Categories
Gifts

Christmas Gift Guide: Beer Lovers

No matter how well you know someone, it can still be difficult to find the right gift for the beer drinker in our lives. For that I present to you my “Beer Lovers Gift Guide.”

Coasters…
Everly Quinn Round Marble And Gold Coasters

Beer Glasses…
4 pc Craft Brews Beer Flight Set

Bottle opener…
OXO Steel Die-Cast Bottle Opener

Koozie…
Yeti Rambler Colster Beer Insulator

Pretzels…
Huober Bio-Brezel Doppelpackung, Laugenbrezel, 10 Beutel je 40g

Bottle of beer…
Hacker-Pschorr Oktoberfest Märzen 6%

Guidebook…
The Beer Lover’s Table: Seasonal Recipes And Modern Beer Pairings By Claire Bullen & Jen Ferguson

Coffee…
Hopped Up Coffee

Beer batter…
Fish Fry Beer Batter Coating Mix 

Decor…
Wood Bottle Beer Cap Collector

Categories
Gifts

Christmas Gift Guide: Wine Lovers

No matter how well you know someone, it can still be difficult to find the right gift for the wine connoisseur in your life. For that I present to you my “Wine Lovers Gift Guide.”

Corkscrew…
Oster Cordless Electric Wine Bottle Opener with Foil Cutter

Wine glass charms…
Palm Springs Wine Charms (Set of 6)

Bottle topper…
Vacu Vin Beer Bottle Marker And Stopper (Set of 6)


Wine Tasting…
Wine Tasting Essence Kit


Infusion…
Wine-Infused Salts

Stain remover…
Chateau Spill Red Wine Stain Remover Kit (Bottle & Wipes)


Glassware…
Happy Hour Outdoor Drinkware (Set of 4 Wine Glasses)


Wine…
Hillside Old Vines Gamay Noir


Chocolate…
Cabernet, Merlot, Zinfandel 3 Tin Chocolate Pairing Set


Snacks…
Wine Tasting Crackers

Categories
Gifts

Christmas Gift Guide: Bookworm

No matter how well you know someone, it can still be difficult to find the right gift for them. For the voracious reader in our lives I present to you my “Bookworm Gift Guide.”

Enable their addiction…
Chapters Gift Card

Bookmark…
Bomoart Bookmark Set of 12

Reading socks…
Moonlight Marl Reading Socks


Book light…
LuminoLite Rechargeable 3000K Warm 6 LED 

Bookends…
A to Z Bookends

Tote bag…
Autumn Bookworm Tote Bag

Candle…
Old Books Soy Candle

Art…
Bibliophile Print

Jewellery…
The Book Was Better Cuff 

Edible…
Bookworm Snack Mix

Categories
Gifts

Christmas Gift Guide: Coffee Lover

No matter how well you know someone, it can still be difficult to find the right gift for them. For the java junkie in our lives I present to you my Coffee Lovers Gift Guide.

Scrub…
Frank Body Original Coffee Scrub

Scoops…
Orblue Coffee Scoop, Stainless Steel, long handled Spoons, Pack of 2

Mug…
Rustic (Caribbean) Le Creuset Mug

French press…
Upphetta

Biscotti…
Nonnis Originali 


Candle…
Boulangerie (Espresso) Jar

Storage Canister…
Mason Cash® In the Forest Coffee Jar in Cream

Sweetener…
Rock Sugar

Coffee…
World Coffee Tours Box

Book…
Uncommon Grounds: The History Of Coffee And How It Transformed Our World by Mark Pendergrast

Categories
Gifts

Christmas Gift Guide: Tea Lover

No matter how well you know someone, it can still be difficult to find the right gift for them. For the tea lovers in our lives I present to you my “Tea Lovers Gift Guide.”

Tea drops…
Classic Tea Drops Assortment Box

Infuser…
Chefast Loose Leaf Tea Infuser Set

Tea tin…
Essential Blue Tea Canister

Grow your own tea leaves…
The Herbal Tea Kit

Tea towel…
The Tea Towel

Teacup & saucer…
Maxwell & Williams T&C’s Contessa Floral Porcelain 2 Pc Cup & Saucer Set

Biscuits…
Marks and Spencer Teatime Biscuits

Apothecary item…
Matcha Milk Bath

Loose tea assortment…
David’s Top 12

Luxury Sugar Cubes…
London Fog Sugar Cubes

Categories
Gifts

Christmas Gift Guide: Culinary Arts

No matter how well you know someone, it can still be difficult to find the right gift for the foodie or budding chef in our lives. For that I present to you my Culinary Arts Gift Guide.

Knife…
Henckels Fine Edge Pro V Chef’s Knife 8″

Cutting board…
Epicurean Gourmet Series Cutting Board


Measuring cups & spoons…
KitchenSmart All Clad Measuring Set

Oven mitts…
Le Creuset Oven Mitts

Apron…
Williams Sonoma Striped Apron in French Blue

Gourmet salts…
Salts of the World Collection

Batter dispenser…
Pampered Chef Mixer & Batter Dispenser

Reusable muffin cups…
MASTER Chef Silicon Baking Cups (12 pc)

Cookie cutters…
Woodland Animal Stainless Steel Cookie Cutters, Set of 5

Cookbook…
Eating Out Loud: Bold Middle Eastern Flavours For All Day Every Day by Eden Grinshpan

Categories
Gifts

Christmas Gift Guide: Going Green

This month will be a month of guide gifts, because no matter how well you know someone, it can still be difficult to find the right gift for them; and I wanted to offer my assistance. For the socially-conscious friend, I present to you my “Going Green Gift Guide.”

Lemon essential oil for cleaning…
Mrs. Meyer’s Clean Day MultiSurface Concentrate Lemon Verbena

Produce bags…
Purifyou Premium Reusable Mesh Produce Bags

Organic toothpaste…
Earthpaste

Bamboo toothbrush…
WoWE Eco-Friendly and Natural Bamboo Toothbrush for Adults

Ethically made jewellery…
Aida Bangle

Reusable straws…
David’s Tea Straw & Brush Set

Non-toxic face mask…
BeautyCounter No.3 Balancing Face Mask

Vegan leather wallet…
LAF Vegan Long Wallet (Kombucha)

Reusable water bottle…
Stay Hot Keep Cold Bottle (Light Quicksand)

Book…
Clean Green: Tips And Recipes For A Natural Clean And Sustainable Home by Jen Chillingsworth

Categories
Entertainment

Christmas Song Playlist

It seemed that many places jumped the gun on the Christmas season…when they tore down the Halloween decorations they immediately put the Christmas regalia up in its place. Now that it is ACTUALLY the Christmas season (December) we have put together a list of our favourite holiday tunes to get you and us in the spirit. You can create your own festive playlist on Spotify!

Happy Holiday –Bing Crosby
White Christmas –Bing Crosby
I’ll Be Home For Christmas –Perry Como
Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas –Rosemary Clooney*
Hark! The Herald Angels Sing –Frank Sinatra
Auld Lang Syne — The Drifters
Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer –Ella Fitzgerald
A House With Love In It –Nat King Cole*
All I Want For Christmas Is You –Michael Buble
Christmas Kisses –Serena Ryder
O Come, All Ye Faithful –George Strait
*Not available on Spotify

Categories
Gifts

Christmas Advent Calendar

I absolutely LOVE Christmas! I love everything about it!… giving gifts, being surrounded by family and friends…cooking a huge feast… EVERYTHING! The minute December 1st hits I “get my Christmas on.” Even though I am in my 30s I still get an advent calendar. I wanted to do something special for a friend of mine: make a personalized advent calendar. It is so easy! I bought the wooden calendar from Canadian Tire and on each date I put instructions for a Christmas activity to get her in the spirit as well as a little trinket to help her fulfill her Christmas task. 

DATETASKGIFT
1Set up the Christmas tree.A small ornament for her to add to her tree
2Take a moment to write your Christmas cards.A roll of stamps for her so she could send her cards
3Enjoy a kiss under the mistletoe.A sprig in for her to hang in her home
4Have your photo taken with Santa.A pair of super over the top Christmas earrings for her to wear in the photo
5Listen to Christmas songs and sing along.A personally curated list of songs for her to find on Spotify
6Go Christmas shopping.A folded up blank “Christmas Shopping List” for her to get organized before braving the crowds at the mall
7Drop off a donation to the local food bank or toy drive.$20 to go towards her contribution
8Buy or make yourself a new Christmas decoration.The instructions for making a paper angel ornament
9Write and send a letter to Santa.A Post-It with Santa’s address on it (in case she forgot the address)
10Go ice skating.New festive candy cane laces for her skates
11Wrap presents while enjoying a bottle of wine.A new wine glass charm and a roll of tape
12Have a snowball fight (or throw some snowballs for the puppy).A pair of new gloves to keep her warm
13Make and decorate Christmas cookies.A package of sparkly sprinkles 
14Wear a silly Christmas sweater.A photo of me wearing my silliest one, so she could enjoy a good laugh
15Check out the local Christmas lights display.A glow-in-the-dark Christmas lights necklace for her to wear
16Enjoy a festive Christmas drink of eggnog or apple cider.A pouch of apple cider spice mix
17Build a snowman.Pieces of “coal” for the snowman’s eyes, mouth & buttons
18Watch a Christmas movie.A personally curated list of movies for her to find on Netflix
19Go to the local Christmas craft fair.A printed out a schedule of fairs happening in her area
20Make a snow angel.A tiny small snow globe that has an angel inside
21Relax by the fire or watch the “burning log channel” for an hour WITHOUT the distraction of your phone.A new Christmassy kitchen timer
22Build a gingerbread house.The photo of the one we made together from our first Christmas in university
23Snack on a sweet treat.An individually wrapped cookie for her to eat
24Read ‘Twas The Night Before ChristmasThe poem printed out as a small scroll and fastened with a red ribbon
25Relax with a boozy coffee.A small bottle of Bailey’s for her to add in after brewing
Categories
Food & Drink

Winter Soups

We had a super cold winter last year; the temperatures dipped to -45C and stayed there for days on end and resulted in school/work being cancelled for the week and astronomical heating bills! We holed up at home and tried to stay warm; one way we did that was to enjoy yummy soups and stews. To keep you warm this winter try out a few of the recipes we loved! 

1. Easy Slow Cooker White Chicken Chilli
Why: I love using my crock pot; and best of all my husband enjoyed this recipe. It made A LOT so I was able to have freezer meals for later.

2. Loaded Baked Potato Soup
Why: The brain behind, damndelicious.com describes this soup as, “oh-so-creamy and rich, carb-loaded, cheesy, bacony, comforting, cozy soup”…need I say more?!?!

3. Black Bean Beef Taco Soup
Why: The perfect winter time twist on “Taco Tuesday” Plus, there is something super fun about adding toppings to soup in my opinion.

4. Butternut Squash Soup
Why: This soup is very easy to make; one pot in fact! It is creamy and for those of you who are dairy free and/or vegan this is a great recipe for you. Plus, I can make use of the squash I grew.

5. Veggie Tortellini Soup
Why: This is one of the Pioneer Woman’s “Under 20” recipes; it is hearty and comforting; it reminds me of having tomato and grilled cheese when I was young.