Bavarian Christmas Market

Monday, 14 December 2015

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I spent the weekend in Germany and had enough time to sneak in a visit to the beautiful Christmas market in Augsburg, the third oldest city in Germany.


The market did not disappoint, offering up a selection of sausages, potatoes, gingerbread cookies and mulled wine!





If you're exploring Augsburg by day, be sure to head over to Zum Weissen Hassen  - my favorite restaurant for German food in the inner-city.



Or if you're in the mood for Italian, head out of the city and take a 20 minute drive to Bobingen for some amazing, inexpensive Italian at Ai Porteghi.

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London: The Christmas Edit

Wednesday, 25 November 2015

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Every year my family and I go to our home in Florida for Christmas, so I always find myself needing to get my chilly holiday fix in before I swap evergreens for palm trees. From skating at the Swarovski Ice Rink to  braving Oxford St. to see the Christmas lights, check out what I've been up to this November!

Grab the same pair of personalized stockings here!


We had a great time skating at the Swarovski Ice Rink at the Natural History Museum. There's a cosy cafe upstairs, a carousel next door and a bunch of pubs to tuck into around the corner. There's also a viewing platform that overlooks the ice if skating isn't your thing. Tickets come to £16.80, and include a pair of skates for an hour.




After our skating sesh, we headed to The Anglesea Arms to warm up by the fire with some drinks, and on the way home grabbed what was the best cookie of my entire life from Ben's Cookies. Apparently you can replicate these bad boys at home (which I highly doubt), but I now know what my weekend will consist of...

I also braved the crowds to get a glimpse of the beautifulness that is Oxford Circus. It was well worth it.




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Birthday Decor

Sunday, 15 November 2015

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I celebrated my 25th birthday over the weekend, and wanted to share some of my birthday party decor with you - all picked out by my lovely roommate Sara! Our little celebration was shades of peach, pink, gold and silver. 
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October Favourites

Monday, 12 October 2015

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2. Atomic Nightfall Ear Jacket - Phoebe Coleman
4. Coral Detail Ring - Etsy (20% off)
5. Marshmallow Fireside Candle - Bath & Body Works
6. Hocus Pocus - Amazon
7. Cake Topper - Etsy

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Munich Oktoberfest

Thursday, 1 October 2015

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I just got back to London and I've had a pretty eventful September. Having spent the most of the month in New York and Toronto, I was ready to come back to Europe again - and I was even more excited knowing Oktoberfest was just around the corner!


If you're planning on going to Oktoberfest, know that the Schützen-Festzelt is a great tent to spend your day drinking in! We had an amazing time there, however the only thing I would recommend is to reserve a table before going, so you're not walking around looking for a place to crash for the day.


Schützen-Festzelt

The food was delicious and I got to eat some of my bavarian favourites like Wurstsalat (literally a "sausage salad") and I also had a yuuuuumy schnitzel with spätzle. I never knew I could crave German food so much! The apple strudel I had in Munich was also delicious. My diet went out the window and.. Oma, you have some competition...



Löwenbräu Festzelt 

Since I was visiting with a friend, the next day we did some touristy things which I haven't had the chance to do in Munich before! We headed to the Englischen Garten for a stroll as the weather was just gorgeous for October.

Englischen Garten

After making a pit stop at Cafe Arzmiller to refuel on some Eis Kaffee we were ready to continue exploring the city.

Cafe Arzmiller

The Neues Rathaus (town hall) in Marienplatz is a must-see and would honestly be pretty hard to miss, as it's in the heart of the city. Here's an attempted pano shot, but as you can tell I'm not the greatest with my iphone...

Neues Rathaus 

Right around the corner is my absolute FAVOURITE chocolatier in the whole wide world. I kid you not the last time I was at Elly Seidl I dropped €100 on chocolate to bring back to Canada for the whole Dollak clan. If you do anything in Munich, go to this place and buy up the whole lot of champagne truffles...  they give you a TON of freebies too if you walk outta there with five bags full like me.


I hope you enjoyed the recap of my trip! If you have any questions or just want to drop me an email, feel free to give me a shout anytime.
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Copycat Ikea Meatballs

Thursday, 24 September 2015

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It's raining and pouring in London. Which means it's time to stay locked inside, cozy up by the fire (if I had one), drink a glass of wine and nosh on some deliciousness aka... comfort food.


Copycat Ikea Meatballs.
Yes you heard me. Yes they are delicious. Now go and create them at home because they're quick and easy to make!

Total prep time: 20 mins
Cook time: 30 mins
* Dinner on the table under an hour!

First things first, for this recipe you will need:


  • 1 lb ground beef
  • ¼ cup bread crumbs
  • ¼ cup milk
  • ½ cup chopped onion
  • 1 clove garlic minced
  • 1 tbsp. fresh oregano chopped or 1 tsp. dry oregano
  • 1 egg
  • 1 tbsp. olive oil
  • 5 tbsp. butter
  • 3 tbsp. flour
  • 2 cups beef broth (warmed up)
  • 1 cup cream
  • ½ tbsp. Soy sauce
  • ½ tbsp. Hot sauce (I used Piri Piri)
  • 1 tsp. Dijon mustard
  • ½ tsp. kosher salt
  • ½ tsp. pepper
  • 3 tbsp. parmesan 

  • Instructions:

    In small bowl combine bread crumbs and milk. Let sit for 10 minutes until bread crumbs have soaked up milk.

    In large skillet heat 1 tbsp. olive oil with 1 tbsp. butter, medium heat. Add onions and sauté until see-through for about 6 minutes. Then add garlic and oregano and sauté for another 1-2 minutes.

    In large bowl, combine ground beef, sautéed onion, garlic and oregano.




    Mix in salt, pepper and egg, combine until egg is mixed in. Add bread crumbs to meat mixture and combine well.

    Use a tablespoon and roll up the meatballs. Recipe makes approximately 30-35, depending on the size.


    Reheat skillet used to sauté onions and garlic, adding a bit more olive oil and butter if needed.

    On medium heat, brown meat balls on all sides, carefully turning so they don't break apart. Don't overcrowd skillet with meatballs, work in batches. Transfer meatballs to baking sheet and keep warm in oven while making sauce.

    Add 4 tbsp. butter to skillet, when melted whisk in flour, cook until golden brown. Slowly stir in heated beef broth, cook at temperature that keeps sauce at slow bubble. Add in cream, Worcestershire sauce and Dijon mustard, simmer until sauce thickens at bit.

    Add meatballs into sauce, cover and simmer on low heat for about 10 minutes.


    Sprinkle some parmesan or oregano as garnish on top and you're done! You can serve this over mashed potatoes, or they also go nicely over egg noodles!

    The best part is you can freeze half your meatballs and use them in a different dish to try out next time around. I swear my inner John Dollak (dad) is coming out as I type this...
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    Review: Her Majesty's Pleasure

    Wednesday, 23 September 2015

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    I've been home in Toronto for the past week, and today I opted for an after-work treat at Her Majesty's Pleasure, a spa/cocktail bar hybrid in the heart of King West Village.

    Her Majesty's Pleasure offers a variety of cocktails to go along with the pampering of your choice. From blowouts to pedicures, they have it all. There's also a cafe menu that offers delicate French pastries if you end up sitting in the mani-chair on an empty stomach.

    Their drink list was much more extensive than that of Cheeky London (see my review), and far tastier, I might add. Getting one hand polished with lilac varnish while using the other to sip away at a ridiculously good cocktail was all I the convincing I needed to go!  




    They're one of many following the trend of fusing the spa experience with a boutique style bar, however what's put them ahead of the crowd is their wonderful cocktails, amazing nail varnish selection (they carry Deborah Lippmann), beautiful decor and incredible attention to detail in all that they do.  The interior felt very clean but super chic at the same time -- perfect for a nail salon, in my opinion. This is a great place to go to unwind with the girls after a long work week, or to pre-drink and get pampered before a fun night out. Because the pre-drink is always more fun than going out, anyways, right?


    A signature pedicure will run you $45 and a manicure is $35 -- seems like a bargain after living in London! Check out Her Majesty's Pleasure to book! 
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    A Weekend in Switzerland

    Saturday, 12 September 2015

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    The last two weekends have been jam-packed with music festival activities!

    Last weekend we hopped on a quick flight to Zurich for Streetparade, and then this weekend we found ourselves in NYC at Electric Zoo.


    Along with the usual festival shenanigans, we brunched... a lot. And we ate bagels... a lot. See the pictures and resto details after the jump!

    ZURICH



    We refueled by grabbing an amazing brunch at Cafe Des Amis, which I would highly recommend! Not gonna lie though, I topped this off with macarons from Spruengli about two hours later. Oops?

    NEW YORK

     The main stage at Electric Zoo


    The best bagel of my life - veggie cream cheese on the left and turkey, tomato and scallion cream cheese on the right. Both on everything bagels and from Ess-A-Bagel!

     The runner-up was an egg, tomato avocado delight from Black Seed Bagels.

    Wonderful 'Green Eggs Benedict' from Mezetto. They also served up a great bottomless mimosa deal for $16!

     Finished it off with a 'Drunk Brunch' at Bagatelle



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    Currently Craving

    Friday, 14 August 2015

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    1. A trip to Zurich! It's next on my hit list at the end of the month.

    2. Dorm room decorations. August has me thinking back-to-school everything (even though I am no longer a student).... Also, check out these dorm rooms you'll never see on the campus tour. Yikes.

    3. I think my mother would appreciate this mug.

    4. A test tube flower chandelier (that's a mouthful) might seem unnecessary, buuuut I need it. This would also look fab as party or wedding decor.

    5. I'm still in Berlin, so a scoop from Anna Durkes would make me pretty happy on this 38° day.

    6. MEETING MARLIN!!! In 7 weeks, I'll be able to meet this little guy and my family will be bringing him home to Canada! You can follow Marlin and his ten littermates on their puppy blog.

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    Italia! Portofino, Lake Garda & More...

    Thursday, 6 August 2015

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    We just got back from Italy and we had the perfect holiday. I definitely have post-vacation blues! We began our trip in Milan, then made the trek by car to Portofino, Santa Margherita and Sestri Levante. A few days later we headed to Lake Garda, and then we ended our holidays in beautiful Verona. As usual, I have highlighted where we stayed, played and ate at the bottom of this post. Happy reading!


    I ate gelato three times in one day, which I'm not proud of... Oops! Our favourites in Milan were from Bianco Latte which is in the more touristic area, however if you're up for a bit of a hike outside the core head to La Gelateria Della Musica in Famagosta. This gelato was truly amazing.

    Shopping at The Galleria.


    Being tourists at The Duomo.

    I had the best rigatoni and tiramisu (pictured) of my life here at Ristorante Solferino.


    Delicious lobster pasta we had while out in the Brera area.




    Bag: Gucci


    The main road in Santa Margherita.






    Another gelato/popsicle win in Lake Garda at Cremeria Bulian.


    The view from atop the Torre dei Lamberti, located in the heart of the Piazza delle Erbe in Verona.


    One of our many courses from Casa Perbellini in Verona. We were stuffed to say the least.




    STAY:





    EAT:



    PLAY:



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