Friday Wine Down

Happy Friday!!!!

It's been a long, chilly and rainy week in the Toronto area.

Throw in my post-travel cold and I have been laying kinda low on the blogosphere...

That said, it's been a fabulous two weeks, especially the Easter long weekend which involved great friends, great family and fabulous travel! So let's get started and Wine Down this week with....

Wok Fried Lamb with Cumin

I Love finding new recipes.

A few months ago, my mom snagged this one out of the newspaper, and it's quickly become one of my favourites! Wok Fried Lamb with Cumin.

5 Tips For Bachelorette Party Planning

When it comes to wedding season, most women can expect to spend the occasional Sunday afternoon at some kind of luncheon watching the bride open gifts.

If you're in a bridal party, pre wedding events may also include an engagement party, rehearsal dinner, or any number of appointments.

So while the "Big Day" is proceeded by lots of "little days" to get everyone in the mood for canapés and champagne toasts, I will say that above all else the Bachelorette party is my favourite!

I love everything about bachelorette parties. I love planning them, I love the idea of a bunch of women celebrating a friend, I love the raunchy games, the occasional happy tears, and the seemingly endless potential for fun.

Above all though, I love the look on the bride's face mid-way through the night when all the wedding planning stress has melted away and she's just focused on enjoying HER night (without all the decorum of a shower).

having planned a few (ahem: five.. and climbing) bachelorette parties in my day, I want to give you the tools for success to make sure your friend has an INCREDIBLE time!

Here are my 5 tips for planning a great bachelorette party!

Always a Bridesmaid

When you hit your mid-20s, something funny happens, your friends suddenly fall into one of two groups:

1) Those who are getting married/in weddings constantly

2) Those who seem to avoid weddings with a 10 foot pole

Most of my friends seem to fall into one category or the other. They either spend all their time at weddings, or they haven't really started into that yet.

I fall into the first group.

Friday Wine Down

Happy Friday!

It’s been two weeks since the last wine down… I am… well I’m exhausted!

Last week was a whirlwind of travel, wine tours and adventures which I love love LOVED, but boy did it wear me out!

Since getting home I’ve been trying to get back on track with sleep, food and work, leading to some very early nights in bed!

I’m looking forward to a nice relaxing weekend. So let’s get this Wine Down started so I can relax!

Taking 15 Minutes To Improve Your Work Day!

When I got my first part time job my parents offered me this piece of advice: 

Just because your shift starts at 9:00, doesn't mean you show up at 9:00. Arrive 15 minutes early to get ready so that you can hit the ground running the moment the workday starts.

This lesson is one I carry with me to this day. It energizes me to be one of the first people in the office, and to streamline the first part of my work day so that I am my most efficient self all day long!

Today I want to share with you my process of taking 15 minutes at the start of the work day to make your WHOLE day better!

The PERFECT Tomato Chicken Sandwich

There's nothing better than eating something with fresh ingredients. 

The flavour, the texture, the colours; all of these things are amplified when your ingredients are fresh. It's the difference between a bland meal, and an exciting one.

Which is why, when I go to make a sandwich, I pick the freshest ingredients possible. 

I look at sandwiches the same way that I look at salads, which is that they come in one of two ways: boring, or AH-MA-ZING! There is nothing worse than a boring sandwich, in the same way that when you eat an incredible sandwich you want to share it with the world.

So today, I'm going to share this amazing sandwich the world. Not just amazing, the PERFECT tomato chicken sandwich.