Wishing all my readers from the United States a safe and Happy Thanksgiving!  Thank you for following THE GOODS!

Still time to order something special for a loved one

Christmas is coming at a much quicker rate this year!  I guess our extended Fall has resulted in some delays getting started, but over the past week there is no doubt that bells and lights are popping up everywhere!

For those with a special woman or girl in their lives, why not select a fun, personalized or elegant statement piece of jewellery that is functional AND cost effective?  And for women everywhere - the time is now to make your orders for Christmas gifts or have a few friends over for a trunk show to earn yourself some incredible pieces to add to your collection for free!

There is still time to have your own Trunk Show in December!  And keep in mind, the final shipping date to receive Stella and Dot pieces in time to put under the tree is December 17th!  For male readers everywhere: she doesn't want a mixer or frying pan this year!

Order directly from the "Stella!" link in the navigation bar, or send me a message if you'd like to have your own show over the next few weeks - celebrate Christmas and friends in style!

Here are a few pics of the more popular gift pieces this year:

Tweens and little girls?  No problem - the hugely popular friendship bracelets are here for your daughter or niece and their friends:

These cute bracelets are made with turquoise and other stones with a silver stone engraved "friends".

For the lady in your life, try a simple design of silver and gold vermeil called "together forever"

OR a statement piece that is both versatile and a showstopper - the popular "Adrienne" in silver

Lastly, our most popular line is the Stella and Dot charms - great for anyone!  Make a personalized and sentimental gift for Grandmas, Moms, Aunts, Daughters or Friends.  Select a bangle or one of many length necklaces in either silver or gold vermeil and add charms that reflect the individual. 

Necklace

Bangle

Silk base bracelets or necklaces

Choose from charms with initials, symbols, inspirational words, relationships and a full assortment of birthstones - the sky is the limit!

Happy hunting!

Multi-Vegetable Soup: good for the soul and the waistline!

From the same cookbook as the Brandy Snap recipe, comes a soup recipe I have been making for the past year: Tizza Soup.  A hearty, pureed, vegetable soup recipe that combines a little bit of this, a little bit of that from the vegetable family and a whole lotta nothing else! Skip the creams and heavy additives, just some chicken or vegetable stock and seasoning needed!

Extremely easy recipe - if this is too much for you, abort the mission, back away from the kitchen and order takeout - there is no hope! :-)

Ingredients


1 pound potatoes, peeled and chopped

1/2 pound zucchini, chopped

1/2 pound carrots, peeled

1 turnip (not rutabaga)

2 leeks, trimmed and washed

2 artichoke hearts

2 small tomatoes, chopped

1/2 stick celery, chopped

1 cube chicken or vegetable stock

1 tablespoon olive oil

Salt and pepper



Directions

Put all the vegetables in a large pot. Add the stock cube, olive oil, salt and pepper. Cover, just, with water. Bring to a boil and simmer until all the vegetables are tender. Put the mixture through a food mill or blend with an immersion blender. Reheat to serve.

Hot new store in town OR order on-line

So, for the past few years tea has been catching up with coffee as the "what's hot" to drink, and I am proud to predict it will surpass coffee soon, and for many reasons: health benefits, creativity, taste and new technology.

So imagine my delight to stumble upon David's Tea in Southgate Mall last week!  Now a franchise, this Canadian company is blowing the tea competition away and taking the retail market to another level.  David's has a phenomenal and sometimes confusing amount (120 varieties and counting) of tea to delight almost everyone.  From around the world, organic, floral and fruity, to chocolate (YES!), chai, health enhancers and detoxing.  And for this consumer, two selling points has to be the freshness of the product and the price point: try 100g in a beautiful steel tin for only $11!  A small, rectangular store with an extensive tea bar approach, David's doesn't offer a huge amount of shelf stock to sort through, but it offers great customer service, all varieties behind the bar and a small selection of "daily teas" for the to-be consumer to try.

Take a look and enjoy

http://www.davidstea.com/

No David's in your area?  No problem!  Order on-line - this is a great Christmas gift AND every order comes with three new samples in classy tin pots!

Need the stimulant of coffee to get you going in the morning?  Try a Mate tea - with the same level of stimulant and additional health benefits.  Brilliant!

And it wouldn't be a blog without some education on the foundations of these endless amounts of tea, courtesy of David's Tea:

Black Tea


Think black tea makes you feel good? You’re right. It’s been proven to help you de-stress fast. It also helps eliminate bad breath. Plus medical research indicates that it lowers the risk of heart attacks and strokes, and reduces bad cholesterol.

Green Tea

Want to stay slim, trim and beautiful? The antioxidants in green tea just might slow signs of aging, prevent the flu and raise your metabolism. More dramatically, it’s being shown to prevent and slow cancer, and help with arthritis and bad cholesterol too.

Oolong Tea

This one’s known as a fat-buster in China, and science is indicating that it does indeed speed up your metabolism, burn fat and block fat absorption! Use it to fight expanding waistlines, high blood pressure, diabetes and heart disease.

White Tea

Science is saying that white tea might be more effective than even green tea at preventing cell damage, shrinking cancerous tumours and stopping the growth of cancer cells. Plus it’s becoming the new cosmetic fix for aging skin. Beautiful!

Pu’erh Tea

Traditional Chinese medicine prizes Pu’erh as a wonder tea. It’s said to aid digestion, cleanse the blood and help with weight loss. Studies in Europe are also saying it busts cholesterol as effectively as some medications.

Rooibos Tea

It’s said that rooibos helps you recover from hangovers, and that it could slow dementia. Plus there’s evidence that it fights skin cancer and boosts the immune system. And it’s supposed to help with insomnia!

Maté Tea

Yerba maté is a fabulous stimulant, without the jitters. It’s also full of antioxidants, so there’s scientific speculation that it could have anti-cancer properties, help stimulate the immune system and protect against disease.

Herbal Tea

Herbs, spices, fruits and flowers have long been used in traditional medicine to cure everything from headaches, stomach bugs and colds to stress and insomnia. The power of the tea depends on its ingredients.

Think you've seen it all?  Give the chocolate series a try or

You got it!  Obviously you can't get enough of  good things!
Drink Up :-)

Brandy Snaps for Shannon

For my birthday, my dear husband was kind enough to add to my seemingly endless supply of cookbooks by purchasing Laura Calder's latest collection of French cooking called French Taste.  If you haven't heard of Laura, tune into Food Network Canada or google some recipes.  She is one of my top ten "go to" chefs when I want to learn something new, and one of my first choices when cooking French.  This Canadian-born Renaissance women is smart, witty and exudes joie de vivre! In the coffee section was a great recipe for Brandy Snaps, and I recently experimented, testing the easy-to-make-with-endless possibilities treat.  I can't really call it a cookie, because the substance is just not worth it; they are best described as sweet, light and lacy delicacies, perfect with coffee or tea.

There are many possibilities when making Brandy Snaps.  You can simply let them harden as a thin, flat circular cookie as pictured above, or place them around the handle of a wooden spoon to make a cylinder shape

A fancy garnish for dinner parties:

You can choose to melt a favorite chocolate and dip one side for added taste and visual appeal.  Served with a glass of bubbly or coffee, it is a winner.  Better still, make your favorite cream (lemon, coffee, vanilla) and stuff the cylinder full - now you are REALLY impressive!

But the variations do not stop here!  A Brandy Snap can be used to create a vehicle to serve other food.  Place it in a muffin tin to set, and voila!

You can use these to serve ice cream or mousse!  Let them set in the opposite direction in a muffin tin and serve the same mousse with a different look:

More ideas?

Two other ways to create different shapes: a rolling pin for an arch or a wine stopper to make a cone - the limits are set only by your creativity!

Regardless of a basic snap or totally indulgent delicacy, here is the recipe to get you started, courtesy of Laura Calder.

Brandy Snaps

Ingredients

2 tbsp (30 mL) granulated sugar


2 tbsp (30 mL) golden corn syrup

1/4 cup (50 mL) unsalted butter

2 tsp (10 mL) brandy

1/4 cup (50 mL) all-purpose flour

Directions

Preheat oven to 350F (180C). Lightly butter a baking sheet or line with parchment paper. Melt the sugar, syrup and butter together in a saucepan. When mixture starts to bubble, remove from heat. Using a wooden spoon, beat in the brandy and flour.


Making only 6 cookies at a time, place 1 tsp (5 mL) of the batter for each cookie, spaced well apart, on the baking sheet. Bake until flat and golden, 5 to 7 min.

Let cool on the baking sheet for a few seconds, just until the cookies are firm enough to move but are still pliable. Remove with a spatula and drape over a rolling pin, or simply leave flat on a rack. Repeat with second batch. Cool cookies completely. If making ahead, store in an airtight container with layers separated by parchment.

Enjoy, Shannon!

Christmas Cheer!

(Pomegrante Cosmopolitans - Ho, Ho, Ho!)

With the Christmas season quickly approaching,I am dusting off some of my favorite cocktail recipes and searching for new ones to add to the mix.  My standby, classic Cosmopolitan is compliments of Ina Garten, better known as the Barefoot Contessa.  Yes, she was best known for sconces and pastries, but Ina's cookbooks deliver fantastic and simple recipes that are sure to please!  Note to file: I noticed that chefs have great cocktail recipes AND boy, can they drink! Ina, Ina, Ina... When your quantities of alcohol are measured in cups rather than ounces...

Regardless, every Christmas this timeless drink gets two thumbs up from family and friends, and one major hangover if it is not respected!  The recipe below serves four, though my experience has been closer to six, seven, eight...

Pomegrante Cosmopolitans

Ingredients


2 cups (16 ounces) good vodka (recommended: Stolichnaya or Finlandia)

1 cup (8 ounces) orange liqueur (recommended: Cointreau)

1 cup (8 ounces) pomegranate juice (recommended: Pom Wonderful)

1/2 cup freshly squeezed lime juice (3 limes)

Lime peel strips, to garnish

Directions

Combine the vodka, orange liqueur, pomegranate juice, and lime juice in a pitcher and refrigerate until ready to use. Pour the mixture into frozen martini glasses with a twist of lime peel and serve immediately.

Saludos!

Fresh biscuits in no time flat

Nothing else goes better with a homemade bowl of soup than warm, fresh biscuits, straight out of the oven!  My husband and daughter can't get to the table fast enough when they see our favorite biscuits appear on the dinner menu.  Though I think these are best served with a nice vegetable soup, my family will argue ANY soup, or simply on their own is quite acceptable!

I think people shy away from making fresh biscuits because they envision a torturous endeavour with flour flying, rising time and the concern that if over-handled, they will turn out more like hockey pucks, than something light and fluffy!  And hey, who has time after a long day at work to go through that when dinner time is in less than an hour?

Well, here is my all-time favorite basic recipe to blow all those negative thoughts away!  These biscuits are made, cut and on a baking sheet before the oven reaches it's ideal temperature!  And, with no rising, no real kneading or primping, glazing or fussing, you look like the domestic goddess and wonderful homemaker you strive to be!

And for the adventurous, try some additional seasonings: herbs, bacon, chives or cheese to jazz up this original recipe!

Soup Biscuits


Ingredients
1 cup flour
1 Tbsp. sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 cup butter (or becel)
1/2 cup milk

Directions
-Set over to 450 degrees.
-In a large bowl, add and mix all the dry ingredients.
-Add the butter or becel, and quickly incorporate until the batter looks like meal.  DO NOT over process; small pieces of butter intact is a good thing here!
-Add milk and stir until JUST incorporated.  Again, DO NOT over process trying to achieve a smooth batter as this will leave the biscuits heavy.  Just mix until the milk is integrated with the rest of the batter.  You might choose to start mixing with a spoon and then opt to using your hands to finish the incorporating.
-Spread a small amount of flour on your counter top and transfer the batter to the flour.  Knead only enough to allow your hands to stop sticking to the batter.  Again, less is more with this recipe.
-Simply roll out or press the batter until it is 1/2 inch thick.
-Take a cookie cutter or the opening of a drinking glass and cut out the biscuits from the batter.  Continue until all the batter is used.
-Transfer to a baking sheet and bake for 12 - 15 minutes until golden brown.
-Remove and let cool just for 5 minutes, then serve!

Enjoy!

Friends and Family Sale! November 11 - 15th

Hi everyone!

Just a quick reminder that Restoration Hardware is currently having their Friends and Family Event starting today until November 15th. 

Save 20% on everything in stores, catalogs and online.  This includes their Baby & Child line as well!  Don't forget to use the promotional code: FFP2010

Take a look

http://www.restorationhardware.com/

Soup 101

Now that there is a permanent chill in the air and our brown grass will soon be covered with a white blanket of snow, it is time to start inviting a variety of soups into our weekly menus.  I love simple, pureed vegetable soups - they are uncomplicated, easy and satisfying during fall and winter.  If you have 30 minutes, you have time to make soup.  REALLY!

The basics of pureed soup involves a small amount of fat, typically butter, oil or a combination of both, heated in a heavy pan.  Add to this some aromatics like onion and garlic or onion, garlic and celery and saute until tender.  Then the defining moment: adding the dominant vegetable, be it potato, squash, carrot, etc with liquid such as stock (vegetable or chicken).  Cover the pot and let it bubble away until the vegetables are soft.  If you have a hand blender, remove the soup from the heat, let it cool for a few minutes and then blend the entire contents.

Here is when you can get adventurous -  with carrot soup you could try adding some curry powder or maybe some fresh grated ginger or even the juice of an orange.  Apples, cinnamon and nutmeg go well with squash/pumpkin and other veggies from the onion family, like shallots or leeks, would go great with potatoes.  If you are adding complimentary fruit or vegetables to your soup, do so when you add the star ingredient. Otherwise, if it is a seasoning or citrus juice, add this at the end of the cooking process and follow with seasoning to taste.

There you have it!  Simple, easy and in your bowl in under 1/2 hour.  With this easy guideline, the world is your oyster.  This is a gluten-free, vegetarian and vegan soup (substitute vegetable stock for chicken stock) that is high in fibre and vitamins, while low in calories and fat!

Once you feel comfortable with a basic soup, you can try other ingredients to alter the flavour of your favorite recipe: bacon added as the first ingredient will add a substantial depth to the soup and works great with potato soup (think of a baked potato with all the dressings), wine can be added with the stock or even try a spoonful of tomato paste for an extra kick.  Need more bite?  Don't forget chillies...

Great Christmas Ideas - on sale now!

It is November and the countdown is on - while most people are getting their heads wrapped around the sometimes stressful art of gift selection, I am counting down to the GRAND opening of Restoration Hardware in our fine city!  By November 27th, the doors are open for business!  However, Restoration Hardware is also a fantastic place to select gifts for loved ones during the Christmas season (and anytime), and with that, they have recently launched a brillant line up of fantastic gifts from he-will-love tools to vintage games and she-will-love cashmere.  Mmmmm... cashmere.  Who could possible go wrong with that?

As an introduction, cashmere is currently on sale through the RH website

http://www.restorationhardware.com/

Note to file - while the prices in the catalogue are cheaper than in retail stores, the taxes, duties and shipping promptly make it a wash.  You choose - ordering from the comfort of your desk or having the complete experience and leaving the store with a beautifully boxed purchase in hand!

Top pic for a little bit of luxury at a great price - the mini cashmere hand warmers

Huge selection of artisan leather gifts

Italian Herb Kit for the chef at home 

For the Rockstar in your family

A great art set to let your creativity flow during the winter months

For the gardener - an English seed starter kit

Traditional tools, gadgets and gizmos

Scrabble and other games, vintage-style

Post mortem on Haloween - another interesting tradition

Halloween in Italy?  No.  El dia de los muertos?  Closer.  Here is another country and culture who pass on our pagan celebration of Halloween but celebrate their dead over a two day period - festivities bridging November 1st (All Soul's Day) and November 2nd (Day of the Dead), though to Italians, it is known simply as i Morti: observing, honouring and remembering their passed loved ones.

I read a blog excerpt form Aglio, Olio and Peperoncino that captures the spirit of the day AND provides a recipe for a traditional Italian cookie associated with the festivities!  Education, stories and eats - what more can one ask for while surfing the net:

"This is not a morbid or mournful holiday, rather a celebration of life. Ossa dei Morti, or 'Bones of the Dead,' are among the numerous traditional (and almost always almond-laced) Italian cookies commonly enjoyed on this occasion. There are many different regional recipes for Ossa dei Morti, these particular hard and crunchy meringue ones are from Piemonte."

Here, courtesy of Aglio, Olio and Peperoncino is a great recipe to add to your collection!

Ossa dei Morti

Ingredients

1 1/4 cups flour
1/2 cup hazelnuts, shelled and left whole
1/2 cup almonds, coarsely ground (I put them in a freezer bag and pound the heck out of them)
2 cups brown sugar
2 egg whites, beaten
Juice from 1/2 lemon
A pinch of ground cloves
A pinch of cinnamon
Butter and flour to grease and dredge the cookie sheet

Directions


In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, egg whites, and lemon juice. Work in the nuts and spices, and continue kneading until you have a fairly firm dough. Roll the ball of dough out with your hands forming it into a rope. Cut the rope into 2-inch sections.

Preheat oven to 180° C (360° F).

Butter your cookie sheet, dust with flour, and lay the 'bones' on it distanced form one another, and bake for about 20 minutes. Let the cookies cool to jaw-breaking hardness before serving with a glass of Moscato or Vin Santo. Amen.

Banish back and sciatica pain forever!

The second in a series of guest blogs from Tara Burry, Master Pilates Instructor, focuses on easy stretches to relieve back and sciatica pain.  A few tips to follow: these stretches should be done daily.  If you are experiencing back and/or sciatica pain, take the time to go through these three stretches twice a day until the pain subsides, then once a day to keep your muscles relaxed.  Also, these daily stretches are only three moves, but is is very important to hold each stretch for five minutes. Why? This is the length of time it takes for the brain to tell the body to relax and then, for the muscles to release.

Foot on Wall

Lie on your mat and place your feet at a 90 degree angle to touch the wall.  Carefully remove one foot from the wall and rest the ankle against the opposite knee of the leg that is still touching the wall.  You should feel a slight stretch.  Hold this stretch for 5 minutes.

Caution: Make sure you are not too close to the wall - your hips should be aligned and not twisted in any way.  If you are experiencing a sharp pain with this stretch, move back from the wall until the pain subsides.  Also, when too close to the wall ,your muscle will not relax and release.

Repeat this stretch with the opposite leg and hold for 5 minutes.


Hamstring Stretch

Lie on your mat facing away from the wall.  Using an exercise band (or not), wrap the band around the arch of your foot and pull your leg anywhere from a 45 - 90 degree angle away from your body - whatever angle is most comfortable!  Your knee should not be locked or too bent, simply kept "soft" with a slight bend. Once your body is in the stretch, hold this position for 5 minutes.

Caution: Do not keep pulling on the band with your hands, get your leg into a position where you feel a stretch and then relax.  Keep your elbows on the ground to keep your chest and shoulders open.

Bring your leg back down to the starting position and repeat with the other leg and hold for 5 minutes.


Cross Over

This stretch is most easily achieved directly after the Hamstring stretch.  Before you bring your leg back to the starting position after the Hamstring stretch, cross the lifted leg over your body and let it rest on the outside of your opposite leg.  If your right leg is crossed over the left side of your body, extend your right arm to reach outside the right side of your body (your leg and arm will be pulling in opposite directions).

The arm extension will stretch your chest muscles while the leg stretches your back.  Hold this stretch for 5 minutes.

Caution: Make sure your leg rests BELOW your hips, where comfortable, and a gentle stretch is felt.  If your leg is too high it will be stretching different muscles.

Gently turn your body and return your leg to the lie down position.  Repeat with the opposite leg and hold for five minutes.

Done!


If you are interested in targeting a specific area of your body or addressing a specific pain or concern, post a comment and Tara will offer some great suggestions!

Ready to start pilates or curious to give it a test drive?  Give Tara a call at Pilates Body Beyond or email her at info@pilatesbodybeyond.com