President's Choice Insiders Collection With Suits Star Sarah Rafferty

We were at the launch of the new PC Insiders Collection at the PC Cooking School inside Maple Leaf Gardens where we had a chance to explore twists on holiday traditions using the new line of products offered by President's Choice. This is such a festive time of the year right now with non-stop feasting starting from the weeks leading to Christmas all the way to New Year celebrations in January, that this launch event came at the perfect time to discover all-new ways to holiday that will help anyone elevate their entertaining super powers to new heights. 

At the helm of this event was Tom Filippou, Executive Chef of President's choice where he organized this intimate event by separating it into three food categories, "Mingle, Dinner, and Dessert." Each of these food categories were highlighted by the new line of products from the PC Insiders Collection that features over 200 products including 70 new launches. President's Choice took us on a food journey from start to finish, focusing on an all-encompassing dinner party that starts with mingling during happy hour, dining with must try products at the dinner table, and ending the night off with some sweet treats. 

Below you can find some inspiration on some of the products offered in the PC Insiders Collection to use when hosting your next party, or even just pick up some of these goodies to enjoy all to yourself. No one's judging here. 

Mingle

Seacuterie Board
Charcuterie Board
PC Waffle Chicken Fillets with Spicy Maple Syrup
Crispy Rice Cake Bites with PC Tuna Tataki
Baked PC La Belle Riviere Cheese with Apple-Pear Confit

Dinner

PC Double Stuffed Turkey
Korean Fried Potatoes with Cabbage, Bacon, and PC Memories of Soul
Piri Piri Rapini with PC Memories of Eggs Benedict Hollandaise Sauce
Crispy Fried Cauliflower Ravioli with Creamy Harissa Sauce
Beef Tenderloin with PC Black Label Onion Cabernet

Dessert

Avocado Lime Coconut Cheesecake
Mini Chocolate Brownie Bites
Spiced Cookie Dippers with PC Chocolate Ganache Pots
PC Pistachio Pudding
PC Chocolate Pecan Bar
Lemon Squares
PC Apple and Pumpkin Galettes

The icing on the cake to this event was getting to have the TV and food world collide when Sarah Rafferty, who plays Donna on one of my favourite TV shows Suits was at the event as well. Sarah was joined by her mother Mimi on stage where they showcased their traditional Rafferty family holiday recipes by adding unexpected twists using ingredients from the PC Insiders Collection. 

Sarah and her mom made us their personal holiday cookie recipe for us to try (I can't believe I tasted some of Donna's cooking!) Their cookies incorporated a unique twist by adding in the PC Organic Mint European Dark Chocolate into the mix, and below you will also find a video of Sarah and her mom talking about this very recipe and how they like to get the kids involved! 

I hope you all get a chance to discover twists on traditions with the new PC Insiders Collection. Holidays will never be the same again! 

Milk Calendar's 40th Anniversary - Eggs Benedict With A Twist Recipe

Holy cow! I just had to do it.

Dairy Farmers of Canada's Milk Calendar which has been an integral part of many Canadian families from coast to coast is celebrating their 40-year milestone with their 2017 edition. Like many of us, every year we eagerly wait for the new Milk Calendar to hang up on our walls, providing us with easy, innovative, and delicious dairy related recipes for every meal and occasion.

The majority of Canadians do not consume the recommended servings of milk and dairy products, so the Milk Calendar was created 40 years ago to help Canadian families get their recommended daily servings using 100% Canadian milk in its recipes. This year of course is no exception and the 2017 edition reflects the milestone with a "How Far We've Come" theme that is also intended to honour Canada's 150th anniversary in 2017.

As soon as you turn to the first page of the 2017 Milk Calendar, you'll notice they've included some of their favourite recipes from their four decade old collection such as the Piquant Potato Salad from 1974, the Beef Ring with Seasonal Vegetables from 1981, and the Apple Berry Cobbler from 2000. All of these nostalgic recipes have been updated with flavours and ingredients using the current culinary tastes that anyone will come to love and enjoy in today's times.

Breakfast/brunch is absolutely my most favourite meal of the day so it is quite fitting that I will be sharing with you all the December 2017 Milk Calendar recipe, Eggs Benedict With A Twist. Fast forward a year from now, many Canadian families will be serving this up for the whole family to enjoy during the Holiday season. But for now you all get a sneak peak into this take on eggs benedict that includes the fresh and creamy taste of avocado.

Eggs Benedict With A Twist

Prep Time: 10 Minutes
Cook: 3 Minutes
4 Servings

Ingredients

2 tsp (10 mL) butter
4 tsp (20mL) all-purpose flour
1 cup (250mL) milk
1/2 cup (125mL) finely grated Canadian Parmesan
1/2 tsp (2mL) mustard power
1/4 tsp (1mL) each, hot sauce and salt
4 small slices olive, cheese, or crusty Italian bread
4 eggs
4 thin slices Black Forest ham
4 slices tomato
1 avocado, peeled, and thinly sliced
Chives for garnish (optional)

Directions

1) Melt butter in a small saucepan. Whisk in flour. Gradually whisk in milk. Stirring continuously, bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer gently 1 min. Whisk in Parmesan, mustard powder, hot sauce, and salt. Remove from heat; sauce will thicken slightly while preparing remaining ingredients. 2) Toast bread. 3) Poach eggs in simmering water about 3 mins. Fold ham to fit on each slice of bread, followed by a slice of tomato, avocado slices then egg. Drizzle with sauce then sprinkle with chives if using.

Cooking Tip

Add about 1 tbsp (15mL) white vinegar to eggs' poaching water; this helps eggs to hold their shape. Gently pat eggs dry with paper towel after cooking to prevent bread from becoming soggy.

Variation

Try fried eggs instead of poached and prosciutto instead of ham. 

Per Serving

Energy: 344 Calories, Protein: 19 g, Carbohydrate: 21 g, Fat: 21 g, Fibre: 4.6 g, Sodium: 694 mg, Calcium: 267 mg

All Milk Calendar recipes since 1974 are also available online at MilkCalendar.ca. Visit MilkCalendar.ca to see how you can pick up your copy of the 2017 calendar!

POM Wonderful - Bountiful & Beneficial

The almighty pomegranate. If you are willing to put in the effort to tackle an often time messy endeavor, the end result will be a bounty full of delicious and nutritious red jewels that your body and taste buds will appreciate. We all can understand though that you do have a busy life, and there is sometimes not enough time to dig for those red seeded jewels yourself. As pomegranates are ripe and in season now, let POM Wonderful do the work for you as it is the perfect time to indulge in a cold, refreshing glass of pomegranate juice.

According to a recent Leger survey, 93% of Canadians want to live a healthier lifestyle, and part of that dedication to healthier living starts with changing beverage choices from sugar-filled carbonated drinks to more natural options. Pomegranate juice contains natural ingredients that are vital for our bodies. POM Wonderful (original) is made with 100% pomegranate juice and does not contain any added sugar, colourants, or cheap filler juices. It is also a great source of potassium.

Did you know that every 473ml bottle of POM Wonderful 100% Pomegranate Juice has the juice of four whole pomegranates inside and nothing else? That means that 125mL is a serving of fruit towards the 7-10 servings a day recommended for adults by Canada's Food Guide.

One thing I was not aware of about POM Wonderful was not only do they sell their pomegranate juices that we all know and love, they also sell POM Arils! If you have never heard of what an aril is, it is simply the seed pod inside a pomegranate. Translation? The pomegranate seeds have all been magically picked out for you to enjoy with no work or mess involved on your part! It is a wonderful, wonderful thing. You really won't be able to appreciate the hard work it is to pull those arils out unless you have actually cut the pomegranate fruit open and tried it for yourself. It's tough work! 

POM Wonderful being such a versatile drink also comes in three delicious flavours. Of course there is the original 100% pomegranate juice, but there is also POM Cherry and POM Blueberry! A small fruity twist to the already wonderful flavours and nutrition of pomegranate. If you are feeling even more adventurous and want to try something else besides drinking it on its own, with the Holiday season upon us it can also be transformed into the Winter Warmer Cocktail. This is a winning drink recipe created from Toronto bartender Meghan McIntosh, designed to taste festive as we head into this Holiday season. Enjoy!

Ingredients

1.5 oz Tromba Anejo
1 oz POM Wonderful
1.5 oz Apple cider
1 oz Cinnamon syrup
0.75 oz lemon juice  

Method

1) Shake
2) Served straight up or on the rocks with lemon wheel and pomegranate seeds as garnish

#LGChuckBites - Tomato Pie Recipe From Chuck Hughes & LG Appliance Showcase

Celebrity Chef Chuck Hughes was in the city last week showcasing some of the latest, most technologically advanced kitchen appliances LG has to offer. Utilizing the LG Stainless Slide in Range with ProBake Convection, Chuck Hughes demonstrated right in front of our eyes how easy it was to put together a delicious and savoury Tomato Pie that is perfect to share around the Christmas dinner table. Speaking of Christmas, the entire time spent watching Chuck work his magic in the kitchen, all I could think of was how I was going to lure my family and friends to get me one of these sleek LG kitchen appliances. I mean it would fit perfectly in my kitchen decor. Honest! 

LG has really stepped up its game recently by releasing their newest generation of kitchen appliances, notably the new LG Black Stainless Slide in Range with ProBake Convection (MSRP $2899.99). Inspired by pro-style ranges, it has a modern, luxurious look that is fingerprint resistant with a finish that easily wipes clean with just a smooth, dry cloth. Its heating element is moved from the bottom of the oven to the back wall for optimal heat distribution, and cleaning has never been easier using EasyClean for just ten minutes.

Watch Chuck Hughes create his Tomato Pie recipe using the LG Black Stainless Slide in Range with ProBake Convection below!

Need a place to store all your tomatoes? Look no further than the new LG Stainless Fridge (MSRP $4899.99). The coolest thing about this fridge has to be its InstaView Door-in-Door with ColdSave Panel built right into it. With just a double tap on the right side door, it instantly lights up allowing you to see what's inside without opening the fridge. Its Slim SpacePlus Ice System is also located on the door, so you end up with more storage space on the top shelf of the freezer.

Watch Chuck Hughes show us the features of the LG Stainless Fridge including the built-in InstaView Door-in-Door with ColdSave Panel below!

Now this Tomato Pie recipe from Chuck Hughes does not require you to have the above LG appliances (although it would be nice to have), so any oven and fridge will do. This savoury pie combines fresh tomatoes, basil, and sweet onions in a delicate phyllo crust with zesty Cheddar topping. It's extremely flavourful and presents very well, yet so easy to put together.

Ingredients

Crust

6 sheets of phyllo
1 cup cold butter, cut up, melted

Filling

6 large field tomatoes, divided
2 tsp kosher salt, divided
1 1/2 cups (6 oz) freshly shredded extra-sharp white Canadian Cheddar cheese
1/2 cup freshly shredded Gruyere cheese
1/2 cup mayonnaise
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1/2 red onion, sliced paper-thin
Basil leaves
1 tbsp instant tapioca

Directions

Crust

Melt the butter. Lat out 1 sheet of phyllo and brush with clarified butter. Lay another phyllo sheet on top and repeat until you have 6 layers of buttered phyllo sheets

Filling

Cut 4 of the 6 tomatoes into 1/4" thick slices and remove the seeds. Place tomatoes in a single layer on paper towels. Sprinkle with 1 tsp salt. Let stand 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 425F (220C). Stir together Cheddar, Gruyere, mayonnaise, eggs, sugar, salt, and black pepper in a large bowl until combined.

Pat tomato slices dry with paper towel. Sprinkle tapioca over the bottom of the crust. Lightly spread 1/2 cup of the cheese mixture onto the crust. Layer with half of the tomato slices in slightly overlapping rows.

Spread paper-think red onions and basil leaves evenly. Then spread on another 1/2 cup of the cheese mixture.

Repeat layers, using the remaining tomato slices, red onions, basil leaves, and cheese mixture. Cut the remaining 2 tomatoes into 1/4" thick slices and arrange on top of the pie.

Bake at 425F (220C) for 30 - 35 minutes, shielding the edges with foil during the last 20 minutes to prevent excessive browning. Let stand 1-2 hours before serving.

Sudio Sweden

Fond memories of my latest summer's trip to Europe included a stop at the city where the headquarters of this consumer electronic's company is based in. I'm talking about the beautiful city of Stockholm. Sudio Sweden is a lifestyle brand that makes elegant earphones with both studio quality sound and exquisite quality. For people in the food industry like myself, the wireless, hands-free earphones are great to use when in the kitchen.

Their latest, premium model is called Vasa Blå which is a light-weight, wireless, and stunningly crafted headphone with amazing sound quality. They come in 4 different colours (Black, White, Blue, Pink) along with two colour accents (Gold, Rose Gold).

Each headset comes with an exclusive leather carrying case along with its built-in microphone. It's made compatible with all bluetooth devices with up to 8 hours of wireless freedom.

To get your hands on your very own Sudio Sweden headset such as the Vasa Blå, please visit HERE. To all our loyal followers, use the exclusive promo code theeverydayfoodie at check out to receive 15% off your purchase! Sudio Sweden always offers tax-free purchases as well as fast and free worldwide delivery.