food events tagged posts

I bought the sweetest his & her hostess gifts while at Toronto’s One of a Kind Christmas Show: small-batch, artisanal candy handmade by Christy’s Gourmet Food in Burlington, Ontario. Christy’s Gourmet Food is a small, family-run business that makes artisanal chocolates and sweets, using old family recipes, fine Belgian chocolate, and pure butter.

For Her: Christy’s Crunch – biscuit pieces spread with delicious pure butter toffee, and then covered in creamy peppermint white Belgian chocolate. Olive it! Also available in Dark Chocolate Peppermint Crunch, White Chocolate Cranberry Crunch, Milk Chocolate Crunch, and Dark Chocolate Crunch. Put Christy’s Crunch in a pretty bowl and serve it after dinner with coffee and tea, as the perfect festive treat to nibble on.

Christy’s Crunch & Craft Spicy Beer Brittle With Almonds – both made by Christy’s Gourmet Food

For Him: Craft Spicy Beer Brittle With Almonds – there is a bit of a spicy cayenne kick in this buttery almond brittle made with local craft beer. Also available in Craft Beer Brittle With Almonds (without the spice). According to Christy, the company strives “to support [different] local craft breweries as we travel across Ontario.” The batch of Craft Spicy Beer Brittle With Almonds made for the Toronto One of a Kind Christmas Show was made with Toronto’s Steam Whistle Premium Pilsner.

Steam Whistle Premium Pilsner is crafted using traditional European brewing techniques and four natural ingredients: spring water, malted barley, hops, and yeast. Steam Whistle’s world class brewery is housed in Toronto’s historic John Street Roundhouse (which just happens to be the roundhouse where my grandfather worked for 49 years, retiring as Assistant Locomotive Foreman in the 1950s). Hey, what a great gift idea for my Dad: a 6-pack of Steam Whistle and a package of Christy’s Gourmet Craft Spicy Beer Brittle With Almonds…and maybe an invitation to take a tour of Steam Whistle together. Since my Dad is hosting the family feast again this year, I think he deserves an extra special gift!

Host(ess) gifts purchased…CHECK!!!

Open: Thursday to Saturday, from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

www.christysgourmetgifts.com

www.steamwhistle.ca

Show runs from November 28 to December 8, 2013, from 10:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. Monday to Saturday, and from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Sunday.

http://www.oneofakindshow.com/toronto/index.php

Restaurant Openings:

Paramount Fine Foods will open a second Mississauga restaurant, at Erin Mills Town Centre, this Friday November 15, 2013 at 8:00 a.m. Gourmet halal meat sourced from Paramount Butcher Shop and grilled over charcoal, pita baked in a wood burning oven, fine baklava pastries crafted on site, and an extensive Middle Eastern menu will be sure to please Middle Eastern food lovers (like me!).

Read about my visit to Paramount’s Crestlawn Drive location here:  www.olivetoeat.com. For a better understanding on halal meat, please read this article by Jennifer Bain of The Toronto Star: www.thestar.com.

It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas:

Lowe’s Brampton Christmas Market:

This 2nd annual European-style outdoor Christmas market (similar to the one held in Toronto’s Distillery District) will run from Thursday November 14th to Sunday November 17th, 2013.

Hours:
Thursday and Friday from 4:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.
Saturday from 12:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m.
Sunday from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

www.brampton.ca

Oakville Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony:

A beautifully designed tree, music, and treats will be waiting for you in downtown Oakville this Friday November 15th, 2013, from 5:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.

www.oakvilledowntown.com

Classic Country Winter Festival at the Apple Factory:

The Apple Factory Country Grocer will be holding a Classic Country Winter Festival from Friday November 15th to Sunday November 17th, 2013. Enjoy free hot drinks, free samples from the Apple Factory’s favourite vendors, and visits from two of Santa’s reindeer. Be sure to check the website for important details and events schedule.

www.applefactory.com

I often think of the women of my church as the Divas Who Dish Divinely. After countless bake sales, church luncheons, and casseroles for friends in need, years of practice have perfected their “from-scratch” recipes and turned them into best-in-show treasures.

The Divas Who Dish Divinely (AKA Streetsville United Church Women) will be dishing up some delicious food again at the 46^th annual Streetsville United Church Harvest of Crafts Sale, this Saturday October 26, 2013 from 9:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., at Streetsville United Church.

Olive the Streetsville United Church Harvest of Crafts Sale because it invites the surrounding community to come together under one roof. Our fundraising efforts help support various local outreach programs. And of course, the food is delicious.

Our all-day café offers you a spot to sit, chat, and replenish your shopping-weary soul. Several women make their own batches of chili con carne and chicken soup, then combine them all into one heavenly pot of chili and one ethereal pot of chicken soup. Sandwiches, salads, and homemade desserts are made with care.

Make the baking table your first stop: delectable pies, cakes, cookies, and squares are all made from scratch and sell out quickly. Our local harvest is preserved in pretty jars to enjoy throughout winter. The sale is brimming with creative and witty, inexpensive crafts made by the talented Streetsville United Church Women. Local artisans offer a variety of unique, handcrafted gifts. There is always a special find in the Attic Treasures collection of gently-used modern and vintage finds. Come and get your Christmas shopping done early.

After working all day at the craft show, while the aroma of simmering chili wafts from the kitchen, I come home tired and craving chili. Here is my recipe.

Chili Con Carne

This classic chili simmers for five hours but it is much more flavourful cooked slowly and lovingly on the stovetop than abandoned in a slow cooker. Start it early in the day, refrigerate overnight, and reheat gently the next day to further deepen the flavour. If you have two large pots, you can double the recipe and stock your freezer with chili to warm up the chilly months that lie ahead.

I learned this old Southern tip from my friend, Bill, (who learned it from his friend from Kansas City): gently stir in a tablespoon of peanut butter near the end of cooking to smooth out the acidity and round out the flavour of the chili. For years I made this recipe without the peanut butter and still loved it, so if there is a peanut-allergy concern, leave it out.

Ingredients:

4 tablespoons olive oil

About 2 pounds (1kg) extra lean ground sirloin

2 yellow cooking onions, chopped

6 garlic cloves, finely minced

2 yellow or orange sweet bell peppers, cored, seeded, and chopped

4 celery stalks, chopped

1 28 fl oz/796 mL can diced tomatoes

1 19 oz / 540 mL can red kidney beans, drained, rinsed, drained again

1 28 fl oz/796 mL can crushed tomatoes

1 teaspoon coarse salt

1 teaspoon white sugar

2 tablespoons ground chili powder, to taste

½ teaspoon ground cumin

¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon

2 bay leaves

Finish:

1 tablespoon smooth peanut butter

Freshly ground black pepper and coarse salt, to taste

Few dashes of hot sauce (such as Tabasco or Piri Piri), to taste

Optional Garnishes: shredded cheddar cheese, sour cream, lime wedges, hot sauce, chopped avocado, fresh cilantro leaves, tortilla chips, or garlic bread.

Directions:

1. Heat a large heavy pot over medium heat; add onions and ground sirloin and brown, breaking up with a wooden spoon and stirring frequently, just until meat is no longer pink inside, about 10 minutes.
2. Add garlic; sauté for 1 minute, stirring constantly.
3. Add remaining ingredients, except peanut butter; stir. Partially cover with a lid; simmer for 4 3/4 hours, stirring occasionally.
4. To finish, stir in peanut butter and simmer, stirring occasionally, 15 more minutes. Remove and discard bay leaves. Season to taste with salt, pepper, and hot sauce.
5. Let cool and then refrigerate overnight to allow flavours to mellow further. When ready to serve, reheat gently. Serve hot with your choice of optional garnishes.

Harvest of Crafts Sale Hours: Saturday October 26 from 9:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.

Free Admission. Appreciate your support.

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Welcome to my newsletter that I will publish on Mondays, whenever I have enough news tidbits to share with you.

Headline News:

Unfortunately, I am starting off my first newsletter with very sad news. The main building at St. Jacob Farmers’ Market was destroyed by fire early this morning. Read the story here: www.cbc.ca.

Food Events:

There’s one day left to head over to Spencer Smith Park in Burlington, Ontario for the 18^th annual Canada’s Largest Ribfest, organized by the Rotary Club of Burlington Lakeshore. This year’s Ribfest will include a kids’ zone, live bands, crafters’ artisan fair and of course, 18 ribber teams from across North America competing for your vote for the best finger-lickin’-good ribs. August 30^th to September 2^nd, 2013  11 am to 11 pm Friday, Saturday and Sunday, 11am to 8 pm Monday. All the info you need to know is here: www.canadaslargestribfest.com

Restaurant News:

Cagney’s Restaurant & Wine Bar in Streetsville (home of the legendary Cagney’s caesar salad) is temporarily closed for renovations and is planning on reopening – with a fresh new look – around the last week of September/first week of October and will also be open on Sundays for brunch and dinner. Wonderful!

Tandoori Flame Grand Indian Buffet & Thekka ‘d Indian Bar plans to open this fall in the former location of Mother Tucker’s Market Place at Britannia Rd. and Mavis Rd. in Heartland Centre. Can’t wait to try it because olive Indian!

Grocery Store Finds:

Looking for Latin American grocery stores? Check out my post publishing this Thursday – Latin Love Affair: Olive’s Shrimp Tacos.

Sweet Notes:

End the summer holidays on a sweet note with Kawartha Dairy ice cream.

Pictured below: Raspberry Lemon-Lime Sherbet, Mint Chip, Blue Bubblegum, Creamy Orange, Chocolate and my favourites: Moose Tracks (vanilla ice cream with chocolate peanut butter cups swirled with Moose Tracks® fudge) and Crème Brulée (caramelized brown sugar sauce and Crème Brulée crunchy candy swirled in rich custard ice cream).

Click here to find Kawartha Dairy Ice Cream in your neighborhood. I counted 18 flavours at the Apple Factory.

Photo contributed by Charlotte Brehl.