Monday, February 16, 2009

Giving New Life To The Wedding Cupcake Tree


With wedding season upon us, no doubt some of you are either planning your big day or showers for friends who are knee deep in wedding magazines. As you scour the net for fresh ideas, consider these fabulous cupcake wrappers for your next event. While cupcakes have been a very popular alternative to the traditional wedding cake, they can now look that much prettier with laser-cut cupcake wrappers. Available in a variety of colors and patterns, the wrapper easily slips over your cupcake to help create a beautiful cupcake tree or a unique favour at individual place settings.

Available at Estilo Weddings (
www.estiloweddings.com). They come in packs of 12 for $12.50 or packs of 50 for $48.50 plus shipping.

Tuesday, February 10, 2009

Sip It With Flowers


Valentines Day is around the corner and what better way to celebrate then with a little champagne. Only this time, make it even more special and sip it with flowers. That’s right, forget the overpriced red roses and instead, drop a flowering hibiscus into your date’s drink. All you need to do is pour a glass of champagne and add one Wild Hibiscus Flower. The flower will sit on the bottom of your glass and as the bubbles stream off, your flower will open. Pop it into your mouth and you can enjoy its raspberry and rhubarb taste. So pretty, romantic and tasty.

Available at Whole Foods and Gourmet Warehouse. Priced between $12 and $14 for a jar of 11 flowers.

Monday, February 2, 2009

Gourmet Dinner In A Bottle

It’s Monday night and you have offered to have friends over for dinner. After a long day at work and little time to prep a truly gourmet dinner, what is a hostess to do? Crack open a bottle of Fischer and Wieser’s Roasted Raspberry Chipotle Sauce and wait for the compliments to pour in. This smoky, fruit-forward sauce is delicious with pork or chicken.

I love to bake a pork tenderloin lightly salted for 45 to 50 minutes at 325 degrees, slice it and arrange it on a plate in a semi circle. Pour the sauce on top and serve with roasted baby potatoes and a spinach salad. You will look like you have slaved all day and still have enough energy to enjoy a couple of glasses of wine.

Fischer and Wieser’s Roasted Raspberry and Chipotle Sauce is available at Gourmet Warehouse (
www.gourmetwarehouse.ca) for $7.99 per bottle.