Homemade Butternut Squash Soup

It doesn't get more easy and healthy than this homemade squash soup. My Nonna and I whipped up this soup last week and it was a hit. We used minimal, fresh ingredients and the flavours really popped. Its clean healthy eating at its finest :)

Ingredients:
1 Butternut Squash
1 Onion diced
2 Apples
1 chicken bouillon cube
3 cups of water (aprox. depending how thick you like it)
Salt and Pepper

Take the outer skin off squash and cut into chunky cubes

Drizzle pot with oil, and add onions. 

Add in the squash. Let this cook until squash is tender.

Cut up apple and add it to the pot. Once apple is in, add water and bouillon cube. Let this cook until everything is tender in the pot.

Using a hand blender, puree the soup until there are no lumps. You are looking for a smooth and somewhat thick consistency. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Voila!! An easy peasy yummy soup! I garnished with some homemade croutons. If you like what you see, give it a try at home. You won't be dissapointed. 

Happy Eating!

The Friendly Thai

I ordered in some Thai food a little while ago from The Friendly Thai. Everything was reasonably priced and delivery came quickly. Here's what I had:

Veggie Spring Rolls. These were O.K. Nothing particularly great about them.

Shrimp and Chicken Pad Thai. I liked that there was a good portion of shrimp and chicken in this pad thai.

Coconut Soup. This was surprisingly very tasty. 

Overall, the food from The Friendly Thai wasn't spectacular nor horrible. It was an O.K meal for a descent price. However, I wouldn't recommend coming here if you are wanting a good authentic thai food experience. 

Happy Eating!

Holiday Eats :)

I have been a complete glutton this holiday season. Being home around my Italian family = food overload! Here's a little glimpse into what I have been eating over the holidays. 

Homemade gnocchi in tomato sauce

Salad with oil and vinegar

Baccala (salted cod fish) 

Seafood risotto

Homemade pickled vegetables. These are my favourite!

Baccala and Polenta with a salami vinegar sauce.

Seafood Spaghetti in Tomato Sauce

Seafood extravaganza!! (grilled octopus, breaded shrimp, salmon, mixed seafood salad, green salad, baccala)

Christmas day feast. (Stuffed mushrooms, pork kebabs, stuffed veal, quail, rapini, green salad)

Lamb chops with garlic mashed potato and asparagus. (Every time my mom cooks dinner, her food is always presented and tastes like a 4 star restaurant)

Surf and Turf. 

Me....about to explode from all this delicious food!!

I have been spoiled this holiday season with incredible food. I am lucky to come from a family that really knows what they are doing in the kitchen. Nothing beats home cookin'.

Happy Eating!

The Drake

Im a huge fan of The Drake. I've been here numerous times and always enjoy my experience. The Drake is known for its eclectic decor, fun nightlife and delicious food. Here is what I had on my last brunch visit! 

Mimosas. Great way to start the day :)

Fried Chicken and waffles. This was outstanding. I ate every single bite, and loved every minute of it. The chicken was crispy on the outside and moist on the inside. The waffle was savoury and fluffy. There was creme fresh and a berry compote on top. Everything on the plate came together in perfect harmony. I would highly recommend trying this dish if you go to The Drake for brunch. 

ALT. Poached eggs with avocado, lettuce and tomato with marble rye. My friend had this, and said she enjoyed it. 

The Drake never disappoints. Go check it out! 

Happy Eating! 

Richmond Station

I am a food network fanatic. Some would say addicted. Last year, I was huge fan of Top Chef Canada and watched each week until the winner: Chef Carl Heinrich was revealed! He recently opened the buzzing Toronto restaurant: Richmond Station. I am happy to say I finally ate here. 
Heres what I had:

Fresh Raspberry Apple Juice. This was very nice. Perfectly sweet and refreshing.

Polenta fries, with a spicy mayonnaise, and marinara sauce. I love polenta, but have never had it in fried form before. They were yummy. Crispy on the outside and soft on the inside.

STN.Burger with aged cheddar, beet chutney, rosemary fries and radish salad. The burger was one of the juiciest burgers I have had in a while. It was cooked perfectly medium rare. I wanted more of the beet chutney on the burger, so I could really taste the sweet/salty pairing. But overall, it was a great burger. I particularly loved the dipping sauce for the fries.

Grilled Sea Bream with potato rosti, fennel puree, swiss chard and an herb salad. The fish was cooked perfectly. All the flavours worked well together. I enjoyed every bite of this.

Overall, I really loved my experience at Richmond Station. I sat facing into the open kitchen, and loved how interactive the chef's were with guests. Chef Carl even came out and introduced himself which was a bonus! I found the service to be excellent, and the atmosphere to be wonderful. You should definitely go check this place out!

Happy Eating!

Holiday/Housewarming Party :)

My sister, who just moved, threw a housewarming/holiday party that was filled with delicious food. I helped her bake/cook lots of goodies for the get together and I thought I'd share the yumminess with you! Here's what we made:

Crab Stuffed Cucumber Cups

Mini Sliders

Devilled Eggs

Meats, cheeses, olives, veggie platter

Tomato Brushetta

Mini cheesecake peppermint balls

Shrimp ring (not much effort here)

Bacon wrapped water chesnuts and bacon wrapped dates (these never fail to be around for any party. So easy and so delicious)

 Chocolate banana cake

Lemon Mojito

The party was fun, the drinks were flowing and the food was tasty! Everything we made was pretty easy to execute and had good flavour. Good times :)

Happy Eating!

The Rhino

The Rhino is definitely one of my 'go to' places when I'm wanting to chill and have drinks with friends. This bar/restaurant is located in Parkdale and has a massive beer selection as well as a full bar and food menu. The atmosphere at this place is relaxed and not fussy. During summer months, they have a pretty big outdoor patio that is perfect for summer night drinks.

In terms of food, The Rhino offers a straightforward menu that is very reasonably priced. Here is what I had on my last couple visits.

Food on Sticks! They have an assortment skewered appetizers you can mix and match to make your own little platters. It comes with a variety of different sauces for dipping. This one has dumplings, steak, satay chicken.

Shrimp, steak, lamb meatballs

Calamari, Tofu and Samosas.

Fish and Chips. This came with coleslaw and tar-tar sauce.

The portion size was massive...clearly

Overall, the food is descent. Food and drinks are pretty cheap at the Rhino. If you are wanting to hang out in a laid back environment, with music playing, and want the option of ordering any beer you can imagine....then come check out The Rhino. 

Happy Eating!