I have the time. I am excited about the upcoming new season of the Food Network Worst Cooks in America. This competition series transforms kitchen disasters into skilled cooks. I think turning anyone that either feels like they are a disaster in the kitchen or taking someone who is a hazard to have in the kitchen and transforming the person to be a skilled cook or chef is super awesome. I think that's what attracts many viewers to this show. The five-time winner Chef Anne Burrell will be returning for a rematch against Chef Tyler Florence.

Cheesecake Crunch in a Jar with Seasonal Fruit using All Bran Cereal

I enjoy using cereal to make desserts. Recently, I followed the recipe for All Bran Cheesecake Crunch in a Jar with Seasonal Fruit by Calgary Chef Connie DeSousa. My family enjoyed this no bake whipped cheesecake that I made using Kellogg’s All-Bran

How to Setup a DIY Pasta Bar and Barilla Pasta Giveaway

With the holiday season and festive entertaining coming up, I am sure like me, many of you might be wondering what flavourful delicious meals we can make for family and friends when they come over. I love this idea of setting up a DIY pasta bar from Barilla that will be easy to prep and it also gives our guests the freedom to customize their own dish and make it the way they prefer. 

Mini Raspberry Muffins with Nordica Smooth Cottage Cheese

I have never thought of cottage cheese as a usual choice for a sweet treat or a punch of protein until now - when I got a chance to try the Gay Lea Nordica Smooth Cottage Cheese. The two delicious flavours Vanilla Bean and Salted Caramel Nordica Smooth Cottage Cheese is perfect to enjoy as either snack or dessert. Each convenient snack cup contains 10 grams of protein and 110 calories. We love how smooth this Nordica Smooth Cottage Cheese is without the lumpy texture cottage cheese usually has.

Making Meals in the Clipso T-Fal Pressure Cooker

A pressure cooker is very handy tool to have at home for me because it allows me to cook healthy meals quickly. I think every cook needs a tool like a pressure cooker that will help them cook meals fast. I have been using the T-Fal Clipso Pressure Cooker for a while now to make a variety of meat dishes, lentil, and soup.

Carrot Salad using the Microplane Spiral Cutter

I enjoyed using the Microplane Spiral Cutter to quickly cut the carrots before tossing it with the below ingredients and enjoying it as a side dish. Before using the Microplane Spiral Cutter remove the plastic from the blades and wash the unit. This cutter is similar to a pencil sharpener, and it is fun to use. We can use this cutter with vegetables such as carrots and radishes that can be added to stir fries, pickles and other dishes. We can cut larger vegetables such as zucchini and cucumber with the larger hole.

Butter Chicken or Murgh Makhani

I made this Butter Chicken or Murgh Makhani recipe following the instructions on the Curry Cuisine DK book, which turned out delicious.

ActiFry an Appliance to Make Oil Free Fries

We love fries, but I don’t enjoy frying them with lots of oil because it is unhealthy. The thought of all that oil being absorbed in our body is the reason why I don’t make fries often, as we would like eating fries. I love that by using the T-Fal ActiFry we don’t have to use anymore than a tablespoon of oil to fry 1 kilogram of potatoes or other vegetables. I found that the fries come out crispy just like it would if it was deep fried, but this is better without the oil. This way we can enjoy fries more often than we usually would without the excess fat and calories. The ActiFry Express, made in France is the second generation ActiFry that is faster, more powerful, and efficient.