Monthly Archives September 2014

Oh, does Olive have a couple of great tips for you to make your next milestone celebration extra special without breaking the budget! My father didn’t want a fuss over his birthday, so we gathered family around him and ordered Chinese take outs. But how can you pay tribute to 85 years of a life well-lived without doing something extraordinary?

Tip #1: Streetsville’s Desserts by Michelle, a personalized catering and dessert service for the GTA West area, is a great source for well-priced, delicious cakes. With over 20 varieties of cakes, tortes, tarts, and individual desserts to choose from, you will find something to suit every occasion.

My friends have been raving about Michelle’s wonderful desserts for years. The Éclairs, they tell me, are amazing, and so is the Pavlova – crunchy and sweet with gorgeous berries all over it. Madeleine cookies are a staple.  Another favourite is the English Toffee Cake. Michelle wowed the guests at a friend’s birthday party when she served chocolate spoons with bacon as an hors d’oeuvre; they were really good! Click here to check out Michelle’s website and photo gallery.

I ordered a Black Forest Cake, my Dad’s favourite. Over the years, we have served him a variety of Black Forest cakes from other suppliers – all of which were, in my humble opinion, quite ho hum. Michelle’s version was absolutely lovely. Luxurious but light and fresh, using real ingredients; not overly sweet. Dark chocolate cake – so moist it was almost fudgy – was layered with a tasty red cherry filling and plenty of freshly whipped real cream. It was garnished with dark chocolate and the most divinely juicy, fresh, local dark cherries.

Oops, got a bit of dripping candle wax in the photo and had to hurry while holding the hungry troops at bay.

It was the best Black Forest Cake I have ever tasted this side of the Black Forest (I did eat one in Germany once). Everyone loved it. It was delivered right to our door in a white box tied with a pretty orange ribbon. For a very reasonable price, we each enjoyed a generous piece and had plenty of leftovers. Michelle is my go-to-girl for celebration cakes (especially Black Forest!) from this point on.

What do you give the person who has everything? Consider a beautiful DVD slideshow featuring photos and video of life’s most memorable moments. Let your pictures and video tell his, her, or their unique story and it will last forever. And here comes Tip #2: Mississauga’s Mike Cederberg, owner and founder of Soft Touch Video, does a fabulous job of converting your photos, film, and video memories to DVD to preserve them, while bringing them to life in a moving and professional presentation – and his prices are fantastic!

Mike has created two DVDs for our family and a number for friends and all turned out great. They are the perfect way to mark a milestone celebration (birthday, anniversary, Bar Mitzvah, graduation), journal a special vacation, or create a lasting memorial tribute of a loved one.

I asked our family to record personal messages for my Dad on video (what he means to us, how he inspired us, or a favourite memory of time spent together, etc.). Mike compiled them, interspersed video with family photos, added creative visual effects and music, and burned a DVD copy for each of us. We played the DVD at the party. The surprise messages from family residing across the continent and overseas who we don’t get to see often were particularly moving. It touched us all and left my Dad, though emotional, beaming from ear to ear. I am so glad we did this for my Dad.

Be sure to click on this link and watch the beautiful slideshow Mike did as a loving tribute to his Mom. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vNOFQx5ZRlc

And here is a link to the slideshow Mike created of a trip he and his wife, Mona, took in 1989. http://vimeo.com/47627333

So, keep these two tips tucked away for the next time your family celebrates a milestone.

Looking for a great spot for a quick but healthy bite during a busy work week? Tucked in the commercial district of Mississauga’s Brunel Road is a hidden gem: Pane E Vino Ristorante. Slip away from the office into a cool Italian vibe: a clean and bright cafe that serves made-from-scratch, delicious Italian-inspired food. It is a favourite work week spot and office caterer for my friend, Jackie, and her public health nurse colleagues (these nutrition savvy girls know how to eat well). Thanks for the great tip Jackie!

Pane E Vino Ristorante serves wholesome food that they make fresh daily using all natural ingredients.  Order at the counter. The chalkboard menu includes over ten different gourmet paninis on your choice of Ace Bakery artisan bread, organic soups, and plenty of nutritious salads with optional protein add-ons. Or create your own custom panini.

I ordered the Grilled Turkey Gourmet Panini:  Grilled turkey, roasted sweet peppers, grilled zucchini, and artichoke spread served on artisan bread. I customized it by adding jalapeno peppers and switching the Havarti for chèvre. I forgot to order the lime avocado spread that Jackie loves but savoured the artichoke spread. Delicious, feel good, real food.

My colleague enjoyed a flavourful custom panini of salty prosciutto, creamy chèvre, peppery baby arugula, and thinly sliced tomato on multigrain bread.

We couldn’t resist sharing a Chicken Caesar Salad: grilled chicken, buttery Prosciutto di Parma, crisp romaine hearts, house-made garlic croutons, shaved parmesan, and roasted garlic, dressed in classic, homemade Caesar vinaigrette that was wonderfully creamy and garlicky. We both chimed “Mamma mia, this is good.”

Eat in Pane E Vino’s spacious, licensed cafe or visit their website for a click- and- order on-line catering menu.